A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

As previously reported on BritishBeautyBlogger, the Alice in Wonderland Palette will now be released online at Debenhams.com on the 22nd February and will be available instore from the 28th February.

Get hunting for those free delivery codes!

A.K.A… the one I’ve been waiting for!

This much anticipated release from NARS is another reason I was in London last Thursday.  I attended the presentation with VexintheCity and by the time 5.30 rolled around we were giddy with glee.

Elbowing each other outta the way to get up the stairs, we practically fell through the door looking every bit true Orgasm addicts.  Stop sniggering.

In it’s simple packaging… it looks kinda plain and… well, um… orange.  There I’ve said it.  It looks orange.  If you’re as pale as me, I know you’re gonna understand when I say that I may have physically recoiled from the tube.  Truth be known, my soul felt slightly crushed.  It looked *nothing* like I was expecting.  I mean, I don’t know just WHAT I was expecting… but it sure wasn’t a tube of ORANGE.

Anyway, here’s what Sephora (Oh! Sweet Sephora) has to say about it:

What it is:
A complexion enhancer that makes skin look instantly refreshed, radiant, and glowing.

What it does:
NARS Orgasm Illuminator lights your skin from within! Deceptively sheer and decidedly luminous, it magically transforms lackluster skin into a remember-me, luscious complexion. Flirt with foundation, go it alone, or go neck-and-neck with your décolleté. The effect is, well, orgasmic.

Whatever.  It’s still ORANGE.

And so I applied…

Woahhh Orange…

To be fair, I applied WAY TOO MUCH!  Seriously, this stuff spreads… you need the teeniest amount.

and then I blended…

and I blended some more…

You can see how far a little goes, right?

I haven’t sheered it out too much in the picture above so that you can still see the colour impression… I wouldn’t wear it this pigmented, although you could if you blended out the edges.

That’s more like it!!  Can you see the dewy faintly peach glow?

I want to suggest that the ladies (in my humble opinion) most likely to put Monsieur NARS on their Xmas card list for introducing this, will be darker-skinned.  Check out some swatches over at VexintheCity for an idea of how it looks on dark-skinned sisters.  On fair skin it’s beautiful… but it’s lacking the wow-factor that seems to magically appear on deeper tones.

Having said that, would I repurchase? Yes.

I think some people are expecting this to be the same as the blush, but in liquid form.  It isn’t.  It illuminates the skin with the teeniest hint of colour… and I think it will polarise opinion.  It’s subtlety will either be it’s strength or it’s weakness depending on what you want from it.

I slick a little of this ontop of my blush (not necessarily Orgasm!) for that extra bit of oomph… and it looks great down the centre of my nose.  Don’t laugh, it makes my nose look less um “fat”.  (Do you think it’ll work on my bum?)

It’s also fab for highlighting the cupids bow and although I know there are a 1001 illuminators out there that would do the job adequately, I’m back to stressing just how easy to use this is.

I suppose the nearest ‘dupe’ I have to this would be Illamasqua’s ‘Fondle’ Illuminator which I love, but find to be a little too glowy for daytime and if I don’t blend thoroughly, it leaves a hard edge.

I also own and adore NARS Albatross.  For me, Albatross is the best highlighter on the market.  Bar none.  Truthfully, it’s better than this for my skintone, but I wouldn’t dare try and apply it on the go.  Ladies who own it would agree with me that it needs a *very* light touch and more than a little patience to stop you looking like a disco ball.

NARS Orgasm Illuminator is foolproof.  It dries to a powder finish, leaving no horrible sticky residue and yet it doesn’t dry too quickly.  You can blend until you’ve got it *just* how you want it.  Im a dunce and I could apply this in the dark without screwing it up.  I’m honestly not sure how the formula manages to combine powder-finish with such blendability.

If you want the beautiful Orgasm flush, go for the blush.  If you want a subtle grown-up glow that you can add to your foundation without looking ridiculous, go for the illuminator.  Personally, I want both… he’s not daft that Monsieur. NARS.

NARS Orgasm Illuminator will be available from 18th February as a Space NK exclusive (boo!), before being rolled out across all NARS Counters on the 1st March – priced at £21.

Whilst in London last week, I had the opportunity to check out the NARS Spring 2010 Collection and hear a little more about it’s inception and application on the runways at New York Fashion Week last year.

