Going At It: Lip Crayons

Trend alert! It looks like make up companies have finally cottoned on to the old trick of colouring your mouth in with lip pencil, because lip crayons have started popping up all over the place since last spring, and happily it's got to the stage where there are a bunch of budget versions coming out. Because I have been known to be a desperate trend bunny, I bought, uh... four. Let's try them!

1. Barry M Lip Lacquer Crayon No 6 Candyfloss, £4.99

2. Topshop Lip Stick in Powder Room, £7

3. Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick in Nudist, £8

4. F&F Lip Crayon in Tickled Pink, £5

1. Barry M, Candyfloss.

WELL. It's a good job this was my free third thing on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots, because I HATE it. It looked like a nice pinky pink as a crayon and when I tested it on my wrist in the shop, but on my mouth, it came out this weird shiny almost purplish Barbie kinda pink, which I totally didn't expect or like (in my defence, it doesn't say it's called Candyfloss on the tube. That probably would've clued me in, but it just says No. 6. I expected something much more like the colour of the trim on my shirt in this photo, and not nearly so shimmery. Not a fan of shimmer.)

However! When I started to scrub it off in horror, something interesting happened (... relatively interesting). Once the shimmery top layer of weird lilac was mostly off, the colour underneath was actually quite pretty, much deeper and more like what I'd hoped for. So I wore it like that instead and it was much nicer, and actually pretty long-lasting, which impressed me. Putting it on, the texture is smooth and creamy, if a little sticky, and the colour goes on solid and not sheer, if that's the kind of thing you like. 

Numbers: 6/10. -4 for that horrid colour, +6 for the good texture and long wear-iness and for the nice enough colour underneath the shimmer.

2. Topshop, Powder Room.

I kind of really like this one. The shade wasn't what I was expecting (I ordered it online), and it turned out to be much lighter than I anticipated, but it was totally a pleasant surprise. It's not a colour I would have picked up in a lipstick, and at first I was worried it was too First Lady 1962 (that's Jackie Kennedy, if anyone's wondering and, um, YES IT DOES), but it actually looks really pretty and classy.

TWINSIES! ... Well, a gal can dream.

It's also the most crayony in texture, more like a lip liner than a gloss. It's completely matte, no shimmer at all, which I really like, because it's hard to find in a lipstick. It goes on light and creamy and the colour is solid and opaque, but it doesn't wear brilliantly. Because the colour is so much paler than my natural lips, my real lip colour starts to show through relatively quickly. It's an easy touch up job though, because the colour of the crayon doesn't alter no matter how much you load it on. 

Numbers: 8/10. Pretty colour, nice texture, wish the solid coverage lasted a bit longer.

...Apparently this lip colour makes me want to cry?

3. Soap & Glory, Nudist.

I was super excited at the thought of a Soap & Glory cosmetics range, but it's actually been seriously underwhelming. I've had their Sexy Motherpucker plumping lipglosses for ages, and they're good for plumping although I hate lipgloss, but this is the first thing from the new range I've been tempted to actually spend money on. I got the mascara, Thick and Fast, for free in a magazine or something and thought it was terrible. I have mixed feelings about this gloss stick.

It has the most conventionally lipsticky texture and look; it is a "Gloss Stick" and not a lip crayon. Apart from being "nude" coloured, it also has the most sheer coverage, more like a normal lip gloss, but unlike a normal lip gloss it was completely non sticky (unlike the plumping glosses, which are like superglue for your mouth) and felt kind of moisturising on my lips. I did find though that if I put on more than a thin layer, trying to build up the colour, it did that thing of rolling up into tiny blobs on my lips, which feels weird and is not impressive. And because it's sheer and on the soft side, it doesn't wear very well for long periods. It's not convincing me to try anything else from their cosmetics range, alas. It is the only retractable one though! So unlike the other three I've tried here, it won't need sharpening, which is a plus.

Numbers: 7/10. Like the way it looks, but it doesn't offer anything I couldn't get from a lipstick. Points for colour and being retractable, minus points for the weird texture if you put it on heavy and not lasting that long.

4. F&F, Tickled Pink

F&F is just a fancy way to say Florence & Fred, and Florence & Fred is just a fancy way to say Tesco, so I side-eyed this but it seems like the Tesco make up range is actually surprisingly good. A lot of stuff was on 2 for 1 when I got this, so I also got a shimmery charcoal eye crayon which I reeeally like, and it was a crazy good bargain at 2 for £5.

I'm really impressed by this lip crayon. The colour is maybe more sheer than you would expect from a lipstick, but could be a good starting point for someone who's a little bit nervous of wearing such a bright colour. It has a certain amount of gloss but isn't shimmery or sparkly, which I appreciate, and the texture is smooth and goes on well, and it's nicely blendable. It has good staying power as well because the colour is so strong and vibrant. It's not a colour I'd wear like, every day, but it's totally a winner.

Numbers: 8/10. Points for colour, texture, long-lastingness.