Rimmel 'The Only 1 Matte' Lipstick Review

I have somehow been sitting on this review for months in my drafts folder and had no idea that I hadn't actually pushed the 'Publish' button on it yet. Ooops, my bad!

Anyhoo, I was lucky enough to receive all 9 shades in the Rimmel 'The Only 1 Matte' range to try out and review and these lipsticks have become a firm favourite that have been on high rotation ever since.

First up I have to say how much I love the packaging of these lipsticks. The red tube really stands out amongst my other lipsticks and I love the way the lid gives a nice, satisfying 'click' when closed so you don't need to be worried about them opening in your makeup bag or handbag.

The coloured strip that shows you the shade each tube contains is also great and they also have a coloured sticker on the base just in case you really need to be sure which one you are picking up, or you prefer to store your lipsticks standing up rather than lying down.

These lipsticks don't bleed into the lip lines and feel nice and comfortable once applied to the lips. They don't leave my lips feeling dry after wearing them but I've found that they do have a tendency to kind of 'bunch up' on the inner lip area if too much is applied which can be a bit unpleasant. I've found that because they are so pigmented you only need to swipe over the lips one or two times to get enough product on there so as long as you don't go too overboard then this problem can be avoided.

These lipsticks tend to wear around the 5-6 hour mark on me before needing to be touched up and as they wear off they leave a nice stain behind.

Here are some swatches:

Shade 101 - Leader of the Pink

* 101 - Leader of the Pink - A pretty and very wearable, everyday pink shade.

Shade 120 - Call the Shots

 * 120 - Call the Shots - A super bright, dark coral/pink. I've found this one a bit more on the drier side to apply.

Shade 200 - Salute

* 200 - Salute - A pinky nude which is a very versatile shade that goes with practically everything.

Shade 500 - Take the Stage

* 500 - Take the Stage - A bright, true red. This one is so creamy to apply and is a spectacular shade of red.

Shade 610 - High Flyer

* 610 - High Flyer - A darker, dusty pink/nude. This one is hands down my favourite shade for everyday wear.

Shade 700 - Trendsetter

* 700 - Trendsetter - A true beige nude. Great shade if you are a nude lover.

Shade 750 - Look Who's Talking

* 750 - Look Who's Talking - A dark chocolate brown shade. It has a lovely consistency but I struggle to wear shades like this with my pale skin tone.

Shade 800 - Run the Show

* 800 - Run the Show - A spectacular, bright lilac. It's much brighter in real life than I could get it to show in a photo. I'm absolutely terrified of wearing this colour out in public but I'm obsessed with it.

Shade 810 - The Matte Factor

* 810 - The Matte Factor - A gorgeous plummy red. This one is my second favourite that I wear on a regular basis.

Rimmel 'The Only 1 Matte' lipsticks

Overall I think these are another great lip product from Rimmel who just keep impressing me again and again on their makeup products.

If you're a fan of the matte lip look then I definitely recommend trying these out.

Have a lovely day!

Michelle xx

Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet

During one of my recent Sephora online binges I decided to try out this Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet. I already owned one in the shade Quince which I fell in love with straight away, so decided to try another shade and now I can't speak highly enough of these pencils.

These lip pencils are pretty much as thick as a crayon and twist up and down by turning the coloured bit at the end of the pencil. Unfortunately, the only downside to these when you first get one is that the pencil doesn't retract all of the way in, so if you're not careful when taking the lid on and off you can hit the tip which can then make the tube a bit messy if you don't realise it's happened.

The shade Violet is described as a 'Lavender Violet' and is very much just that. It's a beautiful medium purple that is surprisingly wearable for everyday. I love purple shades like this one that are not too dark to be goth, but just bright enough to lift the face without needing a huge amount of makeup to look good.

(Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet)

Overall, these are a beautiful and smooth lip crayon that glide on effortlessly when applied. They feel really moisturising on the lips and don't dry them out, even after hours of wear. The colour stays put for quite a few hours as well and leaves a slight stain as it wears off. They also have a very subtle sweet, almost fruity, scent that isn't too overpowering and they don't seem to bleed into the lip lines either which is always a big problem for me so I absolutely love it when I find a lip product that doesn't do this.

(Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Violet)

I'm a bit addicted to wearing these pencils and am thinking about which shade I want to try out next.

Has anyone else tried these lip pencils out and want to suggest which shade I should try next?

I hope everyone is having a lovely long weekend!

Michelle xx

Rimmel 'Good To Glow Highlighter' in 001 Notting Hill Glow

I must disclose a bit of a secret, I am a little bit obsessed with liquid highlighters and with adding them to my BB Cream, tinted moisturiser or foundation on a daily basis to add a little bit of glow to my skin. I just love the extra dimension it seems to give my skin and how it makes it look less flat.