It’s the first time I’ve ever analysed a collection like this… and honestly, I feel a little “hell, what do I know about ‘collections’ and ‘runways’ and excuse me while I kick off my Mum’s stilletos and get back in my sandbox”.

If I shrug off those insecurities, I’m left realising that I was handing over my debit card at the NARS counter in Liberty less than 20 minutes after being given this bag of samples… and really, what other qualifications does one need?

Let’s start with the actual collection.  Swatches, thoughts and all.

I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of the Catherine Deneuve-inspired promo shot for the collection…

…it just doesn’t ‘speak’ to me.  Infact, before being invited to sample the collection, I’d dismissed it based on this promo.  With that in mind, things didn’t get off to a good start.

First up are two new lipglosses. Ophelia (£17) (Strawberry Nectar) and Easy Lover (£17) (Sheer Hot Pink).

In the tube, Easy Lover is WOW!  It’s a true hot pink that makes you want to grab at it and play (and I did!).  On the lips, I’m disappointed.  It is so sheer, and whilst sheer lipglosses have many uses, I just feel cheated after seeing how it looks in the tube.  Worn alone, it adds no pigment at all to my lips.

Ophelia is more pleasing, I’m loving this over the top of a nude lipstick.  Again, it’s fairly sheer… but as it promises less in the tube, it doesn’t disappoint me in the same way Easy Lover does.

Swatches of both…

Next up is the single lipstick in the collection: Cruising (£17)

When I first saw Cruising in the tube, I can’t say I was too excited by it.  Infact, I don’t think it particularly registered until I got home and attempted a FOTD with the collection.  You know, I own over 48 lipsticks… and this has jumped straight into my top five.

Nude lipsticks are difficult to get right.  Choosing the correct one for your skintone is an unenviable task, so I’m not gonna start shouting that everyone needs to own this lipstick.  I really want to tell you to go and TRY it though.  It is *so* completely unassuming in the tube, I would have passed this by time and time again.

On my dry lips, It’s truly moisturising, glideing on with ease but crucially it stays on.  It gives my lips enough colour so as not to look dead but keeps the focus on the rest of my face whilst giving an overall polished finish to my makeup.  And that to me is what a true nude lipstick should do.  I love this, perhaps too much.

Bains Douches Glitter Pencil (£18.50), the eyeliner in the collection named after the legendary Parisien nightclub is a vivid matte blue infused with silver glitter.  Thankfully, the glitter particles are not particularly chunky and don’t irritate my eyes.  I’m not sensitive to eye irritation though, so you may want to give this a miss if you think it could cause problems for you.  Not only that, but I do have to point out… My God it’s expensive!

I adore the colour, but my first thoughts were that it sits oddly with the rest of the collection.  Until I tried it on the lower lashline with the Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo on my lids.  POP!  I’m very pleased to add this to my collection… it will see me right through ’till Winter and the sparkle is subtle enough to wear during the day.  I’ve surprised myself liking this so much and I’ll attempt an EOTD with this soon.  It applies beautifully, without need for ‘warming up’ and the glitter gives a lovely wide-awake look when applied along my lower lashline.

Camargue (£23) is a cream eyeshadow duo described as a Golden Moss/Sienna pairing.  It’s a slightly muddy looking combination, but I think it would be amazing on warm medium skintones.

As with all NARS Cream Shadows that I’ve tried, this really needs setting with powder if your lids are at all oily or you’ll be picking it out of your crease in a matter of minutes.  The NARS MUA I was talking to in Liberty recommended the golden half of the Alhambra Duo (which I bought) over the top of the Sienna half of Camargue.  He was right – it’s a beautiful pairing.

Camargue swatches, they look particularly warm against my cool skin tone:

Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo (£23) is one of the more talked about pieces in the collection:

It’s a beautifully pigmented combination of Rose Gold / Boysenberry.  Yeah, I’m not really sure what a Boysenberry is either… Google Images was my friend.

In the pan, I thought it would be a touch too warm for me, but it works.

The only thing I’d be wary of is that the right hand side of the duo contains enough red to give you that “I’ve been crying for 7hrs” look.  If you usually struggle with these shades, I’d steer clear.  Thankfully, I look neither suicidal nor ill wearing this duo and the right hand side is amazing applied wet as a liner.

Finally…

Purple Rain (£13).  I’ve been hugely excited about this polish ever since I saw nail swatches on Scrangie’s blog.  I tried, but failed miserably at capturing how it truly looks in the bottle… the polish is practically dancing in there.  I can’t wait to do a NOTD with it.

