No7 Stay Perfect in Gay Geranium

No7 Gay Geranium, MAC Watch Me Simmer, MAC Vegas Volt, MAC Morange

As of lately, I have been really impressed with No7 products, especially their lip ranges which seem to be continuously growing and following trends. Some really lovely dupes of higher end products seem to be popping up all the time and I personally can't get enough, especially of No7 Stay Perfect in Gay Geranium* which was picked out for me at the Boots Lets Give It A Go event and in all honestly, has very quickly made it's way to one of my most loved lipsticks.

On my initial swatch, this product immediately stood out to me to be similar to something that a MAC Amplified lipstick would be; creamy, super bright pigmentation, easy to apply and opaque. It reminded me of the MAC Watch Me Simmer, Vegas Volt and Morange family, which is why I thought I would include a swatch of all four. If you're into that kind of tone like I am, especially through the summer, its beautiful Orange Red tone will be absolutely perfect when the sun is beaming and I can't recommend No7 Gay Geranium enough. 

Unlike MAC Amplified lipsticks, I do have to wear this over a balm as on its own it is a little too heavy and drying, which does sadden me a little. The colour seems to be a lot more vibrant applied on its own, which is how I would ideally wear it, but applied with a balm underneath it is still very lovely. 

The pigmentation of this lipstick is pretty insane; the tiniest amount goes a very long way and is completely opaque which I love. I imagine it could actually be a little troublesome and messy if you go in to apply without knowing how pigmented it actually is. In terms of how long this lasts on the lips, as I said, worn alone I found it pretty drying so it needed a fair bit of attention, but with a balm it stays put a reasonable few hours without need of a touch up and continues to look nice and vibrant.

A little history surrounding this product that I found pretty interesting, is that when Boots was relaunched after WWII, Gay Geranium was launched into their Fifties Collection and is the only product that still exists in their line, similar to the story behind Revlons Fire & Ice, which is actually pretty similar in tone too. The Queen has also been known to be a fan of both No7 and specifically Gay Geranium, and quite frankly, if it's good enough for a royal..

No7 Stay Perfect in Gay Geranium costs £9.50 and is available online and at No7 Counters in Boots.

What do you think of this shade? Is a bright, vibrant and super pigmented lipstick something you enjoy to wear?