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Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation + Translucent Loose Glow Review

March 25, 2019

I’ve been working my way through some new foundation launches and today I have a review of the new Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation ($48 for 1 oz/30 ml) along with her Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Glow ($39 for 1 oz/29 g). The new foundation is probably my favorite that I’ve tested this year. Both the powder and foundation are crazy good for a flawless luminous finish and I find both are still suitable for normal/combination skin even with the luminous finish. The powder launched last year but I never did a dedicated review (you can see it on the face in this post with a full makeup look). Several of you have been asking for more swatches so I have it in today’s post for you!

To date my favorite Laura Mercier foundation has been her Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Foundation. Looking back at the archives I’ve been using this for almost 2 years now and it’s one of my favorites for humid Florida weather. It’s natural full coverage with a matte finish. Finding a good matte finish is hard for me because my skin tends to look better in something with a little glow. The Flawless Fusion is long wearing, matte but not flat, and the color range is pretty good. The new Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation by comparison is a lot more luminous. Coverage is medium but buildable to full for me. It definitely has a more hydrating luminous feel to it but isn’t too dewy and has no greasy feeling. For me her Tinted Moisturizers simply don’t work well in Florida humidity (it’s too dewy and too luminous). The Flawless Lumiere has a natural finish with a lot more coverage compared to her Tinted Moisturizer.

Shade options come in C for cool, N for neutral or W for warm. I’m normally in the W range for yellow tones but some of the options are a little too yellow and I find N works best for me. On shade matching the Laura Mercier team sent me my normal shade Buff 3N1 and one lighter color Cashew 2N1 as press samples. One was too dark and one was too light so I went to the counter to shade match myself.

For shades across different formulas I found that the new Flawless Lumiere runs a bit darker than the Flawless Fusion. In the matte Flawless Fusion I wear Buff 3N1, but in the Flawless Lumiere I wear a lighter shade Latte 3N1.5 – by this naming convention it would seem like 1.5 should be darker than 1, but in both formulas if you swatch them side by side for some reason you’ll find 3N1.5 slightly lighter and more yellow/gold than 3N1. At the store I did a couple more side by side comparisons between formulas and it seems most of them run darker in the luminous formula but I’m not sure if this is the case across the entire shade range. I could have also gone with one of the W colors like 2W1.5 in Bisque, but it was just a tad too light.

Swatches of the Flawless Fusion Foundation, Flawless Lumiere and Flawless Concealer (all colors of concealer swatched here):

For application I find the Laura Mercier bases work best with her primers. In general I try to match the brands foundations with their primers because they’re often formulated to be compatible with each other. Laura Mercier has a wide range to suit different skin types. My favorites are her Radiance and Primer Protect with SPF 30.

They also sent their new Flawless Finish Sponge which I was really excited to try. It has a really nice bouncy squishy feel but I found the shape really awkward to work with. It has a shape designed to help you work with the contours of your face or get foundation into detail areas. No matter how I held it I found it hard to apply. I really hands down just prefer the classic beautyblender.

A look at her three of her loose powders. OG Laura Mercier fans will remember she used to have tinted loose powders I used to use Beige and her Stardust. She also had some lovely mineral loose shimmers which I was sad to see discontinued. I’ve loved her powders for years. Her Translucent Loose Setting Powder comes in two colors, clear and deep. I use the white/lighter option and it doesn’t leave a white cast. Last year she added two shades of Translucent Loose Setting Powder Glow in Translucent and Translucent Medium Deep. These can be used any way you want. I tried it all over as a setting powder and found it too glowy for all over the face or even under the eyes. As a highlighter it adds a luminous sheen much like a liquid luminizer but in powder form. The lighter option has a soft yellow gold champagne pearl and deeper is a soft bronze. I love both with the Glow Powder Brush.

You can set with a regular powder brush or puff. I have found myself reaching for her Powder Brush and Powder Puff frequently. I also love the Cle de Peau puff which I find slightly fluffier and softer in finish. For those curious about other setting powders I’ve done a few roundups of the best ones I’ve tested. My most recent Best Pressed and Loose Powder review is here.

