Revisited & Updated: My top 5 favourite red lipsticks.

Back when I first started this blog, I wrote my first Top 5 red lipstick post. To put it quite simply, it was AWFUL. From the photography to the writing, I'm amazed I even thought it was something worth publishing to be honest. Anyway, so here I am back revisiting this old post, updating it and seeing what has changed. These aren't ranked in any particular order so here goes:

1) KIKO Velvet Mat in 606 Fire Red

KIKO are a brand which I've only just tried for the first time recently and I've not had this lipstick in my collection for too long but I already see it as one of my favourite reds. When you put this on, you can instantly feel the velvety effect; it feels so smooth and supple on the lips thanks to the ingredient 'K2 Repulp' a multi-leveled plant extract which works on multiple levels to leave your lips feeling moisturised and healthy looking. The lipstick is incredibly bold and very well wearing; and with the packaging looking so sleek and professional, it's amazing that this lipstick only retails at £6.90. 

2) L'Oreal Color Riche in Julianne's Red

This one hasn't changed since my first lipstick post and I still stand by what I said previously. It's not as intense red as my other favourites but I love having something a little different to go to from time to time. What I love about this one is that it gives a very even and strong payoff within the first application. It's very smooth and yet for a matte is not at all drying on the lips. This colour has more of an orange tone to it which again is slightly different for me. 

Swatches appear in order of the lipsticks in the images at the top!

3) Besame - Red Hot Red

I visited Besame's store when I was in Burbank, California. Now this was one of the most amazing store's I have ever visited and it was right up my street! Besame are vintage reproduction beauty brand and you can see this in their beautiful gold and red floral packaging. I haven't yet ventured into their other cosmetics but this lipstick has been an incredible addition to my life. To be quite honest, people talk a lot about skin tones when it comes to picking out a shade of red but I honestly couldn't care less. I'm not going to be one of those people who thinks I can't wear something because my skin has a certain tone. Nope, I wear what I like! So I have no particular reason for picking out this shade other than I just love it. It's a warm red, it's well wearing and applies perfectly with one coating. The tip of the lipstick is different and can take a while to get used to but actually works really well with applying to the lips evenly.

4) MAC - Russian Red

One of the life long battles in the MAC world when it comes to red lipsticks is Russian Red or Ruby Woo? Truth be told I love both but I definitely agree that Russian Red comes out on top for me. It's luxurious; it's matte yet creamy and never drying . The deep redness of this lipstick is soooo attractive to me and paired with the 'Cherry' lipliner also by MAC, it's like a partnership made in heaven. You can see that I love this one probably *the most* as it's nearing the bottom. I have to say, Russian Red, you are my holy grail. 

5) Charlotte Tilbury - Red Carpet Red

This is one of the most satisfying buys I've ever made when it comes to high-end luxury purchases. Admittedly, I have a bit of a habit of buying make-up items, using them once or maybe a couple of times and then forgetting I've bought them. However, not with this lipstick. I'm not usually one to be *that* bothered about packaging unless it truly impresses me (see also the KIKO lipstick) but Charlotte Tilbury, oh boy does her packing make me swoon. The rose gold casing makes me so happy, I love pulling it out in public to do my apply my lipstick as it makes me seem far more fancier than I actually am. The lipstick formula itself is pretty perfect! very long wearing especially through eating and drinking and the nib is perfect for applying with especially if you don't have a lip brush. It's designed to apply perfectly. It's a deep true red that really replicates old hollywood glamour. 

So that's my up to date list of my current red lipstick favourites. I can see myself repurchasing these over and over again which is why I love them so much. I do however, have my eye on the NARS velvet lip pencils as they also look glorious...that one's for my wishlist!

What are your favourite lipsticks?

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xo

Kiko haul.

So I'm not sure when this happened but Bromley INTU shopping centre now has a KIKO shop. This is so exciting. I've never bought from KIKO before for the pure fact that their products would have only been available to me online or in their central London store but I'd rather try them out in person first. So when I was in the middle of my christmas shopping, I popped in a decided to try out a few things!

I already know they are a reasonably priced make up company but having their own shop really makes them seem more high end to me without ACTUALLY being so. In fact, this store is a couple of shops away from Mac in Bromley and I was more pulled in by here than I was to Mac.

One of my 'things' is that I generally always have to get a matte red lipstick with any cosmetics brand I try and I didn't feel any differently here. I first picked up this 606 Fire Red lipstick from the Velvet Mat range. The packaging is SO high end and priced at £6.90, it has to be one of, if not the most gorgeous high street lipsticks I have ever seen. The gorgeous rose gold packaging is a dream for any blogger I'm a sure, but for me, it's definitely on par with the Charlotte Tilbury lipstick I just bought - and for fraction of that price, you really cannot complain.

