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Lipstick

Lips Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Lips and Boys Preview Event + Beauty Look Book Picks

December 28, 2015

Tom Ford Beauty launched 25 new shades of Lips and Boys Lip Colors ($35 each) alongside 25 re-promoted colors from last year. I was fortunate to attend a preview event with my friend Rae from the RaeViewer last month at the boutique in Beverly Hills. If you haven’t visited the store before and are ever in the area I recommend stopping by – it’s beautiful inside! At the event there were small displays of lipstick testers scattered throughout the store. Rae and I had the best time searching the store for the new shades. At the event I picked out 6 colors (3 were gifted) – it was hard not to buy the remaining colors because they were all stunning! I did a bit of research over the next week and ordered 6 more. In total I’ve ended up with 12 of the new shades and am beyond thrilled with them.

First a few thoughts, impressions and more preview pictures of the store event. The 25 new shades launched this year all seem more shimmery compared to last year’s launch. Most have a smooth shimmer, a few had sparkly chunks (some of the deeper brights). Out of all the ones that caught my eye, only one is a cream (Austin). The finish of the shimmers is smooth and creamy. Smooth like the Lip Sheers but with more pigment and color payoff. The good news is all the colors are permanent!

Repromoted shades include (swatches of my last year’s picks here):

Addison, Alejandro, Beau, Cary, Collin, Flynn, Giacomo, Guillermo, Henry, Holden, Ian, James, Julian, Justin, Leonardo, Liam, Luciano, Michael, Pablo, Patrick, Rafael, Richard, Starvos, Wes, Xavier

Newly launched colors are:

Alex, Ansel, Austin, Daniel, David, Demsey, Derek, Drake, Eddie, Egon, Eric, Hiro, Jake, Jay, Joaquin, Jude, Kingston, Louis, Malik, Roberto, Rocco, Roman, Theo, Tony, Vladimir

A few more snapshots of the beautiful store, could an evening of playing with lipstick, champagne and small bites be more fun?

My picks, mostly neutrals of course with a couple brighter shades. Left to right below is Ansel, Austin, Daniel, Demsey, Drake, Eddie, Egon, Eric, Jake, Jude, Malik and Vladimir.

Descriptions of each of the colors and then a few close ups:

  • Ansel is a shimmering bright but neutral pink
  • Austin is a creamy nude pink (lighter than Addison/Pink Dusk)
  • Daniel is a mauve neutral shimmer
  • Demsey is a warm peachy shimmer (less frost and more peach compared to William/Sweet Mystery)
  • Drake is a shimmering cool mauve plum with silver shimmer
  • Eddie is a neutral beige shimmer
  • Egon is a cool beige shimmer
  • Eric is a medium warm rose, on me it pulls very warm
  • Jake is a medium rosy shimmer pink
  • Jude is a cool-toned light baby pink
  • Malik is a complex mauve pink with gold shimmer
  • Vladimir is a cool taupe nude shimmer
A few more close ups and swatches:

For skintone reference, I’m wear Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 4 (swatches of all colors here, review + comparisons of shade 4 here):

In case you’re wondering how the new neutrals compare to other colors, I pulled some other Tom Ford shades to compare by color grouping. There are a couple repeats in some sets. Many of these I’ve swatched before. I’ll link the previous reviews where applicable for reference. Below are six sets of comparison swatches.

My desktop clutter:

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Lips and Boys in Peter was discontinued but replaced with Lip Color in Sweet Mystery
Lips and Boys in Orlando was discontinued

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As a huge fan of Tom Ford lip colors in general, I’m smitten with the new colors. I think for the neutrals there’s a lot to love. I like that there are new neutrals that aren’t repeats of other existing colors. I didn’t pay too much attention to the deeper shades or brights but from what I remember swatching in the store – there is a lot that looks different from last year’s launch. From this year’s new batch of colors, my top picks:

Jake
Ansel
Demsey
Daniel
Eddie

The Lips and Boys launched this year are permanent so the good news is there’s no rush to run out and purchase a color for fear it will sell out. They retail for $35 each, or you can find some colors in the 10 Piece Set for $350 or all 50 Shades in a set for $1,950. Available at Tom Ford Boutiques and counters. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdale’s.

Did you pick up any of the new shades this year?

Three of the Lips and Boys shades featured were gifted, the remaining purchased by me.

