A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Good morning, this is your captain speaking.

On behalf of my crew today, I’d like to welcome you aboard flight number L1P6L0551P1N6 from Heathrow to Antigua.  We are currently flying at an altitude of 35,000 Boots points midway across the Atlantic.  If you look out of the windows on the starboard side, you should get a great reflection for reapplying your lipsticks – alternatively, please await the cabin crew’s further instructions as we have a rather special purchase to show you today.

Virgin Atlantic have teamed up with bareMinerals to create a mile-high red lip that’s worth a swoon or two.  Upper Class Red* is taking off in style with the signature Pretty Amazing Lipcolor formula combining the coverage you’d expect from a lipstick with the high-shine of a gloss.  The scarlet shade is synonymous with the cabin crew’s glamourous image as seen in the airline’s latest advert.

Having been adopted as an official piece of uniform for the Virgin Atlantic cabin crew, you can imagine that this formula really needs to live up to the demands that will be placed upon it in a working environment and none is more important 35,000 feet up than longevity.  While not completely bullet-proof, the colour wears very evenly and transforms from an opaque, glossy covering to a pigmented stain after a couple of hours that lasts throughout the day.  I actually prefer the slightly more subdued stain to the pow-pow in your face-ness of this particular red.

The applicator has a flexible, rounded tip that helps to apply such a strong colour with the kind of precision required for the task.  The texture is thick and I’d suggest wiping any excess product back into the neck of the tube as a little will go a long way.  Once applied, the finish is super-shiny and I prefer to blot it once on a tissue to get rid of  that sticky gloss feeling without losing any of the incredible pigmentation.

To my eye it’s a warm-toned red… not enough to actually be classed as a “warm red”, but you should be able to see that it leans away from the cool end of the spectrum with my pinky colouring as a backdrop.

You can check-in (groan) with ‘Upper Class Red’ exclusively at Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Spas before it’s made available for pre-order on board Virgin Atlantic flights.  Later in the year, it will become available to purchase from selected bareMinerals stockists.

If you can’t wait until then, check out some of the other Pretty Amazing LipColors available to purchase online at BeautyBay.com

* press sample

What I lack in eyeshadow bravery, I like to think I make up for when it comes to choosing lip colours.  Not one to shy away from a bright lip, I first saw Don’t Blink Pink featured on the lovely Clumps of Mascara blog and within five minutes, I had checked out my eBay basket on Paypal containing the luridly bright pink and another, lesser-spotted (on my lips) shade, orange – in the guise of Purty Persimmon.

First things first, these lippies are cheap.  Cheep cheap!  I paid around £6 including shipping from the U.S. for both – they also feel cheap.  They wobble about in their housing like brightly-coloured mini Pisa replicas and you’ll struggle to get a neat edge without the help of a lip brush because the formula is so, so hard.  They do warm up a little on the lips but overall, there is no luxury or even any attempts at luxury in these bullets.  What you will find though, is colour.  And plenty of it.

They’re practically neon on the lips, albeit a wearable neon.  They scream summer and make me feel supremely happy when I catch sight of my lips in the mirror.  Honestly? They make me wanna do a duckface.  Living up to their name, they offer great longevity and although they’re somewhat drying, I didn’t suffer any real problems or discomfort on well-prepped lips.

I’ll admit that I haven’t quite mastered the courage to wear the orange outside of the house just yet but I did get compliments on the pink last week.  If nothing else, this is a really good jump into the deep end for those of you who want to get to grips with some bright shades but don’t want to be spending all of your pennies on something you may not get much wear from.  I bought these from seller: senoritadelsol.

What do you think?  Are you going to be rocking some bright lip shades this year?

Cigdem is a 22 year old Journalism graduate from London with an obsession for all things fashion and beauty!  The following article is a guest submission, you can read more from Cigdem at It’s Cigdem.

I think I speak for most women when I say that my mission to find the perfect red lipstick is never over. Unlike 10 years ago, we’re now so spoilt for choice it can be a little overwhelming – there are just so many brands selling so many different shades of red!

