A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It’s taken me a while to come to terms with Royal & Langnickel as a makeup brush manufacturer, as opposed to an artist’s brush manufacturer.  I didn’t do Art in school or college, but my best friend did and she used to drag me around all the independent art and craft shops in the area to pick up supplies… it’s a name that, for me, has always been synonymous with watercolours, oils, and acrylics.  But things have changed and today, Royal & Langnickel carry more than 12 lines of beauty brushes and accessories, a fact which cements the brand as one of the market leaders in the manufacture of brushes and accessories… for any application.

They’ve recently introduced a new line to their range: [R]evolution – a 32-piece collection created under the watchful eye of Emmy award-winning makeup artist, Kevin James Bennett.  The collection features synthetic-fibred brushes which claim to pick up powder products equally as efficiently as their natural-haired counterparts thanks to technologically advanced filaments which mimic the exterior cuticle of natural hair fibres.  Because of their man-made, inorganic properties, these brushes claim to be more resistant to bacteria, stronger, longer-lasting, and easier to clean.

I’ve been trialling some of the brushes from the [R}evolution Premiere Pro Set* which is available to buy online, read on for some photographs and thoughts on how they’re performing…

BX-10 (SM Powder), BX-30 (Kabuki Brush), BX-50 (Flat Concealer), BX-55 (Pointed Foundation), BX-60 (Pointed Concealer)

BX-70 (LG Flat Eye Fluff), BX-80 (Detail), BX-90 (Crease), BX-95 (LG Smudger), BX-110 (Flat Liner)

BX-125 (Square Lip), BX-135 (Brow/Spoolie Dual)

I’ve been trialling these over the last month, and have found them to withstand daily wear and tear without any issue – the eye brushes hold their shape particularly well after washing, and spot-clean more efficiently with a touch of alcohol.  I’m enjoying the peace of mind knowing that approaching these fibres with solvents is not going to shorten their lifespan.

In terms of use, they work efficiently – although some don’t feel as soft as I’d like… particularly BX-10, the SM Powder brush – though to be fair, I’m making a direct comparison with my most-used powder brush, which is squirrel hair – renowned to be the softest (though importantly, not cruelty free) hair for brushes.

Before using the [R]evolution brushes, you’ll want to wash them.  Not only for hygiene’s sake (they have come from a factory after-all) but also because they’re a bit smelly – they have that synthetic, factory glue(?) smell.  Thankfully, this dissipates immediately.  I experienced no shedding, not even on the largest brushes and during washing – all brushes rinsed cleanly.

On close inspection the brushes are physically well-made – there is no glue residue seeping out from under the ferrules, the handles are solid with a non-slip rubber coating, and the fibres are well-cut.  Despite the handles having flat bases, only the largest will stand up vertically without toppling over.

The BX-10 SM. Powder (£31.99) is slightly smaller than a traditional powder brush, allowing for precision application of powder to areas that you need it most.  It works well at picking up even the finest of silica powders for dusting the t-zone and the domed head is well-shaped to allow a smooth rolling motion during application.  Not quite as soft as I’d like but holds its shape well during washing and doesn’t shed.

The BX-30 Kabuki Brush (£23.99) is the brush in the collection that I could see myself owning in multiple quantites!  Designed for compact combination blush and contour application, I’m loving this for liquid foundation AND cream blush.  Again, it’s not super-soft but isn’t at all scratchy.  The head is densely packed and really works well to buff product into the skin, leaving just the right quantity behind.  Highly recommended.

I’m not used to pointed brushes and BX-55 Pointed Foundation (£22.39) is proving to be something of an enigma.  As a general consumer, rather than makeup artist (with a need for true precision), I find it a little too small for a full-face of foundation.  Instead, I’ve been using it to blend concealer as the sharply tapered fibres conform excellently to facial contours, especially around the nose.

The BX-60 Pointed Concealer (£11.19), is once again, for precision work.  This time, for blending and concealer application – it’s roughly half the size of the BX-55 and feels less densely-packed, making it suitable to use on areas you want only the lightest touch.

The BX-50 Flat Concealer (£7.99) is the more typical concealer application brush with a flat head and long fibres.  It works well to conceal around the lip area, and I’ve been reaching for it often to tidy up the vampier lip shades that I’ve been wearing this season.

