A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Further to my post last week discussing the launch of Lime Crime at SpaceNK stores this month, I want to share with you my thoughts on the lipsticks that I was sent by SpaceNK.

I wrote the initial post because whilst not wanting to ignore the contentious issues surrounding the brand, I want to keep that separate to my review of the products.

If you’re interested in purchasing the lipsticks from SpaceNK, please have a read and check out my thoughts on how they worked for me.

First of all… the packaging.

A lot has been said about the packaging.  It generally tends to polarise opinion between two camps.  I have to say…. I like it a lot.  Admittedly, so would my 11 month old given another couple of years.

I like the holographic unicorns…. no, I LOVE the unicorns.  I don’t however like the overall colour choice, but only because I think those unicorns would have looked stunning against a shiny black background.

The packaging up to this point feels sturdy and I’m impressed by the quality.

I was sent three which you can see above.

Lime Crime have based the credibility of their entire range on the phrase: “So bright, it’s illegal.”  And I have no qualms about the brightness of the shades I received.

Are they brighter than lipsticks that you can purchase from brands such as MAC, BarryM or even clubber’s fav Stargazer?  Possibly not… Infact, I’ve already found a fair colour dupe of Countessa Fluorescent in my BarryM 146.  But you would have to be a fairly brand-savvy makeup shopper to find these dupes, and this collection just makes it easier.

Before I move on to swatches, wear etc… I do have one quality issue.  My Countessa Flourescent arrived ‘wonky’.  When I wind it up and down, it ‘drags’ on the inside of the tube leaving not only a streak of pink behind, but a groove dug out of the lipstick.  I wouldn’t expect nor accept this from a £14 product.

As you can see, on the back of my hand… they swatch beautifully and true to tube colour.  They achieve full opacity very quickly and are just as vibrant as they promise.

I’m going back to front from the hand swatches… but I’ll start with…

My Beautiful Rocket.

It applied well and I found it fairly creamy.  It’s no YSL Rouge Volupte, but I will happily reach for it whenever the situation demands an orange!  And what a shade it is!  Vibrant in colour and packing a nice sheen.  I would recommend this as a great summer shade.

No She Didn’t.

A horrible chalky lipstick.  It drags across my lips and the colour it deposits sinks instantly into the furrows meaning that I have to go over a number of times to achieve any real opacity.  The result of having to apply it so heavily is bleeding around the edges and a caked-on feeling.  I’ve read reports of staining, but I couldn’t bear to keep this on my lips for long enough to test that theory out.

I wouldn’t recommend this lipstick at all, and think the formula needs adjusting to make it work.

Countessa Fluorescent.

Colour-wise for me, this was my favourite.  I love this bright dolly pink which achieves a fabulous opacity without too much effort on my part.  It’s more drying than My Beautiful Rocket and it left a stain around the contour of my lips which I wasn’t delighted about.

I can’t decide whether to forgive it for those niggles.  Perhaps if the price were lower… but at £14, I want a damn good lipstick.  And this doesn’t qualify.

I wouldn’t describe any of these lipsticks as moisturising, but of the three… My Beautiful Rocket came the closest to leaving my lips in the same condition as before I had applied the product.  To be fair, I’ve just spent 3 hours in a Chanel Rouge Coco…. and that’s left my lips feeling pretty dehydrated too.

I’m no chemist, but the main problems I see with these lipsticks is the thickness of the formula.  They’re just so heavy.  I guess the whole “I’m so bright, I’m illegal” ethos demands this heavy pigmentation and perhaps this is the flipside to trying to achieve such an opaque range of products.

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I think that at £14 each, the price is too high for the quality of the product.  The shades are awesome and the staying power is pretty darn effective.  I think they’re a fabulous idea and I would love to see some adjustments to the formula that would make them kinder to the wearer’s lips.

Would I buy them?  I would buy My Beautiful Rocket. I would bin No She Didn’t.

