Lips

New Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Gloss Puts Lips in the Mood

January 17th, 2013 by Karen 31 Comments

It’s a lipgloss!

Or is it? Ok, well, it’s a lip product based on an existing product from Dior called Color Reviver Balm, and like that Reviver, this one also channels mood rings.

Sort of.

New for spring 2013, $30 Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Gloss is supposed to be able to revive your natural lip color, whatever that means. Dior says it changes colors based on the chemistry of your lips. That’s the idea, but I think it has more to do with your actual lip temperature, as in, how hot are you? LOL!

Downsides? It’s expensive. $30 dollars expensive. That’s dinner and dessert (and maybe a glass of wine) for two! — or in Tabs terms, about 40 cans of gravy.

I guess you can imagine that it’s pretty easy to use… No special instructions. Application is pretty intuitive. You just whip out the wand, use the brush applicator to coat your lips, and wait. Seconds. Literally seconds. On me, it practically starts changing color on contact, going from a clear hot pink to a deeper, coral-like pink, almost like I’ve been kissing someone for a really long time.

At first I didn’t detect any fragrances or flavors, but then I turned my hound dog senses on high and smacked my lips together. I picked up the faintest eau de vanilla, barely there, both the scent and flavor.
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The New NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Is Like a Kiss From a Golden Rose

January 14th, 2013 by Karen 15 Comments

Greek isle or metallurgical experiment? How about both? Or neither…?

With NARS Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, it’s as if NARS melted down a rose gold bracelet and poured the molten metal into a mould the shape of a gloss.

Neat! And like the two most recent products I’ve tried from the spring 2013 collection so far — Dressed to Kill Lipstick and Seduction Blush — Cythere is intense, and yet it’s probably the springier, more wearable of the two lip products from the launch.

nars spring 2013 swatches — Seduction Blush, Dressed to Kill Lipstick and Cythere Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil

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Whether You’re Couch Surfing or Man Hunting, the Latest NARS Lipstick Comes Dressed to Kill

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 30 Comments

Today my lipstick was dressed to kill, but I was not.

I wore the new NARS Dressed to Kill lipstick ($24, from the spring 2013 collection) on my lips to go with my hot pink capri sweatpants and black hoodie (heart you, Zella Galaxy!!).

So I guess that made me, “Dressed to sit on the couch and watch bad reality TV.” Or, “Dressed to pass out at any given moment.” Or, “Dressed to sit drooling on the couch while completely covered in cat hair.”

Clearly, I missed the memo, as this rich, plummy brick red, with its golden glitter sprinkles, deserves better than that. It deserved to strut down the street with skintight jeans, over-the-knee black boots and a sassy leather jacket.

It deserves man-eater clothes. And you deserve Dressed to Kill. 🙂

nars dressed to kill — Dressed to Kill Lipstick ($24)

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Zombie Preparedness 101: In Case of Emergency, Grab Chanel’s Rouge Allure Lipsticks From the Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

January 11th, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Chanel Rouge Allure Fantasque 112 — Wearing Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Fantasque ($34), one of six lipsticks from the Chanel Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 Collection

After much thought and deliberation about the inevitable zombie apocalypse — because we all know it’s only a matter of time — I’ve come to the realization that when the sh*t goes down, my zombie transformation will probably come sooner than later.

So, instead of wasting time honing skills like wilderness survival and close-quarters combat, and instead of squirreling away baseball bats and brain-slashing instruments under my bed, I’m going to stuff my “In Case of Zombie Emergency” kit, not with canned foods and medicine, but with Chanel.

Lots and lots of Chanel. 🙂

First thing to add? The four Rouge Allure lipsticks ($34 each) and two Rouge Allure Velvets ($34) from the Printemps Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 collection.

Chanel Printempts Precieux de Chanel Spring 2013 — From the left: Captivante, Envoutante, Fantasque, Precieuse, La Favorite and L’Eclatante

chanel printemps precieux de chanel lip swatchesa — Swatches from the left: L’Eclatant, La Favorite, Fantasque, Precieuse, Envoutante and Captivante

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in L'Eclatante 42 — Rouge Allure Velvet in L’Eclatante 42

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Flaky Lips Don’t Stand a Chance Against Magically Moisturizing MAC Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm in Slightly Nude

January 9th, 2013 by Karen 18 Comments

mac slightly nude tinted lip balm — Wearing the new MAC Mineralize Tinted Lip Balm in Slightly Nude ($19.50), one of five shades from the new AprÃ¨s Chic collection

Dude, if your lips flake at the mere mention of the word, “dry,” take a look at MAC’s new $19.50 Mineralize Tinted Lip Balms (available in five shades).

Granted, they’re $19.50 each…which is kind of expensive for a lip balm. True that. But Slightly Nude, the color I’ve been wearing lately, isn’t your average balm.

As a connoisseur of lip balms, and as someone who suffers from dry, flaky lips every winter, I almost always have at least a few balmy lippies around, like in my desk, my purse…

Heck, if I could, um, I’d put a little pack on Tabs and fill it with lip balms. 🙂

This one, Slightly Nude, lavishes my lips with moisture. The second I slick it on, I can almost hear my lips sigh, “ahhh…” And just like that, no more flakes, and my lips feel smoother and softer.

Plus, I think the color looks cute, too.

