Beauty | Topshop Lip Liners

I've become a little bit (okay, massively) obsessed with lip liners lately. Once upon a time I saw lip liners as they were in the 90s, a different colour around the line than the middle, and I shuddered. But now I can see the beauty of them, in particular these little budget beauties.

The Favourites | Budget Autumn Lip Shades

It's that time of year where the weather's getting colder, nights are getting darker and mornings are getting less and less tolerable. This also means it's gotten to that time of the year where nails get more muted, skin gets paler and lips get darker. Because of this I thought it was time I had a good old rummage through my lipstick draw and picked out my top five autumn shades.

The Favourites | Budget Nude Lipsticks

I go through phases with lip shades, I do love a good bright lip, but sometimes a nude lipstick is the only accessory you need. At the moment as much as I love a good bright, I've been reaching for a nude every day and I love it.

The Review | Matching Lips to Nails #2

About two years ago I did a post all about matching my lips to my nails, I used a raspberry pink for both and I loved the look, hello colour. Summer has come back around so I thought I'd do the same, especially as these pretty beauties not only match, but they're the same colour...

The Dupe | Clinique Chubby Stick v Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker

I know, there have been a LOT of chubby stick dupes in the drugstore. It even got to a point where I refused to buy any more lip crayon-esk products because I was so bored of the whole thing. However, Clinique's Chubby Sticks were the first to market and honestly - not many of the drugstore brands managed to remake the same formula, until this one.

The Review | Bourjois Aqua Lacque

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on these, but I decided to just give them a go and make up my own mind. Bourjois have a lot of new releases going on at the moment and these were the ones I was most excited about so I'm glad I did. But which side of the fence do I fall on?

The Review | Joan Collins Divine Lips in Evelyn

I usually love red lip when it comes to bold statements, however when summer comes around I am all about the pink. Hello pink ladies indeedy. I have a lot of summer pinks, however I think I may have found the perfect bold lip pink - bold statement for a bold lipstick.

The Review | Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liners

Lip liner is never something I thought I would need in my collection, however these little budget beauties have completely changed my mind. These products seem to be having a bit of a moment right now, especially one certain colour, which is why I decided to pick them up - was the fuss worth it?

The Review | Maybelline Color Drama

Before these I hadn't bought any new properly pigmented lip products in a long long time... So these now feel a little bit stupidly special to me (yes, I am a weird one). I saw these on Alix's YouTube and really wanted to give them a go. The Maybelline Color Drama Intense Lip Pencils are very highly pigmented and boast a ridiculously creamy texture.

The Review | Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain

It's been a little while since I treated myself to some lovely little lip producs and I have to say, I was having some withdrawal symptoms. I'd seen these advertised and I love Revlon's lip products, I've always found them to be really high quality for a drug store brand and I love the colours. Having not been too bothered about lip stains in the past I was autmatically a bit dubious but hey, in the spirit of getting my blog mojo back I wanted to give them a whirl. I was pleasantly surprised.

Revlon's ColorStay Moisture Stain is a creamy, non sticky formula combines Vitamin E and Aloe for moisture with lightweight PureStain pigments. Effectively it's a long wear highly pigmented, non sticky lip gloss. In terms of pigmentation these aren't sheer in the slightest. They have a high pigmentation and definitely stain the lips. I wore Barcelona Nights on a girls night out recently and it was still there in the morning eek. There's no stickiness which is a big plus for me and are super comfortable to wear for a creamy stain. 

I chose two pinks to help pull me back into a lip colour frame of mind. Barcelona Nights is a beautiful blue toned bright pink, amazing for if you want something a little bit special. LA Exclusive is an everyday lips but better colour. I've been wearing this on my lips everyday and is the one I keep handy in my bag. Both are bluey toned pinks which I think suit my skin so much better than yellow toned lip products. 

In terms of longevity I'm in two minds. Although Barcelona Nights did stain the lips til morning it was still faded and I think that has more to do with the fact that I had to touch it up around three times to keep up the intensity of the colour. In terms of LA Exclusive as it's such an everyday colour it's hard to tell when the colour has really faded but I like to top it up every couple of hours anyway. What I do like about them is that they don't transfer - straws/glasses/forks etc - they don't pop over onto the object which is great. I do love that about them.

All in all I do really like these. It doesn't really bother me to have to top up my lip colour (foundation/eyeliner yes, lip colour no) every few hours and the colour pay off and quality is so nice it's worth it.

What colours should I try next?

The How To | Sleeping Beauty Lips

Malifiscent came out recently which made me crave Sleeping Beauty, so obviously I ended up with it and all throughout the film I was jealous of her lips, lips even the rose would be jealous of. Instead of thinking of them as red (as the script suggests) I see them a gorgeous deep rose pink, healthy, beautiful and just plain yum. So, I had a rummage through my collection of lip products to try and find those that helped me achieve Aurora's lips. 

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Trendsetter is a gorgeous rose pink, blue toned and warm it adds a generous amount of colour to the lips. It's incredibly long lasting and really warms the tone of my skin and makes my eyes look brighter. However, this can look quite matte on the lips. So, to add a little more life and fun to the lips I've added Maybelline Colorsensational Shine Color in Fuchsia Flash. The perfect pairing to this lipstick. It gives the right amount of shine that isn't too slippery so that it takes away from the longevity of the lipstick. I love the look of these two together - and if it's the closest I can get to being a disney princess, well done, consider me a Sleeping Beauty.

How would you recreate Sleeping Beauty's lips?

The Comparison | Chubby Stick v Sexy Mother Pucker

So, I know there are countless versions of these crayon lip products around now - probably one for every brand out there now. However, when I think of them I always think of the Clinique Chubby Stick as being the game starter, the one I compare them all too. Although there are some lovely ones on the market (my favourites being Revlon and Bourjois's offerings) the closest I have found to the Chubby Stick is Soap & Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick. 

I've done a full review on the S&G offering here and the Chubby Stick here if you want to take a peek but I thought I would do a quick comparison for you here. 

I've found with a lot of the other sticks that are glossy the formula is quite thick and a little heavy in places, whereas the Chubby Stick and Sexy Mother Pucker have quite a thin formula so it's lovely and light and incredibly comfortable to wear. I would however say that Chubby Stick is a lot more balm like then the Sexy Mother Pucker. It's a lot more nourishing whereas the Sexy Mother Pucker is definitely more of a gloss. They give a very similar level of gloss - not too shiny and slippery, but not subtle either. They give them a healthy shine. 

Longevity wise I do have to hand it to the Chubby Stick - it lasts for a good couple of hours longer then the Sexy Mother Pucker, I think this is because of its more balm like qualities, it grips the lips a bit better than a gloss product usually does. In terms of pigmentation they are very similar, its a touch of sheer, buildable colour. More colour than a normal gloss, more of a tinted balm. 

Then we move onto price... Obviously the Clinique Chubby Stick is a bit more pricey, coming in at £17.00 whereas the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker is at more then half the price at just £8. It's definitely more purse friendly and considering the products are so similar it's definitely more of a bargain. The only thing I would say though is that there is a much wider range of colours in terms of the Chubby Stick. Overall I'm torn! I do love the Sexy Mother Puckers, but the Chubby Stick just pips it to the post for longevity.

What's your favourite crayon lip product?

The Review | Maybelline High Shine Lip Gloss

MAYBELLINE COLOURSENSATIONAL HIGH SHINE LIP GLOSS £6.19
L - R: GLORIOUS GRAPEFRUIT - FUCHSIA FLASH

Okay, that's it. I'm officially a lip gloss convert. There are a few products I've been trying lately that have completely won me over and these two are just the beginning. I'd read a lot of glowing reviews on these little glosses and I wanted in on the action. 

I picked up the colours Glorious Grapefruit, a beutiful peach perfect for the summer, and Fuchsia Flash, a brilliant bluey pink thats perfect for every day. Simple packaging and a doe foot applicator is exactly right for this product, but the thing I love the most? It's not sticky in the slightest! It's perfect. Lightweight and long lasting. The pigmentation isn't huge when applied on the lips, but it's just enough to show a difference.

