Brand Name: Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos

Colour: Union Jack

Price: £6.19

Lipcote Rating: 3.2 / 5

Violent Lips are temporary tattoos, quite like the ones we’d stick on our arms as children, much to the irritation of our mothers! The range has lots of different designs with patterns, glitter and flags being the most stand-out. Jessie J has been seen before rocking a Union Jack lip, and with the Jubilee and Olympics coming up to make summer 2012 a Great British one, we thought some patriotism wouldn’t go amiss!

They come in a pack of 3, which contains an instruction card, clearly showing you how to apply them, although they’ve also got videos online for even more detail. In all honesty, they were more fiddly than we’d hoped. They come very large, and you have to cut them to the correct shape for your lips, which is tricky to say the least! So the shape ended up being not quite perfect for our lips, which for lipstick perfectionists, is not ideal! The colours were great – really clear lines and bright, bold shades to make up the Union Jack flag, and once on our lips, it felt really lightweight and secure. We applied Lipcote to one half of our lips to test if it helped, and it did – the half with Lipcote on seemed to fade slower, and also seemed to look fresher over the course of a few hours. The transfers inevitably crack where your lips move underneath, so smiling was a strange sensation! And removing them was harder than we thought it would be – even with baby oil as they recommend, some small pieces didn’t want to budge, so we were left with slightly patchy, sore lips.

Overall they’re definitely a fun, novelty idea, and great to experiment with, but application takes a bit of practice, so don’t try doing it 5 minutes before a big night out as we’d place bets on it ending in disaster!

To enter to win the pack of 3, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below, and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What flag did we choose to try? Was it:

a)     Stars and Stripes of the USA

b)    The French Flag

c)     The Union Jack

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Stila Convertible Colour Dual Lip and Cheek Cream

Colour: Petunia

Price: £16.00

Lipcote Rating: 4.6 / 5

Stila, created in 1994, recently landed back on UK shores after a number of years away. A beauty editor’s favourite, we decided to see what all the fuss was over the Convertible Colour creams!

We chose the shade Petunia, a gorgeous coral-pink which we thought could be really flattering on lips and cheeks. The product looks like a cream blush, and applying it to our lips we realised there was a precise art to using this! Apply too much and it’s chalky, pasty and dry, but dab on a small amount at a time, and you begin to get a gorgeous glowy colour, quite like using a lip stain. The makeup artist trick with this really is to dab or pat it on, whether applying it to cheeks or lips. If you press it into you lips without rubbing it gives a gorgeous flush of colour, and dabbing it onto the cheeks, and again pressing it into the skin, ensures that it blends without removing your makeup underneath or going streaky. On the apples of the cheeks it gave a fresh, dewy glow without using shimmer or sparkle, and on the lips, once sealed with Lipcote, it left a gorgeous stain, perfect for a natural spring look. The packaging is also a winner for us – the cute embossed compact is beautifully designed, in the colour of the cream itself, so if you had more than one of these in your makeup bag it would be easy to spot which colour you’re looking for.

All in all a new favourite for us, and we can certainly understand why it’s one of Stila’s best-selling products!

To enter to win it, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below, and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What year was the Stila brand created? Was it:

a)    1974

b)    1994

c)     2004

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick

Colour: Peach

Price: £7.99

Lipcote Rating: 4.2 / 5

We love Revlon for their fantastic colour ranges, vintage-inspired ad campaigns, and hi-tech formulas at high-street prices!

The Colour Burst lipstick line is the more wearable alternative to the Matte range, with more muted colours than their Super Lustrous range. While we love a matte lippie for high-impact, we sometimes crave a more caring, easier-to-wear formula, and Colour Burst is just that. It contains moisturising ingredients like sweet almond oil, to care for lips, without giving a glossy finish or skimping on colour. Peach is, as the name describes, a light pink-orange peach tone. It has some shimmer which we’d rather they’d missed out, but it’s subtle enough to overlook. In terms of shade, it’s quite orange, and the pigmentation is good without being overwhelming – you can use one quick swipe for a polished, healthy glow, or layer it up a bit for more intense colour. The packaging is great – a mock-quilted tube which, although not the most elegant, is classy, and sturdy enough to chuck in your handbag without worrying about it breaking or being crushed!

We really like this lipstick, especially as an everyday makeup staple. It’s perfect accompanied by lashings of black mascara and a pretty peach blush!

To enter to win it, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below, and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What is the fruit this lippie is named after? Is it:

a)     Pear

b)    Plum

c)     Peach

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Max Factor Colour Effect Flipstick

Colour: Folky Pink

Price: £7.99

Lipcote Rating: 3.5 / 5

Max Factor is known for their classic, good quality products, and makeup artist-based campaigns. They are often quietly at the forefront of makeup technology and trends, and their new ‘Flipstick’ is no exception.

