I’m really liking this grey hair trend at the moment. Why wait until I’m going naturally grey when I can have it now? The question is, how does this work with non-elderly skin without making it look washed out?
The answer has been showcased by several celebrities – bold and bright lips! Mirina Diamandis wears her grey hair with bright orange or Barbie pink lips (two colours I love) and Lady Gaga wore hers with dark blue glitter lips which is clearly not for the faint-hearted.
I love bright lips so here are the colours I think will go best with grey hair:
Orange – opposites attract!
Illamasqua Flare & MAC Morange
Pastel blue – it’s only a few shades away from grey – take inspiration from Jourdan Dunn
Makeup Revolution Immoral
Pastel pink and purple – I can imagine a grey/pastel pink ombre for lips and hair!
MUA matte lipstick in Lilac Belle and Makeup Revolution lipsticks in Enchant and Depraved
Barbie pink – because it’s fun.
L’Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 370
Bold purple – grey and purple make a gorgeous combination
Makeup Revolution Atomic Lipsticks on Make It Right and Make Me Magnificent
Hot Pink – hot pink and grey is just, well, hot!
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lip colours in 06 Pink Pong and 05 Ole Flamingo and Makeup Revolution lipsticks in Dazzle and Crime
And of course, grey hair looks great with red lips which works for all ages. It will go with all of my shades of red because they are all so bright but I’ve picked out MUA shade 13 for a red crème and Rimmel Apocalips Lips Velvet in Burning Lava for a matte finish:
MUA shade 13 and Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Burning Lava
Will you be rocking grey hair with bright lips this summer?
I bought this on a recommendation from a friend who warned me that Aveda products were great but at the more expensive end of the spectrum.
be curly shampoo
The first thing that caught me was the yummy scent. I thought someone was baking Christmas goodies but it was actually my hair! It smells of spiced oranges and other fruit ready to be made into mince pies or Christmas cake. This is because it is infused with Aveda’s Pure-Fume made with organic lime, bergamot and mandarin scents. It is heavenly and felt like a treat every time I washed my hair. It doesn’t lather much but it does get immediately to work in defining my curls.
be curly conditioner
This has a similar scent to the shampoo but it is not as strong. This detangles and curls which is what I expect it to do! I always left it in for a few minutes before washing it out.
be curly curl enhancer
I don’t actually like the smell of this curl cream! It smells more like chemicals than fruit. I got over that as it finished my hair by perfectly defining the curls without the need to blow dry my hair. My hair ended up big, bouncy and fun, just how I like it. It did make my hair smooth and soft so the curls did not last as long as I wanted to but that was ok as I could just use the curl enhancer on dry hair to revive the curls.
I enjoyed using this range and although it made my hair look and feel amazing, unfortunately my sensitive scalp forced me to have to stop using it. It’s so difficult to find products which are good for the scalp and dry, curly hair. On to the next regime!
Makeup Revolution was on all the blogs whilst I was on a spending ban -that was painful! To deal with this I created a Pinterest wishlist so now you can see what I actually went for.
As soon as my spending ban was over I placed this order. Having been disappointed time after time with another cheap make-up brand, I chose only a few products to test them out on the basis I can always order more.
I had to get all of the limited edition Scandalous lip collection as at £1 per lipstick, I decided this is the best way to try out some crazy colours.
I bought:
Vice – a bright orange because I am on a mission to find a reasonably priced bright orange lipstick which is not red, coral or peach masquerading as orange. Immoral – a pale blue lipstick because since last year where blue lips kept popping up in the magazines, I decided I simply needed a blue lipstick. Depraved – a lilac shade which I’m hoping will look good on me because purples tend to suit my skintone. Crime – a fuchsia pink because for some crazy reason I do not have a fuchsia pink lipstick even though it looks amazing on my skintone. Felony – a bright yellow lipstick because for £1, why not?
Finally, I bought one of the permanent collection lipsticks in Nude just because I was curious.
I think the Scandalous collection should be permanent and maybe Makeup Revolution can add more not-so-standard colours to the collection. It’s so annoying when every brand sells the same thing!
I then went for an Awesome Metals Foil Finish metallic eyeshadow in Magnificent Copper which should create a bold copper colour on my lids once I have mixed up the formula in the provided mixing tray. I haven’t seen anything like this before so I thought it would be fun to try out. I chose Magnificent Copper as I wanted something that would stand out but it also had to be wearable, as wearable as bright metallic eyelids can be!
