This summer its the coral and the orange tones that have been catching my eye. Although they tend to be rather bright, this season allows for some added punch to our colors, be it in makeup or fashion and besides, when else will you be able to wear them so comfortably? It's a forgiving season, one that has seen far too many tan lines and orange streaks and it is also the perfect time for those meeker among us to give bright and bold a whirl.

I have picked out 4 shades that I've been loving the most this summer, shades that I feel are best appreciated in these few months, uplifting and dazzling, they remind me of the tropics. I can promise they will keep your spirits high all the way through to the fall!


This is a gorgeous coral-red shade in a creamy-to-matte texture which gives it its sophisticated matte finish without being too drying on the lips. Similarly to the rest of the Kate collection, it carries the faintest scent of watermelon, not too over-powering and actually quite pleasant. On the lips this colour looks almost neon but don't be alarmed, its brilliantly flattering.

2. MAC, So Chaud, matte

From left to right: 110, So Chaud, 750 Kiss me Coral, 210 Coral in Gold

Comment  down below and let me know what you think, would you agree? What are your exclusive summer favorites? Also, don't forget to give this a +1 if you enjoyed it and follow me for more Inkquisitve posts.

Lots of Love xx

I discovered this shade in the winter and fell in love with it. It is one that I get loads of complements for when I wear it and have inspired several friends and family members to also purchase it for themselves. One thing that I love about this lipstick is that it is so easy to wear and complements a range of skin tones. For that reason I have been meaning to write a post on it, it is a little overdue but my preference has not changed.

Lipstick is by and large my ultimate, all time favourite cosmetic item. I cannot resist an immaculately carved glossy bullet in all those bright, bold jewel colours. The Shamima-classic would be a bold matte red and the rest of my then quite limited collection ranged between that and dark pink. An assortment of similar but different shades of red-pink tones in various finishes where for a great stretch of my teen years the dominant colours. Believe it, nudes and soft pinks did not exist in my colour vocabulary. I am not entirely sure of the reason for it. I did feel that the darker shades suited me better; I could never go wrong with them, they made my complexion look brighter and healthier. Pinks and nudes in contrast too often appeared too pale, too sickly on me and made my face look ashen. I suppose you could say that I restricted myself by never straying far down that end of the counter, I reduced the chances of myself accidently stumbling upon something new and completely unexpected. And for a long time I remained there fumbling around in that dark, narrow tunnel of mine when things where just starting to get boring when-

My flatmate on the other hand pulled out a No7 eyeliner (I cannot for the life of me remember which one or in what colour) and a No7 lipstick (three guesses as to which one?) both of which were generously of full size. Not at all bad for £2.

So away home, back in our flat, we sat down to inspect the fruit of our day. Now I had never been interested in No7 for cosmetics, they just looked so bland and so boring, and so darn mature! It is the brand my Mum and her generation gush over. I had some idea of their skincare being of good quality but they felt to me as being marketed towards to middle-aged and people interested in reducing their Crow's feet, their fine lines and their wrinkles.

And the colour? 'Classic Rose' is not a bright pink, it is not particularly dark either but it is at the deeper end of pink, it is also cooler toned to what I was used to with a hint of purple, dare I say ever so slightly mauve-y? There is no red it in that is for sure and it is completely matte (as is the whole range) so it sits on the lips quite opaque, letting little of your natural lip colour through. For that reason I would not call it a natural tone and most certainly not my-lips-but-better. It is a colour that can speak for itself. With it on my lips, I am usually compelled to team it will either gentle, warm, well blended gold nudes on the eyes and bronzer to warm up the face or a flick of black liner and mascara with a cool blush for a fresh-faced, I-mean-business, office look.

Would you be surprised if I now told you that I went out soon afterwards, and grabbed No7's Stay Perfect lipstick in the very shade 'Classic Rose' just 15 minutes before closing time, half panting from my power walk there in order to make in time. And I came out feeling victorious, I'd got it, it was mine! And although I did not fish this out of a basket of shredded paper and polystyrene for a pound, a still feel that I'd gotten a great deal (hah! It is one of the most expensive high-street lipsticks you can get).

It has a treasured place among my orderly row of lipsticks, and although sticks out somewhat awkwardly (at 8.5 centimetres, it is a rather gangly canister that is wider at the top than at the base and of an almost metallic-like, glossy, black-brown colour). It have 'No7' engraved onto the lid, and the product itself is not even in the pointed bullet I love so much, but a flat-headed, slim stick of pigment.

And to wear? Well, with it being a matte lipstick it is a little drying which will not appeal to everyone. On my lips it feels as though it has a creamy consistency where it has some movement when you press your lips together but it otherwise stays put. As I mentioned earlier, it is opaque and very long-lasting as promised by the range 'Stay Prefect'.

If you cannot tell already, I absolutely adore this lipstick and this particular colour! I cannot believe that I have looked past these lipsticks for so long, and I am so very grateful to have been introduced to it all thanks to that very lucky lucky-dip! I highly recommend the Stay Perfect lipsticks to you, especially if you are a matte lipstick lover like me and I most certainly will be back to No7 to try out more shades available from this range.