Lips

You Need at Least One Thing From the MAC Brooke Candy Collection Lip Products for Summer 2016

April 28th, 2016 by Jen Clark 24 Comments

Brooke Candy has come out with her second MAC collection in less than a year (available now online and coming to stores May 5th). I think that speaks to how well her first collection did! This one’s about half lip products, and there’s something for everyone in there.

Among the lip products are a lip pencil and lipstick in MAC’s iconic Whirl shade and its twin called Pamela as a Vamplify lipgloss. There’s a trio of deep vamp-y shades in the lip pencil, lipstick, and gloss, and a couple of staple bright lipsticks that everyone needs.

Let’s start by taking a look at the lippies in the collection…

MAC Brooke Candy Lip Pencils, $17.50 each

All hail MAC lip pencils, am-I-right? I love these. They are so creamy and give you such a sharp, crisp line. TBH, I love just wearing liners on their own, and they act like a matte, long wearing lipstick! And these colors? So on trend! Whirl is one of those must-have colors that belongs in every makeup lover’s kit. It was made uber famous when Kylie Jenner mentioned that it was one of her most loved lip colors.

Night Crawler, one of the shades in the collection, is just so stunning. The pigment is dark and opaque and looks amazing on the lips.

MAC Brooke Candy Whirl Lip Liner (dirty rose)

MAC Brooke Candy Night Crawler Lip Liner (deep plum)

MAC Brooke Candy Lipsticks, $18 each

There is not a single dud in among the lipsticks in this collection. Like I said in the title, you need AT LEAST one of these in your life. The matte shades (Whirl, Doo-Wop, and Witching Hour) are some of my favorite mattes. They feel creamy but have what I would call a satin/matte finish. They aren’t the kind of mattes that suck the life out of your lips, which is oh, so nice, and the amplified shade (Mind Control) packs a punch with amazing pigmentation and a pretty shiny finish.

MAC Brooke Candy Whirl Lipstick (matte dirty rose)

MAC Brooke Candy Doo-Wop (matte blue toned pink) — MAC Brooke Candy Doo-Wop (matte blue-toned pink)

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NARS Finally Makes Liquid Lipsticks…and Nails It!! Introducing the NARS Lip Covers From the Under Cover Summer 2016 Collection

April 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 39 Comments

NARS under cover collection — How gorgeous is the packaging for the NARS Under Cover summer 2016 collection?

I am about the new NARS Under Cover summer 2016 collection and the brand’s first foray into the liquid lipstick market.

Their new Lip Covers are incredible! They’re vibrant and long-lasting like a liquid lipstick, but with none of the dryness and discomfort, so basically exactly what you’d expect from NARS.

I have to admit that I am totally biased when it comes to NARS (here’s another post with my favorite NARS products), but even so, I really do feel these are awesome.

The Under Cover summer 2016 collection includes four of these new Lip Covers, four Dual Intensity Eye Shadows (I LOVE this formula!) and two Dual Intensity Blushes. This post is all about the Lip Covers, but stay tuned for reviews of everything else. For now, I’ll just say that the whole collection is gorgeous. If anything looks irresistably interesting, snatch it up! The collection is limited edition, and the products are available now at the NARS website (and coming soon to other retailers).

So, the Lip Covers — Do Not Disturb, Get Dirty, Members Only and Overheated — I really like this formula, and I hope they add more colors in the future (fingers crossed!).

I think the shades NARS chose to release with the collection are pretty interesting. There are two nude shades (Get Dirty and Overheated) and two red shades (Do Not Disturb and Members Only).

On the one hand, I appreciate that they’re giving us two variations on each color family, especially since it’s so hard to find a good nude, but on the other hand, I want even more variety, because the formula is that great.

Here are swatches of the Lip Covers, and I did these with a heavier hand so that you could see the texture and finish.

They look glossy in the pics, but once they dry down on your lips (which takes just a couple minutes), the finish looks more satin than glossy.

NARS Under Cover — Swatches of the NARS Lip Covers (L to R) in Do Not Disturb, Get Dirty, Members Only and Overheated

And here’s another shot with different lighting:

I think orangey red Do Not Disturb looks very similar to Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Orange Shot (which I reviewed a couple weeks ago).

