Two Must-Have Nude Matte Lipsticks to Add to Your Spring Makeup Bag

A nude matte lip is one of those classic makeup looks that will always be on-trend. Here are two of my new favourite nude matte lipsticks that I've recently added to my Spring Makeup Bag (and they won't dry out your lips either!).

 Green People Velvet Matte Lipstick in Damask Rose* (£15 - get 15% off with the code NUDEOBSESSION until 31st April - link)

To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Green People have launched two new special edition collections, one of which is called Damask Rose and features this gorgeous new Velvet Matte Lipstick of the same name. If you're the kind of person who has avoided the nude matte lip trend because you were worried about looking like an extra from The Walking Dead - fear not anymore, as this is the perfect lipstick for you to try. 

Damask Rose is a super flattering 'nude-rose' colour which looks absolutely gorgeous on. It's very 'my lips but better' on me, and I imagine this shade will work well for a lot of different skin tones. The pigment is made from natural earth minerals to ensure that this lipstick is 100% cruelty-free, and it's also 100% natural and certified Organic. The formula is a velvet matte so it doesn't feel drying (hooray!), and is instead packed full of nourishing ingredients such as Beeswax and Organic Carnauba Wax to keep lips feeling moisturised. As my lips are naturally quite dry though, I like to use the Green People Enrich & Enhance Lip Primer (£13, link) underneath before applying to help smooth out any dry patches and that works a treat.

I've been wearing this lipstick a lot lately and have received many compliments about it. It's such a beautiful, easy, everyday colour that's ideal for Spring.

Green People Velvet Matte Lipstick in Damask Rose swatches

 NEEK Skin Organics Australia Natural Lipstick in Come Into My World* (£15, link)

If you're craving a much paler, traditional creamy nude shade, look no further than this NEEK Natural Lipstick in Come Into My World. I first discovered Aussie brand NEEK on LoveLula's website and instantly fell in love with their short-but-sweet range of organic and vegan lipsticks that are free from all the usual 'nasties' like mineral oil, parabens and lead etc. The lipsticks come packaged in cute wooden tubes which gives them a strong eco vibe, and all of their shades are super wearable - there are no crazy or out there colours with Neek!

This shade, Come Into My World, is the palest one that they do and it's a true nude with just enough of a hint of pink to stop it from washing me out. It's very light and sheer, so it does require a couple of swipes to get a good, even coverage from it, but I love the end result. The lipstick is infused with Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter so it doesn't feel drying, however, it's not as moisturising texture-wise as the Green People lipstick above, so you can get more of a proper matte finish with this one.

I really like it - it looks equally great paired with a simple 'no makeup makeup' look for everyday, or dressed up with a killer smokey eye for a night out with the girls!

NEEK Skin Organics Australia Natural Lipstick in Come Into My World swatches

What are your favourite nude matte lipsticks?

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Health & Lifestyle: LQ Liquid Health Skin, Hair & Nails Supplements review

Collagen supplements are everywhere at the moment, but do they actually make any difference to your skin, hair and nails? I've been trialling out these ones from LQ Liquid Health for the past three months to see if they're really worth the money or not.

Supplements can be a really good way to 'top up' a healthy diet (alongside plenty of exercise and drinking lots of water!) and I've been taking multi-vitamins for years. However, I've become more interested in the more 'skincare targeted' end of supplements which aim to help maintain healthy skin, hair and nails, so I was curious to try these collagen-based ones from LQ Liquid Health.  

Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in the human body that's often referred to as the 'glue that holds everything together' and it's found in our skin, bones, muscles and tendons. Skin-wise, collagen helps to maintain healthy levels of strength and elasticity within the skin, so it's no surprise to learn that the older we get, the less collagen we naturally have in our bodies, which is one of the reasons we can get sagging skin, wrinkles and joint problems. With this in mind, I decided to try out the LQ Liquid Health Skin, Hair & Nails Supplements for three months. These come in ready-made, once a day, 50ml bottles and they have a slightly fruity/tart taste to them. I really like the convenience of the bottles as you can drink them on the go or throw them into your bag if you're in a rush in the morning.   

Each bottle contains 7,000mg of marine collagen (derived from fish - though these don't taste fishy at all!), combined with a range of other beneficial ingredients including Hyaluronic Acid (60mg), Resveratrol (10mg), Silicon (48mg), Glucosamine (10mg), Selenium (15% RDA), Vitamin C (180mg / 225% RDA), Vitamin E (100% RDA) and Biotin Vitamin B7 (15% RDA). If you're taking a multi-vitamin, I'd recommend checking what's in it and comparing it to these as I found that I didn't need to take any more Vitamin C during the three months that I was using these for.

Did I see any results?

I'm glad that I tried these supplements for a longer period of time because in the first six weeks or so, I didn't see any differences in my skin, hair or nails at all. It was only during the end of the second month that I started to see any noticeable changes and these were more related to how my skin felt, as I didn't see any difference in my nails or hair during the three months. My skin, on the other hand, began to feel smoother, softer, a lot less dry and it looked less dehydrated as though it was more 'plumped up'. I noticed that my pores looked slightly smaller than normal too. 

At the end of the three months, these changes continued for another two or so weeks, but my skin has started to go back to how it was before since I've stopped taking the supplements, so they're definitely something that you need to stick with in order to see longer term benefits. I do think they're expensive though, but if you can afford it and you want to try and slow down the visible signs of ageing, they may well be beneficial for you. 

 LQ Liquid Health Skin, Hair & Nails Supplements* are available in packs of 10 for £29.99 from Boots and Holland & Barrett.

Are you interested in taking collagen supplements for anti-aging / skin care effects?

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Foodie Friday: The Vegan Kind Box - April 2017 review #TVK42

Happy Friday! My TVK box arrived yesterday, and I was pleased to see that it included a good mix of new vegan-friendly treats that I hadn't tried before, alongside some firm favourites of mine. Let's take a closer look!

If you're new to The Vegan Kind, everything that they include is suitable for vegans, and whilst I'm not a vegan myself at this moment, I do enjoy trying out new foods and products that are dairy-free. You can check out my previous reviews of this box here. 

This month's The Vegan Kind box contains six products; five of which are food, one's a drink, and one's a beauty product.

 ConsiderIt Chocolate Cream Egg (RRP £2)

Last year, The Vegan Kind included an awesome vegan cream egg from ConsiderIt (read my review of that box here) and it's back again for this Easter! These are handmade and are absolutely delicious. The yellow and white 'egg' fondant inside is sweet, but not sickly like Cadbury's, and the vegan Belgian chocolate holds it all together well for a satisfying Easter treat.

 inSpiral Salted Caramel Coconut Pecks (25g, RRP £0.99)

I'm a salted caramel fiend (seriously, give me ALL the salted caramel things, right now!), so I was excited to try these organic coconut chips from inSpiral, who are a brand I haven't come across before. These are amazing as the air dried coconut chips are coated in a salty vanilla caramel sauce and they're made from only 4 natural ingredients. Seriously moreish and crunchy!

 Good Hemp Foods Hemp Heart Seeds (225g, RRP £4.49)

For something more healthy, there's a bag of Hemp Heart Seeds from Good Hemp Foods. These seeds are naturally high in complete protein, fibre and omega 3, and you can use them in lots of different ways - e.g in baking, as toppings (I reckon these would be great on something like a homemade apple crumble!), and sprinkled on cereal, salads, yoghurt, porridge and soups. They make a nice change from using Chia Seeds on everything, feel more substantial, and have a delicious nutty flavour.

 Rebel Kitchen Chai Mylk (330ml, RRP £1.89)

I never liked cow's milk drinks when I was kid so I've been enjoying dairy-free milk alternatives for many years and I love Rebel Kitchen's range of 'mylks'. They're made from a simple blend of spring water and coconut milk, with just a few extra natural ingredients added. This one's the Chai flavour which I've had many times and it's oh-so-good.

 Ten Acre When Bombay Got Spicy Crisps (RRP £0.85)

I try not to eat crisps too often, but when I do, these crisps from Ten Acre are one of my favourite flavours to pick up. They've got a really good, classic Bombay taste to them with a subtle amount of spice for a little kick. A yummy treat to go with a lunchtime sandwich or dunked into a bowl of soup!

Human+Kind Orange Conditioner for Dry Hair (200ml, RRP £7)

I've been introduced to a couple of products from Human+Kind through The Vegan Kind boxes, and this month they've included one of their hair conditioners. It's enriched with lots of moisturising ingredients such as Shea Butter, Avocado Oil and Sunflower Oil, and is specially formulated for dry hair which is perfect for me! Looking forward to trying it out - it smells lovely!

Also in the box was this month's monthly recipe card featuring some delicious looking Chargrilled Tofu & Veggie Skewers, and April's chosen charity is the Lotus Sanctuary who are currently crowdfunding for a new vegan-friendly animal sanctuary which will provide care and shelter to abused and neglected animals in central Scotland.

To find out more about The Vegan Kind, visit their website here. £10 + p&p each month in the UK, with worldwide shipping options available.

Have you signed up to The Vegan Kind?

What's your favourite, non-beauty lifestyle subscription box?

