The perfect lip balm? Lovely Cosmetics Peppermint Lip Conditioner review

I recently worked out that not a day has passed since 1994 in which I've not applied lip balm, so it's fair to say I'm well and truly addicted. 

Over the years I've tried pretty much every pot and tube of the stuff going and have settled on this Blistex offering for quite some time now. However, it's petroleum-heavy and I've been increasingly trying to remove petroleum and mineral oil-based products from my skincare regime. A by-product of the oil industry, those ingredients are quite simply an inexpensive way for beauty companies to bulk out their cosmetics and despite popular belief, they are great at keeping moisture out (hence why cross-channel swimmers coat themselves in it!) but aren't actually very good at imparting moisture into the skin. Lips don't have any oil-producing glands, so they need all the help they can get.

What with the wintery weather we've been experiencing recently, my lips have been particularly parched so I was excited to try this Peppermint Lip Conditioner by Sheffield-based artisan company, Lovely Cosmetics, which I was given as a gift by my boyfriend for Christmas. 

I love the ethos of Lovely Cosmetics, whose aim is to make small-scale, natural, cruelty-free skincare. The vintage-style packaging is cute, though the chunky pot is not particularly transportable if, like me, you always like to have a lip balm in your handbag. The Peppermint scent is pleasant and not at all cloying or overpowering. 

As for the balm itself, it's jam-packed full of skin-loving oils - all of which are clearly listed on the pot and on the Lovely Cosmetics website, so you know exactly what you're putting on your skin. If only some of the big beauty players were so transparent about their ingredients!

The Peppermint Lip Conditioner contains:

Persea gratissima (avocado) oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cera alba (beeswax), theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, mentha piperita (peppermint) essential oil, tocopherol (vitamin e) oil

Being oil based, the balm feels quite different to a traditional lip balm. Solid in the pot, it needs to be warmed on the finger before applying on the lips. Once on, it feels immediately nourishing. I can really see how it's earned its 'conditioner' moniker. 

One of my gripes with many lip balms is that they sink in too quickly and require constant replication. This one doesn't. Applied at night, there's still a trace left next morning and lips feel noticeably softer and more moisturised. It's also great for applying before lipstick to create a smooth base. 

This is one of my favourite finds of the last year and I'm a total convert - I've not used my Blistex balm since getting it and I can't see me ever going back. 

The Peppermint Lip Conditioner is £5 and can be bought online here.

If you're Sheffield-based, lots of the city's indie shops are stockists and I'd encourage you to check them out as it's a lovely brand (sorry, not sorry) and worth giving a go.

Mummy Christmas!

Well, it's Christmas eve and I currently have a snoozing baby lying on me as I type. Iris was born three weeks ago and nothing could have prepared me for what a whirlwind having a baby would be - it's been a successful day if I find the time to have a piece of toast, never mind fit a beauty regime into my day - but Iris is just perfect and I'm totally in love with her.

I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has read my blog over the past year - I've loved writing it and hearing from readers. I'm probably not going to be posting quite so much for a while as I focus on being a Mum, but I'll check in every now and again with beauty news or inspiration.

Have a wonderful Christmas x

Loving my baby body

When I was recently asked to be photographed for a pregnancy photoshoot, I didn’t really give it much thought before accepting. It was lovely to be asked, and I figured it would be a nice way to capture these last few weeks of my pregnancy.

It was only the day before the shoot that I got to thinking about how much my body has changed over the past few months and how I feel about it.

Physically, I can’t say I’ve loved being pregnant. I’ve struggled with my energy levels throughout, become incredibly clumsy, and found lugging my expanding bump around logistically challenging. Creating a nightly pillow fort in bed to support said bump sounds way more fun than it actually is.

But I’ve also loved seeing my bump grow, knowing that every week it means the baby is growing too and that we’re that little bit closer to meeting her. 

Frequent visits to the work biscuit tin and a slightly obsessive penchant for ice-cream aside, I’ve eaten well. My priority has been to stay healthy and to give the baby all the nutrients she needs, so I've not given much thought to my figure. Having said that, I’ve been lucky not to have put much weight on. Over the years, my weight has fluctuated and at 39 weeks pregnant, I’m still lighter than when I was at my heaviest.

I’ve always tried to maintain a healthy attitude to food and body image, even when I was bigger and I worry about raising a girl in an increasingly weight-obsessed world. That's a whole other blog post though.

Anyway, the day before the shoot, I started to think about what to wear. Admittedly my options were rather limited. I’ve bought as few maternity clothes as possible with the view that I’ll only be wearing them for a short time and my money can be better spent elsewhere. (You know, like on the million and one things we need for the baby.) And then I thought about actually getting the bump OUT. 

