NYX Lip Liners: Cabaret, Hot Red, Pinky, Bloom, Purple Rain & Nude Pink

NYX's Slim Lip Pencils retail for around $3.50 in the US and £3.50 on the UK website. NYX is a relatively hard to come by brand in the UK so I was very excited to be able to get hold of 6 of their Slim Lip Pencils.

I am not a huge lip liner person so these liners are perfect for me; they are cheap, great quality and available in a huge range of shades. Wear time for me is typically around 3 hours but I find I use a lip liner with a bold lip which in itself needs touching up quite regularly. I managed to get a broad spectrum of shades within the 6 that I bought so that I can pair them up with most of the lip shades within my collection.

The shades that I have are: 804 Cabaret, 817 Hot Red, 835 Pinky, 836 Bloom, 338 Purple Rain and 858 Pink Nude.

L-R Cabaret, Hot Red, Pinky, Bloom, Purple Rain, Nude Pink

MAC Lipstick Collection & Swatches: July 2013

One of my favourite brands for lipsticks is MAC. They have a huge range of shades and finishes- enough so that every person can find a shade that suits them. I find that most are long lasting (the mattes especially) and are rarely drying on my lips.

Here are swatches of my current collection :)

L'oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash: Romy, Juliet & Milady

I came across these whilst in Boots; priced at £7.99 each I managed to get these three as part of a 3 for 2 offer. I've never tried anything like this before, I've always stuck to lipsticks as I'm not much of a gloss fan- I find they're often too sticky and my hair ends up stuck to my lips all the time. L'oreals Glam Shine Stain Splashes (bit of a mouthful!) are comparable to YSL Glossy Stains, but at just a third of the price!

I picked up Romy, Juliet and Milady.

I surprised myself and absolutely love these. They are buildable and with a few coats can create an opaque lip; alternatively they can be used with one or two swipes to create a sheer lip which is perfect for someone like me who tends to shy away from bold opaque lips (I am trying so hard to get over this though!)

Sleek Pout Paints

Sleek are a UK drugstore brand, available in Superdrug and online here (they ship worldwide too!)

Their pout paints, comparable to OCC lip tars, are amazing. Highly blendable and very pigmented, they offer you the chance to create your perfect lip colour. They are best applied with a lip brush; you could dab on with your finger but these do leave a stain on your skin. (My arm was stained by Pin Up and Peek-a-Bloo and took a good scrub to get off). The lasting power is fantastic and they stay glossy for a good few hours. I personally prefer to blot to get a more matte appearance (nothing worse than getting my hair stuck to my lips every time the wind blows!)

Make Up Academy Lipstick Swatches

MUA are a UK drugstore brand that are only available in Superdrug or online here (they ship worldwide!) They are a budget friendly brand offering many products for only £1.