Benefit Fake Up.

I love Benefit face products. I am obsessed with Boi-ing so when ever they bring out another concealer I have to grab one and have a try out. 

As ever with Benefit the packaging is adorable! Has a gorgeous vintage feel to it. The product itself comes in a lipstick form so this is great for travel and storage. Also means applying the product is even easier. You can just pop it on and blend with a finger. Pretty fuss free!

I picked up Fake up a little while ago and have been using it a fair amount since getting it. It isn't as heavy duty as boi-ing so I do switch between the two depending on what foundation I'm using and the level of coverage I want. I would say it's not good at hiding really dark circles. If you sleep pretty well and your eye area is quite light this will work. But I find sometimes after a terrible nights sleep (boyfriend is a serious snorer and I'm a pretty bad sleeper) Fake Up just won't cut it. 

Benefit claim this is hydrating and crease proof. Hydrating it certainly is! I have quite oily skin so I was pretty worried about that. It doesn't slide off or leave greasy residue . When Fake Up is blended it does set with a satin sort of feel. I put a small amount of powder over just to ensure it stays. 

Fake Up swatched unblended

Because of my oily eye areas I have a huge problem with creasing. Benefit claim this has crease control. I would say it is to a point. 5/6 hours worth of wear and it starts to crease, but this is a fair amount of wear for me. The packaging makes it easy for you to apply a little more and blend out. It also doesn't sit in lines around the eyes. 

Fake Up Blended

I do find where this has a concealer core with a hydrating gel around the outside the actual product does get quite messy. The concealer part does bleed into the gel. This is only really an issue if like me you're a bit ocd with how clean your make up is. 

It's light weight and when blended is virtually undetectable. It comes in three shades: Light, Medium and Dark

 You can pick one up from selected Boots, Debenhams and stand alone Benefit stores for £18.50  You can get one online Here!.

Have you used Fake Up? Whats your favorite concealer? Let me know!

XOXO - Lizzy 

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Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I'm a lover of a beauty blender sponge! I've tried a lot of them recently. Some brilliant and some not so good. So as soon as I set my eyes on the Real Techniques take on the staple sponge I grabbed it!!

As with every sponge I tried this wet. It swelled to over double its original size. But a good squeeze and a squeeze in a towel tales out all the excess but still leaves it just damp enough to not soak up all your product.

This sponge has a pointed end, round back and a flat side. So this really makes it a multi purpose tool. The flat side amazing for applying foundation. You can either bounce the sponge of your skin to really blur the product into the skin. Or you can use short strokes like a brush o apply. By bouncing the sponge you can work up a higher level of coverage.

The pointed end I use to apply concealer directly on to blemishes. It really helps you pinpoint where you want the extra coverage. Also its great for blending in tough areas, such as around the nose and the eye area. It really works product into the skin. 

The rounded edge you can use to blend your base or I prefer to use it to apply cream blush. Especially highly pigmented cream blushes. You can bounce the colour around the cheek area and then go over with the side you applied your foundation just to really blend it in and give you a natural looking glow. 

This sponge is the perfect shape to fit all the contours of your face. 

I love how soft and bouncy this sponge is. I hate blending sponges that are too firm and almost hurt to bounce around your face.

I have found this to be the most versatile sponge I've used. I'm planning on buying another so I have one to use and one to wash. To wash them you can use a little shampoo and rinse them through similarly to how you'd clean your brushes. For me I don't like this way they never seem to get clean, I pop mine into the washing machine with a load of laundry and let them air dry.

Another great product from the Real Techniques team!

You can pick one up from selected Superdrug and Boots for £4.99. At the moment neither website is stocking them.

Do you like beauty blenders? Have you used this? Let me know!

XOXO - Lizzy

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Festival time!!

We are at everybodies favourite time of year. Festival season! I am off to Download this year! I'm going with my boyfriend so I have to pack light on the beauty front! But just because I'm going to be roughing it camping I have no plans to rough! I also like to have a bit of a choice when I do my make up so It isn't a compact make up bag, but most products have a few uses!

Today I'm gonna tell you all about my essential beauty products!

My Make Up essentials.

