Of course, it wouldn't be 'Blogmas' on Amy's Corner without a little bit of beauty thrown in now, would it?!

This is the first of a few product reviews heading your way this month and one I'm a bit late on the bandwagon to be writing if I'm honest!

Today, I'm going to talk all about Maybelline's new(ish) Color Drama Lip Pencils and in particular, the shade 'Light It Up'. I first heard about these a couple of months ago and as people were dubbing them as possible NARS Lip Pencil dupes - granted, I hadn't tried these yet but with Maybelline's at a third of the cost, it was sounding good - I knew I had to snap one up.

I did a bit of research through people's blogs and YouTube videos and decided I wanted to try 520 'Light It Up'; a beautiful bright and bold red. But could I find it anywhere?! Could I 'eck! Clearly a popular choice as it seemed to be sold out everywhere I went, that was until I found myself in Superdrug a few weekends ago and there it was, the last on the shelf and in my basket before you could even say "hurrah". From testing it out and wearing it over the past few weeks, here are my findings.

So to the good first and the colour is drop-dead-gorgeous. It's a real traffic-stopper that somehow perks up my lips and face, how it does it I'll never know but I'm not complaining! I also like the soft, creamy formula and pencil shape, both making application a doddle.

On to the bad and I found that it isn't terribly long-lasting. I will apply it in the morning and find that after an hour or two, most is missing (especially towards the middle of my lips, leaving the dreaded outer line). This means that it has to be topped up quite a few times in the day which is a shame. Wearing with a lip balm underneath does seem to help it's life-span on the lips but not by much.

But in fairness to this lovely lip pencil, having only one fault is impressive! It will definitely be making an appearance on my lips throughout December too, that's for sure.

Have you tried any of the Maybelline Lip Pencils and if so, what did you make of them?