A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m not ashamed to admit that Estee Lauder had me at Hello with the release of Surreal Violet last year and I’ve been keeping a close eye on new nail polish releases ever since.

Due on counter at the end of the month, the new Pure Color Collection features a total of 16 shades… 8 of which are permanent and 8, limited edition.

Oyster Cult* is a metallic silver with one hell of a shine.  It’s a blinding, blinging shade but not hugely original – it applies well and lasts a good 3/4 days before showing much wear but at £14 a bottle I’m just not sure that there’s enough here to warrant a recommendation over and above any other silver in my collection.

Sizzling Taupe* on the other hand is fairly unique to most other taupes on the market… apart from one.  Zoya Pasha sprung to mind as soon as I applied.  They both have that slightly cool toned edge thanks to the silvery frost that runs through the finish like delicate threads.

I thought I’d do a swatch comparison between the two…

You can see that we’re not really very close to dupe territory when swatched side-by-side.

Estee Lauder’s Sizzling Taupe is darker, more opaque in two coats and doesn’t have the slight violet hue that Zoya Pasha displays.

If you’re a fan of taupes or perhaps just want a beautifully shade that’s safe for work but has a slight ‘edge’ to it then I’d thoroughly recommend Estee Lauder’s new Sizzling Taupe.

Are any of the new Estee Lauder shades catching your eye?

*Press Samples

On Thursday evening I unzipped my purse and shook it’s contents onto the desk infront of me.

Once the dust had settled and the moths had flown off to pastures new, I discovered that I had just enough left for one polish (we’ll ignore the little Chanel haul that spontaneously occurred the next day).

There was really only one polish the money could have been reserved for…

Butter London‘s All Hail McQueen!  A neutral beige/nude shade with a ton of holographic sparkle!  Ok, so it’s not the most sparkliest holographic in the world… but when the sun catches it, it sure is purdy!

Plus, I don’t own a beige holographic polish… are there any others about?

The formula on this polish is a joy.  Thin, smooth and heavily pigmented… 2 careful coats will give you enough opacity to lose the visible nail line, three will give you a perfect finish.  Thanks to the thin formula, drying time is great aswell.

I’ve just gone back to Zuneta (who delivered blisteringly quickly btw!) to pick up Victoriana.  I’m sorely tempted by Marrow too, heck, I’ve been banging on about it since NYFW… but the swatches I’ve seen so far are holding me back.  It’s lost that dusky, durgy quality the Vena Cava mix had.

Anyway, what do you think of All Hail McQueen?

I have the inimitable Pink Sith to thank for this Swatch Saturday.  When she told me all about it’s magical powers of taupeness, I knew I had to have it.  I’m not even gonna bother with a review, just read hers… it answers all the questions you’d ever need to ask.

Oh taupe haters (I know you’re out there), look away now.

Love it.  And I should bloody well think so too at £19.50.

Having said that, it’s a shade that I know is gonna see a LOT of use.  I’m already wearing it today smudged along my lashline as a liner.

Chanel Taupe Grisé #87 is Limited Edition, so if you think it may be for you too… head down to your nearest counter to have a play.

Beige, Grunge, Greige, Taupe, Shit Fingers… whatever you want to call it.  There’s a love/hate vibe around the shade that hasn’t venured far from the spotlight for the last year or so…

Here’s a run down of a few of the shades I own.

My perfect “greige” needs to be the right mix of grey and brown.  If it has just a hint of mauve, all the better…

Orly Prince Charming and BarryM Mushroom are quite chocolatey in appearance… I prefer a little more grey to my greiges.  Boots No7’s Beanie and O.P.I’s You Don’t Know Jacques are both beautiful but quite dark.

This leaves the mega bargainous E.L.F’s Smoky Brown as my pick of the colour crop.  On price alone (£1.50) it wins hands down.

If you haven’t done so already, you can check the E.L.F polishes out here.

Yep, it looks different on the nail to how it looks in bottle.  I much prefer it on the nail too!

In reality, Barielle Belly Dance is cooler… more violet toned than it appears in the bottle, making it slightly more unusual than initial impressions suggest.

Application was good, a little thin but only 2 coats to achieve opacity.  There’s a hint of silver sparkle which gives it an extra-glossy looking finish.

I like this shade a lot and wear has been great… 3 days, no chips – a little tip wear which isn’t that noticeable because of the nudey shade.  A great everyday polish that has sophistication without being high maintenance.

One of my favourites, it’s a sheer… which meant that I didn’t like it for about a week when I got it.  Until I discovered how easily it layered… and THEN discovered how easily I could use it as a crease colour without giving myself Panda eyes!

A cool toned violet/brown taupe with a hint of shimmer.  Urgh, even just describing it makes me wanna take it out and wear it right now (it’s 2am and I’ve washed my face already).

It’s my versatile friend that makes it possible for me to do subtle smoky daytime looks.  Without it, I’d be screwed.  I’m not being melodramatic, stop looking at me like that.

Thanks Francois, you’re the best.  No, really.

What’s in a name?

I’m curious ladies… which of these would you be happy to call taupe?

All of ’em? None of ’em?

Adj. 1. taupe – of something having a dusky brownish grey color

These are a few of my favourite shadows… individually I refer to them as taupes, but seeing them together like this makes me realise just how un taupe-ish some of them are.

Infact, only about three of them qualify for me.

Which ones would you classify as taupe?

