Best Lip Crayon Formulas and Brands | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

As Lip Week continues, I thought I've already done, lipsticks, lip liners so I decided to do lip crayons! These are my favourite brands of lip crayons and my favourite lip crayon formulas. So let's get into it shall we?

The first one I'm going to talk about is Mirabella Velvet Lip Pencil. I discovered these in Lip Monthly (a subscription box) and I fell in love with it pretty quickly. They first sent me a orange/red one and I wasn't crash hot on it because I don't wear that kind of colour but then I got a red one and it's so freaking pigmented! Pretty much all of the lip crayon's I'm going to talk about are going to have a creamy consistency but Mirabella knows what's up with pigment. The packaging is amazing, taking a step back from the trends and going with a gun metal look. I am so thankful for Lip Monthly for showing me this brand. Lip Monthly said they retail for $25, I'm guessing U.S.D? I also don't know if you can get your hands on these in Australia but if you can get them, definitely give them a go.
The next brand is of course Nars, Nars have very beautiful Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. The first set I got was the birthday present from Sephora and the second set I got was from Steven Klein collection. Out of all of these this formula is the second most matte, however they don't feel drying at all. In a few of the shades, like Sex Machine in particular, it can have a bit of sparkle to it which gives it a totally different look as opposed to a complete matte monochrome colour. These can be quite pricey but the quality is definitely what you're paying for.

The Maybelline ColorBlur's are something I have been waiting over a year to get, since Shaaanxo did her collaboration video with Maybelline which featured this product. The ColorBlur's are the most matte out of all of these lip crayons but I kind of understand why; the product was made so that you could easily create an ombre affect on the lips, that could be more difficult if you used a glossier product because gloss formula's can spread more easily. The ColorBlur's are hella pigmented, and are very neon depending on which shade you get. You can get these at Priceline, Target, Big W etc, and they aren't going to be as expensive as the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.

The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm's are more like a semi-matte, they don't instantly apply as a matte, but if you were to dab your lips with a tissue or apply some translucent powder to your lips, then it would be matte. I do have to say that these aren't quite the same as the other products that I've mentioned but they leave a really nice, stained look on the lips. They last a really long time because they have that staining effect. These tend to look really nice if you get a my lips but better colour. They are really big so they can be a little hard to apply evenly and crisply but it's not too much of a bother. These are also available at Priceline, Target, Big W etc and they are in the same boat as Maybelline in terms of price range.

The last two products are Bite products because if any brand knows how to do lip crayons, it's them. The first one I'm going to mention is the High Pigment Pencil, I accidentally stumbled upon these in Sephora when I was trying to dupe something that wasn't available at the time. I really fell in love with these. Super creamy and really give you that plumped pout look without having any lip plumping ingredients. The Bite packaging as just feels nice, the rubbery matte packaging is so nice. They are a little more expensive but they are completely worth it. Can be found at Sephora AUS.

The other Bite product is called the Matte Creme Lip Crayon which can be a little confusing because how can a product be matte and creamy? They aren't completely matte, again they are more like a semi-matte but they are extremely creamy like the High Pigment Pencils. These aren't going to dry out your lips at all. The only thing I fault these on is the face that they don't have the colour of the product on the outside of the packaging. They have the colour name but that's it. Again, Bite Beauty can be found at Sephora AUS.

L-R: Mirabella in Red, Nars in Sex Machine, Maybelline in 05 Pink Insanity, Revlon in 205 Elusive Insaisissable, Bite in Syrah and Aubergine

Let me know what your favourite lip crayon formula's are in the comments below. I also want to see if you can guess what the last post for Lip Week is! Of course the post will go up at 12:30 like every other day, so if you want to know what the last Lip Week post is, stay tuned then :)

Hidden Gems #8 - Essence Lip Liners | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem, in honour of Lip Week, is the Essence Lip Liners. These definitely need a lot more love in the beauty world than they are given. When I had to pick a lip product for this week's Hidden Gem, there was no doubt about it that these were my Gems.

So far I only have 6 of the colours, I'm fairly certain those are the only colours they stock in Australia because I haven't seen any other colours anywhere. I do know that they have other colours in other countries which is a little annoying that they don't stock them here because they are amazing. The colours that are available are 05 Soft Berry, 06 Satin Mauve, 07 Cute Pink, 08 Red Blush, 11 In The Nude, 12 Wish Me A Rose.

