The Makeup Box

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Posts tagged lip swatch

MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 Amplified Lipstick: Swatches and Mini-Review

Color:

This is a chalky, dusty lavender-toned creme lipstick that’s little more cool and grey than Saint Germain.

As you can see in the comparative swatches above, it’s not as much of a true-purple as the 2 Lime Crime purples, but it’s also not a true pink either.
On the lip, it has a tendency to look much chalkier and more lavender than it does in the tube, so this is not a color for the faint-hearted. There is nothing natural looking about it. It’s much lighter than my lips, even on my light NC25 skin.

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How to Wear Plum Lipstick, plus L’oreal Color Riche Intense Plum Demo!

Plum is an odd cross between purple, brown AND red. It has the ability to look very goth OR very posh and chic depending on your outfit and the rest of your makeup. 

If you’re looking for some good options, you’ll be happy to know drugstore brands do carry good versions of this shade. The one I’m working with today is L’oreal’s Color Riche in Intense Plum because it goes on evenly (some are patchy), comes in a creme formula (some people don’t like mattes because they’re very drying) and is not too dark or light so it works for most skin colors.

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Lime Crime “Holiday Magic” Carousel Glosses swatches and tips

Happy Holidays to All!

Just a quick post about a package in the mail a couple of days ago and almost fainted when I saw the goodies inside. Here’s a quick part 1 featuring the 3 new Holiday Magic glosses!

Disclaimer: Products in this post were sent by the company for review. I am under no obligation to make posts or give favorable reviews, and am not employed by any beauty brand.

With that said, enjoy!

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YSL Rouge Pur Couture Varnis a Levres Glossy Stains (Swatches, Review)
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With Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque being out of stock globally, this seemed like the next best thing, especially as it’s a rather innovative formula designed to be transfer-resistant.
Long-wearing glosses tend to be stickier, thicker and generally more uncomfortable to wear than regular glosses. Plus, they do still kiss off on anything and everything, so I never really got the point aside from the fact that some formulas marry high pigmentation with shine.
YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains are a new breed of glosses that promise to be something different, and I must admit a line of lightweight, pigmented glosses that actually stay on and feel comfortable on the lips sounded a bit too good to be true.
So on my recent trip to the States, I picked up a couple of shades at Sephora.
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Verdict? 
These are great, and I would pick these over Chanel Laques (or ANY other high-end gloss currently on the market) in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, YSL Beaute is not readily available in many countries.
The texture is very interesting because it’s like jello; extremely light and cool to the touch when applied. If you’ve ever used Make Up For Ever Face and Body foundation, you’ll know what I mean about a gel-like  product that thins out into a watery texture during application. 
The best thing is how comfortable it is to wear. I don’t get gloopy bits congealing in the corners of my mouth, and it doesn’t feel heavy.
This product will “set” after application, but NOT completely, so while the color and shine can survive a full meal and drinks quite well, you can still wipe everything off with a tissue and some pressure. The color does seep into lines a little, so I don’t suggest applying more than 2 coats or it will start to get very patchy and uneven-looking.
 
The pigmentation is medium, so you’re not going to get opaque coverage but the color will definitely be strong.
I’ve been able to wear this for half a day without any touch-ups until after a big meal, so while this is really expensive, I expect one tube will last you quite awhile unless you keep reapplying.
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The 2 shades I bought were the two medium pinks; 15 Rose Vinyl (warm petal-pink) and 17 Encre Rose (light mauve-pink). All available shades are non-shimmery.
One note when you’re shopping in the stores though; the colors do stain your lips a little, so the product will wear a tone or two deeper than they look straight from the tube. 

The packaging is pretty lightweight as it’s actually plastic, but the window helps you identify shades quickly, and watch your product levels. The only problem is they’re a little square and bulky if you want to stuff them into a slim little pouch to bring around.
These go for US$32 and are available in select Sephoras and DFS’s around the world.
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P.S. Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hr Gloss Stains are NOT the same thing though they sound like they might be. The color range and performance is very different, although they are both gloss stains. If you are on a tight budget and like non-sticky glosses, those are ok to pick up, but you won’t find lighter, creamier colors (they all go on quite deep) and they also don’t stay on very well compared to these.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Varnis a Levres Glossy Stains (Swatches, Review)

—-

With Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque being out of stock globally, this seemed like the next best thing, especially as it’s a rather innovative formula designed to be transfer-resistant.

