No7 & Poppy King: History Lipstick and Gloss

Be patient my dears...it's now just 3 days to go until the official launch of the highly anticipated collaboration between Boots No7 and the Lipstick Queen herself, Ms Poppy King. One of the boldest, most vivid shades on offer is History, a show stopping red fit for a hollywood siren...

Slightly chameleon in it's appearance, when swatched both the tones of the lipstick and gloss pull visibly more pink against the skin. However, when applied onto the lips, the pigments transform to produce a very accessible, very wearable, very flirty red - ideal for teaming with a classic neutral eye.

History Lipstick/ Gloss Swatched

Much the same as Intrigue, this formula really is a breeze to wear. Comfortable, non drying, reasonably long lasting - fans of Lipstick Queen definitely won't be dismayed at the quality of this partnership. Whilst it's not completely 100% on par with Poppy's personal line, I find these lipsticks - and glosses in particular - to be notably superior to the standard No7 mix.

History Lipstick applied to heavily pigmented lips

Worn alone, both products are toned down enough to be suitable for a day time lip. This red appears more playful than overtly sexy, which makes for a generally less self conscious make up experience. When layered up, History is outstanding for a evening face, not to mention bright enough to play into the bold summer lips trend as seen on the catwalks.

Free from shimmer, the non-sticky gloss is a gorgeous, semi sheer texture that instantly adds the appearance of fuller, thicker lips. I'm completely smitten with this shade.

History Gloss applied to heavily pigmented lips

For those of you who usually shy away from a bolder lip, History really is a fool proof way of easing yourself into unknown cosmetic territory. Whilst lipstick lovers may have several dupes of this shade already floating about in their collection, those with a more modest stash should definitely make way for this scarlet beauty.

History Lipstick and Gloss launch in Boots' stores nationwide on March 23rd, priced at £12 and £11 respectively.

*this product was a free sample obtained by the Beauty Bite*

No7 & Poppy King: Intrigue Lipstick and Gloss

As far as collaborations go it would be a huge understatement to say I was excited to hear Lipstick Queen was collaborating with one of Britain's biggest high street brands, after all, in my eyes the woman can do no wrong...

Inspired by the No 7 brand name, Poppy King has developed and created a compact collection of colours to reflect the 7 reasons she truly believes women love to wear lip colour: Power, Glamour, Seduction, Intrigue, Confidence, History and Allure.

Intrigue Lipstick/ Gloss Swatched

One of the most versatile shades in the range is Intrigue - a pink nude intended to give the eternally desired my-lips-but-better finish. Weighing in at 3.5g (the same as L.Q Medieval), these lippies are smaller in height but equal in width to Poppy's own range; packaged in a very similar but slightly thinner tin case.

I absolutely adore this lipstick. The colour is beautiful, elegant and faultless for pulling together a natural and chic day time look. I found the formula to be relatively loyal to Poppy's usual high standards, except the overall longevity was slightly poorer when compared to the likes of the Butterfly Ball range, for example.

Intrigue Lipstick applied to heavily pigmented lips

For me the gloss is the real star of the show. Although this isn't perhaps the best colour for my pigmented features, the formula itself is long lasting, non sticky and extremely comfortable to wear. Lipstick Queen is my go to for glosses and I truly think this collaboration has successfully transported the brands incredible credentials for shine and pigment. Perhaps not as nicely scented as Poppy's personal range, these would be ideal for women who aren't typical gloss fans.

Intrigue Lipgloss applied to heavily pigmented Lips

Poppy King and No7 have done a stellar job at merging together a mass high street chain with a small quirky brand. Customers who have never stumbled upon Lipstick Queen before will definitely be impressed with the high quality and wearable shades released in this collection. For me though, I'm perhaps not as excited as I was at first - mainly due to the pricing. If these goodies were slightly cheaper I'd be ecstatic, but retailing at only a few pounds less than Lipstick Queen's original line, I think the temptation of a slightly more innovative range will always draw me in.

If you've never tried any of Poppy King's lovely lippies before than definitely check these out - after all, they don't call her Lipstick Queen for nothing!

Intrigue Lipstick (£12) and Lipgloss (£11) will be available from Boots Stores nationwide from Wednesday 23rd March.

