PS... The Perfect Pout from Penneys?

On a recent trip to Penneys I was browsing the beauty section, and I stumbled across their own brand lipsticks and liners. At first, I was going to go for the nude shades, since nude lips are all the range thanks to Kylie Jenner. But then I saw the red, and I couldn't be swayed. After all, I am Red Lips, Red Hair, aren't I?

I picked up the red PS Lip Liner Pencil, which sadly doesn't seem to have a shade name or number, and the PS Lipstick in Reddy Or Not. The liner was €1.50, and the lipstick was €1.30. I went into this blind, no swatching or anything. After all, for a total of €2.80, it's a safe bet to hedge.

As you can see in the swatches, the liner is a lovely, smooth, true red. The lipstick was more sheer than I was expecting, with a pink finish.... I was dubious, to say the least. Still, I persevered, even if the lipstick sucked, I'd still have the liner!

I lined my lips with the lovely red liner and filled them in. So far, so good. It went on smoothly, with a matte finish but not chalky or dry. I've used liners that cost five times as much, and didn't feel nearly as nice. To finish the lip, I took Reddy Or Not over the liner, and oh my god it's love. This is the perfect red. It's got a lovely satin finish with the lipstick over the top, and it feels so incredibly comfortable on. It wears nicely too, something I wasn't sure about considering the price tag.

I am so impressed with this liner and lippy combo. It's cheap, it's great quality, has a lovely finish and wears well, what more could you want for under €3?!

Red Lips for Every Budget

Red Lips are timeless and classic. They can lift a woman's confidence to dizzying heights, bump up her sex appeal and embolden her to boot!

These days I feel I'm pretty qualified to give my opinion on rocking a red lip for every budget! 

Low Budget: 

I have no shame in saying that I find myself drawn to the low budget brands or "bargain" brands, because not only are you getting value for money, but these days you are getting brilliant quality too. 

Brands like Essence and Catrice have taken the beauty market by storm with their pocket-friendly offerings.

Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream in Silky Red is a fantastic red lip color for very little, retailing for €2.49 a tube. If you feel like treating yourself a little more, for €1.89 you can pick up the lipliner to match in the shade Femme Fatale, meaning for under €5, you can rock a beautiful, cool red lip, which wears beautifully and doesn't dry out your lips.

If Essence doesn't take your fancy, why not try some of the other budget offerings by the likes of Catrice, Collection or Natural Collection? I can verify that the Natural Collection lipstick in Crimson is a beautiful, well made lip product and is only 50c more expensive than Essence.

Mid-Range Budget:


The Mid-Range budget, by my reckoning would include the likes of Revlon and Maybelline.
One offering I particularly like is Revlon ColourStay Ultimate Suede in 095 "Finale".

One thing I will say about this lipstick is that upon first application it looks glossy, but as it dries it locks in, beautifully matte and pigmented.

This product is wonderful, I can attest to that. I wore this to lunch during the height of summer, with my mum and it never budged, and I wasn't using a liner with it. At €10.20, it's reasonable, but may be difficult to justify for some budgets.

Now that's a result!!

Top Tip: For extra opacity with this lipcolour, apply a first coat, blot, and then top up with a second coat before allowing to dry. Hello, Hollywood glamour!!



High-End:

Credit to Miss Penny Dreadful
http://misspennydreadful.blogspot.ie

The only lipstick that I think deserves a place here, is the much beloved, insanely popular MAC Retro Matte lippie, Ruby Woo.

This lipstick doesn't come cheap, at €19 a tube, but it is absolutely unbelievable. I would recommend this to anyone who was out to treat themselves to a lovely red lipstick.

Have you a birthday coming up? Need something for the Christmas wishlist? This is the lippie for you!! It has a gorgeous matte finish, lasts for ages, and smells divine.

If you are passing a MAC store, on Henry St or a MAC counter, treat yourself to this baby, I promise you wont regret it. It truly is the best red lipstick I have tried, and trust me, I have tried a lot.

Top Tip: For the best wear time and appearance, be sure to give your lips a good scrub with a sugar-scrub such as Lush Bubblegum Lip-Scrub, and moisturize with a good quality lip-balm. This will avoid it showing up the imperfections we all invariably have on our lips.


Christmas is the time to rock a festive red lip, no matter your budget, there is a red lip for you.
Will you be rocking a festive lip this season?

Amy
x

Newry Haul (Beauty and Make-Up)

For those of you who follow me on  Twitter, let me apologise for the week of going on, and on and on some more about my trip to Newry. I was so excited for it! And, it didn't disappoint.

I suppose I should clarify straight of the bat, that I was hell bent on getting Sleek products, but despite trawling the city, couldn't find a single hint of a Sleek counter. I made up for it though. As you'll soon see...

The first place we went to ("We" being my long suffering boyfriend, and I) was to Superdrug. I was admittedly like a demon when I was told by a very apologetic sales lady that there was, in fact, no Sleek products to be found in this branch. Grr! But, while the sun shines, you make hay, as we say back home. I was still in Superdrug, I still had a wad of pounds in my wallet, sure, I was obliged to make the most of it!

On the first trip around Superdrug, I bee-lined for the MUA stand.

Blush! I was not leaving without my two blush products that I lusted over on the website! I picked up Bubble Gum and Marshmallow, two gorgeous blushes for £1.00 each!

 

Then I remembered needing bright blue liquid eyeliner, and I found that on the MUA stand, again, for a seriously steep (sarcasm doesn't go well over text) £1.00 price-tag. 

 

Last but not least, I spied a lipstick trio, of 3 gorgeous red shades, under the moniker of "Temptress". £1.50? I am Red-Lips-Red-Hair, so it would have been rude not to! I have yet to swatch them, but I will be doing some filmed reviews so keep an eye on my YouTube channel for those!
 

Right around the corner from the MUA stand, was the NYC stand, and while I am fully aware we can get NYC down south, in any Primark worth its salt, I couldn't let the prices go un-noticed. £2.49 for a beautifully scented, Appleliscious Glossy Lip-Balm? It had to be mine. It's also got a sheer, yet still pigmented payoff, so I was subsequently impressed, and SOLD! The shade I picked up was 356: Big Apple Red. 

Who failed to inform me that Accessorize had a line of really nicely pigmented eye shadow palettes?! I was thrilled to see these amazing, 32-Shade Palettes, and so I picked up the "Exposed" Palette. It was £6.95, and worth every penny, since the pigmentation is fabulous and the colours range from matte, to full on shimmer.

My last make-up purchase on the first trip to Superdrug was the Look Beauty Cheeky Trio. I was not leaving without a face contour kit of some description, so I picked this up, in the shade Candy-Floss (For Light Skin). It's very pigmented and soft, so I think it will be blendable and gorgeous on the cheeks. It comes with a peachy bronzer, a dusty rose-pink blush, and a champagne coloured, slightly shimmering highlight. The packaging, while plastic, does not feel even the slightest bit cheap. £8.00 for this very impressive, and compact trio. 

Finally, I knew from spending time on Superdrug's website, that they had a 4 for 3 offer on facemasks. Who was I to pass up such value?! I picked an Apricot Exfoliating Mask, a Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask, a Purifying Cucumber Peek Off Mask, and a Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant Peel-Off Mask. I am dying to try each of these out, and I will review each one in detail. For £.99p each, but £3.00 in the offer, how could you go wrong?

After going from Superdrug, across the river to The Buttercrane, the first place I went was Sally's Salon Supplies. I did ask Chris, as we were walking over to the shopping centre to slap me if he saw me with nail polishes in my hands at any point, but I think he knew, when he saw my face after seeing China Glaze on sale in Sallys for £1.28 a bottle, that he knew better.

I picked up three crackle glazes, and one regular shade. The crackle glazes are Tarnished Gold, Crushed Candy, and Latticed Lilac. The plain shade is Elephant Walk. I adore all 4 polishes, even though I hardly even glanced at them before I paid for them. I have a problem.

Before we went home, I decided to get some last minute bits in Superdrug, so I went back over where the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's were on a 3 for 2 deal. I had noticed them when we were there the first time, but decided to leave them because I was trying to exercise rationality and have some sense. I think we can all agree I have none of those things, so when we went back over (Chris wanted to get some shaving stuff and the like) I nipped over, picked up 3 neutral shades and handed him the money, so we could pay together. 

The Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo's that I got were Timeless Black, Permanent Taupe, and Eternal Silver. Yum! 3 very "Me" shades, and very me prices!

All in all, I think I was very reserved in Superdrug, though I did go a bit blind in Sally's. I swear, I didn't see the shades, just the bargains.

This is only Part One of my Newry Haul, I also bought DVD's, a Book, Shoes, and clothes too, as well as a glorious handbag. Keep an eye out, It should be online tomorrow or the next day!

What do you think of my purchases? Do you think I went overboard? What is your favourite bargain in this haul?

Drop me a comment!!

Shopaholics of Ireland, Unite!!
Amy.
xoxo
 

Whats In My Make-Up Bag?

We all have our essentials, girls! Most of our contents will be similar, but I know some of my lovely readers are nosey, so this is for my nosey girls!

Enjoy!