L-R: 05, 06, 07, 08, 11, 12

The lip liners themselves are in the pencil form, which means they aren't retractable or anything but they don't drag on your lips. They are very pigmented and leave a velvet feel on the lips. It's not creamy but it doesn't hurt to apply them. My most used one is probably 11 In The Nude though 06 Satin Mauve comes in a very close second. So if you are interested in picking these up, I would probably start there depending on what colours you wear. The colour range is very nice despite Australia not stocking all the shades. There aren't any purples or oranges which can be a little disappointing, though most brands don't make those kinds of lip liner colours anyway.

The Essence lip liners retail for about $2 each and you can purchase them at Target, Priceline or anywhere else that stocks Essence Cosmetics. They did recently change their packaging so that the lid is the same colour as the lip liner colour, the font is bigger and the lid is smaller but other than that I see no difference.

If you are on a budget or are just looking for a good lip liner in general, these are definitely the way to go. I use these just as much as my MAC, Colourpop or Chi Chi ones. If you have these, let me know what you think of them down in the comments below! I'd love to hear your opinion on them.

Top 10 M.A.C Lipsticks | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

I haven't really done a post like this before but you'll be seeing plenty this week. These are my top 10 MAC lipsticks. There's no particular order to them, these are just the 10 lipsticks from MAC that I like the most, so far. I do have an absolute favourite and I do have a couple staple shades but other than that, there's not really any order to this. So let's get into it shall we?

L-R: Brave, Velvet Teddy, Pink Plaid, Snob, Saint Germain, Please Me, Tats, Tenor Voice, Shy Girl, Diva

1. Brave - Satin finish: Brave is probably my absolute favourite, it was my first ever MAC lipstick and has definitely been used a lot, which is why the MAC writing on the inside is so messed up. The reason why I picked it up is because everyone was saying that it was the colour that Kylie Jenner was using so naturally I picked it up along with Soar lip liner and to this day it's probably my favourite lip combo. It's that colour that was so on-trend last year, that pink-y brown nude, it comes off darker on me than other skin tones because I'm pale as hell but it's still my favourite colour.
2. Velvet Teddy - Matte finish: My second favourite colour from MAC and it's no surprise why, it's a cult favourite among MAC fans and is also said to be the shade Kylie wears. Velvet Teddy is a more brown nude than a pink-y brown but I still think it's a beautiful shade for my skin tone and a lot of other skin tones.
3. Pink Plaid - Matte finish: Pink Plaid isn't my third favourite but it's definitely a me colour. It's very similar to Please Me except Pink Plaid is just a little more on the nude side than straight up pink. I did accidentally drop this on my carpet with a lid and it may have broken my heart just a little but it was fine after I cleaned it up. I can't say whether I like this one more than Please Me or if I like Please Me more than this one, they're kind of equal to me, it just depends on what undertone you want.
4. Snob - Satin finish: Snob was I think my second ever MAC lipstick and I still love it to this day, it's absolutely perfect for Summer and Spring which I love. It's almost like if Saint Germain and Pink Plaid had a baby, this would be it. For me, my perfect pink match is Snob with Hip 'n' Happy lip liner, such a nice combo.
5. Saint Germain - Amplified finish: Saint Germain is definitely an Amplified colour, it's hella bright and such a beautiful neon pink colour. Perfect for wanting to make a statement or just for a pop of colour. I really do understand the hype around this colour because I don't own anything like it.
6. Please Me - Matte finish: Please Me is the one I was comparing to Pink Plaid because they are so similar in colour however Please Me has more of a pink undertone rather than a nude undertone. The Please Me I have is from a limited edition collection but I am about 85% sure that it's a permanent colour.
7. Tats - Matte finish: Tats is from the Giambattista Vali collection and I'm pretty sure it's not a permanent colour, however they may bring it back in another collection or as a permanent shade. Tats for me is the perfect Hot Pink, raspberry reddish colour, I think it's perfect for a date night or just a general night out if you don't like reds.
8. Tenor Voice - Matte finish: Again Tenor Voice was limited edition from the Toledo collection but like I said before, they may bring it back in another collection or as a permanent shade. Tenor Voice for me is the perfect red, it's not too orange based, it's a blue based red that is a little bit darker than your typical pure red shade, absolutely stunning.
9. Shy Girl - Cremesheen finish: This is the only Cremesheen that's on this list and that I own because I hate Cremesheens, I really dislike the formula, though I dislike Lustre's as well. I mostly don't like Cremesheens because they don't give off much pigment and don't last long, but this is an except to that statement. Shy Girl gives off a little bit of a nude tint to the lips and it aslo gives you this shimmer to the lips that is to die for. 
10. Diva - Matte finish: Lucky last Diva, Diva definitely isn't my least favourite on this list it just got stuck with the last position. Diva looks almost like a dark brown in the tube (in photos) but it's a very dark vampy red, I live for colours like this. Especially in Winter and during the holidays. It's such a beautiful colour to match up with a big sweater and some black leggings.