Wearing Do Not Disturb from the NARS Under Cover collection. — Wearing NARS Do Not Disturb from the NARS Under Cover summer 2016 collection

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Medicated Balm

April 22nd, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 22 Comments

The long-running Unsung Heroes series here on Makeup and Beauty Blog features some of our all-time favorite permanent collection products.

I’ve got dry lips.

Like, Sonoran Desert dry.

Many have tried to figure out why, I assure you, and many have failed. Between the overall dryness of my skin, to its tendency to eczema and how my lips aggravatingly seem to need to really get in the mood for our six-month winter here in the arctic tundra that is Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, my lips are wrinkled and peeling for way more of the year than I’d like.

I’ve gone through favorite lip balms like Taylor Swift goes through boyfriends. (Too soon? Sorry, T, just shake it off.)

I repeatedly feel like I’ve found “the one” and love it for weeks — months, even — and go through a whole slew of backups only to see my lips eventually reject the formula seemingly out of the freaking blue. It drives me nuts. What I don’t do is write songs about it… Maybe Taylor can help me with that?

Anyway, when Maybelline released their main Baby Lips line a few years ago, I tried one of the original tinted formulation balms and wasn’t that impressed. It looked great, but because of my lips, it felt like the balm itself was just sitting on top of my dry lips, rather than sinking in and really making a difference.

So I gave them a pass until I noticed a new product in the Baby Lips fam called Baby Lips Dr. Rescue, which I spotted while ~~getting some much needed “mommy alone time”~~ running errands. I grabbed the clear balm and applied it immediately in the car.

*queue angels singing*

It felt INCREDIBLE.

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The 5 Lip Liners You Need in Your Makeup Stash

April 21st, 2016 by Adia Goss 18 Comments

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of lip liners… I don’t use them on most days because it feels like an unnecessary step, but that being said, there are a few shades that I DO wear every so often and think are absolute necessities.

Here are my five favorite must-have lip liners. What are yours?

MAC Boldly Bare. I think everyone should have a peachy-nude lip liner. We all know that nude lipstick can be tough to pull off sometimes, so having a liner that can be a nice base, or help shape the lips, is major. I like Boldly Bare because it warms up nudes that are too cool (avoiding the dreaded dead lips look). Plus, it looks really good under a sheer gloss. It’s available at MAC Cosmeticsfor $16.50 .
NYX Chocolate. This Chocolate shade is very close to my natural lip color, so I like to wear it under more pigmented glosses to make them last longer. It also works under darker lipsticks when I want to make sure the outline of my lips is neat and clean, and it’s only $3.50 at Ulta!
MAC Cork. This is like in the brown skin girl’s makeup hall of fame! I swear, every MAC makeup artist has tried to sell this to me (and I’ve caved and bought it more than once!). But, it’s popular because it just works. A darker brown liner, it’s perfect for deepening other lip colors without drastically changing their hue. It’s also perfect for the ’90s brown lip trend! It’s available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50.
MAC Lasting Sensation. This is sort of a wildcard because it’s a bright coral color, but I actually love it as a matte lipstick. Since it’s a lip pencil, it’s easier to get a neat and precise application. And I love that it lasts all day. It’s def a summer staple for me (I featured it in my Beach Inspired Makeup Post). It’s also available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50 .
Boots No. 7 Precision Lip Pencil in Red. Red lips are gorgeous, but for me they’re kind of tricky. I almost always use a red lip liner when I’m wearing red lipstick because it helps keep the lipstick on my lips and not all over my face. Bonus points for this being a twist-up pencil that doesn’t need a sharpener (because I can NEVER find one when I need it). You can find it at Target for $9. And for help finding something to wear it with, here are my favorite red lipsticks.

* Honorable Mention: MAC Nightmoth. Just like with red lipstick, deep vampy colors are high maintenance. This is my go-to for when I want dark and dramatic lips. Another MAC classic.

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OCC Spring/Summer 2016 Magnetic Fields Collection Lip Tars: Florals With a Psychedelic Twist

April 21st, 2016 by Anna Oh 12 Comments

This is not news to anyone, but Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is crazy.

To be specific: crazy cool, crazy passionate, and crazy aspirational.

