makeup – lip gloss

Prescriptives Spring 2008 Makeup Review

by PJ on Friday, February 29, 2008

in -Prescriptives, 2008 Spring, makeup, makeup - blusher, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss

(Prescriptives Lip Strips in Techno Cool
& Blush More or Less in Thai Orchid)

Prescriptives’ spring 2008 collection, The Technotropics, features vibrant-looking but very wearable colors. Here I review two items from this collection.

Lip Strips in Techno Cool (limited-edition)

This compact includes five lip glosses with mostly cooler pinks. (Tropical Warm features five warmer shades.) The darkest shade (second from the top) is relatively pigmented as a lip gloss while the rest four are quite sheer. The top shade has no shimmer, and the middle three shades have subtle shimmer. The bottom white-ish shade has a lot of quite sparkling shimmer, and the finish is too intensely shimmery for my liking. But the product design does allow the user to easily mix two or more colors together, particularly any two adjoining shades.

My observation of most lip glosses in this semi-solid form is that they don’t usually give a watery or glassy shine. The finish tends to be more of a luminous sheen, which sometimes can look a little oily. While the finishes of these glosses are more balmy than greasy, personally I’d prefer a more watery shine.

Blush More or Less Creamy Cheek Color in Thai Orchid

I find that the Prescriptive website seems to have quite an accurate description of the texture of this product. This cream blusher is described to have “the smoothness of a cream and the lightness of a mousse”. Indeed, this is not like most cream blushers which can feel a little greasy, and the texture is light and almost mousse-like. (But it is not as mousse-y or spongy as, for example, Maybelline’s Dream Mousse Cheek Color.)

What impresses me about this formulation is that the mousse-like texture makes blending very easy, which is particularly vital for a blusher. It dries to a smooth semi-powdery finish with very subtle luminosity. It has a fairly satisfactory staying powder.

Thai Orchid appears to be a very intense rosy red. But it can easily be worn with varying intensity and it looks very natural worn sheer.

Between the two items, I much prefer the blusher. But the lip compact, which is the size of a typical round foundation case, can be a competent space-saver during traveling and go with various eye and cheek looks if you enjoy the balmy finishes.

Blushers:

Albion Eprise Water Cheek Color
(another non-powder formulation that works well)

Ayura Aura Veil α in Sweet Pink
(perfect for spring)

Lip Glosses:

Lunasol Full Glamor Gloss in Bright Pink
(one of my favorites)

Rimmel Underground Light Beam Lip Gloss
(natural watery sheen)

{ 4 comments }

Fafi for MAC Review & PJ’s Picks

by PJ on Wednesday, February 27, 2008

in -MAC, makeup, makeup - blusher, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss

(French graffiti artist Fafi at Henri Bendel)
(from www.nypost.com)

The Fari for MAC collection might have a bright and funky image with its fair share of vibrant colors. But, there are some very wearable shades and several bright-looking items that are not too difficult to work with. Even though the packaging is obviously targeted at a young audience, I feel that many shades have a more universal appeal.

Here are my favorites from the Fafi for MAC collection:

(Clock-wise from upper right:
Powder Blush in Hipness & Fashion Frenzy,
Lipstick in Fun ‘n’ Sexy & Strawbaby,
and Lipglass in Totally It)

My favorite items by far are the two blushers (Powder Blush in Fashion Frenzy & Hipness). Fashion Frenzy, my preferred one out of the two, has the kind of cool pink shade that I know would suit me. But because it is on the vibrant side and the blush is very pigmented, I do have to be very light-handed with it. (I also like the turquoise Fafi logo on the lid against the pink blusher.) Hipness initially appeared to be a peachy shade that might not suit me, but I was pleasantly surprised by its wearability as it turned more pink after a few hours’ wear. Both blushers have a fair lasting power.

Totally It is my favorite Lipglass from this collection. It is a bright pink with cherry pink and purple shimmer. Even though two of the other Lipglasses, Cult Fave and Sugar Trance, have more wearable shades, the shimmer is too frosty for my liking. On my lips, one sheer layer of Totally It actually looks relatively natural and this is how I’d wear it most of the time. With a second layer, the brightness of the pink really intensifies. Apart from the lovely pink and purple shimmer, I also enjoy the lasting shine.

The Lipstick in Strawbaby is a very wearable warm-rose with some delicate blue-green shimmer and should suit most skin-tones. On the other hand, Fun ‘n’ Sexy is a similar bright pink to the Totally It Lipglass with purple and bright pink shimmer.

I think the wearability of many items in the Fafi for MAC collection also appeals to some younger customers that have just started to experiment with makeup and want something easy to use. The Fafi Eyes palette in #1 is a very basic palette that would suit a beginner in makeup, and it actually reminds me of Chanel’s 4-color eyeshadow palette in Influences, which is one of the first eye palettes I bought. (The actual shades and finishes do vary, but the concepts are similar.)

(left: MAC Fafi Eyes #1;
right: Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in Influences)

Despite MAC Paint Pots‘ rich colors and long-lasting quality, I am not really a fan of them. The colors are difficult to blend and none of the finishes featured in the Fafi for MAC collection (cream, satin, and frost) looks optimally flattering. This is a bit of a shame, because Rollickin’ and Girl Friendly could have potentially been shades I’d constantly reach for. (Rollickin’ is a turquoise with pale gold shimmer, which is better than the distracting yellow and green shimmer commonly seen in turquoise eyeshadows. Girl Friendly is a dusty rose-petal pink that is subtly elegant.)

Overall, the Fafi for MAC collection offers something for most people, from eye-catching lip shades to subdue neutrals for eyes. I still find it hard to like most of the packaging and the Fafinettes, but the two lovely blushers (which, for me personally, pleasantly don’t feature the Fafinettes) will potentially be very active members in my blusher family.

MAC for A-Mei Collection
(perfectly in tune with her heritage)

Alexander McQueen for MAC Eyeshadow in Haunting
(loving this turquoise)

{ 12 comments }

Spring 2008 Makeup Focus: Anna Sui’s Sui Lip Gloss in 100

by PJ on Sunday, February 3, 2008

in -Anna Sui, 2008 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(full of goodness…)

This is the first post to highlight some of the spring 2008 makeup items that I have got. There will be more to come later!

Even though I love Anna Sui, my last purchase was almost two years ago (Face Color Accent in 400). But after I saw some photos of the three limited-edition lip glosses for the spring 2008 collection, I decided to get the blue-tinted one.

(part of Anna Sui’s spring 2008 collection)
(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)

I have several blue-tinted lip glosses and I love all of them. But if I have to be picky, I prefer the ones that are simply blue-tinted and with very sparse shimmering particles to the ones with more blue shimmer. I also tend to favor ones that have a deep warm aqua blue shade in the tube. (It is just for my visual pleasure…)

This lip gloss by Anna Sui has these particular aspects that I like in a blue lip gloss. It has a pleasing blue color in the tube, but it goes on very sheer. It looks like it has a lot of shimmer, but the particles look quite sparse on the lips.

The gloss has the signature Anna Sui scent. I don’t normally like scented lip glosses, but I am okay with this one.

It imparts a wet glossy shine that lasts well. As with my other blue lip glosses, this one also adds subtle depth and transparency to my lips, making them look fuller and more dimensional.

Plus, l simply enjoy looking at the warm tropical shimmery blue in the container. It is like Maldives in a tube…

Loving Japanese Brands: Anna Sui
(my personal take on the brand)

Lunasol Full Glamor Gloss in Bright Pink
(It is not too bright at all and is one of my favorite lip glosses.)

Lavshuca Gloss Stick in PK-3
(See how Lavshuca does cute.)

{ 12 comments }

Lunasol Full Glamour Gloss in Bright Pink

by PJ on Thursday, January 3, 2008

in -Kanebo, -Lunasol, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Lunasol Full Glamour Gloss in 04 Bright Pink)

While Chanel’s Irréelle Blush in Tea Rose is one of my favorite blushers, Lunasol’s Full Glamour Gloss in Bright Pink is one of my favorite lip glosses.

First of all, even though the shade is named Bright Pink, it is not a bright neon pink that is hard to pull off. It is actually a very pretty and elegant medium-to-sheer pink which is very wearable. It should suit most skin-tones.

Apart from that, there are two things that I particularly like about this lip gloss. First, it has very beautiful and delicate multi-color shimmer that adds subtle dimension and fullness to the lips and makes lip lines appear less obvious.

Also, the slanted applicator (seen below) is well designed. It glides and spreads the gloss on very evenly. Two swipes, back and forth, on each lip, and it’s done. Sensually glossy, with rippling shimmer.

(Lunasol Full Glamor Gloss)
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)

I also like the packaging. Very simple and sophisticated, which is generally the case with all Lunasol’s minimal and low-key packaging. But it still oozes glamor.

With a stunning spring 2008 collection, Lunasol continues to be a brand that I will pay a lot of attention to in 2008.

Loving Japanese Brands: Lunasol
(my personal take on Lunasol)

Sony Curvy Lip Silicone
(It had sold more than 1 million copies by the time I wrote this post, but now it has sold over 2 million copies. Find out why!)

Beautiful Lips with Blue Lip Glosses?
(Have you tried them?)

{ 6 comments }

Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Makeup Palette Tried & Tested

by PJ on Wednesday, November 28, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Lavshuca Christmas 2007 Makeup Palette)

I have written about my first impression of this palette when I heard about it and upon receiving it. Now that I have tested the colors, I can share with you more of my thoughts. (But I haven’t tried the lip color yet because I don’t want to mess up the heart shape…)

(No, I still haven’t put them in the case…)

The palette includes three eyeshadows, a lip color, and a lip gloss. The eyeshadow shade I like the best is the shimmery white one on the left. It is fairly well-pigmented with nice multi-color shimmer and it joins my white-eyeshadow lineup as a major member.

The pink in the middle appears to be very pale when it goes on and it doesn’t look very different from the white shade. The only two differences between the two are that the texture of the pink one seems chalkier and that it has less shimmer.

The dark shade at the right is a dark charcoal grey that works well as an eyeliner and for a smoky-eye effect. It has some sparkles but they don’t look obvious when it goes on.

The lip gloss looks very pretty in the container, again with multi-color shimmer. But the shimmer looks much more subtle when applied. I was trying to layer it to see if I could create a glossy finish, but it doesn’t seem possible. The finish is similar to that of a shiny lip balm, as it imparts a very natural sheen, which looks more balmy than watery.

As I mentioned before, holiday palettes (especially those from Japanese brands) are mostly about packaging and wearability. In terms of these two, this palette has done well. (Plus it is relatively affordable.) I am sure there are people who think the shades are not very interesting. But, for me, I will always consider picking up nice wearable shades which are beautifully packaged. Overall this is a nice little gem to have.

Chanel Contraste Lumière Palette
(great palette for eyes and lips)

Loving Japanese Brands: Lavshuca
(my personal take on the successful Kanebo line)

Lavshuca Cheek Color
(Need a blusher to go with the palette?)

{ 2 comments }

Holiday 2007 Focus: Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N in 001 Black-Tie

by PJ on Monday, November 26, 2007

in -Paul & Joe, 2007 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N in 001 Black-Tie,
part of Paul & Joe’s Christmas 2007 collection)

We all know that makeup items very often look disappointingly less impressive than how they appear on glossy fashion magazines. But this lip gloss is one of those welcome surprises.

Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N in 001 Black-Tie is part of the limited-edition Holiday 2007 Collection, titled Invitation.

(Paul & Joe Holiday 2007 collection: Invitation)
(image from www.paul-joe-beaute.com/en/index.html)

(Paul & Joe Lip Gloss N)
(image from www.paul-joe-beaute.com/en/index.html)

What grabbed my attention (and the reason it looks much better in person) is the multi-color shimmer. It has pink, yellow, green, and lilac shimmer. It also has very little blue-ish shimmer which is in a warm turquoise-y shade.

The shimmery particles look beautiful, but I won’t describe them as very delicate since they are just a little bit larger than those in some of my other glosses. But they are not glittery at all and are very fitful for the holiday season.

Upon seeing the photo on the Paul & Joe website for the first time, I thought the shade might be too dark for my liking and that I would not want to wear it. (I tend to prefer lip glosses that are not too densely pigmented.) But it is actually a very nicely and delicately pigmented shade (not too sheer) with subtle transparency.

The only thing I can imagine that might bother some people is that the texture of the gloss is slightly more liquidy than some of my other glosses. When it is on my lips, occasionally it travels just a little bit. I avoid it simply by not over-layering it too much.

Overall I love this gloss, and it is now among my favorites. I will surely be reviewing some of my other lip gloss favorites later on, so do stay tuned!

Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Makeup Palette

by PJ on Monday, November 12, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Palette)

I just got my Lavshuca holiday 2007 palette a couple of days ago. The first thing I did was to take some photos so I could show you this cute palette.

I have not actually used it yet. (Unlike the DiorLight necklace that I also just got, I WILL be using this.) I will post a review after I have used the eyeshadows and the lip colors.

I was surprised to find that all the bits were outside the case when I received this. This is Lavshuca’s first eye-and-lip palette so they seem to be having a bit of fun with it. Also, since the case is not transparent, it makes sense to present everything like this so the customers in the drugstores can instantly see all the colors and the front of the case. Overall I like the whole presentation.

The case is made of cardboard but it is relatively sturdy.

(the case and the colors presented separately)

(Complete the puzzle!)

