Red Lipstick to Suit Any Skin Tone - Universal Red Shade and High End Dupe

Anyone that picked up the stylist a couple of weeks ago would have read their article about products that claim to adapt to skin tones. They decided to send their army of Stylist bunnies out to the makeup world to see if they could find a lipstick that could universally suit anyone. They decided on Revlon Love Is On. A true pillar box red in my opinion, no orange hues but interestingly blue undertones which I normally avoid as I feel it can make teeth look yellowish.

Of course I had to try this for myself. I always bang on about finding the perfect shades for my skin tone so I had to put it to the test. I'm not the only one that was intrigued by this find as it took me a while to track this down across the Boots and Superdrugs near Tottenham Court Road,

I was pleasantly surprised I feel it does suit me and doesn't clash with my skin, Not my most favourite shade but I really love the formula and have quite a few of the Super Lustrous lipsticks from Revlon. I really like the packaging, very Chanel, however if you are not a fan of sweet smelling products the scent could put you off but I personally like it.  This is super affordable at £7.99 too.

As you can see I have placed this next to Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense in Moulin Rouge 43 (£16) as I think the Revlon Love Is On is quite a good dupe. Both creamy on the lips perfect for those dry lips out there but opaque enough to give a strong payoff of colour.  The Revlon is not as long lasting I don't think but for the price difference its quite easy to forgive.  I love stumbling across a dupe.

What do you think? Could this be the one we have been waiting for?
Article available online here to check out some other interesting finds

Charlotte Tilbury Secret Salma Lipstick

Charlotte Tilbury must be one of the fastest growing brands, not only by beauty bloggers but by those that don't even know the beauty bloggersphere even exists. Who can blame us with rose gold packaging, quality that is on point and shades that are just on another level.

Today I am sharing my views on the B-E-A-Utiful Secret Salma Lipstick which I have been referring to as Secret Selma, my first Charlotte Tilbury item of course it had to be a lipstick.  I am so happy with how opaque this shade is a lovely almost dusky nude pink.  The sales assistant said this is a great colour for Spanish skin, que bien.  I love the creamy formula, a matte finish but its not drying. Possibly not the most log lasting lipstick as it is so creamy but for me this how I prefer my lipsticks to be. I am really enjoying wearing this through Winter during the day and evening. I think the shade and formula are perfect for transitioning into spring makeup, if we ever get there.
Let's talk packaging, I mentioned the rose gold tube that is just so Instagramable who can resist? I also get that warm fuzzy feeling in my belly when I see a lipstick with something embossed on the barrel.  In this case a whopper set of lips are perfectly detailed on the tube I think its a great idea that the end of the lipstick instead of the standard round tip, Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks have a square finish.  I have found this helpful when trying to get a crisp edge around my lips.

At £24 these are at the higher end of the pricing bracket but all in all I think this is such a classy makeup product I fully understand the price tag. I am so happy I think I am going to pick up a red shade and a darker shade too.  If you have any recommendations on any Charlotte Tilbury products please leave suggestions below.  

Affordable Berry Lip

For me nothing says Winter makeup like a berry lip.  I have found two berry shades that I love and are from the great British high street so are super affordable at under £7.  These photos are from the archives so were taken probably two years ago and I have re purchased both shades since! The reason I am showing both in the same post is that I think the tones are very similar but the finishes are complete opposites.  Depending on your preference you may love one but hate the other yet for me I think the colours are dupes for each other. 

For a lot of people matte lips are a must for winter and if so you would love the Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish in 107. A Zoella favourite this can last all day. For those of you with dry lips this lipstick maybe isn't a wise choice as I have had some unflattering moments. But if you don't have that issue then this is a great one.

However if you prefer a more hydrating or shiny finish I would recommend you go for the Maybelline Moisture Renew in 470 Glam Plum Fulham. These were repackaged and reformulated a while back now and I 100% prefer the new shades they introduced. Not as long lasting on the lips but a great way to inject a bold lipstick.

I think the high street does some great berry shades so let me know which ones you have found recently. 

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick - Shade 5

I have been waiting for the opportunity to share possibly the most aesthetically pleasing lipstick I will ever own.  The Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in the shade 5. A beautiful bright, yet sophisticated pink. The lipstick glades on so smoothly even with dry chapped lips I always find this instantly makes my lips feel perfect.

Due to this being the shine formulation it means these are quite sheer and has more of a gloss or sheen to them.  Depending on your confidence with brighter lipsticks, for me I can wear this in the evening or on a hot summers day.  But if you are looking for an easy way to wear a bright lip I would recommend the Volupte Shine lipsticks. It is light on the lips and very comfortable. This shade I will would work on a range of different people, warm tones as well as paler ones.

However I do remember the first few times of wearing this shade I was a bit worried that as the formula is so hydrating that it may easily transfer across my face.  Something I do not need when tucking into a hot dog at a friends BBQ. None the less I have yet to experience any such disasters only compliments when I wear it.

Encased in gold tubing and boxing I keep my collection on my dressing table, I really like the center of the tube where the shade of the lipstick is shown through the YSL logo.  I think these are such elegant lipsticks.  At £28 they obviously carry the highend price tag, and to be honest I think I have always bought mine a duty free. But I can see why they are that price, I don't think there is anything on the high street that competes with this at the moment.

If there is one lipstick that instantly picks me up it is this one.  A brilliant shade for the work Christmas party, and a lovely gift if you are looking for some inspiration for Christmas presents this year.  

I am hoping to show you my Rouge Volupte lipstick collection soon so please let me know if you would be interested in that.

ELF Studio Blush

As you can see, I have three ELF studio blushes in Peachykeen, Candid Coral and Tickled Pink.  There are 11 shades within the range and contain 4.75g of product.  Packaging wise I think ELF have modeled themselves on NARS, so its all very sleek and sophisticated.  Three years ago these were actually the blushes that started off my obsession with cheek products, and I have never looked back.  I love the pigmentation and how soft the texture is.  Apparently some shades are a bit hit and miss, but I personally haven't found that with the ones I own.  I think they have a good longevity, and blend well into the skin to give a nice glowing look.  I believe that all the shades contain some form of shimmer, though it doesn't transfer onto the skin in Tinkled Pink's case.  ELF is definitely putting their prices up, because when I bought these I think I paid £2.50 each, now they retail for £3.75.  It's not a make or break amount and is still a very good price for the quality of this product, also ELF always have discount codes floating about.  The Gotta Glow shade is meant to be a lovely highlight, so it is on my list for my next order.  

Nars Blush in Gilda

 

 

Gilda, a coral toned pink shade, is my first blush from Nars, and definitely not my last.  I love how soft and easy this blends into the skin.  As a matte shade I was worried it could look a little flat, but it doesn't. I applies nicely to leave a lovely flushed look to the cheeks.  It's very pigmented so you only need a light hand.  On my skin this blush lasts all day which is one of the main reasons I want to buy some more shades. There is only 4.8 grams so at £21.50 they aren't the most cost effective blush on the market but I bought mine from ASOS when they had 20% student discount.  Nars packaging is lovely, sleek black with a soft rubbery cover.  However, it can get a bit grubby after a few days in the old makeup bag, so for those with a touch of OCD, I understand if you want to keep the box.  Overall this is a lovely blush and there is such a good array of shades that even if this shade doesn't float your boat I would recommend having a look at others.

Topshop Lips - Secret Admirer

Topshop makeup has become quite popular and though I haven't tried out everything in the range I have dabbled in their lipsticks, now owning three: Brighton Rock, Innocent and the newest addition to my collection Secret Admirer. For some reason I cannot find it on the Topshop website but they retail for £8 each and come in a variety of shades.

I decided to go for a light pink shade, and at first I did have to play around with it.  Even though these lipsticks do have a creamy texture they can show any dry flaky bits or cracks on the lips.  To stop this from happening I apply some Vaseline underneath and problem solved.  Without anything underneath I find these to be quite long lasting lipsticks so lovely for an evening out.

I've seen a lot of reviews saying how everyone loves the packaging, to be honest I'm not a massive fan.  There's a lot worse, but it's nothing to write home about.  If anything I find the plastic is quite thin.  However, I like how the lipsticks come in a box, unlike drugstore brands that don't have any exterior packaging.  Gives it a little bit of a luxury feel.

The finish of this shade, and all the others I have tried, is matte.  I'm becoming more a fan of the sheer, more moisturised look so as I said I apply a lip balm beforehand so the colour is not as opaque.  If you like matte lipsticks you'll like the Topshop ones.

Swatched, Secret Admirer looks like a Barbie pink, but once applied on my lips it actually finishes to slightly darker than expected.  I think this is a shade that varies with the pigmentation of the lips that it is applied to.  So I would recommend you try this on before buying it, because it could look amazing on your friend but look completely different on your own lips.

