LIPSTICK // ELLIS FAAS CREAMY LIPS IN CHOCOLATE CARAMEL L107

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Liquid Lipsticks: Kissable Reds

With Valentines Day just around the corner it was only right for me to bring out this post!
Whilst many people no longer feel the constraint to wear red lipstick on Valentines Day I love the idea behind it, red not only being the colour of love but also the colour of seduction (wink, wink, nudge, nudge!)

I wanted to bring you guys my top recommendations for long lasting red lipsticks for Valentines Day.

Now, why liquid instead of the good ol' fashion lipsticks we know a love? 

Well, because I find liquid lipstick last a hell of a lot longer, they also have great pigmentation and most of them are transfer/kiss proof meaning you can wear these beauties to your dinner date without numerous retouches throughout the night.

Here are a selection of my favourite recommended reds:

Sleek's Matte Me in Rioja Red:
A slightly orange based red, this gorgeous and affordable lip cream applies as a liquid and dries to a soft matte texture.
This stuff is gold as it really DOES NOT BUDGE!
I wore this whilst chomping down on some good ol' Ghanaian rice and stew, afterwards I looked in the mirror to find Rioja Red still in full force on my lips, this was the true test of a winner and it passed!
Rioja Red is perfect for you beauties who love your true reds, this is slightly a bit too light for my liking (I like blue toned reds) but that is neither here nor there, for the £4.99 you can't really go wrong!

Ellis Faas Milky Lips in Dark Blood L202:
Not the most settling of names but damn, is this a nice product.
If you're a regular to the blog you already know how much I love Ellis Faas lip products, if you are not, feel free to read about it HERE
Not only do these products look amazing they feel so lightweight and comfortable on the lips.
Dark Blood is fantastic for those of you who love a vampy red lip but do not like the heaviness of lipstick. You can even layer this on top of other lipstick you have but to be honest the pigmentation is superb so layering on top of another product is not really needed.
This product does not dry to a matte finish so some transfer is expected but that's something I can live with, besides you'll look super stylish pulling out the lipstick bullet from your clutch!
You can see me wearing Dark Blood HERE.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless:
What can I say about Reckless? Firstly it's the perfect red for me! 
The colour is spot on, a dark blue toned red, this works ever so well with my skin tone.
When I first picked this up I had so many problems with it's texture, it was sticky and gloopy, it was only until I received some advice from a YouTuber detailing how to use it that I realised I was applying this wrong.
The key to Reckless's staying power is letting it dry, I expected this to dry fast but it took around 3/4 mins for it to dry to a completely matte finish.
Once it dries, it aint budging! 
Reckless is comfortable to wear and very lightweight and for £3.00 it's an absolute bargain!

Sleek Pout Paint in Pin Up:
Another affordable and great product from Sleek that is overlooked!
Pout paints are liquid lip stains that can be mixed with other Pout Paints to create a new colour or used on their own.
I tend to use Pin Up on it's own as it is a gorgeous colour.
Super pigmented, all you need a small pin head amount to apply to your lips, yeah you need a lip brush to apply but doesn't everyone nowadays, Pin Up applies every so easily without any streaks which is what makes it winner for me!
Pin Up is another blue toned red, meaning it is slightly deeper in colour compared to true red.
Pin Up does not have a matte finish but is very long lasting meaning that it may not survive a meal but a few kisses here and there, sure!
You can see me wearing Pin Up HERE.

Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet:
My FAVOURITE of the bunch, I've been in love with Red Velvet ever since I got it into my stumpy lil hands.
The most vivid blue toned red, Red Velvet is a dream!
If you love Ruby Woo, you'll love Red Velvet.
Another liquid lipstick that dries to a soft matte texture, what made it a winner over the above is it's drying time, Red Velvet practically takes a minute or two to dry. You are then left with the most vivid of reds with a soft comfortable texture on the lips.
Totally kiss proof (tried and tested, big obvious wink) this is the perfect lip product for a romantic dinner date.
You can see my review of Red Velvet HERE.

Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in Deep Plum Wine in L102
Last but not least, another Ellis Faas product.
Deep Plum Wine is great for those of you who love an alternative red lip. Deep Plum Wine is a deep burgundy red with a slightly purple undertone giving off a deliciously seductive vampy lip!
Creamy Lips is just as described with a thicker texture in comparison to Milky Lips but this does not affect comfortability. Deep Plum Wine feels ever so light weight on the lips, you'll forget you're wearing it!
Packing a punch with pigmentation this is n amazing product where a little really does go a long way.
DPW does not dry matte however it does make your lips look gorgeous, therefore we'll let it off! ;)
You can see me wearing DPW HERE.

Now that we've found our shortlist for Valentine's Day, let's work on maximising the impact of our red lip, the following points are what I use to ensure that my red lip really catches the right attention!


Tips to wearing a red lip

They always say it but preparation is KEY!
Make sure your lips are smooth and exfoliated to ensure no dead skin gets in the way of your application. 
I normally do this by taking a new toothbrush, wetting my lips, wetting the brush and running this across my lips, gently, until I am satisfied. This really helps to remove any dead skin and is pretty inexpensive.

Next - moisturise.
You want to use your favourite moisturising lip balm here, my current go to is Lanolips 101 Ointment as it really does moisturise my lips, I tend to find a lot of other products only moisturise for a few minutes by Lanolips lasts!
Most times I go overboard allow the product to sit on the lips to allow maximum moisturisation, then when I'm ready to apply my lipstick I wipe the excess off.

Now let me just say, a lot of people like to go in with a lip liner before hand but I'm not too fussed about lip liners when it comes to liquid lipsticks. If this is something you are prone to doing, feel free to apply that pencil gurl!

Applying the lipstick of choice - now for the fun part!
I find pulling off a red lip has a lot to do with how it is applied - in this case, neatly.
A lip brush is your best friend when it comes to liquid lipsticks, it allows for precision around tricky areas such as the cupids bow as well the corner of the mouth.
As I have quite full lips I like to use a lip brush for the edges and to fill I simply use my finger as it covers a larger surface area.

Finishing touches - concealer
Lastly, a neat red lip is a winning red lip.
Clean up any misplaced lipstick with a concealer of your choice, this really allows for a neat and attractive red lip! All you need for this is your go to concealer and a small make up brush that you can use to run along the outline of your lips.
Once done...viola!
The perfect red lip to knock your dates socks off!!

Are you going to be wearing a red lip this Valentines Day?

What's your favourite red lipstick?

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Favourite Beauty Products of 2013

Happy New Year Lovelies!

I can't believe 2013 is over already, it went by in such a flash but I loved every single minute of it!

I'm not going to make a post about new beginnings because I'm pretty sure you're a bit tired of reading those so I'm just going to say thank you so much for sticking with, reading and supporting DOS. It means so much to me and I am so grateful for each and every reader, subscriber and commenter. 

The love is immense!

Back to the main event!

As you guys know, I am all about my beauty and today's post is going to be about my 2013 beauty favs.

Now, I'm gonna warn you before we start, this is gonna be a long one, however I've separated this post into three sections: Eyes, Lips and Face for easy reading, so get your cuppas ready, put your feet up and enjoy! 

Eyes

Inglot Freedom System Eyeshadow Palette - 430, 335, 406, 446 

I had never tried any of Inglot's products prior to IMATS so took a bit of a gamble picking up an entire palette but I have not been disappointed.  Inglot eyeshadows have a creamy texture with fabulous colour pay off, I'm honestly surprised why more people don't rave about this brand, I definitely think they are overlooked and underrated in regards to quality and price. If you're an Inglot virgin I would encourage you to change this as soon as possible!

Makeup Geek Ultimate Eyeshadow Palette

As you can see I went a little bit eyeshadow mad in 2013, mostly because I was determined to improve my makeup skills. I had been lusting over Makeup Geek shadows for a while so I decided to save up and buy the Ultimate Palette as I had heard nothing but good things about these shadows. 