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Uncategorized

MAC x Ellie Goulding Cremesheen Lipstick and Plushglass Swatch Comparisons

December 21, 2015

Above, left to right: Without Your Love, Only You, Explosion and Goodness Gracious

Here are some swatch comparisons for the MAC x Ellie Goulding lip items. For the Cremesheen Lipsticks in Without Your Love and Only You, I picked out some I thought could be similar:

MAC Huggable Lipstick in Touché (swatched on lips here)
MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup
MAC x Ellie Goulding Lipsticks in Without Your Love
and Only You (lip swatches here)
MAC Lipstick in Cosmo
Burberry Kisses Lipstick in Nude Pink (on the lips here)
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Guilty Angel (reviewed here)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect (lip swatches here)

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For the Plushglasses, in case you can’t do tingly plumping lip products, a few alternatives below. The Buxom Lip Polishes are tingly/plumping but not as strong as the MAC Plushglass.

MAC x Ellie Goulding Plushglass in Explosion (on lips here)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Ibiza Nights (swatched here)
NARS Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday
Burberry Kisses Lip Gloss in Pale Nude (lip swatched here)
MAC Mineralize Lipglass in Sheer Coincidence
MAC Mineralize Lipglass in Lovingly Yours
MAC x Ellie Goulding Plushglass in Goodness Gracious (swatched here)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Sweet Stiletto (swatched here)
Chanel Glossimer in Giggle
Buxom Lip Polish in Dolly (on the lips here)

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Even though I suspect MAC Without Your Love and Only You are both similar to other colors, I’ve deemed them both must-haves. They are light neutrals that are flawless and just work. Both are limited-edition and retail for $18 each. I bought mine at Nordstrom.
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Uncategorized

MAC Online Exclusives for Lips: All I Want Lipstick and Berry Black Friday Patentpolish Lip Pencil

December 13, 2015
MAC Berry Black Friday Patentpolish Lip Pencil and All I Want Lipstick

MAC launched a couple online exclusive limited-edition lip colors and it’s a miracle both are still available online (at least at the time of this post). On Black Friday, MAC launched an exclusive color of Patentpolish Lip Pencil called Berry Black Friday ($20). On December 3rd, MAC released the highly anticipated MAC x Mariah Carey Collaboration Frost Lipstick called All I Want ($17). I thought I’d share swatches while both were still available to purchase online in the US. I do really like both and am glad I was able to buy them.

Close ups and swatches of both colors, a few details + comparisons:

MAC Berry Black Friday and All I Want

Berry Black Friday is a glossy plum color. It’s a neutral plum purple
and quite different from most plums I own because there’s hardly any red
undertone. There’s still a little in it which prevents it from being a
straight purple color which is nice. It’s got a vampy feel to it, but
the glossy sheer texture makes it a little softer and feminine (versus a
bold harsh vamp). Texture is just like the other Patentpolish Lip
Pencils – it’s a twist up stick that’s hard but glossy. It glides on the
lips easily and offers layerable coverage. I wouldn’t say it goes up to
full coverage but you can swipe it back and forth to get medium-high
color.

Berry Black Friday

Swatch comparisons to:
NARS Velvet Gloss Pencil in Club Mix (swatches here)
MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Ruby (swatched here)
Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Distinction (on the lips here)
Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Cremes in Blow and Scandal (swatches here)
Burberry Kisses Lipstick in Oxblood (review here)
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Vampy Plum (review + swatches here)

All I Want Lipstick is a frost formula. It takes me back to the 90’s
when this kind of color was popular. I remember all the cool girls in
high school had Wuss or Pink Glaze lipstick. It’s a high frost pearl
champagne. On the lips alone it’s pure metallic frost and on my
pigmented lips it looks almost like pink tinged foil. Add any gloss on
top though and it softens the color and transforms it into a gorgeous
champagne shimmer. Of course if you apply it sheer with a soft touch it’s not quite as metallic alone.

MAC All I Want Lipstick

MAC All I Want Lipstick

MAC All I Want Lipstick

Swatched comparisons to:
Tom Ford Lip Color in Sweet Mystery (swatched here)
MAC Frost Lipstick in Blonde on Blonde (discontinued)
MAC Lipstick in Wuss (discontinued)
MAC Lustre Lipstick in High Tea
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Creme d Nude
MAC Lipglass in Oyster Girl

One last closeup:

MAC All I Want Lipstick Berry Black Friday Patentpolish

I really like both. Berry Black Friday makes for a true dramatic plum while All I Want is the perfect champagne frost with a tiny bit of gloss added. I’m eagerly anticipating the Ellie Goulding launch – I have quite a few items on my wishlist.

