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Lipstick

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Neutral Nude/Pink Lip Picks | Nude Kate, Bitch Perfect, Blondie, Sweet Stiletto, Iconic Nude and Pink Venus

September 8, 2014

Today I’m sharing the lip items I ordered from Charlotte Tilbury. The items I have were from a few of her curated look sets The Rock Chick and Uptown Girl. All of her products are available individually as well so I’ve separated my reviews by catetory. First up is the lips which are all neutrals:

  • K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Bitch Perfect ($32) is a medium warm rose pink, this is a medium to full coverage lipstick without any shimmer. I found the texture to be on the semi-thick side, similar to that of Tom Ford Lipsticks, but slightly drier in finish. Bitch Perfect is a lovely flattering warm nude pink shade, I think it will look nice on a number of skin tones. This one seems to be Charlotte’s most popular shade. It sold out quickly with the initial launch and is on back order at several places.
  • K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Nude Kate ($32) is a flesh cream nude. I didn’t know what to expect with this shade since nudes can be hard for me to pull off. This one covers the lip almost entirely and has enough color so it doesn’t wash me out. The thick creamy texture + combination of my pigmented lips isn’t so great on its own and it tends to emphasize my lip lines. I need a balm underneath or a gloss on top to make this one look best on me. Still it’s a really easy to wear nude I think will work on most with light to medium skin (my lips are just weirdly pigmented).
  • Lip Lustre in Sweet Stiletto ($22) is a glossy cream pink. I find it matches the Bitch Perfect lipstick exactly (at least on me). It has good coverage with a slightly tacky finish, similar to that of MAC Lipglasses. The tacky finish makes these last quite long. I’ve found a little goes a long way which is nice since the tubes seem to be on the small side.
  • Lip Lustre in Blondie ($22) is a pale pink beige with silver shimmer. It’s what I wanted MAC Prrr Lipglass to be (which almost always looks white on my lips). This is such a gorgeous beige pink nude shimmer gloss. It’s my favorite out of the lip items I’ve tried.
  • Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Iconic Nude ($22) is a brown nude. It has a super creamy texture with full coverage pigment. I haven’t used a lipliner in ages, but I really like the way these really hug the lips. Due to the rich pigment I like to feather this one on lightly before applying gloss or lipstick. Right now I’m not really into the full lip look with liner+lipstick+gloss simply because I find it too heavy for this hot weather. If you watch any of Charlotte Tilbury’s video tutorials, you will probably find it amazing what a difference layering can make to create different looks.
  • Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pink Venus ($22) is a rose pink lipliner. It’s a bit brighter than Sweet Stiletto and Bitch Perfect but pretty close in tone. This one is also rich in pigment. Unless you have soft well moisturized lips, I wouldn’t recommend applying this all over the lips since it will make them look overdone and dried out. This one is best when applied in a soft feathered motion to define the lips softly.

Swatches in full sunlight, no flash:

Another view:

Close ups and lip swatches of the lipstick/gloss:

(No lip swatches of the lipliners, but I hope the arm swatches above help)
Since all of these colors are classic neutrals, it’s likely these are very easily dupable. I do really like the color of Bitch Perfect and Blondie because the just work. There’s no fixing needed to make them work for me, meaning you don’t need to add any liner or gloss or color to make the color work for your skin tone (aside from prepping my lips with lip balm first).

I’m overall really happy with my lip picks. I could have skipped both of the lipliners, but have them because they were in the sets I bought. All the items have a soft vanilla scent similar in strength to MAC lipglasses and lipsticks. It’s a pleasant vanilla scent that isn’t too overpowering and isn’t too sweet. Lasting power on the lipstick and gloss are pretty good. As long as you don’t have dry flakey lips, these will look good as medium to full coverage lip items. Of course layering all three of the items together will give you a full coverage highly pigmented look. I didn’t find these drying or hydrating, they felt like normal lip products on my lips.

I bought mine sight unseen but based on online swatches it looks like Charlotte Tilbury has created a number of gorgeous nudes and pinks. I am waiting to see reviews and swatches before I purchase anything else. I would like to see everything in person, but the line isn’t scheduled to launch in stores until October.

