Hold your colour

Ahhh the good old retreat to Pendulum song titles, memories!  Okay so these are by no means a new product or even a new purchase for me, but I figured after trawling through my ever expanding makeup bag (well bags, plural!) for a pink lipstick last week and discovering I actually owned 5 of the same range, it kinda warranted a post!

The product I refer to of course, is the Boots 17 Lasting Fix Lipstick collection.  Anyone who knows me in person will know how much I rave over their red (Showbiz) in particular, never without it in my bag/pocket/purse.   That and the fact if ever asked for a recommendation of a dark plum/purple shade, I will ALWAYS say 17's 'New Black'!  As just mentioned, right now I have 5 of these lipsticks which is pretty rare for me to own more than one of the same lipstick, let alone in different shades rather than bulk buying a product I love.  There's a few more I have my eye on but trying to limit my spending for the next few months, so I don't end up in the gutter before loan day!

My Current 5- Clockwise from top left;
Showcase, Hot Chilli, Pink Power, Hawaii Pink, New Black.

I'm an absolute sucker for a good quality, brightly coloured lipstick with a creme finish, and at only £4.29 they're almost impossible to pass over! The Boots website claims "17 Lasting Fix Lipstick provides long lasting, non-drying coverage for your lips that lasts up to 4 hours", which is a pretty accurate description if you ask me.  If anything, I'd say the darker shades may even last longer than 4 hours due to the lip stain effect.  I wore the red while out in Leeds for Milly's birthday a few weeks ago and don't think I reapplied at all through the night.   I can't vouch for how perfect it was at the end of the night since I was a little worse for wear, but at least know I woke up with red stained lips still, so that's saying something!  

Better view of the packaging, simple tubles with a metal contrast edge.
 Newer  ones are the black and pink version.

I think these are probably the first 'drug store' type lipstick that claims to be long lasting which I've actually liked.  Usually they either don't live up to their claim (unless you count 20 minutes as long lasting!), or do last, but feel dry and just plain horrible on my lips.  I won't say that you forget you're wearing it, because obviously that's not going to be the case with a thick lipstick like this, but it applies nicely, wears brilliantly, and feels pretty nice on.  No complaints from me!  Well maybe the fact the packaging is black and pink and I DESPISE pink packaging (well most pink things actually) could be a negative, but a tiny one in the main scheme of things.

And who could forget an actual swatch of the products on!  Don't worry I wasn't going to leave without one or two!  Swatched in one swipe, no base...

Daylight swatch on NC15 skin (well a bit lighter), L-R;
Hot Chilli, Showcase, Hawaii Pink, Pink Power, New Black.

Pretty great huh?  My personal favourite is the red shade, Showcase.  I may even go as far as to say I prefer it to MAC reds!

HOT CHILI; Fiery neon coral.  Almost a tad more cool toned than many corals I've seen, bordering more on a red than an orange shade.  Pretty daring either way!

SHOWCASE;  A perfect true red.  The slightest bit blue toned, but a pretty much true red.  LOVE this ridiculous ammounts.

HAWAII PINK;  Almost a neon rose pink.  Not quite barbie pink, think a wearable peachy hot pink.

PINK POWER;  A true fuschia shade.  Similar to MAC's girl about town though creamier and slightly lighter in finish.

NEW BLACK;  A dark blackened purple colour, pretty warm in tone.  Similar to many berry shades popular at the moment. 

And to finish, my mug wearing the red.  Excuse the old photo/crackhead face, but at least the lipstick looks good...

Boots 17 Lasting Fix lipsticks are availible at all Boots stores in the UK for £4.29.  Also availible in their online shop, where there's swatches and many more shades to choose from.  Go wild!

...And winter warmers

Since it's the season of freezing cold nights and icy mornings (well full days recently), I thought it'd be pretty apt to do a Winter boots post, or Dirty Boots as the sonic youth reference in the title suggests, and as they'll no doubt end up in this wet and snowy English weather.  I myself have been living in 3 pairs of socks combined with my trusty bottle green velvet Doc Martens, but am I need of some more watertight and studier boots after a year or so of wearing them no matter the weather.  The DMs are showing no sign of complete failure just yet, and I do own black combat style boots, but this year I have a massive craving for a pair of brown boots or brogues.  So the hunt begins!

Tan Rocketdog chomp boots 

(disc.)

Dark brown rocketdog chomp boots 

Office £65

These were the first pair that caught my eye- Rocket Dog 'Chomps' biker boots.  A modern twist on the classic boot, with the twice wrapped ankle strap combined with a brass buckle and toggle fastening.  Durable leather and a sturdy welted sole, they combine style with practicality and were an all round perfect boot for me and my current love for tan leather.  But typically, things aren't so simple as that!  It turns out that this tan shade is a discontinued variant of the boots.  They're available in office stores(well not my local Chester store after last week's search) in a darker brown with brass accents, or Black with silver/pewter metal in place of the brass.  Although still nice, for me the darker brown was no substitute for this beautiful tan pair.  Oh well!

Barbour brogue boots 

(RRP unknown)

These beauties right here, were the long lusted after Barbour Brogue boots.  Unfortunately I didn't manage to purchase these particular ones as I was outbid at the last minute, but that won't stop my search for a similar pair of boots.  I know they're by no means as warm as the previous higher leg boots, but for a pair of semi brogue style boots I was willing to sacrifice some warmth in favour of an extra pair of socks, and an amazing piece of footwear!  Still pretty gutted not to have gotten these, but I may even invest in a pair of similarly styled and a little more special Grenson boots which I'll no doubt be covering in the future.  Retailing at around £180 for a pair, they're more expensive but oh so worth it!

Anatomical gel 'Sofia' boots 

eBay £59

My final boot find was these dark tan/oxblood leather brogue front boots.  With a slight biker boot influence in the shape and buckled ankle strap, these are looking like the best bet for my winter boots now... well until I find something I like better before buying them of course.  A nice mix of the tough biker style and my greatly loved elegant wingtip brogue elements, they're just perfect!  Even better is their gel comfort soles and grippy welt, so if all goes to plan they should offer comfort as well as a stylish look, hopefully coming in handy on this years traditional walk around Chester city walls in the freezing cold.  Warm feet and legs AND no falling over on the ice; great!