Revlon Lip Butters - Part 3

You can see my previous posts on Revlon's Lip Butters, Part 1 - Candy Apple, Tutti Fruity, Lollipop, Raspberry Pie and Part 2 - Strawberry Shortcake, Creme Brulee, Sweet Tart if you click on the links.  Today's post features 4 of the new shades released for Spring 2013.  Wild Watermelon, Sorbet, Pink Lemonade and Juicy Papaya.

 

There are a couple more shades which I didn't pick up (Brown Sugar, Red Velvet and Sugar Plum) so there's now a pretty comprehensive selection of colours to choose from.

 

The shades I chose cover quite a range of colours.

 

Wild Watermelon - very bright pink toned red

Sorbet - bright fuchsia pink

Pink Lemonade - pale pinkish nude

Juicy Papaya - light peachy coral.

 

As with all the Lip Butters they apply smoothly and in varying depth of colour; Wild Watermelon and Sorbet are bright and quickly build up to an almost opaque coverage whereas Pink Lemonade and Juicy Papaya are softer more sheer shade, and I dare say a little more wearable for everyday.

 

I've include some swatches of the Lip Butters on my arm to give you an idea of the colours, these are two light swipes of each colour:

 

My favourites from my picks have to be Juicy Papaya, which is a wonderful, natural peach shade totally perfect for every day wear and possibly my current favourite lip colour, and to my surprise Pink Lemonade, initially I thought it might be too light for my skin tone but in fact it's really pretty on the lips - a soft subtle pink sheen which I really like and is quite on trend at the moment.

 

I like the fact that Revlon's Lip Butters give a nice pop of colour without the full look of a regular lipstick and these new colours are a nice addition to my collection.

 

Have you tried any of the new shades?  What do you think?

Holiday Make Up Bag

I always find it interesting to see what beauty products and make up people take on holiday with them, I have a terrible habit of packing waaaay too much make up when I travel and then never using most of it, so this year I decided to try and pack minimally make up wise and see how I got on (yes, this is minimal).

 

Here's what I took:

 

 

Urban Decay Naked Palette

5 Assorted eye brushes

Kiko Eyebrow Pencil

Elf Eyebrow Gel

Too Face Shadow Insurance

Maybelline Mascara

No7 Cream Blush

W7 Candy Floss Blush

2 L'Oreal Rouge Caresse - Dating Coral & Sweet Berry

Revlon Lip Butter - Sweet Tart

No7 Poppy King Lip Crayon - Skipping

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Honey & Rendezvous

Miss Sporty Dr Balm Lip Balm - Gossip Kiss

UD Grindhouse Sharpener

Maybelline BB Cream

Powder & Blusher Brush

Cotton Buds

Hair Clips

Eyelash Curlers

UD 24/7 Liners - Stray Dog, Demolition, Uzi & Perversion

NYC Face Powder

 

Despite this being hugely pared down from what I normally take I still didn't use all of it!  I could definitely have gotten away with fewer lip products and fewer eye liners too.  I never wear much make up on holiday and when I do it's always fairly light and basic yet I can't seem to convince myself it's ok to leave the country without a load of stuff!

 

Do you have the same problem?  Is it possible to pack a capsule wardrobe for your face?  What do you take when you go away?

 

Revlon Lip Butters VS L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks - The Comparison Post.

My ever growing collection of Lip Butters & Rouge Caresse Lipsticks.

I've blogged fairly extensively about both these products of late, they are definitely my most recent obsession.  I really like both products but I think that they are both suitable for different times and looks, they're not quite as similar as their descriptions might lead you to believe so I thought I would do a round up and comparison post now that I have bought pretty much all of the colours I want to try, for now.
First off, here are all the individual posts in case you want to have a look at them in detail, there are swatches and product pictures on each post.

Revlon Lip Butters: Part 1 & Part 2
L'Oreal Rouge Caresse: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple & L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Lip Butters are generally a good deal more opaque in their coverage and a slightly more dry, less glossy consistancy.  I would definitely put them at the lipstick end of the spectrum rather than the balm or gloss end although they are lighter feeling and less opaque than a regular lipstick.

I think they're ideal for trying out darker or bolder colours which you might not be brave enough to try in a full blown lipstick, the sheerer coverage of the Lip Butters means that although they give a relatively strong pop of colour in most shades they don't give you that full on I AM WEARING BRIGHT LIPSTICK look that can be a bit intimidating, at least for me.

One slight issue I have found with them is that due to slightly drier texture they can tend to higlight dry lips a little (if that's an issue for you) and don't apply nicely if your lips are very dry or chapped, tending to clog up in the dry patches.  Also they can wear off in a slightly uneven way and and leave a line around your lips which isn't the best look.

The Rouge Caresse lipsticks are definitely NOT lipsticks, they are definitely more towards the balm or gloss end of the scale.  Compared to the Lip Butters they are glossier and feel a bit more more moisturising to wear, they also have a lighter feel on lips and tend to wear off in a more even way without leaving a line, although this could be due to the fact the colours are not as strong as the Lip Butters.  I also feel as if they wear off faster than the Lip Butters although, again, that may be due to pigmentation.

The range of Rouge Caresse colours, although larger than the Lip Butters, is not so bold or bright.  Although there are some colours which seem quite bright and vivid in the tubes they are not really as bright or opaque as their Lip Butter equivilents.  They are however a bit better on slightly dry lips, they don't tend to cling to the dry areas quite so much and they feel a bit more moisturising.

Neither product lasts particularly long and they do need to be re-applied fairly regularly.  One way I love to wear them is over one of my many lip stains, they add an extra pop of colour and / or gloss over the top of the lip stain and stop them from feeling so drying with the added benefit of the lip stain making the colour seem more opaque and long lasting.
Scent wise the Rouge Caresse have an almost fruity hint to them and a bit of vanilla, the Lip Butters are more vanilla and smell slightly more like I would expect a lipstick to, a sort of cosmetic, waxy kind of hint.  Neither are offensive but I prefer the Rouge Caresse personally.

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple & L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red

Direct Colour Comparisons

There are similar colours in each range but very few direct dupes, especially due to texture, shine and opaquness.  Here are a list of the colours I have with what I consider to be their closest comparison colour / almost dupes.

Candy Apple Lip Butter - Rebel Red or Aphrodite Scarlet Rouge Caresse
Candy Apple is much more opaque / darker (see comparison photos)

Tutti Fruit Lip Butter - Dating Coral Rouge Caresse
Similar colours but the Rouge Caresse is very sheer and peachy toned whereas the Lip Butter definitely leans orange and is much more opaque.

Raspberry Pie Lip Butter - Sweet Berry Rouge Caresse
Considering these both have berry in the name they are very diffirent, Sweet Berry is what I would call a mum shade, it's pretty but very neutral, a berry shade that leans towards the browny end of the solur spectrum.  Raspberry Pie is a very dark, bold berry shade and probably the most opaque of all the Lip Butters.

Lollipop Lip Butter - Impulsive Fuschia Rouge Caresse
Similar in colour, both bright pinks with a blue hint / shimmer to them, again the Rouge Caresse is much more sheer.

Sweet Tart Lip Butter - ? Rouge Caresse
Sweet Tart is a gorgeous bright, Barbie pink, none of the Rouge Caresse shades I have are a good match.

Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter - Lovely Rose Rouge Caresse
These are similar in that they are both light, frosty pinks, Lovely Rose is the lighter of the two and slightly more sheer.

Creme Brulee Lip Butter - Nude Ingenue Rouge Caresse
Very similar colour-wise, the main difference again is opaquness and coverage, the Lip Butter is far more opaque.

? Lip Butter - Tempting Lilac Rouge Caresse
I don't have anything similar to Tempting Lilac, it's a blue leaning lilacy pink, pretty and quite different from all my Lip Butters.

