Summer Lip Favorites Part 3

I know - quite the saga, this whole summer lip favorites series! I hope you guys had an excellent July 4th weekend (I went to Cape Cod, and this is actually written before and post-dated). Anyway, onto the shiny shiny lip colors!!!

This post is actually all about my favorite lipsticks that evoke that hot, summer sun feeling.

From l-r we have Beachbound, Ever Hip, Fresh Salmon, Sandy B, and Victorian. All MAC

As you can see, I'm a major sucker for the recent limited edition lipsticks!!!

1. Beachbound Glaze came out in the recent MAC To The Beach collection. It's an incredibly sheer, shimmery gold-bronze-melon color. It adds a touch of golden shimmer to your lips without much color. It's an effect that needs some getting used to, and is not super over the top. 
2. Ever Hip is a fabulous pink-coral that came out in the Liberty of London collection. Amazing on it's own, but so not overwhelming you can't wear other make up as well. 
3. Fresh Salmon came out with Spring Color Forecast. It's pretty similar to Ever Hip, I must admit. A sweet, pinky coral that brightens up your face no end!
4. Sandy B - the only permanent color I've included here. It's a shimmer, sheer, bronze that is easy to wear to the beach or cocktails. I don't think that this color gets enough love, to be honest. 
5. Victorian - maybe my favorite color that MAC has brought out this year! It's pink, with gold shimmer and orange undertones, giving an almost duochrome effect. The epitome of fun and flirty. Delicious. 

Any pinks I've missed? 

Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Rose #22

Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Rose #22 ($18) is a delicious, smooth, slightly sheer rose pink with gold shimmer. This lipstick is smooth. I have never put on a lipstick that felt so wonderfully rich, smooth, buttery, and moisturizing. It does mean that it doesn't have the longest staying power (2hrs for me), but putting it on every time was such a delight that honestly, I didn't care. I loved the color. It's a very pretty, neutral spring color, and the gold adds a touch of brightness. It is not an amazingly dramatic lipstick, and is very sheer, so if you are looking for a bright, or something with a lot of pigment, I suggest you steer clear of this one. If you are looking for something with a simple touch of pretty pink, then #22 is worth a look.

Korres Guava Lipstick in Pink #17

There's nothing like a good pink lipstick to cheer up your mood, no? Unfortunately, for me, Korres Pink #17 just doesn't do it for me. The color feels amazing (soft, rich, smooth, moisturizing), lasts reasonably well (3-4 hours), and comes in a very handy slim shape, but I'm sorry, it just doesn't feel like a Pink to me, and the color feels too warm, too dark, too fall-like for me to want to wear in Spring and Summer. Korres #17, I wanted to love you, I really did, but it's not love at first swipe.

Ever had a product you really wanted to love but couldn't? Do tell!

Tarte Makes My Raspberry Popsicle Last All Afternoon

One of the products that I have been most excited about trying out this year was the Tarte Natural Lipstain. They look like a juicy jumbo crayon with luscious bright sheer color. Like all Tarte products, they are formulated without sulphates or parabens and have not been tested on animals. They promise to slide on and provide a natural stain that is both hydrating and lasts all day. Even though I had previously been disappointed by Tarte's signature product, their Cheek Stain, I really wanted these products to do what they promised.

I picked two colors, Joy, a peachy color, and Amused, a bright pink. The first one I tried was Joy, and I was immediately disappointed. The color completely disappeared on my lips, and you could not see any difference. I decided immediately to return it, and hence forgot to swatch it on my arm - sorry readers!!!

The next color I tried was Amused. WOW!! You know that "I've been sucking a rasperry popsicle" stain that so many product promise? This one delivers just that. It's a gorgeous raspberry stain with a hint of a shine. The color lasted about 5 hours. While I loved the color, I have to admit I did find the product a little drying, although I was out in the sun at the time. Luckily, with a stain, applying clear lip balm is no issue. This is going to become one of my summer go-to colors.

Spring Changes in My Make Up Bag

The change of seasons has definitely brought about a change in my beauty routine. I don’t know about you, but with having an everyday job in a corporate office, my day-to-day make up doesn’t really get any opportunities to change that much on a daily basis. I keep my experimentations to evenings and weekends. However, I thought you might be interested to know what products I’m using on an every day basis to keep me looking fresh and bright all day long at work.

 (clockwise from top left: Elf Caffeinated, Elf Natural, Benefit Nice Melons)

Eyeshadows:

In the winter, I default to combinations involving Satin Taupe or Woodwinked. Spring time is a chance to go a little lighter, and right now I’m having real crushes on a couple of colors that wake me up each morning. These are colors that I don’t need to think about and I know are going to play well with others! A couple of months ago I did a rundown of peachy-gold shadows that I love – I’m still working them on an every day basis. Benefit’s Velvet Eyeshadow in Nice Melons and ELF’s Mineral Shadow in
Natural are both default morning looks. I quite often use Nice Melons on its own. Elf’s Natural is either on its own, or with ELF Mineral Shadow in Caffeinated, which is a cool, shimmery brown taupe. I use it very lightly to darken my crease. I also love MAC’s Spring Color Forecast Quad in the Gold colors – Flip can either be combined with either of the other two colors and highlighted with Manila for an easy, no-brainer look. Let’s face it, weekday morning make up is all about being able to do while half asleep!

