Lip & Cheek Stains

This month I received two samples of lip & cheek stains in my Glossybox and Birchbox. I am a firm believer in cream blushes so I was curious to see if I preferred this stain type format.

For those of you who don't know how the Glossybox and Birchboxes work, I will be explaining all in a post very soon. I am just waiting for this month's boxes to arrive to photograph and review for you! 

In my Glossybox I received a full size (12ml) of Me Me Me's Cherub's Blush.  It is a cheek and lip tint which comes in a bottle with a brush in the cap, like a bottle of nail polish. The aim of this product is to give a long-lasting hint of colour. I first tried it on my lips and while the colour was pretty, I found the texture quite drying and I couldn't wait to put lip balm over the top. It was very subtle and pretty on the cheeks though and the smell was amazing. I am a sucker for anything with a rose scent. This costs £5.50 which I think is pretty good value and you can buy it here.

In my Birchbox I received a sample size of Stainiac from The Balm in colour Beauty Queen. This one is a gel formula, which comes with an applicator like a lip gloss. I felt a bit more in my comfort zone as I do love this texture. Colour-wise it was more subtle than the Cherub's Blush.  I didn't like it on my lips, even though it was a gel it still felt dry to me. It was quite pretty on the cheeks - it reminded me of  'Oh Glow' by Smashbox which I found to be a bit too sheer for my liking. This costs £10 to buy the full size through Birchbox but it it currently unavailable ?? They obviously need to sort that out. If you are in Australia, it costs $17 and you can buy it here.

Top swatch - Me Me Me's Cherub's Blush

Bottom swatch - The Balm's Stainiac

I think these lip and cheek stains could be your thing if you are very pale and only like a suggestion of colour. For me, i'm sticking to my beloved cream blushes and hydrating lipsticks. 

Pixi Beauty

It is always fun to make a new discovery and for me, this has been the best thing about relocating to London. I had never come across Pixi Beauty before I came to London. It is a really lovely makeup and skincare range by makeup artist Petra Strand that was created 10 years ago. They have a delightful store located in Fouberts Place, just tucked behind the Liberty department store - a part of town that is fast becoming a very tempting place to visit.

Petra Strand, creator of Pixi

One of the things that really impress me about the brand are the prices - realistic and achievable which makes adding her products to your makeup kit actually affordable. My picks of the range are the Endless Silky Eye Pens and the Sheer Cheek Gels.

T-B: Deep Plum, Sage Gold, Black Cocoa, Black Noir & Oyster Glow

Endless Silky Eye Pens - For anyone who has tried and failed to do their eyeliner with a hard pencil that drags on the skin, then these pens are for you. They glide on like a dream and then they do not budge. Period. I picked up a kit of these in store, which included 5 mini-sized pencils and a sharpener for £16.50. The colours included in this kit are Deep Plum, Sage Gold, Black Cocoa, Black Noir and Oyster Glow. There 11 gorgeous colours in the range. Cafe Gold ... i'm coming for you!
 

Sheer Cheek Gels - These are so lovely to work with and great for those who prefer a gel consistency to a cream. As the name suggests, they give a really healthy sheer colour to the cheeks and like the eye pens, once applied the colour does not move. I picked up colours Rosy and Natural for £12.50 and you can view the full range of colours here.

L-R: Rosy and Natural

There is plenty more goodies to explore. You can see the full Pixi range and shop online here . If you are based in Australia, you can buy Pixi from Beauty Bay or Asos with free international shipping.