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Monday 20 February 2017

Zelens Extreme Velvet Lipsticks - Nude Plum, Red, Dark Red, Merlot

Zelens Extreme Velvet Lipsticks in Nude Plum, Red, Dark Red and Velvet Get Lippie 20170219

When I heard Zelens were launching a new lipstick range, I was delighted, for Zelens are one of my (if not the very pinnacle) favourite skincare brands of all time, and so I was incredibly excited at the thought of actual lipsticks from them.  I already own several of the lip glosses that were launched a couple of years ago, and they're amongst my most-used lip products.  Then, when I saw the actual Extreme Velvet Lipsticks in the flesh, I was even happier, for instead of releasing a range of crowd-pleasing insipid nudes and baby-pinks, like so many ranges these days, the colours (inspired by the favourite colours of the patients seen by Dr Marko Lens, the brand founder, in his surgery) are bold, and rich and deeply, deeply pigmented.

And they're beautiful.

Zelens Extreme Velvet Lipsticks have a soft and hydrating matte formula, which is full of lipids and waxes, and they also contain both hyaluronic acid and an ester of retinol (to encourage cell-turnover and collagen production),  all of which are designed to treat the lips as well as colour them. These are a great, exceedingly comfortable and non-drying wear.  Whilst not promoted as a long-wearing formula, I have found that they wear well without needing a touch-up for around six to eight hours. And without leaving a red ring of doom, too! They fade gently and evenly, even after eating or drinking.

Zelens Extreme Velvet Lipstick swatches in Nude Plum, Red, Dark Red and Velvet Get Lippie 20170219
Swatches in natural light (l-r) Nude Plum, Red, Dark Red and Merlot
I have, of course, gravitated towards the redder end of the colour choices in my selections - there are nine shades in the range, the others are Nude Pink, Nude Beige, Cinnamon, Raisin and Tea Rose. 

Nude Plum is a great "nude" shade for people who (like me) don't really wear nudes, with plenty of pigment, and without that nasty "concealer lip" effect.
Red is a bright and slightly warmed orange-based red that colours beautifully in one swipe of the bullet.
Dark Red is a slightly warm deep red wine shade.
Merlot is an even deeper version of dark red, a little difficult for everyday wear for me, but just stunning with the right outfit.

I'll probably pick up Tea Rose at some point as it's a great everyday colour, and I have a feeling it'll be quite versatile with the depth of pigmentation on offer.  If I have one criticism of the range (and it's a minor one, admittedly) it's that I'd like to see a brighter deep pink in here too because as it stands, the range is slightly skewed dark and warm, but actually that's not really a bad thing in the bland sea of nudes that tend to predominate these days.

 The lipsticks cost £32, are housed in handsome silver tube with a screw-top lid and are available exclusively from the Zelens website


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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Wednesday 12 October 2016

Armani Lip Magnets launch nationwide on October 28th




 2016 has been a great year for lipstick lovers, especially BRIGHT lipstick lovers, like, er ... me! Armani have launched a great range of mattes recently - they're currently exclusive to Selfridges, but they'll launch nationwide on October 28th, and I have a bunch of them here.  In today's post I'll talk about the colours and the formula, and I'll put swatches into the post tomorrow, otherwise it'll be a bit too much.  Launching in 18 shades, I have 11 of them here to show you - I'm just missing the nudes, I think.



From top (l-r) we have 300, 301 and 302.  Second row is 400, 401 and 402.  Third row is 500, 501, and 506, and the bottom two are 601 and 602.

The shades have been released in four different colour families, corals/oranges, reds, pinks/nudes and purple/berries.  They're all highly pigmented (though some are easier to apply than others), and they literally feel like you have bare lips once they're in place, and have "set" onto your lips.


(l-r) 300, 301, 302 Corals/Oranges
300 is a light, almost neon tangerine shade.
301 is a great medium coral
302 is a deeper warm red-orange.

This is me looking a bit tired in 302:




(l-r) 400, 401, and 402.

400 is a strawberry red.
401 is a cherry-pinked red and 
402 is a classic bright neutral red.  A quirk in the Armani packaging makes these look a lot more warm and "orange" than they actually appear on the lips.  Even my husband mentioned that they all looked "really orange" before I swatched them.


(l-r) 500, 501 and 506
500 is classic "bubblegum" pink on the bright side, but not too "Barbie"-looking.
501.  Barbie called, she wants her dream house back.
506 - a pinked mauve that is surprisingly easy to wear on this particular shunner of nudes.

Me moon-faced and slightly insane at 5.30am in 500:



And finally,
601 and 602 (at the front l-r)

601 is a cool-tone liverish purple
602 is a bright berry-purple shade.

602 in wear:
Can we say "goth"?
The formula is great.  A very thin and sheer liquid that can be easily built up in the more opaque shades, but I found that 300, 501 and 601/602 could be a little streaky if not applied carefully.  They have a "water-in-oil" formulation, which means they get more matte as the water in the formula evaporates off the lips, leaving just the pigmentation behind.  I haven't had any issues with my lips drying out whilst wearing these, nor do they feather or crease at all.  I have noticed an odd tendency for them to look glossier in photos than they do in real life.  I think this might have something to do with the light-reflective properties of the colours, which are opaque, but not at all flat, which is quite a feat.



The applicator is, quite possibly, one of the best I've ever used in a liquid lipstick format, it's firm, and doesn't pick up so much of the liquid that you have to smear it all over, and hope for the best.  It's on the small side, and has a very definite point to the tip, so you get an exceptionally precise application with little fuss, even if you're as cack-handed as I am first thing in the mornings!  They're not greasy, or slippery, and nor do they suck the moisture from your lips like other matte lipsticks I could (but won't) name.  They're an exceptionally nice, and easy wear.  That said, the wear time isn't like anything as great as a traditional heavy pigment and wax-based matte lipstick, but they wear off nicely (you do have to watch for the " red ring of doom" with some of the darker shades though), and they leave a nice stain of pigment on the lips.  The best (or worst, depending on your POV) ones for leaving behind a stain are the two brighter pinks (500 and 501) and the pinker berry shade (602).  None of the shades will survive a portion of chips, but they will stand up quite well to a couple of biscuits and a cup of tea (mental note, never blog when hungry).

Full lip-swatches tomorrow.  Armani Lip Magnets cost £27 and will launch nationwide on 28th October.

The Fine Print: PR samples



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Wednesday 13 July 2016

Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks Launch

Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in Pandemonium, Firebird, Naked and Conspiracy.
l-r Pandemonium (mega matte), Firebird (cream), Naked (cream) and Conspiracy (metallised)
Urban Decay have finally launched their full range of Vice lipsticks in the UK, and they're really lovely.  With 100 shades in six finishes (sheer, metallised, cream, comfort matte, mega matte and shimmer), there's truly something for everyone.  I think the Gwen Stefani collection was really a taster for the new Vice finishes, so I'm not going to review them in depth here, but I thought I'd show you a couple of pictures of the lipsticks, and tell you that they're magnificent.  I have Pandemonium, a grape purple in the mega matte formulation, Firebird, which is a cream fuchsia (and a repromote of the same shade from the aforementioned Gwen Stefani collection), then there is also Naked which is a pale pinky-grey mauve and Conspiracy, a metallic coffee bean shade which will never, ever, ever grace my lips.  Ever.  Beautiful on the right person (like, my mum for example), but I have no desire to wear it personally, but doesn't it look gorgeous in the bullet?

Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in Pandemonium, Firebird, Naked and Conspiracy.
l-r Pandemonium, Firebird, Naked, Conspiracy
There is figuratively nothing that makes my heart sing more than the sight of an untouched bullet of lipstick, and these are sooooooo photogenic.  Look, I have neither pets nor children, and only one sickly houseplant to take pictures of, so leave me my little indulgences, please.

I don't have swatches, because they're too pretty to mar, frankly, but here's a pic of me wearing the original version of Firebird taken back in February,  the lasting power on the cream formulation is marvellous, by the way,  and whilst not billed as a particularly long-lasting formula, I find they last at least 6-8 hours without reapplying, even if you eat whilst wearing:

Get Lippie Urban Decay Vice lipsick in Firebird swatch
Leave me alone, it was 6am on the Eurostar.
So there you go.  Not my most in-depth review perhaps (unless "pretty things are really pretty" is your bag, admittedly), but, by gum, they're pretty.

Urban Decay Vice lipsticks cost £15 each and are available now from the usual stockists. 

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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Monday 1 February 2016

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lipsticks Full Collection (with swatches!)

Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Full Packaging

 So, after a bit of a snafu with the Urban Decay website the other week, I finally have the whole Gwen Stefani collection in my grubby little paws.  I wasn't intending to, I just wanted the Firebird and Wonderland lipsticks initially, but then circumstances intervened, and after a short delay, I now have everything in the collection, including the online exclusive shades.  Today I'm going to concentrate on the lip products, because there's a reason this blog is called Get Lippie, but I'll show you the rest tomorrow.

Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipsticks and Liners

There are eight shades in total, and from left to right here we have:
Ex-Girlfriend - a sheer nude
Phonecall - a sheer candy pink (online exclusive shade)
Firebird - a shimmering fuchsia
Wonderland - glorious cherry pink
Spiderweb - glossy blue-red
714 - matte scarlet
Plaid - looks red here, but it's actually a juicy berry pink (online exclusive shade)
Rocksteady - deep blood red.

All the lipsticks except Spiderweb and Plaid come with matching liners.


Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipsticks Pinks and Reds

The packaging is a little plasticky, but it's fun and finished in a funky black and gold graphic design. The bullets are firmly attached in the cases, and they're gorgeous, gorgeous colours in a range of finishes.

Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipsticks Group

Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Black and Gold Tubes

So, what are the colours like on skin?

Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipstick Swatches

From left to right here we have Ex-Girlfriend liner and lipstick, Phonecall (both), Firebird (both), Wonderland (both), Spiderweb (lipstick only), 714 lipstick + liner, Plaid (lipstick only) and Rocksteady (both).  Sadly, I haven't worn any of the lipsticks yet (cold sores, sorry, and a full diary of LipsNspritz precluded) but I'll update this post with my thoughts once they've been worn.


Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipstick collection
Initial thoughts are that if you're a red lipstick fan - and it must be admitted here that I'm a much bigger fan of red lipstick than I am Gwen Stefani! - then you'll love this collection.  There are a couple of shades here for non-red lovers, but this is basically a BRIGHT collection, and I love it for that.  Only time will tell if the formulas are as good as the colours appear to be, but I'll keep you posted.

Coming up tomorrow, pictures of both the cheek palette, and the eyebrow kit.
 
Urban Decay #UDxGwen Gwen Stefani Collection - Lipstick collection, Eyebrow box and cheek palette
What are your thoughts on the Gwen Stefani collection?


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Sunday 31 January 2016

LipsNspritz of the Week 31 January 2016

Perfume and lipsticks featuring Molton Brown, Escentric Molecules, Demeter, Diptyque, Hermes, Shay & Blue and Lipstick Queen

 So, I take all my LipsNspritz pictures in one batch on a Saturday afternoon, then wear them throughout the week, taking different pictures of stuff on a daily basis is far too much like hard work for me!  I assure you I do wear them though.  LipsNspritz is my attempt both to wear my entire perfume and lipstick collection, and to help my nose "relearn" perfume whilst I continue my recovery from parosmia.  I'm no longer completely anosmic, merely hyposmic (I estimate that I have around 60% of my sense of smell back now) and I'm leaving my parosmia behind.  It still bothers me, but to a much lesser extent than it used to.  That said, I still struggle with recognising smells out of context, and I still struggle with some smells, though I have recently discovered that coffee no longer smells of sewage (it doesn't - yet - smell of coffee, however), and that has been a huge breakthrough.  

Anyway, on with what I was wearing this week.  The week began with Molton Brown Black Pepper, which is a divinely spicy, prickly, peppery hoot of an aftershave.  Or rather, it was before they reformulated it and called it Black Peppercorn.  It's still good, but a shadow of it's funny, unexpectedly sexy former self.  I wore it with Lipstick Queen Red Sinner, which as fine a red lipstick as a red lipstick can be.

I also tried a re-wearing of Escentric Molecules 01,  There's been a lot written about this one over the years (and if I read one more piece mentioning pheromones, or how it "melds with your personal chemistry to create a bespoke scent for the wearer" piece - ALL perfumes do that - I shall grind my teeth into powdery bloody stumps), and I shall not go on too much, but the "trick" of 01 is that it contains only one scented ingredient; a molecule named Iso E Super.  Iso E Super is a light and airy, slightly sweet and woody scent, and it can be difficult to smell in isolation.  On skin, it smells like clean skin, with a slightly cedary spect, and smells good, without really smelling like a traditional "perfume", much in the way ambergris-based fragrances smell to my nose.  As it happens, I couldn't really smell it whilst wearing it, but others could, and they liked it, without being able to say either why, or what it smelled like.  But this matches with my experience of wearing it before anosmia too, so that's that then.  I wore it with Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball Lipstick in Smitten, something else which doesn't draw attention to itself, but makes you more polished just the same.

Right now as I write this, I'm wearing Demeter Wet Garden, and Lipstick Queen Deep Red Sinner lipstick (alongside my favourite polka dot pyjamas.  What?).  I smell like lilacs in April, and I'm - apparently - channeling  Norma Desmond.  In pyjamas.  Oh yes, it's glamorous alright in beauty blogging.  Aren't you glad I don't vlog?

I love the sour-rhubarb and white flowers of Jour d'Hermes.  The sour fruit of the opening is such a surprise compared to grownup and ladylike white flowers of the middle notes, and I like the opening very much.  Sadly, for my nose, the white flowers are a little too ... ladylike and so it's not a fragrance I reach for very often as a result.  The lipstick was Jean Queen by Lipstick Queen, which is something else I find confusing.  The concept of matching ones lipstick to ones jeans is a bit ... superfluous (and my jeans are black, anyway), but it's a pretty pink-mauve, which doesn't scream "I AM WEARING JEANS!", so it will do.

I also wore Diptyque's Phylosykos this week.   I love this fragrance so very, very much.  It smells of a fig tree in its entirety, from the leaves, to the bark, to the milky fruit, with just a slight hint of coconut oil in the base.  It's rather wonderful and it reminds me, every time I wear it, of my days off in Cyprus (I used to be a holiday rep over there) where I used to slather myself in Hawaiian Tropic (factor 2!)  and drink cocktails under the fig trees on the beach.  Not only is it the best fig fragrance on the planet, it's also an instant holiday in a bottle.  Get some.  I wore this with Lipstick Queen Sinner in Wine.  I also like wine. Wine is good.

And finally, Shay and Blue Atropa Belladonna starting with a savoury blackcurrant accord, Atropa Belladonna slides into a waxy and fat jasmine and sandalwood, which is interesting, before ending in a sticky vanilla kiss.  I like this very much (not quite as much as I like their surprising and lovely Salted Caramel, however), and it was a fitting fragrance to spend a Saturday (also in pyjamas) afternoon wearing.  I paired it with Revlon Red Velvet Lip Butter, which should never have been discontinued.

What have you been wearing?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


This post: LipsNspritz of the Week 31 January 2016 originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

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Wednesday 20 January 2016

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl - Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent & Rose Transgressif

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl - Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent & Rose Transgressif

I know it's not right to fall in love with a lipstick simply because of its packaging, but boy, a sexy case can make up for a lot as far as I'm concerned!  I'm shallow, I know.  On Monday of this week, the latest addition to the Rouge Interdit lipstick collection from Givenchy was released, the Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl, and I love, love, love the packaging.

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl - Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent & Rose Transgressif
L-R Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent & Rose Transgressif
Essentially a sheerer version of their classic lipsticks, the Rouge Interdit Vinyl is a brightly pigmented and very glossy balm-formulation lipstick.

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl - Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent & Rose Transgressif
Yeah, I used Rouge Rebelle before I took the photos.  Sorry.

I have three shades, Rouge Rebelle, Beige Indecent, and Rose Transgressif.  Rouge Rebelle is a sheer clear red.  Beige Indecent is a browned-caramel-beige and Rose Transgressif is actually a brighter cool pink, not quite the candy-baby pink you see here.


Personally, my favourite is the Rouge Rebelle (surprise!  Some of you will have seen it on my instagram #LipsNspritz feed already), but I find Beige Indecent to be surprisingly wearable, because of the good pigmentation.  Rose Transgressif is tricky for me to wear because there is a lot of white in the formulation, but it's a good summery pink, if you can wear candy-pinks.

There's also a BLACK one, which looks terrifying in the tube, but I discovered at the launch last month that it is surprisingly wearable on the skin.  Mine hasn't arrived yet, but I'll be sure to show you it when it does ... For readers of a certain vintage, if you remember Honey Tea by Shiseido, then this will be the replacement you've been waiting for, so pick one up fast!  It's called Noir Revelateur, and is No.16 in the range.

Givenchy Rouge Interdit Vinyl are now available nationwide and cost £25 each.


The Fine Print: PR Samples


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Monday 11 January 2016

Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Lipstick Collection

Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection Packaging
 I love lipstick.  I love Marilyn Monroe, so when the press release for this Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Collection came in, it was a bit of a no-brainer.  A collection of four reds, inspired by the iconic looks of Marilyn, and selected for every skin-tone, I leapt to take a look at this one!

Four red lipsticks from the Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection

The four shades are Marilyn Ruby Red - a blue-based red cream.  Marilyn Sunset Red - an orange-based red cream.  Marilyn Berry, a pink-based red, and Marilyn Cabernet, a sightly deeper true red, with just the tiniest hint of gold shimmer.   Here's how they look in the bullet:

Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Collection Shades
 For some reason, my camera is making Marilyn Berry look like a baby-pink there, but I assure you it's actually a pink-red (as you'll see in the swatch pic below).  I love the shades they've picked out, actually, I think Sunset Red is the nearest to a lot of the reds Marilyn actually wore - she did love an orange-toned red, in pictures - but Berry and Ruby would work well for paler and cooler skin tones, respectively, where Sunset and Cabernet are good for warmer and darker skins.  Me, I'll be happy in all of them except Sunset, as I am both pale and cool, and find anything with an orange tone quite difficult to wear.  It's still lovely though.

Swatches of Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Collection
(L-R) Ruby, Sunset, Berry, Cabernet

The formula is a silky and relatively opaque one, the swatches show several passes with the bullet on my skin.  This pic is a much better representation of Berry too (third from the right, there).  I found the formula to be averagely long-lasting - four or five hours or so, unless you're eating and drinking - and oddly, a little bit sweet-tasting.  All in all a great collection for your money, and at £10.99 per lipstick, it'll be a little easier on the pocket, not to mention easier to get hold of than MAC's recent Dita Von Teese lipstick, so if you missed out on that (I only got mine by accident, I admit) then pick up one or two of these instead ... they're in-store now.

The Fine Print: PR Samples


This post: Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Lipstick Collection originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

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Monday 9 November 2015

Clinique Days of the Week Lipstick Set



To say I have no need for a Day of the Week lipstick set would be a mild understatement - I probably have enough lipsticks here for a Days of the Year lipstick set, if not eighteen months - but nonetheless when this turned up last week I laughed.  It's great.


Containing seven not-quite-full-size, but also not-quite-miniature lipsticks, one (you might have guessed) for each day of the week, this is both witty and fun.


The shades are (l-r):
Sweet Sunday - A soft taupe-pink mid-nude.
Monday Mojo - a cool fuchsia with blue micro-shimmer
Take On Tuesday - A pink-nude
Welcome Wednesday - warm caramel
Throwback Thursday - Baby Pink
Finally Friday - A deep, slightly warm pink
Sassy Saturday - deep warm red.


It's a cute and clever gift idea, the lipsticks will cover most colourings and most occasions.  They're all in the Soft Shine formulation, which is a mid-coverage but non-drying formula.  Whilst not totally sheer, they're shiny and easy to wear:


And they're only £35 for seven lipsticks.  What finer present for a lipstick lover (even a lipstick lover with more lipsticks than she knows what to do with) than that?

The Fine Print: PR Sample


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Thursday 5 November 2015

Burberry Christmas 2015 - Military Red Lips and Nails



Nothing says Christmas like red and gold, and Burberry have gone out of their way this year to package up some of their cult products (and add a couple of new ones) in a festive manner.  This might be my favourite collection of theirs in quite some time.



Packaged in shiny golden livery, in a festive change from the traditional pewter, the mini-collection consists of Burberry Kisses glosses and lipsticks in either Festive Gold or Military Red,  Nail polishes in the same, an eye cream-shadow in Festive Gold, alongside a shimmering fragrance powder, and a fluid base in Nude 01.  I have the Military Red selections to show you with the fragranced powder today.


Military Red is a perfect bright scarlet, bringing to mind holly berries, and, of course the colour of Christmas itself!  I haven't tried the nail varnish yet, but it'll be the next thing on my nails for sure, it's such a beautiful colour (I've long been a fan of Military Red - I reviewed it first on here back in 2012!).  The golden fragranced powder has only a slight hint of the My Burberry that it is fragranced with, but it's a subtle golden glow for the decolletage and shoulder blades.  If you find a fluffy enough brush, you could possibly decorate your hair with it too.  

In-store (at Harrods) and online now, the pieces in this collection start at £15 for the nail varnish and rise to £45 for the fragranced powder.  See anything you like? 

The Fine Print: PR Sample


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Monday 2 November 2015

Sleek Christmas Collection 2015



I'm a sucker for a Christmas collection, I am and this is a very pretty one from Sleek this year!  Glittering finishes and beautiful metallics abound including the gorgeous i-lust palette above.


Named after famous designers, Margiela and Louis are cream shades and the rest are sparkling powders.  The pigmentation is deep and lush, as you would expect from Sleek, and this is a nice, neutral selection of quite sparkly colours.  Did I mention they're quite sparkly?

To see the lipglosses, and the unusual highlighter collection please click the link to get to the rest of the post:

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Wednesday 14 October 2015

Burberry Kisses Sheer in 297 Midnight Plum, 249 Hydrangea, and 241 Crimson Pink




If 2014 was the year of matte lips, then 2015 has been the year of sheer glossy ones (it's also been a banner year for eye crayons, but more on that another time).  Now, I'm normally a full-on opaque kind of girl to be honest, but I'm always happy to play with sheers, as long as they're still pigmented enough to show up on my lips.  Luckily, these are, and they're gorgeous colours too.  More after the jump.

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Monday 21 September 2015

Christian Louboutin Velvet Matte Lip Colour in Survivita Review


Does the world need a £60 lipstick? More specifically, do I need a £60 lipstick?  Objectively, of course, the answer is no.  I have a bucketful of Guerlain Rouge G's which were £32.50 each (though I remember when they were £28, and rather eye-watering then) and a drawer of Tom Fords, which are £38 each.


However, when Christian Louboutin launched his super-luxe lip colour collection, offering 38 lipstick shades in three different formulations at a whopping £60 each, I was at least slightly intrigued as to what makes a Christian Louboutin lipstick worth almost twice as much as the two of the other most expensive formulations widely available right now.  So I bought one.  Like you (okay, I) do.

