New Cid I-Gloss in 'Raspberry Kiss'

New CID I-Gloss Light Up Lipgloss in 'Raspberry Kiss', £13.59 from hairtrade.com. 

I was so excited to try this! I've been curious about New CID for a long time and having the chance to trial one of their lipglosses made me feel like a very lucky gal.

I'll start with the packaging. At first glance this lip gloss looks pretty regular- the tube is transparent so that you can see the shade inside, but on closer inspection you soon start noticing the interesting stuff. Not only does the lipgloss have a mirror alongside the tube, which is handy, but as soon as you twist off the applicator this bright white light switches on automatically. These two features make it a very unique lipgloss and the perfect accessory for a night out on the town- you're sure to attract some attention with a lit up lipgloss and it'll save plenty of toilet trips as you'll have your very own mirror and light all in one place to top up. It could also make a great impromptu torch, or glowstick, should a situation where you needed either of these arise!

The shade 'Raspberry Kiss' looks a deep red in the tube but transfers a beautiful sheer berry shade on the lips. The pigment has enough depth to it that it is great worn at this time of year- on it's own during the day or layered on top of a red lippy for night time. There's lots of microglitter scattered through it but this isn't very noticeable when it is on, and the glitter wears off naturally with the gloss throughout the day.

The consistency of the gloss is lovely- it's light and non- sticky. I find it lasts around an hour and a half before it needs topping up, but if you don't have time to do this it does wear down to a subtle berry stain. The only downfall I noticed was that it settled into the lines in my lips however I imagine thise wouldn't be as noticeable with their lighter shades. If it does feather, this could probably be combatted using a lip liner.

All in all, this is a fab product and would make an excellent Christmas gift because it's a conversation starter paired with a good quality product inside. I love the shade because it is so wearable and I imagine it would suit almost everybody, even those who are shy of colour as it isn't 'too much.'
I definitely want to try more shades of these, 'Coral Candy' looks like my perfect summer colour. You can also watch a demonstration of the I-Gloss and other New CID products by clicking here.

This product was sent for me to review. Hairtrade.com is one of the UK's leading online retailers of hair extensions, hair care and beauty products. You can buy this product by clicking here.

Midweek post: Urban Decay in China update & other beauty goss.

(image found here)

I tweeted a few months ago when I found out that Urban Decay were expanding into China. The reason this caught my attention was because, though I've never been a big shopper at UD, even I knew that they were an animal friendly company who were committed in their protest against cosmetic animal testing and were raising awareness of the issue. 

The Chinese government do reserve the right to test cosmetics on animals before they are sold for use on human beings. Unfortunately, studies also show that the typical Chinese consumer will show little to no regard over whether a cosmetic product has been tested on animals or not.

 

What Urban Decay have said: UD have stated that their stance on animal testing will not waiver, and that whilst they do not test on animals, the Chinese government may want to perform one-time tests of their products on animals before they are approved to be sold to the Chinese consumers.

Urban Decay believe that change will not happen by outside pressure alone, and that by entering China the company can help raise awareness and fight against animal testing from within. When UD first began, they fought for animal rights in the Western market and now they want to do this in China by encouraging change internally.

UD also want us to remember that they are passionate about women's rights too and are hoping to create new careers and jobs for Chinese women (as it is women who are primarily employed in cosmetics) with this expansion so hope to contribute the change in attitude towards the importance of women in that country.

Please not that they have not ignored the ever obvious reason for moving into China, and that is for profit. They also stated that if they don't expand into China, other companies with no stance on animal testing will and therefore nothing will change.*

  

http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/

(If you're interested in using cosmetics that are not tested on animals, look for the leaping bunny logo on the product which ensures that no animal testing has been conducted on the finished product, nor it's ingredients, that it isn't carried out in any of the companies labs or by their suppliers)

Beauty news:

It's been announced recently that New CID cosmetics will stocked in all Champneys spas by the end of the year. The famous luxury spa already have their own range of bath and body products available in Boots stores but their spas will be stocked full of New CID cosmetics as they admire the quality of their products and believe they'll be perfect for the Champneys customer. 

Estee Lauder's granddaughter Aerin Lauder is releasing her own makeup range as part of her new lifestyle line. 'The Aerin Essentials Collection' is launching this year in the UK and the States.

Marvelscara 'three week mascara' may be coming to a salon near you! This new technology creates beautiful long lashes that don't smudge (and are waterproof) and already has 'celeb' clients such as memebers of the TOWIE and Desperate Scousewives cast singing it's praises.

Molton Brown are releasing a plant-based hair care range in September each set designed to combat certain hair problems.

Thankyou for reading! Do you have any beauty goss for me? What's your opinion on Urban Decay's Chinese expansion?

* Some information for this post has been taken from an article in Espirit magazine (July 2012 edition) where there has been an interview with an Urban Decay spokesman.

Disclaimer! : I've restrained from including my opinion in this *paragraph as the aim of this post was to inform you of the statement and real intentions from Urban Decay. FYI I do not believe animal testing on cosmetics is necessary, however I do not condemn brands who do.