Overall I think this is an ok lipstick, I don't know if I think they are worth £8 but as a student I get a cheeky 10% off which isn't a lot but hey, a little goes a long way.

Nars Bronzer - Laguna

Yes I caved, I bought it.  As well as being an avid lipstick junkie, I am partial to a bit lots of bronzer. I have tried various high street bronzers by all different brands, but Nars Laguna Bronzer is the beauty community's most hyped bronzer, so naturally when ASOS decided to have 20% student discount before Christmas I couldn't say no. 

I don't know how to say this, but, here goes. Initially I was so disappointed with this particular shade and could not understand the hype. The bronzer generally is beautiful, it's Nars I didn't expect anything less to be honest. The texture is so lovely, so smooth and it blends amazingly on the skin to give a natural finish. Though there is shimmer that runs through the product in the pan, it doesn't transfer onto the skin.

Left: Laguna    Right: ELF Contour

The only reason for any disappointment is probably my own fault. Laguna bronzer is normally used as a contour shade and is the reason why I purchased it. For those of you that are not familiar with this term, contour is where a shadow is created in hollows of the face to scalp and shape the face to make it look thinner and define bone structure. I like a really dark, defined contour which I blend out, I found that Laguna did not give the full effect that I wanted. As the swatches show Laguna is so light compared to it's ELF 'dupe'. (Which is the bronzer I am currently using for my contour.)

I really love the quality though, definitely my favourite bronzer for longevity and finish. The packing is nice, sleek, black compact with a massive mirror which is handy. The outside can get a bit grubby after a while as any dirt or makeup does seem to attach itself to the rubber packaging. 

 I now use it all over my face and it warms up my complexion beautifully. I use this sometimes during the day as it is so easy to work with, but mainly in the evenings as I know it is one of those products that always looks good.  I do really like this and do appreciate that the quality that Nars Bronzers have is amazing. I still cannot quite fathom as to why this shade has become so big, because I don't believe that Laguna perfectly suits as many people as there is claiming that it does. I do definitely want to check out other shades, but I will go to a Nars counter before purchasing next time. Hopefully they will open a counter near me soon, not too close actually, I wont have any money left.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

This month Rimmel's Apocalips Lip Lacquers have literally exploded into bloggersphere and have taken over our lips. These were released at the very end of January in the mist of a 3 for 2 offer on Rimmel, lovely lovely. I, of course, picked up three shades Luna, Nova and Apocaliptic.

From Top to Bottom: Apocaliptic Nova Luna

I have heard nothing but glowing reviews for these so naturally I thought that I would instantly fall in love never to use a standard lipstick again. The reality was very different, I hated them. They smelt like paint, they felt like paint on the lips and showed ever dry crack in my lips. They were not what I expected at all. 

I actually really like the packaging, you can easily see which colour you're choosing, the lid has a sort of crystal style end. The wand is a doe foot applicator which actually spreads the product evenly across the lip. The wand contains a lot of product therefore can be a bit of pain when you first apply.

After spending a while testing all the different shades on my lips I decided that I wasn't going to just throw them to the back of a drawer and forget I ever bought them. I decided to play around with them a little bit and make them work for me. For me these are not a throw on as you leave the house sort of product.  How I have found works best for me is to apply one coat, then blot the colour on some tissue to remove the thickness of the product while creating a stain on the lips. I then apply a thin layer again, depending on which shade and the occasion I could be done there. However, with the brightest shade I own Apocalipic, I would then blot and apply one more time to make sure the colour is really vibrant without being too heavy on the lips.

Luna: The peach tone in the range. There is a shade that is more nude than this one. I have actually been a bit unfair with this shade as this photograph was taken after the first application, before I blotted whereas the other two are after the blot. This is probably my favourite out of all three, I think it would suit a lot of different skin tones.

Nova: A really nice daytime pink, this is almost a your lips but better shade. I wear this slightly more opaque than photographed but can look lovely sheered out too. The shade range is really varied and contains all different shades from a soft nude all the way to post box red 'Big Bang'.

Apocaliptic: The brightest shade that I own and for me a lovely nighttime shade. I wore this out to dinner and it stayed put for such a long time even after eating the stain still remained. When I swatched these on my hand in Boots, this shade causes me the most pain as it wouldn't come off my hand. I rubbed it and it just turned my hand pink. Good to know that it wasn't going anywhere, but embarrassing that I looked like I had a really bad rash. 