Face:
Benefit Porefessional, maxfactor CC cream, L'Oreal true match foundation, Mac Studio Fix powder, Benefit Boi-ing, Sleek contour kit and Benefit fine one one.

Eye:
Urban Decay Sin primer, Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, Urban Decay smoked palette, Seventeen Doll eyes mascara, Barry M Vegas Show girl mascara, Mac Brow powder and Rimmel Glam eye liner.

Lips:
Sleek lips 4 palette, Mac lipsticks in Fleshpot, Pretty please and Candy Yum Yum.

Okay I know you're probably thinking jeeze thats a lot of make up for 5 days, but for me this is a small amount!

Beauty products!

Nivea travel make up remover wipes, B-pure Micellar water, Garnier moisture match moisturiser, Soap and Glory Daily Smooth body butter, Pampers baby wipes, Solait factor 50 clear sun spray and Johnsons baby powder.

These are the products I am going to be taking with me to Download!

What festivals are you going to? What will you be taking with you? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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MUA poptastic palette

I love eye shadow palettes and playing with many looks you can achieve with them. I have been playing with MUA's poptastic palette lately. 

The poptastic is a collection of 12  bright colours. A mixture of shimmers and mattes. There is a great mix of colours in this palette perfect for a variety of looks. 

Mine is now a bit battered where I've used it a fair amount wet and dry. 

In usual MUA style the shades are pigmented and beautifully creamy. Normally I find that matte purple shades are awful to work with but the one in the palette is actually rather nice! 

Top row swatched. 

Bottom row swatched

They are beautiful in there own but used over a nice shimmery primer (like sin by Urban Decay) and the colours pop. 

This palette is great for creating a full on colourful eye look or for adding just a pop of colour to the eyes. I love using the greens to add a little something to a neutral eye. Or the golden colours for a bright highlight. 

Just a quick look created with the palette  and Rimmel glam eyes, eye liner in Aqua.

Have you used the poptastic palette? Whats your favourite MUA palette?? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy 

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Nails of The Week

This week I have been loving Sinful Colors! Boots have started to stock the Sinful Colors range so last time I was there I picked up a few.

I have been solidly wearing Nirvana which is a gorgeous taupe colour. With L'Oreal nail confetti as an accent nail.

The only down side to Nirvana is they've said its a matte finish and its more of a glossy finish. But nothing a matte top coat can't fix!

Have you tried sinful colors? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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Riri Woo Mac

I'm a lip sick junkie and a sucker for a good celebrity collaboration so obviously I had to purchase Riri Woo. I know everyones read about it and seen about it but I had to tell you all about it! I got it as a present to myself for completing my dissertation and it's beautiful!

Riri Woo is based on the classic Ruby Woo but is darker and more of a blue based lipstick.

I have found that Riri Woo isn't as drying as Ruby Woo. Its also more versatile and suits more skin tones. For me its the perfect red and looks so glam when its on. 

This has become my go to red. If your unsure about matte shades you can always use a gloss over the top, just make sure you keep your lips in tip top condition. Use a lip scrub or an old soft toothbrush and gently exfoliate them and use a lip balm. 

This is relaunched next month so I hope if you don't have one you can get your  hands on one! 

What do you think of Riri Woo? Let me know! 

xoxo - Lizzy

 

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Sleep Lip4 lipstick palette

I love lipsticks All colours all finishes all brands I just love them all. I have so many its unreal! So when I saw Sleep had released lip palettes i knew i had to have one!! 

I choose tease which is a dark red palette. With 2 glosses, a matte colour and a satin shade. 

The palette comes with a little brush. Not something I'd use but would be useful on the go. It is a nice firm lip brush. 

The packaging is usual Sleep packaging. Matte black box with a lovely big mirror. 

Theres four beautiful shades.  

-Spot light a glossy classic blue red

-show off a bright coral red

-Paris bright red

-Dita a pinky red. 

Left to right spot light, show off, paris and dita. 

These lip sticks apply like a dream. They are gorgeously creamy and so highly pigmented the swatches are still stained on my hand! The glossy shades sit perfectly on the lips. They have a fair amount of wear on them. The matte and satin formulas are distinguishable and not as drying as I expected. They are a little harder to work with but the colour pay off is brilliant! 

