Beauty UK lips matter velvet matte lip cream- review and swatches.

Lips matter. Yes they do.

Beauty UK, a budget makeup brand, know this. They recently released a line of liquid to matte lipsticks called Lips Matter, which was very punny of them. They're priced at a very affordable  £3.99.

It doesn't look bad at all, for the price. Considering there are expensive liquid lippies on the market with very basic packaging, Beauty UK didn't do half bad with these. And sure, it's not luxe looking, but it's cute and fun (and marketed towards broke teens anyway).

I got the shade 'coral cutie'. I've been missing my bright orange shades lately so I'm stoked to have this zinging hue to slap on my pie hole. It's so bright and juicy! Wowzer.

First impression: my goodness it smells delicious. Like yummy sweets. The standard doe foot applicator worked fine to apply the colour, which was moussey and pigmented and not too difficult to get even payoff with. It took a while to dry down,  and when it did, it wasn't 100% transfer proof. A light rub would have given you a smudge on your finger. But guys, it was so comfortable to wear. Not drying at all.

Beauty UK lips matter velvet matte- curious coral 

I was so pleasantly surprised! It's definitely the best low end formula I've tried. Nice one, Beauty UK. SMASHED IT.

Xx

manhattan soft mat lip cream- review and swatches

It's been an eventful night. My little hamster was on the edge of death, but with lots of frantic care, seems to have clawed her way back to the realm of the living. She's still quite weak though, and I'm anxiously keeping an eye on her. Seeing as it doesn't look like I'll be sleeping, I thought I might as well rant about lipstick. 

Manhattan soft mat lip cream is essentially the same thing as the Nyx soft matte lip creams and Collection cremepuff products- but cheaper. It's a moussey formula that dries down to a fairly comfortable matte finish which is long lasting but but not invincible, pigmented but not opaque. 

The price varies, but it's usually around a mere two quid. This is good. It's a good product, though it's not too pretty to look at. I got a nude shade (number 95G) which I believe- don't quote me on this- is a dupe for the Nyx soft matte in 'london'. It's the kind of shade that's great for easy everyday wear.

Manhattan soft mat lip cream - shade 95G

I'm wearing here paired with BH Cosmetics lip liner in 'nude'. A great combo, I think.

Anyway. I'm off to check on my hammy friend.

Xx

mua luxe whipped velvet lip cream: review and swatches

      MUA have churned out a lot of new releases lately, one of which is this little offering: The whipped velvet lip cream. Now, as a fan of the original velvet lip lacquers (review here), I was curious to see how these would fare in comparison. I went for the shade 'spry', an easy to wear warm pink-beige nude. 

mua luxe whipped velvet lip cream- spry

         Sorry about the dodgy blanket- I took it camping with me! Right. So this applies with a standard doe-foot which does the job of applying the colour smoothly and precisely. The formula itself was a surprise- I was expecting a lacquer-like liquid lipstick. Instead, I got a feather light lip cream that was comfortable to wear and didn't set, but somehow still looked pretty matte. For those of you who hate 'feeling' lip products on your lips, give this a shot. You'll forget you have anything on.

      As for pigmentation, I found it to apply with medium coverage that could be sheered out with blotting or a light touch or built up a little for greater intensity. I can't really comment on how long it lasted because it's quite hard to tell with a nude this natural-looking, but top ups are definitely easy and fool-proof. 

    As you can see from the pictures below, it's a true nude against my Asian skintone. I like to wear it paired with a wine/burgundy smokey eye and flushed cheeks. On fairer skin tones, I think it'd look a little warmer and deeper, and I think it could work with darker skintones too. Of course, there are also brighter, more colourful options available, and MUA have also released whipped velvet blushers in corresponding shades! 

mua luxe whipped velvet lips- spry

mua luxe whipped velvet lips- spry

    Overall, I think that at a mere £3 a pop, these are a great, easy to wear lip product to have in your stash. Will you be trying a shade or two?

x

essence xxxl longlasting lipgloss (matt) lip cream- review & swatches

 Look guys, I'm finally reviewing a winter appropriate neutral shade *pats self on back*. It's a soft nude, and it is (very appropriately) called 'soft nude'. Introducing the Essence XXXL Longlasting matt lipgloss, which described as a 'silky lip cream' with long wearing colour.

essence xxxl matt lip cream- 06 soft nude

    There she is. Not bad for a budget brand, huh? Certainly not garish, and it's a generously sized tube. This lip cream comes with a flat paddle-like applicator which is actually quite easy to use and distributes the colour evenly. It's long and it's flexible, so I guess that lets it cover a lot of surface area in one pass. 

   And one pass is really all you need. In fact, you might even want to wipe off some excess product as you don't need much to get decent coverage, and overdoing it can result in impairing the formula's ability to set. Yep, it will set somewhat, though not entirely. The finish is perfect for me because the slight softness afforded prevents drying, yet it's not so wet that it gets all messy and won't stay put. On first application, be prepared for a slippery texture and a soft sheen. Worry not though, it will dry down a little in time. Here's what it looks like freshly applied:

essence xxxl matt longlasting lip cream- 06 soft nude

    I like the colour! It's a great nude that I can see suiting a whole range of skintones. It's somewhere between a dusty rose and caramel beige- lovely.

    All in all, I'm impressed, and at £2.30, it's a sure bargain.

topshop lip cream- review and swatches

  

I'm back with another blindingly bright lip cream. I know, it's winter, and I'm technically supposed to lay off the neons... but what can I say? I just love me some colour. Today, I've been wearing Topshop's lip cream in the shade 'pout'. Take a look!

   Aww, look at those pretty polkadots. And look at that colour! Pout is an orange. Not a coral. A proper, in yer face, super opaque, mega vivid ORANGE, baby. Even I was a bit intimidated by it, and kept wiping off the excess product from the doefoot in a bid to tone it down. It didn't do much. It goes on perfectly true to colour and makes no apologies about it.

    Now, this is a lip cream that applies and wears as the word 'cream' would suggest. Slightly thick, moistening, plenty of slip. It doesn't bleed or feather despite it's formula and pigmentation, though it does transfer, as it remains a 'cream' consistency and doesn't set to the touchproof, matte finish of similar products. Nope, it's very much a satin finish that stays sort of 'wet' if you know what I mean. 

  Initially, I was cautious about the finish as I suspected the high transfer would equate to rubbish wear time, but I'm pleased to report it doesn't affect longevity at all. I reckon it's because the lip cream is SO BLOODY PIGMENTED, that you could stamp your orange pout all over the place and there'd still be a punch of colour left on it. Also, the slip allows you to rub your lips together to easily redistribute the colour without needing to reapply all over.

   Oh, and it smells like yummy vanilla.

topshop lip cream- pout

topshop lip cream- pout

topshop lip cream- pout

topshop lip cream- pout

Have you tried any of these? I'm quite interesting in the nude shade, 'dust'. Share your thoughts with me, lovelies xox

collection cream puff lip cream review and swatches

It's another super cute lip cream! Look at all the puffy fluffiness. It smells like fairy cakes and it's named after sweet treats and girly things. It's all soft and cushiony. It's the Collection Creampuff lip cream lineup! Boom. Let's have a look then.

    Honestly, I do like the packaging. It's cute and playful and appeals to my inner my inner girly-girl. I also like the matte black lid, a cheeky clue to the product's finish. This product comes in four shades, all of which are soft and wearable. I have shade 3, Fairy Cake, which is a lovely warm coral pink. I find it brightens my face easily and is the perfect choice for complementing a neutral day look- so I'm now at the stage where I've worn it so often, it's almost used up. Boo!

   It's not just the colour that has made it such a go-to product for me, it's because it's just so fuss free. The doe foot applicator distributes the cream quickly and evenly and one coat is all it takes for full coverage. And, unlike most lip creams/lip velvet type products, the Collection Creampuff truly lives up to it's claim of being 'moisturising'. This means I don't have to apply balm beforehand or worry about it going all crusty and icky, and we all know what a relief it is to find a product that doesn't lead to constant paranoia. That said, my lips aren't prone to excessive dryness, so perhaps those of you who struggle with chapping might well want to slick some balm underneath. 

