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Chanel

Chanel Le Mat de Chanel Fall Beauty Picks

August 20, 2018

Chanel Le Mat de Chanel Fall Beauty Review | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel fall beauty is all about mattes with their Le Mat de Chanel Collection for fall-winter 2018. I ordered a few items and am thrilled with all except one of my haul picks. In general I’m usually not a fan of matte finish makeup as it ends up looking dry or flat on my skin. These mattes are soft with a diffused finish and look like skin but with a velvety soft blur. The colors at first glance looked a little boring to me online but after playing with them I’m thrilled to report they are excellent classics you can wear everyday. The colors wear really well – I wish there were more options color-wise because the formulas are beautiful! You can see the entire fall Le Mat de Chanel lineup on their site here. It might be hard to see in the photos but everything is packaged in a soft matte packaging which is just beautiful. Still the same classic sleek Chanel design but instead of a glossy black finish everything from compacts to lipstick casing and caps is matte.

Chanel Le Mat de Chanel Fall Beauty Review | The Beauty Look Book

My beauty haul picks:

The Joues Contraste Powder Blush this season Quintessence is a soft pink rose. It’s sheer to medium in color but buildable. The color has a matte finish and is very natural. I think it gives the skin a perfect soft wash of pink. I’m medium-tan right now so it’s not quite as noticeable as it will be if you have fair skin.

Chanel Powder Blush Quintessence Review | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel Powder Blush Quintessence Review + swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Swatch comparisons below to Chanel Powder Blush in Angelique (discontinued), Chanel Powder Blush in Foschia Rosa (on the face here), By Terry Compact-Expert Dual Powder in Sun Desire (review here), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Iridescent Flash (review here), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Luminous Flush (review here), Tom Ford Sheer Cheek Duo Lavender Lure (blush side, review + on face here), MAC Mineralize Blush in Sweet Enough (review here)

Chanel Powder Blush Quintessence swatches | The Beauty Look Book

The eye makeup items are my favorite for this collection. I ordered one of the Les 4 Ombres Eyeshadow Quads in Clair-Obscur which has four beige-brown mattes and the Stylo Ombre in Contour Clair a tan brown.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Clair-Obscur and Stylo Ombre in Contour Clair | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Clair-Obscur and Stylo Ombre in Contour Clair swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Clair-Obscur and Stylo Ombre in Contour Clair | The Beauty Look Book

For the Les 4 Ombres quad Clair-Obscur you get ultra smooth shadows for a perfect natural contour eye look. Colors are neutral with a slightly cool undertone. Pigment is perfect and smooth. I found them easy to blend and layer with each other. They almost have a creamy feel. I’ve never loved a fully matte eyeshadow palette like this! The Urban Decay Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics are my current favorites and the colors in Clair-Obscur are very similar so if you don’t want dupes you may want to shop your stash. I don’t mind that there are similarities. Both are excellent in quality and finish. Swatches side by side shows that the Chanel quad has a very subtle luminosity to it vs the Urban Decay which is 100% matte.

Swatch comparisons:

Chanel Clair Obscur vs Urban Decay Naked2 Basics and Naked Basics swatches | The Beauty LooK Book

The Stylo Ombre formula has launched in more shades for fall. My previous picks in my New Chanel Eye Makeup Post here. Contour Clair is the perfect medium tan brown that I can use as a base. This one is one I don’t mind that the tip will wear down because I’m just going to use it as a cream shadow base blended. I swatched a bunch of other shades to try and compare but couldn’t find anything like it. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color Mattes are close but none of the colors are close. I suspect that the MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork is similar but lighter. I no longer own it so I can’t compare.

For the lips I have two hits and one miss. I bought two of the Le Rouge Crayon de Couleurs and one Rouge Allure Ink.

