A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It was good to come home last night and sleep in my own bed after 2 days up in the ‘big smoke’.

I’m pleased to see that my post scheduler has been working well, unfortunately I’m all out of draft posts now!  My backups have been well and truly depleted by that little jaunt!  Best get writing then, I’m certainly not suffering from a lack of material (just a lack of sleep).

While I was away, I attended two blogging events, both of which were a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to sharing the details of them with you.

My break away from home was filled with everything I hoped it would be: fun, laughter, alcohol, makeup, good food, good company, christmas lights, iphone tweeting, shopping and eggnog lattes.  But more on all that later.

How have you lovely lot been? Any salacious gossip, life-changing events? A lot can happen in 48hrs you know!

As for me, baby L is off for a nap… and I think I might join her.

…to buy a Heat magazine… *does shoulder shimmy*

So, I wanna check out the big Westfield Shooping Centre (Inglots anyone?), drink some cocktails, maybe hit Selfridges, ooh I definitely want to find a Boots that has a Dior Counter (can any Londoners help me out with that one?), have another Eggnog Latte and eat some KFC (classy).

I’m staying over-night Thursday and will be leaving Leila in charge of Mr. L for the first time.  Nervewracking, but I’m sure he’ll behave himself.

I’m at a bit of a loose end on Friday afternoon, so if anyone wants to meet for a coffee, shout at me on Twitter!

My Advent Giveaway will be ongoing as long as my post scheduler behaves itself.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that the Dior Holiday Palette is still available!

How much loyalty do you show brands when you shop?

I tend to be more loyal to my skincare brands than I do my cosmetic ones.

Why is that?  I’m not sure.. perhaps I’m less inclined to “experiment” and risk upsetting my skin.

Whatever the reason, when I find something that works, I usually become fiercly loyal for a relatively long period and it takes a lot of persuasion to make me change.

As for cosmetics?  I’m as fickle as they come… well… perhaps not…

I’ve recently thrown away all my pencil eyeliners except for my GOSH Cosmetics Velvet Touch ones.  Once I started using these, I didn’t see the point of keeping the rest as my hands simply stopped reaching for them in the morning.

What brands are you loyal to?  And Why?

So fellow beauty addicts, it’s THAT time of the year again.

Our loved ones begin to quake at the thought of choosing us suitable pressies and our partners become more forgetful about where they keep their wallets… don’t tell me that’s just mine?

Christmas… it’s a time for families and reflection.  Thankfully it’s also a time for stuffing one’s face, getting presents and leaving the washing up to pile sky high.

With the more commercial materialistic angle in mind… I present to you (and Mr. L) my Christmas Wishlist 2009.

1. Alex Monroe Sterling Silver Reed Warbler in Heart Necklace – £89.95

soooo pretty, I love so many Alex Monroe pieces, but this one really stood out to me being so delicate and feminine.

2. Dior 5-Colour Iridescent Eyeshadow – Smoky Crystal – £36.00

The most beautifully cool-toned, shimmery, highly pigmented, smooth like buttah palette in the existence of all palettes that were ever made ever, in the whole wide world.  ’till I find another one.

But right now, I love this one so much that it’s gonna be my Christmas present to myself for being such an amazingly cool person.  I’m so nice.

3. Daniele de Winter – Choc Beauté – €17.94

From the site:

“Choc Beauté are delicious chocolates designed to make your skin more beautiful”

I don’t really need to elaborate on that do I? 4 boxes please… oh go on then, 5.

4. Mason Pearson Bristle & Nylon Hairbrush – £49.90

I’ve had my Mason Pearson Hair Brush in “Handy” size since I was 3 years old… so that’s um *counts* 25 years… 25 years of daily use.  It needs replacing desperately, but considering how old and battered it is – it still does the job every morning.

5. Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolue – £37.50

A worldwide sellout.  A protective treamtent oil from the masters of hair containing Camellia essence.  Can’t find it anywhere… but since when has that stopped me wanting something?

6. LUSH 12 Days of Christmas Gift Box – £34.95

Winter is all about LUSH for me, I don’t know why… but I get a bit LUSH crazed come December.  I blame Ruby Red Slippers which can be found in The 12 Days of Christmas Box Set (along with a whole lot more!).

7. USLU Airlines Nail Polish in BIV & GRZ – €21 each

I first heard about USLU over at the delightful BeautyWooMe

How can you not love a company who names it’s products after airports?  Here’s 2 for the plane spotter in all of us.

Oh, and incase you’re curious… GRZ stands for Thalerhof Airport in Graz, Austria and BIV is Bria Airport in the Central African Republic.  Don’t say you don’t get no educashion on this here blog!

8. Silk Sleep Silk Blanket – £135

Yes, it’s decadent. No, I don’t care.  It’s 100% Silk and me and Leila need it for cooching in now.  But only if she promises not to pee on it.

9. Nana DeBary – Green – $98

Top notes: bergamot, citron
Heart notes: basil, cardamom
Base notes: thyme, musk, vetiver

Yum! Gotta love a fresh, easy going, green scent.  Reminds me of summer when it um isn’t.

10. Blitz Gold Leaf Shadow by Belmacz – £26

They say:

Belmacz Blitz is a creamy gold eyeshadow that doubles as a brow and cheekbone highlighter. Each pot contains two leaves of pure 24-carat gold and the cream glides on to give a smooth, sheer finish. Layer it on to create a dramatic solid gold effect. As with all Belmacz products, the beauty of Blitz is how well it blends, giving you a flattering, golden shimmer without looking artificially glittery.

Lipglossiping says:

It’s Christmas, why the hell not?

So that’s my top ten Chrimbo Crushes. *wistful sigh*

Just so that you know… in reality, I’ll get…

Lipglossiping, keepin’ it real this (and every) Christmas 😉 x

Tomorrow signals the last day of November.

From there on… it’s downhill all the way, no time to catch our breath with too many presents to buy, cakes to prepare, cards to write and family to dodge.  Come Christmas Eve we may allow ourselves a teeny moment of respite… just enough time to stop, take a breath (and a big glug of Baileys) before hurtling headfirst into the main event.

Don’t even think that you’re going to be able to go anywhere throughout December without someone, somewhere mentioning the C word (no, not that one!)

I’ve been a grumpy old Scrooge about Christmas throughout November.

I genuinely do object to hearing Christmas carols, dodging mechanical Father Christmases and averting my eyes from selection boxes when I’ve only just gotten over the death of summer.  It takes away from the magic of Christmas for me… heck, by the time Christmas Day finally arrives I’m sick to the back teeth of hearing about it.

Now I’ve gotten all that off my chest… let me elaborate on the purpose of this post.

My lovely readers… In an attempt to gear myself up for some genuine festive cheer… I do hereby summon you to come visit my little corner of the internet every day throughout December.

“For Why?” I hear you cry…

Because, my little elves… I have an awesome Christmas Present to give away to one lucky reader every day from December 1st right up to and including Christmas Day itself!

Yes, I’ve been buying and collecting up lots of little bits and pieces since I started blogging this year and have been looking forward to treating you.  I’ve just passed the 200 follower mark, which means a lot to me as I’ve never given incentives for anyone to follow and hope that you have chosen to do so as a way to remember to check in occassionally.

Anyway, enough of all this mush!  How about the goodies?

Well… they range from low-end to high-end… from Revlon to Benefit, from The Body Shop to Shu Uemura. It’s a real mixed bag.

The giveaway will be open internationally, and as always you do not need to be a follower.  If I weren’t a blogger myself, I wouldn’t have a clue how to follow another blog.

Check back on the 1st December to see what treats I have in store for you!

So, I was asking on Twitter last night… Why is it, when department stores advertise things like 25% off sales, the beauty department only ever offers 10% off at the most.

All department stores are the same, you receive the email with the promise of big savings only to open it and sigh at the small print.

So, it was rather apt this morning when I read this article on the Daily Mail website.

If you haven’t got time to read it, here’s the headline:

Battle of the beauty brands as Debenhams slashes prices by 15% in Christmas price war

God I hate the Daily Mail.

