Lipstick Queen Look of Love vs Jean Queen Comparison

Last Lipstick Queen post for a while, I promise!  In my Look of Love review last week, I mentioned that  if you owned Jean Queen you might not need Look of Love too, and a reader (waves at Pink Sith) asked if I could compare them.  So here you go. 

Artificial Light

Daylight

 I was a bit surprised to see that Jean Queen, although brighter, is actually quite a bit cooler in tone than Look of Love, in my mind, I expected it to be the other way around for some reason.  Although, seeing as Jean Queen was, essentially, designed to go with blue denim it actually makes a bit of sense.

 
All rather neutral, all very wearable, and not quite as similar as I expected.  Funny how the memory plays tricks ...


Fine Print: Mixture of purchases and PR samples.  A magician was driving down the road, then he turned into a drive way. You're loving these jokes, aren't you? I'm not.

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Lipstick Queen Oxymoron in Minor Crisis and Honest Politician Comparison

 

It's not often that a product goes straight from a goody-bag into my everyday makeup bag, but Lipstick Queen Oxymoron in Minor Crisis has managed it.  A nude-mauve (I'm a bit obsessed with mauve) rather pigmented cream, you can use this as either a cheek or a lip-shade.  

I like the packaging (for the purposes of that statement, I'm ignoring the rather rubbish brush), I like that you can see the the shade even from underneath.

  Oxymoron are described as a "matte gloss", but they're essentially a pigmented cream, there's a slight satin finish, which isn't sticky, and the product is unscented.  I have both Minor Crisis, and if you were reading on Tuesday, you'll know that  I have Honest Politician too, I thought a comparison of both the shades might be helpful:

Honest Politician has a touch more brown in the formulation, but they're both very natural "nude" shades, which don't look at all concealer-like, and are perfect for that "my lips but better" look.

In slightly different lighting, which highlights the differences:
 

 
They are both actually quite pigmented, but it's easy to blend them out and get a sheerer effect:

 
Minor Crisis is a little brighter in use than Honest Politician, and probably makes a better lip colour as a result, whereas HP is that little but more of a skin-shade, which probably makes it better as a cheek colour.

 
The cream isn't so sticky that it's difficult to apply to your cheeks, but I do recommend that you use a loose-bristled synthetic brush, or your fingers, to apply.  Lasting power is about average on the lips, but I do recommend that you use a powder blush over the top to set if you want the blusher to last more than three or four hours on your cheeks.

I do love a multi-purpose product ...  

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
 
This post: Lipstick Queen Oxymoron in Minor Crisis and Honest Politician Comparison 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

Lipstick Queen Look of Love Lipstick Library

Long-time readers will know that I'm a big fan of Poppy King, and her company Lipstick Queen, and short-term readers might have noticed that there's a bit of a theme this week, after yesterday's post.  Both of you would be right.  After discovering an old classic yesterday, it's time to look at something new from the range.

If you haven't got an ABC earworm right now, then frankly, you're not old enough to be reading this blog.

Last May, Poppy released the first Lipstick Library (Liptropolis) which was inspired by New York, and this is volume two of the occasional series. Inspired, unsurprisingly, by love. It's a belter, and you'll never know how hard I fought to take the pictures of this before I swatched it!

Containing two lipsticks and an Oxymoron "matte lipgloss", the library retails at £40, and whilst initially pricey, it's actually a bit of a bargain - bought individually, these products would cost £58.  What you are getting for your money is a Lipstick Queen Saint lipstick in Pinky Nude, a brand new Butterfly Ball lipstick in Smitten, and an Oxymoron in Honest Politician.  Let's take a closer look:

All are on the rosey-pinky-mauve spectrum, and have been specially selected by Poppy to mimic that flush you get when you first ... you guessed it ... fall in love.  A closer look at the individual products:

 
Saint Pinky Nude is a pale (but not paler than your skin) pink, which has just enough depth to the shade to not make you look dead, and avoids the dreaded "concealer lips" look, which is horrific.

Butterfly Ball in Smitten is a brand new shade released only with this collection.  It's a gorgeous rosy-mauve with a hint of turquoise shimmer that supposedly helps your teeth look whiter.  The shimmer is, however, largely invisible in wear, as you'll see when we get to the swatches.

Oxymoron in Honest Politician is a brand new product to me, I've seen it in stores, and wondered what the point of a "matte gloss" was, so have mainly passed them by.  However, now I've tried this one, it's a product that's very quickly made it into my everyday makeup bag (albeit in a slightly different shade, which I'll show you later in the week), a fairly matte lipstick, which you can also use as a blusher, it's a really handy multi-use shade too.

