A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Lip stains are generally pretty cack aren’t they?  That Max Factor Lipfinity one?  Cack with a capital C, it tastes revolting too.  The Revlon Just Bitten version is only mildly more tolerable but horrendously drying on my lips.

And so, it was with a certain amount of “here we go again…” that I took this Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm* away with me after a recent blogger event.  My previous experiences were definitely playing heavily on my mind.

The Smashbox stain is a dual-ended affair with a liquid-dispensing felt tip on one end and a stick of balm on the other.  The shade is Sangria, a bold wine-red… as you may have guessed from the name.

The felt tip is the best I’ve used… it’s non-scratchy and dispenses an even amount of stain across the surface of my lips regardless of the angles I’m using to apply.  These would probably go down really well in outer space for that reason alone.

The other end offers a chunk of barely-coloured balm designed to match the stain in a hydrating formula.

Some lip stains that I’ve used have had the tendency to be wishy-washy, needing many coats to build up the colour.  Not so here… the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm in Sangria (I haven’t tried the other shades) is bold.  Very bold.  Vampy bold even.

Unfortunately, it all starts to go a bit wrong from here.

Once applied, I liked it a lot… infact I decided that I loved it.  2 hours in and the colour was holding fast without my lips being painfully dehydrated as a result.  I had even decided that I would look past the £21.50 price tag for something that was such a WIN at being awesomely long-lasting and beautifully powerful.

Then suddenly at around the 4hr mark, things went awry and the colour slipped VERY quickly.  I should also point out that I hadn’t eaten anything (just sipped at the usual 56 cups of tea over the course of the morning).

This is how it looked when I first applied it.  Lovely innit?  I was full of “OMG, I <3 Smashbox” at the time this photo was taken.

Problem is that when this thing fades, it fades UGLY.  Mr. L was adamant that I was bleeding from the mouth.

It was looking not so hot after 4 hours but I left it another hour before taking the photo.  I don’t want a lip colour that’s gonna scare the crap out of people around me.  I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life and I don’t want people stopping me in the street asking if I need a paramedic.

On the plus side, the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm does not feather, isn’t horrendously drying and looks amaze when first applied.  If you can remain no more than 4ft from a mirror at all times when wearing it for re-application checks, you’re gonna be in heaven.  Me?  I’m a bit scared of it.

Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm is available in 6 shades and is priced at £21.50 from Debenhams.

* press sample

It’s taken me AGES to break this open from its packaging because I do this ‘thing’ where I don’t let myself use new products until I’ve photographed them in their pristine glory.  I stick to this pact mostly but boy, it was hard to do with this one!

Just look…

I’m not sure you can beat Burberry and Armani for their lipstick packaging… those magnetic closures get me every time.  The satisfying spin and gentle ‘clunk’ as the lid hits home.  One day, I will get a life.

I picked this up from the counter in Harrods a few weeks ago after umm-ing and ahh-ing over which shade to get.  I already own Cameo Pink which is a warm, summer pink with a slight hint of salmon… trust me, it’s nicer than I’ve just made it sound.  Fish references rarely work well with cosmetics.

With this little beauty, I thought I’d buy ahead… I wanted something to “see in” Autumn.  You know I love my reds and HELL I can’t wait to break them out again but I wanted something ‘inbetween’ for the coming months and I couldn’t have made a better choice than Burberry Lip Cover in #16 Claret (£22.00).

Claret is a lovely red with a hint of brown and a dusting of sparkle.  It can be worn to achieve a full, glossy finish (as in the lip swatch below) or blotted down to provide a beautiful, slightly bloodied (seriously, I can tell I’m selling this to you), full bodied stroke of sensuality for a more casual finish.

Casual reds don’t usually work well on me, they often look a bit… well… smudgy and like I’ve had a few too many vodkas.  I tend to need that sharp definition that a lip brush brings.  But this one looks BETTER pressed onto the lips.  The sparkle makes my lips look fuller (proper sparkle, not frost), while the claret shade gives that ‘just bitten’ effect but slightly more vampy.

The above photo shows it NOT worn casually, silly me.  I’ll include it in a FOTD soon wearing it the way that made me fall in love.  The formula of the Burberry Lip Cover is smooth and non-drying, a little slippy unless blotted but nothing as short-lived as a YSL Rouge Volupte.

I actually have Nonie Creme from Butter London to thank for this little beauty.  The S.A. in Harrods had applied it for me before I headed off to meet Nonie and her lovely PR and during a conversation which included me telling her that I’d been looking at some Burberry lipsticks that morning, she asked if I was wearing one of them.  After replying in the affirmative, Nonie asked if I had bought it to which I replied “Not yet, I couldn’t decide between a couple of shades.”

Nonie insisted that I go buy it.  Like I was gonna NOT buy it after that decree right?

