Browsing Tag

Lipstick

Review: MAC Cosmetics x Isabel & Ruben Toledo Lipsticks

The MAC x Toledo collection hits MAC Cosmetics stores in the USA tomorrow. Is it worth camping out before the malls even open to get your hands on these limited edition items? I’ve got the answer + pictures, swatches, and more pictures!

Picture

MAC Toleda ‘Oxblood’ with ‘Chestnut’ Lip Liner

Picture

MAC Toledo ‘Victoriana’

I got a little carried away with the MAC x Toledo collection! As in – I stayed up all night waiting for the release on MAC’s website!

But in the end, that worked to my advantage, because the ‘Oxblood’ lipstick sold out in less than 20 MINUTES! I mean this has got to be one of the fastest selling items in a while. Three days later, Nordstrom and Macy’s quickly sold out upon release and now all that is left are the store displays that go up tomorrow.

Is this collection worth penciling in a visit to your local MAC location tomorrow morning? If you are a lipstick or makeup collector, YES! The product packaging by itself is drool worthy. Each lipstick was double packaged with an inner and outer sleeve to protect the bullet. Both sleeves were covered in designs on the inside and outside of the packaging making this the ultimate collector’s item. The only other products I ordered were the three blushes and those each came in their own customized boxes, but those beauties will get their own review later!

Back to the lipsticks – if you are a fan of ‘Oxblood’, you should definitely go get it tomorrow! I have heard that MAC’s ‘Kinda Sexy’ lipstick is a close dupe, but not perfect. This is a great peachy nude that flatters a variety of skintones. After tomorrow, it might be a bit harder to get that perfect match! The other colors are still available on the company’s website, as well as Nordstom and Macy’s online (as of 2/4/15) so if you are interested in any of the other colors, you might be able to hold of … but not for long as these are still limited edition!

I have to say that ‘Oxblood’ was not my favorite of the lipsticks I purchased from this collection. I don’t have many red lipsticks so I decided to go all out and purchase the four red-ish lippies debuting with this collection. ‘Barbecue’ has a distinct orange tone that can be played up red with the right liner. ‘Tenor Voice’ has enough of a blue undertone to make your teeth appear whiter. ‘Victoriana’ is a beautiful pink-red tone. ‘Opera’ is a deep red perfect for Valentine’s Day. ‘Sin’ is the only shade that is permanent (in regular packaging) from this collection and is a deep, deep red that has some berry hues shine through on my skin tone. I absolutely love them all, but I have to say ‘Victoriana’ stole my heart from the moment I swatched it! It wasn’t too bright on me (as some true reds often are) and the pink undertone really popped on my lips. Definitely grab this one online before it sells out!

I wish MAC has millions of these lipsticks so we could have backups on backups and we would never run out! But alas, we might fight alongside everyone else for a piece of their genius!

Good luck to everyone tackling the counter tomorrow. May the (Toledo) force be with you!

First Impression: Milani Cosmetics Original Color Statement Lipsticks and New Moisture Matte Lipsticks

Drugstore beauty brand Milani Cosmetics has kicked off 2015 with a bang! It seems like the company has overhauled their entire line. From the Color Statement nail laquer to the Fierce Foil eyeliner, the rose powder blushes to the Bella Eyes eyeshadow – everything is redone! And their new matte lipsticks – not to be outdone by the other releases – has a wow factor like none other.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Milani added a few matte colors to their Color Statement Lipstick line. The original colors released a few years ago include lustre, satin, and amplified finishes, but no matte lippies. Last week, Milani was offering 30% off anything on their website so I decided to try a few of the matte colors and a few of the original colors. I received my order in about three business days (with the free shipping option) and got busy creating some lip swatches. My lips are now super raw, but it’s all in the name of beauty so they will survive to swatch again!

From the matte collection, I purchased: Matte Passion, Matte Naked, and Matte Orchid. From the original colors, I purchased: Double Espresso, Black Cherry, Sangria, Dulce Caramello, Plumrose, and Fruit Punch. Each of these colors offers the wearer a unique color in a product comparable to those released by some of the higher end beauty brands. The matte colors were non-drying on the lips, unlike some other matte lipsticks and the original color range offers a very hydrating mix of pigmentation and hydration. The original colors feature a strong scent comparable to a watermelon flavored Jolly Rancher. Not quite the scent of a real watermelon, but still delicious! The matte collection doesn’t have any scent that I could pick up. So if you don’t want to have your nose assaulted by a strong watermelon flavor, stay away from the original colors!

