LITTLE LIP WONDER- CLINIQUE SUPERBALM LIP TREATMENT

I have been flying a little more this month, visiting family and as a result, I was left with very dry, sore and flaky lips, hardly a look you want your family to remember on you when they haven't seen you in 6 months! It got so bad that nothing really helped and soothed them, they got so tight my bottom lip even bled a little ouch! I was flying back to London and wondering around in Duty Free to find something that can help me before I go on the plane and the recycled air makes it even worse.

There are not that many options available as everything was more cosmetics than lip care. I stumbled onto the Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment and decided to give it a go. I lathered a huge amount of this onto my lips, trying to seek some comfort and to soothe the irritation and kept topping up as much as I could throughout the flight.

In the plane I decided to detract myself from the whole thing by watching 12 Years a Slave, great movie BTW! After finishing my movie in tears of joy after the final reunion scene, I noticed that some skin on my lips was flaking off, my lips started to peel even more, at first I got scared, thinking maybe too many layers are starting to peel off, and it will leave me with even more irritated lips underneath.

There was nothing I could do at this point than to take a tissue and literally wipe the layers of the balm away (and as I later found out, wiping all my dead dry skin away too!). Here comes the miracle---> once I wiped everything off, I realised I was left with THE SOFTEST BABY LIPS EVER! OMG!!! They were no longer red and irritated, they didn't hurt or felt sore/dry, they literally were brand new! I was absolutely speechless! I did not know a lip product can make you shred skin. Nothing in the packaging said that it would do this, I only expected them to be hydrated. Truly this was a 2 hours miracle! I could put on a super nude lipstick if I wanted to and my lips would have looked great!

Everyone should own this product, whether you have dry lips, irritated lips, sore lips or you are just in need of something that actually works! If you have an event coming up and you only have a couple of hours to fix your lips before slapping on that sexy red lip- no more problems!

I have already recommended this to my sister and my mum and will continue to spread the love!

About the product - I love that it is in a squeezable tube, making it very hygienic when out and about -tube, bus, plane, you name it! It comes out looking like a thick transparent gel which looks like a transparent gloss when it's on the lips (will look very glossy if you put a lot on like I did). It is quite sticky in consistency, but for the miracles it did to my lips, I will forgive this.

It is not a large tube and retails for £13 here. After the results I had with this I would buy it even if it was tripe the price, but I can see why some people would said it's too small of a tube for that price, maybe these people never tried it?!

All I know is that I will always own one (or more) or these little beauties. Especially after the allergic reaction I had to the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream (read about it here), it took me over 2 weeks to get my lips back while using Nuxe's Reve de Miel every hour, if only I knew about this product earlier!

What are your favourite lip balms/lip treatments?
Have you tried this one, if yes, what did you think?

Love, London Girl  xxx

PERFECT NUDE LIP- BARDOT STYLE

I know summer is around the corner, and this means that everyone is ready to pull out their brightest lipsticks, and I completely agree with this, however, there is nothing sexier than bed head, big black eyeliner flicks and a plump nude lip any time, any day...right? :) It is a classic look which suits most people and looks great all year round.

So on days you don't feel like wearing bright lips, you can still rock a sexy, sultry nude lip and vamp up the eyes a bit more. Here are my favourite picks for that perfect Bardot lip.

It's difficult to find a nude lip which doesn't wash you out, or look too pink, too brown, too concealery... It took me a long time to find the perfect shade for me. I know not all these products won't work for everyone so do go swatch them in store before buying, I added options for lighter/darker complexions. 

Lets start with liner, if I want my lip to last the longest, I would usually line my lips and colour in with the liner to create a perfect base and then go on with my nude lipstick on top. My favourite lip liner is No 7's Precision Lips Pencil in the colour Nude. If I want a low key nude lip, I sometimes just wear it alone, it makes my look more put together. Do swatch it in a store because it could look a little brown on lighter complexions. No7 also has a darker nude shade for darker complexions called Caramel.

Continuing with the low-maintenance route, Clinique's Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Heaping Hazelnut gives a great on-the-go nude lip, enough shine that I won't make your lips look dry or chapped, and perfect colour pay off, not too concealer-like, blends into the lips beautifully. I love to pop this into my bag as it gives me colour, shine and keeps the lips moisturised when i'm out and about. It's sheer enough to be applied without a mirror, but it's pigmented enough for you to feel you only need one coat. I wouldn't say it's the most long-lasting lipstick you can find, but since it's an all-in-one (lip gloss, lipstick and lip balm), I don't mind reapplying it throughout the day.

Onto my heavier, more serious nude territory is Tom Ford's lipstick in Blush Nude. It should get an award for it's packaging alone! It's definitely the right amount of pink/beige, it simply hits the spot for me. It's more long lasting than the Chubby Stick. I love to wear it in the evening, apply one coat, blot, and the apply another coat and it will last a very long time. It's moisturising enough that it doesn't make my lips appear dry (which happens a lot with other nude lipsticks).

Tom Ford's collection also includes a Nude Vanille shade, which is very similar, but lighter and with less pink it in, it personally washed me out, but I think it could be a perfect alternative for lighter completions. Tom Ford also added another, more "browny nude" shade called Sable Smoke which could be perfect for darker complexions.

Tom Ford's Blush Nude lipstick swatched

Finally, if you want to go for an all-out Bardot look, a sexy lipgloss would be in order, my favourite is the Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in the colour Child (exclusive/limited colour). Enriched with Vitamin E to keep your lips hydrated and glossy, it works perfectly with any nude lipstick underneath, or on it's own for a more subtle nude lip to compliment smokey eyes.

What are your favourite nude lip products? Have you tried any of these?

Love, London Girl  xxx

REVLON'S COLORBURST LIP BUTTERS

Revlon brought out a cute new range of very pigmented yet very wearable lip butters. I spent half an hour deciding which shades I want to get out of a whopping 21! I ended up going for Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple, Berry Smoothie and Raspberry Pie. I thought in the lines of 'one coral, one red, one pink and one deep pink'..

They come in a cute packaging and are very moisturising, something of a hybrid between a lip balm and a lipstick, they have the pigmentation of a lipstick but the moisturising properties of a lip balm. Another great thing about them is that you don't have to wear the shade full on, when they are initially applied, a thin layer gives you a natural hint of colour without the drama, so perfect for a classy day look, but if you realise you have plans in the evening too, you can just add a thicker layer on and you have a good burst of colour. This makes me always carry at least one in my bag so I can quickly go from day to night, perfect!

015 Tutti Frutti: An orangey coral shade, I love to wear this one sheer during the day, it looks fresh and I'm sure I will love it in the summer too! Great all-rounder coral and it is much easier to wear than more opaque orange lipsticks. 

swatched

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035 Candy Apple: A cute tomato red, not orange, very wearable, I love to wear it as a statement lipstick with a simple eye look. 

swatched on the left

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050 Berry Smoothie: very natural 'your lips but better' colour, super wearable pink shade, the one I just can't let go of, wear it everyday. It looks much darker in the photo than it really is, the swatch shows the real colour you get. 

 swatched on the left

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010 Raspberry Pie: Darkest colour of the four, although you can wear it sheer, it is a beautiful statement dark pink, reminds me a little of a beetroot pink, very wearable too and stays on a long time.

All 4 shades from left to right:  Raspberry Pie, Berry Smoothie, Candy Apple and  Tutti Frutti.

Have you tried any other colours? I have my eyes on Juicy Papaya!

UK readers you can get them 3 for 2 here.

Love, London Girl  xxx