Review: Clarins Joli Rouge Moisturizing Long-Wearing Lipstick

I have always loved Clarins lipsticks as they have such a smooth texture, never dry out my lips and always smell delicious. I was therefore excited to hear that the Joli Rouge* range has been revamped with a new moisture-enriched formula that comes in a beautiful new spectrum of shades!

It was difficult to choose as the new colours are all super flattering, so I went for some wearable shades of pink, nude and peach.

left to right and top to bottom: 715 candy rose, 745 pink praline, 707 petal pink

I had high expectations and these lipsticks did not disappoint! They are super creamy and smooth to apply giving just enough colour to leave your lips looking plump and glossy without feeling sticky. They have a lovely scent and last a decent amount of time given their hydrating formulation. They are perfect to pop into your handbag and reapply on the go as they are not too intense, but add just the right amount of colour and moisturise to keep your lips looking youthful.

Candy Rose is a blue toned pink with shimmer that adds a wearable pop of colour.

Pink Praline is a wearable pink toned nude that looks perfect when paired with a strong eye look.

Petal Pink is a mid toned, creamy pink that's perfect for every day wear. For me this is a your lips, but better colour!

The Joli Rouse lipsticks can be found here for £19.50.

Revlon Lip Butter Sweet Boutique

 The Revlon Lip Butter Sweet Boutique is back just in time for Christmas! 

Revlon will be giving away 100 Lip Butters from 8am to 11pm every day until the 4th of December on their Facebook page! Good luck lovelies! xxx

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

With a number of these crayon style balms currently on the market it has taken me quite a while to work through my selection. However, I was so impressed with Revlon's offering in their Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain I made sure to set aside an afternoon to show you a selection of shades and how they look on the lips!

So let's see how these balms/ stains measure up!

 

On the skin you can see that they are glossy and deliver a good amount of pigment in just a few strokes. I love the ease of application with these and as the swatch shows you can get a pretty precise line as they are not too soft.

So what about the lips?

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

I was really impressed with the buildability of these balms. The swatches above show a fairly full application, but as you can see they are still super glossy. I love a versatile lip product and the fact that these can be worn as just a sheer tint, or full on colour, makes them a handbag essential.

The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains are available for £7.99 here. Which is your favourite shade?

Clinique Chubby Sticks

Clinique Chubby Sticks are a really fun moisturising lip balm that give your lips a soft wash of colour. They are available in a great variety of shades and I was lucky enough to pick my top 3 at this week's Clinique cocktail party.

 Top to bottom and left to right: 14 curvy candy, 06 woppin watermelon, 15 pudgy peony.

As you can see the original chubby sticks are pretty sheer and while giving lots of moisture and shine they are not overly buildable in colour. As a lip balm they work perfectly for daytime wear and the crayon shape makes them effortless to apply, even without a mirror.

Being a lover of strong lip colour I am really excited to see that Clinique have now also launched an 'intense' version.

 This stunning red is 06 roomiest rose.

Even though my lips are pretty pigmented you can see that the chubby stick intense lives up to its name delivering an intense burst of colour. The texture of this lipstick is a little thicker than the original giving the lips a matte finish.

The original chubby stick can be found here for £16.

 

Are you a fan of Clinique's Chubby Sticks? Which is your favourite formulation? Which of the shades would you recommend?
 xxx

L'Oreal Miss Candy Collection

 

Pastel colours were all over the runways this Summer so I was excited to see that L'Oreal have brought out a new collection of candy colours for eyes, lips and nails. The collection features a fun selection of mouth watering, sugar sweet swirls of sparkles and shimmering shades.

Miss Candy Glam Shine lip glosses give a great twist on the classic glam shines with contrasting  swirls of shimmery and creamy colours. They are available in 6 glistening shades for £7.69 here.

Left to Right: 710 Pink Treat, 711 Nude BonBon, 703 Tart Lollipop, 712 Dolce Pralina, 

709 Miss Candy

My absolutely favourite part of this collection is the gorgeous assortment of candy cane nail polishes. There are 10 shades to choose from ranging from effervescent pastels to tangy brights at £4.99 each here.

Left to Right: 202 Marie Antoinette, 101 Opera Ballerina, 305 Dating Coral, 601French Riviera, 213 Sassy Pink, 616 Innocent Turquoise, 304 Spicy Orange.

I was so excited when these colours landed on my office desk that I almost gave myself a mini manicure straight away! I chose the gorgeous creamy 601 French Riviera to set off my (spray) tan. I absolutely love the summery colour with a hint of shimmer, though it is quite sheer so it needed 3 coats to build to an opaque finish.

The last part of the collection is a trio of Miss Candy Color Infallible eye shadows. These colours promise to be waterproof, long lasting and crease resistant. Each shade has a mix of contrasting flecks adding depth and interest and retails at £6.99 here.

 Left to Right: 32 Sassy Chamallow, 36 Naughty Strawberry, 31 Innocent Turquoise.

