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.

Barry M Purchases

I always love the colour range of Barry M lipsticks but, in the past, my mum has bought some really nice shades that look amazing but, when wearing them, are incredibly dry upon application and just not flattering at all! As a result I only own the Touch of Magic lipstick which I think is amazing and would definitely recommend to people just because it's so unusual and people can be like WHAT NO WHY ARE YOU PUTTING GREEN ON YOUR LIPS and then you can go all Blue Peter on them. However, I decided to go to Boots with the intention of buying a Barry M lipstick to see whether all of the lipsticks had the same drying effect and put my preconceptions to the test (dun dun dun).

I decided to buy shade 151, which is named as Sunset on the Barry M website, as it is such a lovely bright pinky, coral (I am literally the worst person at describing colours, they all end up being a broad 'pinky coral') and is a really nice shade for warmer days. I haven't found this formula drying at all so far which I'm really happy about and think it may have just been the shades my mum owned previously that were drying. I find the staying power to be good but with a reapplication needed most likely after eating a meal. These lipsticks are £4.49 from Boots, Superdrug and the Barry M website which I think is entirely affordable and I love the writing across the lid as I think it adds a nice little finishing touch.

I also bought two lipliners as, when I went to my college induction, one of the teachers said about how important it is to use lipliners to get an even application and to also stop any lipstick bleeding into your skin and, ever since, I've been on the hunt for lipliners. I've never used any other lipliners apart from some of my mum's old ones that she gave to me so I have nothing to compare the quality to but so far they seem to be pretty good and do their job. I haven't really been using them as much as I had hoped as I'm always in a rush and don't have time but I want to experiment with making my cupid's bow more pointed and see whether I like the look or not.

The colour on the left is number 12 which is called Fuchsia on the website which is a bright Barbie (again, my use of description is atrocious, I've used the word Barbie on this blog so many times I swear!) pink which I can pair with quite a few of my lipsticks. I think this shade is particularly good to have as with light, but bright, lipsticks you can lose lip definition and I seriously cannot afford that because my lips are so thin anyway.

The shade on the right is number 2 named Dark Pink (I may have found my uncreative shade-naming match) on the website  which, again, I can pair with a lot of my lipsticks and would describe it as a very wearable cherry pink. These lipliners are £2.99 which is good value as I can see them lasting a long time considering their size. The lipliners have a smooth, soft and creamy formula and I also want to try filling in my whole lips with a lipliner and putting a balm over the top to see what it looks like and so seem like they'll be quite multifunctional in their use.

I also want to buy a brightly coloured orange lipliner as I wear orange lipstick a lotttttt and am on the look-out for one to match my Kate Moss Rimmel 107 shade! Also, my friend, Luke, started a blog today where he'll be reviewing films that he's watched so if you're interested please follow him! His blog is The Movie Diorama, thank you!