Still…

I picked up two Besame lipsticks a couple of weeks ago from a discounter on eBay and managed to get both for around £12.

They’re the older style lipsticks with the retro shaped tips that help you get a beautifully sharp line.  I believe they’ve since reformulated.

The packaging is just beautiful.  Twirling the case between your fingers actually feels like you’re holding something special… even Mr. L wanted to have a look (and that NEVER happens!)

These little lippies are teeny tiny… 1.8g compared to a 3g MAC lipstick and the casing is about 2/3of the height.  But look how beautiful they are!

I picked up two pinks.  Exotic Pink (a bright true hot pink) and Portrait Pink (a subdued ‘nuder’ pink).

Exotic Pink is densely pigmented and absolutely rich with colour.  You can see from my swatch… it’s very opaque and glides on beautifully.

Portrait Pink is sheerer, but still builds to an opaque glossy finish with a bit of work.

I adore both of these lipsticks and I’m really happy to add them to my collection.  They’re not the most moisturising lipsticks I’ve worn, but staying power is great and both shades are completely adorable.

Are you a Besame fan?

I haven’t got a side by side swatch comparison and I’m not claiming this dupe discovery as my own (a quick Google search threw this up) but it’s been said that Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Rose is a colour dupe for Chanel’s Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle.

Is it?

It’s pretty darn close!

I’ve got a full lip swatch post coming soon(ish) of all the new Revlon Colorburst shades… I’ll try and get it live by the end of the week.  I don’t believe the Colorbursts are out in the UK yet… so cool your heels lovely ladies, they’re a-coming!

What d’ya think?  Close enough?

I didn’t buy it… it was on my list, but I thought I’d better try it at the counter first.  The SA applied it on me and warned me that some of her more cool-toned ladies felt that the colour turns a bit orangey on them.  She wasn’t wrong.

Here it is after I got home 3 hours later… great long-lasting wear by the way:

Please excuse the expression… it’s like a cross between really smug and “eugh, I’ve just stepped in a dog turd but I better keep smiling anyway”.

I loved that Mademoiselle isn’t at all frosty or even glossy.  It’s just a beautiful, sophisticated creamy lipstick.

However, I was expecting a medium pink that leant slightly towards the neutral/brown.  This is much more brick-like on my complexion.

Not only that, but I found the formula pretty drying… something that I really hadn’t been expecting.  All the reviews I’ve read (and I’ve read a LOT) celebrate how moisturising they find the Chanel Rouge Coco formula.

Look at the state of my lips after 3 hours.

You can also see how corally the shade turned against my pinky/blue tones.

I would go back to try Camelia or Gardenia (which I think would be my best bets for a pink) but I think they’re both a bit frosty for me.

Sigh… I really wanted to love it badly.

Cult US eccentric brand Lime Crime are currently enjoying a boost in credbility thanks to UK based apothecary Space NK.  In an unlikely but ultimately interesting pairing, Space NK will be bringing the full range of Lime Crime CandyFuture lipsticks to the store’s shelves later this month.

The collection of 10 lipsticks which range in colour from an opaque black right through to palest lavender will hit UK shores with a price tag of £14 each compared to US equivalent pricing of $16.  The price hike is pretty much expected, and perhaps slightly less than anticipated when you consider Space NK’s ill-fated launch of excessively priced Sonia Kashuk brushes last year.

The reputation of Lime Crime… with self-proclaimed “Unicorn Queen” owner/operator Doe Deere at the helm, has recently endured the internet equivalent of a “beat-down”.

The company may initially struggle to gain trust and loyalty from cosmetic connosieurs in the UK with the recent allegations raised against the brand, but I don’t doubt for one moment that the playful, fantastical nature of the brand will appeal to many high-street shoppers.

The launch has the potential to bring a fresh, younger audience to Space NK… which may ultimately validate this unusual synergy between conservatively styled Space NK and the whimsical Lime Crime.

