Top Red Lipstick Picks

I do love a red lip and I have always believed that red lipstick gives you a confidence boost - as long as you're wearing the right shade of course! If I have an important meeting or a big night out, more often than not, you will see me sporting a red lip for sure.

Of course, being a lipstick junkie and a beauty blogger, translates to being constantly on the hunt for more lipsticks to home. At this precise moment in time, I own 22 red lipsticks. There was a time not too far away when I owned way more but I had to clear out my stash for lack of space mainly.

Without further ado, here are my top pricier red lipsticks, their drugstore dupes and matching lip liners ;)

You probably already guessed the first one up...it's MAC Ruby Woo. The cult favourite matte pillar box red needs no introduction as it suits a variety of skin tones. A dupe for it would be Catrice Matt Lip Artist 6hr in 050 Fashion Reditorial. It provides the same matte finish and the colour is pretty close. To seal the deal with these two, Make Up Store Lip Liner in Burlesque has a matte finish and is an exact match.

Next is one that I've had in my stash for a few years now and it is still one of my most used lipsticks. My parents had gotten me the Givenchy Rouge Interdit 20 Illicit Raspberry one Christmas, making it the first high-end lipstick in my collection. A less costly alternative is Max Factor Marilyn Lipstick, 4 Marilyn Cabernet. The perfect matching lipliner for this pair is Essence Lipliner 08 Red Blush.

Next is another MAC matte lipstick - D For Danger. This is one of the darkest reds I own and I love how such reds look paired with a classic smokey eye. The dupe? No other than Flormar Extreme Matte Lipstick 07 Haute Burgundy while for lipliner, I would recommend Flormar Waterproof Liner in No. 205.

I cannot not mention the Christian Louboutin Lipstick in Rouge Louboutin. Of course the price of this one may not be what everyone is willing to spend on a lipstick but I'm going to justify it by saying it is one of the most beautiful pieces in my collection and that the colour lasts throughout the whole time I wear it. A very affordable dupe come from Italian makeup brand KIKO - Glossy Dream Sheer Lipstick 206. Of course you will need to build up the colour to achieve the intensity of the Louboutin lipstick but they are a pretty close match. To achieve the look with a little less effort, applying Catrice Long Lasting Lip Pencil Waterproof 130 Prince Cherry all over the lips underneath the KIKO lipstick will definitely help!

Those were the top red lipstick picks from my collection. Are there any more red lipstick fans out there? 

My Top 5 Eyeshadow Palettes

Today I want to talk about my favourite eyeshadow palettes, my Top 5 to be exact. I think palettes are great for travelling especially when they have everything you could possibly need. Neutral palettes are what I usually reach for but palettes with different colour options are a nice, welcome change too (apart from being pretty to look at). Here are my top five palettes (in no particular order) and why I like them so much.

First up is the KIKO Queen Of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette in 03 Elegant Ebony. Unfortunately this was limited edition so you can't get it anymore but luckily you can find dupes of all four shades in the palette. Why is this one of my favourite palettes? The packaging is one of the reasons of course but also the fact that is comes in a portable format complete with mirror and all four shades in it are very wearable - you get a matte light brown, a matte medium brown, a matte dark brown and a shimmery copper-gold. All of them have exceptional colour payoff and the matte ones can also be used for your brows!

Next I have this very girly quad from Catrice Cosmetics in the nuance 100 F'rosen Yoghurt. I mostly like to use this at this time of year with anything plum/burgundy being my favourite during autumn/winter. However the colours are also very wearable in summer too especially the lighter ones. I also really like the all over transparent packaging. Again you get three matte shades and a shimmery one. The pigmentation is not that intense with this palette but I still like it because all the colours buildable.

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Vintage Romance is also another one of my favourites but I mostly like to use for night looks as out of twelve eyeshadows, you only get one matte shade, the rest are all shimmery. I like the colour selection in this palette especially the golds and purples. Not to mention the value for money of these palettes couple with exceptional quality and pigmentation!

Lastly, and this comes to no surprise, are my Naked 3 and Naked Smoky Palettes from Urban Decay. By now you all know how much I love these palettes and they are the ones I reach for the most. In each palette you get twelve shades with different finishes so you really have everything you could possibly need. Each palette also comes with a large mirror and a double ended brush, all encased in pretty packaging!

Those are my top five eyeshadow palettes, what do you think of them? What are your favourite palettes?

Monthly Favourites | February

Being just four days late on the February favourites isn't really late right? Here goes!

Just like the last month, Planter's Aloe Vera Natural & Young Cream coupled with Essence Studio Nails Moisturizing Cuticle Cream have been life savers for my hands against the cold and very low temperatures we were getting.

The rest of the makeup products and tools are actually all new with the exception of the KIKO eyeshadow palette. This was actually a limited edition palette and I'm really glad I got it because I wear all four colours a lot and I even like to use the medium taupe on my brows for a fuller look. Also from KIKO are the dual ended foundation brush which offers excellent coverage and the False Lashes Concentrate which turns every mascara into a waterproof version.

Lastly, I have Essence Effect Lipgloss in C04 Red Sugar and MUD Lipstick in Burlesque which I have been reaching for the most and NYX HD Concealer in CW03 Light which is my new favourite concealer for under eyes.

Monthly Favourites | September

September is gone too and that brings my birthday month closer :D Let's have a look back over the past month through my favourite products, most of which are new to me.

I will start off with hair and body care first and all three products featured are from Yves Rocher. If you are new to the brand, I suggest you read my Brand Spotlight post here to get to know the brand a little better. Back to the products, I have this exfoliating shower gel which smells divinely of yellow peaches and has the actual peach kernels ax exfoliating agents. I like that is has a gel texture as it lathers up nicely and the exfoliating particles are not too harsh, hence the shower gel is mild enough for everyday use. 

Also pictured are the Volume Shampoo and Texturising Spray which are specifically tailored for fine hair and contain Mauve Mellow to enhance volume in your locks and they both smell heavenly! My hair has never looked this good and the spray also keeps fizz at bay! Highly recommended!

From Yves Rocher, I have also been loving the Active Sensitive Redness Relief cream of which I was given some samples. I liked it so much I went ahead and bought the full-sized version! It is quite rich, so it will double up as a moisturizer suitable for the colder months.

My favourite eye looks this month were all courtesy of this limited edition Queen of Hearts eyeshadow quad from KIKO which is versatile enough to be used for day or night looks. Apart from the nice selection of neutrals, I am really fond of the packaging which makes the palette one to covet. The variation I have is 03 Elegant Ebony and is one of the three available combinations.

On my nails, I have been loving the look of Orly GelFX Plum Noir. It is a nice dark plum colour which complements all skin tones and since it is a gel polish, it lasts for two weeks with high gloss shine and stays chip free! Right now I have a thing for dark purple polishes...guess it must be the change of seasons and this one fits the bill!

More from Italian brand KIKO, I have their Brush Cleanser and the Eyes 207 brush. The Brush Cleanser is seriously one to look out for! It cleanses brushes thoroughly and they are ready to be used again within seconds. The brush is something I had been on the look out for for ages and this is seriously the best brush to create cut-crease eye looks with! The tapered end proves to be very precise and is also good for blending colours together.

Lastly, I have lip products. I have been switching between neutral and bolder colours to go with the KIKO quad above. My favourites have been Pupa Milano Fluid Lip Colour 001 Princess Nude, E.L.F. Studio Glossy Gloss Ballet Slippers, Yves Rocher Sheer Botanical Lipstick 41 Iris Mauve, KIKO Lipsticks 916 and 911 and finally, my favourite out of the bunch, Max Factor Lipfinity 370 Always Extravagant.

Which products have made it to your favourites this month ladies?

Review | KIKO Milano Daring Game Limited Edition Fall/Winter 2014 | Queen Of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette 03 Elegant Ebony

For the upcoming Fall/Winter season, KIKO Milano have released a Limited Edition collection inspired by the casino and card games - the Daring Game Collection.

