Beauty Blog

Christmas party picks

December 14th, 2010
Our Christmas Party Picks
With Christmas nearly upon us we figured we’d chuck out all that natural, subtle stuff and head out for some glitzy goodies.
Obviously it goes without saying that L’Onglex thinks that looking like an overdone Christmas tree is a bad thing at this time of year, but on the other hand being the proverbial wallflower isn’t the best way to handle the party season. With this in mind we’ve put together a few to look out for if you are of a mind to expand the Christmas beauty bag.
First on our party wish list is Barocco Shimmer Powder by Clarins. Perfect for highlighting cheeks and decolletage these are basically lightweight nuggets that come in a rather festive pot and leave just the right amount of sparkle where you need it. Although these are rather nice ( more bronzy than gold ), go easy on the powder as less is definitely more ! powder on the puff to give a subtle sheen where you need it most.
Those of you who need a touch of seductive pout rather than the full Pete Burns will no doubt be interested in the delights of Model Co’s Lip Plumper. Bag friendly and packed with plumping ingredients like marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, this comes as a gloss that also smoothes lips down as well as plumping them up.
As much as we love subtle polishes now and again what’s really needed is a touch of drama. Enter Chanel’s Rouge Fatal, a stunning chip free holly nail polish with a super glossy finish. Obviously we could spend ages describing the subtle nuances of colouring and shade, but we’ll spare you the bother of reading our superlatives and finish the Chanel subject with the following statement …. wear this because it’s not too tarty !
Finally the fragrance. If you were to read the brochure you might think that paying €80 big ones to cover yourself in the smells of pomegranate, spiced woods and frankincense would make you smell a bit like an overdone nativity display …. it doesn’t. If there is a winter scent out there that is any more perfect than Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone please inform L’Onglex forthwith. We love this scent.

With Christmas nearly upon us we figured we’d chuck out all that natural, subtle stuff and head out for some glitzy goodies.

Obviously it goes without saying that L’Onglex thinks that looking like an overdone Christmas tree is a bad thing at this time of year, but on the other hand being the proverbial wallflower isn’t the best way to handle the party season. With this in mind we’ve put together a few to look out for if you are of a mind to expand the Christmas beauty bag.

3-clarinsFirst on our party wish list is Barocco Shimmer Powder by Clarins. Perfect for highlighting cheeks and decolletage these are basically lightweight nuggets that come in a rather festive pot and leave just the right amount of sparkle where you need it. Although these are rather nice ( more bronzy than gold ), go easy on this one as less is definitely more –  a subtle sheen where you need it most.

4-lip_plumperThose of you who need a touch of seductive pout rather than the full-on-Pete-Burns will no doubt be interested in the delights of Model Co’s Lip Plumper. Bag friendly and packed with plumping ingredients like marine collagen and hyaluronic acid, this comes as a gloss that also smoothes lips down as well as plumping them up.

2-chanel-polishAs much as we love subtle polishes now and again what’s really needed is a touch of drama. Enter Chanel’s Rouge Fatal, a stunning chip free holly nail polish with a super glossy finish. Obviously we could spend ages describing the subtle nuances of colouring and shade, but we’ll spare you the bother of reading our superlatives and finish the Chanel subject with the following statement …. wear this because it’s not too tarty !

1-jomaloneFinally the fragrance. If you were to read the brochure you might think that paying €80 big ones to cover yourself in the smells of pomegranate, spiced woods and frankincense would make you smell a bit like an overdone nativity display …. it doesn’t. If there is a winter scent out there that is any more perfect than Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone please inform L’Onglex forthwith. We love this perfume.