As an interested observer (but ultimate fence-sitter) with regards to the recent Lime Crime dramas, this has the potential to be one hell of a launch.  I just hope that Space NK have ordered in enough glitter and life-size unicorns.

I’m smitten.  My heart is won.

Move over, make room… I’ve finally discovered Fyrinnae Lip Lustres.

I only own 4… I’ve already remedied that little problem and have another 10 winging their way to me as I type.

Wanna see what I’m going so crazy for this week?

4 mini tubes, each one sample sized and priced at a ridiculously cheap $2.50.

A standard little doe foot wand with an unassuming looking substance…

…produces the most beautiful hybrid between a lip stain, lipstick and gloss that I’ve ever encountered.  The colour is pigmented and glossy yet it feels like I’m wearing nothing more irritating than a slick of water on my lips.

As the day progresses and the initial burst of colour fades, I’m left with a beautiful stain that remains even and true despite drinking and snacking.  Not only that, but I’m not finding these at all drying and I was almost positive that I would need to combine them with lip balm.

I just wasn’t expecting to be bowled over by these little lip lustres quite as much as I have been.

Here’s some swatches of the shades I own, I prefer to do full face shots simply because when searching for lipstick swatches I feel that I personally get a truer impression of the colour if it’s put into context of skintone etc rather than just a pair of lips on the screen!

~ Visual-Kei is my perfect pink….

~ Romantique is a stunning golden peach nude…

~ Lollipop-Pop is a punkier pink with blue flashes….

~ Type A is an almost metallic garnet that cries out for some heavy lashes and winged eyeliner.

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They’re perfect.  Oh and they smell ah-mazing too.

Ok, I need to think of something I don’t like about them… this is so gushy, I’m gonna make myself vom.

*thinking*

Oh yeah, the lead time on the Fyrinnae website isn’t great for impatient types like me.  It took 3 weeks before I had them in my hot little hands and now I’ve got to cool my heels for the same time again to get my new order…

anything else, anything else?  Um… no, I really can’t think of anything I don’t like.

I feel like I need validation after such a sickening gush, if you have them… tell me I’m not a mental and that they really are this great?

It’s Monday morning and I’m feeling gloomy…

Cheer me up, I wanna talk about the classic red lip.

I struggle.  I have too much pink in my skintone and am forever clashing.  Failing that, I catch sight of myself walking past an office window and suddenly realise that the Hamburgler is probably after my Big Macs.

Can you pull off a great red lip?  Do you even like red lips?

Tell me about your favourite reds… your greatest disappointments, your greatest triumphs!

Whilst up in London for IMATS, I had lots of trouble dragging myself away from Inglot in Westfield.  I was in there searching through the lipsticks for AGES!  Such a variety, but despite this… nothing was really catching my eye.  And then I spotted a small group of maybe 12 lipsticks off to one side, and immediately, 2 shades popped out at me.

I asked the SA to tell me about these taller, thinner lipsticks that bear more than a passing resemblance to the MAC Slimshines.  The SA explained that these were their new Slim Gel Lipsticks which have a lighter, more moisturising feel to them whilst still retaining a good colour payoff.

Sold to the lady with the mega dry lips!

I purchased #61 (left) which I would describe as a mauve pink… it’s a medium toned pinky nude on my skin, proper nude… not concealer nude.  I also purchased #41 which is a brighter, more vivid shade bordering on the coral *eek!*

I love both of them, they are moisturising… they’re also a teeny bit sticky, which does wonders for their longevity.  One application of these happily lasts me through to lunch time.  They have a glossy, shiny finish and I love the hardwearing metal packaging that houses all of Inglot’s lipsticks.

I do have one concern though… they don’t seem that steady in the tube.  If you do buy one of these, make sure you don’t wind the product up too high when applying.  I really think that unless you take considerable care, these would be prone to snapping.