Both Berry Black Friday Patentpolish Lip Pencil and All I Want Lipstick are exclusive online to www.maccosmetics.com, both limited-edition and available while supplies last. If you have your eye on either I suggest you order very soon.

Did you buy either of these? What did you think?

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Eye Makeup Urban Decay

Best of Urban Decay Cosmetics

December 9, 2015
Urban Decay Nordstrom The Beauty Look Book

If I were stuck on a desert island and could only have one makeup palette with me, it would be any of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I’ve been such a huge fan of Urban Decay for years and out of all the makeup I’ve bought, tried and tested, the Naked2 and Naked3 Eyeshadow Palettes are hands down my favorites – ever. I’ve done quite a few reviews on each palette in the past but I don’t think I’ve ever rounded them all up in one post. Today I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to share my favorites from the line along with swatches and thoughts on their latest launch the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette.

The Naked, Naked2, Naked3 and Naked Smoky Palettes all have a mix of beautiful neutrals. Each palette offers a diverse range of colors and textures ranging from matte, shimmer, frost, glitter and satin. The texture of the shadows are amazingly smooth, rich and super easy to blend. They last all day on my lids – although some of the glitter shades will have some fallout. I would say Naked has the most diverse range of neutrals from light, medium to dark. It has a split mix of warm and cool shades. Naked2 is the most neutral option with colors that will make any taupe lover go crazy. It has 2 of my favorite colors in YDK and Suspect (also available individually). Naked3 is the rosy pink neutral option, as one who rarely wears pink eye shadow, it was a huge surprise to me at how wearable the colors in this one are. The colors are absolutely perfect. The latest Naked palette is the Naked Smoky which I adore but is hit or miss for many. It’s the darkest and most dramatic mix of neutrals – the texture of the shadows is slightly harder than the other palettes, but I find pigment to still be excellent and easy to blend.

Urban Decay Naked Palettes

Urban Decay Naked Palettes

Urban Decay Naked Palettes swatched

The best matte eyeshadow palettes on the market are the Urban Decay Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics. I passed on the Naked Basics one for the longest time because I thought the colors would be too light for my skintone. Thanks to the extra push from my readers, I bought it and have been really happy. I don’t usually like matte shadows because I find they are either too sheer or too intense. Sheer ones just don’t show up on my skin, intense ones are too powdery or creamy and make my lids look wrinkled. The ones from Urban Decay are the perfect texture to just melt into the skin but at the same time the pigment shows up really well. The colors are easy to blend with each other. I like using these alone or mixed with shimmer colors. If I had to pick one, I would say Naked2 Basics is my favorite for my medium olive-toned skin, but both are really good.
Urban Decay Naked Basics and Naked2 Basics

The 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner Pencils come in a wide range of colors. I of course prefer the neutrals (there are tons of options in this range), but there are lots of bold brights and shimmers that are really fun. I always have Bourbon on hand, I have a few actually. One is a mini from a holiday set, and I also have the full size. It’s a shimmering dark chocolate brown. Rockstar is a classic deep plum. I like that it’s deep but not so dark that it looks black. The Naked Double-Ended Pencils are nice to have for travel because you get 2 shades in one stick.

If you’ve used Urban Decay for a long time, you are probably aware of the lipstick changes over the years. The formulas have changed numerous times (they used to have their glosses in a squeeze tube, anyone remember Midnight Cowboy?). Right now three current lip formulas I like include the Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss, Revolution Hi-Color Lipgloss and Revolution Lipstick.

The Ultra Nourishing Lipglosses are cushiony shiny glosses. They are on the sheer side, so many of them end up looking very similar once on the lips with slight variations. My favorite is Naked because it has the prettiest sheen and shimmer that makes the lips look full but not too full.

The Revolution High-Color Lipgloss is a rich pigment gloss that is almost like a liquid lipstick. The two neutrals in the line are Kinky and Liar, I almost bought both but they are really similar. Liar is deeper and more pink, while Kinky is more beige and peachy.

For the lipsticks, I’ve only bought one formula. There are three formulas of lipstick. The Revolution Lipstick is the classic version which offers creamy pigmented coverage with a bit of a sheen. Lasting power is really good. There is also the Revolution Sheer Lipstick and Revolution Matte Lipstick as well which I haven’t tested on my lips, but when swatching them in store, the sheers are just that – sheer. The mattes are full coverage velvets.

