I don't frequently wear lipstick as I can find them quite drying on my lips. Instead, I tend to stick to wearing lip gloss. However, on a recent trip to the Body Shop I saw their Colourglide Lip Colour at a reduced price of £6.00 (usual retail price is £8.00 for 4g) and thought as my face could do with some brightening up, I would give one a try.

The Colourglide Lip Colour is dermatologically tested and marketed as a lipstick which 'colours, moisturises and smoothes the appearance of the lips'. Great, this sounds just what I need. It claims to give you a gorgeous pout that lasts up to four hours via its 'butter like texture' and high quantity of pigmentation to 'provide intense coverage'. Some of the key ingredients really appeal to me. As well as jojoba and rosehip seed, the lip colour contains community trade maurla oil which is used as a moisturiser to promote smooth and supple lips. It does this by providing vital fatty acids which restore the 'skins moisture barrier'. It also contains Vitamin E which is great for healing the skin. Gardenia and vanilla fruit extract provide the fragrance for the lipstick, which although strong smelling, does smell really lovely. The strength of the fragrance doesn't bother me as it's quite a natural smell - I don't like lipsticks that have a synthetic smell to them.

The lip colour comes in an ultra sleek silver coloured casing which is fairly dinky, so great for popping in your bag. The Body Shop logo appears on the top of the take off portion of the casing. I think the casing not only looks stylish but as I have found is durable as well. The lip colour is available in 37 shades which range from neutrals like sheer pink (04) and clover pink (06) to sultry shades like rich scarlet (52) and velvet wine (62). For the more daring there are vibrant shades like coral splash (66) and neon pink (59). There is a handy feature on the Body Shop website to help you choose which colour is right for you by matching your skin tone and hair colour with the lip colour.
(www.thebodyshop.co.uk/_en/_gb/beauty-lounge/perf ect-lip-colour.aspx)
I didn't make use of this feature as I bought mine in store before looking at the website. I've had a nose at it though and I would use it to choose shades in the future. As neutral colours suit me best I chose the sheer pink (04) shade, this is a pale warm pink with a hint of apricot to it.

The Body Shop recommends using a lip liner before applying the lip colour to help avoid feathering and keep colour intact. As I don't have any lip liners I haven't been able to do this. This hasn't been a problem for me because I apply the lipstick at quite regular intervals throughout the day to keep the colour intact and I haven't had any problem with feathering.

I simply apply the colour straight from its case, it can be applied with a lip brush also but I am happier to apply it direct to my lips. The first thing I notice as I put it onto my lips is the colour. It does look very similar to how it appears inside the casing but applying it to the lips really does make the colour come alive. Even more so than when I tested it on my hand. It manages to look vibrant and fresh but not overbearing, it remains quite natural looking thanks to its sheerness. I am impressed with the depth of colour it can achieve as I can often find sheer colours can look a bit wishy washy. There is some transfer onto things like mugs and sometimes clothes but not a huge amount. Luckily it doesn't smear if I accidently knock my lips. Though put to a more rigorous test with kissing and there is some smearing. My lips feel and remain smooth and soft whist wearing the lip colour. I wouldn't go as far to say I find it as moisturising as a lip balm but for a lipstick it does a pretty good job. The initial strong fragrance does substantially fade away not long after application.

So what about its staying power? After all it promised me 'up to four hours'. Unfortunately, this is where it lets itself down. Four hours really is pushing it, I'd say it's more like two-three hours. That said, I've never found a lipstick that has the staying power it claims and I generally find if they do stay they do so with lots of dryness. The lip colour doesn't seem to mind drinking but it does fair quite averagely with eating. In that, quite a lot of colour is lost after I've scoffed my lunch. Overall, this is not a problem for me as I would generally be applying my usual lip gloss throughout the day anyway. I would say it would be a bit of pain for someone who doesn't like to have to do multiple applications though. However, the recommended use of a lip liner might increase its staying power.

I would definitely buy the lip colour again based on its depth of colour and moisturising effect.

Thanks for reading.