beauty | Sephora lip cream in 'Strawberry Kissed'

The one and only thing I bought when I was away in New York. Yep, I didn't even treat myself to a keyring or 'I Love NY' t-shirt. But you can't complain with a Sephora lip cream can you?!

I've heard a lot of good things about the Sephora cream lip stain - mainly from Lily Pebbles. So as soon as I touched down in America, I knew I wanted to head to Sephora to pick one up. As soon as I got to the counter I knew I'd have a problem choosing which shade to get - there's currently 16 shades to choose from so it was always going to be a struggle. In the end, I went for 'Strawberry Kissed', a deep-but-bright pink/red shade that's nothing like anything in my collection. This is matte, but there's also a selection of satins in the range too.

The product is described as 'high-coverage', 'long-lasting' and 'feels soft and comfortable' and I completely agree with each statement. You need the smallest amount to cover the lips, so you have to be careful as you apply it with the doe-foot applicator. It also lasts an incredibly long time - and you can easily eat and drink without it moving around. Once the product dries after a few seconds, it won't budge - so much so, you might find you have a problem taking it off! Finally, it's so comfortable on the lips. It dries to a matte consistency but isn't drying at all on the lips - mainly due to the avocado oil in the formula. I actually forget I'm wearing it and don't worry about it smudging, which rarely happens for me with a lip product!

As you can see from lip swatch above, the product settles into fine lines but doesn't cake up or clump - it simply just looks like natural lips with a little colour. It also doesn't settle around the inside of the mouth and leave that horrible line around the edges. It applies as a cream formula and then dries in a couple of seconds to become completely matte. The colour itself is flattering - you can either dab a small amount on for a pretty, deep pink or layer it up like I've done above to get a real punchy pink.

I'm blown away by this cream lip stain - I'm a huge fan of lip products that you can't feel on the lips and don't have to constantly worry about throughout the day. I'm definitely going to help myself to more shades from the range next time I'm near a Sephora or do an online shop - it'll just be difficult to choose which colour to get next!

The cream lip stains can be bought from Sephora here - some of them are actually currently half price at $7 each - excuse me whilst I try to restrain myself from buying the entire collection...

Have you tried these lip stains? I'd love to hear you what think!

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beauty | Maybelline Colour Dream lip pencil in 'Minimalist'

I hadn't heard much about the Maybelline Colour Dream lip pencils before I went in and bought one myself - for some crazy reason I didn't even go ahead and look at the swatches online beforehand. 

I fancied a nudey-pink lip colour that I could wear day to day, and my favourite lip texture is matte or velvet so I thought the Maybelline pencils sounded pretty much up my street. I chose the shade Minimalist as it has a lovely pink tone to it and I thought it would be flattering on my skin tone. When I did swatch it in store I noticed there were flecks of glitter going through it, but thought it wouldn't be too noticeable on the lips.

When I tried this product on at home, I was almost instantly disappointed. The pencil tugged at my lips and settled into all the cracks and dry points on my lips. It also bunched up around my inner lips and left an awful pink line all around the inside of my mouth. Another big no for me is that the flecks of glitter are so noticeable. Some of them are so big, they stand out from a long way away. 

The only positives I can say about this product is that the colour itself would be lovely without the glitter, and that it doesn't feel completely drying once on. It's very creamy and doesn't dry out - but it definitely emphasises all of my lip problems.

Overall, I don't think I'll be delving into the rest of the colour range and will be leaving these products alone. Luckily, they only cost £4.99 from Boots so I'm not too bothered that it didn't work for me.

Have you tried this lip pencil range? What did you think?

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beauty | lipstick collection

Just a quick post from me today, featuring my pretty tiny collection of lip products. I'm a huge fan of colour and lipsticks on other people, but feel that most of the time I can't pull it off or really just can't be bothered with it (too many touch ups/lipstick on teeth moments). 

Although my collection is pretty damn tiny every lipstick is well loved and used pretty regularly though so I can't complain!

LIPSTICKS

L-R: The Body Shop '66' | Collection 'Pink Shock' | Rimmel/Kate Moss '101' | Collection 'Valentine'
Rimmel/Kate Moss '107' | Topshop 'Macaroon' | Rimmel Moisture Renew 'In Love With Ginger'

LIP PRODUCTS

L-R: Rimmel Apocolips 'Luna' | Benefit 'Benetint' | Revlon Colourburst 'Audacious'

I've reviewed quite a few of these lip products separately so check out the links below for individual reviews!

Rimmel/Kate Moss: '101'

Collection: 'Valentine'

Revlon Colourburst: 'Audacious'

Topshop: 'Macaroon'

Rimmel Moisture Renew: 'In Love With Ginger'

How big is your lipstick collection? Do you have any recommendations for me?!

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beauty | Revlon colourburst matte balm in 'audacious'

I've seen so many reviews of the Revlon Colourburst crayons in both matte and glossy, and I'm always shocked at how different the colours look on each individual person. I've currently only got one of the balms in my make up stash, and it's a matte balm in the shade 'audacious'. 

First off, the packaging. I personally love the idea of lip bullets, just because they are so sleek and portable. You can also twist the silver part at the bottom to twist the bullet up when you're running low on product. 

The product itself smells absolutely amazing, really minty and spot on for summertime. It basically smells like a polo! It's not noticeable once on the lips though so if fragranced products aren't really your thaaang then these are still ok for you!

Onto the application. I usually just whack this on from the bullet, as the point helps to fill in the cupids bow and keep everything neat and tidy. The texture is really soft and it would definitely melt if you left it out in the sun for a little while, so be careful of that! 

When applying to my lips, I notice that it settles into dry patches and crack straight away so once applied I always have to blot it in with a finger to blur these lines. I find this can happen throughout the day when I'm wearing it too so not the best in terms of wear on dryer lips! My lips are quite dry most of the time though, so most people probably won't have this problem. I don't find the product itself drying on my lips once it is applied though - it almost has a velvet finish which is barely noticeable.

On me, the colour comes out much more pink-toned, which I think personally suits me a lot more than orange and coral thankfully! Such a stunning colour. 

Overall I do really like this product and reach for it whenever the sun is out, but I just wish it didn't settle so easily into my dry patches! I'm definitely contemplating trying out one of the glossier balms as I think they'll work much better with my dry lips.

Have you tried any of the Colourburst lip balms? What did you think?

Revlon Colourburst matte balms can be purchased from Boots for £7.99 here.

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beauty | lips and tips

OPI 'Suzi's Hungary AGAIN!' review

L'Oreal Confetti Topcoat review

Topshop Macaroon Lipstick review

Recently I've been seeing the retro trend of matching your lips to your nails going around, and wanted to put my own spin on it. Usually the trend includes the classic red lips and nails, but I've decided to up the amp and do it with a bright pink instead.

These are all products that have appeared on my blog at some point already (reviews above!) but it was only the other day that I realised how well they go together. I absolutely adore my lipstick from Topshop in 'macaroon' and the OPI nail polish from the euro centrale giftset.

I also added the confetti topcoat as I haven't used it in so long and always forget about it. I think it adds a really lovely touch and makes the look a lot more modern. Sadly though, my confetti topcoat is beginning to get a little gloopy so I found it pretty hard to get an even cover!

What do you think of my matchy-matchy look?

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beauty | Kate Moss for Rimmel '101'

I've never been a fan of nude lips - I always thought that if it's not noticeable, what's the point? However, it's not exactly the norm to wear a deep plum lippy to go food shopping or to work (I work at a small village newsagents where the usual customer is over 40 and they think I've 'made an effort' when I've painted my nails), so I decided to delve into the world of nude lips for the first time.

I headed straight to Rimmel for my nude lipstick, as I already own shade '107' from this range and love it dearly. I've also seen various people talk about this shade, and saying it was worth it so I jumped straight in. 

The shade itself is powder pink with blue undertones, and it goes on smoothly and pigmented - you could easily get full coverage with one swipe. However, I'm pretty bad with my lips and they are constantly in bad condition so I have to really scrub away the dead skin and put some lip balm down before I apply this lipstick. It can settle into lines and become noticeable if you don't prep first.

It has a matte finish on the lips but doesn't feeling drying at all, which is a major hate for me with matte lipsticks! It also smells really lovely, but it doesn't hang around after you've applied it.

Overall I really love this lipstick. I've found myself reaching for it on a daily basis and find it adds just the right amount of colour without being 'too much'. I'm definitely going to have to expand my nude lipstick collection as this product has really got me excited for them!

What do you think?

Do you own this lipstick, or any others from the collection?

These lipsticks retail for £5.49 and can be bought from Boots and Superdrug. 

the beauty post | rimmel moisture renew 'in love with ginger'

Today I'm coming at you with my most recent lipstick purchase, which is 'In Love With Ginger' from the Rimmel Moisture Renew collection. I've heard so much about this lipstick with it going around the blogging world and when I saw some of the swatches I knew I had to have it! On other people and in the bullet this looks like an orange-red lipstick, but as soon as I put it on it becomes much more pinky than I expected. Especially in these pictures - in person it did look more orange but I couldn't get it to come out correct at all! 

I absolutely love the texture of this lipstick - as it is part of the Moisture Renew, you know it's going to be lovely and moisturising on the lips. I have recently had a bout of really dry lips so this has been a godsend over my matte lipsticks. It goes on really smoothly and even and I can literally put it on in one sweep and go. In terms of lasting power, it doesn't last as long as I'd like but it does well to say it isn't a matte lipstick. 

The only think I would say is that the colour can be difficult to pull off - we all know that blue toned lipsticks make teeth look whiter and that orange toned reds do the exact opposite. Therefore, I always think that my teeth look a little yellow when I wear this so not exactly the look I go for! But I only find this if I put on this product really heavily - if I just dab it on or apply less I can just about get away with it!

Overall, I do really love this lipstick. I've never really been one for shinier lipsticks just because they always remind me of older women, but this one has really changed my mind, I'm definitely going to buy some more of the shades from this collection in the future as well, just because of how moisturising and lovely they feel on the lips!

This lipstick retails at £4.49 from Boots and can be bought here.

Have you tried this lipstick? Would you? Let me know what you think!

                                             

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the beauty post: soap&glory 'a great kisser' lipbalm

soap&glory 'a great kisser' lip balm - £5.00 - boots

ever since i first fell in love with the soap&glory eyeliner i've been wondering what to try next from the range. about a month or so i decided to pick up this lip balm on a whim, as i had the 3 for 2 deal that was recently on in boots. the lip balm actually comes in 4 different flavours/shades (vanilla bean, sweet coconut, juicy peach and chocolate cherry) but i picked up the translucent coconut shade.

the first thing that caught my attention was the scent - i love anything coconut so was instantly drawn to it. the smell of coconut is really lovely and natural - it doesn't smell manufactured or is too overpowering but is just the right amount. it doesn't taste like coconut though - which i guess is a good thing as i won't be licking my lips constantly when i have it on!

onto the texture; i really can't say i liked the texture of this lip balm. it cam out quite sticky on me and so i really didn't feel like i could wear it out every day due to the wind we've got at the moment. i can imagine my hair getting stuck all through this. i also didn't notice much in terms of moisture on my lips. it seemed to just coat them rather than add moisture and get rid of my dry patches. 

this lip balm was £5, which i think is a tad on the expensive side for a lip balm, as you can buy really good lipsticks for the same price, but it was free so you can't complain! i definitely won't be buying this again but i do feel like it was a really lovely product to try and i will definitely keep on using it due to the smell alone.

i think i will be keeping to my vaseline in future - moisturising and un-sticky!

have you tried this lip balm? would you?

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the beauty post | balance me shine on tinted lip salve

all the way back in july i got this tinted lip salve free with glamour magazine. it's described to hydrate, protect and smooth away dry patches on the lips whilst leaving them with a lovely colour. 

i've got to be honest, i really don't think i personally get along with this lip salve at all. first off, the applicator is also a disappointment, as i've always hated tubes that make you use plastic to apply the product - it can be rough and feel pretty horrible on my lips. 

 i find the product itself to be really sticky, which i hate on my lips - i don't think anyone likes getting their hair stuck on their lips and getting products all through their hair! i also don't think it really that hydrating on my lips - it feels ok to begin with but starts becoming grainy and uneven after just a few minutes. instead of treating my dry patches, it just seems to cling to them and cover them up. 

the colour pay-off is also hardly anything to write home about - it only offers a sheer, almost unnoticeable colour, and definitely doesn't come anywhere close to what it looks like in the tube. it has really small particles of red and orange glitter running through the salve, which aren't visible on the lips and i don't really know what the point of them was.

the only saving grace for this lip salve is the smell - it smells so divine that i actually can find myself having a sniff of it whilst i'm rooting through my make up. it's a really fruity scent, almost leaning towards oranges rather than raspberries. i would be much happier if balance me brought this fragrance out in a candle rather than a lip salve!

overall i am happy i didn't spend my money on this product as it would have personally been a waste of my money! i really wouldn't recommend it and would much rather turn to vaseline or the nivea lip butters if you're looking for a hydrating balm. 

if however, you do want to buy this, there are several on sale on ebay, so go check them out!

ps; i feel like i've been uncharacteristically ranty in this post, why am i in such a mood?!

the beauty post | topshop lips in 'macaroon'

'macaroon' lips - £8 - topshop

over the weekend me and my dad went on a little trip to the trafford centre in manchester, and i finally bit the bullet and bought my first ever piece of topshop make up, a lipstick in the colour 'macaroon'. i first went looking for a matte orange-y shade of lipstick (possibly along the lines of 'peach sundae') when 'macaroon' caught my eye. i loved the bright coral-pink shade and when i swatched the tester on the back of my hand, i was blown away by how creamy and easy the formula was to apply. i didn't think twice and ran straight to the counter and am so glad i did, as i really love this lipstick!

in terms of the actual lipstick, the colour is a lovely punchy pink which can also look a little coral in some lights. as you can see in the close-up above of the bullet, there are a few gold speckles of glitter, but once on the lips this isn't noticeable at all and it just has a really lovely sheen. the lipstick is described as 'velvet finish' which i think describes it perfectly. it doesn't drag on the lips and is really easy to apply and is buildable depending on how bright you want it to be. 

the only negatives i have found is that the wear time isn't anything impressive, which i'm not surprised about as i find this with most lipsticks which aren't matte. you do find yourself topping up throughout the day, but it's not too often so i can't complain. i also found that it really picks up on any dry areas on my lips and clings to them. i've found that most reviews say the same thing about most lipsticks from topshop, and it isn't as clingy as the matte shades. i find i need to apply some lip balm before applying it and would definitely recommend using a lip scrub beforehand to really make application flawless.

overall i really do love this lipstick because of the shade and formula. now that i have dipped my toes into the world of topshop make up i can see myself stocking up on a lot more of their products!

'macaroon' costs £8 and can be bought here.

have you bought any lipsticks from topshop? what do you think of this particular shade?

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY HERE!!

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