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Posted in Beauty heroes, Clarins, Model Co, Nail polish, Perfume, Uncategorized |

This seasons picks for lips

September 28th, 2010
This seasons picks for lips.
From full reds and juicy plums to more subtle neutral tones, lips are taking centre stage this Autumn and we at L’Onglex have had no choice but to ditch the gloss and pucker up with some of our favourites. It’s been a shaky transition but after lots of pouting and preening we’ve found our three must have shades and how to wear them.
Reds
Anything goes with red lipstick this season, the trend has been seen swaggering down the catwalks of Dior and D&G and has been teamed with everything from kaleidoscopic eyes to more muted features.When it comes to finding the perfect shade, the trick is to choose a red that’s two shades darker than your natural lip colour and line lips with a similar colour lip pencil at the end for a sharply blended finish.
L’Onglex choice: Everyone from Rimmel to Chanel is rolling out a shade so there’s a colour or two for every skin tone. Our pick of the pack is Rouge Prodige from Clarins. Part of the Barocco Festive Collection  (which we featured last week), this shade is long wearing and perfectly builds brilliantly. Team with neutral eyes and defined brows for a full on statement finish.
Plums
With plum lips featuring heavily in the Autumn collections channelling your inner goth has never been so chic. Perfect for creating a sultry evening look team plum lips with dark eyes for full on glamour or let lips do all the talking and pair with more neutral tones. Just make sure to line lips, prime and brush apply to avoid bleeding.
L’Onglex loves: Mac’s Frost Lipstick in Blackcurrant has given our lips a sultry twist and seeing as the colour takes two or three layers to get the perfect shade, the perfect colour can be built up gradually.
Nudes
Those of you shunning bold lips in favour of creative eyes can still get a lip fix with some of the more natural pastel shades due to hit stands. Neutral beige, light powder pinks and hardly there reds mean that lips can be perfectly defined without being overpowering.
Exfoliating lips before application is a must for natural shades and as well as an even finish nude shades that compliment skin tone will help avoid that pale look. Pinks and peaches look best on fair skin while warm beige and bronze tones work with more olive skin tones. Look out for caramel-toned nudes and warm beige’s and if you’re really dark make a grab for taupes, browns or coffee shades.
L’Onglex Loves: Enticing us this season is the new Lasting Finish lipstick from Rimmel in Asia. The light pink tones make this lippy great for day wear with the added bonus of being bold enough to be worn with a full on smokey eye for evening looks.

MAC_RIMMEL_CLARINS_LIPSTICK

From full reds and juicy plums to more subtle neutral tones, lips are taking centre stage this Autumn and we at L’Onglex have had no choice but to ditch the gloss and pucker up with some of our favourites. It’s been a shaky transition but after lots of pouting and preening we’ve found our three must have shades and how to wear them.

Reds

Anything goes with red lipstick this season, the trend has been seen swaggering down the catwalks of Dior and D&G and has been teamed with everything from kaleidoscopic eyes to more muted features.When it comes to finding the perfect shade, the trick is to choose a red that’s two shades darker than your natural lip colour and line lips with a similar colour lip pencil at the end for a sharply blended finish.

L’Onglex loves – Everyone from Rimmel to Chanel is rolling out a shade so there’s a colour or two for every skin tone. Our pick of the pack is Rouge Prodige from Clarins. Part of the Barocco Festive Collection  (which we featured last week), this shade is long wearing and perfectly builds brilliantly. Team with neutral eyes and defined brows for a full on statement finish.

Plums

With plum lips featuring heavily in the Autumn collections channelling your inner goth has never been so chic. Perfect for creating a sultry evening look team plum lips with dark eyes for full on glamour or let lips do all the talking and pair with more neutral tones. Just make sure to line lips, prime and brush apply to avoid bleeding.

L’Onglex loves - Mac’s Frost Lipstick in Blackcurrant has given our lips a sultry twist and seeing as the colour takes two or three layers to get the perfect shade, the perfect colour can be built up gradually.

Nudes

Those of you shunning bold lips in favour of creative eyes can still get a lip fix with some of the more natural pastel shades due to hit stands. Neutral beige, light powder pinks and hardly there reds mean that lips can be perfectly defined without being overpowering.

Exfoliating lips before application is a must for natural shades and as well as an even finish nude shades that compliment skin tone will help avoid that pale look. Pinks and peaches look best on fair skin while warm beige and bronze tones work with more olive skin tones. Look out for caramel-toned nudes and warm beige’s and if you’re really dark make a grab for taupes, browns or coffee shades.

