I'm a big fan of the regular lipsticks from B., so when I saw a couple of months ago that a new range was being released for summer I knew I had to get my hands on at least one of them. I ordered Orange Boom as soon as it was available online and was lucky enough to be sent Sherbert Dip* as a gift from the lovely people behind the B. Twitter account.
The lipsticks are packaged with really cute fuschia pink diagonal stripes, which are very reminiscent of the old sweet bags we used to get from our local shop. They have silver casings, whereas the original lipsticks are charcoal, and a pop-up mechanism, so you can feel secure knowing that if you throw one in your bag it'll be safe in there without the lid popping off. This was the first brand I encountered with this kind of bullet, so wasn't sure at first how to release the lipstick, but all you have to do it gently push the bottom of the casing and it'll pop out enough for you to pull the lipstick out. Of course, once it's out it has a standard twist up bullet.
Looking at the lipsticks in the bullet you'd be forgiven for thinking that they're going to be matte once on your lips, but they're not. They're actually a really lovely cream sheen formula that's really comfortable to wear. As much as I love a matte lip, in the summer I rarely wear one, I tend to go for either sheer or glossy products, so this is a really nice compromise between what I like and what I love. The wear time is really good for a cream formula, I'm wearing Sherbert Dip at the moment and have had several drinks and a snack and it's still on. It doesn't look quite as good as when I applied it a couple of hours ago, but it's not far off.
In all of my lipstick reviews I talk about scent and how it's not something that I like in my everyday lip products, thankfully the Sweet Shop lipsticks don't have a scent so I could wear them every day if I wanted to. There's a very slight taste of something to Sherbert Dip, but I can't figure out what it is. It's not unpleasant or very noticeable at all, just something worth noting. Both shades are so intense that I doubt I would wear them every single day, but I know I'll still get a lot of use from them this summer. You may be comfortable wearing a super bright lip all the time, and I commend you for that, but I don't think they suit me enough to be everyday shades. I do love a bold lip and will happily rock a dark berry all autumn, but brights are an occasional treat for me. Still, it's nice to know that there's nothing in the ingredients that would irritate my sensitive lips if I did wear them all the time.
As you can see, I did manage to break the tip off Orange Boom, which I think is what left my swatch looking rather patchy and streaky, I've now tidied up the tip and it applies much more evenly, just as well as Sherbert Dip and I was really happy with that one. Although the colour is bright and bold, they don't apply opaque on the first swipe, so if you wanted more of a sheer application it's possible without having to dilute the product down with lip balm first. Because they don't bleed or feather I don't need to use a lipliner, which is a good thing as I don't have a perfect match for either of them. I have recently bought an orange liner but am yet to test it with Orange Boom.
As much as I love Sherbert Dip, as it's a really bright cool-toned pink, and if I'm going to wear a bright lip that's the kind of shade I tend to stick to, I think I prefer Orange Boom. It may not look quite as flattering on me (of course, being a straight-up orange, it's not going to do your teeth any favours), but it's different from any other orange, warm red or coral that I own. If I had perfect white teeth I think I'd be wearing this all summer long. I do love both shades though and am really impressed with the formula of them, just as I have been with all of the lip products I've tried from B. so far. If you're looking for affordable summer-appropriate shades I'd suggest getting down to Superdrug and having a peek at this collection, which also contains a beautiful looking purple.
The B. Sweet Candy Shop lipsticks in Orange Boom and Sherbert Dip* are available from Superdrug online and in stores nationwide for £7.99 each.
What's your go-to summer lip shade? I'd love some recommendations of what to try next.