The final item in the collection is D. Gorgeous (£16), a dusty lilac single eyeshadow.  Here’s a stock image:

D. Gorgeous (love the name!) is a matte shadow which got a lot of love at New York Fashion Week, especially applied under the lower lashline.  Uneducated pleb that I am, I keep looking at the images thinking… “Tsk, that makes her look like SO tired”.  I didn’t have this in my goody bag so can’t offer an alternative (more educated) view!

So, that’s my run-down of what NARS has to offer us this Spring.

The single thing that strikes me is that I’m favouring the pieces that on first look, didn’t draw me in.  The slightly brown-looking lipstick, a bright blue eyeliner and an “I’ve been sobbing” eyeshadow duo… whoulda thunk it.  Not me.

If you’re not sure the NARS Spring 2010 collection is for you, go have a play.  It’s left me pleasantly surprised.

I’ll leave you with a FOTD:

Eyes:

~ NARS Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo on the lidand blended underneath the lashline.
~ NARS Camargue Cream Duo blended up above the crease (washed out in this image sadly)

Cheeks:

~ NARS Crazed Blush
~ NARS Orgasm Illuminator (applied over blush, bridge of nose, cupids bow) – review coming later today!

Lips:

~ NARS Cruising Lipstick
~ NARS Ophelia Lip Gloss

All items from this collection are available at NARS counters nationwide and online.

What say you? Is anything from the NARS Spring 2010 Collection capturing your attention?

Can’t. stop. buying. these. lipsticks.

Seriously, at under £2 a pop you can afford to experiment, and although the Cherry Culture swatches are pretty naff… Google is your friend.

I bought 3 more with my last haul.  Actually, I think I bought 5… but 2 were Ronald McDonald reds so I gave them to someone who would look less like a serial killer in them.

These are the 3 I kept:

And here’s what they look like swatched “ON MAH FACE!”:

NYX Paris is my favourite, it’s a perfect pink for me… not too warm, not too cool.  Love it!  It’s glossy and smooth and doesn’t highlight my sore bits.

NYX B52 is a touch warm for me, but it’s not too bad.  Doesn’t look much like I expected it to, it’s a little darker on my skintone than I thought it would be.  Texture is great though.

I don’t understand this pout… is it even a pout?  What AM I doing?  Anyway… ignoring the stupid expression, NYX Power is akin to Revlon’s Pink Pout but without the dryness.  It’s not a total dupe, but it’s the nearest I’ve found for my skintone (yes, I know MAC Angel is a well-known dupe, but not on me).

I bought some Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadows a couple of months ago and thought I’d share my thoughts on them…

The packaging is lovely, nice heavyweight glass jars…. they feel substantial and chunky!

Brown Metal

Starry Purple

Starry Night

Goldstone

Antique Gold

The swatches…

Disappointed is my feeling on these.  They look beautiful in the jar, truly.  But they’re *so* sheer… the swatches show a good number of swipes to get them pigmented enough to photograph.

I love the idea behind them, and I do wear them… I wear them underneath simillar toned powder shades and the only purpose they really serve is to add a bit of sparkle.  You also have to be really careful not to end up with glitter all over your face when applying these.  My  favourite is Goldstone, which unfortunately, is the biggest glitter dropper of all of them.

I’m simply left with the feeling that they could have been so much more.

Do you own any of these?  How do you wear them? Any tips to make me love them?

Earlier in the week, I posted a Day Look with the new Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.

Here’s my “Evening Look” to complete the set.

Apologies for the graininess in the shadows of the image, it looks like I have the beginning of a green-tinged beard.  My flash kept crapping out on me ‘cos I was too lazy to find a new set of rechargeables, so it was pretty underexposed and then lightened when I edited it.  And that’s never a good combo.

Anyway – crap photography excused…

All shades blended like a dream.

Can you see spot any great evening combos in the palette?

I’ve never claimed to be particularly artful in my makeup application… my ‘skillz’ leave a lot to be desired, but I won’t feel like I’ve “done Alice to death” until I’ve posted a day and an evening look using the palette.

It’s also a little more intimidating now I appear to have picked up a fresh swathe of followers along the way – Hello! *waves*…  I promise it looked slightly more blended in real life than it does in the picture.

This was…

It’s a bit Autumnal but I liked it!

Have you spotted any great daytime combinations you’re itching to try out?

