Lipstick Love

Hi girls,

Let’s talk about lipsticks. Some people love them some people hate them. Personally I love a bright lipstick, it just adds a pop of colour to an outfit and elevates my whole look, I’d feel underdressed without lipstick (I wear a bright lip every time I go out for the day; work or otherwise).
I have bought a lot of lipsticks over the years and tried and tested a lot of different brands so that I now have my all time favourites.
I will also wear basically any colour; I love a deep red, ruby red, bright red, burnt orange, bright orange, pale pink, bright pink, fuchsia pink and purple. I’d even try a gold or silver!
If you are someone who wants to wear lipstick but doesn’t know where to start or doesn’t think it’ll suit you then let me give you a beginners guide…

1). You need to decide whether you want a matte or a shine, matte is a little easier to wear as it sits on your lips without being too bold that a shine would do. Personally I wear both matte and shiny.

2). Start with a neutral/nude colour to get you going, most brands do pink nudes and brown nudes so depending on your skin choose one that will suit your skin tone.

3). Don’t be afraid to try something new, a few years ago I would never wear red lipstick (only pink) and it was only when my best friend bought me the Nars Lip Pencil in Majella (deep red as show in picture below) that I realised that red suited me and since then I’ve never looked back.

4). When deciding what lip colour to wear, think about what other make up colours you are wearing. For example, eyeshadow, if you are bold and going for a lilac eyeshadow then a purple/pink lip would be best – a red would clash too much and you might be in danger of looking like Pat Butcher from Eastenders.
Also think about what outfit and jewellery you are wearing. I love a big earring so quite often I have to think about what colour my earrings are vs what colour lipstick I want to wear.

5). Contradicting to No.4, don’t be afraid to go bold and experiment also! One of the big trends over the last year is pink and red together. The other day I wore a bright pink dress with a bright red lip and it worked. Just remember that you can only make one clashing statement. If you’re wearing a pink dress and a red lip, don’t go adding purple earrings or purple shoes! THAT’S TOO MUCH CLASHING!

So, if I’ve inspired you just a little bit but you’re still not sure where to go buy one then let me tell you my favourite go-to brands as well as a couple of no-go’s too…

1). MAC
Mac do a huge range of lipsticks, matte and shiny, in a huge range of colours also – including yellow and blue! (Yet to try those). They are good value too at around £17. The colour will stay perfect for around 5/6 hours on average with eating and drinking included. When the colour does start to fade it doesn’t dramatically rub off so that you end up with a weird rim of colour round the edge of your mouth (trust me it happens!). Instead, it will fade almost evenly so it looks just not as a bright anymore.
I give MAC lipsticks a 4.5 out of 5.

2). Estée Lauder
First of all, lovely packaging, I love the gold decoration (2nd in from the left in picture below). They’re more expensive than MAC at £27 and have less colours available. Equally as long lasting but is more prone to coming off and onto your glass/mug/partner (my boyfriend is always complaining I’ve put lipstick on him!).
I give Estée Lauder lipsticks a 4 out of 5.

3). Charlotte Tilbury – NO.1 NO GO!
Now I know everyone loves Charlotte Tilbury products (personally I just love her, she’s so fabulous) but I really do not rate their lipsticks well. Priced at £24, when you apply the lipstick it just feels sticky to me; not matte or shiny. It’s meant to be ‘creamy’ according to the brand but I don’t feel ‘creamy’ on my lips. The colour I have in picture below (3rd from left) is called Coachella Coral but the colour blends too much with my natural lip colour and therefore the colour as shown is different once applied – this actually comes up more pink when worn.
I give Charlotte Tilbury 2 out of 5 (sorry!).

4). Yves Saint Laurent
I LOVE this brand for lipsticks. They do multiple types, I love both their matte (4th from left) and their liquid lipsticks (5th and 6th from left). The matte lipsticks will last all day; 7/8 hours and like MAC slightly fades evenly so that it is not noticeable and just looks a little lighter in colour. The liquid lipsticks once applied will dry and stain your lips to give you a matte finish that lasts for up to 7 or 8 hours also. Once applied and dried it won’t rub off onto your drinking glass at all (I have to kiss the top of my hand to prove to my boyfriend that this one doesn’t come off, he never believes me!). The liquid styles are also really easy to take off with your normal make up remover. Both styles come in a beautiful range of colours that will suit anyone. The matte lipsticks start at £28 and the liquid lipsticks are £29 – trust me it’s worth it!
I give YSL a 5 out of 5!

5). NARS
Another one of my all time favourite brands for lipstick. I wear both their Velvet Lip (7th from left) and their Matte Lip Pencil (front left). Both colours are true to shade once applied and will again last for around 8 hours. They are also very good at fading evenly and doesn’t leave a dodgy rim around the edges of your mouth.
I give NARS a 5 out of 5!

6). Kiko Milano – NO.2 NO GO!
Do not buy these lipsticks. They are horrendous. Yes they are a good price at £9 but it really isn’t worth going cheap here. I have an orange velvet one as well as a purple matte one (front right) which I have worn a few times but each time it completely dries out my lips. It’s also dry to start with which makes it difficult to apply, you end up with clumps on your lips from where it’s dried so quickly. It also doesn’t last for more than a couple of hours and comes off very easily so that you do have that dodgy rim around the edges and when you’re wearing bright purple or bright orange it’s then really noticeable! Also boring packaging, sorry.
I give Kiko Milano 1 out of 5.

So that concludes my love of lipstick, I hope I have inspired a few of you to get experimenting and hopefully fall in love with lipstick just like me.

Lots of love xxx