The concept is a double-ended lipstick, with 2 contrasting / complimentary colours. Their idea is that you use either colour on its own, blend them together to customise shades, or layer them for a graphic, 3D effect. We chose the shade Folky Pink, as it looked the most natural and versatile. For application, we decided to copy the recent adverts, and apply the darker pink shade all over the lips, and then the lighter shade just in the centre of the lips, blended out, to create a really plump-looking pout, without going too OTT! The result, when completely blended and sealed with Lipcote, was pleasantly surprising – a flattering pink shade with a red carpet-like dimension to it; the layering of the lighter shade in the centre really makes a difference to how full your lips look. The formula is a bit waxy for our liking, but pretty good really, considering that you’re essentially getting two lipsticks for the price of one!

We’re not sure if this will catch on, or whether it’s just a bit of a novelty idea, but we quite like it, especially the play / experimentation element to the concept! It’s definitely worth a try, even if it’s not going to end up our go-to, everyday lippie.

To enter to win this lipstick, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below, and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What is the name of this new lipstick range? Is it:

a)     Flipstick

b)    Mixstick

c)     Blipstick

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour

Colour: La Sensuelle

Price: £23.50

Lipcote Rating: 4.5 / 5

Chanel is arguably one of the most luxurious cosmetics brands, with hi-tech formulas in high-fashion shades, and glossy, sophisticated ad campaigns, always featuring the models-of-the-moment!

The shade La Sensuelle is a gorgeous deep raspberry pink with slightly blue undertones. It’s richly pigmented and applies quite like a smooth, creamy lip balm, and the finish is satin-matte, which in our opinion is the most modern and flattering texture you can choose. The colour is bold but not dark, which means it’s very flattering, and although it’s a strong shade, we felt it was somehow less noticeable than red, which makes it a great choice for a low-maintenance but pulled together look. The packaging is classic Chanel-chic – gold and black with the small white embossed logo, and feels delightfully good quality, compared to some of the very lightweight, plasticky lipstick tubes we often come across! It works well for this time of year with dewy skin, a bold brow and a sweep of mascara for a fresh, spring-perfect look.

We love this lippie, and although it’s not a look-at-me, glaringly obvious shade, there’s something sophisticated and classy about it, helped along of course by the beautiful Chanel packaging and luxury connotations!

To enter to win this lipstick, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below, and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What berry-shade do we describe this lippie as? Is it:

a)     Strawberry red

b)    Raspberry pink

c)     Blackberry purple

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Look Beauty Loud Lips Lipstick

Colour: Rock Candy

Price: £7.00

Lipcote Rating: 4.0 / 5

Look magazine have recently launched their Look Beauty range of makeup, which concentrates on trend-led colours at affordable prices. A major plus for us with this range is that a donation from every product sold goes to the cancer care charity Look Good… Feel Better, who work with women who have cancer to boost their confidence during and after treatment.

The lipstick we chose is called Rock Candy, a bright cerise pink. It’s a really popping colour, which is fresh and bold for spring, and works to pep up even the dullest complexions! It’s a pretty clear pink, with slight blue undertones, which means that it works well on a variety of skin tones and really makes teeth look whiter. The formula is smooth, and the scent reminds us of a creamy vanilla soda, which works perfectly with Lipcote to enhance the vanilla in both products. It’s really well pigmented, although can be slightly on the greasy side if you overdo it on application, but we found that applying 2 light layers and blotting in between gave us the perfect colour payoff and silky, hydrating texture. The packaging is gorgeous, with an Ashley Isham print on the box, and again very subtly on the silver tube, and the magnetic case is a genius way of making sure that you don’t lose the lid and ruin the lipstick in your handbag!

Overall we’re really impressed with this lippie – great colour, formula, packaging and a worthy charitable donation with each purchase… we’re sold!

To enter to win this lipstick, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

Who is the fashion designer whose print is used on the lipstick packaging? Is it:

a) Ashley Isham

b) Mary Katrantzou

c) Emilio Pucci

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Elizabeth Arden Colour Intrigue Effects Lipstick

Colour: Poppy Cream

Price: £11.23

Lipcote Rating: 3.7 / 5

Elizabeth Arden is best known for its cult product 8 Hour Cream, loved by beauty editors and real women alike! The company has recently undergone a subtle re-brand, with more up-to-date colour cosmetics and cutting-edge formulas, in an attempt to attract a younger customer.

We chose the shade Poppy Cream, as it looked one of the brightest and most modern hues in the selection for the Colour Intrigue Effects lipstick. The range comes in three finishes, which also end the names of all the colours, making it easy to choose which one you’d prefer – cream, shimmer or pearl. The texture of the lipstick is smooth and rich, in a nourishing but not shiny finish. Poppy Cream is a bold red shade, highly pigmented, and perfect for a mouth-watering red lip look. It has no shimmer or sparkle, hence the ‘cream’ name, which gives the most contemporary and on-trend look. It also has a hint of peppermint fragrance, which is nice and fresh, and different from the usual fruity-or-floral! The packaging is a black case with a silver band around the middle, and a silver tube inside. It does its job, but it’s boring, and of the same standard as lipsticks at much cheaper price points.

