Review: YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Coral Incandescent (12)

Who can ever resist anything coral? Not me! If the word "coral" is in the name, I can't help buying it. 

The packaging: This came in its own box. The tube is the standard YSL tube - gold with the logo cut-out in the center to allow the color of the product to peek through. 

The scent: The same mango scent as all the other YSL lip products. Heavy at first, but disappears after applying.

The product: Coral Incandescent (12) is a bright coral that tends to lean more pink. Like all the other Rouge Volupte Shines, this goes on effortlessly with no tugging. It's sheer, but buildable (about 3-4 swipes will give a more semi-opaque coverage). It's incredibly creamy and hydrating, and lasts for about 3-4 hours on me. Reapplying is a cinch since it's so smooth. 

Cost: $35 - great shade for summer!

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Defiant Coral (320)

Estee Lauder. To me, this brand always seemed like it was reserved for rich, older ladies-who-lunch, so I never really paid much attention to Estee Lauder. However, with the launch of the Pure Color Envy lipsticks, everyone has been raving about these lipsticks, so I had to at least buy one, right? 

The packaging: This came in its own box. The tube is deep navy-purple with gold on the top and bottom. The tube, itself, is shaped to have the middle curve slightly outward on all sides. If the tube was a human, it would be skinny, apple-shaped. The tube has a nice weight to it and has a magnetic closure - all which adds to the feel of a nicer, more luxurious lipstick.

The scent: There is a powdery candy scent to this if you sniff really hard. It doesn't linger on lips though.

The product: Defiant Coral is a bright, pink-coral shade. Some have described it as more of an orange-ish coral, but on me, a lot of pink comes through. This formula glides on so smoothly and evenly (I actually said "WOW" out loud after applying this lipstick because it was so smooth going on). It didn't tug my lips at all, and one swipe gave me nearly opaque coverage. It was hydrating and wore well for about 5-6 hours. Defiant Coral is definitely not a shade I would wear every day, because it's one of those showstopper shades, but it's truly a beautiful color - especially for summer. 

Cost: $30

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Benefit Cosmetics BeneBalm and BeneTint

A lot of makeup brands have taken to releasing balms this summer, and I'm all for it! Anything sheer that can be applied on the go without a mirror is my best friend!

I bought Benefit's Benebalm, ChaCha balm, and Benetint all in one scoop, so I'll review Benebalm and Benetint first, and ChaCha balm with ChaCha tint second. 

Benefit Cosmetic's Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in BeneBalm

The packaging: This came in its own little box. The tube is the cutest thing ever because it's a shiny red tube covered in light pink polka dots. The tube makes me smile just by looking at it. 
 

(L to R): BeneBalm, ChaCha Balm, Benetint in natural light

The scent: There is a slight floral/rose scent to this balm, but it doesn't linger after applied.
 

Wearing only Bene balm

The product: BeneBalm is a very sheer rosy red shade. It is incredibly sheer and leaves a very sheer rosy tint to lips. It is super hydrating and applies smoothly. It wore for less than 2 hours on my lips, but it was so easy to reapply. If you want color pay-off, skip these balms. I think the real magic happens when you apply these on top of the lip tints! 

Cost: $18

Benefit Cosmetic's BeneTint

The packaging: This came in its own box. The cap has the applicator brush attached, but this brush is completely inconvenient for me. Using this brush to apply this tint has resulted in me getting it outside my lip lines, so I use single-use doe-footed applicators that I bought off of Amazon to apply this. 
 

(L to R): BeneBalm, ChaCha Balm, Benetint in sunlight

The scent: There is a slight floral scent to this tint, but it doesn't linger.
 

Wearing only Bene Tint

The product: Benetint is a reddish rose tint. This product is a liquid lip stain, so it goes on very wet and dries down to a great natural red flush. It wore for 4+ hours on my lips alone. This product tended to dry out my lips after a couple of hours...BUT this is where the BeneBalm came in. Applying Benebalm on top of this gives it a completely natural, just-ate-a-red-popsicle look and your lips feel hydrated. 
 