Long-wearing glosses tend to be stickier, thicker and generally more uncomfortable to wear than regular glosses. Plus, they do still kiss off on anything and everything, so I never really got the point aside from the fact that some formulas marry high pigmentation with shine.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains are a new breed of glosses that promise to be something different, and I must admit a line of lightweight, pigmented glosses that actually stay on and feel comfortable on the lips sounded a bit too good to be true.

So on my recent trip to the States, I picked up a couple of shades at Sephora.

—-

Verdict? 

These are great, and I would pick these over Chanel Laques (or ANY other high-end gloss currently on the market) in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, YSL Beaute is not readily available in many countries.

The texture is very interesting because it’s like jello; extremely light and cool to the touch when applied. If you’ve ever used Make Up For Ever Face and Body foundation, you’ll know what I mean about a gel-like  product that thins out into a watery texture during application. 

The best thing is how comfortable it is to wear. I don’t get gloopy bits congealing in the corners of my mouth, and it doesn’t feel heavy.

This product will “set” after application, but NOT completely, so while the color and shine can survive a full meal and drinks quite well, you can still wipe everything off with a tissue and some pressure. The color does seep into lines a little, so I don’t suggest applying more than 2 coats or it will start to get very patchy and uneven-looking.

 

The pigmentation is medium, so you’re not going to get opaque coverage but the color will definitely be strong.

I’ve been able to wear this for half a day without any touch-ups until after a big meal, so while this is really expensive, I expect one tube will last you quite awhile unless you keep reapplying.

—-

The 2 shades I bought were the two medium pinks; 15 Rose Vinyl (warm petal-pink) and 17 Encre Rose (light mauve-pink). All available shades are non-shimmery.

One note when you’re shopping in the stores though; the colors do stain your lips a little, so the product will wear a tone or two deeper than they look straight from the tube. 

The packaging is pretty lightweight as it’s actually plastic, but the window helps you identify shades quickly, and watch your product levels. The only problem is they’re a little square and bulky if you want to stuff them into a slim little pouch to bring around.

These go for US$32 and are available in select Sephoras and DFS’s around the world.

—-

P.S. Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hr Gloss Stains are NOT the same thing though they sound like they might be. The color range and performance is very different, although they are both gloss stains. If you are on a tight budget and like non-sticky glosses, those are ok to pick up, but you won’t find lighter, creamier colors (they all go on quite deep) and they also don’t stay on very well compared to these.

Weekend Face: Lavender-Pink Glossy-Stain

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Wanted to keep things simple but polished this weekend, and went for the below products:

Lids: Chanel “Spices” Quadra (get a similar effect using Revlon Colorstay “Copper Spice” Quad)

Liner: NARS Eyeliner Stylo (NYX Skinny Black Liner is an alternative)

Cheeks: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in “Blonde” (any pearly-pink blush would work)

Lips: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in “17 Encre Rose” (a close match is MAC Naughty Saute and Revlon Stormy Pink is less lavender in tone, but would look quite similar with gloss on top)

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image

Primrose Pink: Bright Summer Lipsticks from MAC, Shu Uemura, and Barry M)

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Not everyone loves a blue-based true pink. If you want to start wearing brighter, happier shades, a warm coral-toned primrose pink is a nice place to start. 

This type of bright medium-pink has a lovely dash of salmon/red thrown in, which warms it up and makes it flattering for many skin tones. There are several options on the market right now, and I know of 4.

Barry M Pink Ribbon is the sheerest and glossiest, so if you don’t want anything to strong or bright, this is a good one to start out with.

MAC Chatterbox is probably the most accessible shade in terms of availability (though I don’t own it). It’s got a similar sheen to Pink Ribbon. 

MAC Force of Love is the brightest of the lot. Still a primrose pink, but matte and a lot more vivid and slightly more salmon-toned.

Shu Uemura Evil Pink has the cutest name. It’s part of the Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte line, so it’s very similar to Force of Love in texture and tone, but deeper and less neon though the difference is not so apparent on camera. It’s a touch deeper and more pink, and also wears a little more evenly than Force of Love and feels just as comfortable, so I actually recommend this more than the MAC, though it’s more expensive. 

(I got my Shu Uemura at a Cosmetic outlet store for about $10SGD (approx USD8) less than retail, which is the only reason I discovered the shade at all!)

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Shown in full-face image:

Nails: Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in 130 Candy

Eyes: Coastal Scents Doe Tail Mineral Shadow (inner half of lids), MAC Shale Shadow (outer half)

Cheeks: I Nuovi Thumbelina blush

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