Currently Loving: Clinique Chubby Sticks

Clinique Chubby Sticks £16

The balms that started the lip pencil trend - Clinique Chubby Sticks. The perfect combination between a balm and a lipgloss providing a glossy sheen to the lips. These have been floating around my handbag for quite some time as they don't require a mirror hence are perfect for applying on the go. Being twist up pencils make them extremely easy to use too!

The formula of these gets a huge thumbs up from me, smooth texture, very moisturising and not sticky. In terms of lasting power it's around a couple of hours so not the longest lasting formula out there but I'll forgive that due to the incredibly hydrating balm. 

Graped Up, Woppin' Watermelon, Mighty Mimosa, Voluptuous Violet (left to right)

Clinique Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa

There are 16 shades to choose from but the four that grace my lips are Woppin' Watermelon, Mighty Mimosa, Voluptuous Violet and Graped Up. My most loved shade, as you can probably tell is Woppin' Watermelon but Mighty Mimosa is knocking it off the top spot at the moment as it's a lovely peachy pink with a golden shimmer running through it. The darker shades look a tad scary in the bullet but on the lips provide a beautiful hint of colour that's really soft on the lips - perfect for natural lip lovers. 

Woppin' Watermelon, Mighty Mimosa, Voluptuous Violet, Graped Up (from left to right)

Clinique Chubby Sticks are £16 and available here

The Glowing Lip Shines: Holiday Edition

Seeing as on holiday the majority of my face is hidden behind sunglasses the majority of the time the beauty addict in me feels the need to compensate by overly applying lip products, as those are the only bits on show! Nothing new here, all you ladies know how addict to lip products I am. Balms, gloss, stick, you name it, if it goes on my lips I have it and love it. There are three little products I've been reaching for to add some glow to my lips as well as adding a little bit of 'something' to my non-made up face.

Firstly, something you may have seen here before, L'Oreal Glam Shine Fresh in 186 Aqua Grapefruit, which doesn't add any colour just a lovely glow to the lips. It's not sticky, lasts a good while and smells of grapefruit!

If I'm feeling a little adventurous I'll reach for a colourful stick, like Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani Sheer in 502, a bright coraly pink. The perfect shade for summer! It's very moisturising and doesn't require attention when applying so no mirror is needed - perfect for the beach (especially as it hasn't seemed to melt in the heat!)

Lastly my favourite of them all, one I'm actually almost out of (which I don't think has EVER happened with me and a lip gloss) Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Lucky (post here). This has the most gorgeous flecks of gold running through it, which reflect light on the lips and make them appear fuller. Definitely my favourite lip gloss of them all! 

Now share your favourite lip products with your fellow addict!

New In: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain

Being one for the glossy yet glossless lip products when I saw what looked like Revlons alternative to the Clinique Chubby Stick I had to give it a go. The Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stains & Balms have been flying off shelves since they arrived in the UK and are a little difficult to get hold of, but I've managed to pick up the shade Cherish, a gorgeous light pink with a hint of purple.

First of all these give no way near as much coverage as the Clinique Chubby Stick, just the tinniest hint of colour that can be built up with application. It's more on the lip balm than gloss end of the scale which I loved as they feel really comfortable on my lips, which brings me onto the next thing - the texture. It's really easy to apply, feels very nourishing with a hint of mint scent. Not as moisturising or creamy as the chubby sticks but do last around the same time a good couple of hours. Once the shine wears off leaves a colour stain to give that 'just bitten' look.

They aren't the most moisturising of formulas, but definitely not drying so I would stay perhaps look for something more nourishing if you've got dry lips. At £7.99 I'm definitely interested in picking up another shade, perhaps Charm. 

Will you be picking up Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains?

New In: Mac Heavenly Creatures Collection

Mac Heavenly Creature Collection 

Mac have too many collections to keep up with these days, but their recent collection, Heavenly Creatures totally took my breath away! The most beautiful blushes and skinfinishes I've laid my eyes on in a while. The collection contains a range of products from Blushes, to Lipsticks to Eyeshadows and launched last week and I managed to get my hands on three items - they are going to sell out pretty quickly!

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre Of The Universe 

First up the Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre Of The Universe, a little beauty in a black pot! I'm familiar with the Mac Mineralise Skin Finishes, especially the shimmer finish - see post here - they give a lovely colour to the face, aren't the finest milled powder around so I do be careful not to overdo it. The coral and golden shimmer marbled effect gives an overall peachy glow that's very illuminating and slightly frosty. I'm really looking forward to wearing this in summer - especially as a blush or highlight.

