Armani Beauty just launched a new lipstick formula called Ecstasy Shine ($38 each for .1 oz, made in France). These are high shine lipsticks with a balmy feel with medium to rich coverage. The lighter color shades have a sheerer finish while the deeper or bright ones are one-swipe wonders on my pigmented lips. They have a finish and texture that reminds me of the first generation of sheer lipsticks Armani launched many years ago (I’m thinking around 2001-ish) but without as much slip or sheerness. Given the balm-like texture these still have some slip but they don’t disappear on my lips as quickly as some of the older Armani formulas. They feel ultra nourishing, comforting and smooth on the lips. There’s a glossy sheen and while they aren’t long-lasting like regular lipsticks or nearly as rich or long-lasting as their Lip Magnets I find they do stay put on the lips until you drink or snack. These feel so nice on the lips I don’t mind reapplying.
I’m a sheer lipstick and lip gloss lover so these are right up my alley. To me they have more of a summer feel with the color scheme and texture but as one who really doesn’t favor matte lips I’m not complaining. The color lineup is filled with timeless classics. I need to make a trip to the counter to see if I can find a good plum shade. My favorite of course is a neutral 100. I can’t help but feel 506 is a perfect fuchsia and Armani does really good orangey-reds and classic reds. As far as I can tell there’s no detectable scent once on the lips. The lipstick in the tube has a natural kind of scent that smells like an essential oil. Something you might expect in a lip treatment or balm. Once I have it on the lips I can’t smell anything. They have a similar vibe to the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines but the Armani has a little less slip, no fruity scent, and more pigment. I love both formulas but this one from Armani feels more along lines of a classic tinted balm lipstick. Bottom line: glossy, nicely hydrating and a great color range.
Becca launched eight tinted lip balms called the Lush Lip Colour Balm ($22 each). These are creamy tinted balms with a lipstick feel. They have a vanilla scent similar to that of MAC lipsticks which is soft and creamy. Pigment is medium but buildable if you layer and they feel hydrating without feeling heavy or like they’ll slip off the lips. The texture is smooth and they’re comforting on the lips and I like them even in the hot humid weather. My lips have been on a the dry side a bit with the chlorine and salt water from swimming combined with heat – these helped hydrate them significantly after a day’s wear. Lasting power isn’t the best as it is an emollient balm. They’re not going to stay put like a longwear lipstick or liquid/matte lipstick – but they don’t disappear on me quickly and it’s something I don’t mind re-applying.
Color options have a good range from light to deep and they’re all fairly conservative wearable shades. I did have some streaking with the deeper colors as they had a bit of contrast with my natural lip tone and when I swatched these I did have some peeling going on my lips – but it’s something I can fix with more blending.
Colors include:
Cafe Au Lait is a pale peachy beige which looks a bit streaky with one swipe, but add a few more and it smooths out to an impressive level of smoothness, often times I cannot wear such pale colors because they are super streaky, I was really surprised by this one
Ginger Vanille is a soft pink coral, it pulls a bit more coral on most people I’ve seen it on, since I have a lot of olive and yellow, especially when I’m in the sun a lot, it looks a bit more pink on my lips
Almond Fraise is a pretty soft pink rose cream, on me it pulls a little bit cool
Chai Creme is the perfect creamy soft brown pink shade on my lips
Milk Chocolate is a mauve brown cream, this one felt sheerer than the others
Toasted Hazelnut is a deeper brown
Cherry Ganache is a burgundy red, this one had a little bit of streaking with my dry patches
Black Violet was a bit streaky on me as well, but without any dry lips it looks smoother, it’s a purple cream
Bottom line love and I think the price is reasonable for the amount. Nicely hydrating with good color payoff for a balm. Smooth finish and a delicious scent. For a balm they are on the lightweight side but not weightless – I can definitely feel product on my lips, but since it’s a balm I don’t mind. My favorite is Ginger Vanille but it’s really hard to pick one favorite. If you need more color/pigment then I’d recommend opting for the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim Lipsticks (even though they are a lot more expensive, review on all shades soon). By comparison the YSL Volupte Tint in Balms have a more glossy finish and emollient feel. As a sheer lip lover I like both – I think for neutrals the Becca has more options while YSL has more brights.
There’s a super cute NARSissist Velvet Lip Glide Set ($45) which is an Ulta Exclusive. It has six new shades which are really perfect for summer but wearable year round. I found this at my local store – they don’t have the full line of NARS but did carry a small selection including this set. The velvet lip glides are minis (same size as the Sephora Give Me Some Nude Lips Set) and I’m beyond thrilled all the colors are new. It comes in a pretty pink box:
Colors include cream colors. All the colors are consistently medium to full coverage with a smooth streak-free finish. Pigment is really good and they have a natural sheen even though they have a velvety finish. I don’t detect any scent in these and they feel comfortable on the lips. Lasting power is medium – they have a similar lasting power to a regular lipstick. I love that the formula feels weightless and doesn’t dry out my sensitive lips.
Rapture a medium soft coral peach
Night Together soft neutral medium pink brown with a hint of plum
I think the set is a great buy. Colors are very wearable but not boring. Even the brighter ones are easy to wear especially for summer. If you haven’t tried the NARS Velvet Lip Glide formula this is a nice way to try more than one shade without having to buy the full sizes.
You can find the NARSissist Velvet Lip Glide Set exclusively at Ulta Beauty. Have you tried this one yet? What did you think?
I’m a neutral lip addict and have a roundup review of some new formulas and color out right now. All of these picks are from Sephora as it seems like that’s where most of the new launches are at for the moment. Sephora stores are actually where quite a few of my readers have run into me – in multiple cities and not always my hometown stores lol. Many thanks to each of you who have been so kind to introduce yourself and say hello – I’ve been really touched with how nice you all are in person.
So for the new stuff – many of you have been asking about the new Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lip and NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments. I’ve put some shades from each formula to the test. I also have some new Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Glosses swatched, Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipsticks reviewed (not new, but new to me) and a first impressions of the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick. There are also quite a few comparison swatches in this post for reference. It’s a little bit of a lot for the lips.
Up first are the new Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipsticks. My DMs and emails have been literally flooded with review requests. Since I really loved the Amuse Bouche Lipstick formula this was an easy yes for me. I went to multiple stores to track these down because one didn’t have all the colors. And one of these is an online exclusive for VIB Rouge.
These aren’t like the normal liquid lipsticks on the market which dry down to a matte finish. These are essentially lipsticks in a liquid form but with a creamy finish. In my opinion this is what all liquid lipsticks should look and feel like, but I know not everyone will agree with me. Cava is the VIB Rouge Online Exclusive shade and with one swipe on the arm I knew immediately this would not be a wearable one for me. On my tan/medium skin it looks like a lilac. I do think it will suit fair skins better so I did not swatch this on my lips and instead am saving this for a friend. Caramelized is a beige with warm tones, Whip is the perfect nude pink, Chutney is a medium rose.
The formula is opaque and creamy. There’s a beveled sponge tip applicator which allows for precise application at the tip and the angled end covers/fills your entire lip area. Lasting power is quite impressive. There is color transfer to cups if you drink but it still stays put really well for hours. Formula has a nice nourishing feel – since it’s opaque it is a bit thick, but you can easily blend it out since a little goes a long way. Most of the colors in the line ran dark. I picked the lightest options and then it jumped to fairly dark or deep. To me they have a fall vibe but I guess since fall is going to be here soon these have arrived right on time.
I think the best color is Whip.
Below all four shades I bought swatched, compared to the Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Honeycomb, Pepper and Sake. I normally can’t wear super cool-toned colors on the lips because of my yellow skintone, Sake is about as cool as I go unless it’s a darker plum. The Liquified Lipstick has more opaque coverage compared to the Lipstick version.
Next is are two of my favorite lip gloss formulas. I’ve already featured the Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Skin Deep here in May but wanted to feature it again. It’s the perfect neutral-cool toned nude that has medium sheer pigment. On me it goes on a bit mauvey because of my tan and pigmented lips. If I were lighter it would be more on the neutral side. About a year ago Anastasia Beverly Hills launched some mini lip gloss sets with colors exclusive to that set. Set I purchased reviewed here. The other set has been repromoted this year at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale now. Earlier this summer she finally launched most of them individually in full size. I bought three Lip Glosses from Sephora in Toffee, Amber and Caramel as they are my favorites. For quick reference I’ve swatched a couple other neutrals from her line. Her packaging has changed slightly but the applicators are the same.
Descriptions of the following: Marc Jacobs Skin Deep is a neutral nude pink. It has medium coverage with a glossy sheen. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Glosses have full opaque coverage and a flat sponge tip applicator. Toffee is a neutral beige, Amber is a light peachy cream, Caramel is a medium warm pink, Kristen is a neutral pink-brown, Vintage is similar but more pink/rose. The Anastasia Lip Glosses are perfect – I wish she had more wearable conservative neutrals but for now these are perfect.
Next is the Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick. These are refillable and my local Sephora had a small handful of shades. The colors on display pretty much all looked the same and they were all neutrals. I swatched them on my hand and every single one looked perfect. Texture is creamy with a natural shine and it had impressive coverage. I limited myself to 1 in I Woke Up which is a perfect medium rose pink. Everything about this is perfect from color, formula, finish, feel and lasting power yet it has one major drawback for me: I find it overpriced for the size. I’m not one to pass up a lipstick because of price (ie Tom Ford, Louboutin, Cle de Peau, Surratt etc.) These lipsticks are supposed to be refillable with the refills priced at $22 which seems a bit more reasonable. But when you see these in person, they are SUPER tiny. The upside is that if you buy one or a few you will most likely use it up entirely before it goes bad. I feel conflicted about these – I actually find the packaging sleek and pretty. It’s something you have to see and feel in person to see how nice they are. The formula and coverage is excellent. I just can’t help but feel the price can’t really be justified for the size. These are 0.03 oz for $34 while Tom Ford Lips and Boys are 0.07 oz for $35.
Last are the mattes. In general matte liquid lips do not do so well on my lips. I have full lips and the matte dry down tends to emphasize lip lines and make my lips look very dry. I have still put quite a few to the test – I can make them work by adding a balm like the Dior Addict Lip Glow Pomade or Reviver Balms underneath or by dabbing a tiny bit of gloss on top. Some of the colors from these lines are so perfect – I wish they were made in other formulas. The Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipsticks have been raved about by so many people. For me the lighter shades 101 and 103 are a miss because they’re too pale for me, but deeper ones like 109 work better. The formula is a true matte and it’s super opaque. You only need a thin layer to get full coverage. I dab a tiny bit and blend with the fingers. These dry down to a full matte which I’m not a fan of – still the formula didn’t dry out my lips even if it made them look dry and they do stay put once you apply them.
The NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments were sent to me for review. I have all the colors and if you’re interested in a separate review let me know in the comments. For this post I tested the colors I knew I would wear on a regular basis. These are liquid matte lipsticks with a thinner formula which makes them easier for me to work with. Still they dry down to a velvety matte finish which I don’t like so to test these I had to apply the Dior Addict Lip Glow Balms underneath to make them work. The colors of the Powermatte Lip Pigments are so good – American Woman and Walk This Way are the best colors pinks I’ve tested in a long time. They’re not quite neutral but at the same time aren’t super bright. Just What I Needed is a perfect mauve neutral. I’m a huge fan of the Velvet Lip Glide because they’re more forgiving and don’t dry down to a full matte. I wish that NARS expanded that color range instead of this formula, but I’m happy that I can make it work with a bit of balm underneath. Lasting power even on top of a balm is really good – like most liquid lipsticks it will stay put for a long time. They don’t dry out the lips.
That wraps up my neutral lip testing and buys from Sephora. I hope you found this review helpful. To sum up all this testing, I’m still a lip gloss person at heart. My favorite lip gloss formula for opaque coverage is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss. Marc Jacobs has the best shine and smooth finish for a cushiony non-sticky feel. The next best opaque liquid lipgloss is the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick. If you’re in search of a more traditional matte finish go with the new NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments.
