W7 Lipsticks: Kir Royale & Raspberry Ripple*

I have to admit, I’m an absolute lipstick addict.  My drawers at home are filled to the brim with the stuff and nothing excites me more than a new lipstick to try.  That’s why I was so excited when I got to test two of W7‘s shades: Kir Royale and Raspberry Ripple.

I’m going to be honest, W7 was a brand I had heard of before but never really taken the plunge to buy – your guess is as good as mine as to why not, at only £1 (-yes! One whole pound!) there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn’t give it a go.  The first thing that struck me was how pretty the actually casings were – the chrome and the chunky lids means they’ll definitely look good in your makeup bag.  Another really good point to mention was that the colour of the plastic is similiar to the actual lipstick colour and the bottom is actually clear so there is no confusion as to which lipstick you’re picking up.  Most brands have one colour of casing for all shades and time and time again I have picked the wrong colour up when leaving the house, only to find when I top up my makeup later in the day that I  have a bright red lipstick to clash with my pink dress that day.

 Straight away, the first thing that hit me when I took the lids off was the smell of these lipsticks.  They are fruity - and when I say that I mean seriously fruity.  I honestly have never smelt such a gorgeous smelling lipstick.  In fact, it’s never occurred to me before now that lipsticks really have a smell.  It’s strong enough to be noticeable but light enough that it doesn’t get on your nerves when wearing it all day and it definitely made using them a little more fun!

Both lipsticks are very strong colours and definitely not for the shy wallflower!  They have a lovely. slightly glittery but not  too OTT, shimmer running through them and it’s also worth noting that your get a lot of lipstick for your extravagant expense of a whole pound.  Too many times I’ve bought lipsticks for a substantial amount more money and found a pathetic little stump of product when I’ve taken the lid off!

Raspberry Ripple is a gorgeous, bright, fun shade of pink.  Usually I go for slightly more subtle shades of pink but I definitely had fun wearing this one!  Even though it’s bright, with subtle eye makeup it could definitely still be worn in the day and I used it as my statement accessory with a plain coloured dress and a messy bun.  The shimmer I mentioned on the stick definitely translates onto the lips and I thought this was a really nice feature.  I’m not really a fan of lipgloss – I find most quite sticky and usually end up with a lot of it in my hair on a windy day - gross! - but sometimes I do agree that some lipsticks need a slick of it on top to brighten them up.  This lipstick had the subtle shine of gloss with out any of the sticky mess – perfect!  If you love your pink then this is definitely a colour I would recommend you buying – some may call it summery but with the right styling this could see you all the way through winter too.

Kir Royale was definitely my favourite out of the two colours.  Again, this was a shade so far removed from the type of colour I usually go for that I was actually a bit nervous about trying it out!  Nevertheless, I did and it turned out I loved it!  It’s definitely a very vampish sort of colour and probably best suited to a night out.  It’s a lovely sort of deep purple which, I admit does sound a bit weird, but again with the gorgeous shimmer that runs through these products, it ends up looking incredibly stylish rather than over-the-top dramatic.  Both these lipsticks are sold as ‘moisturising lipsticks’ so it means they are very soft and feel quite lip balm-like on your lips and also have the ability to be ‘smudged’ a little with your finger to mute the colour slightly!  If like me, you are used to very matt lipsticks, then it might take you a while to get used to the glossier feel on your lips but once you do I’m sure you’ll like it.

All in all, I am very impressed with these products.  As I say, W7 was a brand that I had never really thought to try before but for the bargain Katy’s Cosmetics price of a £1, they do all you expect and more!

Pros

• gorgeous, rich colours
• moisturising
• lovely shimmer running though them
• plastic case matches lipstick colour
• £1 on Katy’s Cosmetics!