TAG: Lipstick Addict

"Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God into people." - Dita Von Teese

Amen to that. There's something about lipstick that makes us girls feel more pulled together, more capable, and ready to conquer the world.

It can be no coincidence that in times of recession, sales of lipstick go through the roof -  after all, there's a reason its called 'warpaint'. It makes you ready for battle.

Like most bloggers, lipstick of all kinds holds a special place in my heart, so thank you to beautiful KerryJustBeauty for tagging me for this post. Here goes...

 

A look at some of my out of control and growing collection of lip products! You can see that it would be fair to call me a lipstick addict. Here are my picks:

Favourite balm or Conditioning Treatment

 

This would have to be the Molton Brown Moisture Lock 24hr Replenisher. It’s such a God-send at times of the year when the weather is wreaking havoc on your poor face. 

Its got honey, beeswax and Vitamin E to keep your pout ultra-silky. And it doesn’t leave any kind of residue, so its very much a treatment rather than a gloss. I love to pop this on first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  

Sadly enough, I think this has now been discontinued, so I'm going to have to find a new love when my final tube runs out... *sob*

And I love a dab of good old Vaseline Lip Therapy for during the day, it never lets me down.

Because its such a multi-taster I always carry a little tin with me. I usually pop some on the tops of my cheekbones as well – it gives a gorgeous, youthful glow to the skin that looks amazing, especially in photos, a total secret weapon.

I love the limited editions they do and always have to collect them! My all time favourite is the Pink Bubbly version shown here. A girl can never have too much lipstick, or too many bubbles...

Best Eye Catching Red

 

I’m a massive, massive fan of the red lipped look, so I don’t just have one favourite red of course - I have several! All swatched here for your viewing pleasure. 

It took me a long time to feel 'grown-up enough' to wear red lipsticks, which is a bit odd. They're such an iconic, bold statement and I guess a large part of me didn't feel up to the challenge until a few years ago. But now its my all-time favourite lip look so I have a few picks...

 

 

The first is a recent purchase that Kerry introduced me to – Mac Lady Danger. It’s just such a bright, popping colour – it would turn anyone’s head!  I think despite being so bright, this shade actually suits all complexions and skin tones.

  The second is the Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in ‘Party Pink’ (but I class it as a red!). This stuff has incredible pigment and incredible lasting power - especially for a budget buy. 

Sometimes I get put off red if I’m going out for the evening because it can be quite high-maintenance and need a lot of careful touching up, but not with this stuff!  

 

Finally, my holy grail red is Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in ‘Rebelle’. Its another warm, orangey toned shade with just the right amount of shine – not too glossy, not too matte. 

This makes me feel sophisticated, classy and like a total lady at first swipe. It's like confidence in a little black and gold tube. A complete triumph in red!

 

All my current favourite reds are warmer shades. I think, being a lover of coral and brights, I found this an easier 'gateway' into wearing red than something cooler or more crimson.

However, a deep dark bordeaux shade is definitely on my winter wishlist, so I'll be taking my scarlet obsession further this year. Stay tuned on that one.

Best Luxury Lip Product

 

This one has to go to Chanel too. If you’re looking for a best-in-class gloss that you don’t mind spending a bit on, I urge you to look at their Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss. 

This is the most perfect gloss I’ve ever tried. It’s rich and pigmented, gives a great laquered shine, has an amazing gel texture and a moisturising, luminous finish. 

Plus, it’s the longest wearing gloss I’ve ever tried – this stuff stays on for hours! So the product delivers and the packaging is to die for -   smooth black glass tube with gold detailing on the top. 

Something really special, and actually worth the £21 price tag. Go on, treat yourself! This is their shade ‘Imaginaire’.

 

It's a perfect warm peachy pink shade that goes well with most eye looks, but especially plays well against  bronze shades in summer and sparkly smokey eye looks for this time of year.

Best Drugstore Lip Product

 

Going to give this one to Topshop Lips. I find myself drawn to their lipsticks time and again. They seem to have a knack of coming up with really gorgeous, on-trend shades that are really unique. 

