Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss

The Scarlet Season: Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss

Le Metier de Beaute Framboise Creme Lip Creme Lip Gloss ($36.00 for 0.22 oz.) is a stunning shade of subdued ruby red with ruby and gold shimmer and the most amazing pigmentation. I remember when I first purchased this shade, which was also the first time I ever heard of or saw Le Metier de Beaute, back in February 2009 when I was in New York for fashion week. I completely fell head-over-heels in love with the shade; it was love at first swatch, as they’d say! The formula is out of this world; it’s moisturizing, glossy, ridiculously well-pigmented (it still feels more like a gloss than a lipstick or liquid lipstick), and it lasts for a good four to six hours on me. I’m still as pleased with it today as I was when I first purchased it.

I’m also pleased to note that Le Metier de Beaute has greatly improved their accessibility, available at many Neiman Marcus around the United States. (When I purchased this, they were only available at two stores or online at NeimanMarcus.com!)

What about you? Would you wear this red?

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Continue reading »

MAC Cult of Cherry Lipglass

The Scarlet Season: MAC Cult of Cherry Lipglass

MAC Cult of Cherry Lipglass ($14.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a semi-opaque ruby red with gold shimmer laced throughout. When worn alone (on my lips), it actually brings out the natural pink in my lips while adding some redness to it. It isn’t a bright, true red, though, even though it may look so in the tube. I love to layer Cult of Cherry over other red lipsticks, though, because it really makes the lipstick pop. For instance, one pairing I like a lot is Queen’s Sin + Cult of Cherry!  This was a limited edition shade available from the Cult of Cherry launch back in 2008, but you may be able to find it at a CCO or eBay.

What about you? Would you wear this red?

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Continue reading »

NYX Goddess of the Night Lip Gloss in Deep Bronze

Lipgloss on a Budget: NYX Deep Bronze Lip Gloss

NYX Goddess of the Night Lip Gloss in Deep Bronze ($5.00 for 0.53 fl. oz.) is just one of sixty shades (from what I counted on NYX’s website) available in the Lipgloss with Mega Shine collection. Deep Bronze is part of the “Goddess of the Night” collection. It’s a deep plum burgundy with burnt burgundy and copper shimmer through it.

The formula has a very glossy, almost frosty look, and it goes on semi-opaque–it’s not completely opaque, but it certainly is noticeable.  I consider it pretty pigmented for a lip gloss, so that was a pleasant and happy surprise!  The gloss itself is non-sticky, thick without being gooey, and it doesn’t feel drying when you wear it.  The shade range is incredible, and you’re sure to find at least one or two that catches your eye.  I wish NYX represented their colors with more true-to-life photos (rather than flat, graphical color swatches), because it would make purchasing online easier.

I did notice that it didn’t last as long as the average gloss does on me; it went about two hours before I felt I needed to reapply, as opposed to my typical gloss wear-time of four hours. I also found that, at least in this deeper shade, the color did have a tendency to settle into the lines of my lips. I like these glosses, and I think that aside from the wearing time, the formula and product are certainly well worth the five dollar price tag.  It’s not a big deal to reapply, because it does fade evenly and doesn’t leave any rings behind, so reapply and be on your way.  (However, if you need long-wearing lip color, these won’t meet that need.)

For me, the only part I really had trouble with was the very synthetic, almost plastic scent of sweetened cherries. I know that they were going for a cherry scent, but it just read synthetic and almost as if it went bad.  The scent doesn’t linger, thankfully, though so just breathe through your mouth while applying! :) I have also noticed that my NYX glosses and lipsticks don’t last as long on the shelf as my other lipsticks (they noticeably change in smell/texture after a year or so)–I had some NYX glosses from a year or so ago, but Deep Bronze is new. I also wish the applicator grabbed more product, because I felt like I had to get a few swipes to get the amount I needed for the best coverage.

Bottom Line: These are good glosses and worth checking out, partially because they are so affordable.  The formula itself (aside from wear-time and the scent) wears well, feels nice on lips, and packs some pigmentation. If they only last a year, it’s not a big deal to chuck it and replace it the next (if you find yourself wanting it again), since they’re so inexpensive. It’s also a nice way to play and experiment with colors without blowing your budget–not to mention there’s an extensive selection of shades to choose from!

NYX is one of my favorite brands if you’re on a tight budget (and certainly worth looking into even if you aren’t on a tight budget!). NYX also regularly has these ridiculous blowout sales where you can nab a ton of product for 50-80% off the original price. For example, right now they’re offering a bundle of sixty lipsticks for a mere $48. Seriously. $48!  The sales change regularly, so you never know what they might offer next!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 24/30
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: For an affordable non-sticky, high gloss lip gloss, NYX has enough shades to keep you busy!

Availability: NYX

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The Scarlet Season: Guerlain Rouge Sultan Cashmere Lip Gloss

Guerlain Rouge Sultan Cashmere Lip Gloss ($28.00 for 0.28 oz.) is a liquid lipstick in the shade of vibrant, orange-based red. It’s a fiery red that’s definitely a showstopping shade of scarlet. It has a semi-matte finish (even though it’s described as matte), because it still has a slight sheen to it. I would describe Guerlain’s Cashmere Lip Glosses to having a similar feel as Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laques, but they’re thinner and a little more drying on the lips (though I wouldn’t say that they are drying!). Rouge Sultan wears incredibly well, because it really hugs lips and lasts me hours and gets through a cup of coffee. Although Rouge Sultan is a limited edition shade from Guerlain’s Terracotta collection, it is still available for purchase through both Nordstrom and Sephora.

What about you? Would you wear this red?

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Continue reading »

Stila 24kt Lip Gloss: Golden Charm, Precious Coral, Radiant Sunset, Vintage Merlot

Stila Cosmetics 24kt Luxe Lip Gloss Set ($30.00) is an excellent value set with four of the five 24kt Lip Glosses. Funny enough, Stila has since dramatically dropped the prices on their 24kt Lip Glosses to a measly $8 a pop, so you can actually go ahead and get all five of them for $40 instead of four for $30.

The shades included in this holiday set are: Golden Charm (a sheer warm-toned yellow gold with copper and gold shimmer), Precious Coral (a sheer, soft orange-coral with pale orange-gold shimmer), Radiant Sunset (a semi-sheer, fiery orange-red with golden and copper shimmer throughout), and Vintage Merlot (a semi-sheer berry-wine with gold and plum shimmer). The other 24kt Lip Gloss shade available is Brilliant Pink, which is a semi-sheer bright pink.

The 24kt Lip Glosses are non-sticky to slightly tacky, they’re not too thick, and they tend to be sheerer rather than opaque shades. They’re ultra shimmery and have a nice high gloss sheen to them as well. They can be a little gritty after they’ve faded away as some of the glitter hangs on, but it’s something I’ve experienced the majority of glittery glosses.  These also come with a brush-type applicator that requires you to twist the bottom to dispense the product–kind of an ew factor for me, personally.

Bottom Line: They’re fun glosses, and while at $22 a pop (the original price), I hesitated, at $8 each, there’s not much to think about!

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 26/30
• Value: 10/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 3/5

Recommendation: For super shimmery lips that are as affordable as they are bling-bling, Stila’s 24kt Lip Glosses are a steal!

Availability: Stila Cosmetics

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The Scarlet Season: MAC Check Please Lipglass

MAC Check Please Lipglass ($14.00 for 0.17 oz.) is just a sexy bright red lip with the slightest reddish-gold shimmer laced through a rather opaque red base. It’s definitely one of those, “Yeah, my lips are sexy, what are you going to do about it?” kind of shades. It’s one of my favorite lipglasses ever, because the formula is so smooth, rich, and easy to apply. I really wish MAC would re-release this shade or launch one just like it (I’m down with a dupe!), because it is truly a stunning red. The closest permanent shade would be Russian Red, but I’d say you’d have to add a smidgen of Desire to really get something similar.

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Continue reading »

C.O. Bigelow Warm Spiced Cider Lip Shine ($7.50 for 0.5 oz.) is a sheer, shimmery lip jelly that spells like a apple cider and tastes sweet. I very rarely lick my lips, but this tastes so yum! This particular flavor is part of the Mentha Lip Cordials, so there is a bit of a cooling sensation when you initially apply it, and apparently it also freshens breath (zero calories!). It gives lips a glossy look with just a touch of shimmer but no real color (which is fine) while keeping them hydrated while you wear it. Warm Spiced Cider is new for the holiday season, along with Hot Buttered Rum, Triple Hot Chocolate, and Vanilla Cream Eggnog. I find I apply this when I’m running errands or around the house to keep my lips in tip top shape.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 9/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re looking for a moisturizing lip balm/jelly, C.O. Bigelow’s Lip Shines give you high gloss, yummy flavored choices.

