Autumn Berry Lips: Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

For me there is something so terrifying about dark lipstick, from the application to the overall look of it, it scares me. It's something I want to wear so badly but, as I have thin lips, dark colours can instantly make them look thinner and, if you make a mistake when applying, it is so obvious as well as the fact if you knock your lips you'll have a beautiful smudge mark. In a bid to be more confident with wearing dark lipsticks I've chosen 3 of my dark, berry lipsticks that are really cheap so, even if you don't end up wearing them daily, you haven't made a huge investment. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about the lipsticks just a brief overview (I'm so wordy and annoying I need to tone it down damn it).

When I was taking pictures of these lipsticks I was planning on doing a post to compare the 3 but then, when looking at the swatches, I realised the colours are honestly nearly identical so bare with me through my last minute journey of a cheap, cheaper and cheapest transformation and also ignore the fact that the most expensive lipstick is in the middle. Cry.

The cheapest lipstick I have chosen is Collection's 1 Seduction from their new range Gothic Glam retailing for £2.99. This lipstick leaves a really nice stain and, like with all Collection lipsticks, I'm really impressed and would recommend for people to try this out for themselves or the other two shades from the Gothic Glam collection as all shades are aimed towards Halloween and the colder months.

Next is Rimmel Kate Moss' Matte Lipstick in 107 which I can only assume the whole universe has heard about. This is the lipstick the majority of people probably think of when they hear the term 'Autumn lips' and, at £5.49, it is the most expensive lipstick from the 3 but still entirely affordable. As this is a matte finish I find it less scary to wear because once it's on it's harder to accidentally knock whereas the Collection and Barry M one I find I'm more aware of when wearing them. However, this lipstick does tend to leave my lips quite shrivelled and unattractive looking so I wouldn't wear this for a whole day, maybe just for popping out or going out for a bit in the evening.

Lastly is Barry M's Lip Paint in 160, also shown as Black Cherry online, and retails at £4.49 so is the middle ground lipstick. This lipstick is part of Barry M's Ultra Moisturising range, however, I feel like this lipstick drags the most on my lips which I personally don't find to be a problem because it makes me think the colour is grabbing my lips more (or is this just me?) but is worth noting if you don't want that in a lipstick.

From left to right: Collection's Seduction, Rimmel's 107, Barry M's 160

Each of these lipsticks are worth giving a try for this season as every blogger seems to be talking about berry, Autumn lip shades and I feel these shades are wearable without making you look extremely pale and ill. The shades lean more towards dark reds and purples with hints of pink as well rather than a straight up black/brown.

Does anyone have anymore suggestions for cheap, affordable berry toned lipsticks? I have Beguiled from Topshop, that used to terrify me but not so much anymore, that is also similar in colour to the above 3 but is more expensive at £8 and so I didn't feel was worth mentioning.

Autumn Eyes: 17 Neptune Starry Eyes

Seriously how is it even October already? I didn't even realise that the day after September 30th was October 1st. Moving swiftly on from my lack of sense I thought I'd talk about this little eyeshadow trio that I bought very early on in the year.

This is the 17 Starry Eyes Neptune Trio Eyeshadow, available at Boots for £4.99, and contains a gold, a slightly shimmery bottle green and an aubergine purple. To me this trio completely reminds me of Autumn and think it's so perfect for creating a variety of different looks. My eyes are a hazelly, browny green shade and find that a lot of shades are just quite bleurgh when I wear them but with these shades I find that each colour compliments my eyes and helps bring out different colours.

On days where I actually have time to do anything semi-interesting to my eyes I put Maybelline's On and On Bronze on my top lid and then use the green shade on the outer part of my eye underneath my bottom lashes and then the gold underneath on the inner section. Does this make any sense?! Another look is using the gold all over the lid and then using either the purple or green on the outer corner to create a smokey eye with a twist (not much of a twist to be honest). Due to the slight shimmer in the green this also looks nice mixed with a brown shade to use on the outer corner and looks really festive.

The pigmentation of these shades are really impressive and to me don't feel like they come from a budget brand like 17. I actually prefer the gold shade in this to Half Baked from my Naked 2 Palette as I feel the colour is a lot more brighter and suits my yellowy skin tone more. In terms of lasting power I can't comment on how long it lasts without a primer as I never wear eyeshadow without my Urban Decay Primer Potion but if you don't have a problem with insane amounts of creasing like I do I would guess that it lasts an average length of time. Gosh I am so vague.

Each shade is so wearable either alone or together and the purple isn't the kind of shade that makes you look dead. I'm really pleased I dug this out of my drawer and started using it and may take a look at the other trios within the range.