Shopping My Stash #1: Lip Products

I had a wee rummage through my collection of lip products at the weekend and discovered a few hidden treasures! A couple of these products are fairly recent purchases which have yet to be used properly and the others are neglected old favourites. 

The two new products in this post are the Revlon ColorStay lip liner in Plum and the ELF Studio Matte Lip Color in Rich Red. I bought these over a month ago but have yet to use either. The lip liner is quite dry, which puts me off using it, but the staying power when swatched was impressive so I'm expecting great things in that respect. The ELF matte lipstick is a super bright red with a slight blue undertone. It's quite in-your-face so not really something I'd wear every day.

L-R: Revlon in Plum, ELF in Rich Red, MAC in Red Dwarf, MAC in Delectable, Revlon Nude Lustre

Two of my old favourites are limited edition MAC products; a Pro Longwear lipstick in Red Dwarf and a Mattene in Delectable. Red Dwarf is a beautiful pinky plum shade that I love to wear with loads of mascara and NARS Madly blush. I wore that combination today, actually! The texture of this lipstick is a bit odd and I don't think it's especially long lasting but I love the colour and it doesn't feel uncomfortable so I'm planning to wear this more regularly from now on. The Mattene is, as you'd expect, matte. However, unlike a lot of other matte lipsticks it doesn't feel or look heavy on the lips. This is particularly important to me because I find lighter shades like this peachy nude can look incredibly chalky if they have a matte finish. I've not been reaching for any shades like this recently but I remember loving it when I did wear it so I'm hoping to rekindle that! The last long-lost lip product is a Revlon Super Lustrous gloss in Nude Lustre. The tube is more than half used because I went through a phase of wearing this all the time; it looks nice over brighter lipsticks as it mutes them a bit but it's also great for warming up a nude shade.

Have you shopped your stash recently?

Stace xx

PS - I also set aside some bits and pieces for a blog sale when I was having a clear out. Check it out!

The Illamasqua Sale - My Top Picks

Whilst I do love a good bargain. most beauty related sales and offers fail to interest me. This is usually either because the discounts are fairly meagre or because the products offered wouldn't sell at full price in a million years. Puke-coloured nail polish, anyone? Thought not. 

One brand which has impressed me with their current sale is Illasmasqua. They're offering decent range of products with up to 70% off. Okay, there are a few cement-toned lipsticks and lots of base products I'm not interested in, but my current basket includes:

Intense lipgloss in Succubus - £5

This intensely pigmented gloss essentially functions as a liquid lipstick. The shade Succubus looks like the perfect glossy blood red which would suit most skintones. 

Liquid Metal in Surge - £5

I've never tried a Liquid Metal before but this shade reminds me a bit of BeneFit's Skinny Jeans which I loved but found to be a bit too green for me to reach for on an everyday basis. I think this might be a nice alternative shade. 

Precision Ink in Havoc - £5

I've had my eye on this for a while; it's a dark aubergine purple shade which I think I'll love. I was always put off by the £17.50 price tag for such a tiny amount of product but at a fiver, it's a steal!

Nail varnish in Baptise - £5

Most long-term readers of this blog will know that I have a real issue with shimmery nail polishes; I hate 99% of them. This beauty is an exception though; I need it!

Blending Brush 2 - £10

Technically this isn't in my basket; I already own one of these brushes but I wanted to include it in this post because it's an excellent brush. It's a large blending brush so it's not great for precision eyeshadow looks but it's handy for blending in under eye concealer, powdering under the eyes and applying highlighter.

Have you picked anything up from the Illamasqua sale?

Stace xx

*All images from illamasqua.com