NARS Carthage, Manhunt, Niagara

There's something so incredibly sophisticated and alluring about NARS which means I can't stop buying bits from them here and there. Most people find the matte, black, dust-magnet packaging annoying but it's beautiful to me. A few months back I decided to branch into sheer lipsticks. I started with Manhunt - I bought it as a present for myself, but I don't remember why. I never need much of an excuse to treat myself! Then at the start of February I added Niagara to my collection.

From top to bottom: Manhunt 1 swipe, 4 swipes. Niagara 1 swipe, 4 swipes. Carthage, 1 swipe, 4 swipes.

Manhunt is described as a "sheer poppy red". Swatched above at maximum opacity. It looks much redder in the tube than it does on the lips, and, truth be told, I still haven't made up my mind about it. I bought it with the intention of using it when I'm doing a more bold eye look - that is, anything other than mascara on my eyes - to cover up the odd blue tinge my top lip gets when the temperature drops below about 5 degrees. This needs reapplying after a meal but lasts through a drink.

Niagara (swatched above at maximum opacity) is a Satin, not a Sheer, but if you're used to mattes and bold shades, they are one and the same. It's described perfectly as a "pink based coral". It can come up a little more orange on me in certain lights, and again, I haven't decided whether it suits me or not, but one thing's for sure - it looks much better now that I've bleached my hair than it did with my original mousy brown. I usually apply multiple layers and it lasts 4-5 hours.

Less than 24 hours after I bleached my hair, Into The Gloss published an article about bleached hair tips. I took to the comments section to announce my dye job and attached a photo, but noted that I wasn't sure whether my lipstick collection would still suit me. The lovely Lacey, who wrote the article, replied that she reckoned I'd suit a matte orange-red (hooray for Illamasqua Liable) or a glossy mid-pink (I'm looking at you, Bite Beauty Garnet - review to come). Spurred on by the recommendations, I purchased Carthage Pure Matte - as a bright, cool pink it doesn't fit either of her suggestions, but I'd wanted it for ages and never thought I could pull it off. With my new blonde, I thought it would give me a bit of an ironic Barbie vibe, because that's totally a thing. With MAC Prep + Prime Lip, Carthage lasts around 7 hours / through a couple of drinks / a frozen yoghurt - whichever your chosen unit of time happens to be. I just couldn't get Carthage to photo well on my lips, but my arm swatch was pretty spot on.

NARS lipsticks, lip pencils and lip glosses range from £17 to £18.50, though a price rise will come with the new gloss formula. I'm sort of paralysed by my indecisiveness - I've narrowed my next one down to Schiap, Heat Wave, Afghan Red, Rouge Basque, Shanghai Express, Timanfaya, Rikugien, Majella, Walkyrie or Bahama. So what I'm saying is, I haven't narrowed it down at all.

What are your favourite NARS lip offerings?

NARS Velvet Matte Pencil in Dragon Girl

Because one more swatch of Dragon Girl on the Internet can't hurt, right?

My first ever lip product. I've lost count of the amount of people who've called this the perfect red (I don't agree, but I still think it's great.)

I used to find it kind of drying, but then I realised that it was okay to wear lip balm under lip colours. It wears off the inside of the lip a lot more quickly than the outer edge, to the extent that if I was wearing this, I would have to take it with me wherever I go, but other people report it being very long-wearing, so I guess it varies. I've not worn it in ages so I haven't tried it with MAC Prep + Prime.

Worn with Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara and YSL Touche Eclat. I don't know if Touche Eclat makes a difference at all, I'm still playing around with it and seeing what I can do.

Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #400

Another scheduled post, still on holiday :)

#400, £25, is in total contrast to my last red lip, Guerlain Genna. While that was a slippy, creamy, orange-toned lipstick, this is a satin-matte, practically permanent, deep, slightly blue based red. But just because it's totally different, doesn't mean I don't adore it.

This is high-impact colour. It's not in the slightest bit sheer, it's practically Dulux paint. The formula is velvety, but if you want to push the wear-time to the 8 or 9 hour mark without completely drying out your lips, I'd use a little bit of balm underneath. This will still stick like glue.

It transfers on to cups etc., but the transfer isn't evident on the lips at all. After literally 7 hours, inner lip fading may be evident and the finish may be slightly more matte than velvet-satin, but it's still very much there.

This is almost definitely a winter colour. It makes me look pale, but doesn't wash me out or anything.

An oil-based make up remover is an absolute must, followed by an immediate lip balm or moisturiser application. If I'm not careful it can take my lips a day or two to recover. But in my opinion, that's a given, and also a fair trade-off, for a lipstick this matte and long-wearing.

Another highly recommended red.

Guerlain Rouge G 28 Genna

This is a scheduled post as I'm on holiday.

I bought Genna, £31, last Thursday because I can't help but make a purchase every time I'm alone in John Lewis make up department. I decided I wanted to try on a couple of more orange reds to see how orange I could go, and this was the one I settled on.

Oh my goodness, this is luxury. I've bought Guerlain Meteorites before, but never had a lip product from them. I've read a lot about Guerlain lipstick packaging, but just in case you haven't -

It's a super chunky shiny case with plenty of weight to it.

Pull the cap off to reveal a pop up mirror. So in love.

Oh yeah.

L'application. I took a few photos of me applying, but they're all a bit silly.

