Review: Bite Beauty x JCrew Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Lola

Bite Beauty has done it again! They should just go ahead and take out all the money in my bank account because they keep releasing products that I can't help buying. I went and tested the 6 shades of the Matte Creme Lip Crayons they released at Sephora, and almost bought Peche. BUT, I heard about their collaboration with JCrew (3 exclusive shades) and bought this one instead.

The packaging: This came in its own box. The product is encased in a slim, matte black-gray tube with a pop-off cap. These are twist-up tubes, which I love (why do companies bother with lip crayons that you have to sharpen??). 

The scent: There is a fruity scent to these, but I can't figure out what it smells like. Regardless, the scent doesn't linger.

The product: Lola is a bright watermelon pink. When I say bright, I mean BRIGHT. But it's definitely wearable. This goes on with a little bit of tugging on my lips. They aren't as creamy being a crayon, but it still went on smoothly with minimal lip prep. One swipe gave me nearly opaque coverage, so these crayons are definitely highly pigmented colors. It was neither drying nor hydrating, but after about 4 hours, I felt the need to apply some lip balm. This wore for 6+ hours on me - it probably would have worn for longer, but I wiped it off. 

I can't describe how much I love these! They're so easy to put on and go since they last so long! Bite Beauty is supposed to released 6 more shades in this line, so here's hoping there's even more great shades to covet!

Cost: $24

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Lipstick Queen in Saint Sunny Rouge

As a part 2 to the last post, here's the other Lipstick Queen product that I've been carrying around with me for the past several months. 

The packaging: This comes in its own box. Like all the lipsticks in the Saint Sheer lipstick line, it's a muted matte yellow-gold tube with the brand stamped on the cap. I tend to not like the feel of LQ's matte tubes because when you hold two of them in your hand and they brush up against each other, it has that nails-on-a-chalkboard feel.

The scent: This has a weird synthetic scent to it, but it goes away once it's applied.

The product: Sunny Rouge is part of the Saint line of LQ's lipsticks. The Saint line is the sheer range of LQ's lipsticks, and Sunny Rouge is a warm, medium pinkish-red. Although it's supposed to be sheer, it went on more pigmented than I expected. 2 swipes gave me an almost opaque coverage. If I needed a truly sheer effect, I had to blot this on very lightly with my fingertips. This went on smoothly, without tugging on my lips. It lasted about 4 hours on me, and was hydrating.

Cost: $22

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Lipstick Queen in Jean Queen

Do you ever buy something and love it so much that you wear it all the time and forget to review it until now? No? Well, you're better than me then. This and another LQ lipstick have been sitting in my makeup bag because I wear the two so much. I really thought I had reviewed these already, but apparently I bought them, tested them, and then loved them so much that I kept in my makeup bag rotation until finally realizing it now.

The packaging: This comes in its own denim-printed box (hence the name Jean Queen). The tube is very similar to LQ's Sailor lipstick (shiny dark blue). This similarity led me to once grabbing Sailor instead of Jean Queen for a night out. All worked out well though - I had berry lips instead of Jean Queen's shade!

The scent: No scent detected.

The product: Jean Queen is a sheer watermelon pink. Jean Queen was designed to wear with any denim since it's supposed to light up your face and offset any shade of denim. While it does look great when you're wearing jeans, it also works with just about any outfit. It's a great muted pink shade that definitely works with an all-natural makeup look. 

It went on smoothly (much like LQ's Medieval) with no tugging on my lips. It was hydrating and lasted about 2-3 hours on my lips. It's easy to reapply since it is a sheer lipstick. This is one of those products where I can apply without using a mirror, so that's a huge plus! 

Cost: $20

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

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: YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in 52 Rosy Coral

It takes a lot for me to get into Korean dramas. I've never been the type to watch a lot of Korean dramas, which puts me at the odd end of most Korean girls. I happened to be shopping with my girlfriends at Nordstrom one Sunday after brunch and made my way to the makeup counters to browse. The YSL rep ended up showing me some lip products and then asked if I was Korean. When I said I was, she said that the products she was showing me was selling out due to a Korean drama. My friend C who is my guru for all things Korean told me it was due to a drama called My Love from Another Star starring Jeon Ji Hyun. Long story short, the lip products the YSL rep showed me were the wrong ones...but I researched when I got home, and ended up ordering the correct YSL lipstick! 

Apparently due to Jeon Ji Hyun's popularity, YSL sold out of this lipstick WORLDWIDE. I checked today, and it's again sold out on the YSL website, so maybe the frenzy still hasn't settled.

The packaging: This comes in its own box. The tube itself is the YSL standard gold tube with the logo stamped on the front. It has a nice dense weight to it, so it feels nice in my hands.

The scent: This has a sweet mango-ish scent to it. You can smell it when you first apply it, but it fades quickly.
 

Rosy Coral - blotted on softly

The product: 52 Rosy Coral is a BRIGHT, HOT, in-your-face pink. It looks like it has more coral in the tube, but when I applied it, it was almost neon pink on my lips. With this shade, I definitely had to meticulously exfoliate my lips. It settled into every crack/line/crevice, so it does show every little imperfection. It wasn't very hydrating, so I had to reach for lip balm after a couple hours. It lasted about 3 hours on me. One swipe was pretty heavily saturated, but with this shade, I prefer blotting it on with my finger to give my lips a more natural pink flush. 
 

Rosy Coral - applied directly from tube

This isn't a shade I would repurchase again, but it's a fun shade to have in my lipstick stash. While I don't think I would ever apply it directly onto my lips, it is VERY pretty when blotted on. 

Cost: $35 

Review: Fresh Sugar Tulip Lip Treatment

So Fresh decided to release a new shade in their Sugar Lip Treatment line, and you know I had to buy it! I actually got to purchase this earlier than the actual public release because Sephora gave that option to their VIB Rouge customers, so I've been wearing it for several weeks now and testing it out. 

I think I now have all the lip treatments except Coral and Plum. To see my review on the other lip treatments, click here! 

The packaging: This comes in its own box, and the tube is just like all the other lip treatments. It's a screwed-on tube, which is both good and bad. The good part is that there is no way for this tube to accidentally come off inside your purse. The bad part is that it's not as easy to just pop the cap off and apply. 

The scent: This is scented like the other lip treatments - that familiar sweet lemon scent. This is a scent that either you really love it or you REALLY hate it. If you see other reviews on these lip treatments, people either really love the scent or think it's the worst. I definitely love this scent and it lingers, so the scent definitely has some staying power.

The product: Tulip is a great summer shade. It's a sheer bright hot pink shade that is buildable. One swipe will give you a very light tint on your lips. These glide on smoothly, but are not weightless. You definitely can tell you're wearing product on your lips. They are very hydrating and last about 3-4 hours on me. They tend to get a little tacky on lips towards the end of 4 hours. Since these are one of the easiest lip products to apply mirror-less, I'm always carrying at least one of these in my purse!

Cost: $22.50

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Stila Portrait of a Perfect Pout - Vibrant Lip Palette

I'll admit it - my lipstick drawers are lacking in Stila products. I have several of their liquid eyeliners, but I've never really sought out any of their lip products. However, over the holidays I bought two different lip products.

The first was this lip palette. I had seen it online and then stumbled upon it while out Christmas shopping at Dillard's. Since then, I've seen a crate-load of these at Nordstrock rack for $9, so don't be like me and have paid the full price ($16)!

The packaging: This comes in a slim, cardboard palette. It's very light and a bit flimsy, so I wasn't that pleased with the packaging. Also, it's a lip palette without an accompanying lip brush.

The scent: No scent detected here!

The product: This palette contains six shades. The consistency was very soft - almost too soft. I pressed my lip brush in, and it literally just sank through to the bottom. The shades were somewhat opaque. With the lighter shades, I could definitely see my natural lip color peeking through. They applied pretty evenly without streaks, and there was minimal settling into lip lines. I did a very quick lip prep by swiping on some lip balm before applying these colors. These all have a balm-like consistency, so they wore off quickly. Without eating and drinking, these lasted about 3 hours on me. With eating and drinking, they needed to be reapplied. 

(The pictures above go L to R in order of the shades.)

Hey Baby is a very light, baby pink with a bit of a metallic sheen. 
Pink Flamingo is a brighter pink with some peach tones in it.
Rosy Posy is a pink with a lot of purplish tones in it. 
Sangria is a bright pink with blue undertones.
Siren is a watermelon pink with a bit more red mixed in.
Merlot is a deeper red, but leans more on the brighter side than a true wine. 

Favorites: I lean towards brighter (non-baby) colors, so I did not like Hey Baby or Pink Flamingo very much. The color I've been using most out of this palette is Rosy Posy, which is such an easy color to wear. Overall, this palette is a good buy for girls who like pinks.

Cost: $16 on Stila's website and at department stores. Go to Nordstrom Rack and find it for $9! This is not worth $16, so definitely search for this on sale!

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!