I would definitely recommend these lipsticks to anyone! From the high-end beauty junkie to the teenager just starting out in the beauty aisle. They are easy to apply, very wearable, and offer some of the most gorgeous colors found in the drugstore. The matte shades are not completely matte on the lips and will wear off as you go about your day. You will also probably need to wear a liner with these as they do feather out once applied. But you can’t beat them for the price! These retail for $5.99 in drugstores nationwide (Walgreens, Duane Reade, CVS, etc.) or on the Milani Cosmetics website where you can get free shipping with any order over $25. Bummed that you missed the 30% off sale online?  Walgreens is offering these (and some other Milani products) Buy One, Get One 50% off right now!

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hill Liquid Lipstick ‘Spicy’ 

After I tried ABH ‘Heathers’ Liquid Lipstick, I must admit, my expectations were REALLY high for ‘Spicy’. Did it deliver? Read on to find out!

Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) started this year off the same exact way they ended 2014. Blogger eyeshadow palette game strong. Individual pan eyeshadow game stronger. Brow game strongest.

Then, in early 2015, they upped their liquid lipstick game, big time. Since liquid lipsticks are now the hottest beauty item to hit stores since contouring products, ABH took their time creating their own formula for their release of the new product. All 20 shades are absolutely beautiful, but I only picked up two to test out before I bought anymore. I reviewed the color ‘Heathers’ here.

I’m going to be very upfront about my opinion of this shade. I did not like it.

It seemed like a COMPLETELY different formula from ‘Heathers’ and that really threw me off the first time I applied it. Instead of applying a clean strip of color across my lips, the applicator painted ‘Spicy’ on sporadically. The color did not cling to my lips and was moved around too easily with a stroke of the applicator wand. Even after two layers, there still seemed to be patchy spots of color all over my bottom lip. Only after I applied a third layer (after the second layer completely dried, about two minutes), did the color really begin to cover my natural lips color.

Overall, I think I put on around four layers to get the coverage I needed. This formula was not at all like ‘Heathers’, where the color glided onto  my lips free of patches and only required one stroke to cover most of my lip. I’m not sure how two lipsticks in the same product line could be more different! If only all the colors in the line covered like ‘Heathers’! Alas, the color is really pretty, but I would never wear it out alone. It seems to be too bright for my taste. However, I could see this working in combination with a good brown liner (like MAC Chestnut) to tone it down a bit.

For kicks and giggles, I topped ABH ‘Spicy’ with the LA Girl Glazed Lip Paint in ‘Hot Mess’ for a glossier look. The LA Girl gloss is very pigmented and can be worn alone, but also works well adding a nice shine to matte lip colors. This look would be totally fun for summer if you are brave enough to wear it!

First Impression: L’Oreal Color Riche Collection Exclusive ‘Frieda’ & ‘Liya’

L’oreal Paris released a new new shade range inspired by some of today’s top faces. Along with Julianne Moore, Doutzen Kroes, Jennifer Lopez, & Eva Longoria, Freida Pinto and Liya Kebede have inspired nude lipsticks perfect for darker skin tones.

These lipsticks have been out for nearly a year, but has not been ANYWHERE near my house! I’ve been actively looking for any of the shades from this collection for about 3 months now and had almost given up hope, when I finally spotted them. The entire collection was in a tiny corner display at my local Ulta. Now I know these have not always been there, because I looked high a low for them right before Christmas! I am so glad these were restocked and I had the opportunity to see/test them in person!

I was drawn to this collection because of the range of celebrity faces brought in to help with this collection. I have been a fan of Freida Pinto since Slumdog Millionaire and model Liya Kebede is just drop dead gorgeous so this purchase was kind of a no-brainer. These two shades in particular are suited for darker skin tones, however, they are completely wearable for most complexions.

Each of the nudes in this collection is meant to offer the wearer a “my lip, but better” type of feeling upon application.The description from the L’oreal Paris website for these products reads:

“Each shade in this carefully curated collection has its own gorgeous color variation to flatter every skin tone and add beautiful dimension to the lips. Find your perfect nude!”

