Two things: first, apologies for the recent blogging hiatus! It was one of those unintentional no-I-don't-feel-like-writing-today-let's-see-what's-on-TV weeks. Second: I am absolutely in love with two new-to-me lipsticks and need to explain why they are awesome and deserve a place on your "to purchase" list.
First is Bobbi Brown's Treatment Lip Shine in Moonlight Rose. This is a moisturizing product (containing, among other things, cocoa and shea butter) that also delivers a beautiful my-lips-but-better effect. It comes in a surprisingly small, thin tube, which I love since it's easy to slip into a pocket or small purse.
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Initially I wasn't a huge fan of this lipstick. There was a strange, faint smell after application I didn't care for, but I kept using it because the color was so, so gorgeous. I later determined that the smell was probably from the shea butter (a scent I've never cared for) and after 10 or so uses it appears to have faded considerably.
So what made me a convert? Well, the color helped. Midnight Rose is a soft, dusky, rosy brown that perfectly compliments a neutral look. I most often wear it with Tarte's Exposed blush and an eye from the Naked 1 palette. Rather than being a boring neutral, though, Moonlight Rose has just a touch of shimmer, making it a more interesting and deeper shade than one would think on first glance. It also does EXACTLY what it claims in the moisturizing department, and I absolutely love how soft and supple it makes my lips feel. It does fade unevenly (not a huge problem since it's such a muted shade) after 3-4 hours of wear, which takes points away from its overall awesomeness, but the moisturizing effects last much longer than the color.
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The second lipstick I'm loving is Buxom's Big and Healthy Lip Tarnish in Scandal. This is one of my rare in-store Sephora purchases, and was a total impulse buy. I was actually planning to get a Benefit lipstick that day, but since the spring line hadn't arrived yet, I started to peruse the Buxom display. This gloss/stain/plumper pencil caught my eye, and a swatch of the lovely color on my hand compelled me to plunk down my $18. It was a good decision.
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Lip Tarnish is a sharpenable pencil (and includes a sharpener in the cap, which is a huge plus in my book since I never carry lone sharpeners in my travel makeup bag) that, like the Lip Shine above, does what it says it will. It glides on fairly easily (there's not a lot of slip in the product, so expect a bit of tugging) and then stays there until the cows come home. The "gloss" shine lasts at least 2-3 hours without feeling overly tacky. Like all other Buxom lip products I've tried, this one plumps with a gentle tingling sensation that isn't uncomfortable in the way so many lip plumpers can be, and it leaves behind a very pleasant minty scent. As a color, Scandal is a warm mauve that pairs well with my pinkier blushes (Buxom's Hervanna in particular).
Showing posts with label Buxom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buxom. Show all posts
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Give Me Some Lip! Review
I am a sucker for sample kits. I can't tell you how many I've purchased over the years, only to be disappointed with 99% of them. Initially I was prepared to be disappointed by the Sephora Give Me Some Lip set too, particularly since I could easily see from the promotional photo that it contained one lipstick I knew I'd never use and one gloss from a company I'd sworn off buying glosses from a long time ago.
So what made me bite the bullet and shell out $25 (actually $20 because I used a Friends and Family code) for this one? Two words: Tarte Moody. I freaking love this color, and the prospect of having a purse-sized tube plus getting at least one or two other products I'd keep using was enough to convince me that Give Me Some Lip was worth purchasing.
So how did it stack up? Surprisingly well. First, swatches!
Left to right: Tarte LipSurgance in Moody, Smashbox gloss in Fame, Kat Von D Painted Lipstick in Celebutard, Buxom Lip Polish in Leslie, Benefit Benetint in Rose, and Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice.
First, the bad. I hate, hate, hate the Kat Von D shade. It's a nude, but not a my-lips-but-better nude. It's far pastier than my natural lip color (which isn't dark) and wasn't flattering at all. This was the one shade I knew wouldn't be a hit from the minute I saw the photo online, though, so it wasn't as if I was disappointed when I tried it on and realized it was a no-go.
I also didn't care for the Smashbox gloss in Fame. I go back and forth about Smashbox glosses, because while they're really long-lasting, they're so incredibly sticky that I never wear them, even when I do like the color. Fame didn't do anything for me as a shade, so it went into the reject pile too.
Now when I bought this set I made a deal with myself. As long as I liked at least half of the box I could keep it. With two shades down, I needed at least three hits (not including the Tarte stain that I already loved) or I'd have to send it back. Thankfully, the rest of the colors and formulas proved themselves to be worthy of the "keep" pile.
The Buxom lip polish was, on first glance, a reject. I tried it on over the Kat Von D (mistake number one) and didn't pay much attention to how much gloss was on the applicator before I put it on my lips (mistake number two). When I looked in the mirror I actually burst out laughing because it looked like I'd gone back to 1989 and put on some of that candy makeup they used to sell. Remember that? It was gloopy and stringy and tended to stick stubbornly to the purse of the lip so you had to use your teeth to get it off. Ick. Not a look I would care to sport at 10, much less 30. So it's no surprise that I was ready to lump Buxom in with Smashbox and Kat Von D. Then, this morning, I decided to give it another try. This time I wore it over a shade (to be revealed momentarily) that I really liked, and I made sure not to apply much at all. Eureka! What had initially looked like a gloppy mess turned out to be a very lovely champagne-sparkle shade that worked beautifully when lightly applied. It does have a strong minty effect on my lips, and I could definitely do without the extended tingly sensation it provokes, but overall the color and lifespan of the shade (I'm going on five hours of wear time as I type, and it's even lasted through a meal) make it a keeper.
