Review: Topshop Lip Cream and Velvet Lips

This winter, Miriam and I have been experimenting with very intense lip colors ranging from deep scarlet reds to dark plum purples. Sometimes the darkest of lip colors can add just the perfect gothic edge to a feminine outfit. The dark side of the color spectrum can be intimidating, but they are flattering on a variety of skin tones. Just channel your inner Clara Bow and you're set to go!

Being the lip color fiends that we are, when we spotted Topshop's newest lip color creations we had to try them out. First up, I tried Velvet Lips in Plush. (Not currently available online, but should be in stores.) There is no scent for this lip product and it comes with a doe-foot applicator. You can pretty precisely define the shape of your lips without a lip liner using this product; however, being the perfectionist that I am, I would apply a lipliner under it when I use it in the future. It clings unforgivably to any dry skin on your lips so you MUST exfoliate your lips before using this product. I had to remove the product and reapply because it looked so horrid! The formula dries fairly quickly and is best applied in layers after each coat dries. Do not be tempted to rub your lips together in order to distribute the product on your lips because it will create patches and splotchiness. I also found that it applying too much of this product will create splotchiness, so I would say three coats maximum. The finish is absolutely matte and doesn't transfer easily.

But I found my lips looking a little tight and dry, so it was the Topshop Lip Cream in Lotus Flower to the rescue. It has a heavenly vanilla scent and also comes with a doe-foot applicator. The creamy formula has an lovely iridescence and is very moisturizing. It comes packed with color and could be worn alone except for the fact that the formula slides and transfers easily so it is best worn with a base of either lip liner, lipstick or the Velvet Lips product that I have on here. It has a beautiful glossy finish, but it is not sticky like a regular lip gloss. It also transformed the color of the Velvet Lips to a more red-based purple, rather than a blue one. 

After layering the Lip Cream on the Velvet Lips product, I put them both to one my top anxiety-producing tests -- eating food with lipstick on. I always seem to get the dreadful 90s lip liner look whenever I eat with lipstick on. I ate a semi-messy sandwich wrap and drank a cup of piping hot Earl Grey tea and noticed the lip color transferring quite a bit on the wrap. My hopes were dashed and I finished my sandwich. But then, I looked into the mirror and barely any of the color budged!! Even the iridescent glossiness of the Lip Cream remained. The photos below show my mouth after eating.

After eating(!):

Pretty cool, right? Overall, I think both products are great but the Lip Cream is something I could see myself using more often. Velvet Lips is remarkable in its long-wearingness but it may be a touch too blue-based for my liking. Aside from that, the trickiness of the application process (waiting for each layer to dry) makes it something that I couldn't really toss in my bag and apply on the go.

What are your favorite vampy lip colors? Let us know in the comments!

Ask RF: Under Construction

As we sail into 2014 we are marking the beginning of the new year with a brand new series  -- Ask RF. Email us your fashion conundrums and we will, like year round elves, do our level best to help.

Dear RF,

I’ve recently started to spend a lot of time on construction sites for my job (I’m a field engineer), and the first thing you learn while on site is SAFETY FIRST! I’ve got a hard hat that I take with me, but it didn’t take me long to find out that ballet flats aren’t the most ideal footwear for dodging nails, climbing ladders and tromping through dirt.  After a fruitless Google search for “female engineer wardrobe”, I asked my colleagues (all men in their late 40’s to early 50’s) what I should purchase.  Now, I know fashion isn’t the #1 priority in my field, but the general consensus of “$50 steel-toes from Wal-Mart” wasn’t the response I was hoping for.  Is there anything out there that 1) has a thick enough sole that a rogue nail won’t land me in the hospital for tetanus boosters; 2) is comfy enough to stand up to 10-12 hour days; and 3) looks utilitarian enough that it doesn’t open me up to “engineer Barbie” jokes, but still fashionable enough that I might be able to integrate them into my wardrobe?

- Amanda

Dear Amanda,

First of all, congratulations on your new position! We totally empathize with your need to be fashionable but stable on rocky ground. Your question reminded us of our days in Japan when we would get invited to hike up Mount Misen in Miyajima and realized that we only owned cute (but flimsy) flats and a couple fun heels. We opted for flats but they were dusty and dingy by the end of it, and while our Japanese sisters were somehow able to ascend the mountain in platform pin-up heels, we yearned for a shoe that would be stylish but sturdy.

Fortunately, we think have discovered some rugged options that you will be able to seamlessly incorporate when you're off the job. Make sure to protect your shoes from the elements at your workplace with a shoe protector spray and we hope you'll be stomping proudly in your new shoes! 

xoxo RF

Aggy Army Boot | ASOS Melrose Brogues | Cheap Monday Go Oxford Shoes

ASOS Suede Mix Ankle Boot | Doc Marten Ramsey Shoe | ASOS Soldier Lace Up Heel

Vagabond Dioon 001 | Jeffrey Campbell Dunham Loafer | Jeffrey Campbell Dirk Tread Ankle Boot

If you have a fashion query of your own, send us a message at remotelyfashion@gmail.com with the title "Ask RF"!

New Year's Fashion Resolutions

With absolutely no intention of giving up alcohol for January* or  resolving to "get in shape" we bring you our entirely fashion related resolutions for the brand spanking new year.

