I’ve had www.compeed.co.uk/totalcare in my kit for a while, but recently used them myself, for the first time, when I felt a cold sore coming on.

As anyone who suffers from cold sores will know, they are hideous and you just want them to go away as quickly and painlessly as possible. But often they take up to 2 weeks to go, and the last few days can be the worst as they crust over and then split and bleed each time you open your mouth or try to eat something.

The patches take a little practise to put on, but if you read the instructions properly, it’s fairly simple.

At first it felt a bit weird having a plaster on my lip, but after a while, I got used to it, and other people could hardly notice it.

It felt reassuring knowing that my cold sore was completely covered, so reducing the risk of my children catching it. It also stopped it from hurting so much.

The cold sore started on a Monday evening, I could feel the unpleasant tingle, and there was a little redness, so I put a patch on. The next day there was a cluster of little blisters under the patch and they seemed to get bigger over the next few days. after about 3 days, I could feel that the cold sore was starting to heal.

It took until the following Wednesday until it had totally healed up, so not really any quicker than leaving it to heal on it’s own.
 
The difference was, the cold sore never actually crusted over, it just went away. So I managed to completely avoid the last few horrible days of splitting and bleeding and discomfort. (It is important that you use the patches until the cold sore has completely healed, otherwise you risk getting the crusting over period.)

I didn’t feel so self conscious, as the cold sore was well hidden and I was even able to apply make-up over it (although I chose not to do this as I did find it gave my lip a kind of waxy look and made me feel more concious of it)

I highly recommend these patches and will definitely use them again  the next time I get another attack.(not too soon, I hope)

Amanda Roberts

www.hairandmakeup4u.com

Its a soft pearly pink with teeny bits of silver glitter. 

I have tested this a few times now and I’m a little bit disappointed with it! 

I love benefit products and although I’m not a regular lipstick wearer I know what I like and what I don’t like. 
I first tested it by just applying a coat on bare lips… a pink sheen but way too glittery-and it feels really slippery, a bit like vaseline! I think it looks like something a girly teen would wear to a party. 
I had to take it off because I really didn’t like the way it felt. 

I tried it again, this time by lining and filling in my lips with a red lipliner(first one I got out of mybag) and then applying a little bit of the swoonderful on top. 
The effect was nicer, a red lip with a little shine, not looking too glittery. 
Using less helped it feel like it wasn’t going to slide off and just gave the lips a fuller look. 

The best way to use it on its own is to just use a small amount and blend it out for a little shine but for £13 I want a LOT more from a lipstick.

I have mixed feelings about this product. I love the packaging but I do find the fact that it’s so chunky a bit of a problem – especially because I have thin lips and when I apply this it tends to go all over the lips and everywhere else and I’m constantly having to wipe around my mouth! 

However, I do love the texture and look of the balm. It has a subtle pink shimmer (Minty Fat Balm)that actually looks a bit like lip gloss and a nice minty flavour that feels quite refreshing. It does leave the lips feeling hydrated. 

I did have a bit of a problem trying to wind it up and the lip balm ended up cracking – I’m not sure if this is what usually happens or if I just happened to get a faulty one. 

Reading up online it says that you can actually apply this to your cheeks as a blush – I may give this a try as I love the shimmer pink colour!

www.superdrug.com

Oh My Word!

Siren red pure metallic lipgloss that doesn’t go anywhere!  Extreme Sheen is the perfect name for these, they are extreme in all aspects!  The colour is true and pure, siren is exactly that, a fire engine siren red.  The colour is as though someone has painted metallic paint on your lips!

So it’s a little sticky at first.  That’s okay, just blot a little off and wait a few minutes, the stickiness goes, I promise.

The result? Pure molten red metallic lips that look plumper and fatter, not particularly kissable at first look, though they do become more and more alluring the more you look at them, but just so divine with a dusting of sandy eyeshadow, some black liner and lashings of gloss, a hint of cheek and these stunning lips.

Gorgeous.  That’s all I can say, just gorgeous.

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

There’s something about a Red Lipstick that makes us all feel instantly glamorous, no matter what we’re wearing, or how are hair is. 

Personally, I love a red lipstick all day everyday, though I do vary the intensity of it, depending on where I’m going or who I’m seeing.  The dentist isn’t so keen on scarlet, and its not the most appropriate when you’re collecting your children from school….

However, the red that I favour over all is a red that’s pure and true, without a scrap of orange or blue in it.  Just red.

Nigh on impossible to find one might think… there are some that have come close, and they all fill my professional kit, there supposedly isn’t a red that’s suitable for all and everyone, until now.

DuWop have done for red lipsticks what the 80s did for pink.  Remember those very bizarre coloured lipsticks that morphed into the perfect shade of pink?  Smashbox and Barry M (amongst others) have lipsticks available now, that do just that.  Paint it on and it changes with your skins chemicals to the shade of pink that best suits you.

But now it’s in Red!  Woo Hoo!

