lipgloss

A recent trip to Sainsbury's netted me a Cargo PurseGloss, a little tiny lipgloss which is sized to fit into your purse. I believe that American purses are equal to British handbags, so I'm slightly unsure as to why you'd need a tiny lipgloss to fit in your handbag - even the smallest of clutches can hold a slim tube of gloss.

Anyway, on to the product itself - it's essentially a small squishy bulb of gloss with a built-in brush. You squeeze the bulb, gloss comes out of the brush, you apply, that's that. Nothing hugely exciting or surprising there.

The formula, however, was a bit of a surprise. Smooth and shiny, combined with that lovely cushiony, almost lip-balm-y texture that feels weightless and totally unsticky. With such a light formula, it doesn't last for ages, but I'd rather have something that's short lived and feels good than something that's sticky and long lasting.

Mine was a bit of a bargain at £2.20 at Sainsbury's; if they have any left, this is well worth the price. I would probably even pay full price for something that feels this good on the lips.

The shu uemura 2010 Christmas Collection is a collaboration with Japanese artist Aya Takano and she has done a great job of giving the collection the funky, urban feel that I love about shu!  Luckily she picked cute animals for the girls to kiss in the artwork, otherwise I might find it all a bit disturbing...
Reindeer Kiss xxxx Eye and Cheek Palette - $85 - inspired by the colours of a frosty winter land covered in crystalline snow that sparkles in the light.
Bowwow! Magic Queen Eye and Cheek Palette - $85 - a warm-toned palette for a peaceful holiday season.
Blush Tint - Miracle Cherry - $30 - a lightweight gel blush to instantly add a natural glow to your cheeks.
Lip Duo Tint & Gloss - Love Apricot - coral beige tint and apricot gloss with gold and silver glitter or Harmony Pink - girly pink tint and vibrant fuchsia gloss - $45 - enjoy the matte finish of the tint alone, or add gloss to amp up a shine!

Paint Crayon - Sparkly Purple  - dark purple with sparkly gold glitters - $30 - waterproof, long-lasting and creamy mechanical pencil allows you to draw a defined line that can be blended easily right after application.

High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula - $37 - shu uemura's signature cleansing oil.  A gentle formula for moisturized, balanced, petal-soft skin.  Cleanses gently and maintains the skin's moisture balance with Advanced HPO system, Asian botanical oils such as Camellia Oil and Ginger Root Oil.  Leaves skin feeling comfortably balanced and petal soft with a fresh and sensuous aroma.

Peace & Harmony Mini Brush Set - $85 - they're cute and pink, what more can I say?!
Magical Windfalls - $36 - easy-to-wear partial lashes in black with some pieces pre-decorated with glittery and shiny magical hear and star symbols for cute accent.
Premium False Eyelashes - $75 - a dreamy pair of cutomizable eyelashes!  With a variety of abracadabra symbol stickers enclosed, create your very own pair of lases for the festive season.

For several months now I have been drooling over the Lipstick Queen Jean lipstick and gloss on my favourite American beauty blogs - I have actually had it in the back of my mind that I needed to track down a way to get my hands on it - as it turns out, it was easier then I thought it would be - The Shopping Channel carries Lipstick Queen - hurray!

I wear jeans pretty much everyday so it makes perfect sense to me that I should own lip products to match them!  The colour looks quite strong in the tube but actually goes on sheer, I had to apply quite a bit just to have some colour show up in the pictures so don't be thrown when you see it in the tube by thinking it's too bright for you - on the other hand if you like a bright lipstick, you will be disappointed.
Lipstick Queen Jean Lipstick - $20 - this lipstick has a lot of moisture to it so it would also be a great choice if you like a tinted lipbalm - it's sheer so you need to build it for more colour and if you don't like a lot of colour, you will be happy with one coat!
Lipstick Queen Jean Queen Lipgloss - $20 - the gloss has more colour and is again very moisturizing but not sticky.  The only thing I'm not crazy about is the tube - it's a squeeze tube with a brush on it - I would have much preferred a brush wand or even if they had to have the brush attached, a click tube - I'm always afraid I'm going to squeeze too hard and have a gloss explosion!  (please excuse how it looks on the upper right hand side in both pictures, it looks like I didn't apply it there but it's actually just because of the way the light was hitting it)

And here's some great news and you're like me and feel you need both - The Shopping Channel offers the lipstick and gloss as a set for $26!  You can go to http://www.theshoppingchannel.com/category/beauty.do?e=1&Ne=100025&N=100038+134038 to check it out!