Chanel Le Mat de Chanel Matte Lip Crayons and Rouge Allure Ink

The Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur pencils are beautiful formulas. They’re matte lip crayons that are ultra creamy and opaque. They glide on smoothly and easily. Lasting power is pretty good – not as good as if you were to line your lips with a regular lip pencil, but better than a traditional lipstick. Discretion is a nude but on my lips it turns peachy. Impulsion looks like a brick red but on my lips it pulls brighter. The Rouge Allure Ink in Serenity is a miss for me formula-wise. I don’t know why I keep buying this formula. I think it’s in part due to the fact that SO many people love these I keep trying to love it. The colors for this formula have been beautiful (Lost reviewed here and Eterea swatched here). I just really don’t like the formula – I think I’ve bought around 5 colors now from past launches and every one has been a formula fail for me. I find them to be sheer, often patchy, and they all disappear from my lips within 30 minutes. The color is a perfect soft rose. If I layer it over a pencil it works, but to me I would rather just have the formula be better. I think the YSL Tatouage Couture Matte Stains are a better buy formula-wise. Swatch comparisons if you scroll down.

Chanel Jumbo Longwear Matte Lip Crayon in Discretion and Impulsion, Rouge Allure Ink in Serenity swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Chanel Jumbo Longwear Matte Lip Crayon in Discretion and Impulsion, Rouge Allure Ink in Serenity swatches | The Beauty Look Book

Swatch comparisons: Chanel Au Naturel and Warm Rosewood reviewed here, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist in 19 swatched here, YSL Tatouage Couture Matte Stains reviewed here

Chanel lip swatch comparions

A beauty look using the Chanel Le Mat de Chanel picks:

Chanel Fall Mat Collection Beauty Look Clair-Obscur, Serenity, Quintessence

Chanel Fall Beauty 2018 Clair Obscur Les 4 Ombres | The Beauty Look Book

One last look:

Chanel Le Mat de Chanel Fall Beauty Review | The Beauty Look Book

Bottom line I love practically everything I hauled. Color-selection wise I do think there could have been a bit more variety with more options, but I think there are some beautiful pieces and I absolutely love the eye makeup. It’s rare that I pass on the nail polishes, I used to be a die hard Chanel Le Vernis collector! However I’ve tried the Velvet Nail Color formula before many holidays ago and I felt like I was putting rubber on my nails so I decided to pass. If the Rouge Allure Ink in Serenity had a better formula it would be perfect as I think the color is gorgeous!

You can find the Le Mat de Chanel Collection out now at all Chanel counters. I ordered my picks from Nordstrom and Chanel. Have you seen the items in person yet? What did you think?

 

Chanel

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayons

January 13, 2017

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couler Review via The Beauty Look Book

This spring beauty season seems to the season for the lips. There are a quite a few new formulas launching in lipstick, balms, crayons and liquid lipsticks and as the ultimate lip junkie I can’t help but feel super excited. Today I have a review of the Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayons ($37 each) to share and thanks to the Chanel team I have all eleven shades swatched for you. Right now they are exclusive to Chanel.com but should be launching at counters and stores soon.

The Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur is a twist up lipstick in chubby stick form with a satiny smooth finish. They have a glossy shine much like the Rouge Coco Shines and Rouge Coco Stylos, but with a creamier texture. Most of the colors offer medium-full coverage with a few swipes. They glide on easily and have a nourishing feel. If you remember many years ago Chanel had a lovely lipliner called Le Crayon Gloss. They came in a traditional skinny lip pencil format but had this amazing glossy formula. The new Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur reminds me a little of those in the sense that these pencils have a lovely natural shine. I love sheer glossy lipsticks but often wish most had a bit more pigment with the same texture. I almost feel like these Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayons were made for me because it’s almost everything I could want in a lipstick. There’s no detectable scent. In terms of lasting power they stay put a long time and don’t slide off or fade quickly. However due to the glossy emollient nature of these you will see color transfer to cups if you drink anything.

The colors are just perfect:

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Review via The Beauty Look Book

First a look at other Chanel lip products for scale: Rouge Allure, Rouge Coco Stylo (all shades swatched here) and Rouge Coco Shine in Boy:

Chanel Rouge Allure, Rouge Coco Stylo, Le Rouge Crayon, Rouge Coco Shine

The 11 colors shown below with descriptions:

  • Nude No. 1 is a nude beige with medium coverage
  • Rose Violine No. 2 is a perfect soft beige rose cream with full coverage
  • Rose Clair No. 3 is a shimmery cool light rose pink with medium-full coverage
  • Rouge Corail No. 4 is a orangey red with full coverage
  • Rouge No. 5 is a classic red with full coverage
  • Framboise No. 6 is a strawberry pink red with full coverage
  • Fuschia No. 7 is a hot cool pink with full coverage
  • Cassis No. 8 is a deep plum, due to the contrast with my lip tone I found this one a bit patchy
  • Beige Rose No. 9 is a light beige pink with medium coverage
  • Tangerine No. 11 is a hot orange with full coverage
  • Carmin No. 12 is a deep red

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Review and Swatches via The Beauty Look Book Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Review and Swatches via The Beauty Look Book

Another photo for scale, they are on the short side compared to the regular Chanel lip liners. On the nails is Chanel Camelia Le Vernis.

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Review via The Beauty Look Book

Individual lip swatches on bare lips, for skintone reference I’m wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills Foundation Stick in Warm Natural.

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Nude

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Rose Violine

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Rose Clair

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Rouge Corail

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Rouge

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Framboise

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Fuschia

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Cassis

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Beige Rose

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Tangerine

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Carmin

Swatches all side by side:

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Swatches

Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Review

Bottom line: right up my alley. I do think they are on the pricey side given the small size. At this time I don’t have the exact product weight as the pencils arrived as press samples without boxes. That being said I love all the colors. Cassis is the only one that I had issues with – it can be fixed with a lip liner as a base to help smooth out the color. It applies well but on me went on slightly patchy – not a deal breaker as it wears beautifully. By comparison the other colors apply flawlessly. Nude and Beige Rose are the sheerest out of the bunch but still offer full coverage with a bit more swiping back and forth. As I just received them and did swatches as quickly as I could I can’t report on whether or not they offer long lasting moisture. However they do have a nice emollient feel and my lips have experienced no peeling or drying even with all the swatching and wiping. If you like a glossy lip with pigment I think you’ll really like these. They are pricey but the formula is excellent and I’m in love with every single color.

You can find the Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleurs online now at Chanel.com. Right now Tangerine and Carmin are listed as limited-edition colors.

Jumbo Crayons provided courtesy of Chanel for review. Camelia Le Vernis featured was also a press sample from last year. All other items featured from my own collection.

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Bite Beauty Discovery Set – Holiday 2015

November 16, 2015

Bite Beauty always launches the cutest sets during the holidays. I can’t tell you how many times I waited too long in past years and missed out. This year I ordered early and have swatches to share of the Discovery Set for Holiday 2015 ($55, limited-edition, exclusive to Sephora). This year’s set has a mix of minis along with full size products. It’s listed as a $110 value and contains:
  • 0.18 oz Agave Lip Mask in Clear (mini size) 
  • 0.03 oz Line and Define Primer in Clear (mini size) 
  • 0.031 oz Mini Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé 
  • 5 x Lush Lip Wipes 
  • 0.15 oz Luminous Crème Lipstick in Pepper (full size) 
  • 0.11 oz Lush Fruit Lip Gloss Honey (full size) 
  • 0.09 oz High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate (full size) 
  • Bite mirror 
The set comes packaged in individual boxes like this:

I already own Pepper Luminous Crème Lipstick reviewed + swatched here, but decided to buy the set anyways. It’s one of my favorite neutrals – the Bite Beauty line has a lot to offer for neutral lip lovers with different undertones like brown, plum, pink, mauve etc. This set was the perfect way for me to try a lot from the line at a value price.

First up are the lip care and accessories:

The Lush Lip Wipes have been on my wishlist for a long time because I find the concept so interesting, even if it does seem like it’s not necessary. These are makeup remover pads designed to take off lip color while hydrating the lip. It’s supposed to leave a matte finish. I found it cleaned the lip entirely of color for regular lipsticks. It removed 85% of the color of the red lip pencil I tested from the set although there was still a red stain left on my lips. I did test them on the Kat Von D Lolita Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and it removed the product perfectly (usually I have to do several swipes of makeup remover).
The Line and Define Primer in Clear is a lip primer designed to prep the lips for color. The description says it’s supposed to plump the lips although I didn’t feel any plumping properties. The texture is on the thick side and does tug at the lips a little (at least for me). I was worried it would make lipstick stick versus glide, but I was really impressed with how smoothly lip crayons and lipsticks applied with this. It helps with lipstick feathering and lipstick goes on better and smoother. I’m not sure that I see lipstick last a lot longer, although I usually end up wiping off lip colors with snacks or drinks anyways. I would seriously consider buying the full size once it’s used up.
Next is the mini Agave Lip Mask. I’ve tried this formula in the tinted versions in Champagne and Smashed. I really really love the formula as a hydrating lip treatment. The clear is nice to have but I really prefer the red one even if it’s super sheer. If you want to use this as an overnight treatment, clear is the way to go so it doesn’t stain your pillows.
Up next are the color items:

I already own and reviewed Pepper Luminous Creme Lipstick here. If you don’t have it yet, you need it. It’s also available in the Mix and Mingle Mini duo with Café (swatched here).

I’ve gone through a couple of the Mini Matte Creme Lip Crayons from last year and really like the formula (I can’t remember which color I bought because I used it up and threw away the empty container). Glacé is a perfect your lips but better just slightly deeper mauve. Once this is used up  I’m repurchasing the full size. The formula glides on smoothly and adheres really well to the lips. I like that it’s a twist up formula so there’s no sharpening required.
This is my first time trying the High Pigment Pencil formula, and WOW, these really are high in pigment. Pomegranate is a bold red that packs in a lot of color and pigment. It has a slightly glossy sheen. Lasting power is pretty good and I didn’t experience any smudging or bleeding. If you have any other color recommendations for this formula let me know.

Last but not least for color is the Honey Lush Fruit Lip Gloss. I’ve tried the Lip Gloss formula before and the colors are so good, but formula just doesn’t work for me. It’s thick and doesn’t apply on my lips smoothly. Honey is such a gorgeous nude but went on my lips super blotchy. It does work better layered over any of the Bite Beauty Lipsticks to add a bit of shine, but when worn alone it’s just not cutting it for me.

Lip swatches below, I’m wearing the Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Natural #5 (for skintone reference, all shades swatched in this post here):

 

Bottom line, LOTS to love with this set whether you’re new to Bite Beauty or looking for a good gift to give this holiday. If you’re iffy on 2-3 items then I’d recommend you opt to purchase items individually instead of the set. With the exception of the Honey Lip Gloss, I give all the other items a huge thumbs up.
You can find the Bite Discovery Set online and in stores at Sephora. Do note it’s limited-edition. If you’re a VIB member, don’t forget today is the last day to shop the VIB 20% off sale with code VIB20 at checkout.

Have you checked out any of the Bite Beauty sets this year? If you have any Bite Beauty favorites please let me know in the comments. I’m still pretty new to many of the formulas and would love your recommendations!
Beauty Lips Roundup

My Favorite Neutral Pink and Nude Lip Liner Pencils

October 7, 2015

 

I’m a neutral nude lipstick lover but I since I have pigmented lips I can’t always pull off nudes. Many tend to either look super pale and chalky like concealer or are too dark on me – I know everyone has a different definition of nude when it comes to makeup, but to me a true nude is a your lips but better kind of color that is light and close to your natural skintone. I adore shades like MAC Cherish, Blankety, Creme Cup etc but they are almost impossible for me to wear alone without looking like I’ve swiped concealer all over my lips. Lip pencils often make it possible for me to wear lighter nude colors with blending or by creating a good softly lined base. If you’ve tried ordering lip pencils online like me then you know how hard it is to tell what the color looks like based on online swatches. I thought I’d roundup 20+ of my favorite neutral lip pencils alongside cult classics (some of which do not work for me even though they are wildly popular). As you’ll see below many times you can’t tell what the color will really look like until you swatch it. Also like nude neutral lipsticks, lip pencils have a wide variety of different undertones: warm, cool, pink, beige, peach, plum and brown.

 

Above photo: Diptyque Room Spray in Baies, Chêne candle recycled (boutique exclusive), stacked Blushes from Chanel and Hourglass 

 

 

A bit of background on what I look for in lip liners. I like ones that are soft and glide over the lips. I’m usually not a line and fill kind of girl when it comes to lip liners. I prefer to wear them around the outer edge and blend it slightly inwards to the center of lips to create an outlined base and then fill with a gloss or lipstick. Since many pencils are super pigmented and super saturated in color to help extend the wear of lipstick, I find lining and filling the entire lip leaves the lips looking really dry and emphasizes lines. This of course can be fixed with a good lip balm, lip primer or gloss.
I have 28 lip pencils to share swatches of, I’ll link previous lip swatches if I have them. I was debating whether or not to swatch all on my lips – but nudes tend to look so different on me compared to everyone else. I think the swatches on the arms will help show the differences.

 

 

 

  1. Le Metier de Beaute Dualistic Lip Pencil in Nudite is a medium pinky brown creamy lip pencil, this one glides on the lips easily and is very pigmented, it has a smooth texture
  2. H&M Lip Liner in Au Naturel is included in the roundup because it’s a new one and the perfect neutral nude color and at $5.99 I couldn’t resist ordering it, on bare lips it’s a disaster for me, you definitely need to prep the lips with a bit of lip balm or primer, this is borderline too pale, but it works
  3. MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Cultured is new to me, it’s a long-wear mauvey nude pink
  4. MAC Lip Pencil in Subculture is my perfect nude pink, it has reached holy grail status for me, I’ve gone through 4 of them in my life, it’s the best light pink nude that is still wearable
  5. MAC Lip Pencil in Oak is a classic light flesh nude, it’s a classic for me because it has no orange undertone in it but doesn’t make me look dead, unfortunately I think it might be on the discontinue list – the only place I could find it was on Bloomingdale’s so I ordered 3 backups
  6. MAC Lip Pencil in Stripdown is another good true flesh nude, it’s brown in undertone and slightly warmer than Oak, it’s a good one but I know many find it too brown/grey
  7. MAC Lip Pencil in Boldly Bare comes second to my favorite Subculture, it’s what I wanted Spice to always be, Boldly Bare is the perfect pinky warm medium nude that works wonders with pale lip colors and glosses
  8. MAC Lip Pencil in Spice is a cult classic that was so popular when I was in high school, every cool girl owned it, on me it was always so brown and pulled orangey on my lips even though it swatches more neutral, I still use and wear it to tweak lip colors, it’s just not my favorite
  9. MAC Lip Pencil in Dervish isn’t really a nude, it’s more of a neutral medium rosy pink, but it falls into the neutral category for me, it’s a classic staple I think everyone should try
  10. MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl is another really good nude, it pulls more mauvey nude rose which I adore, the cool tones prevents it from looking orange or brown on my lips, it has enough depth to really define the lips perfectly
  11. MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Double-Time is a neutral medium warm brown-pink-nude, this lasts all day without budging
  12. MAC Lip Pencil in Soar is a medium to dark pink, it’s a bit darker and deeper on me than the traditional neutral, if you have deeper skin or deeper lips, this will probably pull more neutral on you than it does on me
  13. MAC Lip Pencil in Hover is another deeper neutral, it’s one of the deepest neutrals I own
  14. MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Staunchly Stylish almost matches Subculture but it’s slightly deeper and has a more pigmented finish
  15. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Re-Size and Re-Shape Lip Liner in Iconic Nude is my perfect true nude in the sense that it’s a flesh-toned beige nude, this is a classic pigmented pencil that I think might be a universally flattering color
  16. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Re-Size and Re-Shape Lip Liner in Pillow Talk is a classic rosy pink neutral, this one goes well with a lot of the Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks like Bitch Perfect, Confession, Penelope Pink etc.
  17. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Re-Size and Re-Shape Lip Liner in Pink Venus is a warm peachy pink, the color warms up the lips and adds life to the face
  18. Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Natural is a classic light neutral pink nude beige, if you’re looking for the perfect beige pink nude, this is it, compared to other formulas Chanel can tug on the lips a little, but they aren’t drying
  19. Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Beige Satin is one of the lightest colors I own, it’s borderline too pale for me, but I like mixing it with beige and nude lipsticks
  20. Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Beige Innocent is another pale pearly lip pencil from Chanel, it’s almost identical to Beige Satin but slightly lighter
  21. Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Nude is a cult classic that has been used on me for every single Chanel makeover I’ve had, it’s always seemed to be darker than what I envisioned a nude to be, but it’s almost magical – artists have used this with every lip color imaginable from red, pink, coral, beige, peach – this somehow transforms and defines lip colors in the most amazing way
  22. Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Naked is light baby pink neutral, it looks super light on me, but when I blend it out, it evens out the lip tone
  23. Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut is another cult classic that is super popular, it’s always recommended for the lipsticks I look at when shopping at the counter, it’s a mauvey warm neutral
  24. Marc Jacobs Beauty (P)Outliner Lip Pencil in Honey(bun) is a super pigmented creamy twist up lip pencil, all three shades of the (P)Outliner are reviewed here, Honey(bun) is a neutral bright peachy color
  25. Marc Jacobs Beauty (P)Outliner Lip Pencil in Prim(rose) is a rosey pink brown neutral
  26. Marc Jacobs Beauty (P)Outliner Lip Pencil in Nude(ist) is a beige brown nude
  27. Edward Bess Defining Lip Liner in Natural is in my top picks for lip pencil formula, it comes in a sleek twist up tube and mine have never dried out, I’ve gone through several pencils, it’s a great go-with-everything kind of neutral, texture is smooth and doesn’t tug the lips
  28. Nudestix Lip & Cheek Pencil in Soul is one of the few chubby pencils I really really like. I own a number of chubby sticks from different brands but always find them a pain to sharpen (they always get so messy). Nudestix has a wide number of great nudes, Soul is my perfect warm peach nude (swatched on lips here)
One more view of all the pencils:

 

 

From the * clockwise, Le Metier de Beaute Nudite, H&M Au Naturel, MAC Cultured, MAC Subculture, MAC Oak, MAC Stripdown, MAC Boldly Bare, MAC Spice, MAC Dervish, MAC Whirl, MAC Double-Time, MAC Soar, MAC Hover, MAC Staunchly Stylish, Nudestix Soul, Edward Bess Natural, Marc Jacobs Beauty Nudite, Marc Jacobs Beauty Primrose, Marc Jacobs Beauty Honeybun, Laura Mercier Chestnut, Laura Mercier Naked, Chanel Nude, Chanel Beige Innocent, Chanel Beige Satin, Chanel Natural, Charlotte Tilbury Pink Venus, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Charlotte Tilbury Iconic Nude

 

 

Truffle Small Clarity Clutch in new Nude
I hope you found this roundup of neutral lip pencils helpful! I think the swatches show how different many of them are even though they look really similar just based on the pencils themselves. If I were pressed to rank my top picks, my absolute favorites/staples are:

 

MAC Subculture
MAC Whirl
Edward Bess Natural
MAC Oak
Chanel Nude
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk
Do you have a favorite neutral lip pencil? I’d love to hear about what your holy grail neutrals are!
Press samples featured include Marc Jacobs (P)Outliners x3, Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Moonglow, Nudestix Soul, Buxom True Nude Lip Foundation, Truffle Clarity Clutch
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NUDESTIX Eye Pencils and Lip & Cheek Pencils

July 8, 2014

NUDESTIX is a new line of simple easy-to-use multipurpose makeup crayons designed for a nude but better look. The line is exclusive to Space NK with four pencil products, a pencil cap sharpener and one mascara. The pencils come packaged in a cute black metal tin for storage. I have two of the Eye Pencils and Lip and Cheek Pencils to share with you today.

The NUDESTIX Eye Pencils ($24 each) are a multi-purpose eye liner, eye shadow and highlighter ‘all-in-one’ product. They come with a sponge tip on one end to smoke out or smudge the shadow. I was sent Smoke, a shimmery light grey taupe and Stardust, a neutral champagne shimmer for review. They are really creamy in texture and glide on the eyes easily. Given the pale neutral color I found I liked to swipe and blend with my fingers rather than use the sponge tip. Both blend well and are easy to layer. They both give a neutral wash of color on the lids. After you apply they set on the lids to a slightly drier finish (not as creamy as when you apply them). Once blended the color sheers out for a slight all over the lid glow. I like these as eye bases rather than a pigmented shadow. Used under powder shadow helps make the colors pop.

The NUDESTIX Lip & Cheek Pencils ($24) are also multi-purpose pencils. Soul is a neutral peachy pink and Whisper is a pale nude. These are super creamy pencils that hug the lips and blend easily on the cheeks. I prefer to use these on the lips. On the lips you get full coverage with a slightly glossy sheen.  I like how they act like a lipliner and give full coverage but are creamy like a lipstick. On the cheeks I found the color disappeared once blended (at least it did for my medium skin). 

Close ups and swatches. The pencils measure a little over 4 inches long making them compact in size so they will fit easily into a small clutch or makeup bag.

