KAT VON D EVERLASTING LIQUID LIPSTICK

LEFT - UNDERAGE RED / RIGHT - VAMPIRA

THE AFTERMATH - YOU KNOW THEY'RE GOOD WHEN THEY'RE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE

I've been converted. As much as I love the standard lipstick bullet, liquid lipsticks are a new favourite. In particular, the Kat Von D Everlasting ones are so good that I went back to buy a second shade a day after trying the first. I picked these up in Sephora while in New York earlier this year and I love them.

The first shade I picked up was Underage Red. I only owned one red lip colour at the time, (Mac Russian Red which I love) so decided to get one in a different formula as I was loving red lips. It's a pretty bold red and the formula is very matte and opaque, but not drying and easy to apply. I also love the tattoo-style illustration on the packaging. 

After trying Underage Red I immediately loved it and went back to see what other shades caught my eye. I saw Vampira, and in the tube it doesn't look like much - almost a browny red. However as a lover of dark lips I gave it a swatch and it immediately made me want it. It's the perfect vampy red which has the smallest hint of purple. 

I like to apply this quite thinly as I found when applied thickly, it can become quite heavy and uncomfortable on the lips after a few hours. But I've sussed it, and having a lighter layer (after getting rid of excess before applying) still gives the opaque colour which is long-lasting and more comfortable to wear.

I've now got my eye on the bright purple shade in the range, have you tried these?

KAT VON D EVERLASTING LIQUID LIPSTICK - $20 SEPHORA

NEW YORK WISHLIST #2 // drugstore

The second instalment of my New York beauty wishlist is here, containing drugstore items. I have a feeling I'll receive some strange looks from US residents as I run around CVS and Duane Reade in excitement. To them, its a pharmacy, to me its a world of well-priced makeup I've never been able to try before...us British love a good drugstore and the same old Boots and Superdrug only have so much to offer. Here's a list of what I'm planning on picking up the US drugstores...

WET'N'WILD EYESHADOWS// probably the thing I see cropping up in a 'US Beauty Haul' the most...wet'n'wild palettes are so popular, with gorgeous shades and apparently brilliant quality, not to mention the insanely cheap price tags.

COVERGIRL LASHBLAST// covergirl is another brand unavailable to us here in the UK, and I've heard good things about their mascaras, and being a mascara whore lover, I'll definitely be picking one up to try!

NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM// I believe some Next stores stock NYX, but unfortunately none around where I live do, so I plan on picking some products up, one (or two) being the Soft Matte Lip Creams which I've heard are great.

NYX JUMBO EYE PENCILS// The other NYX product I've heard loads about are the Jumbo Eye Pencils. I plan on picking up the famous Milk, a white base, and probably a bronzey shade, because who doesn't love a bronzey smokey eye?

MILANI BAKED BLUSH// Despite not really being a blush fan/wearer, I'm wanting to pick up some from Milani after hearing good reviews. If not them, then something from Milani as a brand as it isn't available in the UK!

MAYBELLINE COLOUR WHISPER// Maybelline's answer to the Revlon Lip Butters (which I love anyway), but not available in the UK yet, I'll be looking out for these!

MAYBELLINE COLOUR TATTOO// finally, something that is available in Boots and Superdrug, but if I'm not mistaken, the US have a wider range of shades, including a lot more neutral/wearable shades. Already owning and loving two (Permanent Taupe and On and On Bronze) I'll be seeking out some other shades!

No doubt my two lists will grow and grow closer to the time I go to the US (r.i.p. bank account) but those are the bits I'm planning on picking up! If you haven't read my first wishlist, featuring products from Sephora/high-end items, you can read it here!

Any recommendations for things to pick up are very welcome!

MAC REBEL DUPE // topshop the damned

- This was posted as a guest post on Bethan's blog A Messy Little Raindrop but I thought I'd share it on my blog too! -

I'm a huge lover of dark lipstick, and I love the Autumn/Winter months as dark lips are a key trend every year. I picked up Mac's satin lipstick in Rebel quite a few months ago for £15 and I love it! It's a dark plum/pink with a semi-matte finish and insane staying power.