Now on to the eye palettes. Realistically I wanted to try them all. I know they have been compared with the Urban Decay Naked palettes but I have not used these (yet) so I chose something a little different. First I chose the Awesome Eyeshadow and Eyebrow Palette in Disappear til tomorrow as it has a good selection of golden brown neutrals shades in matte and shimmer, plus some darker shades for a smoky eye and two shades for brows. I figured this would be a good one to start me off with. The colour segments are smaller than I thought they would be which is a little disappointing but I am pleased with the 14 eyeshadow colours – they are exactly what I wanted. The palette comes with a mini angled liner brush and a mini sponge applicator.
The second palette is the Redemption Matte Brights palette which is bigger than I thought it would be! I bought this mainly because it has a matte grey strip and I really like grey eyeshadow, as well as mega bright colours. I plan to have a lot of fun with this one!
This is a budget brand so the packaging is not very good quality. It feels a bit flimsy but for £4 per palette and £1 per lipstick, I can’t really complain. I know where to go if I want fancy packaging and the more I get to know about make-up, the less I am happy to pay just because the packaging is nice. For me, the main thing is that the product has to perform.
I also received some free gifts with this order, an Easter present from Makeup Revolution. I love it when brands do this.
I received:
Pure Pigments loose eyeshadow/eye dust in Cautious, a gold colour and Levity which is lilac. I don’t normally choose loose powders as I tend to get into a mess but I’m happy to try these now I have them!
Kajal which I almost bought so I’m glad I received it!
I simply HAD to buy the new Sleek Garden of Eden 447 i-Divine eyeshadow palette. It is an irresistibly pretty spring palette of mauve and green. I have a real weakness for Sleek palettes due to the quality and price. I haven’t bought a new palette for ages so it was about time I updated my collection.
Once in the Sleek area, I had to go and test everything! I also ended up buying blush in Flushed 935, justified by the fact I don’t have a red blusher. I also bought Blush by 3 Blush Palette in Lace 367 which has a coral theme. There is a dark peach matte blush, a shimmery golden pink and an almost neon orange-toned pink matte blusher. To me, this is a great spring into summer palette. We’ll have to see!
I had several reasons for creating this look. I was going to a friend’s birthday party and I wanted to look like I had made an effort, but not over the top. It was fairly casual. I was wearing a lime green Zara top with black American Apparel high-waist nylon tricot leggings so I had to make sure my make-up didn’t clash.
I had also just bought Maybelline Color Tattoos, Soap & Glory kohl pencils and I had received a HD brows palette in the Latest in Beauty Glamour Edit box and I wanted to try them all out. This look is quite simple:
Face
YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat in B70 all over my face including under my eyes
Sleek Face Contour Kit in Medium 885 – the dark in the hollows of my cheeks, sides of jawline and sides of forehead with the highlighter on my cheeks and down the middle of my forehead and nose.
A little Seventeen Instant Glow Gold Bronze Shimmer Brick on the apples of my cheeks
Eyes
Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl waterproof eyeliner in Superblack on the waterline and lower lashline
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Immortal Charcoal on the eyelids only, applied with a medium firm angled liner brush
I blended the eye colours a little to soften the edges slightly using my No7 eyeshadow brush
Benefit They’re Real Mascara
Dark Brown in the HD Brows palette to define my brows
Lips
No7 lip liner in 20 Nude all over my lips
Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Cerise
I used these together as I wanted glossy lips that were not too orange or too pink.
I bought this Sleek Lipstick Palette in Siren 859 palette as this was literally the only place I could find a (semi) suitable orange colour for the price I was willing to pay. You’ve seen me use this palette before in my Christmas Collection.
I think this palette is a good Valentine’s collection. The Sleek website even suggests this is the one if you have a hot date! The theme is orange, so all the lip colours have an orange tinge and it has a peach, a pink, and orange and a red. I’ve tested them all out here:
Peach
Review: Sleek Lip 4 Lipstick Palette in Siren 859
This one is not for me! It’s too pale for my skin tone. It is a very bright satin peach which I have to say, I struggled to apply. I needed to line the outline of my lips with a nude pencil so the colour had something to grip on to. I then applied one layer with my Ruby & Millie lip brush as the included brush is far too tiny for me, blotted, then applied another layer. It took ages! I will need to use this colour mixed with another, which I guess is the fun of palettes.
Orange
Review: Sleek Lip 4 Lipstick Palette in Siren 859
This is a matte colour which is ok for me. It acts like a stain rather than an opaque lip colour (which I would have preferred) but this way it is more wearable on a daily basis. I applied this with my Models Own lip brush, dabbing it on until I achieved the desired colour. I used this in my Chocolate, Orange, Cinnamon & Nutmeg and Chocolate Orange Lips looks.