Now I decided I wanted to venture out of my comfort zone and pick up a lipstick that was not only NOT in my usual matte formula but also a non-red colour. I quite like some nudes and brown colours on lips but I have been hesitant in picking them up.  My eye was caught by the Gossamer Emotion Creamy range because the packaging on the lipstick was so different it almost fascinated me a little bit. It looks like a bullet with it's metallic outer shell and a gold, logo embossed click button at the top which releases the lipstick from the shell. I went for the Pinkish Brown 105 shade which says what the lipstick shade is like right in the name. This lipstick is slightly more expensive than the Velvet Mat range, priced at £10.90. On first impressions, this lipstick is very rich and creamy and also works to leave your lips feeling smooth and silky, which is obviously a nice feeling when you spend most of your time wearing matte lipsticks which can leave your lips feeling dry. As for longevity, I'm not too sure yet but I'm going to be giving that a test over the next couple of weeks.

I've been lusting after a glittery red nail varnish for a little while now and none have particularly taken my fancy. My eye caught the nail lacquer 277 in 'Blueberry Glitter' as it looked the perfect christmas shade for me. As you can see, the polish is absolutely opaque and it took two coats which I find is pretty standard among nail varnishes for me. I know I'm not the best at applying nail colours and it's definitely not my forte but I'm going to see if I get better and less messy. I seem to be one of those people with really weak nails; I have no problem growing them but they snap really easily so I find it hard to have beautifully shaped nails! Well, that's my excuse for this anyway. First impressions though? I'm really pleased! The colour is absolutely gorgeous and applies so well so the only thing I've got left to test is the longevity. I no doubt will be purchasing more colours. For £2.50 (down from £3.90) who can resist?

I then picked up these two beauty and skin care accessories! I'm always trying to try new blending sponges and after enjoying ones from Primark and Real Techniques, I thought I'd give this one a shot as it's only £6.90. It's slightly different shape to the other two I already have, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that works with my foundation application. Another thing I saw that looked interesting was this Cleansing Face Brush retailing at £5.90. Recently, I'm trying to look at new ways of improving my skin and this brush looked really interesting to me. I've not used anything like this before so I'm looking forward to using it and see how it changes my skin, if it does. 

I absolutely loved my trip to Kiko although it was really hard to choose what I wanted to buy. The selection in their stores is incredible and it's so interactive so you know exactly what you're buying before you do. It's refreshing to have an actual make up store with high street prices and not just high end ones. The high quality feel and look from these products make me love them all the more. Until next time...

What are your favourite KIKO products?

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xo

Beauty: Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick and Palette

I haven't made an appearance to Oxford Street's Selfridges in such a long time that when I had a day off from work I decided I'd head up there and have a look at the Charlotte Tilbury counter. I've been wanting to try her make up for a long while now but I knew I could only make a decision on what to get if I tried the make up first in person before taking the risk of ordering online. 

I went full steam towards the concession stand and was utterly blown away by how beautiful it was. With the trademark burgandy/dark red and gold accents the brand is known for, you really feel fancy when you're having a nose around the make up. 

I ended up choosing the 'Red Carpet Red' lipstick in the Matte Revolution range which I found to be a beautiful deep red. I almost went for Glastonberry but I knew I couldn't stray away from my staple colour. The rose gold packaging is absolutely divine and so luxurious; so whilst the £23 price tag may be a bit expensive, you definitely get what you pay for. I do feel so posh when I pull this out of my hand bag to apply / reapply, it's so gorgeous. In terms of longevity, I find that it doesn't last as well as my cult favourite's MAC Ruby Woo and Russian Red but the formula is so creamy and not at all too drying, that's it's forgivable. You get what pay for with high end lipsticks like these; great pigmentation, creamy, non-drying and fairly long lasting. It's worth noting that the tip of the lipstick is fantastic and it's shaped to be similar to a lip brush to ensure precise application. We know how important it is to apply matte lipsticks very precisely as to not look messy, so this little bonus is a great help.

I then saw this palette called The Vintage Vamp which I absolutely fell in love with upon looking at it. The colours are beautiful and for me, I was utterly drawn to the shimmery gold shade and already couldn't wait to play around the with the palette to create some beautiful, sultry evening looks with it. The gorgeous burgundy and rose gold packaging screams luxury and although it's not everything I look for when I want to spend a lot of money on a beauty product, it does help to be very to look at. I often find that with some high end brands, they focus on making the packaging look luxurious and the product can end up being a bit rubbish as a result of it. However, these two products are absolute perfection and a dream to own. 

