Lip Gloss Rebel: Friday's Lip Of The Day

I have been loving the taupe/grey lip trend for a while now, but Stone lipliner by Mac always seems to be sold out whenever I go to buy it online! I didn't expect to be able to find anything close to such a unique colour anywhere on the high street, but I think that this liquid lipstick from Maybelline does a pretty good job.

As you can see in the photos below, the colour actually applies more grey than it appears in the applicator. This is quite a wearable take on the grey/taupe lip trend, as there is just enough warmth to this taupey grey to prevent you from looking washed out. I really like this colour - it's perfectly on trend with the continuing 90's revival, and is one of those colours that will go with anything from pared back makeup to a dramatic smokey eye.

This is one of those colour-then-balm style applications, where the colour goes on first, dries to a matte finish, and then you put the balm on top to lock in the colour. One thing I will say is that the colour is tacky for quite a while, and you definitely need a balm over the top because it is really drying, and will emphasise the lines in your lips. I tried it with the balm you get on the other end, but I wasn't a fan - it was too shiny for me, I wanted more of a satin/matte look, so this was a no-go! Instead, I applied some of my favourite lip balm from Burt's Bees over the top - this provides all the moisture you need to stop your lips feeling dry, but with none of the glossy shine. Perfect! I wasn't fussed about the balm being too glossy for me, as I mainly bought this just for the colour!

And as for the 24 hour claim? Well let's just say, this stuff SERIOUSLY stays in place. I ate, drank, even rubbed my lips and there really was zero transfer. None. I was amazed. And when your lips feel dry, just reapply a balm, and it looks like new again. The only way I could remove this was my trusty oil cleanser, and some patience.