Top 5....Red Lipsticks

Welcome back to my Top 5 series! If you've been around these parts for a while you'll know that every now and again I do a round up of my favourite 5 products from particular categories. Today I thought I'd focus my top five even more and let you in on the best red lipsticks, in my opinion. Here they are in no particular order. 

L'Oreal Color Riche Creme de Rouge in the shade 461 Scarlett Creme. This is a lovely classic red shade. The formula itself is sort of waxy meaning that the wear is extremely comfortable and doesnt stick to any dry patches. It lasts around 4 hours on the lips (no eating or drinking) but does fade slightly unevenly, mind you that's fairly standard for a bright lip. 

17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in the shade Rich. This is my staple winter red. It leans more towards the berry side of things, but it's still definitely a rich, deep red. Brilliant quality for the high street price, sticks around for ages on the lips and can be worn full on or toned down with a lip balm for more of a sheer finish.

 Rimmel Apocalips Lip Laquer in 400 Big Bang. Bold and glossy, I wasn't too keen on this when I first tried it but now it's my go to for a glossy red lip. It saves the hassle of having to use a lipstick and a gloss and it stains the lips afterwards. The pigmentation is incredible- a little goes a long way. This is more of an orange toned red, so probably better for warmer months, but great on a night out too to make a real statement. 

Clinique High Impact Lipstick in Red-y To Wear. This one is pretty much the same shade as the L'Oreal lipstick but the texture is far more nourishing and I'd say the pigment is even stronger. Again, very comfortable on the lips and great wear time. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in the shade 01. This is a slightly darker, bolder red than the L'Oreal offering. I'd say this has more of a creamy texture so is very opaque and rich on the lips. Wear time on this one is great and I find that it fades very evenly on me leaving a bold red stain behind, which is great if you can't be bothered with maintaining your red lip throughout the day.

And there you have my top five red lipsticks. What is your go to red lip & are there any that you think I need to try out?

Top 5....Favourite Nail Polishes

Today I'm continuing my top 5 series with my top 5 favourite nail polishes! I love wearing all different colours on my nails and like to change it up according to season. I never really tend to stick with the same shade for too long and might even end up changing my polishes about 3 times in each week. I especially like coordinating my nails with my outfit and makeup where possible. The point is I try a lot of different polishes and have narrowed it down to the 5 that I use the most and would most likely re-purchase. So here they are...

The Collection 60 Seconds Hot Looks Polish in Milkshake. This is my go to nude nail shade. The formula is nicey and watery which means it dreis really quick, but the polish is opaque in two thin layers, which is great if you want to quickly paint your nails before you head out of the door. In terms of chipping, with a top coat I can probably get away with this for about 4 days, so not brilliant, but not terrible at all!

 Essie Nail Lacquer in Fiji. This is such an iconic and raved about nail polish in the beauty world. It's an extremely pale milky baby pink that just goes with everything. I tend to pull this out in the warmer months when the sun is out as it contrasts really beautifully with a tan. You can make this work in two coats if you really try, but for the ultimate opaque look I go for three layers. With a top coat this can last anywhere from 5 days to over a week depending on how careful I am.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in the shade Sugar Apple. Extremely comparable colour wise to Essie's Mint Candy Apple, this shade is the prettiest minty sky blue hybrid. The texture of the polish is super thick and gel like and has a beautifully shiny finish. The only downside for me is the brush, it's too small. If it were updated to the larger more square brush I'd be completely happy.

Maybelline Super Stay Gel Color in Extreme Blackcurrant. The perfect winter berry shade ( even though I wear it all year round). These polishes have a great wide brush, they are opaque in two coats and dry really quickly. There is a great colour range as well so if you're looking for great budget polishes I'd check out the Maybelline counter! I can get about a week of wear from these.

Essie Nail Lacquer in Fishnet Stockings. Another favourite of mine from Essie. Every woman just has to own a red nail polish, and this is my favourite. This is a true deep red that screams elegance. The beaty of red nails is that they go with anything and just look timelessly classic. I could probably get away with just one coat of this one, but I got for two just for longevity and I find two thin layers last longer than one thick. This is probably my favourite polish in my collection.

Any there are my top 5 polishes. What should I try next? Do you have a nail polish that you couldn't be without?

Blogust Day 14- Top 5...Eyeshadows

Hello everyone! I'm back with yet another edition of my Top 5 series! Today I'm letting you in on my absolute favourite eyeshadows...This was SO SO hard for me to narrow down as I have so many, from drugstore to high-end, matte to shimmer, sheer to highly pigmented. But, I've finally managed to whittle my collection down to 5 shadows that I think are the bomb.com. So without further ado, let's get into it...

