Calvin Klein Delicious Light Glistening Lip Gloss in Maven ($16.00) is a great night-on-the-town kind of color.  It’s a very pigmented gloss in a deep shade of burgundy-wine, so it gives lips a dramatic look without being too high maintenance.  The gloss formula itself is non-sticky as far as I could tell, but still thick enough that it’s not a balm or a sheer gloss.

When applied, the color goes on smoothly and looks almost like shimmering water (if water was burgundy and that was acceptable!).  The shimmer is just right; it’s obvious and noticeable, but it isn’t chunky or gritty.  I found the gloss lasted for several hours before fading, and I didn’t get the dreaded lipgloss ring at the end of the day.  I rarely like a gloss enough to wear it alone, but I find this one to be exceptional for that purpose.

This gloss is perfect for nights out, but you can definitely rock it during the day time.  Right now, I keep it in my purse, because its an easy grab-and-go color I can wear if I need to amp up my look while out and about.

Swatch + lip swatch… Continue reading »

Philosophy’s Red Velvet Cake Lip Shine ($12.00) is one of Philosophy’s flavors for the holiday season. It smells very chocolaty, but almost like a spicy chocolate (though not too spicy!). It gives a smidgen of color (it deepens your natural pigmentation), lots of gloss (duh), and it’s a great way to keep your pucker look kissable without sticky gloss or rich lipstick. I find that the lip shines just work really well when I have down time or I’m just running errands. I mean, you just can’t kiss your boyfriend with lipstick and lipglass on–for one, mine doesn’t want all that on his lips; and second, it’ll still mess up my perfect color combination anyway!

Anyone with some brand new lip shines hanging around who doesn’t want them?  Let me take them off your hands! ;)

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Philosophy’s Under the Mistletoe Trio ($28.00) consists of three delicious lip shines. You get Gingerbread, Spicy Pear Cobbler, and Orange Cranberry Spritzer–and all three smell exactly like their names. Don’t let Spicy Pear intimidate you, because it doesn’t actually make your lips look green! It gives them a lovely high shine finish with a touch of golden-green tint that doesn’t look unnatural. Think MAC’s Spring Bean lipglass in terms of actual application. Lip shines are ridiculously glossy; they definitely give your lips a high shine finish. This little trio makes a perfect stocking stuffer, too ;)

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Philosophy First Snow Set ($26.00) is a three-piece set featuring Snow Shower exfoliating shower gel (4 oz.), Snow Body Shimmer Lotion (2 oz.), and Snow Kiss Lip Shine (0.5 oz). The Snow Shower is a glittery gel that exfoliates and sloughs off rough skin without being rough. I’d consider it a gentle body exfoliator. The Snow Body Shimmer Lotion is adorable; it’s such a fun product to use when you want to pamper yourself. The shimmer went on subtly, which is great, because while I love some body shimmer, I don’t want a glittery hot mess either! I love, love, LOVE Philosophy’s Lip Shines (you know how some people obsess over Juicy Tubes? Lip Shines for me!). It’s not surprising that Snow Kiss is a nice low key choice. It’s a sheer, shimmery gloss with blue-toned glimmer. It’s kind of like frost/ice in a sense.  There’s a scent/flavor to it; I’m not exactly sure what it is… reminds me almost of raspberry lemonade.

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Tarte’s Purse Your Lips Lipgloss Clutch ($39.00) features nine stunning shades of lip glosses. Each brand new, limited edition shade features Tarte’s “t5 super fruit complex” (which kind of makes me giggle–let’s be honest). The clutch that holds the lipglasses is large enough that it should fit all of the lipglosses, and then perhaps another twenty more. It’s quite roomy, so you can definitely utilize it as a holiday clutch, and not just a makeup holder, during the winter. The color of the clutch is a faux snakeskin pattern with a dark purple base with golden-greenish sheen/shimmer.

What I liked most about this holiday set is you get a lot of fun colors to play with. I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest value (you get nine 0.02oz glosses for $39, while one 0.2 oz gloss runs you $21), though it would depend on whether you consider the clutch something you’d use. But anyway, half of the time I go for a holiday set is because I can try several products out at once for less than just one. This holds true here. The shades range of peach-nude to creamy red. You’re bound to find a few favorites, and even ones that you’ll use, but hold off for that special occasion.

A downside to this set of glosses is that they are all limited edition. They were intended to be sold in this clutch only; you won’t even find names listed on them (how annoying, by the way!). So if you fall in love with one, don’t expect it to hold you over for very long, and you will have to be on the hunt for a similar shade, since no full-size exists.

See the clutch, plus photos of each gloss and swatches! Continue reading »

Clinique’s Blackberry Bloom collection for the holidays has a few stunning products definitely worth a trip over to your local Clinique counter! Particularly lovely is the Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Blackberry Bloom ($29.50) (pictured above), which is a pleasant shade of muted raspberry-mauve. It’s not too warm or cool, making it ideal for all skin tones. It has low level pearl in it; no over the top shimmer, more like a sophisticated sheen. Black Coffee ($14.00) is a rich shade of warm brown with golden flecks in it. I think it would be perfect way to add definition to the crease paired with a nude shade all over the lid. All of the shadows had great texture and consistency; they were smooth, pigmented, and blended easily.

Along with these holiday products, Clinique has come out with Party Red, featuring shades of red and coordinating products for those bold red lips. Both the Butter Shine Lipstick in Parisian Red ($14.00) and Long Last Lipstick in Party Red ($14.00) are excellent choices for your perfect holiday pout. Parisian Red seemed more like a truer red than Party Red, which is just a little subdued and has more of a frost finish to it. If I had to pick one, Parisian Red is the one I’d lust over!