After wanting to try Topshop Lipsticks for the longest time, I featuring 'The Damned' in my recent haul and later discovered the shade is so similar to Rebel, just slightly lighter. I actually prefer the formula of the Topshop one, as it's alot smoother and so moisturising it feels like a lip-balm! Although, Rebel has a longer staying-power, which fades evenly.

Side-by-side both shades look practically identical, and even when putting the above photo together, I had difficulty telling them apart! Topshop lipsticks are available for £8, so just over half the price of the Mac ones. If you're after Mac's Rebel, definitely go for Topshop's offering first if you're not wanting to invest in the £15 price tag!

Found any Mac dupes? 

TODAY'S MAKEUP MESS // fotd

I dug out my Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple last week, put it on, and forgot how much I love it. Here's my makeup look which I wore with it with some everyday favourites...

BASE// 

Benefit The Porefessional - beautiful to smooth over pores and keep makeup in place.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - an old favourite which gives a beautiful velvet finish to the skin with a medium coverage.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - a classic which covers dark circles and blemishes in a flash.

E.l.f. High Definition Powder - a life-saver if you're like me where any concealer creases under the eyes.

CONTOUR//

Benefit Hoola - I've had this sample size since last christmas and haven't even hit pan yet. I love the pigmentation and the warmth and shape it brings to my face.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer - I rarely go without highlighter and this is the newest edition to my collection. Put on the top of the cheeks gives a gorgeous natural glow, read my full review here

BROWS + EYES//

E.l.f. Eyebrow Kit - this is the first brow kit I've owned with a waxy texture and I find it works well, is a good match and stays in place all day,

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze - another classic which I use regularly. It gives you a perfect subtle bronze eye with minimum effort.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Micro Precision Liner - not my favourite for application or opaqueness, but the waterproof aspect is what I like about it. I simply layer it abit to create a black line with flick.

Estee Lauder Dual Kajal - The blackened-black end is an absolute must-have for me everyday to tightline my eyes and thicken my lashline.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kajal in Bronze - I used this on my outer bottom lash-line to tie in the Colour Tattoo and love the slight smokey effect it gives.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara - The waterproof formula which holds a curl and gives insane length and volume. A fave.

LIPS//

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple - I bought this ages ago and after shopping my stash have fallen in love with it again. Super moisturising, and a complimenting subtle red.

Current favourite makeup products?

essence cosmetics

I don't have a Wilkinson store near me, so a few weeks back when I was in Norfolk, I came across one and immediately went to the Essence counter. As far as I know, they've only just came over to the UK and are sold exclusively in Wilkinson's stores so I was excited to try some products. I hadn't previously read much about them, so just picked up what I liked the look of, and being on a 3for2 offer, these three products cost me less than £6 all together.

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss in 06 Soft Nude // I don't own many glosses as I'm much of of a lipstick addict, but seeing the 'matte effect' sticker on a few shades, I really wanted to pick one up. I went for NAME, a dark pinky nude which I really like. The formula is quite nice, and the colour pay-off is good, with a matt finish as it promises. The only thing I'm not too keen on it the applicator's odd, long shape, and the staying power isn't great. But for less than £3, I like it as a subtle, moisturising lip colour.

Essence Kajal Pencil Liner in 15 Behind The Scenes // I've been on the hunt for a grey/taupe pencil for quite a while so decided to try an Essence one, which I believe was only about £1.I really like this on the outer-lower lash-line and the pigmentation is really nice.

Essence 3D Eyeshadow in 09 Irresistible Chocolate  // finally, I really liked the look of the dual eyeshadows they had on offer, so I picked one up in Irresistible Chocolat. The pigmentation is really nice and the two shades give a really nice smokey look to the eyes when used together. Yet, I think it'd be better if one of the shades was matte, as both are quite shimmery and they can look quite full-on.

Overall I'm impressed with what I've tried from Essence Cosmetics!

What have you tried from the brand? Any recommendations?

get your freak on

Two of the girls in my year are going abroad for sixth form, so naturally they threw a farewell party, with the theme 'get your freak on'. Of course, I took this as a perfect opportunity to do a crazy makeup look, and had way too much fun with it. The photos above are from a practise I did about a week before...I told you I got abit carried away, but prep was crutial ok! I followed a Pixiwoo tutorial (below) and was pretty happy with the result.

