Favourite Red Lipsticks

This post was suggested to me by Cat who blogs over at My Lip Addiction. As you can probably guess from the name of her blog lip products are her weakness, a woman after my own heart! I don’t know what it is about lipstick but for me it completes a makeup look. Different colours represent moods and how you’re feeling on a certain day and I love that.

Red lipstick makes me feel confident and bold and shows a fun, playful side of my personality. Up until three years ago I steered clear of red lipstick, not because I didn’t like it but I hadn’t tried it before and thought it would clash with my red hair – it totally doesn’t! Now a few years on I wouldn’t be without red lipstick, it is a timeless classic and every lady needs at least one in her makeup bag.

Christmas is coming up and if you want some red lip inspiration, look no further!

#1. Rimmel 107 – I purchased this beauty in March 2015 and it is one of my favourites from my entire lipstick collection! It is the perfect berry lipstick with hints of plum, cranberry and wine. The formula is matte but it’s not as drying as other matte lipsticks I’ve tried. Normally I apply Dainty Doll’s Wonderbalm before applying this and it keeps my lips from drying out. The pigmentation is superb and the colour applies beautifully and evenly. If you’re a Zoella fan, this is also one of her faves!

#2. MAC Ruby Woo – If I could only recommend one red lipstick to you it would be Ruby Woo. The hype and love for this shade is real because it is pretty much the perfect red. This red has been made to make teeth look whiter and once this shade is on the lips it gives them a velvety look. Out of the four lipsticks in this post it has the most drying formula but it’s nothing a lip balm underneath doesn’t fix. The colour lasts all day and the lip balm helps keep the lipstick in place and prolong wear time.

#3. Bourjois – Frambourjoise – This shade is more of a raspberry red and has pink undertones but it is still an absolutely gorgeous colour! I was intrigued by the formula and inspired to try these by Anna from The Anna Edit on YouTube – (previously Vivanna Does Makeup). The formula is a mousse-type texture and it doesn’t dry matte straight away so you’ve got time to apply multiple coats if you need and make sure application is even. I’m a perfectionist and like to make sure there is the same amount of product and colour on each lip. I like the small applicator as well, it allows for precision and gets right in to the corners of your mouth.

#4. Smashbox – Bawse – I won Bawse in a giveaway hosted by Nerdy Librarian Girl in 2016 and it is a very bold, ‘don’t mess with me‘ red. Bawse is a collaboration between Smashbox and Canadian YouTuber Lilly Singh and I flippin’ love it! The packaging is simple but nice and the doe foot applicator is easy to use. It is bigger than Frambourjoise’s applicator and isn’t as precise but one coat of Bawse is enough, there is no need to touch up certain areas. I would say the formula is drier than Frambourjoise’s as well but both dry down to very comfortable, wearable mattes which last throughout the day.

Lipsticks In Action:

Left To Right, Top To Bottom: Rimmel 107, Ruby Woo, Frambourjoise and Bawse.

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What’s your favourite red lipstick?

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Lilly Singh x Smashbox Bawse Liquid Lipstick

In July I was selected as the winner of Nerdy Librarian Girl’s giveaway and I won a Liquid Lipstick by Smashbox in the shade Bawse. Bawse arrived all the way from Canada last week and it really was love at first sight! Today, I will be talking all about this shade and giving a mini first impressions/review. Let’s get straight into it!

About the product

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipsticks are designed to be long wearing and water resistant so they stay put and look as fresh as they did upon first application. The liquid matte formula is infused with lip-smoothing Primer Oil for suede soft lip colour. Smashbox teamed up with YouTube megastar Lilly Singh to create her own special shade; Bawse. This no-rules red is fierce, featherweight and should be worn whenever you want to make things happen!

Packaging

The packaging of Bawse is pretty unique as it comes in two boxes. The first houses the lipstick and the second is more like a cover that houses the box and lipstick. The packaging is very neat and sleek. The shade name is printed on one side and Lilly Singh’s signature and the Smashbox logo on the other.

The actual product itself also looks nice and sleek. I like the matte black lid and that you can see which colour you get straight away. I find the cardboard housings more interesting than the packaging of the actual product though. It’s quite simple and maybe Smashbox could have done something special for this shade; given it a red lid or put Lilly’s signature on the lid.

