Lips of the Month: Chili

This month I've been a girl of simple appearance.  In between studying, working, eating, studying, sleeping and studying makeup has been the last thing on my mind.  However I recently went for a coffee with a friend who was back in Brighton for a couple of weeks from a year abroad in Alicante, which of course warranted lipstick.  And rediscovered my pure, unadulterated love for Mac's Chili.

 This is a fiery, terracotta-toned red shade that is still beautifully wearable during the day.  In spite of being a matte formula (which I traditionally haven't got on with), this one is not nearly as drying as my ultimate love-hate Mac lipstick, Velvet Teddy.  I didn't really believe the Sales Advisor when she told me the lipsticks vary slightly in mattifiying effect from shade to shade - but she was right!

The colour is rich and long lasting, and perfect for any other green-eyed girls (monsters?) out there.  Maybe I'll finally become a red lipstick girl - can anyone recommend any other shades?

Ruby x 

 

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Lips of the Month: Morange

There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting a new lipstick, and last month my parents (although I suspect it was my mother doing the buying) gave me this gorgeous new shade 'Morange' as part of my birthday gifts.  

 The shade is a beautiful orangey-red, and gives an 'amplified' finish - it's a buttery, subtly glossy formula with a hint of moisture.  Before applying I prep my lips with my long time favourite lip balm brand, EOS.  There are a few things I specifically love about EOS: one HAS to be the packaging, which looks like a dinky, brightly coloured dinosaur egg.  The second has to be the formula which provides instant hydration and smells amazing, and the third has to be they taste great on your lips - it's like having a spoonful of dessert every time you apply it. 

 Once the balm has had a few minutes to sink in I'll dab off any excess then apply the lipstick...

Ta-dah!  I love a bright, fiery red and this one's playful enough to wear during the day as well as the night.  Especially as we're coming into Winter, I think this will be the perfect colour to brighten up all the inevitable greyscale outfits that will shortly follow...

 

Can anyone recommend some other bright shades?

Ruby x

 

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Lips of the Month: Jolis Matins

First of all - wow!  I can't believe it's been over a year since I started this blog.  Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far, and for new readers, welcome to my funny little corner of the internet.  

I thought I'd kick things off this month with my favourite lip shade of the moment.  Disclaimer: it was a bit of a splurge.  

This lovely little shade is called 'Jolis Matins' (shade 106M) and is one from Lancôme's Rouge In Love range. These are certainly a little steep at £22 a pop...

...however, if you fancy treating yourself, they really are great.  These give a glossy, lustrous colour that isn't too full bodied but not too sheer either.  The formula is surprisingly moisturising as well as long-lasting and the packaging is princess-worthy. 

I've really been getting into this shade as a really wearable, day-to-day colour.  It's so easy and quick to apply because it's not too highly pigmented, and is the perfect addition to a minimal makeup look - I like to wear it with just a wave of mascara and a bit of foundation. 

 

Do you have any favourite high-end lipsticks?

Ruby x

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Lips of the Month: Mauve Parure

 Hello, hello.  Today's blog post is a quickie on my favourite lip shade for this month... I'm getting big into my purple hues for lips, especially since I went a little blonder recently.  I guess blondes really do have more fun...

Nivea isn't a lipstick brand I would usually buy, and I'm pretty sure I even bought this shade for Halloween in 2014, but I must say I've completely succumbed.  The formula is lovely, it's so moisturising (as maybe would be more expected from Nivea), and has a subtle shine, similar to the Mac amplified lipstick formula.  This one is from the 'Volume Shine' range, in the shade Mauve Parure'. 

I think this shade is great for a night out, or equally good for jazzing up an outfit.   I'm a fan of the simple, understated packaging, and from what I can remember, this was pretty cheap too - it's an all-rounder, guys.  What are your thoughts on purple lipstick?  

Anyway, that's it from me, for now... excuse me while I burrow back into my 'essays to do' pile. 