The real prize of the set, and the color I'm wearing Buxom over today, is the Benefit Rose shade. Applying this one is really, really unnerving and I'm going to go on record here as saying that I dislike the whole application process. Benetint is packaged in what really looks like a nail polish jar, and applies with a brush like a watercolor. If you look at the photo above you'll see that it's a true stain, and dries in seconds once on the skin, but before that (and because the jar is full of this dark red liquid) I get very anxious that I'm going to either drop the jar or spill/drip some of the stain onto my clothing. This might work better for me as a rollerball, to be honest. Still, the shade is a beautiful pink/rose that looks really lovely on my lips. Not only would I be tempted to keep the set for this shade alone, but I'm fairly certain that I'll be purchasing a full-sized version when this sample runs out.
Finally, the last hit of the kit is the Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice. The scent of this shade is almost overpowering (ARTIFICIAL BERRY!) but the color is really beautiful. In the tube it looks like an electric peach with glitter, but on the lips it mellows out into a soft pink/peach that reminds me of nothing so much as NARS Orgasm blush. The glitter translates into a subtle shimmer, and the overall effect is quite pleasing. I was really surprised at how much I liked it, especially since I don't tend to gravitate towards peachy lip colors.
So at $25 for the set, this works out to a little over $4 per tube ($3.33 since I snagged it during F&F), which is definitely a price point I'm happy with. The Tarte LipSurgence alone retails for $24 for a full-sized tube, and a sample this size would work out to $8 if the price was calculated proportionately. All of which is to say that both mathematically and aesthetically I think the Give Me Some Lip set is a solid value worth buying if you're in the market for some new lip products.
So what made me bite the bullet and shell out $25 (actually $20 because I used a Friends and Family code) for this one? Two words: Tarte Moody. I freaking love this color, and the prospect of having a purse-sized tube plus getting at least one or two other products I'd keep using was enough to convince me that Give Me Some Lip was worth purchasing.
So how did it stack up? Surprisingly well. First, swatches!
Left to right: Tarte LipSurgance in Moody, Smashbox gloss in Fame, Kat Von D Painted Lipstick in Celebutard, Buxom Lip Polish in Leslie, Benefit Benetint in Rose, and Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice.
First, the bad. I hate, hate, hate the Kat Von D shade. It's a nude, but not a my-lips-but-better nude. It's far pastier than my natural lip color (which isn't dark) and wasn't flattering at all. This was the one shade I knew wouldn't be a hit from the minute I saw the photo online, though, so it wasn't as if I was disappointed when I tried it on and realized it was a no-go.
I also didn't care for the Smashbox gloss in Fame. I go back and forth about Smashbox glosses, because while they're really long-lasting, they're so incredibly sticky that I never wear them, even when I do like the color. Fame didn't do anything for me as a shade, so it went into the reject pile too.
Now when I bought this set I made a deal with myself. As long as I liked at least half of the box I could keep it. With two shades down, I needed at least three hits (not including the Tarte stain that I already loved) or I'd have to send it back. Thankfully, the rest of the colors and formulas proved themselves to be worthy of the "keep" pile.
The Buxom lip polish was, on first glance, a reject. I tried it on over the Kat Von D (mistake number one) and didn't pay much attention to how much gloss was on the applicator before I put it on my lips (mistake number two). When I looked in the mirror I actually burst out laughing because it looked like I'd gone back to 1989 and put on some of that candy makeup they used to sell. Remember that? It was gloopy and stringy and tended to stick stubbornly to the purse of the lip so you had to use your teeth to get it off. Ick. Not a look I would care to sport at 10, much less 30. So it's no surprise that I was ready to lump Buxom in with Smashbox and Kat Von D. Then, this morning, I decided to give it another try. This time I wore it over a shade (to be revealed momentarily) that I really liked, and I made sure not to apply much at all. Eureka! What had initially looked like a gloppy mess turned out to be a very lovely champagne-sparkle shade that worked beautifully when lightly applied. It does have a strong minty effect on my lips, and I could definitely do without the extended tingly sensation it provokes, but overall the color and lifespan of the shade (I'm going on five hours of wear time as I type, and it's even lasted through a meal) make it a keeper.
The real prize of the set, and the color I'm wearing Buxom over today, is the Benefit Rose shade. Applying this one is really, really unnerving and I'm going to go on record here as saying that I dislike the whole application process. Benetint is packaged in what really looks like a nail polish jar, and applies with a brush like a watercolor. If you look at the photo above you'll see that it's a true stain, and dries in seconds once on the skin, but before that (and because the jar is full of this dark red liquid) I get very anxious that I'm going to either drop the jar or spill/drip some of the stain onto my clothing. This might work better for me as a rollerball, to be honest. Still, the shade is a beautiful pink/rose that looks really lovely on my lips. Not only would I be tempted to keep the set for this shade alone, but I'm fairly certain that I'll be purchasing a full-sized version when this sample runs out.
Finally, the last hit of the kit is the Lancome Juicy Tube in Raspberry Ice. The scent of this shade is almost overpowering (ARTIFICIAL BERRY!) but the color is really beautiful. In the tube it looks like an electric peach with glitter, but on the lips it mellows out into a soft pink/peach that reminds me of nothing so much as NARS Orgasm blush. The glitter translates into a subtle shimmer, and the overall effect is quite pleasing. I was really surprised at how much I liked it, especially since I don't tend to gravitate towards peachy lip colors.
So at $25 for the set, this works out to a little over $4 per tube ($3.33 since I snagged it during F&F), which is definitely a price point I'm happy with. The Tarte LipSurgence alone retails for $24 for a full-sized tube, and a sample this size would work out to $8 if the price was calculated proportionately. All of which is to say that both mathematically and aesthetically I think the Give Me Some Lip set is a solid value worth buying if you're in the market for some new lip products.
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