Brand: AVON
Range: Shine Attract Lipstick
Shades: Natural Glow, Rose Pink, Happy Pink, Mysterious Mauve, Plum Berry, Caressing Coral, Passionate Red, Copper Connection
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

• Sheer lip colour surrounded by a moisturising clear gel that coats the lips with a subtle silky shine.
• Buildable coverage, moderate in hydration, and gives lips a natural flush of colour
• Whilst the moisturising gel creates a shiny finish initially, it also absorbs quickly leaving your lips softened with a stained effect.
• You can either apply directly from the tube for a stained look, use fingers to soften the tint or use a lip brush for precise application, especially along the lip line.
• Verdict: My favourite shades are Plum Berry and Passionate Red as the blue tones in these shades brighten my complexion the most, and it’s not easy to find plums and cherry reds in soft hues that are wearable everyday.  Passionate Red is also an extremely low maintenance sheer red that won’t slide or smear on your lips.

Comes in silver packaging with a clear plastic cap (not pictured)

Click to view enlarged lip swatches

Because of the gel surrounding the colour core, I had to use a lip brush to create a precise lip line.
You can also use your fingers, or if you’re brave – apply placing the colour core along your lip line.

The swatches are slim because the pigment is concentrated in the centre of the tube.

RRP: $22.99 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.

Brand: Maybelline
Range: Color Sensational Lip Color
Shades: Rosy Dream, Juicy Bubble Gum, Juicy Pink, Mauve Diamonds, Sugar Plum
Swatched by yours truly: Akisa

• Maybelline have added 10 new shades to the Color Sensational range, which I’ve spread over 3 posts.  This post is part 2 of 3, and is all about pinks & mauves.
• The new shades are translucent & lightweight, but feature the signature nourishing feel.
• Tastes fruity & juicy, reminds me of fruit chews like Starbursts candy. One of the YUMMIEST lipsticks I’ve tasted to date.
• Verdict: Props to ”Juicy Bubble Gum” – a blue pink shade that’s just blue enough to look like candy pink but not too blue that it clashes against neutral/warm skintones. For something more subdued, “Juicy Pink” is a modest & wearable everyday pink.

These products were provided for consideration.

Brand: SAX Cosmetics
Range: Lipgloss
Shades: Sweet Pea & Mink
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

• SAX Cosmetics is an Australian family business founded in 1995, and is the Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s preferred cosmetic brand. This endorsement recognises that SAX cosmetics provide quality, is well presented and provide excellent value to customers
• Silky, moisturising infused with antioxidants (Vitamin E), avocado oil, beeswax, jojoba oil and silk powder that give a light silky finish that retains moisture.
• Available in 6 shades, I was offered to try Sweet Pea (sheer shimmer) & Mink (mauve).
• The shades are subtle, but the texture envelopes your lips in a really smooth high quality formula – not at all what you’d expect for a gloss that costs only $12.95!
• Comes with a slim doe wand applicator (not pictured)
• Verdict: Although the shades are a little muted, I was truly taken aback by the quality of this lipgloss & the silky smooth texture is worth checking it out.  Within the 6-shade range there is also Peony, Coral, Cherry & Taupe.  Tine (Beautyholics Anonymous) swatched Coral here.

RRP: $12.95 AUD
Available at selected pharmacies & stockists.

This product was provided for consideration.

Brand: MAC
Range: Tinted Lipglass
Shade: Good Times (MAC Me Over Collection – LE)
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

• Good Times is a “pale mauve”  with a sheer milky high shine finish.
• This shade was used in the MAC Me Over  ”elegantly edgy” transformation for Xee & Sharon, featuring cool-toned smoky greys whites and beiges.
• I love Xee’s androgynous look the most, pairing the pale lip with uber-bold brows and eyes.
• As this lipglass is semi-sheer, recommend wearing this on top of lips prepped with a nude lip liner or lipstick.

This product was sent for consideration. Images from Maccosmetics.com 

Brand: Maybelline
Range: Super Stay 24 Hour Lip Color
Shades: Everything except for Everlasting Wine
Swatched by yours truly: akisa

• Incredibly long lasting lip colour formulated with “lip gripping” polymers and waxy film formers to resist budging.
• The shade range is split into four colour categories: Red/Coral, Pink, Nude/Brown and Plum.
• Dual ended packaging, with the liquid lip tint in one end and a glossy stick balm in the other.
• To test whether it truly lasted 24 hours, I applied a full coat in the afternoon, wiped lips after eating dinner and went to bed with whatever was left on my lips.  The next morning, the residue was STILL THERE.  I know it’s gross to sleep with a lipgloss, but it didn’t smear on the sheets and I really wanted to test its 24 hour claims.
• Incredibly moisturising and comfortable without any awkward taste.
• The formula grips lips very snugly, to the point that it doubled the number of my lip lines.
• Verdict: After having disappointing experiences with long lasting lip glosses from Revlon and Max Factor, I have to say this deserves a whopping 9/10 and in my “highly recommended” list.  To get 10/10 from me, Maybelline needs to make the formula line-smoothing and not accentuating.

Timeless Toffee

Due to the lip lines being accentuated with this lip colour, I’d recommend it only to those with smaller lips with a smooth surface. I didn’t swatch them all as the formula is very hard to remove. I needed 2 rounds of cleansing oil plus 2 rounds of toner to remove these from my arm.

RRP: $21.95 AUD

This product was sent for consideration.