Very Indulgent: Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss

A girl can never have too many:

a) Shoes
b) Boyfriends
c) Lip glosses
d) Tattoos

I think the answer is C (always go with C!), but I know that may just be a preference thing. But hey, my blog, my preferences 🙂

I love lip gloss, as do many other females I know. Some people like sheer glosses, tints, or just-a-hint-of-shimmer lip colors, but I like a serious gloss. I want a fun color, strong pigment, staying power and a minimal stickiness factor. I also like it to be, if not moisturizing, then at least not drying.

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss sounded like something I’d wear. I like and trust the English-based Illamasqua line and their slogan “Makeup For Your Alter Ego.” To me, makeup is very much about bringing out your alter egos. Why have your face look the same all the time? And seeing as though weekly cosmetic surgery isn’t a possibility (nor would I want it if it was), makeup is the easiest way to do this. Besides, a botched nose job is harder to fix than a crooked eyeliner line.

Back to the lip gloss! I tried Indulge, a bright hot pink color. It comes in a clear tube with a black cap and the gloss dispenser itself is pretty cool. It’s a slanted clear plastic piece, which is over a thin, clear tubular piece that the gloss comes out of. The top plastic piece has a small hole that brings the product to the lips, which keeps the gloss top and cap from getting too messy. With a lot of glosses, the product goes right from container to top plastic piece, and that’s when it often starts leaking out and collecting all sorts of weird stuff in its glossy overflow. The Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss is designed so that you have to squeeze the tube for the gloss to dispense, then it has to go through two channels to actually come out. Well done, chaps!

Indulge is a clearly a fun color, but does it have the pigment to make it worth it? It absolutely does. I’m often disappointed when I try a gloss and while it looks bright in the tube, it’s barely got a hint of color when it’s applied. In this department, the Intense Lipgloss does not disappoint.

It stays on well, although the color fades from bright to muted after a little while. But hey, that’s what touchups are for. It’s a bit sticky, but I think stickiness and staying power unfortunately go hand in hand. The glosses that feel like nothing tend to disappear soon after application. In general, the stickier the gloss, the longer it stays on. Good news for your makeup look, bad news for your hair strands that inevitably get stuck in the gloss-glue when the wind blows.

My one complaint about this gloss is that it does tend to dry out my lips. It doesn’t feeling drying on, but by the end of a day of wearing it, I’ve got some lip peelage going on. Maybe putting on a thin layer of Vasline or clear lip balm first would help. I’ll give it a try.

All in all, I think this is a great gloss, and it’s earned a coveted spot in my summer bag. Illamasqua is selling it for 30% off now, but there’s a waiting list. Fancy pants, huh?

As usual, I can’t link within this blog, so you’ll just have to copy and paste if you want it. Sorry! http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/catalogue/category/lips/products/summer-shop-intense-lipgloss-in-indulge/300/

Have a beautiful day 🙂

$5 Lip Shine!: LAVANILA Lip Shine Review

I panic when I don’t have a lip gloss or lip balm in my purse, I cannot fall asleep without applying a balm before bed, and I can barely concentrate if my lips feel dry. I’m always on the hunt for some kind of moisturizing lip product and I’ve recently stumbled across a good one.

Want to hear a Sephora.com secret? If you type “sale” in the search box, that will pull up all the products they have on sale. I use this feature a lot when I have an order that totals almost $50, because anything over $50 ships free. A couple of weeks ago, I placed an order that came in at $47, so I searched the sales to see what was around $3 or $4 to move my order into the free shipping range.

I couldn’t find anything I liked for $3 or $4, but I found the LAVANILA Lip Shine in Pure Vanilla for $5. My lip gloss obsession wouldn’t allow me to buy anything else.

Here’s what’s great about it: It’s not sticky, it has no chemicals, parabens, or any of that bad crap, and it moisturizes (I’ve read some reviews that said the Lip Shine was drying, but I didn’t find it to be at all). Contrary to its name, it’s actually pretty low shine. I prefer a little more shine, but hey, if it moisturizes and only costs $5, I’ll forgo the shine. And if packaging is important to you, this one is nice. It doesn’t leak or get sticky around the cap, and it doesn’t look like something a 12 year old would keep in her Justin Bieber makeup bag.

What I don’t like: The smell and the taste. The smell is not horrible–it’s got that Burt’s Bee’s/natural scent–but I like things that smell like dessert. Again, just a preference. It tastes like what I imagine beeswax would taste like, but it didn’t make me want to wash my mouth out like some other lip glosses/balms have. I’ve accidentally consumed substantial amounts of what tastes like cherry/passionfruit/coconut covered chemicals from lip products over the years and I’d prefer it if I never had to again.