“Slashes” and “15%”, an oxymoron if ever I heard one.  Excuse me if I don’t pee my pants with excitement and rush down to my nearest overpriced cosmetics counter to take advantage of that generous 15%, I wouldn’t want to start a stampede in the middle of this dramatic pricing war.

So yeah, no real point to this post… just venting a little.  Sorry about that.

I’ve spent the last 14 years swirling, wiping and generally smearing the setting powder “du jour” onto my face.  Only in the last month have I started patting it on.  Whether with a large fluffy powder brush or a sponge… I just pat, pat, pat and get better, more even and less cakey coverage.

What else…

Oh yes, brows.. if I press my finger where my natural arch is and gently pull the brow/skin taut… I find it much easier to brush the brow powder through and I get a much neater, more defined result.

What are your application A-ha’s!?

Incidentally, I’m having a little clean up round here… dust was gathering in the corners and there was a big coffee ring on the table.

My blogroll is a little out of date so if you would like to exchange blogroll links (and you aren’t listed already) or if your link needs updating please leave a comment with a linky to your blog or send me a message.

I’ve been removing unused widgets, adding a new cool (or possibly rubbish) translator for my visitors reaching me from more exotic climes and generally tweaking things to make the site as speedy as possible.

I know there were a few issues a couple of weeks back with pages continually refreshing and comments not being allowed through… I trust that this is all resolved now, but I always appreciate any feedback noting technical problems you may be experiencing!  It gives me the opportunity to use the whip on Mr. Lipglossiping (no, not like that).

Whilst I’m asking… is there anything you’d like to see added?  I was contemplating an “upcoming posts” thingamabob in the sidebar for my own motivation as much as anything… is that useful?  Or do you prefer surprises?

…stays in Lon… usually comes home with me in a lovely iconic yellow paper bag 😉

So, I was up in London on Saturday for the wonderful Aussie Project Angel event (more details to come later..) and saw lots of lovely things to add to my stash.

Ok, well I didn’t get *all* these bits in London.. the Stila stuff I ordered a couple of weeks ago and turned up today so thought I’d throw them in.

I went on a bit of a lipstick buying rampage – and had to be physically restrained from buying another Shu one that I had my eye on.

On the left, the unmistakable Lingerie Pink… and on the right, the lovely Shu Rouge Unlimited BG907.

I had no intentions of buying Lingerie Pink until I tried it on out of pure curiousity at the counter.  Instant love.

I first saw the Shu one when I went to the Maybelline Event last month and have lusted after it ever since.

How pretty?! – L-R: Pound Cake, Strawberry Sorbet, Baby Cakes

Kryolan Supra Color Black Greasepaint recommended to me by LondonMUGirl.  First impressions… wonderful to blend eyeshadow over compared to UDPP, but it starts creasing after 3hrs 🙁

L-R: MAC Woodwinked (been on my wishlist a LONG time), Kryolan Matte Highlight (got this by accident after SA put the wrong eyeshadow in my bag… grrr.)

Well, that concludes my first proper “haul” post… hope it wasn’t too dull.  I enjoy reading about everyone else’s newest acquisitions, but everyone is different so apologies if this was a boring read – move along, I’m done now!

Oh, and the Stila can wait ’till the rest of my order turns up 🙂

I was reading an article over at Marketing Magazine about Dermalogica being rather upset with Boots for stocking their products without permission…

Dermalogica claims that by doing so, Boots could “damage the brand”.  They don’t elaborate exactly how this damage would manifest itself, but with the word “exclusive” written in the same paragraph… it really doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Boots are “high street”, Dermalogica are “high end”.  And never the twain shall meet.

Now, I’m no product-snob – though heaven knows I try 😉  I just don’t have the money to indulge.  Perhaps if I didn’t LOVE makeup/skincare/haircare quite so much (thus not needing to try new things ALL THE FREAKIN’ TIME) I’d go high-end exclusivly.

Let’s face it, I have aspirations to makeup snobbery.  I don’t know why, I really don’t.  I flippin’ love a good bargain MORE than the next person.

