Collection Cosmetics Cream Puff in 'Cotton Candy'

I used to love a bit of Collection 2000 (now called Collection after a branding re-vamp) when I was younger, and I've discovered some products that have sneakily become staples in my make-up bag over the past few weeks. I now use Collection 2000 loose powder every day to set my make-up as it's brilliant at preventing shine. 

My latest finds are the Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams (£2.99 each in Boots & Superdrug stores), and I was drawn to 'Cotton Candy' as I wanted to try out a brighter pink than usual. Collection describe the product as being a 'velvety soft, matte finish lip cream'.

'Cotton Candy' 

Swatch of 'Cotton Candy' Cream Puff

The colour of the cream pretty much matches the colour of the packaging, which is handy as it means you don't have to fiddle around with numerous testers in store! 

Creamier than a lipstick while matter than a lipgloss, the texture is a cross between the two; smooth and easy to apply, without being glossy and without being drying, it sets quite quickly once applied, in doing so reminding me more of a lip stain. Yet it feels much creamier than a stain; it's hard to describe! Once dried it leaves a gorgeous matte opaque texture/colour. It has a lovely sweet, creamy 'candy' smell, without being overpowering. As for pigmentation, it really does resemble the colour of the packaging, and can be layered to give deeper intensity. 

I paired it with a lip pencil from Boots 17 in 'Buff' (£2.59), drawing around the lips with the pencil first in order to lock in colour and prevent any bleeding:

'Buff'

As a very natural shade it doesn't show too much but I find it helps secure colour and provides a good outline for when applying bright colours. 

I applied two layers of 'Cotton Candy', waiting for it to dry in-between to judge whether or not I wanted more colour. Here's the result:

Close-up of 'Cotton Candy' 

Considering this little gem only costs £2.99, I'm very impressed and really like the matte effect it leaves on the lips. It may look a little drying in the close-up picture, but it really doesn't feel that way at all, I think it's more to do with my camera!I'm usually a little tentative when it comes to brighter colours but the matte texture makes it flattering and it's extremely comfortable to wear. A true beauty bargain that delivers on it's promise :) 

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