Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Leading Lady Red" (LE) [MAC x Charlotte Olympia 2016]

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I thought that, with regards to my beauty reviews, I'd reel myself back in starting with the most recent MAC collection and working my way backwards, throwing in reviews of permanent products and other brands in between. That brings us to the MAC x Charlotte Olympia collaboration that released online March 17, 2016 - almost two weeks ago.

Charlotte Olympia is a shoe designer with a love for the 1940s Hollywood beauty scene, resulting in a collection of classic reds, soft whites and browns, and packaging that is a vanity accessory as much as it is, well, packaging. As per usual I never knew who this person was until news of this collection surfaced, but I thought I'd include a brief description of who she is for curiosity's sake.

Personally, as much as the 1940s happens to be my favorite look in this popular video here and in the Bésame line of lipsticks, I'm not a big fan of red. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I thought I'd mention it again. I do own some red lipsticks, but most fall into the 'pinky-red' or 'berry-red' categories, which I consider the exceptions. The Olympia lipsticks, on the other hand, are all neutral-to-warm toned lipsticks.

After a bit of a debate as to whether or not I should purchase anything from this collection, I finally settled on the limited edition lipstick "Leading Lady Red," what seemed to be the most cool-toned red of the bunch, picking it up more for the packaging than the color itself and hoping that everything would work out in the end.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Styled in Sepia" (LE) [The Matte Lip 2014]

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Hi! Can you believe Halloween is in less than 2 weeks? October has been flying by for me..and with it, so is the decent weather. And the sunlight. The precious sunlight.

I really wanted to review "Fashion Revival" for you today, or both that and "Styled in Sepia," but it's already 9:15 and I didn't realize that the pictures for "Fashion Revival" have yet to be edited. It looks like "Styled in Sepia" is next on the list, then, not that that is a bad thing. "Styled in Sepia" is one of my favorite lipsticks from this collection. 

Which brings me to the fact that I purchased one more, "Damn Glamorous," which I probably won't be able to take pictures for until Saturday, if luck is on my side and, with it, the sun.

Really, though, let's talk about "Styled in Sepia." Let's talk about the collection's brownest lipstick, since I just said in my last post that brown is my least favorite color family for lipsticks. Remember? =D

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Pander Me" (LE) [The Matte Lip 2014]

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Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay - remember when I said I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago? Well, for the past week my mom has had fever on and off, and she was finally diagnosed with bronchitis after seeing two doctors. Isn't fall in New York the greatest thing?

Anyway, if you saw my sneak peek post regarding MAC's The Matte Lip collection, then you know that I purchased three of the seven limited edition lipsticks that launched with it, amongst other products. Today, I'm here to share my first of three reviews related to this collection: my thoughts on the lipstick "Pander Me."

In my sneak peek post, I mentioned how "Pander Me" wasn't actually my own pick when I placed my order for part of the collection two weeks ago. It appealed to me at first, and then it didn't, and then it did again and didn't again, et cetera. Even now I can say that if my mom hadn't picked this lipstick, I still wouldn't have had second thoughts about it based on continuously emerging reviews and swatches across the web. Yet here it is with me, and here I am with you to say what my thoughts about this color all amount to.

Let's get right to it, then.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Lingering Kiss" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

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Hi everyone. I guess you could say I've had quite a rocky start to my new job, based on my last post. Then, this past Saturday, I caught the infamous sinus infection that I've managed to avoid for almost 2 years. I'm on a roll. I feel like my "strongest" week was two weeks ago...which was my very first week, when I was at the start of training.

This post - ugh, this poor post is so overdue. I'm sorry.

Today, finally, I'm reviewing the third and last lipstick of the three I picked up from MAC's A Novel Romance collection, "Lingering Kiss." I don't even know if this color is still available. It may be, but I'm honestly not sure.

Without wasting more time, let's move on to the review.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Good Kisser" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

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Hi everyone. Happy Labor Day for those of you in the states, whether you're off or not (and if you are, then I hope you're enjoying your free day). I feel weird writing this review because if you read my last review from MAC's A Novel Romance collection, then you know I said I was passing on "Good Kisser" since I own "Red Balloon," a supposed dupe for it. I was also waiting for "Lingering Kiss" to arrive in the mail, which it has.

Well, I brought my tube of "Red Balloon" to a MAC counter where I knew "Good Kisser" was still in stock just over a week ago. I won't say how they compare - you'll see for yourself near the end of this review - but I did decide to pick up "Good Kisser," and I'm ready to review it for you today.