This is my advice–if you’re in the market for a good, cheap, moisturizing lip product, or you need to push your Sephora order into the free shipping zone, give this a try.

http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P212916&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5850

Have a beautiful day 🙂

All I Want For Christmas Is…

I recently got a request to do a Christmas Wish List of beauty products (thanks, Erika Milliun!). Great idea, right? I’ve included essentials that I’ve mentioned over and over again, awesome products that I use but haven’t talked about, and ones that I’ve heard great things about but haven’t tried yet.

Here we go!

1.)  Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer: I won’t put eyeshadow on a bare lid because it usually won’t stay. I consider eye primer to be an absolute essential, and this is the one I reach for most often. It helps shadows and liners stay on, stops shadows from creasing, and covers any tiny veins or discoloration on the lid.

2.) Illamasqua Liquid Metal Eye Color in Solstice: This highly pigmented cream shadow is perfect for the holidays. It’s hard to find a gold shadow that’s pigmented and long-lasting, but this meets both important criteria. If you want to try something new and fun for a holiday party or night out, but are afraid to go for a bright color, you’ll love this.

3.) NARS The Multiple in Copacabana: Use this shimmery pearl highlighting stick on eyes, lips, or cheeks (just not all at once!) for a pretty glow.  I love doing a holiday party look with red lips, silver eyeshadow and Copacabana on the cheekbones.

4.) Make Up For Ever Lash Fibers I haven’t used this product, but I heard a positive review from a trustworthy source–and I adore this company–so I’m going to recommend it.  It’s a white mascara-like product that you apply before your mascara.  It lengthens and thicken the lashes, so the mascara adheres to that.  And who doesn’t want bigger lashes?

5.) MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline in Blacktrack: Consider this black gel liner to be like your favorite pair of jeans.  It’s a classic that you can wear with lots of different looks. It goes on smoothly, stays put and the little jar will last you a while. Just make sure to close it tightly each time so it doesn’t dry out.

6.) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blackberry:  This is the time of year to go for berry lipcolors, so give it a try! I’ve found this shade to be flattering on most people and you can’t beat the price. So if darker lipcolors are out of your comfort zone, at least you can try it on the cheap (and if you buy it from CVS, just return it if you don’t like it–they accept even opened makeup returns).

7.) Tarte Cheek Stains: You know that flushed cheek look you get from being outside in the winter?  Well, you don’t have to freeze your ass off to get it. These gel blushes give you that same look, with a variety of shades to choose from. And since you only need a little bit, it lasts for a long time.

8.) Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Foundation: This is a great one for your wish list because not only is it the best foundation I’ve ever used, but it’s a little pricey and I know it can be hard to justify spending money on yourself during the holiday season. So let someone else get it for you! This liquid foundation gives amazing coverage, feels like nothing and photographs and films beautifully.

9.) Dior Diorshow: My name is synonymous with two things: Biggie Smalls and Diorshow. So for me to not include my favorite mascara on this list would be blasphemous. Basically, it’s the bomb. Long, full lashes, no smearing, flaking, or smudging.  Just get it alreadyyyyy.

Hopefully you’ve been a good girl this year and you get everything you ask for. Because if all you get is coal in your stocking, I can’t help you.  Kohl liner, however, is a different story…

Happy Holidays! Have a beautiful day 🙂

What a Delight!: NARS Lipgloss in Turkish Delight Review

We all know what Kim Kardashian is famous for.  You look at her and can’t miss it.  It stands out and she knows it.

Her makeup.

From the brown and silver contoured eye on the Vegas cover, to her crimson-lipped perfume ad, to her signature smokey eye, Kim has rocked some major looks.  Several times, I’ve read that Kim’s go-to lipgloss is NARS Lipgloss in Turkish Delight.  It’s a pale  pink gloss that NARS describes as a “pink sorbet” color.  In other words, a perfect fit for a dark smokey eye.  Being a huge fan of the smokey eye, I decided years ago that I had to try this gloss.  So it makes no sense at all that it took me until last week to order it.

The color is exactly what I hoped it would be.  It adds a little lightness to the face (which is flattering when there’s dark makeup on the eyes), but it’s not frosty or too pink.  It doesn’t feel sticky–it actually has a creamy consistency–and it stays on for a good amount of time.  The only thing I don’t care for is the scent–it’s slightly plastic-y.

Even so, I am 100% happy with this purchase.  Thank you, Kim!

You can buy NARS products at a number of stores, including Sephora and NARSCosmetics.com

http://www.narscosmetics.com/Lip-Gloss-C11_makeup_7.aspx

Have a beautiful day 🙂