Fall & Winter lipstick revamping

Fall and Winter bring on the trend of everyday smokey eyes and dark lip colors. If you're like me you don't exactly have all the money in the world to shout out for brand new lipsticks every time a new trend comes around. I personally love to buy my basics. I love a few plums, a few pinks, and most of all reds. For me a red lip is always a classic, not to mention how the blue undertones can help make your teeth look whiter.
The easiest way to rectify the situation of following a trend but not exactly spending $15 for a new MAC lipstick every time you need a darker version of whatever shades you already love is mixing colors. By mixing colors you can revamp an old favorite, make custom shades, or even just keep up with the trend in your own comfort zone.
(shade to left is Lasting Finish Kate Moss collection from Rimmel London in shade 09)

The red color looks very plumy in the picture but in person it gives you the perfect deeper, richer red that I was looking for that had no brown-brick tint to it. I wanted a dark red lipstick and couldn't find one in drugstores so I created my own.

(The shade I used on the left was Covergirl LipPerfection lipstick in Eternal)

And by adding a purple lipstick to it I got a more plum red, more like the shade in the other picture. It's honestly so easy to try out and figure out if you like it or what colors work well with you before you go out and commit to a shade you might never wear.

(The shade I used on the left was Covergirl LipPerfection lipstick in Eternal)

Adding a more purple tone lip color that I didn't really like too much on it's own to pink lipsticks that I didn't really like on their own created a very nice pink hued purple and a bright lavender. Adding the shade to pinks brought pinks to a different level and made it easy for me try out the lavender/purple lip trend on a budget with pinks that I already had in my collection.

 Moral of  the story: You don't have to spend a whole bunch of cash to try out trends that are going on around you. Use what you have, do your research and most of all be creative! Have fun with your lip colors and express yourself.
(Also did you know coral and purple make mauve? They totally do haha)

Hope this was helpful ^-^
XOXO

Shimmer & Shake Show-Stopping Collection Swatches and Review

Shimmer and Shake Show-Stopping Collection 

$59 at Sephora

For anyone who didn't read my previous post that included a review on one of these shades these lip glosses aren't exactly the most opaque formula. if you enjoy high shine, minty plumping, and a bit of stickyness that helps them stay longer this may be the perfect set for you. It comes with 15 mini glosses in 3 different finishes. So lets get started.

(L to R: Sandy-- Trixie-- Katie-- Dolly-- Sugar)

Sandy

A very pale pinky nude with tiny shimmers or "Pink Nude"

Trixie

 Corally pink also with tiny shimmers or "Golden Rose"

Katie

 Baby Pink with tiny shimmers or "Pale Pink

Dolly

 Mauve with a hint of lavender or "Muted Plum"

Sugar

Brown with a hint of pink undertones or "Rose Beige" 

These glosses have tiny shimmers to them however they do not have glitter chucks in them like the last five. These can be purchased individually in larger sizes for $19 exclusively at Sephora.

(L to R: Kir Royale-- Pink Lady-- White Russian-- Mudslide-- Cherry flip)

Kir Royale

 A glossy berry/plum or "Rich Wine"

Pink Lady

 A bubble gum pink or "Electric Pink"

White Russian

 A pink hued nude or "Nude Pink"

Mudslide

 A Mauve or "Petal Pink"

Cherry Flip

 Light Red/Coral or "Red Poppy"

These are a smidge more opaque and have no shimmer to them. These can be purchased individually for $19 (full size) exclusively at Sephora.

(L to R: Victoria--Olivia-- Amanda-- Lauren-- Rachel)

Victoria

 Dark Mauve with a lot of glitter.

Olivia

 Bright Pink with a lot of glitter.

Amanda

 Clear with a lot of glitter.

Lauren

 Coral with a lot of glitter.

Rachel

 Pinky Purple with a lot of glitter.

These are very transparent and remind me of the Urban Decay Stardust lip glosses. Lots of shine and glitter and not a lot of color pay off. These aren't sold at Sephora.

Hope you enjoyed

XOXO

Give Me More Lip Product Review

Give Me More Lip was a gift set that was sold exclusively at Sephora that contained 16 lip products. 4 in a nude shade, 4 in a red shade, 4 in a pink shade, and 4 in a more berry dark shade. Each product was made by a different high end company and came in an assortment of things including lipsticks, pencils, stains and glosses. 

