Showing posts with label LIP PRODUCTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LIP PRODUCTS. Show all posts
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon (with Resveratrol): Glace, Peche, Sophie, Lola, and Eddie
Oh, Bite Beauty, words cannot justify the exceeding exceptional quality of your lip products! I am certain that this sentence - with an exclamation mark at end - sums up my feeling for this purely lip-products brand. As I mentioned in my previous post, I first came across this brand five or so years ago while perusing a Sephora in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although there are a few Bite Beauty lip products that I not liked, such as the Agave Lip Mask and Cashmere Lip Cream, overall I am fan. I have enjoyed wearing the Luminous Creme Lipsticks (review coming soon), Matte Creme Lip Crayons (Spring Limited Edition), and High Pigment Lip Pencils (more shades coming soon) in several shades.
Recently, Bite Beauty released two collections of the Matte Creme Lip Crayons. The first collection is a collaboration with J. Crew, consisting of three shades (Sophie, Lola, and Edie), and once again this is a limited edition collection like the one released in the Spring. The J. Crew Bite Beauty collection is J. Crew exclusive and only available on the J. Crew website. I ordered all three at a store location, which allowed me to get free shipping. The lip crayons were already marked down 25% (I believe) all beauty was 25% off) and then the sales person gave me an additional 20% off (I am not sure why) and 15% off student discount. Ultimately, I paid about $11 per lip crayon (originally $24) and received the goodies within a few days (it took less than a week).
Next, Bite Beauty released a full permanent line of Matte Creme Lip Crayons ($24 each), which are available at Sephora now. So far I have purchased the shades Glace and Peche. As if these were not enough, I have Leche, Amaretto, Sucre, and Tatin on my wish-list for the Fall. I am content with the bright beauties below at the moment.
I am not a fan of true matte or "retro matte" lip products. Imagine Stila Stay All Day liquid lipsticks or MAC Matte lipsticks or Too Faced Melted Lipsticks (Uh, yeah!) or Kat Von D liquid lipsticks - I cannot handle these lip products that just absorb the moisture out of my lips and then make me look extremely dehydrated or like I recently recovered from frost-bite or pneumonia. My lips are naturally very pouty and wrinkly (not in an aged way), so at times even lighter creamy shades can exaggerate my lip lines. My point is that the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons are a god-send in terms of the formula, color pay-off, selection of colors, price-point, smell, taste, longevity, and so on and so forth.
If you are a "lip color wearer," but obviously not as "taken"(I will not use the word obsessed because it sounds negative and people these days use certain words quite loosely and out of context; I realize I am fond of lip products a little more than the next person, but it is my one and only "materialistic-love") with lip products as I am, then you must own at least one of these even if it will be the only one you have.
Anyways, let us carry on with the shades shall we! As you can tell from the pictures below, I could not resist trying out Glace and Peche. Usually, I do not wear anything (beauty products) before taking pictures of it for its review. So apologizes for the "used" appearance of these two shades. However, the three J. Crew shades are pictured in untouched condition, so now you have an idea of how these look before use and gradually lose their pointed shape after use.
I was so eager to post the lip swatches that I decided not to wait to take lip swatches showing my full-face. I was able to get a decent full-face snap wearing Peche, which I have posted at the end. I realize that seeing one's full face with a lip color on gives a better idea of how the shade looks, what overall effect it gives, whether it is too bold, and whether or not it will suit you. It is difficult to take nice full-face pictures though when you have a busy schedule and especially when you are old-school and only like an actual camera (not the phone camera). If I take any pictures wearing the other four shades in the future, I will add them at the end of this post.
Lola, Glace, Edie, Peche, and Sophie (see above / bottom to top)
Peche, Glace, Edie, Lola, and Sophie (see above / bottom to top)
Peche, Glace, Edie, Lola, and Sophie (see above / top to bottom)
Glace and Peche (see above / top to bottom)
Sophie, Lola, and Edie (see above / top to bottom)
The formula is superb. The lip crayons do not have a slip to them like creamy lipsticks, but feel smooth while applying and once applied. The pointed smaller tip allows for precise application, like having both lip liner and lipstick as one product. Some of the shades, like Lola, Edie, and Peche are not completely matte, but have a subtle sheen (extremely subtle glossy appearance). I don't feel like the sheen compromises the matte appearance because these definitely stay in place nicely and have a different feel to them than creamy lipsticks. Bite Beauty has figured out a non-drying matte formula, which allows you to retain the moisture in your lips. Kudos!