I personally would give the Make Up For Ever Liquid Lipsticks a miss because I really don’t like the super matte dry down. These are ultra matte even with a balm underneath. I’m still undecided on the Hourglass lipsticks. If I were to rate them just on performance, quality and color, I’d 100% give it an A+. The price is what is holding me back from giving it a huge thumbs up – but product-wise it’s excellent.
All this being said, fall is usually a huge season for lip launches. I don’t know what’s in store for the upcoming season, but if you’re unsure about any of these there should be no rush. It appears that all are permanent, at least for now until the brand decides to reformulate something or discontinue a product. They will be around for a while. If you want to know what one new lip formula I think you should buy from this round up it would be to try one of the new Bite Liquid Lipsticks. If those really aren’t your thing I’d say wait a month or so to see what fall has in store for us.
Have you tried any of these formulas or colors yet? What did you think? You can find all of these now at Sephora. The NARS Powermatte Pigments were sent for review. All others purchased by me.
I’ve been hauling some of the new lip shades from Marc Jacobs Beauty and have a roundup today of the neutrals that I’ve picked out over the past few months. New colors have been added to three of the formulas in the New Nudes Sheer Gel Lipstick, Le Marc Lip Creme and Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer Lipgloss and I’ve been thrilled to find a lot of great nudes. I’ve reviewed each formula in depth before but I’ll recap the differences on each and describe the shades below.
Described from left to right:
New Nudes Sheer Gel Lipsticks ($30 each) come in magnetic beige tubes and are a gel formula. They’re described as being sheer nudes although in my experience the pigment isn’t really sheer but rather medium to full in coverage with a semi-thick texture. They do glide on nicely and hug the lips. Color-wise there is a wide range of nudes in the line. I like that there’s no detectable scent. Original review on older shades here.
In the Mood is a light peach, I thought it would be too pale on my lips but it actually works well for a pretty light peachy lip.
Screen Test is a Sephora.com exclusive, it’s a nude with slight pinkish tones.
Skin Deep is a neutral beige nude. This one has significantly more pigment than the other glosses. I quickly swatched a few of the new colors in store and a lot of them seem to have more pigment.
Le Marc Lip Creme is a full coverage cream lipstick. They have rich pigment and cover the lip entirely without looking flat but they still have a semi velvety finish. There’s no detectable scent. Texture is smooth but due to the creme texture they don’t glide quite like the gel formula. Original launch reviewed here.
Sonic Truth is a light neutral pink.
No Angel is a medium light beige tan.
Swatches with the flash:
Without the flash, below you can see the difference in texture/finish a bit better. The gels have more of a natural sheen while the lip cremes have a more velvety finish.
Lip swatches on bare lips, I’m wearing the Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Natural 5. Do note that nudes tend to pull differently on my lips and this was the case with this launch. Screen Test pulled more pink on me and so did Hey Stranger.
Comparison swatches to the other lipsticks in the Marc Jacobs range:
Moody Margot, Anais, Understudy and Eat Cake are the New Nudes Sheer Gel Lipstick formula
Role Play and Georgie Girl are the Le Marc Lip Creme Formula
Fawn Over Me is the Le Marc Liquid Lip Creme Formula
Overall some great additions to the Marc Jacobs Beauty lip range and well worth the splurge. I think the colors are all wearable and great for everyday. There is enough variety to suit different preferences for undertones in nude shades. I think every single shade is wearable for me with the exception of Sonic Truth which is a little pale for my tan right now but still wearable. Quick note – I didn’t pick up all the new colors so if you’re looking for darker/deeper options there are definitely more to choose from with the new launches.
MAC partnered with 10 YouTubers and Instagram influencers around the world to create custom made lipsticks this spring. These special collaborations have been done in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia and the Middle East and you can only find the lipstick from each region specific to the area the influencers are from. For the US there were two launched for YouTube stars Laura Lee with #MACxLarLarLee (matte finish) and Gabriel Zamora for #MACxGabrielZamora (satin finish). Both were online exclusives and if you’re like me you blinked and then saw them sell out pretty fast. I’m hoping MAC will restock but won’t hold my breath as they were listed as limited-edition. As a MAC fan I would have loved to be able to buy all 10 as I think it’s so cool these influencers were able to make their own unique shade.
I know not being able to get these now is a bit heartbreaking (they were online exclusives to MAC’s website). I was traveling over the past few weeks and wasn’t able to get the review up early but thought it might be helpful to swatch these next to other lipstick colors. Many of you love the comparison swatches and if I can help you find a dupe or something similar (and even save you $$ in many cases) then my day is made. First a look at both shades.
Both of these are beautiful neutrals but as many of you know, nudes and neutrals can be tricky to pull off depending on your lip tone and skin tone. I personally love shades like MAC Blankety, Angel, Creme Cup and Creme de Nude on my hand, but on my lips alone they are a complete disaster. #MACxLarLarLee is described as a universally flattering neutral pink with a matte finish. On me it pulls a bit cool as there is a tiny bit of mauve undertone. I think it photographs decent but in real life it’s too cool and tad too light for my olive skintone especially since I have darkened a couple shades since moving to Florida. Right now I’m a solid NC35-NC37 in the Studio Fix Fluid (NC25, NC30, NC35 and NC37 swatched here). Topping it with a gloss or adding a bit of liner like MAC Whirl makes it wearable for me. The closest option I could find is Yash which is nearly identical, but Yash is the slightest bit deeper and warmer with more beige.
#MACxGabrielZamora is the warmer and deeper option of the two. It’s described as a brown nude shade and I love the way this looks on Gabriel. On me it pulls slightly terracotta-ish. Almost like a 90’s version of nude but a lot more wearable than the classic MAC Spice Lipliner. This is another one I think photographs well but will look completely different depending on your skintone. I suspect if you are lighter or fairer than me it will definitely pull more red. On deeper skin tones or lip tones this will look more nude.
Swatches:
Close up lip swatches:
I couldn’t really find dupes but pulled what I had to compare, Set 1 has all MAC shades. I suspect that the Gabriel Zamora shade might be close to Creme in Your Coffee but I don’t own that one so I couldn’t swatch it.
Thoughts on the shades from left to right (P.S. Nordstrom has MAC on 10% off today, not sure how long it’s going on but they are price matching):
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Japanese Maple is a lot lighter and glossier almost white-looking by comparison
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Modesty is a more wearable version of #MACxLarLarLee on my lips, it has a similar vibe but since it has more pigment it gives me the look I hoped #MACxLarLarLee would be on me
MAC Matte Lipstick in Yash is slightly deeper and more beige but really close
MAC Amplified Lipstick in Half n Half is a shade lighter and less warm compared to #MACxGabrielZamora
MAC Lustre Lipstick in Hug Me is in between both shades in color, a lot sheerer and glossy
MAC Liptensity in Doe is a lot more beige compared to either and Toast and Butter is more brown-based (both on the lips here)
MAC Matte Lipstick Velvet Teddy is deeper than #MACxLarLarLee and not as red/warm compared to #MACxGabrielZamora (Velvet Teddy on the lips here)
Set 2 has a mix of other brands from NARS, Tom Ford, Kat Von D, Tarte, Bite and Charlotte Tilbury.
Thoughts on colors from left to right:
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Barbara and Raquel both pull on the lighter/neutral side on me, so if you find the #MACxLarLarLee too light for your skin and lip tone, try either of the NARS ones, they are more wearable (both lip swatched in this post)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Sweet Mystery is something I thought would have a similar undertone to #MACxLarLarLee, I was really wrong! (on the lips here)
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk is what I’d consider truly neutral, it has the same intensity as #MACxGabrielZamora without the brown but it’s deeper than #MACxLarLarLee (Pillow Talk on lips here)
I do think both the #MACxLarLarLee and #MACxGabrielZamora are unique and special in their own way. On me I can make them work but since I have pigmented lips and am really picky with neutrals find that these both need a tiny bit of tweaking to make them more wearable. #MACxLarLarLee is a bit too light for my complexion, the next best options for me are MAC Modesty or NARS Raquel. #MACxGabrielZamora is a gorgeous brown nude but pulls a bit warm on me so I prefer something with a bit more blue like Bite Beauty Chai or something more neutral like MAC Velvet Teddy.