This palette comes with 27 shadows and a Z palette equating to around £97 which isn't too bad however this doesn't include shipping as well as customs charges which bumped my purchase right up...grrr! 

These eyeshadows are fantastic, amazingly pigmented, soft and easy to blend. Corrupt (the black eyeshadow) is the most pigmented black shadow I have ever come across! This palette is up there with some of my fav purchases of 2013. 

You can see me wearing Envy eye shadow HERE.

MUA Smokin Palette

I still cannot get over the fact that this palette is only £6! A great dupe to the UD Smoked Palette. This lil palette packs an almighty punch with pigmentation (alliteration hi-5!) giving you the options of soft jewelled toned shades as well as mattes! The only thing I would comment on is the creasing but this can be remedied with a good primer. 

You can see my review of the palette HERE.

Makeup Geek Gel Liner in Immortal

Ok...I'm just going to say it...this is my FAVOURITE product...EVER.

Waterproof and heavily pigmented, this liner is a must have for you cat eye lovers. IT DOES NOT BUDGE! This liner is creamy, easy to apply and a little goes a very long way, I always wear this on make up days and I am yet to make a dent in this little pot. Absolutely unbelievable! I think this is true love guys!

You can see me rocking Immortal HERE.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara - Dinky Size

I know, I know...another beauty blogger hype product but I wouldn't add this to my list just for the hype. This is a GREAT product for lengthening and defining lashes but if I am being honest I believe this is more to do with the  spiky wand than the product itself. 

Would I repurchase? I'm not too sure. I may just purchase the bigger size for the wand and use that once the tube is empty.

You can see me applying They're Real HERE.

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

They're Real is great but it doesn't give you volume so here is where The Falsies come in! This mascara lengthens and provides volume so I find myself using this after They're Real to really give my lashes a boost! 

My only complaint...the amount of product that comes out, bloody nightmare but besides that this may be my new favourite 'drugstore' mascara!

Lips

Lanolips 101 Ointment

This is a fairly new purchase of mine so I'm being a little cheeky adding it but I really do love this! I need moisturised lips, it's essential, so I bought myself the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour lip balm, turns out it should have been called the 2 minute lip balm so I shelved it. 

Then I heard about Lanolips, I picked it up and I've been pleased every since. This should be a staple for every lipstick lover. I place it on my lips before getting ready and wipe it off when I'm done. It moisturises instantly and leaves my lips feeling so soft! This is a multi-faceted product that can be used   for all parts of the body as well! Score!

Hard Candy Plexi Gloss

I was sent this lip gloss by the lovely Jenn when we participated in a beauty swap. At first I didn't use it as I wasn't much of a lip gloss girl but I've started using it on top of my NYX glosses and it seems to give my lips the smoothest appearance, it blurs out the lines giving  a seamless looking glossy lip without any added tint. I like to use this particular gloss on top of my nude lipsticks for a flawless lip, see HERE for an example of when I used it.

Limecrime Velvetines in Red Velvet

My favourite red lipstick spanning 2012 to now!

It's matte, soft and it's red, it was always going to be a winner!

Like Ruby Woo on crack, this liquid lipstick is an absolute best!

Easy to apply, pigmented, kiss proof (wink, wink) and great value (when compared to Ruby Woo.) 
You can see my review of this lippie HERE

MAC Matte Lipsticks - Riri Woo, Smoked Purple, Diva

One of the best things about MAC has to be their matte lipsticks. I know a lot of people find them drying but I really like them, they apply well and last a relatively long time. In 2013 I picked up Riri Woo, Smoked Purple and Diva. Delicious and creamy mattes in amazing shades. 

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Tan

I finally found my perfect nude lipstick in 2013. 
Funnily enough I had had this lippie sitting in my collection for a while but figured it was too light, then I learnt the secret to nude lips (lip liner) and so decided to give it another chance and I was not disappointed.

A creamy and easy to apply warm toned pink, this works amazingly with NYX's Lipgloss in Miami Babe. 