Peche (see above) (And my infatuation with red-coral, red-orange, orange, poppy-coral continues... )
Peche is my favorite shade of all the ones I have shown you. It is very unique, not only in my collection, but generally unlike any other coral shade I have seen before. In my opinion it is a true coral and perfect for someone with my skin-tone. I have observed that this shade looks deeper on girls with lighter skin than mine. On me it appears deeper coral in dim light and looks like a muted, dark peach in sun-light. Have you ever imagined an ideal shade in your mind and then you find it. Voila! Peche is that shade for me.
Added (09/19/14): Edie
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. Come back soon. Please follow, like, share, connect, and subscribe. Thank you!
Thursday, August 14, 2014
LIPSTICK QUEEN JUNGLE QUEEN
Lipstick Queen is a cosmetic brand that has always caught my attention. I first learned of this brand a from a shopping network website a few years ago. My interest in makeup developed as I entered my undergraduate studies and I began researching different brands online. I knew about brands such as Lipstick Queen and Bite Beauty before they were in the spotlight. Now Lipstick Queen is available in select ULTA stores and Bite Beauty is sold at all Sephora stores. Lately, the popular makeup enthusiasts on Youtube rave about both these brands. I only wish I had joined the makeup blogging community earlier than I did because I feel like I had a lot to share back then, which has now caught on like wild-fire. As a side note, I have reviewed a few Bite Beauty lip products already, so in case you are interested here are the links:
Anyway, let us get on with today's review. I first heard about Lipstick Queen Jungle Queen on the "Musings of a Muse" blog (I adore Isabella). I recall her saying that this color pulled more red on her than what she had anticipated. Back when Isabella posted her review, I believe the Jungle Queen was not yet available in the U.S. So, I was awaiting its arrival eagerly even though I was reluctant to purchase it because I did not know how the color would appear on me. Of course I wanted it to be a fierce orange shade! Finally, I saw preview pictures of Jungle Queen on Lipstick Queen's Instagram page. Marketing experts obviously know how to entice consumers, but it still leaves me in awe how they know exactly how to get a person to buy their product. Lipstick Queen posted a picture of the Jungle Queen bullet against a leopard print background on Instagram and something about this image flipped a switch in my mind. "You must get this lipstick, Meesha!" Sadly, the brand name "Lipstick Queen" alone would allure someone like me.
Lipstick Queen has two main lines of lipsticks in addition to her smaller lipstick collections. One line has opaque (90% pigment) lipsticks called Sinners and the other one consists of sheer lipsticks (10% pigment) called Saints. I have tested both forms of lipsticks on my hand in the store. The Saints lipsticks seemed too sheer for my liking and Sinners lipsticks felt dry. I was tempted to purchase the nude shade, but I have a feeling it will look dry. Most of the time lighter shades, like pinky-nudes, make my lips look very dry. I don't really know why this happens. None of the other shades pleased me until Jungle Queen arrived.
Lipstick Queen Jungle Queen is currently available at ULTA for $22. Jungle Queen is a gorgeous reddish orange lipstick. I am very happy with it. If you are a fan of the current orange lip color trend and secretly hoard every red-orange or orange lip color that you come by, then you need to purchase this lip color. If you like such a color on others, but feel shy to try it, then this is a good choice to test the waters. Please refer to the pictures below to get an idea of the color.
The best part of this lipstick is the formula. I would describe this lipstick as a translucent (think jam or jelly) gel-creme. This lipstick is extremely pleasant to wear. It feels like you are wearing a high-quality lip balm. This may be a very bold statement, but other than my Fresh Sugar Lip Balm, this is the most comfortable wearing lip product I own. For being such a buttery-smooth, creamy, moisturizing (not a treatment for dry lips) lipstick, the pigmentation of this lipstick is excellent and easily controllable (i.e., build up or keep it subtle). In a nutshell, Jungle Queen is a must-have.
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. Come back soon. Please follow, like, share, connect, and subscribe. Thank you!
Friday, July 25, 2014
DIOR ADDICT FLUID STICKS: Mirage, Kiss Me, Tiny Pink, Rieuse, Magique, Vertigo, Artifice, Aventure, Pandore, and Vie D'Enfer
Hey y'all! I am very excited to present to you my review of the new collections liquid lipsticks recently released by Dior. The Dior Addict Fluid Sticks made their debut in store in late Spring / early Summer. It has taken quite a bit of time and effort to collect these shades and put together this post.
Colors: One of the shades, Rieuse, is not shown in the first two pictures because I exchanged it with Vie D' Enfer and did not have time to retake the pictures. Vie D'Enfer is the only shade that I was not fascinated with, so I returned it. Rieuse, Magique, and Vertigo are quite similar and these shades appear especially similar in the color-lip-swatch pictures above. Rieuse is a peachy-pink coral. Magique is a light magenta (pinkish-red). Vertigo is a deep mid-tone pink with mauve and plummy undertones. Vie D'Enfer is a deep apple red with a brown undertone (more appropriate for Autumn/Winter seasons). Mirage is a peachy nude with a brown undertone. Artifice is a fierce, pure orange. Aventure looks very different from Artifice; it is an orange-red coral. Pandore is a bright red-orange shade; this shades looks brighter and more vivid on lighter skin-tones.
Availability and Price: I purchased the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks ($35) over a span of a few months. I bought a few shades during Dillard's 10% off beauty event and others online through Macy's and Sephora's websites when Ebates was having their 15% cash-back anniversary sale event. I plan to purchase two more shades called 219 Whisper Beige and 669 Rose Tricheuse in the future. I will add pictures of these shades to this post or create an additional post. I am waiting for a sale / coupon (Sephora VIB Sale 15% / 20% off in Nov./Dec. or Nordstrom / Dillard's cardholder rewards) because this lip product is much too expensive otherwise. Dior Addict Fluid Sticks are available everywhere (Sephora, Dillard's, Nordstrom, Macy's), but a few shades are available in certain stores only. This lip product is quite a splurge, but worth it!
Formula / Application: The formula of the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks is their best feature and selling point. The Dior Fluid Sticks are marketed as a hybrid product –
gloss, color, and stain. Although I have
tested a few other new comparable lip products, such as Revlon Moisture Stains and Smashbox Be Legendary Lip Lacquers,
since my introduction to the Dior Fluid Sticks, I still find that the formula
of the Dior Fluid Sticks is quite unique and innovative. When I first tried the
Dior Fluid Sticks at my local Dillard’s Dior counter, I was definitely
surprised by the formula. This lip
product goes through three stages after you apply it to your lips. I observed that one side of the applicator
functions like a scoop, which grabs just the right amount of product, so you do
not have to keep putting the applicator back in and out of the tube. The other side of the applicator spreads and
sets the product on your lips, like a good butter knife spreading out peanut
butter onto bread – spreading and melting the product at once. Stage one: you feel like your applied a
cooling, water-based liquid to your lips.
At this stage, some of shades appear very bright, almost neon-like.
Stage two: you feel your lips warm up (not uncomfortably), like you had a cup
of chicken noodle soup on a cold day, and then the liquid sticks / seals onto
your lips. This is not at all a tacky,
sticky, or uncomfortable sensation. You
almost no longer realize that you have something on your lips, unless you press
your lips together. Also, as I mentioned
above, the shades appears bright, some neon-like, when first applied, but as
your lips warm up, the shades become deeper.