And there you have it, my top 10 MAC lipsticks. Let me know if you would like to see the rest of them or any other top 10 lipstick lists in the comments below :)

Beginner's Guide to Lip Products | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

It's Lip Week here on The Lipstick Hub, our first ever themed week, that I have chosen. I've wanted to do this for a little while but things have always just come up that needed to go out before I could dedicate a week to just lip products. I was thinking of making this an annual thing but it's up to you guys, whether you want another lip week, whether you hated this one, etc. I do have some fun posts lined up for you this week and I think you'll really enjoy them, it'll give you a little insight to my lip product stash and what products I prefer and so on and so on.

Today's post is a guide for beginners on lip products, there are many different types of products for your lips how do you know what you'll like and what's going to suit you? If you are a newbie to makeup then I do have a little beginners guide post that I wrote not too long ago, which you can read here. So without further ado, here are the different lip products that are currently on the market, if I have left any out, I'm sorry and please let me know in the comments below.

1. Lip Primer - I don't actually own a lip primer so I can't show you an example, my apologies. But I do know that Colourpop have one for $5 USD and a bunch of other brands have lip primers as well. I don't view lip primers as an essential lip product to have and I do think it's a little gimmicky but I haven't tried one so I can't judge. Basically a lip primer would go under any lip product you are about to put on, generally lipsticks though, and the idea is that it will make it last longer and make the product go on easier. Again I can't give my thoughts because I don't own one but I've had never had a problem with my lip products so, it's up to you whether you deem it as necessary.

2. Lip balm/treatment - I'm sure everyone has owned a Lip Smackers, Chapstick or Vaseline at some point in their lifetime. I do view lip balms and/or treatments as essential because my lips do get really dry especially in winter and lip balms definitely help keep that under control. Lip balms keep your lips moisturised and stay healthy, just like using a moisturiser for your face, it's essential. Also keep in mind that when you are dehydrated, the first place it shows is your lips, so keep hydrated and keep a lip balm in your purse, pocket, desk drawer etc.

Watermlon Lip Smackers

3. Lip scrub - A lip scrub is somewhat new to the beauty world, its a product that will exfoliate your lips, i.e. scrub off the dry dead skin and leave you with fresh soft lips. It's definitely something that should be in your skin care routine, though don't do it too often, once a week should be plenty.

Ombra Sugar Lip Scrub in Watermelon

4. Lipstick - Lipstick is probably one of the biggest symbols of makeup next to mascara. You can pay $2 or $113 on a lipstick, it's insane. So I guess the fist thing to know about lipsticks is that they have different finishes, these include matte, satin, semi-matte, amplified, cremesheen (cream), lustre, sheer and metallic. I'm sure there's a couple in there I may have forgotten but matte and cream finishes are the most common. A matte finish is exactly what it sounds like, there is no shine to the lip colour but it's generally more pigmented. They can feel drying but that's what lip balms are for. Cream finishes are more moisturising, they tend to be like a gloss almost. They can definitely be pigmented but they will come off more easily and they can feel slippery on the lips. There is no better formula, it is entirely up to you which one you like better. 

Rimmel Kate Nude lipstick in 45

5. Lip gloss - Lip glosses are fairly well-known I'm pretty sure. I know I had quite a few lip glosses when I was younger, I'm fairly certain I wore lip glosses before lipsticks. Lip glosses can be really pigmented or really sheer, they can feel tacky, slippery or just plain sticky. It's up to you to find a brand that works well for you and suits you. I don't really wear lip gloss all that often and I'm pretty sure it's well known that I hate lip glosses because of the way they feel but I have worn a lip gloss from time to time.

