Red Lips | MAC Lipsticks

I've always admired how beautiful a red lip can look on others, but felt that such bold colours don't look quite right once on my own lips. Although I hadn't particularly tried many, those I had tried I felt were too bold and definitely weren't for me. After receiving a Debenhams voucher for Christmas I decided I'd pop to the MAC counter and take my time to search for a red lippy that I could (hopefully) see myself wearing. I did just that. I actually ended up with two as I couldn't decide which one I preferred! I took home a Lustre Lipstick in Lady Bug and a Sheen Supreme Lipstick in New Temptation (both of these were recommended by one of the MAC ladies). I also purchased a Lip Pencil in Cherry. 

Lady Bug is a buildable sheer red which has some orange tones to it. I find this red is very wearable, adding a subtle pop of colour. New Temptation is also a buildable sheer red but is more vivid in comparison to Lady Bug and I would say more of a cherry red. Due to the formula New Temptation feels very smooth and moisturising once applied. I love how New Temptation can be patted on to the lips to create a softer more subtle look. I think of the two New Temptation may be my favourite shade. 

{L-R- Cherry Lip Pencil, New Temptation & Lady Bug}

{L-R- Lady Bug & New Temptation}

Both of these lipsticks are, in my opinion, very wearable reds and are definitely shades that I feel I can confidently wear. Of course being the type of girl that normally wears more subtle shades it initially took a little getting used to but I'm pleased that I've managed to find reds that I feel suit me! The lovely thing is these reds are so versatile and easy to work with, both work well as an everyday colour but are still pretty enough to wear on a night out. 

What do you think? Any red lippy fans... if so what are your favourite's?

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Hello lovelies. Thought I'd share my thoughts on Revlon's new balm stains. I've seen quite a few posts on these floating around and quite liked the concept behind them so thought I would check them out myself. After having a mooch around the Revlon counter I ended up with the shade Honey. I picked this up over a month ago now so bit late on the post front.

Revlon's new balm stains look very similar to Clinique's Chubby Sticks - in other words the packaging is rocking the chubby crayon look. I quite like this as it's different to your standard lipstick/balm packaging. Although some may find this a bit too bulky. By twisting the bottom you are able to push up more product. Revlon's balm stains have a minty/dental floss scent to them, but I struggle to notice this scent once applied to my lips as the scent quickly fades. Due to the crayon tip of the balm stain this product is so easy to apply especially if you're on the go and want to apply some colour quickly. It can be quite low maintenance in that respect. I found this product to have great pigmentation which is easy to add to and build depending on the look you're going for.  

On application these balm stains offer a lot of colour and a slight glossy finish. It feels very soft and moisturising when applying, not like some lip products which can feel quite dry. The lovely thing about this product is the colour really does stay on your lips. Although the gloss fades the colour/stain sticks around for hours.

The shade I picked up - Honey - is a rosy pink/nude shade. In my opinion it leaves quite a natural dark pink finish when on the lips, so when the stain does fade it still looks lovely on. I'm not too sure what the other shades would look like on the lips after an hour or two. 

I'm really impressed with this product. I love the longevity and the colour pay off that you can achieve with these lip stains. I think they're affordable and great if you want a bit of colour but don't want to have to keep applying every ten minutes. I love how soft this feels  when applying on to the lips. But once on the lips, after a while I did find my lips felt quite dry, but as the stain stays on well I just popped a lip balm over the top which did the trick for me. Overall I think the colour pay off and longevity is brilliant for the price.

Have you tried Revlon's new kissable balm stains? Will you be trying these balm stains?

L'Oreal Caresse Lip Butters

I've been meaning to write a blog post on this for quite some time. Over the last couple of weeks I have accumulated a handful of L'Oreal's Caresse Lip Butters. I had heard lots of different things (mainly good) about lip butters in general and decided that I wanted to try some! Lip butters, if you didn't know, are said to be a cross between a lipstick and a lip balm. Therefore offer colour and moisture to the lips. Over the last few weeks I've been tempted by the selection of lip butters from L'Oreal - and have somehow ended up with 5 of their lip butters (I blame the offers that seem to be floating around in some stores!). The shades that I own include; Fashionista Pink, Aphrodite Scarlet, Tempting Lilac, Sweet Berry and Nude Ingenue.                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                     

L-R - Fashionista Pink, Aphrodite Scarlet, Tempting Lilac, Sweet Berry and Nude Ingenue.

L-R - Fashionista Pink, Aphrodite Scarlet, Tempting Lilac, Sweet Berry and Nude Ingenue. (2/3 coats)

                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                  

Now where to start... the packaging is sleek and makes identifying the lipstick very easy.  This is really handy as it can be a bit difficult sometimes to remember what is what, so it's a bit of a time saver. The lip butters themselves have a slightly sweet scent to them which is always nice. They are lovely to apply and feel soft and moisturising on the lips. You can achieve a nice colour on the lips as these lip butters are very buildable. One light coat adds a little bit of colour and shine, but after applying more coats you can build a more opaque look. I find the finish is more glossy and gentle on the lips than your regular lipstick. 

Personally I quite like the look you can create with these lip butters as I often shy away from bright lipsticks as I feel that they don't particularly suit me. But with these lip butters a softer finish can be achieved, so colours such as Aphrodite Scarlet do not come out on the lips as a bright matte red, as oppose to other red lipsticks. Instead it comes out as a more subtle red which is buildable and glossy... and for me, more wearable. I adore these lip butters, they're lovely and lightweight which is great for the Summer months ahead. The only flaw is that due to the formulation of lip butters they do not stay on the lips as long as a regular lipstick would. I have found that colouring the lips with a lip pencil beforehand does help in giving the lip butters something to cling to which helps with keeping the colour on for slightly longer. But other than that I can't fault them. I absolutely love all of the shades that I have picked up, I think they look lovely on - tempting lilac has to be one of my favourites! 

These are priced at around £7.99 and can be purchased in places such as Boots, Superdrug and many larger supermarkets. 

Have you tried any lip butters yet? - Have you got any favourites?