Left: #61, Right: #41

I’ve also noticed that I seem to be going through the tubes at a rate of knots!  You only get 1.8g of product per tube, compared to 2.3g in a MAC Slimshine or 3g in a standard MAC Lipstick.  I threw away the receipt but I think I paid around £9 each for these.  So quite expensive gram for gram I think.

I shall forgive Inglot this time , these are beautifully easy to wear lipsticks and I’m very pleased I made the purchase.

Can’t. stop. buying. these. lipsticks.

Seriously, at under £2 a pop you can afford to experiment, and although the Cherry Culture swatches are pretty naff… Google is your friend.

I bought 3 more with my last haul.  Actually, I think I bought 5… but 2 were Ronald McDonald reds so I gave them to someone who would look less like a serial killer in them.

These are the 3 I kept:

And here’s what they look like swatched “ON MAH FACE!”:

NYX Paris is my favourite, it’s a perfect pink for me… not too warm, not too cool.  Love it!  It’s glossy and smooth and doesn’t highlight my sore bits.

NYX B52 is a touch warm for me, but it’s not too bad.  Doesn’t look much like I expected it to, it’s a little darker on my skintone than I thought it would be.  Texture is great though.

I don’t understand this pout… is it even a pout?  What AM I doing?  Anyway… ignoring the stupid expression, NYX Power is akin to Revlon’s Pink Pout but without the dryness.  It’s not a total dupe, but it’s the nearest I’ve found for my skintone (yes, I know MAC Angel is a well-known dupe, but not on me).

In addition to my lovely Inglot Eyeshadow palette, I picked up a couple of lipsticks when I checked out the Inglot Store in Westfield a month ago…

The packaging is sleek… I love it, the outer cardboard box is more than a little reminiscent of MAC but the tubes themselves feel much sturdier.  They’re heavyweight metallic cases that would easily stand up to the rigours of being in my handbag.

I grabbed a pair of fairly nude shades…

#192 is a pink-toned nude with a touch of frost

#264 is a more flesh-toned nude with no frost.

You can see from the swatches, both lipsticks have a creamy, smooth texture with a slight shine.  Good for my poor dry lips as these don’t accentuate all the grooves and furrows that our recent plunging temperatures have created.

Here’s what they look like on:

#192 – Pink toned nude

#264 – Flesh toned nude

Apologies for the face photos, my only excuse is that it’s 2am…

Inglot Lipsticks retail at £7 each… tell me I don’t need any more please, ‘cos my arse is making buttons to get back there for some brights.

I found another Stellar Showlights Lipstick lurking in my local T.K. Maxx… this time in the shade Ra Ra Red.

I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t the same glitter-bomb affair as the last one… but it still has glamour running through it’s veins.

Love the heavyweight packaging of the old style HR lippies.

These lippies are beautifully sheer yet buildable and I also find them quite moisturising… most of all, I love the shimmer left on the lips.  They give a fantastic illusion of fullness.

More, more… must find more!

I was eavesdropping on Twitter (as you do) and overheardread VexintheCity tell Cosmetic-Candy that Revlon Pink Pout was a reasonable dupe for MAC Angel.

“No it isn’t!” thinks I… “They’re completely different!”

So off I rush immediately to test out this theory! (as you do)

Left-Right: Pink Pout, Angel

I’m serving up my humble pie at this point….

They are simillar aren’t they?

So I swatch…

*sigh* I don’t like being wrong…

Dupe Alert!

but then… I apply…

L-R: Pink Pout, Angel

Woah there Nelly!  Pink Pout is… well… pink.  MAC Angel is distinctly beige-toned on my lips.

How on earth?

So there ya go.  Revlon’s Pink Pout is a definite dupe for MAC Angel (albeit a matte one) on everybody in the entire universe…

…except for me.

Now, what I want is a Revlon Pink Pout dupe that isn’t a moisture sucking matte… um… don’t say MAC Angel 😉