Tag: matte lipstick

lip products, liquid lipstick

NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment “American Woman” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

I’ll be honest, as much as I enjoyed reviewing the past few products, I’m so happy to be back to liquid lipsticks! Even though they’ve lost popularity in the mainstream, I still have a ton of love for them. I’ve never had issues with most of them feeling too dry, and they’re so easy for me to wear and forget about!

Color: American Woman is described on the Sephora website as a chestnut rose, which is very accurate! It has a lot of pink in it, but I still get a distinct peach to it as well, which I think comes from the chestnut part. It’s another color in the same family as MAC’s Velvet Teddy & Pat McGrath’s Omi.

Finish: Unsurprisingly with a name like “power matte”, this lipstick goes on thin and shiny but dries down to a completely flat matte.

Packaging: Even though this is a mini, the packaging is the exact same between mini and full size. It’s a rectangular acrylic tube with a small clear window on each side. Everything else is a matte black, but not their usual soft touch packaging. The lid has NARS listed across the top, with one letter on each side.

Applicator: The applicator is so unique! I don’t believe I’ve seen anything like it. Instead of a usual fluffy doefoot or paddle, it’s a small soft applicator that is thin and pointed.

Continue reading “NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment “American Woman” | Review” →
bullet lipstick, lip products

MAC Cosmetics Matte Lipstick “Velvet Teddy” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

While I can’t remember exactly where/when I got this particular lipstick, I’m so excited! MAC’s Velvet Teddy has always seemed like a color that would be perfect for me. It wasn’t too pink, and was neutral and dark enough to look good on my lips.

Color: Velvet Teddy is described as a “deep-tone beige” on the MAC website. I actually feel like the website pictures don’t look quite as accurate to real life. It looks a lot more bright and peach; if I saw this shade just from their website I would actually say it was not a good color for me, so I’m surprised.

I would say this is a mid-tone neutral peach. It definitely has a pinky peach lean to it instead of the standard neutral, but it doesn’t go straight up orange like a lot of pinks and warm nudes can. It’s a great color for people with more pigmented lips who still want to rock a pretty neutral peachy pink shade, in my opinion.

Finish: While not as matte as the retro matte line, the regular line does still have a definite matte look. There is just the tiniest bit of a satin in the swatch, but on the lips it does look flat, with no hint of a shine.

Packaging: My particular lipstick is actually a mini and not the full size, but the packaging is identical to a normal MAC lipstick, just smaller! It’s a black tube and cap with small silver glitters throughout. The cap has MAC written on it in silver, and the mechanism to twist the bullet up is silver and has MAC printed on it as well.

Applicator: With this being a mini, the shape of the bullet is just a little different, as it’s not as wide as the normal MAC lipsticks. It still has a very distinct tear drop shape and the tip of the lipstick is a point. I actually feel like with it being smaller it would make applying this easier for some people, as you don’t need to worry about it going outside of lip lines.

Continue reading “MAC Cosmetics Matte Lipstick “Velvet Teddy” | Review” →
bullet lipstick, lip products

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick “Bond Girl” AKA “M.I.Kiss” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

Before jumping any further into the review I want to point out that Bond Girl got a name change, so even though my product has that shade name, it is now sold as M.I.Kiss and will be referred to as that for the rest of this review!

Color: M.I.Kiss is described as a berry red on the Sephora website, but I don’t fully agree with that description. It’s not something I’d consider deep enough to be a berry, and instead looks to me like a neutral deep pink. I don’t feel like I get berry or red out of this color.

Finish: Despite this being the “matte revolution” lipstick, I felt like (and you’ll be able to see in the swatch, which sat on my hand for more than 5 minutes before the picture) that this was more of a satin or even cream finish. When I think of matte, I think MAC Ruby Woo, where it is completely flat with no shine. I do believe that the softer finish is more appealing to a larger group of people, however.