I discovered something interesting the other day when I went into a local Shoppers to pick up something from MUFE - turns out they don't carry Make Up For Ever anymore and have replaced it with Anna Sui - which is very exciting!  Bad that it won't be as handy to pick up MUFE but neat to get a line that I'm pretty unfamiliar with in playing distance!  So I thought this was a good time to post about the fall collection - I am just starting my Anna Sui education, but I just know that a line with such cute packaging has got to be good!

Eye Color Duo - $38 - one polarized pearl shade made with volatile oil, keeping the powder from dispersing and one vibrant deep shade providing a magical gradation in which the colour changes intricately and that contains more oil to make it fit closely to the skin.  In 3 shades:  05 lavender/dark red which combine into a feminine purple shade, 06 sky blue/deep purple which combine into a mysterious blue, 07 lemon yellow/deep black which combines into a spicy green.

Eye Color - $25 - a special formula that combines different oil pastes to provide a lasting finish.  Available in 22 amazing colours.





Eye Brightener - $25 - 01 bright beige - contains a high level of white pigment and combines three different pearls providing a perfectly three dimensional finish.  Has a water base for easy application and creates a natural, silky, satiny luster that can be used not only on the eyelids, but also on other areas that need to be brightened.
Spot Concealer - $25 - 01 light tone, 02 medium tone, 03 dark tone - a smooth cream base used to cover anything from tiny blemishes to wider areas.  Soft Focus Powder and two kinds of Titanium Oxidize are combines to create a thick but natural finish.
Mini Rouge - Limited Edition - $21 - In three colours: vivid red, vivid pink and vivid purple.  How cute is this little thing?!  An accessory and gloss all in one!
Nail Color - Limited Edition - $15 - In four colours: glassy pearl clear, glassy pearl purple, glassy pearl pink and glassy pearl brown.
And coming in November - Hand & Nail Cream - $19 - rich moisture provided by shea butter and jojoba oil.

Any recommendations for a Anna Sui newbie?

Estée Lauder is raising awareness and funds for the battle against breast cancer during the month of October with the Pink Ribbon Collection:

Evelyn Lauder Lip Set - $30 - the lip design collection shades were hand-picked by Evelyn Lauder and include three lipsticks:  Pure Color Crystal Lipstick in Tiramisu, Pure Color Long-lasting Lipstick in Candy and Rubellite.  And of course the best part is the shiny pink case!


Elizabeth Hurley Lip Set - $30 - the lip design collection shades were hand-picked by Elizabeth Hurley and include four new Pure Color Gloss shades: Nude Rose, Rock Candy, Brazen Berry and Extravagant Pink.
Jeweled Pink Ribbon Pin - $18 - covered in 20 deep pink crystals it's a simple and elegant way to show your support of the cause.

Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 - $42 - will also be featured in a pink sleeve for BCA Month.

Estée Lauder will donate $100,000 in connection with its Canadian sales of the Pink Ribbon Collection to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

And if you're in Ottawa, get yourself to Parliament Hill tonight at 6:30pm when it will be illuminated in pink light as part of theEstée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer AwarenessGlobal Illuminations Initiative, now in its eleventh year.  Parliament Hill will join a long list of prestigious international institutions, including the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia and the Tokyo Tower in Japan in creating brilliant displays of pink light for the cause.

Great Lips, Great Cause limited edition lip trio key ring - $19.50 - so cute and so practical to keep your lip stuff where you can find it!  Includes three pink mini lip favourites:  Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Clearly Pink (1ml), Supebalm Moisturizing Gloss in Grapefruit (4ml) and Different Lipstick in Glazed Berry (1.3g).  $4 from the sale of each key ring during the month of October will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 
Great Skin, Great Cause limited edition Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with a collectable Clinique key ring - $45.50 - Now's the time to stock up if this is a favourite product of yours or something you've been meaning to try!  $10 from each sale of this special edition bottle sold during the month of October will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Available while supplies last at The Bay, Sears, Murale and select Shoppers Drug Mart locations across Canada.