The BX-70 LG Flat Eye Fluff (£11.19) is one of those “what the hell do I do with this?” brushes.  At least, for non-professionals like me.  A little research later and I diccovered that the flat edge makes it perfect for highlighting under the brow bone.  It’s like a revelation to me!  It’s like the brush I never knew I needed, and now that I have it – I’m not giving it up.

The BX-80 Detail (£10.39) is more your traditional eyeshadow fluff brush, great for general application although this one is around half the size of usual fluff brushes, making it great for precision work in the outer and inner corners.  Alternatively, if you don’t have much lid space (like me), you’ll be pleased to use this in place of other eyeshadow brushes which may often feel simply too big.

I find the BX-90 Crease brush (£9.59) a little too big for blending along my socket.  It’s beautifully tapered and sharply cut with nice flexibility but it’s just too large.  It does make quick work of the job though!

The BX-95 LG Smudger (£7.19) has become one of my favourites, it works beautifully for application along the lower lash-line, smudging kohl along the upper lash-line and precision application in the inner-corner.  It’s too stiff for blending, so I wouldn’t recommend using it on the outer corner but it’s one of those workhorse brushes that you’ll reach for more than once whilst putting on your makeup.

I’m afraid that I don’t use gel liners, so the BX-110 Flat Liner (£7.19) didn’t get much of a work out!  I attempted to use it once as a “push” brush with my Laura Mercier Cake Eyeliner but I felt that it gave me a line that was a little too thick for traditional tight-lining.

I’m sad to say that I didn’t get on with this brush at all.  The BX-125 Square Lip (£6.39) is a brush that, in theory, should be great for precision application of bolder colours.  I just couldn’t get any love from this brush and found that I had much more success with my shorter-handled “cat tongue” lip brushes, especially for bolder colours.

If I needed more than one Brow/Spoolie brush in my collection, I’d have two of these BX-135 Brow/Spoolie Duals (£7.99).  The brow brush isn’t as firm/rough as something like the NARS brow brush but is about twice as firm as most other brow brushes – which makes me Goldilocks and it, the “just right” brush.  Spoolies?  Well, they’re always useful!

Revolution brushes are priced from £6.39 and available to buy online in the UK at Royal & Langnickel

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..at the risk of this being the most photo-heavy post in the history of the internet, I haven’t done the nail/lippy comparisons but totally can if anyone’s interested.  I ran out of light toward the end and now my lips are sore.

I talked about the formula of these lipglosses from Butter London a few days ago, if you need reminding – the post is here. Overall, I’m quite torn on them… I’m not a lipgloss fan, so we’re off to a bad start but I can’t deny their longevity is decent and the pigmentation on some of them, impressive.

Now that I’ve worn them all, I can safely say that the scent is pretty cloying on some of the shades and a few of them (particularly the pale ones) apply more like pva glue than gloss. I’m pleased that the range has recently been reformulated into more of a liquid lipstick style – I think that the potential for Butter London to release nail/lip combos is massive.  For me, this release ultimately just misses the mark but I’ve asterisked the ones that I did really enjoy wearing.

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Butter London Lippy’s are available to buy online from powderrooms.com, priced at £13.95 each.

Have you tried any of Butter London’s Lippys?  From the swatches, are any of them catching your eye?

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Never have I cursed Winter as much as I have this past week.  I got my hands on these samples almost two weeks ago and haven’t been able to do face swatches because of the poor light.  That’s not to say I haven’t worn them, I’m usually meticulous about not breaking into samples before the photos.. but c’mon, you’d have to have nerves of steel to resist these babies.

The formula is consistent throughout the line, and as much as I wanted them to feel like liquid lipsticks, they are indeed lipglosses. They’re not light-textured on the lips and are quite strongly-scented but they’re long-lasting (for gloss) and match almost perfectly with their namesake polishes from Butter London’s regular line.

As for pigment, depending on the shade, these glosses have it by the bucketload but in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda way – you cannot build the pigment, not unless you wanna walk around with jizz lips and gloss strings galore.  Similarly you can’t really sheer these out without them looking patchy although you’ll be pleased to hear that they fade kindly.

Butter London Lippy lipglosses are priced at £13.95 each and available to buy online from powderrooms.com (swatches coming soon)

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I always write about lipsticks in my Red Lip Series that I love. So, here’s one that I don’t…

Make Up Forever #418 is a lipstick that I would happily send to room 101 without a second glance or moment of regret. There’s nothing particularly wrong with how it looks once on the lips, but it stinks like the inside of my Nannas old handbag and applies so roughly that I keep imagining squeaking sounds as it passes over my lips.  It’s a bastard of a lipstick, and being RED, is an absolute disgrace to its genre.

