Review: Nars Lip Gloss in Sixties Fan

I know I've mentioned multiple times on this blog how much I despise lip gloss, but I have found some glosses that I like (maybe love?) in this past year. I think Nars definitely became one of my favorite makeup brands in 2014 because every single Nars product I put my hands on was spot-on fantastic.

The packaging: This is a standard lip gloss tube with a black cap and clear tube that allows you to see the shade of the product. It features a doe-footed applicator. Nothing fancy here, just standard packaging.

The scent: No scent detected.

The product: Sixties Fan is a deep raspberry shade, but on my lips, it was a bit lighter. It went on smoothly and lasted for about 3 hours (through eating and drinking). It became slightly tacky towards the end of 3 hours, but it wasn't where I wanted to just give up on life and wipe this off my lips. It was neither hydrating nor drying. 

Cost: $26

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Nars Audacious Lipsticks in Lana and Charlotte

Life has been extremely hectic the past few months, so while I've been here, I haven't totally been "here." But it always seems like time slows down a bit in the fall/winter months, so I've been able to catch my breath lately. 

During the past few months, I've amassed a pretty huge backlog of lip products, but one of the best new releases were Nars' Audacious lipstick line. Hope all of you got to at least find a favorite out of the 30+ shades! 

The packaging: These lipsticks come in rectangular tubes that feel nice and heavy in my hands. The cap and the tube are magnetized, so the lipstick has a nice, muted click when you close it. 

The scent: None detected.

The product:

Lana is a bright orangey-red shade. It went on smoothly and had a very creamy texture. I found that I really didn't need much lip prep before applying Lana. It reminded me of LQ's Jungle Queen, but leaned a bit more red. One swipe gave nearly opaque coverage. It was lightly hydrating and lasted about 4 hours on me.  

Charlotte is described as an oxblood-burgundy shade, but on it translated to a darker raspberry shade. It went on smoothly, and one swipe gave nearly opaque coverage. It reminded me of Nars' Damned, but was creamier and not matte obviously. It was lightly hydrating and lasted about 6 hours on me. 

Cost: $32, but well worth it! 

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned

I used to hate matte lip products. Growing up in the 90s made me feel like matte lip products would propel me back into a land of teased hair, mom jeans, and scrunchies. However, this past fall had me wearing nothing but matte lip products, and I'm a believer in all things 90s again.

The packaging: These lip pencils come in pencil form...without the luxury of it being twist-up. This means you'll need to get yourself a damn good sharpener for these pencils, but even then, you'll lose quite a bit of product when you're sharpening.

The scent: No scent detected.

The product: Damned is a deep magenta shade, and was my signature lip color for all of fall and winter. It is such a BEAUTIFUL shade, and it works on every skin tone out there. I highly recommend hunting this pencil down and at least swatching it. This shade was sold out everywhere I looked, but a Sephora sales associate hunted one down for me - it's back in stock everywhere now though. Lip prep was a must for this product since anything matte exaggerates dryness/flakiness. It went on smoothly and lasted for 4-6 hours on me. It was not hydrating, and I needed to apply balm after a couple hours.

Cost: $25 - BUY THIS. This shade is life-changing.

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: TONYMOLY Kiss Lover Style Lipstick in Red Bikini (RD04)

Out of all the lip products I saw at TONYMOLY, I knew I had to grab a lipstick to test, but there were so many color choices and product choices. I figured I would start off with a lipstick and then go back and pick up a stain or gloss at another time.

The packaging: This came in a black and pink box. The lipstick is housed in a slim standard lipstick tube. Both the tube and the cap are black. 

The scent: No scent detected.

The product: Red Bikini is misleading as it is nowhere near a red shade. It's more of a bright, orangey coral shade. I'm not complaining about the misleading name though because the more coral lipsticks, the better! This went on smoothly without tugging, but the color was slightly streaky. 3-4 swipes gave almost complete coverage, but I had to go back and reapply in streaky areas. It was lightly hydrating and lasted about 3 hours. 

My only gripe with this lipstick is that upclose, the streakiness is pretty obvious. 

Cost: $12 at UO

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: TONYMOLY Prestige Snail Lip Treatment Stick

Being Korean, it makes me so proud that more and more Korean makeup and skincare brands are getting recognition worldwide. Now you can easily find these brands for sale online and in stores (check out Urban Outfitters online). TONYMOLY is a brand geared more towards teenagers and early-mid 20 year olds, but did that stop this 30 year old from buying up some of their lip products? The answer is NO. 

Recently, a TONYMOLY store opened here in Dallas, so that is where I went to buy all these products. If you don't have a TONYMOLY in your city, all of these are available online at Urban Outfitters. On a side note, I might just buy them online from now on because the salespeople in the Dallas TONYMOLY made my shopping experience so incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. 

The packaging: This came in a orange-sherbet colored box. The product is encased in a light peach tube, and the product is a sheer white balm.

The scent: Slight fruity scent detected. It lingers for a few minutes on lips.

The product: This lip treatment balm is made with snail mucus (sounds grosser than it actually is), which makes this balm incredibly hydrating and moisturizing. It glided on so smoothly (almost like a cream) and wasn't too heavy on my lips. Since it's a balm, it lasted about 2-3 hours on me. My lips actually looked a lot healthier and smoother after wear. It also contains SPF 13, so that was a huge bonus!

Cost: $12 at UO

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: TONYMOLY Delight Magic Lip Tint in Green Apple (02)

As you can see from an earlier post, I love products that change to a different tint on your lips. So, when I saw that TONYMOLY carries a line of both potted tints and chubby sticks that have this "magic" quality, I had to buy at least one. 

The packaging: This came in a potted tub. The tube is clear, and the cap is black. 

The scent: As the name states, it smells just like a candied green apple. It smells a lot like some Korean candy, so I'm obsessed with sniffing this!

The product: Green Apple comes in a hardened jelly-like form. It is easily softened when pressed with fingers. The product is green, but when applied, it turns (almost instantly) into a sheer pink shade. MAGIC! The tint is a bit stickier than I would like, and tends to get stickier throughout weartime. It lasted about 2-3 hours on me, and was not hydrating. I loved the quirkiness of this product, but the stickiness really got to me.
 

This is the beautiful shade Green Apple changed to on my lips!

Cost: $5.57 in TONYMOLY stores.

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Biguine Rouge A Levres Color & Care Lipstick in Red Carmine (08)

This product one of the other lip products that my friend S picked up for me in Paris. I had never heard of the Biguine makeup brand, and I don't know where you can buy this in the US. The only places that I've been able to find these are on Amazon and Ebay. If anyone knows other places to buy this line, let me know!

The packaging: Being a drugstore brand, there is nothing fancy about the packaging here. This comes in a standard lipstick tube and the cap extends the entire length of the tube. The tube is a gunmetal gray, while the cap is clear. 

The scent: There is a sweet floral scent to this product, but it doesn't linger on lips.

The product: Red Carmine is a sheer red with pink tones. It goes on very sheer, but can be built up to a semi-transparent shade. It went on incredibly smoothly without tugging and was hydrating throughout the time I wore it. It lasted about 3 hours on me, and reapplication was easy. I absolutely LOVE this product and shade. It was so easy to swipe on (even without a mirror), and gave my face a very healthy glow. 

Cost: Unsure since I can't find these available online?

Questions? Comments? Let me know!