Pür Minerals Earthy Treasures Collection for all skin tones - $35 ($80 value) - this limited edition set includes:  Mineral Glow, new Perfect Fit Eye Shadow Trio in Canyon Glow, new Pout Plumping Lip Gloss in Oasis and a mini Eye Shadow Brush.  The casing is all shiny and gold and the gloss has a mirror on the side which is genius!

I like this kit because it works very well for day, but it also has that really dark eyeshadow you could add for a smoky look to make it nice for evening too!

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes - $12.99 - the newest addition to the Voluminous family, this defining volume mascara has a collagen-infused formula.  The millionizer brush is designed to thicken every eyelash thanks to multiple long and short bristles that generously envelop the entire length with colour.  They keep you clump free with the special wiper technology on the tube - it adjusts to every bristle wiping the brush free of clumps, giving you the perfect amount of mascara!  I like the sounds of this one - it's going on my shopping list!

Garnier Fructis Blow Dry Perfector - $14.99 - 2 step smoothing kit - tames frizz, stays smooth & silky and easier faster blow dries that lasts up to 7 shampoos.  The kit contains a 20 minute smooth it serum to be followed up by a leave in, heat activated perfect it cream.  Can be used on colour treated hair.  I'm liking this idea a lot!  If you don't have the time or money to have a keratin salon treatment, this might do in a pinch!

Biotherm Biocils - 125ml - $31 - removes 100% of waterproof makeup efficiently while making lashes look longer, stronger and more beautiful.  Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Paris Hilton Tease - 50ml EDP - $59 - Paris has Marilyn Monroe'd herself to promote her new fragrance with notes that include fuji apple, white peach, bergamot, white flowers, amber, blond wood and hot sand.  I don't much care for the smell but the name does make me laugh - if you do like the fragrance, right now the world's ugliest tote bag comes free with it - black nylon with a giant 3D black plastic flower on the front - I tried hard to find a picture for you with no luck - I wish I had brought my camera with me but alas, you will have to go see it in person - I would say while supplies last, but I doubt that will be an issue...

Two of my very favourite things are makeup (duh!) and fiction - it's not often the two come together but Brenda Novak, being a woman after my own heart, has found a way to do it!  Buy a copy of Brenda's newest book before October 5th, mail her the receipt and you will receive this Three Color Custom Specialist gloss also called Killer Heat!  A $21.50 value so that is one great deal!  If you aren't familiar with this American brand - I made Cindy tell us about it here so go read up and then run out and get your copy of Killer Heat!  Mail your receipt to:

Brenda Novak - Killer Heat Lip Gloss
PO Box 3781
Citrus Heights, CA 95611

This offer is good while supplies last so don't procrastinate!  And I did check to make sure that Canadians could get in on this too and they can - it's red, it's sparkly and you need it! Brenda's books are great too so you really can't lose on this one! You can check out Brenda's website at www.brendanovak.com for more info about the book or this offer.

Girl Meets Pearl - $34 - a luminous liquid illuminator for your face that you can wear with makeup or on its own.  Contains raspberry and chamomile for soothing, sweet almond seed for firming and smoothing, sesame seed oil for moisturizing.

I have been using a bit of this over my foundation on my cheek and brow bones and I'm a fan - best part, it smells like raspberries!  I tried using it allover and it would start off looking good but would end up looking greasy in my oily areas so I now avoid using it there.










Magic Ink - $24 - a jet-black, non-irritation, smudge proof liquid eyeliner with a really thin brush that I expect liquid eyeliner expects will appreciate - that expert would not be me because if there is a bigger spaz out there then me when it comes to liquid eyeliner, I would like to meet her! 

Of course Benefit has a solution to my problem of not being able to draw a straight line - the jimmy jimmy DOT technique - you are supposed to say the phrase out loud as you move along your upper lash line and every time you say DOT, you make a dot of black line in between your lashes.  Space out the dots for natural looking volume or dot closely together and connect for a slim sleek liquid line.  I was a little skeptical at my ability to do this but it actually worked for me - when I have dots to connect, I can actually draw a line!






Prrrowl - $32 - a double ended tube with a sparkling peacock-blue iridescent mascara topcoat on one end and a shimmering pink lip gloss on the other

The lip gloss is okay, nothing exciting on it's own I like it much better layered over a deeper lipstick - the mascara on the other end is amazing!  If you've ever thought about doing coloured mascara but thought it might be too much wear this on it's own, you get a little bit of colour and sparkle.  If you want something more dramatic, wear it over your usual black mascara - so pretty!