There’s no way I would have considered being photographed in my undies before. It's a bit, well, self-indulgent and vain, right? But I realised that I feel confident about my pregnancy body – stretch marks, cellulite and all and this was an opportunity to capture this special time on camera.

So I dug out my best underwear (literally - it’s not seen the light of day for months) and got my kit off. Photographer Shelley was lovely and I felt totally comfortable with her. If you could see me now, typing away wearing joggers and my boyfriend's biggest jumper because it's the only one in the house that fits me, I couldn't look more different from the way I do in these pictures. They certainly aren't representative of my day-to-day pregnancy look, but I feel glamorous and sexy. I love the resulting shots.

Over the coming months, my body is sure to change even more. I can’t predict how I’ll feel about it when I’m left with the remains of a bump that once was, but I know I'll always be happy that I took the opportunity to flaunt it whilst I still had it.

What do you think? Would you have the confidence to get your kit off on camera, pregnant or not? 

Photography: Shelley Richmond
Shelley is currently offering mini-portrait photo shoots for just £50 - perfect for growing bumps or babies. 

Location: Brocco on the Park Hotel

Glamorous and Gory Halloween | The Dead Flapper Girl

Dead Flapper Girl

Just in time for Halloween, I thought I'd share some fancy dress inspiration in the form of my costume last year: The Dead Flapper Girl. With the help of loo roll (yes, really), eyelash glue, fake blood and LOTS of eyeshadow, I created one of my favourite ever looks. I loved having the opportunity to get creative with my make-up bag.

The main focus of the look is the open wounds, and believe it or not, that's where the loo roll comes in! When applied with eyelash glue and coloured in using a combination of red lipstick, black eyeshadow and fake blood, it gives a surprisingly realistic effect. This Glamorous Zombie tutorial by Doll Face Ree gives a good explanation for how to achieve those type of wounds.

Loo roll, eyelash glue and fake blood are used to create surprisingly realistic wounds

Classic 1920s make-up - all purple smokey eyes and red lips - worked as the perfect contrast with all that gore. To really up the halloween ante, I used matte textured sludgy-coloured eyeshadow to create a sunken effect under the eyes and in the cheekbones.

Time-consuming but worth it: A giant crimper helped to create 1920s finger waves

To create the 1920s finger waves, the Babyliss Pro Triple Barrel Waver worked a treat. It took AGES to work my way through my long hair, but I was thrilled with the finished result after pinning it up to create a faux-bob. 

So there's my favourite halloween look - what's yours?

Mojito Loves | Clarins Instant Concealer

When I recently had enough Boots points for a beauty splurge, I decided to give the Clarins Instant Concealer a go after reading good reviews about it. I'm really glad I did - it was love at first use.

Concealer tends to have two very different functions – offering either coverage or brightening effects – and I’ve yet to find one that manages to do both very successfully. All too often, those that offer a decent level of coverage to disguise under-eye luggage or spots can be very drying. Brightening concealers, such as the infamous YSL Touche Eclat, don't provide any coverage at all. 

One of my main complexion issues is dark circles and dryness under the eyes. When combined with pink eyelids, this has the effect of making me look constantly tired. At 35 weeks pregnant, I am constantly tired, but it doesn’t mean I want to look it! I also have red thread veins around the side of my nose and redness on my cheeks and chin, so concealer is one of the products I never leave home without.

Clarins Instant Concealer: Texture and application

With its light texture, a medium buildable coverage, and light-reflecting particles, the Clarins Instant Concealer is pretty much the perfect consistency. Its creamy formula is a dream to apply. A little goes a long way – as you can see in the image above, a small amount covered all of my problem areas. I find it applies best with the ring finger to smooth it on and then pat it in. Best of all, it doesn’t go cakey – even on my dry skin and when reapplied throughout the day.

Clarins Instant Concealer: In action

It’s being marketed specifically as an under-eye concealer and it really does conceal dark circles and brighten this area very well. I’ve also been using it to cover imperfections elsewhere on my face and it does an equally good job there, concealing the thread veins around my nose and the redness on my cheeks and chin, whilst still looking natural. I’m seriously impressed.

Here it is on the right side of my face (the left as you look at it) - under the eyes, on the eyelids, around the nose and on the cheeks and chin - I look so much fresher and all the redness has been well concealed.

Clarins Instant Concealer: Should you buy it?

There are currently only three shades in the range so it’s not ideal if you have very dark skin. I have 01 which is a perfect match for my pale complexion. At £21.00, it’s an investment product but one which really delivers for me. I would definitely purchase it again – even if I don’t have enough Boots points to foot the bill next time!
 
