Ravings of a Lipstick Lunatic

Juicy orange at deep discount pricing

2012-02-23T17:00:00.002-08:00

Have you heard about the CVS beauty clearance? Certain shades of certain items are marked down to 75% off, including the internet-famous Milani Mandarina lipstick; and despite my substantial collection of orange/ coral lipsticks, I could not resist the lure of a $2 cult classic like this.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick in Mandarina

Yes - it's really THAT bright!
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NYX reds swatched side-by-side

2012-02-22T21:34:00.002-08:00

Disclaimer: I still think NYX's salefail was a disgrace and does fit the definition of a bait-and-switch,so I do not want to support them or encourage people to buy fromthem. However, there are many ways to get your hands on theseproducts if you want them - Cherry Culture, eBay, BeautyJoint.com,Ulta, blogsales, etc - so I will still feature them from time totime!

As promised, here are the NYX red lipsticks I own, swatched together to compare!

Swatches over otherwise bare skin, L-R: Deep Red, Hero, Snow White, Hebe; direct sunlight, no flash

Here they are swatched on my hand, with the jumbo lip pencil at far left. The jumbo pencil most closely matches Snow White in color. Hero is more brown toned, like drying blood (lovely!), and Hebe just looks strawberry-pink in comparison.

Yet another creamy brick red

2012-02-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I still think NYX's sale fail was a disgrace and does fit the definition of a bait-and-switch,so I do not want to support them or encourage people to buy fromthem. However, there are many ways to get your hands on theseproducts if you want them - Cherry Culture, eBay, BeautyJoint.com,Ulta, blogsales, etc - so I will still feature them from time totime!

Here's my other NYX red lipstick, Hero. This was the first one I decided to order, and at the time it was my only RED red lipstick.

NYX Round lipstick in Hero

It is a fairly neutral red but does have brown tones to it. It's not too dark and not at all sheer.
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The one that was practically free

2012-02-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

Wet n Wild released some new, SPF 15 lipsticks recently for $2.99 apiece, and they each have an instant $1 off coupon attached to the lid. While they were 40% off at Rite Aid, I grabbed one for just $0.79 - okay, maybe that isn't quite free, but close enough for me ^_^

Wet n Wild Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Lolly PopStar

I grabbed one almost at random, and the color I picked up is called Lolly PopStar.
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The second of three NYX reds

2012-02-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Since it can be hard to find NYX swatches, I've decided to compare the three reds I own - Hebe, Snow White and Hero (and the Hot Red jumbo pencil as a bonus). I've already covered Snow White as my HG red (post here).

NYX Round Lipstick in Hebe

First up is Hebe, the least red of the three - although it looks pretty reddish on its own, in comparison to the other two it comes off more pink.
{more info and swatches after the jump}
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Lipsticks you can't have - Dior for Allure magazine

2012-02-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry. This was a shade created for Allure magazine in 2005 and it was limited edition. Still, you might find it in a blogsale or on evilBay and want to buy it, so here are the swatches :)

Christian Dior lipstick in Allure

Color number 581, Allure, is a perfect, creamy, opaque Barbie pink with a bit of a glossy finish to it. And no, I will not be tossing it out despite its being past the expiration >.>
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The Dark Side dupe I love

2012-02-03T23:11:00.000-08:00

One MAC lemming I suffered from for aaaaaaaages was the lipstick Dark Side, which looked so lusciously deep and vampy and tempted me for many months. Until I swatched it next to two lipsticks I already owned - and found this dupe.

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Black Cherry

Revlon Black Cherry does look incredibly dark in the tube, but it goes on a bit less intense than that!
{more info and swatches after the jump}
Read more »

Lip butter = lipstick!

2012-01-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

Oh, the massive hype about the new Revlon Lip Butters ... yeah, I bought into it.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in color Raspberry Pie

And I'll tell you: This is a fantastic product, but it is not a lip butter, in the way most people would think. Sure, it's sheer, but it's a sheer lipstick. More moisturizing than the average lipstick, but still a lipstick!

{more info and swatches after the jump}

Tangerine Tango, the color of the year

2012-01-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

I'm sure we've all heard about the official Pantone color of the year for 2012, Tangerine Tango. Last year we had the hot pink Honeysuckle, this year it's all about the "spirited reddish orange" - from fashion, to interiors, to makeup!

Lancome Rouge Absolut in Rouge Symbole

Meet a lipstick you can't have (as far as I can tell): Lancome Rouge Absolut in Rouge Symbole. This is a GWP lipstick I picked up in a swap, and cannot find online at all, sadly. And it happens to look very much like Tangerine Tango in lipstick form.
{more info and swatches after the jump}
Read more »

Something something 2011

2011-12-31T20:29:00.000-08:00

Because it's not okay for bloggers to let New Year's pass by without some sort of end-of-year ... something! Okay, lipstick-related things:

My favorite and most-used lipstick of 2011 was Revlon Colorburst Soft Rose.
The most expensive lipstick I bought was MAC Coral Polyp ... which continues to be my only MAC lipstick!
I bought just over three DOZEN lipsticks this year D:
More than 75% of those were Revlon lipsticks - I'm including a Revlon lip butter because frankly they are lipsticks, not tinted balms

My new goal for 2012 is to buy fewer lipsticks T__T I have about 50 now and that really should be more than enough (should being the operative word)! I also resolve not to use this blog as an excuse to buy more lipsticks. But since I know I will buy some in 2012, I'll also resolve to try not to buy colors that are identical to ones I already have.

Anyway. Happy New Year!!!

Gloss-stick musings

2011-12-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

If you don't want to read about a lipstick you can no longer buy (except on evilBay), feel free to pass this one. You won't hurt my feelings :)

Victoria's Secret Sheer Gloss Stick in Grace

This is a well-loved tube of "sheer gloss stick" from Victoria's Secret, a strangely named formula they appear to no longer sell. I have the deceptively dark-looking Grace.
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The sheerest peach of them all

2011-12-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

Boots N°7 is not just the brand of UK superstore Boots; it's also the company with the distinction of having celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge as Creative Director! I've been a Lisa devotee since Facegoop first led me to the light, and when I saw her using this lipstick in a video it went on my mental wish list.

Boots N°7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick in Attract

The brand has several different lipstick formulas, and this particular one is the Sheer Temptation Lipstick in color Attract.
{more info and pics after the jump}
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Five coral-or-orange-or-peach lipsticks

2011-12-10T23:43:00.001-08:00

Due to lack of sunlight, I've run out of content, so here's a random post of five orange/ coral/ peach lipsticks!

Five lipsticks in the general category of "orangeish"

This was originally going to be my five favorite orange lipsticks ... that was before I bought a whole bunch more. And realized two of these really are peach, and the last one is way more coral.
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Barely-there pink

2011-12-04T19:33:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of Poppy King? She's an Australian entrepreneur who began her own lipstick company at age 18! She has her own brand, Lipstick Queen, as well as collaborations with Kate Spade, Boots No. 7 and J. Crew, encompassing many lippies at different price ranges.

Poppy King Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball lipstick in Fly

I happen to own Fly, one of her Lipstick Queen lipsticks from the Butterfly Ball collection, which were sheer, glossy colors meant to make teeth appear more white via tiny blue glitter bits. But I bought it at a deep discount in a blog sale, which is why it's smushed at the tip :P
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BRIGHT so-called berry

2011-12-02T19:54:00.001-08:00

I do think "berry" is a bit of a misnomer for this Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick. Well, its name is Vino, but the color description is berry.

Image source: VictoriasSecret.com

Let's see how accurate the insanely bright online swatch is ...
Read more »

I don't get the hype

2011-11-30T22:55:00.001-08:00

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Vintage Pink is fairly popular among beauty bloggers, so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about.

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Vintage Pink

Do not adjust your monitor, this lipstick really is that cool-toned!
{more info and pics after the jump}
Read more »

Pretty fickle purple

2011-11-27T15:49:00.001-08:00

Not all NYX lipsticks are winners, people. Keep that in mind when you order them online!

NYX Round Lipstick in Violet Ray

NYX Round Lipstick in color Violet Ray is a gorgeous shade of metallic plum in the tube and swatch, but very difficult to wear on the lips.
{more info and swatches after the jump}
Read more »

It's seasonally appropriate for Australia!

2011-11-23T18:31:00.001-08:00

And if you don't care about wearing vampy colors in the fall and winter or saving your brights for summer, then read on!

CoverGirl Lip Perfection lipstick in Fairytale

I was tempted into buying this CoverGirl Lip Perfection with my CVS ExtraBucks after reading this post at Prettymaking. However, Fairytale looks a bit different on me than it does on Mandy!
{more info and pics after the jump}
Read more »

My love for Revlon, it's sickening really

2011-11-22T12:25:00.001-08:00

I have more Revlon lipsticks than any other brand, and Colorburst's Plum is the perfect example of why.

Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Plum

Deceptively dark in the tube, once on the lips its sheer formula provides the most beautiful wash of glossy plum color.

{more after the jump}
Read more »

From here on out

2011-11-22T11:38:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that starting from the next post, you won't be able to read the entire post in a reader (such as Google Reader, etc). Mobile site is still turned on, as it always has been, for easier reading from a mobile device. This is just to make it more difficult for content thieves to steal from this blog. edited to add: when that happens, the original blog can get marked as spam and shut down, apparently. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it's a necessity unfortunately :/

Beautiful berry with gold shimmer

2011-10-06T02:11:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I still think NYX's sale fail was a disgrace and does fit the definition of a bait-and-switch, so I do not want to support them or encourage people to buy from them. However, there are many ways to get your hands on these products if you want them - Cherry Culture, eBay, BeautyJoint.com, Ulta, blogsales, etc - so I will still feature them from time to time!

NYX Round lipstick in Haute Coutour

From my Cherry Culture 25% off sale haul, it's NYX Round lipstick in Haute Coutour [sic], an absolutely gorgeous raspberry with gold shimmer!

