Just Bitten Again-Twilight DuWop Lip Venom

Review



Quite a long time ago I dedicated a post to my quest for 'just bitten lips' and even joked about our favourite vamp Edward Cullen; I am not particularly a Twilight fan (it's mainly R-Patz I adore) but I do really enjoy most things vampire, so I had experimented, using some Benetint and tried to create a vamp worthy look.

Then recently I was browsing the ASOS beauty section when I saw the above, yes it is actually a Twilight Venom by DuWop!

Feel the rush as you apply this crimson lipstain suspended in a venom-laced plumping conditioner. As close as you can get the vampires bite.

That was enough to send me rummaging for my already exploited credit card and adding to basket! Unfortunately, not everyone is as eager as I to get close to a vampires bite. I found out that 'Loser!' is the immediate response when telling a friend you have bought a Twilight lipgloss, but that friend will have already commented 'oo just bitten lips' before learning the franchise of the said lipgloss; this product really does what it says on the tin!


About
Firstly, it is made by DuWop who are well known for their plumping lip venoms; this has a mentholy peppermint scent that tingles the lips a little on application.

Colour
The stylish separated formula needs a good shake to blend the 'blood' and the 'venom', but what is actually best about this mixture is that it separates back on the lips; this means that the red colourant sinks towards the centre and bleeds through the fine lines of the lips to create that bitten look. Beware the colour is really bright and though a stain will turn heads! My camera didn't pick up the colour too well, but it really is primary brick red.


Longevity
Unlike most lip stains I've tried, this has a conditioner to stop that horrible sticky tacky feeling, and it does not dry your lips out further. It also stays put really well and I had a Starbucks successfully without leaving a trace on the cup lid!

Value
It doesn't come cheap at £14.50, and I don't mind admitting that I was horrified to see the size of the actual bottle once all the fancy packaging was removed! The tube is smaller than the above picture, and only 2.96ml! Saying that, this product gives the effect that I have been trying like an alchemist to conjure for quite sometime. It is a bit of a scandal to pay so much for something so physically small, but I would probably do it again, as I use it almost everyday.

Mavala Winter Nail Polish

Review



I have become a little obsessed with painting my nails and change the colour as soon as a chip appears, sometimes even when they are still perfect! I had began to get bored of my colours so it was fantastic when I was given the opportunity to try out the new Mavala winter collection, Viva La Colour. These colours are inspired by the seasons catwalk collections, and are not the shades that I would stereotypically cast over winter. I used them consecutively over a week or so and chartered the progress my inferior camera...



The first shade is a vibrant creamy pink; almost fuchsia in colour it is a stark contrast to my usual dark nails and this was the first decided to try out. It glides on smoothly and gave a professional finish after just two coats. I was surprised at how much I actually liked having bright nails, with all outfits it was nice to have a splash of colour somewhere!




The second is this beautiful metallic navy blue. I love this colour and actually already posess the similar Chanel Blue Satin, but this one is by far superior! Whilst the Chanel looks very dark on the nails and only shows a hint of blue when the light catches, this shade is very vivid and obviously blue. Once again it when on smoothly with no streaks (unlike gloppy Chanel) and lasted chip free for a good few days. I was really impressed with this and it shall return to my nails on their next, impending makeover.



The third shade in the collection is this milky pink. I must confess that I did not get on with this polish quite so well. The it took about four coats to get a strong shade, and I had a problem with the brush picking up too much polish and then blobbing everywhere. Saying this, the colour was pretty though subtle, and a nice shade of pale pink.

Mavala polishes come in smaller sizes than usual which is more economical if you rarely completely finish a bottle. I also noticed that my nails were a lot stronger after trying the polishes over the week; I'm not sure if this is due to the polishes themselves as I did use a ridge filler each time, but I have used that same ridge filler for months before hand with little improvement on my week nails.