The best highlighter comes in the form of the Urban Decay shadow in the shade Bootycall. It's a very pale, milky shade that is really rather shimmery, so use a light hand. When applied sparingly, it is the most stunning highlighter for the brow bone and inner corner and reflects light beautifully. Like all UD shadows, it has a beautifully buttery texture which makes application smooth and simple.

My go to blend all over the lid shade is the Taupe shade from the Dior  5 Couleurs palette in 440 Sunset Cafe. It's pretty much an exact dupe of MAC's Satin Taupe. It's a very pretty taupe with very fine silver shimmer running through it. It's great just on the lid, but blend it into the crease too and it looks duo-chrome esque- the effect of a contoured crease without the effort. Just what I like.

Next up is another Urban Decay shadow, in the shade Tease. I'd describe this as somewhere between a taupe and a mink shade, with a purple undertone. It's matte and works beautifully in the crease. If I'm going for a more grungy look I like to just blend it all over the lid, under the eye, and then smudge some black eyeliner into the lash line. It looks ace. Matte shadows can sometime be a little chalky and hard to blend, but this one is just perfect.

For a major pop of colour on my eyes, I adore the 2True Eyeshadow Dazzlers in No.11. This is essentially a loose pigment. Generally I find drugstore pigments just fail when it comes to actually delivering colour on the eyes, but these are just brilliant. No 11 is a very vivid rusty copper, that looks so striking on blue eyes. There is a slight shimmer in this one, but it doesn't really translate onto the eyes, so it's still very wearable. A word of caution though, less is more with this one!

And finally, basically 24 carat gold for your eyes...Urban Decay's Half Baked. The PERFECT yellow gold. I love this along with other shadows to create a bronzey smokey eye, but it also looks stunning just on its own. Again, like the other UD shadows mentioned, it has a super buttery texture, doesn't crease and is extremely pigmented. I know 3 out of my 5 shadows have been Urban Decay but they truly are my favourite, they're extremely good value for money and never cease to deliver on quality.

So there you have it, my 5 favourite eyeshadows. I'd love to hear what your favourites are...maybe I'm yet to discover something even more amazing??

Blogust Day 13- AuGuest #3

Hi everyone, I'm Bethany from thebusybee39.blogspot.co.uk. I am a teen blogger and I blog about all sorts of different things including fashion, beauty, crafting and cooking. Today I am going to be sharing with you my top 5 under £5. I am very excited to be guest posting on Charlie's blog. So lets get in to the post....

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.89

Concealer is an essential for me as it can cover a multitude of sins! You have probably already heard a lot about the collection one as it is a bit of a beauty bloggers favourite! It is a really great concealer, it has quite a thick constancy and is great for covering up those little(or maybe not so little!) pimples. 

I do find however that it creases on me under the eyes(other people have said its fine for them though!)...so if anyone has any good recommendations of a great brighting under eye concealer I am all ears!..

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99

Being an oily skin girl means powder is another essential for stopping me looking like a grease ball all day! This rimmel one is great at keeping me matte, it is very finely milled so it won't look cakey and for £3.99(currently on offer for £2.99 in superdrug) it is a steal!

MUA Undress Me Too Palette - £4.00

Well well well...I love this palette so much! I use this every single time I put eye-shadow on! It is really well pigmented has good staying power - its just amazing. The swatches I have done on the left are all done with just one swipe and so could be built up way more if you wanted too. For £4.00 I don't know why you wouldn't have this in your make up collection. Oh and did I mention it is a dupe for the naked 2 palette?!

Natural Collection Juicy Lips Lipgloss - £1.99

You have got to love a lippie! These are an absolute steal for £1.99, they smell lush and last really well. They also don't do that really annoying thing where when they wear off you get left with a rim of colour around the edge of your lips like some other budget brands do. I have the colours Caramel Shortbread(top) and Vanilla(bottom).

Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish - £3.69

You have got to love some nail polish! I really like nail polish it is probably the make up item I have the most of! These ones are great as they only take 60 seconds to dry so you don't have the 10 minute wait until you can do anything like you would normally have. I have the colours 50 Shades Of Pink(Left) and Green With Envy(Right).

I would also like to just put in an honourable mention of the Barry M Nail Polishes - £2.99. I have never really believed the hype around these until I tried one at my friends house...Now I am thinking they are a brand I need to investigate....my poor bank account!

