Top 5 plum lipsticks for fair skin: Topshop Beguiled, Revlon Crush, Revlon Berry Smoothie, Topshop Inhibition and Sleek Mulberry

Hey loves!

I hope you had a great Christmas :-) 

I've been wearing a plum lip of late as it's a quick and easy way to jump on the Gothic trend that's all over the magazines and AW13 catwalks. 

I have fair skin - MAC NC15 to be precise - and I've found a plum lip works best with a flawless, dewy complexion and simple eye make-up. Just because you have pale skin doesn't mean you can't wear a dark lip so for that reason here are my favourite plum lipsticks for fair skin tones:

From L-R: Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition, Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry

 I have amassed a mixture of plum lipsticks from subtle berry tones to vampy blackberry shades over the years and the lipsticks above are all very different in both colour and texture.

Lip swatches:

From top to bottom:

Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry

I've applied all the shades above on my lips so you can see what they look like on pale skin like mine.

Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled – RRP £8.00 – Selfridges.com

Topshop's lipstick range consists of mainly matte shades and Beguiled is no different. It's the first Topshop lipstick I own and I found it to be very drying. It settled into cracks in my lips if I didn't exfoliate and moisturise them properly beforehand. However I was very pleased with the shade of Beguiled - I found it to be a very flattering berry coloured lipstick that worked well on my NC15 skintone. I haven't tried it with gloss as suggested but that's something I'll definitely look into doing next time.

Topshop Beguiled on fair skin:

Topshop beguiled before and after:

Here's me wearing Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled on a night out recently.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Crush – RRP £7.99 – Boots.com

I picked up my first Just Bitten lip stain from the acclaimed Revlon range after my blogger pal Avia (The Sparkleicious on YT) recommended them to me. I've been really impressed with these and I'm definitely glad I invested in one. They're really easy to apply and they feel very soft, but the best part is that the stain literally lasts all day. I apply it in the morning and I still have a berry stained pout by lunchtime! Crush is a particularly pigmented shade though, so sometimes I prefer to use a lip brush and layer up the colour to prevent making mistakes. 

Revlon Crush on fair skin:

Revlon Crush before and after:

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie – RRP £7.99 – Boots.com

I picked up this Revlon Lip Butter back in August after I gave into the blogger hype! The Lip Butters are lovely and moisturising and make your lips feel really soft but they don't have the stain element of the Just Bitten balms. It's a very subtle wash of berry stained colour that would suit really fair skin tones and is a great way to jump on the plum lips trend in a more wearable shade.

Revlon Berry Smoothie on fair skin:

Revlon Berry Smoothie before and after:

Check out my Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie review.

Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition – RRP £8.00 – Topshop.com

Like Beguiled (above), Topshop's Lipstick in Inhibition is a matte formula that can be very drying if you don't moisturise your lips beforehand. It looks very similar to Beguiled in the tube but it's actually very different. Beguiled is a berry shade whereas Inhibition - described as Dark Plum on the website - appears more purple on the lips. If you like a really in-your-face plum lip, Inhibition is more for you.

Topshop Inhibition on fair skin:

Topshop Inhibition before and after:

Here's how I wore Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled on a night out recently.

 Sleek True Color Lipstick in Mulberry – RRP £4.99 – Sleekmakeup.com

The final plum lipstick in my collection is Sleek's True Colour Lipstick in Mulberry, which is my first and only lipstick from the Sleek lipstick collection. Mulberry is a matte finish but as it's enriched with Vitamin E, it's not as drying as the Topshop lipsticks. Mulberry is the darkest lipstick I own, in fact I would describe it as an intense blackberry shade. I find the best way to apply this is to layer it up very gradually with a lip brush as slapping it on straight from the tube is too harsh on pale skintones. 

Sleek Mulberry on fair skin:

Sleek Mulberry before and after:

Which is my favourite plum lipstick?

I can't pick one! I really liked Topshop's lipstick in Beguiled as it's a flattering berry shade that's ideal for a day at the office or a night out or the town.

But I also really like Revlon's Just Bitten Lip Stain in Charm as the colour lasts all day and it's easy to layer it up from a subtle wash to a more intense plum shade.

Are you fair-skinned like me? What's your favourite plum lipstick?

Let me know in the comments or tell me over on Twitter :-)

Love,

Sophia

xo

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie: Review, swatches and FOTD

Hey loves!

I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow :-)

Recently, I acquired one of the much raved about Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters. I picked up the shade, 050 Berry Smoothie...

Modelled by Easy A actress Emma Stone, the Revlon Lip Butters are a buttery balm / shiny lipstick hybrid that're available in 15 colours.

The Lip Butters feature the traditional Revlon lipstick quilted packaging and are in the colour of the lipstick shade inside, so mine (Berry Smoothie) is purple :-)

Swatches:

(top - without flash, bottom - with flash)

I swatched literally all of the Revlon Lip Butters in Boots and Superdrug, and Berry Smoothie was the shade that complemented my complexion the best. As hyped up as the other Lip Butters are, I wanted to be sure I chose a shade that suited me the most and that was wearable on a daily basis. Berry Smoothie definitely fits the bill - I would describe it as a sheer, glossy sparkle with very discreet micro shimmer.

Lip swatches:

(top - bare lips, bottom - after applying Revlon Berry Smoothie)

I have to say, the Revlon Lip Butters aren't hyped up for nothing - they're actually pretty darn good! I simply love wearing mine :-) I apply it to the lips and it gives it instant wash of berry toned colour. It feels lovely and nourishing and lasts on the lips for a good 3 hours before fading. It really does look and feel AMAZING! :-) I can't wait to stock up on some more!

FOTD including Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie:

FACE: MAC Fix+, YSL Touche Eclat #1, MAC Studio Fix Concealer [NW15], MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (applied with ELF Stippling Brush), Benefit Hoola bronzer (applied using an unbranded bronzing brush), MAC Fix+.

EYES: Sleek Storm Palette - taupe and brown shades, Soap & Glory SUPERCAT felt tip liner, CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick.

LIPS: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters are priced at £7.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug as well as online retailers :-)

Have you given in to the Revlon Lip Butter hype? What shade would you recommend?

Love,

Sophia

xo

Bargain of the Week: MUA £1 Lipsticks in Bare, Juicy and Nectar + reviews, swatches and FOTD

Hey loves!

I hope you're having a great Jubilee Sunday, whatever you're doing! We're putting up bunting here :-)

So, as you ladies know - I LOVE a bargain! I saw the MUA lipsticks on a couple of beauty blogs and I couldn't help but have a look myself - You can't really go wrong for just £1 each, can you?

I picked up three MUA lipsticks; Bare, Juicy and Nectar, seen below:

 The packaging is simple glossy black with the silver MUA logo emblazoned on the side. The lids of the lipstick feature the shade of the colour within, such as the nude shade on the left lid for Bare.

From L-R: MUA Lipstick in Nude, Juicy and Nectar

I couldn't wait to give these lipsticks a try! These aren't colours I would normally buy, but I thought for £1 each I'd give them a go anyway. I'd previously bought 2 of their normal lipsticks and was quite impressed! You can read that blog here. I actually SWEAR by their lipstick in Shade 11, I keep it in my handbag at all times and it's the perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

So here's my thoughts on Bare, Juicy and Nectar :-)

MUA Lipstick in Bare (Shade 14):

First up is Bare, which looks like a mauvey brown nude shade in the tube, seen above.

Bare swatches:

(left without flash; right with flash)

The lipstick appears quite different in both swatches - on the left it looks quite matte whilst the right shade (with flash) looks quite glossy. IRL it's not that glossy!

