Festive Five #5 - 5 low maintenance red lippies for Christmas Day

Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to go down the festive red lip route, but I have to be honest and say that I’m tempted to. I don’t want anything high maintenance (there are prawns to eat, people!) so I’ve been ruminating on my 5 favourite reds to wear as a stain or a light wash on the day. Mumma Bovary buys me a new dress to wear on Christmas Day each year and she is continuing the tradition even though I’m married and in my own home now, so yesterday we spent the day together doing last minute Christmas shopping and having some lunch. I’ll be posting a snap of the dress we chose on Instagram no doubt (@emmabovary) but it’s got flashes of red throughout so I think a red lip would look pretty good with it.

1. essence Breaking Dawn Part 2 Lipgloss in Renesmee Red

This smells so fruity and delicious, and the glittery jelly look of it would look perfect dabbed in the middle of a bright red lipstick. I don’t think it would help with the lip longevity but the glitter is drawing me in…

2. essence Tribal Summer Longlasting Lipstick in Waka Waka*

I’ve not worn this red shade before so it might be a bit of gamble, but it does claim to be long-lasting and the colour is a bit closer to a true red than the others pictured here. It also looks like it would complement the Renesmee Red gloss really nicely…

3. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Neon Red

The quality of this line of lipsticks is so good and this bright cherry red would be a perfect festive touch to my new outfit. I think it’s a bit creamier than I would ideally like for a day of feasting but still…

4. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (lustre)

My beloved Cyndi, easily one of my favourite lipsticks and one that I need to use more often lest it go off as I admire it in my lipstick drawer. I have a feeling this shade will win out on the day as the almost coral tint to it makes it the most flattering on my super pale skin, and it’s nice and easy to reapply throughout the day, too.

5. Nars Lipgloss in Babe

This mini gloss came in a set I bought at Mecca Maxima, and I adore the formula of these. I’m yet to try the newly repackaged glosses as I’m unsure whether or not the formula is the same…? If anyone can confirm this I would love to know! This is a nice juicy red shade that I wear by itself but it would also work over a red lipstick on the day.

Renesmee Red, Waka Waka, Neon Red, Cyndi, Babe

 

One more sleep! Thanks so much for following along with my Festive Five series, it was nice to do something a bit different on the blog and your comments were all very much appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I can't wait to hear what beauty products you all wore on the day!

-Emma

*Product provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Tribal Summer with essence

Summer it is most certainly not, but I can still feel the tribal heat in my veins as I snuggle under my throw rug using Charlie as a foot warmer! essence have stayed strongly thematic with one of their recent collections, and I think I was suckered into the aesthetic of the Tribal Summer collection more than the actual products...

The major winners from this collection have to be the pigmented and bright lipsticks in Na-Rock* and Waka Waka - yes, even the shade names have gone wild! I adore the sleek black tubes and appreciate the strip of colour around the middle of the tube which tells you which shade you are grabbing at a glance. If you have to grab one thing from this lot, I would push for pink because a pop of fuschia on the lip is perfect for cold Melbourne days (and summer days alike!)

I really wanted to love the Inti Inca pigment, but it isn't as pigmented as I'd hoped it would be and blends out a little too easy for my liking. I still think it is worth picking up and trying out, as it is so much more affordable than other pigments on the market.

Stunning in the pan, but too much shimmer and orange tones for my fair cheeks. Sorry Inti Inca bronzer, it's not me, it's you (but I am going to try you on my lids next to see how you fare)

The Waka Waka liquid blush is a pretty cool release from essence, though I tend to dislike liquid cheek products (Inglot liquid blushes, Benefit tints, they all drive me batty!) Those who love some sheer hot pink cheeks may go mad for this, but I'd recommend the new liquid blush in Glam Me from the essence Metal Glam collection over this one.

Overall it wasn't my favourite essence collection, but my heart is not broken by my haul because everything was so cheap anyway. Hurrah for affordable cosmetics to appease the shopping-obsessed girl in me!

Do you agree that bright lips in winter are awesome? I can see the bright pink Waka Waka lipstick sitting pretty next to my favourite grey scarf!

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty


*Na-Rock lipstick was provided for consideration, I bought the rest of this stash myself. Honesty, always.