This is the kind of thing that I wish had been around in my clubbing days - so cute and so portable!

You can get your Benefit fix at selected Shoppers Drug Marts, Murale, Holt Renfrew, Sephora and online at www.benefitcosmetics.com

Sarah and I recently attended a Le Metier De Beaute event at Liberty where we were introduced to a variety of the brand's very luxe products, in particular some of the new summer colours.  I, however, was distracted as always by the lip products.  Especially this beautifully sparkly, red lipgloss, which is a very similar hue to my hair.

I swatched it on my hand and was immediately impressed by the level of pigmentation - the Lip Creme Lipgloss is more of a liquid lipstick than a traditional sheer gloss.  The texture is smooth, creamy, velvety, very moist, and not at all sticky.  There's a lot of sparkle - in this particular shade, Framboise, it's a golden microglitter, which really shows up in direct light, but is more subtle under softer lighting conditions.

I decided to get my wallet out and buy myself one.  This is despite the PR lady offering to send me one in a few days if I emailed her - I was just so excited by the colour, the pigmentation and the texture that I just HAD to have one NOW.  Naturally, as soon as it was in my hands, I applied a full lipful and then went about the rest of my evening.

Now I've had a chance to wear the product for (several) full days, I'm even more in love with it than before.  It looks absolutely beautiful applied - it's the kind of red that isn't too in-your-face for work, but can be layered up a little or paired with a smoky eye for nighttime glam.  It leaves my lips feeling moisturised, it's incredibly light to wear, and it smells pretty, like almonds.

The best thing about this gloss, though, is the wear.  The wear is so impressive that some of my friends have commented on how well my lipstick has lasted during a day out.  Most days, I apply it just as I leave the house at 7.15 in the morning, and it only begins to look a little bit ragged at about 5pm.  That's a staggering amount of longevity for a gloss.  While it does lose some of the shine throughout the day, the pigment remains, softening down into a pretty stained flush on the lips.  It also wears completely evenly - I've not had any of the ring-of-death (Sarah's phrase) of pigment around the outside of my lips with a faded middle. 

I love this product.  I really, really love this product.  So much so that I suspect I will be popping into Liberty to buy all of the other colours.  Yes, at £22 it's expensive for a lipgloss, but it's worth it for the beautiful colour, the comfortable texture, and that extraordinarily good longevity.

If you'd like to try Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme Lipgloss for yourself, you can buy it from Liberty for £22.  The website has a few colours, but sadly not this one, which is Framboise.

Last week, I picked up and wore a lipgloss, instead of my usual lipstick.  I'd forgotten how comfortable and easy to maintain they can be, and these MAC lipgelees, which I am very partial to, are definitely both.

Looking pretty intense in the tube, but sheer, moist and jelly like on the lips, Lipgelees are everything I wanted from Juicy Tubes (including the easy to use packaging), but significantly less sticky.  These don't really get sticky until you've been wearing them for over an hour.  They also leave the lips very soft and well moisturised.

The MAC website is currrently showing only two shades; Amber Russe, which I don't own (but now want), and Moistly, which is the furthest right swatch above.  Sugarshock and Who's That Lady were both LE, but are both still available on MakeupAlley and eBay.  I used to also own Saplicious, which was the perfect neutral on me, and it remains the only lipgloss I've ever finished!

From MAC, these cost £12 for 15ml and are, to my mind, one of the most underrated MAC glosses, and are well worth checking out if you're not fond of the ultra-sticky and thick Lipglasses.

Disclosure: These are samples provided for review

Well there's nothing like a product with a snappy name, is there?

Ms Kidd's makeup line has just made the move over to QVC, where it joins two other favourites of mine, Smashbox and Philosophy.

This product is exclusive to QVC, and will be available from 18th April (that's today) via QVC's website.

I was lucky enough to get hold of two of these for a bit of a preview, and I can tell you they're absolutely cracking products.