It's so shiny and silky. I realised that all of my reds are either mattes or liquids/stains, this is the first creme finish red lipstick I've ever bought. And I love it. It feels like I'm not wearing anything on my lips, and the finish is so stunning and not at all aging like I thought it would be (no reasoning behind that thought at all).

I applied directly from the bullet because it feels nice, but when I bought it the assistant used a brush. She also recommended using a lip liner due to the slip of the lipstick.

It's warm and slightly orange, but not so orange it makes my teeth look bad.

Enough photos?

Sheer application also looks good. It doesn't stain, which is a positive, because sometimes you just want a lipstick to come fully off at the end of the day (but not before then, this lipstick has good wear.)

Illamasqua Lipstick in Liable & MAC Prep + Prime Lip

I was sitting in the garden catching up on reading beauty blogs when it dawned on me that I should do a lip swatch and review while the sun was out.

Wearing large sunglasses because my eyebrows are a state and I have a spot on my cheek. Also please ignore my hair, I promise it's cleaner than it looks.

I bought Liable along with their nail varnish in Raindrops (a cult 'must-have') when Illamasqua had a 50% off sale to celebrate hitting 50,000 followers on Twitter. The lipstick is normally £16.50, so I paid £8.25 for it. Not a bad price at all for a mid-to-high-end brand. It's a matte orange-based red.

At first I tried a hand swatch and the colour pay off was pretty bad due to the extremely dry formula, and it even felt a little grainy. At that point I wondered what on earth it would do to my poor lips, but when I applied it (straight from the tube as I am not convinced that using a brush would get good colour payoff) to my lips, the colour showed up very well. It didn't feel as drying as the texture would have led me to believe, but was certainly not the most comfortable lipstick I've worn. It also emphasises dry skin and flakiness so be sure to exfoliate before application. There was a little transfer of colour onto a coffee cup but that didn't show up on the lips. After a few hours it faded on the inside of my lips so I removed it, and it stained my lips slightly. 

This time I tried it with a primer underneath.

So fierce.

I recently bought MAC Prep + Prime Lip after reading a couple of positive reviews on MakeupAlley. It feels absolutely lovely on the lips, the texture reminds me a little of Benefit's Dr. Feelgood balm (does anyone actually use that any more? Let me know) and, like all MAC lipsticks, smells of vanilla, but was undetectable once it was applied. It's white in the tube, and if you look closely it does make the lips a tiny bit paler, but doesn't alter the lipstick colour at all. I consulted a MAC employee who said to apply it, wait a few seconds, blot, then apply lipstick.

Liable is definitely more comfortable to wear while my lips are closed, but still feels slightly drying when I smile. The inner edges of my lips are faded after tea and toast. I don't feel its made a huge difference but it's certainly not made things any worse so I shall continue to use it and give a final verdict when/if I finish the tube. It was £12 which is not, in my opinion, too expensive for a lip primer.

The rest of my red lip collection

L-R: Benefit Benetint (does that count?) Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic, Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro in 400, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple, Illamasqua Liable, NARS Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, MAC Viva Glam I.

If I had to rate them, they would go like this:

1) YSL Glossy Stain #9

2) MAC Viva Glam I

3) Joint: Lip Maestro 400 + Illamasqua Liable

4) NARS Dragon Girl

5) Revlon Candy Apple

6) Revlon Romantic

7) Benetint

I'll be swatching and reviewing MAC Viva Glam I, Lip Maestro 400 and Liable soon! I'll swatch Dragon Girl if I can find my pencil sharpener.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in #9 Rouge Laque

I thought it would be sensible to start off with my long-term favourite lip colour, YSL Glossy Stain in Rouge Laque. I get compliments virtually every time I wear this. It's bright, warm toned and impossibly glossy. The shine lasts for a couple of hours on me and holds up relatively well through drinking and snacking, less so through a meal. The stain it leaves behind is opaque, though my lips are fairly pigmented so it may well vary from person to person.

First I must say that I'm using my webcam for photos and my University bedroom, which is about 6' by 9', has appalling lighting. Hopefully I'll remember to send off my phone insurance form to get a replacement iPhone 4 as my temporary iPhone 3G simply cannot take a colour-accurate or focused photograph. I am going home on Wednesday so may update with improved photos.

This is me with only Vaseline on my lips.

This is one coat of the Glossy Stain. Lots of previous bloggers and reviewers have said that one coat can be used for a more subtle and less opaque colour. I find that one coat is definitely not subtle, and slightly patchy.  I have only tested this colour and suspect that for less vibrant shades such as #15 Rose Vinyl, which I love but do not suit, one coat would have a better effect.

This is two generous coats. Boom! Even with these poor-quality shots it is clear how glossy and enormous my lips look.

Though I'm sure you're aware of what the tube looks like, here is a photo. I am a sucker for YSL packaging and I love that there is a window on it for easy reference (if you're lucky enough to have more than one shade this is a great feature.)

And the applicator. A huge flat doe foot. This is one of my favourite applicator styles as it makes application so quick. Definitely stick to this applicator instead of using a lip brush.

This baby cost me £22.50 but some shades will cost £23.50. Not sure what the idea is behind the price discrepancy. You can buy them at all the usual places, and on YSL's UK website you can purchase Vintage shades. I have my eye on a couple but am hesitant about purchasing blind, especially when I know that none can beat this shade for me.

On my face: YSL Glossy Stain #9, Rouge Bunny Rouge Blush Wand in Titian, Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara.

*Just in case you're wondering, those aren't affiliate links!