Check out the full range of colours and products here

Bright Star

I am not that much of a film person; I don't find comedies funny, romances sicken me and horror is too mentally traumatising. I find 'arty' films devoid of story and novel adaptations disappointing and lyric destroying...I do not have the motivation to sit though 3 hours of story that can be explained to a friend in a sentence and it would never occur to me to watch a film on my own for entertainment at home. I have been to the cinema recently though; I found out that there was a film about Keats and could not resist going, even if to dissect it piece by piece.

Keats is my favourite poet, my fail proof inspirational literature that I return to still. Though he is now known as one of the greatest Romantic poets (and poets of all time), he died aged 25 virtually unknown. This film seeks to tell the tale of his three year romance with Fanny Brawne leading up to his death in 1821.

The trouble with these sorts of biographical tales is that the film makers have very little to go upon fact wise. This story is crafted using Keats' poems, and letter conversations between him and Fanny, these texts act as posts where everything in between is dramatised and fabricated. I knew this would be a problem for me, and indeed it was. Did Keats really walk miles and collapse in the shrubs outside his lovers home? Did he actually quote Bright Star to her as he lay upon his 'fair loves ripening breast'? I, like the director Jane Campion, do not know, but I highly doubt it.

Fanny Brawne (played by Abbie Cornish) is a dressmaker obsessed with designing new and progressive clothes and is constantly appearing in new flamboyant outfits. I'm not sure how historically accurate her fashionista personality is, but I imagine the shallow preconceptions of being clothes obsessed was designed to contrast with the deep musings of Keats.



Cynicism aside, I did enjoy the film. As these stills show, it is visually beautiful. Sets and scenes are perfectly chosen with hyperbolic visions of the moving seasons. It is worth going to see just for the subtle impact of these scenes.

ASOS Beauty and the Bloggers

I am horridly behind on posting but this week will be more fruitful. ASOS recently held a bloggers beauty evening at their Mornington Crescent HQ and I was genuinely excited to see their new Christmas makeup lines.

The event was held in their studios, where there was a beautifully set out dressing table, laden with all the newest xmas beauty treats. Bianca and I dived straight in and began layering our faces with a new covering of makeup.





I began by trying the Nicola Robert's Dainty Doll concealer for pale skin. The moussey formula is actually very smooth on the skin and it is presented in a handy screw top pot with cute cartoons. The colour was quite natural on my skin, I tried Porcelain which was a good match but they also have a pure white which looks interesting!

Next, these amazing Bourjois eyeshadows and blushes;
Exclusive to ASOS these limited edition eyeshadows and blushes have beautiful vintage pictures on the pots. I intend to get some and then display them on an old fashioned dressing table (which I am going to try fit in my room soon).



After we had crammed as much makeup on to our face as possible (so tempting to try every product), we had a look at the new ASOS black range. We were encouraged to try on the samples for a strut down the catwalk; Bi and I didn't take too much encouragement and grabbed the cool cage dresses in alternate colours. Unfortunately we are not sample sized girls and could not get the underskirt over our hips! So we had a good laugh, took a head shot (with the zip at back undone) and went on our merry way! We found some sparkly jackets and heels and took a spin down the runway in those instead- picture at top!



The Black collection has some amazing pieces in it though, namely this black feathered cape. I think I might have to get it; would love to layer it over coats, dresses, and more! ASOS have really stepped up their game this winter, and I think my purse is going to feel it- internet shopping is dangerously easy!

Make Do and Mend

I love Vogue, they are just so thrifty. Take for example this ingenious shoot from the November UK Vogue issue...yes times are hard so they show us how we can make, do and mend from everyday household supplies. Above is a dress crafted from nothing but cotton wool balls with shoes made from toilet rolls- a couture look for pennies! Well, not quite...the text proudly proclaims that this outfit cost a mere £120 to make.

I know that this is a frivolous bit of fun where someone witty got to be creative, but I had to laugh that the pages of Vogue are still showing me unrealistic purchases- I can't even afford loo roll shoes!!

It is a clever though. Here are some more shots from the editorial:

Source: Thefashionspot