happy 4th of July from Los Angeles!
Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color (Crush and Lovechild swatches and Review)
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I was recently gifted two of the new Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors by some wonderful friends at work, and I’ve got to say - these are so fun.
They picked out the only two that did not contain frost or sparkles (good choice, J), along with some other things I’ll write about soon.
- Lovechild - Muted mauve that’s almost an MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade. I hear it’s already sold out at some Sephoras in Singapore.
- Crush - Traffic-stopping, saturated hot pink creme
Format / Packaging
These lipsticks come in chubby-stick form, like fat pencils, and contain 2.8g (0.10 oz)of product each, which is slightly less than a typical lipstick (0.12 - 0.13 oz usually).
They aren’t twist-up, so you will have to sharpen them once the nubs are worn down.
Texture
Lightweight compared to most lipsticks and very much like lip balms. These aren’t as soft and smushy as I would have expected. They’re firm like regular lipsticks and easy to apply, and there isn’t much of a scent that I can detect or notice after application.
In fact, they are quite similar in consistency to MAC Casual Color Lip and Cheek Colors, but in pencil form so you can slip them into a bag or a pocket and not worry about things melting or breaking easily.
Appearance / Consistency
These go on medium-sheer, but you can build up the color very easily for more opacity. Many chubby-sticks look like weak, tinted balms, but these definitely don’t. It might be a bit of a stretch to call them “super-saturated” despite the name though. They aren’t all that saturated compared to most lipsticks.
Shine-wise, don’t be too surprised or disappointed if they don’t look shiny when just applied. The formula causes the product to stay firm at room temperature. A minute or so after application, the heat of your lips will melt it and bring out a soft, glossy sheen.
Wear / Tenacity
Quite good. I could wear these for 3-4 hours without touching up. The problem is that these are so light and balm-like that I tended to forget I had anything on my lips at all, and just chewed/licked/smeared everything off within 1-2 hours.
They definitely keep their original appearance better than tints or stains, which either fade or lose their sheen quickly, but because it’s quite creamy, you can’t expect them to stay on like matte or long-wearing glosses and lipsticks.
Price
Honestly, not cheap at US$19. Especially if you consider that these contain less product than the typical lipstick, and that you will always lose some product when you shave them with a sharpener.
One thing UD can do to improve these would be to make them in a twist-up format so there is minimal waste. (Then again, if they do that, I expect they will just pass the extra cost to the consumers by charging us more for each stick.)
Verdict?
If you love the texture and finishes of MAC Casual Color pots, but don’t like dipping your fingers in or bringing a lip brush around, then these would be a good alternative.
I have not tried any of the Revlon Balm Stains (the local drugstores need to bring these things in faster!) so I can’t do a comparison, but from what I’ve seen, the UD Lip Colors will be much more opaque and intense, and won’t provide that stain effect.
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Note: Urban Decay cosmetics are vegan and cruelty-free.
Atlanteal (Aquataenia Palette)
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Welcome to the maiden voyage of the Aquataenia!
The team at Lime Crime generously sent me their new “Mermaid palette” for review, so I decided to give it a test-run via a tutorial instead so you can see and decide for yourself if you like how it does!
More detailed post with swatches to come at a later time.
Disclaimer: I am not paid by this, or any, company to give favorable features or reviews of products. Any opinions are strictly my own!
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Step 1: Apply the shimmery aqua shade (Atlanteal) onto the lid, within the crease area.
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Step 2: Using a smoky black (I just used my trusty Greed Palette from Wet n Wild; any black will do), apply black very lightly along the hollow of the eye socket from outside. Then blend the heck out of it.
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Step 3: With a thin brush, very carefully run the soft coral shade along the inner half of the socket line.
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Step 4: Run black liquid liner from the outside in. (Lay the flick first and then pull inwards in separate little strokes instead of trying to do it all in one single stroke.)
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Step 2: I applied mascara and then an aqua/teal metallic liner (Milani Liquif’ Eye in Aqua) along the lower waterline. This echoes the color of the lid.
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The finished look once again!
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Lime Crime products are vegan and cruelty-free.
The Aquataenia Mermaid palette retails for US$34.99.
Fun Color Combinations for Lips and Nails this Summer
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I’m liking combinations of color that mix a bit of contrast with a bit of complementary tones. (E.g. bright pink with a pale lemon-yellow, or an acidic orange with a very white pink).
What sort of color combinations have you been liking? Matchy-matchy or full-on contrast?
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Product Notes: For those who did not click on the images to see the captions, the top left image features MAC Pink Nouveau lipstick and China Glaze Lemon Fizz polish.
The top right image features Revlon Fuchsia lipstick and Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet polish.
Foiled Metal Orange Lids in Gorgeous Biba Ad, 1970s
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Metallic Burnt Orange Shadow and Rust-colored Liquid Liner look heart-stoppingly beautiful on fair girls with blue eyes.
Everything about this image, including the feather-collared top, is so incredibly arresting.
You CAN still recreate this look for everyday. Just ditch the wiggly liner, and use a really vibrant metallic orange/copper tone on the lids with black liquid liner.
For those with darker skins, Sleek’s Curacao i-Divine palette has a gorgeous rich coral-orange (top-left shade). For everyone else, Illamasqua’s Enrapture might be a good shade, if a little less red than in the image above. The main problem is this is a cream base and will slip/slide around.
The best option so far (it seems to me) if you are light-to-medium toned is TKB’s mica Aztec Gold or Copper Penny. But be warned that if you are very olive or yellow-toned, this can make you look a little sallow if you don’t balance it out with a pink-hued blush.
Electric Pink Glitter-Lips with Brown Eyes
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This is a fun look that’s flattering and dramatic. As with all glitter-lip looks, it is not going to be a good idea to eat a whole lot while you’re wearing it.
Recommended for clubbing and cocktail parties where you’ll mostly just be drinking through straws.
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Step 1: Apply a soft warm brown (I used MAC Sable) to the entire lid area, and then blend the color gently along the hollow of the socket line, pulling up slightly in a wing once you reach the other corners.
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Step 2: Using a brown gel liner, draw on a flick at the outer corners following the angle of the lower lash line.
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Step 3: Thicken the flick from the outer tip inwards, and then connect all along the upper lash line. Don’t try to draw it all in a single stroke. Do short strokes and just connect and smooth it out.
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Step 4: Finish the eye look by curling your lashes and then applying a strip of wispy false lashes. If you don’t want to apply falsies, just curl your lashes and apply black mascara!
P.S. Have I said before that I love the shape of the Ardell 120 Demis and Demi Wispies? The weave is irregular so they look more natural, and the shape is slightly longer and flared at the outer ends, so they give you a slight cat-like effect while being lush and girly at the same time.
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Step 5: I applied a rich fuchsia to the lips (Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Fuchsia), blotted, and then reapply. This gets a good stain on your lips so the color will be very saturated.
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Step 6: With your finger or a flat synthetic brush, gently press a translucent duochrome blue glitter to the surface of the lips. Try any fine-grained glitter that reflects blue, such as MAC Reflects Blue pigment or Reflects Very Pink.
On the cheeks, just keep it soft with a light pink. You’ve already got a dramatic lip going, so you don’t want to have your cheeks be too bright at the same time.
