Korres #34 Nude Guava Lipstick

The Spring Season: Korres #34 Nude Guava Lipstick

Korres #34 Nude Guava Lipstick ($22.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a softened peachy-nude with a creamy, smooth look. It goes on opaque and feels moisturizing without being heavy. There is no shimmer to the color, just a bit of a glossy sheen when the light hits. It’s a beautiful color with a lovely finish and feel–I just wish you got more in the tube, as it’s about half as much as a typical lipstick.

Is this the right nude lipstick for you? Would you wear it?

The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.

See photos and swatches…

Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick

The Spring Season: Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick

Korres #13 Natural Pink Guava Lipstick ($22.00) is a creamy, opaque shade of pinky-beige that’s not quite nude, but not quite pink, either. Guava Lipsticks feel lovely on–very smooth, soft, and emollient–but they’re on the pricier side of high-end lipsticks, because you don’t get as much as you’d expect in each tube. The shade itself is gorgeous, though, and it’s one of the better lipstick formulas in the price range. If you’re like me and never expect to empty a tube of lipstick in the first place, then price per ounce isn’t as much of a concern. If you have a tendency to finish your lipsticks or like to reapply often, this one might be a little pricey.

More Korres Guava Lipsticks…

• #22 Rose
  
• #55 Red

Is this the right pink-nude lipstick for you? Would you wear it?

The Spring Season is a series of posts featuring my favorite soft beige, coral, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for the first blossom of spring — that runs through March 2010.

See photos and swatches…

Korres Guava Lipsticks: Gorgeous, but are they worth it?

Korres Guava Lipstick ($22.00 for 0.06 oz.) is a slim-sized lipstick with carnauba wax, beeswax, and shea to keep your lips hydrated as you wear the lipstick color. It’s currently available in ten different shades ranging from nude to red. I tried #17 Pink and #55 Red.

• #17 Pink is a shimmery shade of rosy pink with no real shimmer so much as just a silver frosty sheen. It went on fairly pigmented, though I’d describe it as semi-opaque. It was smooth and creamy, and it definitely felt moisturizing on the lips.
• #55 Red is a semi-opaque shade of vibrant blue-based red with a subtle sheen. This one was a bit more pigmented and intense compared to #17 Pink, but it is also red, so I was expecting a little more pay off with this shade.

I actually really loved the feel of these–very soft and silky. I felt like these wore well, too, and they gave me about four hours of wear with minimal fading. Though they made my lips feel hydrated, they’re not ultra creamy or glossy–I don’t think they’d give chapped lips enough hydration to quench their thirst, but for normal lips, they do quite well.

My biggest complaint was the price of the lipstick, particularly relative to how much product you get. To put it in perspective, a MAC lipstick goes for $14.00 for 0.10 oz.; a Guerlain lipstick goes for $30.00 for 0.12 oz.; Cargo’s PlantLove lipstickgoes for $20.00 for 0.14 oz.; and a Urban Decay lipstick goes for $22.00 for 0.13 oz.

I’d be more comfortable paying $22.00 if I was getting a decent amount of product. Korres’ Mango Butter Lipsticks are $18.00 for 0.12 oz. product, so while the Guava Lipstick may have fancier ingredients, it still felt and looked like a lipstick on me, so the extra $6 for half the product is hard to swallow.  Next time, I’m going to look into their regular lipsticks instead.

• Product: 8/10
• Value: 6/10
• Ease of Use: 8/10
• Packaging: 7/10

Recommendation: Love pigmented lipsticks? Korres give just the right amount of pigmentation for a nice lip color. The packaging is slim and compact, but the price is not nearly as palatable. At $22 a pop, it’s a bit more than a treat for some. From Korres, I’d expect a price a bit lower (probably around $18) or else double the product. One of the major reasons I love Korres is that they’re an affordable and consistent brand.  The Guava Lipsticks are a great product, but they’re certainly a bit of a splurge!

Availability: Sephora

See more swatches and product photos…

Guava Lipstick in #17 Pink and #55 Red; Cherry Lipgloss in #52 Red; #51 Silver Eyeshadow; #13 Sky Blue Eyeliner Pencil

#17 Pink Guava Lipstick

#55 Red Guava Lipstick

For many of us, Mondays can be tough days, what with the work/school week starting off anew. I like to motivate myself for the week by finding things I’m lusting after (usually beauty products–shock of shocks, I’m sure!). It helps me focus my energy on Monday mornings into the things I need to get done, and these little acts of motivation can also serve to be rewards later on down the road, if I accomplish enough of my to-do list, of course!

• theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer ($22.00) is one of theBalm’s newer products, and it is a a shimmery powder. It looks like it’s designed to be a highlighter, but the copy says it can be used as a highlighter, shimmer or shadow. All I know is I’ve heard great things about theBalm’s cheek products, but I haven’t had a chance to try them out for myself.
• Philosophy Beach Party Golden Girl Lip Shine ($12.00) is a summery lip shine, and if you know me… you know I love me some Philosophy lip shines! They’re really hydrating on the lips, give a gorgeous glossy sheen, and they smell delicious.
• Givenchy Poetique Blues ($53.00) just looks stunning in the promo photos. I haven’t seen Givenchy’s fall collection pop up on-counter yet, but it’s all available via Sephora now… for things like these, I’m so hesitant to buy sight unseen, though!
• Benefit Cosmetics Lip Gloss ($18.00) is Benefit’s latest gloss formula, and the shades look gorgeous. I haven’t broken down and purchased any yet, because I haven’t heard enough glowing reviews… What say you?
• NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara ($25.00) is a new mascara, which just recently debuted at Sephora, designed to volumize and hold a curl. I’ve never tried mascara by NARS, so I wonder how this one will compare. The price is a little steep for my liking, though. At that price, I’ll opt for YSL or Chanel.
• Illamasqua Pure Pigment ($24.00) seem to be right up my alley. I know the beauty world is buzzin’ about Illamasqua (both good and bad), but I am really anxious to see these for myself. Chasm, Conquer, and Involve all look like shades I’d love. Those of you in the UK or in NYC, love ‘em or leave ‘em?
• TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System ($225.00) is something that appeals to my inner beauty-gadget-geek. I love tech-y beauty stuff. I imagine this could be kind of fun (A girl can dream, right?)
• Korres Guava Lipstick ($22.00) is tempting, just because Korres, as a brand, has been impressing me as of late. I’m quite eager to check out their color line, since their skincare is fantastic.

What’s motivating you this Monday?