Review: L’Oreal Infallible #425 Always Apricot

LOreal-Infallible-#425-Always-Apricot

Even though I am addicted to lipstick, I’m pretty lazy when it comes to the up-keep during the day. It’s a shame really, I spend all this time in the morning perfecting my look and then I let myself go as the day wears on. For this reason I absolutely love the idea of long wearing lipsticks, but often the execution of these formulas leaves a lot to be desired. I tried the old Infallible range from L’Oreal, the one with the separate colour and balm sticks, and thought they were hideously cakey, so I was keen to try their new formulation

What I love: There are a great selection of shades on offer in this range but I was immediately drawn to Always Apricot, a beautiful warm orange red with a golden fleck throughout. It’s a timeless shade which looks great with minimal makeup on the rest of the face and really warms up my skin tone. The stay put power means that you don’t need a lip liner to make this one work, it will easily last you through a morning coffee or two, but not through lunch, so be prepared for an afternoon reapplication. The pigmentation is fantastic, it’s not dry or cakey and for those who are sensitive to fragrance and taste, this lipstick has neither.

What I don’t love: Even though I’m happy with both the staying power and pigmentation, the initial application of this lipstick is what lets it down for me. It has that kind of sticky feeling  you get when you pull a piece of blu-tack between your fingers which lasts at least for the first hour. Unfortunately this means that I spend the morning pursing my lips together to get rid of the tackiness and become the subject of a few strange looks at work. Also, I’m not a fan of the packaging, but I think this may just be a personal thing as I know many others who like it. Apart from being hard to open, the see through casing somehow makes me feel like I’m showing my under-garments and the red top seems pointless.

For the price, this is a great value, long wearing lipstick. If it wasn’t for the sticky feeling, this one would be a winner.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: L’Oreal Color Riche Shine Gelée #303 Sweet Tea

L'Oreal Color Riche Shine Gelee #303 Sweet-Tea

This is definitely one of my frequent go to’s – I actually have this shade on my desk at work so it’s often part of my mid-afternoon ‘wardrobe change’ (aka I’m too lazy to hunt in my bag for the shade I put on earlier in the day). I’d describe this shade as a neutral, muted rose with a hint of berry.

What I love: this shade really does suit almost everyone. I’ve recently used it for a wedding and it suited the bride and all her bridesmaids, who were of varying skin tones and hair colours, and it looked great. The texture is creamy and rings true to it’s claim as a lipstick that is nourishing like a balm but shines like a gloss. It’s really easy to just swipe over your lips and has lovely colour payoff without having to pack it on. It also has a really yummy scent, which I can’t quite place, but I’m thinking jelly beans?

What I don’t love: for all it’s nice ‘smooshy’ feeling on your lips, it can sometimes feel a bit heavy. Also, in terms of  it’s staying power, it wont last past your morning coffee, which is a real shame because it’s so pretty. As for the packaging which, although I really like due to it’s unique tapered shape and colour peek window, unfortunately the lid has an annoying habit of coming off in my purse.

Overall I’d recommend this as a beautiful addition to anyone’s lipstick collection, so long as you’re prepared for frequent touch ups.

Rating 3.5/5