Of course, I’m not going to leave you without lip swatches! I also included side-by-side comparisons of my natural lips vs. the lipgloss — let me know if you like the inclusion of these. I still included the full-size close-ups of each shade, though.
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Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque
Chanel Dragon Rouge Allure Laque ($32.00) is one of the most stunning shades of red I’ve ever had the pleasure to wear. I’m absolutely in love with the vibrancy, subtle shimmer, and opacity. There are eight lovely shades available — you can see a full list here.
The Rouge Allure Laque formula is satiny, smooth, and very pigmented. (Lighter shades seem to go on more semi-opaque, though.) Dragon is inspiring. It’s just that kind of color to me! It wears well, and it leaves behind a very nice stain even as it fades after eating (I managed five hours of amazing wear before eating).
It’s also very easy to apply straight from the tube, despite being such an intense shade. The applicator is doe-footed, but it’s modified – it’s grooved and fits against the lips really well. The finish is high shine, slightly glossy, and such rich, vibrant color. Even though $32 is pricey (at least, for most) for a lip product, the fact that this is basically a lipstick and gloss in one, has intense color that requires no work to achieve… I think it’s well worth it.
Love, love, LOVE. I’m definitely going to check out the other shades and see which other ones I have to get!
Recommendation: If you’re looking for a way to indulge, Rouge Allure Laques may be a way to go. Chanel lip products rarely disappoint me, but this one not only met my expectations but INSPIRED me!
Availability: Nordstrom
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Benefit Lipglosses: Almost Famous, Fresh Squeezed, Zone Out
Benefit Lip Gloss ($18.00 for 0.17 fl. oz.) is available in eight shades from copper to berry to gold. Each is scented with an apricot-lychee scent with a non-sticky, slick-feeling texture. They’re fairly glossy with lots of shimmer.
These glosses wear about average (four hours), and they don’t dry out lips but don’t feel extra hydrating either. I like them, but I don’t love them. Both Fresh Squeezed and Zone Out felt nice on my lips, but Almost Famous has a gritty glittery texture that I didn’t appreciate. (Luckily, neither Fresh Squeezed or Zone Out felt like that!)
These lip glosses are slightly pricier (by the ounce) compared to Make Up For Ever and NARS, but they’re a better value than Dior and Chanel. At $18, I’d probably opt for a NARS gloss instead (though these smell much, much better).
Recommendation: If you sheer, shimmery lipgloss, you may want to snoop at the Benefit counter for these!
Availability: Benefit
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Benefit Lipsticks: Fame Game, Label Lover, No Competition, Breakup Rumor
Benefit Full Finish Lipstick ($18.00 for .10 oz.) are slim lipsticks available in fourteen different shades and two finishes (cream and pearl). Today, let’s look at four shades — Fame Game, Label Lover, No Competition, Breakup Rumor.
Benefit’s Full Finish Lipsticks are mostly opaque to opaque in color, feel creamy, and don’t leave lips dried out while you’re wearing them. They wear well (I get about six hours of wear-time with minimal drinking/light eating), too, which is always a plus. I love the shade range Benefit has, because I feel like they offer a good mix of shades that flatter many skin tones. Their pearl finishes aren’t drying in the least, as some frost-finish lipsticks often can be. I love all four of these shades, though I love the way Breakup Rumor shimmers.
The packaging is slim and compact, and it looks sleek in an all slightly shiny all-black case with Benefit’s logo wrapping around it in white. The value is so-so; it comes in as slightly more expensive (by the ounce) than Urban Decay and MAC, but it’s still less than brands like NARS and Dior.
Recommendation: If you love more opaque lip colors, these lipsticks are a great place to start your search!
Availability: Benefit
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MAC Blackware Glimmerglass, Bling Black Glimmerglass, Blackfire Glimmerglass
MAC Style Black is a deep, dark collection with the rich tones of black as inspiration. MAC introduces a new lipgloss formula, Glimmerglass, and launches three shades: Blackware, Bling Black, and Blackfire.
All three shades are incredibly sheer and not even close to being opaque. The only way to get something more than sheer is to layer with a base lip color or to really slather on the gloss (which doesn’t work well either). It’s a thick, jelly-textured lipgloss with a non-sticky feel. These feel thicker than cremesheen glass and nowhere near as gritty as dazzleglass. I liked Bling Black the most, because I felt like the green-gold cast was different and fun to see.
Recommendation: Gloss fiends will likely enjoy this non-sticky new gloss from MAC. They’re not the best in value relative to other MAC glosses, but they’re not out of line with other competing brands.
Availability: MAC Cosmetics
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MAC Midnight Media Mattene
MAC Style Black is a deep, dark collection with the rich tones of black as inspiration. Included in the launch that’ll hit stores on the 24th are two mattenes, Midnight Media and Night Violet, as well as one lipstick in Black Knight.
Out of the three, Night Violet is the most wearable, and then Midnight Media is more wearable than Black Knight, because it has that reddish tone to it. I don’t personally love any of the three, but I do like Night Violet enough to own. If you don’t have any black lipstick, Midnight Media isn’t a bad way to go.
Recommendation: If you love yourself dark and vampy lip color… this is for you!
Availability: MAC Cosmetics
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