The Reds

(L to R: Kat Von D Foil Love in Adora -- Hourglass Opaque Rogue in Icon -- Make Up For Ever Rogue Artist Natural in N45 -- Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegrante)

The Kat Von D lipstick has a nice texture to it, is opaque but the amount of shimmer in it really kind of turns me off to it. I have a red lipstick from revlon that is about the same color and I NEVER wear it because of the amount of shimmer in the lipstick. I like shine in a lipstick, or matte lipsticks, shimmer lipsticks always seem to fade kind of funny on my mouth and cake up faster on the corners. Maybe it's just me talking too much that causes that though. 

*Full Size- $19 

Hourglass is a darker, deeper red. If you've ever tried a liptar, or velvetine this has the same basic formula. It starts off hydrating and then dries to a matte finish that becomes harder to remove than most lipsticks. That being said I have NEVER tried anything that doesn't budge when you kiss someone. Every lipstick that I've tried in every formula transfers at least a little so don't expect perfection. It does give a nice finish and last fairly long though. It lasted me through a night of drinking and a night of sleeping (tried it out of curiosity) only the inside of my lips, toward the center was bare when I woke up.

*Full Size- $28 *Travel Size- $10

Make Up For Ever was maybe the most disappointing product in the box. I expect a lot from this brand since I did use it in school and everything was super pigmented and rich feeling. This brand has always seemed to embody decadence to me, so you can imagine my surprise when I got this and it was so thin feeling and missing that oomph that I wanted from a MUFE red. It's pretty for a wash of red but really not worth it. For that buy a tinted lip balm.

*Full Size- $20

Bite Beauty was really nice. I was expecting something were I would have to build up the color to a decent red color but these pencils pack in opaque color with the first swipe. It wasn't drying and just felt amazing on. It is a classic pin up red that is amazing feeling and true to color.

*Full Size- $24 *Gift Set of 4 Travel Size- $25

The Nudes

(L to R: Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude-- Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Naked-- Bare Minerals Buxom in White Russian-- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in 02 Dolce)

Smashbox this nude has a nice feel to it and is pretty opaque but (keep in mind this may just be my lips) the color doesn't stick to certain parts of my lips, usually the parts that need to be better exfoliated, and therefore looks awful on me. If a lipstick sinks into your fine lines and refuses to cover you lip color equally all around it doesn't look cute it looks sloppy. Maybe if I were to exfoliate more it would help but me and nude lips have never been very close friends because of that problem. 

*Full Size- $20

Laura Mercier in Bare Naked was actually a pleasant surprise. Me and nude lipsticks don't work out, me and nude lipglosses are now best friends. This gloss was a little sparkly and smooth as butter. If you are a fan of glosses that don't feel sticky, have full color, and also don't feel greasy this one is perfect. This brand really nailed down what nude should look like to be flattering since (in my opinion) nudes with a pink hue are more universally flattering on skin tones than yellow based nudes which can make you look dead.

*Full Sized- $24 *Travel Size set of 4- $38

Bare Minerals Buxom in White Russian was my most shocking product of the bunch. I had previously read about this brand and how these lipglosses are minty (which I don't usually like) and sticky (which I despise) and sure enough when I tried it on it was both of those things. It was minty to help plump lips and sticky which I'm guessing made them think would stay longer. These were everything I thought I'd hate but when I tried them I fell in love. The minty feeling is something that doesn't bother me, it does last quiet a long time tingling. It isn't sticky enough to turn me off of these either. It is exactly as sticky as longer lasting glosses are (nothing has ever been as sticky as old NYC or Victoria Secret lip glosses) so these are a total win for me. If you know you can't look passed all of that don't bother though.

*Full Sized- $19 *Travel Size set of 6- $29 *Travel Size set of 15- $59 (review and swatches later)

Stila all day liquid lipstick doesn't last you all day. However, it is opaque and long lasting. When I used it, it never really dried to a matte finish but it did last me about half a day without needing to retouch. Dolce is a little on the brown side and ventures away from being a nude and walks more the line of being a brown, that being said it doesn't look bad, it makes it look a bit more fall/wintery in fact. 

*Full Size- $22

The Berries

(L to R: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12 Hour Lipstick in Inspired-- Obessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Strumpet-- Bare Minerals Buxom Lipstick in Menace-- Stila Color Balm Stick in Sonya)

The Tarte Glamazon lipstick isn't exactly a berry shade. It's a mauve color that is a tiny bit sticky for a lip gloss but definitely won't last you 12 hours. It's your basic mauve lipstick guys. Nothing extraordinary about the color, feel or finish. It does feel nice, doesn't dry out your lips and if opaque.

*Full Size- $26

OCC Lip Tars are infamous. They come in tubes with a little lip brush start off like a gloss and dry matte. A little really goes a long way with these babies. AMAZINGLY you get a full sized lip tar in this kit (which some stores still have) and the color is just amazing. This is the perfect fall lip color, is long lasting (tiny bit of transfer), comes with it's own lip brush and can be utilized as face paint. 

