Lipstick Fridays - Beauty Blog

By New Look

2013-10-17T13:05:00.001+01:00

Urban Decay Shattered

2013-10-11T19:11:00.001+01:00

It has to be said that lately, I have been well and truly saving my pennies and trying not to splurge on the latest make-up or beauty products. Lame yes but I was in dire need of a beauty detox - until, I spotted the new Urban Decay Shattered palette which I purchased from Debenhams for the grand price of £30.

All the products inside have the great pigmentation and colour pay off which you would expect from Urban Decay all contained in a cute little palette which has the effect of a "Shattered" mirror.

I have long been a fan of Urban Decay and the funky Shattered Face Palette is a fantastic size to size to pop in your handbag or take on holiday, also great for touching up your make-up on a night out, Shattered is a dual level palette which contains five eye shadows (four new shades and one "future cult favourite") a travel sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil and a full size Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colour with a mirror on the top layer then to complete your look on the bottom layer you will find two shades of blusher and a highlighter with another mirror.

The blushers are the two most fantastic shades for a natural or a nice rosy, flushed finish, perfect for all skin tones and the highlighter could be used as an eye shadow or to highlight your cheeks, brow bones or décolletage.
Overexposed, Temper and Glint

The eye shadows are highly pigmented and with a liberal application of primer lasted all day without having to be re-applied.
Shakedown, Remix, Nameless, Minor Sin and Bleach

Lovechild and Zero

Overall I think that this is a great little palette for a bargain price considering the amount of product you are getting for your cash. Definitely worth a look.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Back with Shellac Cake Pop

2013-07-30T21:38:00.000+01:00

Hey there everyone

I'm back.
Yes I've been out of blogging action for a while, I've been so busy and had quite a few personal problems to sort out that my little blog has had to take a back seat for a bit, but I cant tell you how good it feels to be writing a little blog post for you this evening.

Today I'm wearing Shellac Cake Pop which is a gorgeous baby pink colour - Im thinking very reminiscent of Kim Kardashian's nails. Anyway I'm breaking myself in gently this evening with a nice short blog post, also thought it was a great opportunity to show off my new ring from Ashiana Jewellery, Im a massive fan of Ashiana, they do beautiful unusual jewellery at excellent prices so if you are a jewellery lover like myself check out their website - they even have a sale on at the moment.

I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to updating you with my beauty musings on a more regular basis.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Vitalising Body Gel Oil

2013-01-19T16:52:00.001+00:00

Whoa ! That's a mouthful !!
A product that I'm loving at the moment is Vaseline's Cocoa Body Oil. Towards the end of last year I kind of got into body oils and I'm always on the look out for something which will help infuse some moisture into my dry skin. I find that its at its worst on my legs and my back but this wonderful product is helping me kick that dry skin to the kerb. Its easily absorbed, very light on the skin and doesn't feel sticky at all, plus it smells absolutely yummy without being over powering which I found to be a problem with the Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil (review here). I love massaging this in when I'm just out the shower and my skin is still a little damp, it leaves a very light film on your skin which keeps your skin feeling lovely and soft . A fab product for an excellent price - you can buy Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Vitalising Body Gel Oil from Boots for £4.69.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Illamasqua Viridian

2013-01-19T08:20:00.000+00:00

Hi everyone

This morning I decided to crack open one of my Christmas presents and give it a first time outing. Illamasqua Viridian is a limited edition nail polish and came as a set with a gorgeous purple glitter polish called Glitterati and if you likey then hurry over to Illamasqua now as this gorgeous set is now on sale for £15.50. Its safe to say that I have definitely come out of my comfort zone over the last year when it comes to nail polish, I was a big fan of neutral colours and still am but sometimes there is nothing more stunning than a simple pop of colour - it can add an extra dimension to an otherwise simple outfit. To be blatantly honest Illamasqua isn't a brand I buy all that often that being said their nail polish is amazing and definitely worth checking out. I decided on trying Viridian first because it was my least favourite of the two and if I didn't like it on then it was going to straight into the give to family members pile - it looked alright in the bottle like a blackened dark green laced with ever so tiny flecks of turquoise glitter, yes in theory it was nice but it just didn't grab my eye, all that went absolutely flying out the window when I applied it. If I had to describe it in one word I would call it dazzling ! Viridian is a joy to apply - the consistency is just right, the brush is a little on the small side for my liking but because of the consistency of the polish you don't experience any streaking, in fact the smaller brush is amazing for precision application helping you to achieve that perfect finish, anyway enough rambling on Viridian can also be bought on its on for £13.50 if you don't want to invest in the set.

