Beauty | Nude Lipstick Reviews

Nude lips is one of my favourite go to lip looks as it is so versatile. It is perfect for work, day time and even night time when you are working an eye popping look. I have four nude lipsticks that I use so I thought it'd be useful to compare...

L'Oréal - Collection Privée by Eva Review

So the thinking behind Collection Privée is that L'Oréal used 6 famous women, who work with the brand and all have different skin tones, to produce the perfect nude lipstick for each of them. This is the tricky thing about the colour nude, it's a different colour on different people. So I reckon L'Oréals plan was bordering on genius! I bought the nude developed for Eva Longoria as her skin tone was the best match to mine (simple way to pick the perfect colour, right?) and I have to say this lipstick is spot on. The lipstick is highly pigmented so it provides excellent coverage and it has a slight shine to it to make your lips look extra luscious. My only complaint with this lipstick is that I find it slightly drying but it is still my go-to for work lippy when I want to look professional and polished.

Revlon - Super Lustrous Lipstick in Mauve It Over Review

I bought this one a while ago and I still chuck it in my bag now and again as it is a little bit of an old faithful. What I love about this lipstick is the matte finish and although it is a little darker than the L'Oréal one, I like this one for adding subtle colour, particularly when I want my makeup focus on my eyes. I tend to wear this one one weekends and evenings rather than work as it creeps towards the trendy side of things. This lipstick doesn't feel heavy and sticky on your lips like some matte ones can, it gives good coverage and doesn't dry my lips out.

Maybelline - Colour Sensational in Velvet Beige

Velvet Beige is darker still with a little bit of shine, I would say for my skin tone it is on the very edge of nude. I find this lipstick very moisturising though and sometimes it just seems to suit my mood if I feel like going understated on all counts and with its pink undertones it put a little colour in my face.

Smashbox - Matte Latte Review
This is the most expensive lipstick of the four and so as you would expect the packaging is that little more luxurious so it is worth a mention, the casing it is a matte black in a very square shape with a dark silver metal effect on the inside. The lipstick itself is matte and provides a good covering, I would say this is the mos pigmented of all four and it is easy to apply evenly. It doesn't leave your lips sticky and feels very light when it is on. It can be a little drying though so I always apply lip balm first.

The swatches below are the following from left to right: L'Oréal, Revlon, Maybelline, Smashbox.

Life | New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week is my favourite. There is something a bit daring and fearless when it comes to NYFW but you still get a feel for clothes that you would actually wear. I love browsing the pictures of the street fashion and seeing what will be coming up in a few months. Unfortunately, as much as I submerge myself in fashion, the reality is that it is unlikely I will ever be so on trend. The brutal truth is that fashion looks best on women of a slim build, clothes just hang in the perfect way to show them off. At 5'8" and a UK size 14, I definitely don't fall into the slim category, and my curves (as seems to be the 'in' thing at the moment) detract from beautiful prints and edgy tailoring. Vivienne Westwood has been one of the best designers I have come across to flatter curves, but still it seems that curvy women are destined to show off their figure rather than their clothes. Still, I would love to get to NYFW and give some of those clothes a run for their money even if they would only fit one arm!

Luxe Beauty | Benefit - Gimme Brow Review

So, big brows are big at the moment. Which is great news for me, as I have quite sizeable ones! Unfortunately they are a little sparse at the inner end, and a little unruly, so to perfect my brows I always need some Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, an eyebrow pencil and a tidy up with a Tweezerman eyebrow brush. Well, life just got a little bit easier...drum roll please for Benefit's Gimme Brow. As soon as this product launched I knew I was going to have to give it a go. Gone are the painstaking mini strokes with a pencil to emulate hairs, and getting frustrated when your eyebrows still appear drawn on. Gimme Brow does the tidy and colour all at once whilst giving a super natural look. It works by the gel volumising the eyebrows that are already there, this includes the really fines hairs that you can't see. The product is water resistant too (Phew...I still have flashbacks from an unfortunate rainy day when my eyebrows began to drip down my face. Yes, it was as unpleasant as it sounds!) and long lasting so it provides a fuller brow all day. I tried to take a picture (sorry about the scary eyes!) of one brow au naturel and  one brow Gimme Brow'ed...can you figure out which is which? 

(hint: the one on the left has had a little boost)