Wearing Bene Balm layered on top of Bene Tint

Cost: $30

Benefit Cosmetic's Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in ChaCha Balm

The packaging: Same as Benebalm, except the tube is a golden coral shade with pink wave accents. 
 

Wearing only ChaCha Balm

The scent: Same as Benebalm.
 

Wearing ChaCha Balm layered on top of ChaCha Tint

The product: Same as Benebalm, but ChaCha Balm is a very sheer mango-peach shade. ChaCha Balm, just like Benebalm, looks great layered over Benefit's ChaCha Tint. It provides a whole other dimension to ChaCha Tint, and keeps lips hydrated. 

To see my review on ChaCha tint, click here!

Cost: $18
  
I don't think I could buy either of these products separately after trying them together. The Benebalm alone is too sheer, and the Benetint alone is too drying. This is the same with the ChaCha balm and ChaCha tint. So if you want to try either out, just buy both. You'll love it!

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Kate Spade New York "Supercalifragilipstick" Lipstick

It has been too long since I posted a review, but I'm here! Christmas and New Year's both passed in a blur, and I turned 30 this year! I think what everyone says about turning 30 is very true. It wasn't sad, it wasn't horrible, it's wasn't the end of the world. It actually feels great, and I'm more myself and at peace with everything than I've ever been. And 30 is the new 20, right? 

Anyway, I was at Nordstrom Rack over the holidays trying to get some holiday gift shopping in, and it's always days when you're shopping for others that you always find something for yourself. So, I was browsing the beauty section when I stumbled upon a basket of these Kate Spade lipsticks. Now, I thought these were out of season or discontinued because they were at Nordtrom Rack, but nope! These are still on the Nordstrom website for $24.00 each. I got them for $7 each - amazing! 

The packaging: These come in a bright pink and red box with gold lettering. The tube itself is gold with pink lettering. You have to push in the bottom of the tube to get the lipstick out, and it's actually really fun to push in and push again to reinsert the lipstick. The tube says "pucker up" which makes me smile each time I see it! Kate Spade never fails when it comes to "happy" packaging, so I loved the packaging on these.

The scent: There is no discernible scent with these.

The product: I purchased three shades. All went on very smoothly. They all have a creamy texture, and two swipes gave me full coverage. There was minimal settling into lip lines, and I didn't have to prep my lips for these. They were fairly hydrating, and lasted about 3 hours. With eating and drinking, these definitely come off, so I did have to reapply. The first is Peach Snaps, which is a bright peachy-coral on me. This color packed a major punch, and it definitely turned heads being as bright as it is! The second shade is Bashful Blush, which is a muted rosy nude shade. This is the most wearable of course, because it's almost a "my lips but better" color. The last shade is Parisian Pink which was a bright pink with blue undertones. This one would be great for the upcoming Spring/Summer, and definitely made my teeth look brighter.

 

Favorites: My favorite would have to be Peach Snaps, but it's also not a color I could wear every day being so bright. I will be rockin' it this summer though!

Cost: If you can somehow manage to find these at Nordstrom Rack, they're $7. Otherwise, Nordstrom is selling these at $24 each. Is it worth $24? No, so try hunting around to see if these are still on sale.

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Lipstick Queen's Endless Summer in Stoked

Hey all! I'm back from a long couple weeks filled with finals and prepping for my boards. I took my boards last Friday and YES - I passed! It's surreal to actually have my nursing license, and I've taken the last week just letting it soak in. Also, I've been doing absolutely nothing - after an eternity of studying and doing clinicals, I just wanted a week to do absolutely nothing. 

Anyway, I have a bunch of reviews lined up, so let's start with the first one. I bought this at the tail-end of summer, but never got around to posting a review on it until now. 

