My Top 5 Lip Products

The thin lipped life is a difficult life. It makes wearing a lot of lipstick shades quite hard, as unless you're having a plump day, bright colours often look pathetic. Dark colours can make my lips look even thinner, and my face even more moody as it appears I'm pursing my lips constantly. I tend to stick to lighter, "your lips but not really" colours that just highlight what I have, because personally, I feel that if I'm going all out on a lippy and my lips aren't cooperating, it can rightly look like I've tried too hard and failed miserably. Formula is also super important. I like a long lasting, relatively moisturising lippy (I know, what a revelation) because at work I do up to five and a half hour shifts without a break, so can't be patchy or chapping! So in this post I've collected my top 5 lip products. It's quite a range, because different days call for different lips, so hopefully at least one will interest most of you!

DISCLAIMER: I probably don't know what I'm talking about. This is just what I think of the products. Also I'd conviniently eaten a curry just before these photos so my lips are looking much plumper than usual *yay!*.

EOS balm - Prices vary

I have two Eos lip balms, vanilla (blue and white striped packaging) and pomegranate & raspberry, photographed above. I actually prefer the vanilla one but I can't find it anywhere at the moment *booo*. Now, the flavours of these balms sound amazing, but sadly the scents do not live up to expectations. Possibly that's just the case with the two I picked as vanilla is a little bland and pomegranate is an odd flavour to add. Regardless, I'm undoubtably going to pick up more in the future because the formula and packaging is just excellent. You can only see half the product above, but it's basically a ball in two halves that screw together. They're perfect to keep in your handbag as their shape is easy to find among clutter, and there's no chance of it coming open and getting everywhere. Now onto the most important part... they actually work. I have never found a lip balm that's been so effective for me, usually they just leave a greasy layer over my lips (I'm looking at you, vaseline) and sometimes dry them out even more. I always sweep some EOS on as I do my makeup to soften my lips before I put lipstick on which keeps the colour on longer, then top up during the day. 

 Mac "Kinda Sexy" - £15.50

I find Kinda Sexy a wonderfully wearable shade. It goes great with Mac's "sumptuous olive" eyeshadow, as well as peachy toned brown smokey eye using "chopper" from the Naked 2 pallet and any warm toned brown. And always some bronzed cheeks. It can be warn heavy or just patted on to create a soft tint. I find this lasts around 4 hours, and then starts to rub off as my lips get dryer. Also, I can apply this just outside the edges of my lips to plump them up a bit without them looking over the top!

Mac "Viva Glam II" - £15.50

This shade is a cool toned pink nude that can look slightly grey on some people, which I actually find gorgeous. I can pair it with most eye looks as it kind of cancels out the lips (in a nice way) leaving my eyes and/or blush to pop. Another matte, Viva Glam II lasts well and thankfully does not dry out my lips either.

No7 Stay Perfect "Classic Rose" - £9.95

This lippy was a gift from a friend, described as a very "me" shade and leading to me gravitating toward the rosy side of the lipstick stands for a good few months. But this No7 goldie has remained my favourite for over a year. Now, as a "stay perfect" lipstick it doesn't do exactly that, it does rub off when I eat and I'm wary of it smudging during the day. However, the colour is just fantastic and adds subtle plumpness to my lips, without looking too full on. As it's such a pretty shade it's super versatile, I wear it around the clock from a casual day in town to going out in the evening.

Benefit "Cha Cha" Tint - Full size £24.50

Last but certainly not least, probably my most worn lip product. I got this little sample from last year's Benefit advent calendar, along with the "Benetint" which I also adore, and the "Lollitint" which is good but my least favourite. I dab this onto my lips and then rub it in with a finger, layering as many times as necessary to create the level of colour I want. They are very buildable, so can give you a light pop of colour, or be very bright. What I really love about these tints is that they're so subtle. You're not changing the shape of your lips or adding a thick layer, just modestly adding colour so people know that they're there. I think these (especially Benetint) would be great for school, as long as you can manage the price tag!