The Scarlet Season: Cargo Cherry Bliss Lipstick

CARGO PlantLove Cherry Bliss Lipstick ($20.00 for 0.14 oz.) is an earth-friendly lipstick (tube is made out of corn) that also does good, too.  For their celeb-designed lipsticks, $2 from the purchase price goes to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research.   Even the box it comes with can be planted and you’ll see some nice flowers grow.  Cherry Bliss was designed by celebrity Kim Raver, and it is a glossy, opaque cherry red. It’s a bright pop of red with a really glossy finish (but no real shimmer). The formula itself is creamy and moisturizing while it wears really well (about five to six hours).

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 »

Guerlain Holiday: Guerlain Gems Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Gems Rouge G Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is the second new, limited edition shade of Rouge G from Guerlain’s Holiday Collection. (The other new, limited edition shade is Grace, which I reviewed last week.)

Gems is a beautiful shade of slight subdued pink-coral with a fiery gold shimmer laced throughout. It’s hard for me to call it a coral, because there is a very pink color base to it, yet the brightness of the rising sun shimmer makes it pop. For me, this was love at first swatch — this is a shade I could see myself wearing all the time, no matter the occasion.

It’s just one of those shades that suits me well and makes me feel great wearing it. I’ve always considered makeup more than just utility — it’s about the feeling and experience and joy I get from using it. This just makes me happy!  Even outside of my makeup haze, I really do think this is a very flattering shade that a lot of people could wear and find work well for them.

The Rouge G formula is fantastic — smooth, silky, wears and fades well, and goes on opaque overall.  The only real detractor is the wowza price tag.  When it comes to Rouge G, I really do believe you’re paying mostly for the packaging.  I just can’t deny the formula rocks — I just wish they’d make the formula available with some cheaper packaging!

By the way, Gems looks amazing with Guerlain’s Perle de Lune KissKiss Gloss (also from this collection) layered on top.

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

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

Recommendation: If you love slightly coral-pinks or shimmery shades, you may want to check out this limited edition holiday shade if you can take the splurge!

Availability: Nordstrom

See more photos and swatches… Continue reading »

Trish McEvoy Gorgeous Red Gorgeous Lip Color ($25.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a blue-based fuchsia-red. It applies semi-opaquely and definitely has a distinctive pinkness to it, so it’s not really a true red. However, the pink makes it less intense and thereby makes it more wearable for some who are a little shy of truer reds. I found the formula to be hydrating, and it felt more like a lip stain than a lipstick. I wouldn’t describe it as a creamy red, but more of a sheer red with a higher color threshold than expected out of a sheerer shade. It’s also a buildable shade, which means that it took a few layers to get a mostly solid look, but on the same token, you can go sheerer if you like (or the occasion calls for it) with the same shade.

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

• Product: 25/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  For fans of sheerer, softer reds, Gorgeous Red gives you sheer-to-buildable pinky red.

Availability: BlueMercury.com

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 photos and swatches… Continue reading »

The Scarlet Season: Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick ($22.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a vibrant, true red with a creamy texture, glossy finish, and goes on opaque with little fuss. It applies surprisingly smooth and easily, without any feathering or bleeding from the get-go (but as with any red lipstick or gloss, I always recommend a lip liner for secure color). This is a shade that doesn’t run too blue or too orange, though if pressed, I’d consider it a blue-red. I love the glossiness of the finish, because it almost looks like you’ve already topped it with clear gloss.

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 »

The Scarlet Season: MAC So Scarlet Lipstick

MAC So Scarlet Lipstick ($14.00 for 0.10 oz.) was a limited edition shade of a mostly opaque deep ruby red released with the Cult of Cherry Collection. I love the creamy texture of this shade, because it really helps make application a breeze. It can be applied as more of a semi-opaque color with just one layer, but two layers yields you a bold ruby red with a glossy finish–it’s almost so pretty it doesn’t need gloss (though it does need lip liner to prevent it from bleeding). I love it with Jampacked Lipglass for a deeper 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 »

Guerlain: Grace Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Grace Rouge G Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is one of two new, limited edition shades of Rouge G from Guerlain’s Holiday Collection. (The other shade is Gems.)

If you’ve been following my coverage of various permanent shades of Rouge G, you’ll know the formula is smooth, luxurious, and often, shades are opaque. The lipstick contains a smoother, softer shimmer that’s not frosty or glittery. Wear time is about four or five hours, though it’s not a long-wearing lipstick, so it won’t last through dinner and drinks.

Grace is a soft, beige-y pink with a soft pink-peach shimmer. On my lips, it does look a lot like a subtle enhancement of my natural color and doesn’t really pack a punch as far as color goes. Depending on your tastes/needs, you may l ike the subtly and softness of this holiday shade, while others may find the muted color too bland for their liking.

