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

Happy Birthday Lipcote!

The beloved classic that is Lipcote is celebrating it's 50th birthday!

Now, I must confess that I haven't worn Lipcote in about 5 years, in fact the last photo I can find is circa 2006 below ;).

I recall it working brilliantly and keeping my lipstick in place all night without any bleeding or fading, however it did dry my lips out (a lot). Having worn it all day today I am surprised to say that my lips are not as parched as I would have expected! I do think the formulation has improved, it's not as tingly as I recall and it has a pleasant new vanilla scent.

To celebrate 50 years of Lipcote the HPM bloggers were invited to a 'virtual twitter party' this evening. Personally, I thought this was a good idea as it allows those outside of London get involved without the hassle and expense of having to travel in for an event.

As I am currently sitting glamorously on my sofa in pjs I decided to make a little effort and create my own unique shade of lipstick using an array of different lip colours.

I topped my custom made shade with a thin layer of Lipcote, which gave the lipstick a satin finish.

At just £3.49 Lipcote is an affordable essential for the party season to keep your berries, plums and vintage reds in place under the mistletoe. I wouldn't recommend it for use every day as coupled with the cold weather it will make your lips dehydrated, but it's perfect for special occasions when you need your lips to be picture perfect and kiss proof all night!

Lipcote is available from selected pharmacies including Boots and Superdrug.

Are you a fan of Lipcote? Do you use any products to promote the longevity of your lipsticks? Do you have any tips for making lipstick last longer? What's your go to shade this party season? xxx

** This is a sponsored post. All views and opinions are my own, as always.**

Max Factor Kiss Art - Lipfinity Liptints

I have always been a lover of liptints. As my lips are naturally pigmented I find them very easy to use and love the fact that they stay put all day through wind, snow and many a cocktail ;). I was therefore curious to try the new Max Factor Lipfinity Liptints that come in a handy felt tip form, and excited to introduce you all to the Kiss Art charity campaign in association with Macmillan Cancer support.

Max Factor are hosting an online auction at Ebay’s charity site (www.ebay.co.uk/ebayforcharity) on the 28th March 2011 where full proceeds will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. Max Factor will have its own dedicated area on the Ebay site and the auction will last at least one week. The auction will feature artist, illustrator and celebrity pieces of art with a fun twist - all the pieces are created using Max Factor Lipfinity Liptint pens!

Although I wouldn't describe myself as inherently 'artistic' I have always loved art and to some extent that passion has transformed into makeup. Though when the bf offered to make me an illustration I was curious to see what he could create with two liptint pens! I should have really known... though I assure you I did not model for this boudoir scene lol. Let me know what you think of his imagination... hmm I mean design ;).

So they work on paper but what about the lips? The colours I was sent are perhaps not the ones I would necessarily have chosen, but I have enjoyed wearing both of them. The lip tints smell delicious and are very easy to apply as the product is dispensed through the applicator in just the right quantity, no drips.
The hard edges of the pen also make the application accurate and help to define the lips. I first tried this on the tube and surprisingly managed to 'colour within the lines', which unfortunately isn't always the case for my shaky hands when it comes to lipsticks!

 Without flash - no. 04 on the left and 08 on the right.

 With flash - no. 04 on the left and 08 on the right.

Longevity is great as with any lip tint, though I did find them a little drying. Although I like the matte, natural effect of a lip tint I often reapply balm on top throughout the day, which does make the colour fade a little faster, but gives a glossy appearance and much needed moisture to the lips.

 A quick sweep of number 4. 

This photo highlights the fact that your lips must be in good condition to wear these or any other lip stain. Mine were a little chapped this evening after a day of sitting under the office aircon and braving the chilly wind outside, so you can see some of the colour has collected in the creases. This can easily be fixed with a little lipbalm, but just something to be aware of ;).

Have you tried Max Factor's Liptints? Are you a fan of lip stains? I do hope you all stop by Max Factor's Macmillan Cancer Support auction (www.ebay.co.uk/ebayforcharity) on the 28th of  March! Good luck and happy bidding! xxx

*This is a sponsored post*