Eco Lipsticks by Karen Murrell | Review + Swatches

L to R: Sugar Rush, Cordovan Natural, Scarlet Blaze, Violet Mousse, True Love

Today’s post is all about lipsticks! WOOHOO! Do you even know my love for lipsticks? It’skind of ridiculous. I can’t even count how many I own anymore…but seriously, the more the better (in my opinion).

I’m excited about these beautiful lipsticks because not only are they some of my favourite shades, but this brand creates some of my favourite lipstick formulas, they smell amazing and they’re super safe for your lips (no nasty ingredients)! You’ve probably heard of this line of gorgeous lippies before, cus let’s be real, she’s kinda popular in the green beauty world….so, without further adieu, welcome Karen Murrell Lipsticks as my featured brand today! It’s true! This New Zealand based company – owned by the lovely Karen Murrell – creates all of their lipsticks as natural as possible while still maintaining glamour and long-lasting staying power. I’d even say their lipsticks are as delicious as they are beautiful! With ingredients like avocado oil, evening primrose oil, candelilla, carnauba wax, cinnamon (my fave) and sweet orange – you’ll be improving the your lips AND lookin’ real good doing it.

Above are the KM lippies I own and love! In order from L to R: True Love, Sugar Rush, Scarlet Blaze, Violet Mousse, Cordovan Natural. The lipsticks swatched on paper in order from L to R: True Love, Cordovan Natural, Sugar Rush, Scarlet Blaze, Violet Mousse. (Sorry they’re out of order from the other pics above) So, maybe you’re like me, you’re curious as to what lipstick shades reeeeally look like on the lips. Well, I’ve done the work for you! I mean, yes, everyone is different and there’s always the skin tone, warm/cool undertones factors that play a big role in choosing a lipstick best suited for you…but hopefully this helps you out just a bit! I’ll be going in order of the lipstick paper swatches you see above…so, here we go! The first lipstick and my absolute FAVE red of all-time: True Love: So, this red…golly, it is RED. I wore this almost every night on our honeymoon in Paris and I felt right at home. It’s so chic! A beautiful blue-toned red. I love, love, love it! It truly brings life to your face – especially when you’re tired and jet-lagged and don’t want to wear any makeup at all but need a little punch of colour! This is perfect. I’ll be including Karen’s descriptions for these lipsticks because I just love hearing her story behind the created shades. “To celebrate my 20th lipstick I wanted to pay tribute to the love of my craft with a lust-worthy blue-based red. It had to be completely different from any red that I had designed before and it had to symbolise the love that I felt when I wore my first red lipstick.”

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Cordovan Natural: A lovely natural beige, cinnamon nude (I know, my description is great..haha). It is close to the natural colouring of my lips, so it imparts a little more definition without being overbearing. It’s quite versatile too, and you can wear this dressed down, dressed up…wherever and whenever. KM describes it: “Cordovan Natural looks gorgeous under natural candlelight. I wear this colour more than any other in my collection.”

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Sugar Rush: This is a sugary sweet confectionary pink. That’s immediately what came to mind – that, and bubblegum. It’s perfect for the summer or year-round (if you’re like me and wear whatever colour you want at any given time) and totally brightens up any look! KM describes it: “Sugar Rush will sweeten your lips and leave you with a sugarlicious pink pout ready to boogie on the dance floor.”

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Scarlet Blaze: This rich, velvety shade is the perfect middle-ground if you’re looking for a vampier lip – without going too dark! It’s a deep plum colour, with a smidge (yes I said smidge) of cherry. This shade was inspired by the glamourous and luxurious party lifestyles of women in the 1920’s –  women that danced, voted and embellished themselves with strikingly rich coloured rouge. Need I say more? ;) KM describes it: “Downton Abby, rich velvety glamour.”

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Violet Mousse: I love this shade! I’ll admit, when I first opened this tube of lipstick up, I was a bit confused with its name being “Violet Mousse” – but having tried it on, I now see that it’s referring more to the undertones. This colour is so flattering – a warm, mid-tone pinky/violet – sure to complete any minimal look (or any look for that matter). This shade will lend you that healthy flush of colour to the face with its rosiness and “your lips but better” look. KM describes it: “I designed Violet Mousse to be worn at a breakfast meeting in the morning to after dinner drinks and still be appropriate. This is the ultimate little black dress of lipsticks.”

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There you have it! My thoughts and swatches of these beautiful Karen Murrell lipsticks. There are still heaps of other shades I have yet to try – below is a shot of all of the colours on her website! Quite the lovely lineup, right? I can’t wait to get them all! Have you tried any KM Lipsticks recently? Which ones are your favourite? Which should I try next? Let me know in the comment box below! xx Be sure to follow Karen Murrell on all of her social channels: Website: http://karenmurrell.com Instagram: @karenmurrellnz Twitter: @karen_murrell Facebook: www.facebook.com/karenmurrell  xo