Swatches, I also added her Face Illuminator to show how soft the shimmer is in the loose powder compared to her highlighters. With the Glow Powders there’s no flash back in flash photography, it gives the skin a soft glow.

Before and after application of Flawless Lumiere Foundation in Latte, set with her Translucent Loose Setting Powder, and full natural makeup look, wearing:

Base – Laura Mercier Radiance Primer
Foundation – Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation in Latte 3N1.5
Powder – Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder set with Cle de Peau Puff
Glow – Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder Glow
Bronzer – Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Bronzer Shade 02
Cheeks – Laura Mercier Cheek Color in Peach
Eyes – Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Sticks in Sand Glow, Copper and Burnished Bronze layered
Brows – By Terry Brow Mascara in #4
Liner – Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
Lips – Pat McGrath LUST Gloss in Belladonna + Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Sparkling mixed
Top – Nation LTD Dakota Tank

Overall a solid thumbs up for the new Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation. It’s a winner and I’m happy I was able to find a shade match. Lasting power is very good, I do need a touch up on warmer days mid-day, but it lasts long on my skin and I love how natural it looks. It gives that glow from within kind of finish and has good medium buildable coverage – enough to cancel redness and dark under eye circles on puffy eye days.

I have a few extras that I’m giving away! ONE winner will be picked within 48 hours and emailed to win: 1 Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder (winner can pick color), 1 Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder Glow, 1 Powder Puff, 1 Glow Powder Brush, 4 Caviar Eye Sticks in Copper, Rosegold, Beam and Rush. Open internationally to 18 years and older. Enter through the widget below. Giveaway will run through March 27th, 2019, 11:59 PM EST. Note the first option is MANDATORY to qualify for this giveaway (you must subscribe to my newsletter). Not sponsored or affiliated.

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You can find the Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation out now. Available at Laura Mercier, Nordstrom, Sephora, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and all other Laura Mercier counters.

Shop the post:

All Laura Mercier items featured are press samples except the foundation in Latte which was purchased by me.

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By Terry Lips

By Terry Lip-Expert Shine Review + Swatches

March 19, 2019

By Terry launched 32 new shades for the lips in a Lip-Expert Shine and Lip-Expert Matte ($34 each for 3 g/ 4 ml). The color range for both formulas is perfect for the person who wants a classic no-fuss kind of lip. They give the most beautiful classic Parisian chic kind of vibe. I’ve been a long-time fan of her tinted lip balms but the only lip color product I’ve truly loved from her line is the Terrybly Velvet Rouge in Lady Bare. The new Lip Experts have completely won my heart. I have the review split into two parts since there are so many colors it’s taken me a while to test, swatch and edit the photos. Today’s review focuses on the Lip-Expert Shine.

These are liquid lip vinyls but act like a high pigment gloss. They’re packaged perfectly in a twist tube that has a little snap when you close it. Applicator is a sponge tip with a unique shape to help give you precise application.

Some of the colors are sheerer than others but in general they can cover the entire lip, have a soft glossy sheen, are not sticky and aren’t thick. They have a nice hydrating feel, just like a gloss. Finish is very comfortable with the prettiest soft sheen. Lasting power is pretty average – on me I thought they might fade/slide off easily because of how soft they felt. They do stay put as long as I don’t drink or snack, color fades on the lighter shades quicker within a few hours. Deeper bolder shades seem to last longer.

Four of the shades are available in both the Shine and Matte formula so you can alternate finishes in Vintage Nude, Rosy Kiss, Red Shot and My Red. I’ll swatch them side by side in my Matte feature, but for now here are swatches of all the Lip Expert Shine colors. All lip swatches done on bare lips. For skintone reference my skin tone is a Laura Mercier Flawless Finish Foundation in Buff, Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere in Latte and NARS Radiant Finish Foundation in Punjab.

Shades 1 through 8:

1 Baby Beige – is a neutral cool beige
2 Vintage Nude – is a deeper medium brown beige
3 Rosy Kiss – is a perfect medium light rose pink cream
4 Hot Bare – is a medium rose brown
5 Chili Potion – is a chili brick orange
6 Fire Nude – is a soft red pink
7 Cherry Wine – is a deep wine cherry red
8 Juicy Fig – is a plum purple, this is one of the few that applied streaky

Below, shades 9 through 16:

9 Peachy Guilt – is a perfect peach
10 Bare Flirt – is the prettiest soft pink peach nude
11 Orchid Cream – is a cool-toned orchid pink
12 Gypsy Chic – is a hot deep pink
13 Pink Pong – is a bright pink
14 Coral Sorbet – is a bright coral
15 Red Shot – bold warm red
16 My Red – bold classic red (on me Red Shot and My Red pretty much look the same)

These are among the most lightweight soft glosses I’ve tried. There is a heavy lipstick kind of scent to them but it does start to fade after a few minutes. With the small precise applicator I do find I have to swipe back and forth and layer a bit to cover my entire lip, but it’s not something I mind. Alone these are perfect swipe and go kind of glosses. To extend the wear I’ve added a lip pencil underneath and then applied the gloss on top.

These have a soft finish so if you’re into the full coverage lip vinyls these might be too natural looking for your taste. I like that they’re natural but not too natural. Some of the lighter colors do seem to have a sheerer finish than the bolds but I can still get very good coverage where my lip is covered entirely.

I’m hard pressed to pick a favorite shade. Bare Flirt is easily one of my favorites because I love neutrals. I do love shades like Rosy Kiss because finding a neutral-cool pink rose that isn’t too blue is hard for me to find. Peachy Guilt is also fun, especially for summer and I think Hot Bare is such a nice neutral that isn’t nude.

You can find the By Terry Lip-Expert Shine out now. Review on the matte versions to follow as soon as I can swatch/edit all the colors. I’ve been testing them for weeks now and really like them for a comfortable lightweight matte.

By Terry Lip-Expert Shines available at By Terry, Bloomingdale’s, Dermstore, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom, Beautylish, Bluemercury and SpaceNK.

By Terry Lip Expert provided for review.

8 Comments

Chanel

Chanel Pierres de Lumiere Collection Review + Swatches

March 15, 2019

Chanel launched a new makeup collection for spring called Pierres de Lumiere. Right now it’s available only at Chanel.com and in the past if I remember correctly most of the previous Le Blanc makeup collection have been exclusive to their website and Chanel boutiques. This is the first collection in a while that has me excited about Chanel again! The colors are pretty and soft for spring mixed with some classic bold options for lips. I have swatches of everything except one of the lip colors including:

Poudre Lumiere in White Opal ($58)
Les Tissages Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Tweed Beige ($45)
Les 4 Ombres in Cristal de Printemps and Lueurs Ambrees ($62)
Ombre Premiere Cream Longwear Shadow in Gemme Doree and Pierre Rose ($36)
Rouge Allure Ink in Cornaline ($38)
Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur in Bois Rose and Corail Intense ($38)
Le Vernis in Joyau, Perle de Corail, Jaspe and Eau de Nacre ($28)

For the face the cheek colors are all about light and luminous kind of shades. The Poudre Lumiere in White Opal is a duo chrome pink violet highlighter. As with the other Poudre Lumieres it is on the intense side of shimmer for Chanel. There are a lot of other similar shades from MAC and Anastasia that have a similar effect, but this is the first duo chrome pink-violet highlighter I’ve felt I can wear without looking like a disco ball. The Les Tissages Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Tweed Beige has an overspray of gold shimmer. Underneath I still find a relatively shimmery blush, it has a lot more shimmer compared to other Tweed Blushes. On me it pulls more like a luminous blush on the verge of highlighter material versus a blush. I still think it’s gorgeous – on my skintone right now it’s like a flesh toned highlight. Both items have excellent coverage and smooth application. Lasting power is very good on the skin.

Tweed Beige swatched with the overspray included, White Opal has no overspray:

Another look at the Poudre Lumiere in White Opal so you can see the shimmer:

For the eyes they have a warm neutral and cool pink option for quads and cream shadows. For the warm options, they have:

Les 4 Ombres in Lueurs Ambrees which has a shimmering bronze, shimmery peach, metallic champagne and a matte soft bone cream
Ombre Premiere Cream Longwear Shadow in Gemme Doree is a pale white gold shimmer

For the cooler pink options they have:

Les 4 Ombres in Cristal de Printemps has a deep plum, metallic medium pink rose, metallic pale pink, shimmery white pink
Ombre Premiere Cream Longwear Shadow in Pierre de Rose is a metallic pale pink with flecks of deeper pink sparkle

I gravitated towards the warmer options. The Lueurs Ambrees is a super easy to wear kind of quad. It has all the shades you need for a complete look. Finish/formula is different from their other Les 4 Ombres. It has a softer almost creamier touch for the metallic colors. The matte is soft and flawless with decent medium-sheer coverage for a light matte. I tried the quad alone and also layered on top of the Cream Shadow in Gemme Doree and both application methods work. The Ombre Premiere in Gemme Dore is a sheer but buildable cream shadow. Once it sets it will not budge and has seriously good lasting power. I like that it has shimmer which makes it easier to blend and is more forgiving on my eyes once it dries. I can’t usually wear matte creams – once they dry they make my lids look dried out and wrinkly.

The Pierre de Rose Ombre Premiere surprised me in a good way. I typically avoid baby pinks as they don’t look good on my complexion but this was a really easy to wear fresh pink shimmer. The Les 4 Ombres quad Cristal de Printemps has good pigment and applies well – the light colors are too similar to create contrast on my eyes. On my skin tone they end up looking the same.

For the lips I have three of the four options in the collection in Cornaline, Bois Rose and Corail Intense.

I’ve hated the Rouge Allure Ink in every single color I’ve tried and I now realize it’s most likely just the light neutrals that have poor coverage on my pigmented lips. Cornaline is a bold orange and has the perfect even coverage I expected from the neutrals like Serenity and Lost. I know many of you love this formula and based on my experience with this newer color, I suspect that the darker shades are going to be worth a second look for me. Lasting power with this one is pretty good, but it’s not transfer proof.

There are two new Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur in Bois Rose (perfect neutral rose) and Corail Intense (bright coral). Both have a glossy finish with medium to full coverage. These are twist up crayons so once you start using them the tip will lose its pointy shape and flatten out. Many of you have mentioned that’s a deal breaker for you. It hasn’t bothered me but I do see how having a pointy or angled tip makes application easier for a pencil. Since the formula is so emollient and glossy it will fade faster than a regular lipstick, but it’s comfortable on the lips and I don’t mind reapplying.

The four items I was most excited about were the new Le Vernis colors.

There are new shades in:

Eau de Nacre is a gorgeous pearlescent opal shimmer, unfortunately it’s sheer and requires at least 3 coats for the coverage I want, still I think the extra work is worth it, brush strokes aren’t too visible
Perle de Corail is another gorgeous metallic peach gold, this one is also sheer, I applied it with 2 coats and was a little disappointed in the finish, I think 3-4 coats would have been better, but I’m really not that into making a nail polish work more than 3 coats
Joyau is a perfect pink, it has that subtle shimmer in the bottle but on the nails looks more like a cream, it’s lighter than Camelia which is one of my favorite Chanel nail polishes
Jaspe is a perfect orange red cream, it’s not quite as orange or deep red as Espadrilles and Arancio Vibrante, you probably can get a similar effect with other corals but if you’re like me and have a serious addiction to coral shades you’ll most likely think this is a must-have

A few sides by sides next to a few other Chanel shades. The new ones have a similar vibe to previous launches.

Makeup look wearing:

Foundation – Cover FX Power Play Foundation in G40
Concealer – Armani Power Fabric Concealer in 6.5
Powder – Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder
Blush – Left is Les Tissages de Chanel Tweed Beige, Right is Tweed Beige + Poudre Lumiere in White Opal
Eyeshadow – Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Lueurs Ambrees
Lipstick – Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Cornaline
Tee – Anthropologie

Overall pretty and soft for spring. Colors are easy to wear and nice for a fresh faced look. My favorites are the Lueurs Ambrees Quad, White Opal highlighter and Bois Rose Lip Crayon. For the nails I find myself really obsessed with Jaspe even though it’s really close to most of the other orange/corals I own. Have you checked out anything from the collection yet? What did you think?

You can find the Chanel Pierres de Lumiere Collection out now at Chanel.com.

Chanel products provided courtesy of Chanel for review.

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MAC

MAC Boom, Boom, Bloom Collection Review + Swatches

March 10, 2019

MAC’s latest is the Boom, Boom, Bloom Collection which has some of the prettiest cherry blossom petal packaging I think I’ve ever seen. The limited-edition collection feature a lot of pink tones for lips and cheeks along with a neutral shimmer x9 eyeshadow palette. I have swatches of all the new items. They’ve also repromoted one of their Strobe Creams which I didn’t swatch for the post but you can see my original post on these here. In the Boom, Boom, Bloom Collection:

Prep + Prime Fix+ Cherry Blossom ($28)
High-Light Powder ($34 each) in Fleur Real and Spring Bling
Lipglass ($18.50 each) in For the Frill of It, Pink-A-Boo, Cherry Mochi and Heartmelter
Lipstick ($19.50 each) in Hey, Kiss Me!, Wagasa Twirl, Hi-Fructease, Framboise Moi, Tsk Tsk!
Eyeshadow x9 Kabuki Doll ($33)
Strobe Cream ($28) in Pinklite

The best thing in the collection is the Eyeshadow x9 Palette in Kabuki Doll. It has a beautiful mix of neutrals and warmer brown gold shimmers and one pinkish bronze. It’s neutral warm but isn’t too warm, pink or red. The shimmers have a really good color payoff and smooth shimmer. To me it has the perfect mix of colors and has everything I need for a complete eye look. If you check out one thing I highly recommend this one.

For the face there is a lightly scented Prep + Prime Fix+ which has a very soft cherry blossom scent. As a huge fan of the Fix+ (original and scented ones) I think this is another must. The packaging is so pretty and it’s not too strong in the smell. I use this to either prime the skin before I apply my base. I also like to use it as a setting spray to reduce the powdery look of my setting powder. There are are also two High-Light Powders which have a pretty overspray on top of a semi-matte satin powder. Fleur Real is a pale light pink. It’s too matte and light for me to wear as a highlighter, I can kinda pass it off as a blush but it’s on the light side (scroll to bottom for how this one looks on the face). Spring Bling is a soft medium brown that looks a little dirty on my skin right now. Once I have my tan back I think it will make a nice contour powder.

The lips are hit or miss for me. I think the concept and color scheme had such potential to be perfect spring pinks but since they are so opaque they are a little hard for me to pull off. I do like the Heartmelter Lipglass but the others are just ok on my skintone. Boom Boom Bloom Lipglasses include:

For the Frill of It is a pale shimmery pearly pink
Pink A Boo is a pastel pink cream
Cherry Mochi is a bright raspberry pink
Heartmelter is a mauve rose pink cream

Boom Boom Bloom Lipsticks are all super opaque and a little flat looking on me. Also I can’t wear a lot of pink colors that have a blue undertone because it clashes with my olive/yellow/gold skin tone. The formula is really good coverage-wise. It has smooth full opaque finish as most of these are the matte finish. Colors include:

Hey Kiss Me! is a pastel pink
Wagasa Twirl is a medium rose pink
Hi Fructease is a peachy mod pink
Framboise Moi is a raspberry pink
Tsk Tsk is a bright fuchsia pink

Below wearing:

Natasha Denona Transformatte Foundation in 30W
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
MAC Highlight Powder in Fleur Powder
MAC Lipglass in Cherry Mochi
MAC Eyeshadow x9 Palette in Kabuki Doll

Overall my top two favorites I think are musts are the Kabuki Doll Eyeshadow Palette and Cherry Blossom Fix+. The Lipglasses in For the Frill of It and Heartmelter are also really pretty but not must-haves in my opinion. All the lipsticks were a miss for my complexion but I usually find super opaque pastel-like pinks or anything with a blueish undertone are a miss on my skin tone. Formula-wise everything is well made and excellent. For me the misses were a matter of color preference.

You can find the MAC Boom, Boom, Bloom Collection out now. Available at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty, Bloomingdale’s and all other MAC counters and stores. Have you checked out the collection yet? What did you think?

MAC Boom Boom Bloom products provided for review consideration.

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Highlighters Natasha Denona

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush and Glow Palette Review

March 7, 2019

Natasha Denona launched a new glow palette called Bloom Blush and Glow ($55 for 13.7 g/0.48 oz, available at Sephora and Beautylish). I ordered this a few weeks ago and think it’s one of the prettiest cheek palettes I’ve seen. It comes in a medium sized compact with four cheek colors. I love the smaller compact size and find the pans are still large enough that I can dip a regular blush brush in the compact easily. (On the nails is Chanel Le Vernis in Jaspe.)

There are two creams and two powders:

Glow Cream Base is a sheer peachy champagne shimmer, this is a nice glow product, not too sparkly or frosty
Cream Blush is a super pigmented cranberry flush, a little goes a long way but it’s easy to blend
Glow Extreme is a extreme glow shimmery peachy champagne highlighter, it has large shimmer particles and is very glowy
Duo Glow is a duo chrome peach gold shimmer powder highlighter

All four layer nicely together for the ultimate glow. If you’re conservative on the shimmer you may find Glow Extreme too glowy and sparkly for you. I think it makes for a really nice eyeshadow too. Application is smooth and easy to blend. Pigment is perfect. You can sheer out for a lighter wash or layer for more intense coverage. Lasting power is very good although we’ve had a cold week so I haven’t tested this in full humidity.

Close ups and swatches below.

There’s a nice plastic lid inside to cover the two creams and protect them from the powder kick up of the other two shades. I really appreciate little details like this!

Swatches:

Makeup look wearing all four shades. The top left photo is just the glow cream blush base, other three have the other cheek colors layered on top (press samples have a *):

Foundation – Natasha Denona Transformatte Foundation 30W * (review here)
Concealer – Armani Power Fabric Stretchable Concealer in 6.5 (review soon)
Powder – MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus
Eyeshadow – Natasha Denona Mini Star Eyeshadow Palette * (review here)
Mascara – L’Oreal Lash Paradise Waterproof
Brows – Hourglass Arch Brow in Soft Brunette * (review here)
Cheeks – Natasha Denona Bloom Blush and Glow Palette
Lips – Pat McGrath LUST Gloss in Belladonna* (swatches here)
Top – Anthropologie
Nails – Chanel Le Vernis Jaspe * (review coming soon)

Overall glowy and beautiful. Compared to other Natasha Denona coral/peachy shades her Duo Glow in Alba is lighter and more golden compared to this palette’s blush. Her Diamond and Blush Palette in Darya is more coral/cool toned while this palette has more warmer tones and more glow/shimmer. I do think The Bloom Blush and Glow is different enough to justify owning if you have the others, although if you’re super conservative on shimmers and glows this will probably be too glowy for you.

You can find the Natasha Denona Bloom Blush and Glow Palette out now. Available at Sephora and Beautylish.

I bought mine and then also received a press sample so I’m going to give away my extra to one reader. To enter for a chance to win, use the widget below. Open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to qualify. Giveaway is going to run through Monday March 11 at 11:59 PM EST. ONE winner will be selected within 72 hours of giveaway end and contacted by me via e-mail. Not sponsored or affiliated. Note the first two options are mandatory. Other entry options will get you extra entries.

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Lips Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Lip Lacquer Luxe Vinyl + Matte

March 4, 2019

Tom Ford Beauty launched their new Lip Lacquer Luxe Vinyl and Matte in 20 shades ($57 each). These are full coverage high pigment lip products. I have 10 colors swatched, five I purchased on my own, five are press samples. I’ve been a long time fan of Tom Ford lip products – anytime someone asks me to recommend one item to splurge on I always pick the Tom Ford Lip Color. After testing both finishes of the new Lip Lacquer luxe, I find that I really like them, however have mixed feelings on these mainly because there are some packaging issues. The product itself is very good in my experience. Quick thoughts on both formulas:

The Lip Lacquer Luxe Vinyl is a thick glossy full coverage lip product. Because it’s thicker it does take some blending but this adheres well to the lips and once blended does not feel super heavy. I can feel the product like I would a regular gloss but it’s not uncomfortable.
The Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte is a soft lightweight matte. It has buildable coverage but some blending is required as well to smooth it out. I like that it’s super lightweight and has a soft velvety matte that doesn’t make the lips look shriveled or dry.

In terms of lasting power the Vinyls stay put better. For the Mattes they don’t slide off and do stay put, but not as long as their Lip Lacquers they launched last year. I actually prefer the packaging style of the Lip Lacquers however with the new Lip Lacquer Luxe you do get 6 ml of product while last year’s slim tube has only 2.7 ml.

There’s a slight scent to them but it’s not really a fragrance, it’s more of a lipstick scent. Once applied the scent fades. As soon as some of you saw I bought these on Instagram stories I received a number of messages asking about the applicator. Many of you were really upset that it broke when you opened it. I do find the sponge tip applicator seems a little too wide for the lacquer opening so there is a bit of tugging to pull it out. Luckily only one of mine broke and I didn’t twist or bend when I tried to open it. If yours broke I hope you will be able to get a replacement. I’ve since opened and used all the other shades multiple times and none of them have broken.

I’ve split the swatches by color grouping from neutrals to bolds. Group 1:

All swatched on bare lips, descriptions:

Insinuate (vinyl) is a medium peachy pink
Softcore (vinyl) is a high shine beige
Intimate (vinyl) is a medium light pink
Darling (matte) is a nude pink, looks beige in the tube but on me pulls more pink
Quiver (matte) is a nude mauve

Group 2 with deeper and bold colors:

Descriptions and swatches, all done on bare lips:

Pussycat (matte) is a mauve rose that deepens and darkens
Unzip (vinyl) is a bold warm bright glossy pink
Infuriate (vinyl) is one of my favorites, it’s the perfect deep red on me!
Jaguar (matte) is the one that broke, it’s a bold warm red matte
Habitual (matte) is a deep bright slightly blue-based red

All the colors side by side:

A few comparison swatches and thoughts:

NARS Velvet Lip Glides are lighter weight and sheerer than the Tom Ford Lip Lacquer Luxe Mattes, I included some swatches of the neutrals for comparison in Bound, Swing, Roseland and Xenon.
Tom Ford Lip Lacquers (in the skinny round tubes from last year) are longer lasting, more matte in the dry down and budge proof once dry. Universal Appeal is still the best liquid lipstick nude from Tom Ford, on my lips in this post here. Pussycat is darker than the luxe version.
Tom Ford Lip Color in Sugar Glider is a similar color to Quiver if you want a lipstick instead of the matte formula.
Tom Ford Satin Matte in London Suede is a more browned neutral and has a soft diffused matte compared to the Lip Lacquer Luxe Mattes.