I have a few select luxe pieces in my collection that I would repurchase over and over (hello Dior Capture Totale) but the majority of my collection lies in the low to mid-range price point.

The recent RougeBunnyRouge positive reviews and gushings have done little to dispel my aspirations, although honestly, I’m simultaneously HORRIFIED by their prices (£27 for a liquid eyeliner).  Combine that with waiting lists for Chanel’s latest offering to the Nail Polish world and I’m left feeling a little Jaded myself (no, no need to pardon that pun – I need shooting for that).

What is it that we hope to achieve by putting our money down for the brands that are deemed to be so exclusive?

The ‘exclusive’ E.L.F Complexion Perfection vs. Guerlain Meteorites Powder *removes tongue from cheek*

“Exclusivity” has much to do with cost, the two factors are often intertwined and the lower the cost, the less exclusive the product becomes.  If you do boil it down to this (true or not) how ridiculous does exclusivity become?  If that IS the case, the term should be “exclusively for mugs” because we all know that there are some fabulous cheap(er) purchases to be made.

Is it quality?  I’m sure for some… it is.  I think perhaps I’d understand my aspirations to product-snobbery a little better if I spent time in an environment where I could show off (discretely of course ;)) my latest finds as an extension of my ego in the same way Mr. Smith might drive his new Audi S8 back and forth outside his office window.

I don’t have that excuse (or is it justification!).  I’m self-employed & the only person who sees me for 8 hours of the day is Mr. Lipglossiping and Baby Lipglossiping and they really couldn’t be less impressed by me triumphuntly pulling out my Chantecaille compact.  If anything, I should really make more of a covert operation of it infront of Mr. L…

Am I trying to impress myself perhaps?  Does buying luxe simply place a greater worth in myself?  Do I enjoy the self-indulgence?  Perhaps it’s a bit of all those things.

All I really know is, my bank manager doesn’t like it much.  Now excuse me, I’m off to check out the latest “exclusive” import that is Hourglass Cosmetics whilst doing a fine job (if I do say so myself) of dodging Mr. Lipglossiping.

What are your thoughts on the term “exclusive” when it comes to products?  Is it a term synonymous with quality or sad gits like me hankering after items I can ill-afford to purchase.

No time for proper updates today… glad it’s Wednesday so I can do this instead!

That time had come… the moment I’d been dreading for almost 8 months.

It was time to sacrifice the UDPP packaging in the quest for more product.

Thanks to some advice and gentle nudges in the right direction from the lovely girls on Twitter (AbbieandBrian, Lollipop, Ally, cosmetic-candy, melovemakeup, get_lippie, slaphappybeauty & Rhamnousia) I felt a little more confident that I could depot without removing most of my fingers in the process.

Here we go:

The cast of (necessary) characters.  I’m using a Body Shop sample pot – did you know that you can ask for a samples in The Body Shop?

Grab your boyfriend, husband, dad (or someone else you can palm this thankless task onto) and get them to saw straight through the middle.  Make sure you’re using a knife with a serated blade!

Ta-Da! Look at all that product!

Look! That’s enough to keep me going for another month right there!

All scraped out..

Goodness me, that would have gone in the bin if it weren’t for all you lovely bloggers alerting me to the packaging shame that is UDPP

But wait! There’s more! – Get that knife back out and start sawing the bottom of the tube too, ‘cos look!

Yes! Shame on you Urban Decay!

Get every last splodge!

Et Voila! One dead UDPP tube and one very nearly full pot of Primer Potion.

I know, I know… there’s hundreds of these tutorials about now in the blogosphere and on youtube.  I should know, I’ve watched most of them…

Why add to it?  Well… because DESPITE that – I very nearly just binned the UDPP without doing this.  I figured it would be too much hassle, too hard, too whatever other lazy ass excuse I could come up with.

It was fine.  I mean, it was hard work waiting patiently whilst my husband sawed through the middle bit… FASTER *whipcrack* – but he got there in the end.  So, I’m happy to saturate the UDPP depotting tutorial presence on the internet if it helps bully YOU (or your general dogsbody) into making sure you do this when the time comes.