Anastasia Beverly Hills recently extended their product line at Sephora and I picked up three shades of Lip Gloss ($16 each) that had been on my radar for quite some time. I’ve long avoided buying the glosses because of their opacity – I thought they would most likely look flat or plastic-like on my lips but having seen so many amazing swatches on social I decided to give them a go. My first three shades include Undressed (pale milky nude beige), Vintage (medium rose pink) and Metallic Rose (shimmering cool mauve rose). The formula is indeed very opaque and gives the lips full coverage. The creams (non-shimmers) go on smoothly and I was really impressed that they don’t settle into lip lines like so many cream glosses do. The shimmers are non-gritty and also very smooth on the lips. These have a strong vanilla scent when you first apply them, but it disappears after 2-3 minutes. After it sets I really can’t smell anything from the gloss. Lasting power and pigment is incredible – they have almost a liquid lipstick kind of finish with the way they are so opaque but have that shiny lip gloss formula. Texture isn’t weightless but at the same time it’s not super heavy.
I put on Metallic Rose first and I was blown away by how incredibly smooth, richly pigmented and gorgeous the color was. It’s truly the prettiest most amazing rose shimmer I have ever tried. I really can’t get over how stunning it is. I tried Vintage next and it’s a perfect medium pink nude. Undressed is one of the shades I see featured the most on other blogs and on Instagram. I knew there was a good chance this would be a high-maintenance nude and as expected it is. For me, my perfect pale beigey nude in a lipstick is MAC Pure Zen or Japanese Maple. Others tend to look like concealer on me. I was able to get Anastasia Beverly Hills Undressed to work with a bit of tweaking – I applied MAC Subculture lipliner and filled in the lips then put the gloss on top and blended everything with a brush to make it work. I think if I use a darker liner like MAC Boldly Bare or Stripdown it will probably work better for me.
These come with a flat sponge tip applicator which are really easy to use. The way the tip is shaped makes it easy to apply around the edges of the lip precisely.
Swatches below:
Undressed is swatched over MAC Subculture Lip Liner, Vintage and Metallic Rose swatched over bare lips:
I’m really impressed with these and don’t know what took me so long to try these. Now that more of the Anastasia Beverly Hills line is available at Sephora I will definitely be checking out more items. If you have any long-time favorites please let me know. I still have the review on the Glow Kits that I picked up from IMATS on my review to-do list. I hope to have swatches edited and final thoughts sometime next week so stay tuned.
In the meantime – let me know if you’ve tried the Lip Gloss formula and what your favorite shades are! You can find the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss at Sephora, Macy’s and Anastasia Beverly Hills.
Becca launched a new foundation earlier this year called the Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation ($38 for 1 oz) which offers smooth, buildable natural coverage that has a soft glow. I’ve been testing this for two months now combined with the Backlight Priming Filter ($38 for 1 oz) which I actually bought and have used with other formulas since last fall but never reviewed. Today I have a review on both with swatches of all the colors of the Aqua Luminous formula.
For foundation I prefer something that is semi-matte and semi-dewy, basically something that’s in between both ends of the finish range and something that looks natural but also offers at least medium coverage. I don’t have perfect skin so visible coverage is essential for me. I used to use the Becca Sheer Luminous Foundation (original version) and the Foundation Stick many years ago (back in the early 2000s when I was in college and the line was still at Nordstrom). My match back then was Macadamia and I was a die-hard fan of the line until it disappeared from stores for a while. It’s since made a comeback at Sephora and Ulta but I never looked into the foundation reformulations until this year.
Glowy luminous foundations can be hit or miss for me. Many look incredible on my skin for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then turn into an unmanageable oil slick after that which is a shame for me because often times the coverage and color options are perfect. I have normal skin with some areas that are slightly oily and the Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation is amazing. It offers everything as described: smooth lightweight coverage, buildable pigment, blurs imperfections and gives the skin an ultra soft glow. It has enough coverage suitable to even out the skin nicely and I didn’t have to pack it on to get the coverage I wanted. Beige turned out to be my perfect match (as in truly perfect, no tweaking required). I still do need concealer or correctors for dark spots or red areas, but that’s the case with most foundations I use anyways.
