I have too many...Red Lipsticks

To me, cold weather means it's time to crack out the red lipstick. I feel like make up can be a little heavier in the chillier months, probably because it's less prone to smudging or sliding off my face in a tube induced sweat, so I've been digging out my scarlet lippies, some old, some new and thought I'd give you a little look. Yep, this is my saturday night. Hardcore.

First off the bat (and my current favourite) is the Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 001

This smells kind of like cherries and contains a 'black diamond pigment complex'. I'm not sure what that means, but I really dig this lipstick. It stays put for a long time but doesn't feel like a long wearing product. I got mine from Boots for £5.49


And this pot of loveliness is the Crimson  Rouge by Besame

I wrote about this stuff in a previous post. It's essentially a rouge for the cheeks, but makes a great long lasting lipstick. To apply I just press it onto the lips with my fingers. I got mine from the What Katie Did London Boutique. I've had it for a couple of weeks, use it everyday, and have barely made a dent in it!

This one is New CID i-pout in Scarlet

The i-pout is smooth and creamy and glides on pretty effortlessly. The staying power isn't great, possibly because it's packed with vitamin E, but the built in light and mirror mean you can reapply it anywhere. It feels really hydrating and I love the brightness of the colour. I bought this one from New CID at Debenhams, Oxford St for £15.

Chanel Rouge Allure in Passion

This is the lipstick that started it all! I first purchased Rouge Allure a few years ago. I'd just been offered a job at a magazine so I decided it was time I treat myself to a red lippy and make an impression :)
I bought this from David Jones in Australia, but over here you can get a little Chanel of your own from department stores or larger Boots stores for £24.

Collection 2000 Volume Sensation in Cherry Pop 8

This was one of those impulsive lunch break purchases. Cheap and cheerful, I found this lipstick to be great value at only £2.99 from Boots. The formula is supposed to be moisturising with 40% 'volumising' ingredients. While it definitely is hydrating, I'm not particularly sold on the volumising aspect. This lipstick has an unusual minty/ menthol feeling which I don't personally like too much but minty fans would. I really like the brightness of this one and the pigment is incredibly strong, especially for something so affordable.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Lipcolor

This was my first venture into the realm of stay-put lipsticks. While I love the colour of this one, I have found that it doesn't stick around for as long as other long wearing lipsticks (Maybelline Superstay is the best I've tried) and it has a rather chemically smell. I've seen a few mixed reviews about this one, and a lot of people really rate it. I don't detest it but I do find it really drying - perhaps this could be remedied by adding my own balm over the top? This liquid lippy is £8.99.

Lastly, the latest edition to my red wardrobe is Sleek MakeUp Pout Paint in Pin Up

I've done a post about this before and it's truly amazing. I can't believe how intensely pigmented it is and I think it's pretty cool that you can mix Pout Paints together to create a custom colour. Pout Paints retail for £4.99 and you can find them at Superdrug.
So there you have it, that was the best of the reds that I own. I'm hoping to get my paws on a tube of MACs Ruby Woo because I've read so many great reviews on it. Could it be the ultimate red? Hopefully I'll find out soon enough ;)

Thanks so much for reading.

Hannah Rose xxx

P.S. sorry about the mildly terrifying self portrait pics :o

HIGHBROW EYEBROWS

I have a confession to make - I'm a little bit obsessed with eyebrows.
Not in a creepy, full blown fetish sort of way, I just really appreciate a perfect arch!
The shape of your brows can totally change your face - accentuate your bone structure and enhance the shape of your eyes, so of course I'm going to be keen to take care of them :)


Years ago, back on the Gold Coast in Australia I had two defining eyebrow moments - having a complete brow makeover by the Coast's eyebrow expert Caroline Fox ( trained by Hollywood's Queen of Brows, Anastasia Soare), and interviewing Amy Jean of Amy Jean Eye Couture at Palazzo Versace.

Both these ladies opened my eyes (pun intended) to the importance of a well groomed brow, and I've not looked back since. Just one problem though - I've relocated to the other side of the world so it makes it a little tricky to go knocking on these ladies' salon doors. What's a girl to do?

I want Megan Fox's eyebrows (and the rest of her face while you're at it)

Thanks to some distant spanish genes, which seem to have gone directly to my hair follicles, my eyebrows are thick, wirey and unruly and if I'm not careful, can look a bit like Alan Sugar's. I don't have the time/ money to have them shaped, threaded and trimmed regularly, so I've started doing what any self respecting eyebrow enthusiast would do - do them myself, and find a no nonsense product that's going to help me!

The big, bold brow is back this season, so here I'm going to show and tell my top 3 DIY eyebrow finds since my move to the UK.


3.
One of the first beauty counters I visited in Boots was Benefit on Oxford Street, and I snapped up the Brow Zings kit in Deep.


Benefit Bestseller
Brow Zings retails for £22.50


This little kit is cute and conventional, with a pigmented wax and powder for setting and all the tools you need for easy application - a tiny pair of tweezers, hard angled brush and blending brush with a built in mirror in the compact and the trademark Benefit instructions. I found it can get a bit messy, but a great product nonetheless.


2.
New CID is without doubt one of my favourite British brands. Pretty much every one of their products is innovative and multi-tasking and they really deliver when it comes to colour. The staff at the counter are always very approachable and friendly and really know their stuff. I took my eyebrow woes to the New CID counter at Debenhams on Oxford Street and not only came away with a couple of can't-do-without brow products but got a complete complimentary makeover because I had a date that night. Now that's great customer service :)

This is the i-groom, just one of a plethora of innovative, easy to use products by New CID.

functional and fabulous
i-groom retails at £15.50

The screw up tip is a unique triangular shape to suit any arch and the neutral shade fills in any gaps to create a natural finish. This pencil has a built in eyebrow brush at the other end so you can groom the hairs perfectly into place once you've enhanced the colour.




1.
Another New CID product (told you I loved this brand), the i-fix is unlike anything I'd seen before. That sounds a bit dramatic, but it's true! It's the most simple yet effective solution to my eyebrow dilemmas in one handy little pencil and I LOVE it.

One of my favourite products ever
i-fix retails at £13.50

It's just like a hair styling product for your brows, with a waxy, smooth fomula that glides onto the brows easily and quickly. The real deal-sealer for me with this product is that it adds definition without adding colour thanks to the clear formula, so it's not about to ruin your face if you veer off course!

Like the i-groom, I bought mine from Debenhams on Oxford Street - proof that lovely sales assistants make a huge difference to a beauty addict like me! For a list of stockists or to purchase online, click on over to New CID.