What do you guys think ?

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Mac Plumful Lipstick Fridays

2013-01-18T14:48:00.002+00:00

Hi everyone

What a super quick week its been !!

Can you actually believe that we are half way through January already !! I haven't even got my 2012 favourites post up yet ! ah !! Anyway Lipstick Fridays resumes its usual spot this week and if you are new to Lipstick Fridays it all started around this time last year and it was basically my pledge to make sure I wear all my lipsticks, as the months have went by it seems to have become a cool way to share different lipstick reviews and swatches with you all.

In the hot seat today is Mac's Plumful, a medium cool pink with plum undertones. Ive actually been wearing this all week and absolutely love it ! Plumful is a lustre finish, which means they can usually be quite sheer but Plumful has fabulous pigmentation and great colour pay off. Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm a sucker for Mac lipsticks because I love the yummy vanilla smell and the way they feel when applied. I feel that Plumful would suit any skin tone and I get around four to five hours wear, plus when its wearing off my lips feel really moisturised. Plumful would make a fantastic addition to your lipstick collection and would be great for anyone looking for a slightly stronger colour who doesn't want to wear red.
Mac Plumful can be purchased from Mac for £14.00.

What is your favourite Mac lipstick ?? Does anyone have any recommendations xx

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Nail of the day

2013-01-14T17:29:00.003+00:00

Hi everyone

Well it seems like a while since Ive done a nail post - I jest !

Last week I was rocking the nudey natural look with Ciate's Bon Bon so this week I wanted something a bit more daring so I decided on Ciate's Mistress with a ring finger accent of Essie's Leading Lady, its making me feel all Christmassy again.

Shopping the sales

2013-01-14T16:57:00.002+00:00

Hi everyone

This seems like a totally pointless post now as these were items I was lucky enough to get my grubby little paws on in the December sales just before my spending ban started in January. Mmmh spending ban, I feel like I am having withdrawals just talking about it infact I am having withdrawals just talking about it, roll on the 1st of February ! Ofcourse the goal then, is not to just spend all the money I would have normally spent in January. Anyway I still want to share my goodies with you and let you know where they came from just incase you can snap up some last minute bargains in the sales.

The perfume and lip sets were from The Garden Pharmacy where I believe there are still some items left in stock.

Stila Written In The Stars Palette - £11.25

Laura Mercier La Petite Patisserie Fresh Fig - £20 SpaceNK

Shopping the Stash #2

2013-01-13T15:10:00.002+00:00

Hi everyone

I hope you have had a good week. My week seems to have flown by and with it all my plans for posts seem to have just gone out the window !! Anyway back to the task at hand - Shopping my stash. I have a multitude of meetings this week and clients to see so I wanted to keep my look simple but polished.

Hourglass Waterproof Bronzer, Real Techniques Powder Brush, Clarins Liquid Bronze, Mac Stereo Rose, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed, Bobbi Brown Concealer, Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation & Real Techniques Blusher Brush

Mac Plumful, Nars Pleasures of Paris Palette, Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment & Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

Nail Care - Nail Ridges

2013-01-08T12:37:00.001+00:00

Hi everyone

Welcome to my first ever Nail Care Clinic.

Todays subject is nail ridges - What causes them and how to get rid of them.

Please feel free to suggest a subject for next weeks nail clinic and if you have any nail problems please post them in the comments section and I will do my best to try and help you resolve them.