Charlotte Tilbury has launched in the US at select retailers. You can find her line now at Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Bergdorf Goodman, Beautylish and Charlottetilbury.com.

Did you buy any of her lip product yet? What did you think? Any favorites?
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Edward Bess Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints

September 5, 2014

Edward Bess has released a new lip product called the Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tint ($31 each for .13 oz/3.8 g, made in USA). These are exclusive to QVC through September of 2015. Edward Bess will be featuring these on QVC tonight (Friday September 5th at 9 pm EST) and I cannot wait to see the full demonstration. 

The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are creamy lip products. They have the cushy and smooth feel of a lip balm but have a high pigment color more like a lipstick. I found them to be extremely smooth and emollient on the lips. On me they applied with more pigment than I expected. These come in three colors: Sunset Allure is a bright coral, Mystic Passion is a red plum, Blushed Dune is a neutral nude with pink/mauve tones. All are cream finishes (no shimmer).

These come in a unique black tube. You open them by pressing the bottom of the tube to pop open the lipstick. The lipstick pops out so you can pull out the lip tint and then twist up the tube. I found it really fun to play with.

Each color gives medium to full coverage. They adhere much better to the lips versus the arms for swatching. I have swatches both ways and close ups. The Cream Wave Lip Tints do have a slight scent to them. I found them to be a bit sweeter than his traditional fig scent he has in his regular lipsticks. The scent does fade after a few minutes and I didn’t notice it after a while. I like the darker ones blotted because they give the lips a natural looking stain. Lasting power applied as a regular lipstick is medium for several hours without fading. They are emollient so if you find glossy finish lipsticks don’t last long on you, these perform like glossy lipsticks. I do find they last slightly longer than Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Armani Sheers.

In sunlight without flash:

Swatched with flash:

Close ups of each shade:

Another winner from Edward Bess in my book, but I do have a soft spot for everything he comes out with. The Cream Wave Lip Tints are extremely natural looking while still managing to offer enough color to give the lips a polished look. My favorite is the neutral one in Blushed Dune. It’s an easy no-fuss kind of color that you can wear anywhere. I was really surprised by Mystic Passion. It’s a gorgeous wearable plum that has color but isn’t loud. Do note that my lips tend to pull a lot of red in most plums, so this one will most likely look closer to the tube on most beauty lovers. I really like Mystic Passion blotted because it leaves the perfect plum stain on the lips. Sunset Allure is a flawless coral that brightens the face. Even if you can’t wear orangey shades, I think this one is one of the easier orange/corals to wear.
These are designed to be hydrating. I didn’t really feel like they added moisture although they did feel very cream and smooth. A huge plus for me was that they didn’t dry out my lips.
Edward’s show goes live on QVC soon. I can’t wait to hear what you think if you end up trying these out. If you’re unsure about these, I highly recommend you visit each product page on QVC, so many others leave really helpful reviews. Full ingredient listing is also available online.
The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are currently exclusive to QVC through September 2015.
Many thanks to Edward Bess for providing me an early preview.

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Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty – Preview of The Beauty Look Book Picks

September 3, 2014

Beauty fans will be thrilled to know that Charlotte Tilbury’s beauty line has finally launched in the US. The range has launched online first at CharlotteTilbury.com, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter and BeautyLish starting September 2nd. Later this fall, the line will launch in select stores starting October 7th at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC and October 10th at Nordstrom at The Grove in Los Angeles. Launch events will also be hosted with Nordstrom in other cities including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Orange County, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas through Spring 2015.

I fell head over heels in love with the Filmstar Killer Cheekbones Set which was available at Nordstrom during the Anniversary Sale. I couldn’t wait for the line to launch in the US so I decided order a few of her look sets from the UK site along with some other items. I’ll have detailed reviews on all the items, but many of you have asked for a preview post wanting to know what I ordered and whether I thought the sets were worth it (versus buying items individually).

I did quite a bit of research when trying to decide what to buy. Some of the lipsticks and lip glosses looked extremely brown in stock photos so I relied heavily on blog swatches to help me pick out colors. I went with two of the sets simply because I found it easier to purchase an entire look rather than mix and match items. There are definitely duplicates in some of the sets with items such as mascara, makeup bag and some liners. (I gifted my extra makeup bag and mascara to another beauty friend.)

I ordered my items from the UK site and Paypal converted Pounds to Dollars. I think the prices I paid were slightly higher in the UK versus US prices, current US retail prices listed below. (Note all items are available individually as well).
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The Rock Chick Set ($225) includes:

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The Uptown Girl Set ($225) includes:

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Wonderglow Instant Soft-Focus Beauty Flash ($52)
Beach Sticks Bronze and Blush in Ibiza and Moonbeach (not yet available in the US)

There is a lot to digest with her line – it all looks so overwhelmingly good. I’ll have reviews posted in the next week by category: face, eyes and lips with thoughts and swatches. I’m still happy I ordered the sets although you don’t really save all that much buying a set versus individual items. I normally like to pick out items individually rather than stick to one preset look, but the color combinations are really good and easy to use for ideas. Even though I look nothing like the model used for each look, I found the looks helpful to see how soft or dramatic items would look on another face.

I’ve had really good experiences so far. I’m relieved since I spent a small fortune and bought everything sight unseen. More thoughts soon.

You can find Charlotte Tilbury in the US online at CharlotteTilbury.com, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter and BeautyLish.

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Lips Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Negligee and Twist of Fate Lip Color | Fall 2014

September 1, 2014

Tom Ford has two new lipsticks for fall in the Lip Color formula: Negligee and Twist of Fate ($50 each for 0.1 oz/3g, made in Belgium). I’ve been a fan of all the Tom Ford lipstick formulas, the Lip Color option offers the most pigment with full coverage. They have a thicker texture which makes them last longer and adhere better to the lips (in my experience) but they still glide on easily. The lipsticks have a slight vanilla scent which fades after a few minutes. I like that it’s a softer vanilla and isn’t too sweet. At $50 each, Tom Ford Lipsticks are a luxurious splurge. I can’t say that they are must-haves due to the extremely high price tag, although I do adore Spanish Pink and Pink Dusk and haven’t found anything that is quite like them in terms of color and pigment. They are smooth and non-drying. I can’t say they add any moisture but I like that they don’t dry out my sensitive lips.

Negligee is a medium pink rose nude. It’s on the darker side for my medium skin tone but it’s still a good neutral with enough pink in it so it doesn’t give me that deathly look that MAC Twig or Spirit gives me (they have quite a bit of brown). For those with darker lips or tan complexions looking for a good neutral rose that isn’t pale, this one is perfect. For light to medium complexions, this is a good neutral but deeper color. I didn’t want to love it because I thought it would be too dark but I actually do.

Twist of Fate is a bright coral. It looks more neutral in the tube, but on the lips it transforms to a brighter coral shade that pulls more orange. If you’re a neutral lip lover, this one may be too bright for you. I found it a bit too garish when applied with full coverage due to the orange base, I needed to blot a bit for this one. NARS Juliette is very similar (at a lower price) with slightly more pink and less orange. For me this seems to be more of a summer shade rather than fall. It’s a lovely shade but due to the amount of orange mixed in, some might find it too warm.

Close ups and lip swatches of each color:

Some comparisons swatches:

MAKE Pink Clay Silk Lipstick Cream (review)
Tom Ford Negligee Lip Color
Tom Ford Sweet Spot Lip Color Sheer (review)
NARS Julie – Audacious Lipstick (swatches)
NARS Juliette – Audacious Lipstick (review)

I’m overall really pleased with the color and quality of each shade. They aren’t typically the colors I gravitate towards but I really like Negligee especially for fall. That being said they are a lot darker than I expected them to be. In discussing fall releases with a few other beauty bloggers, I know many have expressed concern that these will probably be too dark for them. I do think Negligee is the more universally flattering color.

Tom Ford Negligee and Twist of Fate are both part of the fall collection. They are available at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and Tom Ford. According to Nordstrom Live Chat the fall collection will be available online at Nordstrom within the next day or so.
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NARS Audacious Lipsticks | Lip Swatches for Barbara, Raquel, Vanessa, Anita, Julie, Brigette and Juliette

August 23, 2014
All the lipsticks lined up at the NARS Melrose Boutique (previous feature here)
Here is Part 2 of my NARS Audacious Lipsticks review with lip swatches of my picks. They retail for $32 each. Some of the colors are exclusive to Barneys New York and NARS Boutiques. I will make a note for the retailer exclusive shades.  I picked out all the neutral shades in Barbara, Raquel, Vanessa, Anita, Julie, Brigette and Juliette.

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Barbara is a tan rose nude pink on me. It’s a great peachy beige.

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Raquel is the lightest color in the lineup. It’s a pale pink beige cream.

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Vanessa is a cool mauve nude. This one is a Barneys/NARS Boutique Exclusive. On me it pulls more blue in some light, but in others more neutral. The photo below shows it to be a bit more cool toned.

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Anita is described as an antique rose. I find it almost identical to Vanessa. The difference is slight but Anita is a bit lighter and warmer in color.

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Julie is another Barneys/NARS exclusive. This one is described as a nude pink. On me it has a hint of peachy tone to it. It’s really quite lovely.

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Brigette is described as a nude rose, but on me it’s a brighter peach with a hint of pink.

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Juliette is a bright coral. It looks neutral-ish in the tube but on the lips it’s really bright. For me this is a super bold lip.

Bottom line is I need more lip space. I wish I could wear them all at once. If you’re like me and love neutrals, I hope this helps show the difference between the neutral nudes and pinks. There are a couple more neutrals (such as Jane) I saw at the store but they pulled more orange/brown on me versus a true neutral. It would be hard for me to pick out my favorite shade because they all work so well on the lips. They are creamy, hydrating, full coverage and long lasting. They apply smoothly as well. Some of the lip swatches show more texture than others since I did a lot of wiping and reapplying it dried out my lips a bit. However on a regular non-swatching day these apply flawlessly.

My top three picks would be Barbara, Anita and Julie.

Have you checked out any of the NARS Audacious Lipsticks yet? Which ones do you have your eye on? These are currently available now at Nordstrom, Sephora, Barneys New York, NARS Boutiques and online at narscosmetics.com.

Julie and Juliette were provided courtesy of NARS for review consideration. All other shades purchased by me.
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NARS Audacious Lipstick | Beauty Look Book Picks

August 23, 2014

In celebration of its 20th Anniversary, NARS has designed an incredible collection of lipsticks that pay tribute to its beginnings with the launch of The Audacious
Lipstick Collection. This is a 40-shade collection of lipsticks all encased in a sleek modern matte-black magnetic case. Each lipstick is embossed with the NARS logo. There is a diverse range of color options from nudes, reds, pinks, orange, plums and vampy shades. 10 of the forty shades are exclusive to NARS Boutiques, narscosmetics.com and Barneys New York ($32 each). The shades launched early at Barneys and I went to the Barneys New York counter in Beverly Hills last weekend to have my makeup done at one of their events and meet their Lead Makeup Stylist Janice Daoud (Twitter @NARSJanice). The RaeViewer also stopped by for a quick hello (sneak peek of her picks on Instagram @raeview).

on the nails, NARS Paros
I have seven of the neutral shades to share with you. NARS kindly sent two peachy shades for review in Julie and Juliette. While at Barneys, I picked up an additional five in Barbara, Raquel, Vanessa, Anita and Brigette. Seeing all 40 shades at once was overwhelming. Each shade looked so incredibly gorgeous. The texture is really rich and smooth with full coverage. They all appear to be creams (no shimmer) although after wiping them off, I did notice some shimmer remnants on my hand. I wasn’t able to tell which one it came from, I suspect some have a tiny bit of iridescence but on the lips they act like a true cream.