For example, Tiny Pink looks like a pastel baby pink when I first apply
it and within seconds it transforms into a muted, floral, light pink. Magique looks like a neon hot-pink-magenta
shade, which transforms into a pinky-red. Although the glossiness has sobered
down by this stage, your lips still have a subtle sheen and look plump, smooth,
and youthful. Stage three: by this
stage, if you have consumed food or three
to four hours have passed by, the gloss and color has faded, but your lips
still look deeper than their natural pigmentation or tinted. The longevity of this lip product decreases
if food or beverage(s) are consumed.
Staying Power: The staying power is not exceptional, but it is good for a lightweight, liquid lip product. All of these shades transfer. The lighter shades such as Mirage, Kiss Me, Tiny Pink, and Rieuse do not stain your lips, while the deeper shades such Magique, Vertigo, Artifice, Aventure, Pandore, and Vie D'Enfer have a staining effect and do not disappear off of the lips as quickly. Pandore and Vie D'Enfer stayed on the lips even after eating a full meal, but still required touching up. On average these shades remain on the lips for about three to fours hours and as I mentioned above the longevity decreases if you consume a solid meal.
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. Come back soon. Please follow, like, share, connect, and subscribe. Thank you!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
L'OREAL GLOSSY BALM Lip Crayons: Innocent Coral, Lovely Mocha, and Vintage Rose
Hey y'all! Today, I am sharing my review of the new L'Oreal Glossy Balms. I first heard about this product through the Nouveau Cheap blog.
Sidebar! I think most people, especially those of us who are actively engaged in social media and beauty blogging or v-logging, are familiar with blogs like Temptalia, Nouveau Cheap, and Musings of a Muse. These three beauty blogs are the best source, in my opinion, for learning about new and upcoming makeup, skincare, and other beauty products. I became familiar with these blogs while in law school. Often my study breaks involved a visit to these websites. I found it quite refreshing to read a blog post in between reading cases. Eventually, I was motivated by these blogs to create my own blog and hopefully I can also become a valued source of product reviews and pictures.
After reading a brief post - mainly a preview - on Nouveau Cheap, I decided that I would not to try out any of the L'Oreal Glossy Balms because the shades did not seem unique or inviting. A few days later, I visited Target to purchase protein bars. The protein bars that I like are not found in the grocery/breakfast foods isle, but in the pharmacy department. Well, the beauty and pharmacy department are almost always in the same vicinity in Target. So, I could not really resist taking a glance through the beauty isle, which is when I found the L'Oreal Glossy Balms. During this trip, I purchased the shades Innocent Coral and Lovely Mocha. Afterwards, I purchased three more shades - Vintage Rose, Baby Berry, and Pink Me Up. I was also tempted to purchase Petite Plum, but decided to get it at a later time. Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved Innocent Coral and Lovely Mocha and extremely disliked the Baby Berry and Pink Me Up. Thus, I decided not to bother talking about the latter two shades. If you have a similar skin-tone to mine (reference: MAC NC35 or Revlon True Beige), I would not recommend Baby Berry at all, while Pink Me Up might suit you as per your personal taste. Another point I would like to note is that Vintage Rose and Lovely Mocha are similar enough that both are not needed. Of the two, I would recommend Lovely Mocha because Vintage Rose is more sheer and has very subtle shimmer, while Lovely Mocha is creamy and opaque.
All in all, I am quite fond of Innocent Coral and Lovely Mocha and recommend them to you. Both shades are beautiful and suit my skin-tone. Also, I categorize these shades as work-appropaite without looking boring, like the ever-popular muted rosy brown lip color. These days I am working as a judicial extern, so I obviously, yet sadly, do not feel comfortable wearing bright or bold lip colors. This week I wore a muted orange manicure and felt overly conscious and awkward. Vagabond status! I felt more comfortable once I observed a law clerk and another extern wearing gorgeous statement necklaces that added a pop of color to their dress-suits.