My kit is now going to be full of this lipstick.  Its only one colour, it literally is a one colour suits all, and how?  All in the science!

If you really want to know how it’s done, have a look at www.SimpleBeauty.co.uk for the answer, but trust me, its a red that adapts to everyone.

I’ve been trialling this for a while now, it really does do what it says on the tin!  But aswell as being a shade to change for everyone, it lasts.  It doesn’t wander, doesn’t move, but just stays put!

DuWop Private Red.  Don’t keep it private, share it with everyone!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Colour- Blushing Pink

I received this product off Sam to test out.

My first impressions was that it is a lovely colour and the gloss itself was fairly thick, just the way I like a gloss to be. The applicator is just like a little brush, not like the pads that you usually get with other lip glosses and this did actually appeal to me. However, when I applied the gloss I found that it was quite difficult to apply, the gloss seemed streaky and I had to faff about trying to get a good block colour on my lips. If I pressed my lips together straight away it lifted the colour off and left yet another streaky patch.

I decided to try again but this time I let the gloss dry a little before pressing my lips together (it doesn’t dry altogether, but enough to bond to your lips). This actually worked much better and didn’t leave any streaky patches and looked quite fresh and pretty on my lips, perfect for a spring/summer look. I was happy with the result. Unfortunately, the colour doesn’t last long at all and after a bite of my apple and a drink of my juice the colour had disappeared altogether. I suppose this does happen with all lip glosses but with other lip glosses you can easily apply another coat, where with this product I found that it’s almost a chore to apply a coat and wait for it to dry before doing anything. I would still use this lip cream but probably use it for things like shopping or browsing around shops or maybe a trip to the beach, activities where I don’t want or need a constant colour on my lips.

Claire x

I have tested a Barbara Bort lipstick in colour 336 which is a pastel pink shade.

As much as I wasn’t that keen on the colour on me, I did like the actual feel of the lipstick and the fact it felt moisturising.

It had great staying power as well and lasted a whole morning without having to re-apply it. I am unsure of the exact price of this lipstick, but they are available in over 100 shades.
Recommended
http://www.barbarabort.co.uk/bb/lips.html#lipstick

Kelly Hollands

www.kellyhollands.co.uk

Shade tested: Petal Pink

I tested this lippy while out for coffee with a friend. I’m normally a lipstick, rather than a gloss kind of girl, as I find gloss far too sticky. My normal favourites are MAC lipsticks.

This lipstick came in nice packaging, and glided onto my fairly dry lips really easily. The formulation is reasonably creamy, but it was also a lttle too sticky for my liking. The colour lasted really well, and I didn’t need to re-apply after finishing my coffee. The shade ‘petal pink’ is a classic baby pink. I didn’t really feel it did much for my complexion against my current chestnut coloured hair, but if I tested it again with my summer blonde hair, I’m pretty sure I’d like this shade much more.

In all, this gets a thumbs up from me. If you like your lipsticks on the sticky side, with good staying power, give it a whirl. However, if you prefer creamy, and don’t mind re-applying during the day you will probably prefer another brand.

Karen Griffith

Everyone sees the wintertime as that time of year when we all, apparently, get out our red lipsticks and wear them all the time.

However, apparently, the wintertime is when we’re all meant to be working the Smokey Eyes look, which you’re not ‘allowed’ to wear with dark lips.

So the ‘rules’ are conflicting…  It just confuses me!  Having said that, I don’t believe in rules for makeup, I say go with what you like.

But back to lipsticks, I think everyone knows the best red lipsticks out there, every year, someone somewhere cracks out the ‘Top 10 Red Lipsticks’ list, but this year, I wanted to do something different.

Baby Pink.  In actuality, its one of the better colours to wear with the seasonal smokey look, however, its a colour that doesn’t adhere to seasonal rules, and can come out all year round! 

So here’s my rundown of some of my favourite Baby Pink lipsticks.

Estee Lauder Crystal Baby

www.esteelauder.co.uk

Clinique lipsticks in Raspberry Rush

www.clinique.co.uk

LCN lipstick in Baby Pink

Barbara Bort lipstick in Shimmer Pink

www.barbarabort.co.uk

Guerlain Rouge G – Gracia

www.Harrods.co.uk

M&S Autograph Anti-Feathering Lipstick – Petal Pink

www.marksandspencer.co.uk

Too Faced lips of luxury in Free Love

www.debenhams.com

Urban Decay – LoveChild

www.boots.com

Miners lipstick in baby pink

www.miners.co.uk

I’ve just splashed out on a couple of the Estee Lauder gift sets brought out for Christmas. I got the set of lip glosses Gloss to Go and the Lipstick Luxuries set.

Both are very reasonably priced and have a good selection of colours. They’d also be good for anyone looking to build up a kit.

And then there’s this one – The Makeup Artist Professional Colour Collection.

I think I’m getting carried away now…!

Fiona K