Swatches:

  
You can see that Pinky Nude is on the sheer-pink side, Smitten is a little more mauve (and you can't see the shimmer), and Honest Politician has a more satin finish than either.  Poppy, however, recommends that you can layer all three products, using the Oxymoron as a base, then the pinky nude, and finishing off with a layer of the shimmery Smitten.  I've swatched that too:

  
You can see that this gives a more opaque, yet still glossy finish, which I rather like.  It reminds me, however, of Jean Queen - a shade I adore, even as I boggle (every time I use it) at the concept behind it - if you have Jean Queen, this kit might not be a must-have for you, but it is a rather lovely kit all the same, and I'm very glad to have it.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
This post: Lipstick Queen Look of Love Lipstick Library 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

Lipstick Queen Saint Wine

Lipstick Queen Saint in Wine may very well be my new most favourite lipstick shade.  I swatched it on Thursday, and HAD to have it.  It's not left my lips since.

In the bullet, it's a deep, deep berry shade, that has a hints of brown and mauve, and, frankly it looks pretty scary.  But the beauty of the Lipstick Queen Saint formulation is that it only has 10%  pigment, and leaves a rather sheer effect on the lips as a result.  Whilst possibly not as cushioning and "balmy" on the lips as my beloved Chantecaille Lip Chics, the Saint lipstick formulation is very, very comfortable in wear, and leaves a nice wash of colour on the lips too.

Yeah, I swatched before I photographed, sorry!

 The beauty of this shade is that, because it is quite sheer, it allows the natural colour of your lips to shine through, in the swatch, it's a little brown-looking, but as my lips are naturally quite pink (and pigmented) this turns it to quite a red shade:

It's an easy-to-wear shade, not too red to feel self-conscious in, and extremely flattering. It's  in Poppy King's signature unscented formulation (such a relief to have unscented products once in a while, I find), and it feels like it's doing your lips good when you're wearing it.

I'm going to have to pick up the Sinner version (90% pigment) too.  As soon as I do, I'll show you a comparison, with lip swatches ....

What's your current favourite lipstick shade?  
 
The Fine Print: PR Sample.

This post: Lipstick Queen Saint Wine 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.

Lipstick Queen Liptropolis Lipstick Library

 Anything new from Poppy King and Lipstick Queen always deserves a good looking at, and this latest release from Poppy is definitely worth a second look.  Visualised as the first in a series of "books" of lipsticks, Liptropolis is heavily influenced by New York, and the film "Metropolis", it's rather gorgeously designed, and is a real thing of beauty in a cluttered makeup collection:

The "book" contains three full size Lipstick Queen lipsticks, in silver casing to match the book innards:

Poppy says the colours were inspired by the various neighbourhoods around New York, and has a theory that you can tell where in the city you are by the predominant lipcolours that you see around - now I can't comment on that (though it's a theory from the woman who thought we were crying out to match our lips to our jeans, if that helps), and, as a result, the shades are named after the various neighbourhoods that inspired this theory:

Soho: "the fashionable red"
Upper East: "the elegant nude" and
Central Park "the refined peach"


On reading the descriptions, I was expecting Upper East and Central Park to be a lot less saturated than they are, personally, I'd describe the shades slightly differently, I'd contend that Upper East is actually a peach, and Central Park is more of a coral.  I think it becomes more apparent why in the swatches:

Soho is stunning in the tube, it looks like a pure, clear red, and is largely why I wanted the set in the first place.  On my skin it pulls a little more blue than I was expecting, but on the lips it's a great dramatic shade of red.  I love it.


Upper East is  ... well, peach.  And, I like it much more for being peach, as it's not one of those beige-based nudes that make people look ill.  Or, in my case, dead.  It's a lot easier to wear than I was expecting, which was great.


And my favourite: Central Park - which is a bright coral, and suits my skin perfectly.  It's on the reddish side, but that only makes me love it more.  And hey, it's "refined"!   ...


The formula is somewhere between the formulas of the famous Lipstick Queen "Saints", and "Sinners" formula, being rather more pigmented than the Saints, and less matte than the Sinners.  There's no scent - and how much do I love Poppy for refusing to scent her lipsticks?  Very much, that's how much - and the lasting time is about average, about four hours or so before you'll need to top up.

The Liptropolis Lipstick Library is available from SpaceNK and costs £40, which is a good price for three full-size lipsticks.  Poppy King lipsticks normally for around £17-18 each.  Can't wait to see what she comes up with next ... 

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  But I did have a chat with Poppy herself recently.  She's all kinds of aces.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

When Poppy King met No7

A brand new range of lip products were born:

 
I can't deny that I have a bit of a fangirl crush on Poppy King, aka the Lipstick Queen,  she's a stylish lady who is basically dedicating her life to lipstick.  Much like myself but, you know, with style and a lipstick company, and business sense and stuff.  I own something from practically every release she's done over the last few years or so, and, even when I think the ideas are a bit suspect (hello Jean Queen), I can't deny that she's onto something.


Poppy believes that there's a perfect lipstick (indeed a perfect red lipstick) for everyone, even people who hate lipstick, and this, her latest collection of lipsticks - and glosses - in collaboration with No7, which is released this week, is almost entirely perfectly pitched, in my opinion.


The lipsticks and glosses are entirely without shimmer, sparkle and glitter (and expect me to have more to say about glitter in cosmetic products later on in the week), and flavour, which makes a refreshing change.  There are seven shades in the range which runs the gamut from nudes to pinks to reds to browns to berries.


At the recent press launch, I was given Romance and History to try - which are, luckily the two I'd have gone right out and purchased that day, had they been available!

Swatches:

As you can see, both the glosses and the lipsticks swatch on the sheer side, Romance is a nice neutral pink, and History a sheer neutral red, not too orange, not too blue. Now, whilst they are sheer, they are buildable, particularly if you layer the gloss and lipstick together.  

Here, I'll demonstrate:


Romance:

History:

As you can see, alone, the lipsticks are sheer, and have a satin - not too glossy - finish, but adding a slick of the (slightly sheer on it's own) lipgloss intensifies the colours.  


Both the gloss and lipsticks are hydrating, and non-drying, although the wear is about average for such a balm-like product, a couple of hours, and they won't really last much beyond your morning cup of coffee. But they are so soft and hydrating that re-applying them isn't too much of a problem.  Best of all, the lipgloss isn't sticky!


The packaging on the lipsticks is nice, it's very different to normal No7 offerings, which I normally think look a bit cheap - even the special limited editions.  Metal cased, and rather on the small side, they actually contain a full-size lipstick, and they're more than comparable to the original Lipstick Queen lipsticks, including price, as they're going on sale for £12 each.


Sadly, the lipgloss packaging isn't that brilliant - Poppy explained it wonderfully at the launch, talking of Bakelite, Man Ray and Marilyn Monroe, and other such great visuals, and her lookbook was amazing ... but, just adding a spotty lid to a lipgloss isn't really that inspiring, to be honest.  Also, the doe foot applicator doesn't pick up much product - and tends to wipe off that which you do apply -  I'd have much preferred a brush, particularly for layering!  The lipgloss will be available for £11.


The range will be available both in-store and online later this week, I'll be going in to pick up one or two of the other shades, will you?

The Fine Print: PR samples received at press launch, but I'd have happily handed over actual cash-money for merely the opportunity to sit and gas with Poppy and Lisa Eldridge even without the goody bag! 


This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Lipstick Queen - Jean Queen.

I'm a sucker. No, really, sometimes I am.  I'm always on the look out for great neutrals and when I spotted these in SpaceNK (gah!) I had to indulge.  Poppy King's latest addition to the Lipstick Queen line is a lipstick and a gloss designed to go perfectly with jeans.

Yes, jeans.  Now, I love my jeans, don't get me wrong, but one thought in all the years I've been wearing them that's never ever occurred to me is "Does my lipstick go with my denim?".  Maybe I'm a little odd, but I tend to match my makeup to my mood rather than my outfit (and yes, it doesn't always work, thank you) but I was intrigued so bought both anyway.

Poppy has this to say about them:

"After 20 years of designing lip colors, I have often been asked what is the perfect shade to wear with jeans.  Voila!
 Jean Queen lights up your jeans and your whole face at the same time.  This special shade offsets jeans perfectly for day or evening and suits all skin tones, ages, jean cuts and colours.
See your jeans go from drab to fab with one stroke of Jean Queen! JEANIUS!"

Seriously, who are these people begging to have their jeans "lit up" by their lipstick?

Still, here at Get Lippie, ours is not to reason why (much), and I'll just get on with showing you the goods.

There's a lipstick and a gloss, both in a shade of mauve-y pink.  I have to say that I HATE the packaging of the lipgloss, it's a squeeze-tube, and it's very, very, very easy to squeeze too much out. Because the plastic is quite stiff, you have to squeeze it quite hard, and I fear accidentally matching my eyes and hair to my jeans too.

I've swatched the lipstick on the left there and the gloss on the right.  The lipstick is actually a fair bit brighter than the gloss, and for that reason, it's a little less neutral once it's on your lips than the gloss is. The lipstick is Poppy's usual sheeny style, which I find sits "on" the lips a little rather than melds with them, but it's a very pretty shade, all the same.  I find that the gloss is better for smokey eyed looks, and the lipstick is better for a more neutral eye look.

Anyway, here's me looking goofy (complete with Croydon facelift hairdo) so you can see how it looks on my mush:

(eyes are Burberry Rosewod and Chanel Cassis Liner, Face is Guerlain Lingerie de Peau, and blush is ... er ... something).  So, do my jeans look good in this?  I am wearing them, I promise.

Overall, I like the shade of both of these, neutral without being too nude, and they'll suit a variety of makeup looks ... but light up your jeans?  I dunno.  What do you think?

Oh, and Poppy, a word about the packaging:

Is that really necessary?