Lips: MAC's Sheen Supreme Lipstick in "Phosphorescent" (LE) [Moody Blooms 2014]

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Hi hi. Today I'll be reviewing the last of the three products I picked up from MAC's Moody Blooms collection, another Sheen Supreme lipstick in the color "Phosphorescent."

"Phosphorescent" was my first Sheen Supreme lipstick, though I previously reviewed "Moody Bloom" - the other of these lipsticks that I picked up from Moody Blooms - here. Inevitably, I reference "Phosphorescent" multiple times throughout that review, so if you've read that review already then you kind of already have an idea of my thoughts regarding this particular shade. This post will, of course, go into greater detail with "Phosphorescent" specifically, with the usual rundown of pictures.

So yeah - let's take a look at the infamous "Phosphorescent"!

Lips: MAC's Sheen Supreme Lipstick in "Moody Bloom" (LE) [Moody Blooms 2014]

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Hi everyone! In my last MAC post about the Moody Blooms 2014 collection, which I posted right before this one (here's a link anyway), I made an error and stated that I picked up two products only from this collection. I was thinking about my visit to the store when my boyfriend was here, during which I picked up "Artistic License" and "Phosphorescent." I totally forgot that I ordered another lipstick, "Moody Bloom," online. So why not review that one next?

"Moody Bloom" is one of six limited edition Sheen Supreme lipsticks that released with Moody Blooms. Sheen Supreme lipsticks are a different line of lipsticks from MAC's regular "lipstick" category, and the second different line of lipsticks I've tried from MAC (the other being the Huggables, which I've yet to review). I'll go into what MAC's claims are for the Sheen Supreme line but, for now, I thought I'd mention that I originally planned on skipping all of these lipsticks because I heard many people describe the Sheen Supreme formula as being greasy/messy, which I don't find very appealing.

To be realistic, I only originally purchased "Phosphorescent" for that reason. Ordering "Moody Bloom" online, then, says what I thought after all about the Sheen Supreme formula.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Snapdragon" (LE) [A Fantasy of Flowers 2014]

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Hi everyone. I hope you had a nice weekend, and are ready for the week ahead. Today I have my third of four lipstick reviews for MAC's February 2014 collection, A Fantasy of Flowers. After this, I'll only have two more reviews left for this collection (since I also purchased one of the blushes), yay!

When I first heard the details for the collection, I originally settled on "Dreaming Dahlia" and "Fleur d'Coral." However, as the date got closer, I decided I wanted to try a color I normally wouldn't try instead. That's where "Snapdragon" came into the picture.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Hug Me" (Lustre)

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Hello! Second post of the day, wee! I have pictures for a lot of posts, actually, since I've been gone for a while. Anyway, here is a post on another MAC lipstick. Hurray (I guess?) for falling into the majority for once and enjoying MAC lipsticks the most. They've grown on me as I've tried colors across their board of available finishes. Today I'm reviewing "Hug Me," one of their lustre finishes.

Up to this point, the cremesheen finish has been my favorite of MAC lipstick finishes - you can see my very first MAC review here. "Hug Me" isn't the first lustre I've bought (it's the second, if you want to be precise), but it is the lustre that made me give lustre finishes a second look. And now, after trying more lustres from a recent color collection, I think it's a finish that ties for favorite. I'm extremely excited to review the lipsticks from the new collection, but I wanted to write a review for the lustre finish in general first, using a color from the permanent line.

While "Hug Me" isn't the most interesting color - nor is it my favorite by any means - it is my go-to, most used lip color, as you will see in just a bit.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Flat Out Fabulous" (Retro Matte)

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Hi! If you read my previous MAC lipstick review here, you'd be wondering why I even own the lipstick featured in this post. Retro matte, a new formula/finish by MAC, is described as the driest formula they have to offer, as well as the most matte. And I'm usually here reviewing glossy, creamy, and (more often than not) moisturizing lip products.

I honestly had no interest when the Retro Matte collection - an addition to MAC's permanent line of lipsticks - was released. But after seeing swatches of one of the collection's colors, "Flat Out Fabulous," I fell in love and decided to take the risk of knowingly buying a lipstick in a notably dry formula.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Pink Pearl Pop" (Cremesheen)

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post.

