Lipstick Queen Aloha

I have been wanting to add Lipstick Queen's Aloha to my collection for absolutely agggges, and I finally convinced myself to do it whilst watching one of Estée's YouTube videos.  You know one of those occasions where you bargain with yourself - "That looks gorgeous...I swear if that is that lipstick again, I'm getting it right now."  Well it was, and low and behold, it went into my basket and promptly arrived through my letterbox last week!

First impressions of the lipstick was that it is a lot smaller packaging wise than other lipsticks that I own.  The packaging is gorgeous though; a bright orange, metallic tube with a lilac Lipstick Queen logo.  If you're after that satisfying lipstick click, you won't find it here, but you do have to put a tiny bit more force to wedge the cap into place.  I also think the packaging is slightly more weighted, so helps give it that higher end feel.

Aloha is part of the Endless Summer collection, and it's the perfect sheer cherry red.  It applies perfectly, and it's not completely necessary to crack out a mirror every time you want to reapply.  The colour builds easily if you wanted to put on a bit more of a pop (see below - left is one swipe, right is two!) but will only build to a medium sheer - you won't ever get full opacity.  It's great for every day wearing and I wear this a lot for work.  I love lipstick, but nobody I work with tends to wear make up, so I feel as though strutting in with an opaque lip would be a bit OTT (I've even mostly cut back on my usual cat eye!) but a sheer lip is perfect for me!

It feels to me like a really glossy lip balm; similar feeling to the Soap & Glory Gloss Sticks, except not remotely sticky at all.  Aloha has a blend of Vitamin E and Candelilla Wax, so it really does feel like a nice lip balm and leaves lips beautifully moisturised.  It also has an SPF 15, so is perfect for Summer wearing!  I only wish I had this sooner so that it could have accompanied me on holiday!

Wear time is pretty good for a sheer lip, but it's not amazing as you'd expect.  I noticed that the balm feeling did last for around an hour and a half, but the noticeable tint left after three hours so I needed to reapply at lunch time but that's no biggie.

I really, really like this lipstick and I'd love to buy more from the collection (particularly Stoked!) but at £18.00 a lipstick, it's just not something I could justify again, especially because it's essentially a tinted lip balm!  I think that it's just too much money for me to be able to afford to stock up on, but I do love it and wear it a lot more than most of my other lipsticks.  I managed to buy mine at £15.50 from Feel Unique when they had a 15% discount site wide, but it's also in stock at Space NK.  Even though I won't be rushing to buy more from the collection, I'd buy another Aloha instantly if I ever ran out!

Did you pick anything up from the Endless Summer Collection?  What's your favourite sheer lip shade?

Tagged: The Lip Product Addict Tag

A couple of weeks ago, I was tagged by Laura from Pink Frenzy to do The Lip Product Addict Tag!  So let's get cracking, and see what lip products I think are worth a mention!

What is your favourite balm/treatment?

It's probably not the best one I own, but I really, really love the Blistex Blast lip balms.  I have almost worked my way through a Raspberry Lemonade Blast, and have recently bought an Orange and Mango Blast.  They taste and smell absolutely amazing, and they always leave my lips nice and smooth!  I'll be popping up a post on these two sometime, because the love definitely needs to be shared!

What is your best eye catching red?

I think it will have to be my newest MAC lipstick, which is Relentlessly Red.  It's a beautiful matte shade, which is red but has a pink undertone.  I always get compliments when I'm wearing it, and it's not like any other red I own!  Plus, matte is eye catching on it's own without needed a unique shade!

What is your best drugstore and best luxury lip product?

I really love Topshop lipsticks; I only have two, but I love them both, and would happily buy more!  They are really comfortable to wear, last a long time and there is an amazing shade range!  The favourite from my two is Hazzard - I actually am on my second one because I lost one, and couldn't be without it!