I even look slightly pained to be wearing it in the swatch photo don’t I?  This is what mediocre lipstick does to your soul.  It honestly sucks to find the words to express my discontent with below-average lipsticks, so I’m going to stop right here and play with some Burberry reds instead to make myself feel better.

What lipstick has disappointed you recently?

When it comes to makeup, things can get pretty personal. One person’s dream product is another person’s nightmare and nowhere is this more keenly felt than when trialling a new foundation. Liz Earle’s long-awaited venture into the world of “proper” foundation comes in the form of the Liz Earle Signature Foundation. I’m glad that it wasn’t rushed out with the initial launch, the brand have obviously taken the time to create something that they’re happy represents their approach to cosmetics.

The classically-packaged foundation offers a heavyweight glass bottle with a well-designed pump, allowing complete control over how much product dispenses from the bottle. You only want half a pump? You got it. This obviously ensures no product wastage, and so it should because unlike most foundations, the Liz Earle Signature Foundation comes in a little under the average volume count at 25ml.

The silicone-rich formula offers a lightweight texture that skims over pores and primes the skin as it goes. As with similar formulas, I feel that a primer underneath makes wear a lot heavier and less comfortable than it should be. Having said that, the little pamphlet that comes in the box recommends using their Perfect Canvas primer underneath… but then, it would… wouldn’t it? It’s also worth noting that the Liz Earle Signature Foundation provides no sun-protection as part of its formula – and I don’t know about you but I’m not a massive fan of: moisturiser, sun protection, primer, foundation, makeup. That’s TOO much product for an everyday face. Personally, I’d skip the primer unless you have a real problem with your makeup sliding off by lunchtime.

The foundation comes in nine shades, ranging from Porcelain (which I have), through to Mocha (which promises to suit medium-dark Asian skintones). It’s obviously not the full spectrum, so hopefully the brand are working on increasing the palette next year. I usually opt for the 2nd lightest shade in a range because I favour a hint of warmth to counteract the redness in my skintone but in this case, the 2nd lightest (Ivory) would definitely prove too dark for me. Something to think about as I know that some of you consider yourselves to be paler than me.

I’m not a huge fan of the scent in this foundation, it reminds me a little of my old Dior foundations but thankfully, it doesn’t linger once it’s on the skin. I know that other reviewers have commented that they like the scent, so again, this is just another example of how personal an experience choosing a new foundation can be.

Liz Earle Signature Foundation applies well with both fingers and a brush. I’ve never been able to use paddle-style foundation brushes with much success, so you’ll have to make do with my experience at using a buffing-style brush, which I think provides a lighter, more natural, coverage. I’d agree with the brand that the texture is lightweight, it also strikes a nice balance between dewy and matte, though it becomes more matte as it sets on the skin. Ideally, you’d have a normal/combination skintype for this one – very dry skins may find it a little too matte to be completely comfortable in this weather. I’m dry/combination and I can just about get away with it…

You can see that coverage is pretty good, I’d describe it as a solid medium, leaning toward the full but without the weightiness that full-coverage provides. If anyone tries to tell you that this is a sheer/medium formula – you need to ask yourself what brand of polyfilla they usually use on their faces because this is about as full as I’d want to go without classing it as a “night out” foundation.

I didn’t find the foundation getting pernickity about being layered either, it let me go back for another pass around the centre of my face (with half a pump) and didn’t start clumping or creating any skin dramas but at the same time, I wouldn’t call it a “buildable” foundation either.

Some skin swatches on the inside of my wrist… look how blue I am! I think the shade variation between 01 and 02 is quite a jump… especially when compared to the variation between 02 and 03 – definitely try and get colour matched on counter for this one because I have a feeling that you’ll suffer from oxidisation and potential patchiness if you go too dark.

The picture above is a jawline swatch, stupidly in reverse order – sorry about that. You see the big leap between 01 and 02?

Longevity on my skin was fine, even without a primer it felt as though it held up admirably throughout the day and kept my redness toned down until the middle of the evening. Ultimately, I’ve been pretty happy with Liz Earle’s new Signature Foundation but I think I would have been a tiny bit happier with a little less matte-ness (totally a word). But then again, if you’re oilier than me – you should be chomping at the bit to get yourselves colour-matched on counter.

