Boots SEVENTEEN Mega Matte Lipsticks. How Mega? How Matte? How Do They Compare to Liquid Lipstick Mattes? Let's Find Out.

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Unless you live under a rock, or never wear makeup like I didn't until two years ago, you'll know matte lips are the big, huge, massive trend that brands are still scrambling to catch up with. Almost all the concessions now have a matte lip range, and Boots SEVENTEEN have joined the ranks this Autumn with 12 shades to try. 

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The  SEVENTEEN 13 hour wear Mega Matte Lip caught me by surprised when the three shades I chose arrived for review. The trend has been for brands to make their matte lips in a liquid lipstick format, not a physical lip STICK. So usually your matte lip comes in a tube similar to a lip gloss. It goes on slightly shimmery and wet, but dries out to a completely matte colour on your lips. 

But the SEVENTEEN Mega Matte Lip range comes in lipstick format, and not even a pointy one, a flat, screw up product. The PR kit also included a lip brush, so I assume this is how they think the matte lip goes on best. However I put my makeup on in the leisure centre every day after I swim, so I tested them as I would use them, just in their stick format. 

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A usual liquid lip (ColourPop Bumble) & a 17 Mega Matte Lipstick

A usual liquid lip (ColourPop Bumble) & a 17 Mega Matte Lipstick

Now I must say I really wasn't happy with this at first. I like to give beauty products a good two week trial before I write about them, otherwise I can't tell what I really thing about them. So at first I hated the stick format, and found it tricky to apply with the flat edge. However as time has gone on I've got the hang of it.  

Here is how the SEVENTEEN nude 'Looking Buff' compares to ColourPop 'Bumble'. Liquid lip Bumble on left looking at the pic, 17 Looking Buff on the right.

ColourPop liquid lip Bumble : 17 Looking Buff

ColourPop liquid lip Bumble : 17 Looking Buff

The liquid lip Bumble is more highly pigmented, but it bleeds out and can be messier to apply. 17 Matte Lip is more pinkish in base, less drying to the lip itself, and has a sweet taste. You can see it has a more natural look to it. I find it easier not to 'mess up', and can do without a lip liner to keep it in place. It's also £4.49, a good £15 cheaper than the genuine ColourPop liquid lip. Incidentally ColourPop's lab make the Kylie Jenner formula from the same recipe- so if you buy ColourPop you are getting the cheaper version of Kylie Kits.

Boots SEVENTEEN Looking Buff £4.49

Boots SEVENTEEN Looking Buff £4.49

So the other colours. I use a purple tone liquid lip often that I bought on AliExpress, just a generic Asian brand, it was 69p or something crazy. So I asked to try the 'I Lilac It A Lot' shade of the SEVENTEEN Mega Matte Lip to compare it.

I was really disappointed in this shade. You can see below that's two coats and it's more like a light tint. I expect matte lips to be pigmented, opaque and mean business, and this colour just didn't do that for me. If you like your lip subtle you might like it, coupled with the fact none of the shades feel heavy to wear on your lips, but not for me. 

'Mega Matte Lip I Lilac It a Lot'- which I don't. 

'Mega Matte Lip I Lilac It a Lot'- which I don't. 

Finally, my favourite liquid lip is a Lime Crime dupe I bought on eBay, a fiery orange red called 'SuedeBerry'. So the corresponding SEVENTEEN shade is 'Lava You A Lot', again £4.49.

17 Lava You a Lot

17 Lava You a Lot

And this one I do Lava a Lot! Pigment is good, non-drying on the lip, fun colour, good staying power. It's gone into my after-pool makeup kit along with the nude colour. 

So over all? I didn't like how they were applied at first, but they grew on me and now I love them. Some shades are better than others in quality it seems- maybe get your hands on the testers in store before picking a colour to buy.  

They can be as good as liquid format lips, and the price is definitely a huge bonus. 

One thing is for sure, the matte lip trend is going nowhere fast, so maybe this traditional lipstick format is the introduction to the trend you've been waiting for. 

Keep up with my beauty buys and bargains on my Snapchat story, username Rudedoodle. 