So thanks Nonie!  Ok, I’m done with name-dropping now, as you were.

*cuddles lipstick*

If I could pick only one lip colour to share the rest of eternity with, I would be faced with a decision-making crisis like no other.  I would find it preferable to contemplate chowing down on nothing but beans on toast for the remainder of my days than make an ultimate choice between my pinks, reds and nudes.

Having said that, the first step in the decision-reaching process would be the easiest.  Bold or neutral?  For me, it’s bold all the way.  I adore a bright lip, a pop of colour can work wonders to liven up a dull complexion, lifting weary expressions along the way.  Simply put, a new bright lipstick is one of the quickest, easiest and most affordable pick-me-ups known to (wo)mankind.

Some ladies wear their lip shades with an attitude that allows them to rock any colour they choose but the nervous among us have to be more cautious with our selections.  To play it safe, cooler-toned ladies generally look better in pinks and plums while warmer, olive-toned beauties sparkle in corals and fire-engine reds.  Of course, as with most things in life… rules are there to be broken but it’s always good to know the “rules” first in order to break them with confidence!

My favourite way to wear a bold lip is with good skin (hormones permitting), a slick of eyeliner, a hint of blush and nicely defined brows.  Bright lips can be quite draining so try to remember “fresh” face, not “freshly-dug-up” face when considering your overall look.  The key is to create a balance across the canvas that achieves a harmonious result, easier said than done but work on the basis that less = more and you’re halfway there.

My final consideration in the quest for lip perfection is upkeep.  Bold shades are the Mariah Carey of the lip world, they’re high maintenance and need careful care and attention to avoid a midday meltdown!  For long-lasting lustre, I recommend a liner to avoid bleeding, exfoliation and moisturisation to avoid the colour settling into furrows and the “apply, blot, reapply” technique to fortify dawn-to-dusk colour.  Failing that, just make sure you carry your lippie with you for mid-afternoon top ups!

I’m all about the lipstick but perhaps you’re more of a gloss girl?  The final decision lies with you but don’t forget to share your thoughts!

Tesco Magazine are running their latest campaign, Tesco Your Beauty Awards 2011 where you stand the chance to win lots of lovely beauty bits and if you’re very lucky, a trip to Antigua!

Head over there now and vote on your favourite beauty buys for unleashing the perfect pout!

* this is a sponsored post

I don’t usually fire out many lust posts but I had to share my OMGWANTITNOW for the new Rouge d’Armani Hot Collection.  I’d been sorta thinking about (trying not to think about) it for a little while… but Karla’s swatches, oh my… the swatches.

Yeah.. whatever… I was talking about the SWATCHES <<<< click this link and be prepared to want one.

Want one?  I want TWO.

I always seem to fall in love with Armani Limited Edition items and I swear that the counter in Selfridges has the worst stock levels of any counter, ever.  Wish me luck on Wednesday, I’m taking L into the big city and if I don’t come back with one of these beauts in my hot little hands, I won’t be a happy pink-lipstick lover.

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Do you have a favourite from the line up?

This is for the lovely Deborah at ThisWeekIHaveMostly… who requested a couple of lip swatches before the weekend from my recent Hot Pinks post.

Hope this helps D!

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Oh and just because this post is super short, I’ll take a moment to tell you about yesterday. If you follow me on twitter, you may have already heard this story… so move along, nothing to see here!

So anyway, potty training.  I haven’t actually started the process… I’m just testing the water and seeing how she reacts to the potty/having her nappy off/talking about it etc.

Well, she crapped on the floor.  I don’t know why I didn’t prepare myself for something like this but I should point out in my defence that I’ve never owned a pet that’s crapped on the floor either.  I walked around the corner to see L pointing at this (impressive) turd, look of abject horror on her face while she explained to me breathlessly that she was just playing games when a coconut fell out of her bum.

Laugh? Cry? I did a bit of both to be honest.

Have a great weekend lovely people!

I only picked up three of the Shiro Cosmetics Intertube samples but now I know that I’m ok with the formula… I’ll be going back for more!

Leeroy Jenkins: Pale pinky-lavender with subtle blue interference and gold sparks

3 Wolf Moon: Dark, bold red

Sad Keanu: The type of purple that frightens little kids

And lip swatches… I’m not sure any of them suit me – will stick to the pinks next time!

You can see that each provides good coverage on the lips and can be worn more sheerly than I have above.  A couple of them were a touch gritty but this melted with the heat of my lips as I applied.

Shiro Cosmetics Intertubes are available to buy online from shirocosmetics.com

I don’t generally get enough time in the mornings to do much in the way of eyeshadow so I often rely on a slick of liner and a bold lipstick and to be honest, that suits me fine!  Seeing LondonMakeupGirl rock a gorgeous flick the other day inspired me to make the effort and extend my liner past the ‘comfort zone’!

