LA Girl matte flat finish pigment gloss- review and swatches

For the past few days, I've been roadtesting this baby. It's the much hyped about LA Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss (what a mouthful!) Basically, it's a liquid to matte lipstick, but its affordable pricepoint (I got mine for around a fiver on ebay) and wide shade variety have made it pretty talked about. The thing is, it's received mixed reviews. So I'm gonna throw my two cents into the mix.

First off, the packaging. I like it! It doesn't look cheap at all, and has a modern, funky kinda vibe. It's also generously sized- I expected it to be much smaller. Another perk is that it shows the shade, which is pretty handy for lipstick hoarders like me. My favourite aspect of the packaging, though, is the applicator. Most liquid lipsticks have doefoot wands, but this has a long, flattened paddle shape that sweeps on colour to fill a wider surface area, minimising patchiness and making clean lines easy.

I got the shade 'timeless', and I absolutely adore it. It's a wonderful pink/lilac hybrid that reminds me of a slightly more pastel version of Lime Crime's Utopia. I've had compliments every time I've worn it. Win!

la girl matte pigment gloss- timeless

Now, my first impressions were as follows: it glides on easily and is highly pigmented, though not entirely opaque. Two coats get you full pigmentation though, and the formula layers with no problems. There's a moderate drying time that allows for blending and touch ups before it's tattoo-like. The finish is flawless- it looks truly matte but not flakey or powdery at all. And, amazingly, it feels great on the lips. Most liquid to mattes are drying to say the least but this wasn't drying at all. There was hardly any transfer and it was long lasting.

So what's the problem? Well, after looking up various reviews online, I found a lot of people complaining of stickiness. Then I tried pressing my lips together and saw what they meant. If you touch your lips with your finger, it will feel fully dry and not sticky at all, but if you press your lips together, they kind of adhere and slowly prise apart. You know like when a child semi blows up a balloon in a wet splashy fashion, and then the balloon deflates and wrinkles up as the air the air vacuums out, and then you have to peel the balloon apart? It's sort of like that.

Or, to put it in beauty junkie terms, it's similar to those two-step lip products. One side is a long lasting liquid to matte that dries down but sticks your lips together, the other side is a gloss or balm that fixes that problem. Like Rimmel Provocalips (review here). Either way, I didn't even notice it, and it still doesn't bother me at all. That's probably because my closed lips don't overlap, so they never have a chance to stick unless I rub my lips, which isn't something I do unless I'm wearing a glossy lipstick.

la girl matte pigment gloss- timeless

So. All in all, I am more that thrilled with this lippy. But if your lips overlap or you're habitually rub your lips together, you might find it quite irritating. I have found that that only one layer has hardly any stickiness, but layering, or layering before letting the previous coat dry will have a more tacky finish. That said, if you find it's not for you, at least you've not wasted too much money. Me? I'm going back for some more shades...

Essence moisturising lipstick- review and swatches.

Another Essence lippy? Well, why not. They're sweet and cheap so I don't feel guilty picking up a new shade every now and then. I've previously reviewed a lipstick from their nude collection (here) as well as one from their long last range (here), but this is my first time trying one from their standard moisturising line. It weighs in at a mere £2.00 (or is it £2.30?) and looks good enough for the price. So what did I think?



essence lipstick- all about cupcake

Well.... I wasn't blown away like OMG THIS IS THE BEST LIPSTICK I'VE EVER TRIED, but then I wasn't expecting anything particularly exciting. What I wanted was an easy to wear moisturising lipstick that would give me a wash of colour throughout the day. Something I could throw in my bag and apply in a hurry. And that was exactly what I got. So I'm pleased.

I got the shade 'all about cupcake' which is a sheer neutral pink. It offers a tint of colour, sort of like a tinted lip balm, but it's not so sheer as to be useless. It's pleasantly hydrating without being greasy or sticky, so that's a plus. It doesn't last long, but then that's hardly surprising (and it doesn't claim to). Anyway, it's hardly high maintenance to reapply. Have a swatch:

essence lipstick- all about cupcake

Bear in mind that my lips are quite pigmented, so the colour will show up more if you have paler lips. Personally, I'm happy to have it in my stash. If you prefer something with more bang for your buck though, the longlast lipsticks might be more up your alley. They're at a similar price point, but offer more coverage.

Thanks for dropping by, and feel free to ask if you have any questions xx

Primark p.s love velvet matte lipstick crayon- review and swatches.

When Primark does good makeup, it does good makeup. Case study: their new velvet matte lipstick crayon. It's a stonker.



primark p.s love velvet matte lipstick crayon- wine

I mean just look at it. It's only £2, but it doesn't look all that cheap at all. In fact, if it looks like it might be a dupe for Nars velvet lip pencil, that's because it really is. Similar smooth texture, similar (great) pigmentation and similar (impressive) longevity. Hell, I'm gonna go out and say it: I actually prefer this Primark offering, though obviously there's a limited shade range.

This particular shade is called 'Wine', and is every bit as rich and as deep as the name suggests. In my swatches I'm wearing one swipe, but you can easily build it more intensity. It was comfortable to wear, faded flatteringly to leave a stain, and didn't bleed. what's not to like?

primark lipstick crayon- wine

Of course, you'll need a chunky sharpener, but that's no biggie. There are a few other shades on offer, including a mauve-nude, a bright pink and a coral. If you want a comfortable, purse-friendly alternative to a matte lipstick, I highly recommend you try a shade or two.

