Beauty Products Reviews: lips

Showing posts with label lips. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Top 10 of 2013: Best Lipglosses

When it comes to lipgloss, I personally fall in love with two types: insanely pigmented, nearly opaque colors or glimmering, dazzling, sparkling, and shimmering ones–but they have to be loaded with sparkle (and yet, they can’t feel gritty!). Over the years, while stickiness isn’t a deal-breaker, I don’t like heavy, thick, goopy kind of glosses. Reflecting on glosses I’ve tested out this past year, here were the ones I picked for my top ten!

Urban Decay Scandal Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color — part gloss, part lipstick, this was one of the most stunning shades of red I’ve worn–so beautiful on (you can get it individually from UD’s website only)
Burberry Pink Sweet Pea Lip Glow — cool-toned, fuchsia pink with iridescent micro-shimmer and nearly opaque color coverage
Chanel Reflexion (71) Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss — a medium, pink-coral with warm undertones and soft pink and copper shimmer
Sephora Red Glow Metallic Glow Lustrous Lip Shine — a vibrant, metallic pinky-red
YSL Orange de Chine (8) Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain — a vibrant, red-orange with a glossy shine
OCC Androgyne Lip Tar Stained Gloss — a tangerine orange with a light glossy shine
Burberry Cameo Pink Lip Glow — a warm pink with peach and copper shimmer
Giorgio Armani #519 Flash Lip Lacquer — a warm-toned, medium-dark pink with a creamy, glossy finish
YSL Fuchsia Fugitive (109) Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain — a molten gold-shimmered pink coral
Giorgio Armani #701 Flash Lip Lacquer — this shade is just too cool not to love (particularly for layering)

Top 10 of 2013: Best Lipsticks

2013 was good year for lipsticks, particularly if you loved yours bold, bright, and/or matte. There were new formulas to fall in love with, and plenty of new and limited shades released from my favorite formulas. This was a tough list to compile! Because I really do believe variety is the spice of life, I tried to pick across a variety of formulas!

Givenchy Fuchsia Irresistible (205) Le Rouge — a vibrant, fuchsia-pink with a satin finish and opaque color coverage, but let me take a moment and tell you that the entire Le Rouge range is amazing
Buxom Swinger Full-Bodied Lipstick — a vibrant, blue-based magenta with a creamy finish (and I fell in love with the Full-Bodied formula overall–excellent range!)
Guerlain Madame Batifole (860) Rouge G — a brightened, medium-dark berry-red with fuchsia shimmer
Urban Decay Catfight Revolution Lipstick — a creamy, pinky-red with warm undertones and a luminous sheen
Giorgio Armani #402 Lip Maestro — a bright, vibrant orange-toned red in a liquid formula
Marc Jacobs Beauty Showstopper (134) LoveMarc Lip Gel — a medium-dark, red-brown with warm undertones and a glossy sheen
MAC Private Party Lipstick — a muted, pink-tinged plum with a satin finish
Too Faced Jelly Bean La Creme — bold, vibrant, and bright berry-pink
Maybelline Electric Fuchsia — a bright, bold blue-based fuchsia pink–this formula is incredible, and it’s only made sweeter by the affordable price point
Givenchy Violine Precieux (312) Le Rouge Sensuously Matte — a warm-toned, medium-dark plum with a satin-matte finish

Thursday, June 27, 2013

L’Oreal Mint Ice Colour Riche Le Gloss Review, Photos, Swatches

L’Oreal Mint Ice Colour Riche Le Gloss

L’Oreal Mint Ice Colour Riche Le Gloss ($7.95 for 0.40 fl. oz.) is a subtly gold-shimmered mint green. I couldn’t think of any dupes from products I’ve reviewed, and the only sheer, green-tinged gloss that came to mind was MAC’s Spring Bean, which I believe is a little yellower (I haven’t had it in sometime, but I do remember it looking kind of yellow-y applied, plus shimmery). When I saw this at Walgreens, I had to pick it up; green gloss? C’mon, so fun! Alone, it’s a sheer dusting of gold and green micro-shimmer that give lips a glossy shine, but there’s no real green coloring of the lips.

Though the Colour Riche Le Gloss formula tends to be more pigmented than it is sheer, Mint Ice is incredibly sheer, so there’s no need to fear the color in the tube if it was worrisome. Of course, if you wanted a real pop of green you’re going to have to look elsewhere. My guess is L’Oreal made this deliberately sheer, though it’s still very, very sheer–it really doesn’t even change my natural lip color at all, just adds shimmer and shine–and given the permanent’s range opacity, it should be more pigmented.

