Today, I am going to introduce to Urban Decay Venom.  Venom is a deep, plum-berry lipstick which creates a beautiful, sultry effect on the lips.  The satin finish to this shade makes the lips look sophisticated, defined and polished, rather than flat or overly shiny.  The depth of colour in Venom also means that it lasts well throughout the day and does not require regular touch-ups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Venom is packaged in a tasteful silver and purple lipstick casing.  The tube is smooth and nicely shaped, making it easy to hold and apply the lipstick to the lips.  The top and bottom parts of the lipstick casing are flat, meaning it can easily be stored upright in drawers or wherever you keep your make-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love wearing Venom on days when I want to keep my eye make-up simple but still create a look with some impact.  Bright, deep or dark lipsticks are also flattering if you are feeling tired, as they help to draw attention away from your eyes to your lips.

Venom can be worn in different ways, depending on your level of comfort with colour and depth on the lips:

• Two coats give a deep, sultry and vampy plum-berry effect.
• One coat of the lipstick creates a more wearable, yet still bold, berry hue.
• One coat blotted with a tissue (until you achieve your desired effect) leaves a sheered out, berry stain on the lips.

Tip: Blotting a lipstick helps to sheer out bright and dark shades on the lips, making them more wearable.  You can try this technique with any bright or dark lipsticks if you are not comfortable with wearing them at their full opacity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can use a lipliner (either in the same colour as Venom, one matching your natural lipcolour or a clear lip liner) before applying Venom if you want to create a very crisp, defined effect on the lips.  Alternatively, you can apply Venom straight from the tube without any liner for an easy and quick look (the deep colour still defines the lips beautifully).

Urban Decay Venom is extremely similar to MAC Rebel lipstick in shade and texture, so it is worth checking out both versions to see if you have a preference.  I used to have MAC Rebel lipstick and purchased Venom when my Rebel ran out.  I would say that I prefer Venom as I find that this lipstick can be touched up without having to remove the existing layer of lipstick.  I found with Rebel that the lipstick could sometimes build up a little or look too thick when I touched up my lips during the day.  However, that is just my experience; it may be that you prefer one version to the other.

Urban Decay Venom lipstick costs £15.50 and is available from various retailers, including Debenhams, House of Fraser, feelunique.com and lookfantastic.com.  Urban Decay also sells a matching lip liner (Urban Decay 24/7 Lipliner in Venom) if you wish to define your lips with the same shade.  Update: Venom lipstick has been relaunched as part of the Urban Decay Vice range and now retails for £15.

Have you used Urban Decay Venom before? Or do you have another favourite deep plum-berry lipstick? Let me know in the comment section below.