Review: It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain in Pretty Woman

So, one of my best friends got me this for my birthday a couple months ago, and I've been testing it out now for a couple months. I had not found many reviews on this product, and so I didn't really know what to expect out of this lipstick. Basically, this product states that it's 4-in-1 properties are supposed to replace your lipstick, your lipbalm, your lip gloss, and your lipstain. So instead of toting around four different products in your make-up bag, you can just carry around one. Did it pass that test? Y-E-S. Thank you, C for delivering this miraculous little product into my life. 

The packaging: It comes in a silver tube with half of the tube being pink. The words inscribed on the pink part are "Live Love Laugh with Vitality." The tube is sturdy, and the product has a very sharply, sculpted point at its highest end (great for lining lips before filling them in). 

The scent: It has that classic lipstick scent - almost soapy, almost synthetic. It goes away after applying though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The product: The particular shade my friend C got me is Pretty Woman. It's a berry shade, and it actually looks like I had been chomping on blackberries. I know this is touted as a flush, but I found this to be incredibly buildable. It went on smoothly, and while it wasn't hydrating, it didn't dry my lips out either. It lasted for well over 6 hours, and it did leave a stain behind. I almost love the stain it leaves behind more than the actual color. I've worn this in a couple different ways and loved the way the product performs in each way. Try patting it on lips using your fingers for a very natural flush during the day, and then apply it directly from the tube for full-coverage at night. 

The one major thing to remember is to exfoliate before applying this product. In my photo, I rushed and didn't exfoliate, so you can see how the color settled into my lip lines. 

Cost: $20, but it's SO WORTH IT. This is definitely going to be part of my permanent rotation. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro in #201

Hello all! It's been a long while since I posted a new review, but I have a huge backlog of products to share with you, so there will be many reviews coming along in 2014! Hope you all had a great Christmas and an amazing start to the new year!

2013 was a very interesting year to say the least for me. It was definitely a year where I really tested myself in all areas of life and came out of it really believing that I can do anything I set my sights on. I graduated from nursing school, passed my licensing exam, developed great new friendships, and grew deeper in my old friendships. I learned how to be alone and really enjoy it...and that I really like who I've become in the past couple years. I hope you all had as interesting (or more) of a year as I had, and that we all have an even more intriguing 2014!

So for the first review of 2014, I'm doing a late review on another Armani lip product. I am obsessed with Armani's beauty line since the middle/end of last year because they deliver on both staying-power and saturation.

The packaging: This matte lacquer is in a clear tube that shows the product inside and its capped with Armani's signature red cap. The applicator is a doe footed applicator that applies a heavy amount of product with one swipe. 

The scent: No scent detected at first whiff or second or third or ever. No scent when applied on lips as well.

The product: #201 (dark velvet) is a matte lacquer that is the shade of deep wine. Again, the applicator holds a lot of product, so I like applying with a lip brush instead. With Lip Maestro, you need only ONE swipe for full coverage and you only need to use a very tiny amount of product to cover your lips. I definitely prepped my lips by exfoliating and applying clear balm and nude lip liner before applying this deep shade. It does tend to feather on the edges a bit, but lining your lips should take care of that. This wore for 12+ hours through many glasses of wine and food. I've actually been wearing this a lot when I go out for wine nights because I tend to drink only reds and you can't tell if I have a wine stain on my lips with this on! 

This is how quick this product stains. I applied and after a couple mins, tried to wipe it off.

Favorites: I love this color #201, but if I had to choose one color out of the Lip Maestro line, it would definitely be #400. That classic red has been my go-to color for the latter part of 2013.

Cost: $32 - yes, expensive. But worth it? Absolutely. I've been wearing this for many, many months now...and still have tons of product left in each tube. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Giorgio Armani #400 in Rouge Ecstasy, #400 in Flash Lacquer, #400 in Lip Maestro

If there are any lip products that I would beg my friends to buy, it's actually ALL THREE of these. Actually, the last dinner I had with a couple of my girlfriends, I had to stop the conversation to rave about the lipstick I was wearing - that's how great these all are!

This started off innocently enough. I bought the Lip Maestro in #201 (a beautiful deep deep burgundy which I'll have to review later) and thought that the formula was the best thing I'd ever used. So then, I looked up what other shades were popular within this line and discovered the best red ever - the four hundred. 

It is Armani's signature red. It's a blue-based red, and I don't know who wouldn't look good in this shade. I found out that the #400 comes in every line of lip products and so the obsession was born. 

The first week, I went and bought Lip Maestro in #400 for its 12+ hour wear promise and the matte look of it. The next week, I went and bought Rouge Ecstasy in #400 as its considered the first CC lipstick (care & color) and wanted to see what the hype was about. The third week, I went and tried to buy the Flash Lacquer in #400 to find out that it was sold out, so I had to order it online and wait another week. But now, they're all here, and I've been trying out all three all throughout this past week...and I'm completely in love. 

The packaging: These all come in a black package with the Armani label in silver. Flash Lacquer is housed in a clear tube that shows the product inside and its capped with a black cap. The Armani logo is attached to the cap, and when you screw the cap back on, it gives a satisfying click when it's fully twisted on. The applicator is a doe foot applicator. Rouge Ecstasy is housed in an all red tube. The tube is magnetic, so you never have to worry if you've put the cap back on tightly enough. The lipstick itself has the Armani logo branded on the side. Lip Maestro is a clear tube that shows the product inside and its capped with Armani's signature red cap. It's similar to the Flash Lacquer except that the cap is red.
 

Rouge Ecstasy in #400

Flash Lacquer in #400

Lip Maestro in #400

The scent: Flash Lacquer and Lip Maestro have no scent. Rouge Ecstasy has a very distinct "lipstick" smell that lingered for awhile. It didn't bother me, but it was very noticeable. 
 

L to R: Rouge Ecstasy, Flash Lacquer, Lip Maestro

In natural light - all shown in ONE swipe

The product: Flash Lacquer is a very high shine lip gloss. #400 in this product isn't as pigmented because it is a lip gloss. It went on as a rosy red on me, but the color was still gorgeous. The product went on smoothly and evenly. Even after eating and drinking, the color remained and even a bit of the shine stayed. It lasted about 6 hours on me. 

Rouge Ecstasy is the first CC (care and color) lipstick created. It definitely lived up to both C's. It goes on like a balm (very slick, very smooth) and feels so comfortable. I kept forgetting I had anything on my lips - that's how great it feels on! The color was heavily pigmented - a gorgeous blue-red that made my teeth look whiter. It lasted over 10 hours through eating, drinking, talking, etc.  

Lip Maestro is a matte lacquer. I applied it with a lip brush instead of the doe foot applicator because I feel like the applicator holds too much product. With Lip Maestro, you need only ONE swipe for full coverage and you only need to use a very tiny amount of product to cover your lips. This #400 shade is gorgeous - a very in-your-face red. It goes on smoothly, but definitely prep your lips before applying. Once on my lips, it stayed and didn't budge for 12+ hours. It was almost scary how well it stayed put. 

Favorites: Again, I absolutely fell in love with each of these, but if I had to choose, I would definitely pick #400 in Rouge Ecstasy. The double whammy of both care and color in one tube sold me. This is the one product I cannot stop raving about and I almost wish it didn't last so long, so I could keep popping out this tube and reapplying this GORGEOUS color! Get it, get it, get it!

Cost: Ouch - these are pricey! Flash Lacquer is $29, Rouge Ecstasy is $34, Lip Maestro is $32. BUT, I promise you - you'll fall in love! If you can splurge on one, get Rouge Ecstasy!

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Nars Satin Lip Pencils

From a bad review in the last post to a good review in this post! Nars hasn't really been a go-to brand of mine, and the products of theirs that I have tried have been good, but not great. These lip pencils though are completely great.

The packaging: These pencils come in their own individual black boxes. The pencils are capped with a black cap and the shade of the product is banded around the bottom. 

The scent:  No scent was detected, so sensitive noses rejoice!

The product: The two shades I bought were Luxembourg and Hyde Park. Luxembourg is a bright, hot watermelon shade. Hyde Park is marketed as a cardinal red, but it was more of a raspberry on my lips. These pencils are HIGHLY pigmented and go on smoothly and evenly. They don't pull or drag on your lips and leave a nice stain behind. They lasts a long time as well - almost 6 hours! They weren't drying either, so there was no need for me to apply balm throughout the day. The only thing I don't like about these pencils is that you have to sharpen them, and that leads to a lot of product loss. Also, you won't be able to line precisely with these pencils because you never get a sharp enough tip even with sharpening.