For the face, the Naked Skin products have often received high ratings and raves. I have tried two items and really like them. The Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation is a smooth powder that gives natural medium to full coverage. I use the shade Medium Light Warm. I like to use it to set liquid foundation or for mid-day touch ups on the T-zone. As a foundation it lasts pretty long and looks very natural. I like that it doesn’t cake even if you use the sponge. The Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer is a great concealer for both under eye and spot coverage. It’s full coverage without looking cakey. My match is Medium Neutral and I like how it really covers but blends well into the skin so it looks like your skin.

Swatches of all the concealer shades:

Last but not least, the latest from Urban Decay is a celebrity collaboration. They just launched the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette (limited-edition). Being a fan of both, I knew had to buy it even though at first glance there were 2 shades I thought might be questionable. Here’s a quick snapshot below to show you the size/scale of the packaging compared to the other palettes. It has 15 eyeshadows in a large mirrored compact (Naked palettes have 6 to 12 shades). I love the little detailing on the mirror.

 

UD x Gwen Stefani Palette

The 15 shades are mostly neutral with 3 colors that offer a bit of pop. There is a good mix of matte, shimmer and satin with one glittery shade and two colors that are on the sparkly side. I’ve been playing with this for only a few days but initial thoughts are thumbs up.

UD x Gwen Stefani Palette

Descriptions of the colors in the UD x Gwen Stefani Palette:

  • Blondie is a shimmering pale cool-toned cream
  • Bathwater is a frosted yellow champagne
  • Skimp is a satiny soft pale cream with pink tones
  • Steady is a shimmering beige pink
  • Punk is a matte warm brown
  • Baby is a shimmering neutral mauve pink taupe
  • Anaheim is a matte fawn beige
  • Stark is a matte warm beige
  • Zone is a matte tan
  • Serious is a satiny grey brown with shimmer, goes on more matte
  • Pop is a glitter champagne sparkle
  • Harajuku is a cool-toned blue based pink shimmer
  • Danger is a sparkling bright navy
  • 1987 is a sparkling gold
  • Blackout is a matte black
Pigment on all the colors is really good. There is some fallout with a few of the shimmering sparkles like Harajuku, 1987 and Baby, but once on the lids they stay put. The only color I wasn’t thrilled with is Pop mainly because it has crazy fall out with the glittery chunks unless you pat on the lids with a finger (over cream shadow to help it stick). I thought Danger would be a mess but it actually stayed put and didn’t fall all over the face when I applied with a detail brush. I thought Harajuku would give me a pink-eye look but it’s actually a very wearable pink.

Quick eye look with six colors layered and blended. The camera flash washed out the colors but I included a snapshot of the colors lined up together I used to help show the mix:

That rounds up my favorites from Urban Decay. There are a lot of single shadows that fall in the shimmer neutral category that are staples in my weekly makeup routine but the palettes are so much more convenient to use. Many times I find palettes have a few shades that I don’t like but with the Naked ones, I like every color in every palette.

If you’re looking for a versatile palette, you can’t go wrong the Naked Palettes. My top 3 favorites are Naked2, Naked3 and Naked2 Basics – they are good for everyday, great for travel and have enough color to create a look for evening or special occasions. The colors are timeless and you can wear them any time of year.

Do you have any Urban Decay favorites? I’m curious about the Naked Skin Foundation, Loose Powder and Afterglow Blush – if you have any thoughts please let me know, I’d be interested to hear what you think.

Thanks to Nordstrom for teaming up to sponsor this post. As always, all opinions my own.

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By Terry

By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette – Holiday 2015

November 20, 2015

Above: Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb (mini) and Truffle Privacy Clutch in Rose Gold

The most stunning lip palette I’ve ever seen arrived from Beautylish earlier this week and of course in the blink of an eye it sold out on their website. The By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette ($118) is quite the splurge but has all the right colors of red, coral and pink to give the perfect glam look this holiday season. It is a limited-edition piece, so once it’s sold out, it’s gone for good. At the time of this post, it’s sold out on Beautylish, but you can still find it Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter and Space NK. If this is something you’ve been eyeing I suggest you act fast. Because it’s too good to not share, I have swatches and photos of the palette. It is a pricey investment but incredibly stunning with high quality long-wearing lipstick colors and the glosses are ultra smooth and hydrating on the lips.

