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.

May Favourites

So it's that time of the month again, and I don't mean that time of the month. Monthly favourites are back for my May instalment and I actually really struggled this time around. I realised I was still loving a lot of products that I'd already featured in previous favourites posts and that the newer things I was loving are things I've picked up really recently and so don;t really think I could call them monthly favourites. But anyway, let's get cracking.

So I'll quickly skim over the repeat offenders: still massively in love with the Maxfactor Creme Blush in "Soft Pink", can honestly say that every time I've worn make-up this month, I've worn this, I just love it. Same for the NUXE Reve de Miel Lip Balm, just can't get enough of that sweet lemon-y hit of hydration before I go in with my make-up. Although I'm really in a brow-testing phase at the moment, I seem to keep coming back to the Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil in "Hot Chocolate" every time so that has definitely earned a second mention on here and do I even need to mention the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel..?

Okay, new stuff only from this point onwards, I promise. Let's kick of the newbies with my absolute favourite product that I've tried recently: La Roche Posay Serozinc. Seriously amazing stuff. Within a day of using it my skin was noticeably clearer and less bump-y in texture and I've seen my blemishes fade to practically none existent since I've started using it. I just can't get over how much it's affected my skin, very impressed.

Now here I might be cheating on the "new products" part as I mentioned the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in "Misty Rock" last month, but in the posts I wrote about the By Terry eyeshadow sticks I mentioned being disappointed with the shade "Brown Perfection", so I'll prepare to eat my words. When I first tried it, I was putting it all over the lid, smudging with my finger and noticing most of the colour transfer off during this "blending" process, since I've switched to blending out with a brush, or simply using it like a liquid liner for my looks and it is seriously lush when used properly. I really like the colour on my not-quite-blue-not-quite-green eye colour.

A throwback perfume I've been using a lot this month is Daisy by Marc Jacobs, a lovely light floral that I've been wearing to work in recent weeks. It's such an appropriate work scent since it's light and pretty but not too sweet or sexy. I dub this scent the blazer of the fragrance world: pretty for work but casual enough to wear out too.

And that's it for this month, sorry it was a bit of a short and sweet edition, I've just been staying faithful to products for a change this month and didn't want to bore you by harping on about the same things over and over again.

Speaking of talking about the same things over and over, have I mentioned the Oskia Renaissance... Kidding. See you on Wednesday!