   It's also really long lasting, and dries to a fairly budge-poof, transfer-proof soft matte finish. Initially, I thought it wouldn't settle and would retain a degree of slip- sort of like a matte lipgloss- and I thought the very soft sheen would remain. I was wrong though: just give it a few minutes and it will dry down to a true matte that doesn't slide about.

Here's how it looks freshly applied. Note the soft sheen.

collection cream puff- fairy cake

 

 And once fully dry...

collection cream puff- fairy cake

The best thing? These are priced at a mere £2.99. Gotta catch 'em all! That's what I'm almost certainly gonna do once mine runs out and I finally have an excuse to buy more ;)

sleek matte me lip cream- review and swatches

   Second post of the night, 'cause I'm on fire! I know I probably shouldn't gush so much for two posts in a row- it just makes me look like an indiscriminate gusher- but this lip cream is so worth gushing about. It's the Sleek Matte me ultra smooth matte lip cream. I don't know why it took me so long to get my hands on it really. I think I was just trying to be a good girl, with that whole 'yes baby, I know it's pretty, but you don't need any more lipsticks do you?' routine. Thankfully, I told that voice where to go and got my maniacal beauty-addict little hands on a rather fabulous product.

It is pretty, isn't it? Funky looking and modern and sassy. I got the shade 'brink pink', and boy is it bright! It's like it's tipped over the brink of a bright shade into an all out neonfest. And I love it! It's so happy and bold and summery, and every time I look in the mirror wearing it, I'm like 'whoa! Look at my lips! So sassy', and do a pouty sassy pose.

   And it's not just the colour that stands out, the formula is pretty cracking too. Fully opaque with smooth, streak-free application and a transfer-proof, second skin finish that lasts hours and hours. In fact, it barely even budged through meals, and survived me stamping big kisses all over my baby cousin's cheeks. This sort of longevity usually comes at a price though- that of a drying effect. I personally didn't notice my lips being particularly parched or uncomfortable, but my lips aren't hugely prone to chapping. If yours are, a bit of balm underneath is the way to go, and it won't interfere with the finish or wear time, providing you don't slather on goopy layers of it, naturally.

sleek matte me lip cream- brink pink

 The Sleek Matte Me lip cream are available in superdrug stores and on the brand site, priced at £4.99, and I think they are brilliant value for money. Heartily recommended. x

nyx soft matte lip cream- a review & swatches

 And so, we move onto lip creams. What's the difference between lip velvets and lip creams? Well, generally speaking, not much. That's why I'm using my next few reviews as continuations from the lip velvet series rather than as a separate category. They tend to be thicker in consistency though, as the name implies, and tend to maintain a bit of slip throughout wear rather than setting to a budgeproof second skin. I say 'tend to', because sometimes, the only real difference is in the name. Enter NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream.

     These babies are cute and playful- if they came in jars I'd want to sit cross legged on the floor to scoop out the insides and eat em. They also come named after cities (I do love my themes), and my shade is Antwerp, which I picked because my best friend's nickname for me is 'Twerp'. Now I can be an twerp, hehehe. It's a gorgeous shade- the love child of a dusty rose and a vivid coral, giving the perfect balance between pretty subtlety and loud-mouthed fun. I really really love it, and find it so flattering to my medium complexion. It might just be in my top ten favourite lipstick shades.

   As mentioned earlier, the finish is typical of velvets, in that it tattoos your lips with long lasting, touch proof colour. It's a real winner of a texture. NYX definitely got the 'soft' part of the name bang on, because this feels so buttery and light to apply, and once it sets, though very matte, manages not to look or feel dry. One layer is all that's needed for full opacity, so there's none of the dreaded patchiness that comes with touching up after the first coat has dried. It doesn't crumble or flake with wear either- it's truly brilliant. How did I only just discover it?

   Have some swatches, though they honestly don't do the shade justice. The woes of a bad camera.

nyx soft matte lip cream- antwerp

 

nyx soft matte lip cream- antwerp

 These cost a mere £5.50 from the NYX uk site (under the gloss section), and if I had loads of spare money, I would buy all the shades and love them and cuddle them forever.