We were pleased with the staying power of this gloss - it's quite thick and you do feel like you've got something on your lips, but it's not sticky and it applies smoothly. It lasted through a lunch - a little of the glossiness had gone, but colour still remained. And also through several drinks at the pub - quite a bit came off on glasses, but you were still wearing it too!

The scent/flavour is not too our liking, as with other Estee Lauder lip colours it has an odd scent to it which some may find a little off-putting.

Colours are sheer and wearable - we tried 'Plum' which looks to be one of the darkest, but it applies as a subtle, quite natural colour which can be built up to a more intense look if you don't mind a thicker layer of gloss.

At £14 for a 6ml tube it is a little pricey, but the staying power is worth it and a tube does last a long time. The packaging is sleek - a clear slim solid tube (it won't get squashed in your bag!) with a gold lid, you can see the colour straight-away without opening it.

Available from:
Boots
Estee Lauder (online and at counters)

This is one of two palettes available from Too Faced's New Romantic collection, the other (Peacock Pink on the Prowl) comes in warmer browns and pinks. Both are presented in super-girly cardboard-based packaging and are 'Tested on celebrities, not animals', which should appeal equally to your glamorous exterior and inner eco-girl.

The Unicorn palette contains:

- 3 eyeshadows: Cinnnamon Cocoa (dark brown), Mossy Brown (khaki) and Peach Fairy Wine (apricot-toned base)

- 3 lipglosses: Princess Pink (barely there), Apricot Sunset (daytime natural) and Pixie Dust Plum (glittery plum)

- 1 blush: Cupid Pink (pale glittery pink)

- 1 applicator: lip brush at one end, foam applicator at the other

- 1 circular plastic 'mirror': on inside of lid

The Unicorn palette contains shades similar to those that I use regularly, but I looked a fright on my first attempt: though the colours appear friendly enough, the shades are surprisingly dense, particularly when applied with the foam applicator. Use a *brush* and apply colours more sparingly than usual, for subtly shaded eyes - unless you're going for the EMO look, in which case....just stick with what you're doing!

The three glosses, by comparison, are fabulously wearable, from the succulent translucence of the Princess Pink, to the every-day Apricot Sunset and luscious Pixie Dust Plum, they glide on smoothly, offering instant moisture.

The blush is frankly more of a highlighter than a cheek colour: good for that sun-kissed glow, come summer, but a little redundant in the meantime, especially when there is no applicator provided. Use your fingers to graze it across your cheekbones before a night out, perhaps.

Conclusion:
Charming, entry-level, super-makeup. Great for gals, but a bit short on sophistication if your best friends are Lancôme and Clarins.

Score: 8/10 - My niece will be getting one of these (if she hasn't already), but her mum will be sticking to Benefit.

Reader Offer: Beauty Counter Direct are offering the Unicorn Palette to marshmallow readers for just £5! Simply add code UNP5 at checkout. Offer ends 10 April 2008.

Available from:
Beauty Counter Direct

Another one from ‘The Quickie Chronicles’ range this had the same wonderfully retro glamour packaging style as the Pink Sugar Palette.

The Passionate Peacock Palette (The Plaything of Passion) I tried was the mini version and came with two eye shadows, one blush and two lip glosses. The eye shadows came in a wonderful golden green shimmer (which I totally loved!!!) and a fab deep chocolate with gold glitter. The colours I found more suited to vamping up the eyes in the evening and I wore them with the seashell from the Pink Sugar Palette as a base.

The blush was peach shimmer and again very easy to apply and blend. I am very pale skinned but the colour still looked natural on me and you could always build it up if you needed to.

The two lip glosses: berry sparkle and golden pink were again very light and natural and could be worn day or night. Again you could build these up but I like to wear them quite light.

The only thing missing in this palette was any form of applicator which was a shame as it is perfect handbag size – just one applicator with an eye shadow applicator one side and a lip brush the other would have been all that was needed!!