Packaging: The packaging of this lipstick is absolutely the standout – it’s a metal rose gold tube with lines running up and down the sides. The top of the cap has a CT stamped onto it, and when the cap is taken off you can see Charlotte Tilbury on the area where the tube of lipstick comes out. The bottom of the lipstick has a sticker with the product name.

Applicator: The bullet for this lipstick is shaped a bit different than a normal lipstick. Instead of the standard teardrop shape, the lipstick has a more rectangular shape. The top looks to have been “cut”into, giving it a more convex look as you get further down in the product.

Continue reading “Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick “Bond Girl” AKA “M.I.Kiss” | Review” →
bullet lipstick, lip products

MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Lipstick “Ruby Woo” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

As mentioned in last week’s review, I love finding popular, still available makeup at TJMaxx! When I saw Ruby Woo sitting on the shelf, not swatched or touched by other people as the makeup there so often is, I had to grab it.

This is one of those colors I feel like anyone who knows about makeup recognizes! MAC’s Ruby Woo feels iconic to me, so when I pulled this out to review, I couldn’t help but be excited!

Color: On the MAC website, Ruby Woo is described as a “vivid blue-red”. This color is absolutely a classic, in-your-face red, with a slight pink undertone that’s hard to notice at first, but becomes more obvious as you wear it.

Finish: They call this a retro matte and they certainly mean it. The finish from application until I take it off is completely matte; there was not even the slightest bit of sheen on my lips while wearing this color!

Packaging: The packaging of this is the iconic MAC shiny black bullet with tiny silver glitter flecks throughout, a silver ring where the cap meets the tube, and MAC printed on the cap. The bottom of the bullet has a sticker with the product name and information on it.

Applicator: As with the majority of any bullet lipstick, the shape of the product is a standard teardrop.

Continue reading “MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Lipstick “Ruby Woo” | Review” →
bullet lipstick, lip products

MAC Electric Wonder Collection Matte Lipstick “Life in Sepia” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

Last year, MAC came out with arguably the most beautiful collection known to exist, a.k.a the Electric Wonder. With gorgeous packaging and popular, wearable shades this was sure to draw the eyes of anyone interested in traditionally feminine, “instagramable” packaging. I, of course, was no exception!

Color: Life in Sepia is a cool, mid-toned brown. On the lips, it definitely has a grey undertone – this is the kind of color that most people either love or hate. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a vampy color, but it is definitely darker than a traditional nude.

Finish: As the name suggests, this is a matte finish. Even when it goes on there is very little shine, which quickly fades into a flat appearance.

Packaging: Unsurprisingly, the packaging of this lipstick is its selling point. It is a gorgeous pink marble, with veins of metallic gold scattered throughout. The inner portion of the tube is a matte gold, along with the small bit that peeks out and the MAC printed on it. The actual shape of the tube is a traditional MAC bullet lipstick.

Applicator: The shape of the actual lipstick is basic – just like any other lipstick shape with a traditional tear drop shape and a point.

Application: Applying this lipstick was as easy as any other bullet lipstick. Even after wearing it down a bit, I didn’t have problems with getting straight lines. One thing I will point out is that this particular shade is one that shows my natural lip colors on the edges if I don’t cover them completely. That just meant I had to be a little extra careful to make sure I got all the edges otherwise you could see pink, which looked a bit strange.

One other thing that is incredibly important to point out is the strong vanilla scent that MAC lipsticks have. This one is no exception – I could smell it upon application and for about 5 minutes after.

Continue reading “MAC Electric Wonder Collection Matte Lipstick “Life in Sepia” | Review” →

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New at Ulta | January 13 – February 2, 2020

Karissa

Hello friends!

I’m back once again with some of the standout products from Ulta recently!

Of course the brand new ABH palette drew my attention because it’s beautiful, but there were a lot of Colourpop palettes released as well! It also looks like Ulta is getting some products that have been out for a while, like the Persona Cosmetics glosses and Colourpop Just a Tint Lip Crayons.