Have you seen L'Oreal's Miss Candy Collection in stores? What do you think of their selection of colours? I love pastel shades and am really excited to have a play with these over the summer! xxx

FOTD: Jubilee

This is the look I wore to watch the flotilla on the Thames for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this Sunday. The atmosphere in London has been absolutely amazing over the last few days and I am so happy to be a part of it!

While keeping the rest of my makeup neutral I decided to add a little patriotic red to my look with FashionistA's fabulous Red Carpet lippie (£7 here).

 

After many hours in the cold and wet of the Thames I think that I have put this lipstick to the test and it has passed with flying colours! Super pigmented, creamy, non drying and long lasting - this lipstick is one of my new favourite reds. It is so rich in colour, yet feels light while still looking glossy and being fade resistant.

 

Have you tried any colours from the FashionistA range? What's your favourite red lippie? How have you been celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee? xxx

Lily Cole Cruelty Free Collection for The Body Shop

The Body Shop's latest collaboration with Lily Cole has evolved into a limited edition cruelty free make up range celebrating their against animal testing ethos. The range is full of bright, springtime colours that make a statement, while being vegetarian and 100% cruelty free!

The collection includes a fantastic mix of face and skin products, as well as a mini brush set for cheeks, eyes and lips in a mirrored wallet.

Lily's favourite products are also my top pick from this collection. These cute little domes can be applied directly onto the skin to give an effortless subtle tint or flush to lips and cheeks.

Crazy for Coral is perfect to use on tanned skin, while Pinch Me Pink is flattering on any complexion. The colour is very subtle and easily blendable, perfect for on the go application over/ under makeup or on its own.

These Mini Hi-shine glosses are super sparkly and easy to throw in a bag. The colours are fairly sheer, so they can easily be used on their own or add a wet look to any bright lipstick.

The liquid liner in this collection is a rich violet with a hint of gold shimmer. As far as liquids go  this one is pretty simple to use as its felt tip applicator makes it easy to create a solid line. The purple is not as deep as others I have tried, but it's definitely a fun alternative to black, which is flattering on any eye colour.

I have always loved TBS's shimmer cubes and this combination of colours is absolutely gorgeous. 

I especially love pairing the deep, warm purple with the shimmery copper for an intense, yet radiant eye look.

The Pearl Radiance Primer in this collection is a great base to create a glowing complexion. Since this product has quite a bit of shimmer it does need to be used sparingly, especially on oily skin. Just one pump distributes the perfect amount of light-diffusing pearls!

Have you tried The Body Shop's strictly limited edition cruelty free makeup collection? What are your favourite products from the range? xxx

FOTD: 10 Mins Going Out Makeup

When in a rush I usually go for fail safe combo of bright lips and neutral eyes. This whole look took about 10 minutes, which I think is pretty speedy... though I have no doubt the bf would disagree ;).

With my amazing new Boudoir lashes (review coming soon) all I had to do was add a flick of L'Oreal carbon gloss eyeliner and a tiny amount of MAC's Phloof in the inner corners to open up my eyes.

I then used a small amount of MUA's Hot Lips lip balm on my cheeks (multi tasking) and mixed a red Eyeko lipstick with MAC's cool toned gladiola to create a statement. I find that mixing colours and layering up different textures of lip products ensures that your colour stays put all night!

What are you fail safe makeup choices? What products do you rely on to get ready in a hurry? xxx

17 Mirror Shine Purple Haze

I have been loving 17 Mirror Shine lipsticks lately! They are so smooth and glossy and leave my lips feeling soft and hydrated. I really like the fact that you can use them to just add a tint, or really layer them up for more colour. My current favourite is Purple Haze.

 

I absolutely adore this colour! It's bright and vibrant but is very comfortable to wear and fades beautifully!

You can find the 17 Mirror Shine On lipsticks in Boots for £4.59 here.

Have you tried these lipsticks? Which are your favourite shades? xxx 

YSL Glossy Stain

Glossy Stains from Yves Saint Laurent are designed to provide intense colour and shine, while being extremely long wearing. They look like a gloss, last like a stain and have the deep pigment of a lipstick. I love a bold lip colour so I was really excited to try these to see if they really deliver in all these categories!

I was kindly sent the Glossy Stain in shade 1 - an extremely deep and vampy purple.

On the skin this shade definitely has a plummy undertone with a high gloss finish. When first applied it has a smooth gel texture and can be sheered out a little or built up for greater impact. It fades down to a matte dark pink, which actually lasted on my hand all day!

My lips are quite pigmented so they counteracted the blue/ purple tint and gave the overall colour more of a red undertone. The application did require a steady hand, but the pointed tip of the applicator made it easy to get a defined edge without the aid if lipliner.

As you can see with just one slick of gloss the colour is extremely intense, however I did find that it looked darker on the inside of my lips in some areas. I'm not sure if this is just because my lips were dry that day so the tint clung to these areas more... I definitely need to play around with this shade a little more as I am determined to make it work for me in the future!

I am also keen to try out some of the lighter colours to see how intense they will look and play around with adding the Glossy Stain over a lipstick.

The YSL Glossy Stain retails at £22.50 and can be purchased online here.

Have you tried any of YSL's lip stains? What are your favourite shades? xxx