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Guerlain Stardust #900 Maxi Shine Lip Gloss | Spring 2014

January 4, 2014

Guerlain Stardust #900 Maxi Shine Lip Gloss ($30 for 7.5 ml/.25 fl oz) is a sheer sparkling white that flashes shimmers of blue and white silver. It’s an exact match for the Stardust Nail Lacquer reviewed here.

Stardust Maxi Shine Lip Gloss comes with a sponge tip applicator. I love the simple and sleek packaging. The applicator applies the gloss perfectly. Stardust is a sheer clear base with subtle sparkles. The sparkles are large enough that you can see them on the lips but the overall effect is very subtle and sheer. If you’re a fan of sheer sparkle glosses you will really like this. If you’re one who craves more impact and color you may want to skip. There is no detectable scent with the Guerlain glosses when applied, at least not that I can tell. There is a soft floral powder scent if you smell them closely, the scent fades quickly though. Lasting power is medium. Texture is smooth and slightly moisturizing. It’s one of the least tacky/sticky feeling glosses I’ve tried.

More photos and swatches:

 
Guerlain Stardust has a similar feel to other white-silvery sparkly glosses. Stardust is more of a true silver sparkle while others flash more violet, pink or glitter with the sparkles. Comparisons below to some discontinued Chanel Glossimers and one MAC Dazzleglass. Left to right: Guerlain Stardust, Chanel Aragonite, Chanel Galactic, Chanel Surprise, MAC Sugarrimmed.

The effect is really similar in natural light:

Different view to highlight the sparkles:

Overall a lovely soft shine gloss. You have to see the gloss in person to really see how lovely the shimmer is. I have tried and love both Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Glosses and MAC Dazzleglasses both of which are extremely glittery. If you like the concept of those glosses but want something more subtle, I recommend checking out Stardust by Guerlain.

Guerlain Stardust retails for $30. It’s currently available at Guerlain counters along with the rest of the spring collection, also online now at Nordstrom and Dillards.

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Chanel Sonate #178 and Murmure #179 Glossimers | Spring 2014

December 25, 2013
The Chanel spring collection has two new glossimers in Sonate #178, a bright sheer red pink and Murmure #179, a lighter soft pink ($29.50 each). The two new spring shades seem like familiar colors with similarities to other previously released glossimers, but I really like both shades. They have a slightly richer pigment compared to other shades giving a healthy fresh glow.

Sonate #178 is a sheer muted red pink. It gives the lips a healthy tint of red mixed with pink and brightens the whole face. The color is layerable for more coverage but is still semi-transparent.

Murmure #179 is a light milky pink. It has a slight hint of warmth to prevent it from looking too bubblegum-like. I thought this would be a repeat of Sirop (discontinued), however Murmure is pinker and slightly darker.

Comparisons to Dior Diablotine (review here), Tom Ford Peach Absolut (swatched here), Burberry Mallow Pink (swatched here), Chanel Sirop (discontinued), Chanel Volupte, Chanel Calypso (discontinued) and Chanel Nakkar (discontinued, reviewed here).

I give both a huge thumbs up. Chanel spring is out on counters now. I purchased the spring collection items from Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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Burberry Oxblood Lip Mist, Lip Cover and Lip Glow

December 23, 2013

Burberry has released four beauty variations of Oxblood colored makeup. The Nail Polish was previously featured here. In addition to the nail color, Burberry also has Oxblood in a Lip Mist No. 214 ($30), a Lip Cover No. 33 ($30) and a Lip Glow No. 23 ($27). Each lip product is slightly different in finish and color so you can select one according to your preference for a burgandy pinkish red lip.

Oxblood No. 214 Lip Mist is the most red of the three. It’s a semi-glossy semi-tacky lipstick. It’s a dark wine color in the tube but applies cool-toned and red, almost pinkish. The slightly sticky texture helps the color adhere well to the lips and prevents it from sliding off. The benefit of the slight transparent finish is that it will fade nicely on the lips without appearing obvious.