Bottom Line: It’s a nice shade, and it’s something you can easily wear any time–not just the holidays–and for any occasion. The price will always be a sticking factor for some, and Rouge G isn’t for everyone (I’m pretty sure Guerlain was well aware of that fact when they priced these at $45 a pop), but they are very nice splurge items, particularly when you find just the right shade for you.

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

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: Grace is a fitting name for this shade, because it’s perfect for wearing everyday or with a smoky eye — it’s a versatile shade even though some may find it’s too bland to warrant the splurge.

Availability: Nordstrom

See swatches and comparisons… Continue reading »

The Scarlet Season: MAC Wild ‘Bout You Lipstick

MAC Wild ‘Bout You Lipstick ($14.00 for 0.10 oz.) was a limited edition shade of amazingness launched with the Rockocco Collection back in fall of 2006. MAC described it as a “rich raspberry with pink pearlized pigments” with a matte frost finish (who knew you could have a matte frost!).  This shade is almost not quite a red, but I couldn’t resist including it, because 1) it does have a red tinge to it, and 2) I tend to reach for it when I’m feeling like wearing red.

It’s a very amped up raspberry red with kind of an icy pearl fuchsia-pink sheen, but otherwise, the lipstick itself is matte.  I will also say that Wild ‘Bout You is a particularly dry matte, so it’s not the easiest to use on imperfect lips.  Because it does have a tendency to be quite dry, I usually wear it with a gloss on top, which makes it look and feel the way I like it to.  Don’t forget – you can see looks/lip combinations of me wearing this lipstick here.

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 »

The Scarlet Season: Guerlain Giovanna Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Giovanna Rouge G Lipstick ($45.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a sensational limited edition shade of coppery ruby red, which was launched as part of Guerlain’s Fall 2009 Collection (so it may still be available in-store). It’s got the smooth, silky feel of Rouge G lipsticks with a punch of pigment and the subtle, sparkling coppery shimmer that really just makes this red glow. This is definitely one of my favorite shades of Rouge G that I’ve tried out, and I wish it was part of the permanent line-up! The Rouge G line isn’t for everyone, since it is a particularly pricey lipstick, but the formula is divine (though you do pay a good bit for the packaging) and worth the splurge for the lipstick fiend.

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 »

The Scarlet Season: L’Oreal #301 Real Red Lipstick

L’Oreal #301 Colour Riche Anti-Aging Serum Lipstick ($9.99) may not be my favorite or choice in lipstick formula, but it is a more affordable line of decent lip color (the packaging really kills it for me, unfortunately). Colour Riche is very creamy and hydrating on lips, and the color is a slightly sheered out opaque orange-based red. It reminded me of a sheerer, lighter version of Giorgio Armani’s #401 Rouge d’Armani Lipstick. If I had to pick, I would go Armani, but I realize that it doesn’t fit everyone’s budget, so I thought it’d be good to feature this particular L’Oreal shade as a more budget-friendly alternative!

What do you think of this shade of scarlet?

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 comparison shot… Continue reading »

Giorgio Armani #401 Rouge d’Armani Lipstick ($30.00) is the newest long-wear lipstick formula from Armani, only recently released last month. The new formula is available in eighteen shades, ranging from beiges to pinks to reds to browns. According to Giorgio Armani, Rouge d’Armani is designed to be a hydrating, long-wearing lipstick that lasts for “up to eight hours without fading or feathering,” as well as give lips “continuous hydration” for up to six hours.

I tested out #401, which is an orange-based red and made famous by songstress Rihanna. The lipstick feels like a dream when you first apply it – it’s lightweight, creamy, and the color is fairly opaque. I did find that it feathered/bled a bit when my lips were more on the drier side (a terrible side-effect of getting over a flu!) and less so when my lips were more naturally hydrated. I’d basically say if you have drier lips, you’ll still need a liner to keep your red looking pristine, but if you have lips less prone to feathering, you may be able to skip that step with this formula.

The color does wear well and begins to fade after about five or six hours, or faster if I’m eating/drinking. It’s a long-wearing lipstick formula for sure, but I didn’t find it made it through a meal intact. I was able to drink a bit with minimal fading, though. Like most reds, when it does fade away, it leaves a slight reddish stain behind, which is always nice, because you don’t have to feel like you have to reapply right that very second.

The packaging is sleek and classy – all black with a magnetic clasp (so you’ll hear a “click” when it closes) and a slightly raised logo where the cap and lipstick meet. The price is a bit steeper than other Armani lipsticks (like ArmaniSilk, which is $25), but it does offer stellar color and wear-time.

Bottom Line: I’m definitely going to stop by my Giorgio Armani counter next time I’m at Nordstrom, so I can see if any of the other colors appeal to me. #401 is a bit too orange for my personal preference, so the first shade I want to see in person is #400!

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

• Product: 28/30
• Value: 8/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you like creamy, hydrating lipsticks with full-color pigmentation, Rouge d’Armani may be the one for you!

Availability: Nordstrom

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 photos and swatches… Continue reading »