The War Between Matte Lip Sticks

I wake up in the morning to a very dull, dark and cold world, which only means one thing. Winter is here. I love layering up with giant scarfs, packer coats and chunky boots. But winter also means wapping out those matte red lipsticks.

When it comes to my lips, I go matte. I feel like any matte colour will last longer and suit me better so I thought I'd tell you about my top five products. They're all high street brands with fantastic price tags.

#5 Barry M - Ultra Moisturising Lip Paints in 163

It's very rare I visit the Barry M counter, and I can count the number of nails varnishes I've purchased from them on one hand but on a venture for a new red last winter I came across this gem. Barry M do both matte and satin colours these days but this shade is matte in my books. I wear shade #163 which is the second darkest shade in my top five.

The wear on the this product is good, I find I only have to reapply once or twice throughout the day. And this is also the cheapest of the five retailing at £4.49.

#4 Top Shop - Lips in Hazard

I will admit to avoiding Top Shop as much as possible, not that I don't like their styles, I just feel like I need to be a size 8 to fit into anything in that damned place! Anyway, on a trip to Cambridge I was forced to tag along into Top Shop and found myself in the make-up section, and I must say I was in my element.

I purchase the shade Hazard, along with many other products that displeased my bank account. It's one of the brighter shade in my top five and a great look for a night out. At £8 it's a reasonable price, my only niggle being that the packaging is cream, put this bad boy in our makeup bag and it's rainbow coloured within minutes.

#3 Soap & Glory - Super Colour Fabulipstick in Pom Pom

This is the first ever lip stick I purchased, it's a lot more subtle than the others, perfect for everyday wear. Soap and Glory do only a couple of matte shades, this being the pinkest shade. The last on this lip stick is outstanding, and is the easiest to apply. The only downside is the £9 price tag, making it the most expensive of the five.

#2 L'Oréal Paris - Color Riche Collective Exclusive in Blake's Pure Red

This is a relatively new collection from L'Oréal, only hitting the shelves a few weeks ago, but I've already worn it twice since I purchased it. I chose Blake's Pure Red as her skin tone is most similar to my own but testing the rest of the colours on the back of my hand it was a tough decision, they're all great.

I've always been a fan of L'Oréal lip sticks and this one doesn't disappoint, I feel like it might be my go to this winter with a very unhappy Ellie when this limited edition shade leaves the shelves. It's only £6.99, so your bank account will stay happy.

#1 Rimmel London - Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 107

Finally my number one. And yes it's Rimmel. One of Kate Moss' shades. Shade 107 is a more purply-red shade and fairly dark, but it's my favourite purely for that reason, the darker the better. The wear is great and at £5.49 it is a bargain.

So there you have it. My top five.

If you have any suggestions please do share, I'm always looking for great lipsticks for my ever growing collection.


Catch you later,

Ellie

So Many Foundation, One Must Work

No one persons skin is the same, hence every make up stand in every chemist or department store has an array of foundations claiming to look natural, to match our skin tone, to last twice as long as it actual will, and to make our face flawless. Well, if you've found a foundation that does all of these things for you, you are a very lucky lady. I must admit I've come close, and heres how.

I start off with a primer, Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Pro to be exact (prepare for a Rimmel overload, they're my go to). There always seems to be some sort of offer on on this primer therefore I keep going back to it, it works well and I feel theres a big difference in the quality of my make up when I do apply it.

Now for the foundation, I have two main contenders for the perfect foundation. Urban Decay's Naked Skin is the more pricey option, at £27 per bottle I understand why many people on a budget stay away from brands like Urban Decay. This foundation is so light but very build able which is great when your skin has on and off days like mine. I can wear this for a more natural look, to cover up breakouts, or for a heavier look. It's also never let me down on the staying put front, I've worn this on nights out and come home with my skin looking as it did when I left the house. I wear shade 1.0 as I am very fair, the staff on the Urban Decay counter will recommend a shade for you.

My everyday foundation is Rimmel's Match Perfection, I like a good radiance foundation so firstly opted for Rimmel's Wake Me Up but found that it was a little too dewy for my liking and gave a slightly heavier coverage than I wanted. I use the shades Ivory and Light Porcelain mixed to get the right match. It's a good send of a product for £7 a bottle.

For an under eye concealer I use Rimmel's Match Perfect Illuminating Concealer, I think this retails at around £6, trust me it's worth it. For the odd spot and blemish I reach for Bourjois' Correcting Concealer Stick. I originally bought this from a rather dodgy looking pop up stall in a shopping centre, so I didn't hold out hope for finding it on an actual Bourjois stand but sure enough there it was at a reasonable price of £7.

I set this all in place with Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder, this is a miracle product and comes very close second to eye liner in the 'products I cannot love without' list. My only peeve with this powder is how long it lasts, like all make-up in a pan the middle usually wears away first and eventually crumbles. Top tip for getting the most for your money is to use the handle of a brush to crush the product into a loose powder, slightly messy but puts you on until you can run to Boots and make a repurchase. But don't worry, it's only £4.

To give my skin some colour I contour with Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette, it's slightly pricey at £22. It contains a matte bronzer which I use to highlight my cheek bones, sides of the nose and jaw, it also has a highlighter which I highlight under the brow with. Finally it has a slightly shimmery blush, I'm more of a matte colour girl so I opt for Sleek's Blush in my favourite shade Pixie Pink.

And that is how I get the best out of foundation. It's guaranteed that I'll wake up too late each morning and be too tired to follow the process, resulting in concealer after powder and no blush at all but when I take my time this way works for me.

Catch you later,

Ellie