My Top 5 Drugstore Lip Products

Morning beauty seekers!!

I meant to post this last night, but I got kinda distracted downloading fonts and before I knew it 10pm had been and gone and I decided to keep it for this morning instead. Anyhoo, I was rummaging around in my lippy drawer the other day and came to the conclusion that my drugstore lippies could use some more love. After having a bit of a think I decided to pick out my top 5 and do a little swatchy post telling you why I love them. The products are featured in no particular order...

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 700: Nude Delight is an old school favourite of mine. I actually have 3 of these dotted around in various handbags as I find it a great lipstick to have around in case of emergencies. The formula is super moisturising and it's just the perfect, peachy nude for my medium skintone. It's dark enough not to be concealer-y but light enough to look pretty yet natural. Great for dry lip days. 

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Peaches and Cream is one of my all time favourite Spring/Summer lip colours. It's perfect for either day or evening and I find it lasts a long time on the lips. I only own this and one other Sleek lipstick (Fuchsia, which I'll admit I don't wear very often at all) but I like the formula. I hear the matte shades are a little drying but this is very comfortable to wear, although not as moisturising as the Rimmel one. 

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in No5: Brun Boheme* is the newest of the 5 products in this post. I was introduced to it by the MUAs from Bourjois during London Fashion Week and I utterly ADORE it! It's very different from the usual nude shades I tend to stick to. It's darker for one, but it's a brown toned dusky pink that looks so chic and is very versatile. It's neutral enough to wear with a toned down daytime look, yet dark enough to vamp up at nighttime. I find it to be long wearing and it feels lovely on the lips. 

I didn't go as mental for these lipsticks as a lot of people did. I only picked up 3 shades of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters but this one ended up being a big favourite for Summer 2012 and I can't wait to bust it out again this year. The lip butter formula is intended to be a hydrid of lip balm and lipstick and offers amazing moisturisation. I don't find it lasts amazingly well, probably because it's more of a balmy product, but it's one of the very few PALE pink lip shades that I find I can wear easily. Certainly the only drugstore one anyway (the others are MAC's Hue and Creme Cup). Massive thumbs up for this product! I also adore their Just Bitten, Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish which is a very similar shade.

This is another recent discovery of mine. Again, Rimmel Apocalips were MASSIVE all over the blog-o-sphere when they were released yet I only managed to pick up a couple of shades. I chose well though. Celestial is an extremely wearable dusky pink which is slightly darker than any other similar shade I have in my collection. I also love the 'lacquer' formulation of the product. It applies like a gloss, but with the opacity and pigmentation of a lipstick! Genius! Super shiny and long lasting too. Extremely quick to apply and you get a glossy pop of colour that really lasts. 

So there are the swatches for all of the above lipsticks. I love how they're all so different. I feel like I can be more experimental with drugstore lip products as they're really affordable (none of the products in this post retail for over £8). You really can pick up some gems!! 

You can pick up all of these products in your local Boots or Superdrug and you won't have to spend a fortune. Perfect shades for the upcoming Spring/Summer season (when the sun finally decides to get it's hat on, that is).

What are your ultimate drugstore lip products?? What shades will you be reaching for for SS13??

(Late) August 2012 Favourites

Hello beauty seekers!!

This is a belated post dedicated to a few (and it only is a few this month) things that i've really been enjoying in the month of August. I have only made subtle changes with my product choices this month. Nothing has really drastically changed in my routine, however there are a handful of products and colours that i really have been enjoying so i thought i'd share them with you all..

August has been a BIG nail polish month for me! Up until now i've hardly been able to wear it due to working in a kitchen. Constant pot washing and suchlike meant that my nails were weak, splitting and generally AWFUL and any nail polish i did wear was chipped away to nothing in a matter of hours! But since finishing that job my nails have really sprung out again so i've taken full advantage of being able to wear nail polishes again. 

My favourites this month have been OPI Barefoot in Barcelona, which i have mentioned before on this blog, and H&M Nail Polish in Blue My Mind. 