Nail ridges can occur vertically or horizontally on your nails and produce an uneven surface meaning you will find it difficult to get smooth and even results after applying nail polish or nail wraps, ridges can even cause your nail polish or gel nail treatments to chip prematurely, but what are the main causes of nail ridges and what can you do to improve them ??

Eczema, dermatitis and dehydration can all cause vertical ridges on your nails along with vitamin deficiency(have you changed your diet recently?) and ageing. Horizontal ridges can SOMETIMES (Dont panic) be caused by underlying health problems so a visit to your GP is often recommended to make sure that there are no other causes.

So what can you do to get rid of these pesky ridges ??

First of all DO NOT over buff your nails - contrary to popular belief you cannot buff ridges out of your nails and you could cause damage to your nail bed. Regular care and attention is essential and light buffing to stimulate the blood flow is recommended as well as gently massaging a cuticile oil or cuticle balm into your nails and cuticles morning and night, by making sure your hands and nails are well moisturised this will help you win your battle against those nasty nail ridges. Another key element is to make sure your diet is rich in vitamins and minerals and you are consuming atleast two litres of water a day to keep your moisture levels up.

Your ridge fighting kit - a cuticle oil or balm, a ridge filling base coat, a cuticle exfoliator and a gentle buffer.

Please feel free to leave me your questions and comments.

Thank you

Shopping the stash #1

2013-01-06T17:06:00.002+00:00

Shopping the stash is a term which was coined by Lollipop26 - a very successful You Tube beauty guru. Lollipop26 aka "Laura" has now retired from You Tube much to the disappointment of her followers and now runs a fantastic blog Buynowbloglater if you haven't checked out her blog, it is full of fashion and makeup and another one of my favourite topics .....shopping. Another one of my very favourite bloggers is The Sunday Girl, she also shops her stash on a weekly basis and I though it would be a fantastic way to start the new year as I am on a strict budget during January. I feel like I have been piling on the make up and nail polish over Christmas so this week I want to keep my makeup and nails as natural as possible.

I will be keeping my complexion natural and dewy with an application of Dr Jart Beauty Balm and a little Clarins Instant Light Complexion Perfector followed by some Benefit Bronzing Powder in Dallas to help add some colour to my pasty winter skin. I will be applying my treasured Mac Stereo Rose Mineralize Skin Finish to the apples of my cheeks to give them a rosy glow and to disguise any pesky spots I will be using my Bobbi Brown Concealer in Porcelain. Dark circles will be banished with my Loreal Lumi Magic Concealer.

The rest of my face will be kept simple with some Chanel Ilusion D'ombre in Emerveille on my eyelids and a generous helping of Soap and glorys wonderful Thick and Fast Mascara - keep an eye on for a review on this, its amazing and I have had so many compliments when I wear it. I will also be reaching for Rimmels Lipstick in Glam and Korres Jasmine Lip Butter to keep my lips moisturised and glossy.

Neutral nails with Ciate Bon Bon.

New Year Beauty Tag

2013-01-01T11:40:00.001+00:00

Happy New Year everyone

Well I for one cant believe the new year has arrived already !!

I hope you all had an amazing New Years Eve.

Have you made your New Years Resolutions ??? I am dying to know what they are so I have decided to start a little New Years tag. All you have to do is blog what your five top BEAUTY new years resolutions are and tag five people, ofcourse you must thank the person who tagged you and post a link back to their blog its really just a little bit of fun for the new year. So my five beauty resolutions are :-

1) I vow that I will not over pluck my brows !!!

2) I vow that I will always take my make up off before bed !!!

3) I vow that I will do an all over body scrub atleast twice a week !!!

4) I vow that I will drink atleast two litres of water per day!!!

5) I vow that I will not buy another shower gel or body lotion until I have used up the ones I have !!!

The five people I tag are :-

Hello Miss Niki

Beauty Balm

Beauty Lovers Notes

All Things Beauty Makeup and Shopping

Beauty Rambles

If you would like to get involved leave your beauty vows below with a link to your blog.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

What did you get for Christmas?

