Review: Maybelline Matte Lipstick in 665, ‘Lust for Blush’

Hi everyone! I thought I would share a quick review with you because I picked up this lipstick on a whim a while ago, and absolutely loved it from the get-go. It’s the Maybelline Matte Lipstick in 665, ‘Lust for Blush.’

I’ve been really into matte lipsticks lately, but the problem with matte formulas is that they tend to be cakey and drying. This lipstick, however, goes on smoothly and doesn’t seem to be very drying. There are many, many different colors from this specific lipstick line, but I am in love with this color. It’s different from any lipstick I’ve ever tried, but it’s exactly what I have been looking for. It’s a raspberry toned mauve that looks especially nice on light skin tones. You could almost get away with calling it a nude, as it is extremely natural looking once it is on your lips. I wrote a review about Essence’s Lipstick in 03, ‘Come Naturally,’ and said that it was almost what I was looking for – a nude-mauve color. This fits the bill even better, as Come Naturally was a touch too light for what I was looking for. However, it’s a beautiful nude and I highly recommend anyone with a fair skin tone to try it! It’s very hard to find a nude for fair skin that doesn’t make you look dead (am I right?!), and Come Naturally is perfect for that. You can read my review here. Back to Maybelline, Lust for Blush is in the same color family as Come Naturally but is a good 2 shades darker. It’s especially beautiful for spring. As it is from a drugstore brand, it is very reasonably priced, I believe I spent about $6.50 on mine. I will be trying more colors from this line as the formula is perfect!

You may want to purchase this lipstick if:

• You are looking for a non-drying matte lipstick.
• You want an inexpensive product.
• You are not looking for a 24 hr lipstick, because this is not – it will wear off throughout the day.
• You want to choose from a wide variety of colors or are looking for a medium toned raspberry mauve.

 

Isn’t it a beautiful color? I think so. Hope you try it out and love it as much as I do!

Have you tried this product? If so, how did you like it? Do you prefer matte, satin, or gloss finishes? Do you like Maybelline’s lip products? Let me know in the comments!

 

January Favorites

Hello everyone!

I know, I know. I’m late again for my monthly favorites post. I promise I’ll try to get it out sooner for February! This month was a good month. I found some products that I think will be favorites for months to come 🙂

Makeup Remover: Garnier Bi-Phase Micellar Cleansing Water:

This product is amazing! It removes waterproof mascara with less rubbing and irritation than makeup wipes. It has no scent or alcohol. It’s also so nice to remove lipstick! The downside is that you need to use cotton rounds, which can be annoying, but it’s a long term budget-friendly option, as makeup wipes can get pretty pricey! It does leave a slight oily residue, but you really should rinse or wash your face after taking off your makeup 🙂 8/10 stars, approximately $8.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water:

This is one of my absolute favorites. I purchased the travel size, and then I even bought the full size, I liked it so much! You can see my full review here, but in short, it’s a wonderful primer, setting spray, and makeup refresher. It makes your skin look hydrated and fresh. It’s easy to use and a very worthwhile purchase! 9/10 stars, approximately $16-$32.

Peripera Ah Much Real Cushion Blusher in Lively Lavender:

This was one of my K-Beauty purchases from Birchbox, and I am absolutely in love with it. It looks so natural, because it’s actually a really pretty light pink, not purple like the name suggests 🙂 The light lavender undertone makes it really flattering on fair skin. It’s fun to apply, compact, comes in adorable packaging, and is relatively budget-friendly. There are also other colors, but for fair to light-medium skin, I recommend this one! 9/10 stars, approximately $16.

Hard Candy ‘Glamoflauge’ Concealer in Ultra Light:

I have a full review on this here, but for those of you who just want a summary, it’s a medium to full coverage concealer that is super thick and creases in dark circles, but is fantastic for blemishes, rosacea, dark spots, tattoos, etc. The shade range is pretty nice, Ultra Light is a really good color for me (I’m extremely pale, and the lightest shade in concealers is usually too dark for me). This is a fantastic, budget friendly concealer that is wonderful for covering up acne spots. 9/10 stars, approximately $7.

