Velvetines from Limecrime

Sometimes we can’t help but get really excited over beauty products. Yes, we know it’s only a lipstick and not a cure for world poverty, but we’ve seen and heard such great things about Velvetines from Lime Crime, that we almost squealed when our parcel arrived from across the pond! You can read our article from when they launched back in November, to see why we were so keen to get our mitts on them. Lets be honest though, seeing the picture above, who wouldn’t want a matt lipstick that finishes to perfection?

It’s all very well looking at pictures, but we all know how kind modern technology can be. We know that the only real test is to try it for ourselves and see if it lives up to all the hype! 

Firstly, we love the Lime Crime brand, their packaging and branding is spot on and really appeals to our sense of fun. We love the lux purples and reds that often feature and the almost magical theme, which is what we think makeup should often be about! 

When you’ve been really looking forward to trying something, you also know how disappointing it will be if it doesn’t live up to your expectations, so it was almost with some trepidation that we opened the box (drama queens, us? never!). The lipstick itself comes in liquid form so the bottle and applicator are the same as a traditional lip gloss. 

The colour, Red Velvet is gorgeous. It’s a really bright red with some blue tones, which would suit most complexions. The consistency is of a thin paint, it’s not sticky or gloopy in any way like gloss, you literally feel like you’re painting it onto your lips. Once its on, it takes a second or two to dry to the matt/velvet finish and it is absolutely stunning! The formula feels so lightweight you don’t even notice you’re wearing anything. Unlike other lip stains or matt finishes, you don’t feel like all the moisture is being sucked from your lips, you could just forget you are wearing it. The colour dries slightly darker than it appears when wet but only by a shade so it still stays really vibrant. We didn’t use a liner and were pleased to see that we don’t need to as it didn’t bleed or feather at all. 

We decided to put it to the test and see how it lasted when it was faced with eating, drinking, licking of the lips and all those other lipstick pitfalls. We’re pleased and slightly amazed to say that it passed the test with flying colours. It was still perfectly in place after dinner, drinks and lots of talking. Which is great as patchy red lips are a real no no! 

It was easily removed with a cotton pad and our usual makeup remover so there was no trace of it by bedtime. Our one tip would be to ensure you have super smooth lips before applying, as the matt formula will highlight every tiny bit of dry skin if you haven’t buffed it away beforehand. 

This is without a doubt our newest favourite lipstick, and we are going to be wearing it at every party from now until summer! We just hope that Lime Crime work on releasing some more shades in the meantime! 

You Velvetines can buy from the Lime Crime site for $16.99 (just over £10) but there is international delivery to pay for too, which means the total comes to around £17. Well worth it in our opinion though!

#WeWant Velvet Lips!

Oh my goodness! We have fallen madly, deeply in love with the new Velvetine liquid lipsticks from our friends across the pond at Lime Crime.

With all things matt and velvet the height of fashion at the moment, we’ve been trying to get the look, but the “velvet” lipsticks from Chanel and Burberry, just don’t quite give that full-on effect.

These lipsticks come in a pot like a gloss, but dry to a lipstick finish that is completely matt. It was released in the US on 23^rd November, but luckily Lime Crime deliver to the UK, so we’re about to get on and order ours. We think these will fly off the shelves!

Take a look at the Lime Crime website for some more inspiration.

#BeautyAtoZ C is for…………….Chubby Sticks!

We can’t get enough of Clinique’s Chubby Sticks here at thebeautyobsession!

We love that they’re more moisturising than lipstick and feel light and hydrating, but also give a much stronger colour than traditional tinted lipbalms. They last well before you have to reapply and you don’t have to worry about dry, chapped lips, which is especially good in this weather! The shape, like a chunky crayon, makes them really easy to apply, and the sticks themselves last for ages before they need replacing.

We normally have a few on the go in each handbag, and because Clinique have 16 shades, there is always one to suit our mood. Whether it’s fun and minimal, daytime professional, or an evening out, we have a Chubby Stick for every ocassion!

Our favourite shade at the moment are; Pudgy Peony, Chunky Cherry, Whoppin’ Watermelon and Super Strawberry.

We’re also very, very excited about the launch of Chubby Stick Intense, which are supposed to offer the same moisturising benefits which a more intense colour. They’re available online already and have launched instore in Selfridges. It won’t be very long before they hit your local Clinique counter either.

If you love Chubby Sticks as much as we do, you might want to invest in this amazing Limited Edition Chubby Stick Collection Box, which contains the original 8 chubby shades. £65.

Or if you’re looking for gift ideas, we think the Chubby Stick Limited Edition Whole Lotta Colour gift set would be well recieved! It contains 5 smaller sized sticks. £30

Which is your favourite Chubby Stick shade?

Lipsticks for £1….too good to be true, or a true find?

Here at thebeautyobsession, our love of luxury and premium makeup pretty much knows no bounds! However, if there’s a good quality bargain to be had, you can guarantee we’ll be there!

We’ve been noticing more and more inexpensive makeup brands popping up on the High Street over the last 12 – 18 months, and although initially put off by memories of poor quality, icky, sticky cheap makeup of yesteryear, we decided to bite the bullet and purchase from some of them.

MUA (MakeUp Academy) are one such brand that has been catching our eye. MUA began by selling products that all retailed at £1, but more recently with the launch of MUA Professional, prices range from £1 – £4, with their aim apparently to provide good quality products without the guilt. So far so good…

As MUA can currently only be purchased from Superdrug or the MUA website, and thebeautyobsession’s local Superdrug only have a very small selection, we decided to indulge in some “guilt free” online shopping. Firstly, and rather importantly, the site was really easy to use. Secondly, and just as importantly, the postage was very quick. Two working days after we ordered, our bag of MUA goodies was waiting for us on the mat!

We bought quite a few bits, including a brow kit, a liquid eyeliner, an eye-shadow palette and three lipsticks from their £1 range. We also received a free gift as we spent over £10, which was a Halloween orange eye liner, a smoky eye shadow trio and a rather nice nail polish.

Today we’re going to concentrate on the three lipsticks we bought. We picked up an orange red (shade 13), a warm pink (shade 3) and a light pink (shade 4). Considering they were only £1 each, the packaging is still quite pleasing – they don’t look ‘cheap’ and the colour guide at the bottom of each stick is a great idea.

We were quite pleased with how they swatched, as you can see shades 3 and 13 have great pigmentation and the result is really bright, bold colours. The tones are spot on as well, I’d say shade 13 has more orange undertones to the red but that will mean it suits more skin tones than a traditional blue-based red. Shade 3 is a really warm dusky pink which would also complement most skin tones. The only disappointment was Shade 4, although you can just about see it on the below swatch, the colour is so light it barely shows on the lips. Obviously it is intended to be a very pale shade, but we’ve tried tinted lipbalms that give off more colour!

Shades 3 and 13 apply very well, with a medium heavy texture. They have quite a creamy feel, and whilst they don’t compare to more high end brands in the moisturising stakes, they’re not drying at all. Both shades lasted 3/4 hours without having to reapply, and that included eating lunch and drinking a few glasses of water! As we’ve already said, shade 4 is a much lighter coverage and texture and it feels more moisturising when applied. However, within an hour what little colour there was had gone and you’d need to reapply.

Overall we think these are a brilliant find for £1, and although we’ll probably stick to the richer colours, we can’t wait to explore more of the MUA range!

Have you tried any of the MUA lipsticks? What did you think?

MUA can be bought from Superdrug stores or directly from the MUA site here.

Thank’s for reading.

tbo

x x x