Out of the two I think my favourite has to be Fuchsia Flash, I've been reaching for this more at the moment as I feel blue tones suit my skin colour more, however I can see myself reaching for Glorious Grapefruit non stop in the summer.

Overall I'm completely in love with these and definitely want to pick up some more. I would highly recommend these for any sticky gloss haters out there - these will convert anyone.

What's your favourite lip glosses?

The Top 5 | Spring Lip Colours

I think it's safe to say I've been very quiet over the last couple of weeks on the ole blogosphere. No other reason that I've been ridiculously busy and just plain exhausted! I will be back to full pelt next week with a little series on "interviews"... Mainly because I got a new job eek! I haven't started yet but will fill you in on all the details next week! I've been nominated for a couple of tags as well so I will be doing those over the next couple of weeks too - so for those who have tagged me, I promise I'm not ignoring it! They are upcoming....

Moving on! I thought I'd pop a quick one up today of my favourite lip colours at the moment - all very bright, springy and coraly! I've kept to orange corals and gorgeous spring pinks thanks to this lovely weather we seem to be having! A mix of high end and drugstore give you a quick choice here - I love all of these - quality and longevity are key and they are perfect for a spring day!

Products used: (top to bottom of swatchs)

Mac Coral Bliss: Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Craving Coral: Bourjois Color Boost Crayon in Orange Punch: Mac Relentlessly Red: Rimmel Apocalips in Stella

What's your spring lip colours?

The How To | Caring for Dry Lips

It's that time of year when weather is changing, wind is up and havoc is played on lips or any parts of your body that can become very dry. For me, it really is my lips - it's a nightmare! I've found a couple of products that are amazing at keeping them lovely and soft, plump and smooth. Also - it will cost you under a tenner!

First up is the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub for only £5.50 and absolutely amazing. This is used daily and has lasted for around a year already. It's a sugar scrub that is rubbed over the lips to get rid of any dead skin, scabs from bitten lips, and smooths them out. Also, it tastes amazing. You just lick it off afterwards - yum!

Then, just to finish off, I used the Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm. Cheap as chips at £1.65 and actually fantastic quality. It lives in my handbag and it bought out constantly at the moment. It's smooth and fresh and very very nourishing for the lips. It contains Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter for moisture.

These two paired together are my go to for caring for my lips. Both have been a constant in my routine for around a year and I love them. Cheap and cheerful, and amazing quality.

How do you care for your lips in the changing seasons?

The Review | Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm

Is it just me or do all my reviews seem to be centered around lip products these past couple of weeks? Whoops. Anywho, if you don't know what these are then where have you been? It's a new launch from Revlon to go with their previous Just Bitten Balm Stains (which have also been repackaged, renamed and rereleased). I picked up three of their new Colour Burst Matte Balms as I wanted to try a crayon that was a tad different. All the others that have been released since Clinique's Chubby Sticks have been glossy, sheer sticks with a touch of colour. So when I heard there were matte ones coming out? Well that went straight in the diary. Revlon are 3 for 2 at the moment so I picked up the three shades that really caught my eye. 

The top one is Audacious, a brave vibrant orange - not a colour I would usually reach for I must admit but I saw it on Emma Stone in the advert and I had to have it. It's a very warming orange and one I will reach for more in the summer. 

Next we have Elusive, your typical everyday my lips but better shade. A blue toned dusky pink that gives your lips the illusion of colour and health. This has been the one I've used the most since picking them up for work etc.

Finally we have Unapologetic, and oh my gosh is this gorgeous. It's a beauty raspberry pink that is warm in tone and just plain yum. When I'm not at work this has been working its way onto my lips not questions asked.

