The Week of Vampy Oxblood - Day 2: The Lip Gloss

These two words have always been in constant competition with one another.  One promises gorgeously glossy, moisturized lips while the other gives a stunning pigmented look.  However, can both of these products give you that perfectly vampy oxblood look?

I purchased 4 lip glosses which all looked as vampy as I could find.  They were Joe Fresh Lipgloss in Wine, Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Jasmine and NYX Simply Vamp Lip Cream in She Devil.

I picked the Joe Fresh up, on the weekend, from a bargain bin.  Instead of the usual $8 price point, I only paid $4 for.  The color in the tube was almost exactly what I was looking for but on, it's a bit to berry for it to be called vampy.  In terms of a nice wine-colored lip gloss, I highly recommend it.

I am very familiar with Clinique's Black Honey as it was one of my first lip glosses I ever bought.  I do remember it being slightly darker, though, and much more deep of a tone than it was when I put it on today.  I will say of all the lip glosses being swatched today, this one is my least favorite in terms of a vampy color.

You can never go wrong with a Buxom Lip Gloss. First of all, they are filled with a lip plumper so they make your lips nice and voluptuous and second of all, the colors are absolutely stunning.  This one is without a doubt my favorite in regards of looking vampy oxbloodish; dark red with a hint of glitter.  Love it.

Vampy oxblood?  Yes, it sure is!  NYX has definitely taken the cake with this color,  HOWEVER, it's bordering more on black than oxblood but it is indeed very vampy.

I will say despite loving lip gloss, I do believe you need to use lipstick for this trend.  Not only are lipsticks more pigmented, but they are also matte which to master the vampy look, you need to have.  Tomorrow, we will conquer the lipstick trend.

Which is your favorite vampy lip gloss?

    

Lipstick Haul: The Many Shades of Berry

I am buying lipsticks like crazy right now.

I think it has to do with the fact that in a month and a half, I will be on Mat Leave and will probably not have the money, or time, to so carefully pick many cosmetic items to try.  I guess I am trying to fit it all in now!

I discovered this gorgeous berry tone while looking through old Ipsy Glam Bags and saw that back in November of 2014 (prior to me being a member) members received a gorgeous berry shade lipstick from Forever21.  Now, you all know me enough to know that I would NEVER usually buy lipstick from there but the color was just too beautiful to pass up.

I ordered 3 lipsticks (2 Matte and one Creme), 2 glosses and an adorable owl lip balm.

Check out these colors though!  I am beyond obsessed with berry shades and am really happy to own these especially since they are like $4 a piece.  One thing to note, the creme berry shade does not last as long as the matte shades so I do find I am reapplying that one constantly.

Have you ever bought a beauty product from Forever21?  Which one?

     

For the Love of Younique Gloss: Review and Swatches

I am a lip product crazy person.

I carry around at least 25 lip products in my purse at any given time AND reapply countless times per day.  I know I have a problem and remember trying to scale the amount I brought on my backpacking trip and ended up having some friends bring me about 5 more glosses when we met up with them.  Honestly, it's an obsession.

Since you can probably tell that I am expert in all things lips, I simply must share with you the amazing-ness that is Younique and especially, their lip glosses.  Truly they are some of the best I have ever used.  The colors are bold, bright and pigmented and the gloss isn't sticky at all.  It goes on smooth and stays for a very long time as well.

Here are the colors I currently have (from left to right) Ladylike, Lavish, Lovesick, Luscious, Luxe and Lethal.

And here are the swatches...

Are the colors not absolutely gorgeous???  Luxe is the perfect nude tone when you have a smoky eye but Lethal is my current favorite.  Nothing says gloss like a bright red.

What is your favorite lip gloss brand right now?

    

Fall Haul from Sephora

For those that don't know, I have a MAJOR palette obsession.

Truly, it's bad.  There's something so special about a little kit that has EVERYTHING you need to create a beautiful smoky eye, or a kit that contains everything you need for a trip abroad.  I've tried to explain this obsession to my husband, Allan, and for some reason he just doesn't get it.  He doesn't understand why I need specific palettes for each look or why I have lip palettes and eye palettes and palettes that are lips and eyes combined.  So, I've stopped telling him that I've bought a new one and instead, hide it under the bed for a week or two and then slowly rotate it into the mix.

My recent Sephora haul consists mainly of, you guessed it, palettes and a couple other neat things I found.  I got the Sephora IT Palette (aka the Color Spectrum Eyeshadow Collection), the Sephora Spring in Soho Eye, Cheek and Lip Palette, the Buxom Lip Polish in "Christina" (how fitting) and the Pinch Minimergency Kit for Her.

Check these things out!

The Sephora IT Palette is gorgeous.  The colors inside are vibrant, bold and stunning.  I find myself drawn to jewel tones and when I saw this one on sale for 50% off, I knew it was destined to come home with me.

Inside, the palette has a highlighter and a base on the left hand side.  The colors from left to right (top row) are Rich Chocolate, Radiant Pink, Brilliant Yellow, Magnetic Aqua.  From Left to right (bottom row) are Bold Bronze, Prismatic Purple, Iridescent Green and Blue Crystal.  The black and white on the far right are the two eyeliners in the package.  Along with a few brushes, this palette is perfect for creating tons of different eye looks.

The Sephora Spring in Soho is awesome because it's small enough to keep in your purse AND has two different levels.

The first level is full of your eye shadows and brushes.

The second level, contained in a slide-out drawer, are the lip colors and the blush.  Too cute.

For those of you that have not tried a Buxom lip gloss, you have to go out right now and get one.  They are magnificent because they aren't sticky, they have amazing staying power and the have a lip plumping agent in the gloss.  I love that tingly feeling especially if it's because my lips are looking more full.  I grabbed my namesake gloss and absolutely love it.

Last but not least, is the Minimergency Kit by Pinch.  This little kit contains all of the following items: a bandage, a safety pin, earring backs, a deodrant towelette, nail polish remover pad, stain remover, clear elastics, lip balm, an emery board, a tampon, hair spray, clear nail polish, dental floss, a mending kit, breath freshener, double sided tape and some aspirin.  And the package is so tiny (hence it pictured next to my lip gloss container.)  I like it so much that I am petrified to use anything in it!

What items have you been buying recently?  Any great palettes?

    

The Greatest Lip Product Haul EVER!

Last week, I went crazy and purchased lipsticks and lip glosses galore.

It's not like I don't have enough lip products (I'll show you what I mean very soon) to be honest, but I'm always drawn to pink things. It's almost as if there was an invisible force MAKING me buy more pink lippies. It seemed to actually tell me "to buy all the pink lip products I could find". So, I of course, did just that.

I purchased the Coca-Cola Lip Smackers Collection (which I've been eyeing for quite some time), an Essence Lip Liner, 2 Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Lipsticks, an Essence Lipstick, a Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter and an Essence Longlasting Lip Gloss.  Whew, just wait till you see the colors.

So, my life isn't complete unless I have about 20 Lip Smackers glosses around my house, in my purse or at work.  Honestly, I use the Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers every day.  However, I've been wanting this pack for quite some time and bit the bullet, spent the $15, and am loving the package so much that I can't even open it yet.  I'm hoping to try them all out this weekend.  The package contains the following flavors/scents: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Vanilla, Barq's Rootbeer, Sprite, Fanta, Fanta Orange, Grape and Fanta Strawberry.  Yummy!

If I use a lip liner, it's always nude in color.  I find that it's easier to work with and goes with every lipstick tone.  So, purchasing a colored lip liner is completely out of my element, especially when it's this pink.  The brand is Essence and the color is called 07 Cute Pink.  I'm thinking this will work perfectly with all my new pink toned lippies.

Lately, I've been very impressed with Rimmel London's lipcolors.  Not only are the inexpensive, rich in color and longlasting, but they are extremely moisturizing.  I selected these two tones from the new "Kate" line, obviously inspired by the gorgeous Kate Moss.  The color on the left is called 05 and the one on the right is 06.  (No fancy names here!).  Both are beautiful colors and have already made their way to my lips this entire week.

The Essence lipstick is also a gorgeous red-pink tone.  I bought this, never having heard of the line before, because it was only $0.99.  Yes, you heard me right.  Not too sure if it's because the color is crap or just on sale.  Either way, as soon as I wear it I will let you know my verdict.  The color, in case you want to try it out, is called 49 Like a Lady.

Gorgeous gorgeous lip glosses!  I am loving the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters so I picked up a new shade called 075 Lollipop.  It's super bright and almost fuchsia-toned so it's perfect for a day when I'm wearing less makeup.  The other gloss is also from Essence, cost a whopping $1.99 and is called 09 Hottest Pink.  Honestly, you can't go wrong with a nice cheerfully bright gloss.

There you have it ladies?  Did I go overboard on the pink?

Review: GLEAM Lip Radiance in Unstoppable

I was sent this fresh, newly-launched lip gloss quite some time ago and finally tried it out over the weekend. First off, it's a shame it took me this long and second, I'm shocked it took this long as reds are definitely my standard go-to lip color.

The brand is called Gleam and it's founder is Melanie Mills, the former head makeup artist for ABC'S Dancing With The Stars.  The press release says that it launched on "February 1, online, and in select salons nationwide.  GLEAM Lip Radiance will be available in seven juicy shades that are tailored to fit every skin
tone."  As tantalizing as the 7 shades are, I am more than thrilled to have been sent Unstoppable, a gorgeous bright red shade that really makes my lips pop.

In fact, that's what the Lip Radiance line was designed to: Make your lips pop!  The organic and botanical ingredients not only moisturize the skin but make the product sturdy enough to be used without liner AND last all day or night.

GLEAM Lip Radiance in Unstoppable

 Pros:

Beautiful jewel-toned red 

Absolutely no stickiness

Lip gloss goes on very smooth

Tints lips a gorgeous red shade

Cons:

Price - $24 is rather pricey

Doesn't last all day like the press release says

Only 7 shades and most are unwearable

 For me, the price point is much too high for me to get excited over the beautiful color and feel of the gloss.  I know that I buy way more expensive things BUT I typically will not buy a lip gloss that costs this much.  (Unless it's a limited-edition Chanel, but let's be honest, that doesn't really count.)  Yes, the product goes on well, and stays for a relatively long time but it's the price that's throwing me off.

Either way, if price is not a factor to you, I do recommend this lip gloss.  The feel and texture of the product alone is well worth it.

Have any of you ladies tried this item before?

 

 

The H&M Cosmetic Line Is FINALLY In Vancouver

Photo courtesy of cheapdesigners.net

So it seems that every other H&M in every other country (excluding Canada) launched their cosmetic line eons ago.  However, recently (in the past few months) Vancouver finally received the line as well.

I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this cosmetic line to launch...

A few weeks ago, I visited the H&M store across the street from my condo (I know, how lucky am I, right?) and was so excited to see the full cosmetic line on display.  Palettes galore, lip glosses, lipsticks and even eye liners...I was in cosmetic heaven.  I literally had to reel my hands in as to not grab one of everything.  Instead of buying a ton of items I don't need, I settled on 4 lip glosses and a lipbalm.

The glosses are absolutely gorgeous in color and for $1.49 per tube, you absolutely can't go wrong with buying multiples.  From left to right the colors are: Beige Orchid, Right Red, Rose Toffee, Bordeaux Nights and Vanilla Ginger Lipbalm.  I'll begin by saying that the lipbalm smells absolutely amazing and it moisturizers your lips really well.  (Trust me, I was shocked too.)  I have been using this balm over top of my lipstick the past few weeks and it's been making my lips less dry while prolonging the life of the lipstick color.