Want to see how I apply this? Click HERE

MAC Cosmetics Lip Liner in Nightmoth

I had been fiening over this lip liner for a while especially after seeing Riri's MUA pair it with Smoked Purple so when I went to pick up that lippie I had to pick this up too. 

Nightmoth is the perfect lip liner for those of us who love a vampy lip, it's a dark wine purple with red undertones that works beautifully with various other lipsticks. 

You can use this to fill in your lips and go about your day or you can use it underneath another lipstick. I find this works well with Ruby Woo for definition to the corners of the mouth or underneath another shade for depth. 

Click HERE to see how I pair Nightmoth with one of my lipsticks.

Coloured Raine Lipsticks

LOVE! 
Everything from the texture and pigmentation to their colour range.

I picked up several of these lipsticks after seeing them on IG and I have been really impressed! My favourites constantly change but right now I'm favouring Plum Fairy and Boudoir. For swatches of the lipsticks I bought from Coloured Raine, click HERE

Ellis Faas Lip Products - Milky Lips, Creamy Lips, Hot Lips

I'n not going to lie, I was sold on Ellis Faas from the day I saw the packaging, thank God the products lived up to the high standards I expected from them.

These products are so comfortable to wear yet they feel decadent on the lips, creamy and nourishing but lightweight and in an array of textures to suit your needs for that day, fantastic for every lipstick lover.

For an in-depth review of these products, click HERE

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Miami Babe

NYX have changed my mind  on lip glosses! 
I was never a fan then I decided to give NYX's lip glosses a try after seeing so many Youtubers reach for it.

Miami Babe is one of my favourite shades, not only do I use it to make my lips look lush I also have a premeditated use for it. 

Miami Babe is a warm brown toned pink which makes it ideal to use to warm up a nude lip as many nude lip colours are quite cool which can look ashy against my skin tone. 

This product is one of the reasons why I can now wear a nude lip with confidence!

Face

ELF Personal Blend Foundation in Dark

My new HG foundation. 

It only took me 25 years to find! 

This lil tub is my new friend. A mineral foundation that leaves me with flawless looking skin with 0 oiliness! 

Yes, that's right! No need for primer or even constant blotting throughout the day with this foundation, you just blend your shades together, set with a finishing spray and go!

The shade Dark has 4 separate shades of which I use the two lightest, Almond and Dark as the two deepest shades are too grey for my skin tone. I then add a generous amount of Ben Nye's Topaz for the yellow undertone I need and voila! Foundation applied. It is a bit time consuming and it can get a bit messy but I feel that it's worth it for the look it gives. You can see me wearing this amazingly priced product HERE and HERE.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC50

Can you believe I only purchased this thing in 2013?! Madness!

This foundation is my go to for nights out or for photos for the blog. A great foundation for flawless looking skin. This shade matches my skin tone to a T and dries to a matte finish which is my favourite type of finish. I also love the coverage this gives, it covers my scars and blemishes so well, I never feel the need for concealer with this. For some, this is their HG foundation, I personally think this is far too heavy for me to wear everyday but for nights out, this is a winner. 

You can see me wearing this foundation HERE and HERE.

Covergirl Queen Collection Bronzer in Q120 Ebony Bronze

I love this bronzer! 
Namely because it was the first bronzer I had ever used that had shown up on my skin tone. This bronzer has saved me many a time on my pale days, (yes WoC have pale days...surprise!) by providing me with a gorgeous red toned burnt sugar shade of bronze for my pale winter skin. I also use this to contour from time to time as well as a transitional shade for eye shadows, an all round winner for me! 
I picked up my bronzer from Amazon.com HERE, shipping was super affordable and you get two in a pack! #Winning!

You can see me apply my bronzer HERE. 