This is look from the actual night...yes the blue lips happened courtesy of an MUA Eyeliner I picked up that day, and I had abit too much fun with hair chalk too. 

Watch the tutorial by the insanely talented Sam Chapman here ^^

I had so much fun with this look, what do you think of it?

july favourites

I know this is late, but forgive me, life has been busy and my laptop has decided to give up on me (sad face). But today I bring you the products I've been loving throughout the month of July!

e.l.f. eyelid primer | I think it's pretty safe to say I really love everything from my e.l.f. haul, but the eyelid primer I've been using everyday. Either as a base for shadow or just pressed powder alone to tame my oily eyelids in the humid summer weather. This works a treat and is only £1.95 or something ridiculously inexpensive...definite recommend! read my e.l.f. haul here if you haven't already!

mac all fired up | I bought this mid-july at dutyfree on my way to Turkey and I think it's love. The colour is so beautiful and bright and perfect for summer! Haul post coming this week!

scandaleyes micro precision liner | You'll always see me wearing black liner on my upper-lashline and I've been loving this one this month as it's waterproof. Compared to others, this stays put in the hot weather and the small nib makes application easy!

tinted moisturiser/light bases | sensing a theme here? Makeup to bear the humid weather, and tinted moisturisers have been a must for me lately. Especially as I've got quite a tan on my face light bases let my natural glow shine through while giving me abit of coverage. I've recently been using the Lancome Renergie Eclat Tinted Makeup which I really like!

benefit high beam | High Beam is the perfect cream highlight and I find it perfect for the summer months when you want a glow that will stay put and look natural. This is a sample size, and I'll be buying the full size when this runs out!

So those are the products I've been loving in July! 

What are your favourites this month?

making it work | an unloved lipstick

Quite a while ago, I picked up this Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in the shade 180 Vintage Pink. I'd wanted to try this range for so long, and was so excited to buy this. Only when I got home and tried it on I realised the shade did not suit me. Gutted. I gave it a few more goes but it just wasn't working and so it lived in a Muji drawer for a few months un-touched.

After discovering the world of combining lip-colours to make your own (post here on Hooked On Beauty! shameless plug) I brought out Vintage Pink and decided to experiment.

individual swatches// vintage pink above, rebel below

I chose to mix it with a dark purply/pink shade which I adore on it's own anyway, Mac's satin lipstick in Rebel. The end product is a flower-orchid, glossy purple which I never thought would suit me, but I actually really love it and think it's a shade which can be worn all year round!

What do you think? Any lip combos you've discovered?

the restock | essentials

You know when your luck when you run out of your basic beauty bits, all at the same time? yep, that happened to me last week and as I didn't buy the exact same products to replace my old ones, I thought I'd tell you what I picked up...

the liner pen | I'm one of those people who can't go without eyeliner, whether that's a sharp liquid line on the upper-lashline, or a khol pencil smudged to look subtle and smokey.I had been using the Rimmel Scandaleyes Micro Precise Liner before which had a tiny nib, and I took quite a long time to build up a line I was happy with. So I chose the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner pen in black because the swatch I made on my hand seemed pretty decent and long-lasting, plus the nib was longer. 

the powder | I have been pretty loyal to the cult Rimmel Stay Matte powder over the past few months, but as I drastically hit pan on my last one, (and kinda because Maybelline had a 'buy one get one half price' offer on in Boots at the time...) I restocked with the Matte Maker, which I believe is a relatively new release. I did want a translucent powder, but I couldn't find one on the counter so went for 20 Nude Beige. I actually really like the finish of this and found it does the same job as Rimmel Stay Matte.

the concealer | Of the three, this concealer isn't a change from before. The Collection Lasting Perfection concealer is all kinds of great for blemishes and dark-circles with a thick but blendable consistency. I managed to take a photo before all the words scraped off the packaging...it's one flaw. I got this in Warm Medium and I can see myself repurchasing again and again...

I'd love to know what your beauty essentials are!