The glosses, though, are the item I am most surprised by.  The colors are extremely rich, bold and super glossy.  The colors go on smooth and aren't too sticky (which I love).  I do wish that the colors would last longer on your lips but for $1.49 they're still worth the money.  Colors from left to right: Beige Orchid, Right Red, Bordeaux Nights and Rose Toffee.  Bordeaux Nights is beyond my favorite of the bunch...I just can't get enough of the plum tone...

I highly recommend you seeking this line out of you're looking for a great bargain.  I think you'l be pleasantly surprised!  Have any of you ladies tried this line before?  What are your thoughts?

Want It? Revlon's Limited Edition Lip Palette in Bordeaux in the Snow

Attempting to find the Revlon Limited Edition Lip Palette was about as difficult as my shopping excursions to Superstore for the Joe Fresh Fuchsia Lipstick.  However, back in September the lipstick was mine and as of this past Friday, and because of a friendly neighborhood Shoppers Drug Mart that's directly below my office building, the limited edition palette is also mine.  Yippee....

Revlon first came out with a limited edition palette back in 2010 with the Suede Rhapsody collection.  I'll be honest, I didn't pick up the original multi-use palette and have been kicking myself ever since.  However, since I need eye shadow like I need a hole in the head, I'm quite happy I waited for this little treasure. 

All the colors are absolutely stunning and definitely fit the color scheme for fall 2011.  My absolute favorite color is the fuchsia in the top corner, of course, but the deep plum tone at the bottom is completely smashing. Check out some of my swatches:

From left to right, Fuchsia, Nude and Deep Plum (excluded are the two light colors.

I picked this up for about $13 and it has been in my purse ever since.  I'm extremely happy with my purchase.  Next time you're stumbling through a Shoppers, you should definitely pick one up.

PS - On a different note, HAPPY HALLOWEEN my friends.  Did you get up to anything interesting over the weekend?  Allan and I did a walking murder/ghost tour last night around Vancouver and it was so much fun.  Best part of it was that it didn't rain!!!  HA.  Hope you all have a great day and eat lots of candy!

XO Christina

WNW's New Colors and Mini Haul

So, Allan and I took an impromptu trek across the border last night to pick up something oh-so very special.  (I'll share with you later...)  After we'd picked up a couple packages, we headed to Rite-Aid.  (I should begin by saying that I rent a mailbox in Blaine, WA which is a super small border town, thus making Rite-Aid the most exciting store there.....ha).

I actually like Rite-Aid quite a bit since they always have great deals on cosmetics.  And, it was the same today.  Deals galore!!

So, I got (from left to right) Freeman Facial Enzyme Pineapple Mask, Conair Thermal Ionic Self-Grip Rollers, L'oreal Paris Excellence Creme Hair Color in 5RB (my absolute favorite), WNW Color Icon Trio in I'm Feeling Retro, WNW Color Icon Trio in We're Blasting Off, WNW Color Icon Trio in Fly Me To The Moon and WMW Speed Gloss Lip Shine in Untamed.  (All the Wet N Wild items are from their new color line!!)

Aren't these colors gorgeous?  Even though the pretty bright blue eyeshadow broke on the way home, I'm still super stoked to wear it.

Swatches of I'm Feeling Retro - (from left to right) eyelid color, crease and eyebrow.

Swatches of We're Blasting Off - (from left to right) eyelid color, crease and eyebrow.

Swatches of Fly Me To The Moon - (from left to right) eyelid color, crease and eyebrow

And, drum roll please, the most exciting reason for us going to the states was to pick up our Save-The Date Cards.  Check them out...

Sigh, they are absolutely perfect.  I thought they were adorable when we saw them on-line BUT after seeing them in person I realize how awesome they really are.

Have any of you tried any of the new WNW colors?  What are your thoughts?

XO