The packaging: This comes in its own little box with a sun-and-surf motif on one of its sides. The tube itself is a brushed golden yellow-orange shade, and the product itself is a bright coral color. I really do like Lipstick Queen's packaging - I find it to be really (for a lack of a better word) happy. The color of the tube really did invoke summer. It's the shade you would see when the sun is setting, so they did a great job with this shade.

The scent: No scent!

The product: The product goes on smoothly, but my lips did feel dry within an hour. Also, I had to put about 3 swipes of this on to really get the color built up. One swipe was very sheer on me. The color itself is gorgeous - a bright, beautiful coral. It lasted about 2 hours on me, so it wears off quickly. This is definitely a shade I would wear during the day during the summer because it is so bright and sheer. 
 

Lipstick Queen Endless Summer in Stoked

Favorites: Out of Hello Sailor and Stoked, I would choose Stoked in a heartbeat. One swipe for a sheer coral wash on my lips, and I would be out the door to go lie on the beach!

Cost: $22. I think this is pretty pricey, and feel that you could find better corals at this price range.

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!

Review: Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Mod & Sexy

I never really liked any Laura Mercier products that I had tried in the past. The lipsticks weren't amazing, and I always found better lip products in the same price range. But with this new line of Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colours, I have changed my mind. These are fantastic, really really fantastic.

The packaging: Each tube comes in its own box, and the tube is a slim, deep plum colored tube (Laura Mercier's signature packaging color). The product feels good in my hands and is easy to hold while applying.

The scent: I couldn't detect any scent worth noting with these lipsticks.

The product: It has "weightless" in the product name for a reason. These are truly weightless. You won't be able to feel them on your lips at all. They go on smoothly. These aren't hydrating or moisturizing, so at times, I felt like my lips were pretty dry. These both wore for about 4 hours with eating and drinking.

This line is divided into 3 categories - creme, matte, and sheer coverage. The line of creme colors all start with the letter "C." The matte colors all begin with "M." The sheer colors begin with the letter "S." I have a lot of creme lip products, so I chose a color from the matte line and the sheer line.
 
Mod is a matte coral red (yes, I am truly obsessed with coral this year). It went on smoothly and very pigmented in one swipe. After about 3 hours or so, I had a fairly light stain left from this lipstick. 
 

Mod - matte

Sexy is a sheer red. If you're timid about wearing red lipstick, start with something like this. You can build up the product to a more noticeable red, or you can just put one swipe on and have the sheerest tint of red on your lips. It looks like you've been pinching your lips. The color looks beautiful and this shade would suit anyone. In my photo, I built up the color more to show the shade of red this product can become.
 

Sexy - sheer

 Favorites: Sexy is definitely the winner because it's such a pretty sheer shade of red. 

Cost: $24 for 0.06 oz product. If you've been looking for a product that looks very natural, I would go buy Sexy - it's definitely worth it.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!
 

Review: Too Faced La Créme in Coral Fire

I've reviewed another Too Faced La Créme lipstick and loved the product so much, I went back and bought another color - Coral Fire!

The packaging: Again, this product comes in a box and the tube itself is a brushed gold. The tube is slim and feels good in my hand, but it feels like it could be bent out of shape easily - either by dropping the product or holding the product too tightly.

The scent: There is a scent, but it's so minimal that you won't be able to notice it. 

The product: I love these lipsticks! They go on so smoothly, hydrate and moisturize, and feel so weightless when they're on. The color of the lipstick is exactly the color it'll be on your lips. This particular shade is a deeper coral with red undertones. I had first picked up Juicy Melons which is a pinker coral, but felt like up-ing the "wow" factor and going with a brighter and redder coral. I've been really drawn to corals this year, and this shade looked amazing. These lipsticks last about 2 hours with eating and drinking.

Favorites: I've only swatched a handful of these lipsticks, but so far Spice, Spice Baby is still my absolute favorite because it's so wearable.

Cost: $21 for 0.11oz tube. Is it worth it? Yes, but I would start off with a more neutral shade that you'll wear every day like Spice, Spice Baby.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!