Tag Archives: lipstick blog

Smashbox Lipstick Review

Posted on by
Reply

I definitely do not have enough Smashbox lipstick- -or Smashbox cosmetics in general, for that matter. The Smashbox brand offers some really great quality cosmetics, and they have a really fun vibe.

I received my first Smashbox cosmetics several years ago as a holiday gift from my aunt, and I just thought she was the coolest aunt ever for not only understanding how much I would love the gift of makeup, but also for turning me on to my new favorite brand.

I’m a sucker for good packaging, and just love the contemporary style of the tubes. At the bottom of the below photograph, we have Smashbox “Be Legendary” lipstick in Pout, and then from left to right we have it in Legendary, Vivid Violet, and Fuchsia Flash.

The swatches are a bit backwards, but should be pretty easy to identify:

I really don’t have anything negative to day about these lipsticks. I love each of the colors, although I have to be in the right mood for any *really light* pink. And it was my bad, but I turned up Fuchsia Flash too high and pressed too hard while applying, so the lipstick broke off at the bottom. No biggie, because I just don’t turn it up so high or press so hard anymore, and I can still use it.

Kind of by mistake, I discovered that these shades mix wonderfully. I applied a bit of each color (except for Pout) to different areas of my lips, rubbed my lips together, and was wowed at the result: a super pretty new color of its very own. I would love to do more mixing and matching with these lip colors once I have a bigger collection.

The texture, consistency, and pigment level these lipsticks are uniquely perfect, and they smell nice, too. I would definitely recommend them as a gift, for yourself or someone else.

xox,
The Lipstick Lady

Luxury Lipstick by Yves St. Laurent

Posted on by
Reply

Yves St. Laurent is definitely a luxury brand, and when it comes to their ROUGE VOLUPTÉ lipstick, there is no texture quite like it. This lipstick is definitely the creamiest, and it feels absolutely decadent gliding on. The colors are also very rich in pigment, making the overall effect of a Yves St. Laurent pout pretty much devastating.

From left to right, in the photo below, we have Fetish Pink, Indian Orange (from the Rouge Pur line), Red Muse, Red Taboo, Forbidden Burgundy, and Exquisite Plum.

Click on image to view full size
luxury lipstick by Yves St. Laurent

My personal favorites are the two reds (one is a bright red, the other a deeper red) and Forbidden Burgundy.

The downside to such a creamy, almost liquid-feeling luxury lipstick is that it can be rather messy. As far as appearance goes, I tend to favor the way this lipstick looks un-blotted and un-powdered. But if you are concerned about lipstick prints rubbing off on everything your lips touch, it’s best to at least blot a couple times before coming into contact with pretty much anything.

Thanks for reading!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady

MAC Lipstick Review

Posted on by
Reply

I have more MAC lipsticks than I do of any other brand. This is mostly because they have such a wide array of colors, they are fairly inexpensive, and because they come out with really fun limited edition sets (the Wonder Woman Collection, the Venomous Villains Collection, and the Marilyn Monroe Collection, to name a few). It will take me a while to photograph and write about all my MACs, so I will do it in chunks, in between reviewing other brands.

Some of the MAC lipsticks I review have been discontinued, but a lot of the time you can still find them at Amazon, where resellers still have extra stock.

I’ll start with some of my more earth-toned colors.

From left to right: Velvet Teddy, Viva Glam I, Charred Red, and The Prowl.

Click images to view full size
mac lipstick earth tonesmac lipstick earth tones swatches

Out of the above, Viva Glam I is definitely my favorite. It is a nice, somewhat neutral matte red, and it goes with pretty much any outfit. Velvet Teddy is a tad light for my taste, but I can imagine it being very flattering on someone else, with a bit of liner in maybe a shade darker. Charred Red is good for goth days. And although I like the name, I am definitely not a fan of The Prowl. Really odd consistency, and the color just isn’t flattering on me.

And now, to contrast all of that earthliness, here are some pinks and purples!

From left to right: Violetta, Satin Spitfire, Show Orchid, and Viva Glam Gaga.

Click images to view full size
mac lipstick pinks and purplesmack lipstick pinks and purples swatches

I absolutely *adore* Violetta. Pictured above is my second tube, being that I used my first one down to a sliver. It is the prettiest violet shade I’ve ever worn, and goes on so smoothly. I do think that Violetta is one of the discontinued colors, which is unfortunate. Satin Spitfire is part of the limited edition Wonder Woman set, and I am also a big fan of that one, as I am of Show Orchid. Finally, Viva Glam Gaga is really pretty for a very light shade, which is why I keep it, despite its- -ahem- -condition.

What I find a bit odd about MAC lipsticks is that the texture isn’t always consistent. Some of their lipsticks feel dry whereas others feel more creamy. It could be that some of the lipsticks I get are simply newer than others, which would explain the issue.

You can probably gather that I am more of a fan of the bright colors than the brownish ones, so my opinion is probably a bit biased in that way. I do love reds, though, and my really red MAC lipsticks are reserved for a future blog entry.

More soon; thanks for stopping by!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady