Lipstick Queen - crowning glory!

As I have mentioned here before in my MUA Lip Lacquer post, I am a lip product junkie. I have a huge container on my dressing table which is overflowing with lip products. It's a problem. But still, a couple more can't hurt, right?! Right. So, every year, my group of friends and I do Secret Santa - as there are 8 of us, it's a good way of keeping the cost of Christmas down and still giving (and receiving!) a really nice gift. This year my lovely Secret Santa - you know who you are, you beaut! - hit the nail on the head, and I was super excited when I opened this lovely lip trio from Lipstick Queen. I had heard and seen a little of this brand before, but getting these prompted me to do a little research.


An Australian brand, it was started by Poppy King in 2008, who had originally started her first lipstick company, 'Poppy', at the tender age of 18, after she found that the offerings from other companies at the time just didn't cut it. At the heart of the brand is the ethos that lipstick is an empowering tool, which every woman can use to ramp up the glamour, transform her look and give herself a confidence boost, all in one swipe of the bullet. I hear ya, Ms King, you are preaching to the choir! 

The brand has a host of different lip options - matts, glosses, sheer, highly pigmented, shimmery, bright, nude...even a navy! Something I think is rather nifty are the Saint and Sinner lipsticks. Saint lipsticks are sheer almost balm like lipsticks with 10% pigment for a hint of colour, whilst the Sinner lipsticks are available in the same shades but are creamier in texture, matt in finish, and have 90% pigment to really make a statement. Also available are lip liners, lip glosses, and lip and cheek tints. The lipsticks aren't cheap, hovering around the £20 mark, but the packaging is gorgeous, and judging from these three lipsticks I have, the formulations are there to back this up. Oh and a huge plus for me - the brand is cruelty free! <3

Just a note - annoyingly, I smushed the top of Sigh before I got the chance to take photos, so excuse the flattened top! :(

L-R: Saint Pink; Sigh; Medieval

L-R: Medieval; Sigh; Saint Pink

Although I think they all look like they would be really strongly pigmented, the lipsticks in this set are all sheer, balmy textures, creating a wash of colour on the lips. They can be built up for a slightly stronger colour, but these aren't high impact lip colours. I have found them to be super moisturising - a joy in these winter months! - and really easy to wear.

I really like Medieval - it makes me feel super glamorous, as I am applying a red lipstick in the daytime, but the sheer formulation means that this comes off as a red tint, enhancing your natural lip colour with a hint of glamorous red. This is super moisturising, and contains Vitamin E to keep your lips hydrated instead of drying them out.

A sucker for nude and nude pink lipsticks, I think my favourite has to be the Saint lipstick in Pink - it is a gorgeous warm pink, with no shimmer or fragrance, and is really moisturising - it contains shea butter and jojoba oil. This is perfect for everyday wear or for pairing with a smokey eye. It's love.

Sigh is from the Butterfly Ball collection of lip colours, and I think this is a really interesting mauve shade. Again, this is super moisturising, as it contains aloe vera and vitamins B, C and E, and is sheer so very easy to wear. There are tiny irridescent blue shimmers in this lipstick, which supposedly make your teeth and eyes appear whiter. I was a bit hesitant to try this and wasn't sure about the shimmers in the bullet as I'm not usually a shimmery lipstick fan - but I actually think it's gorgeous! A very easy way to rock the purple lip trend.

So overall, thus far this brand is a huge hit with me! I can't wait to try out some of their other products - as a fan of a strong matt lip, the Sinner range is calling to me! Also the Silver Screen collection looks STUNNING, both packaging and shades - I think my heart stopped when I saw Stella, I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE, I mean just look:

Image from JohnLewis.com

This set is the Discovery set, and I believe my friend purchased it in TK Maxx, but it is not showing on their website anymore :(

In the UK you can buy Lipstick Queen products from lookfantastic, feelunique, SpaceNK, John Lewis,  and Cult Beauty - the Lipstick Queen website looks as though it only ships to the USA currently.

Until next time...