This is Part 3 of a triple post on the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Whew!  I’ve been on a marathon swatching session for you to feast your eyes upon!  I hope the photos are clear enough.  I’ve worked hard to keep the swatches as close to real life as possible and I’m confident I’ve achieved it.

Slightly less importantly, I’ve added a commentary of my thoughts on each of the shadows.  I think eye shadow preferences are a particularly personal affair, so please be aware that these are my personal likes and dislikes.

There still seems to be a lot of (mis)information flying around.  To clarify, the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows will be released exclusively at Debenhams.  It appears that *some* stores won’t be receiving stock, so do check with your local store in advance to save disappointment.  If your store won’t be selling it, you will be able to order it online from Debenhams.com (and there’s usually a free delivery code floating around on t’internet to save you a few pennies).

The palette will be priced at £28 (UK) / €37 (Ireland) and the rumours that there are only 2000 palettes allocated for our shores are untrue.  There will be many more than that, but it IS limited edition and it WILL sell out quickly as sales in the US have proven.

Ok, that aside… let’s get started shall we?

Key:

S = Shimmer
SG = Shimmer Glitter
UGBCGGIOM = Ugh! Great Bit Chunks o’Glitter, GET IT OFF ME!

UNDERLAND (flash) (S) – A true violet.  It’s buildable to a strong intensity with 3 strokes… definitely leaning towards the cool tones –

ALICE (painkiller) (S) – Beautiful aqua turquoise.  Highly pigmented, one firm stroke gives solid opacity on the lid.  Not a shade for shy, retiring types! –

CHESSUR (chopper) (SG) – A gold that leans towards brown.  This would be great for a pop of intensity to an otherwise neutral eye.  It’s gold, but not gaudy –

WHITE RABBIT (polyester bride) (UGBCGGIOM) – More commonly known as “Polyester Bride”.  It’s a white with silver reflects.  Gritty in the pan, the large chunks of glitter are more likely to end up on your cheeks than stay on your lids.  Be prepared to apply your eyeshadow with your head tilted toward the ceiling in an attempt to minimise fall out –

ORACULUM (baked) (S) – A true intense yellow gold.  Blends like buttah and I fear that I’m already making a very slight dip in the pan on this one –

QUEEN (last call) (S) – One of the nicest cranberry shades I’ve ever worn.  Most make me look like I’ve been rubbing my eyes, this one has enough purple in it to avoid that.  Texture is simillar to UNDERLAND –

WONDERLAND (maui wowie) (SG) – Quite hard to describe… a neutral gold?  60% Gold/40% Silver?  It’s paler than the others in the palette and slightly more metallic.  Glitter is present, but mostly disappears with a couple of taps of my brush.  Other than being a beautiful shade in it’s own right, I love this one for it’s flexibility.  It pairs beautifully with most of the shades in the palette –

CURIOUSER (grifter) (SG) – Looks pink in the pan, applies lilac-y on my pale skintone.  Slightly less pigmented than the majority of shades in the box, but like UNDERLAND… it’s buildable.  Unlike UNDERLAND, it contains glitter which will build alongside the colour intensity –

MUCHNESS (x) (S) – Pretty peach with a golden sheen.  A lovely duotone that would look great set against blue eyes, but not such a great shade for my pale pink skin.  Texture however, is smooth as a baby’s bum and strongly pigmented –

MUSHROOM (mushroom) (S) – In my world, all taupes would look like this.  The perfect blend of grey/brown, a gorgeous crease colour –

ABSOLEM (homegrown) (S) – I’m not a fan of greens (which is one reason why I prefer this palette to the BOSII), but I’ll try my hardest to be impartial!  This is slightly sheerer than the pan would suggest… It’s buildable and safe to do so without ending up looking like a disco ball thanks to a lack of glitter.  A shimmering grassy green that would look fab paired with WONDERLAND –

DRINK ME EAT ME (sin) (S) – A fabulous champagne shade that makes a wonderful base for a neutral eye.  No glitter, smooth-textured and highly pigmented.  This is a winner! –

MIDNIGHT TEA PARTY (mcra) (UGBCGGIOM) – You knew it was coming… Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (and again, and again).  Why do Urban Decay keep insisting on putting it in my palettes! 😉  In seriousness, I know that there are lots of people out there who LOVE this shade… but for the life of me, I can’t think why.  You guys must love it *for* the glitter, ‘cos once that’s dropped onto my lashes and cheekbones (20 seconds after applying) all that’s left is a very sheer version of DRINK ME. EAT ME –

VORPAL (s&m) (S) – Stunning! Looks simillar to MUSHROOM in the pan.  Swatched, it’s a gorgeous platinum grey.  Smooth as buttah and blends beautifully.  I actually DARE you to dislike this shade –

MAD HATTER (twice baked) (S) – The least shimmery shadow in the palette.  MAD HATTER is a neutral dark brown which should get kudos for not leaning towards the red.  It’s slightly sheer on the first stroke, which I appreciate as it would be easy to go overboard otherwise.  I’m sure it’s an absolute staple neutral shade for many –

JABBERWOCKY (oil slick) (SG) – Underneath the glitter, this looks to be a matte black.  It’s highly pigmented… so use with a light touch!  I don’t really wear black shadows but I’ve discovered that I LOVE to use this wet as an eyeliner.  The glitter makes it a killer black liner for the evening!  Urban Decay even make a product that allows you to do this with ease (or, failing that, just wet your favourite eyeliner brush with a drop of good old H2O).  Don’t worry, Urban Decay eyeshadows can be used wet or dry! –

24/7 Pencil in ZERO – A basic strongly pigmented smooth matte black.  Glides on, doesn’t rub off easily.  A makeup staple! –

24/7 Pencil in FLIPSIDE – A super bright teal.  For me, FLIPSIDE is a wise inclusion.  The palette boasts a number of shadows that work well together to create a natural looking eye and FLIPSIDE is the perfect shade to lift that neutral looking eye out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary… straight into Alice’s world perhaps? –

That’s it!  That’s all I’ve got for you (barring a couple of dodgy looks I’ve done with the palette).  If you have any questions about the palette or swatches, I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

This is Part 2 of a 3 Part UD Alice Extravaganza! – Click here for Part 1 and Part 3!

Clockwise from Top Left: UNDERLAND, ALICE, CHESSUR, WHITE RABBIT

Clockwise from Top Left: ORACULUM, QUEEN, WONDERLAND, CURIOUSER

Clockwise from Top Left: MUCHNESS, MUSHROOM, ABSOLEM, DRINK ME. EAT ME.

Clockwise from Top Left: MIDNIGHT TEA PARTY, VORPAL, MAD HATTER, JABBERWOCKY

Left to Right: 24/7 Liner in Zero (black), 24/7 Liner in Flipside (blue), Urban Decay Primer Potion (mini)

On colour alone… I’m absolutely loving the look of:

~ Oraculum
~ Alice
~ Vorpal / Underland (I can’t choose between them – please don’t make me!)

Come on… which are your top 3?

Swatches and my thoughts on the individual shades tomorrow xxx

From L-R: Doll Pink, Ballerina Pink & Whipped

I’m love the NYX Round Lip Glosses, they’re fairly pigmented, non-sticky (can’t abide sticky glosses), pleasant smelling and affordable!  My only criticism is that they’re not particularly long-lasting… but most non-sticky glosses can’t last through lunch anyway.

Swatched: L-R: Doll Pink, Ballerina Pink & Whipped.

Do you like the NYX Round Lip Glosses?  What shades are your favourites?

I bought these from Cherry Culture.com and paid $2 a piece, at that price… you can’t go wrong.

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part UD Alice Extravaganza!  Click here for Part 2 and Part 3!

After my not so subtle hint-dropping yesterday, I’m sure that most of you have figured out that I took delivery of Urban Decay’s heavily anticipated Alice in Wonderland Palette (yay!).

I’m feeling priviledged to have been chosen to ‘unveil’ this to you wonderful UK beauty addicts as only one sample box was released to the UK blogging community.  Forgive me just a teeny bit of smugness, but if it gets too much, feel free to slap me.  I’d do the same to you.

Anyway… I’m going to break the ‘unveiling’ into 3 posts… I’m not falsely modest and know that photos are what I do best.  So you can expect each post to be picture heavy (which I am hoping, is a good thing).  This first post will focus on that wonderful pop-up scene.  The artistry that’s gone into the palette is breathtaking and a large part of the overall appeal for many of us.

So, without further ado (or let’s be frank… rambling)… I bring you, Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows.

Open the palette to reveal a pop-up scene of Alice in the mushroom forest. Her “drink me” bottle discarded, she staggers past towering mushrooms, only to cross paths with a very peculiar, hookah-smoking caterpillar. A large mirror rests behind the scene – you feel as if you are transported into the film itself.

