makeup – lip gloss

Product Review: Bella Il Fiore Powder Room

by PJ on Wednesday, October 3, 2007

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

(Bella Il Fiore Powder Room)
(from bellabeauty.net)

Considering the size of Bella Il Fiore‘s Powder Room (10.5cm x 9.5cm x 6.5cm), the fact that there are 6 lip colors, 4 blushers, and 9 eyeshadows is fairly impressive. Apart from that, all the compartments fit snugly together and never feel fiddly.

It comes in a matching pink/black box (right):

(love the packaging…)

(all out in display)

The 6 lip glosses are my favorites in this set. They have a glassy vinyl finish and last well. All shades have understated shimmer and fair color density (not too sheer). I like the fact that the selection includes both warmer and cooler shades.

(six lip glosses)

The blushers are velvety and well-pigmented. They all have shimmer but it is not too over-powering. Some of these shades are good for bronzing and shading as well.

(the blushers)

The easy-to-wear eyeshadows are also smooth and pretty well-pigmented. The only matte shade is the cream-white toward bottom right. All others have fine shimmer. All the shades go on as they are in the pans, except that the olive (upper right) goes on much greyer.

(the eyeshadows)

Overall, this set should work for people with both warm and cool skin-tones, although the blushers will work much better for warm skin-tones and I would love to see one cool pink blusher among the four. Other than that, this nicely packaged set is versatile and is suitable for both daytime and evening. I have been enjoying playing with all the shades (as well as opening and closing all the drawers)!

Related Posts (some of my favorite palettes):

Dior Diorissime Palette

Lavshuca Eyecolor Select in PU-2

Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes in 04 Gem Amethyst

{ 4 comments }

Fall 2007 Makeup Focus: Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge

by PJ on Monday, August 27, 2007

in -Lavshuca, 2007 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge PK-1)

Color Conc Rouge (10 shades) is part of the Lavshuca fall 2007 line-up. It is supposed to be a lip color that is between a lipstick and a lip gloss. It promises to have:

— the level of pigmentation of a lipstick
— a highly viscous consistency of a lip gloss
— good staying power

So, a long-lasting syrupy and pigmented lip color. Sounds very special. (I think “conc” stands for “concentration”. But please correct me if I am wrong.)

Does it fulfill the promises? No.

It is a nice gloss nonetheless, with a natural watery shine I love, and PK-1 is a very cute pink shade. But it doesn’t fair very differently from some of the other glosses I have.

I think a better description of this product is that It is a mildly syrupy and lightly pigmented gloss that imparts a watery shine with minimal shimmer, with reasonable staying power. (But some other shades could be more pigmented than PK-1.)

(the cute heart-shape dispenser)

For me, a lip gloss that is actually very close to what Color Conc Rouge promises to be is Nina Ricci‘s Tender Lacquered Lipglaze:

(Nina Ricci Tender Lacquered Lipglaze)
(photo from www.ninaricci.com)

I have #2 Rose Jupon, which is a peachy pink. Exceptionally syrupy and glassy, it is quite pigmented as a lip gloss and can cover a good deal of my natural lip color. Too bad Nina Ricci cosmetics is not available in the UK anymore.

Also, I find that Dior’s DiorKiss has a very syrupy consistency as well and some of the shades are quite pigmented.

A-Mused at Musings of a Muse has a review of Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge as well. I understand what she means by the gloss not gliding well. For me, it does take a couple more seconds to get a perfectly even finish but the application is still relatively easy. I think it is down to the combination of the applicator and the particular consistency of the gloss, since there is no problem with Lavshuca’s Gloss Stick (with almost the same applicator).

Overall, Color Conc Rouge is still a fairly good gloss, even though it doesn’t particularly stand out from the rest of the field…

Fall 2007 Makeup Focus: Dior Diorissime Palette

by PJ on Sunday, August 26, 2007

in -Dior, 2007 Fall, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Dior Diorissime Palette for fall 2007)

(with Dior Detective Chic palette from fall 2006)

In recent years, Dior has successfully merged fashion and cosmetics by bringing fashion elements into the design of seasonal limited-edition items. The Diorissime palette for fall 2007 is yet another example.

The design of the beautiful case is based on both the classic and the current Dior designs:

(Dior Pink Leather Lady Dior Bag)
(photo from fashion.dior.com)

(Dior Pink Leather Cannage Bag)
(photo from fashion.dior.com)

The one I got is 002 Seduction Drama:

(after some testing…)

From left:

Eyeshadows –
deep copper, medium grey, medium brown, sheer light beige
(All have metallic shine.)
Lip Colors –
sheer frosty pink with subtle green shimmer
pale blue-tinted gloss with minimal shimmer

I went for 002 (Seduction Drama) instead of 001 (Daylight Madonna) because I wanted to have a couple of darker neutrals to play with and because I am a fan of blue-tinted lip glosses. (But 001 Daylight Madonna does feature some cute pink shades as well as soft neutrals.)

As with all the Dior eyeshadows, the texture is so smooth and blending is a dream.

I was worried that the deep copper shade (on the very left) would be too warm for me as an eyeliner shade. But, blended with the grey, it becomes a very natural brown.

The grey shade is a great addition to my eyeshadow colors. It goes well with my very dark eyes and lashes, not to mention it is a trendy color for fall 2007. (Replace this with the medium brown next to it for the classic neutral look.)

The frosty pink lip color has a texture between a very creamy lipstick and a syrupy lip gloss. Very glossy and shimmery. The blue-tinted gloss goes on completely sheer. It feels like a very moisturizing lip balm which happens to have a lot of shine.

While 001 Daylight Madonna is more for daytime, 002 Seduction Drama is definitely for evening glamor.

I have been loving most of Dior’s seasonal limited-edition items. This one will also be joyfully displayed on my dresser top!

Product Review: Little Gems — Luscious Cosmetics

by PJ on Thursday, August 2, 2007

in makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, nail color/care

(pictured from left,

Luscious Cosmetics Crystal Nail Lacquer in Topanga
Lip Polish in Belize
Lip Delites Lip Plumper in Palm Beach)

Luscious Cosmetics features simple packaging with a girlie edge. The items are compact and easily portable. Very travel-friendly.

Lip Polish (5ml) takes up very little space in a makeup bag. Belize is a glossy nude with delicate shimmer. Great shade for this coming season.

Crystal Nail Lacquers, Luscious Cosmetics’ signature products, come with Swarovski crystals contained separately in a compartment within the cap. Topanga is a beautiful cranberry with ruby and diamond crystals.

Lip Delites Lip Plumper is an interesting one. According to the website, it is a lip plumper to be worn 1-2 times a day for 30 days to give lips up to 40% more volume. It is not the kind of lip gloss that stings. Instead, it claims to stimulate the production of collagen.

It is essentially a gloss that you wear on a daily basis to see a lip-plumping result. Personally, I don’t usually wear the same lip gloss (or any lip gloss) every day, and, since it has color, I can’t really wear it as an overnight treatment.

But, as a lip gloss alone, it is a fair one. Palm Beach is a sheer orange that looks more wet than glossy. It looks glittery in the tube but the glitters are barely noticeable when applied. Compared with Lip Polish, it is much less glossy and it doesn’t layer as well. It is simply a natural lip gloss that feels lightweight and moisturizing.

Luscious Cosmetics seems to feature quite a few dual-function products, from nail lacquers with Swarovski crystals to lip glosses with lip-pumping effects. (Their Luscious Blooms feature two coordinating shades for face and cheeks.) We’ll see what comes up next!

{ 2 comments }

Product Review: Sensual Sheen — Rimmel Underground Light Beam Lip Gloss

by PJ on Thursday, July 26, 2007

in makeup, makeup - lip gloss

(pictured: Rimmel Underground Light Beam Lip Gloss
in #100 In the Mix)

My taste in lip glosses is quite extreme. At one end, I like glossy, glassy, shiny, and luxuriously syrupy lip glosses. At the other end, I go for the kind of healthy, natural, and moist sheen I get after a shower or after I eat a piece of juicy watermelon.

While it’s not difficult to find very syrupy lip glosses, I hadn’t really found any lip gloss that gave me that little touch of natural sheen…until I tried Rimmel Underground Light Bean Lip Gloss. (When it comes to lip balms, Rose & Co. Apothecary’s Rose Petal Salve excels in this.)

The one I have, #100 In the Mix, is a very sheer pale pink. It is not the color that attracts me. It is the finish. It is that only-slightly wet finish (not glossy or shiny) that I have been looking for. It doesn’t look (or feel) like I am putting anything on. The sheen seems to be from within the lips.

The gadgetry is worth a mention. There is a mirror on the side and a built-in LED light. A bit bizarre as you might think, the light can be as useful as you make it to be, especially on a night out.

(flaunting the beam)

(still showing off…)

If you like a thick lip gloss that layers and layers, this one is not for you. But if you like something ultra-natural, this Rimmel Underground lip gloss will probably be your pick of the day!

{ 8 comments }

Dior Fall 2007 Diorissime Palette

by PJ on Thursday, July 5, 2007

in -Dior, 2007 Fall, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss

(pictured: my Dior items,
including the Dior Detective Chic palette from fall 2006)

There is no way that I am NOT going to get this palette!

This is the new limited-edition Diorissime Palette from the Dior Fall 2007 makeup collection, and I love it. I have my own reasons:

1. It has some lovely neutral shades that I have recently been very interested in.

2. It has a blue-tinted lip gloss.

3. It is even prettier than the Dior Detective Chic palette (or see photo above) from fall 2006.

4. It is pink! (Well, I don’t have a link to pink, but I do love pink. I’ll do a post on pink in my “I Love Color” series later on.)

It is as if the palette were made for me……

In the UK, the Dior fall 2007 collection will be out in early August.

{ 0 comments }

Chanel Contraste Lumiere Palette in Aquarelles

by PJ on Wednesday, June 20, 2007

in -Chanel, 2007 Summer, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(Pictured: my Chanel Contraste Lumiere in Aquarelles)

I always like a nice palette. I like the weight, the size, and the sleekness of it. I am always looking for palettes with great colors inside and a look to match.

I have always loved Chanel, but, apart from one Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette, this is the first one I bought. I am glad that I have waited for something virtually perfect for me. I have been enjoying experimenting with pink and lilac eyeshadows for a few months now, so it is exciting to see both colors in the palette. Also, the lip glosses have various cool-pink tones that really suit me. Out of almost all the seasonal palettes from Chanel in the past couple of years, this is definitely my favorite.

(four lip glosses and two eyeshadows)

The colors of the two eyeshadows really compliment each other and they can be worn in many different ways. The finish is sheer and semi-matte with some very subtle shimmer. The lip glosses give a wonderfully natural sheen to the lips. All these sheer hues are great for a touch of color in the hot summer.

I think summer is actually a great time to wear cool tones. So give them a go!

(There is another version of the palette (in Mordorees), which features various warm tones for a sun-kissed complexion.)

The Search for the Perfect Pout Is Over?! Lavshuca Fall 2007 Collection

by PJ on Friday, June 8, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss

(pictured: part of my Lavshuca stash)

As we are still getting ready for some hot weather, Lavshuca has already released news on their fall 2007 collection, in store on August 1st 2007.

See a photo of part of the collection here.

The collection features:
a new line of liquid lip colors (10 shades, seen in link above)
6 eyeshadow palettes (2 seen in link above)
1 liquid eyeliner
2 new shades of Jewelry Lips lipsticks
1 new shade of Eye Color Select palette

The attention grabber of the new collection is the revolutionary liquid lip colors, which will have a highly viscous consistency. I imagine it is between a very syrupy lip gloss and a very creamy lipstick (half-liquid and half-solid). The twist-dispenser with the delicate heart-shape opening will really showcase this consistency.

Who knows? Some people think that the makeup and skincare innovations in Japan are at least one decade ahead of the Western counterpart*. Maybe this is the perfect formula of combining the color intensity of lipsticks and the shine of lip glosses.

Lip colors that are both highly pigmented and ultra-glossy? Can’t wait to try them!

*Next week I will talk about a certain pressed powder that has taken the Japanese market by storm.

{ 6 comments }

Beautiful Lips — with Blue Lip Glosses?

by PJ on Wednesday, May 23, 2007

in -Dior, -Guerlain, 2007 Summer, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

(pictured from top: DiorKiss 208 Mint Lemonade,
DiorKiss 198 Plum Tart,
Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Lip Gloss 03 Sparking Sea)

There are all the usual lip gloss colors: red, pink, coral, plum and beige. But once in a while you see some seemingly wacky shades of yellow, green, and blue, and you might think “Why?”

This season, at least three major brands have come up with their versions of blue lip gloss. Dior has added a light blue shade into their DiorKiss range, while one of the limited-edition items in the Guerlain by Emilio Pucci collection is a sparkling blue lip gloss. Benefit has also come up with California Kissin’, another blue lip gloss.

On the Benefit website and various other places (like the American Vogue), blue-tinted lip glosses are claimed to be able to make teeth appear whiter. But I am not really convinced of this and that’s not the reason why I buy blue lip glosses.

First of all, I like blue lip glosses because I like all colors in the aquamarine-turquoise spectrum (as you might have seen in my A Splash of Color – Aqua Blue post). When I see blue-tinted lip glosses, I am instantly drawn to them and it is as if I could see tropical ocean in a tube. Love it.

Secondly, I do actually use them. What blue-tinted lip glosses do is that they subtly bounce/balance off the red in the lips and therefore give a beautiful transparency to the lips. So they are essentially a version of sheer lip glosses (your lips will NOT look blue). But because of the blue tint, the effect is sheerer than sheer. The lips appear see-through and jelly-like and, in most cases, more plumped. Again, love it.

Also, Kevyn Aucoin’s blue lip gloss (Liquid Cyber Lips in Alurabliss) is said to be able to add depth and dimension to the lips to make them look fuller. (It is basically the same idea in different words.) You can see the actual tube here.

(In a similar vein, the reason why brands like Shu Uemura has a pastel blue loose powder is that it gives a clear and transparent look to the face.)

Onto the blue lip glosses I have:

DiorKiss 198 Plum Tart:
This is a limited-edition item in spring 2005. It has small glitters of various colors. As with all DiorKiss lip glosses, it gives a really glassy and syrupy finish.

Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Lip Gloss 03 Sparkling Sea:
It has very sparse blue and green glitters and creates a wet sheen on the lips (not as glassy as DiorKiss). (Limited edition for summer 2007.)

DiorKiss 208 Mint Lemonade:
Again, very glassy and reflective. It has some subtle green shimmer. (Limited edition for summer 2007)

All in all, blue lip glosses are not bizarre. If you come across any of them, give it a go. Who knows…you might love it too!

{ 14 comments }

Lavshuca Gloss Stick lipgloss

by PJ on Thursday, February 15, 2007

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

Lavshuca again today. They make some of the cutest stuff around. Their eye palette is just adorable, and this lipgloss pen is another example. In seven colors, the Gloss Stick looks just like any other lip gloss that comes in a pen, and the color I have (PK-3) is a nice basic everyday pink with a bit of shimmer.

But what makes it interesting and fun is the applicator:

The heart-shape dispenser is what seals the deal for me. What a nice little touch! It has a very similar advantage to that of the spatula applicator of Curvy Lip Silicone. It doesn’t smudge off the lipstick and is easy to clean. Cute and clever.