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple & L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red

The Winners?

Overall, I really like both products, for me the Lip Butters allow me to wear bright, bold lip colours without fully comitting to an proper lipstick, I love them for nights out and days when I want it to be obvious I have colour on my lips or fancy a stronger look.

The Rouge Caresse I prefer for everyday looks, they're a little more subtle and more like a wash of colour and they also have the benefit of feeling nicely moisturising while they're on. They're ideal for chucking on with a simple make up look when I want to feel more done up but don't want to spend time applying lots of lip products.

I tink it very much depends on what you are looking for from the product, for me I really like having both in my make up bag for different occasions but if I had to choose I would probably lean a little towards the L'Oreal Rouge Caresse just because they feel a little better on the lips and are more wearable every day.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick - Lovely Rose

As well documented, here here and here, I have developed a bit of an obsession with the Rouge Caresse lipsticks of late.  While I was in Superdrug the other day making the most of their 3 for 2 offer I decided to pick up one final colour to complete my collection.  That colour was Lovely Rose.

Lovely Rose is a soft shimmery pink shade, it's slightly lighter when applied than I had hoped for but still a very pretty colour.

As with all the lipsticks in this range the product applies beautifully and feels very light and soft on the lips.



I think my purchase of Lovely Rose has completed my collection of Rouge Caresse shades and although I am not as in love with the colour as some of the others in the range it's still very wearable and will be nice for lighter spring make up looks.

Sleek Ultra Matte Palette - V2 Darks

I love matte shadows and I love i-Divine palettes so when I saw that Sleek were releasing two all matte palettes I knew I had to have at least one, although I am still very tempted by the brights too.

The palette consists of 12 matte shadows in a variety of (darker) colours.

I am a big fan of Sleek shadows and in particular their palettes.  The colours in this one are great and I love the fact that all the shadows are matte, sometimes I find shimmery and glittery shadows a bit too bling for daily work wear. 

Unfortunately I am finding the formula a little difficult to work with so far.  The shadows seem to go a bit muddy if you blend them too much and being darker colours they do need blending.

I've only used the palette a couple of times so far so i am hoping it's more to do with my cack handed, rushed attempts than the quality of the product as I really like the colours and think I could get a lot of use out of the palette.

Sleek Blush by 3 - Lace

I have been keen to try one of these Blush by 3 palettes since they were released a few weeks ago and when Superdrug's 3 for 2 offer came back on I decided it was time.  I'd recently seen a mention of the Lace version on a YouTube video saying that the middle colour was a dupe of Orgasm by Nars and since I had been considering trying a few darker and bolder blush colours and have always wondered about Orgasm I thought that Lace would be a good option.

My initial impression was that the colours were very dark and bold, and seemed to have great colour pay off.  Just from swatching them on my hands they were very vibrant.

The palette comprises of a bright orange, crochet, the shimmery peach Orgasm dupe, Guipure, and a cherry red, Chantilly.

Swatches on my arm.  The colours are quite a way away from the sort of blush I tend to use and I think they will take some getting used to.

The colour pay off is incredible, they are so highly pigmented that only the tiniest amout is required.  So far I am still a little scared of the colours as they are vwey bright and I'm a bit of a blusher newbie but hopefully in time with a bit of practice these will make a great addition to my collection.

I'm definitely tempted to try out another at some point in the future as the quality of the product is excellent for the price (£9.99).

Topshop Make Up

I've read various things about Topshop make up online so I thought I would try a couple of bits out for myself, I chose two items a cream blusher and a nail varnish.



The blusher is in a shade called Head Over Heels:



Unlike my dodgy photos it's actually a warm peachy coral shade, a lot more subtle than the neon photos I've somehow managed to take suggest.





I'm looking forward to trying it out as I am developing a bit of an obsession with cream blushes at the moment, hopefully this one will be a nice addition to my collection.

