Ambition Lip Stick

Before I start this review, I feel I should slip in a small disclaimer. As an avid fan of Lush, the initial reason I became engrossed in the company was because of their bathing range. Like most consumers, I came to know Lush for their bath bombs, bubble bars and bath melts - not for their make-up range. In fact, it was my love and loyalty for the company that persuaded me to invest in a handful of their new eye jewels, powders and lipsticks on a recent trip to their flagship store. 

Yet before I purchased the three lipsticks I will be reviewing over the coming weeks, I had only ever owned one lipstick prior to this - a lovely but rather plain shade that played it safe and was hardly noticeable at all once it was on. My limited experience means that I don't necessarily know what to expect from a lipstick, and I certainly don't have the capacity to compare these to other companies. So while I will be honest in the following review, I don't really have a lot to go on aside from my time spent with the product. 

With an impressive 29 colours to choose from, Lush haven't made it easy to pick which shade to go for. However, having recently secured a promotion at work and feeling confident enough to dive into the deep end, I chose to purchase Ambition - a vivid, hot shade of red that just begs to be noticed. 

This is easily one of, if not the brightest colour in the collection - a product that comes with the tagline 'make it happen' - empowering the wearer to reach for the very goals they want to achieve and let nothing stand in their way. A pretty positive message to accompany a lipstick, I knew it was the one for me. 

From experience, I could see straight away how the ingredients in this product catered towards making this an effective lipstick for the wearer. Jojoba oil is the main ingredient - a natural, non-greasy emollient that helps to keep the lips moisturised and smooth while offering a slight shine to hold that colour in the place. 

Proving a popular ingredient in a lot of lipsticks, castor oil is used to help set the product in place - forming a rigid and rather shiny film across the lips when it dries so the product doesn't smudge. The inclusion of sunflower and orange peel wax also work as emollients to keep the colour in place as well as keep your lips well-moisturised and beautifully soft. 

What is great about Ambition is that once it's been applied, it looks as bright and as vibrant as it does in the packaging. The colour coats the lips with ease, with one layer being enough to create the desired effect without having to reapply the product to deepen the shade. Once the lipstick was on, I found that my lips felt fairly soft throughout the duration of the day.

While I found the shape of the lipstick a little tricky at first, this is no doubt due to my lack of experience with lipsticks. The flat design meant that I had to twist the lipstick on its side and use the edge of the product to apply the colour to the corners of my mouth. This didn't prove to be much of a problem but it did take a little getting used to at first. 

Whether its the high standards I have set my lipsticks or indeed my lack of experience with multiple brands, but I was a little disappointed to discover that the lipstick didn't fully set - still being slightly 'damp' some hours after initial application. Now whether or not this normal - I'm sure someone will be able to enlighten me, but for someone who doesn't want to have to worry about leaving smudges all over my myself or anything I touch, I found this a little unsettling. 

While none of the product bled from my lips, I did find myself having to be very careful whenever I ate, and I found it rather challenging to keep on when my four month old niece was intent of wiping her hands all over my face during a recent family barbecue. I guess this gives me the excuse to purchase Lush's Lip Barrier and see if that eradicates these problems.

Having said that, the product remained vivid throughout the most part of my evening and had I not been consuming so much food, it would have no doubt stayed on far longer than it did. After a few hours, I did notice that it wasn't as glossy as it had been to begin with - no doubt due to a large amount of it coming off, but the lipstick does stain your lips a little so you'll always have that base colour to see you through the day if need be. Never once did I notice gaps in the colour, which was comforting. 

What is great about all of Lush's new lipsticks is that they come with a twist up applicator, which is really easy to use and slips in your bag without taking up any space. Furthermore, as to be expected from the company, the packaging also happens to be recyclable so you know you're not adding to the overabundance of waste that litters the landfills. 

Overall, I am so glad I purchased Ambition. It is definitely not a colour that I was ever expecting to find myself wearing, and it took a little getting used to leaving the house with something so vibrant on my lips. However, it has definitely broken down the barriers of buying more confident colours to wear, and I look forward to testing out a few more shades in the coming weeks. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Watermelon seed oil (Citrullus Lanatus), Sunflower Wax (Helianthus Annuus), Orange Peel Wax (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Rose Wax (Rosa damascena), Glycerine, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Cetearyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, CI45410, CI45380, CI12085, CI19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £13.50 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.