In terms of formula, unlike other matte lip products, these are really silky to apply and then mattify when left on the lips for a minute. Lasting time is great, as with most matte products, I'd say a good four hours (depending on food and drink) and the colour payoff is amazing compared to a lot of other lip crayons. The finish is definitely matte, but it has quite a satin effect as well I've found - it doesn't look dry or chalky which I love. Also, it isn't drying in the slightest like other matte lip products. 

Overall these get a huge thumbs up from me. I love them and they have been living on my lips since purchase. I love the minty freshness to them as well, yum. You can get them for £7.99 here from Boots where they are (at time of publishing) 3 for 2 - so no excuses not to pick some up! Go go go!

What colour would you pick from the new range?

The Review | Sexy Mother Pucker in Replumzel

I got a new lip product i got a new lip product. I feel like this hasn't happened for a while. Yes I did just review two lipsticks but I got those a while ago and just hadn't reviewed them yet so... Yay! I will continue my new lip product dance (trust me, you don't want to see it.)

I have been loving Soap & Glory make up lately. It's fairly new to me so I am making the most of it. This is one of their Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks and I got it in Raplumzel (it took me about four days before I realised why it was called what it was, doh!). It's a gorgeous dark plum colour with a bit of raspberry pink to it. 

I have to say, this is the closest I've found to the Clinique Chubby Sticks. They are sheer and glossy, but still very long wearing. So comfortable to wear and enough colour pay off to be subtle yet sexy. I will definitely be picking another one of these us - I love them and they are perfect for any lipstick phobic readers out there.

You can find them in Boots for £8.00 here, Fuschia-Ristic is definitely on my wishlist.

Have you tried any of these? What's your favourite S&G product?

The Review | Collection Deluxe Lipsticks

It's those little products that you never think to try when you go awandering in Boots. However you see things reviewed on blogs you trust and then uh oh, there they are in your bag. This is what happened with these two. I'm very picky about lipsticks usually but I fell in love with these colours. 

Collection is an underdog brand, known for its Lasting Perfection range, loved by many. I think this is going to be another one like that. The Deluxe lipsticks are lovely little products. There are five shades, these two being the best of the bunch I believe. Tallulah, a gorgeous baby pink and Prohibition a deep berry red. 

They aren't the longest lasting in the world, but they are very pretty and very comfortable to wear. I really do love both. Tallulah probably gets more wear because its more of an everyday shade, but Prohition is perfect for going out in the evenings. Like I said, don't expect it to last for hours on end because they don't. You do get what you pay for with these, but they are just such pretty lipsticks I couldn't resist.

You can get these from Boots here for £3.99 each and Superdrug here for the same price.

Have you tried these? What bargain lipsticks would you recommend?

The Best of 2013 | Lips

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

We all know I'm a bit lip obsessed - especially when it comes to lipsticks. Lip gloss I'm a bit meh about, but you cannot beat the feeling of bringing home a new lippie! This was quite a toughie to narrow down to just five from over the year... Just click on each number to go through to my full reviews.

Number 3 hasn't been reviewed yet, but it is Collection Delux in Prohibition. It will be reviewed very soon and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

What's your favourite lip products of 2013?

The Review | Santa's Lip Scrub

This is definitely the most perfect Secret Santa gift of all time. It just screams it! Well, if you're buying for a girl anyway, not sure how much the boys will appreciate this. I will admit I actually bought this for my Secret Santa, then decided I wanted it for myself so got my SS something else so I could treat me. Whoops!

I have the Bubblegum version of this Lip Scrub and use it religiously. I get very dry lips, and I bite them as well which doesn't help, so I need all the help I can get. This isn't as coarse as the Bubblegum version, so basically it doesn't have as big bits for those with confused faces. It's a lot smoother so I've found it's better for everyday use rather than a proper scrub. It tastes of those cola bottle sweets (yum!) and is the same as the others, you can lick them straight off after use. I also love the little hearts on the top. Obviously after use they are gone but such a sweet little extra.

Stocking filler or Secret Santa, this is the perfect mini gift this Christmas. You can find the Santa's Lip Scrub in Lush stores and online here for £5.50.

What's keeping your lips supple this winter?