Press Sample included in this post.

As today is International Kissing Day I thought I would share my favourite 3 Red lipsticks with you, and thought it was a good way to start my beauty blogging journey.

The three lipsticks I have picked as my 3 faves for different reasons, As well as have giving a detailed description of the pros and cons of each lipstick I will pick my top lipstick in each of the below categories.

Application; How easy it is to apply the lipstick.
Texture; What it feels like when on the lips.
Smell; Yes smell, seeing as it is so close to your nose I think this matters :).
Pigmentation; Vibrancy of colour.
Longevity; How long it lasts.

First up is Melt Cosmetics ‘Belladonna 2’.  This is a Pinky Red, rather than a deep red as you can see from the Swatches later. The Melt Cosmetics Brand is quite new and only lunched in 2013 they are vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, and paraben free. The first thing I hate to say I noticed about these was the rather cheap feeling black plastic casing the lipstick comes in.  It feels cheap for a lipstick that costs £19.95 from Beauty B in the UK and $19 from the Melt Cosmetics website. The actual box is quite cute, but as such nothing special. There is a nice touch in you get some stickers and a little hand mirror with Melt lipstick colours on them, I actually ordered mine from Melt directly and was lucky enough not to get charged customs charges.

So once you get past the relatively tacky feeling packaging the lipstick itself smells quite nice, I thought it smelt a little like MAC lipsticks at first but its not quite as nice as the Vanilla scent Mac Lippies have.  This a very Matte lipstick and for some may be too drying on the lips.  This gives it a very long wearing formula and I have worn Melt lipsticks before with no re application for 8 hrs.  Its not the easiest of lipsticks to apply but a good lip liner will help.  It can feel like it is dragging against the lip, so I make sure my lips are moisturised before applying, but not too moisturised otherwise it will not stay for as long.

Melt Cosmetics – Belladonna 2

One thing which I dislike about this lipstick is that it does stain the lips quite badly, so badly that even waterproof makeup remover does not even get it off on the first try. As you can see in the shot below. But I suppose that has a lot to do with the fact it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Staining left behind from 3 red lipsticks after using waterproof make up remover.

Next up is Nicka K New York ‘Daring’, which is from their Hydro Lipstick range available in 24 highly moisturising colours. I was sent 11 of these lipsticks for review and so far I am not disappointed. The lipsticks themselves are paraben free.

The first thing I noticed about these lipsticks were their expensive looking casing even though they retail at only $4.99 and can be purchased directly from the Nicka K website, and I believe they are also available at stores in the US, but for the British ladies and ladies from other countries they ship internationally so there is no issue, but again beware if customs charges.

These lipsticks smell devine, like sweeties and it is quite hard not to want to lick your lips when wearing them lol.  They go on like butter and are very much like a lip gloss without the stickiness. They feel like you have just applied a really moisturising lip balm which is lovely when wearing a lipstick.  The draw back of having such a great moisturising lipstick is it does need re-applying quite often as compared to Matte lipsticks, however the pigmentation is great and does not need more than 2 swipes to reach optimum coverage. As you can see below it give a beautiful Raspberry Red colour.

Nicka K New York – Daring

My 3rd fave red lipstick is by Lime Crime from their Velvetine range. They come in 7 different shades which are all fantastic and vegan friendly too.  They retail at £13.50 from Love make up or $20 direct from Lime Crime.

The first thing I noticed about the Velvetine collection is the pretty and distinctive packaging, I love flowers so roses on a lipstick lid is a lovely thing for me :). I had seen reviews about this lipstick that made me want to get it, and some of the reviewers commented that they didn’t like the smell, well I love the smell.  It reminds me of Mc Donald’s Strawberry Milkshake.

The application of this takes a little practice as it is almost like applying paint to your lips, as it applies wet and dries Matte.  It has a very true bright red colouring and is very long wearing, but does not stain in the same way as  ‘Belladonna 2’. Again this lipstick may be a little drying for some, but I have not tried to apply this on top of anything but a bare lip.  I have however applied lipgloss over the top and it was very long lasting even when glossy. The pigmentation is good and gives a nice even finish after 2 coats.

Lime Crime – Red Velvet

Below are some comparison shots of the 3 lipsticks swatched on my arm inside and outside.

Arm swatch in sunlight

Arm Swatch indoor lighting

Who tops the table in which area
Application; Nicka K  Hydro Lipstick
Texture; Nicka K Hydro Lipstick
Smell; Lime Crime.
Pigmentation; Lime Crime.
Longevity; Melt Cosmetics.

Press Sample included in this post.