There is no detectable added fragrance from what I can tell. The colors have intense pigment and you can get full coverage with one swipe although I prefer two. All the shades, including the nudes, cover the lip entirely. There’s really no need for liner although it does help to even out the edges and make your lipstick stay on longer.

What I liked most about the nudes and neutrals I picked was that there is no tweaking required. You don’t need to add liner, gloss, or any other lipstick to correct the color and make them work. The artists I worked with at the counter did like to layer the shades together, but I personally find they all work well by themselves.

Some of the neutrals are very similar to each other. There are slight differences in undertone which is great since some look better in warm neutrals while others look better with cooler tones.

Shades as described by NARS:

Barbara is a tan rose
Raquel is a pink beige
Vanessa (Barneys / NARS Exclusive) is a mauve nude
Anita is an antique rose
Julie (Barneys / NARS Exclusive) is a nude pink
Brigette is a nude rose
Juliette is a pink coral

 The lipsticks have a slightly natural sheen to them which reflect in swatches:

Based on my testing, Vanessa and Anita are very close in color, Vanessa is slightly deeper in color. Julie and Brigette are also close with Brigette being deeper in color. I was really impressed with how naturally flattering the neutrals were. Normally there are at least one or two nudes that end up washing out my complexion. I’m very pleased to report that all of these worked really well for my pigmented lips and medium/olive skin tone (I use the Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland and Radiant Cream Foundation in Punjab). I’ll have lip swatches uploaded shortly in a separate post.

The NARS Audacious Lipstick collection is currently available now at Nordstrom, Sephora, Barneys New York, NARS Boutiques and online at narscosmetics.com.

Two shades were provided for review consideration. Remaining shades purchased by me. More information in my Disclosures.

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New Shades of YSL Volupté Sheer Candy | 14 Belle Cannelle, 15 Rose Candy, 16 Cherise Désir, 17 Fraise Ganache

August 22, 2014

There are four new shades of YSL Volupté Sheer Candy in 14 Belle Cannelle, 15 Rose Candy, 16 Cherise Désir, 17 Fraise Ganache ($34 each, currently exclusive to Sephora). The YSL Volupté Sheer Candy formula is a sheer glossy tinted lip balm. I feel those who have tried these either really love them or hate them. I was thoroughly unimpressed when I first one I tried these several years ago. I gave them a second try last year early in 2013 and my opinion had changed completely. Funny how personal taste on beauty and style can change. Although the YSL Volupté Sheer Candy lip balms are indeed very sheer, they feel phenomenal on the lips and help transform texture with a super lush hydrating feel. These are heavily scented with something I feel is a mango and grapefruit blend, but to me it’s not artificially sweet. I love these for a swipe and go kind of lip product that doesn’t require a mirror and that will always look natural. Some of the colors are more visible on my lips than others, but all are still pretty sheer. If you want more color and pigment, I’d recommend you opt for the YSL Volupté Shines (reviews and swatches on my picks here).

The four new shades appear to be exclusive to Sephora. All look a lot lighter and brighter in real life compared to online square swatches. The actual lip balm tubes don’t have names on them, just the numbers.

  • #14 is warmer brownish nude
  • #15 is medium hot sheer pink
  • #16 is a brighter fuchsia pink that is still very soft 
  • #17 is a soft mauve with subtle shimmer particles

If you’ve tried the Volupté Sheer Candies, you know swatches are difficult to photograph because of the sheer glossy finish. These are colors that show up better on the lips. I’ve swatched them below with a lip brush to pick up more color. I recommend you also check out swatches on Best Things in Beauty – her swatches show what the color will look like straight from the tube.

Here are close ups and lip swatches of each shade. As usual with lip swatches, no added liner or base unless specified. On the lips I applied the colors straight from the tube, swiping back and forth around 2 to 3 times each lip:

A few comparisons, same set but with two views, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #7, 8 and 9:

I’m really happy with the four new shades. They are sheer but have such a lovely natural tint to them. They smooth and hydrate the lips and are really luscious. You can find them now in stores and online at Sephora.

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