Living Nature Lipstick in Wild Fire

Morning all!

A few weeks ago we were sent some lipsticks from Living Nature, so I chose the lipstick called Wild Fire.

Living Nature are a company from New Zealand who produce products that do not contain any synthetic compounds including parabens and only use beeswax and honey from animal derived products. In fact the list of products that aren't in any of their cosmetics is pretty impressive! In fact, here's the list so you can see yourself:

No Synthetic Preservatives, No potentially harmful chemicals, No Mineral Oils, No Herbicide or Pesticide Residues, No GM ingredients, No Animal Ingredients or testing, Only Use Recyclable, Reusable Packaging. The Living Nature preservative system is a synergy of potent plant extracts which are strong antioxidants, bactericides and fungicides. Living Nature aims to create a sustainable, profitable, ecological, educational and inspirational business that impacts on the individual by promoting healthy skin. 

All sounds wonderfully promising don't you think??

In addition to this, the lipsticks in particular have a 100% natural formula containing beeswax, certified by BDIH and produced in recyclable plastic tube. They are not tested on animals either which is always a great bonus, there really isn't any excuse any longer for animals to be tortured for humans to wear make up.

The packaging is black and rubbery on the outside, hopefully this means it is a little more hard wearing than other black plastic packaging we are all familiar with. It feels a lot sturdier and has a satisfying click so you can be sure the lid isn't going to fall of these - which you would think is an odd point to make but I've lost a few lipsticks to my hairbrush and keys recently and I refuse to lose any more!

Wild Fire is described as a semi-matte red with an orange undertone, it is a very wearable lipstick. The colour is quite sheer so it is more like a stain or a tinted lip balm than a traditional 'lipstick' but I really like it.

It's very comfortable to wear which is a welcome change from many of the matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks that are available now that I can find are very drying.

My lips are quite small and I always prefer a lip product with a cream or glossy finish to give the appearance of more volume so the semi-matte finish is a perfect compromise for every day wear.

The lipstick colour doesn't last all day with eating etc but to be honest it is so easy to reapply owing to the sheer finish that it isn't a problem.

The range of lipsticks from Living Nature contains twelve colours altogether and a lip hydrator. Botanical Brands (the sole distributor in the U.K. for Living Nature) carries all 12 of these which is great! You can find them at www.botanicalbrands.com 

The lipsticks cost £19.50 each which is perfectly reasonable for a lipstick with minimal chemicals and no animal testing in sight!


Have you heard of Living Nature before? Have you tried out some of their lipsticks?


They have a huge range of skincare too, some of their serums, oils and masks sound wonderful and I've spotted some gift sets that would be great on a Christmas list!

L xxx

Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar

Morning all!

I have a lovely quiet weekend planned, as a single girl Valentine's Day isn't high on my priorities so I will be spending my weekend catching up with everything I need to. I have so much to do and am really looking forward to doing everything I want to, and probably continuing pancake day well into the weekend too!

Without further ado, let's get onto the main reason for the post: Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar.

I tried this lipstick after receiving a tester sachet when repurchasing my favourite liquid liner from UD. I think these testers are awesome, they give you such a great opportunity to try new colours and see if you like them or not.
On this occasion I have only tried the one so far but it's having a 100% success rate - I've bought it!

The Revolution Lipsticks are defined by UD as 'Creamy, Badass Luxury' and I would have to agree. The packaging is badass and the range of colours are too, the lipstick is super luxurious and leaves your lips covered with pigment and hydrated.
Their Pigment Infusion System helps to deliver the super colours they have available, and in this range there are 20 - I want (NEED) them all!

The composition of the lipsticks includes jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter and it shows, they barely touch your lips and the colour is there without any effort. This also stops your lips from drying out and the colour lasts so much longer.

So what colour is Liar? It's a pinky-brown nude, its very warm in colour and has a creamy and luminous finish.

It's really wearable and is perfect for work, weekends and anything in between. I've been wearing it a lot and it seems to work for every occasion. You can see it on me in the images below:

I really like the finish, it's polished and has a good sheen but it looks natural. I feel like it warms my face up too and is so easy to slick on it and lasts so well that I find myself using it often.

So what do you think? Have you seen Liar, have you tried it?

What do you think of Urban Decay;s Revolution lipsticks?

I've been really impressed with the colour range, the pigmentation and the lasting power. You can pick up one of these lipsticks for £15.50, which is a pretty good deal I think!

L xxx

MAC Lipstick in Syrup

Hey there!

I've been working my way through my stash for an extremely long time - saving up my empty MAC products so that I can do the 'Back to Mac' deal that they have going on is one of my favourite things.
I love going into the shop with my empties and coming out with a free lipstick!

There are so many more lipsticks that I need to try and Syrup was the most recent addition.

MAC describe Syrup as a cloudy pink, it's a muted down soft pink with a lustre finish. It's quite a sheer finish, and so because of that is the perfect workwear lipstick. It can be built up and layered to give a deeper pink on the lips, it's also really moisturising and as so you can wear this all day without getting those dreaded flaky lips that can happen with matte finishes.

It's super comfortable and easy to wear, what's not to love!

It's almost a contender for a 'your lips but better' shade. When I was choosing my lipstick this time I tried a few that others rave over but unfortunately they just didn't seem to look right on me at all. This pinky shade seemed to make my skin look brighter which is always a bonus!

Here's a few snaps with the lipstick on:

Soft pink, super wearable, comfortable and flattering on many skin tones I would imagine.

Syrup is a winner in my eyes!

Have you bought Syrup? Which has been the latest lipstick to add to your collection?

I've no idea what I'd choose next! Any suggestions for your favourite wearable day shades like this?


L xxx

Topshop Lipstick in Nuclear

Morning!