Siobhan's Resolutions

Clockwise: Dress by SUNO, Tops both from Topshop

1. Lady Murasaki: I will try to give purple more of a chance in my wardrobe next year. For some reason, my eye never wanders toward purple garments and the last purple item I have purchased was sometime back in 2007 (an adorable dress that unforgivably wrinkled, which may have caused some sort of association in my mind with the color). Now that Pantone has deemed Radiant Orchid the color of 2014, it is the perfect chance to let some of the royal color into my life. I also have an aversion towards yellow, but I am not fully prepared to cross that color bridge yet... maybe another year?

From left: Cheap Monday, ASOS, & Other Stories

2. Pass the Clutch: They say that ladies are usually either "shoe girls" or "bag girls" and my fashion genetic code leans more towards "shoe." I tend to cling madly to an black medium-sized bag until it pretty much unravels. You all know I love my PS 1 Bag madlyyyy, but I've decided this year to diversify my portfolio and try to rotate my hand bags more frequently. I've decided to start off small and work my way up, so I think I will first focus on clutch bags. Miriam is the Queen of the Clutch, so I shall be asking her to give me guidance in the way of the no-strap-wonder. 

Miriam's Resolutions

Clockwise: Dolce and Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta, MADE for ASOS

1. Earring Aid: As a result of Dolce and Gabbana's breathtakingly beautiful SS14 collection, I intend to spend the majority of next year prancing around in large gold earrings, pretending to be Sicilian.

From Left: Isabel Marant, Dune, Topshop

2. Best Foot Forward:  I rarely wear real heels because, as my friends will attest, I am a raging bitch when my feet hurt, but 2014 could just be the year that I finally stop being a baby and dress my feet in a more ladylike manner. This is of course resolved under the assumption that resolutions, much like ankles, are made to be broken.

*During dark and dreary January, alcohol is more necessary than ever but if you are unwise enough to give it up, please do keep it to yourself, there really are few things as tedious as a reformed character. 

Sneak Up!

Outfit details:
Black and White Jumper - Topshop
Joni Jeans - Topshop
Black Boyfriend Coat - Tokyo
Sneakers - Neon Pink Nike Frees

A simple and rather casual outfit of the day, but I felt that I should take our own advice about the sneaker trend and try it out in the wild. The first challenge was figuring out my color palette, and monochrome seemed the easiest to pair with my neon pink kicks. Next time, I'm going to experiment with a more girly outfit and see what I come up with it. But, you know -- baby steps! And speaking of steps, I did quite a bit of walking that day and my feet thanked me for wearing my Nikes. 

BONUS BLOOPER: Super windy day challenges of a fashion blogger. For every blog-approved picture there are several of these! (^_-)

Style Barometer: Christmas Edition

Merry Christmas eve, dear Remotely Fashion readers! We hope our latest choices of do's and don'ts for the holidays bring you some laughter and joy. Have fun everyone! And don't worry, you won't have to love-hate listen to "Last Christmas" for very 

much longer. 

Map My Heart

It's that time of year again and you're panic buying. But before you resort to selecting something from the gender specific sections of gift guides, ever so helpfully marked "For Him" and "For Her"*, take a look at Map My Heart**, the debut book from our all time favourite illustrator Dominic Evans A.K.A Dom & Ink. Now, we can wax lyrical about Dom's delectable drawings and on this very blog wrote that he draws what's in our hearts, but we were quite unaware that among his other qualities, he also has the power to cure heartache.

This book, chock-a-block full of beautiful illustrations and funny observations, will be well received by anyone who has ever had their heart tampered with. It's a gift for the giver too as its therapy, interactive style will stop your friend bleating on at you about whichever worthless individual has recently stomped on their heart. Because, whether a heart is wrapped in velvet and encrusted with diamonds or made entirely from ice, it can always be smashed -- luckily Dom, like a more successful version of all the King's horses, is here to put it back together again. 

Here's a peek at the pages of perfection: 

*Note to electrical manufacturers: Women are perfectly capable of using speakers, cameras etc that are not coloured bubblegum pink and whilst some of us may dream of living in Barbie's Dream House, this rule is not applicable to every individual with bumps under their jumper, so please be so kind as to stop it now. 

**Available from all good retailers: Amazon UK, Waterstones, Foyles and the brick and mortar Waterstones in Picadilly.

Magpie Eyes: New Year's Eve Inspiration

It is a truth universally acknowledged that New Year's Eve is awful; overpriced drinks, long queues and the depressing sight of people pretending to have had the most wonderful year - their smiles not quite meeting their eyes - all combine to create what is, to any right thinking person, the most horrid night of the year. And this annual evening, when your triumphs and failures are weighed up, inexplicably comes with the dress code of GLITZ, rather than Pyjama.

Now magpies we may be, but even to these glitter attracted eyes, sequins very much fall into three categories of the good, the bad and the ugly. So, if you are unhinged enough to throw off your PJs and venture into the outside world, adorned in your finery, take a peak below at our top spangly picks, which will ensure that when it comes to sparkle, you will even rival the glitter ball.

"Oz, The Great and Powerful" When Monkey's Fly! - OPI Nail Polish
Phone Case: Skinny Dip, 

Sequinned skirt: Topshop
Beanie: Markus Lupfer
Clutch: Mawi,

Lace up shoes: ASOS
Necklace: Miss Selfridge