So you can imagine how excited I was when asked to trial this Rimmel Good to Glow liquid highlighter as I couldn't wait to start adding it to my daily routine to see how it performed.

I received the shade 001 - Notting Hill Glow which is a really pretty white-gold shade when swatched on its own and which does miraculous things when added to my foundation or moisturiser of a morning.

When used alone as a highlight it's very easy to blend out and build up the intensity depending on how much you want to glow. I have used it on the cheekbones, brow bones and my top lip/cupids bow and it gives a subtle but really pretty glow to those areas once applied.

But, my favourite way to use it is to add a tiny amount to my liquid foundation or tinted moisturiser and it makes my skin look fresh and glowy, especially if my skin isn't in peak condition or I'm feeling a bit tired.

It has hardly any scent but if I do try really hard to smell it I can kind of make out a bit of a sweet scent but it's in no way detectable once applied to the face.

The tube it comes in is a very generous 25ml size which feels like it will literally last forever with the tiny little amount you need to use.

Does anyone else have a bit of a liquid highlighter fetish like me? If so, I'd love to know some of your favourites!

Have a lovely week,
Michelle xx

Maybelline Dream Cushion Foundation Review

I was lucky enough to receive this foundation to review as part of the Beautyheaven trial team and I have to admit I was really excited when it turned up.

I have never used a cushion foundation before and must say that I was a bit baffled at the start as to how to best apply it but once I worked that out I fell totally in love! I still don't really understand the whole reason for the cushion bit so if anyone can shed some light on it for me that would be great :-)

This foundation comes in a sturdy, plastic compact that has a built in compartment for the sponge that is included when you first lift the lid. You then lift this little compartment to get to the 'cushion' which contains the liquid foundation inside.

I decided to use a beauty blender to apply this foundation the first time I used it and it worked wonderfully. I just dabbed it into the cushion a couple of times and that was plenty of coverage for my entire face.

I received the shade 10 Ivory and it is an absolute perfect match to my skin tone. This foundation has great coverage over all areas of the face and can be built up over any spots that may need a bit extra. It blends onto the skin flawlessly and has a very subtle scent that is almost undetectable once it is applied. It also contains an SPF 40 which I just love because it gives you that extra protection when out and about in the sun.

Each day I wore this foundation it was over 35 degrees so it was a great test as to how well it lasts. Except for a little bit of wear due to intense sweating after running around for the day, this foundation seemed to hold up extremely well and actually impressed me with how well it performed in such conditions. It has become my go-to foundation lately when I want good coverage but don't want to have to spend a super long time achieving it.

My only gripe is that I really would have preferred the sponge compartment to have been on the bottom of the container and not on the top because it can get a little annoying to move it out of the way every time you want to use this product. Especially when I hardly ever use the sponges that are included with products like this so I ended up removing it straight away so it would stop falling out every time I opened the lid. 

Other than that though I think this foundation is excellent and would definitely purchase it in the future.

Has anyone else tried this foundation yet? Does anyone know what the purpose of the cushion bit really is?

Have a super day!

Michelle xx

The Balm 'Hot Mama!' Shadow/Blush

I bought this Hot Mama! shadow/blush at an online sale a little while ago because I have a bit of a soft spot for The Balm products. I just love their cute packaging and the funny names they use for their products and this blush looked like it was a really nice versatile shade.

It comes in the usual cardboard packaging that The Balm are known for and it has a nice sized mirror underneath the lid for when you might want to apply it on the go. I do like the quirky packaging that The Balm use, but sometimes I get a little annoyed by how dirty and marked the cardboard can actually get after a lot of use. It can also get a bit dented and knocked around in your handbag or cosmetic bag too so I don't tend to take their products out with me for this reason.

Hot Mama! is marketed as an eye shadow or a blush but I really only mainly use it as a blush because I very rarely use single eye shadows anymore. When it is used as a shadow though it is a nice, warm peachy shade that wears really well and doesn't seem to crease too much, even after a few hours of wear.

(The Balm 'Hot Mama!' shadow/blush)

I definitely prefer to use Hot Mama! as a blush though and love the pretty, shimmery, peach shade it gives to my cheeks as it has an instant brightening effect. The powder blends out beautifully and there is usually no need to use a separate highlighter when I'm wearing this blush as it is quite shimmery on its own and I can feel a little too disco-ball if I also add highlighter on top.

I own quite a few The Balm products and am always impressed by their pigmentation and the way their powder products blend out and wear during the day.

I'd love to know what your favourite The Balm product is and why?

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx