Estee Lauder Hot Fuse and Pure Rose Pure Color Sheer Rush Lipgloss Review, Photos, Swatches!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Sheer Rush Lipgloss

The new Spring 2013 Estee Lauder Cello Shots Pure Color Collection is all about playful and bright colors delivered in sheer, lightweight formulas that will keep the skin fresh and glowing all day. Tom Pecheux, the Creative Makeup Director at Estee Lauder says, "This season, I’ve been working a lot with what I call “acqua color”. It’s a gentle, watery look with just a touch of bright, vibrant color."

Estee Lauder Pure Color Sheer Rush Lipgloss ($24) is described as a "cellophane-sheer" gloss that brings a super-sheer rush of vibrant color to the lips with a high shine finish. It's moisturizing and long lasting.

Available in (6) limited edition shades: Pink Patent, X-Pose Rose, Plexi Pink, Hot Fuse, Techno Jam and Poppy Shock.

The two colors I'll be talking about are Hot Fuse, which is a bright cherry red and Pure Rose, a vibrant grape.

Some companies tend to "embellish" the product claims to make their product sound wonderful, but refreshingly, I found the description to be dead-on.

These glosses are super-sheer and tint the lips with vibrant, transparent color. The finish is very glossy, so it almost gives a watery, juicy look to the lips. It almost looks like a very mild stain with a clear gloss on top.

The formula is amazing. It doesn't settle in my lip lines or accentuate dryness and it even makes my lips appear slightly fuller. It's very silky and feels wonderful on. It has a glossy, balm-lip texture on the lips, so when I'm wearing it, I often rub my lips together to be reminded of the softness. No lip balm is necessary, just this lipgloss and I'm good to go.

(I accidentally labeled Pure Rose as Techno Jam)

NYX Apple Strudel Butter Gloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Apple Strudel Butter Gloss

I don't go to ULTA as often as I use to, but when I do I always make sure to stop by the NYX section (I feel like I just quoted a Dos Equis commercial.. ha!) On my recent trip, I was excited to see a few products that I didn't recognize that are new for 2013.

NYX Butter Glosses ($5) are a new line-up of lipglosses that are described as providing a sheer to medium coverage without feeling sticky. NYX makes some awesome lip glosses (especially their extreme lip creams and megashine lip glosses) and as usual, they come in a great variety of my kind of shades (pinks galore!)

NYX Butter Glosses are available in (12) shades: Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brule, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheesecake, Maple Blondie and Cherry Pie.

Naturally, I chose a light coral shade called Apple Strudel. It provides enough coverage to be worn alone, but if you want opaque coverage you may want to layer it over a lipstick. I find that if I apply more than one layer it feels too thick and gooey on my lips, so one layer is all I need.

It feels super moisturizing on the lips and has pretty decent lasting power - similar to the Megashine Lipglosses.

They're unfortunately scented, but it's not a scent that bothers me. It smells sweet, and reminds me of strawberries and cream.

NYX Apple Strudel on my lips.

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in the shades Paint the Town, I'm Coming Out and Glitter Dreams Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe 

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe ($6) is a newer line of super shimmery, glitter lipglosses with just a hint of color. They can be worn alone or layered over your favorite lipstick to enhance your lip color and add lots of shine.

NYX Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe are available in (11) shades:  I'm Coming Out, Do the Hustle, Beat Goes On, Glitter Dreams, High Society, Disco Playground, VIP, Paint the Town, Underground Boogie, The Last Party and Velvet Ropes.

The majority of the shades are pink toned with the exception of a couple beige/gold shades. I ended up getting three shades that I thought would look good topped over some of my favorite pink lipsticks.

The consistency of these glosses is thin, yet fairly creamy and comfortable on the lips. They are non-sticky, tacky or heavy feeling on the lips. Glitter glosses can tend to feel gritty on the lips, but I didn't have a problem with these. The shade Glitter Dreams contains the most shimmer of the three glosses I purchased, and you could feel the glitter when you rub your lips together, but it's not bad by any means.

The applicator is large, narrow and flat (love!!) so it scoops up the perfect amount of product, so you won't have to double dip for additional product.

I'm Coming Out is a medium toned cool pink with golden shimmer. It looks pretty on it's own, but since it's so sheer, I prefer wearing it over a similar pink or fuschia colored lipstick.

Paint the Town is a soft coral with subtle golden shimmer. It's the least gritty of the three because it contains the least shimmer. It looks really pretty topped over coral, warm pink and peach lipsticks. (See below where I paired it with MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick)

Glitter Dreams is a reddened raspberry with tons of multi-colored glitter. It's the flashiest of three, and if you love lots of shimmer, this is your gloss. When worn alone it makes my lips look a bit more berry pink toned, shiny and a bit fuller. I think this will pair well with any medium or dark shades of pink, plum - even red!

Love this combo! MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick with NYX Paint the Town on top.

Read more for additional photos and swatches...

Chanel Jalousie Glossimer Review, Photos and Swatches!

Chanel Jalousie Glossimer 

When you're looking for a picker upper, what's better than indulging in sparkly and needless material things? Or maybe taking a stroll through Godiva or See's Candy for a piece of ridiculously overpriced, yet completely delicious chocolate. I like browsing the Chanel counter, and that's how I came across this little gem. Absolutely necessary? Absolutely not. Gorgeous? You bet.

Chanel Jalousie Glossimer ($29.50) is a vibrant pink with a purple pearl. You could also call it a glistening fuchsia. (Jalousie means Jealousy in French, btw!) This shade launched in the Roses Ultimes De Chanel Collection earlier in the year. As far as I know, it's limited edition, but is still available online.

If I was rolling in money bags, I'd love to own every shade of this angelic gloss, but for now I only own a few, and I don't wear them daily because they are just that precious.

Glossimers differ in terms of color payoff, some are sheer, but Jalousie is opaque with one swipe. As it wears down, the color sheers up slightly, but it still provides full on color.

It of course looks great on it's own, and it pairs really well with other pink lipsticks to make them a little brighter and pinker. You could also layer it over a similar fuchsia lipstick, such as MAC Lickable Lipstick or MAC Girl About Town for an intense pink lip. 

Chanel Jalousie Glossimer on my lips.

NYX Nude Pink Megashine Lip Gloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

NYX Nude Pink Megashine Lip Gloss

NYX Nude Pink Megashine Lip Gloss ($5.50) is a creamy, soft neutral pink. The color is soft on my lips, but it's not really what I'd describe as "nude". It's light, but it doesn't wash me out. It's pigmented enough to wear alone, and it looks amazing when paired with any pink lipstick.

NYX Megashine Lipglosses are one of my favorite, if not my favorite line of drugstore lip glosses for several reasons - there is a huge selection of pretty every day colors, the formula is pigmented (although some shades can be sheerer than others), they are non-sticky, feel great on the lips and are inexpensive.

One of the downsides about NYX Megashine Lipglosses are that the tube can sometimes get messy. I've owned several Megashine Lipglosses, and I've had some overflow. You can see in the main photo how much gloss has gathered around the top of the tube. I like to clean the inside handle of the wand applicator with a q-tip once I notice a lot of product gathering and it helps.

Also, they are scented like cherries. Some love it, some hate it. I don't really mind it. Kinda wish it was scent-free, but it doesn't stop me from purchasing them.

NYX Nude Pink on my lips

NYX Absolute Red Xtreme Lip Cream Review & Photos!

NYX Absolute Red Xtreme Lip Cream

NYX Absolute Red Xtreme Lip Cream ($5.99) is an opaque cherry/blood red lip color with a glossy finish. NYX Xtreme Lip Creams are a lipgloss/lipstick hybrid as the product is completely opaque with one coat, yet it has the texture and shine of a gloss. I'd compare the pigmentation to OCC Lip Tars, though these are much more moisturizing.

Absolute Red is such a perfect, sexy shade of red, and I can't imagine it looking bad on anyone. It looks like a "Snow White" red with one coat and if I blot my lips with a tissue, it takes on a bright raspberry color (which is essentially what it fades to on me). With two coats, it takes on a deeper red-wine shade. It's kind of like a chameleon..

The first ingredient in this gloss is Castor Oil, so if you're familiar with it, you can imagine the consistency. It's thick and moisturizing, yet it's completely non-sticky/tacky or greasy. Also, if you're familiar with the scent of Castor Oil, that's what the gloss smells like - kind of woody/plastic-like, but I don't even notice it anymore.

The lasting power is just as really good - the red in particular is still on my lips after several hours (although it will fade slightly).

NYX Absolute Red on my lips.

OCC Lip Tars Now Available at Sephora.com!

OCC Lip Tars Now @ Sephora.com

OCC at Sephora!? What a lovely surprise! And what is that pictured next to the tube? A lip brush? Sweet!

For all of you Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lovers out there, starting at the beginning of this week, Sephora is now carrying the full line of Lip Tars on the Sephora website and in-store at select Sephora locations. Now you can gain some Beauty Insider points each time you purchase a Lip Tar!

