Seeing Red - My pick of the Red Lipstick

Valentines Day is coming up, which means absolutely nothing to me, however all the red hearts and merchandise around the place means that I start to pull out my red lipsticks. I actually love wearing red lipstick (something I would never have said a couple of years ago!) so I thought I'd share my favourites with you!

When it comes to red lipsticks, I own all different kinds. Orange toned, deep oxblood, opaque, sheer, glossy, matte...you name it, I have it. Unlike my nude lipsticks, I don't have that one red that I always turn to, in fact, all of the ones in this post get their fair share of love!

First up are the orange toned lipsticks, the ones typically described as having 'warm undertones' that unfortunately, at times, can make your teeth look a little yellow.

The Essence lipstick in Red Carpet was my first ever red lipstick and I still think it is such a bargain. It costs around $4 and it is such good quality. It's got good pigmentation and is really moisturising with a glossy finish. I cannot recommend this lipstick enough!

Then we have one of my more recent purchases, an Australis lipstick (that I managed to snap up for $3!) in the shade Make a Wish. This is my most orange toned red, so much so that it could probably slip into the orange lipstick category it's so in the middle! I really love this one and have found the quality of the product to be excellent so far.

Last is a Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, the most sheer lipstick of the lot. I love this one for a swipe of colour that is super glossy and feels so good on the lips. 

Then we have the true reds, those that can neither be described as warm nor cool toned. The first of these that I have is an Arbonne lipstick in Strawberry, undoubtedly my favourite red shade shown in this post. This is the most pigmented, intense colour lipstick that I own, it seriously steals the show. I actually haven't worn this terribly often because it is so opaque but I should because it's just stunning.

Then I have one of the Revlon Colour Stay Ultimate Suede lipsticks in the number 095. I was surprised that this lipstick is on the more sheer side, as evident in the swatches on my arm, but it still has great colour and looks beautiful. This is more on the matte side but is by no means completely matte. 

Last but definitely not least are the cool toned reds, or in my case, those a lot deeper in shade. I never used to appreciate darker reds because I found them to be quite intimidating but I really got into them last year and can't imagine life without them,

My absolutely favourite is Rimmel London's stunning lipstick in number 107. This is not a lipstick that is a secret in the beauty world, it's very, very well known and for good reason, it's incredible. A deep red with purple undertones, it's absolutely gorgeous.

Then we have one of the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains which I love, in the shade Adore. This is a deeper red with hints of brown, however it is still really beautiful and flattering. This is a very minty smelling lipstick which makes it stand out from all of the rest!

It is clear that red lipsticks are a favourite in my books, and I hope they are in yours too. I used to be so frightened of them but there are so many out there to play around with it's quite easy to find one that you're comfortable with.

Have you been wearing any red lipsticks lately? 

L-R: Essence Red Carpet, Revlon Wild Watermelon, Australis Make a Wish,
Rimmel 107, Revlon 095, Arbonne Strawberry, Revlon Adore

NOTD - Festive all 'round

In my traditional style, I am months (years even?) late to jump on the accent nail bandwagon but whatever, I felt as though this mani called for it and I had been wanting to try out my Rimmel Space Dust polish for so long. I love glitter polishes however I despise having to remove them, so the accent nail was the perfect solution that also meant my nails weren't too OTT. I found Rimmel's polish Aurora absolutely magical! The accent nail in the photo was achieved with one coat, was so dense and beautiful in every way!

The base polish I used was Revlon's Creme Brulee, a gorgeous pale gold shade.

Monthly Favourites - November

It's December, which means that it is the last month of 2014, which is actually beyond my comprehension. I honestly cannot believe that it has come to the end of this crazy year, but in all honestly I am actually relieved!

My November favourites are, in my opinion, a special bunch. I discovered some new makeup, continued to love old favourites and found an Op-shop gem that I've been loving.

Face
My face favourite is a bit of a funny one this month because I've still not formulated an opinion on the product despite it being basically the only face product I've used! In early November I purchased the Maybelline Better Skin Foundation in Priceline's 40% off sale, totally sucked in by all the hype I had seen on some of my favourite blogs. I've used it quite regularly since and somehow still not come to a conclusion whether I like it or not. I will do a review on it eventually but I feel like I need to come to some kind of decision about it first!

Eyes
It's really no surprise that the Naked palette is my favourite for this month - the moment I got it it was love at first sight. This palette is the most perfect combination of golds and browns, my two favourite eyeshadow shades. It does have a bit of fallout which is actually really quite frustrating (I never remember to do my eye makeup before my face makeup) but it's worth it because every shade is stunning!