You can buy the Clarins Instant Concealer HERE.

Review | Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector in Light Matte

A 20p sized blob applied on a tanning mitt created a natural-looking colour.

Before and after: milk bottle legs, be gone with you!

Autumn’s well and truly here and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be rejoicing at the fact that you can finally start wearing the opaque black tights that have been banished to the back of the drawer all summer. But sometimes, even as the temperature drops, black tights don’t look quite right and bare legs have to make an appearance. 

Whilst I try and rock the pale and tragic interesting look most of the time, I have milk bottles where my legs should be and it’s just a fact of life that they look better with a little bit of colour. I’m not averse to a pair of very sheer nude tights with the right outfit, but the ever-increasing baby bump means my existing pairs are currently redundant. Similarly, me and fake tan have a long and chequered history, because frankly, I can’t be arsed with the faff of it. 

That’s why I was intrigued by the promises being made by the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector* in Light Matte. It’s claim to offer 24 hours of natural looking matte tan which can simply be washed off appealed to my lazy sensibilities. As with most fake tan, good preparation and a bit of patience make all the difference, so exfoliating and moisturising beforehand will create a smooth base. I did this the night before to save time on the day. Although technically a wash-off product, I didn’t trust it enough not to end up with orange palms, so I applied it with a mitt which was far less messy.

My impatience got the better of me the first couple of times I used it and there were some streaks at the back of my calves which didn’t look great. But this time I made sure I spent plenty of time rubbing it in – when I thought I’d blended it enough, I blended some more and it seemed to do the trick: I achieved a natural-looking tan in less than 10 minutes. If you prefer a darker shade, you could easily get a more intense colour by using more product. As it was, a 20p sized blob was enough to do each of my pale legs.

Overall, I was impressed with the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector. It’s a great value product which is ideal for fake-tan-phobes like myself, or for time-pressed tan fans. I suspect I’ll get quite a bit of use out of it in the Spring and Summer. 

Have you tried it yet? Or are there any other wash-off tans which you can recommend? 

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector | £6.99
 
*I’m completely ignoring the BB claim as, frankly, I’m not convinced it’s anything other than marketing speak.

Berry Nice: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru

7am: Bold lips from the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru

5pm: Excellent longevity from this matte lip product, albeit with a little bit of dryness in the centre of the lips

I don’t know about you, but with the onset of Autumn I find myself wanting to mix things up in the make-up department. The bright corals and pinks that I’ve worn all summer no longer appeal. I prefer something warmer. Something more, well, autumnal. Enter the berry lip. This one from Bourjois – their Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru – sure does pack a real punch. Forget the whole subtle “I’ve just been eating cherries and they’ve stained my lips” look. This product offers amazing colour pay-off which is not for the faint-hearted.
 
So what’s good about it?
 
It’s an incredibly pigmented matte product. Generally, I find matte textures too drying but this one fares pretty well, even on my parched lips. 

Now let’s just take a moment to admire the gorgeous colour. The texture may not be up everyone's street but the colour itself is actually very wearable and would suit most skin tones. The two images above were taken at different times of the day - it's showing a little more pink in the lower image when the light wasn't as good, but generally I'd describe it as a red-toned berry shade. It’s perfect for the upcoming season and is a great alternative to classic red for lovers of a bold lip.
 
The best thing about this product for me though is the very impressive staying power. Once applied, give it a minute or so to set then you’re good to go for the rest of the day. I applied just one layer at 7am and it survived a full day at work with back to back meetings, breakfast, lunch and innumerable snacks in between. Normally, I would top-up my lip colour at lunch, but I didn’t on this occasion to give it a really good road-test and it fared very well. You can see in the above image that my lips do look dry by the end of the day, but there’s still a noticeable layer of colour there. I can’t think of many other products that would offer that level of longevity.
 
What’s not so good?
 
I found the application a little tricky to master at first. The doe-foot applicator delivers a slightly uneven amount of colour as it glides over the lip, so you have to be really precise. Because the colour is so pigmented, any mistakes are noticeable. Now, I’m not normally a fan of lip liner but a very fine line around the outer edge of the lip did seem to help resolve this. I applied a thin layer of the Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in the line, then blended it in with my finger and I think that gave the best effect.
 
Once you’ve practiced this technique a couple of times, it seems to work very well and the pigmentation and longevity are worth the patience and time it requires to achieve a polished look. 

Overall, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru gets the thumbs up from me and I’m looking forward to experimenting with the rest of my make-up to really show off the gorgeous colour to its best effect.

I picked up my Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru from Boots and it was £8.99.

Will you be trying it or do you run a mile from matte lipsticks?