Miners Lip Colour in Seduction is probably the lipstick with the lowest price point, as it retails at only £3.99, but (thankfully) that’s where the ‘cheapness’ ends.

Seduction is described as ‘a velvety smooth deep red’, and that’s exactly what it is. The colour is the perfect shade for creating a ‘sexy’ pout, as it has hints of blue undertones – so I wouldn’t recommend this if you want to create a bright, retro red lip. I think it’s a good colour if you want to create an edgy, almost gothic look.

Applying it in different way can certainly alter the colour. I found that it was slightly too dark for me when I applied the lipstick straight from the bullet, but with a lip brush (as in the photo) the colour blended in with the pink tones in my lip, creating a colour that looked much better.

I wore this lipstick for about 5 hours and the colour did not wear off at all. It lasted through cups of tea and only came off because I wiped it off with a wipe, and by the end of the day my lips still felt smooth, meaning the long lasting colour didn’t try my lips out.

This lipstick definitely ticks a lot the boxes: it provides strong, long lasting colour, which doesn’t dry out over time. Is it my perfect red lipstick? I’m going to say no, only because I feel like I could find a shade of red that would suit my colouring much better. But apart from the colour, Miners Lip Colour is definitely great value for money!

Miners Lip Colour in Seduction is available online from www.minerscosmetics.co.uk and throughout selected pharmacies for £3.99 (online postage is £1.99).

If you would like to submit a non-commercial post to be considered for inclusion on Lipglossiping.com, please email for more details.

My biggest dilemma when it came to choosing my red lip picks for this winter were not so much the brands (I knew I wanted a Rockalily and a MUFE one), but the shades.  Both brands offer a variety of reds, each with their own subtle nuances – and despite all the swatches in the world, it can still sometimes be tricky to take that plunge when you can only shop online.

Where Rockalily was concerned, I ended up plumping for the most ‘classic’ looking option, the darkest of their core trio of reds: Roulette Red.

Priced at £14 each, these are leaning into the high-end category and the packaging is distinctly… budget, both in the way it looks and in the way it feels.  Thankfully, that’s where any comparisons to cheaper cosmetic quality ends because once the lid comes off, so do the gloves.  Roulette Red packs a beautiful punch of pigment that lasts almost like no other.  The only other red in my collection that can boast the same staying power as this is my lovely Rouge Baiser Paris – N°405 Le Rouge, which is consequently, pretty drying.  Roulette Red doesn’t dry my lips even half as much as the Rouge Baiser (which was actually famous for its ground-breaking long-lasting formula back in the 20s!).

I have to hand it to ReeRee, the lady behind Rockalily Makeup – she’s got a winning red lip formula on her hands here.  It’s really something special.

Application was fine, not the creamiest… but if you want super creamy, go for a YSL Rouge Volupté and lament the 20-second wear time.  I was able to apply this straight from the bullet without too much drag and neaten up the edges with a lip brush.  Wear, as I may have already mentioned… was exceptional.  I drank my way through three cups of tea, a packet of rice cakes (gross) and a satsuma… all with minimal colour loss.  I’m also pleased to report that there was no transfer to my two big front teeth, which is normally my biggest issue with a bold lip (overbites are bitches when it comes to lipstick).

So, is it my new favourite red lipstick?

Hmmm… no, not quite… but it is my new favourite red lipstick to whip out when I’m not gonna be able to touch up during the day.  And that, my friends, is a very important lipstick to have.

Rockalily Roulette Red is available to buy online from rockalily.com, and is priced at £14.00 (postage is £2.50)

There’s nothing like feeling the pull of a good lemming and I take great pride in both creating and crushing them in almost equal measure.  Ultimately though, it feels a little bit more heart-warming to instill a good dose of the ‘want its’ in both yourself and others.  I knew as soon as I laid my eyes on these chubby little pencils, I had the easiest lemming post in the world on my hands.

Laqa & Co are a brand best known for their nail polish pens which promise to dispense glossy colour to your tips in just a couple of clicks (call the ad men, I’ve just made up that rhyme!).  The U.S. brand take great pride in promoting up-and-coming designers by featuring their work on the packaging and profiling them on their website.  It’s a match made in heaven for producing some beautifully quirky products that appeal to the ‘gotta catch them all’ magpie mentality.

I was recently introduced to their latest product… the Fat Lip Pencil*.

Just as beautifully designed as the polish pens, these lip pencils are ridiculously cute.  There are five shades available in a chunky, wind-up form… you’ll like the shade names: Wolfman, Fairyblood, Ring of Fire, Lambchop, and Bossy Boots.  I think I may aswell call my lip collection complete now that I own a lipstick called Lambchop no?  I mean, it just doesn’t get any better.  Unless you’re a vegetarian, in which case, I’m very, very sorry.

So, cuteness overload aside… let’s take a closer look at these shades.

The shades range from the sheer to the uber-pigmented.  They’re fairly inconsistent in terms of glossiness with some shades appearing more matte despite the website describing each of them as glossy.  The texture also varies across the range with Bossy Boots having the most gloriously smooth texture compared to the firmer-feeling Wolfman which dragged a little on my lips.  Staying power was better than average for most shades with the mattes holding up particularly well throughout the day.

Wolfman: A firm-textured super pale pink that works best if pre-warmed on the back of your hand before applying.  It’s a little chalky looking but covers my pigmented bits with ease.

Fairyblood: Laqa & Co describe this one as a glossy sheer peach with shimmery flecks of gold but because this one is sheerer, my colouring turns this one much cooler on me.  I can imagine it looking quite different on someone with a warmer skintone.  This is a really nice, natural-looking nude on my lips giving a polished but not made-up feel.

Lambchop: A vibrant blue-pink with  pepto-bismol brightness.  What a scorching shade for spring/summer!  This leans more matte and as a result, lasts well throughout the day needing only a couple of touchups.  Again, this one benefits from warming up before application.

Ring of Fire: Well, well.  Stop sniggering at the back there.  Ring of Fire is a cool-toned red with a hint of raspberry.  This is one of the creamier shades and packs an impressive punch of pigmentation to boot.

Bossy Boots: My favourite of the five.  A beautiful my-lips-but-better shade that layers into a sheer, very wearable red.  It’s also the most glossy of all shades whilst still retaining a true lipstick feel.

I love the portability of the range and the fact that unlike the NYX jumbo pencils, I don’t need to worry about carrying a pencil sharpener around with me!  The shades are comprehensive and feel fresh and modern with non-frosty finishes.  They’re cute enough to gift but if that’s your intention, be aware – you may just end up keeping it for yourself!

Laqa & Co Fat Lip Pencils are reasonably priced at £13 each and available to buy online at www.powderrooms.com – Which one is your favourite?

* press samples

Today’s red lip is courtesy of Italian brand KIKO – I picked shade #222 Dark Red up a few weeks back and gave it a first outing the other day. I have to say, it’s not going to make it to my top twenty. Colour-wise, I love it but the texture is uncomfortable to wear, it feels cheap and it smells cheap. Just aswell it is cheap I guess?

I know that people laugh at paying good money for lipstick… essentially wax in a stick but wearing this has reinforced my appreciation for creamier, better-quality formulas. Having said that, I do still like the shade a lot… I’m just not sure whether I’ll be reaching for it too often.

KIKO Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in #222 is priced at £5.90 (currently £3.00) and available from their store in Westfield Stratford or online.

Can you feel it coming?  The birds are beginning to sing a slightly more cheerful tune, the flowers are peeking their tiny heads out from beneath the frozen ground and the dark evenings are gradually fading into longer twilights.  Sure, it ain’t exactly warming up yet… but I’m optimistic that we’re over the worst of it.  Maybe.

The fact that I took delivery of the Boots No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection* this morning may have had something to do with the new-found spring in my step (pardon the pun).  Look at that packaging, I love it and I usually quite dislike white cosmetic packaging.  Mind you, I used to hate white gadgets too… *hides all Apple technology*.

The new Lisa Eldridge-created collection consists of: one eye palette, one complexion highlighter, two cream blushers and two lipsticks.  No nail polishes this time.  Boo.

Want a closer look?

This prettily packaged eye palette reminds me of the Avon Marimekko ones from a few years back, does anyone remember those?  Anyway, the No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette offers five warm-toned shades with four neutrals and a pop of golden-yellow.  Nothing too dark here, this is all about bringing some light to the face and brightening the eye area.  I tend to prefer cooler tones on my eyes but I do like the satin-finish of these, they’re not too metallic and showy.  Texture is a touch soft but they blend nicely and last very well on primed eyelids.

Next up is the No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter, a smooth champagne highlighting powder that applies with more sophistication and refinement than I expected.  It imparts a non-metallic glow when used with a light hand and is neutral enough not to look too warm, or too pink on my skintone.  No7 generally do highlighting powders very, very well and if you’re in the market for a new one, this is worth a look.

A real standout in the collection are their two new blushers.  The No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink (fuchsia) and Blossoming Pink (guava) are a cream-to-powder formulation that pack a real punch of vibrancy whilst still being able to blend down to a wearable flush without streaking.  The formula is *so* spot on with these… I own cream blushers that cost twice as much and apply literally, half as well as these do.  Highly recommend checking these out while they’re still available.

My other favourite from the collection are the two new No7 Vital Brights Lipstick shades that allude to the popular lightweight formula the beauty world can’t get enough off, whilst boasting more buildable pigmentation levels than most gel-style lipsticks.  They’re knockout shades too… Blooming Pink is the killer, cool-toned fuchsia which looks great with a slick of black liner and will carry you confidently through to Summer.  Blossoming Pink is a slightly cool-toned nude which will please women who prefer a safer lip-shade.  It’s nude without being too pale, more of a perfecting lip shade than a colour statement.  How this one turns out will really depend on your natural lip colouring.

Without wanting to sound like a major fangirl, there’s not a dud in the collection.  If you twisted my arm, I’d say that you could probably leave the eye palette on the shelf.  It’s a little bit soft and doesn’t tick my must-have requirements in the same way as some of the other pieces.  Do not let this limited edition collection pass you by without going in for a closer look at the lipsticks and blushes though.  That’s an order.

If you can bring yourself to, please excuse the bottom right cam-whoring.  I couldn’t – in all seriousness – where such a horrifically clashing lip shade and not ham it up a bit.  In all photos I’m wearing the eye palette, blossoming pink cream blush and highlighter.  It’s hopefully clear enough in which photos I’m wearing which lipstick.  Does that make sense?

No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette – 4g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter – 10g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 2g (£10.00)
No7 Vital Brights Lipsticks in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 3.5g (£10.00)

Have you got your eye on any pieces from the new Spring Collection?  Already bought something – let me know!

The No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection is available exclusively in Boots stores now and online at Boots.com until the 6th March 2012.  It’s worth pointing out that No7 products are also currently on 3for2.

* press samples

I’ve still been wearing my beloved red lip shades throughout December, though not blogging them as well as I would have liked.  I have so many beautiful new acquisitions I’d really love to show you before the weather gets warm again, someone please give me a kick up the butt to get the reds (both yours and mine) setting the blog on fire again!

I sneaked 5 minutes for a quick photo-take in the back garden yesterday afternoon (the light is so poor indoors), this is my latest red purchase, and with it must go mega-credit (and a big thank you) to Frooti Beauty for swatching the Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour range for me!  I already own Big Bang and Crush, so knew in advance that I would be a fan of the formula but wasn’t sure on whether F-Bomb was the kind of true, clean red that I tend to favour.

I’d say that it leans ever so slightly warm but not enough to go all fire-engine on my face… the formula is long-wearing and lasts happily through a few drinks.  I really hope that Urban Decay consider bringing out some more shades in this lineup – I love a chunky lip pencil, especially one that gives as much shine as this!

Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour in F-Bomb is priced at £14 and available instore at the usual Urban Decay concessions and online at BeautyBay.com

Yeah, so you lot are sharper than a brand new 24/7 eyeliner pencil.  Of course, the crafty thingie that Mr. L was constructing for me was my new Lipstick Organiser.  So good, it needs capitalization.  Well done for guessing correctly!

Wanna see it? (tough, I’m showing you anyway)

I know it’s a little bit rustic-looking but damn, it works like a dream.  I can see each lipstick at a glance and organise them into shade ranges.  My OCD tendencies are acting like they just scored a touchdown!

It was a total pain in the arse to make (says Mr. L) and I have massive gratitude to Koren for the inspiration.  Mr. L didn’t use the same measurements as him though… we wanted to use thicker cardboard, it needed to fit my Helmer drawer neatly, so accounted for that and we had to enlarge some measurements to make room for my largest lipsticks (Urban Decay and Burberry incase you were wondering!).

If you want to watch Koren’s video on how to make one of these little marvels, it’s embedded below!

What do you think?  Do you have one of these?  Want one?!

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of wearing bolder lipsticks and rapidly falling in love with my Kevyn Aucoin purchases whilst I’m at it!  Enchantaberry is a wearable berry shade that never looks overdone.  It’s perfect if you’re a little shy of vampy Autumn/Winter shades but would still like to experiment.

My favourite thing about these KA lipsticks though, is the formula.  They seem to somehow dry to a powder finish without being drying, at least for me – and I don’t have particularly amazing lips. I usually have to bring my Lanolips into nightly use when I bring out the red lipstick but not so with the Kevyn Aucoin lippies that I’ve been wearing recently.

Just like Dantique, which I featured previously, Enchantaberry appears to be darker in the tube than when applied.  It has a silky texture and can be blotted to a “just bitten” stain if you so wish.  I prefer to wear it full-on, it’s not too dark or vampy, as you can see…

Out of all the berries(!), I say this one has a raspberry edge, it’s another big thumbs up for a wearable red from makeup master Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin Enchantaberry is currently available at a bargain price of £4.99 on eBay, alternatively you can purchase online from www.misebeauty.com, priced at £20.

It’s been a while huh?  I’m thinking that the temperature has dropped enough now to kick-start the red lip series again…

I’m easing myself back into the season slowly though with this little number from makeup uber-God Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin’s The Expert Lip Tint in Dantique is a proper grown-up red that oozes sophistication and I’m completely smitten with it.  The shade reminds me a little of my Burberry Lip Cover in Claret but while the Burberry is slightly more pink-berry toned, this one leans to a rosey/red-brown.  It’s a totally work-appropriate red if you live in fear of wearing your lips a little too loudly.

Genuinely moisturising on my lips and wears down evenly to a pretty stain, I can see myself hitting stump on this shade.

There are currently some Kevyn Aucoin lipsticks for sale on eBay at a very good price, I’m sure they’re old stock but I’ve bought a couple with no problems, otherwise – you can buy online priced at £20 each from MiseBeauty.com

MAC’s Oh, Oh, Oh lustre lipstick was recently released in the brand’s 8438594th collection of the year.  Oh ok, it was released in their huge 51-piece MAC Me Over collection for Autumn.  Said collection included a total of eight lipsticks, I fell in love with one.

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh is an unlikely-looking contender in the tube with an overwhelming impression that you’re looking at a bronze/copper shade.  Not so my fellow lipstick-lovers, for Oh, Oh, Oh is infact a beautiful plum with vibrant gold shimmer, rendering it absolutely perfect for Autumn.

Lustres are my favourite MAC lipstick finish, sheer (but not too sheer) and glossy with a softer texture than most.  Once warmed up, it glides on with no issues and imparts a healthy dose of colour to my naturally unpigmented lips.

I like to wear MAC Oh, Oh, Oh with a pink or plum blush, a slick of eyeliner and not much else.  The beauty in this lipstick lies in the golden shimmer that deserves to take the main stage.

Have you found your favourite Autumn lipstick yet?

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh Lustre Lipstick is still available on the MAC Website in the going-going-gone section priced at £13.50, if you wanted to snap up a great choice for Autumn, better be quick!