My schedule today consisted of nothing more exciting than sitting in the library (attempting) to work my way through a mountain of film studies reading. So, obviously, red lipstick seemed the only appropriate choice of lip apparel. I also sported some winged eye-liner and my current favourite bow hair band. Loveaudrey, never knowingly under dressed.

It was the perfect opportunity to test out my most recent purchase, Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in No. 547 ‘Pleasure Me Red’. This shade, a best seller in the US, has only recently launched in the UK. It’s received a fair amount of coverage in magazines of late (Grazia, Vogue etc.) so when I spied it in Superdrug yesterday I decided to give it a whirl.

I love the colour, it has a nice finish too. Not too glossy, but not quite matte either. It reminded me of MAC’s Russian Red but upon closer inspection it doesn’t even come close to being a dupe. I think it’s just that the Maybelline has the same sort of vintage feel to it, it’s that kind of red if you know what I mean. Let’s take a closer look shall we….Pleasure Me RedTop:MAC Russian Red, Bottom: Pleasure Me Red
Nah…. not even close!On the lips… apologies for the fact this shot is a little dark. Anyone else struggling with lighting now that winter is upon us?

A few other observations…

Packaging: Anyone familiar with the Colour Sensational Range will know that the lipsticks are packaged in an angular coloured case (which does nothing for me… I have an aversion to cubist lipstick packaging for some reason). The part containing the bullet itself is silver and the plastic is fairly flimsy and cheap looking… but then the lipstick is cheap. I could see the lid cracking fairly easily though, I wouldn’t want it loose in my handbag that’s for sure.

Formulation: The lipstick has a funky smell if you ask me! I’m afraid it has that cheap make-up scent, a bit like plasticine. However, this I can forgive in light of the excellent pigmentation. It rivals Russian Red in this respect. It felt a little tacky to apply, dragged at my lips ever so slightly, but with a lip brush it went on like a dream. No bleeding to report and I was pleased with the wear time. I applied it at 8am and it was still going strong 2 hours later after a mug of hot chocolate and a croissant. By midday it was still visible on my lips but I have to say it didn’t fade as evenly as I’d like. After lunch I had the dreaded ‘ring of shame’, the only colour that remained was the outline of my lips. I didn’t find the lipstick particularly drying either, I’ve certainly worn worse.

I’d definitely recommend taking a closer look at this shade if you’re a fan of red lips like me. If you’re looking for a way to ease yourself in to the scarlet-lip-look then this is a product that gives good results but won’t break the bank, the perfect baby step into the vast world of red lipstick.

Loveaudrey xxx