L’Onglex loves – Enticing us this season is the new Lasting Finish lipstick from Rimmel in Asia. The light pink tones make this lippy great for day wear with the added bonus of being bold enough to be worn with a full on smokey eye for evening looks.

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Posted in Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Clarins, L'Onglex loves, Lipsticks and gloss, MAC, Rimmel |

Is it too early for Christmas ?

September 22nd, 2010
Is it too early for Christmas ?
Ok so it maybe nowhere near Christmas yet but L’onglex can’t help it if we were slightly taken aback with the festive collection that has just come our way courtesy of Clarins !
Pots of gold dusting powder, a beautiful shimmery gold eyeshadow and blood red lips all feature in the Barocco collection and if Clarins is your bag it hits counters on the 1st of October thereby giving us plenty of time to get our seductive pout in order for the L’Onglex office party.
Being the sort of shallow folks we are the first thing we noticed about the new colloection is the packaging and although we’re rather ashamed to give the delightfully embossed compacts and elegant gold baroque designs too much prominence in one post we can’t help but be impressed by the magpie gorgeousness of it all.
Having now played with the collection for the best part of a week we can sincerely state that although we think the shimmery gold powder is a bit much we are finding the face palette too covetable for comfort and the lipstick decidedly delicious.
Finally, friends of L’Onglex accustomed to receiving Clarins in their Christmas stockings will not be too surprised to discover we have decided to keep this years collection for ourselves. Naturally we understand this aint particularly christmassy but in this particular case we figure you cant put an exact price on friendship …. or can we ?

clarins_winter_collection_2010

Ok so it maybe nowhere near Christmas yet but L’onglex can’t help it if we were slightly taken aback with the festive collection that has just come our way courtesy of Clarins !

Pots of gold dusting powder, a beautiful shimmery gold eyeshadow and blood red lips all feature in the Barocco collection which hits counters on the 4th of October and gives us plenty of time to get something like a seductive pout in time for the L’Onglex office party.

Being the sort of shallow folks we are the first thing we noticed about the new collection is the packaging and although we’re rather ashamed to give the delightfully embossed compacts and elegant gold baroque designs too much prominence in one posting we can’t help but be impressed by the sparkly magpie gorgeousness of it all.

Having now played with the collection for the best part of a week we can sincerely state that although we think the shimmery gold powder is a bit much we are finding the face palette too covetable for comfort and the lipstick decidedly delicious.

Finally, friends of L’Onglex accustomed to receiving Clarins in their Christmas stockings will not be too surprised to discover we have decided to keep this years collection for ourselves. Naturally we understand this aint particularly christmassy but in this particular case we figure you cant put an exact price on friendship …. or can you ?

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Posted in Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Blushers and bronzing, Clarins, Eyeshadow and mascaras, L'Onglex loves, Lipsticks and gloss |

Clarins Eclat Minute Instant Light Brush On Perfector

August 10th, 2010
It’s been a while since the subject of panda eyes was mentioned on the L’Onglex blog.
What with the sunny weather, the powers of fake tan and a mood of general cheeriness we’d almost forgotten about the dark circles that lurk just below the surface ready to pounce at the first sign of tiredness. Just when we’d gotten comfortable with the whole idea of looking healthy, the latest offerings from Clarins landed with a thump on the L’Onglex beauty desk and in an instant we were reminded that summer wont be with us forever.
Eclat Minute is from the autumn collection and works as a perfecter which promises to hide dark circles and have those peepers button bright in the blink of an eye. After a little confusion and some hasty fake tan removal we’ve been passing this round to general acclaim and although none of us really want to be reminded that the darker months will soon be upon us, at least we have one more weapon when it comes to the dark patches.
Naturally we’ll be putting this away until the time is right as we plan to carry off the fake tan until at least November but when the time does come we are at least safe in the knowledge we have something to pluck from the bag in case of emergency. Result !

clarins_minute

It’s been a while since the subject of panda eyes was mentioned on the L’Onglex blog.

What with the sunny weather, the powers of fake tan and a mood of general cheeriness we’d almost forgotten about the dark circles that lurk just below the surface ready to pounce at the first sign of tiredness.

Just when we’d gotten comfortable with the whole idea of looking healthy, the latest offerings from Clarins landed with a thump on the L’Onglex beauty desk and in an instant we were reminded that summer wont be with us forever.

Eclat Minute Instant Light Brush On Perfector is from the autumn collection and works as a perfecter which promises to hide dark circles and have those peepers button bright in the blink of an eye. After a little confusion and some hasty fake tan removal we’ve been passing this round to general acclaim and although none of us really want to be reminded that the darker months will soon be upon us, at least we have one more weapon when it comes to the dark patches.

Naturally we’ll be putting this away until the time is right as we plan to carry off the fake tan until at least November …. but when the time does come we are at least safe in the knowledge we have something to pluck from the bag for emergency use – result !

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Posted in Beauty dilemmas, Beauty heroes, Beauty news, Beauty reviews, Clarins, Foundations and concealers |

Blue eyes for spring

April 1st, 2010
Blue eyes for spring
We do love keeping up with the latest beauty trends here at Longlex towers – it’s what being a beauty junkie is all about!
One look catching our eye at the office over the last week has been blue eyeshadow. Now we know what your thinking but it’s not in that kitschy 80’s lind of way !
The first we noticed was that one of our colleagues who shall remain nameless splashed out on what later turned out to be the oh-so-uber-blue Eye Quartet from Clarins. A few flutters across the office later and it started to get a bit contagious. It’s been blue eyes all round since and needless to say things have got a bit competitive. Not in the way that you might think, but more in a way that requires just getting the look to work because it’s just not an easy shade to get right. Too little and you miss the point, too much and you look like an extra from a pop video circa 1986 !
After some discussion and much laughter we finally think we might have hit upon the right formula. Start with something white like Mac’s Gesso or NYX’s  white shadow base. So far we worked out this evens off your skin tones before you dive into the deep. Take a light blue like    Gosh’s Paradise  or a light purple like Urban’s Decays Matt Purple Haze and blend from the socket to about half way up to your brow bone. Obviously, light blues give you a way to work the darker tones in and we figure subtle shadows look best. Finally, the blue to end all blues has to be Urban Decays Goddess ( closely followed by Mac Deep Truth) which works well across the base of the eye.
Finally, never ever team with blue mascara, it works if your sixteen and your on your way to your first disco, but we figure it’s unforgivable afterwards – see the picture above.

cotton-flower-model-visual

We do love keeping up with the latest beauty trends here at Longlex towers – it’s what being a beauty junkie is all about!

One look catching our eye at the office over the last week has been blue eyeshadow. Now, we know what your thinking but it’s not in that kitschy 80’s lind of way !

The first we noticed was that someone in these parts ( who shall remain nameless ) splashed out on what later turned out to be the oh-so-uber-blue Eye Quartet from Clarins. A few flutters across the office later and it started to get a bit contagious. So much so it’s been blue eyes all round since then.

Needless to say things have got a bit competitive. Not in the way that you might think, but more in a way that requires just getting the look to work because it’s not an easy shade to get right. Too little and you miss the point, too much and you look like an extra from a pop video circa 1986 !

After some discussion and much laughter we finally think we might have hit upon the right formula. Start with something white like Mac’s Gesso or NYX’s  white shadow base. We worked out this evens off your skin tone before you dive into the deep blue. Follow with a light blue like Gosh’s Paradise or a light purple like Urban’s Decays Matt Purple Haze and blend from the socket to about half way up to your brow bone.

Obviously, light blues give you a way to work the darker tones in and we figure subtle shadowing work best. Finally, add the blue to end all blues – Urban Decays Goddess which works well across the base of the eye.

Finally, never ever, ever, ever team with blue mascara, it’s only acceptable if your fifteen and on your on your way to your first disco !

4 Comments »

Posted in Ask L'Onglex, Beauty news, Beauty trends, Clarins, Eyeshadow and mascaras, Make up tips/how to |