Lips
I know, I know, I really am cheating here with another product from last month's favourites, but I'm simply telling the truth! I am completely obsessed with the Revlon Matte Balm Stain in Elusive, it is perfect! This is my go-to product when I'm feeling lazy or don't know what to wear. It is already faded and worn from being stashed in my handbag among all the other crap I carry around! If you are a fan of the original balms by Revlon or love a matte lip product, you absolutely have to try these out.

Nails
Pink and red shades are always my go-to nail polish colours but for some reason I just felt like going with a gold polish. One of my favourites is Revlon's polish in Creme Brulee (a poorly named but beautiful colour). It's a toned down gold shade that is subtle but still absolutely beautiful, quite a tasteful, classy shade.

Last but definitely not least is the other category. On one of my regular Op-shopping trips I spotted this sequinned clutch from Betts for only $4! It was such a bargain and I just adore it, having used it so many times! It's perfect for a night out with some gold jewellery and adds the perfect amount of glamour to anything!

November was certainly one of the most stressful months of this year with my final high school exams and the end of year celebrations but it was a good one and I am glad that December has arrived in preparation for what will hopefully be an amazing year in 2015!

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm - Elusive

When I first saw that Revlon had released a matte collection of the Colourburst Balm Stains, believe it or not, I wasn't terribly interested. I was at Chemist Warehouse when they were having one of their 50% off sale and when I saw that they were $10, of course I was going to pick one up anyway! Having had such success with the original ones (by success I mean that I love them and think they are the greatest inventions ever) I thought I may as well venture into the matte side of life. I grabbed the shade Elusive which I am so pleased with, it is the most perfect, beautiful, dusty pink shade that I can totally pull off as a 'my lips but better' shade.

For someone who wasn't really very fond of matte lip products, I can can that I am now a completely changed woman! This product is honestly so.darn.good and I intend to pick up some more when I see them on sale again!

First up, I think we need to talk about the gorgeous, chunky crayon look-alike balm packaging that so many brands have adopted with the new craze of the balm stains. I am 100% a fan and for some reason it just makes putting on a lip product all the more exciting. Matching the matte nature of the product, these balm stains have matte packaging in corresponding colours to the shade of the product. I was thinking the other day about how challenging it would be to finish up all the product because you really get quite a lot, but I don't know if that would be a more achievable goal for someone who doesn't own a billion lip products...

Like the other balm stains, this is very long wearing and leaves a stain behind as it wears off your lips. Eating and drinking proves to be no challenge! It is so wonderfully pigmented and comfortable on the lips, although slightly more drying than the first range due to its mattified nature. Still, for a matte product it's not bad and I have few issues with it at all.

This is undoubtedly an everyday wear, a stunning mid toned pink shade that I can just, just pull off as a my-lips-but-better shade although it is a little too perfect to be my own! (Apologies for the swatch photo though, it went all strange and looks a bit odd!)

One of my favourite things about this though, is that it doesn't have the same super strong peppermint smell the original ones did, but instead a more toned down spearmint scent that goes away quickly. I personally love scented products but I really did struggle with the overwhelming minty scent the original ones had, especially because mint is probably my least favourite scent of all!

Anyhow, I can't believe I very nearly missed out on the magic of this wonderful, wonderful balm. It's honestly been on my lips non stop since I purchased it (and that was a while ago now...) so it's definitely been a great success. I think I may have even managed to wear it to school once without getting told off (a big achievement!).

Speaking of which, I will have finished all my exams on the 14th and I will be a free woman to wear what I want, do what I want, be who I want...and that is the most exciting and terrifying prospect ever!

Already just thinking about it I struggle to come up with ideas of what I might get up to on my big long holidays because school has been my entire life and I think I will be lost without it...any ideas of cool things to get up to?

5 Spring lip picks

Spring is here and my goodness, I don't think I've ever longed for it so much. I've never been a fan of Winter for I find it totally miserable, but this year it was even worse as I plodded through endless amounts of school work and struggled with depression trying to tear me down. As you can imagine, when Spring burst out from hiding I was absolutely thrilled and have soaked up every second in my old friend the sun since, my new diet consisting of paddle pops and strawberries!

I always instinctively change my makeup according to the seasons, so here are the lip products I've been reaching for in this new change of weather.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous
I'd never quite felt I was able to wear orange lipstick until this little beauty made its way into my collection. A stunning tangerine shade, at first I would wear it all blotted out and barely visible but now I layer the magical stuff on. I actually find this shade really flattering on my skin tone and people have complimented me on the shade. I think it is a lovely change from the traditional reds and pinks (although I do love them oh-so much too!)