They do leave a slight staining which i like means the colour lasts longer! They wear brilliantly! I wore spot light to a party at the weekend I reapplied once and my boyfriend had a fair amount of it on his face. We both woke up with it still fairly in tact! 

For £8.99 these are a bargain! 4 good quality lip products for under £10! 

You can pick this up in selected Superdrug stores (who at the moment have a 3 for 2 offer on!) 

Have you tied these? Know any otherlip products   I should try? Let me know! 

xoxo - Lizzy

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Nivea In Shower body Moisturiser

As you may know my boyfriend lives in Reading so I stay with him quite regularly and he's a shower and go guy while I am not! Showering moisturising and other lotions and potions. So I am alway on a quest To speed up my showers when I'm at his. So when I saw Niveas In-showerbody  moisturiser skin conditioner I was quite excited so I grabbed one from my local Superdrug. 

This skin conditioner is literally like a hair hair conditioner its a moisturiser that you rub in to your skin and rinse off. Then once you've dried you've no need to moisturise your skin. Time saving everything's easier and faster in the shower! 

Nivea is a brand I've dipped in and out of using I am always skeptical about moisturisers as I do have 2 that I swear by so I was a touch hesitant with the way this works. 

I used my normal shower scrub and applied a handful of the in shower body moisturiser all over and rinsed it off. 

I didn't feel hydrated straight away once I'd dried I did debate with myself for a little while about using my regular moisturiser. I didn't and am glad I didn't as After a few minutes and drying completely my skin felt silky soft and hydrated. It hasn't really soaked into my problem elbows so I will have to use something else there or just use some more next time! 

I think this is a winner and will be used after showers when I don't have much time. 

You can grad one from Superdrug and Boots! 

Have you tried this? Let me know!

Xoxo - Lizzy

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MUA Undress Your Skin illuminating Foundation

I'm a huge fan of MUA I love a lot of their products! But I had never tried any of their foundations due to a limited colour range. Many high street ranges never seem to go down light enough. So seeing the new Illuminating foundation I discovered they do a nice light on that is perfect for my skin tone! At £5 it was a steal!

MUA claim this foundation will cover imperfections and blemishes whilst maintaining your skins natural glow with light diffusing particles of shimmer that create instant radiance. So I was a little worried that it would be full of tiny glitter particles and I'd end up looking very young. I was also a little worried about how sheer it would be.

I didn't really need to worry as the shimmer is minimal if you even notice it and the coverage is light to medium but definitely buildable. I have porcelain which is the lightest of three shades.  It is perfect for my skin (I'm an NC 15 in MAC for some comparison)

It's not cakey or heavy on your skin. The lasting power is great. It lasts all day without melting off.  I do like the coverage. Imperfections are hidden but your skin still shines through. With a little concealer and translucent powder you get that no make up look.

The best bit of this foundation is a little goes a long way. It has a fairly thick consistency but with a brush a small amount will over your whole face. I use a foundation brush then buff it in with the real techniques expert face brush.

In all I love this and for £5 it's a no brainer!

You can pick on up from selected Superdrug stores and online Here!

Have you used this foundation before? What do you think? Let me know!

xoxo - lizzy

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L'Oreal CC Cream Anti - Dullness

I never really jumped onto the BB cream wagon, none of them really stood out to me or worked as well as I wanted them to. So when I saw L'Oreal had released a line of CC Creams I was a little intrigued and thought these would be more up my street.

I picked up the mauve anti - dullness CC Cream as my skin is quite dull in places and has areas that need to be evened out. The product comes out the tube a mauve colour and once it has been blended with fingers it turns in to a foundation.

L'oreal claim that this CC cream can is a 5 in 1 perfecting cream for:

• Flawless Coverage
• perfectly even skin texture
• fresh dewy glow
• 24 hour hydration
• SPF 12

For me the SPF is a redundant feature I use a high SPF separately on my face.  Same with Hydration. 

I did feel with the product it is a little dark for my skin so I do need to use it sparingly and really blend it in well.  With the summer months creeping in and Britain seeing a nice amount of sunshine lately this will match my tanned skin! 

Other than the problem with the colour I do like it. It does make my skin less dull and gives it a vibrancy. It does leave a nice dewy glow.  I get good coverage from it and it lasts all day. I do use a little bit of concealer just to give trouble areas some extra coverage. 

The CC Cream gives a light coverage but it is buildable to about a medium. I do prefer a full coverage but there are days when a light one is nice! 

In all its a great product and does work shame it only comes in one colour though a lighter one would be amazing and would most defiantly would get a lot of use.

You can get this from Boots or Superdrug  or online Here! They are £9.99

Have you used a L'Oreal CC cream? USed another one? Let me know! 

xoxo - Lizzy 

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Revlon Baby Stick.

While browsing my local Boots I noticed there were a few new Revlon pieces. The Baby Stick caught my eye and I had to grab it!

The Baby Stick is a lip and cheek tint. Normally these type of products worry me a little and I stay away from them. Most of these tints are in liquid form which I dislike their so messy and I just don't get on with them! So to see one in a stick form was unusual.

I picked up tahitian which is a baby pink colour. I thought this would be a perfect pink for a flushed look on my cheeks. A cute amount of a colour pop for those days when I don't want to wear too much make up.

So I was a little disapointed with how little colour pay off I got on my cheeks with this colour. I think this may be because even though I am pale I'm not incredibly pale. So as a cheek tint this would definitely suit someone of a very pale complexion.  Or just as a sheer wash of colour. It is quite dewy as well.

 But it works amazingly as a lip tint or lip balm with a hint of colour. Has a slight shine to it and it quite moisturising. It has a slight pleasant scent to it. Nothing over powering.

The baby stick itself is in a small twist up style bottle Perfect for throwing into a make up bag or a hand bag.

In all not a great cheek product but a really nice lip product. I think if I'd have grabbed a different colouir I would like it as both.

You can grab one of these at Boots or Superdrug or online Here. They are £6.99

Have you tried one? Know of any other good double up products? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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Is back :)

Okay I've been so slow on posts recently due to a heavy uni work load! Buuuuuut my dissertation is written and done and ready for printing and giving in all 50 pages of it! So next week I'll be back in business :) once I've partied and become a normal human being again!

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The cosmetics company store

Today I want to tell you about my worst kept secret. In (not so) sunny Portsmouth we have a great little outlet shopping centre. Gunwharf Quays is situated right on the waterfront and boasts plenty of amazing shops. My all time favourite which I go to all the time is a little store called The Cosmetics Company Store. Bit of a mouthful but inside is any make up enthusiasts dream. They stock Mac, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox, Clinique and Estee Lauder. Not only make up but skincare,perfume and brushes.

They don't have full ranges, they stock products that may be discontinued like old limited edition collections as well as current range where they have surplus stock.

I've grabbed a fair few bargains from in there such as pro sculpting cremes for £12 each pigments for £11 and lipsticks from £8 (all Mac)

The other brands collections are very nice as well but I always find gems on the Mac stands that eat up my budgets.

Last time I popped in I found a product I have been lusting over for months and had the horror moment of discovering Mac had discontinued it!

I searched everywhere for a nice nude lipstick that wasn't overly orange toned. I was recommended fleshpot by numerous friends but couldn't find it anywhere so when I found it in The Cosmetics Company Store at only £9 i had to have it. I didn't even think twice about purchasing.

A bargain and a product I've been wanting for a while.

If you're ever in the area pop in and see what you can grab yourself!

Have you been to The Cosmetics Company Store? Like the sound of it? Let me know!

XOXO- Lizzy

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Katy Perry Colour Pop Eyelashes

Once again the beautiful Katy Perry (I have no issues saying I love this woman! She is amazing) has created a stunning collection of false lashes with Eylure.

Eylure are the company I go to for beautiful lashes so seeing they collaborated with Katy I grabbed a pair or two from the original collection. This weekend I'm off to a costume party and wanted some subtle blue lashes. A light bulb went off in my brain and gave me a perfect excuse to buy the Ka-boom lashes. Then reading the information I saw that my greeny/ hazel eyes would look great with the other two pairs in the collection, so I grabbed them as well! There is a set of individual lashes in the range but I just don't have the patience for those.

In the range is:
Ka-boom - flashes of blue
Ka-Ching - flashes of green
Ka-pow - flashes of purple

They are beautifully feathery lashes with the cross over effect. They are nice and long but too in your face long. There not the full on double lash effect that some girls go for. The colouring on them also isn't in your face its very subtle the colours are blended nicely with black lashes of the same style.

I was a little worried that these wouldn't be the right lashes for everyday use. They are a little dramatic but I would wear these for everyday. They don't weight my eyes down or give you the look of having very small eyes.

Even on my eye colour the blue lashes look very nice I do prefer the purple lashes they look so nice on my eyes. Purple is a colour I wear on my eyes quite often.

You can grab these lashes at boots and Superdrug for £6,45. Little steep but very worth it!

Have you worn these? What are your favourite lashes? Let me know!

XOXO - Lizzy

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MUA Undress your skin Flawless primer.

Everyone's heard of primers and knows the benefits of using one. It's just finding a primer that's the right one for you.

My main issues are I have oily skin and large pores. So I need something to deal with both or at least hide my pores! Normally I use Benefits porefessional. I do like this but it's quite pricey on my little student budget.

So when I saw MUA had released their Undress your skin range and brought out a primer with a claim it fills in fine lines and pores and was only £5 I decided to investigate.

MUA Undress your skin Flawless skin primer - £5

The claim: reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores and leave your skin feeling velvety soft. Creates a flawless complexion that can be worn alone or under foundation.

The primer itself is silicone based and is a clear fairly thick gel like substance. It comes in a pump action bottle for a measured dose. One pump is enough to do your entire face. It does Spread and blend in really well. Leaving a beautifully soft base for your foundation. I use Revlon photo ready foundation and it goes on perfectly over the primer. There's no dragging or patching. My skin is still velvety soft once I've applied my make up as well as a few hours after applying. The product has no scent to it which I like! I hate scented products on my face.

The primer itself fills in my pores and keeps my foundation in place all day. I wasn't expecting miracle with this, I never get my hopes too high with pore perfecting primers but this one really took me by surprise. As it does what it claims. My make up stays put my pores stay filled in and I stay pretty matte throughout the day.

I've used this for almost a week (my local small Superdrug has a habit of releasing items early) and I love it. For £5 it's great. A new holy grail product for me!

Once again MUA have got it all right! Great product at a great price point.

I have seen they've brought out a foundation in this range. I'm still undecided on if I want to try it or not.

Have you tried this primer? Tried anything else ing he undress your skin rage? Let me know!

(Till March 12th online its only £3!)

You can pick this up at selected Superdrug stores and online Here!

XOXO - Lizzy.

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Barry M textured nail effects polish

Today on a mission for costume bits (will explain all in a later post!) I decided to treat myself to a new nail polish and a few other bits (which I'll also be telling you about later!)

I grabbed a Barry M textured nail effect polish. This is their new nail effect polish. Which to me is a bit of a mixture of a concrete effect and a sand effect. They're quite gritty. I went for Ridley Road which is a gorgeous mint green.

Barry M Textured nail effect nail polish

The nail polish itself goes on nice And easy like their regular nail polishes but has tiny grains in which give a gritty texture to the nail. Their not scratchy or overly gritty they feel more rough. My nail edges feel as if they need a file. But not too annoying which is okay. I'm one of those people who cringes really easy when I run my nails along paper a certain way and today I've paid bills in the bank and handled things that I thought might catch on the edges but they've been fine.



I have removed one nail and redone as I was a bit worried I'd have to go through the same hell as removing glitters! Luckily this isn't the same and does remove very easy.

This range comes in four colours :a blue , yellow and a pink. I think I might pick up the pink for some pretty pale nails with an edge or for accent nail looks.

Once again Barry M strike with. Brilliant nail product that's different from what other brands are doing while still being easy and fun to use.