And don’t say “does it really matter… they’re all brown” or I’ll insist you burn your makeup collection as penance.

EDIT: You guys sure care about taupe more than I thought you would!

#1 is Fyrinnae Species 8472
#2 is NYX Sparkle Cedar
#3 is NYX Dune
#4 is Fyrinnae Maneki Neko
#5 is a Body Shop shadow (#32 I think)
#6 I think I swatched #10 twice which would explain why I can’t remember it!
#7 is MAC Satin Taupe
#8 can’t remember, sorry!
#9 is MUA (superdrug £1) Eye Dust No5
#10 is BarryM Mushroom

I’m in agreement with most of you. The truest taupe’s (to my eye) are #3, 9 and 5.  The others are far too plummy or bronzey.

Why don’t these Body Shop Eye Shadows get more love?  I’ve collected a beautiful array of neutral shades over the last few years (yes, years… hygiene freaks – bite me).

I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price (£8) for one though…. I usually pick them up off eBay or when they’re in the sale on the Body Shop website, which… btw…. has some of the best sales and discount codes of any beauty website.

You get 1.4g of product for your money and the shadows come in either matte or shimmer finish.  The shimmer ones are just beautiful…. they remind me of the MAC Veluxe Pearl finish, heavily pigmented and smooth like butter.

Next time you’re passing your local Body Shop, go check out #07 and come back and tell me it’s not gorgeous!

What underrated products would you happily sing the praises of?

I found it, I found it!

I thought I’d add a swatch to my collection of Creaseless Cream swatches… you can find the rest here.

Flatter Me is described as a ‘Toasted Mauve’… which basically means it’s a strange mix of mauve, taupe and brown.  It’s quite, quite beautiful.

As with the other Creaseless Creams, this is budgeproof on my eyelids.  More, more.. I must have more!  I think I’m going after Stiletto or Pre Nup next!

Do you like this one or are they all a bit too neutral for you?

These little pots of loveliness are currently enjoying a bit of a resurgence in popularity, and so they should.

I own 4, yes I can count (just about)… but couldn’t find my ‘Flatter Me’ shade for the photos – boo!  Above, from left to right are: R.S.V.P (a peach shade), Skinny Jeans (an oh-so-popular pewter) and My Date’s My Brother (a girly pink).

The heavy glass jars seal well, ensuring that your product stays in the best condition for as long as possible before eventually (like most cream products) becoming a little drier and harder to work with.  So don’t forget to screw the lids on as tightly as possible!  The usual cutesy kitsch Benefit design is apparent on both the outer box packaging and the glass jars.  I think I’m in the majority when I admit to being a perpetual fan of this 50s style design.  A lot of brands try to mimic the Benefit styling, but none pull if off quite so well in my opinion.

L-R: R.S.V.P, Skinny Jeans and My Date’s My Brother.

The creams pick up well on a synthetic brush like a concealer brush or simillar.  I mainly use my creaseless creams as an allover base which is why I prefer the paler, more neutral shades.  I only use Skinny Jeans if I’m doing a smoky eye.  My favourite of all the Creaseless Creams I own is R.S.V.P, it’s a beautiful peach that works well as an allover wash with a taupe shadow (powder) blended into the socket line for some definition.

As their name would suggest, these things don’t crease.  Infact they don’t budge an inch once set, which means that any other shadows you apply ontop also hold fast.  Benefit Creaseless Creams hold a dear place in my collection and I’m always on the hunt to add some new shades!

Are you a fan of cream shadows?  What are your favourites?

Back in December, I went a little Dior crazy.  I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat… (stop laughing)

Anyway!  I was a woman possessed obsessed with the Dior Cristal Boreal Holiday Collection and when I picked up a few pieces, a couple more shadows from the new One Couleur Extreme range fell into my hot sweaty hands too.

Left to Right on the top row: Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Flash Black, Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Silver Gem (LE), Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Trendy Taupe.

Flash Black: A true black infused with silver sparkle… this is such a great base for a wonderful smoky eye.

Silver Gem (LE) – This is a limited edition silver from the Cristal Boreal Holiday 2009 Collection… this is the shadow that I first swatched on counter that made me loopy for the collection.  It’s a pretty darn opaque silver with a buttery finish.

Trendy Taupe – A teeny bit disappointing because it’s so dark on me, I wanted more of a midtone shade for the lid and this fairly pigmented shade doesn’t quite fit the bill.

The cast of characters… You can see the sparkle of Flash Black (left), the opaqueness of Silver Gem (middle) and the deep tones of Trendy Taupe (right).

I think that concludes my pre-Christmas Dior haul…. now to find a new obsession for Spring/Summer… What’s on your radar?

Just another boring neutral FOTD…

Eyes:

Body Shop Shimmer Cube in Warm (Thanks Tali!)
Sleek Ink Pot in Black (Dominatrix)
Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara
GOSH Velvet Touch eyeliner (Black)

Face:

Gale Hayman Youth Light Foundation (Porcelain) – A Direct Cosmetics cheapy I’ve surprised myself by liking!
Earthen Glow Minerals Matte Blush (Emotions)
MAC MSF in Perfect Topping

Lips:

GOSH Darling Lipstick

My hooded eyelids make things really tricky for a novice like me… I can hardly ever achieve a decent eyeliner flick, and getting my shadows to appear above the crease without looking plain odd I find really tricky.  Help!