Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick | Amazing Grace

If you caught my recent Selfridges haul you will already have seen that I made my first ever Charlotte Tilbury purchases a couple of weeks ago, and today I'm talking about the matte revolution lipstick I picked up in the shade Amazing Grace. Ahead of my

MAC Lipstick Collection

Grab a cup of tea and get comfortable in your seats as today I'm going to be sharing my Mac lipstick collection. Everyone loves a Mac lippy and its one of those classic nosey blogger's post that I myself always find quite interesting and so I thought I'd share my own stash. I suppose I ought to start with the usual disclaimer that comes with these sort of posts. This is in no way bragging -  all the lipsticks have been paid for with my own money (minus the odd birthday /Christmas treat) and the majority of these purchases have been well researched and thought out. Lipstick is probably one of, if not my favourite makeup item hence my army of little black Mac bullets.

I turn 23 this summer and I currently own a collection of 23 Mac lipsticks, and so it seemed like an appropriate time to share this post. Of course 23 lipsticks is an absurd amount to own, and nobody ever needs that amount of lipsticks, but naturally I've got my reasons for owning this many Mac lippys'. As you may be able to tell from the pictures above I like wearing lots of different colours, I don't just stick to nudes or pinks or whatever. Although since starting my collection nearly two years ago, I have discovered my favourite shade to wear (if you know by now) is a red, and shock horror I only have two reds in my entire Mac collection.

I'm going to do this post in the order in which I've photographed them above, which is sort of nudes, darks, and then brights. I'll do a quick summary plus my thoughts on them and if I've written blog posts on them I'll link them here. I'm not going to be doing swatches with this post as I'd be there forever swatching 23 colours plus you can find them all online anyway!

The 'Nudes.'

L-R Double Shot, Creme Cup, Lovelorn, Angel.

Double Shot - [Amplified] A browny pink nude lipstick, very creamy and opaque. Great for pale skinned girls like me because of the hint of pink also looks amazing on darker skin tones making it a very versatile lipstick.

Creme Cup - [Cremesheen] A cool toned pink and one of the cult classic MAC nudes. I've seen this lipstick look gorgeous on so many people but it just does not suit me, something about cool toned nudes just completely wash me out.

Lovelorn - [Lustre] This is another cool toned pink but this lipstick is quite sheer and has just a tiny bit more brightness to it which you can see from the bullet it looks a bit darker compared to the others next to it, and so I can manage to pull this lipstick off!

Angel - [Frost] Here we have a slightly warmer pink with subtle hints of silver, its another cult classic from MAC. And is yet again another lipstick which doesn't quite sit too right on me. I wish I could pull of a nude lipstick as I love how they look on other people!

The 'Darks.

L-R Up The Amp, Heavenly Hybrid (LE) Cyber, Rebel, Russian Red, Lady Bug

Up The Amp - [Amplified] A creamy light purple, great for anyone who wants to start wearing purples but isn't brave enough to branch out to anything too dramatic. If you're not careful this lipstick can wash you out a little, plus the colour really makes your teeth appear quite yellow and for those reasons its not the most flattering of lipsticks.

Heavenly Hybrid - Limited Edition [Lustre] A sheer purply pink lipstick from the Fantasy of Flowers Collection. I really like this lipstick as I find its the perfect balance of not too purple not too pink. It looks gorgeous on.

Cyber - [Satin] Still the most intimidating lipstick in my entire collection to date, I've written a full post here. I have to admit I was actually only brave enough to wear this out the house once back in the winter I believe? I think that unless very dark vampy lips are your 'thing' this lipstick is rather limited maybe I'll be braver this winter.

Rebel - [Satin] Now this ... ah Rebel is one of my top Mac lipsticks and unlike the last lipstick I spoke about this is one I've gotten so much wear from. I love it! I'd describe it as a sultry berry red. Quite matte but not at all drying its very comfortable to wear  - the longevity of this is pretty impressive as the dark colour stains your lips. This is such a versatile lipstick as you can make it day time appropriate with the whole berry lips sort of vibe or you can really vamp it up dramatically for an edgier look. Great autumn/winter staple makeup item.

