Shopping my Stash for Autumn

I've put off admitting it for as long as I can, but summer is finally here and it's time to embrace autumn.  As much as I love cosy blankets, cute shoe boots and warm scarves, I am a summer girl through and through so I can't help dragging out the peachy pinks and shimmery bronzers as long as possible.  I'm just about ready so switch up my makeup bag to reflect the season, so I've dug through my stash to find my autumn favourites.

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.

Favourite Lipsticks

Over the last few years I have gathered quite a few lipsticks in my stash.  They range all shades, brands, finishes and prices but I can't help having a few favourites that I just can't get enough of!

Handbag Heroes

I don't really carry many makeup bits around with my on a day-to-day basis, but the ones I do lug around with me are pretty impressive.

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?

High Street Heroes: Revlon Lip Crayons

If you're a long-term reader you'll probably know how much I love the Revlon lip crayons, they are my ultimate go-to lip product because they are so easy to use/wear/apply.  They are without a doubt my favourite lip products available on the high street. I have built up a little collection of four of the balm stains and two of the matte balms and I just love them.  I don't have any of the lacquer balms mainly because they look similar on the lips to the balm stains, but don't leave a stain behind.  I'm really happy with my little collection, but I can't help lusting after a couple more... oops!

Favourite High Street Lipsticks

Although I'm a bit of a sucker for a MAC lipstick, there are some absolute beauties available on the high street which I definitely don't overlook, in fact on a day-to-day basis I'm more likely to reach for one of these than a higher-end lip colour.  My favourite high street brand for lip products is without a doubt Revlon  -they're dominating my high street lip collection at the moment, everything I pick up from them I fall in love with!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Since the summer, Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable balm stains have been my go-to lip product.  A lip stain/balm hybrid which is easy to apply, isn't drying and leaves a gorgeous stain in your lips was always going to be in my good books.  The balm stains are packaged in a twist-up pencil form, meaning there's no need for sharpening, and the pointed tip results in accurate application.  The balm feels moisturising on the lips, doesn't tend to cling to dry patches and leaves a lovely wash of colour with a slight sheen.  As the balm wears off (after 2-3 hours), your lips are left slightly stains which can either be topped up with a reapplication, or just put a slick of lip balm or gloss over the top.  These are available from the likes of Boots and Superdrug for £7.99, although some shades were released in the USA and not the UK, and are only available over here through eBay.

I have four balm stains - Romantic, Cherish, Charm and Lovesick.  Romantic is a slightly orange-toned red which is a really wearable shade.  The stain isn't as long lasting as I expected, but it's still a gorgeous colour, and is what I have been wearing on an almost daily basis recently.  Cherish is a light blue-toned pink, which has a slight frost finish to the balm, however this fades after a few hours leaving behind a subtle pink stain.  A very easy shade to wear on a daily basis.  Charm is one of the shades that was only available in the USA, so this was purchased from eBay.  Unfortunately the seller I bought from is currently out of stock, but there are plenty of others available.  This is a slightly shimmery pale peachy nude colour which looks beautiful when first applied, but doesn't seem to leave much of a stain on my lips, which is a shame.  Lastly, Lovesick is a very bright blue-toned pink which stains my lips for hours.  This has been my go-to lip product for going out over the last few months, as it's a gorgeous bright colour and if you forget to reapply throughout your night, there is still a lovely stain left behind.

As you can probably tell, I am a big fan of these balm stains.  I'm not the sort of girl who remembers to reapply her lipstick every few hours, and I'm always snacking on something so my lip products are forever wearing off, meaning something that leaves a colour behind is right up my street!  I'm now fancying yet another kissable balm stain in Rendezvous - a beautiful bright orange, I'm just not quite sure if I'm brave enough to pull it off!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic

I am a huge fan of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stains, the newest addition to my collection is Romantic - a festive red stain with orange undertones and a glossy finish (Superdrug, £7.99).

I've been fancying red lips for a while, and what better time of year to give it a shot than Christmas?! I was a little nervous of trying out bold lips on a daily basis, but this is actually really wearable!  I love the pencil-like packaging, making it really easy to apply and eliminating the need to sharpen it.  The only problem with this is that I don't find it stains my lips anywhere near as well as the other shades (I'm looking at you Lovesick - that bad boy stays put for hours!).  I still adore the colour, and am more than happy to re-apply when necessary.  This is 100% the colour I'll be wearing on my lips on Christmas day - who can believe it's tomorrow?! I hope you all have a fantastic day - Merry Christmas :).