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.

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.

Must Have Make-Up Monday: Hourglass

I am powerless to resist anything involving a nude, glossy lip. Lord knows- my vanity is covered with all shades of nudes. I'm on an endless quest. When I was in NYC, I popped into Bergdorf's to investigate any new must haves. The make-up artist there from Hourglass was sporting a fabulous opaque nude lip. So we set about creating one to suit my coloring. I had already wanted to buy the Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick in Grace, since I knew it was used to create some fabulous Oscars beauty looks. Always on the lookout for the perfect lip liner, Hourglass' Trace Lip Liner in Bare also made its way home with me.Oh, did I mention I also scooped up this trio of glosses. I was totally torn between buying Child (top) or Ignite(bottom) initially, then we stumbled upon these minis- which had both shades + Imagine (center)= perfect solution!Here is the Trace Lip Liner in Bare, all on its own. It's a great your-lips-but-better shade with which to build any lip look.This look is the liner topped with the lipstick Grace. Grace is a delicious creamy, matte- but not in an extreme way. Your lips won't fall off from dryness. Plus, it's hard finding an opaque nude that doesn't wash you out. Grace is a hands down winner.Here I finished off my pucker with Ignite (top) & Child (bottom.) The glosses create 2 beautiful versions, one with some sheer shimmer & one in a milkier finish. I've been loving the multiple options I can create texture wise. The Hourglass line is quite luxe {meaning it's not cheap}, but I like the fact that I can buy refills for both the lipstick & liner. Plus, aren't we worth the splurge?

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

TopShop Cosmetics

While I was in Chicago this past weekend, I wanted to explore TopShop- for cosmetics, of course! I have to say the packaging of the line, for what it was pricepoint wise- felt a little juvenile to me. Never the less- because I'm such a giver & I want to report back to you guys, I scooped up some lip products to add to my ever expanding nude glossy lip wardrobe.

TopShop Lip Liner in Ceramic (top), TopShop LipStick in Enamored (middle), TopShop Glaze in Dash (bottom.) I could only find the price for the Lip Stick $15 online, as I couldn't find my receipt- hey it was St. Patty's weekend! I think my total for all 3 products was at least $38. I also wonder if the Kardashians are annoyed with that name of the Glaze, but I digress...

While I must say nothing in particular stood out to me in terms of fabulousness formula wise- the color combination I put together is pretty stellar- so I must give myself props! The standout product of the trio is the chubby lip pencil they call LipStick. It's is a nude shade that feels nice and has a concealer like effect in taking some of the color out of the lip to build the nude, but doesn't completely wash you out in that I look like a corpse kind of way. The gloss adds a opaque, creamy shine that pulls everything together quite nicely. The combination looked beautiful on my friend who has light hair & blue eyes- so I think it can be a winning look on anyone with medium to fair skin.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Make Up For Ever

Let's face it: most lips products, no matter how much they promise to say put- just don't. Often brides ask how to boost staying power & I offer a layering process of stains, lipstick, setting powder ,etc... However gloss, by its very nature & texture glides off the mouth. Think of how often the average female chats, sips her Starbucks & nibbles- it's asking a lot for a product to hang on through oil & vinegar salad dressing! Make-Up For Ever's aqua creams are impressive in that department. So when I saw an ad campaign featuring their Aqua Lip pencil I knew I had to try it out! The color in the campaign looked nothing like the photo in person- so I would look at these liners in the store to make your selection.

I ended up picking #2c, a nice neutral pinky nude. I always go with liners that are your lip color with a little bit more oomph. This is due to my kindergarden teacher Mrs. Carson who always had a magenta clown like outline around her lips that scarred me, but I digress. Unless you sport a signature red lip, nude liners will always take care of you! I fill in the entire lip & top with whatever gloss I'm feeling that day. This liner doesn't dry out your lips the way most long wearing do. I thought it held up very well. But the true validation of this was running into my sister & her commenting on the shade. It had been 4 hours after application & I had just finished lunch. Sold.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Make-up Must Have Monday

It's the most wonderful time of the year....yes when beauty coupon codes are here! It's Smashbox's Friends & Family Event beauties- 20% off your heart's desire. Cue Beyonce's song "Halo" 'cause here are my pics! Whenever I'm giving make-up lessons & a client has redness in their skin, I say yellow is your friend my friend. This revolutionary HALO powder hydrates & conceals redness around the nose & cheeks.
Love this product for it's ease of use! Smashbox's Brow Tech To Go is pretty much goof proof. Just this weekend I used it on 3 different clients with different ages, skin tones, etc. Perfection- grab it in the "taupe" shade.

Ever since my beloved Joey Antioxidant Lip Pencil was retired *sigh* I've been searching for that perfect nude lip liner. The Nude Lip Pencil in "Light" brings a smile back to my face.

What else can I say other than this collection makes my heart go pitter patter. It had me at hello with just the mention of its 10 cream eyeliners & 6 brow powders. Without being monstrous in size this collections truly represents! What are your Smashbox tried & true faves girleens? Scoop them up with coupon code: FFSB20 at checkout. Happy Shopping!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M