Hi everyone. :) Today's post is on a lipstick that I've owned for almost a year now: MAC's lipstick in "Pink Pearl Pop." It feels appropriate to start my reviews of MAC lipsticks with "Pink Pearl Pop" since it is the lipstick that acted as a first impression of the brand for me. And its first impression was successful: I've since purchased a few other colors/finishes from the MAC line of lipsticks.

MAC is popular for its lipsticks. In fact, in the lipstick description box on their official site, MAC writes that their lipsticks are "what made MAC famous." When I first got into makeup years ago and glosses were my thing, I did venture into the MAC brand with some lipglasses and lustreglasses. But I never tried any of their lipsticks until my first visit to California last year, when I finally decided to see why their lipsticks were so popular. It was kind of inevitable, really, considering my soft spot for lipsticks ever since I started with makeup again.

While "Pink Pearl Pop" was never a standout favorite color for me, it introduced me not only to a new line of lipsticks, but to a finish that has since remained my favorite: cremesheen.

Lips Coral Comparison, Part 1 of 4: Inglot's Lipstick (Cream) in 106

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post. 

Hi everyone. I've had pictures of nail polishes for blog posts on my computer for weeks, collecting virtual dust, yet I waited for the daylight of this morning to take pictures of this product instead - Inglot's Lipstick (Cream) in 106 - because I suddenly felt compelled to share my thoughts on it with you. Also, if you were wondering about this post's title, it's not a new series on my blog. It's just that I've recently acquired two lipsticks that fall into the same color family as this one, and will eventually like to do a comparison of the three. It will be four posts long - one for each of the lipsticks (beginning with this one) and then a conclusive post that shows the three lipsticks side by side. Anyway -

If you've seen my IMATS Haul post, then you've already gotten a taste for my feelings towards this lipstick. As I mentioned there, I've heard countless good things about Inglot, and when I was able to purchase their products at a discount via IMATS, I of course purchased from their lipstick collection - one for myself, and one for my mom. I don't remember the color number of my mom's, nor do I want to bother her for it to swatch on my hand. But I will mention her thoughts in this post as well when I get to my own, because our feelings on this product were mutual. Let's just say our Inglot lipsticks get barely any use.

If you want to find out why, then do continue reading.

Lips: Revlon's Colorburst Lipglosses in "Atomic Pink" [LE] and "Pink Ice"

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post.

Hi everyone. I was having trouble deciding what to review today (or write about in general, actually) and for some reason I kept gravitating towards products I don't grab for much. In the end, I decided on a product that I was excited to buy but pretty disappointed with after trying it out some weeks/months ago. That product is Revlon's Colorburst Lipgloss.

To be honest, I was never really excited about the Colorburst Lipglosses in general. I was simply excited for one color specifically that came out with a collection this past winter - something like Nude Tips and Neon Lips, I forget. Anyway, the color I wanted to try was not surprisingly "Atomic Pink," the 'neon pink' of the collection. I also ended up purchasing, at a later time, a color from the permanent line: "Pink Ice." I needed a pink gloss to add some life back into a too-nude lipstick, and thought "Pink Ice" would do the trick.

In the end, though I'm not entirely disappointed in the line of glosses as a whole, I was let down by "Atomic Pink" and remain indifferent to "Pink Ice."

Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in "Maple Blondie"

The product being reviewed in this post was purchased by me with my own money. The opinions stated further are my own opinions. I am not affiliated with the brand featured in this post. 

*Phew.* So I read about changes in disclaimer policy recently and I thought I'd start putting disclaimers on my post, whether they are or aren't necessary since...well...I don't see myself receiving free products for review anytime soon (or anytime period, haha).

Anyway, when I first heard about the NYX Butter Gloss, a new lip gloss from NYX, I thought wow, that sounds delicious, haha. And when I stumbled upon it in Ulta, I couldn't resist. I purchased the shade "Maple Blondie."

These glosses are described as having "creamy sheer to medium coverage...without that sticky sensation" (as taken from the NYX website). How do they stand up to these claims, and how does this product perform overall? Keep reading to find out!

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips LE in "Yummy Plummy" and "Melon Mania"

One of my earliest reviews on this blog was my post on the Maybelline Baby Lips, where I wrote about and shared pictures of colors from the permanent line (excluding "Quenched") and two of three limited edition shades at the time (the third excluded being "Pink Wink"). Well, I finally came across the two newest limited edition shades - "Yummy Plummy" and "Melon Mania" - at my local Rite Aid. I picked both up for two reasons: (1) they were BOGO50%, and (2) I instantly fell in love with the radiant pink that peeked through the clear cap of "Melon Mania."