New at Ulta | January 13 - February 2, 2020 - A Midwest Belle

Continue reading “New at Ulta | January 13 – February 2, 2020” →

lip products, liquid lipstick

BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick “Hemp” | Review

Karissa

Hello Friends!

I have a habit of buying lipsticks from Marshall’s on the regular, and I thought that this was a really beautiful color to try!  When this formula first launched, I heard a lot of buzz about how nice these were, so I wanted to test it for myself!

BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick "Hemp" | Review - A Midwest Belle

Color: Hemp is a pale peachy nude with a pink undertone.  In some lighting it looks more nude, and in others it pulled very orange; almost coral.  I would still consider this a bright peach nude though!

Finish: After first being applied it has a demi-matte appearance, but it did end up drying down to a very flat matte like a traditional liquid lipstick.

BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick "Hemp" | Review - A Midwest Belle

Packaging: I think the packaging of this is really beautiful! It has a black cap and stripe, with a tube that fades from frosted to clear.

Applicator: The applicator of this is a long, flat and rounded tip doefoot that works well to gather enough product for application.

Continue reading “BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick “Hemp” | Review” →

lip products, liquid lipstick

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip “Creeper” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

Colourpop took the world by storm a few years ago when they released their super shock shadows & ultra matte lips at an incredibly affordable price.  Another thing Colourpop is known for?  Limited edition!  So many colors that I’ve purchased have been discontinued.

One color that is still around though is Creeper, which is one of the original colors they released when they first started!

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip "Creeper" | Review - A Midwest Belle

Color: Creeper is a bright, blue-based red.  It has a definite pink appearance, and when the product transferred it left behind a pink stain.

Packaging: Colourpop’s packaging is notoriously bad; the writing on the tubes rubs off incredibly easily.  Other than that, it’s a nice, very standard silver cap and clear tube that looks functional and basic!  I own the sample size of this color, but packaging is identical between this and the full size; just smaller.

Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip "Creeper" | Review - A Midwest Belle

Applicator: The applicator is also an incredibly basic doefoot shape.  Nothing too interesting to report there!

Continue reading “Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip “Creeper” | Review” →

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Colourpop Velvet Blur Lipstick vs. MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick | Formula Comparison

Karissa

Hello friends!

When MAC released their new Powder Kiss lipsticks a while back, I immediately felt the need to go out and buy it.  Until recently, I’d never heard of another lipstick that had quite the same sort of formula!  While there are certainly some that are similar or can provide nearly the same effect, this just seemed so different and special.

In the past few months, Colourpop has come out with a lipstick that made me think it was very similar – one might even call it a formula dupe!  Today, I wanted to share my thoughts as to if these formulas are close enough to warrant being dupes or not!

If you’re curious to see my thoughts on each individual lipsticks, I do have reviews up of CP Lucky Strike and MAC Mull It Over.

Colourpop Velvet Blur Lipstick vs. MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick | Formula Comparison - A Midwest Belle

Continue reading “Colourpop Velvet Blur Lipstick vs. MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick | Formula Comparison” →

bullet lipstick, lip products

MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick “Mull It Over” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

I feel like MAC is a brand that almost every makeup lover has heard of; it’s definitely got a reputation and has been around for a very long time!  I wanted to make it a point to start testing some of their cult classic products and see if they’re worth the price or not.

Unlike their classic lipsticks, this is a brand new formula called the Powder Kiss lipstick, which is a matte, powdery formula that gives you a smooth and blurred look on your lips.

MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick "Mull It Over" | Review - A Midwest Belle

Color: Mull it Over is a warm peachy nude that tends to pull very orange on me, unfortunately.  Sometimes warm pink nudes tend to look much less pretty pink and way more bright orange, which is not flattering in my opinion.

When this formula first launched, this color was the closest to a wearable nude for me.  They recently came out with new shades, some of which are much better for me in terms of an every day shade!

Continue reading “MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick “Mull It Over” | Review” →