Essence All About Vintage Eyeshadow Palette:

This is one of my very favorites. Essence has finally arrived at Target, which makes me very happy (as I shop at Target quite often), and Target has many of Essence’s new items! This palette has green, olive, brown, nude, and gold shades, which is just what I was looking for. It’s really flattering and the colors are easy to work with. The pigmentation is absolutely AMAZING, especially for a drugstore palette, and the colors blend beautifully. Fallout is minimal. I am planning on trying many more of these palettes, probably the Roses palette next. I highly recommend this, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! 9/10 stars, approximately $7.

IPKN Flash Cream Radiance Primer:

I love this! I got it as a sample in my Birchbox and fell in love with it immediately. It can be used as a non-glittery (YAY) highlight or as a primer. I love it for both! (I did find a drugstore dupe for this, which will be the subject of my next Splurge or Save!) This is definitely worthwhile, though, as it makes skin look dewy and fresh without looking shimmery or overly made up. I love the fact that it doesn’t have glitter in it, as most radiance primers tend to have at least a little bit. It’s a really fantastic sample and feels so smooth on the skin. 9/10 stars, approximately $28.

e.l.f. Lip Glow:

This is along the same lines as Dior’s Lip Glow, as well as many other makeup lines with a pH adjusting lip product. It looks extremely pale and sheer in the tube, but when it’s on your lips, it turns into a bright, punchy pink that is perfect for spring. It’s definitely a bit more expensive than most e.l.f. products, but it’s a really nice lipstick and turns into such a pretty color. Definitely glad I picked this up! 8/10 stars, approximately $6-$7.

The Original beautyblender:

Now this has totally transformed my makeup routine! My makeup goes on smoothly, looks natural, and blends flawlessly. I can even blend highlight and contour! I’m obsessed. Yes, I know it’s expensive, but it’s 100% worth it. Birchbox even has a sampler that comes with 4 samples and a beautyblender for only $20 ($50 value), so you’re practically getting the samples for free! It is unfortunately unavailable at the time, but it will hopefully come back! Definitely something that I will continue to purchase, as I haven’t tried anything quite like this wonderful sponge before. 10/10 stars, approximately $20.

That’s it for this post! I did leave out a few products because I am planning to do special posts for them. The products I left out are: NYX Brow Mascara, L’Oreal Magic Lumi Primer, Maybelline Matte Lipstick, Maybelline Matte and Poreless Foundation, and Nivea Men’s Post Shave Balm (yes, it really does work as a primer!).

What did you think of my favorite products this month? Have you tried any of these? If so, what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments!

 

Holiday Makeup Tutorials!

My second 12 Days of Christmas post is…Easy and Glamorous Christmas Makeup Tutorials! Read on for THREE tutorials on quick and pretty holiday makeup.

FIRST TUTORIAL: FULL ON GLAM – DEEP GREEN AND BRIGHT RED

This is for the girl who likes dramatic makeup and won’t shy away from the classic red and green of Christmas – so she’ll wear a dark green smoky eye and a bright red lip.

1. Prime.
2. Apply a shimmery champagne eyeshadow all over your lid and on the inner corners.
3. Apply a matte medium green shadow all over the lid.
4. Apply a medium green (shimmer or matte) shadow on top.
5. Brush a deep green (shimmer or matte) shadow in the crease. Smoke outwards and upwards just a bit to soften the lines.
6. Using an eyeliner brush, smudge the deep green shadow on your lower lash line. Extend toward the inner corner as far as you’d like (I only did about halfway).
7. Curl your lashes and apply black mascara.
8. Finish this look with matte or demi-matte foundation, strong brows, loose waves, highlighter, bronzer, and berry or pink blush. Accent with bright red lips (see tutorial for lipstick here).