Pink
Review: Sleek Lip 4 Lipstick Palette in Siren 859
Wow! This came out neon! A neon orange-pink! This is very bright but I love it – a real statement colour. I this this is really pretty and perfect for Valentine’s day. This is another satin colour and I applied this with my Ruby & Millie lip brush. This left my lips stained so be warned!
Red
Review: Sleek Lip 4 Lipstick Palette in Siren 859
This is another statement colour. This is an orange-red gloss which simply screams “look at me”. Another great Valentine’s colour. I used this for my Sultry Siren Santa look. This was the easiest to apply, especially using the lip brush end of my Bella Pierre Dual brush.
For Valentine’s day I currently can’t choose my favourite. Maybe the pink?
The best thing about Sleek as a brand is the palettes. There’s so much choice in a little package at a really good price. Here, I can wear 3 out of 4 without mixing the colours which is pretty good! I’ve already got my eye on a few more palettes.
All MAC stores and MAC concession stands are always busy and I’m quite impatient. I’ve only ever had one MAC consultation which was pre-booked. I decided to swatch a bunch of (orange) lipsticks myself and then think about ordering online, unless, Illamasqua has more suitable ones (I’ve not yet shopped there but I really want to!)
I was on my continuing mission to find the perfect orange. It must be orange, not orangey-red.
Unfortunately, I got a little distracted with the following nudes and pinks:
Spirit (satin)
Crème in your coffee (cremesheen) what a delicious name!
Patisserie (lustre)
Jubilee (lustre)
Midimauve (lustre) I love the name and purples tend to work well on my dark lips. They can come up pink which is great!
How am I supposed to choose?
MAC Spirit, Crème in your coffee, Patisserie, Jubilee and Midimauve
Then I found:
Bronze shimmer (frost) which was darker in real life. I just have a thing for sparkle!
MAC bronze shimmer
Finally focusing on the oranges:
So Chaude (matte) although this was a bit red.
Lady danger (matte) also a bit red but what a great name!
Korean Candy sheen supreme
Morange (amplified)
What a blast lip pencil
MAC So Chaude, Lady danger, Korean Candy, Morange and What a blast lip pencil
Korean Candy over Morange looked great. They are both on my shortlist.
Finally I had to add Asian Flower sheen supreme
MAC Asian flower
It’s irresistibly pretty!
Oops. Then I spotted Saigon Summer on the website! I wonder if it might look too coral on me.
I went into Boots specifically to purchase a Clinique CC cream and Clinique concealer. This is what I actually bought:
Clinique & Revlon Spree
Clinique
I did get my concealer – Clinique All About Eyes Concealer in 08 Deep Honey. I was told the caffeine in this helps to reduce puffiness.
Instead of CC cream, which wasn’t suitable for me or the primer plus tinted moisturiser, which I didn’t want as it was two steps, I bought Clinique Even Better compact makeup in 18 Sand. It gives the colour correction I need by simply dabbing on with a sponge and then blending, but without looking like I’m caked in foundation. (Yes. I have already used this for a look I will post soon!)
Clinique Even Better compact makeup in 18 Sand and All About Eyes Concealer in 08 Deep Honey
Revlon
I went to the Revlon section with the intention of getting the new orange coloured Lacquer Balm and Matte Balm Colorburst lip crayons however the lacquer did not give the depth of colour I wanted and the matte was too peach on me – fine if I wanted coral but I want bright orange! I decided to go for the Colorburst lipgloss in Sizzle instead. I’m still on the hunt for my ideal orange!
I simply couldn’t leave without at least two of the new crayons as Boots has a 3 for 2 offer on Revlon at the moment. The Matte Balm in Shameless 215 was to pretty to ignore and I really wanted a purple lip colour. I picked up the Lacquer Balm in Coy 140 by accident thinking it was Ingénue but once I saw it I wanted to keep it. It’s a metallic brown and I’m always weary of browns – they can really make my face look dull. The Lacquer Balm in Ingénue 145 came up a very sheer pinky-brown on me which I thought would be good for a hint of colour. I mixed the two together and created my ideal shade. 4 Revlon products! Really, I couldn’t resist the metallic shine, inside or outside the packaging!
Top to bottom: Shameless Matte Balm, Coy Lacquer Balm, ingénue Lacquer Balm, Sizzle lipgloss.
I also bought some nail goodies which I’ll post on my nail blog. I’ll try these out and show you soon!
