After the success of the 24 hour colour stay by maybeline, I have got quite addicted to lip stains, trying to recreate the amazing power it has. The Rimmel comes in a long tube, the pen on the one and a balm on the other, my balm is actually broken, it snapped in half. It may have been damaged before being bought, I can still use it, but I have to hold it in my fingers and that is quite a messy affair.

It's a very easy product to use, and the swatch is almost identical to finished product. Without the balm, its a nice velvet looking matte, and with the balm it's a semi-sheer. For £5 its a good little product, however it's downfall is the lasting time. There is no way it would last 1000 kisses, maybe 50. It just seems to wear off with no real transfer, which is another good aspect, I got about 4 hours of wear with some eating and drinking.

All in all, its not the best lasting, but its a lovely colour and overall look and for only £5, it's not going to break the bank.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Incite PPR £15.50 bought in sale for £5

Me and Laura fell in love with this on a shopping tip just before Christmas. We had lots of fun playing with the pigments and swatching them before settling on this little baby. To be warned it does have a lot and I mean lot of fallout, the only way I have reduces this to to slowly build up the look to the desired coverage and only put the smallest amount on the brush that I can.

However even with a little fallout, it you lightly rub the fallout over the top of the cheeks you can get a nice highlight/sheen effect. The color is great of its own or to bring a more warm look to a darker make up. For me the gold really helps to bring out the color in my eyes. The pigment is super soft, not what you'd typically expect from colored glitter, but it is. It glides on, is ridiculously easy to blend and a little goes a long way. It's rare for me to find a high end product that I can not compare to a high street range, but this is just in a league of its own.

I will be purchasing more once I run out, but hopefully with the little amount you need to use that won't be for a long long time!

Revlon colorburst Lip Butter in Macaroon, rrp £7.99
As of this post this item is on sale at boots for £5

The cover of this product reminds me of 1930's cushions, but it nice, and as much as asthetics are generally important in this case its the product that I'm interested in.

its very lightly colored and the macaroon is very natural, it makes my lips a few shades lighter than natural and a bit more pink, it has quite a sheen on it, but it not over the top glossy. it does have some glitter in it, but its not too much.

when its on your lips its very slick, almost the same feel as when you put vaseline on your lips, It does help to nourish your lips and it is nice to add a splash of color without going too far from you natural shades.

Its major down point is that its really not long lasting. I wore it for over two hours when all I did was talk an shop, however the moment I ate or drank, it all came off. So.. if you don't intend on using your lips then it is a long wearing product but far from kiss proof!

It does hydrate your lips and compared to a normal lip salve it is much better if you want a made up look. During the height of winter or summer this will be a good product to help prevent lip problems but still stay stylish, however for me at the full price of £7.99 this product seems a little over priced for a vaseline style product with some color and glitter. Having said that I will be repurchasing and trying other colors, but will only buy if its on offer!

What do you think of the Lip Butter? Do you have any similar products for a good price?

Eylure Dyelash 45 day Mascara rrp £7.10, Long lasting color for dark, glossy lashes and brows.

So I spotted this little kit in Tesco and thought id give it a go. I don't have very dark lashes and only really end up with nice ones after a pile of mascara, the main problem is that the tips of my lashes are clear so you cant see them unless they are covered!

Where to start, I'm going to start with the instruction: they are clear and easy to follow but the protection strips are crap, I ended up doing the dye and not using the strips, I just kept wiping away any marks with damp cotton wool. The wand that it comes with is not fantastic, but it just about does the job.

The time waiting is the hardest thing as they ask you to keep you eye shut and only dye one eye at a time. Let me tell you, I thought this would be simple, IT IS NOT, it is really hard to keep one eye shut for 5-10 mins.

The results are pretty good, they are not as magical as I had hoped but they are darker right to the tips, for me the biggest improvement is my under eye lashes as they are normally not seen at all. I think that for just over £7 and up to 12 uses, with each application lasting up to 6 weeks (depending on how fast your lashes grow) its not a bad price for the effect. If you want eye-popping lashes that can stop a man with a single look (I felt like quoting memoirs of a geisha), then normal mascara is still your best bet. but for a much more natural look that just adds some slight length and slight more volume this is a good product. Plus not having to do it for another 6 weeks is a bonus.