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 | Spotlight on: Tropic make up

Tropic was actually created by one of The Apprentice's contestants from 2010 - Susan Ma. She basically created the collection from her kitchen and all of the products in the range are derived from 100% pure plant extracts. That makes everything brilliant for sensitive skin and work on all skin types. They don't test on animals, are completely vegan and made with natural plant extracts.

So far so good.

I was introduced to Tropic by my hairdresser, who's one of the ambassadors of the brand. I went to a Tropics party (like Avon parties) and was blown away with the quality and story behind the brand.

I decided to invest in the Flawless Complexion Gift Box in 'Barely Nude', which includes a mineral foundation, bronzer and perfecting powder. It also comes with the softest kabuki brush and a concealer brush for £49. The packaging is the standard for most mineral foundations - a twisting device that controls how much product you get so you don't end up wasting it or dropping powder everywhere (which is a massive ache to clean up!).

The foundation itself is very sheer and lightweight - but it's easily build-able as you buff it in with the kabuki brush. It gives skin a 'glow from within' finish that really perks you up and lifts the skin.

The bronzer is really warm toned and looks lovely blended over the temples and cheekbones. It isn't all that great for contouring though because of the colour of it!

And finally, the perfecting powder which is along the same lines as the Bare Minerals 'well rested' powder - it's a shimmery pink-toned highlighter that can be dusted under the eyes to brighten them.

These three products work really well together and last fairly well on my dry/normal skin - but I do find I need to touch up during the day as the 'glowy' foundation can sometimes end up turning shiny on my own skin, which definitely isn't the look I'm going for!

The foundation kit only comes in six shades though, so it might be a problem to find one to perfectly match your skin tone. I'm lucky that Barely Nude is a perfect match for myself - on the swatch below you can barely see the foundation on my skin.

I also picked up the Colour Click lipstick in 'Sweet Pea' which is a beautiful coral-pink colour. It's quite neutral toned so doesn't make teeth look yellow (one of my biggest peeves with lipsticks) and it's got a creamy consistency so doesn't feel dry or tugs on the lips. It does however really emphasize dry patches so be wary if you suffer from dry lips! I always apply a lip balm ten minutes or so before I apply to make sure they're in good condition.

Lipsticks cost £14, which is almost the same price as Mac lipsticks - but I do think this one is a lovely shade - and they're enriched with carmellia, jojoba, avocado and argan oil so they're moisturising on the lips. The colour also lasts for a while - I wore it through dinner the other day and it was still in place after three courses!

As you can see from the swatches, the perfecting powder and foundation are so sheer and lightweight on the skin you can barely see them! But as I said, they are build-able and look beautiful on the skin.

Overall I'm really happy with the make up I picked up from Tropic - I also bought some of the skincare so I'll hopefully get a post up about them soon! 

Have you heard of Tropic? Would you invest in their make up?

Tropic make up can be bought here.

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beauty | Spotlight on: Avon

I've used Avon products for as long as I can remember. I can still recall going to Avon parties with my mum and all of her friends, feeling all grown up as I wrote out my order form from the Colour Trend section (AKA every tweenager's dream - think bright blue mascara and green eyeshadow).

But I've grown up (at least a little) now - and I was excited to see my grandparents had bought me this beautiful make up set for Christmas from the more grown up side of Avon.

This is the 'Prepare to Party' gift set - and for just £10 you get an eyeshadow duo, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.

The eyeshadow duo is in Warm Cashmere, and includes a nude shade that goes over the lid, and a darker warm-toned brown shade which looks lovely throughout the crease. Both have a shimmer to them - but there's no fallout and the shadows themselves are buttery and easy to apply and blend.

The glimmerstick eyeliner - in Blackest Black - stays for a lifetime in the waterline - and can be easily blended out to create a simple smoky eye. It's also incredibly pigmented and a little goes a long way - and once it's set it won't budge (it took me a good few minutes to wash the swatch off my arm minutes after applying it!).

The Supershock mascara is the only product in the set that I haven't totally fallen in love with. The first thing I noticed is that the formula is incredibly dry already - which doesn't bode well for how long it'll last me. But the brush is right up my street - plastic with a ton of bristles that reminds me of the Benefit They're Real brush. It isn't the worst mascara I've ever tried but I definitely wouldn't rush out to buy a new one when this one ends.

And finally, my personal highlight of the kit is the Ultra Colour lipstick in Pout. It's the most beautiful nude-pink colour that's such an easy colour to just throw on and go. It's really moisturising and has a faint sheen to it - which means it doesn't have the longest lasting-power, but it's so easy to reapply due to being a nude.

I think these four products can easily work together to create looks perfect for day or night - and I'm so impressed that these four products only cost £10 overall. To say three out of the four products are high in my favourites since Christmas, this set really is worth it.

The Avon 'Prepare to Party' gift set costs £10 and can be bought here.

Have you tried any of Avon's products? 

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