The battle of the matte liquid lip - budget to high end

The NYX long doe foot applicators

L-R Makeup revolution, apocalips, NYX lingerie, Gerard cosmetics, NYX liquid suede 

Liquid matte lipsticks have easily been one of the biggest beauty trends this year and last, and with such a vast array becoming steadily available on the market its quite daunting to know whats worth the pennies and whats worth a splurge, I've fell head over heels in liquid lips and I've grown quite the collection from budget drugstore brands, to imported, to hard to get ones. I've had so many questions about which are worth the money and which are easy to get hold of I thought I'd compile them into a bit of a guide for you.   Price wise going from lowest to highest we have:
Make-up revolution velvet lips in 'velvet black heart' £3  Rimmel apocalips lip lacquer in 'atomic rose' £6.49 NYX lingerie liquid lip in 'push up' £6.50 NYX liquid suede in 'soft spoken' £6.50 Gerard cosmetics hydra matte lip in 'invasion' £9.50 Colourpop ultra matte lip in 'beeper' £ various I get mine via depop Lime crime velvetines in 'riot' £15.06 (plus shipping) Jeffree Star liquid lipstick in 'androgyny' £14.00 (best UK site to get these from) Kat Von D everlasting liquid lipstick in  'bow n arrow' £ various I get mine via depop Kylie Jenner matte lip kit in 'exposed' £21.85 (plus UK shipping and customs)
I have a good selection of other shades from some of these brands also, I'm always sure to test a few of the forumlas before reviewing for you guys.
Make up revolution velvet lips - The cheapest offering I have in my collection, this is an inky purple colour which will probably be best suited to the autumn / winter months for me, I'm not sold on the packaging its very gothic compared to other brands offerings. Formula wise its quite wet and mousey, the applicator is fine and makes applying easy, however this does tend to bleed on my lips without liner, but for the price if you wait a good couple of minutes for it to dry you can achieve a matte finish
Rimmel apocalips - The first liquid lipstick I ever brought, probably the easiest to find in the UK in my opinion. I adore the packaging of this one, and the formula isn't wet atall, a nice mousse consistency, it is comfortable on the lips however I find it starts going chalky when eating and drinking. A big plus to this one is the applicator I really love this its a doe foot with a semi hole in the middle and it really glides on the lips. Much like the revolution offering this liquid lip also takes a long time to dry. It also has one of the strongest smells out of all my collection so if you aren't a fan of strong vanilliary scents, stay clear of this one. These aren't a complete matte finish I think the velvet name is a perfection description for the finish. A great one to reach for if you are unsure about matte lips.
NYX Lingerie - Now that NYX is available on Boots online, I snapped up a selection of these and was so stoked for them to arrive. I have to say I was quite disappointed with these, despite researching the shades before I purchased I found the majority of these shades really hard to wear, these really are foundation toned style liquid lips, don't get me wrong the creamy mousse consistency is one of the best budget liquid lips available but shade selection wise I just wasn't blown away. Similar to the apocalips, this is much more of a velvet finish than a completely matte one. NYX also have the longest doe foot applicator I've seen and I just found it inconvenient making the product harder to apply. I adore the names and the packaging of these products. Unless you have the right skin tone for these and pearly white teeth I'd not rush to get these.
NYX Liquid suede - Of all the budget brands this velvet style liquid lip won me over the most, I have these beauties in 'soft spoke' and 'sand storm' they wear really well and have an amazing colour pay off, there is also some much brighter offerings in this style if you are more of a bold lip girl. Comfortable on the lips with chic packaging? Liquid suede is a real all rounder.
Gerard Cosmetics hydra matte - One of the most underrated brands in my opinion, I was recommended trying Gerard by a friend of mine who shares the same obsession for the Jeffree Star liquid lips as I do (Hi Hayley if you are reading) I'm always blown away when I pick this up and use it again and it reminds me that I need to purchase more of these, a wetter formula then the previous products described, but a quicker drying time and wow the lasting power? crazy. I can wear one coat of this for a whole night out without it shifting, I've even woken up in this whoops. Even when wearing down this doesn't chalk or go patchy. The colour selection has plenty of 'my lips but better' shades and at a mid range price these really are fab.
Colour pop ultra matte lip - Colour pop ultra mattes are the latest addition to my collection, I have Beeper and Bianca. These are fast becoming my favourite and I've been reaching for these over my kylie lipkits recently. These go on really wet but dry so quickly, these also wear down really nicely, no patches in sight. My only complaints are a. you can't get these in the UK at the moment unless you risk depop or eBay (mine are from Depop brand new with POP) b. the holographic writing on the tube rubs off really quickly and c. if you re apply they become very messy and clumpy - but other than that I can't wait to expand my collection of these.
Lime crime velevetines - Another American brand, lime crime was the second brand I reached to for a matte lip. These have such a strong vanilla scent, it almost puts me off, they also have the smallest tube of product and smallest applicator. Despite the amazing shade range, this still bleeds off my lips and takes such a long time to dry, and even when it does I still find I get smudges and patches. Not one of my favourites.
Jeffree Star liquid lip - My second biggest collection of liquid lips, I actually wrote a separate post about these beauties. These are becoming much more popular now, with an amazing nude selection and a crazy bright colour selection on the other end of the spectrum. The formula is perfect and dries quickly, wear time is crazy long and I always get compliments wearing these. I only wish some of the darker shades (I'm looking at you unicorn blood) came with a lipliner, I hope Jeffree does bring out some lip liners - because I'd be sold!
Kat Von D everlasting liquid lip - Another new edition to my collection, Kat von d is quite hard to get in the UK, again I got mine on Depop new with POP, no overwhelming scent and a nice long applicator makes this a very sleek product indeed. I was surprised how quickly this dried and how long it lasted on the lips, I've had this around two weeks and I can't wait to get my hands on more.
Kylie Lip kits - Last but not the least the very coveted Kylie lipkits, are they worth the hype? in one word - yes. I eventually caved into buying one of these and it was true love at first use, a dreamy vanilla scent, the added bonus of a lip liner to cheat that trademark Jenner pout, long lasting formula and a nude for everyone. I have 8 of these beauties and they are by far my most used lip product right now, my only wish was that UK customers didn't get hit so hard with customs for these! but they are without my number one liquid lip, and with Kylie's website getting better and better its easier to get these now than ever - stay tuned for a post dedicated solely to these.
What's you're favourite liquid lip?

