The Fab Five - Red Lips

I've been really into lip products for the longest time and there's nothing more classic than a nice red lip. There's that many options available these days that it can get a little over whelming, so I've rounded up a list of my top red-lip-picks for you in the hopes it makes the search a little easier.

1. I would probably say my go-to red lip for an evening out would be the the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade "Dragon Girl". I've loved the Velvet Matte range from Nars for a while now and I've had a few different reds from the line that I've loved but I think Dragon Girl just suits my complexion the best. It's a bright, slightly blue-based red that's almost bordering between a red and pink and it's a powdery matte finish that's super long wearing. The one downside is that, with it being so powdery, it will cling to dry patches on your lips and it's not the most comfortable option.

2. For the vampy lip lovers, I'm mad for "Rock Steady". It's one of the cream finish lipsticks from Urban Decay's VICE Lipstick launch and it's a gorgeous, slightly blue-based, dark red. If you apply this full whack it's very much a statement lip but if you apply it sheerly (maybe mixed in with a little lip balm) it has a lot of purple in it. A stunning multi-tasker and it's super comfortable with the bold, creamy finish. The only thing I would say is it can get a little messy if you aren't careful, the creamy finish can move a little and with the colour being so bold it's very noticeable.

3. A more day-time appropriate option would be M.A.C Lustre Lipstick in the shade "Lady Bug". I've had this one for ages and I always go back to it. It's a lovely, bright, true red but with it being the lustre finish, it's nicely sheer and glossy (which I think makes it a more wearable red). With it being a glossy finish it does require some touching up throughout the wear but it's very comfortable to wear.

4. My affordable option will come as no surprise: the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in the shade "Hot Pepper". It's a matte, bright, orangey red. This one can require a little building up on the lips as it can apply a tad sheer on the first application but once you've got it in place it's not going anywhere. Again, with it being matte it's not very forgiving on dry patches but it's not as powdery as the Nars option.

5. And finally? I absolutely love my Chanel Rouge Allure in "97 0 Incandescente". It's actually very similar in shade to the Bourjoir option, a bright, orangey red but this one is a lovely opaque creamy finish. I think the creamy finish makes it appropriate during the day but it's a lovely option for evening wear too, very comfortable but might require a couple of touch ups.

Top 10 Under £10 - Lips

As promised, this is the second installment of my top 1- under £10 posts here in Skint-tember, and this time we're focusing on lip products, I have a good range of products here from glosses to stains and hopefully everything in between, so lets get started.

So in my opinion, the absolute créme-de-la-créme of matte lip products is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, they're a super long-lasting, matte lip product that come in a variety of shades so there's bound to be one that tickles your fancy in the range. They're thin in consistancy which makes the matte formula relatively comfortable but they're  really pigmented too. Love.

A couple of matte-to-satin formulas I'd recommend would be the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks or the Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Crayons. These are both nice formulas that bring saturated colour but don't have such a drying effect on the lips. I like these two formulas for those "I want something bright but my lips aren't in the best condition" days.

If you want something even more comfortable but that still has a decent colour pay off I'd point you in the direct of the Revlon Lip Butters these are somewhat of an oldie but a goodie, and Revlon are always releasing new shades so there's something in this line for everyone. They were marketed as a sheer lip product with moisture but they definitely have a lot more colour than you'd be expecting from that description. They're really comfortable and come in a variety of shades and finishes.

And then for the straight-up lip balm lovers: the MUA Sweet Sheen Lip Balms are lovely. These are a comfortable balm with a sheer hint of tint to them and they're the perfect your-lips-but-better product. They'll obviously need to be reapplied if you want to keep up the finish but I love these.

My Favourite line of high-street lip glosses are the Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Glosses they offer that super shiny, almost vinyl finish but they have a nice tint to them and a super hint of shimmer and they're smooth on the lips rathe than thick and sticky. They also have a really pleasant sweet scent/flavour to them.

If you like the look of lipgloss but you just can't handle the sensation of them on the lips, I have two recommendations: the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks and the No7 High Shine Lip Crayons, these are very similar products that are basically the shiny finish of a lip gloss in a twist-up pencil format that feel more like a balm on the lips. These are great for entry-level lipgloss wearers who like shine but hate sticky.

And finally, lip liners. I have two recommendation for this category and they are the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liners and the No7 Precision Lip Pencils the Rimmel option is slightly cheaper but the colour range isn't quite there for me, the only shade I like the look of is "East End Snob" the No7 are a little creamier and are a touch more expensive but the shade range is lovely, I have a few from the range already but the temptation to pick up more is there.