A nude coral with a hint of pink pearl (like a clear tint of peachy coral), Slightly Nude only pretends to be completely sheer. It actually has a noticeable amount of pigment and even a little shimmer, although the shimmer keeps a very low profile. I can’t really see it once it’s applied.

I love how natural Slightly Nude looks on my lips, and I think it’s a nice break from the heavier, full-coverage lipsticks I wore a lot over the holidays.

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Well, Halo There, Megatint! Okay, That Was Just Ridiculous… Introducing Smashbox’s New Halo Long Wear Blushes and Megatint Long Wear Lip Colors

January 9th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

smashbox halo long wear blush — The four new Smashbox Halo Long Wear Blushes ($24 each)

More new spring stuff from Smashbox! — a line of halo-inducing blushes (for angelic cheeks, perhaps?) and lipsticks.

These are the kinds of blushes where you twist and shave off what ya need. Little gimmicky, but I think it’s kinda fun.

When I swatched them, they seemed super sheer, so if you like the look of a lightly flushed cheek, or you just want something clutz-proof and easy, you might want to give ’em a try.

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Minty Fresh! Urban Decay’s New Lip Junkie Lipglosses in Obsessed, Flushed and Trashed

January 7th, 2013 by Karen 26 Comments

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Spring 2013 — Wearing the new Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Flushed ($19), one of three new shades for spring 2013

If you choose to wear one of the three new $19 Urban Decay Lip Junkie Glosses in Flushed, Obsessed or Trashed, you’ll probably still want to brush your teeth in the morning (and your tongue…to get rid of that fuzzy feeling), but if you do happen to forget, at least your breath will smell great! 🙂

Or rather, your lips will taste minty fresh, because all three of these are mint flavored and fragranced to the extreme! — and it’s a good mint, refreshingly like toothpaste.

For the record, Urban Decay thinks they taste and smell like “wedding mints,” and okay, sure, I get that (but they also remind me of my tube of Sensodyne).

New for spring, and newly added to the Lip Junkie Lipgloss line, these triplets are all cool-toned shades of pink with varying degrees of pigment from sheer to medium.

The Lip Junkies are Urban Decay’s cooling, plumping glosses that last a surprisingly long time. With them, I get anywhere from 4-5 hours, which is pretty good for a lipgloss, and yet despite lasting as they do, they don’t suck all of the moisture from my lips.

They’re billed as non-sticky, but I dunno about that. When I whip my hair back and forth (I whip my hair back and forth), stray strands do get stuck in the gloss, which is kinda thick and heavy.

It doesn’t bother me, but I guess it is something to think about. For a truly non-sticky UD gloss, though, you might want to try one of the Lip Loves instead.

urban decay lip junkie lipgloss spring 2013 — From the left: Obsessed, Flushed and Trashed

urban decay lip junkie lipgloss flushed obsessed trashed swatches — Swatches from the left: Obsessed, Flushed and Trashed

If you’re cool with the slightly thick, sticky texture, I think any of these three would go great with the rest of Urban Decay’s new spring releases, like the new Naked Basics Palette, especially if you’re going for a primarily neutral, natural look, because they’re all rather quiet pinks, not at all bright or obnoxious (not that I don’t think there’s a time and place for that).

If you’re interested in low-key, natural makeup looks, these should be great for that.

And more, like the Ammo palette. You could do a bold eye look with the brights, and then balance it out with a sheer pink on your lips.

Definitely Obsessed definitely has me obsessed. It’s my favorite of these three. It’s darker than Flushed, so I can really see it on my lips, and warmer than Trashed, so I think it suits my warmer NC42 skin tone well.

urban decay lip junkie Obsessed — Obsessed

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Like Diamonds, the New Holiday L’Oreal Infallible Le Gloss 8HR Lipglosses Are a Girl’s Best Friend

December 13th, 2012 by Karen 17 Comments

loreal dazzle me — Wearing L’Oreal Infallible Le Gloss 8HR in Dazzle Me ($9.99) from the new limited edition Diamonds holiday collection

If…

…Jeremy Renner just texted you about your upcoming date: “Can you wear diamonds, baby? I love it when you shine.” Or…

…you feel incomplete unless your makeup bag is bursting with glitter (too much shimmer? NEVER!), or…

…you’re just in the mood to celebrate the season with some affordable bling…

…then you won’t want to miss the shimmery Infallible Le Gloss 8HR lipgloss shades in L’Oreal’s new limited edition Diamond holiday collection ($9.99 each).

The five glittery glosses range from sheer to opaque, so no matter what level of lipgloss coverage I’m craving, I know I can get my fix on here (incidental update: I still haven’t found my perfect holiday sweater, but I’m still looking!).

Silvery white All Iced Out, pinkish violet To Be Treasured and yellow golden Something Shiny sprinkle a soft dusting of sheer, cool-toned color, while opaque fuchsia Dazzle Me and rich red Sparkle Frenzy flash like bright Christmas lights.

loreal diamonds holiday collection Infallible Le Gloss — From the left: All Iced Out, Something Shiny, To Be Treasured, Dazzle Me and Sparkle Frenzy

loreal diamonds collection swatches legloss — From the left: Al Iced Out, Something Shiny, To Be Treasured, Dazzle Me and Sparkle Frenzy

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