The collection consists of a large array of products such as bronzer and highlighter duos, blush duos, eye pencils, lip pencils and matching lipsticks, eyeshadow quads as well as a duo face brush aimed to be used with the duo products. You can view all the products that make up the collection here.

 

Since I was only trying the brand for the first time, I limited myself to just one of the Queen Of Hearts eyeshadow quads and I settled on the variation 03 Elegant Ebony.

 

The packaging deserves a few lines of its own...the outer box looks like a pack of cards with embossed damask designs all over and ingredients at the back. The actual palette is a stunner in itself. The case is pearl white in colour with a red damask heart motif embossed on the front. It feels very sturdy and quite heavy compared to other palettes I own. It is well structured and clicks when closed.

 

On the inside, there is a large mirror on one side and on the other, there are 4 eyeshadow pans and a double ended sponge applicator. In my opinion it looks very luxurious.
 

 

The eyeshadows, although there is nowhere written that they are baked, can be utilised both wet and dry depending on how intense you want them to be. Personally, I have only used them dry and I was positively impressed with the pigmentation and longevity of wear. You do need a few good swipes with the first two colours though. 

 

The shades in the palette are all on the neutral side and all have a brownish element to them. I would describe them in the following manner:

 

- light beige brown with a matte finish

- medium brown with a matte finish

- very dark brown with a matte finish

- light gold with a shimmer finish

 

 

All four shades complement each other very well and are versatile enough to be used for day and night looks. They are very blendable and you can always build up the colour if you so desire. All four shades are ophthalmologically tested, hypoallergenic and paraben free.

 

The palette retails for €14.90 and is available for sale from the KIKO Cosmetics website for a limited time only.



Review | KIKO Milano Brush Cleanser

It's been quite some time since I last posted a review or a blog post for that matter and so after sorting through some new products that I got lately, I better get back on track with reviews.

 

In last month's collective haul post, I have posted a picture of all the stuff I got from KIKO Milano as soon as I got to know they ship to Malta. I have been meaning to try the brand for a long time but I only became aware that they ship outside Italy last month. Following the post, I got a few requests to let you know what I think about the Brush Cleanser. And well, here is a full review!

 

The KIKO Brush Cleanser comes in a 50ml spray bottle format, all packaged in a small black box. The size is very convenient to carry around in your case if your doing makeup on other people and need to quick-clean your brushes in between clients but it's not exactly cheap at €5.90 so you might want to keep that in mind. One thing to note about the bottle is that it is leak-proof.

 

The cleanser has a floral smell that albeit is not overpowering and fades away quickly. Moreover, the spray nozzle delivers a nice, even mist so you don't have to worry about wasting your product.

 

I like to use this to clean my brushes in between makeup applications mostly and I'm really fond of how deep cleaning it is. It removes almost all traces of makeup from the brush bristles and since the spray dries fairly quickly, the brush will be ready for use within seconds.

 

It is recommended that you spray the cleanser directly onto the brush then wipe the bristles on a tissue paper or towel. I prefer to spray the product on the towel and then gently swirl the brush in it to take away the makeup residue.

 

I definitely like this Brush Cleanser and highly recommend it to makeup artists and ladies in general who like something gentle yet deep cleaning for their brushes. After all, clean brushes mean less breakouts on your skin!

August Collective Haul

August is one of my favourite months of the year - some might think I'm crazy to say such a statement but it's true! It's probably the only month where I don't feel cold (yeah even in out hot summer, I always carry a cardigan with me on evenings out) and somehow it's the only month where I get to enjoy summer properly.

 

Here's what I have been buying to make this month even more fun :)

Starting with beauty stuff, this month I have added some new nail polishes to my collection and I bought most of them from Gozo...and they are mostly Sally Hansen. They were €4.50 each for the Xtreme Wear ones (l to r: 540 Glitter Gun, 740 Carnival and 510 Strobe Flash) and €7.50 for the Fuzzy Coat in the shade 600 Fuzzy Fantasy. I have also purchased the Pupa Milano Gel Top Coat for €6 and a Montagne Jeunesse Sensitive Skin Masque for €2.31. The lady at the counter was also kind to throw in a sample of Max Factor Face Finity Primer which is my go-to primer in the summer months.

