Red Lips.

Hi peeps! It's really nice to log back on and see some new followers. Thankyou and hello! Going to chat about a trend I have noticed the last few weeks, I cannot escape it, it's on all the pages of my magazines! Red lipstick...

It could be argued that red lips are a classic, timeless trend. But flicking through my Elle Collections A/W '13 magazine I couldn't help but notice the abundance of red lipstick used on the catwalk models on this seasons runway.

Red lips were sported on models walking for Lanvin, Armani, Meadham Kirchoff, Prada and Louis Vuitton to name a few, however the red in question was worn all different ways. 
The majority wore it glossy or with a balm finish, mattes weren't as popular this year.

Louis Vuitton and Prada sported red in a more smudged or 'just bitten' way whereas the Meadham Kirchoff and Armani models were much more polished with clean lip lines and an orange infused finish. Armani kept models super pale, with no sign of blush or even contouring which lead to a very striking 2D look, in comparison to the softer complexions on display at the other shows.

It's interesting to note that on the other end of the spectrum, the totally nude lip also cropped up an awful lot. There was a serious lack of any other colour other than red or barely-there, no signs of plums or purples so commonly seen on an Autumn/Winter catwalk. So whether you're prone to a bright pop of red, or a little shy and more comfortable with lip balm, either way you'll certainly be on trend this winter! Whichever you choose, wear it with soft eye makeup (if any at all), and refrain from pairing it with heavy eyeliner or brows, if you want to be a totally fashion-forward gal.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Nightmoth.

MAC 'Nightmoth' Lip Pencil, £12 for 4.5g

I had a shoot coming up where I was told I would be creating a 'burlesque' look. I had visions of bronze and gold eyelids with deep purple lips and diamond details. When I was actually at the shoot the spec changed slightly. I had bought 'Nightmoth' especially, but as I had been eyeing it up for a while I needed any excuse to make the purchase. 

I ran with dark plum lips as a theme, as a recent trip to the cinema left me mesmorised by the hair, makeup and costume in The Great Gatsby. I lined the lips with Nightmoth and filled the lips in the centre with Illamasqua's 'Drench' (a raspberry red) and blended them together with a lip brush to create an ombre effect. I've included a photo to show the result. I know this pencil will come in handy, it's important to have a suitable matching lip liner for dark colours and I love creating a graduated effect with brighter lipsticks in the centre too. 

Nightmoth is a very deep plum purple with brown undertones. Similarly to other MAC Lip Liners- while there is great and long lasting colour pay off, the consistency can be a little dry at times and does pull at the lips if you press hard (which sometimes you need to.) However that aside, they sharpen and perform really well.

Thanks for reading,

E.

So fresh and so clean.

Untouched lipsticks make me happy. These two have been sitting in my drawer since December but have remained untouched until this week. Partly because the packaging fills me with a content, warm feeling every time I open my storage and see it shining back at me, but partly because I felt the shades weren't right for the season until now. 

I picked up Tom Ford 'Wild Ginger' on a staff order last year, back when I was able to receive a rather generous discount on TF products. I had been eyeing up this shade for an awful long time, I am a sucker for an orange red. This is my second TF lipstick and as usual I have been very impressed by the quality- heavy, click shut packaging paired with a smooth formula that is high in pigmentation and comfortable to wear. This colour is most striking worn with fresh, flawless foundation base and barely there eye makeup or a small and tasteful eyeliner flick.

Ben bought YSL Rouge Pur Couture in no.52 as a christmas present for me. He knows how much I love YSL but I would rarely treat myself to a lipstick from there. This is a bright coral pink, a little reminiscent of a couple of limited edition MAC lipsticks I have,  which were favourites of mine last summer. Similarly to my weakness for orange reds, I do love me a coral. And you all know I love me a bright lip, so this was always going to be love.

A little bit of luxury does everybody good, I am not sure I could ever justify a Tom Ford lipstick full price and I am kicking myself for not picking up more when I had the chance. The traceless foundation stick in Alabaster is also calling to me. Are you girls loving these shades as much as I am, or are they a bit daring for you?

Thanks for reading,

E.

My Make Up Artist Lip Palette

Top row L-R: MAC Blankety, Pink Plaid & Rebel,. Illamasqua Immodest, Flare and Apocalips..
Bottom row L-R: Illamasqua Drench & Russian Red,  Vegas Volt. Illamasqua Wanton, Plunge, Corrupt and MAC Up The Amp

I finally got my act together and made my lip palette. On most jobs, a lip palette is ideal because it saves both space and weight in an already heavy kit bag. I would only use lipstick straight from the bullet for a 'special occasion' such as for a bride on her wedding day or if I was to ever work on a high profile client (though that is a long way down the road.)

I've seen this process done in many ways, some use a whole lipstick, others a slither. Some melt the lipstick and pour into the box, others cut and smush. I made that word up by the way, but I'm totally sure you all know what I mean. 
I decided that I didn't want to sacrifice a whole lipstick to a Muji pill box. Instead, I cleaned all of my lipsticks and used a third to a half of the product, leaving some remaining in its packaging. Why did I choose to do this? Firstly, because I wanted some lipsticks left over, you never know if the Muji box will become damaged or god forbid, lost. If I had used 12 whole lipsticks and then something bad happened then I'd be waving goodbye to £150+ worth of makeup. Secondly, (as mentioned above) some clients would prefer to see an MUA working from a lipstick bullet rather than a messy palette of smushed up colours. (There's that word again.)

I also decided not to melt my lipsticks. I can't help but feel it is a massive faff for no reason at all, plus I am sure that melting and drying lipsticks will alter their original texture. I want my mattes to stay matte, and anything with glitter in I want to stay evenly distributed.

For this palette I only used a combination of MAC and Illamasqua lipsticks, because they are good quality and high in pigmentation, and not so expensive that it felt a sin to cut them up.

The process is straightforward but fiddly at times. I cleansed each lipstick and used a sharp knife to slice off the desired amount, then smoothing it into its section in the pill box. I later pressed down on each segment to secure it in place. Not as neat looking as those who have melted, but it'll do the job and that's what matters. 

I have used this a few times now and so far it delivers well. It is such a good way of keeping an amount of lipsticks succinct and it also makes it easy to mix different shades on the back of my hand!

Thanks for reading,

E.

Rebel, Rebel.

MAC 'Rebel' lipstick, £14 for 3.5g. 

Thanks to the gorgeous Catrine over at Unnaked Nails I finally convinced myself that yes, another MAC lipstick was in order. 'Rebel' dropped on my doorstep earlier this week (well the Yodel man handed my box of goodies over, we're firm friends) and I whipped it on straight away. It is a deep blackberry purple shade and is of 'satin' finish. While I always find the MAC satin lipsticks drying (more so than the other finishes) I can overlook that point because I luuurrrve this shade. It's deep, but sophisticated without being too gothic. Though if you are a goth, this could totally work for you too.
As ever, unless you're going on a big night out or have a fancy do to attend, keep the eye makeup minimal. I used NARS 'Abysinia' as a base with MAC's 'Haux' in the crease and added lashings of mascara. See below for the rest of the products I used.

Please excuse the 'MySpace pose' above.

Face:

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 02

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Fair'

Bobbi Brown Brightening Face Powder in 'Brightening Nudes'

Illamasqua blusher 'Lover'

Eyes & Brows

Benefit 'Stay Don't Stray' eye primer

NARS 'Abyssinia' eyeshadow

MAC 'Haux' eyeshadow

YSL 'Shocking' mascara

Benefit Brow Pencil 'Medium'

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner 'Sepia Ink'

Lips:

MAC lipliners in 'Brick' and 'Magenta'

MAC 'Rebel'

Would you dare to wear Rebel?

New Cid I-Gloss in 'Raspberry Kiss'

New CID I-Gloss Light Up Lipgloss in 'Raspberry Kiss', £13.59 from hairtrade.com. 

I was so excited to try this! I've been curious about New CID for a long time and having the chance to trial one of their lipglosses made me feel like a very lucky gal.

I'll start with the packaging. At first glance this lip gloss looks pretty regular- the tube is transparent so that you can see the shade inside, but on closer inspection you soon start noticing the interesting stuff. Not only does the lipgloss have a mirror alongside the tube, which is handy, but as soon as you twist off the applicator this bright white light switches on automatically. These two features make it a very unique lipgloss and the perfect accessory for a night out on the town- you're sure to attract some attention with a lit up lipgloss and it'll save plenty of toilet trips as you'll have your very own mirror and light all in one place to top up. It could also make a great impromptu torch, or glowstick, should a situation where you needed either of these arise!

The shade 'Raspberry Kiss' looks a deep red in the tube but transfers a beautiful sheer berry shade on the lips. The pigment has enough depth to it that it is great worn at this time of year- on it's own during the day or layered on top of a red lippy for night time. There's lots of microglitter scattered through it but this isn't very noticeable when it is on, and the glitter wears off naturally with the gloss throughout the day.

The consistency of the gloss is lovely- it's light and non- sticky. I find it lasts around an hour and a half before it needs topping up, but if you don't have time to do this it does wear down to a subtle berry stain. The only downfall I noticed was that it settled into the lines in my lips however I imagine thise wouldn't be as noticeable with their lighter shades. If it does feather, this could probably be combatted using a lip liner.

All in all, this is a fab product and would make an excellent Christmas gift because it's a conversation starter paired with a good quality product inside. I love the shade because it is so wearable and I imagine it would suit almost everybody, even those who are shy of colour as it isn't 'too much.'
I definitely want to try more shades of these, 'Coral Candy' looks like my perfect summer colour. You can also watch a demonstration of the I-Gloss and other New CID products by clicking here.

This product was sent for me to review. Hairtrade.com is one of the UK's leading online retailers of hair extensions, hair care and beauty products. You can buy this product by clicking here.

Lychee Luxe Lipglass.

 M.A.C. Tinted Lipglass in 'Lychee Luxe', £13.50 for 4.8g.

You may remember that I surprised myself a couple of months ago at how much I liked my first Lipglass from MAC (you can see a review and swatches of Pink Lemonade here.) Well, I soon gave in and ordered another, with the good-enough-to-eat name 'Lychee Luxe'.

For once, the website seemed to describe the shade of this quite aptly as a 'pinky coral with golden shimmer'  -it's a red infused coral which makes it perfect to wear during this transitional season and throughout autumn because it's got more depth and is quite intense. This makes me happy as it's no secret what a coral girl I am, and I'm not ready to give them up yet! The gold shimmer specks are obvious when you're up close but they're not too chunky, the gold creates a warm sheen when the gloss reflects the light.

As with all lipglasses, the consistency is thick and balmy, and it's because of this that people's opinions of them always seem so split. It is also quite gloopy but it's due to these factors that you get impresive pigmentation and a long lasting finish. Whilst these are nice layered on top of lipsticks, these pack enough punch to be worn on their own and unlike the negative effects MAC lipsticks have on my lips (always dry and worse for wear the next day), this isn't the case with the lipglasses, which is another bonus.

I think I'll purchase a couple more of these over time, I've definitely got my eye on Russian Red and Eclectic Edge. (I wish I'd bought True Babe, why are the best colours always Limited Edition?!)

Do you own this shade? Are you a lover or a hater of The Mac Lipglass?

FOTD: Creamy pink lips.

I was initially a little disappointed when I  first tried my Tom Ford lipstick in Blush Nude on. Before you think I'd have the audacity to 'diss' a TF lipstick, I'm not, just the shade wasn't for me. As most of you will know by now, Emily doesn't do nude lips. I just don't feel like me and I like having fun with colour which often results in coloured lips, and I also think flatters my pale skintone better, too. This Tom Ford lipstick is fine luxury- it's so creamy, so smooth, and so opaque on just one swipe on the lips, so I had to find a way to wear it.

By layering a bit of 'Rock Candy' lipgloss from Estee Lauder on top, which was part of a duo lipgloss I got free in their most recent Gift With Purchase (you can see that here), these two products create a soft milky pink that looks ace with a smokey eye. It's about as 'nude' as my lips will ever get, but I love it and know I'll be wearing this look a lot more often from now on.

What do you think? Do you own any Tom Ford lipsticks? I definitely need Wild Ginger in my life, I'm a sucker for an orange red.

Midweek post: What A Blast!

MAC Pro Longwear Lip Liner in 'What A Blast!', £14 for 1.2g.

It's no secret that I love bright lip colours. Whether it be coral, pink or red I feel most comfortable with a pop of colour on my lips, nudes just aren't for me.

I bought this Pro Longwear lip liner in 'What A Blast!' hoping that I could use it as an all over lip colour due to it's unashamedly vivid neon colour.

The Pro Longwear pencil promises to be longwearing, with smooth application and high pigment. The pencil does tick two of these three boxes; the pencil is so creamy and buttery soft in comparison to the regular MAC lip liners, there's no dragging or discomfort. Secondly, the pigmentation is so fantastic that it'll make you wince. This shade is one of the most vivid, bright neon colours I have ever seen or experienced in lip colour and for that reason I don't want to write a totally negative review...

The one issue I have is that it isn't longwearing on me. The texture is so creamy yet when it sets on the lips it does that typical thing that so many 'longwearing' products end up doing, and that is it becomes dry and crumbly. As soon as I take a sip of a drink, let alone eat, the colour is gone and I'm left with a delightful ring around my lips along with flakes and crumbs of orange residue...now how attractive does that sound? I find this issue really frustrating as I absolutely hate being paranoid when I'm wearing a makeup product, it takes all the fun out of it when you're constantly checking if it's still in place- and in this case, it never is!
As a lipliner on it's own it is ok, and I find I can pair it with my 17 listick in 'Hot Chilli' fairly well, so unfortunately for me it'll have to remain solely as a lip liner.

Sadly my opinion on What A Blast! is a split one. I adore how vivid the shade is with it's high end edge, yet the dry consistency and it's embarassingly poor lasting power put me off picking it up as often as I'd like. Sad face.

Pink Riot!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick in 'Pink Riot', £19.50.

Ruby Woo wanted to join in the photo session, it was too cute not to include! <3 her!

This a new shade from the new Vivid Shine colour range at Estee Lauder. This shade, 'Pink Riot' screams versatility, I reckon it would look brilliant worn during the day (particularly on late summer evenings or in the autumn) or with a sparkly gloss dabbed on top for an evening look.

The Vivid Colour lipsticks have prism pearls contained within the forumla which are meant to create a 'mirror-like finish' however I can't see a huge difference in the finish in comparison with their other lipsticks on offer. The finish has a shine without being glossy, and the lipstick is scented with a sophisticated fruity smell.

Pink Riot is a bright berry pink. Opacity is achieved very easily however this can also be dabbed on for a just bitten look or a quick flash of warmth to the lips. It's quite milky and it is so moisturising and soft too.

Overall, I do love this range of lipsticks. The packaging is gorgeous, the formula doesn't dry out the lips like others do and there's plenty of colours to choose from if 'Pink Riot' isn't for you!

Whilst I'm on the subject of Estee Lauder- their LE Violet Underground collection is so exciting for what is usually deemed such a 'safe' and mature brand- matte purple lipstick with a matching purple lipgloss! Review to come on the gloss when I've got the internet back again.  

Investing in lip liners

MAC lip Pencil in 'Spice', £11.50 for 1.45g.

MAC lip Pencil in 'Magenta', £11.50 for 1.45g.

I'd become tired and quite frankly unfufilled with my current few lip liners! Having never particularly embraced the importance until fairly recently, my cheap ones just weren't living up to any long lasting standards, and were available in a pretty dire colour range.

I knew that MAC would probably offer some good quality lip liners in some exciting colours and so I puchased three there. I'm showing two regular lip pencils in this post and will talk about the prolongwear lip pencil at another time!

'Spice' is an Amy Child's favourite, though this isn't the reason I bought it I can assure you! I wanted a nude lipliner but I'll be honest and say that I am disappointed with how brown this actually is. The pencil is so pigmented that it's actually hard to even apply it lightly to achieve that nude 'barely there' look. In terms of formular it's perfect; it glides on well and has excellent lasting power, but the colour just isn't for me, it feels a bit 90's and old fashioned. In the photograph I've applied it all over the lip to demonstrate the colour.

'Magenta' is a gorgeous purpley fuschia colour. It is absolutely divine and works with purple, bright pink, and mid tone pink lipsticks (as long as it is blended out). It is pretty much a perfect match to one of my oldest standing MAC lipsticks, which is 'Gladiola' from the Dame Edna collection- a colour I lived and died in for about 6 months of my life! If worn on it's own for a length of time, as to be expected, it is drying however this can be avoided with a lipgloss on top and doesn't matter too much as this isn't it's purpose.

Beet and Brick are next on the list as I know they're colours I'll get a lot of use out of. Do you own any MAC lip liners or can you recommend another brand to me?