The only thing I do not like about this foundation is the packaging. It comes with a dropper – you twist the cap to pop up the push-down dispenser at the tip and press to push out product. I find it awkward and difficult to use although it’s not impossible and I can overlook it because the formula is that good. In terms of lasting power it holds up well with or without primer. When I went to Sephora to get matched the artist used the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer and a beautyblender sponge to apply and it lasted from the time she applied it all over well into the late evening without getting greasy or oily looking. For wear on my own – I’ve tested it by itself, with a number of Make Up For Ever Primers (hydrating and nourishing are what I have) and the Becca Backlight Priming Filter. I think the Aqua Luminous foundation performs well with a number of formulas, a primer definitely isn’t needed for it to look its best. Powder is absolutely needed to set though – otherwise it gets too glowy looking by late afternoon. Some pressed and loose powders that I highly recommend in this post here.
Swatches of all the shades – they are swatched heavily so you can see the color. It blends out to a smooth flawless finish when I use either the Sephora Collection Pro Full Coverage Airbrush #53 brush or a beautyblender (the pink one is the best one, full review here, however I am testing the new nude). The color range is wide but there are definitely some big jumps in between shades. I’m thrilled that Beige is my perfect match.
A few comparison swatches:
Next is the Backlight Priming Filter which is a pearly liquid primer designed to create a base for makeup. It has a very soft luminous finish with a lightweight almost whipped almost liquid texture. I love the packaging pump as it’s easy to use and no fuss. I found it lightweight, non-clogging, non-irritating and luminous. It did create a nice glow and I like using this primer with other foundations but as a person who doesn’t really like primers in general, I didn’t find this essential to creating a flawless base. When the weather was warmer and we had a few heat waves I found this to be too moisturizing for my skin and it left my face looking a bit too dewy. With normal or cooler weather here in Southern California it performs better. In terms of primers though – this is one of the better ones I’ve tried in terms of smoothing the skin and creating a nice canvas for foundation, concealer and powder.
A quick look at Beige and the Primer swatched side by side:
Bottom line both are extremely good in terms of performance. I will be repurchasing the foundation once I’ve used it up. For the primer I’m not sure I find I love it enough to repurchase – I’m still searching for the one that changes everything for me. Still I have no regrets buying it and will use it to the end.
The Makeup Show Los Angeles 2016 is happening this weekend March 19th – 20th at the California Market Center and I’m thrilled to be able to share a sneak preview of some items that will be available at the show! For those new to The Makeup Show is a pro-beauty event open only to those in the beauty and fashion industry including makeup artists, hairstylists, estheticians, cosmetologists, agents, models, stylists, photographers, industry insiders and anyone that works or studies in under the umbrella of beauty and fashion. It typically happens once a year in Los Angeles – they travel nationwide to other cities like New York City, Dallas, Chicago and Orlando.
Tickets are available for purchase online or at the door (they are cheaper if you buy ahead of time online). There are 1 day or 2 day passes available. Since this is an event for professionals you will need to show some credentials at check in (full listing of qualified credentials on the ticket page).
There will be approximately 60 different booths including individual beauty brands, beauty retailers and educators attending such as Make Up For Ever, MustaeV, Hakuhodo, OCC, RCMA, Beautylish, Urban Decay, Sephora Pro (full list of exhibitors here). To see last year’s feature check out this post here on The Makeup Show 2015.
For the preview items sent by The Makeup Show team, full listing is as follows:
A closer look at the color items below starting with the face products. I first tried the Bésame Brightening Face Powders last week in store at Sephora. I tried Violet which is a color corrector for light-medium skintones designed to correct yellow and red (it’s brightening). I was thoroughly impressed by the finish – it’s truly transparent yet brightening and left no white or purple cast on the skin. (I did decide to wait on purchasing it though.) I received Vanilla Rose from The Makeup Show which or light-medium tones, color corrects green and blue tones in the skin. It has a transparent finish as well with a subtle finish. Overall I prefer the effect of the Violet on my face for all over but Vanilla Rose is good for setting the undereye area for me.
Next up is the Scott Barnes Multi Media Liquid Makeup. This is a bi-phase liquid that separates once it settles much like the Armani Glow Foundation. I received the shade Cafe Au Lait which is too dark and too peach for my skintone so it was hard for me to tell how it really performed with such a mis-match. I hope to check out the other colors in person at the show. If I find a match I will be sure to let you know.
From MustaeV is the Lustrous Cream Base which is subtle shimmering opal cream product. It has a similar concept to MAC’s Strobe Cream but the MustaeV has a more emollient moisturizing formula. The finish is also a bit more transparent in finish so the glow cast is more subtle on the skin. You can use the MustaeV as a base under foundation, mix it in with foundation for a glow effect or use on top to highlight any area you want a glow. If you’re interested in a full review let me know.
Swatches on bare skin, note the items are swatched heavily to show the color. When applied on the face with blending the Cream Base and Powder both disappear into a translucent finish.
For lips The Makeup Show as quite a few bold and super edgy colors. From OCC are two grey lip color items. The Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Sebastian is a grey taupe. It’s for both lips and eyes, I can see myself wearing it on the eyes. On the lips – I just don’t pull off grey well. There’s a new Lip Tar in Indrid which is an opalescent violet pink shimmer. The pigment and finish is excellent. The color is not something I would ever wear. For both of these shades I didn’t swatch the entire lip – part of the center isn’t touched up so you can see a bit of my natural lip color underneath.
From Make Up For Ever there are three items in the Lip Fever Passion Pink Collection including Artist Lip Balm #920 Flushed Cherry, Artist Lip Blush #921 Exalted Rosewood and Artist Acrylip #922 Electric Fuchsia. You can find all three at Sephora now. I received the Acrylip #922 which is a high pigment liquid lipstick. It’s a lightweight formula that covers the lips entirely and has a glossy finish. At this time I do not know if more colors in these formulas are coming out – I hope they do because as far as a liquid lipstick goes, I am really liking the shiny finish (most liquid lipsticks are either too opaque or matte which makes them look so flat).
The last color for preview is the Bésame Sweetheart Glaze in Caramel which is a glossy nude. It’s described as a luminous lip protectant with moisturizing ingredients. It has a medium to strong vanilla scent and offers medium smooth coverage which I find really good. Often times cream nudes can settle into lip lines but this one does not. It does have a moisturizing finish – if a gloss formula does not have any moisture-added properties my lips are dried out by the next day – with this one, no peeling or dried out lips so I give this one a thumbs up.
Kat Von D Beauty always launches new items at The Makeup Show. Last year this time the Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette made it’s debut (I still don’t own it but I think I need it in my life). For those who like the concept but want something non-neutral there are four Shade + Light Eye Contour Quads launching. I have a preview of plum which features all matte shades. The colors are in the plum and pink color family which make for a softly contoured eye look. The texture is very powdery with a lot of kick-up but finish is really good. It’s like skin but better with no powdery finish on the eyes – it’s like the product melts into the skin. I played with this a few ways and found that the synthetic brushes were the best tools for application. The Shade + Light Double Ended Contour Brush is excellent in quality and super soft. It applies matte shades very well and blends colors to create a nice gradient.
Also new is from Kat Von D Beauty is the Lock-It Color Correcting Eyeshadow Primer. I was sent Fair but I suspect the next shade up in Light would be more ideal for my skintone. There are a lot of mixed reviews on this one. I’m in the batch that likes it – I smudge it on the lids direct from the tube and blend with a finger. It evens out the lid nicely without looking cakey or flat and truly did make the matte eyeshadows from the Shade + Light Eye Quad last all day long without fading or budging. I have yet to try it with other eyeshadow formulas but first impressions are overwhelmingly positive.
A quick eye look I took a few days ago. This is shown around 5-6 hours after initial application. Colors looked pretty much the same as when I first applied – do note I did a very subtle wash of all four colors layered together.
Last but not least is the Pur Cosmetics Eye Polish in Caviar. This is described as an all-in-one primer and shadow product. It comes with a silicone applicator which I wasn’t able to master. I did try applying this with other detail brushes and found it to be an extremely glitzy highly metallic black gold. I think it will take some practice to figure out the layering and blending – but I will say that the lasting power is quite impressive. I do like a good shimmer eyeshadow but I found this one to be more glitzy than the Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Shadows so for me would be better suited for going out versus everyday.
To recap, the event in Los Angeles is happening this weekend March 19-20th at the California Market Center. All the event details, location, hours, exhibitors, special speaker events are on their website www.themakeupshow.com/la. You can purchase tickets ahead of time online here or also at the door (they are cheaper if you purchase online). Follow them on Instagram @themakeupshow to get more sneak peeks of what’s launching at the event.
I hope you enjoyed this preview! Full recap of the event to follow after
this weekend. If you’re planning to attend please let me know in the
comments! Or if you’ve attended one – would love to hear about your
experience and thoughts too.
Items provided courtesy of The Makeup Show team as a preview for the LA 2016 Event.
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you’ve been enjoying the weekend – we had rainstorms come through here in Southern California but it was brief and the sun is back out today. I’ve been absolutely obsessed with the Urban Decay UD Gwen Stefani Blush Palette which I promise to review soon. I’ve been waiting for a couple blush palettes that I ordered to arrive in the mail so I can do a battle of the blush palettes post as there have been a few new ones that launched this year. For face I’m still working my way through foundation testing. So far the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint is my most reached-for formula so far this year. I’ll have some thoughts on the Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation and Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation soon.
Last week I stopped by Sephora South Coast Plaza for my first beauty appointment in a Sephora store to learn about color correcting. I half dread in-store makeup appointments because of you never know what kind of artist you will be working with. So many have a hard sell approach or load up on colors that really aren’t flattering. This visit was hands down the best appointment I’ve ever had – I worked with Dre and if you’re in the area I highly recommend trying to book a sit down with her. I’ll have a write up soon on my whole experience. I went in not knowing anything about color correcting and personally thought that using a full coverage foundation could accomplish the same thing in fewer steps. I was so impressed with her knowledge of all the skincare and beauty brands. She was patient in answering all my questions. The results of her application were amazing.
I haven’t done a link love post in a while – but here are a few reads and links I’ve been loving:
For the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint shades, Café Makeup has all the colors swatched
The Louboutin Lipsticks still have not yet launched on the West Coast, I’ve found myself revisiting Rae’s amazing Louboutin Lip Color + Live Swatch video to help me narrow down some picks for an online order soon
Kellie Gonzo is making me want all the OPI New Orleans shades, they are gorgeous on her!
P.S. I’m still obsessed with the Maison Martin Martiela Lipstick On fragrance for a soft girly feminine scent. I just got a mini sample of the new Diptyque Eau Des Sens which is the best orange blossom I’ve ever tried and I am seriously tempted.
Enjoy the last bits of your weekend! Would love to hear about what you’re loving right now. I’m behind on responding to comments but will be following up on your questions soon!
For skincare I think my favorite things to try out are facial cleansers. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as the feeling of having squeaky clean skin. I have sensitive skin that reacts to a lot of products and when it happens it usually happens instantly with a flash of tiny little red bumps that surface everywhere. I need cleansers that are gentle but still effective at getting rid of excess oil and dirt. I have normal combination skin so I look for cleansers that are strong enough to feel like my skin is thoroughly cleansed, doesn’t leave any film but at the same time won’t strip the skin and leave it feeling tight. I have a roundup of face cleansers I think are really good for right now, especially as we transition to spring. A few are tried and true and some others are new to me that I’ve been testing since January. I took these photographs a little over a month ago but wanted to wait and use up a few tubes entirely to see how I felt about them and also which ones I thought I would be repurchasing.
Finding a cleanser depends on so many different things. Skin type is the main deciding factor so if you have normal but sensitive skin like me I think you will find this review most helpful. I probably switch up my cleansing routine more than the average person. I tend to use a different cleanser for morning versus night. Also on full makeup days I like to double cleanse by using a cleansing water or cleansing oil first to remove my makeup. Then I follow with a regular liquid or cream cleanser afterwards to make sure my skin is cleansed all the way. On workout days I find myself giving my face an extra wash – right after I work out and also right before I go to bed because I have this thing about sleeping with clean skin.
I’ll split my recommendations by type and by intensity. I’m a huge wimp when it comes to any kind of tingle for skincare so all of these in this roundup are tingle-free and super gentle.
Up first are the cleansing oils I’ve had in rotation from Tom Ford, Tatcha, SK-II and L’Occitane. For these it’s really hard to pick a favorite because all four are extremely good. I’ve reviewed oils before (a few years ago) and I’m really picky with what I repurchase. As long as an oil doesn’t break out my skin or cause a reaction I’ll use it up entirely because I don’t want it to go to waste. Many leave an emollient film on the skin that I personally don’t like. Others strip the skin. Some others just don’t emulsify well on my skin when you add warm water. A few thoughts on these four:
Shown above from left to right:
Tom Ford Purifying Cleansing Oil ($80 for 6.7 fl oz) is the newest cleansing oil that I’ve tried, it just launched this year. Tom Ford Beauty describes this one as having a velvety formula, filled with nutrient-rich natural oils such as Jasmine Flower oil, Evening Primrose oil, Buriti oil, Tamanu oil and botanical extracts such as Panax Ginseng Root Extract and Thistle Fruit Extract, to cleanse and detoxify skin.” It indeed does have a velvety texture and cleanses the skin entirely. It removes all traces of makeup including eyeshadow, although I did not test on mascara because I don’t like oils near my eye area. It is on the purifying side but isn’t stripping. It did leave my skin feeling firm and smooth, but not tight.
Tatcha Pure One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($48 for 150 ml / 5.1 fl. oz.) has been reviewed here on The Beauty Look Book before. I would say this is my no-fail go to for cleansing oils. It’s gentle and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. It’s non-irritating and melts away all the makeup from your skin when you add warm water to emulsify and massage into the face. I love that they make a well packaged mini versions perfect for travel.
SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil ($70 for 8.4 fl oz) is another favorite. This one has the most velvety cushiony texture out of all the ones I’ve tried. It’s just as gentle as the Tatcha but I find the SK-II leaves the skin feeling a bit more moisturized. On days I feel dry this one is best for my skin because it’s not quite as purifying as others but still removes all traces of makeup.
L’Occitane Immortelle Cleansing Oil ($32 for 6.7 fl oz) full review here, but quick take is this is one of the most gentle but effective cleansing oils I’ve tried and used up. I really love this one because it’s nourishing and leaves the skin feeling super soft and smooth without any residue.
_____________________________
Next are more traditional formulas, but as I’ve been testing some new ones I’ve found some really interesting ones that are quite innovative in texture and how they apply on the skin.
Shown above from left to right:
Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash ($34 for 4 oz) this is one I’ve used up entirely and I love it. Over the summer I fell in love with the Detox Daily Cleanser because it was good for those super hot humid days. As we transitioned to cooler weather I started using the Gentle Daily Wash and it’s a lot more gentle on the skin. It’s a really good daily mild cleanser that I love for super sensitive skin days. It’s effective enough to use every day multiple times a day without stripping the skin. For me this one is pure love and I will be repurchasing this one. It helps calm down the skin on irritated days.
Kate Somerville Exfolikate Cleanser ($38 for 4 oz) is the newest cleanser from the Kate Somerville line. I also used this one up entirely (I just finished it 2 days ago). This one is such a unique cleanser. It has no gritty texture like scrubs do but does contains a mix of glycolic acid and lactic acid along with pineapple, pumpkin and papaya enzymes to exfoliate the skin in a natural way without being harsh or drying. It’s gentle enough to use daily but I like to use this 2-3x per week and alternate with the Daily Wash. It’s super gentle – there has been no irritation or harsh feeling on the skin. It’s amazing at improving the skin texture without the harsh feeling of a scrub.
Algenist Gentle Rejuvinating Cleanser ($25 for 4 oz) is another really good gentle cleanser option. I’m about 80% finished with this one and think it’s yet another incredible discovery. It’s similar in performance to the Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash but the Algenist is a unique cream texture that has a slightly mousse-whipped feel. This is one of the few cleansers I can use 2x a day 7 days a week without feeling like I need to switch up cleansers. It’s gentle as the name implies but does a great job at cleaning the skin.
First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay ($24 for 4.7 oz) has been featured on the blog a few times and definitely has reached a favorites spot for me in terms of being one of the best purifying cleansers. It cleans out the pores and the red clay helps draw out excess oil. It helps clear up the skin when I have breakouts. The texture is almost gel-like but still liquid. I think this is a great balancing product for those with normal, combination or oily skin. Right now I can’t use it daily because it’s a tiny bit drying for the weather/season right now – but that’s for my normal combo skin.
bareMinerals Clay Chameleon Transforming Purifying Cleanser ($22 for 4.2 oz) is another really good clarifying cleanser. This one is interesting because you apply it directly on dry skin and massage it until the cleanser turns white. It’s a light red color that has a clay-cream like texture. Once you massage it into the skin you rinse with warm water and it cleans the skin entirely. This one is slightly stronger than the one from First Aid Beauty but is still gentle and non-irritating. It leaves the skin feeling firm but not tight. I like this on days I feel oily or after workouts. My husband really likes this one, although his go-to is still the Kiehl’s Facial Fuel.
_____________________________
Out of all the ones I’ve been testing, I would say that my top two favorites for cleansing oils right now are the L’Occitane and Tatcha with SK-II being close third. I find L’Occitane to be the most soothing and gentle for my skin while Tatcha is a classic staple. The SK-II one is good but the price prevents me from wanting to purchase over and over again although I really really like it. The one from Tom Ford is one of the most purifying ones I’ve tried – I suspect it might be a bit too strong if you have dry skin. It’s definitely a luxurious one but I think you can find other more affordable options that perform just as well.
For the regular cleansers, I’ve been so impressed with Kate Somerville. I can’t rave enough about the line because the skincare just works so well for my sensitive skin. For everyday my favorites are the Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash and Algenist Gentle Rejuvinating Cleansers.
Do you have a favorite cleanser of the moment? I always love hearing about skincare favorites so please share in the comments!
Press samples included from all brands featured above except SK-II. As always all opinions my own.
The Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips launched sometime last fall ($36 each for 2.36ml/ 0.08oz.) and I picked up a few shades to try out. I’ve been a huge fan of his Lipsliques and Lip Lustres (Hevyn, Soigne and Gamine swatched here) – they are colors I’ve used up entirely but haven’t repurchased due to the steep price points but I do love the formulas. The quality is excellent with good smooth coverage and a voluptuous soft feel. The Prismatique Lips are sparkly lip sheers that contain Japanese reflective pigments for brilliant shine. Even though they are sparkly, the shimmer is done in a refined way to add the prettiest glimmer to the lips without feeling chunky or overly glittery. I have five shades that I purchased, although in playing with the formula, I have all the shades on my wishlist. The colors are sheer but work well with your natural lip tone to give a youthful glowing look to the lips. The Prismatique Lips come in a slim duochrome shimmering tube. It flashes green or purple depending on the light. These are extremely small in size so I do believe the price per oz is on the steep side.
Nouveau Riche is a shimmering nude
Jolie Laide is a taupe violet shimmer
Chichi is a gorgeous shimmering coral pinky peach
Pailettes is a sparkling cool baby pink
Lili Dorée is a soft shimmering peach
These apply similar to the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in the sense they are no fuss kinds of colors. They have a sheer transparent quality and on the arms they swatch sheer but the color adheres better once on the lips and gives a healthy glow. The texture is smooth and nourishing. Lasting power is like any glossy finish lipstick. The Surratt Prismatique Lips last a decent amount of time on the lips. They won’t disappear or slide off within a few hours, but lasting power won’t be as long as a full coverage lipstick.
Swatches on bare lips (no primer or liner added):
Bottom line all winners for my neutral lip loving self. These give the lips the prettiest wash of shimmer that I’ve seen. I’m all for shimmering lips but I do tend to avoid glitters. The sparkles are beautiful in these and are visible but not over the top. If I had to pick one favorite it would be Chichi. Given the way these have sheer coverage I suspect some of the brighter color options would also look gorgeous on the lips with the bright but sheer finish they have. For the amount of product you get in all the Surratt Beauty items I do think the prices are extremely high, but the quality is there and I haven’t regretted anything I’ve splurged on from the line. As far as I can tell there’s no detectable scent in the lipsticks.