The nail varnish was one I'd seen a few swatches of online, Gypsy Night, it's a black jelly with various different colours and sized of glitter through it, it looks lovely in the bottle so I'm hoping it'll translate onto the nail just as well.

UD 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil

The new 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil from Urban Decay is essentially an eyeshadow version of their 24/7 liners (which I love). Such is my love for the liners I decided that I had to try out these new pencils too. I chose Rehab and delinquent, a neutral taupe and a gorgeous purple with a slight shimmer.

I haven't had much of a chance to play with these yet and have only used each once for a speedy look for work. So far I love them though, they apply really easily and truly do glide on, then they stay put for the whole day.



My one issue with them is that they dry VERY fast so if you want to blend them you need to do it right away, it's possible though and what they lack in blend-ability after the first few minutes they really make up for in staying power and colour payoff.

i can definitely see me ending up with more of these in the future.

Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint

I'd seen these on a couple of blogs and advertised in a magazine and since I love my MAC ones I had to give them a go.



The added bonus was that Superdrug have them on 3 for 2 at the moment (£7.99 each), so it seemed a good time to try out a few of the colours.

I went for 03 Pink Princess, 05 Marshmallow and 08 Nice n Nude.



So far I've only tried Nice n Nude but I am impressed with the applicator which is firm but not sharp and lets lots of colour flood your lips. The colour is a warm browny orange shade, nowhere near nude on me but very wearable. I'm looking forward to trying out the two pinker colours as they are closer to the shades I normally wear.

Application was good, probably better than the MAC ones I have, the colour seemed to flow better and there was more of it, meaning no scrubbing and going over to try and get a decent coverage.



The only downside with these tints is that you have to be sure where you want to apply them, one slip and you've painted yourself a nice, and lasting, moustache. They also work best on smooth, soft lips, dry skin tends to pool the colour and leave an uneven finish.

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary 24/7 Eyeliner Set

I have been waiting for this set for a while. I love Urban Decay 24/7 liners and this set has previously unreleased colours and is a really good bargain for eyeliner addicts like me:



The set includes full sized pencils in:

Stray Dog - shimmering brown taupe (new shade)
Corrupt - dark metallic brown with silver glitter (new shade, previously in a mini set)
Bourbon - medium brown with gold sparkle
Midnight Cowboy - beige with gold sparkle (new shade)
Baked - bold bronze
Stash - dark olive with gold sparkle
Mildew - deep mossy green
Perversion - blackest carbon black (new shade)
Electric - bright aquamarine blue
Binge - deep metallic navy blue
Ransom - bright iridescent purple
Asphyxia - pinky iridescent purple (new shade)
Rockstar - darkest eggplant
Zero - zealous black
Uzi - gunmetal grey with sparkle (new shade)
An Urban Decay pencil sharpener.

These pencils are normally £11 each, so that's £165 worth of liner alone in this set, before you add in the sharpener, which are usually about £8. It retails for £60 (although I found a discount code when I ordered online so it came to even less) which in my mind is a pretty good deal. There are several pencils which I am running low on and this set tops them up and adds several new shades to my collection.



I'm really pleased with the set and can't wait to try it out. It's a great starter collection for people who are into their coloured liners or a really good top up if you, like me, love to have lots of eye liner colour options.

MUA (make up academy) @ Superdrug

The new £1 range of make up at Superdrug, MUA (make up academy) looks, on first inspection, like it could have some potential. The packaging is basic but alright looking, it feels sturdy enough and the products are a good size. None of it looks really cheap, which it is, so a good start.

What immediately drew my attention were the eye shadows, they’re bright, bold colours available in 20 shades, 16 pearl and 4 matt. Over two trips I have managed to collect almost the whole set and I was super impressed with them they are phenomenal! All lovely colours and they go on so well, they are bright, last all day and they blend amazingly well. Also, several of the colours are exactly the same as other, more expensive shades from the bigger brands. So far there is an exact dupe of MAC’s blue brown (shade 12) and Kitschmas (the light lilac pearl )pigment and one which is very similar to a Barry M dazzle dust too (dark bluey purple shot through with pink).