Availability: Bath & Body Works

The Scarlet Season: Smashbox Siren Lip Enhancing Gloss

Smashbox Siren Lip Enhancing Gloss ($18.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a mostly red, slightly pink-tinged semi-opaque gloss with a coppery red shimmer that’s noticeable but not in-your-face. The best part about this gloss (and other shades in the same formula) is the high shine, ultra glossy look it gives lips. My lips just seemed to look a little bigger, fuller, and just more POW! overall. The formula iteslf is non-sticky, not really thick (but not super thin, either–somewhere in-between), and very moisturizing. The gloss does contain vitamin E, so it helps keep lips feeling their best. It has a soft slightly sweet vanilla scent to it, as well. Siren is a good shade to gloss over a red lipstick for extra shine or wear alone!

The Scarlet Season is a series of posts showcasing and featuring my favorite shades of red lips–from glosses to lipsticks that runs through December 2009. You can sure expect to see a lot of red this holiday season!

See more swatches and comparison photos… Continue reading »

Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette ($75.00) is the stunning eye and lip palette include with Bobbi Brown’s Chrome Collection, and it is also limited edition (of course!). The palette includes ten shades of eyeshadow and four shades of lip glosses.

For Eyes

• White Eyeshadow is just that, a matte snowy white. It’s slightly cool, but it isn’t frosty or cold.
• Polar Ice Eyeshadow is a soft, light gray with a blue tinge and silver shimmer. It goes on a bit sheer, but it can be layered for a slightly more solid look.
• Storm Cloud Eyeshadow is a sparkly medium dark brown. It doesn’t really have anything special about it to make it unique, but it still looks pretty (you just may already have something similar in your stash).
• Iron Eyeshadow is a matte slate gray. It didn’t go on as smoothly as the White eyeshadow, and it felt a little more dusty.
• Thunder Eyeshadow is a glittery dark gray with a touch of black and silver shimmer. This reminded me of MAC’s Knight Divine, though not quite as glittery or gritty.
• Moonlight Eyeshadow is a glittery soft pink with a little champagne tone. Bobbi Brown describes it as a cool purple sparkle, which is clearly not. The back of my palette shows that this is where Moonlight is supposed to be, but I really feel like this and Foil were misplaced/mislabeled.
• Cyber Grey Eyeshadow is a slightly purple tinged smoky silver shimmer shade.
• Foil Eyeshadow is a glittery soft purple-gray — very similar to Cyber Grey, but it has more of a glittery texture. As I mentioned earlier, I think this is really Moonlight and Foil is the other one… as Bobbi Brown describes Foil as “a pale bronze.” Again, I’m just going off the back of my palette (and Bobbi Brown’s website).
• Chrome Eyeshadow is a silver with a little brown thrown in – kind of reminds me of Pewter Chrome Eyeshadow, but not nearly as pretty. (Sorry, I *love* that eyeshadow, so not much can compare.)
• Charcoal Haze Eyeshadow is a matte medium gray-black. This one had the same texture as Iron, but it did seem a little smoother.

For Lips

• Pink Mist Lip Gloss is a medium yellow-pink with multi-colored sparkle. It’s pretty sheer, but I found I could actually see some color when I swatched it on my skin (which I barely could with the Earth Metal palette).
• Winter Bronze Lip Gloss is a copper sparkled bronze shade. On lips, it looks a bit burnished, but it’s not ultra pigmented so it’s more wearable than it looks.
• Berry Lip Gloss is a muted plum-berry with soft sparkle. I liked this shade the most, as it seemed opaque enough to add color to lips, but still soft as I’d expect from Bobbi Brown.
• Chrome Pink Lip Gloss is beige-rose with gold sparkle. It’s pretty, and it’s a shade I could see people loving for everyday.

