Accessorize Molten Truffle

People were asking me recently to post more about affordable beauty products ... well, how does £1.50 for one of the most beautiful eyeshadows I have ever seen* grab you?

Wandering around my local Superdrug recently, I finally spotted the Accessorize makeup stand.  I realise I'm the last blogger on earth to have discovered the makeup, but hey ho.  I picked up the nail varnishes in Aztec and Bronze which are as beautiful as I've been lead to believe (and an utter bargain at £4.50 each), but more about those later.  I noticed a little sign saying the pigment pots were £1.50 each, and picked this one up, it's a cool taupe, one of those perfect greybrownpurple shades, and I was instantly smitten.

However, it wasn't until I swatched it that I realised just how beautiful it was.  The powder is gloriously soft, silky, smooth and so complex a shade that it's actually incredibly difficult to describe.  So here are some really terrible photographs in an attempt to explain:

The second picture actually picks up a hint of the multi-tonal microshimmer - alongside the greybrownpurple of the basic pigment itself, there are hints of pink, bronze and green shimmer.  It puts my beloved Le Metier de Beaute Le Circ palette to shame.

There. I said it.

And breathe. 

Here's another dreadful pic of how it looks on my eyes:

Eyeliner: Illamasqua Abyss, Mascara: Armani Eyes to Kill

 Hmn, my eyelids are unexpectedly creased here, I have been trialling a sealing gel that I'm not hugely impressed with.  So I shall blame that.  DAMN you stupid sealing gel that has given me creased-up eyelids!  

And now, here's an awful full-face pic that doesn't show the eyeshadow at all, but it's my blog, and I like seeing my new pink pearls in photos:

Still aggravated by that sealing gel, obviously.

So, there you go, one bargainalicious beauty product, that even at full-price (£4.50) would still be a bargain.  I'm going back for Molten Khaki tomorrow.




*It's okay if you don't think it's beautiful too.  It's TAUPE, I gettit ... 

The Fine Print: I bought everything I'm wearing in this blog post.  Including the perfume.

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

When Poppy King met No7

A brand new range of lip products were born:

 
I can't deny that I have a bit of a fangirl crush on Poppy King, aka the Lipstick Queen,  she's a stylish lady who is basically dedicating her life to lipstick.  Much like myself but, you know, with style and a lipstick company, and business sense and stuff.  I own something from practically every release she's done over the last few years or so, and, even when I think the ideas are a bit suspect (hello Jean Queen), I can't deny that she's onto something.


Poppy believes that there's a perfect lipstick (indeed a perfect red lipstick) for everyone, even people who hate lipstick, and this, her latest collection of lipsticks - and glosses - in collaboration with No7, which is released this week, is almost entirely perfectly pitched, in my opinion.


The lipsticks and glosses are entirely without shimmer, sparkle and glitter (and expect me to have more to say about glitter in cosmetic products later on in the week), and flavour, which makes a refreshing change.  There are seven shades in the range which runs the gamut from nudes to pinks to reds to browns to berries.


At the recent press launch, I was given Romance and History to try - which are, luckily the two I'd have gone right out and purchased that day, had they been available!

Swatches:

As you can see, both the glosses and the lipsticks swatch on the sheer side, Romance is a nice neutral pink, and History a sheer neutral red, not too orange, not too blue. Now, whilst they are sheer, they are buildable, particularly if you layer the gloss and lipstick together.  

Here, I'll demonstrate:


Romance:

History:

As you can see, alone, the lipsticks are sheer, and have a satin - not too glossy - finish, but adding a slick of the (slightly sheer on it's own) lipgloss intensifies the colours.  


Both the gloss and lipsticks are hydrating, and non-drying, although the wear is about average for such a balm-like product, a couple of hours, and they won't really last much beyond your morning cup of coffee. But they are so soft and hydrating that re-applying them isn't too much of a problem.  Best of all, the lipgloss isn't sticky!


The packaging on the lipsticks is nice, it's very different to normal No7 offerings, which I normally think look a bit cheap - even the special limited editions.  Metal cased, and rather on the small side, they actually contain a full-size lipstick, and they're more than comparable to the original Lipstick Queen lipsticks, including price, as they're going on sale for £12 each.


Sadly, the lipgloss packaging isn't that brilliant - Poppy explained it wonderfully at the launch, talking of Bakelite, Man Ray and Marilyn Monroe, and other such great visuals, and her lookbook was amazing ... but, just adding a spotty lid to a lipgloss isn't really that inspiring, to be honest.  Also, the doe foot applicator doesn't pick up much product - and tends to wipe off that which you do apply -  I'd have much preferred a brush, particularly for layering!  The lipgloss will be available for £11.


