Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Luminous Lipgloss

To be honest, I'm not usually a fan of lipgloss, I much prefer the depth of colour, comfort and wear of a lipstick. However, as soon as I saw the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Gloss in Intriguing Violet from their Untold Color Collection. I knew I just had to have it, so I picked it up as part of my payday haul a while back. At work, our No7 counter is right next to the Elizabeth Arden counter, so it's no wonder this lipgloss caught my eye, as it was so different to anything I had seen before: an almost neon violet-purple colour with flecks of glitter that captures and reflects the light beautifully.

I'm slightly gutted that there's no limited edition packaging for this range, however the classic gold and silver packaging you can't go too far wrong with, as it keeps the premium feel. And don't you just love the small peep-window to the product, teasing you with the wonderful violet flash of colour?! Just a quick note, that no matter how many pictures I can take of this lipgloss, it cannot capture the same magic is has in reality.

I love the big size of this doe applicator, as it means you don't have to swipe it over your lips numerous times to get the gloss on. Instead, it's a lovely thick formula that glides on easily, without having too much of a heavy, sticky feel to it, yet it's nice and moisturising too. And I just love the handy mirror on the side, why don't all lip products do this? 

OH MY GOD the glitter pigment is just OUT OF THIS WORLD, it runs through the entirety of this gloss, there is no let-go whatsoever, and on its own the violet shade of this product is actually stronger than I thought it would be. The glitter shines all colours from blue to purple to gold to silver, and like I mentioned before, my camera just can't capture the beauty of this lipgloss in its entirety. 

I thought I'd slick this gloss over the top of one of my favourite Match Made lipsticks, the shade 255 Raspberry Silk from the Stay Perfect range. Although the reformulated Stay Perfect range have a high moisture content to them, they are matte in their finish so some can find it slightly drying and heavy on the lips, so a slick of gloss can do a world of favours. I adore how the gloss adds such definition to the lipstick without altering the colour, LOOK AT ALL THAT GLITTER AND SHINE. Intriguing Violet certainly keeps me intrigued, that's for sure.

Okay, so for £17 it is a bit on the pricey side for a lipgloss, but I'm seriously impressed by this offering from Elizabeth Arden. Especially with all the current trends to be rather flat colours in lipglosses, it is great to see an offering with such a strong glitter that can be worn on its own or over the top of another colour. Not to mention that for a lipgloss it's not too bad on the wear: okay, so the gloss wears off after about an hour or so, but the glitter somehow stays put, and has little effect on wear on top of another colour. I can't wait to wear this during party season, I think it's just perfect for it if you don't want to go with a heavy glitter on the eyes.

I just need a purple lipstick/lipliner that will compliment this lipgloss perfectly, any suggestions out there?

Payday = haulin'.

So when payday rolled around this month, I was in desperate need of both things that I needed and wanted; as you can see, it's quite a mix too!

Needed:

1. Lacura Cotton Pads: Yes, they seem so mundane, but they're needed. I go through them very easily, so I don't want to be paying a lot for them, yet they still need to be of a great quality. This is where Aldi comes up trumps yet again! 99p for a twin pack of pads that don't fleece? Yes please! (I know you can get these twin packs anywhere for pretty much a similar price, but these are seriously the best I've ever used.)
2. No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Makeup Remover: Definitely one of my holy grail products..and I know that term is used all the time these days, but this eye makeup remover is the only one for me that doesn't irritate my eyes; even the Simple, Johnson and Nivea ones (to name a few) made my eyes sting, even though I don't find my eyes to be particularly sensitive. Not to mention, the No7 remover is an oil-water formula (shake it to wake it! Cheesy I know..) which removes the toughest of waterproof makeup known to man, yet doesn't dry my eye area.
3. John Frieda Precision Foam Colour: Okay, so I didn't need this quite yet, as I don't tend to dye my hair that frequently because the colour is close to my natural hair colour, just a bit richer..but when it's going for half price at Boots, a girl gotta stock up! (Note: the offer has now changed to 3 for 2 across haircare, both instore and online.) Again, like with the eye makeup remover, this is now the only dye I use, it's just bloody brilliant. (And one bottle still manages to cover my rather long hair.)
4. Tresemme Heat Defence Spray: The only heat defence that doesn't leave my hair feeling weighed down or with any residue once dried, and certainly keeps my hair in tip-top condition, that's for sure, even with all the blow drying, straightening, curling and updo-ing for work. Also, a bottle lasts me ages, even with my thick, long hair so it's definitely worth its price.
5. Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner: I briefly mentioned in an old monthly favourites post that I was loving this range, and I'm still using these shampoos and conditioners with no build-up, and just like the Tresemme, I'm sure these are helping my hair to stay healthy. (The reason I keep saying this is because I haven't had my hair cut in over eight months..naughty, I know, but no split ends or visible damage whatsoever *touch wood*..I just want it to groooooooow!)
6. VO5 High Volume Hairspray: I only started to use this after Tanya Burr used it in a hair tutorial she did based on a Blake Lively updo, and I love it! It doesn't leave my hair feeling tacky or crispy, yet it has brilliant hold in both everyday wear and extreme hold for updo's, curls, etc. It brushes out super easy too, doesn't dry my hair out..it's just fab, and it's relatively cheap too.
7. Garnier Ultimate Blends Dry Shampoo: I'm not a regular user of dry shampoo, but I had been using one of the Tresemme ones, which was fab, but at over £5 a pop, I didn't want to be paying that much, so this one caught my eye, as it specified that it leaves no residue: essential for my dark locks! Let's just hope it lives up to that promise..I can't tell you how much I dislike the Batiste ones, both the smell and the colour it leaves my hair..nope, just nope, even the ones made specifically for "brunette" hair.