SECOND TUTORIAL: SHY BEAUTY – SILVER AND BERRY

This look is for the girl who likes to look festive, but doesn’t want to go crazy. She’ll go for silvery shimmer eyes and a deep berry lip.

1. Prime to get rid of any redness on your eyelid.
2. Apply a shimmery silver eyeshadow or eyeliner on your upper and lower lash lines.
3. Curl your eyelashes and apply plenty of black mascara.
4. Finish this look with demi-matte foundation, berry lips, berry blush, highlighter, and filled-in brows. Loose waves or an updo with face framing strands would look great with this look.

THIRD LOOK: CLASSIC CHIC – SHIMMERY CAT-EYE AND RED OR BERRY LIPS

This is for the girl who likes a little glitter for Christmas, but likes the classic Marilyn Monroe glam look – red lips and black flicks.

1. Prime.
2. Draw a neat black cat-eye.
3. Apply loose silver shimmer/small glitter on top of the cat-eye.
4. Curl your lashes and apply black mascara.
5. Finish the look with matte foundation, bright red lips, pinky-peach blush, and highlighted cheeks. Hollywood curls or waves would look great with this.

Which of these three looks do you like best? Let me know in the comments!

 

Tip: How to Swatch Lipstick Correctly

If you’re anything like me, when you shop for lipstick, you first look at the lipstick testers. In places like Sephora, you can apply the product on your lips with their individual applicators, but in drugstores or department stores that have testers, it’s just a regular lipstick container that you can’t put on your lips. Our first instinct is to swatch the lipstick on our hand, but this is wrong!! We will see what the color looks like straight out of the tube, but that’s not what it will look like on our lips. Everyone has different colored lips and lipstick will look different on everyone, so you can’t tell how flattering the lipstick will be on you by simply swatching it on your hand. What to do? Try it on your fingertip. (I think I read this in a makeup artist book.) The color on your fingertips is almost the same shade as your lips, and will give a better representation of what the lipstick will look like. It works like a charm! Try it next time you’re unable to try the product on your lips 🙂

Where do you swatch lipstick? Did this tip help you out? Let me know in the comments!

Monthly Favorites: November

I know I’m a few days late 😛 but I figured that I should get out my November favorites anyway, because I’ve found a lot of new favorites this month! Two of these came in my Birchbox, so Birchbox had a very successful month, too! Here we go…

Quote:

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.”

Earnest Hemingway

Blush: theBalm FratBoy Blush

It’s a perfect mixture of peach and pink, plus, it’s soft and highly pigmented. It works wonderfully with my fair skin and gives me a really natural flush.

Foundation: Revlon ColorStay in Ivory

A smooth matte foundation that is great for fall and winter. It’s the perfect color for my skin, and applies flawlessly with a flat-top buffing brush.

Mascara: Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Waterproof Mascara

Beautiful, deep black mascara that makes lashes look full, long, and thick. The plastic brush applies mascara wonderfully, and my eyelashes have never looked better!

Lipstick: Essence ‘Come Naturally’ Lipstick

The most wonderful neutral mauve lipstick. Smooth, soft, and natural-looking, it looks great on fair skin and doesn’t wash me out! Read my review here.

Hair Cream: Davines This is a Relaxing Moisturizing Fluid

It is so soft! Smells great, almost like a salon, and smoothes/tames wonderfully. Perfect for my curly hair, though I think anyone would like this cream!

Candle: Signature Soy ‘Under the Misteltoe’

This smells SO amazing. It’s smooth and wintery smelling, fresh, sweet, and a little bit pine-y. It makes me feel so festive! I can’t describe it very well, but it’s my favorite candle (at least this month)!

Recipe: Almond Meltaway Cookies

This recipe is from The Novice Chef blog and I absolutely love them! I changed the icing to my own frosting, but they are amazing cookies. So buttery and almond-y, and they’d be perfect with a cup of tea! Check out the recipe from The Novice Chef blog, my recipe for the frosting, and tips on how to make them here.

