Revlon Super Lustrous 'Cherry Blossom' Lipstick!

A few weeks ago now, i won a little Revlon twitter giveaway, how exciting. It was such a pleasant surprise i kind of forgot i entered to be honest. I received three items from the Shanghai Collection: lipstick, nail varnish and gel eyeliner. 

The first thing i delved into was the lipstick. Red and therefore perfect for this season (plus Cherry Blossom is such a cute name!). 

As you can see it's a lovely, bright red. Russian red comes into my mind. It's very elegant and i feel so smart wearing it hahaa. It has little hint of pink but apart from that it's a true, in your face, red. It's a pearl formula so it does have some shine to it but i think it just gives the appearance of smooth, luscious  lips which is sometimes hard to achieve with a bright lipstick.

It's so easy to apply, no dragging or pulling just smooth, easy application. I prefer to blot it a little once on to create a stain like effect as it suits me much better and also lasts a lot longer. It's crazily pigmented so seems much more high-end and better quality than some other drugstore lipsticks. So for £7.50 you can't really go wrong if your looking a classic red lipstick this winter.  

It's available here from Boots, along with lots of other lovely colours i am dying to try from the Super Lustrous lipstick line! 

What do you think of this classic red? Winter must have?

MAC 'Hang Up' Lipstick!

  I picked up the shade 'Hang up' last A/W as of course plum lipsticks were so in and i had to have one! I originally had my eye on 'Prince Noir' but upon trying it on it did not suit me whatsoever. Nor did 'Rebel' or any of the other plum-ish shades MAC did. 'Hang Up' was about the only one that looked nice - i was in love then and i still am now.

'Hang up' is a cremesheen formula which means it has a glossy, shiny finish to it, rather than matte. This means it glides on so easily and makes the lips look so healthy (good for those with dry/chapped lips). Because of the formula it doesn't last as long as other MAC lipsticks but nevertheless it does last a considerable amount of time (2-3 hours not including eating or drinking). Top ups are sort of necesarry with this as it's not natural in the slightest and you want it to look opaque at all times. But, one swipe is really all you need for opaque, dark lips (sometimes to too pigmented for my liking!)

As you can see, this lipstick is a deep berry slash red wine colour. It's like a really dark red with tints of purple through it. A pretty lovely and unique shade in my eyes. I really love it as a statement shade for A/W and sheered out it looks just as pretty and far more wearable! When applied really lightly it adds a more lilac toned tint to the lip perfect for the spring and summer months too. Great for all year round :) But be careful, it your going for full on glamour, careful application is a must! A lip brush might come in very handy.

What do you think of 'Hang up'? One for you this A/W?

Collection 2000 Cream Puff - 'Cotton Candy'!

Today i have one of my favourite lip colours to show you and it's one of my most used lip products. I never thought i'd love this Collection 2000 Lip Cream as much as i actually do, it's one i tend to reach for when in a hurry and know it won't let me down. It's such a steal costing only £2.99.

I have the shade 'Cotton Candy' which is a lovely mauve, pink! You can see me wearing it here. 

Essentially these are what it says on the picture above - 'Velvety soft, matt finish, lip creams'. You can apply one layer for a nice wash of colour or apply another for an opaque finish! They go on so smoothly (although a little streaky at times) and the doe foot applicator making precise application very easy. 

Matte lovers will absolutely love this. It dries completely matte, not one hint of shine and lasts on the lips like a stain. It's very long lasting so one for those who don't like topping up! Although it's not too good if you eat/drink it will make it patchy so you will need to patch it up :) 

But, it's a gorgeous pink colour - very flattering and doesn't require any hard work! So a winner in my eyes. 

What do you think of these lip creams? Do you want to try them?

MAC 'Twig' Lipstick!

Hey all! This post is far overdue, i've been meaning to share this MAC lipstick with you for god knows how long. I really love this lipstick and wear it often so i don't know why it's never got round to having it's own blogpost. But it has now...

