Do not be fooled by appearances. Look for the fire beneath the ice. She hides her wild bohemian side behind a mask of innocence. Delicateness of a bare shoulder. Seduction embodied by her every move. Pink worn next to the skin: carnal pink, passion pink, excitement pink. A touch of powder. Fluttering eyelashes. Stolen kisses. Artist of her own beauty, she is an Yves Saint Laurent woman. The color caresses her bare skin and illuminates her porcelain complexion: her cheekbones intensely flushed. Her lips kissed with in a vibrant pink petal. The intensity of her piercing eyes, heightened with graphic inky blues. Exquisite shades of shadow and light.
“After a rock and baroque themed winter, spring is back with a burst of fresh roses to flush the cheeks while enhancing the complexion with a seemingly innocent purity. Sensual full lips in bright pink or coral light up the face. A bold touch of eyeliner completes the look.” — Lloyd Simmonds
Palette Celebration ($65.00) (Limited Edition)
A versatile complexion highlighter and the ultimate beauty enhancer, Palette Celebration imparts a new radiance to the face for flawless skin. The powder peach shade diffuses light, producing a delicately satin-smooth glow that is 100% Couture. Suitable for all complexions, apply it to the face, eyes, on the neckline and shoulders, any time.
Creme de Blush ($38.00) (New)
An irresistible product, easy to apply with an instinctive and sensual motion: just smile to bring out the contours of the cheekbones, then apply Crème de Blush gently with your fingertips. On contact with the skin, the creamy texture turns into a light powdery film. Velvety soft, light and airy, its exceptionally smooth texture blends perfectly and the color adapts like a “second skin”.
Givenchy #14, MAC Prussian, Dolce & Gabbana #8, YSL #03, MUFE #3L, MAC Marine Ultra, UD Binge, Chanel Marine, tokidoki Skeletro, MUFE #15L
Dark/Navy Blue Eyeliner Comparisions & Dupes
As promised, here are navy blue pencil eyeliner comparisons!
Givenchy #14 Magic Khol is a sheer violet-toned navy blue.
MAC Prussian Powerpoint Eye Pencil is a darkened blue with a subtle violet edge.
Dolce & Gabbana #8 Eyeliner is a navy blue with satin sheen. (Review)
YSL Oriental Blue (03) Eyeliner is a medium-dark, brightened navy blue with a creamy finish. (Review)
Make Up For Ever #3L Aqua Eyes is a navy blue with satin sheen. (Review)
MAC Marine Ultra Chromagraphic Pencil is a medium-dark ocean blue with a creamy finish. (Review)
Urban Decay Binge 24/7 Liner is a darkened navy blue with purple tinge. (Review)
Chanel Marine Long-Lasting Eyeliner is a deep navy blue with a black-blue base and silver shimmer. (Review)
tokidoki Skeletro Glitter Eyeliner is a deep navy blue with a black-blue base and silver glitter. (Review)
Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes is a lightened dark blue with soft sheen. (Review)
Thoughts
DUPE ALERT! It appears that Dolce & Gabbana #8 Eyeliner and Make Up For Ever #3L Aqua Eyes are rather similar — possibly just the slightest difference in blue-ness.
DUPE ALERT!Both Chanel Marine Long-Lasting Eyeliner and tokidoki Skeletro Glitter Eyeliner are not far behind, just slightly darker and with a stronger blacker base, but the two themselves are quite similar. Skeletro has more glitter (whereas Marine has shimmer).
Formula/Wear: I have not tested Givenchy Magic Khol, so I cannot attest to its wear. YSL Eyeliners don’t seem to last all day on me, and Dolce & Gabbana can be hit or miss, but this particular shade lasted through a yoga session (and all day). tokidoki’s Glitter Eyeliners can be scratchy on the lash line because of the size of the glitter particles but wear fine otherwise.
Prescriptives Blue Grotto, NYX Emerald City, MUFE #20L, MUFE #12L, Stila Peacock,
NARS Kaliste, Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy, UD Covet, UD Flipside, YSL #9, Chanel Jade
Teal Eyeliner Comparisons & Dupes
This is a mix of green, blue, and teal–I was going for just, but some of these look rather blue.
