THE MATTE LIPS LOVE

I confess, I am a sucker for a matte lip. The glossy, shiny, even a slight sheen in a lip in enough to leave me looking weary eyed.

What's not to love? They are easy, smudge-proof, stick around through burger or beer and add statement to an unfinished face. Yes, yes sometimes they can be a bit drying, even the most expensive matte lipstick in my stash can leave my lips without the moisture they desire, but that's what balm was invented for. Above are just a few of my top picks, my favourite being Nars Cruella which I very kindly received in the lip set that everyone coveted over the Christmas period (thank you, Mike - I am eternally grateful).

Generally I'm a drugstore girl for lip products - don't get me wrong I have a couple of YSL, MAC and Clarins residing in my collection, but I don't find there are that many matte formulas out there in the high end world that really take my fancy. If you have any recommendations, leave some in the comments because I'm definitely in the market. The products I reach for the most are definitely the Bourjois Rouge Velvet ones. The isn't a dud shade in the line up and the formula is on point, it feels SO weird on the lips, it's very thin and barely there but the pigment is unbeatable. They're so comfortable and I definitely reach for them on a daily basis. My favourite shade is Nude-ist, it's not the one pictured above as I couldn't find it at the time (low and behold it was in my handbag - no surprise there) but if I'm ever stuck in a rut, not sure of what's going to look good, this is always a good bet.

Leave me your recommendations below! And if you have a non-matte lipstick that you think could convert me then I'll give it a go.

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MAKEUP FOR GLASSES

Yes girls, the struggle is real. As a daily glasses wearer I don't care what the heck gets put on my face - it's all very slap, dash and go. But for the evening drinks or times when I want to look a little more put together, the specs have to be taken into consideration.

I love doing a good eye shadow look, a fancy crease look or a smoky eye, and whilst for some people the glasses may make it look better, I find it suits much better to keep it simple on the lids and a sleek winged liner. Touch wood, I'm not bad at doing a wing, but more on that another day. I find it all just frames the eyes without them being too over bearing, after all, having black framed glasses already have a big impact so don't overdo it.

The worst part of wearing glasses is all the foundation rubbing off the side of your nose wear they sit - it just looks disgusting. I don't think anything can stop this at all, but a good setting powder around the area definitely holds it in place a touch longer.

When the glasses are out, I like to stick to a nice lip colour for the main event. Any boldish colour will do, but in particular I've been loving this Revlon Moisture stain lately. I hate glossy lips, it really just doesn't suit me, so I like to stick to satin/matte shades. I like to rub this colour into my lips for ages, and I mean ages, until it creates a lovely stain that stains all day long. Yeah it gets a bit patchy through the day but that's to be expected, but a quick top up leaves it looking fresh again.

What are your top tips? I'm in dire need of a hand...

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THE CREAM CRAZE

As the warm weather has shown it's face, I'm sure we've all been sticking to some creamy products to try and help our make up stick into place, and these are the ones I've been reaching for day after day.

For the eyes, Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze is one I've reached for nearly every day. It's extremely creamy and gives a fairly sheer wash of colour and a gentle shimmer across the lid. It's such a beautiful shade and the longevity is amazing. It barely creases and works quite well as a primer if I ever fancy smoking it up a bit with a deeper bronze shade through the crease. My MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork, a very warm brown shade, has been a saviour for a simple, fresh look. It's much harder than Maybelline's offering but still blends really easily. I've never known this to crease, slip or go patchy at all. I tend to use this alone, occasionally using a darker brown close to the lash line to thicken my lashes.

For my cheeks, I've had a love hate relationship with my Revlon PhotoReady blush in Coral Reef. The formula is amazing and it barely budges through the heat, but I've fallen a little out of love with the shade and am beginning to reach more for the pinky toned flushes.
The Bourjois Cream to Powder blushes have been a firm favourite giving a subtle pop of colour in a very fresh, dewy way. Not the best in terms of longevity, but it's incredibly easily to reapply through the day and is small enough for your travels - perfect.

The most loved one of the lot is the YSL Cream Blush. The formula is like nothing I've come across as it's more of a mousse that's incredibly airy and sets to a powder. The colour is stunning, so perfect for this weather! My only gripe is that it's too small to get my stippling brush into it properly, and it can be difficult to pick up the product, but I can see past that...


Have you been leaning toward to fuss free, heat proof, cream formulas too, lately?

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PRETTY IN PINK

If you told me six months ago that I'd do a post all about our rose shaded sticks and fuchsia flushes, I'd have laughed in your face and sworn that a pink blush and lip would be the last thing to enter my collection. Lately my inner Barbie has been released and I've been dipping my toes into the pink lagoon...

The newest and fast favourite of mine is the Clarins Illuminating Cheek Colour in Miami Pink which gives a subtle, skin like blush to the cheeks. It looks incredibly natural and blends so perfectly. NARS Orgasm, as infamous as it is, is one that doesn't get applied nearly as often as it should. Perfect for summer as it reduces the need to use a highlighter but still gives a sunkissed glow thanks to the golden infused shimmer. A very, very pink shade that slightly gives be the heebejeebies is Body Shop's All In One Blusher in Guava*. You need not worry though, as pink as it looks, a bit of blending ensures a sheer, incredibly natural wash of colour to your cheeks. It's shimmer free, so those of you who prefer a matte look, this one is for you. It holds skincare benefits as it includes Vitamin E and Marula Oil however I'm yet to see the effects - nevertheless, this has been a staple these past few weeks. Love love love.

Pink lips is probably my biggest fear, it genuinely scares me! I find the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Roomiest Rose to be SO stunning though, faultless to apply in it's crayon form and after about 3 hours of wear it fades beautifully to a natural lip colour - go to. The Revlon Lip Butters are perfect for trying out new shades, and my favourite pinky, shimmery shade from the lot is Berry Smoothie. Sometimes I find it difficult to wear, but when it suits, it suits.

Are you a pink lover, or a bit scared like me? Let me know what your favourite rose shades are!

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Latest Lip Offerings

If you saw my Travel Makeup Bag post the other day, you'll have noticed that my lip products were no where to be seen. I tend to keep my current "go-to" lip shades in a little case and keep that in my bag until I fancy a change up!

I recently delved into the world of Revlon Lip Butters since the newer shades had been released. The initial offerings were a little shimmery for me and just not colours I really wanted to wear but when I noticed a few more shimmer-free shades were released I tentatively approached the stand and ended up going swatch crazy.

The first and only shimmer shade in my lip bag is Berry Smoothie - a pink/nude that's wearable on a day to day basis. I don't loooove this one, but occasionally it'll look perfect.. if that makes sense! I've been looking for a sheer red shade to grace my lips for a long while now, and when I found Candy Apple it was love at first swatch. It's so easy to wear, a perfect one for these coming summer months - a bright shade but sheer enough to look au natural. The final one, and the one that I've been unable to remove since buying it is the perfect nude/coral in Juicy Papaya. My first coral lip product to be introduced to my makeup collection and I am addicted - a perfect one to slick on when you're not after anything mega.

I don't really like wearing lip balms that much, I find they just make me look greasy and eurgh, but my Carmex lip balm is never more than 10 foot from me. It's not glossy at all, more satiny and adds a healthy sheen to my lips whilst repairing any breaks or sores.
The only real lipstick in my collection is my new MAC Rebel lipstick. I love to keep a bold shade with me in case of unexpected events, not that they ever happen, or if I ever feel adventurous enough to apply it on the go. Although this was more of a winter lip, I still absolutely love it.

What do you think of my little collection? I think I'll be heading back to Boots to see more Lip Butters, what do you recommend? Let me know!

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Revlon Nearly Naked and some pretty dodgy lipstick application..

Can I start off by saying, lord knows what happened with my lipstick, I obviously did it with my eyes closed because I've completely missed out half of my upper lip. Anyway, now I've got that out...

I've been using the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation for probably around a month now, as you can see from the wear and tear of the bottle, and I'm really falling in love with it! It creates a smooth base and covers up most redness I have, be it a blemish or red marks on my cheeks. I was SO surprised by this as all reviews I've read advertise it as a light foundation. I find the foundation really brightens my complexion as well, I just feel my skin has more of a glow.

The formula is gorgeous, it has a gel like consistency and really reminds me of the YSL Touche Eclait foundation by the way it feels and applies. I do find it very easy to use too much of this, not only because of the bottle, but I always seem to think I need more than I actually do, but when I use more it applies horribly and just doesn't blend. It is quite buildable though, if I feel I need a little more coverage, I'll dip the end of an eye brush into the lid and pick up a tiny bit of the product and just apply and blend where I need it.

It lasts well! After about 6 hours I feel the need to top up, but only slightly and in certain areas such as my nose and where any redness occurs. As everyone has pointed out, the pumpless bottle is a downside, but it's nothing I can't cope with! I use shade 120 Vanilla and I find this is a surprisingly good match for my skin, I think there's one shade lighter, but I think it's more the tone of that one that is different, but don't quote me on that! It was a long time ago I got this.

Have you used this foundation? How did you get on with it? :)

Please check out my giveaway! Lots of nice things for you to win :)

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

My boyfriend loves Emma Stone, I want to be Emma Stone, so it's only right I use the same foundation and lip product she uses, right?

I've been absolutely loving the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains lately, my favourite shade being Crush. This pinky, purpley, red (perhaps I need to learn how to describe better..) is a shade I usually go for, but I find myself wearing this one SO much more often. It never feels too dressed up or too casual so it's great for an every day bold lip.

To say it's a balm, I don't find it very hydrating at all, but this is easily fixed by applying a slick of Carmex on top. It's last blooming ages! I can wear it for around 4/5 hours and it's only just beginning to look a little worse for wear however it's really easy to reapply. I often find that lipsticks tend to roll up on my lips whenever I really apply them, but I don't have that problem with this what so ever. It's not even really necessary to reapply as the stain it leaves behind it a really gorgeous pink - a shade I'd never dare to wear.

I'd love to pick up Rendezvous sometime soon, but I'm not too sure if I dare to wear it!
What are your favourite shades?

No balm stains in my giveaway I'm afraid, but here's what you can win!

PS, my URL has CHANGED. I'm now at hayleylovesxo.blogspot.co.uk! 

You can find Hayley Loves on BLOGLOVIN' and TWITTER