*this product was free samples obtained by the Beauty Bite*

Lipstick Queen - Peacock Alley

Poppy King is one lady who sure knows what she wants. Leaving school aged 18 to create and develop her own lipstick line, the resulting 20 years of hard work and product passion have most certainly paid off. Running the wonderfully quirky, innovative and high quality brand Lipstick Queen, this Christmas marked the release of her current limited edition collection: Peacock Alley.

Designed to be worn either mixed or alone, these non-sticky glosses were simply born to show off. Packed full of shimmer and shine, these delicate shades instantly propel your natural lip colour into what Poppy simply describes as 'serious pops of wow!'

Sway, Strut & Saunter glosses

The colours themselves are wonderfully versatile. I'm absolutely smitten with Strut, a bright bubble gum pink that applies to the lips in the most beautifully sheer manner. When teamed with Sway - a clear shimmer packed, ultra shiny glaze - my lips transform into something even Angelina Jolie would be proud of. Poppy King is definitely a pro when it comes to creating a full effect lip; and these babies certainly aren't slacking.

Sway, Saunter and Strut swatched

Each gloss is applied using a soft built in brush. Although hygiene lovers mightn't be too thrilled with this form of application, these products are simply too delicious to not have a peak at in-store. My one issue though - bizarrely - lies with the lids. Whilst 2 of my 3 glosses shut securely, 1 pen repeatedly becomes uncapped. No major issue if you plan to keep them safe at home, but a real snag for those of us who like a daily top up when out and about.

Strut applied to heavily pigmented lips

Lipstick Queen's glosses are Beauty Bite favourites; sweetly scented, well wearing, perfectly pigmented and completely free of stickiness - if you haven't tried them out yet then this set definitely makes a great introduction. Currently retailing at just £14 (£4.60 a pen) these shinning stars of shimmer will most certainly put some swagger back into your step.

Lipstick Queen Peacock Alley is available from spacenk.co.uk for £14.

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Lipstick Queen - Invisible Liner

Lipstick Queen is certainly one of our favourite beauty brands, so we were extremely miffed with ourselves when we realised we'd featured just ONE of Poppy King's cult offerings.

To make up for our piss poor efforts, we've decided to go through the whole range in order to show off what are some truly stunning products. The first thing we wanted to rave about is the long lasting, problem solving Invisible Liner: A.K.A our most used lip product of all time.

Presented in a sleek black plastic pen, this wind up silicone liner applies invisibly onto the skin and creates a waxy layer preventing any bleeding from glosses, pencils or lipsticks. Not only will it keep the shape of your pout defined, but it will also allow the applied colour to stay vibrant for longer. Honestly - this product increases the wear of our YSL Rouge Vulopte by around 90 minutes - a feat we never thought possible.

This liner is by no means cheap - at £16.50/$18 a pop it certainly has a lot to prove, but we can safely say - hand on our beauty blogging heart - this baby has never once let us down. If you're someone who's frustrated with your wondering lippy, then this magic marker is definitely an item to check out.

Lipstick Queen Invisible Liner is available from lipstickqueen.com at $18 and Spacenk.co.uk for £16.50

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*

Lipstick Queen - Fired Up Power Gloss

If you're someone who constantly seems to shy away from the classic red lip, then Poppy King (a.k.a the Lipstick Queen) has developed a unique modern solution: Fired Up Power Gloss.

Enriched with vitamin E, this non-sticky formula bathes the lips in a sheer coating of fire engine red. With just a squeeze of the tube; the built in brush oozes gloss enabling you to either confidently load the colour up, or gently mute it down.

Fired Up Power Gloss swatched

As you can see from the swatch above, the pigments in the formula turned pink when applied directly onto our skin. This reaction is due to the gloss working in sync with your natural tones; meaning any worries of not finding your "perfect red" are diminished.The more layers of Fired Up you apply, the bolder and brighter the colour becomes. Simple!

Fired Up applied directly to lips

Offering around 3 hours wear, Fired Up is the ideal way of easing yourself towards a stronger lip. We adore it as a punchy day time red and love how plump and sexy it makes the pout when generously layered. Some of you might not be too keen with the built in brush for hygiene reasons, but it does do a great job at delivering a clean, even finish.

With all the comforts of a gloss and the vibrancy of a lipstick - we really couldn't enjoy this product more. Definitely one of our favourites of 2010.

Fired Up Power Gloss is available from lipstickqueen.com for $18 and spacenk.co.uk at £15 for 8.8g (0.31 fl oz)

*this product was purchased by the Beauty Bite*