For those of you that don't know what Lip Tars are, they are the most pigmented lip colors on the market. They combine the color and longevity of a lipstick with the application of a gloss. They dry down to a matte finish (which I find a bit drying, so I always mix them with some clear gloss). They are highly popular among the online makeup community as well as makeup artists all over the world.

OCC Lip Tars have come a long way since their original launch a few years back in 2009 starting out with a range of 12 fairly basic colors, to the now selection of 40 amazing shades.

OCC Lip Tars have had a few packaging makeovers over the years, and a price increase along with them. Originally, the lip tars were 10 ml for $12.50. Then the tubes were downsized to 8 ml with the same $12.50 price tag, then they increased slightly to $13, and now with their new packaging design they are back to the original 10 ml, but are now $16 each.

Sleek Milkshake and Minx Pout Paint Review, Swatches and Comparison to OCC Lip Tars!

Sleek Milkshake & Minx Pout Paint

Sleek Pout Paint ($6.49) is an intense lip pigment, with the consistency of a lipgloss, and the pigmentation and finish of a lipstick.

Sleek Pout Paints are available in (11) shades: Minx, Cloud 9, Mauve Over, Lava, Peachy Keen, Rosette, Port, Pinkini, Milkshake, Peek-a-Bloo and Pin up.

I got my hands on two of the shades; Milkshake and Minx. Milkshake is a vibrant coral-pink and Minx is a neutral beige-pink.

Sleek Pout Paints launched at around this time last year, and I remember when everyone was talking about them and comparing them to the very similar OCC Lip Tars. I love my OCC Lip Tars, but admittedly, I reach for my traditional lipsticks before my lip tars because they are more convenient to use.

Sleek Pout Paints and OCC Lip Tars alike need to be applied with a lip brush because the color is so opaque, you only need a small drop to coat your lips. If you don't own a lip brush, you can use any small brush (concealer brush, etc) or the wand of one of your lipglosses.

Milani Quick Flash Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss Review!

Milani Quick Flash Haute Flash Lipgloss

Milani Haute Flash Lipgloss ($7.49) is a new lipgloss range from Milani providing full coverage color with an extra shiny finish. It's non-tacky and won't won't feather; meaning, it will stay on your lips and won't travel outside your lip line.

There are six (6) shades available: Hot Flash, Flashy, In a Flash, Star Flash, Golden Flash and Quick Flash. A couple of the shades caught my eye, but I was the most drawn to Quick Flash.

Quick Flash is a light-med pink (I can't decide whether it's a warm or cool pink, it's somewhere in between) filled with a mixture of white and pink shimmer. If you don't like shimmer, steer clear because these contain lots of shimmer.

Some of the shades in this range are more pigmented than others, and Quick Flash happens to be the sheerest. I was a bit disappointed because with the claims of being "full coverage", I was expecting a liquid lipstick type of gloss, and it just didn't deliver. It's very buildable though, and with two coats, it provides a nice medium coverage on my rosy lips.

Milani Quick Flash on my lips.

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream Review!

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream ($5.99) is a "liquid lipstick" - it has the coverage of an opaque lipstick, but in a creamy lipgloss form. It delivers intense, long-lasting color with a shiny finish.

I just reviewed Nude Peach Fuzz in the previous post, and now I'll be talking about the other color I have, which is the shade Natural.

Natural is a light, pinky-beige nude. It's a shade that'd work best on light to light-medium and medium skin tones. It may look too pastel on darker skin tones, but those with darker skin tones may like this lip gloss to mix/tone down dark and/or bright lip colors. For reference, it's not as light as MAC Myth Lipstick - it's much more wearable. I'm around MAC NC25 right now, and it's not lighter than my skin. (See swatch at the end of the post) In my opinion, a must-have if you're a fan of the nude lip.

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream on my lips

NYX Nude Peach Fuzz Xtreme Lip Cream Review! My FAVORITE lip product right now!

NYX Nude Peach Fuzz Xtreme Lip Cream 

If I could leap in the air and click my heels without falling flat on my face, I'd do it right now in salutation of one of my new favorite lip products! Wait... What? What is that? Is that the sound of angels?

I've gone through so many lip products that it takes a lot to woo me nowadays, but this lip cream sure makes me swoon.

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream ($5.99) is a "liquid lipstick" - it has the coverage of an opaque lipstick, but in a creamy lipgloss form. It delivers intense, long-lasting color with a shiny finish.

There are eleven (11) shades to choose from: Dolly Girl, Candy Land, Spicy, Buttery Nude, Bonfire, Pinky Nude, Absolute Red, Skin Tone, Strawberry Jam, Natural and Nude Peach Fuzz.

