No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Glace

No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Glace - £9.50 here.

I present to you, the coolest lipstick I have possibly ever come across. Number one, it's purple - I have a big thing for purple, it's been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember. Number two, it has a gold metallic sheen running through it - say what!? It is so unsual, and I was surprised that such a funky and unique shade would be from none other than No7, who I (until now) thought of as quite a safe brand with run-of-the-mill lipstick shades. Glace is a real gem, as are many of the No7 shades that I swatched when choosing this one. In particular I loved a shade called Gay Geranium, which is a gorgeous bright coral that seems to be sold out in every Boots I have tried - grr!

This lipstick shade really makes me think 90's and I have been really enjoying wearing it as it's so quirky. The formula of the No7 Stay Perfect lipsticks are particularly to die for. They have a lovely semi-matte finish and can be blotted down to completely matte, however they are not drying whatsoever and are quite long-wearing too. I have another shade in this range called Classic Rose which is again, stunning and so comfortable to wear. I will definitely be investing in more of the shades in the Stay Perfect range as I am so impressed.

I was so confused when I swatched it in store, I thought it was just a matte vibrant purple (similar to MAC's Up The Amp) and was excited to swatch it on my hand. When I did so, gold glittery flecks appeared. I literally thought that someone had used it from the tube *yuck* and tried putting it on over the top of a metallic lipstick, leaving all their lipstick gunk behind on this one. But nope, I was pleasantly surprised and so amazed that I grabbed one and made bee-line for the till straight away.

Swatches of Glace with flash.

 

 I am quite literally besotted with this lipstick, it's just the most unusual and gorgeous shade.

Have you ever tried the No7 Stay Perfect lipsticks?

RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer - Retro Matte Lipstick in Heaux

Like many of us beauty junkies, I was so excited to get my hands on part of the RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer  collection by MAC and Rihanna. I already had my eye on the Retro Matte Lipstick in Heaux after reading descriptions online and seeing a review on Temptalia.com (linked here).

 At 12pm sharp last Thursday, I was already on the MAC website refreshing the page like a mad woman - two windows open. It took about 7 minutes for it to appear on my laptop, I don't know how everyone else found it? Naughty MAC! After it finally appeared, I swifty added Heaux and RiRi Boy to my basket but I ended up sacrificing RiRi Boy after not being sure on it. Looking back I do wish I had got it, but it's an exact dupe of MAC's Up The Amp lipstick, just in a different finish. It is also available on eBay but at extortionate prices! 

However, I was so thrilled to have been able to get one of Heaux as apparently it sold out in 15 minutes?! Crazy! I'm really happy with this lipstick as I am a massive fan of matte lipsticks, they are probably my favourite lipstick finish. 

I've found that in texture, it is the same kind of matte as my Ruby Woo lipstick by MAC. Both are 'Retro Matte' finishes, quite dry but perfect as a matte lipstick. It can gather in places due to it's dry texture if you apply too much, but a way around this is apply it in thin layers and blot in-between. 

As for the shade, I absolutely love it. It's a dark berry colour with quite pink undertones and is a real statement lipstick. Like all matte lipsticks, it wears nicely and only needs touch up's throughout the day. I would say that due to the formula, it would be wise to make sure your lips are nice and conditioned with lip balm underneath either a while before applying or just before applying and then blotted off, as the formula can make dry and flaky lips more obvious.

 In some photos it can look a lot brighter because of the flash, but I'd say the swatches below on my hands an lips portray the shade quite accurately. I love the 'RiRi' signature on the bullet, I'll be disappointed when it starts to wear down!

Swatch of Heaux on my hand (NC42 in MAC), with flash.

Me wearing MAC Lipstick in Heaux

I'm really glad I picked this shade from the collection, I had my heart set on RiRi Woo for quite a while but finally accepted the fact that it's pretty much identical to Ruby Woo and that it wasn't worth it. 

I really rate this lipstick and if you weren't lucky enough to get one, then I know that Rebel by MAC is a really close dupe for it!

Did you get anything from the RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer collection?

MAC Lipstick in Morange

My urge for an orange lipstick has been fulfilled with the purchase of MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Morange, a beautiful orange/red shade perfect for summer and bang on trend. 

MAC have recently launched their 'All About Orange' collection, however this lipstick is not part of it. I also ordered MAC's Neon Orange lipstick which is from this collection, but it looks too similar to Morange so I am going to return it. 

Promo photograph from MAC's All About Orange Collection.

(Photograph: maccosmetics.co.uk)

Morange is an 'amplified creme' finish which I have not yet had before from MAC. The colour is intense and the texture is creamy. I tend to blot my lipsticks with tissue if I am doing a bold lip shade, and I made sure I did so with this shade too. Blotting the lipstick mattified it more, and made it more wearable for me. 

Due to it being an 'amplified creme' as opposed to a 'matte' finish, it didn't wear for as long and was not a popular choice with my boyfriend - oops! He was sporting orange lips in the car on the way there! LOL

Swatches on my hand (With flash).

Me wearing MAC Morange lipstick.

I wore this shade on Saturday night when me and my boyfriend went out for some dinner and drinks. I teamed it with my new aqua/teal coloured mini dress from Zara which I am completely in love with, and my pointed nude heels, also from Zara. I loved clashing both the colours together and I felt nice and summery!

In the car on the way to the restaurant.

My dress!

All in all I love this shade, and I'm sure I will be wearing it a lot for summer and pairing it with bright colours in my wardrobe. I think it's a great statement lipstick and orange is quite flattering on the lips despite seeming quite outrageous!

Have you been sporting any crazy lip colours lately?

Face of the Day - 04/06/13

A cheeky little face of the day from Wednesday and a very firm affirmation that I am indeed in love with bronzer. My Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4 infact (review here). I urge every girl to try it when you're next near a Bobbi Brown counter, it's such a great quality product. The shades are perfect for bronzing, I feel like mine is quite red toned, which keeps me from looking 'orange' and like I'm 'tango-ed' LOL! The texture is very blendable and not heavy what-so-ever which makes this bronzer so easy to use. 

My favourite bronzing brush is my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, traditionally used for foundation. It provides precision bronzing with the perfect shape and soft synthetic brush hairs that buff out the product to look natural and perfect.

In the photos, I have contoured my nose also which I had never done before. Again I achieved it with the BB Bronzing Powder and my Eco Tools Airbrush Concealer brush which worked really well. I kept the rest of my makeup simple with only mascara on my eyes, some brows and a lipstick.

Heres what I wore:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Cashew

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium No2

Estee Lauder Ideal Light in Medium

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Natural Tan

Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4

Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Duo in Soft Brown

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy




I clipped my hair back as it needed a wash and my top is from Zara! I hope you enjoyed the post! Please let me know of other things you'd like to see on the blog - and I may have an outfit of the day post ready for next week of my outfit for this Saturday night!

Remember to check out my blog sale here!

What make-up have you been sporting recently?

Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Arabesque - Spring '13 Collection

Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Arabesque - £20

After photographing this lippy, it became apparent that taking pictures of lipsticks is in fact my idea of a good time, who'd a thought 'eh?

I picked up this Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Arabesque a few months back in John Lewis when shopping in Central London. This lipstick is part of the Arabesque Collection for Spring '13 and I was won over by the colour immediately. 

Arabesque is a gorgeous peach pink shade, smooth and creamy with no shimmer.

  The colour pay-off is nice, the texture is really creamy and very easy to apply. It feels moisturising on the lips, however because it's such a creamy formula, it does accentuate flakes, dry patches and settles into lines *frowns*. I have a problem with a lot of lipsticks for this reason, but this one does accentuate problem areas quite badly. It looks really nice blotted in slightly after I've scrubbed my lips and applied a lip balm which I normally do anyway before applying lip products.

Arabesque Crème Smooth Lip Colour
swatched on my hand

I do really love the shade and it looks lovely under lip glosses of a similar shade for a more full lip effect. Like all LM's products, the packaging is beautiful, really chic and expensive looking. It feels nice and weighty too!

You can pick up Arabesque from any Laura Mercier counter or on Space.NK for £20, but I do think it's limited edition so it wont be around forever!

Have you tried any Laura Mercier products?

No7 Make-Up

For my birthday from my lovely Nan and Grandad-in-law I got some gorgeous make-up from No7. I was so chuffed and surprised that they would get me such a lovely gift and I know they will be reading this at some point as they are big fans of my blog - so hello Nan and Pops if you are reading!!! Love ya both xx

(From L-R) No7 Stay Perfect™ lipstick in Classic Rose and No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Mulberry

The products I am most looking forward to using are the lipsticks as the shades are gorgeous and I have never tried any No7 lipsticks before! I got two different formulas - Stay Perfect™ lipstick in Classic Rose and Moisture Drench lipstick in Mulberry with SPF 15. 

Mulberry looks like such a lovely every day colour so I can't wait to try that one, and Classic Rose looks like a shade that could be worn either day or night as it has more of a red/pink hue.

I also got a Stay Perfect™Eye Shadow in a taupe shade (can't find the actual shade name on the packaging!) It looks like a satin finish and would look great on the eyelid with a deeper colour in the crease.

I am a complete mascara junkie so I was really pleased to get this No7 Extreme Length Mascara in Black. The brush looks like my kind of brush - very lengthening. I'll be sure to do a review on it soon once I've used up my Lancôme Hypnôse and my Clinique High Impact.

Last but not least I got a Stay Perfect™ Metallic Eyes Pencil in a gorgeous silver-metallic shade. It looks like the Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil which is really easy to use and has a nice formula, so this one looks promising too!

I'm sure you'll be seeing these products again soon in reviews or favourites posts so keep your eyes peeled!!

Have you tried any No7 make-up?