I don't own too many luxury lipsticks.  The most luxury brands in my collection are MAC and Illamasqua.  I own more MAC lipsticks than Illamasqua, but Illamasqua are really daring with their shade ranges and cater for literally everybody.  My favourite, most worn shade is Magnetism, which is a gorgeous berry shade.

What is your favourite MAC lipstick?

I feel like I'm mentioning MAC quite a lot!  It's hard to choose a favourite, because I'm quite careful to only buy shades I'll love.  So my favourite and most worn MAC lipstick is Plumful.

What is your most disappointing lip product?

I'm not disappointed often, but I think my most disappointing product was the Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss.  They are just so sticky, and I can't bare to wear them!  It's such a shame, because I love Soap and Glory!

Liner.  Yes, or no?

I'm a half and half!  I don't wear it religiously, but I do like to wear liner when I am wearing a red lip.  I like having sharp definition, and it really makes a huge difference in how long your lipstick lasts.

What is your favourite lip gloss?

I'm not really a gloss lover, but I have been loving the Benefit Coralista lip gloss.  It's so natural, and doesn't feel like a gloss on your lips because it isn't sticky at all!

Something extra...what is your most worn lip shade?

My flat out favourite shade is a toss up between two.  I have worn these two so much, and they are both from the original Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains.  I love Rendevous, a bright orange, for Spring and Summer, and also love Honey, a gorgeous, rosey pink for every day.  I absolutely love the Revlon Balm Stains, and own a lot, but these two are my favourite!  I'm yet to try the newer gloss and matte versions though!

I tag...

You!  Leave me your links if you decide to do the tag, I'd love to see your answers!

MAC Relentlessly Red

Hurrah for new lipsticks!  Even more of a celebration when they are a prize!  I was lucky enough to win a MAC lipstick of my choice on Danielle's blog The Imperfect Beauty, and as I couldn't make a decision between Lady Danger or Relentlessly Red, I left it up to Danielle to decide my lipstick fate!

She chose Relentlessly Red, which I was so pleased about.  I actually thought that when these first came out, they were part of a limited collection, so I was really surprised and pleased to see Relentlessly Red in stock across MAC stores!

The formula is a Retro Matte, and MAC mattes aren't a formulation that I have tried before, so I was a little nervous to try as I've heard mixed reviews about this finish.  As with all mattes, your lips do need to be in pretty good condition so that dryness isn't emphasised when the lipstick is applied.  I couldn't wait to try this, and applied it over non-exfoliated lips and didn't find it drew too much attention to any dry patches.  It applied evenly, but did feel a little chalky on the lips without a quick slick of lip balm underneath.

The colour is like nothing I own already; it's a bright red which definitely pulls a bright fuschia within it.  The matte formula is absolutely gorgeous, and provides opaque lips in one swipe.  I say swipe...the matte lipstick does drag a fair bit, but not enough to bother me!  The finish is beautiful, and I feel very pin up when I have this shade on!  I've tried this with the MAC Cherry Lip Liner underneath, and it's great for really defining the lips for a lip this bright.  (The swatches shown don't have Cherry underneath, so you can see the true colour of Relentlessly Red, but keep an eye out on my Instagram - I'll be sure to show it there next time!)  The colour is so bold, and I definitely would recommend a liner underneath to get a nice lip shape - you can see in my swatches that the colour has bled slightly outside of the lip, so apply carefully over a lip liner with a lip brush for perfect definition!

The wear time on this shade is literally amazing.  I intended on wearing this all day in Milan, but plans changed and I worried that my tiredness could leave me with horrific looking lips if I didn't keep up with applications.  I wore this shade all day this week, and the wear time was literally all day.  The shade didn't disappear during or after eating or drinking, and it just started to fade on me at the end of my working day.  But the fade still packed a pretty decent colour punch.  Getting this off my lips was way more of a challenge than applying it!

So if this is my fourth MAC lipstick...which do I need to try next?  Have you tried Relentlessly Red?