Menarys Mega Beauty Event- 20% off Benefit*, Free Clarins Gifts, 25% off Lancôme & 30% off YSL

20% off Benefit with a Bob & Berts' hot drink purchase  

20% off Benefit with a Bob & Berts' hot drink purchase  

Menarys is a complete beauty lover's dream right now. We called down for some coffee & cake in Bob & Bert's & spied a fantastic offer for one of my favourite beauty brands, Benefit.

When you buy a medium hot drink, you will get a voucher for 20% off a Benefit purchase over £20. The voucher lasts until 31st August, and the girls at the counter told me there are new lip kits with lip liner & lipsticks in one hitting stores around the 25th.  

What to buy: any of the new wave of Benefit expert brow products that launched last month. The girls will help you select the right colour & products for splendid brows every time. I have the Goof Proof pencil, and it's my new go-to brow product. 

There are also a selection of Benefit gifts. I love these and have a couple. They have small versions of the post popular products & allow you to try them without having to buy full size, and double up as travel makeup kits. I bought the 'Do the Hoola' kit in Gatwick Airport & highly recommend it. Bangor have it in stock. 

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The next fab offer to share with you is the Menarys' Clarins'  gift event. It begins this Thursday and lasts two weeks. When you buy two Clarins products, one being skincare, you will receive a gorgeous beauty bag (not the one shown, the one on the leaflet) and you can choose four free mini-products to take home.

while stocks last

while stocks last

Choose from One Step Cleansing Water, HydraQuench Cream, Extra-firming Night Cream, Gentle Refiner, Beauty Flash Balm (I love it), Eau Dynamisante, Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch and finally Wonder Perfect Mascara. 

Plus, if you buy an extra skin care product on top of that, there's an extra gift for you worth £22. 

What to buy: Clarins Double Serum. It's won a tonne of awards and even out sold Boots' very popular serum last year.

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Now this is a biggy. The YSL concession in Menarys' beauty hall has 30% off. That's 30% off EVERYTHING. If you are a YSL beauty addict you'd be worth your while popping down and buying your whole year's worth of products and get a third off it all. Stick it on the credit card (just don't blame me later, I'm such an enabler!) 

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What to buy: If you are new to YSL & want to try something, why not go for their super product, Touche Eclat? Hailed as a wonder product when it launched, it's spawned a dozen copycats & an entire range of its own. But it's the original under-eye brightener that still wows, and with 30% off its a great time to try it.

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Finally the Lancôme counter has a similar offer with 25% off EVERYTHING. 

What to buy: the new Grandiose Liner. A clever, new product with a swivel tip for easy eye lining. I reckon even I could do a cat eye flick with this magic wand and at 25% off.

The Fake Eyelash Application Tool that Even I Can Use! Plus 8 Crazy Falsies For Fancy Ladies.

Three years ago I didn't even really wear makeup, and now I'm beauty product crazy. I've most of the basic makeup techniques down now, but the one that still challenged me was putting on false eyelashes. 

I decided once and for all I would get the hang of it, and purchases loads for 13p each on AliExpress. 

I tried and tried. I just couldn't put them on. I was always left with a gap between them and my actual lashes. 

I asked my friends on Facebook for tips. They suggested using Duo glue rather than what comes with your lashes.  I still have to buy that, but in the meantime someone came to my rescue.

My neighbour Deborah then arrived at my door with a magical gift, an eyelash application tool.  

It's like a big pair of tweezers and you use it to push the lashes into place. It works really well. Instead of feelingly blindly with your fumbly fingers, you slide the lash into place then can hold it in place until it sets. 

I got it right on my second attempt! I'm pretty excited! 

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Deborah is launching a specialised beauty store online very soon, with premium products such as HD finishing powders and beautiful, high quality, super pigmented glitters.

Until the Glitter Queens' Emporium launches, should you wish to buy the eyelash applicator tool, you can save 10% off her regular price listing and have the tool with free UK delivery for just £1.89. Simply email lush3dlashes@outlook.com with your name & address and offer code SAVE10. That's an absolute bargain. 

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A sneak peek at the gorgeous glitters that will be available.  Why not follow Glitter Queens Emporium on Instagram for product launches, offers and application ideas. You can also follow them on Twitter @GQEmporium

The green! 

The green! 

Very apt. I think Prince would approve. 

Very apt. I think Prince would approve. 

Finally, here are right really over the top, rainbow coloured eyelash 'installations' from all over the web.

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