This review will focus on the colors and scents of these two products, as well as provide comparisons between these LE colors and permanent/other LE colors from my previous review that they remind me of. For details on the product overall (consistency, wear, etc.), please refer to the previous review here.

Lips: L'Oreal Paris's Colour Caresse Shine Stain in "Pink Rebellion"

Second post for the day, phew! Haha. As I mentioned in my latest few reviews, there have been a ton of new products coming out in the drugstore for 2013. Of the two I was most excited for, one was the Maybelline Color Whisper (reviewed here), and the other was the star of today's post, L'Oreal Paris's Colour Caresse Shine Stain. 

People have been anticipating the release of this product the most of all the new products, I think, since it's said to be a dupe for the way-more-expensive Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Glossy Stain by Yves Saint Laurent. Well, I never tried that product, so I can't comment on any similarities or lack thereof between the two.

I was at first torn about purchasing this product because it's main feature is that it stains and I haven't had much luck with any kind of stain. But the more I passed the display at the Duane Reade I work at, the more interested I became - specifically in the color worn by the display model. It wasn't long before I caved in and bought that exact color, "Pink Rebellion."

Lips: Maybelline's Color Whisper by Color Sensational in "Mad for Magenta"

*** Curious to see more shades? Check out my post on Color Whispers "Lust for Blush" and "Pin Up Peach" here! ***

Here is yet another new lip product I was excited for, especially since its design seems to imply a direct response to the ever-so-popular Revlon Lip Butters (I still have to review these, haha): Maybelline's Color Whispers by Color Sensational. I will be referring to them simply as Color Whispers for the rest of this review, since the full title is a mouthful.

I did buy one of these Color Whispers because of their resemblance to the Lip Butters. I was curious how they would compare, though I'll do a separate post directly comparing these balm-lipstick-gloss-master products once I'm done reviewing them all individually. For the Color Whispers, I will be reviewing the color "Mad for Magenta."

Lips: CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Juicy Jam"

Hi all! A ton of new drugstore products have been coming out this season, and I managed to find quite a few this week - granted I'm on a lip product kick, so most of the products I looked for and purchased (and will be reviewing) were for the lips. The first that I'll be reviewing is the latest addition to the jumbo lip pencil trend, CoverGirl's Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Juicy Jam."

I think the whole jumbo lip pencil craze was started by Clinique's Chubby Stick (which will be in an upcoming review). I know that on the high end side of the spectrum, Tarte has its own version, which I don't own. On the low end, Revlon came out with their Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains - this past spring/summer, I believe. And now CoverGirl has joined the bandwagon with their Jumbo Gloss Balms.

The main claims of this product, according to the packaging itself, are sheer color and soft shine. 

Lips: Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede in "Socialite"

Hi all :) While on the hunt for Wet n Wild LE eye shadow palettes this past Friday, I came across a lipstick display from Revlon that I had heard about on Nouveau Cheap: ColorStay Ultimate Suede. The display was already halfway empty so I decided to pick up what I felt would be the most flattering color on me of those left, "Socialite." I love my three other Revlon lip products so I was excited to try a new one.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lipsticks are advertised (as far as the display goes, since the website does not yet mention them as of today) to have 16-hour wear and to be both moisturizing and food-proof. This lipstick is basically the step up in the ColorStay series which has, up until now, been in a liquid formula. I never cared for long-wearing, liquid lipsticks, so the ColorStay line never appealed to me. I always viewed such products as being extremely dry. However, what really won me over in this product's claims was the moisturizing aspect. Revlon has yet to disappoint me in past claims about moisture; both my lip butters and my Kissable balm stains are some of my favorite pigmented, moisturizing lip products. Perhaps I shouldn't have expected so much though, because that is where this product lost me.

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips (Permanent & Limited Edition)

Hi everyone! Tinted, moisturizing lip products have become my absolute favorite lip products to use, and drugstore brands including CoverGirl, Maybelline, Revlon, and L'Oreal all have their own versions. I have to say, though, that my favorite has to be Baby Lips by Maybelline. I've been using them nonstop since I stumbled upon them back in July, and was excited to get a hold of one of the new limited edition dual packs. So today I am happy to be reviewing those from the permanent line that I picked up as well as the one limited edition pack that I managed to find this past weekend in Walgreens.