MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Firecracker

Hey all!

The freeeeeeezing weather really makes you start embracing the berry tones doesn't it? I will not deny I love reds and burgundies but I'm not normally one for a lipstick in the darker tones unless it's a balm or stain. I decided it was time to branch out and embrace what everyone else seems to wear all the time.

I recently wrote about the most beautiful Taylor Swift red lip product from MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer range, at the same time I picked up Firecracker which definitely fits the bill of a dark berry colour:

The Lip Lacquer is just like the NYX Lip Lingeries in that it is a liquid lipstick type product, and very pigmented. It's easy to apply and with a bit of practice a good clean line can be created.

I've been wearing it on weekends and as I mentioned in my other review I've been pretty impressed with the pigmentation and staying power. It does crack but for a £3 lip product I really don't see any issue with reapplying this and who doesn't reapply after food/drink anyway?!

I'm definitely coming around to wearing these shades and I'd like to get a lipstick in a more moisturising format so I can wear it without reapplying all the time. 

What do you think about darker lip products like this? Do you feel confident wearing them at all times? I'm definitely a weekend only kind of girl, but hopefully i will get used to them soon as I really like the colour.

Have you tried the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer? What were your thoughts?

L xxx

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Hyde Park

Hello there!

It's no secret that I'm newly obsessed with Nars having kept my wishlist at bay for such a long time, the flood gates seem to have been opened. I can't even begin to tell you how many blushes I now want, not to mention their Virtual Domination palette and their lip products are also highly rated by myself. You can see my previous review on the infamous Cruella lip pencil here, and this review is on the Satin lip pencil Hyde Park.

I bought this from the Space NK website; I'd never seen it in reality and pretty much bought it because the shade looked like something I'd like and get a lot of wear out of and the name was appealing. Who doesn't love a London named product??

Hype Park is described as a 'cardinal red' which to me sounds a lot more red than this. I would say it's more of a berry toned red and whilst I haven't tried other lip pencils from the Satin range to compare it to, I loved the more hydrating and lip balm feel to it than was expected. you could easily wear this pencil as a wash of colour and top it up with lip balm, or layer it up which is my preferred way of wearing it.

It's a gorgeous colour for almost any skin tone and for me personally with my dark hair and pale skin it's an absolute winner for the upcoming winter season.

The pencil style is super easy to use especially on the go, you just need to make sure you have sharpened it recently as otherwise you'll be a bit stuck! It;s the only downside I can find to the pencils as a whole as on the go it can be difficult to find a sharpener and this is where a traditional lipstick would have a major advantage.

That said, they're easy to apply and the colour can be built up with a few layers leaving a lovely stain after a few hours of wear and I didn't find that it settled into lines too badly either, though this does always happen eventually.

The photo above shows the berry colour and below is the lip pencil on my lips:






In my personal opinion sometimes I feel I need an actual lip pencil to line and fill my lips as something this can be a bit translucent as you can see in the image above. I just feel this kind of colour and look requires a clean and defined line.
The colour however is one of my favourites and it's now one product that always seems to live in my handbag. I wore it to a wedding recently and loved it, was so easy to apply and was even appropriate in the day time:

In short, I love it. I definitely want more of the lip pencils from Nars now I know where I stand with finishes. The set from Space NK for Christmas, the Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret holds 5 of the lip pencils in a smaller size and I've definitely got my eye on it. 

It contains Cruella and also Iberico(intense matte coral), Yu (shocking pink with cool undertones), Descanso (tea rose with satin finish) and Torres del Paine (peach coral with satin finish). Cruella and Yu are part of their normal range whilst the others are limited edition. I need to get my hands on this set as Torres del Paine looks beautiful! 

Have you tried any of the Nars lip pencils? Is the gift set on your wishlist? What colour is your favourite?

L xxx