I've done a bit of a tanning u-turn in the last month. I mentioned in my July favourites that i was loving my St Moriz spray tan, but this month i have REALLY gone off any kind of tan with a guide colour. Maybe it's because i've been wearing paler colours since the weather has warmed up again, i don't know, but i've really turned to my Bronze Ambition Deep & Dark tanning cream. You have to be careful applying it, as there is no guide colour at all, but the colour you get is fantastic and it's a great price!! Only a couple of pounds!! It also smells like holidays.

 I reviewed Twisted Sista 'Different Strokes' serum last month (for the full post on this product click HERE) and it is really impressing me! It's another total bargain at only £1.99 from Superdrug but, for what you get, i'd be happy to pay a fiver or perhaps even more for it! It's just a great all round serum for any hair type, with no sulphates, parabens or icky things in it at all. It also has a UV filter which is perfect for the weather we are having lately! I've been using this on damp hair before drying, then adding a bit extra to the ends before heat styling.

This was a little bit of an impulse buy i made just before i moved to London but i think i've worn it almost every day since. I've fallen completely in love with Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in the shade Cherish. It's just such a wearable shade of pink that lasts really well. I want to do a full post on this product soon so i won't say too much about it here but i'm thinking i want to purchase more of these in September! 

Excuse the brush hairs in this photo haha.... Illamasqua Cream Blush in Dixie has been in my top 5 all time favourite shades ever since i bought it but, this month, its hardly been off my face. It's just perfect in every way and i love it! I love the Illamasqua cream formula and really had to restrain myself in Selfridges the other day when i walked past them. I kept telling myself i don't need any more blushers but i have a feeling i will be going back to purchase Rude very soon. 

So that was a very brief favourites for August. Nothing else really stood out for me. That could all change in September though you never know!! I'll let you know next month.

What have you been loving in August?? What are your favourite summer products??

Butter Me Up Baby!!!

Afternoon lovelies!!

How crap am i lately?! Been just over a week AGAIN since i've posted. So much going on i've hardly had a minute to pick up my camera or laptop! I can't believe that i have had these little beauties exactly a week and am only JUST writing the blog post!! Especially as i was so excited about them!

They are, of course, the Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters.....

(DISCLAIMER: Please don't hate me for my hairy lips in this post..... just another thing i haven't had time to deal with this week lol)

I have to say that these have been a total BALL ACHE to source. Living in the middle of nowhere like i do i didn't hold out much hope searching round all my nearest (relatively small) Boots and Superdrug. Half of them don't even carry Revlon products! I finally bit the bullet and clicked onto Boots.com and got them on a 3 for 2 deal. 

These products are a nifty little hybrid between a lipstick and a lip balm. They contain mango, shea and coconut butters to provide maximum moisture as well as a sheer/medium pop of colour (this coverage seems to depend on which shades you purchase). I was very restrained and stuck with the 3 i am posting about today. To be honest i find them a little overpriced at £7.99 a piece so will probably not be tempted to buy more. I only have 3 because of the Boots offer. 

Here are the shades i picked up....

Cupcake

This was the first ever shade of Lip Butter i ever glanced at. As you know i am a MASSIVE fan of Slave2beauty on Instagram and always want EVERYTHING she photographs and this was one of those things. It is a gorgeous girlie pink which is a LOT more wearable than it looks, thanks to the sheer nature of the formula. I did worry that it would result in the 'corpse' effect on me, as i am quite warm skinned and this is a cool pink, but I'm really liking it and can see myself reaching for this a lot over the warmer months for day or night.

On my lips i personally find this shade quite similar to MAC Hue, but with Cremesheen kind of finish (if that makes sense to you??). It's much more opaque than Hue but not too much that it whites out the lips. I have to say that it looks a lot bluer in the bullet than it does on the lips, which i am kinda thankful for! 

Creme Brulee

As we all should know by now i am a sucker for a nude (lippy) and there was no way i wasn't going to pick this one up after i saw lip swatches. I just WANTED it! Its just a lovely creamy shade which, to me, doesn't seem to lean either warm or cool. Extremely wearable for those days where you want to wear a lippy but don't want it to LOOK like you're wearing one (if you get my drift). 

On the lips this gives off a gorgeous creamy sheen, but isn't at all 'in your face'. On paler skintones than mine (I'm an NC30) this may give more of a colour payoff but i love it for what it is. Totally natural but giving a hint of moisture and gloss. 

Lollipop

This is such a fun shade!! This is another one i've spotted on Instagram over the last few weeks and, being a pink freak, i just had to get it! I adore it because it is an intense, fuchsia pink, but is so much more wearable than other comparable shades due to the finish. I know i keep going on about the finish but I'm a HUGE fan of a Cremesheen finish in MAC and i find these so similar. With this particular shade it means that it is still a striking colour, but not too SHOCKING on the lips. 

This really is a beautiful colour. Everyone i have heard of who has it seems to love it. Even if you're unsure of bright pink lipsticks i'd say you should still buy it. It may change your mind! 

I'm so pleased with the colours i picked. They're perfect for what i like and i really love the formula. In terms of longevity they're not going to last as long as a regular lipstick due to the balmy nature of the product but i still managed a good 2 hours out of them before i felt like i needed to touch up. 

From what i gather, opinion changes on these lipsticks throughout the shade range. It appears that some shades are more hit/miss than others and i guess you would have to actually go instore and swatch you head off to really seperate the wheat from the chaff...

But i would totally recommend these shades. They are available for around £7.99 from Boots.com and larger Boots stores. I'm unsure on Superdrug at this point in time but i'm pretty sure most Revlon stockists will have them eventually. Methinks Revlon need to get their butts in gear and get them out there a bit more!

What are your Must-Have Lip Butter shades?? Do you love the lipstick/balm combo?? 

Another Bargain Market Haul!

Evening girlies!

Sorry this is another late one again!! Truth is i got a little caught up on ebay bidding for a new (ish) iphone to replace my stolen one and, it took a while, BUT I got one! Woohoo!!

I tweeted earlier that I'd had a VERY good day for bargains today. Monday is Market day is Bakewell (i prefer to call it IDIOT day usually cos it brings out all the stupids) and the make up stall is HUGE!! 

I AM embroiled in a bit of a spending ban this month (yeah Im not doing very well on that am i) but that is A) to allow me to purchase the new iphone - CHECK, and B) so i can save up for my birthday Meadowhall binge in September. Todays haul, however, i don't think counts as i received my tips from work today and EVERYTHING you are going to see on this page tonight came to a total of less than £12!!! 

Think i did quite well!!

So here's the Haul....

W7 Powder Blush in Baby Pink

Revlon Creme Shadow Quad in Va Va Bloom

Royal 'Lashed Out' black Eyelash Adhesive

3x La Femme Crackle Nail Polishes in Orange, Gold and Pink

Ancient Wisdom Pure Essential Oil - Sandalwood

Random no-brand Contour/Blush brush

 Can't wait to play with these!! They look sooooo summery! Will definitely do a post with these. They look like they could make some SERIOUSLY funked up nails!!

I've not really tried creme shadows before (not sure why as I've nothing against creme formulas) but these were £1!! And the colours are so lovely! Purples tend to make my green eyes really go POP!

How PRETTY is this blush!! I was trying to walk past the stall altogether but this JUMPED out at me! I haven't got a really GIRLY pink blush like this and as it was ALSO just £1 i had to have it!! Can't wait to see what it looks like on my face! 

Lash glue.... what can I say, it's black lash glue. Yeah. So thats that......

I'm a big burner of essential oils and I use Sandawood A LOT as it relaxes the arms and legs. As an ME/CFS sufferer this really helps in helping me relax in the evening. This was the most expensive of the bunch but totally worth it. 

TWILIGHT SAGA!! Totally un-beauty related and don't count towards breaking my spending ban as they were purchased on WEDNESDAY but i only got them today. You'd think 3 for £5 was awesome enough BUT as I'm mates with the manager of the store I got them for £1 EACH!! Yeah so they didnt have the first one in stock but... that wasn't my favourite anyway haha. 

This was an inexpected haul but TOTALLY worth the TINY amount of money i spent on it all!! I've felt so ill today due to the heat and as i had a busy weekend I've been in pain most of the day too but this has cheered me RIGHT up!! Result!!

What bargains have you got recently?? Are you a market stall digger like me??