Topshop Sheer Lip Review and Swatches

While I was revising for my exams last week (perusing the Topshop website), I came across some new additions to their make up collection. The Sheer Lips are advertised as being moisturising balm lipsticks with sheer to medium coverage. I'm an absolute sucker for sheer, balmy lipsticks. I love how they feel, and the sheerness is a way for me to wear lipstick without having to commit to a full on lip. I bought three out of the four available colours: Red Alert (red), Chuck (berry) and Applause (fuchsia). The other colour is Hunky Dory, which is a nude shade, which appears to have glitter particles in it.

The Packaging

I love the Topshop make up packaging. It is so fun, but it still looks nice and high quality. These are in slightly different packaging to the normal lipsticks. They have a thinner, matte black case with glossy, black detailing. The great thing about having black packaging is that it won't get dirty so easily and, in my opinion, it looks more grown up.

The Product

These drag slightly on the lips when you apply them, which is surprising for a sheer lipstick. The other two that I own (Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine) glide on, and have a lot more slip. The formula of the Topshop Sheer Lip must have a thicker formulation than the other two brands that I have tried, because they do not have a weightless texture once on the lips, either. You can really feel the lipstick on your lips, which I quite like, I think it feels really comfy! They are buildable to about a medium coverage if you do a couple of swipes on the lips, this also builds the level of shine you get. They last for about 3 to 4 hours without, which is pretty standard for a sheer lipstick like this, and is just as long as the Chanel and the YSL products that I have tried. Unlike the other sheer lipsticks that I have tried, where the gloss disappears first, leaving behind a stain, these fade more evenly, so the shine will still be there at the very end. I actually found these really moisturising, more so than the brands I mentioned before. I also really like the colours, especially the red one, because red lipsticks can be a bit daunting, and this makes it really easy to wear.

Top to bottom: Applause, Chuck and Red Alert

The Verdict

I'm really enjoying these! They are a great addition to my lipstick collection, and I'd be really interested to see if Topshop add anymore colours, as I'd definitely try some more. £8 for a product that performs so well is fine with me!