Topshop Beauty Lips and Cream Blush Set | Review

While Topshop has been nicely perched at the top of my high street fashion brands for quite some time now, until recently I hadn't quite ventured into trying out some of their beauty bits and bobs. In fact, I was pretty much oblivious to the fact that they even produced a cosmetic line until late last year. So when the Christmas sales came around all the way back in January, and their gift sets were knocked down to ludicrously cheap prices, I decided to take the plunge and finally purchased some. As the name of this post probably suggests, I picked up the Topshop Lips and Cream Blush Set in True Red, which retails for £12. Encased in a star-studded and Topshop-branded ivory box are possibly two of my favourite products to date: the Cream Blush in 'Head Over Heels' and the heavily-hyped Lips in 'Wicked'.

Can I first just mention the packaging of these products? Seriously though, the lipstick is sheathed inside possibly one of the cutest covers I have ever seen; graphite-effect stripes on an expanse of ivory to give it a quirky, yet sophisticated, appearance. And not only is it exceptionally aesthetically pleasing, it is also surprisingly protective of the product that it encases. My sole criticism is that it does seem to accumulate dirt irritatingly easily and the soft metal is also prone to the odd scratch here or there, but other than that, it's pretty much faultless. However, I must admit that when I came to first applying the lipstick I was a little sceptical. With its deep burgundy undertones and a 'gothic' matte finish, 'Wicked' appeared a little daring to me and miles out of my comfort zone. But after days of deliberation, I finally braved it and applied it for the first time... And boy, am I glad I did! It glided onto my lips effortlessly and the velvety formula ensured that my lips felt sublimely soft. The pigmentation is prodigiously powerful- seriously, a little goes a surprisingly long way when it comes to this- and it even managed to cling to my lips for a good 6 hours before reapplication was needed (and yes, that includes the endurance of meals and drinking!) Whilst I wouldn't dub this as a particularly moisturising product, as far as matte lipsticks go, this sits comfortably on the lips and seldom dehydrates them, which is an added bonus if anything! Topshop lipsticks retail solitarily at £8 a pop, which I personally think is exceptional value for money- I can't wait to try another one out! 

Initially, I was also a little dubious about trying the Cream Blush in 'Head Over Heels' as, being naturally flushed in the cheeks anyway (oh, the joys of pale skin!), I've never really felt the need to it as it only ever makes me resemble an elf even further! Looking at the coral undertones of this blush, I did feel a little intimidated as, whenever I do bother to wear blusher, I always opt for über pale shades of pink. However, this blush was a pleasant surprise. With a quick sweep on my cheek, I soon realised that it actually produced a subtle flush to the cheeks without making me look like I'd just stepped out of a pantomime! This was also my first time trying out a cream blush, something that I was also a little sceptical about prior to application. However, this blew all of my doubts out of the water as the formulation made it so easy to blend out and build up where necessary. Something that I also noticed with this cream blush is that it has a very subtle luminosity to it, thus giving your skin a healthy radiance. It's safe to say that I'm now a cream blush convert and have this little beauty to thank for it! 

Overall I'm so content with this set- it certainly exceeded my expectations of Topshop's beauty range and I now can't wait to pick up some more bits and bobs on my next shopping trip! Thank you for reading, I hope that you liked this post :)

Have you tried any of the Topshop Beauty range? 

Lucy x