NYX Sparkling Beige Round Lipstick
All That Glitters is Not Always Gold
NYX Sparkling Beige Diamond Sparkle Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a rose-tinged amber brown with lots of copper shimmer and micro-glitter. It is kind of opaque, but it doesn’t apply evenly, so it ends up looking patchy in some places but totally opaque in others. This one was a bummer, because it wasn’t as creamy as NYX lipsticks typically are, and the overall result was less impressive.
my thoughts on the formula: NYX Diamond Sparkle lipsticks are super, super shimmering/glittery (I think the formula’s name should give that away!). Sometimes they’re opaque, but sometimes, in this instance, they aren’t quite. Texture can be a little gritty. However, the scent of them can run from waxy to synthetic sweetness (neither are particularly pleasant)–and sometimes they smell like nothing at all. I typically get two to three hours of wear.
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- Product: 24/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: It just depends what your expectations are; I think it can be a fun layering shade for the price tag, but it’s not the same quality as other NYX lipsticks.
where to buy: NYX
Dolce & Gabbana Platinum Nail Lacquer
Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2011: Platinum
Dolce & Gabbana Platinum Nail Lacquer ($20.00 for 0.37 fl. oz.) is a pale, metallic pewter-gold that’s almost neutral with silver shimmer strewn through the metallic base. I only needed two coats to get opaque color coverage, but as is common in metallic finished polishes, Platinum does show some. It was easier to even out the brush strokes, though, so it has more of a brushed metal finish. It is warmer than MAC Very Important Platinum, but it has just as many brush strokes. Dolce & Gabbana’s formula isn’t as thick nor as troublesome, though, which is a definite plus. Similarly, Dior Timeless Gold is even warmer and has a less metallic finish (it is more like a part glitter, part metallic finish).
my thoughts on the formula: I found the applicator a bit bothersome, as the brush itself is larger and thicker than average; it allows quite a bit of the lacquer to absorb into the brush, so it’s easy to overdo it if you’re not especially careful. If you have very narrow nail beds, you may also find the brush too wide to use with ease. The lacquer wore just fine with Zoya’s Color Lock System with tip wear but no chips after a week.
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- Product: 25/30
- Value: 7/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: As long as you don’t mind brush strokes, I think it’s a gorgeous shade. If you have really small nail beds, you may find the brush more difficult to work with. The formula went on smoothly, evenly, and only required two coats for opaque color coverage.
where to buy: Saks, February 2011
Dolce & Gabbana Bon Bon Lip Gloss
Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2011: Bon Bon
Dolce & Gabbana Bon Bon Lip Gloss ($29.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a pale, milky cotton candy pink with ultra-fine shimmer. It’s semi-opaque, and with its creamier finish, it does settle into lip lines, which I did find was noticeable even from afar. I would recommend wearing a light pink or nude lipstick underneath to minimize the lip gloss settling into the lines.
my thoughts on the formula: Dolce & Gabbana Lip Glosses are moisturizing, and they fade really well when they wear away. I only get about two to three hours of wear (this one just under four), which is a little below average for me. These glosses are heavily rose-scented but don’t seem to have any taste. With just 0.13 oz. in a tube (compared to 0.20 oz. for other high-end brands like Chanel, Guerlain, and YSL), these are pricey.
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- Product: 25/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: This pink should suit light to medium skin tones, both cool and warm, because it doesn’t have strong cool undertones. It may wash out deeper skin tones, though. I also want to reiterate that Dolce & Gabbana glosses have a very strong rose scent.
where to buy: Saks, February 2011
Smashbox Endless Kiss Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss
Smashbox Spring 2011: Endless Kiss
Smashbox In Bloom Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss
($21.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a pale coral-nude with subtle gold shimmer. On lips, it’s virtually colorless, while it does add a glossy shine. This is a new and limited edition shade from Smashbox’s spring collection. This gloss has an angled doe-foot applicator that’s thin and pointed, which makes it easier to maneuver on thinner lips.