You can find the Surratt Beauty Lipsliques at Barneys New York, Sephora and Net-a-Porter. If you have a few of these or any other Surratt Beauty items on your list I highly recommend you check out the Barneys Love Yourself Event going on through the 12th of March. Details on the gift in this post here. Since Surratt Beauty items are spendy the gift event is a great time to get something back for spending a significant amount. Plus it’s a nice way to treat yourself 🙂
After playing with the new Amuse Bouche Lipsticks from Bite Beauty for several weeks now, I have a roundup post with some final thoughts and a list of my top picks. I’ve been a fan of the other lipstick formulas I’ve tried from Bite Beauty and I think the new lipstick formula definitely is the best product they’ve launched to date. Long-time readers know I like colors with shine and some transparency versus the rich pigment full coverage kind of colors since they often look flat, emphasize fine lines and are a nightmare for any dry patches. There have been some exceptions in the last year including the Louboutin Lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution, Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes (to name a few) all of which have somehow managed to launch full coverage lipsticks that look luminous and have depth on the lips. In a world filled with thousands of lipstick options I’m always impressed when a brand manages to create a new and improved formula because at this point it seems like it’s all been done before (but somehow they manage to surprise us). I have been thoroughly impressed with the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick formula. To sum it up in a few words, all I can say is that it is a really good one. At the time of this post there are already over 1,700 reviews on Sephora.com and they are overwhelmingly positive which I think is huge.
Thoughts on the formula: I have full semi-sensitive lips that usually are prone to dryness with lipsticks. Some of my favorite lipsticks suck out the moisture from my lips and leave them dry and peeling by the second day (ie MAC). When I swatch batches of lipsticks I often have to split up the swatching process because the swiping, wiping, cleaning and reapplying process usually kills my lips. With the Bite Beauty formula, I did swatches over the course of 4 days and my lips were fully intact without any peeling issues. I personally feel this is a good indication that the formula isn’t drying and is indeed hydrating like it’s described. If you have dry lips or any flakes the lipstick will emphasize lines due to the rich pigment and texture – I’d recommend prepping the lips with a primer or balm first. That being said in my experience, these are hydrating but still manage to feel weightless.
Thoughts on the lasting power: I wasn’t able to test all 34 shades for a full day of wear to see how long they lasted. I did test about 7 shades for the lasting power test. I found each color lasted extremely well. All of them lasted remarkably long through several cups of coffee, tea and snacks. The darker shades do seem to have a slightly longer lasting power – the colors give the lips a slight stain so the color lingers longer.
A few other thoughts and tips on how to wear these: I found all the colors to be one-swipe wonders with no pencil needed to tweak colors. However if you find you have lips that can’t really handle full coverage lipsticks well you might want to consider a primer or balm. The only issue with lip balms is they have a lot of slip. Sometimes the emollient texture is good to treat the lips, but when you add color on top it’s prone to sliding off or weakens the lasting power in general. Two products I like to use as primers include the MAC Prep + Prime Lips and Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. Both will smooth the lip surface and help lipstick apply on the lips more smoothly. I’ve repurchased both a few times now and have no intention of switching to anything else when it comes to lip primers (although if you have any recs I’m open to trying something new but will probably still call these two my all time favorites).
Thoughts on the colors: I think the color selection is really quite good. 34 shades makes for a lot of options to choose from and Bite covered a lot of categories with this launch. All the shades are creams, so there’s no shimmer in any of the options. I think it would be interesting if they did add some pearl finish colors in the future – I’d definitely check them out, but as far as I can remember, I don’t think I recall any of their lipsticks or pencils having any shimmer. All but two of the colors have extremely good application with a smooth streak-free finish. The only two I had slight issues with include Liquorice (it was prone to smudging around the edges for me) and Black Truffle (the sharp contrast made for a slightly patchy application with one swipe, but it was easy to fix but swiping 3-4 times).
Neutrals Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb here
Cool-Toned Pinks Gin Fizz, Cotton Candy, Dragonfruit, Kimchi, Radish and Sangria here
Peach and Browns Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori here
Warm Reds and Corals Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream and Maple here
Cool-Toned Purples and Plums Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle here
There are so many good colors, but if I were pressed to pick my favorites Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper, Fig, Sweet Cream are the winners for me. If you’ve picked up any of the colors let me know what you ended up with! If you’re passing on these what’s your favorite lipstick formula or color of the moment?
You can find all 34 shades of Amuse Bouche exclusively at Sephora. I have yet to spot all the colors in store yet – if you’ve seen them please share in the comments! These are permanent so there’s no rush to order colors before they sell out. You will have plenty of time to research reviews or find a store to test these.
The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks were provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration. Many thanks to the team for kindly sending them to me to play with, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun playing with lipstick in a long time.
