Lips

What Do the Givenchy Acoustic Colors Magic Lipstick and Lipgloss Reveal? Here’s a Tint: It’s Sheer, Pink and Looks Natural

August 9th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

givenchy Magic Lipstick Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink
Wearing Givenchy Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34 on my lips

First, mood rings. Now, mood makeup! How do you feel about lip products designed to change colors once you get them on your pout? The idea’s nothing new, but Givenchy’s new take on it is making me smile. 🙂

Some of that’s because of these chic, sleek outfits. Givenchy always turns that mutha out! when it comes to good-looking packaging.

And then there’s the way new Magic Lipstick Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #57 ($30) and Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34 ($27.50) feel on my lips — lightweight, silky and comfortable, like my favorite silk dress.

Both the Magic Lipstick Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #57 and Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34 were inspired by Givenchy spokeswoman Liv Tyler, hence the shout-out to her name in the products’ spelling.

Apply either the light pink Lipstick or clear Gloss on bare lips, and ahhh… Feels so good! Lo and behold, about a minute or so later, both colors have changed into deeper pink hues that last about two hours on me.

givenchy Le Gloss Revelateur De liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink
Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34; lashes worn in this look: Urban Decay Sly

givenchy Magic Lipstick Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink
Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34

givenchy acoustic colors fall 2012
From the left: Gelee D’Interdit Smoothing Gloss Balm Crystal Shine in Acoustic Wild Rose #18 ($27.50), Le Gloss Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipgloss Lipcolor Revealer in LIVely Pink #34 ($27.50), Le Prisme Eye Quad Color & Shine for Metallic Eyes in Acoustic Harmony #80 ($58), Le Rose Revelateur De Liv Magic Lipstick Lipcolor Releaver in LIVely Pink #57 ($30)
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Like the Sun Rising in the East, Your Lips Will Shimmer Wearing One of the 15 Moisturizing Cremesheen Lipsticks and Glosses in the New MAC Cremesheen + Pearl Collection

August 7th, 2012 by Karen 22 Comments

MAC Coral Bliss Cremesheen
Wearing MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Coral Bliss

MAC went east — faaar east — for the 15 modern pinks, nudes and corals in their new Cremesheen + Pearl collection of Cremesheen Glasses and Lipsticks with a light-reflecting finish.

Each of the eight new Cremesheen Lipsticks ($15 each) and seven Cremesheen Glasses ($19.50 each) in the Asian-inspired collection contain crushed pearl for shiny, glossy lips with a luminous glow. They arrive on North American shores August 9 (and coming to international locales this September), but if you can’t/don’t want to wait that long, they’re actually available now online.

Looking for the right light-reflecting lips to go with your favorite bold eye look? MAC’s got ya covered. 🙂

Here’s a quick look at six of the new shades. I can’t wait to wear some of these with smokey eyes!

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick Coral Bliss Pure Zen Shanghai Spice
Cremesheen Lipsticks in Coral Bliss, Pure Zen and Shanghai Spice

MAC Cremesheen Glass Double Happiness Rising Sun Pagoda
Cremesheen Glass in Double Happiness, Rising Sun and Pagoda

I LOVE the product names and the overall vibe. It reminds me of the last time I went to the cherry blossom festival in SF’s Japan Town. My favorites here are probably the comfortable Cremesheen Glasses because of how moisturizing they are. Thinner than the Lipglasses and non-sticky, too, they just feel really, really great on my lips. Whenever I travel by plane, I always bring a moisturizing Cremesheen along to help my lips cope with the dry, recycled air.

mac cremesheen pearl swatches
Swatches from the left: Cremesheen Lipsticks in Coral Bliss, Pure Zen and Shanghai Spice; Cremesheen Glass in Double Happiness, Pagoda and Rising Sun
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It’s a Pleasure to Kiss These Bold Brights: The Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duos Summer Pleasures Collection

August 2nd, 2012 by Karen 21 Comments

dolce gabbana passion duo summer pleasures

Should you ever find yourself under doctor’s orders to refrain from wearing eye makeup “for a day or two” while your allergies subside, and you’re kind of a beauty nerd, you may also find yourself debating whether filling in your brows constitutes “eye makeup.”

