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Conversations through the middle

Life from a (slightly) more mature perspective

Beauty round-up – foundation, fragrance and nail colour

July 18, 2012

Beautiful Color showcased at the launch event

Elizabeth Arden fans are in for a real treat as the company launches its new Beautiful Color eye shadow collection dressed in opulent packaging of silver and gold. The colours – well, the colours are gorgeous and they’re rich, so should be long lasting. I can’t wait to try them and will let you know what they’re like when I do, but in the meantime you need to know there are 20 singles and 7 duos, covering any look you can think of from day to night, in shades inspired by the autumn winter catwalk. New colours will be added each season so the collection will always be on trend.

I loved trying so many colours – the words kid and sweet shop come to mind
Texture-wise, the feel is soft and silky, while the ingredients in these shadows are geared towards protecting and benefiting the eye area. They include antioxidant vitamins C and E to help protect your skin from free radical damage, a vitamin A derivative to help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles while boosting collagen production, and advanced pigment technology to give that silky result.
According to Arthur Pellegrino, Elizabeth Arden vice president, global research & development, this technology “targets color rich pigments at their core so the new eye shadows create a fine layer on top of the lid instead of falling into lines and creases”, so escaping the dreaded crepey look.
Watch out for Beautiful Color in store from mid September. www.elizabetharden.com
 
When it comes to foundation you’ll be spoiled for choice with the Stay All Day collection from Stila. It comes in 16 shades from 1 bare to 16 cocoa, so covers all skin colours and it includes a concealer hidden in the lid, as well as a mirror to aid application. Nice.
It’s an oil-free formulation and the texture is light and easy to spread; it covers quickly and gives a matt result, which looks natural (I watched it being applied to a model, which is how I know this). The concealer makes short work of dark circles and blemishes, requiring hardly any for good coverage.
Again this is skincare in make-up with ingredients including antioxidant vitamins A and E to help protect against free radicals and premature ageing.
I’ve only one complaint about this and that’s the little spoon thing included in the foundation bottle – it looks like a mustard spoon, much favoured by people of a certain age when I was a child, but it’s not looks I object too, it’s the way too much product comes out on it when you go to use it, which is wasteful and messy.
PS there’s exciting stuff happening on the Stila Christmas gift front – including the All Is Bright Lip Glaze Set that contains eight gorgeous glossy glazes. They’re out this autumn and I already have them on my Christmas list. www.stila.co.uk
 
Whether or not you’re a fan of the fragrance, the bottle designed for Anna Sui Fairy Dance is exquisite. Based on the dimpled flacon of her Secret Wish perfume, this one is topped by a fairy figure that is sure to have little girls reaching for mummy’s perfume. The shimmering box adds to the overall impression of fantasy and beauty, while the fragrance is a melange of vetiver, vanilla, sandalwood, peony, mango and rose. Find it in Debenhams from August.
 
Ring the changes in your nail polish with these three shades from LCN. The Smokey Midnight Coat creates a dramatic veil when applied on top of another colour, while Matt Effect Polish gives a milky matt look. For a touch of glitter glam try Sparkling Effect Polish on any colour or use it on its own. They’re online at www.beautyconcepts.co.uk

Filed in: Uncategorised • by Lisa •

Pixie make-up – a little fairy dust

March 12, 2012

What do you know – no posts for ages then two come along at once! Well I did say I try to squeeze as much into a day in London as I can.

Pixie make-up. This is not a brand I was familiar with until I attended their new product launch, along with hundreds (it seemed like) of other bloggers, most of whom were much younger than me and appeared to be much more au fait with the products.

The store in central London was packed with eager young things frantically taking photos with their phones, eating pastel-icing covered cupcakes and sipping Champagne. I joined in, I took a couple of photos as you can see and I drank some kind of melon-type juice, but somehow managed to stay off the Champagne and cakes.

But what were the products like? Ah yes, they are very pretty – in fact if you didn’t know otherwise you could be forgiven for thinking they are for children as there’s more than a touch of Disney and Tinkerbell to the range (I think it’s a collaboration between Pixie and Walt Disney actually, with a more grown-up version of Tink on the packaging).

The colours and quality seem good, I particularly like the green eye pencil ‘Straight on till morning’ (great name) and the bright pink nail varnish – both would be great for holidays against tanned skin (fake tan obviously, it’s much healthier). But I do think they will appeal most to younger women, from teens to mid 20s. They’re the sort of thing my 18-year-old niece will love – and no doubt she will end up with the samples I was given. Except for the green eye pencil, and the bright pink nail varnish. Can’t wait for my holidays…

Fairy Face Palette with eye shadows, lip glosses, blushers, brushes and mirror

That pink nail varnish I was on about (and possibly the green eye liner)
A bevy of beauty bloggers enjoying a bevvy

Filed in: Uncategorised • by Lisa •

I live in the countryside with my dogs and cat, and I love horses, yoga and running (sometimes). Writing is what I do - I've tried other things, but keep coming back to it. And I'm learning to meditate.
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