Nude Peach Fuzz is a warm, light peach tinged pink. If you generally like peachy-pinks, watermelon/flamingo pinks, coral-pinks - all that jazz, you'll like this one. I like the fact that the peach tone isn't overbearing, so there isn't a trace of orange on my lips. Even though the color is light, it doesn't wash me out - it actually brightens up my face. It reminds me a bit of a lighter and brighter version of MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick.

NYX Nude Peach Fuzz on my lips

NYX Nude Peach Mega Shine Lip Gloss Review! Love this gloss!

NYX Nude Peach Mega Shine Lip Gloss

NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses ($5.49) are ultra creamy lipglosses that deliver loads of color and shine. There is zero stickiness, and the formula doesn't leave your lips begging for hydration. You'll be sure to find a color you like, as there are 50 shades to choose from! 

I've owned a few of these glosses in the past, with the shade 'Smokey Look' being one of my favorites. Well, I've found a new favorite, and that is a little gem by the name of 'Nude Peach'.

Nude Peach is a vibrant melon pink with subtle shimmer. If you like warm pinks and pinky-corals, there's no doubt in my mind that you won't like this gloss. It's especially nice on warm and tan skintones. When I'm tan, I always opt for shades like this. When I'm a bit lighter, I gravitate towards slightly cooler pinks.

I like wearing this lipgloss alone, or layered on top of any pink lipstick. I like wearing it over MAC Viva Glam Nicki, Shygirl or Creme Cup. It adds a little vibrancy to the color.

NYX Nude Peach Mega Shine Lip Gloss on my lips

Essence My Favorite Milkshake Stay with Me Lipgloss Review!

Essence My Favorite Milkshake Stay with Me Lipgloss

The Essence Stay With Me Lipglosses ($2.29 each, Ulta) are a small range of color-intense lipglosses, that leave your lips with creamy, long lasting color - and no sticky trail behind!

There are currently six (6) shades to choose from: Me & My Ice Cream, My Favorite Milkshake, Candy Bar, Kiss Kiss Kiss, Deep Rose and Hottest Pink.

I already own and have re-purchased the shade Me & My Ice Cream on a couple occasions, and when I spotted My Favorite Milkshake, it looked like a perfect natural lip color I can wear for on-the-go.

My Favorite Milkshake is a light, warm, natural pink with medium opacity. I think it's a shade that can work on just about anyone. Despite it being "warm", it's not overly warm and doesn't look yellow or orange on my lips when my skin is lighter. When I'm tan, this color still works perfectly, without washing me out like some pale pinks tend to do. It actually brightens my face up a little bit!

The consistency is a bit thick, but surprisingly moisturizing (kind of like a thick balm) and isn't sticky. The only lipgloss formula that's similar that comes to mind is MAC Cremesheen Glass, or MAC Lipglass without the stickiness. Because of it's thicker texture, the wear time is pretty good with these, but because this shade in particular is pretty light, the color sheers out after a while of wear.

My Favorite Milkshake on my lips

Bonne Belle Strawberry Parfait Lip Lites Lipgloss Review!

Bonne Belle Strawberry Parfait Lip Lites Lipgloss

You all know me by now, and I love finding a good makeup bargain. I'm not one that really likes to invest in a pricey lipgloss - as I always feel like I could find something similar at the drugstore for less than half of the price.

Take Bonne Belle Lip Lites in Strawberry Parfait ($3) for instance. A light, creamy, bubble-gum pink that is said to be a close duplicate for the ever-popular Nars Turkish Delight Lipgloss ($24). Both lipglosses will pretty much give the same effect to the lips, but Bonnie Belle costs 1/8th of the price of Nars at a mere $3 per tube.

The formula is creamy, non-sticky and feels great on the lips. The color pay-off is pretty good for a gloss - a couple of layers will give you that baby pink pout that everyone loves.

Bonne Belle Strawberry Parfait Lipgloss on my lips

Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in Bubble Babe, Super Girl and Nude Candy.

Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss

I've purchased Essence's XXXL Shine Lipgloss in the past, and I was pretty impressed. I can't really call it a drugstore brand, because in the USA, it's only available in ULTA, but it's one of my favorite bargain brands for lip products. (*edit - there may be other locations depending on your area. The location finder on the Essence website only shows results for those living in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I have only seen Essence at ULTA in my area.)

Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss is available in twelve (12) shades: 01 Pure Chic, 03 Timeless Beauty, 04 Rising Star, 05 Super Girl, 07 Big Night Out, 08 Glamour to Go, 09 Party Connection, 14 Bubble Babe, 15 True Love, 17 Fabulous Fuschia, 18 Sparkling Papaya and 19 Nude Candy.