I took some photos to show you all how they look on. I know I'm a little bit rubbish at applying eyeshadow at the moment but since buying the palette, I've been practising more and more and getting a lot better. I'm really excited to improve my eyeshadow application and this palette has really gotten me motivated!

Then vs Now.

The reason I started this blog in the summer of last year, was because I wanted to document my progress from being this sort of 'average' looking girl who just wore a lot of jeans and t-shirts, sometimes dresses, but normally quite tom-boyish clothes to this woman who wears lots and lots of pretty dresses, skirts and outfits similar to the style of the 194-s/50s and sometimes a little 60s. I've always been in love with the whole 'pin up' and 'vintage' world; I've implemented bits and bobs from it into my wardrobe and make-up over the past few years, from red lipstick to polka dot dresses, but I've never actually had the guts to transform my look completely. 

If you've read any of my blog in the past, you may have seen me going from my normal veeeery long hairstyle, to settling for a shorter do with a mini fringe. This was one of the first big steps I took to embrace more of the pin-up look. I hadn't cut my hair in so long so last year I thought what a better way to embrace more of a vintage look than with a shorter hair-do.

This is how long my hair used to be, it got really hard to manage to be honest. My hair is so unbelievably thick, it took over an hour to straighten it! I knew I had to lighten the load and cut it off.

So after I got it cut off I started wearing more vintage reproduction clothes and curling my hair. 

It wasn't long until I decided to dye it ginger. 

I started getting better at dressing and styling myself!

Soooooo that's kinda my transformation over the past year! I'm so pleased and proud of where I am now, and my confidence has shot up so much. My hair styling has gotten so much better, as you can see in the last photo. 

Maybe this time next year I'll have to do another post and see if I change much between now and then. 

Sarah

xo

My Pin Up make up routine!

Although my make up routine is generally quite basic, I thought I'd write a post on the products I use.

It's funny because I used to only wear a flick of eyeliner and then some lipstick; but over the past year or so, my make up collection has expanded and grown and now I'm running out of space to put everything! 

It's safe to say that I don't really break away from the solid black eyeliner and red lipstick look, but I do often experiment with eyeshadows and different colours - I'm just not very good at it so I won't do it often. 

So here's my core collection at the moment:

1) MAC lip pencil in Cherry - £12.50

Probably the best lip pencil I have ever had. I've only just gotten this recently but it glides so easily onto my lips and stops my lipstick from feathering. It matches Ruby Woo (and my Russian Red) lipsticks perfectly. My favourite thing about this product is that you only have to lightly brush it against your lips, where other pencils I've used I usually find you have to drag them to get some colour out. 

2) Make Up Revolution, Blush and Contour palette - £6

Another recent purchase, I'm always so bloody impressed with Make Up Revolution.
It's highly unlikely I will ever buy a high end blush as MUR's ones are so pigmented and blend so well on your cheeks. I love the choice you have with this palette too; with more subtle, light pinks to the dark pinks more suitable for nights out (or whenever, who the hell cares!).

Each colour works out to about 75p each, so you really cannot go wrong.

3) Make Up Academy, Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder - £3

I've been using this product for a little over a year now, and I have no reason to use another highlighter. I've set aside high end products for this because I always adore the outcome. Another highly pigmented product which has no sign of running out any time soon. I love how it always leaves me with this lovely glow but without ever looking too "shiny".

4) Rimmel, Glam Eyes professional liquid liner - £5.29

I have been using this liquid eyeliner since I first started wearing make up and I will never change. Every so often I will try a different style of eyeliner or just a different brand of liquid liner, but nothing ever works for me better than this. I really hope this will never ever go out of production because I have no idea what I will do.

5) Collection, Lasting Perfection concealer - £4.19

I've only ever used this concealer as everyone raves about it and it was obviously going to be the first one I try since it's so cheap. It's worked so well for me, I probably won't try another concealer as I don't feel I need to.

6) MAC, Prep and Prime Lip - £13

 I kept finding my lips were not enjoying matte lipsticks at all and they kept getting dried out, so I decided to try this. So far, it's amaziiiiing! It lays an incredibly soft base, priming your lips for the lipsticks; so no longer do my lips dry out whilst I wear my favourite lippies. What I also enjoy about it is that even the most matte of lipsticks glide on with ease and my lips feel so hydrated.

7) Benefit, POREfessional - £24.50

I know this works for some people and not for others, but this is the best primer I have tried so far. It's so silky and not at all greasy, like others I've used. The best way I could describe this primer is as if it is like it 'retouches' your face like on Photoshop.

8) Benefit - Roller Lash mascara (sample size) - full size £19.50

My usual favourite mascara is Maybelline's Scandal Eyes Retro Glam mascara but like many others, I picked up this Benefit sample in Elle magazine. Within just a couple of strokes, I have long and luscious eyelashes. I'm really quite fond of this - although not as much as Maybellines - but I am tempted to pick up the full size version at some point.

9) Estee Lauder - Double Wear foundation - £29.50

My first ever full coverage foundation and it's BLOODY AMAZING. I usually use Benefit's Hello Flawless but I decided to try something that covers my skin a bit more and after reading rave reviews, I picked this up. I could literally not be happier. It does exactly what it says on the bottle (stay in place) and I'm still finding myself fully covered after at least 12 hours. My face can get quite oily, so most foundations or BB creams will wear off after a few hours; but nope not this one!

10) MAC, Ruby Woo lipstick - £15.50
Here is my most BELOVED cosmetic product of all time. An essential for in the 'Pin Up Girl' look in my opinion and I could never do without it. I am ultimately a fan of only matte lipsticks and this is the mattest of the matte (if that makes any sense), with its bold and bright popping red, this is a staple of mine that will never be going anywhere. 

So here's my retro make up look!

 Side note: I do usually do my eyebrows but since I've only just gone from blonde to ginger, I haven't bothered yet. I've ordered Dip Brow from Anastasia Beverly Hills in 'Auburn' (I normally used their product in 'blonde') and I cannot wait to try it!

1940s wavy hair.

I made my first attempt yesterday at doing a 1940s classic wave hairstyle. 

This isn't really a tutorial, I'm still learning how to do it but I was impressed with the outcome, I thought I'd blog my process. Maybe it's not that good - maybe I just have low standards! haha

For this I washed my hair, towel dried it and ran setting lotion throughout my hair. I picked up the setting lotion from Superdrug. 

I divided my hair into sections and used bendy rollers, which I picked up from Poundland. There is literally no point spending any more money on this as the Poundland ones are perfect. 

(Note: the picture below I've taken tonight with my hair dry as I've re-set my hair, I forgot to take a picture when I wet set my hair)

As you can see I've used LOADS of bendy rollers - this is because I have extremely thick hair. I think I've used about 3 packets on my hair alone. 

Sadly, I don't look classy AT ALL with my bandana on. I have so many rollers in, it struggles to protect them all. Nevertheless, the bandana is essential for me in protecting my rollers all night. I've found I've woken up and all rolls are still perfectly intact - as silly as I might look.

Next morning - result

When I took the rollers out the next day - this was the result! As you can see, the rollers create really tight curls. 

I brushed out these curls, until they became waves. The setting lotion I put in the night before really helped to style my hair so it fell in place. When you first brush out the curls, it goes into this big FRIZZY MESS. That's normal. Just keep brushing and styling with your hands until it eventually falls into waves/ 

So TA-DA! that's my attempt at creating old-hollywood style style waves. 

Clearly not perfect but I'm SO CHUFFED for my first attempt. 

Guys, YouTube is incredible. I got this tutorial from Alice In Retrospect who does fantastic YouTube videos. 

Hair make-over!

I haven't dyed my hair for about 5 years now. The last time I did was in 2010 where I meant to dye my hair brown for my mum's wedding but it went a dark black. I wasn't really into having black hair at the time so I was quite upset. So since then, I let the black fade out to brown and it all grew out! I'm not sure how I had the patience to grow out solid black hair but I did and my hair came out so so healthy from it.

After having my hair chopped off last year, my hair has been all natural as you can see above. As it's been so long since I last dyed it, I've been very wary about what colour to go for next. I knew I didn't want to stay my natural mousey blonde as I find it too boring. 

I find redheaded women such as Christina Hendricks, Isla Fisher so inspiring in their style and their hair. They are both such pin up dreams. 

Ugh just look at them both!

So I finally took the plunge and booked in with Lucie Luella, who specialises in vintage hairstyling. I'd already seen many of her pictures of her clients through instagram and I honestly couldn't wait to book an appointment. 

This is the end result!! How fantastic is it? It's such a change and still a little shocking to get used to since I haven't dyed my hair in such a long time but It's everything I want. I love having Bettie Bangs!

I would totally recommend booking in with Lucie, she works out of Hula Nails (who do INCREDIBLE NAILS) which is just near Old Street station. It's a fantastic experience. It's the little touches like the sweet tea whilst you're being styled and the super cute pin up girl/tiki decor which also makes the experience great.