Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay – blush, lipstick and lip liners

Having brought you news of the Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay eyeshadow palette back in November (you can read about that here), I am pleased to say that the collection has been expanded and now includes a blush palette and a selection of lipsticks and lip liners.

The blush palette contains six shades of blush/bronzer/highlighter; Cherry, Easy, Angel, Lo-Fi, Hush and OC. Much like the eyeshadow palette the packaging is beautiful and although I haven't tried it, I have been informed that the colours are very versatile and will work well on a variety of skin tones.

Blush palette, £35

The lipsticks come in a fantastic range of colours, although they might not be for everybody as they mostly bold (with the exception of one nude) and mostly in varying shades of red. But hey, this is Gwen – what did you expect?! The lipsticks are in a variety of finishes too; I believe the nude is a sheer shimmer while several of the reds are matte. There are six lip pencils to complement the collection.

Lipstick, £16
Lip pencils, £14

www.urbandecay.co.uk

Have you tried any of these products yet? If so we would love to know what you think!

The return of Tom Ford's Lips & Boys collection

Here's a little treat for all the Tom Ford lipstick fans out there... The designer has launched a new limited edition collection of mini lipsticks named after the men he admires most. Alongside 25 returning boys from last year's collection, this year sees the arrival of 25 new shades, including Rocco, Joaquin, Eddie and Drake.

Some of last year's collection in the classic TF packaging

They might be smaller than the standard Tom Ford lipsticks but they have the same beautiful packaging, making them ideal for fitting in those ridiculously small clutch bags that are synonymous with the holiday season. The collection launched exclusively at Selfridges on Friday and is now available at all Tom Ford counters. The image below offers a sneak peak at some of the shades available, but from true reds to subtle nudes, I assure you there is a boy to suit everyone...

£27 / $37 dollars each
See all the shades at www.tomford.com/lips-and-boys/

Christian Louboutin Lipstick Collection

Following the success of Christian Louboutin's nail polish last year, the shoe designer's next foray into the beauty world comes in the shape of a lipstick collection. And this being Louboutin, these aren't any old lipsticks, they come with some seriously elaborate packaging and a £60 price tag to match. The majority of shades are contained in gold packaging with the signature colours in black.

The collection is inspired by the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and the Art Deco movement and comprises 38 beautiful shades in three different finishes: Silky Satin, Sheer Voile and Velvet Matte. The range of colours looks pretty impressive and I have no doubt the quality will be equally impressive. In fact the only thing I am unsure of is the little loop on the cap. While I understand that they are intended to be objects of desire as much as lipsticks, I have seen promotional images where they have ribbon looped through and can be worn as jewellery... Now I might be alone on this one, but I think that's a very quick way to cheapen a high end product!

Regardless, I am excited for these to hit the shops next month and find if they are as impressive as they look.

Two contenders......

As you know, this month we have been looking at makeup products that are high quality and long lasting, yet contain as many natural ingredients as possible. Today I want to share two lip products that I have trialled in my quest to find highly pigmented lip colours that contain as few chemical nasties as possible.

 

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Meritage

Bite Beauty is a natural lip care company based in Canada. The company's aim is to create high quality lip products that are good enough to eat! My first thought when I tried this product was how creamy it is. Its pencil-shape nib meant that application was easy but the creamy consistency was the issue. It smooshed everywhere, as you can see below...

Although it didn't go over the lip line, it faded from the middle and left a line around the edge of the lip. I loved the colour, the ingredients and the sleekness of the product but it seemed a little inconsistent on the lips. However, I will try other products from this company because I want to like them. They have the right balance of natural ingredients and high end glamour. 

www.bitebeauty.com

Liz Earle Lipstick in Hibiscus

With Liz Earle creating so many wonderful skin care products, I decided to try some make up bits. The lip glosses were great but contained parabens, which put me off a bit, but the lipstick looked more promising.

