Secret Beauty Blog -

I didn’t ever intend to buy any makeup from Topshop, I try to stay away from buying into hype, especially with cheaper products as they rarely live up to my expectations and I have so much of everything I really don’t need anymore to add to the scrap pile! Regardless, I always have a browse when I get wind of a new collection and couldn’t help but notice how similar the Coy lip pencil is to the NARS Bolero velvet matte lip pencil from the new Summer collection. And of course, you never buy just 1 thing, can you?

I wasn’t prepared to pay £4 shipping and luckily I had a day uptown shopping planned and I must say I was really impressed with the layout in the London store! I was expecting one crappy little stand that had been pulled apart and had hardly any stock but it’s like walking into a mini department store, there’s even an SA on hand to help out, and every stand was clean and well stocked. There was tissues and MU remover on hand aswell as several stations with illuminated mirrors with disposable tools so you can try before you buy. I had a good old nosey before purchasing these beauties -

Blusher brush – £7.00

Lipstick in Coy – £7.00

Cream blush in Flush £6.00

Super cute travel friendly packaging! Everything about these reminds me of the Urban Decay cheek tints, from the packaging to the actual formula, they are almost exact dupes. Ideal for blush noobs, these are more of a tint then a blush as they are pretty sheer but can be built up. I love the fact there is no glitter or shimmer, and they dry down to a slight powder finish. Lasting power is not great, about 4 hours but for the price they’re a steal and lovely for the warmer weather. I think the name of this shade is very apt, it gives me a ‘flush’ without looking overdone and I really enjoy wearing this on a lazy summer day with just some mascara and lip balm. Can also be used on the lips, but make sure you buff away any dry skin as it does cling to dry patches. Would also make a great gift!

Looking at swatches online this is VERY similar to the NARS Bolero pencil, but having not seen the NARS pencil in person I can’t comment for sure. Out of all the lipstick pencils available this one felt a bit dry, and you really need perfect lips with NO dryness to pull this off. I found it not very flattering on my English rose complexion so I’m very gladI didn’t purchase the NARS pencil. I can make it work by using a gloss over the top but on it’s own, it looks disgusting on me. The formula is like a concealer stick, very matte and slightly powdery. I love the feel I just hate the shade! I really want Rapturous, a bright red/coral that felt alot creamier when I swatched them on my hand. Not sure who this would work on, the colour is a dark peach/coral and pretty hard to pull off with the matte formula.

Flush – Coy

The blusher brush was a bit of a let-down, the bristles were rough and not uniform and really felt cheap. It didn’t pick up my blusher easily and felt scratchy on the face. I don’t think I would purchase anymore brushes but I can’t wait for the new peachy cream blush to be released!

Available online here.