Review: No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Tropical Beach

No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Tropical Beach · £9

It has been quite a while since I last did a makeup review, hasn't it? I don't really buy much new makeup any more as I know what I like and what works, so I tend to just stick with what I've already got. But recently, I thought I'd lost one of my favourite lip crayons (Bourjois Peach on the Beach Lip Crayon, fyi) so hot-footed it to Boots to find a replacement. I hadn't heard anything about the No7 High Shine Lip Crayons, but they were on offer and I liked the Tropical Beach colour so thought I'd give them a go.

Turns out, I hadn't lost my Bourjois crayon (it was swimming around in the lining of one of my bags along with about five or six other lipsticks) but I think I prefer my new No7 one anyway. It has earned a permanent place in my daily makeup bag and it's what I reach for most mornings. If you conjured up a "no fuss, easy, pretty, wearable summer lip" in your head, I can almost guarantee this is what you'd come up with. Although it looks quite bright in the crayon, once applied it's a very subtle peachy-pink which is the perfect "nude lip" for those of us too pale to actually wear nude lips. The colour is buildable, to a certain extent, so if you want it brighter then just whack a little more on.

As the name suggests, the finish does have a shine to it but I'd say it was more balmy rather than glossy, meaning it's perfect for fuss-free daily wear. The fact it comes in a crayon is great too as you don't even need a mirror to apply it. It's kind of a tinted lip balm but better, as you do actually get pretty good colour payoff from it and the colour sticks around for a couple of hours before you need to reapply.

I think these have been around for a couple of years now, but I haven't heard many people talking about them. I guess they're not the sort of lip product you would get excited about straight away - the packaging is boring, the name doesn't stand out, it doesn't have cult status - but they're certainly worth a swatch. I've had this for two or three months now and it has been well loved (as you can probably tell from the rubbed-off lettering on the side of the pencil and the less-than-sharp tip), pretty much never leaving my handbag. If you're looking for an everyday lip colour you can depend on, the good ol' No7 High Shine crayons are for you.

Have you tried these lip crayons yet?

Gillian x