Spring Oranges and Corals

I'm definitely the kind of person who begins to feel dismayed when the colder months roll in and I slowly but surely find myself having to put away my corals and oranges and make way for darker Winter hues. It's definitely the dominant family of colours in my makeup collection, from lipsticks to blushes to nail polishes, and now that Spring has technically sprung I've been quick to make the most with a bright pop of colour on my lips.

Today I'm sharing with you my favourite coral and orange lip colours for Spring/Summer, and I've also thrown in a few of my favourite nail polishes, in-keeping with the colour scheme, to boot.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous

Already reviewed on my blog here, I rushed out to get this upon it's release last year, and it fast became - even until today - my most-used lip product. It's a gorgeous bright orange which comes in a tinted balm form, meaning it is fairly sheer, but in spite of this it's quite highly pigmented and easy to build for a bolder look.

I just love how moisturising these are, and easy to reapply on the go. The chunky crayons come complete with a metal twisty bit (the right name for this desserts me), making it simple to wind up when your product starts to get a bit low - no sharpening required. 

Topshop Lips in Infrared

Another Lip colour I picked up last year, initially I wasn't sure that this one suited me, finding it a bit too bright against my pale complexion and worrying that it only emphasised my lack of healthy glow. Fast-forward to this year, and it's been on my lips a lot - I think I've got a bit more colour in my cheeks at the moment, and am now finding it really flattering. For me, the shade is really similar to Rendezvous (above), but being a lipstick it's more highly pigmented and is great for those days where you want a really bright pop of colour on your lips.

This one featured in my Lipsticks I Can't Live Without last Summer :)

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Cool Watermelon

Moving on to the more pink-based corals, this one is the brightest of the bunch, and comes across as almost neon in photos. It's such a moisturising shade, which is just what I want in warmer weather - no chalky, heavy lip products for me. The only downside with this one is that wear-time is not great, but it's such a gorgeous colour that I can forgive it.

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Matte in Play Peach

The newest addition to this little selection, this one is now a staple in my makeup routine. It's an orangey-pink coral (not so much of a peach, as the name might suggest) and is such a flattering, easy to wear shade - a good one to go for if you're new to corals and not sure where to start. Being matte, you do need to make sure your lips are well exfoliated before application, but this has a really good wear time and is still going strong after eating and drinking (I don't know about you, but that's a rarity for me). Although it's matte, it's still fairly moisturising and feels quite comfortable on the lips - you can't even tell it's there.

Mac Vegas Volt

And last but definitely not least comes this little beauty, which was actually the first Mac lipstick I ever purchased. It's really similar to Peach Play (above), leaning ever so slightly more orange, and is definitely my favourite formulation. Being an Amplified Creme it's very creamy and moisturising, though it does stay put pretty well. In my eyes, you can't really go wrong with a Mac lipstick, and this is by far my most-loved for Spring and Summer.

Again, you can find this in my Lipsticks I Can't Live Without post from last Summer.

L-R: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous, Topshop Lips in Infrared, Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Cool Watermelon, Maybelline Moisture Extreme Matte in Play Peach, Mac Vegas Volt

The nail polishes photographed are Miss Sporty in shade 326, Revlon Nail Enamel in Make Mine Mango (shade 920) and Essie Risky Business.

Will you be braving corals this Spring/Summer? Or if you're already a fan, what are your favourite shades?

Hope everyone is having a great week so far.

xx

Lipsticks I Can't Live Without!

(L-R) Tracta Hydrating Argan Lipstick in 01, L'oreal Color Riche Serum in Radiant Rose, Topshop Infrared, Mac Amplified in Vegas Volt, Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, Clinique Ciderberry

I have been going a little bit mad for lipsticks and other lip-related products over the past six months, especially nice bright, zingy shades, and don't seem to be able to stop buying them! There are so many gorgeous options out there, and I'd happily buy up the whole selection in Topshop or Mac without a second thought, if my bank balance was that way inclined (and that full of pennies!)

But despite my recent panic-buying of gorgeous shades and formulas, as always, there are definitely some lip products that I just keep going back to again and again, and I don't seem to be able to find anything to beat them. So I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, my six absolute favourite lipsticks in the world, ever. Ok, so maybe that's a little bit extreme, but I do love them, so I thought I'd share.

I'm not going to do full reviews of all of them in this post, purely because the post would end up being a million miles long and I doubt you'd ever make it to the bottom! But do keep your eyes peeled, as I will be posting separate reviews for some of these very shortly.

Topshop Infrared

First up is Topshop's Infrared, a gorgeous bright orange with a hint of red. This is definitely not one for shrinking violets, and may not be very flattering to the absolute palest of skintones, but aside from this it is actually a very wearable colour, and as an added bonus, makes your teeth look whiter. Win!

I love Topshop lipsticks and find them to be excellent value for money. The formula is fairly moisturising, although with this colour, I do recommend a good exfoliation and a slather of lip balm before you apply, as it will show up any flakey or dry bits you may have. In terms of wear, I'd say it's not that great, and I have to reapply it several times throughout the day. But it's a deliciously bright and juicy colour and looks great with a tan!

Mac Amplified in Vegas Volt

My favourite of the lot. This is a gorgeous bright coral, and any regular readers will know that I absolutely adore a nice bright coral lip. Being an Amplified lipstick, this is really creamy and glides on like a dream. It doesn't cling to any dry bits and is reasonably long-wearing (I've mentioned before though, that no lipsticks I've ever tried seem to have lasted more than about two minutes on me!) It's highly pigmented, but buildable, so you can go for a statement lip by layering it up, or rub one coat in with your fingers for more of a stain effect. This one will take some beating.

Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart

This one is brand new, but has already made it onto my favourites list, which I'm sure many of you Lip Butter lovers will find unsurprising. I'm not going to say too much about this one, as I shall be doing a full review of it over the weekend, but as you can see, it's a lovely shade of cherry red and is so, so wearable. I am completely loving this as a pretty day-time red for summer. I do know it's not, strictly speaking, a lipstick, but that's fine by me - it just had to be included because I can't stop wearing it!

Tracta Hydrating Argan Lipstick in 01 

I picked this little beauty up in Brazil, and surprise surprise, it's another coral. This is actually very similar to Vegas Volt, but is slightly more orange-toned. Again, it's creamy and moisturising, thanks to the Argan oil it contains, and last reasonably well. I also wanted to point out that the packaging of this one makes it feel like quite a luxurious purchase, as it looks quite expensive, but actually, it only cost me about £6.

Clinique High Impact Lip Colour SP15 in Ciderberry

This is a product I have had for an absolute age, but haven't used in a really long time. In fact, I had completely forgotten about it until I moved house recently, and found it while I was packing things away. Clinique lipsticks are actually pretty pricey, at £16, and I don't usually pay that much for lip products. I don't even remember it costing that much really, but a quick browse on Clinique's site has revealed that to be the case!

Ciderberry is a lovely rich deep red. It's a nice alternative to really bright, pillar-box reds and I would imagine it to be more of a wearable shade for all skin-tones. I feel like I am repeating myself here, but I assume you will want to know that yes, again, it is moisturising, and yes, it is also long-lasting - in fact, I'd say that this is the best of the bunch in that respect.

L'oreal Color Riche Serum in Radiant Rose

A stunning medium fuchsia

I have not long reviewed this beauty, so if you would like to know a bit more about it then you can do so by reading this post. I don't want to bore those of you who've already read it by repeating myself again, but I will say that it is just the perfect shade of pink, and looks particularly pretty with really dark hair! When I first bought this, I had just dyed mine a gorgeous deep chocolate colour, which has sadly now faded (but I'm planning on doing it again over the weekend!)

L-R: Clinique Ciderberry, Revlon Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, L'oreal CRS in Radiant Rose, Mac Amplified in Vegas Volt, Tracta 01 and Topshop Infrared

(As above)

I hope you enjoyed reading, and that perhaps I've given you an idea or two if you're on the hunt for a new summer shade, or if you're finding yourself stuck in a bit of a lipstick rut!

What are your favourite lip products this summer? Is there one shade in particular your lips are just too embarrassed to be seen without? I'd love to know, as I am always looking to build up my collection, and sometimes I find I have been missing out on some absolute gems when I see them on you lovelies and read about them in your posts!

Hope everyone is really well and has a fantastic weekend planned! If you don't have anything planned at all, then worry not, as I find that those often tend to end up being the best ones! And who doesn't like a bit of relaxation!?

Enjoy!

xx

Mini Topshop Makeup Haul!

Hey guys, I've got a mini Topshop make-up haul for you today!

I have been after a few bits from the Topshop make-up range for ages now, so I popped in to my local branch last week and this is what I picked up:

Powdered Blush in 'Powdered' (left).

I actually went in looking for the shade 'Pop', being a lover of a good coral, and thought that was what I had bought until I got home and realised my mistake! I was pretty annoyed about this at first as I'd had my eye on 'Pop' for an absolute age, and the in-your-face pink of this shade didn't look at all wearable. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I did a colour swatch on my arm, and even more so when I applied a small amount to my cheeks. Now, I must point out that usually, I would hate such an overly 'pink', sickly shade like this, as I much prefer a more natural glow. I also must say that I know that on the swatch above, it does look exactly as I have just described it, and if you put a large amount on your cheeks, it wouldn't be a good look. But by putting just a light dusting along my cheek bones, I achieved a rosy-cheeked look that I really quite looked. LESS IS MORE, LADIES!! I can't say that I would necessarily choose this blush in future; given the option, I'd still go with 'Pop' (shown above on the swatch, it's the one on the right). But nevertheless, I'm glad I managed to salvage something from my accidental purchase!

Lipstick in 'Infrared'.

I am soooo excited to finally have this lipstick! It is a lovely, moisturising formulation in an orangey-red shade, and you can apply one layer to get a nice tint, or a couple of layers to get the full effect and a really bold look.

I have been after this since seeing it some of Zoella's Youtube videos and on her blog. Like her, I do love a good orange, so needless to say, this is the perfect shade for me. I find oranges to be really wearable shades, especially if you've got a reasonably pale skin tone like me, and they are perfect for Spring ( I also love corals for Spring and have recently purchased MAC's 'Vegas Volt', which is an 'Amplified' - review coming up).  Apologies for not having any examples of what this colour looks like on the lips at the moment but do bear with me, and as soon as I've got my camera sorted (it's broken :-( ) I will get some up here sharpish!

Lip Marker in 'Hot Shot'.

This is a bright, vibrant red, and is along the lines of Revlon's Just Bitten range, in that you basically colour in your lips with the nib and it leaves a nice stain on your lips. However, unlike the Just Bitten, it does not include a balm to moisturise your lips, and so I found it to be very drying. If your lips are already dry, then don't even bother - at least not until you've got them in tip top condition. Personally, I do suffer from slightly dry lips, so this was not a good look for me, but I will be trying it again when I have managed to get my smile sorted!

Kohl Liner in 'Bolt' (second from right).

This is a very dark, shimmery, charcoal blue, and I absolutely love it. It's perfect for creating a smokey eye for a night out, but what struck me about it was the great pigmentation and the ease with which I was able to apply it. It's definitely not one of those liners where you have to go over and over it to get any effect. It is very smooth and creamy, not to mention bold. Love it!

Hope you guys are all well. Have you bought anything from the Topshop makeup range recently? What did you think of it?