Topshop SS13 Lip Paint, cream blush, and lipstick
First picture, left to right, without flash: Topshop cream blush stick in Acting Up, lipstick in Straight Ace, Lip Paint in Low Down
Second picture, left to right, with flash: Topshop cream blush stick in Acting Up, lipstick in Straight Ace, Lip Paint in Low Down
Third picture, left to right, without flash: Swatches of Topshop cream blush stick in Acting Up, lipstick in Straight Ace, Lip Paint in Low Down
Fourth picture, left to right, with flash: Swatches of Topshop cream blush stick in Acting Up, lipstick in Straight Ace, Lip Paint in Low Down
According to Topshop, the SS13 cosmetics collection is defined by “highly pigmented explosions of colour,” with extremely straightforward, white or clear packaging: “Transparent glass and frosted cases work together to allow the intense pigments and sophisticated formulas to express their clarity and definition.” The collection included items like mascara and eyeshadow quads, and for this review I tested out the liquid lipstick Lip Paint in Low Down, an extremely bright true orange; cream blush stick in Acting Up, a pinkish orange or coral shade; and lipstick in Straight Up, a blue-toned purple.
According to Topshop, Lip Paint is “lightweight, elastic colour” with “jellified structure and liquid formula,” and Low Down is described simply as “orange.” The cream blush is a “subtle colour wash with light diffusing properties,” and the shade Acting Up is described simply as “orange.” And the lipstick is “long lasting, high pigment colour,” and the shade Straight Ace is described simply as “purple.”
Lengthy with the color explanations, Topshop is not—but to be fair, what other way is there to describe Low Down? As you can see in both photos, with and without flash, it’s a retina-searing shade of neon. But I love its in-your-face quality; I’m dying to wear it to work with barely anything else on my face but tinted moisturizer and maybe one coat of mascara. It’s not completely opaque, but has a slight sheerness and a nice shine. It dried down for me after about five minutes, and faded evenly after about six hours. I really, really love this shade, and I think it’s a great summer staple. And because it’s a true orange, I think it could work for a variety of skin-tones; it’s not necessarily as clown-like as you might initially think.
Next is cream blush Acting Up, which comes up in a stick format. It’s soft to the touch and, again, nicely pigmented, but I found this to be more of a coral shade than a true orange like Low Down. In the pictures with flash, in the tube, the cream blush looks more orange, but swatched, it’s far more peach-toned and even a little bit baby pink. My issue with the cream blush, though, was that it didn’t blend very easily, so it accentuated my pores and looked a little dry. And then if you blend it out too much, it disappears; I saw it fading only after about three or four hours. It’s a pretty shade, but the staying power just isn’t there.
And finally there’s Straight Up, an incredibly purple lipstick. A lot of purple lipsticks I’ve come across are often too sheer or streaky, but this lipstick is nicely buildable—if you want to go darker, you can certainly get there with a few swipes—and has a soft sheen and a strong blue base. With no flash, the lipstick looks more fuchsia or pink, but you can see in the photo with flash that it’s really a more outrageous shade—which isn’t a bad thing! I certainly couldn’t wear this to work, but I love the option of shades like this for the summertime. It has a very creamy, smooth consistency; didn’t feel dry at all on my lips; and lasted for about five hours before fading to a berry stain.
Overall, I liked these Topshop SS13 items quite a bit; they’re bright and colorful, and I liked the pigmentation and seasonal appropriateness. But there are downsides here: Topshop doesn’t offer any wear-times for any of the products, and the descriptions are incredibly simplistic.
I will be on the hunt for backups of Straight Ace and Low Down, though, and I’m going to hold on to Acting Up, even with its problems, because of how pretty the shade is. I’ll certainly be closing out the summer reaching for these products over and over again—even though I can’t rock purple lipstick at the office.
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VERDICT: B+ for Low Down Lip Paint and Straight Ace lipstick, which both had good pigmentation and wear-time; C+ for Acting Up cream blush, which was a pretty color but didn’t last long or blend well.
AVAILABILITY: $16 for Low Down Lip Paint at Nordstrom.com; $20 for Acting Up blush at Nordstrom.com; $18 for Straight Ace lipstick, formerly available at Nordstrom.com; you might be able to find the lipstick on eBay, or call Topshop locations around the U.S. to see if you can order it directly from the store and have them ship it to you.
EDITORIAL NOTE: The products featured in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog posts are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.
Photos by Roxana Hadadi.
In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.
