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

Welcome to America...and my first post of 2016!

Happy New Year guys! Uh, bit late I know. I'm not sure how much I've mentioned but the last few months have been quite hard for me and I've taken an extensive blogging break. I didn't want to do any half-hearted posts so I thought it was better for me to take the time for myself and figure out myself and what I want from life. Anyway, fast-forward to now. The beginning of this year has been of a mixed bag; I've been off work due to depression and anxiety yet I've just been on a pretty much life changing holiday. 

I booked a trip to California to get away for a week and sort my head out. A few days ago I flew from Heathrow to LAX and picked up hire car from the airport. I planned on getting a Ford Focus; a smallish but effective car to get me from A to B but low and behold this is what I ended up driving away...

So this upgrade was bloody ridiculous! I've never driven or even been a passenger in a car this fancy in my life so getting to drive this is America of all places was a bit daunting. After an 11 and a half hour flight with very little sleep, two hours in immigration and picking up my luggage, I had to to try and navigate myself 2 and a half hours down the West Coast to San Diego. It's safe to say this was such an adventure. I've never driven in another country before, let alone one where you drive on the opposite side of the road. It took me a good 45 minutes to get to grips with the car before I drove off. I feel really proud of myself for jumping out of my comfort zone, trying something new and going on a complete adventure. 

Driving in California was surprisingly easy! I had weeks of anxiety before I arrived, worried about it. I Youtube'd American driving lessons (I know right) to get to grips with driving on the right hand side of the road but all the worrying was for nothing. I found it a lot easier to drive in the states to be honest! There are hardly any round abouts and mostly the roads are in a grid system. 

One of my favourite spots in San Diego was a place called La Jolla. Here you can find seals moping around on the rocks and beaches and get up close and personal! I was a bit scared because some of them kept barking at me but it was hysterical really. The area was absolutely stunning as was the scenery!

Of course what I was really looking forward to on this trip was the shopping! I visited a couple of Malls in San Diego and my favourite was called 'Fashion Valley'. They had loads of designer shops such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton and the big department stores such as Bloomingdales and Macy's. I finally got to visit Bloomingdales and even though I've been to New York twice, I never went there.

I also loved hitting up all of the fast food places such as In-N-Out Burger, IHOP and Denny's. I literally ate my weight in pancakes and burgers. One of my favourite places that I went to was in an area of San Diego that was I staying in called Ocean Beach. Hodad's was a surfer themed burger place where your eyes will most definitely be bigger than your belly. The burgers are the size of your head and you get these crazy big onion rings and wedges. I've definitely put on 5 stone haha.

During the week I managed to snag free tickets for the Conan O'Brien show which is filmed at the Warner Bro's Studio in Burbank which is just north of LA. I thought instead of driving, I would try the Amtrak train which takes you up the coast with amazing views of the ocean.

The photo of the buildings is the view of Downtown LA from the train. For those of you who haven't heard of Amtrak before, they're these MASSIVE double decker trains which run all over the U.S and as I work in Railway in my day job, I was slightly geeking out at getting to ride one of these. The entire journey from San Diego to Burbank took 3 and a half hours in total! 

I arrived in Burbank in the morning so the first thing I eager to eat was IHOP. I needed all of these pancakes. Whilst I was there, I also visited Pinup Girl Clothing, Besame Cosmetics and Unique Vintage. 

I pretty much used Uber everywhere whilst I was in Burbank because it was the easiest way to travel around and most journeys only cost me around $5-9 in total! I couldn't get to Pinup Girl Boutique QUICK enough. I was full on fan-girling! I was so excited when I got there and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. I jumped on the sale racks like mad and managed to nab this Jenny skirt above in the sale for $60. I also managed to get some super cute B.A.I.T footwear shoes on sale for $32 and took a couple of belts home too. I really hit up the bargains which I wouldn't have got at home. 

Across the road was Besame Cosmetics. Literally the MOST amazing cosmetics shop I've ever been in. It's a pinup girl's dream. Besame are a vintage style make up brand that creates beauty based on the 40's and 50's. Again, the staff in the Besame store are literally incredible, they could not do enough to help you and were really sweet and attentive. They definitely made my trip memorable. I walked up to Unique Vintage, another repro store I couldn't wait to visit and I didn't really realise how far the walk was. Even though it's on the same road, the walk took me almost 20 minutes. Damn you America and your large roads! It almost made me late to get back to the Conan O'brien queue at the Warner Bro's Studio. I have to come back again and revisit the shop as I didn't have enough time to look. 

Conan O'Brien was loads of fun! It was really interesting seeing how a talk show is filmed and I was really suprised how quick it was. I really find Conan funny so it was awesome seeing him in person. Even if I did get told off by security for checking my phone. Woops! 

I'm already bordering on making this post far far too long and boring any of you reading it. I've tried to keep this as brief as possible! I apologise for all the pictures but I think pictures speak better than words for this trip. 

I'm entirely grateful to Fatima who graciously let me stay in her apartment for the week I was visiting. She was an incredible host and showed me all the best places and took me out with her and het boyfriend Luke - who spent a small time teaching me to surf! It was really cool to hang out with some people in America as I didn't feel alone. I feel so happy to have made some new friends! 

This trip has done me a world of good. I adventured out of my comfort zone, trying things I never thought I would dare and I feel so bloody happy. 

Now I'm home, I'm concentrating on saving as much money as I can. I want to keep coming back to America and having more trips. I eventually want to take 6 months off of my job and move to California for 6 months. 

Have you been to California? let me know your thoughts!

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!

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!