 

 

More Sally Hansen products, this time another nail polish from the Xtreme Wear range which was also €4.50 and the shade is 450 Ice Pop. I also bought this Cuticle Rehab pen which I shall be reviewing soon but for now I will only tell you two words...get it! It's the best €9.95 you will ever spend on your nails! I was looking for a good waterproof mascara as I swear by it in the summer and I decided to give this one by Max Factor a go. It is the False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara and all I can say is that I love it! I use it everyday and it only comes off with makeup remover - no smudging or budging all day! It cost €13.65.

 

Another nail polish which I added to my collection is Orly Rage. I have this in Gel FX form and I love it so much I decided to buy it in polish form for when I'm in a hurry to do my nails. It is a nice rose gold foil that goes with everything and I believe it cost me somewhere around €6 from Ebay.

 

 

More beauty purchases from The Body Shop! I have just used up a body scrub and so I obviously had to get a new one. I settled on the Vineyard Peach (€12.50) variety this time; will see how it performs. I also wanted to try the newly launched Instablur (€14) which is basically a sort of primer that evens out the skin and the likes. Since I had arrived to my fourth stamp on the 'Love Your Body' card, I have had €10 deducted from my bill and only ended up paying €2 for this Coconut Eau de Toilette which has become my favourite everyday fragrance (normal retail price: €12).

 

Sleek MakeUP have launched a new limited edition i-Divine palette, the Arabian Nights Smoke & Shadows (left) and I went ahead and got that along with the Snapshots palette (right). I really like Sleek palettes for their colour pay-off and the clever names they give to their eyeshadows. The palettes cost €9.99 each.

 

 

The last beauty purchases come courtesy of Kiko. I have only just discovered that the brands ships to Malta and I placed a small order to check the brand out as I have heard a lot of good things about it. I only paid €7 shipping as I spent over a certain amount and the order was here in 4 days I think. All was securely packaged and nothing broke on transit. Very impressed!

 

This is what I actually got:

Daring Game Limited Edition Queen of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette 03 Elegant Ebony €14.90
Eyes 207 Brush €9.00
Life in Rio Limited Edition Face Brush Duo €11.80
Brush Cleanser €5.90
Smart Lipsticks in 904 Strawberry Pink, 916 Golden Beige & 911 Watermelon €3.90 each

Whenever I visit Gozo, I always make it a point to visit Pimkie since we do not have one in Malta and I really like their clothes. This time I managed to get my hands on this denim waistcoat which was on sale for €13.99 and I also got this pair of floral jeans from their new collection at €25.99. 

 

From Stradivarius, I got this oversize top and midi skirt which I instantly fell in love with! They are part of the new collection and I really can't wait to wear the skirt but since it's fabric is a little thick, I would have to weather till the weather cools down a little. The top cost €25.95 and the skirt cost €19.95.

From Calliope I scored this creamy yellow scarf for just €2 in the sale section. I really look forward to wearing it as scarves are my favourite winter accessory :)

 

Finally, finally, after years of searching for the perfect pair of silver occasion sandals, Aldo has answered my prayers! I badly needed a pair for weddings (in fact I just wore them for one last Friday) but they either weren't to my liking or they didn't fit. This pair, on the other hand is ace! And best of all, it was on sale for €45!

 

Accessorize really do offer a good sale and for the last few days, they put sale items on 70% off. I treated my self to this cute yellow bag which only cost €10.25 and this pair of daisy print sunglasses which were retailing for just €5.50. I also bought this pair of earrings which are part of their new collection for €9.90.

 



 

Lastly, from River Island, I bought this wallet as I needed a new one and I love the flowers and stripes print on them. They have a nice selection of good quality wallets and  paid €22 for this one and it has enough space for all my cards and the bits and bobs I usually carry in my wallet. I also bought this wine crop top as it was on sale for €14.

 

 

So, as I sadly wave goodbye to August, that is all I bought this month!