Overall we like this lippie, and the minty fragrance definitely makes it stand out from the crowd! It’s a shame the packaging doesn’t do the same, but the formula is strong, and we’re looking forward to see what Elizabeth Arden do with the rest of their colour ranges.

To enter to win this lipstick, plus a bottle of Lipcote, just answer the following question in the Facebook comments box below and all answers will go into the draw for this week, with a winner picked at random and announced on our Facebook page on Monday afternoon!

What flower is this lipstick named after? Is it:

a) Rose

b) Poppy

c) Tulip

Good luck!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Clinique High Impact Lip Colour

Colour: Rosette

Price: £16.00

Lipcote Rating: 3.9 / 5

Clinique has a huge presence in the skincare and cosmetics arena, marketing themselves as the first dermatologist-developed cosmetics brand. They are known for innovative skincare formulas, and colour ranges that have added benefits.

We chose Rosette to try, a sweet mid-pink shade. On first application, its slightly sheer – not what we were expecting from a lipstick named ‘High Impact’. But the pigment is very buildable, and with another couple of layers we were able to get a bolder, brighter intensity. This makes this lippie perfect for those who want to try colour, but are afraid! In true Clinique style, this delivers a satisfying dose of colour, but also provides moisturising care and a stable SPF 15 – great to fit into the new generation of cosmetics which not only deliver on appearance, but on skincare benefits as well, referred to in the beauty industry as ‘actives’. The silver casing is sleek and modern, and its heavy weight and pleasing ‘click’ shut are a subtle reminder that this is a high-end product! The fragrance free formula is refreshing to use, and lets the vanilla in our Lipcote really shine through!

Overall we like this lipstick a lot, although colour fiends might be disappointed with the lack of rich, bold shades in the range. For colour-shy girls however, it’s perfect for dipping-your-toe into the coloured lips look, without having to jump in at the deep end!

Like the link on our Facebook page to be in with a chance of winning this great lippie this week!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Lipstick

Colour: Queen Of Hearts

Price: £2.99

Lipcote Rating: 4.8 / 5

Collection 2000 is one of the more affordable cosmetics brands, with emphasis on trend led colour ranges across lips, eyes and nails.

We chose ‘Queen Of Hearts’, a deep red shade of lipstick. First of all, we love the name! It’s the perfect title for this jammy, fruity, rich red. It’s quite a vampy shade – not a 50’s red but a darker, more modern one, like something you’d see on a Dolce & Gabbana model or in a Tom Ford collection. It’s surprisingly moisturising for a matte lipstick, and the SPF 15 is a great bonus. It applies smoothly and is very lightweight and comfortable to wear, which is probably down to the moisturising properties. Being a matte-satin finish, it also worked perfectly with our Lipcote. The packaging is not the most sophisticated, but at £2.99 we can see they’ve spent their budget on the lipstick formula, rather than a fancy tube. And if we had to choose, we’d much rather have a great lipstick on our lips than a great tube in our bag where no one can see it!

We’re bowled-over by this lipstick – the colour even rivals our go-to red, MAC’s Russian Red! And considering this lippie is about one fifth of the price of a MAC one we reckon it’s done pretty well!

Look out for it in a Lucky Lipcote Draw soon!

Love, Lipcote x

Brand Name: Dior Diorific High Fashion Lipstick

Colour: CanCan Orange

Price: £21.50

Lipcote Rating: 4.7 / 5

Dior’s cosmetics offering is made up of luxurious products with sophisticated science behind them. These ‘High Fashion’ lipsticks have an extra edge, coming from a brand that is primarily known for its couture, Parisian fashion.

CanCan Orange is a true, punchy tangerine. The texture is rich, smooth and highly pigmented, and it’s pleasantly comfortable to apply and wear. But be warned; this shade is not for the colour-shy! Whilst red is a bold but easy-to-wear classic, fuchsia pink is playful and girly, and plum shades are vampy and chic, orange is rarely seen off the fashion catwalks. This doesn’t mean it’s not a great colour to play with – it just takes a bit more confidence to wear. One trick is to go easy on the bronzer or blusher; just as a red will emphasize any red tones in your skin, this lippie will do the same with orange, so an orange toned bronzer with tangerine lipstick is a big no-no! Skin should be flawless and bright, and black mascara will stop you from looking washed out. A great feature to pull-out alongside orange lips are eyebrows – wear them as thick and bold as you can go to look like you’ve just stepped off the plane from Paris Fashion Week!

This is a great lipstick, and formula-wise it’s a winner. The packaging is classy, but bling-tastic, as you’d expect from Dior – a gold dumbbell shaped tube with navy stripes around the length. It’s a great addition to our collection, although it will be saved for our most fashionable, good-skin days!

Look out for it in this month’s Lucky Lipcote Draw!

Love, Lipcote x