The Alice in Wonderland palette is due to be released in the UK on the 22nd February online with a store-wide release set for the 28th February.  It will be a Debenhams exclusive.

Transformulas tagline reads: Beauty without Surgery.

It’s an ethos that stands out.  It packs a punch… but it better make sure it can deliver the results.

I was sent a couple of Transformula’s products to try and the one that piqued my curiosity the most was their Lip Volume.

I’ve tried many lip-plumping products before, and I used to favour Pout’s Lip Plump before they selfishly went out of business.   These products are mostly based on the same concept.  The Tingle.

The Tingle is an odd thing, some women can’t abide it… other’s kinda like it (kinky).  I actually quite like it… the only one I couldn’t stand was a Boots Time Delay one which had me wiping tears from my eyes and begging Mr. L to point his desk fan at my face.

As fellow beauty addicts, I know you won’t look at me with a mixture of concern and bewilderment when I tell you that my lips have been pissing me off all winter.  You’ll know what I mean.  For you, it may be your skin, your oily eyelids, that blackhead that won’t shift from the end of your nose… Regardless, most women have something on their face that’s troubling them.  For me, this winter… it’s been my lips.  The furrows that map their contours ensure that all lipsticks look like crap on me.  I’ve been resigned to using only the glossiest lippies I have in my collection.  Mattes? Only if I want to look like I’ve been smoking 60-a-day for the past 45 years.

Would Transformulas Lip Volume come to my rescue?

Hmmm… Increase your lip size without needles…

To be fair, my bottom lip is the size of China… it’s hereditary.  My top lip doesn’t match for which I am actually fairly thankful, for if it did I’d surely be able to wipe out whole continents with a lip smack.  So increasing size is not something I’m really looking for… what I want is less fine lines, a smoother palette for lipstick.  That’s not a huge amount to ask when some people really do want the product to deliver trout pouts is it?

Now, the thing I need to make clear about Transformulas Lip Volume is that it claims not be a simple lip plumper.  It promises to deliver cosmeceutical results… semi-permanent results.  It boldly claims to stimulate natural collagen to increase the lip shape within 30 days.

Opening the product, I felt excited!  It reminded me of that scene in “Death Becomes Her” when they’re unveiling that vial containing the secrets to immortality…

You get 10ml of product, which by their reckoning should last you about 6 weeks of daily use.  As I said, I don’t want bigger lips, so apologies if you feel short-changed by my review but I’m not really testing for the claims of increased lip size.  I wanna use this as a lip plumper… but what I am hoping, is that after using it 3 times a day for a prolonged period, I will notice an effect that works beyond that of much cheaper alternatives.  Make sense?

The applicator is a standard doe-foot affair and seems to grab onto just the right amount of product per application.  The product is really nice, it’s non-sticky… smooth to apply, it literally glides on and doesn’t make your lips feel as if they’ve been coated with gunk.

Then comes The Tingle.  It’s niiiiiice, just right.  Not too strong but it’s enough to let you know “Oh hai! I’m here to irritate your lips with a peppermint blast”.  I’m assuming that the peppermint oil it contains is what creates the initial effect of plumping, but that the other (more sciencey ingredients) are what helps to achieve a more semi-permanent result.

As a temporary plumper, I’m liking it a lot… It has the balance just right.  I also appreciate the texture qualities that I mentioned before and the fact that I can still feel it working when I wear it ontop of lipstick.  Oh, I also like the sheen it gives my lips and the fact that it doesn’t appear to dry them out.  If I had noticed any dryness, it would have been in the bin in a flash.

Does it have any more lasting effects after using it for the last 3 weeks?  Well…  I’m pleased to report that my lips seem to be smoother.  The canvas for lipsticks is more velvety and it feels as though I don’t have to ‘drag’ my lipsticks over my lips quite so much.

I know I said that I wasn’t testing for increased lip-size, and that I’ve only used it for 3 weeks so far… but I have to say, I haven’t noticed any increase in my lip size… but perhaps it needs longer testing?

Anyway, would I buy this again?  I would.  But only if I felt that my lips were in trouble yano?  I’d buy it as a treatment rather than an ongoing concern.  It’s not cheap.  10ml of product will set you back £25.50 on their website.  Although, you’d be a fool to pay that.  Half Price Perfumes has it in stock for £7.99 if you wanted to give it a go yourself.