The In Flight Beauty Bag

At half past midnight tonight, I'm setting off on my travels to go to Milan.  You already know what I'm planning on wearing, so I thought I'd share what I'm taking in my bag beauty wise!  I'm only going to Milan for the day, and will be back very early Sunday morning, so all I need to take is hand luggage.  Even though my flight is only a couple of hours, my day is going to be ridiculously long - I want my make up to be in tact, and I want to be able to look fresh and awake when I land even though I'll have had pretty much zero sleep.

I'll be applying my make up last thing tonight.  It seems a bit silly really to even bother with make up that late, but I still want to look presentable when I arrive and I won't have time to be applying make up on the journey down, or in the airport, as I'll be hopefully sleeping!  I will need some touch ups though, so I've packed a small selection of bits to help me out.

First up, I've got my trusty MAC Mineralise Skin Finish in Medium.  It's got enough coverage to even out my skintone, so I won't have to pack a separate foundation.  I can also use this during the day to help get rid of any shine.  To give me a flush of colour, I've picked my Maxfactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink.  I got this as part of a gift with purchase ages ago now, and it's so handy for popping in your hand bag and gives a gorgeous, natural flush.

To make my eyes more awake, I've picked out Benefits Eye Bright.  I'll be applying this to my waterline tomorrow morning and maybe even throughout the day to help disguise the fact that I am so damn tired, and hopefully reduce any red eyes.  I've also decided to bring a mascara to lift my lashes, and open my eyes.  This one is the Covergirl Clump Crusher.

For my lips, I've picked my newest lip balm which I bought from Poundland, and it's the Blistex Orange Mango Blast.  I have the Raspberry Lemonade Blast, and it smells and tastes amazing!  Citrus scents are said to be uplifting, so I'm grasping at straws and hoping this will help me out.  It's also going to be my base for my newest MAC lipstick, Relentlessly Red.  But, more about that next week - I'm trialling wear time when I wear it tomorrow!

As my make up will be on for a lot longer than usual, I wanted to make sure I had something to take my make up off when I start my journey home.  Flights are notoriously bad for your skin, so I'll be removing my make up as soon as I get on the flight home.  I'm packing a sample of Bioderma Sensibio H2O (review here) and a few cotton pads.  As my skin will need some serious hydration, I've also packed the Bioderma Atoderm PO Zinc Creme and the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum.

I might also pop a small hand cream in my bag, but I always get worried with how much liquids I'm actually allowed on a flight...  We'll see how much room I have left in my bag!  Looking at these pictures, I've realised I'm missing one critical thing...a mirror!  Queue me running upstairs to track one down...

Are you travelling away this year?  What would you take in your In Flight Beauty Bag?

MAC See Sheer Lipstick

If you are looking for the perfect Spring/Summer lipstick...look no further, for I have found the one.  It comes in the form of MAC See Sheer, the newest lipstick to my small MAC collection.

I have had a voucher burning a hole in my purse since Christmas.  It was my Debenhams Beauty Club voucher, and I had £15 to spend - just the amount for a MAC lipstick.  Coincidence?  On their Mega Week (I used to work at Debenhams, I don't know if people outside of Debenhams call it Mega Week, but the discount across the whole store for a week when you work in Debenhams is called Mega Week and it's an all hands on deck week...anyway...) I stocked up on a few bits with my standard money, and treated myself to my third MAC lipstick with my Beauty Rewards!

I chose See Sheer, which is described as a grapefruit pink.  I think it is a perfect balance of red and orange, and seems to have a touch of brown in the bullet, but it really is so nice once applied.  See Sheer is a lustre finish, so it doesn't have a massively long wear time, and it is quite sheer, as the name suggests.  But at the same time, this colour is easily buildable so you can get a more peachy pink punch to your lips if you wanted.  It's ridiculously easy to apply, especially on the go.  Because of the lustre finish, it's not as essential to use a mirror, so just crack it out and get going.  The above photo on the lips is applied quite liberally, and the photo below shows the lipstick blotted.  If you compare the below photo to my lips in yesterdays post, you'll really see the difference as it looks very sheer below!

I have been reaching for this alot recently, and wearing it both through the day and in the evening.  It's the perfect shade for Spring and when it's on, it's really moisturising on the lips and the finish has just the right amount of shine - not too shiny, but not too matte yet you definitely know it's there.  One thing I did find though, was when this shade had worn off, it did leave my lips a little dry which is unusual as I have another lustre lipstick and that shade doesn't do that to me...maybe I was just having off day!

I actually won a MAC lipstick this week, amongst some other goodies too so expect another MAC lipstick review up soon!

What is your go to lip product?  Do you have a favourite shade from any brand I need to try?

Illamasqua Apocalips

So this week I've been Christmas shopping...only I ended up buying myself  present.  You may have seen on one of my Wednesday Wishlists that I was eyeing up a certain Illamasqua lipstick, and well...I bought it.  I'm not even sorry!

I bought the shade Apocalips and I was a bit unsure about the colour, as you would expect, because it is nothing like any shade that I already own.  In fact, I don't know anyone else with a shade similar to this.  It is a gorgeous deep teal with a matte finish.  I've read reviews on Apocalips and I was a bit worried that the matte finish would be too drying, because I'd heard it drags on application and lips needed to be well prepared.


I was so surprised!  The lipstick applied amazingly well, and was very well pigmented.  I did a few swipes to ensure a total opaque finish, and I was so impressed.  I was too excited to try this when I got it, so didn't prepare my lips at all - they're averagely dry, but I thought that it applied really nicely!  It didn't cling to my dry areas, and I was left with a beautifully smooth, even colour application.  Because of the matte finish, this colour on your lips is going nowhere!



I can't tell you all enough how pleased I am that I bought this.  I am so happy with it, and I think that it is such an easy colour to wear.  It is an unusual colour and I do think that it will take other people to get used to me wearing the shade, but I don't think that it looks odd or an unflattering colour at all.  Apocalips came from the Human Fundamentalism collection released in 2012, and Illamasqua said that "Human Fundamentalism is an explosion of your alter ego.  It's becoming who you are and not who you're told to be" and I couldn't agree more!  If you want to try it, you can buy it here on the Illamasqua website!

What do you think of Apocalips?  Will you be trying it?

Wednesday Wishlist #3

I really don't know why I do this to myself...create these wishlists of all the things I'm loving at the moment when I know that I literally can't afford them.  First of all, I'm meant to be saving for a house with my boyfriend.  The last couple of months haven't gone so well as I've been topping up my winter wardrobe with shoes and coats...  And second of all, it's coming up to Christmas and I have so many people to buy for!  I can't really justify spending money on myself, but...if I slip up...I'll have probably bought one (or more!) of these beauties.

1/2/3/4/5/6

First up, we have the Illasmasqua lipstick in Apocalips.  It's an unusual choice; a gorgeous teal with a matte finish.  But before you question my choice, just Google some swatches.  It looks stunning.  A first look at this bizarre colour might put you off, who wears teal lipstick?  Well Rihanna did for one, but that's not my reasoning for needing it.  Greens are opposite reds in the colour wheel, meaning that green should be just as flattering as a red in theory!  This shade teamed with winter skin, and dark winter clothes seems to be right up my street...and to be honest, I'm not bothered if it's right up anyone elses as I love it!

All of the clothing on this wishlist is from Motel (because I've been insanely stalking their website lately) and the first is this patterned dress.  It's very bold and not something that I'd usually go for, but there's something about it that's making me want to give it a try.  I think this, some sheer black tights, an oversized dark coatigan and some chunky boots would look amazing.

The second dress is this gorgeous plain black dress in a skater style, with a nice Peter Pan lace collar.  I just think that this would be really nice for day to day wear and would again work nicely with my trusty chunky boots.