At any rate I hope that this post helps you if you missed out on both. Fingers crossed that MAC restocks these or that they launch all the collaboration shades everywhere, but I don’t think that will happen.
Did you order any of the MAC Influencer Lipsticks? If so which shades and what did you think? P.S. today’s the last day to enter my Antica Giveaway!
MAC #MACxLarLarLee and #MACxGabrielZamora provided courtesy of MAC for review.
Happy Thursday everyone! I’m back and have a review of the NARS Pop Goes the Easel collection today. This is currently a Nordstrom Exclusive collection with new shades for lips and cheeks consisting of:
Three new Powder Blushes ($30 each) in Misconduct, Peep Show and Threesome
Four new Velvet Lip Glides ($26 to $28 each) in Bait, Suck, Impossible Red and Disruptor (not sure why one shade is listed at a higher price online)
Three Sheer Pop Multiples ($39 each) in Motu Tane, Cote Basque and Navagio Beach
I ordered two of the lip products and all three multiples to test out. I’ll say up front I love the Sheer Pop Multiples, the Velvet Lip Glide colors are nice but not must-haves in my opinion.
Up first are the Velvet Lip Glides. I picked the lightest color options in Bait and Suck since I don’t really wear a lot of orange or reds unless they’re sheer. (By the way I’m obsessed with the new Tom Ford Lip Balms, the colors are perfect for spring to summer and I love the formula.) Bait is a bright cool-toned pink that has a bit of a streaky finish with one swipe but it can be smoothed out with a finger or brush. Suck is a medium peachy nude, it’s like if you mixed Playpen and Unlaced (both of which were reviewed here and I didn’t really like color-wise). I do like this color, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit on the boring side. If you want a good neutral nude, the Tom Ford Revolve Around Me, Lips and Boys Bradley or Edward Bess Pure Impulse are much better although they are lipsticks versus the velvet lip formula.
Next are the Sheer Pop Multiples which appear to be a new formula. These have a more weightless formula that isn’t quite as dewy as the regular version. These have a soft shimmer finish and considering how sheer they swatched on the hand and arms I was surprised that the color payoff on the face is really good. Navagio Beach is a sheer champagne gold, Motu Tane is a light pink with impressive pigment, Cote Basque is a coral with tiny gold flecks of shimmer. They dry to a powdery finish although they stay creamy long enough that you can easily blend on the cheeks and layer depending on how much color you want. I would say the finish can definitely be sheered out for a sheer wash of color, but you can still build to medium coverage. I like these better than the regular multiples. They layer well over foundation and powder without looking cakey or dragging your base off the face.
A quick comparison of the Navagio Beach Multiple to the Banc de Sable Highlighter Palette. The palette is to die for gorgeous and I’ll review it soon. If you’re one who want a sheerer glow of shimmer go with the multiple. If you want more pigment go with the palette. Are they different enough to justify both? I think the formulas are different enough to justify both but I’ll have to do a bit more testing with both on the face at the same time to tell you. I’ll be sure to address this when I review the palette. At the moment I’m more inclined to say I like the palette more – but that’s mainly because I like the darkest shade A LOT.
I’m trying something a bit different with face looks of the products. If you prefer the up close lip swatches let me know and I’ll resume that style in future posts. In both posts I’m wearing the Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation in Bisque with Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Finish Powder #2.
Overall love the Multiples. I like the Velvet Lip Glide colors but don’t think they are must-haves. Bound is still my favorite out of the bunch, but if you found the nudes in the original launch off, I think many will find the color Suck more wearable.
You can find the NARS Pop Goes the Easel collection exclusively at Nordstrom. Have you checked out the colors yet? If you saw the powder blushes in person let me know what you thought!
P.S. My site has been migrated to a new host! If you have any issues with viewing the posts on your desktop or mobile device please shoot me an e-mail and let me know what device you use and also what browser you use (Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.) – thanks!