'Twig' is one of Mac's more natural shades. It's a satin finish which means it not completely matte but nor is it shiny, it's like a semi-matte finish. This is better for people like me who have quite dry lips as it's less drying than matte formula's but still has a long lasting, opaque finish. 'Twig' is described as a 'Soft muted, brown-ish pink' and i totally agree. It's a lovely mauve, pink that isn't bright but isn't too dark. On me it's like a my lips but better and a little pinker shade which i really like as it's still really natural and literally goes with anything! I shove this lipstick on when i can't decide on any other and know it will great! 

The picture makes the lipstick more pink and a tiny bit lighter than it actually is.

I absolutely adore 'Twig', definitely my favourite natural lip shade. It just looks fab and lasts for ever because of the formula! I have confidence i can wear this anytime and it look great and not need a lot of maintenance which is definitely a winner in my eyes. I recommend you swatch this is and check it out - i have a hunch it may suit most skintones! I think it'd look more striking on lighter skintones and more natural on darker ones like mine. 

But, yeah, i like it - alot!! It's £14.00 from MAC but it's definitely worth the price - cost per wear ;)

 What do you think?

Lacura Lipstick - 'Pink Rose'.

Today i wanted to share a Lacura lipstick with you that i wore in this FOTD (here) - it's such a lovely shade that i couldn't not show you guys! And best of all it only costs £1.99 from Aldi.

I was pretty surprised when i found out Aldi did cosmetics - i had no idea - but i'd heard some of it is pretty good. So, of course i had to try something so why not a lipstick?

The packaging is actually a really small bullet so, great for travelling and doesn't look cheap considering the price tag. It's very light and compact the only downfall is, it doesn't have the shade printed on the lipstick only on the box you get with it. But, i guess it isn't that bad i just forget the name sometimes a lot!

When i swatched this in store it looked like a baby pink but once i got home and tried it out i realised it was much different than i first thought! So be careful with hand swatches in Aldi - not very realistic!

I would describe this shade a pinky lilac (so technical!). It's a not completely lilac it still has pink tones but it's not a baby pink either - it really is a unique shade (well i think so anyway). I've never found a lipstick this colour before so it's a pretty nice find for £1.99.

It does take a few coats (3ish) to achieve an opaque coverage but it's worth it once it's on. It's a very muted shade so does look sort of natural - nothing too in your face! So, it looks great with natural makeup or a smokey eye on a night out! It's one of them shades you can shove it your bag and know it will look good although i do think it's more suited to light/medium skin tones.

Overall the pigmentation isn't too great but it's worth it for the colour alone! Plus it only costs £1.99 so it's not like you've spent loads on a product that isn't pigmented. I'd still say it's well worth the money and will probably repurchase this as it's such a wearable lilac (yes really!).

What do you think of this shade? Lovely isn't it. And have you ever tried a Lacura lipstick?

Makeup Monday: 'Go To' Smokey Eye!

Hello everyone!

You know how people have 'their' smokey eye - their fail safe night time eye that they wear every time they go out. Well i never had one (until now), i just used to go with the flow and see what happened, sometimes i'd wear eyeshadow other times i wouldn't. One thing for sure is, i'd always wear false eyelashes - i just don't feel complete without them on!

But when i went out last weekend, i had to wear my new MAC eyeshadow, obviously. And i came up with this combination - i just love it sooo much and it's so simple to do. I have finally found my smokey eye (the one i am going to wear everywhere i go and soon get bored of it - oops).

Close up of the eye but from another day with no false lashes!

Face - MAC Matchmaster Foundation, Collection 200 Lasting Perfection Concealer, MAC Blot Powder, MUA Bronzer, MUA Pearl Eyeshadow Shade 1 (highlight), Natural Collection Peach Melba Blusher. 

Eyes - MAC 'Club' Eyeshadow (eyelid), MAC 'Sketch' Eyeshadow (crease & lower lashline), MAC 'Blacktack' Fluid-line (eyeliner), Primark False Eyelashes. 

Lips - MAC 'Please Me' Lipstick 

Eeek, can you see why i love this eyeshadow combination or is it just me?
'Club' is the latest addition to my MAC palette (two more to go) and i don't regret buying it one little bit. Lots of bloggers/youtubers love this shade and i can see why, i definitely recommend picking it up! 'Club' is duo-chrome and leans different shades in different lights - one of them being purple so it blends in perfectly well with 'Sketch' which is a deep purple.