I haven't induged in a Mac lipstick in what feels like years, but Cut A Caper is a shade I couldn't resist. Personally I don't find the formulas of Mac lipsticks to be particularly amazing, they feel quite drying and do highlight cracks in dry lips. That being said I've recently found Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm (see post here) to be a fantastic base for applying them - problem solved!

Mac Cut A Caper Lipstick is a lovely coraly peach shade with a lustre finish. The shade can be built up from a slight hint of colour to a full blown peachy lip, both of which I love. I know I'll be reaching for this a lot this summer!

Mac Mineralize Blush in Supernova

The blush that made me drool - Supernova. Mainly, being the shallow person I am, due to the pink and gold design. It's heavily pigmented so needs a really light hand to avoid applying too much and resembling a clown - definitely not one of those slap on when your not looking products. It gives a gorgeous pink flush with a hint of golden highlighter that looks very fresh on the skin. 

What do you think of the recent Mac collections? Will you be picking anything up from Heavenly Creatures?

The Three Best Lip Treatments You'll Ever Meet

 I know it seems a bit inappropriate to be discussing dehydrated lips in July but...

a)  It's national kissing day today!     

b) England is currently pouring with rain

c) The aircon in my office has caused some serious lip peelage which has enabled me to bring out the big guns...

All three of these are phenomal in their own way, 24 hours with the three of these and lips are back to being full and plump, without a flake to be seen      

The Overnight Lip Treatment - Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips

This is saved for my overnight maintenance times, usually applied before bed as it's very rich and sticky hence why its saved for evening use where there is no wind to attach my hair to my lips. It's a bit of a wonder balm, great for healing any dry skin, I even use it on my cuticles! It's very thick, unscented and quite greats but one big slathering of it and I wake up to fully nourished lips! (Also great if you're on roaccutane and are suffering from dry lips!)

The Long Nourrishing Lip Treatment  - Nuxe Reve De Miel - link to post 

Took me a while to get into this one, as it's matt and includes little gritty exfoliating beads that melt away when rubbed into the lips. It's the perfect base to keep on all day as it seriously lasts a good eight hours on the lips. It's the best for keeping lips nourished throuought the day  as I often find myself waking up to plump lips and coming home with cracked peeling ones. Perfect for day use under a drying lipstick like Mac.

The SOS Lip Treatment - Dermophil

I always feel terrible mentioning this one as it's impossible to get hold of in the UK. I'm sure most decent pharmacies that stock french brands would have it but I stock up on mine from France. It's very white and pasty but layered as a thick treatment works like a charm. If lips are feeling particularly sore and dry I massage a couple of layers into my lips for ultimate moisture. 

Just be sure to check that it's all rubbed in before walking around with white lips like I did in the office recently - wooops!      

What are you SOS lip treatments?

New In: Benefit Dandelion Ultra Plush Lip Gloss

Honestly, six years after buying my first Benefit product, Dr Feelgood primer, I'm still on the fence if I'm mainly paying for packaging or product. I'm a total sucker for anything beautifully packaged but there's always that bit that thinks is the actual product worth it? 

My second Benefit product was one of their box powders, Hoola. Which was followed by Georgia and  Dandelion. They have recently released 6 new Lip Glosses to match their Box O' Blushers, and Dandelion, a peach shade with gold flecks was the shade that caught my eye.

I love the effect gloss has on my lips but hate the sticky, heavy feeling it can give. Which is where I fell in love with Dandelion. The texture is very very sheer feeling absolutely weightless on the lips but looks really glossy. Not being drying at all with a typical Benefit fruity scent.

Of course being a lovely weightless gloss means one thing, a lack of staying power. I would say these last around 45 minutes on my lips at the most, which is of course not the best but that's to be expected from a light textured gloss. 

Like I mentioned there are 6 available shades for £13.50 I really do recommend going to test out the texture of these if you're passing a Benefit counter!


What was your first Benefit product?

My Makeup: Peach Cheeks & Lips

I definitely go through phases with makeup, one that remains pretty constant is my love for neutrals but right now it's peach shades, especially as it helps me look a tad more bronzed without actually piling on the bronzer. With the sun out and Summer around the corner I feel it's time to take makeup back to basics and get more minimal during the day time which means focusing more on my skin that eye makeup. Although I'm tempted to try this look with a bronze smokey eye! To top it all off I've been wearing a lip colour that's more peachy toned to as a way of bringing everything together.