So there you have it. My top 5 under £5 I hope you have found some great budget products that you will love! I would just like to say thank you again to Charlie for letting me guest post on her blog and I hope you have enjoyed reading it!

Want to see more of me??! Check out my Blog,  Google + , Pinterest, follow me on bloglovin or email me on thebusybee39@gmail.com

Blogust Day 4- Top 5...Lipglosses

I'm back with my Top 5! This week we're talking about lip gloss.  Again, I've got a range of different brands and colours for you. Let's take a look...

The dark nude glaze like gloss in the form of Pixi Lip Booster in Freya is the thing I grab when I'm after a deep toned nude. It's quite thick on the lips, but still comfortable and last for ages. Great quality for money, and I really like the fact that it's a kind of twist up lip brush applicator, it makes application simple and smooth.

The goes with everything kinda gloss...Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Goldspun; pretty much sheer, with a slight golden tinge to it, and a very fine shimmer running throughout it. I've had this for years and still love it. It's so pretty and juicy on it own, but add a beautiful gloss to anything that you want to pop underneath it.

My go-to, highly pigmented, bright lip option, Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Kiss Fit. This is a super hot pink and works incredibly well on its own, or paired with something like the Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Candy (FYI a marriage made in heaven). This too has a very fine blue toned shimmer running throughout and sticks around for ages, it's the bees knees.

If I'm after something a bit more vampy, I grab the Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Plum Divine. This is a relatively sheer plum shade on it's own, so it's a wearable vampy lip for those that don't want to maintenance of a full on pout, but I loved layering it over darker lipsticks too, to really amp up the colour.

And finally, for pretty lips all year round I reach for the Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Pink Kiss. I wouldn't actually describe this as pink at all, it's more of a bronzey shade with golden tones to it. Ah-mazing for the summer paired with just a bit of tinted moisturiser and some mascara. It smells like vanilla in a subtle sheeny but non-sticky formula. Perfection.

What's your favourite pouty product? Let me know and stay tuned for the next in my Top 5 series...

Top 5...Lipsticks

I'm back with yet another instalment of my Top 5 series! Today I'm talking you guys through my all time favourite lipsticks, there's a range of brands and shades that I'm looking forward to showing you. I'm going to be focusing on particular shades, rather than certain finishes or a specific shade, purely because there are SO many lipsticks out there, I want you to know what my actual recommendations are. Let's get cracking!

First up is my go-to pillar-box red. The Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Lipstick in the shade 01. I'd describe this as having a demi-matte finish; it's hydrating and strongly pigmented, with a slight sheen. It's probably the most comfortable red lip you'll wear (if you're opting for a lipstick formula) as it's non-drying and serious sticks around the lips. I used to be rather afraid of red lips as they're super bold, there's no hiding with a red lip on, but since discovering this product I've been embracing the bright lip and rocking it often. This is also extremely purse friendly, go grab yourself one!

Next we have my winter nude..A little deeper than you're average nude but still goes with everything. The Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in the shade 77 Asia. It's a sort of deep browny nude with a purple mauve undertone. Wow, great description, not. But you'll be able to see what I mean from the swatch. This too, wears very comfortably and hangs around for quite a while. Oh, and did I mention the smell? The moment you take of the cap you're fit with quite a sweet smell, that I can't really describe but, ooo, it is yummy.

Moving on to my favourite Autumn/Winter deep berry lip... The 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in Rich. A very very deep maroon- this actually leans towards the pinky end of the spectrum when one thin layer is applied but as soon as you start to build it up it transforms into the perfect vampy deep red. I've talked about it previously so won't go on and on, but I love it!

If I'm feeling a bright, bold lip, but don't fancy red I'll grab the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Shimmer Lipstick in Candy. Don't be put off by the "Shimmer", in this particular lipstick the shimmer doesn't actually translate onto the lips. It's a beautifully bright blue toned pink..think a muted version of MAC's Girl About Town. Somehow though, it's an extremely wearable shade.

And last but by no means least, my all time favourite lipstick, though sadly now discontinued... Clinique's Colour Surge Bare Brilliance Lipstick in Blushing Coral. This is so pretty, my words won't even do it justice. It's a sheer coral shade with an extremely fine gold shimmer running throughout it. It's the PERFECT summer lip and looks great with pretty much any skin tone! Fear not though, I've found a dupe! MAC's Lustre Lipstick in Charismatic, whilst not exactly identical, comes very very close. It's actually described as a "Terracotta with gold" so is a tad more orangey, but is still extremely similar! Phew.

It took me AGES to narrow my stash down to these 5. Let me know what your absolute favourite lipsticks are..What should I try next?