My Makeup Bag: Work and Uni Edition

Compare and contrast, girls: The life of a working professional versus the life of a Masters student, illustrated through the contents of her makeup bag.

Yes, that is an RM5 pouch from Daiso. I purposely picked a small bag to keep me from carrying too much around the place. As it is, this little guy can carry a surprising amount of stuff!

Review: Poppy King for No. 7 in #2 Power

No. 7 next to Lipstick Queen's Saint

My apologies to those saw this post without a writeup earlier today. Was stuck in a meeting and couldn't paste the review til afternoon.

My best friend acceded to my selfish demands and brought back the No. 7 Poppy King Lipstick in Power and the lipgloss in Allure from UK last month. Let's take a peek at the Power lippie today.

My Lipstick Collection

I cleared out my makeup collection the other day and did a lip count. Are twelve lipsticks too little or too many? Four of them are in a wee palette though so I am not sure if they should be counted or not.

To get an idea of what colours I go for, check out the swatches after the jump:

First Look: No. 7 & Poppy King Lipstick & Lipgloss Collection

This news snippet is brought to you with the help of my bestie in UK, Agent Honey Bunny. Special thanks to Whatsapp for allowing us to link up a Blackberry and an iPhone. Excuse the darkish pictures. There's only so much an iPhone can do.

Lipstick lovers unite! Poppy King, creator of cult Lipstick Queen, has created 8 lipstick and lipgloss shades for No. 7, the Boots in-house makeup brand. Released some time last week, I emailed my best friend in UK about it.

"It is," I wrote, "your duty to check them out and pick one for me."

"No problem!" she replied cheerfully. "Just tell me which swatches you want to see."

"Everything, of course," I told her.

An hour later, my Blackberry started blinking.

"I am at Boots!"

When is a Gloss Not a Gloss? Lipstick Queen's Oxymoron Matte Gloss in Honest Politician

Earlier this year, I walked into Myers for a Saint and ended up walking out with two Saints AND an Oxymoron instead.

Trying to figure out why this range is called "Oxymoron"? Well, an oxymoron is a figure of speech which combines contradictory terms. This particular product claims to feel and apply like a gloss but looks matte on the lips.

Now that's an oxymoron for you.

When I saw that one of the glosses was named "Honest Politician", I had to pick it up. It seemed like the perfect way to celebrate 3 years of Political Science courses.

Lipstick Queen's Saint Sheer Lipstick in Rust

Two years ago, I promised myself that after graduating and before leaving Australia, I would splurge and get myself some Lipstick Queen.

I ended up walking away with not one, but three products from Lipstick Queen. One was a gift for my sister (I gave her a Saint Rouge and nearly killed her when she misplaced her makeup bag last month) and the other two were for me -- Saint Rust and an Oxymoron Gloss (to be reviewed at a later date).

A bit of an explanation here for those in the dark but Lipstick Queen has two lipstick ranges called "Saint" and "Sinner". The Saints contain only 10% of pigment while the Sinners have 90% pigment. Both have a great colour range and its up to you if you want to have a pretty wash of colour on your lips or a richer matte formula in the same tone. Absolutely genius in my opinion.

First off, I have to say that Lipstick Queen does not come cheap. My Saint Rust set me back by AUD $33.95, making it more expensive than a Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick. However, the Saints really do live up to their cult hit status, making this a pretty worthwhile buy.

Take a peek at Saint Rust. Doesn't seem like much, does it? That's what I thought as well until I put it on my lips and fell in love.

So, let's make a list called "Why Every Girl Needs a Saint in Her Bag" (And no, I am not talking about a St. Christopher, patron saint of travellers medallion here).

1. It's pretty. Seriously, get a Saint in the right shade and you are set. The colour can take you from day to night (or night to day, if you are a night owl). Sure, it may seem sheer at first but swipe it on your lips and you will realise that there is more depth in a Saint than you ever imagined.

2. It's moisturising. This is the most moisturising lipstick I have ever used. It's smooth, non-drying and an absolute joy to use. I don't even have to layer a lip balm over or under it.

3. It makes me want to kiss myself. Before Kahani and Syen pass a vote to boot me off SoLoverly for weird self-love practices, let me say in my defence that Saint makes your lips look absolutely kissable. The finish isn't overly glossy but looks moist in a sexy "I just licked my lips" kind of way. Wear this on a date and poor sap won't be able to keep his eyes off your lips.

Trust me, I have a boyfriend.

The Saints are tricky this way. They seem very subdued and discreet but they still draw attention to your lips. I guess that's the real difference between the Saints and Sinners. Sinners are all out sexy but the Saints are seductive.

4. Pretty packaging. I am not really a sucker for pretty packaging but who can resist that? *points up* If you can look at that and not be moved by curiousity, you must have a heart of stone or a very firmly screwed on head.

Outside packaging aside, the lipstick comes in a very sturdy rubberised tube. It isn't made out of cheap, breakable plastic and believe me, I have dropped this lipstick more times than I care to count. So far, no dents or scratches. I bet I could drop this into a pail of water and it would still emerge intact. Not that I plan to try.

If you aren't convinced, head to your closest Lipstick Queen outlet, pick out the right colour and put it on your lips. You'll get what the hype is all about, believe me.

Unfortunately, Lipstick Queen is not available in Malaysia (apparently available in Hong Kong) so I am saving up for my next Saint (or Sinner) during my next trip to Australia. A very worthwhile splurge, this one, and a girl always needs more Saints to fall back on.

Right?