3ina Makeup

3INA is a fairly new entry to the beauty scene and is trying to shake up the 'one size fits all' approach to the cosmetics industry. Their products have a functional design with long-wearing formulas while still being an affordable option for many people. The products I've tested are paraben and cruelty free and come from their bestsellers list that are designed to be 'tools for self expression and colour confidence'.

The first item I tried out was The Longwear Liquid Lipstick which comes in 20 shades and is priced at £7.95. It's designed for those who would like to have the colour payoff from a longwear lipstick while still being able to enjoy the application method of a lip gloss. I've got this in the shade colour 500 which dries as a matte cherry red. To apply, you need a generous amount of the product to put one coat over the top of a base of lip liner on clean dry lips. If you start at the Cupid's bow and work your way outwards, you'll get the best application. The gloss will then turn into an opaque matte lipstick that will stay on your lips for hours. When you want to remove the product use their 'The Eyes & Lips Make-Up Remover'. 

If you fancy something to use on your eyes, the 3INA The Cream Eyeshadow (£7.95) is waterproof and available in 18 different colours. It gives you a strong, shimmery magnetic colour that will last all day. I've got this in the number 301 which is a dual-toned coppery bronze metallic shade. To apply, you can use concealer brush to blend outwards towards the outer edge of your eye. To get a sophisticated finish, you can blend a number of shades together. For me it's not an everyday product as I've got oily eyelids, but when I set my eyes with primer it works quite well.

If you want a product that is a 'flashbulb for your skin', this 3INA The Highlighter (£10.95) can illuminate your face. For applying you can use a fan brush or makeup sponge to lightly add the powder to your temple and cheekbones. You can also dust over your eyelids or Cupid's bow using your fingers to light up these areas. Don't think that this product has to be limited to your face as it can add glow and radiance when wearing a strapless top by adding it to your shoulders and collarbones.

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Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Review & Swatches

Wearing lipstick is something that gives me confidence, but I'm always worried that it will rub off on my chin or get on my teeth. I love liquid lipsticks as they help prevent this, especially matte finishes. The new Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Lipsticks (£9.99) come in a range of colours in a matte finish for '12 hour wear' with their high-intensity formula.

There's a precise arrow applicator which is larger than I'm used to, but applying your liquid lipstick is much quicker when using this. The pointed tip helps define the bow of the lips too. Maybelline describes the formula as "an intense ink colour concentration" that provides a flawless matte finish. The formula for me is not ultra matte and takes longer than usual to try. It does bleed a little so definitely wear a lip liner with this too. The photo below shows them whilst they're drying and you can see, the thicker you apply it the longer it takes to dry properly. They're really comfortable to wear and they're certainly long lasting, with barely any transfer.

The colours I have, from lightest to darkest, are Heroine (an orange-red), Romantic (a hot pink), Creator (the perfect lilac) and Escapist (a vampy brown-red). From packaging to swatching, there is one colour that doesn't match up, and that is Escapist. On the packaging, it looks like a red wine-purple but when swatched and worn, it's quite a dark brown. Aside from this, the rest of the colours are pretty spot on which is pleasing. At the moment, there is an offer on for buy one, get one half price so it's worth checking out here.

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Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Nudes Collection With Swatches

I am well and truly guilty for being a liquid lipstick hoarder. As soon as the trend hit I wanted to try every brand and every shade available. The first major chance I had to stock up on some was in Los Angeles last year, and included in my haul was two mini Kat Von D Everlasting Lipsticks and the full sized version in Lolita. I loved the formula and for Christmas I received the Everlasting Miniature Set ($49) that was available from Sephora that included 8 mini Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. Kat Von D have recently released their Nudes Collection in 6 nude shades, with one to suit everyone and they kindly set two shades for me to try, Crucifix and Hawkwind.

I'm a pale gal, so these two shades are definitely not 'nudes' to me, but I like the shades regardless. There are six shades in the Nudes Collection; Crucifix, Hawkwind, Ophelia, Ludwig, Muneca and Sanctuary. Crucifix is the darkest shade in the collection and is a deep brown, Hawkwind is more of a nutmeg shade, Ophelia is pink/brown nude, Ludwig is a mauve, Muneca is a light peachy-pink, and Sanctuary is a darker mauve. These are just 6 shades out of a total 43 available and I think Ludwig would be my perfect nude out of all of them as although I'm quite fair, my lips are a bit darker than you'd expect.