 Bare comparison swatches:

 From top to bottom:

Top - GOSH Lipstick in Darling 

Middle - MUA Lipstick in Bare

Bottom - Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Soft Nude 

I'm not a massive fan of nude lipsticks, so I don't have that many in my collection. GOSH Darling (top in the pic) looks like your standard nude shade, leaning towards baby pink. I have to say Darling doesn't look great on me! Revlon Soft Nude (bottom one) has much more of a pinky tint, and the MUA lipstick (in the middle) looks much more nude-brown.

Bare lip shots:

As you can see, on the lips, Bare does tend to sink into any creases on your lips. It does apply nicely (it's very smooth) and is quite pigmented as well. It looks nice on the lips - it doesn't drain my face like Darling does - but at the same time it doesn't accentuate any of my features, either! If you're looking to venture into nude shades, I would definitely try this shade as it's only £1!

FOTD ft MUA Lipstick in Bare:

I think it looks quite lovely IRL, it's just not very 'out there'!

MUA Lipstick in Juicy (Shade 15):

Next up is the lipstick in the shade Juicy, which I wasn't actually going to buy in the first place! In the tube it looks very orange, but it's actually like a pastel pink shade (very hard to describe!)

 Juicy swatches:

(left without flash; right with flash)

Again the swatches look very different, I would say the right side pic (with flash) is more accurate. It's much lighter than I was expecting and it's not glossy really.

Juicy comparison swatches:

From top to bottom:

Top - MUA Lipstick in Shade 7

Middle - MUA Lipstick in Juicy

Bottom - Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Peach

So it looks like I don't own anything similar to Juicy in my collection! The MUA lipstick in shade 7 looks much more pigmented, whereas the Revlon lipstick has a much more obvious peach tint to it. 

Juicy lip shots (before and after):

I don't think the colour of Juicy translates v well in these pics, but it's interesting to see how they look close up!

FOTD ft MUA Lipstick in Juicy:

This is definitely the most accurate pic of Juicy. If any of you have TOPSHOP's lipstick in Brighton Rock then I've heard this is quite similar. This isn't actually a shade I'd normally opt for, but I actually felt really confident wearing it. I think it's really flattering :-) 

 MUA Lipstick in Nectar (Shade 16):

Last but not least, it's the shade Nectar. I don't know why but my perception of all these shades is so different to what they actually were! I was expecting a peach sort of shade, but it's actually very coral/orange.

Nectar swatches:

(left without flash; right with flash)

This is a much more glossier formulation, compared to Bare and Juicy which are more matte. It's lovely and smooth to apply and feels like a lipbalm.

 Nectar comparison swatches:

From top to bottom:

Top - Topshop Gloss Stick in Ablaze

Middle - MUA Lipstick in Nectar

Bottom - MAC LE Surf Baby Lipstick in Hibiscus

I really don't own many orange lipsticks so these were the best dupes I could find. As you can see, Nectar looks much more orange compared to the other 2 which are much more red/blood orange.

 Nectar lip shots (before and after):

The formulation of this is surprisingly pigmented and translates very well on the lips. It's a striking coral/orange that would look fab with a tan!

FOTD ft MUA Lipstick in Nectar:

This is definitely the brightest lipstick of the bunch and is a really flattering shade. It's totally different from Juicy which is a muted coral/pinky peach. I actually LOVE Nectar and can see myself getting a lot of wear in the summer! :-)

FOTD (also wearing in all 3 pics):

FACE: Aldi Lacura Shimmering Day Cream (applied with MAC 190 Brush), Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer (dark circles), MAC Studio Finish Concealer (blemishes), YSL Touche Eclat (#1), Estee Lauder Doublewear Light Foundation (applied with MAC 190 Brush, blended in using ELF Stippling Brush), Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer (#51, applied using Cosmopolitan Blush Brush), finished with MAC Fix+

EYES: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original), Sleek Storm Palette (taupe and matte brown shades - applied using Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Base Brush), Soap and Glory SUPERCAT Carbon Gloss liner on top lid, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick on lower waterline, 2 coats of CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara (Black). MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Dirty Blonde on brows.