The inside of the cap is Louboutin red to match the flocking on the box
Having seen (but not been able to swatch) the different shades at the official press launch last month, I selected Survivita in the Velvet Matte formulation.  A cool, cool red that has a hint of pink, I selected the matte formula because, frankly, if I'm paying £60 for any cosmetic product, then I want it to last.  So, did it pass the Lippie test?  Click through to find out (warning, picture heavy)

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Monday 14 September 2015

Lipsticks and Perfumes of the Week 13.09.15 #LipsNSpritz

I'm mainly to be found over on Instagram at the moment, I love it.  Part of it is having a new camera, of course, but I've enjoyed finding different ways to show off products when I don't have enough time for writing during the week.  I've started a new hashtag series "#LipsNSpritz" (named by the glorious Katie from Lady From A Tramp) to show off my lipstick and perfume combinations every day.  Would love it if other people joined in, btw, but this is what I really enjoyed wearing last week:



Monday was Joan Collins Timeless Beauty I Am Woman (which I wrote about in full last Monday), and I'm not even slightly apologising for mentioning again here - nor for when it pops up again, either - as it's lovely.  Really, really lovely.  I paired it with Zelens Lip Glaze in Rouge, which is my favourite go-to red for when I don't really want to think about wearing "proper" red lipstick.  Easy to wear, and feels lovely on the lips, Zelens Lip Glazes are ace, I just wish I could wear more than two of the five shades - the corals and pinks all have too much white in the base for me.


Tuesday was Jo Loves Pomelo, which I love an unhealthy amount.  A light and zesty grapefruit-y citrus with just a hint of vetiver giving it a slightly grassy edge, it's a perfect scent for when you want something bright, but not too girly.  It's a clean "grapefruit" (Pomelo is, essentially a green grapefruit), lacking the sulfurous aspect many other grapefruits can have.  I paired it with Joan Collins Timeless Beauty lipstick in Helena (pay attention, you may notice a theme this week) which was a lovely rich, statement red.

On Wednesday, well, let's see if you can figure what I was up to on Wednesday just based on my fragrance and perfume choices, shall we?

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Monday 31 August 2015

Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalm - Raspberry Ripple and Cherries Jubilee



There's one trend not going anywhere at the moment, and that's the seemingly never-ending launches of sheer lipstick formulations.  Now, don't get me wrong, I do like a sheer lip colour, but I also like a lot of pigment, and the two aren't always that compatible.  The new "creamy colourbalm" from Laura Mercier may have tickled my fancy, however.


Housed in the signature brown livery of the brand, the Lip Parfaits are rather slimmer than a normal Laura Mercier lipstick, but they do still contain 3.5g of product.

 One the left there is Raspberry Ripple (one of the least raspberry-looking colours I've ever seen frankly) and on the right is the glorious Cherries Jubilee.



On swatching, both shades are sheer, but not unpigmented, and that made me very happy.  Laura Mercier is the queen of bright but natural pinks and these colours (even the raspberry that is actually a nude) are both lovely.


The reason why I don't like unpigmented lipsticks is because I have naturally unevenly pigmented lips - something you'll see in more detail in another blog post later this week - Laura Mercier Lip Parfait in Raspberry Ripple, even though it is both quite sheer, and a pink-nude shade actually contains enough pigment to cover my my uneven lips, and be pink enough not to make me look like a corpse, too.  Hoorah!


Cherries Jubilee is a little sheerer in coverage, but the stronger shade also helps cover  up my naturally uneven pigment.  Both colours are glossy without being sticky, and I haven't had any problems with transfer or staining. They're unfragranced too, so that's nice.

Laura Mercier's Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalms are available in 12 different shades, are in-store at SpaceNK, Selfridges and John Lewis now and will cost £19.50 each. 


The Fine Print: PR Sample


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