Ruby x

 

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Lips of the Month: Shroom

It's a Saturday evening and I'm sitting in my bed feeling pretty bloody sorry for myself after last night's antics and my consequent lack of essay progress today.  I'm off to Manchester on Thursday morning, coincidentally the same day as the deadline for a piece of my media coursework... only a true optimist would book to get on a train that leaves before the deadline for a piece of work... or am I just a complete and utter fool?!  Either way, I haven't made it any easier for myself by gaining a reputation as probably the most enthusiastic drinker of far too strong gin and tonics that Ring of Fire has ever seen.  On the plus side, I did get to wear out my new favourite lip colour last night - it's a new one!

Having recently had my birthday, I was lucky enough to get one of the Lime Crime Velvetines from my lovely sisters.  On the website this product is described as 'liquid-to-matte lipstick', and I couldn't say it better myself.  The applicator is a kind of triangular sponge stuck onto the end of a wand, exactly the same deal as you get with your standard year-8 lipgloss.  I was surprised, but I actually really like using this kind of applicator for lip colour: strangely enough, I found it to have more precision than a traditional lipstick, especially when you've only got around 25 seconds allocated from your morning makeup routine for lip colour application.  

 

I'm not going to lie, the formula does take some getting used to, and I wouldn't exactly call it moisturizing.  However, the results are so much more pleasing than other matte lip colours I've tried which make my lips look, well, dry (for example, Honey Love by MAC - I know, I almost cried).  Despite a little bit of inevitable almost-at-Winter lip chapping, this product really does give a smooth finish when used with a little bit of lip balm underneath.  I love the colour, too: I got it in the shade 'Shroom', as I love a good '90s brown shade almost as much as I love my dear mother (but not quite, don't worry Mum!).   

I took these last two photos in natural daylight to try and show the colour best, but unfortunately the weather recently has meant there isn't actually too much daylight to be had at all... see above for a photo with my bedroom light on. 

All in all, after trying this Velvetine, it is with great joy I can say that I do believe there is hope for anyone who, like me, has struggled before with matte lip colours and their horrible habit of drying out lips.  This is a great alternative, comes in many a snazzy shade, and can I just take a moment to appreciate the box it arrived in (you'll have to scroll back up to the top to remind yourself, but trust me, it's worth it)... that's probably at least half of the postage and packaging cost, but it's oh-so-Instagram worthy.  

Ruby x

 

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Lips Of The Month: Double Shot

Aloha!  I'm super excited today as I'm heading off to Glastonbury music festival tomorrow morning, so the rest of today will probably consist of assessing the entire contents of my wardrobe to see what can be deemed festival-worthy enough to be brought with me.  I thought I'd fit in a quick blog post before all that begins though, about something very important in my life right now: lipstick.  My relationship with lipstick has fluctuated over the years - when I was first getting into makeup (I'm talking 9/10/11 years old) I used to have these little tubes of Boots' 'Glitter Babes' lipstick in garish pinks and purples that smelt a bit dodgy and had the consistency of wax on your lips.  That was probably what put me off lipstick for about 6 years, when my love was reignited.  And now, well, I'm just obsessed, and my absolute favourite at the moment is this one... Mac's Double Shot.  

 

 I've always loved a good brown lipstick as they work so well for daytime or evening looks, and this one is perfect for both.  It's an 'amplified' finish which I find so much more forgiving than the matte finish for slightly chapped or dry lips. I love to wear this with winged liner and mascara as a really easy way to jazz up simple makeup. 

Let me know what you think of this lipstick and if you love it as much as I do.  I'll be off the blogging radar (I'll most probably be face down in a field somewhere in the West Country) from now until around Monday , when I'll certainly be back, undoubtedly armed with 10,000 gigabytes worth of photos to sift through and shape into hairy festival blog posts.  Be afraid, be very afraid.

Ruby x