Lip and Cheek Pencil swatches, just on the lips (on the cheeks it’s barely visible).
Soul is the perfect creamy nude peach. It’s an easy swipe and go kind of lip pencil. It applies a bit more peachy on my lips compared to when you swatch it on the arm or hand.

Whisper is super-nude and super pigmented. Since the pigment is so rich it emphasizes my lip lines, adding a bit of gloss or dabbing it helps minimize the look of the lines but I wanted to show you how pigmented it was. You can’t see any of my natural lip underneath.

Overall I am really happy with the Lip & Cheek Pencils. The creamy texture makes them glide onto the lips and the texture hugs the lips making them last fairly long (no detectable scent either). I suspect any of the medium to dark shades will be easy to wear for most skin tones. Soul is peach perfection. Whisper is a bit light for me but those with fair skins will love it.
The Eye Pencils are stunning neutral shimmers but the colors are pretty easy to dupe with other brands. I do like the convenience of the eye pencils though – they are easy to swipe and blend with the fingers making them the perfect on-the-go kind of pencil (no brushes needed). Stardust is a good your-lids-but-better kind of shade. Smoke is a lovely taupe grey shimmer that is a great color for a base shadow.
The NUDESTIX Lip & Cheek Pencils and Eye Pencils retail for $24 each, exclusive to Space NK. There is a wide range of color options from neutral to dark. If you like that nude but better look the line is definitely worth looking into. I have a list going of what to check out the next time I can visit one of the stores.
P.S. Tomorrow (July 9) is the last day for the Space NK + Beauty Look Book Gift with Purchase offer. Check out the details here for the code and terms. A few readers mentioned their gifts were missing an item, I contacted Space NK and they told me due to an overwhelming response to this offer it appears Space NK ran out of the Hourglass mini sample and they apologize for any inconvenience.
This post contains press samples sent courtesy for review consideration. For more information refer to my disclosures.
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Bobbi Brown Forest Shimmer Ink Gel Liner & Honeysuckle Lip Crayon

July 21, 2009

Bobbi Brown’s newest Ivy League collection is centered around a green-colored theme for fall. Today I picked up 2 items: the new Forest Shimmer Ink Gel Liner and Honeysuckle Lip Crayon. Other items in the collection included a new angled eyeshadow brush, a new eyeshadow and 5 other lip crayons.

The other lip crayons were on the brighter/more intense side. If you’re a fan of bright rich pinks, you will love Wild Rose and Posey. If you’re into nudes, then you’ll like Honeysuckle (for a peachy nude) and Dusty Nude (for a nude brown with slight pink). This first round I passed on Dusty Nude because it seemed similar to some other colors I already own but I will be checking back on it again later.

The new e/s brush was nice, but not a must have in my opinion.

Pics, swatches, and comparisons!

Forest Shimmer Ink & Honeysuckle:

Forest Shimmer Ink versus Ivy Shimmer Ink and Clinique Egyptian:

Swatch comparisons:

1. Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner Ivy Shimmer Ink
2. Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner Forest Shimmer Ink
3. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner Egyptian (now only available in the pencil cream shaper form)
4. MAC Kohl Power Black Karat
5. Nars Eyeliner Kyoto
6. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil Black Jade
7. Bobbi Brown Lip Crayon Honeysuckle
8. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Belle du Jour
9. Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Café Con Leche
10. MAC Cremestick Liner Honey B. (this was recently put on the MAC Goodbyes List, still might be available at local MAC stores and Nordstrom counters – happens to be my HG ylbb nude)
11. MAC Cremestick Liner Summerfruit
12. Bobbi Brown Lip Liner Beige

Like greenish shades? Here are some other green shadows:

1. MAC Lustre Eyeshadow Greensmoke
2. MAC Starflash Eyeshadow Mink & Sable (discontinued, but similar to MAC Sumptuous Olive Eyeshadow)
3. MAC Eyeshadow Saturnal
4. Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner Ivy Shimmer Ink
5. Bobbi Brown Long-wear Gel Eyeliner Forest Shimmer Ink
6. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Rush (has a khaki slight greenish tinge)
7. Bobbi Brown Metallics Trio in Forest Metallics: Sage, Basalm, Forest (note Sage & Forest are available individually)

More green eyeliner swatches:

Color Focus: Smokey Eyes Part 5 (Blues & Greens)