my thoughts on the formula: It’s a thicker, nearly non-sticky but it has this faint tackiness, along with a subtle, spiced vanilla scent. I have not found the majority of the range to have much pigmentation, so the differences between each gloss is minimal. They last four hours on me, which is shy of the six they’re proposed to last. My concern with these glosses in the amount you get — a mere 0.10 oz. Most glosses are more like 0.20 oz. They do have SPF 15 in them, which is a nice touch.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 6/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: From what I’ve read and seen, these are not meant to deliver a lot of color but are more about high shine with longer-lasting results.
where to buy: Sephora
MAC Lady Justice Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Wonder Woman: Lady Justice Eyeshadow Quad
MAC Lady Justice EYESHADOW QUAD ($40.00 for 0.20 oz.) includes four shades of eyeshadow: Lady Justice (bright silver with white pearl), Insurmountable (dirty blue grey), Deep Truth (true dark blue), and Bold Babe (deep metal blue with white pearl).
- Lady Justice is a silvery-white shimmered shade. It doesn’t really have a base color, just lots of the silver-white shimmer. A little messy–doesn’t quite hold together. This is a frost finish. It’s similar to Forgery or Filament.
- Insurmountable is a beautiful grayish, pale blue with more of a matte finish. This is a veluxe finish. The best textured shadow of the three quads. It is a more matte version of Bobbi Brown Iced Blue, grayer than NARS Nymphea and NARS Cleo.
- Deep Truth is a deep navy blue with a lighter blue sheen. This is a frost finish. This is a permanent shade.
- Bold Babe is a steely blue with a silvery-blue sheen. This is a frost finish. It has decent pigmentation though not excellent, but it could have a softer, smoother texture. It is bluer than NARS Underworld. Hourglass Prism does it about a million times better.
This quad was better than Defiance, but I’m not entirely sold. Lady Justice is rather disappointing in its sheerness–it’s more like an overlay of shimmer than an eyeshadow. Bold Babe is a gorgeous hue but could be softer, smoother, and generally more pigmented. I wish Bold Babe had knocked it out of the park, because Insurmountable is absolutely divine but obviously not worth $40 for it alone.
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- Product: 20/30
- Value: 8/10
- Ease of Use: 4/5
- Packaging: 4/5
final thoughts: Like Defiance, this too will suit cooler skin tones naturally, because of all the cool-toned blues. However, the richness of blue still works well on warmer skin tones. The quality is better in this quad than Defiance, but it’s not excellent.
where to buy: MAC Cosmetics
MAC Wonder Woman Penultimate Eyeliner
MAC Wonder Woman: Penultimate Eyeliner
MAC RAPIDBLACK PENULTIMATE EYELINER ($18.50 for 0.08 oz.) is super-sized for Wonder Woman–the original (and permanently available) Rapidblack is $16.50/0.03 oz.–making this over twice as much for $2 more. This feels and looks a lot like a marker; even holding it feels like I’m getting to write a note rather than line my eyes. Personally, I think it may be too large to be of great use for most people, and if you have smaller eyes–forget it!
my thoughts on the formula: I really like the original Penultimate eyeliner for something quick and easy that doesn’t dry out and gives you a medium black eyeliner (though it photographs brown with flash–it is definitely black). The tip is thin enough and flexible enough to glide across the eye without skipping. It wears all day for me, and I like that you can do thin or thick eyeliner with it. You can see photos of the permanent Rapidblack here.
Also worth noting, but the outside packaging felt and seemed like a sticker to me. I couldn’t exactly get it to peel or slip off, but it was something that caught my eye.
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- Product: 27/30
- Value: 9/10
- Ease of Use: 3/5
- Packaging: 1/5
final thoughts: Way too large. This is probably the least useful jumbo-sized product of the launch; it’s not just an increase in overall product quantity, but it really changes the effectiveness of the product itself. I’d recommend their Superslick eyeliners over Penultimate in general (better overall), and certainly over this shade. The formula itself is nice, but the packaging gets a major thumbs down for me–fine, be jumbo, but at least work as well as the original.
where to buy: MAC Cosmetics