I’m really taken aback by the quality of the eye shadows, they feel fantastic to use and look as good, if not better, than a lot of far more expensive products I own. I’m forever picking up cheapy make up bargains and regretting it later when they just don’t give value for money but the MUA range is definitely not like that at all. The matt colours aren’t quite so bright and vivid as the pearl shades but they still look good and apply well.



I also bought one of the blushes, very highly pigmented, goes on nicely and last really well, so another recommendation there.

However, I tried both the lip gloss products too, the squeezy tube and the wand applicator one and they are both rubbish, they taste weird and are thin and greasy and seem to slip off your lips into your mouth and they make me gag they taste so foul, I threw them both in the bin the day I bought them. So no rave review for them unfortunately.



Overall, I’m amazed at the quality of the eyeshadow, especially given the price and look forward to seeing if Superdrug decide to extend the range of colours, judging by the empty display when I went back in to have another look they won’t have any problem with excess stock in the near future. Go try some!

Eyeliner Swatches - UD vs MAC

Some colour comparisons of the new Pearlglide liners from the MAC Art Supplies collection and Urban Decay’s 24/7 liners.




In my opinion:

Black Line is VERY similar to Stash, it's maybe a tiny touch darker but not so you'd really notice. It may be more obvious on the eye but swatched on the back of my hand it was hard to tell the difference.

Undercurrent is very like Covet, it's a slightly deeper, richer shade and it does have more, but also more subtle, shimmer through it. Too similar to justify a purchase if you already have Covet like I do.

Industrial is totally different from anything UD make, it's a lighter, sparkly more lilac silver blue than an of the other eyeliners I've tried. It definitely take on obvious lilac tones when used with purple eyeshadows but looks more blue when matched with blue shades.

Petrol Blue is much richer and darker than Binge, it's what I hoped binge would be like.

Almost Noir is very similar to 1999, it's slightly darker but not much and there is a more intense quality to the glitter in it, but overall it's too similar to warrant a purchase for me.

Designer Purple is, again, a deeper, richer more glitter filled pencil but it is quite similar to the UD colours I already own. I suspect layering Lust or Ransom over Rockstar would give a very similar effect.

All in all there are really only 2 of the MAC pencils I felt I could justify buying, I would have loved to have all 6 but the other 4 colours felt too much like buying double of what I already own.

For those who don't own the UD dupes / versions of the colours then I would highly recommend the MAC pencils, the colours are really fantastic, bright and very shimmery due to being packed with lots of very fine glitter.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more Pearlglide liners in the future, let's just hope MAC can come up with more colours that aren't already available (and in my collection).

MAC Art Supplies - Pro Longwear Lipstain Markers

The Lipstain Markers were what really drew me to this collection, I have been swithering over buying a Givenchy Lip Stain marker for a couple of months now, but they are only available in two colours and are rather over-priced at £18 a go, for something about 2/3 of the size of the new MAC ones. So when I saw that Art Supplies included not only lip stains in pen form but 9 different shades I had to have a look.

Here’s what MAC says:

“Just as Art Supplies for Eyes invokes the vision, Art Supplies for Lips speaks to the ultimate in sensuality… Luscious lips drawn from innovative new Lipstain Markers and Lip Pencils to use like a modern multimedia artist would – design and discover! Incorporating the concept of art tools into the world of MAC makeup, these pencils and markers create dramatically different lip looks. New Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker has the doodle fun of a pen, but with sophisticated, light and long-wearing results. It’s all about artistic freedom!”

First off I need to clarify, this is a marker pen, for drawing on your face, a proper felt tip marker pen! That alone was selling me and then I swatched the colours. I left 5 minutes later with 3, I went back the next day for a fourth. I am already beginning to wonder if I should go back and double up on my favourites as they are limited edition.