Aside from the packaging issues I think the formula makes for a solid luxury lipstick. I really love the formula and finish even though they do take a little bit of extra effort to blend because of how pigmented they are. My favorites are Softcore, Quiver and Infuriate. I’ve worn Softcore the most so far and love it for a nude but not washed out lip. I do think that opening a gloss shouldn’t be challenging and it definitely should not break at the tip. Based on the design of the applicator and opening I don’t know if mine will break eventually. I was lucky I had issues with only one of mine. I have splurged on many Tom Ford lipsticks and think that it has been money well spent since I really do love the formula. I do think that $57 is really steep even if it is Tom Ford and luxury. They seem to have a similar vibe to the Bobbi Brown Luxe Liquid Lip High Shine and Velvet Mattes which are $37 each by comparison. I never tried those even though they seem to be really popular. I still have the By Terry Lip Expert Shine and Mattes I’m working on swatching for you so you might want to wait on swatches before splurging on the Tom Ford ones unless you’re a Tom Ford addict and there’s a color you think you’re absolutely in love with.

You can find the Tom Ford Lip Lacquer Luxe Matte and Vinyl at counters now. I bought five from Nordstrom. Also available at Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and all other Tom Ford Beauty Counters.

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Press samples include Unzip, Infuriate, Jaguar, Habitual and Softcore. The other five shades purchased by me.

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NARS

NARS Exposed Collection Review + Swatches

February 22, 2019

The NARS Exposed Color Collection just launched with limited-edition shades for lips and cheeks. There’s an Exposed Cheek Palette ($59) and three Explicit Color Lip Duos ($22 each) with mini-sized Velvet Matte Lip Pencils and Lip Tints. Swatches of everything below. The collection is exclusive to Ulta Beauty and online at NARS Cosmetics.

The Exposed Cheek Palette has that unique cream to powder finish NARS has in their dual intensity blushes, but most of the colors are satiny and glowy in finish (versus frost). It has a similar texture and pigment level to their Holiday Hot Tryst Cheek Palette, but the colors aren’t as shimmery for spring. Colors have medium but buildable coverage. On my skin tone the two pinks look nearly identical, if you’re fairer I suspect you’ll see more of a difference. The exterior packaging is so pretty with the pink, orange and pearl swirls.

Colors include:

Tell All is a shimmery champagne
Now or Never is medium nude peach
Give It Away is a soft brown rose
Make You Mine is a perfect apricot peach
Come Hither is a shimmery pink rose
New Fling is a deeper shimmery rose

For lips they have three Explicit Color Lip Duos with a small miniature Velvet Lip Glide and a new formula called Lip Tint. The pencil and gloss match each color in color. I owned Sex Machine many years ago and it’s been a while since I looked into the pencils in general. The formula is on the dry side for my lips, color is sheerer for the lighter natural shades, but the reds and bolds have phenomenal coverage and color payoff. I wish the neutrals applied better alone for me. The Lip Tints are medium-sheer almost balmy like glosses. They have a very lightweight almost slip like feel. I love the effect when the pencil and gloss are layered. It feels comfortable and cushiony, but so much so it feels like it’s going to slide off my lips. Good news is the colors do stay put but they’re not transfer proof.

There are three options:

Intriguing is a beige rose
Sex Machine is a neutral mauve pink
Dragon Girl is a red with pink tones

Colors layered together on bare lips:

Two makeup looks below wearing:

NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation in Punjab + Vanuatu mixed (I’m in between shades)
Armani Neo Nude Powder #4 to set
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Caramel
NARS Exposed Cheek Palette with Tell All, Now or Never and Give it Away layered
Left lips: NARS Explicit Lip Duo in Sex Machine
Right lips: NARS Explicit Lip Duo in Dragon Girl

Overall fresh and pretty for spring! Colors are very wearable and I love that they aren’t overly frosted but still glowy. Love the concept of matching pencils and gloss to layer together. I’m not sure I would call any of these must-haves. Even though the palette is super wearable I feel like the colors have a similar vibe to previous NARS launches. I’m not the biggest fan of the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil formula but I really like the three colors for this launch. The Lip Tint has an interesting feel – it’s super lightweight and glossy. I would have preferred them in the Velvet Lip Glide formula instead for more impact but it’s still nice and fresh for a spring feel.

You can find the NARS Exposed Collection out now. Exclusive to Ulta Beauty and NARS Cosmetics. Have you checked out anything yet? What did you think?