Tag Archives: lipstick blog

Beauty Product Recommendations – Part 1

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Here’s a list of some of my current favorite beauty products. I plan to do another set of recommendations another time, so I will label them in “parts.” This time, the beauty products I’m recommending include luxury lipstick brands, such as Guerlain, Dior, and Chanel.

Guerlain Vega

Guerlain Rouge Automatique – #125 Vega – 3.5g/0.12oz

This has automatique-ly become one of my top favorite lipsticks. First off, I love these cases. You just slide the lever down, and the lipstick is let out through a little golden doorway. So simple and classy. And this particular color- -Vega- -is a surprisingly gorgeous red. I like the way this lipstick smells, too. See also my Guerlain lipstick review.

Dior Rose Diablo

Christian Dior Diorific Lipstick – No. 023 Rose Diabolo 3.5g

I mentioned this color (Rose Diablo) in my Dior lipstick review. I am on my third tube of this stuff, and I foresee many more in my future. It is just the perfect “every day” color. It’s not to attention-grabbing, but also somehow far from boring. Super pretty with clear gloss, too.

Chanel Passion

Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour Lipstick – 104 Passion – .12 Oz/3.5 G

Chanel anything always seems to be of the highest quality, and their lipstick is no exception. Passion is a fun, flirty red. It’s somewhat bright, but a soft bright, if that makes sense. Definitely a red lipstick, but easy on the eyes. The consistency of the formula is really pleasant, and I love the Rouge Allure tubes. You push one end in, which causes the applicator to eject enough to be pulled out. A must-have for all lovers of red lipstick.

Besame Lip Balm

Besame Cosmetics Sweetheart Lip Balm, Tangerine, 2.4 Ounce

This gloss just feels like such a decadent little delight, to me. It smells good, and feels good on the lips; a nice level of moisture. It gives to the bare mouth what I would describe as a kissable tinge of red. I pretty much love all Beseme products, as you can see from my Besame lipstick review.

Coconut Lotion

100% Pure Organic Moisturizing Body Lotion, Virgin Coconut , 8 oz

This is my current favorite lotion for my hands and arms. It’s organic, and it smells strongly of coconut, which I like. And the texture is perfect. Some lotions are too liquidy, but this one sinks perfectly into the skin. It keeps my hands moisturized for long periods, too.

Body Souffle

Whipped Soy Body Souffle

This is my second-favorite lotion. It’s really like a whipped souffle, texture-wise, which I love. It is very moisturizing, and I use it all over my body, including legs and feet. The smell is sweet. It’s kind of weird to have a lotion that you have to dip your hand in… I prefer to squeeze it out. But I like this lotion enough to not let it bother me. Oh, and a little goes a long way.

Bath Bomb from Blissful Bath

Fresh Roses Bath Bomb by Blissful Bath

These are really good bath bombs. I previously wrote a bath bombs review about Moon Harvest bath bombs. I would definitely still buy them, but the bath bombs from Blissful Bath are my new favorite. The way they dissolve is so awesome… really really fizzy and fun. The few I’ve tried have left the bathwater a pretty color, and smell divine. I also love giving them as gifts.

Smashbox Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Oil Free Foundation Primer ( Jumbo Size ) – 60ml/2oz

I recently started including primer into my makeup routine, and the only other one I’ve tried so far is one by Napoleon Perdis. I like the Smashbox primer better, personally… just the feel of it on my skin after I wash my face and before I apply foundation. And I do feel like a primer helps make up to go on more smoothly and stay on longer. It is hard for me to tell for sure without more experimentation, but so far I can say I recommend this primer, and I will likely be buying more.

Foundation Applicators

Beautyblender, The Ultimate MakeUp Sponge Applicator, 2 sponges.

I was turned on to these makeup applicators by a friend. I was living in the ice ages, using my fingertips to spread liquid foundation onto my face. What you do with these cute teardrop-shaped makeup applicators is repeatedly dab the foundation onto your skin. The texture is kind of skin-like, and just dabbing it on your face with some foundation on it gives surprisingly good coverage. And the way the applicator is shaped makes it easier to reach all areas of the face. Love it.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, 25 Count

Definitely one of the best inventions ever. I wear a lot of makeup, and one or two of these wipes gets my face clean. Well, I still wash my face afterwards, but these wipes really effectively remove makeup. And they’re so convenient; no dealing with creams or lotions or oils. Just use the wipe, it already has the stuff in it.