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Dare
Ingenious! 
A silicone based liquid waterproof blush. 
Dare applies seamlessly and gives my skin the most natural flush of colour. Daniel's liquid blushes come in an array of shades to suit every skin tone and the shade line is expanding (hot pink and hot orange anyone?! Yes please!) Some may see these as a lil pricey but I definitely recommend them, Daniel Sandler Cosmetics offer up samples for £2.00 each that you can use to test out, I have two samples and I'm yet to finish them!
You can see Dare in action HERE

Inglot Face Blush in 41
Another Inglot rave! 
I picked this gorgeous blush up at IMATS and I've been in love with it ever since. 
A matte terracotta shade perfect for everyday wear. 
This is my "go to" blush. 
I used to be all about Sahara from Sleek but 41 (such a modest name) has trumped it. Soft, easy to apply and surprisingly pigmented.
 I AM TELLING YOU PEOPLE, DON'T SLEEP ON INGLOT!
You can see me wearing this beaut HERE.

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturizing Bronzing Powder in Ebony 08
Another bronzer but it had to be done people!!!
This differs to the CG bronzer as it isn't so obvious on the skin, instead of bronzing I guess this product provides luminosity, giving the skin a healthy glow. Not on the cheap side but as it is one of the few bronzers for WoC I had to purchase it. 
You can see my review of this baby HERE.


Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite
I have a thing for orange blushes. 
They work so well on my skin tone I may never go back to pinks again!
I am especially attracted to matte oranges so I knew I had to have Excite in my life as soon as I saw it. This blush is soft, easy to blend, pigmented and warm on my skin.
One of my latest purchases and fast becoming one of my favourites. I mostly use Excite on the apples of my cheeks to really add a pop of warm to existing blush I've laid down (I like to layer products) but this also works fabulously as an all round blush and a transitional colour for the eyes.
You can see my review of Excite blush HERE.

And that's it!!

Apologies for the read but I wanted to have this all in one post.

Hope you guys enjoyed this and found it useful!


Don't forget to let me know in the comment section below what were your favourite beauty products of 2013 and if you've made a post leave the link below! 
I might add some of them onto my Products To Buy in 2014!

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Ellis Faas Lips

I first heard about Ellis Faas whilst watching one of Jackie O's videos on Youtube and seeing what can only be described as the most beautiful eye shadow pen I had ever seen!

Sleepless nights later (this is what happens when I see a beauty product I love!) I decided to visit their website and fell into an even deeper level of love!

From having a browse at their products I decided that the best product for me to pick was their lip products considering how I much I love them and how it is impossible for one to have too many.

I dived in only to find they had three types that came in the most amazing packaging you have ever seen for a lip product!

I read the descriptions and decided that I wanted Milky and Creamy Lips.

So let's talk about them shall we?

First up:

Milky Lips in L202 Dark Blood

Milky Lips is described as the following:

" A long-wear, fluid lipstick that provides highly-pigmented colour, and a glossy finish that lasts overtime. Superior comfort both in application and on the lips. Plumping actives improve hydration and smooth your lips. Especially loved by women who do not like to feel lipstick on their lips. "

I can safely say that this is a pretty accurate description. 

Milky Lips is perfect for those who aren't too comfortable with wearing lipstick whether it be down to texture or colour.

The product itself comes with a brush to allow easy application however you would need to go in with a lip brush to tidy up the edges, I didn't do this hence my slightly messy swatch.

Milky Lips has a fluid like consistency, almost like a lipgloss but with more flow and none of the stickiness...score!

Pigmentation wise, as you can see it is pretty impressive. 

The below swatch was made with two good layers of Milky Lips.

If you are a lover of stained lips you can go ahead with one coat and a blot and call it a day but I love my full on colour so I applied this as a full-on shade.

Blood Red is an deep vampy red which deepens in colour and turns almost burgundy when applied in layers. My swatches show it as more orange toned red but this is down to my lighting (damn you daylight savings!) 

Click here for a more fitting swatch.

One thing I really loved about this product was how moisturising it is, it's not greasy and it doesn't sit heavy on your lips like some liquid lipstick (cough, cough Apocalips) it sits comfortably which is quite rare in most if not all of the lipsticks I own.

Creamy Lips in L102 Deep Plum Wine

Creamy Lips is described as the following:

"A long-wear lipstick that provides pure colour, and a shiny finish that lasts overtime. Superior comfort both in application and on lips. Plumping actives improve hydration and smooth your lips."

To be honest with you I don't know what I was expecting with Creamy Lips but I did not expect to love it as much as I did when I applied it.

Creamy Lips comes with a sponge applicator this time around allowing for easy application. The applicator is slightly on a diagonal which allows for comfortable access and accuracy around tricky areas such as your cupids bow and the corners of the lips. 

I thought this was ingenious!

Once again I think having a lip brush on hand (especially for the cupids bow) is useful if you are as sloppy as myself when it comes to lipstick application.

You also need to have smoooth lips for this product, exfoliation is key otherwise this product will happily cling to those unsightly parts of your unsmooth lips and you will feel ashamed as I did, sigh!

Deep Plum Wine is the PERFECT vampy shade, a deep burgundy with more of a purple impact. The swatches below are pretty much the colour that comes out of the pen.

This is a very creamy product but once again it does not feel heavy AT ALL. I can't get over how comfortable these lip products are! The lipstick sat gorgeously on. I am only wearing one layer of Creamy Lips and yet the pigmentation is impressive. I think blotting is key to this product as it is easy to go overboard especially with lips as HUGE as mine!

I can't sit here and comment on longevity of these products as I have only swatched them but I can say when I swatched Creamy Lips on my arm, I had to have a shower and use my African sponge to remove it completely from my arm, however saying that, I didn't have any problems removing this from my lips.

Hot Lips in L403 Bright Fuschia*

*sent for review purposes by Ellis Faas

Hot Lips is the newest lip product to be launched by Ellis Faas described as the following:

" Hot Lips is Ellis' latest revolutionary texture for the lips. Because it's absolutely packed with pigment, you'll only need a tiny bit of the non-greasy Hot Lips to add vibrant colour. Hot Lips are extremely longwearing, without the risk of drying out your lips. A little goes a very long way! "

Definitely my favourite of the bunch; Hot Lips is a fab product!

Once again I wasn't too sure what to expect when I was sent this product but as soon as I applied it I fell in love!

Like Creamy Lips, Hot Lips comes with a sponge applicator. I found the product easier to apply this time around and I found that I didn't go overboard with application, I believe this is down to the consistency, it is a little bit thicker than Creamy Lips.

Bright Fuschia is a STUNNING colour which would work amazingly on all skin tones, it's definitely a statement colour!

 There are several amazing things about this product!

Firstly, Hot Lips just glidddddessss onto the lips like a dream with it's non sticky formula but it's creamy enough not to move out of place, it is also super pigmented, the above swatch was done with one layer of Hot Lips but look at the vibrancy of this colour! Stunning!

And like the products above this is lightweight and comfortable on the lips, you don't feel as though you're wearing lipstick at all, you just feel like you have moisturised lips! #WIN!

All in all I am amazingly impressed with the Ellis Faas lip products, there is a lip product for all lovers of lipstick (especially animal lovers, Ellis Faas does not test on animals, another win!!) which I think is important especially to those starting out in make up and lipstick wearing, their lip products are also crazily comfortable which makes ALL the difference when it comes to lipstick.

If you wish to purchase Milky, Creamy or Hot Lips you can do so via the Ellis Faas website HERE

Hot Lips will be available from the Ellis Faas site to the UK from the 22nd November 2013

You can also purchase Ellis Faas lip products from Net-A-Porter and Liberty.

Giveaway - NOW CLOSED

THE KIND FOLK AT ELLIS FAAS  HAVE ALLOWED ME TO BRING ONE LUCKY DOS READER THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE ELLIS FAAS HOT LIPS FOR THEMSELVES!

I'm giving away Hot Lips L405 Bright Coral to one lucky reader of DOS 

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment below with the following:

Name

Email

How you would wearing Hot Lips L405 Bright Coral (e.g with a dramatic eye, as a statement lip or with an all black outfit)

And thats it!

The Rules:

One entry per person.

This giveaway is open to the UK only. 

You must be a reader of DOS either through Blog Lovin or GFC.

The giveaway will run until the 1st December 2013 and the winner will be contacted via email by myself.

Good luck all! 

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