LIPS: LUSH Bubblegum lip scrub and Carmex Original lip balm to prime.

Overall, I am REALLY impressed with these 3 lipsticks! For £1 each they are amazing quality - comparable to Rimmel I'd say. I can't wait to get some proper wear out of them over the summer months! MUA is available for £1 at Superdrug or online here.

Have you tried any of MUA's lipsticks? Or are there some other bargain lipsticks I should try?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

FOTD ft No7 and Poppy King 'Celebrate Balmy & Beautiful!'

Hey lovelies!

HAPPY WEEKEND! Hope you've all had pleasant week :-) Sorry for being rather MIA of late; I've been back on the job hunt and, as you can imagine, it's taking up a huge bulk of my time! Shameless plea BUT if anyone knows of any entry-level PAID journo jobs in London/South East, please do give me a shout!

ANYWAY, today I used one of the gift sets I received for Christmas to create my FOTD!

It's the LE No7 and Poppy King 'Celebrate Balmy and Beautiful' Set! I was soo happy when I got my hands on it; I've heard great things about the Poppy King range for No7 and I thought this little gift set would come in handy!

The gift set contains -

• Shimmering Beauty Cheeks
• Shimmering Beauty Lips
• to form the Shimmering Beauty Lip & Cheek Multiple
• Beautiful Blotting Papers

I didn't realise, but the Shimmering Beauty Cheeks and Shimmering Beauty Lips combine to make the Shimmering Beauty Lip + Cheek Multiple! Whoops! You simply take the clear plastic lids off both products and put them in either end of the the gold 'Multiple'... Very handy!

Shimmering Beauty Lips

I don't know why but I was expecting this to be kind of pinky! It's not at all, it's a very GOSH Darling-esque nude...

The formula is matte and VERY drying! I made the mistake of applying it straight to my lips at first without a brush, which was an error on my part as it went EVERYWHERE, but it was MUCH easier with the brush! I also used the Beautiful Blotting Papers which made the lipstick last much longer! I set it using Lipcote, which applies like a gloss but dries matte and also helped maintain the longevity of the lipstick.

Shimmering Beauty Cheeks

I found this product very odd actually, it LOOKS like a lipstick... it feels like a LIPSTICK... but it's a face product, hmm!

It looks very similar to the Lips product above. It applies like a pinky sheen, I simply took some of the product off the top with my fingers and added it to the apples of my cheeks. It wasn't really strong enough to be a blush, so I added a little bronzer to make me look a little less washed out! Perhaps it will work best as a pinky highlighter for my cheek and brow bone, etc.

Shimmering Beauty Lip & Cheek Multiple

You slot the 2 products into each end of the empty gold 'Multiple', so it ends up looking like the product above! The black bits are the bottom end of each product!

Beautiful Blotting Papers

I've never used blotting papers before, I mean I've used tissue to blot my lipstick but never actual blotting 'papers'. I know you get them for reducing shine/oil on your face as well, but I've personally never used those either, I think they're a bit of a fad tbh!

These blotting papers looked really cute; they came in a dinky little cardboard pouch, and it contained about 10-15 blotting papers, about the size of 2 matchboxes laid side by side.

I used these on my lips when I was applying the Shimmering Beauty Lips and I definitely think they worked to make the lipstick last. They're so much more effective than using tissue, as the little bits of tissue odten get stuck on your lips... Classy lol!

Here's a FOTD using all the above mentioned products :-)

FOTD:

FACE: No7 Colour Calming Primer, MAC Fix+ to prime, MAC Studio Finish Concealer (applied with a No7 Concealer Brush), MAC Pro Longwear Foundation (applied with a MAC 190 Foundation Brush; blended in with a ELF Stippling Brush), MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural to set (applied with an Avon Powder Brush), No7 Shimmering Beauty Cheeks, Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer (51 - applied with an old bronzing brush), MAC Fix+ to set.

