Dolce & Gabbana Gold Lipstick
Holiday Dazzle: Dolce & Gabbana Gold Lipstick
Dolce & Gabbana Gold Shine Lipstick ($30.00) is a shimmery, shiny dose of bronzy-copper with flecks of coppery gold. This is not really a shade that works best alone but as a layering tool. This is a great lipstick to layer to achieve a warmer, brighter, or more shimmery lip color. It works particularly well under semi-sheer to sheer red-based lipglosses! It is semi-opaque, actually, because it does significantly cover lips, but since it’s more shimmer than lip color, it can look patchy on its own if you’re not careful. Even though it’s a shade I’d wear with other products, it can still be worn alone since it has decent coverage. Dolce & Gabbana lipsticks are very creamy, smooth, and always last a good four to five hours on my lips.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Add some dazzle to your lips with this shimmery lipstick from Dolce & Gabbana!
Availability: Saks Fifth Avenue
Lancome Retro Rouge Lipstick
The Scarlet Season: Lancome Retro Rouge Lipstick
Lancome Retro Rouge Color Design Lipstick
($22.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a creamy, opaque shade that gives you full coverage in just one swipe. It’s a bold, bright cheery red with just a touch of pink. It has a lovely glossy sheen with a smidgen of shimmer sprinkled throughout. It really gave my lips a juicy look–that’s the best description I could think of–and it felt incredibly weightless. I found it wore well and got about four to five hours of wear without much fuss, too. I think what surprised me about this particular formula and lipstick was just how rich in color and high the pigmentation was–I just wasn’t expecting it to be so true-to-word.
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!
Illamasqua Avenge Lipstick
Brighten Up the Winter: Illamasqua Avenge Lipstick
Illamasqua Avenge Lipstick (£14.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a new shade from their winter collection Dystopia. It’s a hot fuchsia pink with cool undertones and a matte finish. It has just a touch of sheen, but it really is quite matte. Illamasqua’s matte lipsticks are some of the least drying matte lipsticks around, but they may be more drying than some are used to (if you haven’t tried out mattes before — most of them can be a smidgen drying). Avenge is easy to apply, goes on creamy and doesn’t stick in places, so it gives lips even, opaque coverage without much fuss.
The only downside? It’s only available in the UK or through the website (which will ship outside of the UK!), but it is still a bit of a bummer.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 27/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: Love yourself some hot pink? Might like Avenge…
Availability: Illamasqua
See more swatches and photos… Continue reading →
Givenchy Elegant Pearl and Tender Pearl Gloss Interdit Ultra-Shiny Color Plumping Effect
($24.50 for 0.21 oz.) are two new, limited edition shades from Givenchy’s holiday collection. They’re sheer, pearlescent, and they pack a shimmering punch.
Elegant Pearl is a sheer, bright silver with white and silver shimmer. On lips, it gives lips a cooler, paler look with silver sparkle and a glossy sheen. It did remind me of MAC’s She-Zam Dazzleglass, which was another limited edition shade for the holiday season. Givenchy’s gloss is smoother and the shimmer much finer, which are both pluses in my book. (Oddly enough, MAC’s Dazzleglass is priced at $300/oz. while Givenchy is around $115/oz. — Dazzleglass only has 0.06 oz. of product!)
Tender Pearl is a sheer, neutral baby pink with gold and pink shimmer. It goes on as an almost milky, soft baby pink with sparkles of pink and gold – almost multicolored. It adds some color, but it’s not opaque – it really just made my lips look pinker, plusher, and paler.
This gloss formula is non-sticky and fairly hydrating with a perfume-y scent (though not as synthetic or as overwhelming as brands like Guerlain and YSL–neither of which I mind, but worth noting for those that do). It is supposed to plump up lips, but I didn’t notice any tingling or even noticeable plumping for that matter. The high gloss finish does make lips look more noticeable.
If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!
- Product: 26/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
Recommendation: If you like sheer, sparkling glosses, you might like these limited edition shades!
Availability: Sephora
Chanel Jupiter Glossimer
The Scarlet Season: Chanel Jupiter Glossimer
Chanel Jupiter Glossimer ($27.00) was a limited edition shade of orange-y red gloss with multicolored sparkle. I was happy to see it is still available through Bloomingdales, if this is your kind of red–you may even find your local Chanel counter still has some stock leftover from earlier this year as well. Glossimers have a very special shimmer about them; they’re smoother and finer than MAC’s Dazzleglass and just as dazzling. This is one of my preferred shades of Glossimers, just because it’s pigmented and super shimmery without being sticky or gritty. For a deeper, more opaque look, I’d recommend wearing a red or berry lipstick underneath.
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!
Eve Pearl Hey Sexy/Hot Mamma Lip Gloss
The Scarlet Season: Eve Pearl Hey Sexy/Hot Mamma Lip Gloss
Eve Pearl Hey Sexy/Hot Mamma Lip Gloss ($28.00) is a dual-ended lipgloss with two shades: a mauvey plum and a rich ruby red with red and gold shimmer. This is an excellent red lip gloss, because it’s richly pigmented, goes on opaque, and it feels very smooth and moisturizing. It has a minty scent, too! The gloss really impresses me most with how much color it gives lips while still being a gloss. It has a subtly glossy sheen that’s not too much, but still has a wetter look than a lipstick. One of my favorite glosses by Eve pearl!
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!