Skin
- To smooth out my skin I've been using Dr Brant Pores No More Primer, which is a lovely semi matt primer that just fills in any lumps
- For foundation I've gone back to Nars Sheer Glow as it's been very heavy rain in London this week so no need to apply anything lighter (review of foundation here)
- As always I have been covering up my under eye circles using By Terry Touche Veloutee Concealer. I seriously don't see myself being without this stuff! Very high coverage and so light on the skin (link to post here)
- For some peach cheeks I dabbled in a bit of Mac Peaches Blush and Liz Earle Blush in 05 Coral followed with some matt bronzer, Guerlain four Seasons in 01 Blondes being my one of choice

Eyes
- Starting off with the Mac Painterly Paint Pot primer (link to post here)
- Followed by getting out my Urban Decay Naked Palette and using the lightest shade Virgin all over the lid with Buck and Naked in the crease for some definition and Darkhorse along the lash line
- To enhance my lashes I used Dior DiorShow Lash Serum & Primer (link to post here) followed by L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black (link to post here)

Lips
- A lovely coating of No7 Nourishing Lip Shine in Peach

What have you been loving? Do you like using peach shades?

Currently Loving: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine

Lip products are probably the most favoured products in my collection, a peek into any handbag of mine will tell you that! As I have never ever finished a lipstick before when I hit the bottom of my Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy I knew it was a hero. I always love having something on my lips whether it being a lipstick, gloss or balm and for some unknown reason there will always be at least three lip products in my handbag! In summer I tend to favour lighter formulas that feel weightless on the lips, sheer coverage providing a hint of colour appropriate for day time wear and something hydrating. All three of which is something the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine excels in, as well as giving a glossy yet glossless finish which I love.

One massive drawback is the lasting power, these will last an hour maximum on my lips which means a constant reapply. This is what drew me back from repurchasing them but after some thorough thought and after seeing some beautiful colours in store I indulged. The plus side of them not lasting very long is that they are perfect for the heat, as they don't feel heavy on the lips and there are no worries of them sliding around. Lipsticks like Mac tend to dry out my lips a lot which is why I pair them with Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm but the formula of the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine glides on so easily and feels almost like a balm and as I mentioned before, are very hydrating. 

I picked up three new colours, firstly from Chanel's Summer Collection, Summertime De Chanel, 437 Empreinte which is a gorgeous soft beige with a slight nude shimmer (you can see the rest of the collection here.) The other two were, 57 Aventure, a coraly pink with gold shimmer and 48 Evasion, a peachy nude. I love adding a little shimmer to the lips, which all the Rouge Coco Shines I picked up have, as they enhance the lips and shimmer can make them look bigger, especially in the centre. The shimmer particles are so slight, subtle and small they are hardly noticeable on the lips. 

So there is a mini-essay about my new favourite lipsticks. Chanel lipsticks are just winning for me at the moment! Any other colours I need to pick up?

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine is £24 and available from Chanel counters.

My Makeup: Getting Patriotic With My Lips

Happy Jubilee Weekend! If you're in London at the moment you're aware that everyone, myself included, have gone a little Jubilee crazy. Everything from the outside of peoples houses to cars to t-shirts are all British themed! Last October I discovered Violent Lip Tattoos which are temporary lip stickers that last a good 4 hours minimum and look so cool! They aren't as pleasant to wear as the Clarins Natural Lip Perfector but like anything you get used to them and forget they are on after half an hour or so. 

For the Jubilee weekend I decided to go for the British Flag lip tattoos! Which I have to admit look really fun! Here's how I apply them 

You will need:

- A pair of scissors

- Cotton wool 

- Lip Tatoos

1. Carefully remove the lip tattoos from the outline

2. Press the lip tattoos up against your lip and measure the tattoo against your lip, starting at the cupids bow

3. Cut the tattoo along the lines that best match your lip

4. Peel the white plastic back off the lip tattoo

5. Opening your mouth press the violent lip against it again starting with the cupids bow

6. Wet a cotton pad, squeeze out any excess and dab the cotton pad onto the tattoo until the white paper can be easily removed

7. Set the lip tattoo by pressing the cotton pad onto your lips

There are sooo many Violent Lip Tatoos to choose from - full glitter, Kiss, Birthday Girl, polka dots and even sailor themed! For Halloween last year I actually based my outfit choice on Violent Lip tattoos! I chose Leopard Print and Queen Of Hearts      

Have you ever tried Violent Lips? What did you think?

A Dupe For Clarins Natural Lip Perfector?

I've raved about the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector before but rightly so! It's the perfect light moisturising gloss that adds a glow to the lips without being sticky, turning all gloss haters into lovers. No7 have recently bought out a beautiful summer collection that includes two lip glosses, similar to the Clarins Natural Lip Perfectors. Especially in packaging, which is practically the same apart from the detailed lid of the No7 Nourishing Lip Shine. 

Firstly the facts - for £16 Clarins will present you with 12ml of product, whereas No7 for £10.50 will give you 9ml of product. Or if you're clever and pick up a No7 £5 off voucher when you spend in Boots you could be spending £5.50 for 9ml as opposed to £10.50...makes a difference doesn't it?

No7 Nourishing Lip Shine In Pink & Peach

The main reason why I love the Clarins Lip Perfector is the smell is soo heavenly, like candy floss,  but for those of you who don't agree, the No7 maybe a better option for you as it's scentless. Another reason why the Clarins Lip Perfector rocks is the light formula, feeling so weightless and non sticky on my lips. No7 Nourrishing Lip Shine is slightly heavier, only slightly though. The Clarins Lip Perfectors have a little more colour to them but both only have a very slight tint, hardly any colour at all - just add a moisturising shine to the lips. 

Left- No7 Nourishing Lip Shine in Pink. Right - Clarins Instant Lip Natural Lip Perfector in 01

The shade I have in Clarins in No. 01 a light baby pink and there are four shades to choose from whereas No.7 Nourishing Lip Shine comes in 2 shades, a pink and a peach. The No7 pink shade comes close to Clarins Lip Perfector in 01 but just slightly darker. 

So what do you think? I think with those £5 off No7 vouchers that are always flying around Boots I would definitely pick up the No7 ones as opposed to the Clarins for over a £10 difference. 

No7 Summer Collection 2012

No7 Nourishing Lip Shines are limited edition for their summer collection and you can pick them up at Boots (but careful I went to three before I found one that hadn't sold out!) or online is probably a safer bet here

Ps - how gorgeous is the bronzer from their summer collection too?!

My Makeup: Bright Pink Lips

Recently I wrote about tips makeup artists have told me about how to fake having bigger lips (here) and recently MaxFactor have launched new lipsticks which they call Flipstick Colour Effect. A dual ended lipstick with two complimentary colours, the one I'm wearing above is the shade Boreal Mauve 15. What I love about this is it does the highlighting for you. Just apply the darker shade all over the lips and follow with the lighter shade applied just in the middle and the effect will help fake bigger look lips! I'm not so keen about most of the colours in the range but if you can find one that lights your fire then perfect       

Apart from that there are a couple of new products here...

Skin

- Givenchy Eclat Mattisme which I'm till making my mind up about but it's not a no so far!

- Mac Harmony Blush just to add some definition to the cheeks

- By Terry Touche Veloutee Concealer under my eyes, which I raved about here

Eyes

- A new addition in my collection from Estee Lauder Summer is the Pure Colour Eyeshadow Palette in Bronze Sands (more on this soon!) and Collection Muliplier Mascara, which I reviewed here

Lips

- MaxFactor Flipstick in Boreal Mauve 15, I loved how long lasting this was. As well as being very pigmented and hydrating!

MaxFactor Flipstick in Boreal Mauve 15

How To: Make Lips Look Fuller

I absolutely love meeting makeup artists! They just have so much to share and are full of useful information. I've picked up a couple of tips on how to create the illusion of fuller lips with makeup using simple things like lip liner and highlighter and you'll notice the simplest thing makes a significant difference!

It's all about playing with light and shadows to manipulate your lips to look fuller

1. Always start by lining your lips with lip liner - instead of using just one colour use two, a darker one and a lighter one, use the darker one in the outer corners and the lighter one in the centre. This will give the illusion of a bigger pout as if you lips are perturbing outwards! For my skin colour I use Mac Lipliner in Subculture and No7 Perfect Lips Liner in Nude

2. After applying your lip stick/gloss of choice, Use a powder highlighter on a little eyeshadow brush and dab a bit in the centre of your lips, this will reflect the light, making them look fuller and more lifted. My highlighter of choice is Mac Mineralise Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, which I talk about in more detail here.

Make sure to stay clear of dark lip shades as they will just make your lips look smaller!