You can see product photos of the products mentioned above, plus several more, as well as swatches… Continue reading »

Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick ($38.00) According to Bobbi Brown, there are five shades found within this shimmer brick: Candlelight, Gold, Copper, Beige, and Sand. I like the subtle glow it gave me; it’s very subtle, not too much color–more of a shimmer, highlighting effect. Some shimmer bricks give more color than others, but I’ve always liked the shimmer they’ve given, regardless of actual color (since I still consider these highlighters rather than blushes!). Copper Diamond is probably more suitable for warm-tones, just because it’s so warm itself. I still think cooler skin tones will enjoy this shimmer brick, because it won’t bronze you in a fake, orange kind of way.

Copper Diamond Glitter Lip Balm ($19.00) is a very subtle and sheer lip balm. It’s not sticky or tacky; it barely went on for me, to be honest. I saw a hint of shimmer/glitter on my lips, but the color itself was minimal. I haven’t tried the other shades, so perhaps those are more pigmented–otherwise, I’d skip these and head straight for the new, limited edition glitter lip gloss (the ones in the compact).

Glitz Metallic Eyeshadow ($20.00) is a new shade to the line’s existing metallic eyeshadows. The metallic eyeshadows have a more–you guessed it–metallic finish. I find they’re shimmery/frosty finishes, some of them do seem more metallic than others, though. Glitz itself is a soft, pale yellow-gold that goes on with a nice dose of shimmer and glitz (ha!). I think it’s a great shade for the holidays, as it’s a great all-over lid color to match with festive holiday-red lips! Oh, by the way? While they’re sold in their individual compacts, you can always pop ‘em out and put them in Bobbi Brown’s customizable palettes. Depotting without the hassle that comes alogn with MAC pots–awesome.

Ball Glitter Lip Gloss ($19.00) is actually my favorite product from the two collections. It’s a thick, semi-tacky gloss that is full of glittery bits with decent color. I picked up Ball, which gives lips some warmth and golden shimmer. It’s a great gloss over reds, especially a red like MAC’s Port Red, because of the lipstick’s subtle gold shimmer.

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Three Custom Color Specialists recently launched their Czarina Collection, which includes:  Ballet Russe Lipstick ($18.50), Gilded Eye Shadow ($19.50), and Russian Blue Eye SHadow ($19.50).  Also, I have shots and swatches of TAI Lip Shine ($19.50), and every purchase of TAI results in 20% being donated towards the American Diabetes Association.  Wallflower was also recently launched as part of their creamy cheek colors, and it is a “shimmering beige.”  Perfect for subtle, flawless skin–the kind that never seems to grow old on the runways.  Here are some product shots and swatches for your beauty consumption!

“Travel is always so inspiring for us! We learn about other cultures, which helps us to be more global in our approach.” says Chad, “This collection pays homage to Russia with a look that exemplifies a modern Czarina; powerful, refined and sophisticated.”

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I always thought Darphin was a skincare only kind of brand, but apparently they offer some makeup, too.  I recently tried Darphin Lip Gloss in Illusion ($22.00), which is a cool, light pink color.  From their website, lipglosses are described as, “softly enhanc[ing] your lips natural colour and nourish[ing] them with sensual pleasure. Endless sheen and gloss.”  The key ingredients are listed as:  Wheat Protein Microspheres and Complex, Rosemary and Soy Extract, Vitamin E.

It comes with a small, doe foot applicator for application.  I say small because it is notably smaller than many other doe footed applicators I’ve used in my beauty career.  So on the plus side, those readers who have thinner or smaller lips might find this a novelty and great change of pace.  On the negative side, sometimes it takes several plunges of the applicator to get enough to cover my lips (which are on the fuller side, fyi).

I’m all about a high-gloss product.  I love sheen, shine, anything that glimmers and shimmers both indoors and outdoors.  Darphin definitely delivers a high-gloss product, and the shimmer is subtle and totally “adult.”  It’s not chunky, in-your-face glitter bits.  When I wear the gloss alone, it actually looks like there is some luminosity to my lips.  Totally bizarre, and it’s not something I’ve noticed before, but there’s a certain softness created by the way the shimmer reflects light.  And what you’re all wondering… this is not a sticky or tacky gloss; it reminds me of the texture of Chanel Glossimers a bit.  (Doesn’t it seem like high end glosses are of this variety?)  The wear time is good, and if you wear it alone, it fades away in subtly and naturally (no ring o’ gloss ’round your lips).

All in all, I liked both the color and texture of the gloss, and considering I don’t have many cool pink glosses in my makeup collection, it was a nice change of pace.

See skin and lip swatches… Continue reading »

If you know me, I’m not a big drugstore shopper when it comes to makeup.  I just prefer the experience at the counter, and we all know MAC is a brand near and dear to my heart.  So when you have enough makeup to paint ten faces, you just don’t feel as compelled to seek out alternatives at the drugstore, you know?  That being said, I was 100% impressed by Sally Hansen’s Natural Beauty Color Comfort Lip Colors.  These lipsticks felt ridiculously creamy, moisturizing, and they were rich and intense in pigmentation.  At $9.99 a pop, it’s not exactly a bargain, but I imagine, like other drugstore brands, it will go on sale from time to time.  Even at the full price, these lipsticks are amazing.  I will definitely be keeping these within reach!

See lip swatches! Continue reading »