Prescriptives Blue Grotto Eye Kohl is a deep teal-blue with a near matte finish. I swatched this one, even though it’s been discontinued, because I was hoping to find a dupe for it in a permanent liner so I could wear it more often in looks! NARS Kaliste gets very close in color, but NARS Eyeliner migrate so badly on me.
NYX Emerald City Eye Pencil is a dark forest green.
Make Up For Ever #20L Aqua Eyes is a green-teal with very fine teal shimmer. (Review)
Make Up For Ever #12L Aqua Eyes is a medium-dark blue with blue sheen. (Review)
Stila Peacock Smudge Stick is a bright medium blue. It’s not as teal as you’d think–it definitely pulls rather blue, but it is a beautiful shade. It’s almost a royal blue. (Review)
NARS Kaliste Eyeliner is a bluish teal with a near matte finish. It’s very similar to Prescriptives Blue Grotto. I love the color and the softness of the pencil, but it smudges so badly on me. (Review)
Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy Eyeliner is a medium teal with silver sparkle and reflective sheen. Fans of Urban Decay’s 24/7 Liner formula will also like Tarina Tarantino’s. (Review)
Urban Decay Covet 24/7 Liner is a dark jewel-tone teal with a satin sheen. (Review)
Urban Decay Flipside 24/7 Liner is a bright, light-medium blue. (Review)
YSL #9 Eyeliner is a soft blue with a smidgen of teal. (Review)
Chanel Jade Stylo Yeux is a green-teal with a satin sheen. (Review)
Thoughts
DUPE ALERT! If you have better luck with NARS Eyeliner than I do, you can dupe with NARS Kaliste Eyeliner.
Product Formulas/Wear: All of these wear all day long on me except NARS Eyeliners and YSL Eyeliners. NARS Eyeliners migrate and smudge terribly on me. I urge you to check out the NARS review and comment section, because some readers had similar experiences while others had great ones! YSL Eyeliners do some smudging and budging, too–not as much as NARS, but still not liners I would go to first.
Are there shades of black? Indeed there are! Not every black eyeliner is the same. There are soft blacks, medium blacks, and deep blacks (and of course, variations within those categories). To try and make some sense of it all, I’m going to assign numerical ratings based on how black each liner is, with 10 being deep, dark black, 1 meaning so light that it’s almost no longer black, and 5 meaning a medium black.
Shiseido Black Noir (BK 901) Smoothing Eyeliner Pencil has an amazing creaminess to it, and it is almost a true, deep black. (Review) 9
MAC Black Black Chromagraphic Pencil some creaminess but has some hardness (but not in a bad way–it’s not rough on eyes at all), and it is a true dark black — leans on the warm side. (Review) 10
MAC Feline Kohl Power is a rich, deep dark black that’s easy to smudge. It is a limited edition product, so it’s not currently available but is often repromoted. (Review) 10
Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner is a rich, deep dark black–creamy without being runny. (Review) 10
Urban Decay Zero 24/7 Liner is a softened, medium black. It is a slightly warmer black on me. (Review) 4
MAC Engraved Powerpoint Eye Pencil is a darkened medium black. 6
MAC Smolder Eye Kohl is a dark black with cool leanings. 8
MAC Graphblack Technakohl is a medium black. 5
Milani Black Liquif’Eye Liner is a dark black with a cool pull. (Review) 8
Stila Stingray Smudge Stick is a dark black with neutral to cool undertones. (Review) 8
YSL #1 Eye Pencil is a rich black, almost ultra black, with a very matte finish. (Review) 9
Bobbi Brown Black Kohl Eye Liner is a rich, glossy black. The glossiness makes it look less inky, though. (Review) 8
Benefit BADgal Liner is a creamy, dark black with warm leanings. (Review) 8
I included review links when I had them to share, but I had some wear issues with YSL’s #1 Eyeliner, Bobbi Brown’s Black Kohl Eyeliner, and Benefit’s BADgal.
The darkest: MAC Black Black Chromagraphic Pencil, MAC Feline Kohl Power, Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner
A shimmering, pink champagne powder for the face and décolletage.
Ombres Duolumieres ($41.00) (Limited Edition)
No. 33 Silver grey/golden plum
Golden Gloss ($30.00) (Limited Edition)
Golden Carat Gold
Golden Chocolate Bronze
Golden Red Beige
Rouge Pur Shine ($30.00) (Limited Edition)
Rose Metallique Soft rose
Or Metallique Gold
La Laque (Limited Edition)
Gold (139)
Bronze (140)
Silver (141)
Touche d’Or ($40.00) (Limited Edition)
Taking inspiration from the YSL Metallic Colorama Collection, this highlighter is like liquid gold for the face. Offering a lovely, overall illuminating effect for the complexion, Touche D’Or looks lovely by day and seductive by night.
Though often lumped into high-end, this is a tier made up of designer brands like Chanel, Dior, and YSL. Most higher-end/designer lipsticks are scented, usually with floral or fruit. Rose seems to be the most prevalent scent found in brands across the board; sometimes it’s subtle (Chanel), while other times it’s heavy (Dolce & Gabbana). I find designer range lipsticks to be non-drying to moisturizing with more opaque formulas overall. Packaging is often nicer, but it’s not always the case and is, inevitably, very personal.
CONS: May feather/bleed on slightly dry to dry lips
MY REC: I don’t find them super moisturizing, though they don’t dry lips out. Typically, I don’t find lipsticks bleed on me easily, but I did have some issues with this one feathering on me when I tested them originally (my lips were a bit drier than they normally are during those tests). Like Burberry lipsticks, there is a magnetic clasp that keeps the lid on.
PROS: Creamy, glossy finish, moisturizing, smooth, opaque, wears for an average of 4 hours
NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., fruit-scented
CONS: Basic shade range of pinks/reds
MY REC: After being spoiled by Guerlain’s Rouge G lipstick line, despite being $16 more, I feel like if I’m going to go Guerlain, I better go Rouge G. KissKiss is actually a nice formula on its own; it’s creamy, usually pigmented, and moisturizing enough for normal to dry lips.
MY REC: I love how creamy it is without being slippery; it won’t slide all over the place, so it actually wears well and on the longer side. It is also a bit pricier than other Lancome lipsticks, which makes it it their top tier lipstick, but at least they give you 0.14 oz., while the average lipstick is 0.12 oz.
PROS: Creamy, opaque, good shade range, moisturizing, wears an average of 4 hours
NEUTRAL: 0.12 oz., mango-scented
CONS: Slippery, shades can be stark, heavy
MY REC: YSL has expanded their Rouge Volupte line quite a bit since I originally reviewed the range, and more importantly, I’ve expanded the range of lipsticks I’ve tested as well. I actually find these don’t wear as well as other lipsticks–they’re just too slippery. It’s moisturizing but not overly so, but it is also one of the heavier lipsticks I’ve worn. If your lips are prone to bleeding, you might experience that with the darker shades, since it has a lot of slip.
YSL Gloss Volupte Lipstick ($30.00)
PROS: Creamy, sheer (supposed to be), glossy finish
NEUTRAL: 0.07 oz., mango-scented
CONS: Not very moisturizing, requires frequent reapplication
MY REC: Apparently, I’ve never done an official review for this, but I distinctly remember being unimpressed by it. It’s a very sheer formula, which is fine, but I didn’t even see any color on my lips, which goes beyond sheer to me. My lips felt drier after wearing this, and I found myself having to reapply every hour or two. Also, did you note how little you get for $30?
The Lipstick Comparisons series is designed to provide a quick reference summary sheet for some of the many available lipstick formulas. It seems like most brands have at least a couple of formulas, if not half a dozen, and it can be difficult to find the formulas that will work best for your budget, coloring, style, or taste.
This is not necessarily a best of list, and it’s not exhaustive–it is based on actual lipsticks that I’ve tried; they are all, however, decent to excellent lipsticks. (And perhaps, some day, it will be an exhaustive list.) I have summarized my experience based on pros and cons, but also some “neutral” factors that may be pros or cons, depending on your preferences. I will update this series as I try new lipstick formulas.