Obviously all the bits go into the case. But, I think perhaps some people will be quite happy just to leave them where they are so everything can be displayed as it is in the cute box. Umm…it is not a bad idea actually……

Straight onto my Shopping List: Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Palette
(my first impression of the palettes along with the new lip glosses)

Chanel Contraste Lumière Palette
(another great eye-and-lip palette)

{ 8 comments }

Holiday 2007 Focus: DiorLight Jewelled Makeup Necklace

by PJ on Sunday, November 11, 2007

in -Dior, 2007 Holiday, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Dior DiorLight Jewelled Makeup Necklace for the Lips)

Priced at 54 pounds in the UK (about 112 USD), it is not cheap. But since I had enough Boots advantage points and I really liked the look of this necklace, I decided to use my points on this after it was launched in Boots on November 6th. (It was launched in some department stores earlier.) So I didn’t spend any money on this.

(I will write another post later on to explain to my readers outside the UK how the popular and uniquely generous Boots Advantage Point system works.)

Here, Dior’s seasonal limited-edition items are usually priced at 35 pounds (about 73 USD). I suppose this one is pricier because of the Swarovski crystals used on the pendant (not on the “Dior” logo though).

The gloss comes in two choices, pink and beige. (Only the beige is available in the US.) I picked the prettier pink one.

(the “default” pink)

As I mentioned in my initial report on the various Christmas 2007 collections, this pendant is larger than what I expected. The total length of the necklace is about 82 cm. It comes with a black draw-string pouch for storage and protection.

The lip gloss is what I call a “default” pink, a universally wearable pink with some shimmer that should suit most people.

Having said that, I will probably not use it, as it joins my permanent Dior collection…

Dior Pretty Charm
(Dior Holiday 2006 item)

Diorissime Palette
(Dior Fall 2007 item…this one I am happily using……)

{ 6 comments }

Holiday Flashback: Sofina Aube Astral Rouge

by PJ on Thursday, November 1, 2007

in -Aube (Couture), -Kao, -Sofina, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss

(Sofina Aube Astral Rouge)

Sofina Aube Astral Rouge lip palette is among the first holiday items I have ever purchased, back in 2000. (Obviously I have not been using it for quite some time. But this very pretty item will always be among my permanent collection.)

(Sofina Aube’s original navy blue packaging)

Sofina Aube has gone through at least three major packaging overhauls, and the packaging of this palette reflects what Aube (Sofina’s color makeup line) used to look like around 2000, with a deep navy blue color scheme. (I do have to say I prefer the Aube packaging back in the “old” days…)

(loving the shades…and the star)

The palette includes four lip colors (wearable pink shades with various tones) and two lip glosses (a very sheer pink with minimal shimmer and a pearly white with more intense shimmer).

This palette does bring back memories of the occasions where I had some of these shades on. It is interesting that some of my makeup purchases punctuate the various phases in my life. I know it sounds slightly silly and overly sentimental, but I am sure you know what I mean.

I will bring you more of my past holiday items every now and then. But if you want more of them now, do stop by Musings of a Muse for some more past holiday delights.

Holiday 2006 Items
(See what made the cut last year.)

Holiday 2007 Items
(See them at a glance!)

{ 2 comments }

Bring It Back! Nina Ricci Cosmetics

by PJ on Wednesday, October 17, 2007

in _Bring It Back, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, makeup - mascara, stash focus

(Nina Ricci Cosmetics seasonal looks)

I think most of you might still remember the curvy and quirky original packaging of Nina Ricci‘s makeup and skincare items. It was fairly cute but I wasn’t particularly a fan of that. But, around 2002, the packaging went through an overhaul and personally I think it came out so much better. Using both reflective and frosty finishes, the new look was sleek and modern.

The two items I have from the revamped range were the Tender Lacquered Lipglaze in #2 Rose Jupon and Extension Lashwear in #01 (black). The Extension Lashwear mascara does a good job in separating and defining the lashes, while the lipglaze is one of the best lip glosses I have ever used thanks to the richness of the color and the syrupy and glassy finish.

(my two Nina Ricci items)

What I also like about the new Nina Ricci makeup line is that each season they released a beautiful seasonal look. Like the packaging, the seasonal looks were modern and with a slight editorial edge which varied from season to season. Each seasonal look was on a leaflet featuring the key items. The styling of the leaflets was consistent, which made it fun to collect and compare them. You can see some of the beautiful seasonal looks above.

Sadly, Nina Ricci left the UK a couple of years ago. (Now only the fragrances are sold here.) The website is functioning but the beauty section has not been updated for a long time. It makes me wonder whether they are still coming up with new items in other countries. I don’t think so, but if you have any information on Nina Ricci where you are, I’d be very interested to know!

Some other “Bring It Back!” Posts:

Inoui ID
Cynthia Rowley
Bulgari Skincare (which IS coming back!)
Helena Rubinstein
Calvin Klein Cosmetics (which has come back!!)

{ 2 comments }

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