Lipstick Forever #7: Stargazer Semi Permanent Lip Liner Pen in 05 Review

 I know this is called a 'lip liner'- but believe me this is definitely a lip stain!

Packaging: It's not terrible glam I must admit. It's ok though.

 

Colour: This appears a very cherry red at first, but on the lips (because you have go over uneven bits) it built into a very dark red very quickly. I like it, but it's not for the faint hearted.

 

Application & Coverage: I'm not wild about the application of this- it has a felt tip nib which has a very thin point. It works well to define the lip line, but it's difficult to fill in your lips evenly. I wasn't pleased with the uneveness, so I topped it up with lip balm throughout the day. It's also quite drying (it is a stain after all) so it needs lip balm!

Kiss Test: A little comes off (especially with the lip balm) but nothing alarming.

Lasting Power: Even with eating and drinking, with multiple lip balm applications, this stayed on incredibly well. Only after 12 hours or so did my very inner lip need touching up. 

To me, this feels like a less expensive (only £4!) version of the long lasting lipsticks, like Maybelline Superstay. As with those, I find this a bit of a faff to put on and I wish it were less drying, but it does last forever. I'm definitely glad to have this for days when I need a long wearing but bold colour! 

7/10

You can get this on the Stargazer website for £4.

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #6- Kate Moss for Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Shade 8

Packaging: It is simple packaging, and not massively luxe, but I actually think it's ok. It's certainly better than the neon pink of some of Rimmel's other lipsticks. It's maybe a tad flimsy feeling though.

 

Colour: I LOVE the colour of this. I almost never buy this kind of lipstick colour, but I really should! It's a beautiful dusky tea rose. It's not a MLBB shade, but still very wearable for day without being 'LOOK AT MY LIPSTICK'. 

Application: This goes on fairly well, I would say that with Rimmel lipsticks I tend to find that it can emphasise the wrinkles and cracks on my lips (where I didn't think I had that many). A bit of lip balm underneath is a good idea!

Kiss Test: Ohhhhh I forgot to do one! Fail. A little bit comes off, but nothing worrying.

Lasting Power: Because this is a semi matte rather than a full on mega glossy affair, it lasts quite well. You will have to top up after a meal or hot drink, but it fades pretty evenly and wears well.

7.5/10- pretty good, although I'm not overly enamoured of the formula.

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #5- Mac Ruby Woo (Matte)

This was a birthday present from the lovely Dani amongst others!

Packaging: Classic Mac. Very uncomplicated, but very pretty and very grown-up. I'm not over fond of the lid shape though if I'm honest.

Colour: It's... red. That's the closest I can get. I think this is a much more orange red, but in certain lights it can look more like a true red. So perhaps it's an orange red, but isn't too difficult to pull off if orange isn't your colour. Sorry, I'm rubbish at judging the undertones in red!

 

Application: This is one of the tougher lipsticks I own to apply. The matte finish makes it drag a little, and it definitely applies better if it's a little warmed up. It doesn't bother me too much, but it does make me think carefully about whether I've got time to apply it properly. As with most pigmented lipsticks, you have to apply carefully to not end up with looking wobbly, but you can apply from the bullet if you're ultra careful.

 

Kiss Test: There's pretty much nothing coming off this baby.

 

Lasting Power: Um... here blog readers, I fail you. I can't actually remember (it's taken me ages to write up this review and I've been busy). I think it falls under the 'decent lasting power as long as you don't eat or drink' category, as I *think* it got ruined when I had a meal. But really to qualify a lipstick as good it needs to last about 4 hours (which is a breakfast to lunch kinda time span) and it wouldn't have problems doing that.

I do like this lipstick, even with it's orangey side, but it isn't one to reach for every day for me. I love a matte finish, but it can be a little drying and a bit tricky to work with if you're in a 'no effort' mood. I love this more for evening- it's a great party lipstick because it's so vibrant! 

5/10 for day, 7/10 for night- 6/10 overall.

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #4: Chanel Hydrabase Lipstick in 81 Rouge Peche

As a tiny warning, I think this might be discontinued, I've had it about 5 years so it's quite old!

Packaging: This is Chanel, so it's obviously going to be understated and have a bit of sophistication. It is a bit unsatisfying though- this is an older product, I think the current Chanel designs are prettier than this. It's very nice, but I don't find it particularly exciting.

Colour: Yes it's coral. Yes it shouldn't work on me, a neutral-pink toned girl. But actually... I really like it. There's a definitely pinkyness to it which stops it being that kind of orange coral I just can't wear.

 

Application: The formulation of this is very nice, for a lipstick it feels very smoothing and a tiny bit moisturising. I found this easy to apply even with the strong colour.

 

 Kiss Test: Not the worst I've seen, but there's more coming off than I'd like.

 

Lasting Power: Again not terrible, but after a meal it wasn't just faded, rather it was completely destroyed. As it is a creamy moisturising lipstick rather than a matte finish, it is probably to be expected that the focus is on colour and smooth application rather than lasting power. Apart from the meal, it lasted decently for about 3 hours before that.

I really like this lipstick on balance. I prefer it if it was a little bit longer lasting, but it's such a beautiful colour and lovely to wear!

7/10

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #3- Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Cherry

Packaging: I'm a bit unsure whether I like this Sleek packaging. It is certainly unfussy, but it kinda lacks something for me. Although being small and light makes it easily transportable, it also means it lacks some of the presence you get with a metal case.

Colour: I found this colour SO annoying to photograph! It's actually a deep pink fuchsia blend, but it seems to look really red in these photos! There's a hint of red in there, but it really is pink.

Smudged to show the pink/fuchsia undertones.

Application: Again... I'm not sure. It's smooth and doesn't drag when you put it on, but... hmm. You know those lipsticks where they just won't go onto your lips straight? And they look wonky and uneven as a consequence? This lipstick does that. Maybe it's my application, maybe it's an unforgiving lipstick, but some lipsticks do it and some don't. It's a pain but I didn't feel very happy wearing it.

Kiss Test: That's quite a lot coming off there.



Lasting Power: There seemed to be a lot of colour coming off, but it did fade into an even stain, and was still on after 6 hours and a meal.

I'm not a huge fan of this lipstick, and I don't quite know why. It's highly pigmented and lasts fairly well, but it smudged at the sides of my mouth really easily, and just didn't seem to go on well. It is a good lipstick though, maybe I was in a hyper-critical mood.

For me it was a 5/10, but probably ought to be a 7!

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #2: 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

 Packaging: I really like the shape of this, particularly when the lipstick is out- it's a very classic shape. However the colours are really not too great! The neonish shiny blue doesn't make this seem like a grown up lipstick. I'm not sure I'd want to pull this out in say an expensive restaurant bathroom to touch up.

Colour: This is a pinky nude colour, it definitely falls into the 'my lips but better' category. Although in the full face photos my lips look quite bare, in real life they definitely have more of a pink tint than normal.

Application: Very very smooth and easy to apply. This feels much more like a lip balm than it does a lipstick (although it doesn't really have much moisturising effect when you wear it).

I apologise for the hideousness of my face close up here!

Kiss Test: It's somewhat difficult to see because of the colour, but quite a bit came off. Obviously though smudging is not going to be massively noticeable even if it does come off.

Lasting Power: Here unfortunately is the downfall of this product. Easy to slick on, easy to come off. As I said before, because of the colour it won't be massively obvious or leave a ring on your inner lip, but it definitely won't last for a meal or multiple drinks.

If you want a nude to wear with a dramatic eye, this is a great colour, particularly if you are pale- it will give some colour, but not enough to clash with your eye make-up. It's pretty cheap at £4.59, but even so, I find it a little disappointing. I don't mind topping up a lipstick per se, but if you have to do it every hour it's going to run out (and get annoying) very quickly, and it just seems like a lipbalm could do the same job and be more moisturising. If you want a lipstick that's low key and easy to wear, you'll love this. If you want a proper lipstick that gives lots of colour and stays on, this ain't your girl.

6/10

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #1: MAC Russian Red (Matte)

So a new series (yes I have a lot of them. I like doing posts in series ok?!). This is Lipstick Forever- a celebration and voyage through lipstick in various colours and brands (essentially a lipstick review series). We start with a classic- MAC's Russian Red with a matte finish.

 

Packaging: Yeah it's MAC. It's pretty gorgeous. Grown up but with a slight edge, this is classic lipstick styling. 

Colour: This is lauded as a good 'blue red'. In real life on me there is a slight orangeness on me (I'm so pale I find it difficult to find a red that doesn't pull orange on me), but it's not really too noticeable. 

Application: For a matte lipstick, this doesn't feel very matte! It applies very smoothly and doesn't drag. It also doesn't make my lips look dry or highlight any flaws, although I don't suffer too much with that in general. On the lips, as with most pigmented reds, you will need to use a lipbrush and apply with care to get the best out of it (I put it on straight from the bullet and you can see it looks a bit uneven). If you need to tidy it up though it isn't ridiculously hard to get off. 

Kiss Test: After 2 coats and blotting, does it come off? A little bit. For a red, it isn't too bad.

Lasting Power: After 6 hours, including a meal and multiple drinks, it's still on and looking pretty good! This does come off on things like cup rims, but stays pretty even (the red ring of death hasn't appeared). It has smudged a little at the sides of my mouth, but it's pretty decent overall.

It's not my perfect red if I'm honest- it's not quite blue enough for me and the smudging annoys me. But I'm being very picky. If you want to get into red lipstick, this is a great place to start!

8/10

Love B xxx