Oxblood No. 33 Lip Cover is the most pigmented color. It’s also a deep wine red with a slightly glossy finish, but it’s rich in color like a regular lipstick. This one required careful application to prevent bleeding or smudging. Lasting power was quite good and it left a slight stain on the lips after a few hours of wear. It’s quite dramatic in a beautiful way.
Oxblood No. 23 Lip Glow is a semi-dark wine pink in the tube. It applied quite a bit lighter and pinker on the lips. This one is my favorite of the three, mainly because it is the softest but still has quite a bit of color. It has a transparent finish with a high shine. If you want more color or pigment, you may want to opt for MAC’s Desire Lipglass (a staple of mine). Or simply layer this one over a darker lip liner or either of the Oxblood lipsticks.
Swatches:

With all three shades, you need to apply carefully and accurately. I recommend blending or smoothing the edges
with a lip brush for even application. There is a sharp contrast for me
between my natural lip color and these Oxblood lip items. The lip
swatches below were applied straight from the tubes, you can see that
it’s slightly uneven in the pictures so you can see a bit of the edges
of the lip. Do note that most wine-colored items tend to pull fuschia or blue on me. Your mileage may vary depending on your skin and lip tones.
The Lip Mist:

The Lip Cover:

The Lip Glow:

Comparisons swatched: Burberry Blueberry Lip Mist is more brownish, MAC Desire Lipglass is the perfect match to the Oxblood Lip Cover, Tom Ford’s Black Orchid is more blueish, Chanel Fiction applies more red.
For other swatches, I recommend checking out the swatches on Café Makeup, Gummy Vision and Vanity Fashionista. 
I’m particularly smitten with all three colors. They are quite bold for
me (I normally wear neutral or peachy lips). I find them perfect for the
holiday season or special occasion. They are dramatic for me without
being too bright or too dark.
I purchased mine all at Nordstrom: Lip Mist here, Lip Cover here, Lip Glow here and Nail Polish here (back in stock).
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Burberry Beauty Trench Kiss Lip Mist and Lip Glow

December 2, 2013
Burberry Beauty has some beautiful new nudes and golds for the holiday. There are a couple packaging variations for the Trench Kiss Lip Mist, Trench Kiss Lip Glow and Nude Radiance Face Glow. These are available in regular packaging and a special limited gold packaging. In addition there is a new Gold Light Nail Polish available in the gold packaging.

I ordered the new Trench Kiss No. 216 Lip Mist ($30) and Trench Kiss No. 24 Lip Glow ($27) in the regular packaging from Nordstrom (however it seems only the gold packaging is available now online).

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Trench Kiss #216 Lip Mist is a sheer flesh colored beige with a hint of peach. On the lips it applies very pale – almost corpse like upon first swipe. After letting it set for a minute I found it adjusted better to my natural lip color and warmed up a little. It’s still very pale (similar to Nude Honey #211 reviewed here, but the Trench Kiss is just a tad warmer and more beige).

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Trench Kiss #24 Lip Glow is a shimmery sheer gold. It looks more golden and sparkly in the tube compared to the Nude Gold #15, but when swatched they look almost identical.

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Here are the Trench Kiss Lip Mist and Lip Glow items swatched side by side:

Lip items swatched layered together:

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Comparisons below to:

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I’m overall pleased with the two items once layered together. However they are really similar to previously released items which I already owned. I ordered sight unseen since I do not have a Burberry Beauty counter near me. I hope the comparison swatches above help. If you’re unsure about how these would be on you, I would suggest trying in person before buying. I do really like the Trench Kiss Lip Glow – it has such a lovely sparkle and sheen even if it is similar to other golds. 
The Burberry Beauty Trench Kiss items are available at online at Nordstrom, Saks and Burberry. You can refer to this list for Nordstrom Store Locations that have Burberry Beauty. If you know of others I’d love it if you could add it in the comments below.

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Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss | Holiday 2013

November 19, 2013

Dior Enchanted Rose #451 Addict Gloss ($29.50 for 6.5 ml) is a new sheer shimmery peach gloss for holiday. It has a soft peachy pink base with gold and peach shimmers. It was love at first sight since I have a major weakness for peachy lipglosses. The color is on the sheer side so you may find it similar to many other peaches that provide a soft transparent peach tint.

Swatched:

For skintone reference I’m wearing NARS Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland mixed with Edward Bess Dewy Complexion Perfector in Medium (see swatches here):

 

I pulled a few peachy glosses to compare. For reference I’ll list prices and weight in case you want to compare brands. Left to right is Burberry Cameo #8 ($27 for 6 ml), Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer #501 ($29 for 6.5 ml), MAC Imperial Light ($20 for 2.4 ml), MAC Dynasty at Dusk ($20 for 2.4 ml), Dior Enchanted Rose #451 ($29.50 for 6.5 ml) and Dior Spring Ball #343 ($29.50 for 6.5 ml, reviewed here too).