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Green Beauty: Trying Out Tropic Makeup - Review & Swatches

Tropic do some amazing cruelty-free, vegan skincare and pampering products, but what's their makeup range like? I've been testing out a couple of pieces from them over the past month, and [spoiler alert] it's pretty damn good! These are my favourites from what I've tried so far.

 Tropic Sculpting Palette in Vintage Rose* (£24, link)

I can't get enough of these 3-in-1 palettes which seem to be everywhere at the moment. In the green beauty world, it can sometimes be difficult to find some key on-trend products, but Tropic have got this one nailed! The slim, matte black compact fits nicely in my hand and when you open it up, you'll find a large mirror and three pans of powder products; a bronzer, a blusher and a highlighter - all of which are enriched with Vitamin C, Carrot and Pomegranate Seed Oils.

This sculpting palette is available in three different colourways, and I decided to try out the one called Vintage Rose which I've really been enjoying using lately. All of the powders are finely milled, silky soft, nicely pigmented, easy to blend and work with, and I love all three of them! The bronzer is a warm and flattering walnut brown which is great for contouring with; the blusher is a gorgeous peachy, dusky pink that brightens up the whole of my face instantly, and the gold-toned highlighter adds that finishing touch to make the tops of the cheeks 'pop', but in a subtle, glowy way. A great product to have in your makeup bag, and one that comes in handy for travelling with.

Tropic Sculpting Palette in Vintage Rose swatches

 Tropic Colour Click Lipstick in Peach Perfect* (£14, link)

Whenever I try a new makeup brand, I always have to see what their lipsticks are like. Tropic's Colour Click Lipsticks come in that addictive and satisfying 'clickety click' packaging (seriously, I can't stop playing with it), which ensures that the lid isn't going to fall off in your handbag. There are currently seven shades available and I couldn't resist playing it safe and opting for a peachy pink.

This shade is called Peach Perfect, but it definitely leans more pink than peach on my lips as you can see below. It's one of those pretty, everyday shades that you can reach for when you're in a rush in the morning and don't have the time to scour through your lippie collection. It's lovely and moisturising thanks to ingredients such as Camelia, Jojoba, Avocado and Argan Oils in the formula, and it applies smoothly. It doesn't last that long on me because it's so creamy, but it's an excellent choice for anyone who has dry lips and needs a more nourishing lipstick.

Tropic Colour Click Lipstick in Peach Perfect swatch

Tropic Lip Glaze in Pink Champagne* (£14, link)

As we're well and truly into Spring now, I've been reaching for a few more lip glosses and I was excited to try one from Tropic because their Lip Glazes won a Green Parent Natural Beauty Award in the Best Buy category last year. Whilst there are only three shades currently available in the main collection, you can also pick up Limited Edition sets with other colours in them, but to try them out, I went for Pink Champagne from the permanent line.

Pink Champagne is a sheer nude gloss with some subtle shimmer that gives you a super shiny finish. Texture wise, it applies smoothly and has a slight tackiness to it, which keeps it on the lips longer than most other natural lipglosses that I've tried, but it's certainly not obnoxiously sticky or anything like that. It tastes a little fruity and contains Vitamin E, Wild Mango Butter and Strawberry extracts to keep lips feeling more moisturised. I love dabbing a bit of this in the middle of my lower lip to make my lips look fuller or applying it all over for an easy, fuss-free look.

 Tropic Silk Lip Liner in Stripped & Silk Gel Eyeliner in Film Noir (£14 each, link)

I wanted to try some liners and I'm so glad that I did because these are both amazing! The Silk Lip Liner in Stripped is one of those perfect shades that goes with a lot of lipsticks that I wear on a regular basis, and the highly pigmented formula is seriously long-wearing too. I've used it as a normal lip liner and also all over my lips (see the swatch below), and both ways work really well. As the latter, it gives a completely matte, full-coverage finish that stays put for most of the day and only requires a tiny touch up after eating and drinking, although it does feel quite drying. I'd love to see these lip liners available in more shades please Tropic as it's a scandal that there's only this one in the makeup range!

The Silk Gel Eyeliner in Film Noir is equally impressive with a highly-pigmented, bold black finish. Like the lip liner, the eyeliner is also long-wearing and it lasted on me all day without moving or smudging one bit. It applies smoothly like you'd expect from a high-quality gel eyeliner, and it works very well for both tight lining and in the lower waterline. Both of these liners feature a handy built-in, twist-up sharpener so that you don't need to faff around with finding a pencil sharpener.

Tropic Silk Lip Liner in Stripped swatch - all over lips

Swatches!

Have you tried out any makeup from Tropic?

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