This definitely now my 'go to' going out makeup. I just can't get enough!

Whats your 'go to' look when you go out? 

Sleek Lipstick - 'Coral Reef'

Say hello to my first ever Sleek product. Yes that's right, first ever. I've heard so many good things about Sleek but i've never really wanted any of their products enough (until now) and my money has always gone on other brands first.

After seeing this post on Ayesha's blog (Miss Tinks Beauty) the Sleek lipstick 'Candy Cane' was added to my wish-list - come on, it looks amazing! But upon swatching 'Candy Cane' it just didn't suit me, no matter how much i wanted it too! But i didn't give up and i found this colour - 'Coral Reef' - that is just as bright and colourful but suits me much more!

So, 'Coral Reef' is a bright neon fuchsia pink with a definite coral undertone. It's a statement shade in just one coat but i still find it very wearable. If you're not a bright colour lover i suppose you could apply a few dots on the lips and blend for a light stain but it looks far more gorgeous applied straight from the tube. This is the perfect spring/summer colour as it really brightens up your look easily. It looks great with simple, minimal makeup and adds that little something to 'jazz' up your look.

I am so pleased with this lipstick. It's a 'sheen' formula which probably explains why it's not drying, doesn't enhance cracked lips and applies with such ease. The colour lasts the average sort of lipstick time - 3 hours-ish? Before fading to a nice stain anyway.

For £4.00 you cannot complain - i honestly didn't realise sleek lipsticks were this good (or cheap) or i would of got one earlier! So thankyou Ayesha or i may have never got this lipstick or any Sleek lipstick for that matter :O
I'm definitely intrigued to try a few more shades so if you can recommend any that'd be great?! Also if you've tried any Sleek lipsticks - what do you think? 

Oh also, the packaging is so small and cute, like it's really tiny. 

And i also have two more sleek products on the way in the post which i'm excited about - becoming a sleek addict?..

Revlon Lip Butters: Tutti Frutti & Berry Smoothie.

Hello all! Thought i'd share these little beauties with you today. I know absolutely everyone has done a post about these so i hope i don't bore you too much, i just really wanted to do this post! 

I won both these lip butters courtesy of The Sunday Girl's giveaway - this is the first giveaway i ever won (woo!). I entered the giveaway as the hype around these products really intrigued me, but i weren't sure i would like them so didn't really want to spend my own money on them. But, i am soo glad i have these now! 

Left: Berry Smoothie                  Right: Tutti Frutti

Tutti Frutti

I chose this colour as at the time i was really liking the look of orange based lipsticks and didn't own any. I don't regret this choice atall. It is a beautiful orange but due to the sheer coverage it is more than wearable. It adds a lovely, glossy coral tint to your lips. When the weather was nice, this colour was on my lips constantly; it is so perfect for summer (if it ever comes) and is so easy to wear. I apply 2 layers of this to achieve the shade above it the picture. 

Berry Smoothie

The Sunday Girl described this as a similar colour to Angel by MAC so, obviously i had to get this ;) I don't own Angel but it's one of those shades i really love.  Berry Smoothie is a light dusky pink, on the lips it adds a nice coating of pink whilst still allowing your natural lip colour to shine through. This is my 'throw on colour' when i'm in a rush or just need a fail safe shade that i know will go with everything. It is such a natural shade that i think will suit everyone and again it takes two layers to achieve the colour on the picture.

Tutti Frutti is in fact my favourite of the two, it's something a little different and adds a nice pop of colour without being too in your face - perfect for the spring and summer months. Perfect for those who want to try something new without throwing yourself in the deep end. 

Overall, i do love the Revlon lip butters (as much as i thought i wouldn't). I weren't sure i'd like the glossy finish but i really do! They're creamy more than glossy and makes application so easy. They don't enhance dry/cracked skin, which is a winner in my eyes and keep your lips looking so smooth and healthy.

The only downfall, i would say, is the lasting power. They last around 2 hours on the lips which isn't good for me as i don't like having to keep checking and topping up. But, they don't fade patchy or unevenly which isn't so bad i guess.

 If you're unsure about these lip butters as you prefer a lipstick - don't hesitate, go get yourself one! They are just like a really creamy lipstick with a little less pigmentation. I would like to try a few more of these and maybe even the L'oreal ones too. 

So, thankyou to The Sunday Girl for these because i probably wouldn't have tried them otherwise and now they're two of my most reached for lipsticks! 

NYX Round Lipstick - 'Fire'

Ooh fire. Sounds fierce right?

Anyway, i have another NYX lipstick to share with you today (two more to go). This is one of the more vibrant, bolder shades that i bought. When it first arrived i didn't like it atall, but now i have learnt to love this shade and rock it quite often. 

Fire is simply: bright red! Although it does have a slight pink undertone. It's such a beautiful colour, definitely not for the faint hearted! It applies opaque in one swipe so precise application is a must. I personally prefer to 'pat' this all over the lips and rub them together so it looks more like a red stain. This lipstick (like the other NYX round lipsticks) is extremely creamy and in no way uncomfortable. It applies with no tugging or dragging and thankfully doesn't settle into fine lines.

Fire lasts a fairly long time on the lips - around 4/5 hours (no eating or drinking) before fading into a nice, even stain on the lips which is always good. So this is great for people who aren't keen on topping up often. For the price it is such a good quality lipstick i cannot fault it atall! 

Anyhow, i'm gonna keep this post short and sweet. If you're a looking for a bold, red lipstick i highly recommend this - i can see it looking great on light and dark skintones - such a universal shade! I don't wear red lipstick very often but i love having this in my collection incase i fancy making a statement. And for, £1.95 (off www.beautyjoint.com) it doesn't break the bank. NYX is a great affordable brand and a great way to try something new, i would have never give red lips a chance if i hadn't purchased this accidently (i thought it was a coral/orange toned lipstick). 

I have featured this lipstick in this post (here) in case you fancy a look at it in action ;)

NYX Round Lipstick - 'Tea Rose'

So if you follow me on twitter, ageees ago i mentioned i had purchased a few NYX items. For a long time i'd seen NYX products all over blogs and youtube video's and really wanted to try some things out. So i found a great website - don't worry i will share - and bought a few items. I asked people on twitter to recommend some shades - and 'Tea Rose' is one that everyone seems to love and recommend so obviously i had to pick it up!

'Tea Rose' is a lovely, milky 'medium' pink. What i mean by medium is - it isn't a 'baby' pink but nor is it a dark, fuchsia pink it is somewhat in the middle.  On my skintone (nc42) it does look like a light, mauve pink however, if you look at swatches, on lighter skintones it is a true medium pink. This colour is so versatile and looks completely different on everyone.

I find myself reaching for this lipstick quite often in the daytime - it is so so creamy! Creamier than any other lipstick i have ever tried and glides on the lips so easily. It produces an opaque colour in one swipe and lasts around 2 hours on the lips (due to it being soo creamy!).  

The little coloured department at the bottom of the lipstick is just a little rubber ball the same shade as the lipstick which is a little disappointing however it does able you to clearly see what shade you are grabbing (which is helpful if you're in a rush or carry a few colours in your bag).

I can't really fault this lipstick, especially considering it's price tag! NYX offer such a wide range of lip colours and i am definitely interested in a trying a few more. If you're a lipstick lover looking for a pigmented lippy and don't really fancy splurging then i urge you to make an NYX order.

Round lipsticks are fairly easily to find on ebay. But, i got mine off - www.beautyjoint.com - where i bought 4 NYX round lipsticks and 2 NYX lipliners for £15 including delivery - so you cannot complain at that. That's 4 lipsticks for the price of one MAC lipstick. The shades on the website are a bit dodgy so i'd recommend googling a shade and looking at swatches before making the order.

And again, if you can recommend any other nice NYX lipstick shades it would be very much appreciated! What do you think of 'Tea Rose'? Have you tried any NYX products - i'd love to know what you think!