It's not a pillar box red, more of a matt red. The name, Hibiscus, seems appropriate as it has a very slight floral scent. However, I really liked the colour, both swatched and on the lips. It lasted fine until I ate something.... then there was red everywhere. The colour had bled way over the lip line and I looked like a five year old who had used her mum's makeup! I wouldn't say that I wont use it again, I will. Just not when I go out to eat.

£14, uk.lizearle.com

 The swatch on the left is the Liz Earle and the right, Bite Beauty.

  

ILIA Neon Angel Pink Lipstick

I set out to find a hot pink lipstick that I intended to wear tirelessly through the summer, which is not totally synthetic and makes use of natural ingredients. It needed to last, be pigmented and vibrant.

After much trawling and testing, I found it. ILIA Neon Angel is described as a bold magenta pink and will be my new favourite summer colour.....and I wore it yesterday too. I know, it's still winter but not sorry. 

When I first opened the lipstick, there was an 'AAAAH...' moment – heavens parted, that kind of thing. The packaging was sleek. It shows that products that have natural ingredients don't have to look hippy dippy and flipping boring. It looked high end and sleek. The metallic case said 'I am a hot lipstick and I'm classy'.

Next, I sniffed it. This may seem strange and yes, I did end up with lipstick on my nose but I am someone who really loves the smell of MAC lipsticks, so I needed to judge whether it was even vaguely similar. It's not as strong but it smells coco buttery. Good enough. 

I then swatched it. I was a little disappointed as I wanted it to be similar to MAC Nicki Viva Glam or Sephora Cream Lip Stains. You know, something 'umphy' but it seemed a little lacklustre. The swatch didn't match the lipstick itself. However, the end just needed to be used a little bit (mind out of gutters please, or is it just me with a dirty mind?) to get the colour going and now, on the first swatch, it's beaut. It is buildable and with two coats you go from pink lips to super duper pink lips.

I put it on and went about my day. I had lunch and a snack whilst wearing it and it stayed in place for five hours without a touch up. It didn't fade from the middle of the lips, which is brilliant because that looks so awful. The colour was consistent.

Left: Concentrating while I applied the lipstick. Right: Five hours later, colour still intact!

I usually wear lip gloss or a balm when wearing lipstick. This is because: 1. I get quite dry lips and 2. I am a big child and constantly lick my lips, rub them together etc, hence why I need to moisturise. With this, I just wore the product. It was moisturising and I didn't feel as if it was drying out until the five hour mark. This may have something to do with the ingredients, including beeswax, various oils, coco butter (that explains the smell!) 85% of which are organic.

I paid £22 from naturisimo.com, so yes, it is expensive for a lipstick. You could pay £10 or so more and have one from Tom Ford. However, the price reflects the quality. Buying organic vegetables at Tesco is more expensive than Tesco Value ones and this is certainly not a value product.  

For me, at the moment, finding products that make use of natural ingredients is really important.... if this means that I scrimp on everything else, so be it! If the price makes you raise an eyebrow or two, perhaps put aside a few extra pennies, as the difference in longevity and moisture is noticeable.

We are not sponsored by naturisimo.com but if you fancy having a look, it is a great site to explore naturally based products. There is also 10% off when you enter TREAT at checkout. So, actually, that's £19.80 for a lipstick..... she says, whilst reaching for the credit card. 

www.naturisimo.com

www.iliabeauty.com

L'oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Lip Sticks

Six celebrity spokeswomen have helped to create their own, customised lipstick colour for L'Oreal's Colour Riche Collection. These are all nude shades, with hues of pink, peach, taupe and gold. I got my mitts on Julianne Moore's Barely Peach and J Lo's Nude.

POSITIVES

• Colours: wearable nudes. 

• Enhances femininity and adds an air of sophistication. 

• Creamy consistency. 

• Can be worn with any outfit. 

• Brilliant for 'no make up' make up days. 

• Smells slightly floral, which could be a negative for some. 

NEGATIVES

• Needs to be re-applied fairly regularly. J Lo's colour comes off quicker than Moore's Barely Peach. 

Can smudge below the lip line. 

Julianne Moore's is the top colour, with J Lo's below. 

www.loreal-paris.co.uk