The texture is slightly thick, kind of like jelly, non-sticky, and this shade lasts an hour and a half, tops, on me, which was disappointing. It feels nice on, but it just doesn’t last (good thing there’s a lot of it in the tube). It had a sweet vanilla-like scent but no discernible taste. I wore it a few times back-to-back to get a better feel of how well it hydrated, and it was nicely moisturizing overall.

The Glossover

	Mint Ice
	It doesn't feel like a C- gloss on the lips, but it's very, very sheer and wears away quickly. If you like the idea of seeing a green gloss in your stash, but are just in the market for a shimmery, mostly clear gloss--and don't mind frequent application--it's still a nice formula in terms of how it feels on the lips.
	Product 8.5/10 Pigmentation 5/10 Texture 9/10 Longevity 4/10 Application 5/5

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L’Oreal Mint Ice Colour Riche Le Gloss

Friday, April 5, 2013

Guerlain Candy Stripe (468) Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine Review, Photos, Swatches

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Guerlain Candy Stripe (468) Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine

Guerlain Candy Stripe (468) Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine ($30.00 for 0.25 fl. oz.) is warm, coral-red with a very dusting of gold pearl (it looks mostly like a cream applied the shimmer is so fine and sparse). Korres Pomegranate is a touch lighter. Revlon papaya is pinker but similar. MAC Geo Pink has more shimmer. Revlon Strawberry is pinker. Hourglass Nectar is brighter. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi is lighter. Illamasqua Mistress is brighter and bolder.

It had semi-opaque color coverage with some translucency. Candy Stripe applied evenly and smoothly, and it didn’t settle into lip lines because it has such a thin consistency. The gloss feels thin, nearly weightless, and non-sticky. It lasted for four hours well, which is about average. It feels almost gel-like when it’s on, and it has slip, but it doesn’t slide around. My lips, consistently, feel more hydrated after wearing one of Guerlain’s new glosses, and Candy Stripe was no exception. They have a floral-like scent and come in a flat, clear tube with a slanted doe-foot applicator. It has good shine but not quite enough glossiness that it gives lips a fuller appearance.

THE GLOSSOVER

My lips, consistently, feel more hydrated after wearing one of Guerlain's new glosses, and Candy Stripe was no exception. It has good shine but not quite enough glossiness that it gives lips a fuller appearance--that's my only criticism.

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Guerlain Candy Stripe (468) Gloss d’Enfer Maxi Shine

MAC Sounds Like Noise Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC Sounds Like Noise Lipstick

MAC Sounds Like Noise Lipstick ($15.00 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “bright true orange matte.” It’s a brightened warm-toned orange with a smidgen of red in the undertone and a satiny finish (it doesn’t read entirely matte). That lack of red is actually what makes it stand out against a lot of other orange shades (like MAC Morange and MAC Neon Orange, which both appear darker and redder). OCC Banjee is lighter, yellower. I was surprised to find that none of the orange lipsticks in the gallery came close.

Sounds like Noise is an online-exclusive from the MAC x Hayley Williams collaboration, which is supposed to launch on April 9th (but hardcore fans may want to start stalking a little earlier). It has opaque color coverage, and it had a nice creaminess to it that fell somewhere between satin and amplified (in terms of finish); definitely creamier than the average matte finish by MAC. I have it on now, and we’re almost at four hours of wear, and it’s still going (I’m guessing five to six hours in total), and it’s slightly hydrating thus far (will update in the next couple of hours!).

THE GLOSSOVER

If you don't like the redness of a lot of orange lipsticks on the market, I think you may appreciate Sounds Like Noise.

This review features press sample(s) sent for consideration. We don't do paid reviews. Readers are our #1 priority, and we honor our commitment by being honest.

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MAC Sounds Like Noise Lipstick

Sneak Peek: MAC Baking Beauties Collection – Photos + Swatches

MAC In for a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder

I do not have the full collection at this time–this is all that I received–but I will make sure to purchase missing items when they’re available for sale. These are sneak peek swatches to hold you over while I test the products and write-up reviews! Please hold all questions until I’ve had a chance to write the full review

Thank you!

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MAC In for a Treat Pearlmatte Face Powder

MAC Pink Buttercream Pearlmatte Face Powder

MAC Devil’s Food Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Baking Beauty Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm

MAC Glace Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm

MAC Fancy Frosting Pro Longwear Paint Pot

Sneak Peek: NARS Summer 2013 Collection Photos & Swatches

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NARS Summer 2013 Collection

Full reviews to come… as you can see, today was a rather busy day! For now, enjoy some sneak peek swatches and photos, while I work on getting everything ready, tested, and reviewed. Please hold all questions until I’ve had a chance to post the reviews! Thank you for your patience!