2012-12-31T12:52:00.000+00:00

Hi guys

Its New Years Eve and I hope you are all doing well and had a fantastic Christmas. Ive had a few requests and emails asking what I received for Christmas... Well I was a very lucky girl and got quite a few gifts from my beauty wishlist from my wonderful hubby, so today I want to show you a few of my pressies, the Urban Decay products were on my wishlist and there were also a couple of presents from family and friends which were highly unexpected - they are all beauty and nail products - they know me so well ha ha, I will show you these in more details during January but speaking of January - I am going on a beauty diet. Thats right I am going on a strict no beauty products buying policy but I have lots of exciting posts planned so keep an eye out for those. Ive had a little splurge in the sales as well, so I have a few hauls coming up to show you and I also plan to do my beauty favourites of 2012 in January which will have lots of reviews and top picks for beauty, hair and nail products.
I will also be starting a beauty clinic where you will be able to pose your beauty questions to me, whether it be about nails, skin or well being, or anything else beauty related - I am a trained beautician so I would love to be able to help you with any burning questions you have. I would also love to know what was on your beauty wishlist and what lovely pressies you got so feel free to share.

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays

xx

Happy Christmas

2012-12-25T11:57:00.004+00:00

Hi everyone

I wanted to check in to say Happy Christmas to you all. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, I really, really appreciate it - sometimes I have to pinch myself because I cant believe people are actually reading my blog - eh !! How did that happen ?!

I hope Santa was very good to you all and I hope that your dreams came true this Christmas morning, now on a lighter note Im off to Chrimbo lunch - I have my fat pants on today so Im off to stuff myself stupid !! Ha xx

Eat, drink and be merry everyone.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Ciate Enchanted Rose

2012-12-24T13:55:00.004+00:00

Hi everyone

Happy Christmas Eve.

Well Im sad to say its the last day of the Ciate Mani Month Calendar and I dont think there could have been a more perfect choice for todays polish - Enchanted Rose, a very Christmas appropriate red glitter. Today I am simply going to let the pictures speak for themself !

Have a great day tomorrow everyone, I hope Santa is good to you all.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Ciate Mojito

2012-12-23T16:07:00.001+00:00

Hi guys

The pre Christmas pandemonium continues today - anyone, can I please have more hours in the day ? So I have just another quick check in with todays Ciate colour - Mojito !! Love the name, love the cocktail but really not sure about the colour - what do you think ??

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Ciate Caviar Pearls Sundance

2012-12-22T11:47:00.000+00:00

Good morning lovelies

Thank goodness its the weekend !! Just a quick post today to check in and show you todays Ciate - Its day twenty two woop woop and we have the special edition caviar pearls in Sundance, I think this one is really pretty and it also has little bitty micro sequins in shades of gold and turquoise. I have paired it with Ladylike Luxe and think they really compliment each other - mmmh this caviar mani just might be growing on me.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Stila In The Light Eye Shadow Palette Review

2012-12-21T15:40:00.001+00:00

Stila has created quite a following amongst celebrities and make up artists since the cosmetics company burst on to the scene in 1994. The brand prides itself on creating products which are innovative and boast multi-tasking formulas and if you havent tried Stila before then where have you been? Stila's goal is "To help every woman celebrate her own unique beauty, to look and feel like the best version of herself, and to have fun doing it."

I recently purchased the Stila In The Light Natural Eye Shadow Palette which is a gorgeous little palette of ten natural looking eye shadows including the best-selling shade Kitten and a full-sized limited edition waterproof Smudge Stick in Damsel, a matte dark brown, at the moment if you purchase this palette online in the UK you will also receive a complimentary sample(1.5ml) of Stila's amazing award winning lip glaze.

