Guest Post - Senorita Carmen's Week In Lipstick

Yeah, I took a week off blogging (hopefully some of the reason why should have become clear to the people who were following me on Twitter this morning!) and a couple of my readers have stepped in to help.  Carmen is a long-term reader of Get Lippie, and this is her first step into writing any kind of blog post at all, so please be gentle, dear readers!

Carmen's Lipstick Adventures

Now, I'm not a Beauty Blogger but when Louise kindly offered me one of her slots I just couldn't resist! Be careful what you wish for, however, may just apply to both of us. The amount of stress involved trying to photograph your own arm with a smartphone and research the products you want to 'show and tell' was frankly exhausting. I could not do this even for a hobby. And I love lipstick. I do. But for the forseeable future I'll stick to my sudoku puzzles.

So, this is my story about my adventures with my week in Lipstick.

Firstly is my Scarlet O'Hara esque red lippie courtesy of New CID i-pout Scarlet. I first saw this on a previous post xxxxx and as it was a) a new brand to me and b) recommended by my lipstick guru this equalled c) that I just HAD to buy it. So I did. And its a definate head turner. It's red hot, in your face, come to mama...Forget the gimmicks of a light and a mirror (remember the days of Liparazzi?) I've never used them. With this scarlet you need a proper mirror to apply. And if you get feathering or bleeding on your lip line use a lip liner. It's creamy so it doesnt dry out your lips and its highly pigmented so it's stayability is a good few hours.

New CID is a brand formulated by MUA's and is available through their website www.newcidcosmetics.com as well as other retailers such as QVC. It retails for £15.

Next is one of my all time favourite lipsticks. Let me introduce you to my beloved Clarins 220 Bordeaux. This lipstick fills me with confidence. So much so, that if I pop to the local shops in my pj's and apply this lippie - I'm ready to face the world. As in look at my lips not at my pj's....This is a matte lipstick so you really need to ensure that your lips are as smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom. (I use Benefit lip scrub but Lush also do a version that is highly rated.) This lipstick practically stains your lips so it lasts through feeding frenzies and drinking sessions, although your ability to re-apply may be impaired. Hic. And because it is so matte your lips will need tlc the next day regardless of what you got up to the night before...

Now why it's called Bordeaux, I have no idea as it does not resemble any red wine let alone a Bordeaux that I've ever seen. It's much more a bright dark fushia, a pre-berry shade if you will, well before berry shades became all the rage. Its more a crushed raspberry shade than strawberry or blackberry. And it never fails to make me feel both juicy and fruity. Enough said.

Now for the bad news. This is from a Clarins Secret de Rouge range of long lasting lipsticks that is sadly discontinued. Very bad Clarins! I bought 3 of the beauties as soon as I heard and I'm on my last one. But here's the good news. If you have the internet - there are stockists still out there. Woo hoo!

This nude beauty is from Korres. Its my everyday natural make up look. For days when I just need a quick pick me up and this is my lipstick for my lips but better. Its from the Korres guava lipstick range so its delectably soft and moisturiusing. And because its such a neutral shade I can apply this anywhere without needing a mirror, for example whilst walking to my train station. But I do think that somewhere along the lines the greek instructions from Korres got a bit lost in translation. Firstly the shade is called Natural Purple. Purple. And yet there is nothing purple about this lipstick. Not a hint of a tint. Nada. Then the claims of long lasting as in "extended wear" and "intense colour". It's not long lasting mores the pity. It comes off over a tall skinny latte. Nor is it intense. Its a neutral nude shade as in barely there. But it is wonderfully soothing, smoothing and moisturising. So what if I have to re-apply twice from leaving home to getting to the office? Its so worth it. Speaking of worthiness, this retails at £15 from various retailers i.e. Oliver Bonas or their flagship Korres store on the King's Road.

This is Get Lippie. No really. Back in May last year I spotted a blog post about a fantastic collaboration between Daniel Sandler, Louise and Cosmetics a la Carte. It was described as a cool rosy purple and it is but on my lips it looks like a langurous rose shade and I am always without fail complimented on my lippie when I wear this. This is my internal stakeholder meeting lipstick. I rarely need the red lips effect at work. Muahaha. So how could this get any better? When I too create my own signature lipstick. (Already added to my 40th Birthday list of things to do).  It can be purchased from Cosmetics a la Carte for £18 + £4 p&p.

What do I wear during the day to keep my lips in top top condition? Its Hurraw! Because I wear lipstick every day and have dry lips I need to ensure that my out and about lip saviour is this black cherry tinted lip balm. Its natural, organic, vegan and fairtrade and my lips love it. Why a tinted lip balm? Beacuse I like a bit of colour on my lips and this is more soothing than continually applying layers of lipstick. Its a dark red sheer tint so it also doubles up as a lip balm on matte lipsticks starting to fade. Hurraw! is available from www.amazon.co.uk or if you are in Marleybone Content

And last but not least is my NYR Mulberry Lip Gloss. One of the few glosses I've kept hold of as I hate the gloss whipped hair streaks all over my face. The mulberry shade is a classic dark berry without bordeing into blackberry shades. This range fron NYR is their first cosmetic line and was the only make up range certified by the Soil Association when it launched Decembe r2010. It's without nasty silicone, carmine and parabens but best of all it's enriched with organic sweet orange essential oil. Which means when you wear it on a grey miserable day, the scent of oranges transports you momentarily to sunny Spain. But cheaper than a holiday at £9.50.

I hope you've enjoed my ramblings. And if you wear similiar shades let me know what else I should add to my collection. 

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