You can grab these at Superdrug stores for £3.99 and at boots stores from tomorrow! Or online Here!

Have you grabbed one yet? Let me know!

XOXO - Lizzy

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Mac Viva Glam Nicki 2

I know this product has been blogged about to death but I just couldn't let this product go by me without talking about.

I'm a huge Mac fan and a lover of Nicki Minaj. So when I saw the original press release for her Viva glam collaborations I was intrigued. The first one wasn't really for me I'm not into the pink colour of the first. Just wasn't a pink that I liked. But when I saw Viva Glam Nicki 2 in all its pastel lavender glory I fell in love.(Its a really similar colour to a Barry M lavender I'd purchased but broken and had to depot) So as soon as I realised it had been released and was in Reading I made a beeline for House of Fraser and grabbed it!

Mac describe this lippy as a pastel lavender pink lipstick with a satin finish. This is my main bug bear with this lipstick my personal preference of Mac lipsticks is the satin finish. So I was even more excited to get my hands on this one. But the box states it's an Amplified Creme, so I was a bit miffed with that but hey.

The colour is  beautiful. Its a perfect soft lavender with pink undertones. The colour pay off is great. I hate buying pastel colours only to find their very sheer or give you a horrible patchy finish when you try to build it up. This one has a great opaque finish, I have quite pigmented lips and this covers everything and blocks out my lip colour.

Like I mentioned earlier the finish is an Amplified Creme which is a glossy opaque long lasting lipstick finish. They have a thick formulation as well. I do like this finish theres a nice shine to your lips without the glossy feel. (personally I'm not a huge fan of lip gloss, not a product I buy alot of or wear a lot of)

This is fairly long lasting I wore it to a dinner party and with eating and drinking I did re-apply after 2-3 hours.

I have played around with this a fair few times its a lovely versatile lipstick. The formula means the colour can easily be changed with a coloured lip liner or mixed with a darker colour to create beautiful ombre effects. Rebel for example looks stunning when used with Viva Glam Nicki 2! As does Candy yum yum.


You can purchase Mac from selected House of Fraser and Debanhams stores as well as online Here!

Are you a viva glam fan? Did you grab one of these? Let me know!

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Revlon Just Bitten kissable lip stain balm

I'm a lipstick maniac and have been debating whether or not to get one of Cliniques Chubby Sticks. So when I saw Superdrug had a sale on Revlons Just Bitten Kissable Lip balm stains I thought I'd give one or three a try before I commit to a Chubby Stick.

I couldnt choose just one colour to get so I grabbed three. I picked up Crush, Desire and Rendezvous.

Colour rundown:

Crush: A dark berry red
Desire: A pale lilac
Rendezvous; A coral more on the orange side.

Left to right: Crush, Desire and Rendezvour

The balm stains themselves come in a twist up pencil form with a pointed tip. There is a decent amount of product inside the plastic casing, and their nice and thick as well. They come in 7 various shades. From light pinks to rich deep berrys.

Left to right: Desire, Rendezvous and Crush

I love these there silky smooth lip colour and are incredibly hydrating. The colour pay off is great and for a balm stain they're pretty intense colour. The stain aspect to them is great as well even after the balm has worn off there's still colour on your lips.

Left to right: Desire, rendezvous and crush

 They do last a long time, I've worn these on nights out and they have only needed to reapplied once during the whole night (I touch up my make up pretty often when I go out) They also have minimal rubb off. Whenever I go out for drinks you can always tell what glass is mine because I always leave lipstick marks But using this I don't leave any.

This also smells lush! It smells of peppermint but not an over powering peppermint scent just a a slight scent. They also have a nice glossy finish. They're not greasy either which is great. Nothing worse than a horrid greasy lip balm.

I've also used crush underneath Mac's Diva. Which everyone knows diva is gorgeous but so drying, so using this did change the finish from a matte to more of a satin but it kept the lipsticks colour and didn't dry out my lips.

After the success of these I think I'm going to dive in a finally decide which colour Chubby Stick I want!!

You can pick one of these up from selected Boots and Superdrugs or online Here

Have you used one of these? Or the chubby stick? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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