MAC Plumful Lipstick
Maybe Not Sultry, But Still Pretty
MAC Plumful Lipstick ($14.50 for 0.10 oz.) is a muted medium pink with a touch of plum, which gives it a slightly darker overall appearance. It has a lustre finish, but it delivers a surprising amount of color pay off (semi-opaque). I originally bought this to use in the Sultry Season, but it’s just not vampy and dark and sultry enough for that purpose! However, it is a gorgeous shade of pink without being milky, candy, or bright. I think it’s very wearable for both cooler and warmer skin tones, though it leans slightly cool. I don’t know how I went this long without Plumful in my stash!
Lustre finishes are supposed to be more moisturizing but can be somewhat drying (but Plumful wasn’t), but they’re often on the sheerer side; I’m happy that Plumful isn’t, just because some of the lustre shades barely show up at all. All MAC lipsticks are vanilla-scented but have no discernible taste. I typically get four hours of wear out of MAC lipsticks, with some of the darker shades going as long as five.
Chanel Insolente Rouge Allure Lipstick
Bright Pink That’s Wearable
Chanel Insolente (65) Rouge Allure Lipstick ($30.00 for 0.12 oz.) is brightened medium pink with subtle blue undertones. It has next to in noticeable shimmer but has a soft sheen. Like other Rouge Allures, it has opaque color, feels comfortable on the lips, and wears well. I typically get five to six hours of wear with brighter/deeper shades like this one. I wouldn’t describe the formula as overly creamy or moisturizing, but they never dry out my lips and always apply evenly and smoothly.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Insolente is a happy medium of brightness in a pink. It’s not neon, and it’s not the most traffic-stopping pink ever made, but it’s also a whole lot more wearable, too.
AVAILABILITY: Chanel
Illamasqua Hermetic Intense Lipgloss
An Alternative to Red for the Holidays
If you’ve been reading Temptalia for a few months, you probably know I have an obsession with Illamasqua’s Intense Lipglosses (see reviews of ten other shades here). They’re ultra pigmented with a high glossy shine in bold, bright colors. They last awhile and never feel uncomfortable on lips.
Illamasqua Hermetic Intense Lipgloss
($20.00 for 0.20 oz.) is a new shade launched with the Art of Darkness collection for autumn/winter. It is unique in its finish, from my experience with the Intense Lipglosses, because it has a high shimmer, nearly metallic finish (all Intense Lipglosses I’ve tried are creamier, very subtle if not zero shimmer). It’s a welcome addition, since I do enjoy shimmery glosses, too. The gloss comes in a thin, squeeze-tube with a slanted applicator.
Hermetic is a bold burgundy brown with lighter burgundy shimmer. It’s very deep and takes very little color to get opaque results. It feels very holiday to me, which I think owes to the slight metallic-ness of the finish. It’s holiday without being a full-on red. I see subtle red-brown undertones, but it’s definitely not your typical holiday red. It seems a little on the cooler side to me, though it worked well on my warmer skin tone, so don’t let that dissuade you from checking it out.
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: If you like burgundy, browns, or deep reds, I think Hermetic might be worth checking out.
AVAILABILITY: Sephora
Illamasqua Viridian Nail Varnish
Illamasqua’s Art of Darkness: Viridian
Illamasqua Viridian Nail Varnish (£13.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a darkened teal base with lighter teal micro-shimmer; the teal leans towards the blue side, making it a cooler-toned teal. Funny enough, when the flash fired, it pulled out more of the green in the teal, but overall, it still pulls bluer-teal.
The formula and application was just like Scarab: smooth, even, intensely pigmented–one coat would likely be enough, though I did two in the swatches.
Viridian is also new for fall, but it looks to be permanent from what I can tell.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: A very lovely shade and particularly flattering on cooler, paler skin tones as it leans blue.
AVAILABILITY: Illamasqua
Illamasqua Scarab Nail Varnish
Illamasqua’s Art of Darkness: Scarab
Illamasqua Scarab Nail Varnish (£13.00 for 0.5 fl. oz.) is a fiery ruby red with copper and scarlet shimmer strewn through the color. It almost looks metallic but not quite. It’s a very cool shade with depth; I envision flames licking through the ruby red, because it just has on-fire look to it. This shade was extremely rich in pigment–one coat was nearly enough, but I still wound up with two, just because it feels more complete (to me) that way.
Nonetheless, smooth, even application with no fuss. The formula itself was of a medium-thick consistency–the norm for Illamasqua’s varnishes. It has a slight shine in its natural finish, but I recommend a shiny top coat to really finish it. I noticed very subtle brush strokes in close-ups, but everything looked pretty smooth at a normal viewing distance. Illamasqua described this as a metallic, but it feels more like a shimmer with only a touch of metallic-ness.
Scarab is new for fall, but it looks to be permanent from what I can tell–so far only available through Illamasqua directly.
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- Product: 28/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely a favorite of mine for the fall season–rich, luxurious, and top notch application.
AVAILABILITY: Illamasqua
Dolce & Gabbana Orchid (115) Shine Lipstick
A Deep Fuchsia Lip for Fall
Dolce & Gabbana Orchid (115) Shine Lipstick ($30.00 for 0.13 oz.) is an paque, deep fuchsia pink with a high glossy shine. It’s bright without being neon, but still a very rich, noticeable color when worn. It doesn’t seem to pull very blue, as many fuchsias do, but it still brightens teeth, giving the illusion of a whiter smile. The consistency is great: creamy without being heavy or overly slippery, while the color is intense in one or one and a half layers of product. I like the rose-scent of Dolce & Gabbana’s lipsticks, but if you’re more sensitive to scent, you might want to sniff before buying.
MAC’s Rebel Lipstick was the closest shade I could find to this particular color, but it pulls a lot redder and a couple of hues darker, while Orchid is distinctly pink (compare the full face photos–the difference is so dramatic!).
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- Product: 29/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
RECOMMENDATION: Rich color, moisturizing, and flattering on cool and warm skin tones — if you’re in the mood for a deep fuchsia, it’s a good choice!
AVAILABILITY: Saks