X

essence longlast nude lipstick- review and swatches.

 

I'm always tempted by the Essence stand whenever I'm shopping at Wilko. So far, I've got quite a collection going. I've previously reviewed their longlast lipstick here, but decided to pick up one from their nude collection. I went for 03, come naturally, because it was the most unique of the bunch. It was priced at a cheap and cheerful £2.30. Let's have a look then.

 

The packaging is lightweight and simple, but I do like that it corresponds with the bullet shade. I've easily got 600+ lipsticks in my obscene collection, so anything that makes hunting for a shade easier is definitely welcome. And I've not got a shade like this in my stash! Greige-y nudes are all the rage right now, and I like that this is wearable without making me look dead. It's a cool toned mauve with a grey tinge, and has medium coverage and streak-free, comfortable application. It works ok on its own (pictured), but I love pairing it with a purple lipliner.

essence longlasting nude lipstick- come naturally

What do you think? Whilst it's obviously not overly luxurious, Essence does offer a good range of nudes for different skintones, and I reckon it's definitely worth having a swatchfest in store. You might just find one you really like. Let me know your thoughts!

L.A Girl luxury creme lipstick- review and swatches

 

So I've recently joined instagram- @poutnshout, for those who care- and you can bet I'm stalking all the beauty pages. One of the brands that caught my attention was L.A Girl cosmetics. There are no distributors in the UK as far as I know, so  I took to Ebay and picked up a shade of their glazed lip paint (which never came) and this, the luxury crème lipstick. They were pretty cheap, around a fiver each including p&p. 

 

 

 

The packaging reminds me of the Wet n Wild megalast lipsticks! It's not pretty, but it's secure and not wobbly, so I'm not complaining. And it has that gorgeous sherbert sweets smell that you all know I love. So far so good.

 

But application knocked me for six. I was expecting a dry, patchy consistency, but it glided on smooth as butter with an opaque, creamy finish. It was comfortable even through long periods of wear and didn't bleed at all, and when it eventually faded, did so flatteringly. 'Luxury' is definitely the word. Yes then L.A Girl! Smashed it.

 

I really love the colour too. This one is called 'Pure Ecstasy', and it's a coral-ish pastel orange that's still bright and juicy. Perfect for summer. Have a look!

 



l.a girl luxury cream lipstick- pure ecstasy

l.a girl luxury crème lipstick- pure ecstasy

 

Overall, I'm obviously chuffed with my purchase. If the lip paint eventually turns up, I'll be sure to write a post on that too. But until then. Smushy lipstick kisses xx

maybelline color drama intense velvet lip pencil- review and swatches

These lip crayons by Maybelline are not new releases. They came out a few seasons ago, and up until recently, I always resisted the urge to buy them. NO, YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH LIPSTICKS, BEHAVE YOURSELF said my inner sensible person. But then a cheeky money off voucher vapourised my good intentions, and lo and behold, I was the owner of the Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade 'Keep It Classy'. 

It's called a 'pencil' rather than a crayon, and for good reason. It's wooden and not twisty-uppy, and looks like a fattened lipliner. In fact, it functions like a fattened lipliner too. Most crayon type lip products tend to be glossy or sheer, but this is opaque, creamy, and long lasting. 'Velvet' is indeed a good descriptor, because it has a plush, semi-matte finish. I love how precise and easy it is to use- line your lips as with a regular lipliner, then use the side of the tip to fill in with colour fast.

And here's what it looks like on:

Maybelline color drama lip pencil- keep it classy

How gorgeous is that colour? It's lovely pinkened berry shade that I bet would suit every single human on the planet. And it's comfortable to wear. And it smells divine. What more could one ask for? (Apart from a sharpener in the lid).

Maybelline's Colour Drama lip pencil is priced at £4.99, which is well worth it. Let us know what you think innit xx

shiseido lacquer rouge- review and swatches

I've only ever heard good things of the high end Asian brand Shiseido, so I guess it was only a matter of time till I got my mitts on one of their products. And it was obviously going to be a lip product. Aaaaaaand the result of my whims is today's post, on the Lacquer Rouge in the shade PK226, Ophelia. It usually retails at a rather steep £23.50, but I got mine for half the price from Ebay.

The packaging is sleek and expensive-looking, and comes with a doefoot applicator stiff enough for easy application. I really loved the colour at first sight. It's a cool toned muted dusty rose, if that makes sense. It's on the sheer side, but not so sheer as to be pointless. That said, pigmentation does vary between shades, and I think some of the braver shades are pretty much opaque.

Honestly, I wasn't overly impressed with the texture of this lacquer. It's a little too slick and tacky.....not unbearably sticky, but definitely not as smooth and lightweight as I'd hoped. The plus here though is that it lasted really well- I had a meal and a cup of tea and was left with a decent amount of colour and shine, and my lips weren't dried into prunes.

Fancy swatches? Here ya go.



shiseido lacquer rouge- ophelia

So it's a mixed bag really. I think it can be summed up as follows: 'I am glad to have it in my collection, but would not repurchase, and wouldn't recommend buying at full price'. Oh, and just a note- some of the brighter and bolder shades are known for bleeding uncontrollably, so stick to the nudes and naturals guys.

Hope that was helpful. Hit me up if you have any questions x