Wanted:

1. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Luminous Lipgloss: At work, our No7 counter is right next to the Elizabeth Arden counter, so when their Untold Colour Collection (Autumn Collection) launched, this instantly caught my eye, as it was so different to anything I had seen before: an almost neon violet-purple with flecks of glitter that the light captures and reflects beautifully..I can't wait to use this to "jujz" up any drab autumn days.
2. Topshop Nails: A girl can never have too many nail polishes, right? After going on holiday with some of my girl friends and seeing the brilliant quality of the Topshop nail varnishes firsthand, I was won over and finally took the plunge with a gorgeous, almost mustard yellow by the name of "Carnival", which doesn't seem to be on the website, but I think it's perfect to brighten up an autumnal day.
3. Real Techniques Mini Brush Trio and Miracle Complexion Sponge: I am a HUGE lover of the Real Techniques brushes, for both personal use and work use, I recommend them to anyone and everyone! But I knew I had to add to my collection, and the mini trio are just too cute to dismiss, although I might not use them as they are intended, as long as they do the job I have in mind..especially the sponge, I have only heard good things about this, and although I never use a sponge (I love my brushes too much) I am intrigued to see if this can actually live up to the hype and give just as good a finish as my beloved Expert Face and Stippling Brushes can.

I also had a bit of a splurge in Primark..you've gotta take the bull by the horns, as they say, and it was my first visit to Manchester City Centre for quite a while so I ended up spending over £60 in there alone..! I do love that place! 

Is there anything in particular you like to treat yourself to come payday?

No7 BB Lips

*as promised, I'm back! And I'm back with a product I adore, especially at this time of year..*

It seems that every brand has put their stamp on the beauty market with their take on BB, CC and, soon, DD products. However, don't let this put you off the No7 BB Lips.

Before I became a No7 advisor, I had braces and felt as though I could never wear colour on my lips. Don't get me wrong, I actually loved my braces and I never hid them, I loved smiling away because that's just who I am..but I just didn't like wearing lipstick/lacquer, the furthest I ever got was a slick of tame lipgloss or lip balm. Now, I love the prospect of colour, and my face isn't complete without some form of colour-bursting lip product! 

Back to the BB Lips..these actually launched just over a year ago with six shades in the range, and Berry Rose caught my eye straight away.  

My selection of BB Lips, from left-right: Berry Rose, Geranium, Blink Pink, Blush Pink.

They are described as "an all-in-one lip balm that provides 3 lip-loving benefits of: beautiful colour, soothing nourishment and UV protection." As you can see, they are in a squeezy lipgloss style tube, with an angled applicator to go straight onto the lips, super easy.

As you can see from the swatch, the colour is very true to how it appears on the tube. I love how rich the colour is and is so wearable it can complement any look. The texture is thinner than that of a lipgloss, yet has the shine of a lipgloss, but not as sticky as a lipgloss..so an all-round winner in my opinion! 

A great big "tick" against beautiful colour that's for sure. In terms of moisturising, it is certainly a lightweight product - in my opinion, not as heavy as a lipgloss or lip lacquer, and I find that it definitely doesn't dry my lips out at all. Okay, so the product itself doesn't last all day, but what lip balm does? So yes, you do have to keep topping it up if you want the colour and shine to remain, (I'd say the shine lasts for around an hour, and the colour stains for a while before that wears off) but it still keeps your lips lovely and nourished: tick.

I love these so much, and it's clear that others do too, that No7 introduced a seventh colour to the range, as part of their "Summer Collection" this year: Geranium.

I'm not usually one for corals that sway on the orange side, as I can never find one that suits my skin tone..until now. This has become my favourite summer colour, I wear it pretty much every day! And I get so many compliments whilst wearing it, so it must be doing me a favour. ;) It's still so pigmented too, yet the sheer-ness takes away from the harsh bright orange that comes along with the original Gay Geranium lipstick from the No7 range.

I'm such a fan of this range, I also have two more colours! First up, Blush Pink, for a more natural look:

Finally, Blink Pink, which actually disappointed me a little:

As you can see in the swatch, a lovely bright baby pink, yet on the lips there's only a hint of colour, which I suppose isn't too bad on a minimal make-up day.

In terms of UV protection, I haven't quite managed to put this to a proper test yet: it states that it has an SPF of 15. Because of this, ideally, they'll make a great alternative to lipsticks when going abroad..and this is exactly what I plan to take out with me to Portugal when I go next month, so I'll be sure to report back on how they perform on that front. I'd still recommend to buy at least one..or two right now, as they're just brilliant, at just £9 each and they're on offer instore and online now at "buy one, get the second half price", which is across No7 cosmetics, why not?! (and if you happen to do any other shopping..yes, it's No7 voucher time again, which means you can get £3 off No7 make-up, and the best news is that it can be used with the "buy one, get the second half price" offer, winner!)

Coming up Friday..I have a concealer dilemma, and I need help!