Russian Red - [Matte] A gorgeous classic cherry red lipstick its a little cool toned and makes your teeth look nice and white which I love about this. Its long wearing because of its matte formula but it isn't drying, its quite creamy considering. Goes perfectly with Cherry lip pencil.

Lady Bug - [Lustre] A sheer almost glossy pinky red. This is a pretty lipstick but its a bit high maintenance because its not matte it seems to slip around a bit and doesn't have good staying power at all.

L-R Syrup, Craving, Amorous, Twig, Girl About Town, Show Orchid

Syrup - [Lustre] A beautiful muted pink berry lipstick. On me I find that this has a bit of a purple tone to it and so I especially love this lipstick in the autumn/winter months. Its sheer because of the lustre finish but I find you can build this up quite a bit if you want to.

Craving - [Amplified] This is virtually the more opaque version of Syrup. Very similar in colour but this is more pigmented.

Amorous - [Satin] A browny pink berry this is actually a gorgeous lipstick and I really like this again in the autumn months. Very long wearing because its quite matte which I like about Amorous.

Twig - [Satin] Another browny pink woops. I've written a full review here. Not going to lie I sort of bought this one because of the hype around it - I definitely didn't need another lipstick in this colour!

Girl About Town - [Amplified] A blue toned fuchsia pink very flattering lipstick which I purchased before the next lipstick I'm going to speak about Show Orchid, which it is very similar to and I don't think that you need both of these in your collection.

Show Orchid - [Amplified] I absolutely adore this lipstick, its stunning. A vibrant fuchsia pink with a subtle hint of silver shimmer. Its creamy but not so creamy it slips around I find this one of the longer wearing amplified lipsticks I own from Mac so its great on evenings out. Definitely one of my favourites and I'd pick this over GAT any day.

The Brights.

L-R Brick-O-La, Saigon Summer, Dreaming Dahlia (LE) Morange, Vegas Volt, Impassioned

Brick-O-La - [Amplified] A berry red and on my skin leans ever so slightly on the orange side - I really like this its surprisingly easy to thrown on and wear. Quite versatile I would imagine.

Saigon Summer - [Cremesheen] Best described as very orange! I've written a full review here. Its orange with a hint of gold shimmer to it and leans quite yellow toned - another guilty culprit of making your teeth look more yellow than they are sadly.

Dreaming Dahlia - Limited Edition [Lustre] A sheer orange red, very pretty but sadly another limited edition that I picked up in the Fantasy of Flowers collection, reviewed in this post.

Morange - [Amplified] Oh Morange. I have mixed feelings about this lipstick. I adore the colour its a hot orange which is stunning come summer however I think the formula lets it down - its just a bit too thick and creamy, it slips around on my lips and I just don't find it the easiest to wear which is a shame.

Vegas Volt - [Amplified] A peachy coral orange and a very underrated lipstick in my opinion. This is gorgeous and one of my favourites for Spring, its great when you want a pop of colour to your face.

Impassioned - [Amplified] a vibrant pink with a hit of peachyness to it. Another of my top lipsticks its quite unique to other pinks. Full review here.

Kelly Yum-Yum (LE)

Kelly Yum-Yum - Limited Edition [Satin] a bright neon pink and leans more fuchsia than the original Candy Yum-Yum. Its got an amazingly comfortable finish, very easy to wear and great for those vibrant makeup looks especially during summer.

Phew! And there we have it - my Mac lipstick collection.

 What are your favourite Mac lipsticks? Feel free to link me up if you've shared your Mac lipstick collection as I love to have a nose myself!

Tom Ford Lip Colour | Wild Ginger

 

On a slightly lighter subject than my last post, today I'm back to talk lipstick. Since my love affair began with lipstick I've been slowly tip-toeing over to the more indulgent beauty brands. It was not only a jump in price going from my trusty MAC lipsticks to their higher end equivalents but it was also a jump in terms of luxury. Okay I'll agree some of the time you're just paying for a swanky tube that looks flash when you apply your lipstick out in public, but the quality of the product itself is certainly there too.

I watched in silent awe other beauty bloggers proudly showing off their Tom Ford lipsticks and for a long while I told myself that it was an excessive amount of money to pay for a lipstick. But on a lonely January morning I found myself searching swatches and blog posts online of Tom Ford lipsticks, and one stood out in particular to me. If you know me, of course it was going to be some sort of red shade. Welcome to my life Tom Ford Wild Ginger.

Wild Ginger is not your classic red lipstick, it is a vibrant almost orangey red on my skin tone and it has the ability to completely brighten up my entire face. This effortlessly takes a look from average to wow in a flash. The application is effortless, with a single swipe over the lips achieving an opaque coverage, of course me being me I still like to go around to make the final touches with a brush - precision is everything! Formula wise I find this very creamy with an almost glossy shine however it doesn't slide around and rub off the second your lips come into contact with something. I'm pleasantly surprised by the wear time given how creamy and comfortable feeling this lipstick is - I get a good 4 hours and sometimes more if I do a bit of blotting.

From the second Wild Ginger came into possession I knew it had already wormed its way up to my favourites. The stunning square black and gold casing with the effortless "TF" give away on the lid - yes this does very quickly rub off of the lipstick bullet itself sadly - all screams luxury. The formula is spot on. The shade is stunning. I love red lipstick and I love orange so this is a heavenly mix of both worlds for me. I'm very pleased to say that Wild Ginger may very well be the best £37 I've spent on a makeup item for a long time. (Until the next one Tom Ford.) Girl better get her butt out to work!

Wearing Tom Ford Wild Ginger Lip Colour

QOTD: What do you think of Wild Ginger? Do you own any Tom Ford lipsticks?

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick | Envious

Tis the season for red lipstick! Although you probably know that I love supporting a red lip all year round but what better time than on the week of Christmas? If you caught my recent festive lipstick post earlier this month you may have already seen this Estee Lauder lovely pop up and I realised that I hadn't done a full write up on this gorgeous lipstick. I purchased this back in September on my holiday and it quickly made its way into my stash of elite favourites.

This is the first lipstick I own from Estee Lauder and its safe to say that this ticks all of the boxes for me. Firstly the packaging is so sleek and subtly sophisticated with its navy and gold duo, not to forget the satisfying 'click' of the magnetic lid when you close it away. The formula of this lipstick is so dreamy and exactly what I look for in a lipstick - its creamy and comfortable on the lips, very pigmented and I'd say its fairly long wearing especially if you use a lip pencil with it (FYI Mac Cherry is a lovely one to use with this.) Although this has a soft texture that is very moisturising and kind to the lips it isn't one of those colours that slides off in an instant - never desirable with a bright red.

The colour is a stunning shade of scarlet red that completely fulfills that classic red lip look. As this isn't a matte shade it has a slight sheen that is very beautiful as it effortlessly adds a bit of fullness to the lips. If you want to see this swatched check out this post. For a lipstick of this quality that ticks so many boxes, it does come at a small price however I would say that for any red lipstick lover this should definitely be in your collection as it is worth every penny. This is a gorgeous lipstick to wear for daytime or will equally glam up any evening makeup look, and I definitely think that this is going to be my Christmas day lipstick choice for 2014!

QOTD: Will you be supporting a red lip this Christmas?

Favourite Festive Lip Products

Swatches taken in natural daylight

Its no secret that red lipstick is my thing. I love a good red lip and there really is no better time to support this look than during the festive season. The holidays are almost upon us and weather you're looking for that perfect party lipstick or just something bright and festive to get in the mood I've got a few considerations worth a mention. Now minus Rebel, colour wise I'd say all these reds come in at the same family of like a 'cherry red' which are by far the most flattering shade as they sit nicely on most skintones. This is also like your traditional Christmasy red so it's very apt for the season, whenever I'm wearing one of these lipsticks I always feel so much more confident I love the way they transform your look. However what is different about these lipsticks is their finish and how they feel and last on the lips.

I know that from the swatches these look very similar but on the lips they all look quite a bit different, for example the Estee Lauder 340 lipstick gives a beautiful sheen to it that gives an almost gloss like quality to it. The finish of this lipstick reminds me a little bit of an amplified cream from MAC as its very opaque without being too drying. Russian Red from Mac on the other hand is very matte and has no shine what so ever to it so its extremely long wearing, although a bit of careful preparation before hand would be useful before wearing this lipstick.

Chanel 104 Passion, an all time favourite of mine - sits somewhere between both the Estee Lauder and Mac lipsticks. It has an ever so subtle shine to it while still remaining quite a matte lipstick. This is a really comfortable to wear red. I don't often go for gloss but the Dior Addict Ultra Gloss is beautiful to layer over a red lipstick for that ultimate festive party look as its slightly glittery - if you can't wear glitter in the run up to Christmas when can you? Lastly Rebel from Mac isn't what you would call a conventional festive lip look as its definitely more of a purply red but its such a stunning lipstick, and I wore it on Christmas Day last year and its again one of those instant confidence boosting colours.

QOTD: What are your festive favourite lip products?

MAC | Twig Lipstick

Lipsticks like Twig from Mac are super popular amongst the beauty loving world at the moment - and no doubt we have the whole 'Kylie Jenner inspired look' to thank for that. I've mentioned before that I struggle big time to pull off traditional nude lipsticks (think Cremecup / Angel)  they completely wash me out and look really unflattering against my skintone. Twig however has the perfect blend of pink and brown and is much more of a warmer colour that I think suits me. If you're not really one for typical autumnal berry shades, this dusky pink coloured lipstick could be your alternative during the cooler months.

I wore this lipstick for the first time over the weekend after picking it up from my duty free shop and I loved it even more than I expected to. I went for a really understated no-makeup type of look that was perfect for a lazy Sunday in the countryside. I used All That Glitters from MAC for eyes as although its quite a neutral shade the shimmer keeps the look slightly fresh and then for a final autumnal feel I popped on some of my Nars blusher in Sin which I'm in love with at the moment. I can see this being a go-to look over the next few months.

 

QOTD: What do you think of this lipstick? Is this something you would wear?

 

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick | Rosy Coral

 

 

If you caught my recent Selfridges haul you may have already seen that I picked up several cheeky purchases with my birthday money including my first ever Yves Saint Laurent items. I am going to be talking about this stunning lipstick which is part of the Rouge Pur Couture line of YSL lipsticks. Now if you've been reading my blog for a while you will probably know that I'm a bit of a die hard Mac lipstick lover - they are great quality lipsticks for a fraction of the price of some of the more higher end beauty brands. But as much as I love my Mac lippys, I can't deny that the lure of having a new luxury lipstick in my collection has been rather hard to resist of late.

 

And so I felt that it was time to invest in my first ever YSL lipstick. Although I'm partial to many a bright shade of lipstick (reds, hot pinks, purples, bright oranges to name a few) I definitely think that I have worked out in my mind what I like my every day shade of lipstick to be. I've long since decided that nudes don't work for me, nor do some pale shades of pink compliment my skin tone. However a pinky coral coloured lip has become the perfect staple for my day to day look. When choosing my YSL lipstick I knew I wanted to get a shade that I would get a lot of wear out of otherwise I would be spending a lot of money on a lipstick that would end up sitting there unused. Cue YSL 52 Rosy Coral.

 

Before investing in a YSL lipstick I of course did a little bit of research before hand and Rosy Coral has been a popular choice among the beauty loving world, and well you can see exactly why can't you? Everything from the exquisite square shaped gold packaging to the stunning quality product has had me head over heels in love. The name Rosy Coral really couldn't be more accurate if you ask me, as this is a stunning splash of bright rosy pink in amongst a vibrant dash of coral. On the lips this will brighten up your entire face and is guaranteed to get you many a compliment - every time I've worn it someone has complimented that my lipstick looked nice, which is always a morale booster right?

 

The formula of the lipstick is creamy and luxurious, with a really lovely rose scent too. You only need to apply one layer to get a stunning colour pay off, however I would say that to get the best and longest wear time out of this lipstick you should ever so gently blot the first layer. I find that this helps stain my lips with the colour and then I go over with a lipstick brush to redeem that slight sheen that the creamy texture allows. I've been loving pairing this with a golden eye for a really pretty summery look and can tell this lipstick is going to get plenty of wear.

 

QOTD - do you own any luxury lipsticks ? What is your favourite lipstick brand?