Liz Earle Signature Foundation is available to buy on counter, and online, priced at £21 for 25ml

* press sample

Urban Decay have released three palettes, in the clutch-style format you might remember from The Midnight Emergency Kit.  The three palettes each contain six eyeshadows and a complementing mini Lip Junkie lip gloss.

The palettes are well-constructed and tote-worthy enough to be able to throw them in your handbag in advance of a night out.  Don’t tend to reapply your eyeshadow halfway through an evening, me neither… so did you know that you can remove the platform on which the eyeshadows sit and transform the packaging into a proper evening clutch?  Yeah!

The Fun palette is my favourite from the new trio on looks alone (I’ll be showing you the others soon)… I mean, turquoise glitter encrusted packaging?  It’s flippin’ gorgeous.

Enough about the clutch, it’s clear I’m smitten… how about the actual contents?

Urban Decay’s The Fun Palette claims to offer shades that are perfect for those who like to experiment with colour.  I like colour, and I like experimenting with it… but I don’t tend to actually leave the house in huge amounts of colour, mostly because I’m a big wimp.  Let’s take a look at them…

Of the six shades included, only one of them is a brand new shade… meaning that if you’re Urban Decay’s #1 fan, you may already have these shades at your disposal from within other palettes.  The shades included are:

Maui Wowie – Metallic golden beige with silver glitter
Deep End* – Bright teal shimmer
Sellout – Pinky champagne
Fishnet – Bright pink with purple shift
Stray Dog – Cool metallic ash brown
Freakshow – Deep royal purple pearl

* new shade (not new shade, Bicky recognised it from the 15th Anniversary palette)

The fact is that there’s enough neutrality going on here to suit scaredy cats like me (sellout, maui wowie and stray dog make a beautiful natural eye on their own) whilst injecting enough colour to tempt me into showing a little bravery on occasion.

Swatched with no primer.

And a quick FOTD using Fishnet on the lids, Freakshow dragged outward from the corners, Deep End as an accent under the eye, and Sellout as a highlighter.  I’m also wearing the Lip Junkie lipgloss included, which is Midnight Cowboy, a sheer nude sparkle.  It’s very sticky and not my cup of tea at all.

Urban Decay’s The Fun Palette is a sweet offering from the brand that is sure to tempt many new UD-ites into occasionally swapping out their beloved Naked Palettes for something a little brighter.  For old-skool UD junkies, there may not be enough here to warrant another purchase, but it’s a good reminder of the brand’s founding ethos towards colour and expermentation.

The Fun Palette is priced at £25 (€ 34) and available from Debenhams and House of Fraser stores or online at debenhams.com, houseoffraser.com and beautybay.com.

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Sorry ladies, I got taup-ally happy with my Yves Rocher ordering didn’t I?  This is the last one… I promise (until the next time).

You’ll be pleased to hear that this one was also the cheapest, and I didn’t have much hopes for it… but I think it’s my favourite!

#71 Gris Taupe is a densely pigmented shade with a satin finish.  So many times, cheaper powder eyeshadows lack any creaminess and feel gritty or hard to the touch.  This one has all the textural qualities you’d expect from a product twice the price.  Packaging is horrible though, this one’s definitely a depotter, though I do like a neat square pan in a depotted palatte, so it’s all good!

You can see in the swatch photo that the taupe definitely leans to the grey and is fairly neutral in tone, the silver highlight is very pretty and gives a nice ethereal sheen to the eye area once applied. Longevity is average, and I prefer to apply this one with my finger for a gentler effect as it is quite deep in pigment otherwise.

Yves Rocher Taupe Gris is priced at £8 on a buy-one-get-one-free offer (YR seem to change their prices more often than I change my knickers).

You can buy Taupe Gris online here.

Can we please have an all-together-now chorus of “it’s tooooo cold!”.  Is anyone else finding it harder-than-usual to adjust to the plummeting temperatures?  I was doing ok until about a week ago, when things seemed to take a leap from chilly to arctic.  Anyway, with the big freeze only just beginning, I’ve been battling it off with this lovely face and blush powder from Clarins.  Part of their Autumn/Winter collection, it gently injects a little warmth and colour without looking “bronzy”.

As much as I want a bit of warmth on my face, I don’t want to look like I’m desperately hankering after a bit-part in Benidorm.

I will never tire of the classic elegance of Clarin’s packaging.

The Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder offers a trio of shades that should suit all skintones, I’ve swatched them below and you can see that there is slightly less difference on the skin as there appears to be in the pan between the two tan shades.  I would say that the darker section is slightly more orange-toned, and the lighter tan a little cooler, which is why this set doesn’t “oompah, loompah” me.

Unlike the more summery offerings, this palette is also very matte.  There’s no shimmer and not even a hint of luminosity – which is actually a bit of a shame because Clarins does luminosity in their face powders better than any other brand I know.

Having said that, on my skintone, this works more as a blush than a face powder and I don’t have any issues adding some highlighter to my foundation instead.

 Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder is a very nice choice for adding some warmth to your complexion without looking like a summer-desperado.

This limited edition product won’t be around too much longer but is still available online at clarins.co.uk (£30) or even better, you can currently grab it at the special price of £24, from escentual.com

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This past week has been an absolute horror for trying to get some blog photos taken, I’ve had to push a table directly in-front of a huge window in an attempt to capture at least, some light. Apologies if the photos seem a little grainier than usual, that’s me whacking the ISO up higher than I would want to. But anyway…

I told you about Bare Minerals new range of concealers a couple of weeks ago, and featured one of those brightening under-eye type pens that add luminosity to the more shadowy areas of the face. I also told you how, on me, it didn’t make a difference… thanks, in part, to not actually having too much in the way of under-eye discoloration and shadows. Yay me!

However, what I lack in the way of under-eye circles, I totally make up for in redness. Across my cheeks and my nose. It’s not full-blown rosacea or anything as serious as that, I just like vodka too much. I’m kidding!! In my case, it’s just the curse of a celtic complexion and general diffused capilliarires under the surface of the skin. Nothing a bit of makeup doesn’t tone down… but will Bare Mineral’s latest correcting concealer do the job?

I’m gonna get the comparison out of the way… texture-wish, it’s similar to Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer, there’s a lot of slip in that there compact.  This makes it super-easy to apply with your fingers or a brush without dragging across your skin – perfect for under the eyes.  Another similarity is in the level of coverage, this provides very good, almost full coverage where it’s needed most and a little goes a long way.

It’s all good so far!

Colour-wise, this is Light 01, which is indeed pretty pale and cool-toned, the pink has a touch of peach to it in my opinion… bringing some great colour-correcting tones to the table.  Peach is great for concealing that bluish-grey hue that under-eye areas can often present.

You can see in the photo below that coverage is indeed, pretty impressive.  It all but cancels out the redness and gives me a more even complexion upon which I can apply my foundation.  Indeed, by the time my foundation had warmed upon my skin, there was literally no redness left.  My only negative with the Bare Minerals SPF20 Correcting Concealer is that despite its emollient texture, it clung a little to some flakes on my nose… flakes that I wouldn’t have even noticed before putting the product over them.  This is not a good thing, clearly.

Having said that, I think that I’m going to persevere and try some different application/prepping techniques.  The coverage is too good (whilst feeling so light) not to put some real effort into getting the very best from this product.  I can’t say how it would fare on oilier skin tones, but I would definitely recommend setting it after application if you are prone to watching your makeup slide off your face by lunchtime.

Bare Minerals SPF20 Correcting Concealer is available now, online and on counter – priced at £21 for 2g.

* press sample

Aveda have launched the Passion Flower Collection, a limited-edition, petal-inspired makeup collection comprising: three nourish-mint smoothing lip colours, three nourish-mint rehydrating lip glazes, two nourish-mint lip liners, and six petal essence single eye colours.

The shades pack a greater punch than you would expect from the botanically-based formulas, and ultimately deliver a pleasant surprise when it comes to the end result.

I’ve been wearing one of the three nourish-mint smoothing lip colours which promises to smooth the appearance of fine lines and increase moisture.  Sounds good to me…

In the bullet, Rare Orchid is a dark, blackened plum/cherry shade, I’d class it as equidistant between red and plum… but in the swatch and on my unpigmented lips, the plum is far more apparent, with more than just a nod to some violet-infusion which delivers a seasonal, vampy look.

The texture is not quite balmy but definitely softer than the average lipstick, pigmentation is buildable and I went all out for the swatch photo, you won’t build more colour than this – but I doubt you’d need to.