OCC is one of the most notable brands pushing the limits of color and expression all while being 100% vegan and cruelty-free. And you’ve probably heard of or seen the Lip Tars. Now repackaged in a standard lipgloss tube, they’ve been made even more convenient for…whenever you want green lips!

For Spring/Summer 2016, OCC has taken the idea of the ubiquitous bright lip and mixed it with a psychedelic palette. This is the Magnetic Fields Colour Collection ($16 each), and there are 3 new solid colors plus 3 new iridescent metallics that can be mixed or used individually.

lip-tar-magnetic-fields-artifact — Wearing Artifact OCC Lip Tar

lip tar magnetic fields ss16 — OCC Lip Tar Magnetic Fields: Magnolia, Lily, Wasabi, Artifact, Rime, Indrid

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Estee Lauder Pure Color Sculpting Gloss Has Me Changing My Tune About Lip Gloss

April 20th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 14 Comments

Estee-Lauder-Pure-Color-Sculpting-Gloss-face — Wearing Estee Lauder Pure Color Sculpting Gloss in Reckless Bloom. Spy the ~~noodle~~ snake mesmerized by my shimmer…

As a kid of the ’90s/early ’00s, me and lip gloss have a long history. One of my favorites was Bonne Bell Lip Lites Lip Gloss. I can’t remember the exact shade I used to beg my mom to get me, but I do remember the tacky, pasty feeling on my lips after I applied it.

I lost my general interest in lip products sometime in high school, opting instead for just (far too heavy) eyeliner and mascara, and since I started actually wearing makeup more frequently a few years ago, I haven’t touched gloss, mostly because, all I remember about it is that awful tacky feeling.

I feel like a lot has changed in lip gloss formulas over the years, especially when it comes to higher end products. Lately, since I’ve been trying to break out of my regular makeup routine, I’ve been experimenting again with glosses, like these two amazing glosses from the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Gloss collection — Reckless Bloom (a shimmer gloss) and Copper Ego (a shine gloss) — which I’ve been all about this week.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Gloss ($26)

These really surprised me!

Estee Lauder Reckless Bloom (top) and Copper Ego (bottom)

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The 5 Lip Colors I’ll Be Wearing This Spring

April 20th, 2016 by Jen Clark 32 Comments

Once springtime rolls around, I get this crazy bug where all I want to do is change up my lip color. Not gonna lie, things get pretty boring for my lips once the weather gets gloomy… So, now that the windows are open and the sandals are out, so are my spring lip colors.

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Lace Detail

What’s been living on my lips lately and making appearances in too many of my Instagrams and blog posts? NYX Lingerie liquid lipstick in Lace Detail. It is the best nude I have ever owned in my whole life.

Yes, that is a bold statement, but I am sticking to it.

It’s right on trend, too, with its slightly deeper shade, right between a pink and brown. And, it’s matte. You can’t forget about the matte finish.

Yes, it is drying and slightly uncomfortable…but I don’t care! It just looks so good!

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Lace Detail

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes

If you’re one of those gals who just can’t stand a drying liquid lipstick, no matter how hard you try, let me show you this one. It’s the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes. It’s a matte, but it doesn’t feel like one. It’s more like a mousse-y texture, and I find it oh, so delightful.

Not to mention, it smells like delicious vanilla. It’s like my spring version of a wintery maroon shade — a little bit deep, but it still feels like it’s meant for warmer weather.

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The MAC Future MAC Collection: A Closer Look at the Mineralize Rich Lipsticks and Glasses

April 15th, 2016 by Anna Oh 16 Comments

Mineralize Rich lipsticks future mac collection — (L-R) MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks in Cybernaut, Supernova, Ionized, Metafabulous, Touch the Earth

Hi everyone!

I’m still unpacking from our recent move (I know…I’m ON IT), and I’ve had limited access to my art supplies and even internet. But I am reading and enjoying all of your wonderful comments, and I can’t wait to get back in the illustration groove soon!

In the meantime, I thought I’d give a closer look at the new lip products in the Future MAC collection (which is available now).

Future MAC collection Mineralize Rich Lipsticks

supernova future mac lipstick — Future MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Supernova

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