By Terry Holiday products

SpaceNK has a lot of its holiday products in store now, and the By Terry display was the one that caught my eye yesterday.

Ombre Blackstar eye shadow pen - this is like a cross between the MAC shadesticks and greasepaint sticks. They're lovely - soft, intense and with beautiful complex-but-subtle shimmer. I was *this* close to buying 01 Black Pearl, or (I think, I could have the number wrong) 04 Rock Pearl. However, they are £26 each, and I just wasn't sure that I could justify that price for an impulse purchase. I might go back for one of them, otherwise they're going on the Christmas list.

Or de Rose Baume Precieux - basically it's Baume de Rose with gold pink shimmer. In my opinion this is not worth the extra £15 on top of the Baume de Rose price (yes, this is £45) when you can get pinky gold lipglosses in the range for £25.

Or de Rose Elixir Extreme - another jaw dropping price here - £105 for a pink/rose highlight serum. On the plus side, this makes my Rouge Bunny Rouge illuminator look like a bargain at £45.

I also recently had a play with the new tinted moisturisers, Eclat de Rose - the coverage is lighter than the Light Expert pens, and I prefer the delivery system of Eclat de Rose (I don't trust those pens with brushes that you can't clean for foundation/concealers.) The Eclat de Rose does smell quite strongly of rose, and I doubt I could tolerate the smell. The colour choices are forgiving; I could wear either Light or Natural. These are £58 for 40ml.

Horribly rubbish pictures are from me taking a picture of my SpaceNK Christmas Catalogue - the holiday items don't appear to be online yet.  The eagle-eyed might spot a picture of a Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball lipstick in the picture; these aren't in store yet, and the sales assistant did not know when they would be getting them in. As they are in the Christmas catalogue, I can only assume it will be some time before Christmas.

Emma Hardie skincare review

I've finally gotten around to using this set. I've been using it in the evening for the past couple of weeks, and that's just about long enough to give an initial review on it; I can't speak for long-term effects, but I can tell you what it feels like to use the products and whether I had any adverse reaction to them (no, I didn't.)

Cleanser - this is one of the waxy balm cleansers of the Eve Lom/Saaf type, but what's unusual about the Emma Hardie is that it emulsifies with water. I was a bit nervous when I read this, because the last emulsifying balm I tried was the REN, and that was horrid. The Emma Hardie is much better; it doesn't leave a film on the skin when removed with the cloth (or just a normal muslin) and I haven't experienced any clogged pores. It also smells gorgeous; it smells like the old Bharti Vyas balm cleanser; a clean jasmine scent. I like the addition of moringa seed oil, which is purifying, and I find it removes every last scrap of eye make up. I wouldn't say it's better than the Saaf that I love, but it's as good. The base, for those wondering, is a grapeseed/almond oil mix.

Exfoliating Seeds - these are crushed rosehip seeds with an essential oil blend that you add to the cleanser once a week to exfoliate. You do need to be careful not to scrub too hard; natural doesn't automatically mean gentle, as I found out the first time I used these! I do like these very much though - again, these remind me a bit of the Bharti Vyas exfoliator.

Eye Serum - I have the same problem with this that I have with the Nude Eye Complex - it takes an age to sink it. I do find it sufficiently moisturising, but I wouldn't buy the full size instead of the other eye creams in my current rotation.

Moisturiser - this is a nice light-textured but very hydrating moisturiser. It left my skin comfortable, even in the cold weather, without feeling greasy. It has a slightly strange (to me) almost herbal-minty smell. I wouldn't say that this amazed me, but it's a pleasant and effective moisturiser.

In summary, this is a nice skincare line, and the try-me kit is a great way to try out all the products in the line before committing to full sizes. The only thing I think I'd  purchase in the full size at the moment is the cleanser and exfoliator kit.

Emma Hardie skincare is available at SpaceNK, and the starter kit costs £30.

Lipink Fire Red

Reading the reviews on Makeupalley, you either love Lipink or hate it. I'd always been intrigued by this product, especially as the fabulous Jitterbugdoll uses the Red Lipink for her photoshoots. I found out this week that there is a UK website, and I promptly placed an order.

This does take longer than applying your usual lipstick. You have to clean the lips with the 'Off' solution, rinse with water, apply a little of the Shine moisturiser and then apply three even layers of the colour, letting it dry between each layer. I corrected any wobbles in the line afterwards with a little of the Off solution on a cotton bud, before finishing with a layer of the Shine.

It's actually a bit disconcerting how well this stays on. It really doesn't transfer onto cups, and I could kiss Mr London without leaving a trace on him (funnily, he was happy to assist with this particular research.) The big test was lunch at GBK; chilli burger, chips and onion rings. It stayed on, almost perfectly. On close inspection it had worn a tiny bit on my upper lip around the outer corners, but I was happy to walk around without reapplying for the rest of the day. I had to use the Off to take it off; a regular cleanser would not budge it.