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The most beautiful berry lip - Charlotte Tilbury 'Glastonberry'

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in 'Glastonberry' £23

Sigh, there is something about Charlotte Tilbury beauty products that makes me swoon like no other. I've previously posted about the lip cheat liner, and I've been determined to try one of the matte revolution lipsticks for a while. With the black friday promotions I managed to snap this up on Selfridges with a discount code. 'Glastonberry' is the perfect autumn to winter shade, its a mid berry tone between purple and red and I adore it. The packaging of this product is perfect and really makes you feel like you're money is well spent. Despite this product being described as matte the application is creamy on the lips and not the slightest bit drying atall. The main idea behind this range is to give you a fuller looking lip, which I couldn't say no to. I do need to buy a lip liner to wear with this product as the beautiful square tip makes for some tricky cupids' bow precision. Overall I'm over the moon with this product, it was a splurge but one to stick on the wish list girls!

What beauty buys have you been lusting after?

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Monthly Favourites : May

Who are these bloggers who manage to find all there monthly favourites and wishlists in the same beautiful colour palettes? because I'm not one of them, haha. 
001) Aussie Shower Smoothie - BEEJUS, My god. If you haven't got youre nose around a bottle of this as of yet you are missing out. As if shower time wasn't great enough having locks full of Aussie smelling goodness, the brand has released shower gels, I'm rubbish with scent description but this stuff is fresh and strong. Just what I need on a 4am wake up call! Gel consistency and lots of lather make this a real treat! 002) Thierry Mugler Angel limited edition - Thierry Mugler has stole my heart with the new limited edition Angel perfume. I grabbed this in House Of Fraser during there bank holiday 20% off offer. I have alot of friends who wear Muglers' scents and whilst all lovely, none really caught my eyes nose untill this one. Packagaed in candy stripes and a bottle doused with frosted glints - aesthically all my boxes were ticked. For me a perfume has to last on the skin - and this scent certaintly does that. Smell wise I feel a really nice mix of fruity and floral. It boasts top notes of tangy red berry sorbet, heart notes of caramelized meringue and base notes of woody patchouli and soft vanilla. 003) Boujois 'so glossy' in '05 taupe modele' - I was actually scouting out the Nails Inc 'Porchester Square' nail varnish when I found this as an alternative cheaper offering. Whilst darker than the Nails Inc offering, this serves well as a grey shade. However it does require a few coats to built, but you won't be disappointed with the glossy texture. 004) Wilkinsons' Powder brush - Yes, you're eyes do not deceive you - this is a Wilkinsons own brand makeup brush and not a Real Techniques ! I've been meaning to grab a new all over powder brush for quite a while now seeing as my e.l.f powder brush is now handle-less eek! For just £4 this brush is INCREDIBLE. Soft to apply with and a big dome applicator its perfect for light applications to avoid that caked on look. They also offer kabuki brushes, eyeshadow brushes and many more! 005) Mac 'Velvet Teddy' - I too fell for the Kardashian famous lip colour. Velvet teddy just does it for me. Its the perfect darker than nude for my skin tone and I've worn this day in day out. I'll be stocking up on a new one very soon as this is on its way out already - a great edition to you're collection or a perfect first mac purchase! 006) Mac x Cinderella eyeshadow palette - Whilst the majority of the Cinderella collection left me feeling disappointed and deflated this palette has been my go too lately. I'm a sucker for a neutral palette and this has replaced my naked palette 9 times out of 10. I especially love the darker shades for the eyelid crease. FACEBOOK | TUMBLR | YOUTUBE | LOOK BOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST

MAC X Cinderella collection : royal ball lipstick

Mac x Cinderella collection : 'Royal ball' lipstick

I don't think there has been a Mac limited edition collection I haven't got my hands on, with a few small exceptions! The Cinderella collab was arguably one of the most coveted mac Disney collabs
by far. Weather it was adoring disney fans, mac addicts or lusting ladies obsessed with pretty packaging - everyone seemed to want a piece of this collection. I still have the eyeshadow palette to arrive but I knew I wanted atleast one of the lipsticks for sure and I opted for royal ball. This has been the first time I hadn't really read the colour description and searched through reviews about a limited collection, because if i'm honest I was just too damn excited to get my hands on a piece of the magic. In hindsight - I wish I had. 'Royal ball' is described as a 'fleshy pink' which I was drawn too, as I'm trying to expand my nudes and everyday colours part of my lipstick collection. However what I should have read was the 'shimmering textures' part of the descriptor. I have never ever, liked a shimmering finish on any lipstick, I've always been a matte finish kind of girl.  The 'Royal ball' shade on first swatch is fairly clear with just a hint of pink sheen, however it is build able. Yes this colour is pretty, however, my main problem with this shade is that its FAR too light for my lips, as in my lips basically disappear into my face. Its the sort of 'my first lipstick from the pound section' colour on my skin and the only way I seem to be able to make this work is with a little lipliner and even then I'm pushing it. Moral of the story? always check reviews before you buy!
Did you pick up anything from the Mac x Cinderella collection?


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Mac Lipsticks : 'RiRi Woo'

MAC 'RiRi Woo' - £14 (Sold Out)

I don't know why its taken me so long to feature this beautiful lipstick on my blog. Its probably the product I've been most excited about this year, I actually woke up early and sat and refreshed MAC just to get it (Sad I know) The product itself is a retro matte, meaning there's no creamy sheen here, just an opaque, matte intense red. Its blue toned which guarantees to make your teeth look just that bit whiter, as far as the comparisons to ruby woo go, I can't comment as I don't own it, however if you read a review anywhere its pretty clear they are very similar. Applying it I found i needed a fair amount of lip liner to stop it bleeding, and its actually fairly hard to apply, the waxy formula does stick to dry patches, and as far as eating and drinking goes? this product flaked when I attempted either. Having said that, its an incredibly beautiful colour, one that I think I'll reserve for nights out and special occasions. I'm glad I brought it but I can't decide how I feel about a fully matte product!

7/10

How do you feel about matte lipsticks?

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte lipstick in 'Rose Culte'

YSL Rouge Volupte in 'Rose Culte' £24.50

Yes, my fellow lipstick hauders, I caved and purchased a beautiful YSL lipstick. However, I did have a £10 West Quay voucher, so this beauty cost me just £14.50 infact - as I cannot justify nearly thirty pounds for a lipstick right now!

The Rouge Volupte lipsticks are SO hyped all over blogspot, and I'd be lying if I said one of the reasons I brought the lipstick in the first place wasn't because of the packaging  By far the most sturdy applicator I have ever had the pleasure to own, the gold harcasing is beautiful and heavy to hold not light and cheap if that makes sense, I actually sat with the YSL women at the counter for about half an hour picking a shade, I'd seen so so many lovely nudey, coraly shades on other bloggers but with my pale skin and at the time red hair I knew it wasn't an option. I wanted a day time lipstick but a shade that didn't look like I'd picked it up from a highstreet retailer. Rose Culte is a beautiful bright raspberry pink, enough to give your daily makeup a pop of colour without being too in your face. I actually had two people ask me where it was from whilst wearing it! one at work and the other was a bank cashier! The formula is creamy and moisturizer it almost reminds me of a mixture between a lip butter and a mac lipstick - I've never experienced a formula like it, I would recommend a lip brush to apply as the shape of the product is hard to get onto your lips. All in all I'm so chuffed I own one of these beauties and it has pride of place ontop of my makeup collection!

Do you have any YSL lipsticks?

Will you be purchasing one?

Bourjois Rouge Edition '10 Rouge Buzz'

Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in '10 Rouge Buzz'

I don't know why its taken me forever to review this lipstick. Its actually became a strong contender in my lipstick collection and holds its own against mac, and if the yearly 'best of the year posts' were here, this would be in it. 

Number 10 or 'Rouge Buzz' as its known by press release is a bright neon orange undertoned red lipstick. I brought this when the 'Rio Rio' lipstick was out of stock in Topshop and I'm actually glad I did. 

What surprised me about this lipstick was the quality. For £7.99 this product is incredibly pigmented yet so so creamy and easy to glide on. I've worn this on nights out and as a statement lip during the day and often get asked where its from, I'd say its a great orange lipstick to try if your looking to try an orange shade for the first time. Rouge edition lipsticks come in 17 shades and I couldn't recommend them highly enough - I can't wait to grab more! 

What lipsticks are you loving lately?

MAC Archie's Girls 'Betty Bright' lipstick

MAC Archie's Girls in 'Betty Bright' £15.50 HERE

I've had my Archie's Girls picks for a couple of weeks now, and I wanted to get a good wear out of them before I reviewed them. This is one of the two lipsticks I brought, 'Betty Bright' is a satin finish lipstick, which means its a semi matte - not alot of shine and voluminous colour, however be sure to pack some lip balm underneath if the weather has chapped your lips as this beauty will cling to every dry patch you have. MAC describes it as a 'Light vibrant peach' which I'd say is pretty spot on, in my eyes in turns of comparison I'd say your looking at a day time wear viva la glam 'Nicki' , Perfect for spring and looks great with a warm blusher on the cheeks, I'm happy with this purchase and if your looking to delve into the Archie's collection and want a safe bet I'd say pick this one!

Have you brought anything from 

 the Archie's girls collection?

Monochrome mango

Striped silk shirt - £10 Primark

Orange, gold and chrome necklace - £5 Newlook

Disco pants - £30 River Island

Black canvas vectras - £20 Topshop

Lipstick - Bourjours Rouge edition '10'

Monochrome has been everywhere over the SS '13 catwalks and I've been dying to get involved in the action so needless to say when I saw this silk t shirt in Primark I snapped it up. Its the same silky material as the Topshop polka dot one at over half the price - however it does come up really small so I got a 14 in this if your looking to grab one. I also discovered I can just about pull off orange lipstick! this statement necklace and Bourjours lipstick have became quite the duo in my wardrobe!

Apologies with lack of posts recently! Uni and blogging don't go so well!

Have a lovely week!

Look Beauty : Loud Lips in 'Rock Candy'

Look Beauty loud lips - 'Rock Candy' £7

Incase you were absent from the online world last week, Look Beauty did a half price sale online and EVERYONE in the blogsphere went crazy - I don't think I've ever seen so many reviews on one specific brand! Having already purchased one lipstick and blusher from the brand I decided to dabble again and purchase another lipstick for my extensive collection! whoops

I selected Rock Candy and later was a little worried by my choice as it looked alot like Louise Grey's 'Legend' Topshop lipstick that I brought over Christmas. However I think its alot safer bright pink, with less of a blue tone, which gives your teeth that dreaded yellow hue! 

I'd often heard people compare the formula to MAC lipsticks, and being an avid MAC fan I was doubting this - However this lipstick really does have the comfortablity of a cremesheen finish, with all the colour pay off of a satin finish lipstick, Literally one coat and a touch up around the corners and cupids bow of my lips brought me a full creamy popping colour! I couldn't be happier with this lipstick, and I've been opting for a nude eye and a bold lip lately just to use this beauty!

P.S I have not been tanning or using orange foundation! Awful late night lighting! APOLOGIES GIRLS! :) 

Have you invested in any Look Beauty products lately?

MAC Year of the snake: 'Cockney' lipstick

MAC Year of the snake 'Cockney' £15.50

Say hello to THE BEST red lipstick of all time!!

I was going to schedule this post but I could not contain my excitement. 3 lustre finish lipsticks were released within the year of the snake collection, the other two shades didn't catch my eye and I'd been waiting a while to purchase a red lipstick and with the beautiful embossed stick it was impossible to say no. So when I opened cockney I expected a 'bricky' red because of the name, don't ask me why! - in general I wasn't expecting anything special. WRONG. This is my first lustre finish lipstick from MAC and I'm over the moon with the results, the same creaminess as a cremesheen with that extra pigmentation. Cockney itself is described as 'Sheer yellow red with multidimensional pearl' which I know will put most people off, however the pearl puts this lipstick just that bit above the rest, on the lips cockney shows up with minimal glitter, a bit of added sparkle and a super deep, sophisticated colour, the yellow tone also keeps your teeth looking as white as possible! I'm always a fan of a yellow toned red because of this! I've worn it all today and LOVED IT. and I'm pretty sure its going to be making some appearances in nights out too! The moral of this story is don't let a pearl finish put you off - this is a beautiful lipstick grab it while you can!

Have you brought anything from the MAC year of the snake collection?