Dior Enchanted Rose looks most similar to MAC Dynasty at Dusk.

Dior Enchanted Rose is a beautiful easy to wear sheer gloss. It adds just the right amount of sheen to any lipstick. If you already have a lot of sheer peachy glosses you may want to skip, but it’s definitely worth checking out at your nearest Dior counter. I bought mine online at Nordstrom.com.

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Tom Ford Pink Lust Lip Lacquer

May 14, 2013

Tom Ford Pink Lust Lip Lacquer ($30 for .5 fl oz/15 ml, limited-edition) is sheer soft pink pearl gloss that comes in a squeeze tube. Much like the other Tom Ford Lip Lacquers Vinyl and the limited-edition Gold Dust from last year, Pink Lust has a lip-balm feel and texture. It’s smooth and lightweight with a very sheer veil of shimmer. The pink shimmer is one of the prettiest shimmers I’ve ever seen in a lipgloss.

Packaging and applicators are the same as the prior lip glosses released (Vinyl is the white which is still available, Gold Dust was limited from last year, see it here):

Swatched it goes on very sheer. It’s difficult to capture the sheen, but here are two views I hope help some. Be sure to check it out on Temptalia and Makeup and Beauty Blog as well.
Swatched in direct sunlight:

Swatched under artificial light shows the sparkles a bit better:

Swatched below on the lips:

For reference on skintone, above wearing NARS Light Optimizing Primer (testing a sample), Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse foundation in Light (reviewed here), NARS Light Reflecting Loose Powder, a bit of Tom Ford Gold Dust Bronzer.

Comparisons to some other pale pink lip glosses will show how Tom Ford’s Pink Lust is paler when swatched, but once on the lips sheers out so it’s not so pale:

Overall thoughts are a bit mixed. I tend to fall in love with pale pink shimmer glosses regardless of how sheer they are. The price point of Tom Ford beauty items in general are priced at the higher end of luxury beauty products. $30 for a sheer gloss that feels like a balm is definitely a splurge. Yet I love the way this looks and feels on the lips. I’ve had Tom Ford’s prior lip lacquers for a while so I knew what to expect with pigment, coverage and feel. Pink Lust performs just like his other lacquers. It has a moisturizing feel without too much slip. The color is very sheer but I still love the subtle glow of the sparkles. Based on the swatches above I think it’s definitely something dupe-able from other brands and formulas.
Tom Ford Pink Lust Lip Lacquer is a limited-edition shade and retails $30. It sold out almost immediately at counters and online as soon as it was released. However I’d recommend checking your local Tom Ford counters to see if they will be receiving a second shipment. It’s available online for pre-order on Saks.com.
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Giorgio Armani Flash Lip Lacquers

April 27, 2013
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Armani has released 18 new shades of lip gloss in a new high shine formula called Flash Lip Lacquers ($29 each for 6.5 ml/0.22 fl oz, Nordstrom.com). Armani has revamped and released numerous formulas of lipgloss. Before I saw these in person I thought they would be old discontinued shades brought back under a new name. I was pleased to find the Flash Lip Lacquers are all new shades with improved pigment. While Armani is known for having natural looking products, recent releases show they are moving towards more color. The Flash Lip Lacquers have more pigment than most of the other shades but are still natural looking with a luxurious smooth high gloss shine. I am in love with each and every shade they released but tried to limit myself to:
  • 107 is a neutral nude pink cream with enough pink so it’s not washed out
  • 108 is a stunning almond caramel with golden shimmer (think Dolce & Gabbana Almond lipstick in gloss form)
  • 109 is a soft sparkly champagne pink (goes on clear with sparkle)
  • 202 is a complex bronze rose shimmer
  • 303 is a fresh peach-pink shimmer
  • 528 is another semi-transparent pink sparkle, this one flashes iridescent pink sparkles instead of silvery ones
More photos:

Swatches:

Swatch comparisons to a Lip Maestro and other Gloss d’Armani shades:

Bottom line I’m impressed with the quality, finish and pigment. The ones that are mostly sparkle have enough color and shimmer to show up on the lips although they are more on the transparent end of glosses. All the shades (even the darker ones) are right up my alley, it’s only a matter of time before I cave and purchase a few more.
Check out Kai’s Obsessions for swatches of all the shades.
Giorgio Armani Flash Lip Lacquers retail for $29 each at all Armani counters now, online at Nordstrom.com, Giorgio Armani and other retailers. Did you buy any of the new Armani glosses? What about the fluid sheers or bronzer palette?
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