I now really like these and have been using Luna or Nova every day. These were created to combine the colour payoff of a lipstick and glossy finish of a lipgloss. I'm still working with the texture as the brighter shade can bleed a little and sometimes I do have to check to make sure I don't have any on my teeth. At £5.99 I think these are really great, and have also taught me that I shouldn't just give up on a product if I don't like it immediately. 

L'Oreal Colour Riche Nails - Boudoir Rose

I first tried these little beauties out in the summer, however, the colours that I had weren't very summery so I didn't really use them. I recently bought this shade Boudoir Rose (number 204) as I thought it was a lovely pink nude shade that would go with everything.

At £4.99 you may think that's really good for a L'Oreal nail varnish, however these only contain 5ml of product. Whereas, a Barry M has 10ml and a Models Own has 14ml of product, so not such a good deal price wise.

However, L'Oreal claim that these nail varnishes have a new LiquiGel technology which "offers easy application, even coverage and lasting glossy shine." As you can see in the above picture, L'Oreal have also created a paddle style brush which helps the application of the polish.  I actually really liked the brush, at first I didn't believe it would do anything, but it makes the application so much easier and a lot quicker than other polishes from other brands.

 As far as the LiquiGel technology, it is true that you would be left with a glossy finish that other varnishes do not have, and the reason I repurchased this product. However, they claim it is long lasting, but this shade did not last long on my nail at all. The first 24 hours were fine but after that a few chips started to appear, which to be honest did not bother me that much, (I know that some people cannot stand it though) but after 3/4 days I needed to repaint my nails completely,  therefore, I definitely would not call these long lasting nail varnishes.

It is really annoying that the colour does not last a little bit longer as I think L'Oreal Colour Riche nail varnish would be my favourite out of all the brands I have because the finish on the nails is so lovely and is so easy to apply. I think these would be brilliant for anyone that likes to change their nail colour every few days but wants a glossy finish without the faff of a topcoat. I personally am going to use these for when I go away for a few days or to a special occasion and want a nice quick manicured look.
Boots have a 3 for 2 offer at the moment so you could get 3 different shades for just over £3 each which I think is a good offer.

Accessorize Bronzer in Laguna

A bronzer called Laguna, but not the Nars version, you say. I have you intrigued don't I?
I bought this when I picked up my Accessorize Blush over a month ago now and I didn't actually see the name of this bronzer until I got home and examined the product more carefully. I believe this was about £6 from Superdrug, sorry I could not find a link to it on the website.

 Even though this is a 'bronzer' I actually use it has a highlight mainly across the tops of my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose. As you can see there is a spilt in the middle of the product as there are 2 shades, these can be used as two separate shades or mixed together.  I orginially thought that the shade on the left side of the pan was going to be the more 'highlight' shade and the other to be the bronzer of the two. Now, I think there's not really much in it, both have golden tones amongst shimmer that looks beautiful on the skin.

Top shade:Mixed together, Middle Shade:Shade on the right of the pan, Bottom Shade:Shade on the left of the pan

Like the Accessorize Blush, I quite like the packaging, girly, simple and looks pretty in my makeup bag. I also said in my other review how the case closes with a snap, and I did like that about it. Until this morning when I caught my finger in it. I still don't understand how to be honest.

Even though I use this product mainly as a highlighter, I do also use it as it's proper purpose, a bronzer. Due to the shimmer, there is always the worry about accidentally looking like a disco ball, however, with a light hand this can be used as an all over face bronzer. I would personally try and emphasize my cheek area more if I were to use the product in this way.
Also, please bare in mind this would definitely not work for contouring or to sculptural the face in any way. Not solely for the shimmery side of things, but also because this shade doesn't have the ashy tones that a contour should have, it consists of a more orange tone which works for a bronzer and not contour.

Please let me know if like me you're willing to ditch your Nars for your Accessorize.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - Pink Blush

This was in my haul last month and I said how I normally don't go for bright pinks. I love this shade, it's a matte finish which can be a little drying but if applied on top of a lip balm it isn't a problem for me. This particular shade does show cracked lips which as it's coming into winter could be a problem. As the name suggests this is a long lasting lipstick, I found it lasted a couple of hours, but not all day. I don't know if I would wear this alone during the day without gloss but in the evening I really like this lipstick.

This is the shade without balm or lip scrub

I am loving Rimmel lipsticks at the moment and even though I still think Pink Blush looks a little scary, once it is applied it looks lovely, especially with tanned skin. I like the packaging too, just simple black with the Rimmel slanted lid. You can pick this up for £4.99 and boots have 3 for 2 at the moment which means more shades :)