The range will be available both in-store and online later this week, I'll be going in to pick up one or two of the other shades, will you?

The Fine Print: PR samples received at press launch, but I'd have happily handed over actual cash-money for merely the opportunity to sit and gas with Poppy and Lisa Eldridge even without the goody bag! 


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Public Beauty

 I don't know about you, but I'm a bit squeamish.  Also, I like to keep my beauty routines strictly between me and the bathroom mirror (for the purposes of this post, my blog doesn't count, mmkay?).  So, when I spotted a booth - and I use the phrase lightly - offering tooth-whitening for the bargain basement price of £135 in my local shopping mall, I was a bit horrified.


Ok, a lot horrified.


A shonky booth made of posters of unattainably white teeth, promising superb results in an hour or less, right between a set of escalators, and the entrance to Tesco for maximum footfall doesn't strike me as the best place in the world to get your teeth seen to.  Now, I'm not saying they were cowboys (I didn't catch the name of the company), but ... what if something went wrong?  


Tooth whitening, whilst it's taking place is not sexy, it's not comfortable, and it can be a little painful - would you want people desperate to get at the Krispy Kreme stand, or going up the escalators looking on whilst you have your mouth clamped open?  Really?  You're so vulnerable in the chair, would you want to be gawped at?

I've noticed that fish pedicures are becoming more commonplace in shopping centres too - please don't get me started on those.  Putting aside my issues with feet for a minute, I can't help thinking that fish pedicures are a bit ... cruel to the fish.  But, why would you want to get your feet done openly in a shopping centre?

Anyhoo, I'm digressing a bit, and possibly being a little hypocritical because I have had beauty treatments in department stores, but things like manicures, and eyebrow threadings only.  Treatments unlikely to need medical attention if things go wrong, in other words.  The reason it costs so much in a dental surgery is that you're paying for professional attention, and follow-up, things you're unlikely to get in a shopping centre.


Am I wrong?  Would you be prepared to undergo the indignity for the chance of prettier teeth?  How far would you go in public to be "beautiful"?


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Giveaway winners!

Okay, it's time to announce my winners, and random.org hasn't let me down today, as I'm delighted to announce my two winners as  ....

Winner No1 (Chanel)

JoBetterDays from Music And Makeup

Winner No2 (mystery prize)

Rebecca from Oh Panda

Congratulations, ladies!  Please drop me an email to let me know your delivery addresses, and I'll get them out to you ASAP.

Thank you to every single one of you who entered, I loved reading all your suggestions, and I've had some great ideas for posts from them.  Who know storage ideas would be so popular?

There will be another giveaway in April, so not too long to wait now.

Lx

This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

A Week In Lipstick

I took these out of my handbag just now. It's obviously been a pink lips kind of week!




Man, I'm predictable ...

Giveaway reminder!

A normal post will be up for you guys later, but in the meantime, here's a little reminder that I have a giveaway on at the moment.

Please click this link for more details

Thank you so much!


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com/ All rights reserved.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine: Shades 66, 61, 55 and 54

I've been waiting for these to be released for about six weeks now, so when I noticed they'd been released early - I thought they were out at the end of the month! - I had to snap up a couple. Or four...




The shades I picked were (l-r): 66 - Bel-Ami: a lightly bronzed brown; 61 - Bonheur: a sheer berry; 55 - Romance: bubblegum pink and 54 - Boy: a pale caramel nude. In the tubes these shades look vivid and full of pigment, but the full beauty of these sticks is revealed on swatching:




Lightly pigmented, glossy and sheer, these shades are essentially a shiny, cushioned, balm for your lips. Wear isn't, of course, as good as the original Rouge Coco shades, but dang, these do feel wonderful on your lips! Speaking of which, here ate the lip swatches:


66 Bel-Ami:




Not nearly as brown as it appears in the bullet, this is almost reddish on the lips, but is entirely office-appropriate.

61 Bonheur




Possibly my favourite of the four, this pinked-berry is glorious for giving you that "just-bitten" look.

55 Romance




Not nearly as fluoro in the flesh as it appears in this picture, this is an exceptionally pretty, cool bubblegum pink. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one looks with a tan!

54 Boy




My lips are quite pigmented, so much of the colour you're seeing here is not from the lipstick itself, which appears as the merest whisp of creamy beige on my lips. A good neutral for me, possibly, but maybe not a shade I'd consider re-purchasing.

Packaged in a thinner version of the Rouge Coco packaging, these look classy, and will be an asset to my makeup bag, owing to their moisturising properties, and I think they'll be perfect for summer wear.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shines are available now and cost £22.50 each.