A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Good morning, this is your captain speaking.

On behalf of my crew today, I’d like to welcome you aboard flight number L1P6L0551P1N6 from Heathrow to Antigua.  We are currently flying at an altitude of 35,000 Boots points midway across the Atlantic.  If you look out of the windows on the starboard side, you should get a great reflection for reapplying your lipsticks – alternatively, please await the cabin crew’s further instructions as we have a rather special purchase to show you today.

Virgin Atlantic have teamed up with bareMinerals to create a mile-high red lip that’s worth a swoon or two.  Upper Class Red* is taking off in style with the signature Pretty Amazing Lipcolor formula combining the coverage you’d expect from a lipstick with the high-shine of a gloss.  The scarlet shade is synonymous with the cabin crew’s glamourous image as seen in the airline’s latest advert.

Having been adopted as an official piece of uniform for the Virgin Atlantic cabin crew, you can imagine that this formula really needs to live up to the demands that will be placed upon it in a working environment and none is more important 35,000 feet up than longevity.  While not completely bullet-proof, the colour wears very evenly and transforms from an opaque, glossy covering to a pigmented stain after a couple of hours that lasts throughout the day.  I actually prefer the slightly more subdued stain to the pow-pow in your face-ness of this particular red.

The applicator has a flexible, rounded tip that helps to apply such a strong colour with the kind of precision required for the task.  The texture is thick and I’d suggest wiping any excess product back into the neck of the tube as a little will go a long way.  Once applied, the finish is super-shiny and I prefer to blot it once on a tissue to get rid of  that sticky gloss feeling without losing any of the incredible pigmentation.

To my eye it’s a warm-toned red… not enough to actually be classed as a “warm red”, but you should be able to see that it leans away from the cool end of the spectrum with my pinky colouring as a backdrop.

You can check-in (groan) with ‘Upper Class Red’ exclusively at Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Spas before it’s made available for pre-order on board Virgin Atlantic flights.  Later in the year, it will become available to purchase from selected bareMinerals stockists.

If you can’t wait until then, check out some of the other Pretty Amazing LipColors available to purchase online at BeautyBay.com

* press sample

My biggest dilemma when it came to choosing my red lip picks for this winter were not so much the brands (I knew I wanted a Rockalily and a MUFE one), but the shades.  Both brands offer a variety of reds, each with their own subtle nuances – and despite all the swatches in the world, it can still sometimes be tricky to take that plunge when you can only shop online.

Where Rockalily was concerned, I ended up plumping for the most ‘classic’ looking option, the darkest of their core trio of reds: Roulette Red.

Priced at £14 each, these are leaning into the high-end category and the packaging is distinctly… budget, both in the way it looks and in the way it feels.  Thankfully, that’s where any comparisons to cheaper cosmetic quality ends because once the lid comes off, so do the gloves.  Roulette Red packs a beautiful punch of pigment that lasts almost like no other.  The only other red in my collection that can boast the same staying power as this is my lovely Rouge Baiser Paris – N°405 Le Rouge, which is consequently, pretty drying.  Roulette Red doesn’t dry my lips even half as much as the Rouge Baiser (which was actually famous for its ground-breaking long-lasting formula back in the 20s!).

I have to hand it to ReeRee, the lady behind Rockalily Makeup – she’s got a winning red lip formula on her hands here.  It’s really something special.

Application was fine, not the creamiest… but if you want super creamy, go for a YSL Rouge Volupté and lament the 20-second wear time.  I was able to apply this straight from the bullet without too much drag and neaten up the edges with a lip brush.  Wear, as I may have already mentioned… was exceptional.  I drank my way through three cups of tea, a packet of rice cakes (gross) and a satsuma… all with minimal colour loss.  I’m also pleased to report that there was no transfer to my two big front teeth, which is normally my biggest issue with a bold lip (overbites are bitches when it comes to lipstick).

So, is it my new favourite red lipstick?

Hmmm… no, not quite… but it is my new favourite red lipstick to whip out when I’m not gonna be able to touch up during the day.  And that, my friends, is a very important lipstick to have.

Rockalily Roulette Red is available to buy online from rockalily.com, and is priced at £14.00 (postage is £2.50)

Oh my lovely red-lipped beauties, whenever I feel all intimidated and quietened by a new red lipstick purchase… I simply point my mouse here and get inspired by you all.  Doesn’t matter about your skintone, hair colour, or what clothes you wear – red is universal.

1. Stephanie from NerdAboutTown looks scintillating in the classic retro Fire & Ice by Revlon

2. Evelyn from MakeupALaMode is rocking a bargainous combo with the NYX Hot Red lip pencil & lipstick in Revamped

3. The lovely Helen from SparklzandShine is looking beautiful in All For Eve’s Eve Red.

4. Russian blogger Victoria from Skrebka.com is working a cleverly customized red lip with a mix of Avon Mocha Madness and GA Armani Silk in #10

5. Fnally, Anna from MakeupCrazyInsanity is showing that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get great colour with a MUA lipstick in #13

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If you want to join in with the fun and submit your red lip look, please email me a photo of your lovely selves with the following info:

Today’s red lip is courtesy of Italian brand KIKO – I picked shade #222 Dark Red up a few weeks back and gave it a first outing the other day. I have to say, it’s not going to make it to my top twenty. Colour-wise, I love it but the texture is uncomfortable to wear, it feels cheap and it smells cheap. Just aswell it is cheap I guess?

I know that people laugh at paying good money for lipstick… essentially wax in a stick but wearing this has reinforced my appreciation for creamier, better-quality formulas. Having said that, I do still like the shade a lot… I’m just not sure whether I’ll be reaching for it too often.

KIKO Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in #222 is priced at £5.90 (currently £3.00) and available from their store in Westfield Stratford or online.

Ahhh, I’ve missed you soooo much my red-lipped lovelies!  It’s gloomy enough out there for a little injection of my favourite lip shade – c’mon ladies, party season may be over but you do not need an excuse to go bold.

1. Kirsty is a vision of Winter loveliness in MAC’s legendary Ruby Woo

2. Maria looks resplendent in another MAC classic, Lady Danger

3. The beautiful Dora shows us how to rock Maybelline’s Pleasure Me Red

4. Gabrielle is positively smouldering in L’Oreal’s Colour Riche Penelope’s Red

5. Candida from www.hellcandy.com looks gorgeous in the classic Revlon Fire & Ice

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.If you want to join in with the fun and submit your red lip look, email me a photo of your lovely selves with the following info:

I’ve still been wearing my beloved red lip shades throughout December, though not blogging them as well as I would have liked.  I have so many beautiful new acquisitions I’d really love to show you before the weather gets warm again, someone please give me a kick up the butt to get the reds (both yours and mine) setting the blog on fire again!

I sneaked 5 minutes for a quick photo-take in the back garden yesterday afternoon (the light is so poor indoors), this is my latest red purchase, and with it must go mega-credit (and a big thank you) to Frooti Beauty for swatching the Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour range for me!  I already own Big Bang and Crush, so knew in advance that I would be a fan of the formula but wasn’t sure on whether F-Bomb was the kind of true, clean red that I tend to favour.

I’d say that it leans ever so slightly warm but not enough to go all fire-engine on my face… the formula is long-wearing and lasts happily through a few drinks.  I really hope that Urban Decay consider bringing out some more shades in this lineup – I love a chunky lip pencil, especially one that gives as much shine as this!

Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour in F-Bomb is priced at £14 and available instore at the usual Urban Decay concessions and online at BeautyBay.com

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of wearing bolder lipsticks and rapidly falling in love with my Kevyn Aucoin purchases whilst I’m at it!  Enchantaberry is a wearable berry shade that never looks overdone.  It’s perfect if you’re a little shy of vampy Autumn/Winter shades but would still like to experiment.

My favourite thing about these KA lipsticks though, is the formula.  They seem to somehow dry to a powder finish without being drying, at least for me – and I don’t have particularly amazing lips. I usually have to bring my Lanolips into nightly use when I bring out the red lipstick but not so with the Kevyn Aucoin lippies that I’ve been wearing recently.

Just like Dantique, which I featured previously, Enchantaberry appears to be darker in the tube than when applied.  It has a silky texture and can be blotted to a “just bitten” stain if you so wish.  I prefer to wear it full-on, it’s not too dark or vampy, as you can see…

Out of all the berries(!), I say this one has a raspberry edge, it’s another big thumbs up for a wearable red from makeup master Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin Enchantaberry is currently available at a bargain price of £4.99 on eBay, alternatively you can purchase online from www.misebeauty.com, priced at £20.

It’s been a while huh?  I’m thinking that the temperature has dropped enough now to kick-start the red lip series again…

I’m easing myself back into the season slowly though with this little number from makeup uber-God Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin’s The Expert Lip Tint in Dantique is a proper grown-up red that oozes sophistication and I’m completely smitten with it.  The shade reminds me a little of my Burberry Lip Cover in Claret but while the Burberry is slightly more pink-berry toned, this one leans to a rosey/red-brown.  It’s a totally work-appropriate red if you live in fear of wearing your lips a little too loudly.

Genuinely moisturising on my lips and wears down evenly to a pretty stain, I can see myself hitting stump on this shade.

There are currently some Kevyn Aucoin lipsticks for sale on eBay at a very good price, I’m sure they’re old stock but I’ve bought a couple with no problems, otherwise – you can buy online priced at £20 each from MiseBeauty.com

Perhaps one shouldn’t judge a collection on the sum of its smallest parts but damn, I like lipstick.  And I really like this lipstick.  Lancome’s French Touch Absolu is heavyweight, solid and beautifully designed to capture the attention of vintage-lipstick lovers everywhere.

You should take note of how small this is.  Possibly the one down-side to retaining that authentic, vintage styling.  It’s practically a stub.  A stub of beauty, but a stub nonetheless.  For the princely sum of £23.50, you get 3.7ml (not listed in grams) of product (EDIT: Rouge Deluxe has come to the rescue and confirmed that you get 3g of product, the same as a MAC lipstick – so, erm, ignore me).

It has a wonderful old-fashioned lipstick scent that evokes memories of playing with my Nan’s makeup when I was a little girl.  It’s thoroughly charming and despite the obvious absence of any value for money… my heart has been captured.

In 1945, Lancome redefined the codes of beauty by launching “Shaker”, its very first lipstick, in the ultimate shade of red.

In creating the latest French Touch Absolu, Aaron de Mey has once again drawn inspiration from Lancome’s heritage whilst adding a modern twist.  The sumptuous, creamy texture of French Touch Absolu guarantees a deliciously sensual velvet touch: a true silk cream enhanced with Pro-Xylane™ to give lips stunning contour and shape.

One swipe.  Perhaps there is a little more value for money there than I first anticipated…  The above swatch shows shade #102 Rouge St Honore, but there will be two other reds available (#100 Rouge 29 and #104 Rouge Faubourg).

Words can’t quite express how in love I am with this lipstick.  I mean, I know the collection is all about that blush, which is of course ridiculously pretty.  But I’m not just looking at it, I wanna use it and this lipstick would blow most products out of the water.  It’s creamy without being heavy, moisturising without being slippy and once blotted, it stays put for hours.  Love.

Lancome’s French Touch Absolu Lipstick in Rouge St Honoré is priced at £23.50 and available at Lancome counters nationwide from 1st September 2011

*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*

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

After promising myself that I would attempt the next Red Lip with a bit more complementary colour on my eyes instead of a rudimentary streak of liquid liner, I failed.

Revlon Fire & Ice is a re-release of a shade that first saw light of day in 1952… this makes it an absolute perfect option for those wanting to recreate a retro red look!  Fire & Ice has that hint of orange that places it firmly in the 50s.

I’m looking forward to doing the swatch comparisons for the last 7 offerings because this one will contrast nicely to the cool-toned reds that I favour without being in the same ‘orange’ family as shades like Chanel Coromandel.

The formula is creamy and glossy, I tend to apply and blot before slicking on another layer.  Not hugely long-wearing but it fades cleanly.  This is a great shade if you want to dip your toe into warmer reds without going all out.

Plus, at £7.49… it makes for a good budget choice!