You know me — I don’t like lip palettes. I don’t like them alone, and I don’t like them when attached to eyeshadow palettes, either. They’re just a no-go for me. I will say that the gloss in these are more pigmented than in Bobbi Brown’s Earth Metal Eye & Lip Palette, which is a plus.  I’m not going to drop points on this product because of that personal bias, so I’m judging on the product included itself, which is better than a lot of lip palettes I’ve tried.

In the palette, you get 10 eyeshadows, each weighing 0.02 oz. (total weight of 0.20 oz.), and you also get four lipglosses, each weighing 0.03 oz. (total weight of 0.12 oz.). A single Bobbi Brown eyeshadow retails for $22 for 0.10 oz. and a single lip gloss retails for $20 for 0.14 oz. The reason for all these conversions is to see exactly how much you’re paying for what and whether it’s worth buying a palette if you like a few shades or if you should look towards Bobbi Brown’s permanent line-up instead. The eyeshadows (by weight) would yield about $44 in value, while the lip glosses yield about $17 — which gives you a total “value” of $61. The palette is priced at $75, so I do think it’s a bit steep, even when you consider the fact that you’re getting a variety of shades all housed in a pretty chrome palette.

I also don’t think there’s quite enough variety between the ten shades of eyeshadows — a few are quite similar (like Cyber Grey and Foil). This is definitely a cool smoky eye palette with a little purple kick. I like that they included three different matte shades in the palette, because I think mattes are often missed in palettes. I do wish they had included a highlighter shade, as I think the White eyeshadow will be too garish on bolder skin tones to work well as a highlighter. In a palette of this size, I’d expect a really obvious highlighter shade.

For me, this palette is just okay. It’s not the best value, and I think Bobbi Brown has better shades (or the equivalent) available in her permanent range. In fact, I definitely recommend her Chrome Eyeshadows (and duh, my #1 recommendation would be for Pewter!) if you’re not liking the majority of the shades in this palette. The eyeshadows are soft, have a smooth texture, and they’re all pigmented. There is nothing wrong with them, but I’m just not loving the color combination overall. Nice but not amazing, you know?

Bottom Line: for those who DO love the majority of the shades in the palette and don’t mind lipgloss in pan form, I think you may like this. It’s housed in chromed-out package (which does hold fingerprints, FYI!), offers plenty of smoky eyeshadow combinations, and is appropriate for the upcoming holiday season.  I also think Bobbi Brown fans may enjoy this more than I did, and I think it’s worth at least a peek next time you’re near a Bobbi Brown counter to see for yourself.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 24/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:

Availability: Bobbi Brown, Nordstrom

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Guerlain: Perle de Lune KissKiss Gloss

Guerlain Perle de Lune KissKiss Gloss ($29.00 for 0.17 oz.) is one of three new, limited edition shades of KissKiss Gloss from Guerlain’s Holiday Collection.

Perle de Lune is a sheer, milky pale pink (it’s almost colorless, so soft the pink is!) with a large dose of pink, gold, and bronze shimmer. This is a particularly glittery shade of KissKiss Gloss, but it doesn’t feel gritty, so I do like that. I’d also say that this is definitely a shade you’d layer on a lipstick rather than wear alone, but for some, it’s a nice way to add sparkle without adding a lot of color.

KissKiss Gloss is a non-sticky, moisturizing gloss that lasts about four hours or so on me. I love the way it sparkles and glitters on my lips, and they always look fantastic layered over lipsticks. The scent is sort of a sweet rose, which isn’t always loved by lipgloss fans alike, so you may want to give it a whiff before making the leap for this shade. This particular holiday shade reminded me a lot of Chanel’s Holiday Aqualumieres, which also very sheer but had lots of sparkle–almost a mix of Canari and Colibri.

Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of sparkly glosses and don’t need a lot of color in your gloss, Perle de Lune may be right up your alley. It’s a bit of a splurge at $29 and you only get 0.17 oz., so it’s not the cheapest gloss around.  The packaging of this limited edition shade is also very pretty.

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ! :)

• Product: 29/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 5/5

Recommendation: For a fun, ridiculously sparkly gloss that doesn’t feel gritty, Perle de Lune makes a great shade for layering.

Availability: Nordstrom

See swatches and comparisons… Continue reading »