The Balm Read My Lips in BAM!

6. Matte liquid lipstick - Oh boy did these get popular in 2015, matte liquid lipsticks are probably my favourite makeup item ever. They were a massive hit in 2015, though some people did get sick of them and I can understand why, a) every single brand make liquid to matte lipsticks and b) everyone was blogging/vlogging/gramming them. Not to mention if you are a person who hates matte lips, it was definitely not your year. Shiny glossy lips might have been the 'in' thing back in 2005 but it's time for matte liquid lipsticks. Liquid to matte lipstick are pretty much exactly what you'd expect, they go on your lips a liquid, like a gloss and within 20-60 seconds, they dry down matte. Some formulas can be drying on your lips and some can be moisturising, just like any other lip product they can be a hit or miss.

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in More Better

7. Liquid lipstick - Liquid lipsticks are pretty much a hybrid of matte liquid lipsticks, lip gloss and lipstick. It's pretty much exactly as the name says, its a liquid version of a lipstick. There's nothing really more to go on about them than that. They don't really have different finishes because if it wear creamier and more shinier than it would be a gloss and if it were matte than it would be a matte liquid lipstick.

Savvy Liquid Lipstick in Ballet

8. Lip liner - Lip liners can come in different packaging and types, they can come in a pencil form or a twist up product. Lip liners are basically to help you outline your lips so that you stay in the lines, you can also fill in your lips with them so that your lipstick comes out more pigmented and stays on longer. Lip liners can also come in different finishes, you can get a more matte finish, that generally comes from a pencil liner and you can get a more cream finish with a twist up, of course there are some exceptions but that's just my observation.

Maybelline Super Stay Lip Liner in 41 Rosewood

9. Lip crayon - Lip crayons are pretty much exactly what they sound like, they look like giant crayons that you can paint your lips with. They tend to be creamy and moisturising rather than matte but some brands do have matte lip crayons. 

Laqa & Co Lip Lube in Beezlebub

10. Lip tint - Lip tints are really liquid-y. They are a little bit difficult to explain but I'll try my best. They sort of look like a highlighter or marker and once applied they leave a light tint of colour on your lips. They don't leave a full opaque layer of product, they just give your lips a tint of colour so they may look a little pinker or redder etc.

Universal Beauty Tint Stick in Pink

11. Peel off lip tint - This is definitely pretty new to the makeup game, and they are definitely more popular in Asian countries than Western countries, but we're catching up. You apply the product to your lips, which is going to feel like a really heavy gross lip gloss, you wait however long the product tells you to, and you start to peel off the product, what it leaves is a tint on your lips just like a lip tint.

Monomola Lasting Lip Color in Sexy Red

12. Lipstick transformer - These are definitely very new in the makeup world, that I've seen at least. Lipstick transformers are products that can your already applied product. For example, Kat Von D has a range of matte liquid lipsticks, mid-late last year, she released a liquid lipstick transformer, it would transform any of her matte liquid lipsticks into a new colour. Or a different example is the very new Smashbox Insta-Matte lipstick transformer, you apply a very small amount of the gel to your lips and dab it out so that whatever lipstick you are wearing turns matte. It also works on matte liquid lipsticks, if you need to moisturise your lips but you are already wearing a matte liquid lipstick, then you can apply the Insta-Matte to hydrate your lips but also keep them matte.

Smashbox Insta-Matte

13. Lip plumper - The last product I can think of, I don't actually own one, again I apologise for that, I just have no need for a lip plumper because my lips are plump enough for my liking. The general idea is that you apply the lip plumper, which usually has mint in it, and it will plump your lips in the given time. Mint actually irritates your lips, which gives you that tingly or burning feeling, its swells your lips and adds a little bit of flush to them without causing serious damage. If you want plumper lips, add peppermint oil to them, don't permanently damage your lips by sucking them into a shot glass.

Those are all of the different types of lip products, I could think of, please let me know if I left any out. Again if you need any help figuring out what a product is or need some more information on a certain product, give me a holla in the comments or social media, if you'd like to keep it private you can always email me, which is at the top of the screen. Let me know if I should do more in depth beginners guides as well, I could do eye products next or something along those lines.