Vivo Lipsticks - Nougat and Spiced Cinnamon

Nougat (left) and Spiced Cinnamon (right). 

Now i'm sure we've all heard about the brand 'Vivo' available from Tesco. I was intrigued by this brand for a long while - so a 3 for 2 offer was clearly the best time to try it out right ;) At the time i was a 'lippie newbie' - i had only just started to like wearing lipstick so, i picked up two lipsticks to try out (not knowing what to expect) and an eyeshadow i will show you another time. And at £1.99 each they don't exactly break the bank!

First we have a nude, 'Nougat':

This is the PERFECT nude for my skintone (nc42). I think for people with tanned/olive skin this is a great budget nude. I personally don't see the point in spending a lot of money on a 'nude' colour - i prefer to spend more on a good statement shade - so to me this is more than perfect.  It doesn't make lips look washed out or give the dreaded 'concealer lips' effect, it just mutes out your natural lip to colour to a nice pinky nude. It's great when you want less emphasis on the lips - when you have statement eye makeup or are going for a natural look. I'm definitely glad i picked this up, the colour is great and lasts a long enough time (3/4hours with no eating or drinking). It's also great for mixing with another colour, like a coral, to create a nice, subtle tint to the lips. Overall, for £1.99 i don't really think you can go wrong, the pigmentation isn't the best but nevertheless it is good (two coats = opaque colour) and Vivo also do a lighter nude shade ('Barely There') for those light-skinned beauties! 

Next up, 'Spiced Cinnamon':

This is a deep red/berry shade with a frost finish. To be honest, i'm too keen on the frost finish and think it would look miles nicer without the shimmer as it is such a flattering deep red. Some frost shades can really work, but i think the frost makes this look a little dated unfortunately :(. However, it is great to add a pop of colour. I find myself reaching for this on those days when i've got ready in like ten minutes, have the tiniest bit of makeup on and feel my face needs some colour. Would i re-purchase this? No, the frost really ruins it for me. Although the pigmentation in this is far better than 'Nougat' and it applies smoothly and easily! It lasts a long enough time (3/4hours) so other than the shade i can't really fault this. But if you like a frost finish then this could be for you! 

So overall i can't really criticise either of them, the both apply smoothly and evenly with no tugging. The price is amazing and the pigmentation isn't half bad either. If you're doing your weekly shop in Tesco i more than recommend you pick one up, a girl can never have too many lipsticks! Vivo have 9 shades in total - i have my eye on 'Coral flair' and 'Pink Pout' next ;)  

Vivo's blog have a complete swatch list -(http://vivocosmetics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/vivo-lipstick-swatch-gallery.html)  and you can order these lippies online from the Vivo website - and they ship internationally too if you're interested! 

Ooh La La it's a Topshop Lipstick

'Ooh La La' Available from Topshop in store (can't seem to see in online) - £8 

As you can see the is a bright coral with a hint of pink! If you're a fan of coral lippies then this will definitely be for you! Considering the whole blogging community was loving 'coral' i thought i'd join the bandwagon - i searched the boots counters for a 'nice' coral and couldn't find any - Barry M's shade 53 just was not flattering on my skintone atall! So, i was delighted when i walked into Topshop and found this - it's a gorgeous coral which  can be worn faint as a nice tint to the lips or built to a bright, statement shade!

I find this colour does tend to cling to dry skin on the lips slightly, so be careful, make sure you apply lipbalm before this! I find it can also apply a bit streaky so you do need to check this when applying - we don't want streaky lips now do we ;)
I've read reviews and apparently Topshop claims this is a matte shade - but it's not, it does have some shine. This isn't bad though as it means application is smooth and easy!

This lipstick isn't the most long lasting, but it does have pretty good staying power, it stays on the lips for around 2/3 hours! It cannot handle food and drink though - i think thats due to the creamy texture!

Overall i'm pretty pleased with the quality of this lipstick, it's £8 so not 'cheap and cheerful' but neither is it expensive! It's a good lipstick and i will purchase one from Topshop again - i have my eye on Brighton Rock ;)