Classic Red Lips: Topshop VS Chanel

A first to this blog - I will be pitting two products against each other and deciding which performs best. This time: Topshop red lipstick versus a Chanel red lipstick. For those who dream of getting the perfect, classic red lips, this dream often involves owning a Chanel Rouge Coco. I was lucky enough to unwrap exactly this product on my 20th birthday not so long ago - and seen as I had previously been content with the red lips that I achieved from using high street branded products, I decided to compare them. 

★ Numerous celebrities always choose the classic red lips for big events: (top left) Christina Aguilera, Liv Tyler, Gwen Stefani, Eva Longoria, Dita Von Teese, Cameron Diaz (bottom right) ★ 

This post will be a tutorial on how I achieve my red lips with a Topshop lipstick in shade 'Rio Rio' (RRP £8), and then a comparison with Chanel's Rouge Coco lipstick in shade 'Gabrielle' (RRP £24). You might even be surprised with the results!

Step 1: Vaseline.

I always begin any lipstick routine with a layer of Vaseline or lip balm - not too much though, you don't want the lipstick to slide straight off those conditioned lips!




Step 2: Lip liner. 

Always line the lips in a similar shade to your choice of lipstick before applying the lipstick, this will prevent the lipstick from bleeding out (crossing over the lip line), locking the colour in. This is a Topshop lip liner in shade 'Blaze'.






Step 3: Lipstick.


Fill in the rest of your lips using your choice of lipstick, being careful not to go over the lines you previously drew in lip liner. This is a Topshop lipstick in shade 'Rio Rio'.




Step 4: Concealer.
                                                                                                                                                                  

This step makes a big difference to whether you will just be seen wearing red lipstick, or whether your red lipstick will grab peoples attention. Using an angled brush, trace concealer around your lip line and blend out. This will get rid of any smudges as well as highlighting the mouth. This has been achieved by using a L'Oreal Paris Infallible concealer in shade 'Honey' - read my review of it here. This is the final step and finished look using Topshop's lipstick in 'Rio Rio'.

And now for the comparison. I followed the exact same steps, using the exact same products again, but this time I swapped the lipstick for Chanel's Coco Rouge lipstick in 'Gabrielle'. 

On the surface (aside from the slight difference in shade), you can see that these two products are in fact fairly similar. They both create a shine effect and go on the lips very smooth, and because of this they both transfer fairly easily - if you're looking for an all-day non-transfer lipstick then these products are not for you. However, I would say the main price difference between these products comes from the fact that Chanel's Coco Rouge lipsticks not only glide on the lips, but they also hydrate the lips. It lasts on the lips for an average of 4 hours without re-application or need for vaseline/lip balm, where as the Topshop lipstick will need re-application after around 2 hours, and numerous top ups of vaseline/ lip balm in between. 

If your budget allows, the Chanel lipstick is definitely the winner in this battle and worth investing in, however for a third of the price the Topshop equivalent does a pretty good job ☺.