Luscious Lips - Benefit California Kissin' Moisturising Lip Balms*

Hi Guys x I hope you're all having a nice weekend, although this post is going live a little later than I intended it to, today sees the return of my Luscious Lips series, which is basically a little mini series, when I talk about either some of my favourite lip products, and I try out a lip product that is new to me. Today's post is probably a bit of both, something both new to me, and something that I really like

Let's take little trip back to 2020, No? Okay I don't really blame you if you want to forget that 2020 ever existed, 2020 to put it mildly was a bit rubbish, but when we were eventually set free, and shops and online retailers started opening up again, I ended up picking up a few beauty bits including this Christmas 2020 set from Benefit Cosmetics.

Showcasing one of their most recent introductions, California Kissin' Club contained 5 Mini California Kissin' Moisturising Lip Balms, in 5 of their most popular shades, which were perfect for the festive season. I'm huge fan of kits like this, that give you a chance to try a few mini products for around the same price, or sometimes even less that it would cost for the full size, plus who doesn't love a mini!

Packaged in slightly different packaging to the full sizes, these lip balms come packaged in super cute, mini silver black and clear bullets, with a typical Benefit style girl illustration.

To call these babies just lip balms though is a bit of a disservice - containing hyaluronic and wild mango butter, these balms not only promise softer, more hydrated and smoother lips, but they also claim to give up to 8 hours of vibrant, cushiony soft colour - so no they aren't just lip balms, they are tinted lip balms, and boy do I mean tinted!

From Left To Right - Berry 333, Spiced Red 11, Wine 222, Ruby 22 and Cherry 00

As you can see these certainly aren't one of those wishy, washy tinted balms that you can buy, the pigmentation levels, and colour pay off is insane. Just one swipe produces a swatch of smooth, creamy vibrant colour, that probably more resembles a moisturising lipstick rather than a tinted balm.

With a gorgeous fruity, mango / peach type taste and scent, these balms feel nice and smooth and moisturising on the lips without feeling overtly sticky or slimy. Since these have a slightly curved, flat tip, it is a little difficult to keep these highly pigmented balms within the lip line, so if you want a really precise finish then I would probably apply them with care or with a lip brush.

As you would expect from such moisturising bold colour there was a little bit of movement and transfer. I'm not sure about their 8 hour wear time claim, but for what in essence is a lip balm, the wear time wasn't bad. Whilst the initial sheen wore off in an hour or so, there was still a hint of colour left on the lips and they still felt moisturised and protected.

Berry 333

Spiced Red 11

Wine 222

Ruby 22

Cherry 00

Are these the longest wearing lip colours in the world? no probably not, are these the most moisturising lip balms that you'll ever use? also no. Despite that though I really, really like these, they taste and smell yummy, the quality is superb, the colour payoff is amazing for a tinted balm, and they feel really, really nice on the lips.

The colours in this set are some of the most vibrant and bold within the California Kissin' range, with Berry and Spiced perhaps being the most wearable ones, but if these shades aren't for you there are another 11 shades to try.

This particular kit is no longer available, but there are a couple of other mini kits that you might be able to get your hands on, including Kisses & Wishes, which contains 4 shades including Ruby and Spiced Red, as well as two new shades, Nude Rose, and Rosewood. This kit is probably the hardest to find now as it was a Christmas gift set from last year, but I did manage to get my hands on it in the Boxing Day sales, so I'll be sharing a review of both Nude Rose and Rosewood in a future post.

One mini set that does seem to still be pretty easy to find thought it the Pucker Up, & Peace Out Lip Balm Trio, which contains mini sizes of Spiced Red, Ruby, and Berry, With an RRP of £19.50 it's available from a few retailers including Boots, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, Debenhams, All Beauty, NEXT, Escentual and Cult Beauty. If you're interested in this particular kit though I would shop around a bit if I were you, and this particular kit does appear to be on sale on a few sites.

If minis aren't your style though or if you've already tried these lips balms and you already love them, then you can get a full 3g full size in one of 16 different shades, packaged in fabulous sculptural packaging for a recommended retail price of £19 from all of the retailers that I've previously mentioned as well as direct from Benefit Cosmetics, John Lewis, and House Of Fraser. Again though being the bargain hunter that I am, I'd shop around as quite a few retailers have some pretty decent discounts either on the whole range or on selected shades.

Are you a fan of tinted lip balms? Let me know your favourites in the comments, and don't forget to contact me either via the comments section, or via social media if you have any questions x

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links.

Sample Saturday - Luscious Lips - Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick - 420 Rebellious Rose*

Hey everyone, I hope you've all had a good week x I had planned to be a little bit more active on the blog this week but since it was my mam's 80th birthday on Tuesday instead I devoted the week to her, and to family time, so I hope that you'll forgive me. I've got a couple of post planned for next week so I'm going to do my best to try and get back on track.

Today I've really got a 2 for 1 for you, and today's post represents two of my regular features Sample Saturday, and my new Luscious Lips series. Today I'm sharing my thoughts with you on an an Estee Lauder lipstick that I got a few months ago now in a beauty bag from Feel Unique. They've replaced the beauty bag with a beauty box now but it's still a great way to try new things, or to stock up for holidays and nights out.

For as long as I can remember Estee Lauder has been a fixture in my life, I remember my Grandmas dressing table vividly, in it's ornate French style adorned beautiful collectable glass jars of Estee Lauder loose powder, and later on in life my mam's obsession with their Pink Parfait lip colour. Bar a few skincare bits, and the odd perfume (I'm a Beautiful girl ;) though I personally haven't tried that much from the brand. I guess I always associated it with the older women in my life, and whilst it was a reliable, classic heritage brand, maybe I thought it was just a bit boring, and instead I flocked to the bright colours and innovations of its brand mates like MAC, and Bobbi Brown.

For a brand to have been around since 1946 though they must be doing something right, so in an attempt to break down my beauty prejudices and expand my make up horizons, I thought I try one of their lipsticks. 

Estee Lauder have quite a few different lipstick ranges, but this particular one is from their Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick range, and unusually for a sample size the packaging is almost identical to the full size, with the same dark blue, and gold colour way, and the same angular shape.

Every lipstick in this formulation contains multi faceted pigments that create definition, add shape, and fullness, as well as a unique Time Release Moisture Complex which is designed to seal in hydration and keep lips moisturised throughout the day, leading to creamy, smooth coverage, and an 8 hour wear time.

The shade that I got was a colour called Rebellious Rose, which is one of Estee Lauder's worldwide best sellers, described as part rose, part rebel it's a universally flattering, muted rosy coral, with warm undertones. 

As you can see from the swatch the pigmentation is excellent. With a slightly waxy, vanilla scent, it's lovely and smooth, and creamy, with out being too soft, or smooshy, meaning that you can achieve precise application direct from the all be it mini bullet!

It didn't feel drying on the lips at all, and whilst it didn't feel overtly moisturising, it left the lips feeling comfortable and sufficiently hydrated. The coverage was excellent and it had a lovely glossy sheen like finish.

The glossy finish meant that it did transfer a bit onto mugs, food and people, but once the initial sheen had faded, the almost stain like, colour underneath lasted for a good few hours, before fading away completely. I wouldn't say I got the full 8 hours that Estee Lauder claim, but I was still pretty impressed with the wear time, and how it left my lips afterwards.

Despite it being one of their most popular colours, up until a few years this shade would have been a real no no for me. I was super self conscious of the effect of my facial paralysis on my lip shape, and I used to stick to nudes, and unassuming colours to avoid drawing attention to their unevenness. As I say though things change, and I'm trying harder to love what I see in the mirror by embracing darker and brighter lips, and whilst this lipstick isn't crazily bright, it's a lovely universally wearable shade, and I can definitely see why it's one of Estee Lauder's best sellers. Apart from the colour, it felt super comfortable on the lips and the wear time was excellent - definitely a winner in my book!

Estee Lauder lipsticks aren't the cheapest but I definitely think it's a rare case of you get what you pay for, the packaging is classy, and the formulations are first class. Seeing as it's so popular the full size Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in 420 Rebellious Rose comes in a variety of different limited edition packaging options, as well as in the traditional navy blue, and gold, and it is usually priced between £27 and £28.50. You can find it at your nearest Estee Lauder counter, as well as direct from Estee Lauder, Boots, House Of Fraser, John Lewis, and NEXT Beauty. Have you ever tried any make up from Estee Lauder? Let me know your recommendations in the comments x

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Luscious Lips - HUDA Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick - Wedding Day*

I know, I know, I promised you this post last week, but thanks to the busy week that I'd had planned things didn't quite go to plan. As well as seeing both friends and family over the course of this week, and last week, I had a very successful shopping, and I also had my second COVID vaccine last week.

Thankfully compared to my mams reaction to the AZ vaccine, my own experience with the Pfizer jab was a breeze. I was tired and a little sore after both jabs, and a felt a little heady after the second one but it was way better than my experience with COVID, so when you're invited - go get that vaccination!

Anyways, I know it seems like I'm just posting a constant stream of unboxing catch ups, and empties posts at the minute, so as I say, I've decided to try and break them up a bit with some hauls, some product first impressions, and some reviews, and today I've got the first post in what I hope will be a regular feature on the blog, Luscious Lips. I have an insane amount of lips products in my collection, the majority of which, I've never shared with you. So in this ongoing mini series I'm going to share some reviews of both some of the newest products in my collection, and some of my favourite products with you.

The first product I'm going to share with you, I guess falls into both of those categories, it's relatively new, and I love it! This full size lipstick from high end, influencer lead brand, HUDA Beauty, came in box number 20 of the 2020 Glossybox Advent Calendar.

From the Power Bullet Matte Lipstick range, this cruelty free lipstick contains sweet almond oil, and promises a highly pigment, smooth, cushion like, non drying formula, that lasts.

The lipstick comes in a clear plastic box, and is packaged in a matte, ombre patterned tube, in black and in the colour of the lipstick, which in this case is Wedding Day. The tube is engraved with the brand name 'HUDA Beauty', and it's magnetic so the cap doesn't fall off in your bag.

Wedding Day is described as a "super soft caramelised pink (cool toned)". I can see where they are coming from but for me it's more of a brown toned, pink, nude. It looks quite dark on me but as HUDA Beauty claim, it's a shade that I expect would work well on most skin tones.

The lipstick itself has an almost velvet, mousse like appearance, and rather than the usual smooth bullet shape, it has a very geometric shape, with lots of angles, and sharp lines. 

Lightly scented. and with an almost coconut and vanilla taste, the pigmentation and coverage is superb. The geometric, angular shape makes it really easy to apply all over the lips, as well as making it easier to line, and even the exaggerate the lip line.

For a matte lipstick it's actually very comfortable on the lips. My lips didn't feel dry or parched, and they actually initially felt even more hydrated.

The finish was definitely matte, but it didn't feel flat, cakey or one dimensional. It did transfer especially at first onto both cups, and people! but by and large it stayed on the lips, and the colour remained there intact for a good few hours.

Although I wasn't too sure about the colour at first (it was a darker nude then I would normally wear) I've actually grown to love it. It felt comfortable on the lips and it wore well. If you're not traditionally a fan of matte lipsticks then this could be a good place to start, as for me other than the finish it doesn't really behave like a typical matte lip colour.

This colour as I say is Wedding Day, but the HUDA Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick comes in at least 23 other shades, and they retail at around £22 each. As well as purchasing them directly from HUDA Beauty you can also buy these lipsticks from Feel Unique, Cult Beauty, Boots and Harrods, and a small selection of HUDA Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipsticks is also available on ASOS.

I have a couple of HUDA Beauty eyeshadow palette reviews to come (including a little giveaway) but if you have any lipstick recommendations I'd love to hear them x 

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions then please leave me a comment below and I will see you soon with another Glossybox unboxings x 

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links