Back-and-forth swipe of Haute Coutour on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

I fell in love with this lipstick after seeing it on this blogger's lips - and the moment I opened it at home, I knew it was a true, deep love, the kind that lasts forever. Oh yes, I am that crazy when it comes to lipstick ;-)

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Haute Coutour swiped directly from the tube; direct sunlight, no flash

On the lips, it doesn't feel gritty from the gold glitter, but applies smoothly with a creamy texture. Ahhh, I love it! It is so perfect for fall, and yet I could see myself wearing this during the spring and summer too ... it's work-appropriate, sweet and romantic for a date ... it's just all-around awesome!

I would, however, prefer to have this shade from a company I can fully support - any indies interested in duping it? Or, does anyone have a good dupe already?

Pale peach

2011-09-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Here is my last lipstick from the CVS-Revlon-sale-haul: Super Lustrous in Coralberry.

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Coralberry

I already had Coralberry, but lost it somehow a while ago ... and despite going through ALL my handbags, rooms etc, have still not found it. Since I could replace it for less than two bucks, I decided to just go for it, figuring at that price I wouldn't be as annoyed if I did find it afterward!

Back-and-forth swipe of Coralberry on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash. Sorry this looks so weird at the top, I lost my unmarked pic and had to Photoshop out my own watermark!

This shade is the slightest bit frosty-looking because of the subtle shimmer in it, although it is technically a Creme finish. But it's just a hint of frost, so instead of looking ghastly on me, it actually does a bit of trompe l'oiel plumping :)

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Coralberry applied to otherwise bare lips; direct sunlight, no flash

I find this shade just pink enough to look pretty natural, so it's good for days I need a more subdued lip color.

L-R: Coralberry; Peach. Direct sunlight, no flash

Surprisingly, though I have tons of orange/ coral lippies now ^_^; ... I only found one similar in my collection. Revlon Colorburst Peach is slightly more orange and sheer, and has no shimmer. They're definitely different enough to justify owning both (IMcrazyO, anyway). I think this would look good on many different skin tones, since it's a cooler-toned coral with warm-toned shimmer. Leave me your links if you've got a FOTD wearing this lipstick!

Just-kissed lips

2011-09-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Another lipstick I got for $1.50 in last week's CVS Revlon madness, Revlon Colorburst in Raspberry!

Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Raspberry

I had looked at this one before and searched for swatches online, but always talked myself out of buying what I thought was just another reddish-plum lipstick in my already massive collection. Well, at this price ... :)

Several swipes of Raspberry on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

Raspberry is well-named: it's a slightly more pink/ plum-based red, which is sheer enough to look like a thin coat of seedless raspberry jam on the lips! It has some shimmer, but it doesn't look or feel glittery. This is a fantastic fall shade: it's vampy, but not too dark or strong for those who are still edging into the vampy look, and depending on how much you apply it can look like you've just come in out of the cold.

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

About two swipes of Raspberry over otherwise bare lips; direct sunlight, no flash

Here's my issue with Revlon: They really should switch the Colorburst and Super Lustrous names. Colorburst lipsticks are all so sheer and glossy, and Super Lustrous are more opaque and less shiny, so ... switch please! You can see how sheer Raspberry is on the lips, almost like a sheer gloss rather than a lipstick. I did only swipe on a bit, though. Most Colorburst lipsticks do build up color well, so you could apply more for a stronger color.

L-R: Revlon Colorburst Raspberry, Revlon Super Lustrous Berry Rich; direct sunlight, no flash

I only had one lipstick already in my collection that is similar to this color. Revlon Super Lustrous in Berry Rich is much more opaque and has no shimmer, but is similarly berry-colored. All my other lipsticks are much more red, plum, or pink. In fact, these two lipsticks have me wondering if I should start a new bag for Raspberry lipsticks since I apparently didn't have many before (I have Red, Plum, Nude Pink, Nude Peach, Orange, and Hot Pink in separate bags so far), which could be very bad news for my wallet -_-

The palest pink I can wear

2011-09-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Also known as my newest pink, Revlon Super Lustrous Pink in the Afternoon (what a mouthful)! I got it in the CVS sale this past week and took a chance on it looking okay on me, not having seen swatches or anything online.

Revlon Super Lustrous Creme lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon

It is a pale nude pink without shimmer, in the Creme finish (not matte, but not very glossy either).

Back-and-forth swipe of Pink in the Afternoon on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

It looks like it has a bit of an orange tone to it - it's not a cool-toned pink as most of mine are.

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Pink in the Afternoon haphazardly applied straight from the tube, direct sunlight, no flash

On my lips, it looks really, really pale! Because it has good opacity, it covers natural pigmentation and replaces it with the pale nude pink ... making the lips look very light in color. I absolutely hate the look of super pale lips - you know when they're lighter than the person's skin? - even though it seems to be a popular look these days, so this scares me a bit. But if I apply a thin layer, I can get away with it.

The closest color I already had in my collection is NYX Round lipstick in Fig. Prior to this, it was my lightest opaque pink, but it is darker than Pink in the Afternoon by just a bit. It's also a bit more cool-toned.