The formula has impressed me since I first tried Lolita, and they're creamy in nature and try fairly quickly to reveal a matte finish. When I've worn the Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks they've never flaked off but some shades are more opaque than others, but Crucifix and Hawkwind are very much true to colour and try opaque. No matter where I go, I always bring the lip colour I'm wearing with me just in case but I can't recall every re-applying these. They claim 24-hour wear but to be honest I've not worn any lipstick longer than about 16 hours and they're not as perfect by the end of the day as they were when first applied. 

I've compared the swatches of Crucifix and Hawkwind to two other Everlasting Liquid Lipstick shades in my collection; Lolita and Plath, to show what the shades look like. All of the shades dry really well without dehydrating the lips as they contain Vitamin E and Sunflower Seed Wax as natural moisturisers. I noticed that Plath doesn't dry as opaque like I mentioned before, but thought it was worth showing a few similar shades out to aid people looking for their perfect nude. For the best results. Kat Von D Beauty recommends shaking the products well before application for the best results.

The new Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick Nudes Collection is available exclusively from Debenhams, Debenhams.com and Debenhams.ie for £17 each.* I know I have eleven shades already but that's not going to stop me picking up Ludwig and Sanctuary to try out! Make sure to check out my Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette review too!

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Nyx Liquid Lipsticks Collection & Swatches

So Nyx announced last year that they were coming to the UK and I was straight onto the bandwagon. I knew I wanted to pick up a few shades of the soft matte lip cream but had heard the odd mention of the liquid suedes too and was eager to pick a few of those up too. They've since announced they're making another lip product called the lip lingerie which I am definitely getting my hands on as soon as they're out, as they look absolutely stunning.

(l-r) Athens, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Antwerp, Prague, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Copenhagen, Transylvania.
So originally I only picked up four shades but have ended up with nine different shades as I just couldn't cope with a few. After using these for a bit I've noticed that the darker the colour, the more pigmented they are. The shades from Prague onwards seem to last a fair bit longer which is unusual but hey ho. Nyx have released some new shades including more purples and even a bright blue, which I wouldn't normally go for but I need to try it out. 

Athens, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Antwerp.

Prague, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Copenhagen, Transylvania.

I have lips similar to Prague naturally, so these shades show up darker on my lips than on my pale hand. Shades like Buenos Aires and Tokyo don't really suit me that well but I'm keeping them for any ombré lip looks I may do in the future as they're gorgeous shades for that purpose. Overall I have to say that the bottom five shades swatched are my favourite and they're pretty pigmented to say the least. They don't drag on the lips, they last for a hell of a long time without the need to reapply and they don't flake off when you eat.

(l-r) Sandstorm, Amethyst, Cherry Skies, Vintage.

The main difference between the soft matte lip creams and the liquid suedes is the texture. The pigmentation is just as good if not slightly better. In the UK they're a pound more expensive but as you can see from the photos, you get a larger product. The applicator for this is larger that the soft matte lip creams and ideally I'd prefer the smaller applicator as it's easier to get into the corners. I've seen some reviews online claiming these crack easy and are quite streaky but I've not found this for all four colours I have, and personally I think there is less chance of these cracking than the lip creams. The online reviews I've seen saying that they are 'complicated' to use seem like a load of rubbish as they're so easy to work with which is one of the reasons I'm encouraging more people to try them.

Sandstorm, Amethyst, Cherry Skies, Vintage

The finish of these is a satin or semi-matte which looks stunning and you could definitely use this on top of another lipstick to boost the colour and finish. They lasted all day and the Amethyst colour is so bold and beautiful, the swatch doesn't do it justice. I've found Sandstorm the hardest to work with considering I have pale skin and blonde hair but that's literally just down to the fact that I'm not used to having a brown toned nude on my lips. I think 'Soft Spoken' would have been a better choice for my complexion and Sandstorm is probably more suited to brunettes. It works a hell of a lot better than the nude lip creams though which you can probably see with the swatches. I'm not sure how the Lip Lingerie will compare but I'm excited to try them when they're released over here.

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