Must Have Make-Up

I have been chomping at the bit for Hourglass Cosmetics to launch their Femme Nude Lip Stylo Collection since I featured it in a fashion week look in February! Finally it's arrived Beauties!

 Hourglass products are always the best dressed girls at the party.  Their packaging is to die for!

They're in a niche all their own with their sleek, luxe metals & innovative housing. There are a few jumbo size lipstick crayons out on the market- none of them look like this! When touching up my lips throughout the day, this product garners notice.

Shade No. 4 is featured on my pucker, it's a peach based nude. ($30)

This collection is great for girls who love a nude lip, whether paired with a strong smokey eye or as a building block for the perfect glossy nude. The collection offers 6 hues to flatter all skintones & is creamy, but not a completely flat matte. It's pure indulgence.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.
*Product gifted for review

The Lipgloss Diaries: Don't Be Tardy Edition

I'm not going to lie, the Bravo channel is on probably 75% of the time the tv is on at my house. I can't help it- I'm addicted to all things Real Housewives. I've watched all of the spinoffs, with Don't Be Tardy being a current favorite. Being a professional make-up artist & esthetician, I'm often focusing as much on the face as the storyline!

The Kim we first met many seasons ago has definitely softened up her look.

 

 I think she's had some well placed fillers, Botox, possible Rhinoplasty(nose job) & toned down her make-up - well toned down for her!  Even she has admitted her wigs are better, too!

(Top image from http://christenexpecting.blogspot.com, but possibly a Getty Image)

When she was on What What Happens Live with my beloved Andy Cohen recently (practically a news source for me) a viewer asked about her gloss.  Her gloss is pretty fabulous, so I jotted down what she said it was & got it. She uses MAC Cream Cup Lipstick (top) & Sephora's #14 Lipgloss (bottom.)

It pulls a little lighter on her overall, but it's still a super soft & pretty look.  I love the texture of the Sephora gloss, as well. I'll be picking up additional colors, for sure.

Here's a close-up. I think Kim's been looking so good lately, because she's never been so happy. Happiness is a look that looks good on everyone!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Fabulous Finds Friday: NYX

The Nude Lipgloss Diaries continue as we all know I am powerless to resist adding to my collection!  At the Ulta near me they are expanding their NYX offerings, which makes me quite happy. Add into it that all NYX is buy one, get one half off until the end of this month & there are bargains to be had!

I scooped up 1 of their automatic Lip Liners (regularly $4.50/ea.) MPL10 Nude (top) which is a nude pink beige & 2 of NYX's Lip Butter Glosses (retails for $5/ea.) in BLG05 in Creme Brulee (middle) &BLG07 in Tiramisu (bottom.)

I always fill my entire lip line in with liner. It anchors your color better, plus it also prevents the creepy clown like effect as your lip products wear off of just having an outline left around your mouth. A tip for making your lips appear fuller is to leave the very center bare of color or add a lighter highlighting gloss right in the center of the lip.

 In both pictures, Creme Brulee is on the top lip & Tiramisu is on the bottom lip.

 I know I mentioned in the past, that some of NYX's glosses smelled heavily of Cherry NyQuil...I made sure to do a sniff check before purchasing these & am happy to report that these glosses smell softly of caramels & actually of their shade names. Even at regular prices, NYX products are a great value, but with the current special- they are a definite steals & deals must!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Must Have Make-Up Monday: It Cosmetics

With the weather being all over the place, the bracing winds & my allergy medication have left my lips a chapped, hot mess.  Always a fan of multi-tasking beauty products, I've been reaching for It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush Butters a lot. The butters feel just like you guessed it, absolute butter on the lips. They're packed with nourishing ingredients like plum oil, argan oil, jojoba, cherry oil & antioxidants to help actually heal your lips- not just 'gloss' over the problem.  There are 3 shade options & all of them are sheer wearable offerings.

 Pillow is the most neutral & the one I reach for every morning. It's that soft pinky nude lip I adore.

 Darling is a pretty pop of pink- the perfect pick me up during these long winter months when you're feeling so pale you could have been an extra in the Twilight series.

 In Love, the deepest shade- the one I thought would be too far out side of my comfort zone has been a pleasant surprise.  Here it is with a soft application, though you can easily build the intensity. It's lovely & again ever so sheer, so that even the fairest of complexions will feel comfortable wearing it. Another plus worth mentioning is the slimline tube- they will fit in the tiniest of pockets or purses! They retail for $20 a tube or you can scoop them up over at QVC, where you can get all 3 tubes for under $36.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

*Items gifted for review

Fabulous Finds Friday: NYX

As I previously mentioned I have been loving chubby lip pencils lately.  They're what I reach for when I'm in a rush in the morning, which is pretty much always. They're the perfect hybrid of lip pencil & lipstick + a hint of gloss, since they're often sheerer than traditional lipstick.

I decided to try out NYX's offerings, though a little hesitant. While I adore many of their intensely pigmented eye & cheek colors, their glosses are so heavily Cherry fragranced I am reminded of cough syrup & want to dry heave. Alright they're not that bad, but it's too scented for sure! I purchased their Jumbo Lip Pencil in #721 Soft Fuschia (top) & #719 Pecan (bottom.)

Here I am sporting #721 on the top & #719 on the bottom. Of course I picked 2 very soft, neutral shades that are great building pieces in creating a nude lip or wearing alone. I'm pleased to say the colors really stay put, without being drying! After a few hours & soup for lunch, I looked up to find a nice portion still left on my pucker. Nyx offers 24 shades of this product & I can't wait to experiment with a few more. They already fall into my steals & deals category as they're only $4.50 a piece. I scored an even better deal by scooping them up during a BOGO half off at Ulta! I say pick up a few & draw away.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Senna Cosmetics

So I did a fair amount of damage while up in NYC for The Make-Up Show. I showed  *ummm* let's say a little restraint when it came reigning in my purchases. First up Senna Cosmetics.  Though I've never tried their line before, it was created by make-up artist Eugenia Weston & has been around since 1976. 

I know you'll be shocked that I picked up more nude lip treats. The never ending quest continues. I had read in Lucky Magazine a celebrity rave about their lipliners, so of course I had to scoop up one. I went for the lip liner in Heather {t} & a gloss in Flaunt{b.}

Here's the Smooth Lip Pencil {$18} in Heather. It's a nice classic nude, with pink undertones. A great basic.

I'm loving the Lip Lacquer {$20} in Flaunt & the packaging's gorgeous, too! Doe foot applicator, but the wand still dispenses a nice amount of gloss.   It's rather opaque in coverage- it reminds me a bit of Lorac's Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick, which I love.  Together this duo offers a look that ranks high in my book, though they're solid enough on their own to get plenty of use.  Just what I need- another make-up line to love!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

I purchased these products.