I came to the conclusion that it does not… 🙂

I KNOW! But I couldn’t resist doing at least a little something.

My eyes don’t seem to mind, and they’re certainly enjoying gazing at three of the bright, shiny lipsticks from the new Dolce & Gabbana Summer Pleasures collection.

These $34 beauties, three of 10 new Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks, are available now at Saks stores and saksfifthavenue.com (there are also five Nail Lacquers in the collection priced at $20 each).

The 10 new shades range from summery, soft nudes to bold, glamorous brights.

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 3
Clockwise from the dark shade in the lower left: Royal 110, Exotic 50 and Tropical 140

Dolce & Gabbana’s Gloss Fusion Lipsticks are among my favorite products in the entire line. Each has a shiny, moisture-filled core of gloss wrapped in a rich coat of pigmented lipstick.

I remember when they first made a splash on Dolce & Gabbana counters… Oh, the intense colors, the high-gloss finish, the texture so smooth it would give Ryan Gosling a run for his money.

As for the three new colors I’ve been ogling this morning? Just as fab. 🙂

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 4
Royal 110

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Summer Pleasures 5
Tropical 140
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Lips Are in for a Rouge Awakening: The Magically Moisturizing Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks Feel Like Feathers and Last All Day Long

July 24th, 2012 by Karen 33 Comments

Wearing Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Muse on my lips

Well, geez — and you thought destroying those Horcruxes was hard. That was a cakewalk compared to this!

Have I ever told you about my quest to find a matte, long-wearing liquid lipstick that doesn’t dry out my lips? If you have a minute, it’s a pretty good story — a story filled with sorcery, science and more flakes than a big bowl of Special K cereal.

It all started with my poor, dry lips…

You see, they’ve always been insatiably thirsty. They crave moisture like a husky cat craves gravy, and almost every liquid matte lipstick I’ve ever tried has left them chapped and flaky.

It got so bad a few times that not even Tabs would kiss me. 🙁 And I came to assume that I’d need supernatural assistance.

What I wanted was a moisturizing liquid lipstick that I could just slip on after breakfast and not have to fuss with for the rest of the day, and then one day, out of the blue, I came across the Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks ($28 each, and new for fall 2012).

hourglass opaque rouge liquid lipstick
From top to bottom: Canvas, Raven, Ballet and Muse

These pricey pretties kinda rock, and they weren’t even at the end of a rainbow! 🙂 Unscented and unflavored, they last an impressive 10 hours for me (although Hourglass claims they can last up to 14). They come in nine profoundly pigmented shades with a lightweight liquid formula and a non-sticky texture, and best of all, they don’t leave my lips looking like they’ve been through a cheese grater, score!

So, does it take a degree in the dark arts to conjure up a matte, long-wearing liquid lipstick loaded with moisture? Nope. Hourglass turned to the wonders of science to create advanced polymers, long chains of molecules made up of many smaller molecules strung together.

Just apply Opaque Rouge to clean, bare lips (it’s best not to be wearing any oils or balms; otherwise, the lipstick won’t take). Then, wait about a minute for the product to set.

The polymers bind to create a pigmented elastic film that prevents moisture from escaping, as skin-conditioning emollients, fruit extracts and viamins A, C and E make the moisturizing more effective.

Moisturizing and beautiful?

I also love the intense colors and velvety matte finish, which doesn’t look flat, harsh or stark to me.

hourglass opaque rouge swatches
Swatches from the left: Canvas, Ballet, Muse and Raven

hourglass opaque rouge liquid lipstick in ballet
Ballet
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Take Your Nude Lip Looks to the Next Level With This Quick Makeup Tip

July 24th, 2012 by Karen 23 Comments

lip makeup tip

I realize I look a little crazy-pants in this pic, but there is a method to my madness, LOL!