 

 

Top 5 MAC Lipsticks For Spring

Hey guys I'm excited to bring you today's post as you may already know Mac lipsticks are my biggest weakness and so I thought it would be fun to share my top five favourite go to Mac lipsticks for Spring. I understand that everyones tastes in lipstick vary considerably but I would say for the most part that as Spring rolls around there is a definite movement away from those darker shades towards the lighter and brighter colours that are just so fitting for this time of the year. These are in no particular order either they are just a handful of favourites. So without any more hesitation here are my Top 5 Mac lipsticks for spring!

L-R: Up The Amp, Chatterbox, Lovelorn, Vegas Volt, Costa Chic.

Up The Amp: described by Mac as a 'lavender violet' this is quite accurate as when you think of violet its more of a blue toned purple and I would say this lipstick leans that way. I spoke about this in my last monthly favourites. Up The Amp is a really unique lilac lipstick that I think could be worn on most skin tones. Its an amplified lipstick so its very pigmented without being at all drying on the lips.

Chatterbox: described by Mac as 'bright red pink' a fairly misleading description as I can't really see a lot of red going on and while its brighter than some lipsticks it certainly isn't an in your face kind of bright. I would say Chatterbox is a very easy to wear pretty pink lipstick when you want something a bit more vibrant than a nude. Chatterbox is a fairly popular cult Mac lippy so I would be surprised if you haven't heard about this one already. This again is an amplified formula.

Lovelorn: described by Mac as 'emotive blue pink' I would agree with this description as it is quite blue toned it makes your teeth look nice and white. You don't really hear this lipstick get mentioned much on the beauty blogging scene but it is easily one of my favourites. On the lips it is quite similar to Chatterbox although in the bullet you can see it looks a bit darker because of the lustre finish this does not transfer onto the lips. Its such a flattering feminine pink, I love wearing this.

Vegas Volt: described by Mac as 'full power coral' this again is pretty accurate. I won this from Becky's giveaway a little while ago and it is a really lovely amplified lipstick, the shade is inbetween pink and orange and its very wearable on a day to day basis. I would say again this lipstick isn't hugely popular among beauty bloggers but it is perfect for this time of year, and quite similar to the next on my list. Definitely recommend giving this a swatch next time you visit a counter.

Costa Chic: described by Mac as 'frosty light coral' and I would 100% agree with this for once ;) Costa Chic is another from Mac that I'll bet you've probably already heard about. This is like the frosty sister of Vegas Volt, very similar in their overall colour but Costa Chic has a beautiful light
 golden shimmer to it. I know that frost lipsticks tend to have a bad name for themselves but this lipstick is just so lovely, it has a really unique way of brightening the face and I just feel so springy wearing this.

 So there we have it! My Top 5 Mac Lipstick picks for Spring, I hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear what some of yours would be.

MAC | Impassioned Lipstick

 

 

 

This lipstick from MAC has been on my wishlist ever since I became hooked on them. I have probably mentioned before that I prefer wearing statement lips and Impassioned is definitely now up there in the more daring choices of my collection. I was lucky enough to win this in Katie's  100 follower giveaway which was very exciting so a big thank you to Katie again! I do very much enjoy discovering new blogs to read so be sure to go and give hers a follow if you aren't already.

Impassioned is an amplified lipstick meaning that the colour pay off is absolutely incredible, what you see in the bullet is basically going to transfer on to the lips. Amplified formulas are probably my favourite of the Mac line because of their creamy application also making them very comfortable to wear, and just the pigmentation you get with an amplified lipstick is unbeatable in my opinion. Of course Impassioned is no exception to that rule and  as a result of its finish you won't need to do much building up to get an opaque coverage.

What stands out most about Impassioned is its colour - I don't really own anything similar. I would describe it as a vibrant pinky coral - something about this shade has me thinking sort of like flamingo pink, maybe a bit of an odd comparison there I don't know? I find that because I'm blonde I have to be careful with the sort of pinks I wear - I own Snob and everytime I wear it it looks as though I'm going for the Barbie look, which just doesn't really work for me. Thankfully Impassioned is a perfect pink (got to love those hints of coral) and it is another lipstick that makes me excited for Spring. This might be deemed a bit of a vibrant choice for everyday wear but I just think Impassioned is going to look so stunning on a bright sunny day and I can't wait to start showing this off!

 

Have you tried Impassioned by Mac? What are some of your Spring lipstick favourites?