My Top Seven Winter Lip Picks!

Hey there!

I know I haven't posted anything new in a while, so I'm hoping to redeem myself with this photo-heavy post about my favorite lip colours of this season! I thought I'd post it now as we all know that lip products are perfect stocking-filler size, so I figured you might want to add some of these items to you Christmas wish-lists...

Lets get started with a swatch-shot of all seven colours... or three shots in a variety of lights, since you want to know how the colour will fare in a variety of situations right?

So here are the colours swatched in natural light;

From the top, the photograph shows my Topshop lipstick in Rumour Has It, my Rimmel Moisture Renew in shade Electric Plum, my favourite MAC lipstick in Sin, Revlon's Just Bitten Lipstain and Balm in Frenzy, a Dior lipstick which my boyfriend got for me as a little surprise (I'm not sure what the colour is because can't spot it on the package... but the number on the bottom says 455), my lush Long-Lasting Lipstick from Estee Lauder in Rose Candy and finally my Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm in Peach Sheer Tint!

And then I took a shot with flash indoors, and one without also. I think these shots are good for letting you know what kind of finish the colour has, sheer, matte, silky, glossy etc.

So here are the actual products, and as you can see in the swatches, I've put them in colour order, starting with the palest pink, going through the richer purples and then to the more nude shades.

First up is the Moisture Plus Peach Sheer Tint by Carmex. This product cost me £4.49 from Boots and it is literally one of my ultimate Holy Grail products. It is perfect for winter as it's super-duper hydrating and keeps the cold weather from turning my lips dryer than the Sahara. Plus, the cute pinky-peach wash of colour means I can roll out of bed in the morning, slick this on and be ready to go!

Next up is my Rose Candy Long-Lasting Lipstick from Estee Lauder. I actually got this free at one of the Inspire and Mentor events with Marie Claire a couple of months back but it retails at Boots for £18.50. Again, it is a great product for winter as it's really hydrating. But this time the colour pops a bit more which I think is gorgeous when I'm wearing my thick cream scarf and my hair down!

Thirdly is another high-end product. This Dior lipstick in shade 455 was a little luxury treat from my boyfriend a few weeks back. It seems to have been discontinued since, but there is a new lipstick from Dior in a similarly yummy colour (called Londres) for £22 at Debenhams. Anyways, enough about that. I love this colour because it is quite a deep pink almost plum colour (the photo doesn't really demonstrate quite how deep it is...) Plus, it smells like Parma Violets candies which I love :)

My fourth pick is a product which I never would have expected to be on one of my favorites lists, and yet Revlon's Just Bitten Lipstain has actually grown on me since my previous comparison review of it which can be found here... Perhaps it's because this shade - Frenzy - is a little subtler than the previous one I reviewed - Gothic. Nonetheless, I'm a convert. Again, the photograph isn't quite true to the shade... It seems the lighting made the colour appear more subtle when in reality, it is quite red. I like to wear it underneath Topshop's Rumour Has It and also Carmex Moisture Plus as the colour can sometimes be a little too over-powering needing a nude wash over the top. Howevever, it's also fantastically buildable! I'm glad the lip-balm is included though because it can be really quite drying. It can be bought at Boots for £7.99.

This is one of the sexiest shades of the season. Sin by MAC (£13.50) is just so vampy and chic... it looks dangerous! I like to use my finger to apply it and build it deeper and deeper so it acts almost as a stain. It can dry the soft skin on lips out quite a lot which can obviously be remedied with a slick of balm over the top. However, it's a shame really to use a balm as the real seduction in this shade is the matte effect... It's worth it for a day or so of dryness!

My Moisture Renew by Rimmel in shade Electrick Plum was the first lipstick I ever had. We've been through ups and downs, we've laughed, we've cried, we very nearly died (not really, but it rhymed...) and yet, this is still one of my fave shades for A/W because it is so rich and purpley without being too outrageous for everyday use. And I do wear this almost every day. It's nearly all run out now (which makes a lot of sense as I've had it for about four years... I know it's unhygienic and I should have gotten rid of it a while ago, but I always use a brush to apply this and heck, I love it so screw the rules!) This can be bought at Boots for £6.29.

Finally, my Topshop Limited Edition lipstick in Rumour Has It (£9) has been one of my favourite purchases this season. Although alone this shade does have that kind of 'concealer-on-the-lips' effect that I HATE with a fiery passion (as can be seen in this photo) when layered over any colour it adds a creamy, velvety nude variation on the shade and just makes lips look so kissable! It's a great buy, trust me! Get your hands on one quick though, because once the season ends, so does the collection!

So that's it! What do you think of these shades? This is my first post including lip photos, and I took them all myself so I know they're not perfect. Does anyone have any tips for taking lip photos? Also, I was shocked that my Top Seven Winter Lip Picks didn't include a bright red! This is very surprising to me as I usually love vibrant reds for this season, and yet this year I'd hardly noticed the absence of one... How bizarre. Maybe I should invest? Anyone have a favorite red lip shade?

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you'll be purchasing any of the shades :)

Love

gabriellasofia

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