Here’s what I got:

* Full of Flare – Bright yellow/orange-coral
* Stylesetter – Bright hot pink
* Point of View – Light-ish neutral with brown tones to it, darker than I expected
* Run way Ripened – Berry plum-red



I adore them, they are exactly how I hoped they would be and better. So simple to apply – it’s a pen! You just draw on your face with it!! – and they really do last, they are a proper stain which sinks into your lips and does not budge. They are supposed to last 8 hours, they don’t, but you can get a good 4 hours out of them with no touch ups and after that I find if I add a few dabs here and there the coverage is perfect again. They’re ideal for me, I like to do my face and then leave it and with the lip stain markers you can.

There have been reports of them being drying but I don’t find that, however I have been apply a clear or lightly tinted gloss over mine which is the suggested way to combat the drying issue. I’m not sure I would wear them totally alone but with even a touch of lip balm over the top they are fantastic.

And I am still not over the fact that I can now actually use a felt tip marker to draw on my face, it’s like MAC went in my head and picked out the best thing I was imagining. A pen, to draw on your face?! And it works! I’ll shut up about the pens now, but go buy some, they’re amazing.

MAC Art Supplies - Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner

MAC’s Art Supplies collection launched at the beginning of April in the UK, I have been very good recently and not really looked into the new collections at all, mainly because I get hideously sucked into the hype and end up feeling like I won’t be complete until I buy it all, so it’s easiest all round if I just stay clear of MAC. This collection was different though, mainly because I saw a review on You Tube of the lip products and decided I had to try them (more on them later). While I was in it would have been rude not to try out the eyeliners, here’s what MAC says:

“Paint it, scribble all over, Art Supplies is everything you need to paint the ultimate self-portrait: Different styles of art pencils create eye looks that are expressive and individual, for a new kind of PowerPoint presentation. The pencil portion of the collection focuses on a Greasepaint Stick in eight fabulous, limitedlife shades… the ultimate inky colour payoff is an homage to the success we had with Style Black and DSquared² last season. Use as a Shadow or Liner: ludicrously long-wearing, transfer – and water-resistant, flexible and five-star comfortable. New Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner with an exciting new shimmering sparkle effect, will also launch in limited-life, featuring six slick, smooth, sextronic shades.”

I tried the Greasepaint sticks and wasn’t too fussed, the colours are all too dark for me and I don’t think I’d get much use out of them, the Pearlglide liners however. :swoon:

I ended up with 2, as I was trying to be good.

* Industrial – A gorgeous blue, grey which takes on iridescent lilac tones in certain lights
* Petrol – Deep dark navy blue with a hint of shimmer



Industrial is like nothing I have tried before and absolutely gorgeous, it’s very versatile and changes colour depending on what you wear it with. I love it! Petrol is what I hope Binge from Urban Decay would be like, a erally dark, proper navy, again I adore it.

I also adored:

* Designer Purple – Dark shimmery violet/purple
* Undercurrent – Blue, green, teal, peacock shimmer

I am still torn over Designer Purple, I love purple on my eyes and it was a gorgeous colour but very similar to a couple of UD liners I have so silly to double up, Undercurrent is the same slightly different from UD’s Covet but not enough to justify the money. The other two Almost Noir and Blackline, cn be duped exactly with UD liners I already have, so silly to buy them. More on the colour comparisons later.

The pencils go on beautifully, really glide on, as the name suggests and the colour lasts brilliantly all day. They remind me a lot of the UD 24/7 pencils which is no bad thing in my book and unfortunately means I may have to check out future collections if they release nice colours that I don’t already have. They are very soft but I don’t find that an issue as I am careful when I sharpen and don’t use pencils if I want an exactly defined perfect line.

As I mentioned, the colours can be duped using Urban Decay pencils so I have done some comparison swatches to show that but I’ll put them in a separate post to keep it neat.

All in all, I really rate the Pearlgide liners and I almost wish the colours were slightly different so I could have more!