Elf HD Powder

Base:

Since changing up my skin routine with the Clarisonic, I’ve stopped using foundation, and instead mix up my own tinted moisturizer. This means I’m also not using primer, which, although I do not feel like I need, upsets me as I have about 4 primer samples in a drawer to test! But I’m not using any other moisturizer during the day apart from my tinted, so primer doesn’t really have a good place in my routine at the moment. I'll test it out on nights on the town (do people still say that? Or just my parents?) I’m not noticing any major lasting problems with my moisturizer, so it’s not a big deal. I use ELF’s High Definition Powder on a daily basis. It works well enough, I do not have any major problems with it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is something better out there. Comments please?!?

 Clockwise from top left - MAC Ripe Peach, Benefit Sugarbomb, MAC Shell Pink

Blush:

I have a rotating cast of spring blushes that I feel comfortable with throwing on in the morning and not making a mess off. Benefit Sugarbomb is gorgeous and instantly flattering. MAC’s Shell Pink form Liberty of London is a pretty pink with gold shimmer which is subtle enough to be easy to use. MAC’s Ripe Peach is so pretty and springlike that it’s hard not to use it every day. It’s a gorgeous peachy pink that can be blended to run more peach or pink depending on your taste.

L-R: MAC Creme Cup, NARS Dolce Vita, MAC Warm Me Up, NYX Tea Rose

Lips:

I'm very much in a nude pink place these days for my lips, and each morning I find myself reaching for either MAC Creme Cup or Warm Me Up (a touch more on the brown side), NARS Dolce Vita, or NYX Tea Rose.


Has your make up basics changed up with the spring weather? Do you have any suggestions for make up must haves for the warmer weather?

My Lips But Better?

One of the lipsticks that gets raved about a lot in the blogosphere is NARS Dolce Vita, and so my lovely husband got me a tube of it for Christmas. It looked gorgeous in the tube, and I was excited to put it on. But when I did, well, I didn't really notice any difference. It seems like my lips are exactly the same color. What's weird is that I haven't even bothered to try and return this color, and continue to put it on anyway, knowing it makes no difference apart from adding a very slight gloss, which is the same as using balm. I'm a strange girl...

Anyway, can you tell the difference in the two pictures? And do you have a lipstick that is exactly the same color as your lips?

bare lips

nars dolce vita lips

lipstick in question

MAC Liberty of London Review and Haul

MAC’s Liberty of London collection is the collection I have been most excited about since Style Black in September. I’m a Brit expat living in New York, and anything British makes me feel all nostalgic and homesick, and the iconic Liberty print is just one of the most British things possible, so as soon as it was announced, my little heart started racing.

The first, and most obvious thing to talk about is the amazing packaging. It is based on a decades old Liberty print that has been reworked for MAC exclusively for this collection. [insert more notes about the packaging here]

I’m a notorious eye shadow fiend, but strangely, the eye shadows in this collection did not really do it for me. The first reason is that it felt to me that they lacked cohesiveness. Instead, the colors came across as a little bit random and chaotic. Some were strong on their own, and others were a little bit meh for me. I’ve only included my own photos from what I purchased.

Give Me Liberty Of London is a pale, matte pink. This one was fairly sheer when I swatched it, and I’m in two minds about it. Part of me thinks that in itself, it is actually fairly unusual as an eyeshadow shade (really, think now, have you ever seen a matte pale pink?). However, I have to admit that I decided I could think of little uses for it and was worried about it giving me a weird case of pink eye, so decided to skip.

Free To Be is a pretty coral matte shade. This is now in the permanent line, so I think you could definitely take your time about making up your mind with this. Maybe a sheer matte sunset eye with Give Me Liberty…? I thought it was a pretty good color with reasonable payoff considering it is a matte.

Birds & Berries is a very pretty darkened shimmery teal. It has delicious color pay-off and a gorgeous shade. The only reason I skipped is because it is practically the same as Strike a Pose from the Starflash collection, but if I didn’t already have this color, I would so be grabbing this.

Bough Grey is a lovely gray with a tinge of green. This reminds me in some ways of Silverthorn from A Rose Romance, but it is darker and greener. I am going to use this is a smoky eye and can see this being great as a neutral. 

Dame's Desire was repromoted from the Dame Edna and I skipped right over it at looks close to a couple of pinky / purples I already have. Purples and me have historically not got along very well, so that one wasn't going to catch my eye. 

There are 2 blushes - Prim & Proper and Dirty Plum. Prim & Proper is a great neutral with a touch of pink. Shocking - I do not have any neutral blushes at all - how terrible am I?!?! I keep buying pinks instead! Anyway, this is a gorgeous, useful every day color that can also be used for contouring. I can see myself using this regularly to work. 

I also picked up the Shell Pearl Beauty Powder. It's a pretty sheer pink shimmery highlighter. This is going to be a great summery shimmery powder. It's just a great, pretty color. Very simple. There is also a Summer Rose Beauty Powder that I nearly picked up. I saw it first the A Rose Romance last summer, and wanted it then. I'm still debating that one as well. Trying to be strong here!

Shell Pearl, Prim & Proper, Bough Grey

This collection really came into its own on the lip products. Wowser. There are two cool lip colors - Blooming Lovely and Petals & Peacocks. Cool lip colors don't work so well with my warmer tones, so I looked over the and scored Ever Hip and Peachstock. Ever Hip is a super gorgeous creamy summer color (coral is the color of the summer girls!!). Peachstock is a creamy peachy-nude. It's from the PRO line, so you do not have to run to pick this one up.

There are 4 lip glosses - English Accents which is a cooler pink toned gloss, A Different Groove which is a dark blackberry gloss (I didn't buy this one but it is really tempting!), Perenially High Style which is a yummy summer coral, and Frankly Fresh which is a nude pink shimmer gloss.

Peachstock, Ever Hip, Frankly Fresh, Perenially High Style

All in all this collection has some real hits and some total skips. What did you pick up?

Lipstick Queen Saint Berry Lipstick

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to come across Lipstick Queen on sale at Gilt. If you do not what Gilt is, it is basically an online sample sale store. It has flash sales which typically last 36-72hrs, where designer goods are sold at discount. Like the sound of it? Click here for an invite.

Lipstick Queen has been on my list of brands to try for quite some time now. I first came across it in Space.NK Apothecary back in the UK. Space NK also has stores across the US now. It is a boutique cosmetics store that initially specialized in hard to get American brands, but has since branched out into niche, high end brands sourced from across the world, as well as their own brand of goods as well. The stores are a make up lover's dream, and the staff are knowledgeable and excellent, and also happy to let you browse at your own pace. The founder, Nicky Kinnaird, is also from my home town, so I'm especially pleased by her success.

Lipstick Queen was founded by Poppy King who has been in the cosmetics business for years. With Lipstick Queen she aims to give women amazing lip colors which are glamourous, fun, sexy, and a little bit cheeky. The first product I tried out was from her Saint / Sinner line of lipsticks ($18 normally - I paid $11 on Gilt) . This consists of 10 shades, each available in two finishes. Saint is light, sheer, smooth, and moisterizing. Sinner is matte, rich, and creamy.

I chose the color Berry. It is described on the website as "Sheer chocolate berry shade that delights
the lips without adding to the hips", and that seems fairly fitting. The only issue is that I was in a rush buying it from Gilt when I was shopping (Gilt fans, you will know what I'm talking about), so didn't read the website description, so I thought that Berry was going to be a bit more pink than chocolate. It is much darker than I expected, and really closer to a Wine color. Although, I guess Wine and Saints do not really go together.

It goes on like heaven - smooth, silky, moisterizing, and is a true pleasure to wear. Although it's a sheer shade, it is incredibly buildable and I ended up with a very rich wine mouth, which will be gorgeous come fall-time, but doesn't feel quite right now.

I still have a couple more products to try out, so expect more reviews coming soon.

Velvet Matte Makes My Day

One of my all-time favorite discoveries of 2009 was Mad Men. Oh! The dresses! The style! The old-fashioned manners and repression! Don Draper! The cinematography! And the patience as things actually develop. I only have seen season 3, so I know I have some serious catching up to do, but in the meantime, that doesn't mean I can't get inspired. A couple of months ago TalkingMakeup.com had a post up about the makeup used on Mad Men, and a lot of it was NARS. One of the key products was the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil ($24) in Calliope and Belle De Jour. Well, it took about 35 seconds between me reading that and ordering up a couple of pencils for myself. And so a beautiful love affair was born.

 

The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are like jumbo, crayon-esque lip pencils. They go on lovely and smoothly, which is one of my favorite things about them. They are slightly drying, I'm not going to lie, but in a similar way to most matte lip products, and definitely not more so. They have a slight sweet scent and flavor that I personally like. Lip products have a habit of sliding right off me, but these last at least 3-4 hours. 

Belle De Jour is the most perfect nude lip I have ever found. It has just enough pink to keep you from looking dead, but neutralises any color and goes amazing with a smoky eye.

 

Calliope, as you can see, gets the most wear from me. This is quite often my wear to work lips. It's a gorgeous pinky-nude, and incredibly chic and sophisticated. So versatile. I can see me wearing this out and more. 

 

Okay, so Dragon Girl was not a Mad Men recommendation, but it's amazing!! It's a slightly pink red, very bright, and gives an awesome matte red lip. If you apply it lightly and blend it out, you can get a more subtly berry tint. Gorgeousness in a pencil. 

Dragon Girl, Calliope, Belle De Jour

 

I did see these NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils so I thought I'd give them a try. The biggest difference is that they are not matte, which for me is the whole point. They also have quite different pictures than in real life, so I've had some interesting experiences buying these! They are only $3.50, so it's not so bad if it all goes wrong!

 

What are your favorite matte lip colors? Any products you recommend I try?

This post contains an affiliate link. Affiliate links do not influence the opinion of reviews.