Talking about Big Baby Plushglass yesterday reminded me of one of my favorite makeup tricks for nude lip looks.

After I finish applying concealer under my eyes, I take the leftover product on my brush, and run it across my lips. The thin layer of concealer evens out my natural lip color and creates a blank canvas for nude lip liners, lipsticks or glosses applied on top. It also allows more of the nude lip color to show through.

If you have very pigmented lips, and nude lip glosses like Big Baby look almost like clear glosses on your kisser, this little tip can really help bring out the nude in nude lip colors.

Here I’m wearing MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW 25, which I also use under my eyes (I’m usually an NC, but I think the peachy tones in this NW shade offset the blues and purples in my dark circles — a trick I learned from a friendly MAC makeup artist), topped with Big Baby Plushglass, a plumping peach gloss with pink and white pearl.

lip makeup tip
A thin layer of concealer…

lip makeup tip
Then a layer of Big Baby!
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MAC Unsung Heroes: Big Baby Plushglass

July 23rd, 2012 by Karen 18 Comments

MAC Big Baby Plushglass

I wonder if it might be possible to become physically addicted to a lipgloss.

You never know, right? If this were the X-Files and we were all part of some complex makeup conspiracy involving shell corporations and the alien colonization of earth, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I only bring it up because I think I may actually be addicted to the subject of today’s Unsung Heroes post, MAC Big Baby Plushglass.

The Plushglasses are MAC’s $19.50 line of plumping glosses, and they tingle a little when they touch your lips.

It’s not painful, but I bet you’ll notice. I sure do. It’s a little like kissing pins and needles, or the feeling of spicy food, and like spicy food, which they say can be addictive, maybe that’s why I’m hooked on this sheer peach Plushglass with its pink and white pearl.

Each time I swipe Big Baby on my lips, I’m alive, ALIVE! I get a rush, almost like that time I jumped out of a plane…except without the part where I fell hundreds of feet per second toward the earth.

I start to feel the tingling, which lasts about 10 minutes, a minute or so after applying, and you know what? I think it does make my lips a little plumper (just a hair).

As for the color now? Oh, the color… I LOVE IT! Picture this: a sheerer, and slightly cooler color-toned, MAC Nymphette Lipglass without the golden shimmer, and being a little cooler than Nymphette, I think it works with an even wider range of eye looks, from cool to warm.

mac big baby plushglass

mac big baby plushglass swatch
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A Lovely Lipgloss That Costs Less Than Lunch: Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 32 Comments

Wearing Neutrogena MoistureShine Gloss in Copper Power on my lips

Currently on my list of things I can’t get enough of…

1. Nude heels

For the longest time I was all about black shoes because I thought, hey, they go with everything, right? These days, I’m all about nudes. Nude heels, nude sandals and — oh! I’m think I’m gonna need to find a pair of nude boots by fall.

Basically, if it’s in a nude color, goes on my feet and appears to make my legs look longer (as nude shoes are wont to do), I’m there.

2. Cat stickers

I always use the tabby ones first. 🙂 One of these days I’m going to make some Tabs stickers. That would be rad to the Nth degree, for real! Of course, there would have to be several stickers showing off his husky tum (of course).

3. Smiles

My mum
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The Effortlessly Beautiful Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Lip Glosses

July 12th, 2012 by Karen 20 Comments

bobbi brown honeysuckle
Wearing Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight Lip Gloss in Honeysuckle

The cool-toned rose, plum and bronze Lip Glosses in the new Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight collection ($23 each; available in six shades) convey effortless beauty almost as well as Channing Tatum does dancing to Pony in Magic Mike.

But in the absence of a Channing Tatum dance solo this morning, here are four of the six non-sticky glosses, which have a faint, almost imperceptible mint flavor and scent, in action…

bobbi brown desert twilight gloss
From the left: Bronzed Heather, Honeysuckle, Twilight and Evening Rose