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

bobbi brown long-wear gel eyeliner black ink

My favorite eyeliner, gel or otherwise. It gives clear, crisp lines that stay on all day without smearing. Yet if you want a kind of blended look, you can play with it with a q-tip once it has dried, and get a more smudgy effect. If you are used to using an eyeliner pencil, it will a bit of adapting to use a brush (like the one below) and gel, but it isn’t all that different from using a pencil. Also, the formula tends to dry out a bit after a few months. Still my fave.

Eyeliner Brush

Bdellium Tools Professional Antibacterial Makeup Brush Travel Line – Bent Eyeliner 708

I used to apply gel eyeliner with a non-angled type of eyeliner brush, but like the angled better. It gets around the eyelashes with more ease than a non-angled, in my opinion.

Wella Shampoo

Wella Professionals Enrich Volumizing Shampoo 10.1 oz / 300ml for fine to Normal

Feels good and smells good.

Wella Conditioner

Wella Enrich Moisturizing Treatment for Fine to Normal Hair, 5.07 oz

Really good conditioner, and inexpensive. Worth a try if you are looking for something new to use on your hair. After shampooing, just towel dry. Then work this conditioner through your hair, detangling with your fingers. I like to leave it in for at least five minutes before rinsing.

Lipstick Heels

5 1/2 Inch Lipstick Rhinestone Heel Women’s Sexy Shoes Platform Sandals Ankle Wrap Size: 8

How could a lipstick addict not want a pair of these?

Enjoy!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady

Red MACs

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Earlier in this blog, I reviewed some earth-toned MAC lipsticks, as well as some pink and purplish hues (click here to see). I promised I’d be back to MAC with a “reds” review, and so here it is.

First, here are some images; from left to right we have: Amplified Heartless (from the Venomous Villains collection), Ruby Woo, Russian Red, and Matte Scarlet Ibis (from the Marilyn Monroe collection).

Click images for larger view

All of these colors are fine. The issue I have is with the inconsistent quality of the formula. I mentioned this in my previous entry about MAC lipsticks. I am not sure if some of the lipsticks are just old, or if MAC has a hard time creating the same formula each time they manufacture a new lipstick, but the texture of their lipsticks goes from smooth and creamy to super dry. If you look at the Ruby Woo lipstick (second one in), you can see how dry it is, just from the pic. It’s a shame, as I do really like the color, but I don’t want to wear a lipstick that practically hurts to apply. Maybe if I purchased another Ruby Woo, it would be silky smooth, but I am not going to bother.

What I do like about MAC lipsticks is that, aside from the wide variety of colors, fun limited edition collections, and affordability, they also smell nice. They have many more shades of red, and even within this collection of four I have here, there is a nice range. I likely will continue to purchase MAC lipstick; I just wish I could depend on a consistent texture from them. So many of these MAC lipsticks seem to be manufactured all the time, it must be difficult to keep tabs on their quality. Then again, drugstore brands such as Cover Girl and Maybelline seem to manage, so why not MAC?

Thanks for stopping by,
The Lipstick Lady

Besame Lipstick Review: Reds

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I *love* Besame lipstick! It’s this totally adorable vintage-inspired lipstick, in really romantic little tubes. It’s smaller than your typical lipstick by a bit, which makes it seem even more special and cute. The woman who founded Besame, Gabriela Hernandez, was educated in the fine arts, and she has definitely brought a uniquely creative addition to the word of cosmetics.

Aside from adoring the cases and packaging, I also like lipstick tips, which angle from two sides towards a point up top. I think that the tip-shape is part of what is vintage-inspired. The texture of the lipstick is really nice; it is not creamy, but not overly dry, and it stays nicely on the lips for a long time.

From left to right: Merlot, Cherry Red, Besame Red, and Red Hot Red:

Click images for larger view

The latter two colors are very similar, which is a bit annoying to me. I mean, why make two colors that are just a teensy pinch different from one another? I get most of my lipsticks online, and I just kind of expect each color to be more different from the next, within a given brand. But I guess there are some people who are like, “Oh this is almost the perfect color; if only it was a pinch warmer.” So, whatev.

This is a little chart that I have received with my Besame lipsticks:

And also, I used the Besame Red lipstick to write the URL for my Pinterest boards on this piece of paper:

Overall, I super-dooper love this brand, and I hope that they come out with many more lipstick colors and products in general. It is quality lipstick, and it is just so freaking unique and cute.

Thanks for stopping by!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady