Topshop Gloss Ink | Sloe Gin

Following on from yesterday's post on a holographic Topshop nail varnish, I'm coming to you today with another new love from the Topshop make up range. 

I swear I love their make up much more than I love their overpriced clothes.

(For reference, that's Topshop 'Profound' on my nails too!)

The Gloss Inks are a new addition to the Topshop make up stands and come in 5 different shades. I chose mine in quite rush and upon reflection, I probably wouldn't have picked the shade Sloe Gin had I had a better opportunity to swatch and decide. I do love it, don't get me wrong, but it's a very brave shade and not all that practical for every day wear. Plus, it's not a very 'me' kinda shade.. but I guess it does us all good to step out of our comfort zones every now and again. 

It comes in a smaller-than-average standard lipgloss tube, with a doe foot sponge applicator and matte black packaging, accentuated with glossy text and still keeping in touch with classic Topshop packaging with the stripes on the tube. It does seem much more upmarket and classy than the usual packaging, not to mention more durable and less likely to get in a state after a couple of trips out in the handbag - Yes, I'm looking at the lipsticks in the white tubes!!

The doe foot sponge applicator is great and seems to come out with the perfect amount of product for one application. It's very simple to apply and I went straight onto my lips with it, no faffing about, and it was opaque and good to go all in one quick, swift motion.  

All looks good, but I've got some big time issues with it, mainly the problem with colour transfer. It's absolutely awful for getting onto your teeth, even after the 'finger trick' (Google it if you're not sure) and after rubbing it off the teeth (it can stain the teeth too!) it almost immediately finds it's way back onto there again. Being such a bold colour this isn't ideal because it's hardly subtle.

I wore the colour all day yesterday, from 9am until around 7pm and it still had a slight hint of the stain but no gloss remaining by that time. The glossy finish lasted around 3-4 hours, and after that it was just the colour stain remaining. However, I did leave bright pink lip smears on every glass/mug/fork that I used throughout the day, even after blotting, which is pretty gross.

It leaves me in a difficult position now for when I actually wear this lip product. It's bright, bold, beautiful and really long lasting, so I'd normally pick a product like this for evenings out or a meal; any occasions when you don't want to faff with touch-ups.. but leaving lipstick prints on glasses and cutlery just isn't classy.. 

I've tried to blot it does but it still likes to transfer, no matter what.

What would you do?

It's a shame because I really love the colour and finish of it!

Topshop Gloss Ink in Sloe Gin - £8.00 | LINK

What do you think?
Thanks for reading!

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My Top Lipsticks For Summer: Brights

Considering we're now almost half way through the month of May, I have well and truly got my 'must prepare for summer' frame of mind in place and am making all the changes from the colours in my wardrobe, to my footwear choices, to my daily make up picks, to even my breakfast decisions! - You can't eat porridge on a warm morning, it's just wrong.

As soon as the sun decides to come out and play from behind that big old black cloud then there is a handful of lip products that I know I will be gravitating towards with no doubt about it. You might sense a little bit of a theme with this post about what my favourite lip colours are, but here are my top picks for summer lips: 

 (I definitely did not originally spell 'Vegas Volt' wrong and have to correct it....)

MAC
Vegas Volt

My Mac lipstick collection is far from huge, but out of a small range of choices Vegas Volt easily comes out on top as my favourite shade. It's an amplied finish lipstick which means that the colour pay off really packs a punch with an opaquely pigmented shade but a creamy soft and long lasting formula. It's a lovely strong coral shade that can really perk up your day.

Topshop

All About Me

All About Me is a moisturising matte lipstick which again means that there's a strong colour pay off that's going to last all day - that's exactly what you need on a hot and humid day, you don't want pink waxy stuff smearing all around your mouth do you? All About Me is a gorgeously bright hot pink shade with blue undertones to really bring out the pink-ness in it. It's love.

Fire Cracker

Firecracker might actually be not so much of a practical choice, based on what I just said above about a lipstick having the ability to melt off your face as this is a moisturising velvet finish which means it's a lot more creamy, i.e. more slippy and slidey! But, there's no denying that the shade is absolutely to die for. It's an extremely bright red with strong orange hues that makes a huge statement and is a nice alternative to a classic pure red.

Rimmel
Kate Moss Lasting Perfect - Shade 20

Hey hot pink lips. You're my favourite. You can never have too many shades of hot pink lipsticks! I think I would go as far as to say that this is my favourite lipstick that I own. It's very similar to All About Me but it leans a tad more purpley and it is the most flattering shade of bright pink that I have ever seen. 

Kate Moss Matte Finish - Shade 110

More orange?! This is another coral shade but it has a bit more of a red base to it than any of the other coral shades that I own, and for such a bright colour I think that this is one of the easiest ones to wear and is definitely one of my most worn lipsticks, ever. Also the semi-matte finish of it means that it stands the test of time, even in the hottest weather.

Okay, so the running theme of this was post was that I love hot pink and bright coral lipsticks. I hope that you enjoyed my top 5 choices for summer lip products!
Which is your favourite?


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Topshop Lips | 'Firecracker'

It's no secret to anybody that I'm a fan of Topshop's make up line and if you have not tried anything from them yet then I urge you to, even if it's just a little pink nail varnish you pick up I assure you that you'll fall in love and keep going back for more! This is my fourth lipstick from Topshop and I bought it the other week after lusting after it for such a long time. Topshop's lipsticks cost £8.00 (but £7.20 if you have a student card), which makes them one of the higher priced lippie lines on the high street (although some from Revlon are now creeping up to this mark), but their quality is above and beyond their price tag and they can give Mac more than a run for their money. I'd rather have two Topshop lipsticks than one from Mac!

My shade of choice was Firecracker, and no, your eyes are not deceiving you - this is a bright orange lipstick. Bright orange. It looks a little bit red/orange in the photographs and also in the bullet when you see it in real life, but oh no no no this is just orange. There's no denying that it's a bold statement colour to be wearing, but if you want a splash of colour on your lips then why not go all out? There's no pictures of me wearing it because I'm a little camera shy, so I hope this picture will suffice:

That's a little bit of lovin' from me to you right there! Isn't the colour just amazing? The finish on Firecracker is 'Velvet' which means that it is smooth and creamy with about the same amount as shine / gloss that you would get from a balm. The pigmentation is far from compromised by the velvety formula though and just one sweep gives a medium coverage on the lips which is great if you want to wear this more subtley, or a couple more sweeps can easily build it up to the full works of full and opaque coverage. The wear time is pretty good too and lasts for a few hours but leaves a gentle stain of colour on the lips, although be careful when you apply it because I smudged this onto the skin around my mouth and struggled to get the orange stain off! Definitely just looked like a had coldsores or had been messy eating my spag bol!

It's not one for the faint hearted, but it is an amazing statement lip colour that makes a change from classic red and would look amazing on holiday and on hot summer days (that's hard to imagine when it's currently snowing!) because I can just picture it complimenting tanned skin incredibly well. Hurry up sunshine so I can get some more wear out of this beauty!

Is this a lip colour you think you'd be dabbling in when summer rolls around?

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Topshop Lips | 'Macaroon'

Hey, what's that? Hannah likes Topshop lipsticks? Oh really.. you should have said. 

Priced at £8.00 each (£7.20 if you're a lucky owner of a student card), lipsticks from Topshop are on the higher end of highstreet make up price spectrum, but they are every bit worth those few extra pennies. On par with the quality from Mac and with a huge range of shades and finishes available there is something for everybody to be found at the Topshop make up stands. Sticking with my standard colour of a bright pink, but opting for a different finish from usual (velvet), Macaroon became a new member of my collection a couple of weeks ago and was welcomed with open arms with summer days in mind.

Being a 'velvet' finish as opposed to matte, means that it has a lot more of a creamy texture and is far more moisturising on the lips, although the wear time is slightly compromised. It still lasts for a good 3 hours because needing to reapply (providing you're not eating or drinking in this time) and the colour gently and evenly fades away but does not leave a stain on the lips. It feels nourishing like a balm but with still quite a bright pop of colour and a glossy but non-sticky finish. This is a very wearable shade, suitable for every day wear and is a calm coral-y peach toned pink - I love it!

And here it is in action!

(Squinty squinty because it's sunny)

What do you think of Topshop lipsticks?

Do you have any recommendations for me? ..I'm think of trying Sartorial next!