The fourth thing on my Wednesday Wishlist...this stunning Jouer limited edition palette.  Jouer isn't a brand I've tried before, but I've read so much about it.  This is the In the Red palette, and it doesn't even need explaining.  Look at it!  Connectable pieces of gorgeousness, and they're just screaming my name.  This would be perfect for winter parties, or perfecting your flawless Snow White look - neutral eyes, rosy cheeks and bold lips.  Be. Mine. Now.

Another seasonal screamer for me is the new Jo Malone Peony Blush Suede cologne.  I had a sample of this through the post when I ordered my Mums birthday present and it smells amazing.  It's the perfect mix of floral and musky and is something that I would wear a lot through winter.

To finish my somewhat seasonal ending to this wishlist...this amazing dress from Motel.  Sparkles and sequins are again something that I wouldn't normally go for, I tend to go for the more grungey look, but this would be the perfect party dress.  I'd either go for sky high heels, or tone down the sparkle with some high wedge boots.

So what do we think? Do I save or spend, spend, spend?!

As I am part of the Motel Rocks Street Team, I have a discount code available for all of my readers for a handy 20% off at Motel Rocks!  Just enter ceejayell at the checkout for discount across all Motel branded products.

Barry M TMLP Lip Paint

A few days ago marked the end of my spending ban!  I won't lie...I didn't not buy anything at all.  I bought some clothes, most of which were necessary and only bought when I had a discount code!  But I can honestly say that I bought no beauty products, which was where my main spending ban was.  So...obviously I treated myself once it had been lifted...  Some people are still on their spending bans, so have a look at how they are doing on the hashtag #roseenospend!  I'll have another exciting post coming soon on the end of #roseenospend...stay tuned!

So what did I buy?  I bought the Barry M Lip Paint in TMLP, standing for Turn My Lips Pink.  The only thing I've ever bought from Barry M are the nail paints; nothing else really took my fancy, and I was worried for the quality.  But, I am so surprised.  This is amazing, and probably now one of my favourite lipsticks!  Oh...and it's green....

Yes!  Green!  This magic lipstick starts out a real Halloween green, but is one of those magic lipsticks that change according to the pH in your lips, so it will vary in shade for everyone to create your perfect pink!  I'm a sucker for anything that looks this cool, and I have to say I'm not disappointed with this little impulse buy.

It's really moisturising on the lips, and has such a good wear time.  I swatched this on my hand and it was so hard to get off!  Wear time is pretty good too; once the moisturising feeling has worn away from the initial application, you are left with a nice stain.  Don't be fooled though, this colour gradually develops, so whilst it may seem sheer at first, keep an eye on it!  My Mum borrowed mine when I wasn't in, and was shocked hers had developed to an almost fuschia pink!  A nice one at that!

The lipstick comes in pretty standard packaging, but I really like it.  It's a matte black tube with a gloss band where the lid meets.  I usually find that cheaper lipsticks usually come with cheap, tacky packaging but I really like this and wouldn't be bothered about cracking it out during the day!  The bright green inside might get me a few stares though!

As far as smell, it's no MAC lipstick.  It's got quite a synthetic fruity scent in my opinion, and reminds me of Tutti Fruities, but it's not unpleasant!

Indoor Lighting

Excuse the awful quality selfie - I really ought to invest in a proper camera for showing what it's like on skin!   Keep an eye out on my Instagram, as I imagine I'll be wearing this a lot! Mine goes a really nice rosy pink in indoor light, but a real bright lolly pop pink in natural light!  I'm so pleased with my purchase!  I bought mine from Amazon here for £4.21, I've always struggled to get it in Superdrug and Boots because they're always sold out!

Natural Lighting Outside

So there we have it.  My crazy impulse buy of a bright green lipstick, that leaves my lips that perfect shade of pink.  I'm one happy chappy.

What has been your latest impulse buy?  Will you be getting this?