So, what all features of the L'Oreal Glossy Balms do I like? L'Oreal Glossy Balms offer excellent pigmentation and medium coverage, which can become full coverage in a couple additional swipes. In my experience, sometimes lip products that are nicely pigmented, fall short in regards to formula, and vise versa. The lip crayon do not compromise on the formula/texture. In this case,"balm" was appropriately used as part of the product's name. I found this product to be non-drying, lightweight, smooth, but not overly emollient, and decently moisturizing* (*not a lip treatment balm though). Lastly, this may only be my experience, but I felt that once these Glossy Balms wore off, my lips were subtly stained or looked slightly deeper than their natural pigmentation. (emphasis added). The staying power is neither weak, no exceptional. I am constantly drinking water and consume coffee twice a day, so my lip products tend to transfer onto the cup or bottle and gradually fade off in about three hours on average.
Although I like both Innocent Coral and Lovely Mocha, the former is my favorite of the two. Innocent Coral is a medium pink, while Lovely Mocha is a rich light mauve, with cool purple-blue base. Innocent Coral appears to have a red base on my arm, but on the lips it looks neutral to blue-toned. Lovely Mocha also looks like it has neutral undertones, but at times it looks cool-toned on the lips. Vintage Rose is basically identical to the natural pigmentation of my lips. I would describe it as a muted pink with a subtle rosy brown base.
Innocent Coral, Lovely Mocha, Vintage Rose (top --> bottom)
Innocent Coral, Lovely Mocha, Vintage Rose (left --> right)
Innocent Coral, Lovely Mocha, Vintage Rose (bottom --> top)
Innocent Coral, Lovely Mocha, Vintage Rose (top --> bottom)
Wearing Lovely Mocha...
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. Come back soon. Thanks!
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Sunday, June 22, 2014
NYX Butter Glosses: Red Velvet, Cherry Pie, Praline, Angel Food Cake, and Madeleine
Hey y'all! Happy Sunday, everyone. If you have not yet heard about the butter glosses, then you must be living under a rock. Well, I suppose same applies to me because I did not try these myself until this past March. NYX Butter Gloss is a well-liked product. Since the end of last year, I have become quite adventurous with makeup and experimented with different brands and a broader range of colors. After reading and hearing positive reviews of NYX products, I decided to purchase a few of the NYX Butter Glosses when NYX released a few new shades. The original line of NYX Butter Glosses were released a couple of years ago and recently they released more shades, which offer richer pigmentation than the original ones. All of the shades mentioned below, except for Cherry Pie, are newly released shades. NYX Butter Glosses are affordably priced at about $4.99 and can cost even less if you purchase them during a sale. NYX cosmetics are sold online on the company's website and at all ULTA stores. Some CVS and Target stores are now also carrying this brand.
Dessert, anyone? Dessert names are obviously a marketing scheme of some sort. Praline, Angel Food Cake, Madeleine, Cherry Pie, and Red Velvet (left to right)
Red Velvet, Cherry Pie, Praline, Angel Food Cake, and Madeleine (top to bottom)
Red Velvet, Cherry Pie, Praline, Angel Food Cake, and Madeleine (top to bottom)
So, now that I have tried out the NYX Butter Glosses myself, do I agree with the other beauty bloggers? Are NYX Butter Glosses worth the hype? Yes!
The NYX Butter Glosses exude the aroma of a bakery - fresh out of the oven vanilla cupcakes. The pigmentation varies from shade to shade, but overall is excellent. One of the reasons I dislike glosses and prefer glossy lipsticks or liquid lipsticks is because generally glosses do not provide rich pigmentation. NYX Butter Glosses are an exception as demonstrated by the picture above. It is very disappointing when brands release a massive collection of glosses in 20 different shades, but once you apply the shades, there is weak to absolutely no color pay off. Lastly, I like the formula and texture of this product. This gloss is unlike most glosses that I have tried. It does not feel sticky, tacky, or heavy. It pairs well with a lipstick worn underneath and does not drag the base color away. Again, it is pigmented enough that it does not have to be paired with a lipstick underneath. The staying power is obviously mediocre, but not poor, because this is not a sticky gloss. This gloss feels luxurious, lightweight, smooth, but not slippery, and does not dry (or "exfoliate") your lips as some sticky glosses tend to do. Although I love red, orange, and other bright shades, at heart I am most drawn to neutral shades, so Praline, Angel Food Cake, and Madeleine are my favorite shades.
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. Come back soon. Thanks!
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