*sigh*

So it appears the being able to post from work was a glitch in the Matrix and I actually still can't 99% of the time.

I have a load of stuff to upload and ramble on about, for now have a look created using the new MAC Art Supplies line which I am currently in LOVE with.







Back later with more Art Supplies details.

Illamasqua Vow pencil

I really am a marketer’s dream, I read a few reviews and watched a couple of YouTube videos recently which mention one of Illamasqua’s medium pencils; Vow, a nude shade which can be used on eyes, lips and face, wherever you like really as a highlighter and particularly in the waterline to brighten your eyes up instead of a white pencil which can give a really stark look. So, needless to say, I had to have one, although I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with it.

I’ve been wanting to try out some Illamasqua products for a while, also based on various reviews, as the colours look fantastic and they are supposed to be pretty good quality, so having a different type of product to try seemed like a good idea for starters.

The pencil was £12.50 and on first impressions it looked like it would be really good, however when I got it home I was slightly disappointed that using it in my waterline wasn’t much better than white at all and still made me look a bit odd, with freaky light lining around my eyes. All was not lost though, I tried it out on my cupid’s bow and around the lip to see how that worked, and it was fantastic! It looks really subtle, not like an obvious line, but it makes my lips look twice the size – in a good way – and properly pouty! A definite winner on that front.

It’s also handy as an under brow highlight, I struggle to get eye shadow to look natural as a highlight and don’t really like to pull it all the way up to my brows anyway, for fear of looking a bit too drag, so a nice thin pencil which can be smudged just under the brow is ideal for me.

Overall, not as successful as I’d hoped but definitely shows promise. Maybe with a bit more trial and error I’ll get it working right on my eyes too.

OCC Lip Tars

These are (one of) my new obsession(s). Here's what they have to say about them on the OCC site.

A stunning new innovation in lip color, OCC Lip Tar combines the longevity of a lipstick, with the ease of application of a gloss. Goes on slick and moist, and dries down to a satin finish. Ultra-saturated in color, Lip Tar contains an unprecedented amount of pigment - a little goes a very, very long way! An intense yet featherweight layer of color that stands up to the scrutiny of Hi-Def Video and Digital Photography, without ever looking (or feeling!) heavy. Meant to be mixed, Lip Tar comes in concise array of colors for a limitless selection of shades made by you!

Like all of our products, OCC Lip Tar is 100% Vegan and Cruelty-Free, and is also free of parabens and other harsh preservatives. A simple, elegant formula that contains Hemp Oil, Peppermint Oil and Vitamin E, OCC Lip Tar feels as good on the lips as it looks!

There has been loads of hype about them on the web, and until recently they weren't available in the UK, so when they did become available to buy online I had to purchase a couple to check them out.

I ordered two:
Hush
Grandma

They are very opaque, probably a bit too opaque for a lipstick phobic like me, but they do work well as a stain if you use a tiny amount with gloss, so I have been using them like that. I am not totally sold, and wasn't 100% about the colours, but when the site selling them sent me a £5 gift voucher and had an extra 15% off I did have to go back for another couple:

Uber
Demure

Needless to say, as soon as I had ordered these they put the colour swatches on the site (they had silly, tiny circles of the colours before) and now I am unsure as to whether I have made the right choice *panic*. However, before ordering, I did do a lot of research online and looked at plenty of videos and swatches, so hopefully the colours on the site are not exactly as they are in real life, I'm not quite sure I can pull off Uber if it is a muddy brown as it appears look?!

They are made to be mixed, so I am hoping with the four I now own I should be able to make lots of lovely colours. So far, even with only two I've found I prefer the colours I've created by mixing to how they originally come out of the tube.

Next on the hit list, annoyingly not an option when I ordered the previous 2;

Memento

It would be rude not to, it looks just my colour and they are giving money to cancer charities with each sale, so technically it's like charity, not buying more make up.

More on the Lip Tars later.