Surprisingly, this hadn't made my lips dry or sore by the end of the day; I'd reapplied the shine twice. With the shine it looks like a regular lipstick, and it didn't make my lips flaky or sore like the other long wear lipsticks I've tried in the past. I can't speak for long term usage yet; I don't know that I'd use this every day, I love some of my regular lipsticks too much, but if I really needed my lipstick to stay on I would reach for it again.

Some of the copy on the website is a little weird. It looks like it's been written by Dolores Umbridge; for example; "Surprising how many clients tell us 'they don't work/last/stay on' when clearly they have neither read the instructions or followed them properly. Nor have they used the spare applicators supplied. Very difficult for us to remain courteous when being fibbed to!" Personally I think it'd be better to have a no-exchange policy than one that requires a lie-detector test before you get half of your money back. I also think it's a bit off to charge £5 for exchanging one unopened and sealed colour for another; I kind of wish I'd ordered a neutral shade rather than a clear to tone the colours I chose, but I'm not sure if I can take the hassle of trying to get an exchange agreed, or if I'm willing to pay £5 to do so.

It is an expensive system; I bought a starter kit with the Off, Shine, travel Off and two colours for £45, although I think it'd last you a long time, even with daily use. The website is at lipink.co.uk.

Why True Blood is better than Twilight

Okay, imagine that Bella didn't forgive Edward after he did that douchey thing in book two. Imagine instead she thought, "Hey, I'll shack up with Jacob instead. He's hot too, he's not creepy and he's way more fun."

....and that is why True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse is better than Twilight.


(Dear Twi-hards, I love Twilight. Honestly. I've read all the books, even the last one, and I made Mr London watch the film (you can read his haiku on it here.) I'm just Team Jacob, is all.)

Linda Mason Method Kit in Aries

Linda Mason is an absolutely fascinating make up artist who doesn't get talked about nearly enough. She was responsible for the runway makeup looks of Gaultier, Mugler and Commes des Garcons in the early 1980s, and was one of the pioneers of the movement to see the make up as an integral part of the show that should be in harmony with the clothes. I can see a lot of her influence and legacy in the work Alex Box is doing at Illamasqua (interestingly, Linda Mason is also an artist in paints as well as cosmetics, and Alex Box's background is originally in art too.) If you're interested in make up artist books, I thoroughly recommend Linda's 'Make Up, the Art of Beauty.'

Although I'm actually a Cancer (and was meant to be a Leo - I was a month premature,) I picked the Aries Kit because the colour/feel of it appealed to me the most (and also because I really wanted that black lip gloss. Linda Mason has been making and using a black gloss to dull/cool other colours for years.)

The packaging is a CD case, which doesn't feel particularly luxurious, but you are getting a full kit of quality products for $54. It's not terribly portable for touch-ups, and it is worth considering purchasing a couple of lip colours and a gloss separately to throw in a bag; the Earth Lip Trio, which contains the brown and nude lip colours and the black gloss is a good buy.

This is an excellent neutral kit; if I was being really picky I'd say the blush is a little too dark on my pale skin and I do have to be careful not to overcook it. The lip colours are brilliant; I can get any colour from a nude to a rose to a deep burgundy red. The eyeshadows are all matte, apart from the taupe/mushroom, which has shimmer.

Do check out the website; http://www.lindamason.com. I think they will ship outside of the US if you email; I had a friend in the US help me get hold of this instead.

Xfactor - you are dead to me now

Well, if you ever needed proof that the Xfactor is about the telly (and the advertising) rather than the search for new musical talent, Simon Cowell not voting out JEdward on Sunday gave it in spades. Their central conceit; that they could win, despite not being able to sing, and that Simon would absolutely hate it, has been destroyed.

JEdward were so immensely watchable because of the sense of jeopardy; as they flung themselves about frenetically we knew that we were the only ones who could save them. Even though I was furiously tweeting that I wouldn't watch it without them (do you reckon Simon Cowell gets a twitter feed live on air? I wouldn't put it past him,) the illusion has been shattered for me by Simon leaving it to the public vote when he had the chance to get rid of them.

(but yes, I will be watching again this Saturday. Curse you Cowell!)

A few of my favourite things - Sue Devitt

Sue Devitt is an australian make up artist, whose line is inspired by the beautiful places that she has travelled to over her career.