EYES: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original), Urban Decay Baked e/s (Buck - all over lid, Smog - in outer corners, Hustle - on edge - all applied with a No7 Eyeshadow Brush), MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack (applied with a MAC 266 Brush); Soap & Glory SUPERCAT Carbon Gloss liner on top lid, Avon Color Trend Kajal Stick (Black) along lower waterline, 2 coats of CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara (Black).

EYEBROWS: Ruby & Millie Brow Enhance (Powder + Wax - applied with a W7 Angled Brush).

LIPS: LUSH Bubblegum lip scrub to prime, No7 Shimmering Beauty Lips (applied with The Body Shop Lip Brush), No7 Beautiful Blotting Papers, Lipcote to set.

I enjoyed playing around with this little gift set, and I think the idea of combining the lip & cheek products into a 'Multiple' is really clever! However I was quite disappointed with both products. The lip product was REALLY drying, and the cheek product was just a bit weird. I'll keep using them and see how I get on, maybe it's just first impressions! :-)

Have you tried any of the No7 and Poppy King products before?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo

Ps. Today I learnt how much I SUCK at applying MAC Fluidline! Literally I made so many errors I kept having to make the line thicker, does anyone have any tips? Lol I don't even know if I was using the brush the right way up! :S

Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick and nail enamel review (FOTD and NOTD!)

Hey lovelies!!!

HAPPY SUNDAY! I hope you are enjoying your day :-) I'm just sitting here blogging and watching Air Crash Investigation (I do this every Sunday, geek!)

I've been reading on quite a few blogs recently about Revlon's Cherries in the Snow range (such as Jennie from Sailboat - love her!) and it looked, well, amazing! So, me being the inquisitive type, had to go out and try it for myself!

Here's what I found...

Revlon Cherries in the Snow nail enamel

This is a lovely, creamy raspberry pink shade that just looks beautiful on the nails. I use my OPI Nail Envy (Original) base coat, 2 coats of Cherries in the Snow and then my Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat to complete the look. I have a feeling this shade will definitely be taking me into spring/summer!

You can buy this for £6.49 from Boots.

I've also added this image to my NOTD Archive, consisting of all my NOTD's since I started this blog :-D

Revlon Super Lustrous Cherries in the Snow lipstick

I don't know what it was exactly that drew me to this lipstick initially, but I guess I just felt like injecting a bit of colour to my face and this just seemed like a really stunning, but wearable, shade.

Here it is without flash...

& with flash...

Here it looks like it has a slight reddish tint, but it's definitely pinker IRL.

Swatches! Without flash...

& with flash...

Now these seem kind of purple, and the top one seems very red! OK so here it is on the actual lips lol.

Before...

After...

My first thoughts were "OMG, how vibrant!" It's not often I wear shades like these and I felt VERY out of my comfort zone wearing such a shocking shade. The lipstick itself was very pigmented and you really do need a light hand applying it. It's certainly a shade I don't own already, it's very unique and brings some colour into an otherwise pretty 'drab' look and is actually very flattering. I like it :-)

FOTD ft lipstick...

FACE

MAC Fix+ to prime

YSL Touche Eclat (#1)

Benefit Boi-ing concealer (02 Sand)

MAC Pro Longwear foundation (NC15)

NARS Laguna bronzer

MAC Fix+ to finish

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)

Urban Decay baked e/s (Buck) all over lid

Urban Decay baked e/s (Smog) in outer corners

Soap & Glory SUPERCAT eye-liner (top lid)

Avon Color Trend kajal stick (Brown) on lower waterline

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume mascara (Black)

LIPS

LUSH bubblegum lip scrub to prime

No7 nude lip liner

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries in the Snow

You can buy Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries in the Snow for £7.49 from Boots.

Have you tried Revlon's Cherries in the Snow range? Would you wear a daring raspberry stained lip?

Let me know!

Love,

Sophia

xo