Reader Offer: Beauty Counter Direct are offering The Plaything of Passion to marshmallow readers for just £3! Simply add code QCP5 at checkout. Offer ends 4 April 2008.

Availability:
Beauty Counter Direct
HQ Hair

This palette is from ‘The Quickie Chronicles’ range and the packaging has a wonderful girlie retro feel – think old Hollywood movie posters of the Marilyn Monroe era where the artwork was a cross between photograph and drawing. I was in love before I had even opened it!!!

The Pink Sugar Palette (The Heartbreaker) has three eye shadows: pink mocha, golden sand and seashell. All were extremely wearable and had a lovely texture. The seashell was more of a base colour and the other two I used to accentuate the eyes; less for daytime and then piling more on for the evening! I often have trouble with eye shadows creasing towards the end of the day but so far these have remained crease free – so extra brownie points there!!

It comes with a blush in sun kissed pink which is very easy to apply (I just put it on with my fingers) and blends really well to give a really natural look. It has become my day to day staple!

Lastly it has three lip glosses: pink sugar, bronze berry, shimmering sunset and ice tea. All are very light and natural and I have tried them all although my favourite has to be bronze berry as it is just that little bit darker.

The palette also comes with a handy eye shadow applicator and lip brush and as you can put the blush on with your fingers you really don’t need anything else (except a mirror of course!).

Available from:
Beauty Counter Direct

When we opened the parcel containing the Too Faced palettes we were so excited! The packaging of all their products is just gorgeous!!

The New Romantic Peacock Palette is a fabulous pink with a black peacock silhouette design... inside you'll find lovely pinks and minky browns.

There are three eyeshadows: a shimmery mocha, a raspberry pink and a shimmery mink. I liked them all, but the most wearable, for day and night, is the mink. The raspberry pink is a bit daring on the eyes - be careful not to look like you've gone ten rounds with Ricky Hatton! As a blush it's really good though!! The shadows are easy to apply and blend, they feel very light and silky on the skin.

Alongside the three eyeshadows are three lip glosses - I wear them all. There's a raspberry pink, a neutral beige shimmer and a pale shimmer gloss. The raspberry pink is very versatile - you can wear it sheer or build it up for a wow-factor. The other two are lovely for daily wear.

And finally there's a bronzey blush - if you're very pale watch out, it can look a bit dirty if you put too much one, so build it up gradually.

Overall I was very, very pleased with this - it have become my main daily make-up and I will use all the shades (though maybe not much of the raspberry shadow), which is rare for me with a palette as I often find I don't use half the shades.

The packaging makes this ideal for a gift... I'm sure most girls will be delighted to receive it!

Reader Offer: Beauty Counter Direct are offering the Peacock Palette to marshmallow readers for just £5! Simply add code TFP4 at checkout. Offer ends 4 April 2008.

Available from:
Beauty Counter Direct

Hi, I am a blind lady and have just discovered Lancome Juicy Tubes.

I was really pleased with it's quality and texture. It has a nice flavour too, and is very easy to apply. Some lip glosses are difficult to apply from a blind persons's point of view, but juicy tubes are so easy.

They are in a convenient tube, with an easy applicator on the top. Highly recommended.
 

Available from:
Beauty Counter Direct
Boots
BuyCosmetics
Garden Pharmacy
John Lewis (stores)
Lancome
SalonSkincare

More info:
Lancome Juicy Tubes Shades & Ranges

Plumping glosses seem to be all the rage at the moment and this one is certainly worth a try... we're still not 100% sure on the long-term effects, or even the short term effects to be honest, but this is a great gloss with plenty of shine. It is sticky, but not too much, it glides on to the lips smoothly and feels nice to wear.

The plumping ingredients do make the lips tingle, so be prepared for that as the tingling does go on. Lips do appear healthier and somewhat fuller.

We like 'Pink A-plenty' - a delicate shimmery pink which is perfect for summer.

Available from:
Garden Pharmacy