Super Girl is a very sheer watermelon pink with bright pink shimmer.
Bubble Babe is a very sheer, cool cotton candy pink with cool pink and white shimmer.
Nude Candy is a creamy pale pink, reminiscent of Nars Turkish Delight Lipgloss. The color applies fairly opaque in comparison to the other two shades.

Super Girl and Bubble Babe work best applied over a lipstick to add a little bit of glossy shine, as alone, they don't provide much color.

One of my favorite things about the XXXL Shine Lipgloss, is the brush design. It's not your average sponge or doe-foot applicator. It's longer, and flatter than your standard doe-foot. What's nice about the shape is that the applicator picks up the perfect amount of product, and in one sweep it applies the product evenly across your lips. You'll rarely ever have to double dip.

READ MORE!

Victoria's Secret Hot Pink Dazzleshine Lipgloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

Victoria's Secret Hot Pink Beauty Rush Dazzleshine Lipgloss 

It's always hard to resist those tempting bins they have strategically placed near the cash register, so you can rack up your total while anxiously waiting in line. After talking myself out of unnecessary purchases and patting myself on the back for my awesome will-power, I always manage to sucker myself into something glittery I don't need, in those very bins. My recent trip to Victoria's Secret was no exception. 

I'm not sure how new these glosses are to the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush line, but I believe they are one of their newest additions.

Victoria's Secret Dazzleshine Lipglosses are available in six (6) dazzling shades: Wine, Hot Pink, Cherry, Nude, Opal Shimmer and Pink Rose.

I chose Hot Pink because I thought it would pair well with some of my fuschia lip colors. It's basically a very sheer bright pink filled with bright pink/purple glitter flecks. The glitters are very fine, so you don't feel the grit on your lips. 

They retail for $7 each, or you can purchase 2/$12 ($6 each) or 4/$20 ($5 each).

I actually expected them to be squeeze tubes by the looks of it, but they actually have a doe-foot lipgloss wand. That can be a good, or bad thing depending on your preference. For a cream formula gloss, I like a doe-foot. But, for a clear, glittery gloss, I prefer a brush applicator - kind of like MAC Dazzleglasses. They seem to apply a little more product to the lips.

They all have different scents, ranging from citrus to "dazzling daiquiri". Hot Pink has the dazzling daiquiri scent - It smells like a sweet rum, but faints once on the lips. I'm not big on scented glosses, and kinda wished it would be scent-free, but I guess we can't win them all, right?

Chanel Bagatelle Glossimer Review, Photos and Swatches!

 Chanel Bagatelle Glossimer

After walking away from the MAC counter empty handed, I went over to the Chanel counter to check out their Spring 2012 Collection. The only products that really stood out to me were May Le Vernis, what seemed like the perfect, creamy pink nail polish, Blush Horizon De Chanel; a soft pinkish-coral face powder, and Bagatelle Glossimer.
I ended up getting only the Glossimer from the collection, as I knew right away that it would be the perfect layering gloss for most of my favorite lipsticks.

Bagatelle is a light-medium Pepto-Bismol pink, filled with fine gold shimmer. The gold shimmer gives the pink gloss a bright, warm pink with a hint of peach appearance. From swatches I've seen on other blogs, the lipgloss looks fairly pigmented - Although it may be slightly more opaque than the others in this collection, or Glossimers in general, it's still pretty sheer. When applied heavier, the color is more opaque, but it seems to sheer out pretty soon after.

Applied to my lips, it brightens, with adding a sheer pink hue and lots of shine.

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss Review, Photos and Swatches!

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss

Illamasqua Indulge Intense Lipgloss ($20) is a bright hot pink, highly pigmented and non-sticky full coverage lipgloss with a super glossy finish.

In the tube this shade looks a little deeper - almost like a slightly reddened neon pink. But once applied to the lips, the shade is a lighter, milky neon pink. Think Betsey Johnson or Barbie pink.

I've been wanting to try Illamasqua's Intense Lipglosses for what seems like forever. I always imagined they would be like a toned down & more moisturizing version of OCC Lip Tars. What sealed the deal was seeing Temptalia's reviews for them over and over in bright, gorgeous hues, which of course built up my "need" for them even more.

The formula is a little thick and gooey, but not sticky. It feels nice on the lips, and has good lasting power because of the thicker texture. It has very good pigmentation for a gloss, so a lot of product isn't necessary. I've found when I applied too much, it looked thick on my lips, felt heavy and even ended up on my front teeth - not a pretty sight! A few drops is all you need.