I found that both of these colors applied sheer and were slightly buildable with a few more swipes. Based off some of the promo images, I assumed these would be a bit more pigmented, but I wasn’t thrown off by this too much.

Both colors were beautiful, but I found that I prefered Liya’s nude for my skintone. Freida’s nude was more cool tone and in my initial lip swatch (without liner, primer, etc.) made me look washed out. When choosing a nude, you don’t want anything that is going to make you look like you just walked out of the morgue! But with the right liner, I think I could make this work. I’m certainly not afraid to try! 

Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick ‘Heathers’ 

I can already say that this ‘Heathers’ liquid lipstick formula is the best that I have tried thus far. My current liquid lipstick inventory includes Dose of Colors, NYX, and Lime Crime, but as soon as I put on ‘Heathers’, I knew this was the best. Whatever is in that tube is sent from the lipstick gods to be bestowed among the common people! I am really excited to purchase more in the next few weeks. The company has already hinted that additional colors will be released in the coming months so we will have that to look forward to as well. ** Note: Heathers made my teeth look really white in person and on my iPhone 5 camera! However, when I took pictures with my Canon Point-and-Shoot (with a flash), my teeth looked more yellow. My teeth are naturally more white than yellow. Pics below!
Pros:

  • Applicator has a fine tip that widens out making for easy application around the edges of your lips if you don’t want to use an extra brush to line your lips.
  • Doesn’t tug at your lips upon application.
  • Doesn’t dry immediately giving you time to distribute the product across your lips.
  • Doesn’t streak across your lips upon application.
  • Very opaque.

Cons:

  • Doesn’t pass the kiss test. This product will transfer off your lips upon contact!
  • Doesn’t last as long as other liquid lipsticks in this category. (ex. Dose of Colors, Lime Crime)
  • Comes across as more of a cream than a liquid. (this doesn’t really bother me that much)
  • Takes longer to dry on your lips because it is a cream not a fast-drying liquid.

Comparison with Lime Crime Velvetine Colors: Left to right: LC Wicked, ABH Heathers, LC Salem

First Impression: DOSE OF COLORS Liquid Matte Lipstick ‘Berry Me’

While I am rarely on trend with the cosmetic products I purchase, liquid lipsticks are the exception. I ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ at every company that introduces a “new, revolutionary” formula in the liquid-to-matte craze. I have been eye-ing the DOSE OF COLORS liquid lipsticks since their release and was happy to see the brand had restocked all their colors right before Christmas. So, naturally, I picked one up right after the holiday. =)

I have been seeing their colors EVERYWHERE. Instagram and YouTube were full of people complementing the long lasting formula and the intense pigmentation that came wit just one swipe. One of my favorite YouTubers, Desi Perkins, tested out the color ‘Berry Me’ and loved it so  much that it ended up in one of her monthly favorites videos. She not only listed the item as a favorite, but wore it in the video! The video was informative, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the color! I basically watched a 10-minute video just for the lip color which I think is totally permissible.
‘Berry Me’ seems to be a chameleon color, meaning it changes color based on skin complexion and natural lip color. On Desi, it looked more muted neutral, but turned out to have a more pink base on me. I don’t mind the hints of fuchsia and I actually liked the color even more once I put it on. The color lasted throughout a meal and while it could have used a little bit of touching up, I decided to just ride it out and see what it would look like at the end of the day.

My only complaint about the product is the longevity. Now, you are probably thinking, what in the world!??! Why wouldn’t I want it to do its job and last all day?! Well … it’s great that it lasts all day, but the LAST THING I want to do at the end of the day is struggle to take off my lip color. I swear there was a fight between my Makeup Forever makeup remover and this product. It took me about 10 minutes and three cotton pads of remover to get the majority off. After several hours of wear, the color had quite a bit of time to settle into the lines in my lips making it almost impossible to get all the way off. I ended up having to use a lip scrub to get the color out of those lines. My lips were still pretty stained, but at least I could say I tried my best.

It would be great if the brand could come out with a lipstick remover. I would invest as long as I didn’t have to spend all that energy trying to get it off. I’ve heard that the product doesn’t react well to oily foods, so maybe some vitamin E oil would have been helpful in the removal process.

What do you think about the Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks? Anyone else struggling to get it off?