Quite often I buy things and don't post about them (which is scary really as I think I post quite enough!) and this lipstick is one of them. I've had it kicking around in handbags for a while but even though I wear it regularly I hadn't posted about it, so I decided to change that.

I bought it on a random shopping trip, as most of my purchases are, and it became my first ever Topshop make up purchase. I've heard lots of things about their products and so many rave reviews for things such as nail polishes to highlighters. I thought it was time for me to investigate too!

The lipstick I picked up is called Nuclear and it's from their regular range - i.e. not limited edition.
The packaging was a little odd, the box itself was fine but I did wonder why it was sellotaped shut. Is make up crime in Cardiff that high?!

I wouldn't be surprised actually, this is much more preferable to buying a lipstick and finding out someone else has already used it. Not that this is just a Cardiff thing but as it's where I live and shop most it does seem to be a problem!

I also love the starry pattern on the outside of the casing - the matte black background and shiny stars are pretty but still chic, good work Topshop. The lipstick is a sheer colour which is what I love for daywear, I do sometimes love a bold lip for day but normally for an occasion so I stick with sheer mostly.

The black packaging is quite elegant when the lipstick bullet is twisted up, and I think it looks quite expensive considering the actual price tag of £8. Below shows with and without flash:

The formula is really creamy and sheer, it's hydrating without being too heavy and contains enough colour to know it's there without being over powering. I'd say there's also a certain level of buildability too as you can definitely get a more intense colour if you apply a few layers as shown below

Here is what it looks like on the lips in day light (shocker that we actually had some!)

As you can see it's sheer with a glossy finish and I'd say a good few hours wear time. You'd need to reapply after a meal but then I would say you have to do that with most sheer lipsticks.

Also a little nod to the name - Nuclear. Anything sciencey and coral just screams at my attention and I couldn't leave the shop without it. It's super wearable and the perfect foray into lipsticks if you're not yet acquainted with them, and if you're like me, perfect for an understated lip for work.

It's definitely a winner in my books and I will be browsing their collection next time I'm in store to see if there are any similar offerings.

Have you got any favourites from the Topshop product range? Do product names grab your attention as well or is it just me that's a sucker for them?

L xxx

Review: Maybelline Baby Lips

Some products get loads of hype. Especially it seems when products are built up pre release or released in America first. We all rush to get them but lately I seem to find myself finding the hype was better than the product turned out to be.

Baby Lips were something I'd heard so much about. Everyone seemed to have them and love them. They were a tinted lip balm that everyone seemed to love.

When L and I popped into our local Asda we decided to pick them up to test out. We both went with the cherry baby lips as we love red lips and colour on our lips.

The packaging isn't something that appeals to me. It just looks bright and aimed more at a younger market in my opinion. I also prefer if they were going to be different colours that they were coordinated to the colour of the product.

As someone who likes fruity smells the cherry in this is very fake cherry. Not something I mind too much but I imagine for some it would be overpowering.

For me the texture was the most disappointing thing. It feels like a thin almost greasy coating on my lips and the tint wasn't anything that wowed me. I guess I'd just come to expect more from the hype.

This shows the colour pay off and was after a few swipes.

My natural lip colour

With the product on. As you can see it leaves a glossy finish with a slight colour change.

They are very purse friendly though but for me they almost remind me of something you'd have as a child. For a lip balm I want something more balmy and for a lip colour I want more colour pay off. For tinted lip balms I think the Korres Lip Butters (review here) or the Carmex Moisture Plus have better moisturising and colours.

That sounds such a negative review but for me they just aren't something I'd buy again.

How did you find the baby lips?

Love M

xxx

Lipstick Mondays Maybelline Color Sensational Pop Stick in Cherry Pop

Monday again so another of my vastly growing lipstick collection to show you, I just can't stop buying lip products lately. But as I'm sure you all know by now L is in America and has told me to stop buying as everything is lots cheaper over there and I'm heading there at the end of sept. So I'm now on a spending ban. (I'm sure it won't last, such a shopping addict)

Today's was a purchased when I picked up last weeks 10 hour lip tint as it was 3 for 2 on Maybelline in boots. Who can resist that. Due to being absolutely won over by the tint gloss (I literally wear it every day) this has taken a bit of a back seat but I do still really like it.

 

Apologies for the group shot to show the packaging here. I love the packaging, it's clean and simple and I like the the sheer cover reflects the fact the pop sticks are a sheer was of colour.

As you can see from the bullet it's see through. It just adds a subtle hint of colour with a splash of moisture and a gorgeous cherry smell (if you aren't a fan of smells this won't be for you) 

I spent a while swatching the different shades in store and found this had the best colour pay off.

As you can see it comes out orange in the swatch and is very sheer. If you are after a full lipstick these aren't for you. They offer a subtle natural shade that is very wearable. I love how the shade just makes your natural lip colour look better. It does require a couple coats to build up to a reddy orange shade but when on the lip it's a great way to wear a subtle red colour for every day.

As you can see from the before and after photos it's just a sheer wash of colour. I really like the shade it gives, the smell and the feeling of not wearing a lipstick so you don't have to worry about un even wear off. Lasting power isn't great but it's more like a tinted lip conditioner. Also it's harder than a lipstick in the bullet so will last ages, but it just melts onto the lip.

One last thing to note, is definietly use a mirror. I learnt this the hard way and ending up looking like a messy child who had just eaten tomato soup, orange stains around the lips aren't good.

Have you tried any of the pop sticks? It's £7.19 in boots and still on 3 for 2. I think I need to try more shades. There is one very similar to the topshop one I'm eyeing up. What do you think of these more sheer lip shades??

Love M

xxx

I recently dyed my hair from blonde to red, what do you think? I thinking of going a bit brighter.