A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

We all know how it feels to sneak five minutes of our lunch break on the way back to the office with our sarnies.  Some people will spend that precious respite browsing the news-stands, others may glance over the cosmetic counters.  The very last thing you want to do when you only have minutes to spare?  Get into a conversation with the shop assistant over the latest launches.

Alternatively, you just may be an anti-social bitch like me and prefer to shop without assistance until you request it.  Or perhaps you love hearing about the technology in the latest serums on the market but can never find an SA willing to talk shop with you?

Clinique have been looking at the way us shoppers like to prowl the counters and have come up with a potential solution to this common problem.  Complimentary wrist bands.

Three different coloured wrist bands to be precise.

Which wrist band do you go for?  Well that depends on your mood!

Green = Chat me up and tell me whatchu got!

White = Help me/Serve me, QUICKLY – The boss is coming back any minute now!

Pink = Leave me the hell alone unless I ask otherwise.

How effective this scheme will be, remains to be seen.  I popped by the Clinique counter in Selfridges (Oxford Street) on Tuesday afternoon and although the billboard was up, advertising the new Service As You Like It concept — there wasn’t a wrist band to be seen.  I asked about them and a friendly (though slightly suspicious!) SA explained that they were waiting on more bands to come into stock before they put them out on display.  She kindly let me have a look at the display box and seemed keen on the idea when I asked about it.  It was clear however that there had already been some teething issues with ‘customers’ picking them up in handfuls and simply walking away with them without even attempting to have a look around the counter!  Dreadful.

I have to applaud Clinique for tackling such an age-old problem with this scheme.  Hopefully it will ultimately mean that time is spent more effectively on customers who require assistance and will generate better relationships between the SA and the customer.  A potential win-win situation for both brand and shopper.

Here’s hoping!  What do you think?

The Clinique Service As You Like It complimentary wrist bands are on counter from Selfridges Oxford Street, House of Fraser Meadowhall, House of Fraser Glasgow, Debenhams Leeds and Fenwick Newcastle.

There’s no getting around the fact that our mutual addiction to all things ‘beautiful’ is an expensive one.  In an industry driven by fashion, technology and innovation, there will always be new products vying for space on our wishlists but never enough money to tick them all off.

The concept of group-buying has been growing in popularity over the last couple of years and there are many websites out there that offer deals on the basis that they will be supplying a single offer to a group collective at a lower than RRP price. Many of the beauty-related deals focus on experiences rather than material goods: haircuts, spa treatments and manicures (fishy or otherwise) and I’ve enjoyed many of the above at a lower price thanks to these websites.

BuyaPowa.com is a brand new site that enables shoppers like you and me to engage in ‘collective-buying’ and demand the same bulk-buy discounts that retailers enjoy. On initial inspection, these ‘co-buys’ appear to operate from the same starting-point as the other group-buying websites.  But there are some important differences…

1. The final price of any product drops as more people join the ‘co-buys’ and the person who brings the most people into any given co-buy receives their product for free.  A genuine opportunity to drive prices down with the help of those social-networking tools we all spend too much time on.

2. Alternative group-buying deals are generally focused on regional areas served by a particular salon or establishment but because BuyaPowa.com is product-centric, they offer deals to a national audience.

3. BuyaPowa.com have integrated a system into the site that encourages users to submit their requests for products they would like to purchase through a BuyaPowa.com ‘co-buy’.  This request is visible to other members who can join in and offer support for your submission. If enough people give your request a virtual thumbs up, BuyaPowa will set the wheels in motion towards getting a co-buy together.

It’s this 3rd difference that really has me interested in the BuyaPowa.com concept and is what sets them apart from other group-buying websites.  Something that utilises a community’s shared opinion and buying power in a unique and more importantly, useful way strikes a chord with me and is what I want to focus on in the remainder of this post.

Watch this short video for more information on how the BuyaPowa.com concept works

For a current example of a beauty ‘co-buy’, they’ve got a Burts Bees one live right now which is on its way to finishing at a discount of up to 53%.

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Of course, it would be quite easy for them to go ahead and buy up a bunch of discontinued stock at a low price and flog it on like other online beauty discounters. Infact, I’ve quizzed them on how realistic it would be for them to approach high-end beauty brands and their response showed me that this is precisely the kind of feat they’re trying to achieve.  Of course, they can’t guarantee that every brand will be interested in our requests but to achieve this kind of shopping revolution, they’re going to need our help to convince the brands that WE would buy from them in this way.

Infact, can you imagine how cool this could be for the beauty community online?  Example…

Brand X releases uber new ‘multiple’ at £30 and within hours, some brilliant reader/blogger/you-tuber/twitterer has set up a request on BuyaPowa nagging them to provide a ‘co-buy’.  We all pile in (thanks to the power of social media) and within 24 hours the request receives enough support to elevate it to the attention of BuyaPowa who then approach Brand X to request 100 ‘uber multiples’ before passing on their retailer discount to us.  Get in!

BuyaPowa.com would like to hear our opinions and would love if you could answer one, two or all three of the below questions.

1). What type of proucts would YOU like to buy this way for less?

2). Are there any specific beauty products you love that are over-priced and particularly ripe for bulk-buy discounting?

3). Do you own any products which you now realise you could have bought for less if only something like this had previously been available?

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* this is a sponsored post

Cult Beauty Pop-Up Store!

From today until Monday 31st January, Cult Beauty is launching a pop-up shop exclusively in that beauty mecca otherwise known as Selfridges!

image shamefully purloined, half-inched from CultBeauty.co.uk

You’ll be able to lay your hands on hard-to-find brands such as Face Atelier, Ginvera, MV Organics and Rahua; as well as benefit from a whole host of beauty advice from industry experts.

Also, If you Sign up for the Cult Beauty newsletter, you’ll receive a coupon which will allow you to claim a free Como Shambala Invigorate travel set (showergel and lotion) – redeemable at the pop-up shop.

I’ll be heading along on Saturday after IMATS – might see you there!

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Cosmetics A La Carte Pop Up Parlour!

Cosmetics A La Carte will be launching a pop up parlour at The Peak Spa at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel.  The pop-up parlour will offer complimentary ‘Recharge Makeovers’ and handy tips on how to get the perfect complexion every Friday.

The parlour will launch this Friday 28th January and will be open from 10am – 6pm.  Each consultation lasts between 20-30 minutes and Peak Spa, located high above the city on the ninth floor of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, is open to members and guests.

Spa treatments at The Peak Spa can be booked by calling 0207 858 7300

…as voted for by you (and me).

Do you remember this post?

Heathrow wanted to know what we considered our must-have pampering products when travelling.  It would have been uber nice if we’d had a wider initial range to choose from… but I was still able to pick a definite favourite from each category.

Anyway, the results are in… and the winner is:

Prevage Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum

I have to say, the Prevage range from Elizabeth Arden has kinda passed me by.  It’s just not a range that I know very much about… but it seems that lots of you do because the BAA website had over 8000 votes cast in their hunt for the nation’s number one.

The full results list for the beauty category were:

1. Prevage® Face Advanced Anti-Aging Serum

2. Soltan Light Lotion

3. Sisley Supremÿa Anti-Aging night cream

4. Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus

5. Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Corrector

6. Dior Extase mascara

7. Rituals Sundance Shimmer Powder

8. Dr Sebagh Rose de Vie

9. YSL Nail varnish

10. Guerlain Rouge G lipstick

The 10 winning products will be showcased in a giant suitcase in Terminal 5 for the month of October.

They’re all available to purchase at Heathrow with some nice savings (not to mention exclusives!) when compared to the high street.

Before I gave up smoking, the only thing that really interested me at the airport were the cartons of duty-free Silk Cut!  Since dropping the habit, I have been enjoying the freedom to explore what else duty-free has to offer.  Actually, I always pick up a YSL Rouge Pur lipstick once airside at the terminal – I’m not sure why those in particular?  I’ve bought a new YSL lipstick at the airport ever since my first long-haul to Sydney over 10 years ago!  It’s a lovely tradition I think 😉

A good reason to go on holiday if ever there was one…

Do you beauty shop at the airport?

I’ve already declared my preference for shopping solo before… it’s a control thing.

My tastes are probably different to yours and I don’t wanna spend 20 minutes pretending to like that green eyeshadow you’ve gone all misty-eyed for.

I mean… “Hey!  Why don’t you come over here instead and examine these 7 different taupes with me whilst I delve into miniscule detail noting all the subtle differences between them”.

See the problem?  I’m not a very compatible or companionable person whilst shopping.  Just leave. me. alone.

So, it’s with interest that I saw Elemis’ latest launch!

By the way… this is supposed to be a graphical representation of Debenhams on Oxford St… I wanna know why there’s only two women in the picture?  There should be at least 50… all foaming at the mouth… pushing, snarling and invading one another’s personal space whilst clutching their little yellow Selfies bags from down the road.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah… Elemis… Well, they’ve introduced this thing called a Double SpaPod and it goes something like this…

Launching this May is the world’s first Double Elemis SpaPod.  Now there are two treatment rooms available so you can book in alone or if with a friend you can both stop for advanced facial therapy and total body revival before you continue to shop!

I’m really not sold on this whole “go with a mate” thing but it got more interesting when I read this…

Each treatment is carried out whilst you relax on an Intelligent Massage Chair that measures the length of the spine,  takes your body weight, warms the body and is then  programmed to deliver a customised massage using a variety of techniques, working specifically on any problem areas.

Getting warmer…

And check out the new innovative Smart Glass Technology.  At the flick of a switch, this advanced glass instantly frosts over locking out the hustle and bustle of the beauty hall and cocoons you in its relaxing retreat-like ambiance…

Sold to the lady who wants to play with the switch! *flick, flick, flick*

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I guess I can see the point with going to a spa-type thing with a mate… but I dunno, if it involves shopping too… I think I’d rather be forced to buy nothing but Constance Carroll for a year than buddy up…

Are you a sociable shopper?  Do you take your girlfriend’s to the loo with you?  Do you want one of those Elemis massage chairs for your front room too?

You have until the 31st March, promo code = TICKTOCK

Take advantage whilst you can!

Incidentally… I wonder what shade that Essie is supposed to be?  Imma on the hunt now!  Any ideas?