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids Lipstick in Shocking Coral
I must say, I'm not normally a huge fan of neon type shades but for some reason this crazy bright pink that borders of fluorescent really needed to be in this post. I don't usually wear this at full opacity because like I said, it is ridiculously bright, however this is just such a fun and happy shade that I couldn't not include it. I wouldn't personally describe it as a coral because it is definitely a supercharged barbie pink but if you are brave you must give it a look!

Rimmel Kate Moss Spring Collection lipstick in #16
This has been a favourite of mine for a while but there is certainly no better time to pull this out than Spring. A gorgeous fruity, medium toned watermelon pink, this is just perfect for any outfit you could possibly go for in Spring. This lipstick is so affordable you have no excuses not to pick it up!

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart
Ugh, this medium rich pink shade is just so gorgeous yet for some reason I rarely pull it out. This is so creamy and highly pigmented that it steals the show when you wear it! As is the case with literally every Revlon lip product (you'll notice that they make up 3 of the five lip products in this post) it is such high quality and beautiful to work with - you really can't go wrong.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Berry Allure
A slighly different kind of shade, I included Berry Allure because although it might fit Autumn a little better, it is a gorgeous purple/pink that on the lips just looks so beautiful. I think I would wear this at night or going somewhere special because it is just such a rich jewel toned shade but my oh my, I never knew I would like a shade like this so much!

Well there are my top 5 picks for this Spring, I know I'll be getting a lot of use out of these gorgeous products! Do you tend to change up your makeup according to the seasons like me or do you use shades all year round?

Monthly Favourites - September

I haven't done a favourites post in such a long time so I really enjoyed looking back at the products I had on high rotation last month or two.

Without a doubt, my most used favourite of all was, of course, the Urban Decay Naked Palette I asked a friend to bring back for me from her holiday in America. Having wanted this for so freaking long, I have used it non stop since. I recently did a review on this including my favourite shades from the palette.

For my lips favourite, it was kind of unexpected. I owned 6 Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains  when the matte versions came out and for some strange reason I just didn't feel compelled to look at the matte ones (I know, what was wrong with me?!). I was at Chemist Warehouse when they were having one of their 50% off sales and saw that they had the balm stains down to less than $10 so I figured I would try one out. I picked up the shade Elusive, a beautiful everyday pink shade and I've not looked back - I love it! I'll be doing a review on it soon.

For the face category it was an easy choice, going with Arbonne's Got You Covered Mineral Powder Foundation. I layer this on top of Garnier's BB cream and the two paired together work magically. They give the perfect amount of coverage and the Arbonne powder ensures that they last all day. I love the smooth satin finish it gives to the skin without looking powedery or cakey.

For nails this was a little harder to choose but eventually in the end I had to go for Revlon's polish in Siren, a stunning bright orange that is so summery and happy! I wrote a NOTD post on it and so many people seemed to like it too!

Last but not least is my 'other' category, and for September it had to be a new addition to my hair care products, the Garnier Miracle Oil Brushing Express Heat protectant. I never use straighteners or curlers so I didn't use it for its heat protecting properties, rather found that it was a gorgeous lightweight oil that helped my the damaged ends of my long hair. It made my hair silky and smooth, smell great and easy to brush through. I think it is under $15 as well so it is really worth giving a try.

Well there are my favourites for September, a bunch of products I am so excited about continuing to use over the next couple of months. Most of them are brand new to my collection as well and some weren't products I had planned on purchasing.

Have you tried any of these products?

NOTD - Revlon Nail Enamel in Siren

I'm on holidays for two weeks (although I'm not sure you can really call them holidays when both weeks will be filled with tutorial sessions, revision and practice exams!) but it means I have the opportunity to wear nail polish! With the warmer weather hitting Adelaide recently I knew I needed a bright polish to match!

All of the Revlon polishes I've tried I've had really good experiences with, and Siren was no exception. I got this polish in a gift set and it was paired with the Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti. A stunning orange colour, it is very eye catching and bright!

As I always find with the Revlon polishes they are so easy to work with in terms of application. It is not streaky or gloopy in any way and you only need two coats for complete opacity.

The polish is reasonably long lasting and chipping tends to become obvious after a couple of days. I probably wouldn't have bought this shade on its own, especially as Revlon polishes are on the more expensive side of things, but I am pleased that it came in the gift set and I know I will get a lot of use out of it.

I love that the warmer weather is starting to come back and I can frolic about in skater skirts and bright polish! 