PS: I hope I haven't offended anyone by saying how I can't stand the light-lip look, but seriously, it is not a flattering look an anyone!

UK peeps, how about a dupe?

2011-09-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

I have a pretty close dupe for you today!

Sleek True Colour [sic] Lipstick in Coral Reef

Sleek True Colour [sic] Lipstick in Coral Reef ($6) is another BRIGHT, nearly-neon orangey-pink color that screams "summer" to me. (I refuse to give in to fall! It's been pretty hot here lately so I can easily pretend it's still summer :)

Coral Reef swiped back and forth once on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

And if you've been with me since post #1, you might think the color looks familiar. Could it be? Is it a dupe for the limited edition, long-discontinued Coral Polyp I reviewed a while back?

L: Coral Reef; R: Coral Polyp; direct sunlight, no flash

Almost - oh, so close! They're fraternal twins, not identical ... but the difference in color is minimal. You might not even be able to tell from the photo, but Coral Polyp is just a bit more reddish-pink than Coral Reef. In fact, in person, Coral Reef looks very orange. Plus, the MAC version is a lot easier to apply. Still, it's close enough that I feel confident calling it a dupe!

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Roughly 2 coats of Coral Reef applied straight from the tube; direct sunlight, no flash

My camera (and the sunlight) will not let me capture neon-esque colors accurately, but this is pretty close to how it looks on me in person. Anyway, for some reason, despite this being a cream finish lipstick it applies like a matte - a bit dry and prone to dragging :/ The gorgeous color makes up for it in the end (to me, anyway)!

Oh - I said "UK peeps" because Sleek is only stocked in stores in the UK, but you can order it directly from them and have it shipped over here if you don't mind the fees. Otherwise, look for an awesome Brit like mine to send it over to you :)

Not-too-90s nude

2011-09-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Because too much brown in my lipstick makes me a sad panda.

Silk Naturals Organic Lipstick in Negligee

Here's Silk Naturals dupe or "clone" of MAC's Velvet Teddy! While VT is matte, the Silk Naturals clone (comparison here), Negligee, has a bit of a gloss to it since the formula is so lusciously creamy. It really does feel like lip balm, not matte lipstick; it is a dream to apply, semi-opaque, and never drying.

Thick swatch of Negligee on otherwise bare skin; direct sunlight, no flash

The color is described as a peachy caramel, which is pretty accurate - this can lean more brown or more pink on me, though, so it seems to be a bit of a chameleon.

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Silk Naturals Negligee applied straight from tube; direct sunlight, no flash

In this pic, it pulls more pink, but there are days when I apply this and go "ugh, too brown!" and have to apply pink lip gloss over it - otherwise I look ... well, too 90s and not in a good way (I was once told, in the 90s, not to ever wear brownish lipstick again by a "friend"! lol).

This costs just $5.75 and unfortunately I don't know how much product comes in the small, skinny lip-balm tube, but still, the MAC version is $14.50 ... more than twice the price. It's probably easier to test out MAC's version in-store, though, and Silk Naturals don't do samples of eyeshadow or lippies anymore, but you can return a shade for store credit if you don't end up liking it. I have found their photos and swatches to be pretty accurate, though, which helps!

I have to mention that I think Silk Naturals is a fantastic indie brand. I have eyeshadows, lipstick, and foundation-mixing supplies from them, and I have always loved everything I've ordered. I also have a several-dozen-items-long wishlist in my SN account, and I love that they have that feature on their website! They always send a gift with purchases over $10, and list it on the front page of their webshop so you know exactly what you'll get. Everything you buy is worth a certain amount of points which you can eventually redeem once you've earned 100 points ($5 in rewards). They have a huge variety of innovative products, including clones of famous-brand colors, their own unique shades, skincare items that sound fantastic and I must try, hair care, scents, and even a cheaper version of OPI's Drip Dry! I think they don't get as much attention because they're not as active on social networks, but they really deserve to be everyone's favorite indie brand - it's a one-stop shop for skincare, cosmetics, bath and body, etc! (And no, I'm not getting paid or earning points for pimping them out ^.^)

Perfect HG red

2011-09-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I still think NYX's sale fail was a disgrace and does fit the definition of a bait-and-switch, so I do not want to support them or encourage people to buy from them. However, there are many ways to get your hands on these products if you want them - eBay, BeautyJoint.com, Ulta, etc - so I will still feature them from time to time!

NYX Round Lipstick in 569 Snow White

I spent years looking for my perfect red lipstick (or gloss), and when I finally found it, I spent less than $2 on it! (Full retail price is around $4-5)

Snow White swatched on otherwise bare skin, 1 swipe! Direct sunlight, no flash

NYX's Snow White is a fairly balanced deep red that is opaque, creamy, and best of all CHEAP! Of course, it's not perfect; there is some bleeding if you aren't careful with application (use a lipliner and/ or a reverse liner, apply with a lip brush), and the wear time is pretty average.

I slapped it on straight from the tube, and this is how it looked:

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash

Snow White; direct sunlight, no flash

For some reason, it pulls a bit brown on me, but it's not a brick red! It is a perfect, classic, classy dark red. The finish is a bit glossy and very forgiving; it doesn't catch on dry skin, and it makes my lips look healthy and full.

Because it's not too blue- or orange-toned, this color seems to be universally flattering - I've seen many rave reviews of Snow White all over the web! This lipstick will be in my upcoming giveaway over at The Cheap Chick, so keep an eye out for that :)

More matte - NEON pink

2011-08-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have two matte lipsticks now! Annnnnd I'm not sure I'm a convert just yet. Sleek True Color Lipstick in Amped is the hottest pink in the universe, but the finish is so tricky!

Sleek True Color Lipstick in Amped (damaged in transit)

Called a Candy Yum-Yum dupe by some (not having CYY I can't confirm or deny the rumors), this color is a cool-toned neon bubblegum pink. The matte finish makes it hard to work with: it drags on application, even with a lip brush; it spreads unevenly when you press your lips together; and worst of all, it catches on dry skin.

The strong white base is not too apparent in the swatch; it could almost pass for a normal hot pink matte lipstick.

Naked lips for comparison, direct sunlight, no flash

About two layers of Amped, direct sunlight, no flash

On the lips, it looks like I have blanked out my natural lip color with white concealer and then applied this lipstick. What I actually did was use a lip brush to apply it, frown, use the lipstick straight from the bullet over that, glare, try to even it out with the brush, and finally give up.

I do like this color in general and in theory, but I'm not sure I'm confident enough to pull it off! It's definitely not something I could get away with wearing to the library and grocery store, for example ... maybe a night out, but only if I spent the day getting my lips in absolutely perfect moisturized condition first.

Anyone out there have both this color and Candy Yum-Yum to compare?

Holy grail my lips but better lipstick

2011-08-22T01:06:00.000-07:00

Revlon Colorburst Soft Rose

Soft Rose was my first Revlon Colorburst lipstick. Ever since I saw on Nouveau Cheap about it being a dupe for NARS Dolce Vita, I've been in love ... and I wear this more often than any other lipstick!

One back-and-forth swipe of Soft Rose on otherwise bare skin, direct sunlight, no flash

It's a semi-opaque pink that leans slightly brown. I can't imagine a skin tone this wouldn't flatter. It's a bit warm-toned but I have cool tones to my skin and I still think it looks good on me. See for yourself:

Naked lips for comparison, direct sunlight, no flash

Direct sunlight, no flash

I really consider this a must-have for anyone and everyone ... it never looks overdone, too flashy, or stuffy, just perfectly natural and pretty!

PS: My manfriend will be here in less than 19 hours and he's staying for 3 weeks (he lives 5500 miles away), so if I disappear, that's why ^_^; He is bringing me English/ European makeup though so I will have some fun stuff to show you!

Clinging to summer: matte watermelon pink

2011-08-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

Don't go, summer! I hardly knew you :( I haven't even gotten within 50 miles of a beach, why bother living in California?! And the weather, don't get me started! It's been like spring for months now ... the highest I've felt it get is around 85, which is weak for August where I live >_<

Anyway, since I'm trying to pretend summer won't end in less than a month, I thought I'd show off a bright melon pink which is also my only matte lipstick: Revlon Matte 004, Pink About It! This is an oldie but goodie, which has long been discontinued (sorry to keep showing you DC lipsticks, I swear I'm not a sadist IRL) ... it has very high marks on Makeupalley, and for good reason. It's not too drying, it applies pretty well (for a matte), and the color is gorgeous!

Revlon Pink About It

Bright, almost neon pink with orange tones, and a white base that makes the color pop against any skintone, this color is perfect for summer!

Pink About It swatched on bare skin, direct sunlight, no flash

It swatches a bit reddish - but this is pretty true to the real color.

Naked lips for reference, direct sunlight, no flash

Pink About It applied directly from the bullet, direct sunlight, no flash

On my lips, it's more of a ... light neon? I don't know what to call it! It is very bright, yet still kind of pale. Juicy melon pink which does catch a bit on dry skin even if I've just exfoliated and moisturized my lips, but it's only visible very close up.

Although this is discontinued, you can probably still find it on evilBay or in blog sales, and if you do, I say snatch it up!

2-Step Tutorial

2011-08-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

Finally! Here's the illustrated tutorial for the firey ombre lips I did a while back, only with orange lipstick instead of gloss:

Products you'll need:

L-R: Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Coral; NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Deep Red

either jumbo lip pencil or lipstick in the darker color of your choice. Here, I'm using Deep Red pencil from evil NYX just because I fail at using lipstick with a lip brush, and find this easier to draw with.
lipstick or gloss in lighter color of your choice. I'm using Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Coral this time around.

That's it! So this is really easy, just begin by thickly outlining your lips with the darker color and filling in the corners of your lips, leaving the center clean as shown. Gently pat the inner edges with your finger to soften the lines.

Direct sunlight, no flash

Then take your second color and apply it in the center of the lips. You can choose to just apply it where the lips are blank, or go over the entire mouth with it to blend it better. I went a bit beyond the edges of the red with my orange lipstick to blend (and I didn't use a brush or anything, just swiped it on from the tube).

Direct sunlight, no flash

Done!

Check out how much fuller my lips look compared to naked lips!

Direct sunlight, no flash

I think this is my new favorite way to wear lipstick :) You have GOT to try it sometime! It literally takes about 2 minutes :)

Firey ombre lips!

2011-08-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

About two months ago, I saw this concept on MakeupGeek - two-toned lips for summer - thought it looked cool, and almost immediately forgot all about it, until last week. Suddenly, the idea of doing an ombre lip (darker fading to lighter color) appealed to me, so much so that I ended up doing it on a day I just had an appointment and a trip to the library going on!

Red fading into orange was the color combo that I dreamed of, and for this first attempt I used a red lipstick pencil (since I have no true red liner, oops!) and then orange gloss in the middle:

Direct sunlight, no flash, oops, a bit of feathering and sloppy application ^_^;

I really like how it turned out! It looked so juicy and bright. And firey. Like the Fireys.

LOVE this movie so freaking much

And I actually think it made my lips look a bit fuller! Compare to naked lips:

Direct sunlight, no flash, sadly un-plump

I used [mega-evil] NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in 709 Deep Red and Darling Girl Cosmetics Liquid Kiss in Still Your Sunshine, but later that day I also tried it with orange lipstick rather than gloss, and thought that looked really cool too. So I'm going to do a step-by-step tutorial on that version soon :)

If you use two similar-ish colors, one darker and one lighter, it works a lot like contouring and highlighting - you can visually alter the shape of your lips a bit! I'm thinking of trying this with purple and fuchsia next :D

Wet n Wild Perfect Pair review

2011-07-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's my [best attempt at a] review of the Wet n Wild Perfect Pair lip wands!

These duos, or wands as WnW calls them, are about the length of the average ballpoint pen. They contain 1.05g of lipstick on one end and 0.18g of coordinating lip liner on the other.

L-R: Perfect Pair lip wands in Hanky-Pinky, Sensual Peach, Passion Plum

I own three shades: 120 Hanky-Pinky (formerly referred to by me as Hanky Panky, derp), 122 Sensual Peach, and 123 Passion Plum. This also comes in 121 Nearly Nude. They retail for $3.99 each at stores like Rite Aid and CVS that carry Wet n Wild products.

First of all, the packaging on these is both genius and cheap, at the same time. They've actually managed to jam in a pretty decent amount of product into fairly compact packaging, but it does feel light and a bit flimsy, and I wouldn't want to find out what happens if you drop it.

You pull the cap off the thicker end to reveal a crayon-shaped lipstick which can be twisted up as you use it, and pull off the cap at the thinner end to find a semi-pointed liner which also twists up as needed. HOWEVER, be careful when twisting these! One of mine feels a bit loose, like it'll rattle right out of there if I'm not careful. Also, watch how you remove the caps, because I nicked my Sensual Peach liner the very first time I opened it by being careless with the cap -_-

As for the product itself, I think it's pretty good, actually! I only own two Wet n Wild lipsticks which I rarely use, since I have so many ones with better quality, and I do think these lip wands have a nicer formula than the lipsticks [that I've tried]. They are creamy and easy to apply, although creamy lipsticks often run out faster. The lipliners, on the other hand, felt a bit hard to me - not compared to other lipliners, just in general. I'm kind of a liner noob and only own 2 normal liners which I never use, so applying these felt really weird. Like, I get outlining the lips, which was easy, but then filling them in with the liner to make the color last longer? Does nobody else find that really unpleasant? It was kind of hard to do, the liner was sort of tugging the skin on my lips and when I was done, my lips were all dry and crinkly ... tell me that's not just me!

Here's how they look on the lips. For each, I used the liner end to outline and fill in my lips completely, then applied the lipstick on top.

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

Hanky-Pinky, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

Hanky-Pinky is my least favorite of the three, because of its frostiness. This lipstick has the most apparent level of "frost" to it and that just is not a good look on me - a shame, because as you can tell from this out of focus (oops!) picture, there are some very pretty multicolored shimmers in there ...

Sensual Peach, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

I like Sensual Peach better, though it, too, is frosty. It's a more orange shade of peach, but not at all a bold or bright color. This makes for a lovely warm-toned nude lip. I also love that the liner matches my new Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Peach perfectly!

Passion Plum, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

Passion Plum is my favorite of the three; it's a creamy, rich wine with just a hint of frostiness. It looks far more expensive than it really was, and darker colors like this are so much harder to touch up on the go, so the crayon-style product is really helpful!

Overall, I definitely think these are worth the $3.99 price tag (or less, depending on sales)! I'm going to get my money's worth out of all three just from the lipliners alone, though if you already own good quality lipliners you may not find these quite as exciting. I just think they're incredibly convenient and cost-effective. Now if only they made a LOT more colors ...

{I bought everything with my own money}

MORE lipstick hauling ...

2011-07-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

... this 40% off is corroding my brain, I swear! I went out of my way to visit a different Rite Aid in hopes of finding some LE Wet n Wild stuff (of course there was none) and the Revlon lipsticks that were out of stock in the other store, and I did find them - plus, two more shades of the Wet n Wild Perfect Pair lip duos I hauled in this post ...

So I got Perfect Pair in Sensual Peach and Hanky Panky, Colorburst lipstick in Peach, and Super Lustrous lipstick in Berry Rich.

Top L-R: Wet n Wild Perfect Pair in Sensual Peach and Hanky Panky. Bottom L-R: Revlon Colorburst Peach, Revlon Super Lustrous Berry Rich. Direct sunlight, no flash

After I posted about the Perfect Pair I got the other day, Sandi from Peace, Love, and Sparkles tweeted me saying she had also bought some and I went to look at her swatches ... and fell in love with these two! I was so happy to see them at this store. They're only $3.99 each and come with a lip liner on one end and coordinating lipstick on the other. I will be doing a review on these very, very soon!

Top: liner end - bottom: lipstick end

The Colorburst formula is one of my all-time favorites, and Peach did not disappoint me. It's a light orange that's just sheer enough to melt into your natural lip color and look like your lips but better.

Naked lips for reference; direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

Revlon Colorburst Peach, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

I also love the Super Lustrous creme lipsticks, and find they tend to be more opaque than the Colorbursts. This is the case with Berry Rich, which goes on smoothly for a flawless strawberry reddish pink lip. I'm planning a trip to MAC on Monday in search of Gem of Roses testers, because I think this lipstick might be a good dupe :D

Revlon Super Lustrous Berry Rich, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you don't vomit

I thought it looked similar to my swatches of Love That Pink and my all-time favorite lipstick, Revlon Colorburst Soft Rose, so here are some comparison swatches:

Top L-R: Revlon Super Lustrous Berry Rich, Love That Pink. Bottom: Revlon Colorburst Soft Rose. Direct sunlight, no flash

Love That Pink is way brighter, but Soft Rose is pretty close, only slightly more brown-toned and sheer. You may not NEED both, but I think they're different enough to justify owning both :)

I'll be posting lip swatches of the Wet n Wild duos in my review, so stay tuned - that post is coming up next! Have a fun (and SAFE) night!

Fail/ win situation

2011-07-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

So embarrassing.

I was looking at Rite Aid AGAIN, hoping they'd have restocked a bit, but they were missing even more Revlon lipsticks ... but Wild Orchid caught my eye, and I decided to adopt it. However, I could tell just from looking at it in the tube (side note: I like the clear tops! It makes it easier to tell which one is which) that it would be similar to a couple of other ones I have. I brought it home, and went to find the ones I thought would resemble it ... and ... I already had this one.

Fail!

So I returned the new one, obviously ... and took another look at the one I already had :) I got it in a blog sale for less than $1 I believe, and that was a about half a year ago, before I fell in love with Revlon lipsticks. So, I forgive myself for forgetting I already owned this - but now I want to wear it way more often!

Naked lips for reference, direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred to protect my ego

Direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred to protect my ego

Look how pretty! It's a bright fuchsia with blue pearl, pretty good color payoff (and no scent). It is very similar to some other ones I have, so here's the comparison:

Top, L-R: NYX Chloe, Revlon Super Lustrous Wild Orchid, NYC Blue Rose. Bottom: Revlon Colorburst Fuchsia. Direct sunlight, no flash

NYX Round lipstick in Chloe is very close but not an exact dupe, as Chloe is a bit darker and has a bit more of the blue flash. NYC Blue Rose is a bit lighter and more pink, with less of the blue, and Fuchsia is just there to show it next to a "regular" hot pink ^.^

So if you'd rather not buy NYX, or can't find it near you, I highly recommend Wild Orchid! It should be pretty easy to find at Rite Aid, CVS, etc. And of course, at 40% off it's a great deal, though still a bit pricier than NYX. It's a beautiful color and looks way more expensive than it really is!

Revlon haul!

2011-07-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

You'll hear me talk a lot about Revlon, but I'm not getting paid to mention them all the time (or ever, at all), swears. I just really love their lipsticks and the way they're always on sale - for example, 40% off at Rite Aid this week! So, I hopped over to check out some of the lipsticks on my wishlist. They were missing a few I wanted, and others looked like they wouldn't suit me, so I ended up bringing home ...

L-R: Love That Pink, Lilac Champagne, Hot Coral

... just these three! Remarkable self-restraint on my part. From left to right, I got Love That Pink in the Super Lustrous formula, and Lilac Champagne and Hot Coral in the Moondrops formula (I have no idea what the difference is supposed to be with the formulas).

Direct sunlight, no flash

All really gorgeous brights! These are such juicy summery colors, aren't they? Love That Pink is so warm-toned it could pass for coral, Lilac Champagne is a very odd name for a hot pink, and Hot Coral is ... yet another orange lipstick for my rapidly expanding collection O_O

Here are my naked lips for reference:

Direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you won't barf

And the lipsticks!

Direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you won't barf

Love That Pink is a very reddish pink which definitely could be considered coral, if more orange variations of coral frighten you. Otherwise, it's just a beautiful warm-toned bright watermelon color. Although my skin has cool undertones, I did love the way this looked on me. ETA: It does look brighter IRL than in my photos!

Direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you won't barf

Lilac Champagne is a fantastically bright hot pink with blue undertones. It's vivid - even a thin layer on your lips will be pretty intense! This one had the strongest scent, however - the infamous Revlon smell, like playdough. Boo!

Direct sunlight, no flash, skin blurred so you won't barf

Hot Coral looks way less orange on my lips than it did on my hand swatch, at least in natural light. Inside my house, I did think it looked orange ... weird. Another very intense shade, which I personally prefer for the summer. This one also has the Revlon scent, so maybe it's the Moondrops formula ... ? ETA: It does look brighter IRL than in my photos!

I was disappointed not to find Colorburst Peach (sold out), Rose Wine or Berry Rich from the Super Lustrous formula (no spots for them in the display, but were on the Rite Aid website). Still, there's always the next mega-sale :D

Anyone else taking advantage of the Revlon sale? If you haven't already tried these lipsticks, I highly recommend the Colorburst formula (Soft Rose is my favorite), closely followed by Super Lustrous - I swear they're every bit as good as (if not better than) high end brands!

My first MAC: Coral Polyp!

2011-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right - this is my first MAC lipstick! I know what you're thinking: How can you call yourself a lipstick lunatic if you've never even owned a single MAC lipstick?! Well, the truth is, I barely ever saw MAC unless I was in Nordstrom's makeup center, and I'm in the drugstore way more often, so it wasn't until I started reading dozens and hundreds of beauty blogs that I came to realize just how much of a reputation MAC has built for its lipsticks!

And my first impressions are that the reputation is deserved. Behold: Coral Polyp from the Dame Edna collection!

Many people hate the tacky packaging from this collection, but I am not one of them, especially because it makes it so much easier to determine whether or not I bought a fake MAC from eBay! I ordered this for just $18 with free shipping, which is a pretty great deal on a lipstick that is extremely hard to find now, and it was unused, too. Naturally, people warned me that all the MAC on eBay is fake (most of it is, I guess, so be careful), but I was confident that the very special Dame Edna packaging would be hard to replicate! Having examined pictures online, and compared my swatches to online swatches, and smelled the signature MAC vanilla scent, I do believe this is completely authentic :)

Direct sunlight, no flash

The color is surprisingly unique. It's brightest orange-pink, nearly neon with a strange finish: almost matte, but with a slight sheen. However, my swatches look nothing like the way this looks on my lips! I swatched it alongside Revlon Colorburst in Coral (left) and Revlon Super Lustrous in Coral Berry (right). In the swatch, it looks much more pink than the other two corals; almost reddish, with far less orange.

ETA: Here's a naked-lips pic for reference!

Skin very highly blurred to protect my ~~identity~~ fragile ego :P

On my lips, it is shockingly bright! I'm not sure you can tell from the closeup, but it really does look neon at a glance. It's very visible from a distance - this is not a color for the faint of heart!

Direct sunlight, no flash

Because it looked neon to me, I swatched it next to the one UV-reactive lip product I own: Glory Box Cosmetics Prince of Parties. You can tell that Prince of Parties (labeled PoP) is almost fluorescent, while Coral Polyp just looks like a normal pink. It's definitely not an actual neon, just very, very bright!

Direct sunlight, no flash

And I thought I might have found a dupe for it in Revlon Super Lustrous Hot Coral, but as you can see, Coral Polyp is still more pink and less orange, though they have a similar intensity. It also appears to be more pink than Hibiscus, and there are no other MAC shades that come close to it.

As far as wear is concerned, I just got this today, but I did put it on right away and got more than four hours of wear before I wiped it off (I always wipe off my lipstick/ gloss before eating, I don't know why). It felt a bit dry, but I kept checking how it looked, and it kept on looking perfect!

All in all, I'm very pleased with my first (LE, DC) MAC lipstick! Considering that I saw it (on Lillian's blog), fell in love with it (while searching online for dupes and coming up empty-handed) and bought it so quickly, this could have turned out to be a bad impulse buy, but instead I think I've gained a very unique, fun summer coral, as well as a new respect for MAC. I fear this may be the beginning of a very expensive love affair ...

Welcome!

2011-07-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Ravings of a Lipstick Lunatic!

If you didn't already know, I'm eRiN from The Cheap Chick - a blog about bargains, beauty-related and otherwise - and this new blog is my attempt to confine my lipstick obsession to one place!

You can expect to see lemmings*, swatches, hauls, collection posts and more ... but all lipstick. Only lipstick!

I hope to have a very exciting LE* lipstick in my hands tomorrow or Monday with which I'll do my first "real" post, so be sure to follow or just come back soon!