The packaging… is not to my tastes.  I don’t care if it’s environmentally-friendly… well, I do – but c’mon, does it have to be so bloody ugly?  The shades and pigmentation blow my preconceptions out of the water so it’s a shame that the packaging didn’t do the same.  I know it’s not a biggie, but it’s something that detracts from the overall look and feel of the product, for me.

Another thing that I’m sure many won’t be keen on is the taste and scent of the lipstick.  In a word, mint.  It’s a little tingly upon application – there goes those fine lines it promises to smooth – and the taste does linger on your lips for a while.  I actually really like it, but I think opinion would be quite divided and it’s definitely something you need to be aware of before walking away from your nearest Aveda salon clutching it in your hot little hands.

The Passion Flower Collection is available in Aveda salons, spas, stores and on www.aveda.co.uk now, the Rare Orchid Smoothing Lip Colour is priced at £12.50

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When your skintone is resolutely adhering to its own fish-belly chic agenda, a girl has no choice but to combat the anaemic look with a touch of bronzer.  Well, she does have a choice… but unless she’s Anne Hathaway/Nicole Kidman/Julianne Moore, there’s always the risk of looking more pilsbury than palesbury without it.

Finding my perfect bronzer shade has been a journey of epic, I repeat, epic proportions.  I mean, let’s face it – I’m 31 and can only now feel confident enough to say that I have found something that could even be considered to come under the hallowe’d Holy Grail tag.

Laura Geller’s Air Whipped Bronzer (still a name in beauty that doesn’t get much UK blog love) has me turning myself inside out with glee over its slightly cool undertones that warm me up without creosoting my complexion.  Throw in a formula that would please even the most die-hard of Soleil Tan de Chanel fans and you’ve got the perfect bronzing combination for pale pink types.

The packaging is kinda ugly but I can vouch for its effectiveness in keeping the cream contents suitably hydrated and whippy.  Pigment is impressive but buildable and the texture really is so very light and blendable, providing you don’t leave it long enough to set.  And set it does, steadfastly – you get about 20 seconds before it dries down, so blend quickly and efficiently once you’ve sheered the product out.

The matte formula makes Laura Geller’s Air Whipped Bronzer an absolutely perfect contour shade and I usually buff this in to my imaginary cheek hollows before using whats left on the brush down the edges of my nose and at my temples.  My favourite tool to pair with this is a stippling brush, which I find gives me greater flexibility and a lighter touch.

An alternative use for this bronzer would be to mix a little into your daily moisturiser for an all-over glow, I think this would work pretty well thanks to the airy texture and gentle colour.  Now that I’ve fallen so deeply for this product, I’d love to see a shimmer version too!  Just for those days when a little bit of sparkle ain’t no bad thing!

Sadly, the Laura Geller Air Whipped Bronzer is not easily available within the UK.  Your best bet is to head on to the QVC website or hit up eBay to find a source – LG is one brand that I sincerely wish I could find in a bricks and mortar store, I’d love to play with all those baked goodies!

Laura Geller Air Whipped Bronzer is priced at £26 and available to buy online at QVC.co.uk

Do you have a favourite contour shade that you can’t live without?

The idea of a universal lipstick is ultimately, pretty appealing.  Now, I’m not one for gambling, mostly because I’m RUBBISH at it but I would be happy to put a punt on Lipstick Queen Jean Queen and agree with Poppy King that it should suit most ladies, regardless of their colouring.

Who wants to take me up on that bet and where can we get 4 billion lipsticks to test the theory?

The sheer, warm pink  in Jean Queen allows enough of your natural lip colour to reveal itself whilst cancelling out any patchiness or imperfections in your own lips.  It wears very nicely with most other makeup looks and outfits that you feel like pairing it with (hence the name) and also applies with plently of slip.  It’s effortless.  Ok, it’s not the most exciting or groundbreaking thing in the world – but it’s a true workhorse lipstick.

My lips are lacking in pigment and need some kind of lip-covering to avoid that freshly-dug-up look.  For me, Jean Queen provides more of a sheen than much in the way of boom-pow pigment, but what it does offer is polish and completeness to an otherwise unfinished-look.  It’s casual, it’s effortless.  For such a balmy-feeling formula, longevity isn’t too bad either – I can still feel the slip on my lips a few hours into the day and it wears quite comfortably over longer periods without giving any indication that it’s drying out my pout.

Lipstick Queen Jean Queen Lipstick is priced at £15, and available to buy instore and online at spacenk.co.uk

Do you have a favourite MLBB (my lips but better) lipstick?  Tell me about it!