Favorites: I had also purchased Yu (a very hot pink shade), but returned it for Luxembourg instead. Out of all three that I tried, I think my favorite would have to be Hyde Park because it's much more wearable than the other two. I wear it most days as a stain, but blotted the color on with my fingers. 

Cost: $25. If you want a very pigmented shade that lasts for most of the day, then this is worth it. Otherwise, I would suggest paying $10 more and going with something from YSL's Rouge Volupté line.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Benefit's Cha Cha Tint

Love stains? Then you'll love this review!

The packaging: This comes in a coral-tinted box and the bottle is a small cylindrical tube with a white top that has the applicator attached. It's a bit bulky to be lugging around in a purse (especially a small clutch), so it's not very convenient to carry around. 

The scent: There is a bit of a plastic-like scent to this, but once applied, it goes away. 

The product: You will need to prep your lips beforehand because this will settle into lines. I usually just buff my lips with a lip scrub, apply chapstick, and wait a few minutes before applying this. The product is very liquid. It goes on very slippery, so be careful not to get outside the lines of your lips. The applicator doesn't really provide any steadiness, so it'll take some practice to put this on. Also, this stains very quickly. I did a swatch on my arm, took a picture, and then wiped it off and it had already left a stain. These last a little over 4 hours, and it's a beautiful coral shade. I think this probably works best on people with yellow undertones.
 

The stain left behind after 3 minutes

Favorites: I have tried both the original Benetint and this Cha Cha tint, and I think this one wears the best. Benetint definitely settled in the lines of my lips even when I would prep my lips. 

Cost: $30 - I don't think the cost lives up to this product, especially since I don't think you get enough for $30. I know Sephora sells a trio of mini-sized tints for $17 (includes Posietint, Sunbeam, and Cha Cha tint), so if you want to try this, buy the mini trio for a better deal. Here's the link to that deal: Sephora's Gettin' Cheeky deal 

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!

Review: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I've noticed that this page is garnering a few more hits every day, so I'm happy happy happy (in the words of Phil Robertson on Duck Dynasty)! Today's review will be on a product I picked up a week ago at Sephora. 

I had actually been walking around Sephora with this Hourglass Opaque Rouge in Icon because I was looking for a new red lipstick when a friend of mine who works at Sephora happened to drop in on her off day. She always wears red lipstick and I've always loved the shade of red she wore, so that day, I asked her what it was that she always had on her lips.

She pointed at the Opaque Rouge I had in my hand and said, "this." I had unknowingly picked the product that I had admired on her! She raved about it and gave me another tip - apply one swipe, let it dry, and then apply another because the resulting shade is the perfect red!

So here's my review - which I'm super, super excited to share!

Hourglass Opaque Rouge in Icon

The packaging: This comes in a silver box and the tube is oval-shaped (tapers at both ends). The only thing I don't like about the tube is that you don't get a lot from the amount you pay for this product. However, it is slim enough to put in your pocket or even the smallest bag when you're on the go.

The scent: If you take a very large sniff of this, it smells plastic. But once it's on your lips, there's no scent to this at all.

The product: Be prepared to prep your lips before applying this. If your lips are anywhere close to being chapped or flaking, this product will settle into whatever line it can find. Also, prep the area outside your lips with powder to help this product stay within the boundaries of your lips. This product glides on smoothly and dries fairly quickly, so mistakes must be kept to a minimum. If you look at the photos below, I swatched it on my arm for the photo, and took it off with makeup remover within 3 mins, and it left a stain. I actually scrubbed my arm to try and get it off and even after scrubbing, it left that stain on my arm! I didn't have trouble evenly distributing out the color like I've had with OCC's Lip Tar either, and you can build up the color as much as you like with these. One swipe will leave you with a brighter red, two swipes will leave you with a deeper red with blue undertones. Icon looks great on all skin tones (my friend who wears it has dark skin, I have medium skin with yellow undertones). The absolute greatest thing about Icon was that it lasted 6+ hours (even through eating and drinking) and probably would have lasted longer, but I took it off to go to bed! 

Favorites: I've only tried Icon out of the Opaque Rouge line, but am open to suggestions that yall may have!

Cost: $28.00 - pricey for such a small tube. If red lipstick is a signature look for you, it's worth it. Otherwise, you may want to look for less expensive options.

Natural lips

 

Opaque Rouge in Icon

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!