Formula + Application

Bawse is the third liquid lipstick product I’ve tried and the formula applies super smooth and glides over the lips. The pigmentation of this shade is incredible and one swipe over each lip is all you need, you don’t need to dip the applicator back in to get more product. The formula does feel very soft and suede-like as it claims but I don’t quite agree with the 8 hour claim. Yes, you will probably still have product on your lips but it won’t be perfect and look as fresh as it did, unless you don’t eat or drink, which is hard to avoid. I noticed around the 4-5 hour mark the product started to flake on the inner corners of my mouth and feel a bit uncomfortable. I’m sure it’s nothing blotting wouldn’t fix though.

As for the applicator, Smashbox have got it spot on! To put it into perspective, the Smashbox applicator is larger than those of NYX’s Soft Matte Lip Creams and Bourjois’ Rouge Edition Velvets but it is made to fit the shape of your lips. The applicator is tapered at the top to allow you to really get into the corners of your mouth.

Colour

Bawse is definitely a fierce red that pulls no punches. If you like bright, bold shades you will fall in love this one! When I entered the giveaway I thought, “Do I need more red lipsticks?” but the truth is red lipstick is a classic and Bawse is unlike my other reds as it is slightly deeper.

Pros

+ Formula dries down quickly on the lips.

+ Extremely pigmented.

+ Applies easily without any mess.

Cons

– Doesn’t last ‘perfectly’ for 8 hours as claimed.

– Tube packaging is a little uninspiring.

Overall Verdict

If you’re a fan of Lilly Singh, liquid lipsticks or red in general I would encourage you to give this shade a go. I presume it won’t be around forever so get your hands on it while you have the chance! The colour and the formula of this product definitely make up for the slight drying feeling. That factor is not going to deter me from wearing Bawse as it is such a beautiful shade and this is one of those products that makes you feel good (like a boss) when you wear it!

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Are you a fan of Lilly Singh? Have you tried Bawse or any other of Smashbox’s Liquid Lipstick shades?

13 Fascinating Redhead Facts

Being a redhead – and a proud one at that – I know how rare we are but I didn’t realise all of these amazing things that come with it!

I came across this article recently on Cosmopolitan.co.uk and wanted to share the facts with you too. A huge credit to Cosmopolitan for the following information:

1. Red hair is a beautiful genetic mutation
Both parents must be carriers of the mutated MC1R gene to be able to produce redhead offspring, of which there is a 25% chance if they don’t have red hair themselves.

2. Less than 2% of the world’s population have red hair
That’s approximately 140 million people. Scotland boasts the highest percentage of natural redheads, with 13% (40% might carry the gene there) while Ireland comes in second with 10%.

3. Red hair can occur in any ethnicity
It occurs more frequently (2-6%) in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations.

4. Lucky redhead women have more sex
That’s according to a study by a German sex researcher who found that women with red hair had sex more often. A similar English study found that redhead gals had sex an average of three times a week, while our blonde and brunette counterparts have it twice a week. Shame the fellas weren’t questioned, too.

5. It’s a ballache to dye red hair
Because it holds its pigment tighter than any other hair colour, red strands need to have their pigment stripped before being dyed by bleaching which, of course, damages the hair. Stay red!

6. Red hair is thicker than other colours
Each strand of red hair is generally thicker than other shades which compensates for the fact that redheads have less hair. Apparently they have – on average – 90,000 strands while blondes have 110,000, and brunettes have 140,000.

7. Redheads don’t go grey
Red hair will never turn grey; it simply fades to white via rose gold when the time comes.

8. Blue eyed redheads are super rare
Blue eyes and red hair forms the rarest combo on earth. Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, followed by hazel or green shades.

9. Redheads can change temperature quicker
This is because – according to research – redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold pain. Nothing to do with their mythical fiery temperament!

10. Redheads are more likely to develop skin cancer
Because of their commonly fair skin and sensitivity to ultraviolet light, redheads are more likely to develop skin cancer. The International Journal of Cancer reported in 2010 that natural redheads are approximately two and a half times as likely to develop the dangerous cancer as people with other hair hues.

11. Redheads can produce their own Vitamin D
As they can’t sufficiently absorb Vitamin D (it’s down to their lower melanin-concentration), redheads internally produce their own Vitamin D when they’re exposed to low light conditions. Woah!

12. People with red hair are more likely to be left-handed
Recessive traits often happen in pairs so commonly people with the gene for red hair also possess the trait for left-handedness.

13. Climate change is threatening the gene
Given that red hair doesn’t adapt to warm climes, the gene could – at some point – become extinct. A scientist told ScotlandNow: “I think the regressive gene is slowly dying out… Climate change could see a decline in the number of people with red hair in Scotland.” Noooooo!

Hope you enjoyed this post and learnt something new. Again, credit to Cosmopolitan for the information. Thanks for reading! 🙂

Chanelle x