Revlon Lip Butters in Tutti Frutti and Creme Brulee (& Revlon lip butter collection)

I don't even know how it happened, so don't ask. One minute I had my very first Revlon lip butter at a sale price of $15, the next minute I was the proud owner of 7. When they first arrived in Australia with a disgusting $21.95 price tag I promised myself I wouldn't purchase a single one but a good sale sucks me in big time.

I was at Priceline (what's new?) and spotted this gorgeous little gift set for $15 on the shelf. When I got to the checkout it was actually only $10 and I nearly died of a heart attack. Now do you see why I added two more lip butters to my collection? They were only $2.50 each instead of a whopping $21.95. Oh my gosh.

Additionally, it contained Tutti Frutti, the gorgeous tangerine shade I had been interested in since I first saw all the overseas reviews yet hadn't managed to find on sale. There was no way on Earth I was going to walk past this bargain.

I'll start with Creme Brulee, a shade I'd not ever noticed due to its pale and unflattering nature. I gravitate to brighter pink and red based tones and rarely take an interest in the really pale brown based shades. Still, when I opened this up I truly thought that it had potential. When swatched it was a pretty cream colour that wasn't too opaque and therefore I felt would give a gorgeous nude, shiny look to the lips. Instead it was a little too pale and made me look a little corpse like. The shimmer present was also a problem, making it far too frosty to be flattering, instead looking childish and fake. It's a shame this didn't work out as well as I had hoped, however all things considered it's not actually that bad and I would much prefer to wear this over the shade Gumdrop or Brown Sugar.

Then comes Tutti Frutti, a stunning wearable orange shade that for someone like myself who rarely braves the purple and orange lip shades managed to wear it confidently with ease. I thought it would be a similar shade to the Revlon Balm Stain in Rendezvous however Tutti Frutti was a much darker more pumpkin kind of shade that was also a lot less neon. To my delight it contained no shimmer or glitter and was instead just pure colour. It has a very soft and creamy appearance and wears well. Tutti Frutti was quite pigmented and two coats on the lips left an opaque finish.

As is the case with all the other Revlon lip butters I own, they are relatively moisturising and reasonably long wearing. Because they are a hybrid of both lipsticks and lip balms, they embody both the good and bad qualities of both. This means that they aren't quite as pigmented as a lipstick but more so than a balm. They aren't as drying as a lipstick but less moisturising than a balm. Their wear time, as predicted, is longer than a balm but not as long as a lipstick. In my opinion they are the most perfect balance of both and would be suitable for anyone of any age.

I had a strange problem with the red shade Wild Watermelon whereby when it wore off it would leave a ring of colour around the edge of the lips and no colour in the middle. I was pleased to find that neither Creme Brulee or Tutti Frutti had this issue.

In terms of the packaging, I don't need to go into too much depth about how great I think these are. I love the colour coded quilted packaging and the silver bullet. I think it looks classy and quite high end. I also love that the top of the cap is completely clear so that looking from above when you are sifting through your collection you can easily identify the shade you want.

These lip butters are very soft and as a result aren't very good for carrying around in your handbag. As soon as they get slightly warm they start to melt and reshape.

I love my Revlon Lip Butters and couldn't recommend them enough, however I wouldn't suggest that you pay full price for them when there are so many opportunities around the place to get them on sale.

Giveaway Winnings from The Beauty Box

I was so very lucky to win Erin's giveaway from over at The Beauty Box. Her blog is a new discovery of mine and she is such a brilliant blogger - please go and have a look at her blog!

Anyhow, I received the most incredible prize ever and Erin was so kind to throw in a few unexpected extras into the mix too! I am in love with everything I received!

First up is the Versace Bright Crystal perfume which I was so excited about! I absolutely love perfumes but don't have too many because they're so pricey, so this was such an exciting thing to win!

I was also terribly excited to see a gorgeous selection of nail polishes. Erin has wonderful taste in nail polishes, all of which I am so darn excited about using! I received polishes from the brands Essie, Bourjois, Sally Hansen and Rimmel as well as some nail stickers from the brand Kiss. My nails are going to be looking beautiful these holidays!

Last but definitely not least is the gorgeous assortment of lip products. Long time readers of mine would know that lip products are my weakness and I squealed when I saw the selection of Revlon products since Revlon makes amazing lip related cosmetics! I am so excited to use everything!

Thank you Erin for the amazing giveaway and your wonderful blog and I look forward to trying out all these amazing goodies! If you would like to see a review on a particular product let me know in the comments!