Favourite things (pictured left to right, above)

1. Eyeshadow in Kinshasa - pale peach matte, this is a good base shade; although it's matte it never looks chalky. 
2. Sheer lipstick in Hollywood - a neutral/slightly cool rose. This another great my lips but better shade that doesn't obviously look like I'm wearing lipstick, but just amps up the natural colour of my lips by a shade or two. 
3. Eyeshadow in Nordland - a shimmery plum brown. This is a very flattering shade, I like to wear it smoked in a thickish line around my lashes over...
4. Eye Intensifier in Gold Reef - a chubby eye pencil in deep chocolate with gold shimmers. I line my eyes with this and then smudge the Nordland eyeshadow over it. You can also blend it out over the lid. 
5. Silky blush in Koh Samui - pale seashell beige/pink. This is a fantastic colour for pale skins, especially if you have naturally high colour; it adds polish to the face without looking obviously like blush.

Here's a swatch of the Gold Reef applied; it's a beautiful deep chocolate with gold shimmer.

Not so favourite things: 
The smudger on the end of the eye intensifier is horrid; it's stiff and scratchy, and I wouldn't put it anywhere near my eye.

I wish the line was more widely available. At the moment, in the UK you can only buy it in Harvey Nichols in London (which is a schlep to get to) and through QVCUK.com. I only have a few things from the line and it isn't because I don't love them, it's because it would be a bit of a hassle for me to get more, although I do have my eye on this kit from QVCUK.

For those looking for Sleek cosmetics in London

The Superdrug at the bottom of the West One Shopping Centre (at Bond Street tube station) has it. It also has a good selection of Gosh and Barry M.

Suqqu Blend Lipsticks and swatches

As promised a while ago, here are pictures of my Blend Lipstick collection. Each Blend Lipstick is £24, and all of these were bought by either myself or Mr London as a gift for me. Compared to the Creamy Lipsticks, the Blend Lipsticks have a little shimmer and are slightly sheerer to much sheerer (for the Kirari lipsticks.) They have no scent, and are incredibly comfortable to wear; these are one of the few lipsticks I can wear without a balm underneath. Due to their emollient nature these aren't the most long-lasting of lipsticks, but they are easy to reapply.

From Moss Monochrome, 03 and 04. 03 is a brown/pink and 04 is a natural pink.

From Kirari, 06, 07, 08, 11. 06 is a very sheer orange, 07 is a sheer coral pink, 8 is a sheer beige and 11 is a sheer natural pink.

From Kokoroiro Himeaka 13, 14. 13 is a deep brown with slight reddish tones and 14 is a seashell beige pink.

From Sakurakage, 17. 17 is a candy blossom pink.

Swatches

From left to right: 03, 04, 06, 07, 08, 11, 13, 14, 17. Picture is clickable for a larger view.

As you can see, 06, 07, 08 and 11 are sheerer than the other shades (the Kirari collection was about the play of light on water, so all the shades were more transparent and crystalline.) 12 and 14 are quite similar to 03, except that 12 is darker and 14 is lighter. The pinkest shades are 3 and 17, and 7 and 11, which are sheerer.

Suqqu Holiday 2009 product pictures and FOTD

After my post about Suqqu Holiday 2009 and 2008 products, the company that handles the PR for Suqqu contacted me and offered to send me the Holiday 2009 kits to have a look at and review them. Mr London is a bit disturbed by this turn of events (as he put it, "If someone else has sent you Suqqu, what am I going to buy you for bloody Christmas?") but I've reassured him that I'm sure there will be other things at the Suqqu counter I'd like.

The Christmas collection this year is based around the sparkle of freshly fallen snow. The look for eyes is neutral with a cool sparkle, the lips are softly neutral and nails have a sheer coat of iridescent pink. I've said it before, but I really do love the concepts behind each collection (from memory, Holiday 2008 was based on golden stardust.)

The eye kit is £48 and the lip kit is £38. Both of these are good value compared to the price of individual items, and a great way to try Suqqu if you are interested in the brand. I love the Eye Lucent that comes with the Blend eyeshadow; it's an opalescent pink that would work well on cheekbones and collarbones too.  In the pictures below I am wearing the Blend quad with lower right all over as base, lower left along lashes (upper and lower) and in outer corner of mobile lid, top right blended over the mobile lid and top left in the crease. I've patted a little of the Eye Lucent on my inner eye corners. On my lips I'm wearing the top right colour from the lip quad with a dab of the top right crystal shade in the middle. I completed the look with Blend Cheeks 05, Kasanebeni, a soft neutral blush. (Blend Cheeks 03 Shanarimomo, a more candy pink, would also work well.) The Blend eyeshadow itself is quite similar to that in the Holiday 2008 collection; if pressed I'd say that the 2008 is a bit more sparkly, and the accent shade is gold rather than pink.

Please note: the products pictured in this post were provided to me free of charge, for review purposes. I am not affiliated with the company. The blushes mentioned were purchased by me (or by Mr London!)

All pictures are clickable for larger view.