The Bag Itself:

I got this make-up bag in Penney's, for €4.00. It're pretty sizeable, fitting all my bits and bobs perfectly.

While I'm home, I don't keep everything in it, but when I go to Dundalk or anywhere else, it's got all my stuff in it.

I do, however, keep all my brushes in another smaller make-up bag. I want them to be protected and safe from harm.

How motherly of me!

Facial Products:

BB Cream, Moisturiser and at the moment, a primer all get toted around. My BB Cream is Maybelline Dream Pure in Medium.

I'm trialling the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer, right now, in a bid to shake my hatred for Rimmel face products.

I swear by my Skin Wisdom moisturiser for sensitive skin! It sinks in quickly, is non greasy and leaves my skin feeling like velvet!!

Foundation&Concealer:

Usually, I bring whatever foundation and concealer I'm loving at the time in my make-up bag. I'm a fickle creature, and so that changes frequently. I'm currently loving my Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Foundation and Concealer.

Other times, I will bring my Barbara Daly oil free foundation, or my 17 BB Cream.


Powder and Blush:

I adore my Natural Collection Pressed Powder and Blush. These two gems are super soft, pigmented and fragrance free. Although they come in 3 shades each, they seem to be able to adapt to everybodys skin tone. Both can be found in any Boots, and retail for €3.09 a pop. Bargain, much?!

I must admit though, to all my ebony-skinned ladies out there, they have yet to offer base products in your beautiful shades yet!

Eye-Liners:

I am beyond fickle in the search for a good eyeliner. I literally carry my top 3 at the time everywhere I go. At this moment, its a 3-way tie between my Loreal Superliner, my ELF Liquid liner and my Bourjois Kohl pencil.

Contour:

I use the biggest bronzer in the world to contour under my cheek bones. It's an Essence Sun Club for Blondes, and light skin.

With a light hand, and a small, tapered Eco Tools brush, I use it to contour just under my cheekbones, and lately, down my nose, ever-so lightly!

My highlighter is Physicians Formula Translucent Pearls. This works for all skin types as it just adds a sheen to your natural skin tone, or over your foundation.

Mascara:

Yet another mention for my The Rocket mascara!! I adore this offering from Maybelline, and I would be lost without it!

My lash curlers are just a bog standard Infinity set, from any good chemist!

If anyone has tried the waterproof version of this mascara, please let me know what you thought of it, in the comments.



Lip Care:

I go nowhere without my Lush Lip Scrub and my Carmex. Who knows when a dry, bitty lip is going to strike?!

The lip scrub leaves your lips feeling tingly, and then slathering the Carmex over the top adds to the tingle, healing your lips beautifully, leaving them ready for colour.




Lip Colour:

I wouldn't be Red Lips, Red Hair without a red lip, now would I? I generally opt for my Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Lip Color in Red Passion when I'm going to Dundalk, since Chris likes it because it doesn't transfer onto him when I kiss him.

I do, however bring another red-lip product in case I fancy a change (ELF Matte Lip Crayon is my second in command at the moment), and often, I'll bring something muted in case we have to go anywhere that a red lip wouldn't be appropriate.

Whats in your make-up bag?? You should do a post, and tweet me, so I can be nosey in turn!! :P

Love and stuff,
Amy
xx

Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Lip Colour Review

Hey All, sorry for my absence, I've been beyond busy this last week!! Today I have a quick review of the Maybelline New York Super-Stay 24hr Lip Colour!!

The applicator is slim and easy to use! 

Maybelline are promising a lot when they offer 24hr color that wont move off your lips... Or, at least, that was what I thought when I saw it. I asked Kayliegh (knowing she had used it) was it as good as they made it out to be, and she confirmed that it was everything it promised to be, and more!

When I swatched this on my hand in Boots, I thought to myself that it would never be what it was hyped up as. I was so wrong!!! After I swatched it, I wandered around for a few hours, forgetting about it. I washed my hands multiple times, and I actually had to scrub it to get it off that evening. Color me impressed. 

The wax/balm sealant is moisturizing and glossy

This lipstick comes in two parts, a lip color and a wax sealant. First you apply the color and then wait for it to dry. The drying bit takes no time at all, in fact, by the time your top lip is coated, and you finish the bottom lip, your top lip is dry! After that you slick on the wax sealant for a moisturising, glossy pout!

I am now the proud owner of this glorious lipstick, and I am so pleased with its lasting power, wearability and the sheer comfort of it!! I would nearly consider this my holy grail lipstick. 

Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Lip Color retails in Boots for just shy of €15...

What do you think? Would you be on for trying this out? Do you think it's too good to be true?? Or have you tried it and can testify to its lasting power? 

Kisses,
Amy
xo