The eye shadow packaging is minimalist and natural hinting at the contents inside and the palette is constructed out of hard wearing cardboard which makes it really nice and light - perfect for popping in your handbag. Inside of the lid there is a lovely quote from the Global Director of Education for Stila and professional make up artist Sarah Lucero - "Believe in the beauty of the future"

This palette contains eye shadows from both the cool and warm colour spectrums which is fantastic as this means it will suit any skintone meaning you cant really go wrong if you invest in this palette for yourself or for someone else. The eye shadows come in a range of finishes from Matte to frost and a little bit of glitter so this palette will literally take you from day to evening, the shadows can also be used dry or wet so you can really build up the intensity of each shade. The shadows are long wearing - I got a full days wear (with primer) and the pigmentation is fantastic, each shade is true to pan with great colour pay off except Bare which I find is a little chalky, the rest of the shades are creamy and butter soft which makes them easy to blend with little fall out.

Colours bottom to top : Bare (matte ivory), Kitten (shimmering nude pink), Bliss (matte nude), Sunset (copper shimmer) & Sandstone (matte neutral brown)

Colours bottom to top :- Ebony (matte black), Night Sky (slate blue with silver shimmer) Luster (deep gray with gold shimmer),Gilded Gold (bronze with gold shimmer), Champagne (pale gold shimmer) & Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel (matte chocolate brown)

The waterproof Smudge Stick in Damsel is a godsend because its retractable - a fantastic addition to any girls make up bag or handbag because it doesnt need sharpened so will always be ready to use - the formula is great, nice and soft which means you can precision apply or blend it and you can also use it on your waterline.

Overall I think this is an amazing palette which would suit anyone and has quickly become my most favourite eye shadow palette - EVER !!! Also included is a Stila Lookbook to help you creat six different looks from your palette - keep a look out on my blog for some looks coming soon.

The lipglaze which came with the palette was a great little treat - I love it, cant fault it, great formulation, lovely to wear, gorgeous smell - absolute thumbs up !!!

Stila In the Light can be purchased from StilaUK for £25 or Stila.com for $39 - you will not be disappointed !!

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Ciate Fade To Greige

2012-12-21T10:02:00.003+00:00

Continuing with my "Ciate a day" pledge, todays colour is Fade To Greige, a grey polish with a hint of violet. This is a great neutral colour which would go with any outfit over the festive season. Ciate polish is quick to dry which means you can paint your nails in a hurry without having to wait twenty minutes for them to be touch dry !! You will also achieve great results with this polish because it has such a great consistency which makes it easy to paint with, it has great pigmentation which means no streaks or uneven colour and because it dries so quickly you will have gorgeous, glossy smudge free nails. This is Fade To Greige with two coats, it is a permanent polish in Ciates collection so you will be able to purchase this from Ciate for £9.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Ciate Magic Carpet

2012-12-20T08:22:00.001+00:00

Its day 20 in my Ciate Mini Mani Month calendar and can I just say "Hello beautiful". Todays colour is Magic Carpet and it combines my two favourite things glitter (I have terrible magpie tendancies) and pink. As far as glitter polish goes I think this is one of the nicest ones Ive seen, with different sized flecks of magenta glitter suspended in a sheer polish I find that its rather gloopy in texture but I actually think that this helps the glitter stick to your nails rather having a thinner consistency which can sometimes just slides straight off the nails during application and making it a tad difficult to get a great effect with the glitter, this is Magic Carpet with three coats and to be honest the pictures just dont do it justice. This polish is quick to dry, has great pigmentation and if you havent tried Ciate yet then you need to give their polish a go !!! Magic Carpet is one of the calendars special editions and isnt released at the moment however Im hoping that Ciate might make this a permanent edition to their collection.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Urban Decay Naked Basics

2012-12-19T09:51:00.001+00:00

If you are a fan of neutral eyeshadow then this is the palette for you. The new Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette is the latest release in the "Naked" family. A dinky little palette which is great for travel and is much smaller than Naked or Naked2 is home to six generous full size eyeshadows raging from Venus a soft off white to Crave a deep dark brown. Ever since the release of the Naked Palettes everyone seems to have been waiting with baited breath to see if Urban Decay would answer our prayers and release a matte version of the Naked Palette and they have answered us with Naked Basics.
These eyeshadows are pretty amazing ! They are highly pigmented, true to pan with great colour pay off and are so smooth and silky to apply, my only gripe with the palette is that it features Foxy - a colour which has already featured in the Naked2 palette, other than that the colours are fab, you have Venus a demi-matte soft white which makes me think of candelight for some reason when I see it, Foxy a matte warm yellow/cream colour, Walk of Shame a matte pale pink beige, Naked2 a matte taupe colour, Faint a very light chocolate colour and Crave a matte dark brown/black. Overall Im really glad I purchased this - its a good addition to your collection even if you have both Naked palettes, I love the packaging and I love the quality of the product. You can purchase the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette in Debenhams for £20 plus p+p.

What do you guys think - Will you be adding the Naked Basics to your Christmas list?

Lots of Love
Lipstick Fridays
xx

Ciate Cookies and Cream

2012-12-19T08:19:00.001+00:00

Hi everyone

Got a little excited when I opened door nineteen to find Cookies and Cream behind it because at first glance I thought I might have just found a dupe for Chanel Frenzy. The excitement was short lived however because when applied it looks nothing like Chanel Frenzy. They are very similar but as you can see from the pictures Frenzy is a little darker and more of a grey putty colour where as Cookies and Cream is more of a fleshy nude colour. I gotta say Im quite liking Cookies and Cream however it took four coats to get decent coverage so it did take a little longer to dry, I do feel very chic today with nudey coloured nails though ha ha.

If you would like some nudey nails Cookies and Cream can be purchased from Ciate for £9.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Cookies and Cream on the left and Chanel Frenzy on the right

Urban Decay Smoked 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil Set

2012-12-18T12:01:00.000+00:00

Hi everyone

My obsession with Urban Decay continues and I recently purchased the Smoked set of six travel sized eyeliners to compliment my Smoked Palette. These eyeliners are highly pigmented with great colour pay off and they are really long wearing - on me they lasted all day without ending up half way down my face, they are also buildable so you can wear a subtle look for through the day or build up some colour for something more dramatic in the evening.

From left to right we have Uzi a browny/grey with sparkle, Zero a matte black, Demolition a matte dark brown, Smog a pearly bronze, Empire a dark purple and Mainline a dark teal colour. I think that this is a great little set which would make a fantastic Christmas present. You can purchase yours from BeautyBay.com for £26.00.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Ciate Candy Shop Caviar Pearls

2012-12-18T08:10:00.000+00:00

Hi everyone

Todays little surprise are Ciate's Caviar pearls in Candy Shop. My husband made me laugh because he asked what are all those little balls lying about on your dressing table ? Id had a little accident with the bottle ! I told him they are caviar pearls for your nails, he replied I dont understand why you would want to stick little balls all over your nails. Thats a good question which to be honest I couldnt really answer, em its in fashion I replied but honestly I dont really want to stick little balls all over my nails so there you go, the lengths us woman will go to. I still aint feeling the love for the caviar mani, it seems to be a really popular craze, and I have to think, will we one day laugh at how we used to stick little balls to our nails in the olden days ha ha - does anyone have any solutions as to how to a caviar mani so it doesnt annoy the heck out of you???

Please share.

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays

Glossy Box December

2012-12-17T12:23:00.001+00:00

This months Glossy box was the Bejewelled Christmas edition which Im happily impressed with. The silver Glossy Box boasted a full size Seche Vite nail polish which retails at £9.95 on its own, a generous 70ml sized tube of Rituals Magic Touch body cream, a full size lipstick by Sleek which retails at £4.99, a Kryolan for Glossy Box blusher which is really highly pigmented, a sample of Mary Greenwell's Lemon perfume which I expected to hate because I dont like Lemons and two sachets of Argentum Apothecary's La Potion Infinie which I wish I could bathe in because Ive only used it once and love it already!

Lots of Love

Lipstick Fridays