Things to love:
1. Fantastic packaging.
The lipstick is housed in a sturdy outer case with an attractive contrast-finish foliage design. To get the goods out, you click the end like a biro, and about 1/2 inch of the tube itself pops out for you to grab and pull free. After use, just push it in, and it snaps back into place. Forget clicking your pen for amusement during boring meetings - this is way more fun, and produces a highly satisfying audio-tactile "snick".

The design also passes my handbag-turbulence test; tubes stay securely closed even during the carnage of London rush hour commutes.


2: Square-ended design.
This makes application both easy and satisfying. "Chisel bullet", the press release calls it. "Square end", I feel, is more descriptive, if a bit less clever-sounding. In either case, it goes on very nicely.

3: SPF15 and moisturising formula.
Ideal for summer, and feels lovely on the lips. Also fragrance and flavour free, so should be acceptable to most people.

4: Sheer, wearable colours.
Having carried these in my handbag for the last week, I've found them to be ideal for retouching or adding a bit of colour ad hoc. They're also light enough to apply freehand, like a balm, without resorting to compact mirror or (if shy) ladies loos. Orange/coral (I typed "corange" there - could that be a new trend?) is "Sugar Cane", and pink/red is "Hibiscus". There are 3 more shades available.

5: RTFM. Thoughtful instructions and hints are included inside each box in French and English. Perfect for beginners, and great if you're giving these as a gift to someone new to makeup.

You can buy Jemma Kidd Makeup School Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick SPF15 from QVC, priced at £20,92 for a set of two. The RRP is £13, although I can only see these duo sets on the site at the moment.

I'm a fan of all things cute so I could like this collection a lot!  Not quite sure how wearable it will be, I'll have to see it in person to determine that!
Mineralize Blush - $27.50
Miss Behave - light beige with pearly mint green heart
Giggly - light pink with pearly plum heart
Sakura - lavender with pearly magenta heart


Nail Lacquer - $17
Little Girl Ty;e - creamy pale lavender
Ice Cream Cake - creamy blue pink
Mischievous Mint - creamy pale blue mint

Lash  - #7 Lash - $17

Lipstick - $17.50
Playing Koi - creamy white peach pink (satin)
Quite Cute - creamy bright whitened lavender (cremesheen)
Saint Germain - clean pastel pink (amplified)
Candy Yum-yum - matte neon ink (matte)
Play Time - creamy intense violet (cremesheen)

Plushglass - $22
Bubble Tea - creamy pink nude
Fashion Fanatic - creamy pale pink
Girl <3 Boy - bright light blue pink
I <3 U - creamy mid-tone purple

Lip Pencil - $15.50
Naked Liner - light neutral
In Synch - bright yellow pink
Boldly Bare - dirty red brown

Penultimate Eye Liner - $21
Rapidblack - true black

Loud Lash Mascara - $17
Noisy Black - black

Zoom Lash Mascara - $17
Zoom Black - rich black

Cutie Eye Shadow X4 - $43
Goody Goody Gum Drop - light white pink (satin)
Boycrazy - pale lavender with silver pearl (lustre)
Moshi Moshi! - pale white green gold (frost)
Azuki Bean - mid-tone dirty violet (frost)

Available at your MAC counter today - Do your lunchtime plans involve checking this out? I'm thinking the polishes and the eyeshadow quad could be calling my name...I also like the look of the blushes, just not sure about the colour combos!

I have been waiting for this collection to show up and it finally appeared at my Shoppers this past weekend!  So pretty and colourful, it was worth the wait!
Face Powder - $12.49 - love this!  Especially love that there are plastic dividers between the colour so that they won't all crumble together as you use it up.  The pink is pretty bright though, I don't think I would use this all over my face being fair, but I did try it on my cheeks and it gave me a subtle rosy glow that was very flattering!
Custom Quad Compact - $6.99 - to fill up with your - Mono Eyeshadow - $5.49 - Dollywood - pink, Airhead - violet, Reverie - bright blue, Dayglow - yellow/lime
Smudge Liner - $10.49 - Chichi Girl - pink - I don't think pink eyeliner is the colour for me - I have visions of looking like an albino bunny, but ladies with more colour in their skin will be able to get away with this!
Glitterama - $9.99 - Pom Pom - purple, Majorette - turquoise
Le Gloss - $9.49 - Babydoll - pink, Missy Miss - peach - I am a fan of this gloss, shiny without being sticky -I especially love the peach colour!

What products have you already scored or are planning on getting from the line?