I was also keen to wear my new Revlon Strawberry Suede lipstick that I picked up from eBay after hearing Lisa Eldridge extol its virtues… shame Revlon discontinued it, it’s pretty fabulous!

Products Used:

Face
Lancome Teint Miracle in 010
Inglot Cream Concealer in 32
NARS Multiple Tint in Beverly Hills

Eyes
NARS Ondine
Stargazer Liquid Eyeliner in Black
Rimmel Volume Flash x10
Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake in Gaze

Lips
Revlon Strawberry Suede Matte Lipstick

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What are you wearing today?

Despite the moniker, lip glosses aren’t really my bag.  I find them gloopy, sticky, uncomfortable to wear and unless careful not to overapply, can make you look like an extra from Saturday Night Beaver.

Admittedly, they’re less high maintenance than lipsticks and are undoubtedly nifty for quick touch ups when your lippie has all but been eaten away.  However, for me… they come a poor second to my faithful lipstick devotion.

So, how about a hybrid?

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are still fairly new additions to the market.  Launched in February, they promise the convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick in a jumbo-size crayon design.

Well, first things first… you can kiss the gloopiness issues goodbye.  Thanks to this delivery method, you can apply a thin, even layer of gloss over your lips without any thickness or pooling.  Yes, they’re still a touch tacky on the lips but there is no risk of those disgusting stringy gloss strands when you open your mouth… and we’ve all seen too many of those on over-enthusiastic gloss wearers right?

I was sent two shades from the lineup: Hopi (Honey Beige) and New Lover (Strawberry Pink laced with Gold).

New Lover on the left and Hopi on the right.

The texture is soft, really very soft… take care when sharpening these babies.  I would have preferred to have seen them in a twist-up form but alas, they are what they are.

Again, New Lover is on the left and Hopi on the right.  They’re well pigmented with great, natural colour.  I feared that their pencil form meant that they might go down faster than a fat kid on a seesaw but they’re holding up better than I expected on that score.

Because of their convenience, I keep New Lover in my bag for when my lipstick wears off and have been substituting it for quick fixes post-lunch.  I also have my eye on Baroque which seems more to my taste with its bolder, raspberry undertones.

Finally, a lip swatch of both so you can see how they look applied…

They’re pretty, understated shades that dodge my lipgloss-hating bullet well.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are priced at £17.50 a-piece and are available online and on counter now.

Sometimes I get a little bit guilty looking at all the lovely things that I’ve bought and haven’t gotten around to swatching for the blog and after a conversation on Twitter last night with @PinkSith, @LondonMUGirl and @Fauxlivia – it shamed me into grabbing my ‘waiting’ box and dragging the things out of it that I knew I should have gotten around to swatching a bazillion years ago.

7 lip tars (I didn’t bother with the less wearable shades I own) and a pair of slightly sore lips later…

L-R: Hush / Memento / Grandma / Trollop / Pageant / NSFW / Stalker

They all need to be applied with a lip brush and each gives great coverage with just a small amount.  I tend to use a little more than I’ve read *should* be needed but I always end up blotting after because they transfer to my great big front teeth like a total bitch if I don’t.

~ HUSH is the palest shade I own… it’s a beige nude which works well with a smokey eye and is *just* dark enough to avoid the corpse bride look.

~ MEMENTO is a darker, more wearable nude on my skintone thanks to a pinker hue than HUSH.

~ GRANDMA was a gamble for me when I bought it… I thought it would be far too warm for my skintone but it actually turns fairly neutral on my lips despite the tube colour.  One of my favourites for Summer and can be built up to a rich coral with a couple of coats.

~ TROLLOP was purchased purely on the basis of its awesome name so I’m really pleased that I love the colour too!  I’d describe TROLLOP as a warm pink… verging toward the guava territory but not as warm as GRANDMA gets after a couple of coats.

~ PAGEANT was my first Lip Tar… I wanted a hot pink that wasn’t quite neon and found it in this shade.  If you want something a touch bolder than this, go for ANIME (which I don’t have).

Ahhh… the reds…

~ NSFW is the classic neutral red and it really is one of the most bang-on reds I own.

~ Thinking that I didn’t need another OCC red when I was already in love with NSFW, I almost didn’t pick up STALKER.  But oh boy am I glad I did?  It’s a true vampy cool-toned red that works verynicelythankyouverymuch on my skintone.

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Now, I don’t really wear these as often as I should… they need a brush to apply, don’t be trying from the tube unless you have some serious skills.  They can also feather if you over-apply or generally suffer from this anyway… clear lip liners for the win!  I’ve also mentioned the transfer issue… a slight purse of my lips and my teeth get a nice coating too.

Does this mean that I regret buying them?  God, no.  I just regret being too lazy to take the extra little bit of time to ensure that I do these justice.   I hereby solemnly swear to break out my OCC pinks a little more this month!

OCC Lip Tars can be bought in the UK from sites: MakeupArtistBoutique, Cocktail Cosmetics, GenieCosmetics and LoveMakeup.

Do you own any OCC Lip Tars?  Which ones are on your wishlist?

ReeRee Rockette from Rockalily Makeup has released a new compact range of 4 lipsticks designed to inspire you to find your perfect red.  Ahhh, that elusive perfect red…

ReeRee Rockette was tired of trying to find her perfect red lipstick. She was overwhelmed with lipstick choices, but disappointed with their colours. Some were too dry, some too dull, some yellowed her teeth whilst others bled beyond her lip line. ReeRee knew she wanted a blue-based red lipstick but beauty assistants never seemed able to help.

ReeRee decided to start her own brand of lipsticks, where less really could be more.  She wanted to create a range that could be worn every day and that were the right shade and quality of product.  She wanted Rockalily Ladies to be able to quickly choose which shade would be right, and be confident that they wouldn’t be disappointed when they got them home.  She settled on three red shades and one pink, creating a capsule range of perfect shades for anyone brave enough to apply!

The shades are described on the website as:

Hot Rod Red is an orange-based red designed for those with darker skin tones. And creamy and luxurious matte lipstick. Still a classically bright red.

Roulette Red is a deeper shade of classic red. It is a creamy and luxurious matte lipstick. Again, perfect for paler skin tones, for a more sultry look. This again is a blue-based red, to enhance the whiteness of your teeth.

Pompadour Pink is a semi-gloss lipstick in a bright fuchsia shade. A blue-based pink to flatter paler skins and teeth. The perfect pink!

Rockette Red is a creamy and luxurious matte lipstick. It is my classic bright red, and is perfect for paler skins. It is a blue-based lipstick so it is also good for making your teeth look whiter.

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Rockalily Lipsticks available exclusively from www.rockalily.com and are priced at £14 each.

A luxurious-looking lipstick with a heavy-weight gold case.  The Signature Hydra Lustre range looks a little retro but it’s because of this rather than inspite of it… that it seems to ooze a touch of class.  In other words, I like to twirl the packaging… it makes me feel like a laydee.

Scarlet* is a slightly pink-toned red which will make it a good choice for the warmer weather.  I don’t know about you but the thought of wearing uber red lipstick in the Summer makes me feel a little uneasy, like I’m breaking some unwritten rules or something.

It’s heavily scented, my nose detects fig… it’s pleasant enough but may be off-putting for anyone delicate to scented products.

The formula is a delight, infact so much so – that I’ve already added a few other shades to my swatch list for next time I’m passing Debenhams.  I usually call a lipstick non-drying rather than moisturising… but this one almost edges into moisturisation territory as I can see it practically ‘plumping out’ the furrows in my lips rather than sinking into them.

I would really recommend checking out the Estee Lauder Signature range more closely if you suffer from dry lips.

So, you’d think that with such a lip-friendly lipstick, you’d get similar slip to something like the YSL Rouge Volupte right?  Wrong.  Scarlet applies well with no drag but I’d certainly not class it as ‘glidey’.  It applies like a normal lustre lipstick and wears for a good 5 hours.

Pink reds aren’t generally my favourite shade – so I’d deduct a couple of points for that, I’d recommend swatching on skin before buying incase the bullet colour is a little different to how it transfers.  Also, the swatches on the Estee Lauder website are not good.

Overall though, I’m really impressed, particularly with the formula which delivers everything it promises and then some more for good measure.

Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in #62 Scarlet is available to buy online from their website, HouseOfFraser and Debenhams or on counter, priced at £18.00

* press sample

You may have already heard about Karen Alder’s new lipstick creation – TRUST which has been developed to raise funds for the youth charity, The Prince’s Trust.

100% of the proceeds from the sales of TRUST (exc. VAT) will go directly to the charity!

I thought I’d share some images of the celebrity supporters sporting the lipstick (in various guises!) and I particularly adore Kara’s playful pose! (bottom right)

Karen Alder, Celebrity Makeup Artist and creator of the TRUST lipstick said…

I love the power of the colour red – no other shade has such an impact.

I call it a not-so-secret weapon.  My new creation – TRUST – is a foolproof easy to wear bright red, packed with Vitamin E. To me, this is the perfect red, striking the balance between the orange tones and blue. Its satin finish really makes it easy to apply without bleeding, yet keeps the look contemporary.

What with being ALL about the red lipstick, I’ll be logging on to snap one of these babies up quicker than you can say ‘big ears’.  Wait… can I get put in the tower for that?

The limited edition lipstick will go on sale on the 2nd of April exclusively at QVC UK.

You will be able to log on to the QVC website or call 0800 50 40 30 to buy one and it’s priced at a bargainous £8.00