Tag: ulta

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” →
lip gloss, lip products

Anastasia Beverly Hills High Shine Lip Gloss “Vintage” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

I went from reviewing nothing but liquid lipsticks to luck of the draw giving me tons of lip glosses! Lip gloss isn’t my favorite type of lip product, so I’m very ready to go back to a nice, matte lipstick. However, I hope that all of you gloss people are loving these reviews!

Color: Vintage is described on the ABH website as a “victorian rose”. This sounds like a pretty accurate description to me! The color is a neutral pink. In the tube there is pretty obvious gold glitters, but I couldn’t find any hint of it in the swatch or when I had it on my lips. They only became apparent after the majority of the gloss had worn off, and all that was left was a little pigment and all the glitter.

Finish: This finish is akin to a liquified lipstick more than a gloss in my opinion. It’s very thick and creamy looking, with some decent shine.

Packaging: The packaging of this gloss is pretty simple. It’s an acrylic tube with the product information and brand name printed on the side. The bottom has a sticker with the color name. The lid is a shiny black.

Applicator: The applicator is a pretty standard one for these thick glosses. It’s a large, flat paddle as opposed to a traditional shaped doefoot.

Continue reading “Anastasia Beverly Hills High Shine Lip Gloss “Vintage” | 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” →
lip gloss, lip products

bareMinerals Gen Nude Patent Lip Lacquer “Everything” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

One of my favorite happy accidents is buying makeup from TJMaxx and finding out that it’s actually something that you can still purchase! When I pulled this out to review, I was so excited to find that it was still on bareMinerals’ website as an option to snatch up!

Unfortunately, that’s the only thing that I was really excited about after having tried this out.

Color: The BareMinerals website describes this color as a “muted mauve”. It’s definitely a my lips but better shade! It leans a bit on the pinky purple side, but is still a neutral.

Finish: With a product name that contains the words patent and lacquer, you would expect this to be shiny, and it does not disappoint! It’s got that thick, shiny look on the lips.

Packaging: The packaging is a pretty basic acrylic tube with a shiny black cap. The brand name is written on the tube with a sticker on the bottom listing the color name.

Applicator: The applicator on this is a paddle-like doefoot, with a longer, thin shape to it. I don’t know if this is normal for the product, but only one half of the paddle had fluff on it; the other side was just the plastic paddle.

Application: Unfortunately, application of this was not easy. The product is so thick and sticky that the doefoot wouldn’t want to move across my lips easily, making getting an even application as well as a decent lip line incredibly difficult. I couldn’t get into the corner of my lips nicely, and had to make a lot of touch ups after. I found that it seemed to sink into and emphasize my more prominent lip lines, but sat on top of the less obvious ones.

Continue reading “bareMinerals Gen Nude Patent Lip Lacquer “Everything” | Review” →
lip products, liquid lipstick

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick “Caramello” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

I know, there’s a lot of shocking things happening right now! First – a new review, two weeks in a row?! Second – a product that’s actually still available for purchase??! I know, wild times, but I am feeling quite the rush of motivation to keep working through my makeup collection and sharing my thoughts with you all!

Color: Caramello is described on the Stila website as a “neutral nude”. This seems somewhat accurate, but looking at it on myself I actually consider it a cool-toned peach. It looks pretty grey on me, but still has an almost peachy color to it. It’s so hard to explain, but spoiler alert: I love it!

Finish: If you guessed that the finish of this product is matte, you’d be correct! It goes on shiny but dries down in about a minute to its flat matte finish.

Packaging: The packaging of this liquid lipstick is a traditional acrylic tube, but with a satin gold cap. The Stila logo is printed on the tube along with other product information, and the bottom has a sticker with the color name.

Applicator: The doefoot for this product looks pretty standard, but is a bit longer than a normal paddle and doesn’t have any flair.

Continue reading “Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick “Caramello” | Review” →
lip gloss, lip products

Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss “Naked” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

A few years ago, I had the not so bright idea of purchasing tons of lip kits to bolster my collection – while it’s pretty cool to have a big collection, it also means that I need to eventually work through said collection and review them all, and then decide if they’re going to stick around or move to a new home.

This is one of those products that came from a Sephora kit, and now that I’ve tried it I’m so sad I waited so long to test it out!! Spoiler alert, I really enjoy this.

Color: The Urban Decay website describes Naked as a “nude-pink cream with a pearly pink shift”. For me, when this is on my lips it does look more nude than pink, but my lips are also pigmented enough that there’s not much color payoff for me either way.

Finish: The finish of this product is quintessential “gloss” – it’s exactly what you think it would be. It’s got a sheer color payoff and a lot of shine.

Packaging: The packaging for my sample does vary quite a bit from the actual lip gloss packaging. The sample is a small, round acrylic tube with a silver cap and silver printing with the product information and brand name.

The full size product is a large, square silver tube. It has panels that are acrylic and you can see the actual product through it. The cap is also silver, and has the urban decay logo embossed in it.

Applicator: This lip gloss has a standard doefoot applicator, which I don’t feel is the best for this product. It does appear that the actual applicator for the full size is a flat paddle that holds more product, which is more beneficial to this particular formula.

Application: Application of this isn’t difficult, but does take a little more time due to the applicator. The product is kind of thick, and when dipping the wand in and then taking it out there’s only enough product to cover one lip, and I actually had to dip back in twice to cover my top lip.

There is a minty scent upon application, and for about 10 minutes after I did feel like my lips had that cooling sensation that mint will provide. It didn’t feel too intense or like I was uncomfortable and had to remove it, but if you’re especially sensitive to mint I would suggest skipping on this gloss.

Continue reading “Urban Decay Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lip Gloss “Naked” | Review” →
bullet lipstick, lip products

Milani Color Statement Lipstick “Teddy Bare” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

Milani is one of those brands that I hear lots of positive feedback on, and of course because of that I had to try it. If you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit of a nude lipstick fiend, so my product of choice was one of their most popular nude lipstick shades!

Color: Teddy Bare is a brown, midtone nude with a slightly warm undertone. I couldn’t find any descriptors on the Ulta or Milani website so this is my best guess! It’s mostly neutral, but there does appear to be just a hint of orange in the swatch. On my lips it looks like a neutral.

Finish: The Ulta website describes this color as a satin finish, however it is definitely a cream finish. There is a lot of shine starting with the application that doesn’t go away.

Packaging: The packaging of this lipstick is a shiny gold square shape, with “Milani” printed on in a matte gold/yellow. On the opposite side is a label with the product/color name and product information. The bottom has a clear section which shows the color of the lipstick and has the number/name printed in gold as well.

The shiny gold of the packaging does a very poor job at hiding fingerprints, so if messy makeup bothers you, you’ll want to be prepared to wipe it down on the regular.

Applicator: The shape of the bullet is just the standard pointed shape, with no special embossing on the actual product.

Application: I found application of this lipstick to be very easy. It is pigmented enough to go on in one swipe, and creamy, meaning there was no tugging on my lips and it applied smoothly. The bullet is pretty thick, so I was able to get all of my lips and the edges with little issue.

The scent of this lipstick is sweet, though I’m struggling to identify exactly what it smells like (there is a distinct possibility that this is just an older product and the smell has begun to fade). I couldn’t smell it after applying at all.

Continue reading “Milani Color Statement Lipstick “Teddy Bare” | Review” →
Cheek products, highlighter

CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops “Moonlight” | Review

Karissa

Hello friends!

CoverFX came on my radar when they released their custom cover drops, an ultra concentrated foundation.  From there, they developed other similar items in droppers, including these gorgeous highlighting drops!

Color:  Moonlight looks like a beautiful pale rose gold color in the bottle.  On the face, it becomes a silver color with just the slightest pink hint. Ulta’s website describes this as a “shimmering beige”, which sounds pretty accurate to me.

One huge caveat to this product is that it is infused with glitter.  I think this could be a huge turnoff to some people, because there’s a lot of people who do not want glitter on their face – just their eyes.  The first time I used it, I was shocked to find that there was glitter everywhere, and I assumed that it was because my eyeshadow also had glitter in it and it was just fallout.  After taking a really close look at this, however, I realized that there is definitely glitter being used to add the shine.

Continue reading “CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops “Moonlight” | 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” →