Before I get into the review, a quick note on other By Terry launches this season. She has released several gorgeous luxury pieces for holiday including the Gold Elixir Glacé ($225) an illuminating skin-enhancing and smoothing face product, Gold Baume de Rose Trio ($339) 3 shimmering light special-edition Baume de Rose pots of white, yellow, and rose gold shimmer and a Baume de Rose Parure ($31) shimmering Baume de Dose ornament. Do note they are all limited-edition. I have been really intrigued by the Gold Elixir Glacé but haven’t been to a counter to test in person yet. I hope to check it out this weekend, fingers crossed that it is still in stock somewhere by then.

The Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette comes in a plum-brown pouch and a large rectangular mirrored compact. There is a double-sided lip brush in the compact which is actually usable and decent quality. Most lip palettes I’ve tried have brushes that are pretty much useless, so it was nice to see a good on in this kit. There are five high-pigment lipsticks and five lip lacquers that have a balmy feel. The lipsticks are creams while the lacquers have some shimmer.

The top row has lipsticks which are semi-matte in finish. They are super rich in pigment and have a bit of shine when you apply them, but they dry to a velvety finish. Still once dry they don’t look like they are dry, they give the lips a nice healthy glow of color. Being super pigmented they do require precise application. I’m not the best at applying bright or dark lipsticks evenly, if you’re like me you probably want to line and blend lipliner around the edge of your lips first. The colors do have a soft vanilla scent about the same strength as MAC and Tom Ford Lipsticks. It’s noticeable but not strong and after a little bit the scent did fade.

The colors in the top row are lipsticks, shade descriptions from left to right:

Red with a blue-pink undertone
Bright blue-based pink
Bright red with a blue-base
Orange red that pulls very bright
Deep red with neutral-cool undertones

The glosses in the second row are sheer to medium in coverage. They feel ultra plush on the lips. The shimmery ones are smooth in finish. Colors from left to right:
Sheer light beige (goes on my lips clear)
Sheer jelly fushcia (goes on pretty much clear on my lips)
Bright coral red shimmer
Cool-toned pink with silver shimmer
Shimmering neutral beige-tan

Swatches on my Chanel Beige 30/40 skin, you may want to check out the swatches on Beauty Professor as well, she and I are almost identical in skintone, right now she’s a bit more tan than I am, but we usually are around the same shades in foundations:

Two more views of the palette to try and show the difference in undertone for each of the reds, here is the palette without flash and in indoor light:

Palette in outdoor direct sun with flash:

Top row of lipsticks swatched on me:

Bottom row of glosses swatched:

One more shot below:

My overall assessment is that this is indeed a stunning palette, especially for the holiday season. I’m not usually a red-lip wearer but I have been incorporating more color into my daily makeup wear. The best thing about this palette is that it has a diverse range of reds with different undertones. Each lipstick color is distinct enough that you can see the difference between each shade. Having a palette allows you to mix the colors and layer them together to get different depths or shine with the gloss. Lasting power of the lipsticks is quite impressive. They do leave a stain on the lips so when I was swatching these, I was particularity happy to have some of the Bite Beauty Lip Wipes from the Discovery Set on hand.

Another pro is the reds go on exactly the same color you see in the compact. So many reds turn color on me which makes it so hard for me to find good reds (a lot turn fuchsia and look completely different on my lips compared to what I see in the tubes). The lipsticks in the By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kit are true-to-pan.

I will say that my holy grail perfect red is still the Rouge Louboutin Silky Satin lipstick. There is something magical in that color that makes it perfect and I haven’t found anything close in any other lipstick I’ve tried. A close second is the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Miss Scarlet for a bold but true red.

All that being said, I will be getting a lot of use out of this palette with the events of the upcoming holiday season. The colors can be toned down if you blot lightly rather than apply with a brush or fingers. The gloss helps sheer out color as well. If you’re a nude-neutral lip lover, check out my post on Rosy and Red Tinted Lip Balms that are more forgiving and have a more natural finish. One of my favorite red balms is from By Terry which is her Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur in Bloom Berry.

Bottom line stunning. 

The By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette retails for $118. Currently available at Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter and Space NK. You may want to keep checking in at Beautylish too in case they restock it. Since it’s limited-edition, I do suggest you track one down sooner than later so you don’t miss out.

The By Terry lip palette was provided as a press sample for review consideration. 
All opinions my own.

