The Perfect Lipstick

Surely I'm not the only one who's spent hours looking for the perfect red, or the perfect nude, or the perfect shade of lipstick.  After years of searching, I think I have quite a few perfects in my collection.

Five High Street Beauty Favourites

I do love splashing out on high-end makeup, but sometimes you can't beat the shops right under our noses.  These five products are affordable, easy to find and absolutely brilliant!

Summer Lips and Cheeks

When it comes to beauty looks, summer is my favourite.  I am a sucker for anything peachy or coral, I love a pop of colour and I can't get enough of the lightweight, healthy, slightly tanned glow.  These are my favourite bits for lips and cheeks when the weather is warmer, and they'll be my go-to options when it comes to holiday packing.

All About That Base

Over the last year or so I have fallen for base make up.  For years I stuck to the same foundation, concealer and powder regardless of what I was doing, where I was going or how I was feeling, but lately that's all changed.

Beauty Reviews: Bourjois Color Boost Crayon in Peach on the Beach

Even though I am a huge fan of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, I couldn't ignore the hype surrounding the Bourjois Color Boost lip crayons.  I dont have a shade similar to this from the Revlon collection, so when Boots were offering a 3 for 2 deal on Bourjois products I had to pop Peach on the Beach in my basket.

The colour is a gorgeous everyday shade -  it's surprisingly pigmented and adds a wash of peach to the lips, it would have been perfect on holiday paired with a tan.  It's really comfortable to wear and even though it isn't particularly long lasting, it fades really well without leaving you looking patchy.  It feels pretty moisturising on the lips, although I doubt it's hydrating enough to help heal chapped lips.  I really like the formulation and will definitely be checking out a couple more shades in the future.

Beauty Review: Bourjous Healthy Balance Powder

As an oily-skinned girl, it's quite hard to find products which keep shine away without looking caked-on or powdery, so every time I hear a recommendation for a mattifying powder which isn't cakey I'm in there like swimwear.  My newest one is this little beauty from Bourjois.

Sunday Post: Matte Lips

I'm definitely a matte lip girl.  I love a long-lasting finish which is matte but not chalky or dry.  Over the last few years I've picked up a few tips and tricks for comfortably wearing a matte lipstick and found a few favourites.

When you're wearing matte lips:

• exfoliate your lips - I usually go for a lip scrub from Lush
• choose a matte lip balm to smooth over your lips - I love Nuxe Reve de Miel
• if your eating/drinking, keep your lipstick in your handbag for top ups because they have a tendency to wear off in the middle and leave a ring of colour around the edge of your lips
• if your going for a bold shade, pair it with a lip-liner for a smooth line and use the finger-in-your-mouth trick to make sure you don't have any lipstick on your teeth

My favourites for matte lips are pretty predictable.  I'm not fussy with the format - I love standard bullets, pencils and liquids.  MAC matte lipsticks are a popular favourite - although they can be drying, it's nothing that can't be solved with a dab of lip balm; I'm a sucker for Ruby Woo.  Revlon are a pretty impressive high-street brand for matte lips - their matte lipsticks in bullet form are just as comfortable as MAC's offerings although they don't wear quite as well, they're definitely worth a try!  Revlon's Matte Balm crayons are pretty new to the market, but I love them! My favourite shade is Audacious - a bright orange shade which looks perfect with a tan, I wore this loads on holiday.

When it comes to matte liquid lipsticks, Bourjois are killing it at the moment; the Rouge Edition Velvets are doing the rounds on the blogosphere and I've seen nothing but praise for them.  They've got a range of gorgeous colours, they're comfortable to wear and they're long lasting, all for under a tenner! These next ones are a little harder to get hold of, but Sephora Lip Cremes are a seriously comfortable way of wearing a bold matte lip.  I have shade 01 (the perfect red), but I'm fancying shade 03 too.  They're  a little less comfortable to wear than the Bourjois liquid lipsticks but they last longer - you win some, you lose some!

Are you a matte lip girl? What are your favourite matte lipsticks?

Beauty Review: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo

How could I not buy into the hype surrounding these little pots of colour? I've heard claims that these last over 12 hours, withstand drinking and eating and are the most comfortable high-street matte lipsticks ever! Obviously I couldn't resist - I grabbed the shade 05 Ole Flamingo.