*Full Size- $18 *Travel Size set of 12- $58

Stila is my other kind of dud in this kit. It's a berry tinted balm. It doesn't stain, doesn't last long, and isn't opaque at all. For a tinted lip balm I'd go to the drugstore not Sephora guys. Pretty color, nice on the lips.

*Full Sized- $22

The Pinks

(L to R: Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never-- Too Faced Le Creme in Marshmallow Bunny-- Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pout-- Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Backstage Bambi)

Marvelous Moxie lipstick has a nice feel, is really opaque and is the definition of HOT PINK. It has a hint of Fuchsia but is a bright pink none-the-less. It doesn't last super long or claim to either. This is a brand new item from Bare Minerals and I have to say the most interesting part of it for me was the packaging. The lipstick comes in a full body lid that will pop into place and not budge once there, which is perfect for the person on the go who worries about a top opening and ruining everything in your bag, including your lipstick.

*Full Size $18

I really wanted to love the Too Faced lipstick, I really did but I had the same problem as I did with the Nude Smashbox lipstick that it just didn't cover my entire mouth with an even amount of opacity. It's a beautiful light pink that I think would flatter pale complexions in a princess sort of way. 

* Full Size- $21

Pout is a complete cotton candy shade, which I will tell you now doesn't look good on everyone. It seems semi transparent and is a little sticky. It'll last you a while longer on your lips since it is a bit goopy. I'm honestly not sure how "lip enhancing" this color really is though.

*Full Size- $19

Kat Von D completely outdoes herself with this shade/line. The packaging feels plastic and really cheap but the hot pink is so vivid and perfectly flattering for most skin tones that it's excusable. Like the Lip Tar, Velvetines (I have a blog post raving about them under my red lipsticks) and Hourglass lipsticks this starts off smooth and liquidy then dries to a matte finish. It does transfer a bit when dry but still won't budge without you trying to remove it. 

*Full Size- $19

You can catch almost everything (Not the Marvelous Moxie lipstick) at the Sephora website and since it is the holidays most of these are in little gift sets right now. Hope you enjoyed and it helped you decide what you wanted/needed and want/need to give. 

XOXO

The Holy Grail of Sharpeners

Now maybe I'm last to this party but when I saw beauty blogger/beauty guru xsparkage talk about the Grindhouse sharpener from Urban Decay and how it came with the Loco Ocho 2 bundle and how amazing it was I got curious. Curious enough to look it up, see it was $10 and say "NOPE!" since you can get at least one sharpener for $1 at most dollar stores. 

Now, my Ulta haul was a total bust. I went and bought a tiny Ulta eyeshadow pallet for $8 and a new NYX pallet for $20+ and when I got them home I was super disappointed. My Ulta pallet had been opened already and was dirty, used and abused. Now I know how to clean and sanitize products so that didn't make me too wary, it was the NYX pallet that threw me over the edge. It's a pallet with a top compartment with all neutral eyeshadows and a bottom part with blush and highlight. I opened the top part and one of the eyeshadows was broken, which wasn't too bad because it's fixable with alcohol, tissue paper and a quarter. What got me was that I couldn't open the second compartment to fix the highlight that was also broken and spilling EVERYWHERE! 

Out of frustration I put everything back and went to Ulta today to exchange my stuff. One of the things I decided to pick up on a whim was the Grindhouse sharpener. (I know, long story, little pay off)

Grindhouse as I mentioned is $10 and can be bought at Ulta.com - Sephora.com - or UrbanDecay.com

It is double barreled, super sharp blades, has a removable top and bottom chamber for easy cleaning, and comes with a tiny scrapper stick. 

(I would have taken a picture but I didn't think about it until I used it so it's dirty and that seems unprofessional to me)

At first I have to admit I was a little impressed. Turning the pencil felt smooth and super easy. I turned it twice, pulled out the pencil and it looked almost NEW! I thought maybe it was a fluke so I tried it again.

Then I tried it on a lip pencil, realizing how important it is to have a good sharpened pencil when doing a darker lip outline. You don't want your pencil dull, making mistakes something easier to accomplish. And sure enough it looked as though I had never touched it. 

The worst pencils for my to sharpen are my NYX Jumbo Pencils. Even with most double barrel sharpeners I can never really get these to sharpen well. After doing this pencil I was sold. 

All in all, if you are an avid makeup user and have an extra $10 in your pocket I say go for it. In fact I may just go out and get myself another one for just lip pencils. It's amazing and totally lives up to hype but if you have a sharpener that does all that for you and is cheaper let me know in the comments section.

Thanks for reading.

XOXO