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Uncategorized

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!
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Uncategorized

Kat Von D Beauty: Lolita Lip Duo and Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Synergy

November 5, 2015

I’ve been hauling a few things here and there from Sephora and recently picked up some items from Kat Von D Beauty. The Metal Crush Eyeshadow ($21 for 2.8 g) in Synergy has been on my wishlist for a long time but it’s something I always forget to pick up in store so I ordered it online. It’s a glorious copper bronze with the most amazing texture and shimmer. The Lolita Lip Duo ($19.50 for 2 x 0.10 oz) is a new limited-edition pack of two mini liquid lipsticks in the classic Lolita shade (dark chestnut rose) and a new Lolita II (dark terracotta). The Lolita Everlasting Liquid Lipstick is something that appears to have reached cult status. By the time I decided I wanted to try it, most of the shades in the formula were sold out (and many still are). As soon as the Lolita Lip Duo popped up online I decided this was the time to try it out (although Lolita is also in the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Set too).

Up first is a review on the Metal Crush Eyeshadow in Synergy which is a super pigmented bronze shimmer eyeshadow. It’s so soft and velvety it’s almost like a pressed pigment. I have nothing but good things to say about this one. One swipe with a brush and it glides onto the lids beautifully. I would say the texture is similar to that of Urban Decay shimmer eyeshadows but the Kat Von D Beauty Metal Crush is softer. The color is high in shimmer but it’s not over the top and wears beautifully as a smokey bronze. On my face it pulls warm. On the hand it pulls more neutral at least on me. Your mileage may vary depending on how warm or cool your complexion is. Being the neutral lover that I am I wish this formula came in more neutral shades like a soft peach, tan gold, or champagne. Most of the colors in this formula are edgy and very bold. 

You can apply these with a dry or damp brush.  The pigment is so good you really don’t need a damp brush to intensify the color. Even blended out you can see there’s still a lot of color that shows up. Lasting power is very good with this one – it stayed put all day from early morning until late evening without smudging or fading. Since the texture is soft and powdery there is some fallout when you apply it, but once it’s on the skin it doesn’t move unless you rub your eyes.

Here are a few swatched comparisons:

NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Telesto (c/o, review here)
MAC Pigment in Chocolate Brown (discontinued)
MAC Eyeshadow in Sable

Up next is the Lolita Lip Duo. I had very high hopes for this as there are over 3,000 reviews on the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick formula online at Sephora, most have extremely high ratings with tons of raves. I think I overhyped this in my head and the fact that Lolita was near impossible to find made me have high expectations. The formula is on point for a liquid lipstick. The texture is super pigmented so you only need a little bit to cover the entire lip. The lasting power is also quite impressive. Even with the matte finish formula the product doesn’t feel dry on the lips. I will say this is half love, and half luke-warm. The regular Lolita is a dark chestnut brown pink which swatches beautifully on the hands but on my lips it turns very dark and cool. If it were 1-2 shades lighter and a bit warmer I think it would be 100% love. On my medium olive complexion I feel like it looks like dark death. Lolita II on the other hand is pure love. It’s a terracotta orange pink shade that I expected to look like an orange brick brown color on the lips but I find the warmth makes it more wearable for my olive complexion. It does darken on my lips after it dries but I still really like it.

After doing some searching on Google it appears Lolita has gone through a few variations. Some show the original one to be lighter and more neutral which is something I think I would have loved. The current one appears to be darker and more cool-toned by 2-3 shades.

Note your mileage may vary depending on your skintone, for some reason these darken on my lips and look different than they do in the tubes and when swatched on the hands/arms:

Swatch comparisons below:
Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Creme in Mahogany (c/o, review here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Negligee (swatches here)
Buxom Lip Foundation in Revealed (c/o)
MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy
Tom Ford Lip Color in Twist of Fate (review here)
Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Creme in J’Adore (c/o, review here)
Buxom Lip Foundation in Bare (c/o)

One last shot below:
Overall, two hits and one miss for me which isn’t bad considering I ordered the lip duo sight unseen. I’m not sure if it’s just a combination of my skin tone and lip tone which both seem to turn Lolita dark on my face. Synergy Eyeshadow is pure love. It’s such a pretty warm bronzey color that seems perfect for year round. I hope they expand the color range in the eyeshadow formula because it’s just so so good.

I’m still relatively new to the Kat Von D Beauty line. I do adore and love her Ink Liner which is among the best that I’ve tried. I’ve used up one and repurchased it. If you have any other favorites please let me know what you think I should check out.

The Kat Von D Beauty line can be found exclusively at Sephora. The Lolita Lip Duo is limited-edition while Synergy Eyeshadow is part of the permanent lineup. (P.S. Sephora’s VIB Rouge Sale starts tomorrow 11/6 with code ROUGE20 online, stay tuned for recs and my wishlist!)

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