The formulas are really nice too. The Topshop make-up artist in my local store told me that their cosmetics are made in the same factory as Mac ones, so essentially you’re getting the same quality for a smaller price. I especially love their shades ‘Saint’ ‘Inhibition’ and ‘Ooh La La’, which I can’t live without!

 

As you can see from the swatches, 'Ooh La La' is a bright kind of pastel coral that's so pretty and unique. Its a real must-have in my collection at the moment. 

'Saint' is great for that Brigitte Bardot 60s look that's always in vogue. And 'Inhibition' is a dark berry shade that got me into gothic looking lips this season.

Best Mac Lipstick

 

This one is very hard to choose, so I’ve had to focus my mind…I’m going to choose Mac Huggable Lip Colour in ‘Fresh and Frisky’.

I love the formula of these, which is ultra-moisturising and contains collagen to boost your pout. The finish is more dewy than glossy, but its just very flattering. ‘Fresh and Frisky’ is a warm peach nude that adds just the right amount of colour – it’s the perfect shade to pair with a big eye look.

The formula of these is just yummy. They feel sort of gel like, very moisturising and the finish is so dewy and pretty. Plus I like the pewter tubing much more than Mac's usual packaging. So much sleeker!

Most Disappointing Lip Product

 

This was hard, because I normally test things out before buying so I’m rarely disappointed at home, but it has to be NYX Matte Lipstick in Hippie Chic. Perhaps because I lusted after the shade for ages, but when I got my hands on some, I was not impressed. 

In most of the images I’ve seen it looked really vibrant, almost like a pastel neon and a really unique colour. But the shade in real life is a much duller, salmon colour than I was hoping for.

 

I also think the formula is horrible. Its so dry and chalky, its almost impossible to make it look half decent, and it highlights every imperfection and bit of flaky skin! 

I know it’s a matte, but its possible to do matte without making your lips feel mummified -  the Sleek Matte Me in my red selection is proof of that, it feels great on – so I just found this a bit of a let down and I don’t think I’ve worn it once since I got it! 

Liner - Yes or No?

 

A big fat yes. I love liner – I think we all have memories of that atrocious 90s trend for dark brown liner with pale pink lipstick, but don’t let that put you off! 

Done right, liner is an amazing way to cheat a fuller pout and make your lipstick stay put for longer. My favourite brand is the Rimmel Exaggerate liners, they’re cheap as chips, so you can get one in every colour to match all your lip shades, they don’t need sharpening, and they have a special angled tip that makes application easy. Plus a great, creamy formula. An all round winner.

Best Gloss

 

Overall, the best gloss I’ve ever tried is actually the Chanel one I nominated for best luxury…but to put it in twice would be cheating, wouldn’t it? 

So I’ll say Soap and Glory’s Sexy Mother Pucker range. And not just because of the awesome name. I really like that their glosses aren’t sticky. We all know how horrid a combination long hair, lipgloss and a slight breeze can be, so it’s a big sell to me when you get a shiny finish without the tackiness. 

I’m not sure it does a huge amount in the way of plumping, but I really like the thickness of the formula.

My favourite is the ‘candy gloss’ shade which is shot through with a fine golden shimmer and looks incredible on top of a nude shade. Some people aren’t keen on the ‘tingle’ effect, but I really like it for some reason!

Something Extra

 

 This is a recent discovery, but the DuWop Prime Venom is something I reach for a lot at the moment. 

It’s a lip primer, which translates to a silky, clear, non-glossy balm that you pop on before your lipcolour. It provides an intense hit of moisture and preps the lips beautifully, especially if you are wearing a strong colour and need your kisser to look flawless. 

It also smells gorgeous (a kind of minty cinnamon smell) and it claims to plump the lips at the same time. Its not a drastically inflated effect, but it does leave them feeling smooth and lovely.

And remember...on a bad day, there is always lipstick!