Song: Maroon 5 ‘Daylight’

I love Adam Levine’s voice and Maroon 5 in general, so this isn’t a surprise…but this song is so amazing. I absolutely love it – it’s bittersweet, romantic, and catchy, though not as upbeat as some of their songs. Give it a listen on iTunes or YouTube, I think you’ll like it 🙂

Well, that’s it for my November favorites! This month was awesome, I found some pretty wonderful products. I apologize for the lateness of this post, but I’ll try to do my December favorites on time (the end of the month) 🙂

How do you like my November favorites? Have you tried any of them? If so, did you like them? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

 

 

Product Review: Essence Nude Lipstick in Come Naturally (03)

I have been looking for the perfect nude lipstick for a very long time. Because I’m so pale, light nude lipsticks wash me out. I have an old Essence lipstick (I believe it’s Nude Love) and it makes me look awful. Corpse like. It’s horrible. It’s not the lipstick’s fault, but it’s definitely the wrong color on me, considering I’m about the same shade as the lipstick 😛 I had to go to town today, and when I stopped at the store, this lipstick caught my eye. I had been looking at Essence’s nude lipsticks, but I didn’t know which color I wanted to try. This is one of the two darker shades in the I Love Nude line, and it’s just what I’ve been looking for! It’s a perfect cross between mauve, rose, and pink – it gives that pretty no-makeup look with just a bit of fun and sophistication. It’s inexpensive ($2-$3) and really smooth. It has a super creamy satin finish, and the color is so natural. I definitely recommend for my fellow fair-skinned ladies! I’d actually been looking for the perfect mauve lipstick after seeing Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss in Criminal Minds…her lipstick is so pretty! P.S. – You should watch Criminal Minds, it’s awesome 🙂

This lipstick totally satisfied me. If you apply it alone, you get a light mauve-y pink, like above, but if I want a slightly darker mauve like Paget, I like to blend it with LOC’s lipstick in Glam Life. I love to wear this combination with a gray smoky eye. Check out my tutorial here!

Do you wear nude lipstick? What’s your favorite nude lipstick? Have you tried this brand or product before? If so, how did you like it? Let me know in the comments!

No Blush? No Problem!

Now, I don’t wear blush every day, but it really wakes up your face and makes you look (and feel!) so much more put-together. Sometimes, though, if I’m in a pinch, I don’t want to bother with blush. If you rush through your makeup each morning or just don’t want to spend the money, here’s an easy substitute for cream blush that you probably already have: lipstick. Dab a bit of lipstick (probably pink?) on your finger, dot it on your cheek, and blend well. It will give your cheeks a nice rosy flush, and you won’t have to purchase any extra products or mess with a brush and powder!

Do you wear blush? Do you prefer cream or powder? Did this tip help you out? Let me know in the comments!

Black Lipstick: Trash or Treasure?

I’m all for dark lipsticks, especially for fall. Black lipstick, however, is a little different. Black lipstick can be either trendy or tacky, depending on where you wear it and how it’s worn. Some girls wear it a lot, others save the black lipstick for Halloween. But even if you look fantastic in it, as a general rule, black lipstick for a costume or party is great, and black lipstick for work is not. So is black lipstick a waste of money? NO! You can blend it with any other lipstick color to make it a little darker. You don’t need a high-end brand (like Make Up For Ever), just pick up an ELF or Wet ‘n Wild black lipstick. It’ll do the same job if you’re just trying to make other lipsticks darker. Here’s how to do it: layer lip balm, a (light!) layer of black lipstick, a layer of regular lipstick, and blend, blend, blend. Instant customized color! I’m so glad I have black lipstick now, it’s fantastic to make some of my too-light lipsticks darker, and it’s a great investment for fall/winter, when I tend to wear darker lipsticks. I even made one of my bright pink lipsticks into a pretty mauve!

Happy blending!

Do you own black lipstick? How do you wear it? Did this tip help you out? Let me know in the comments!

The Perfect Red Lip

Top Left: Chapstick, Middle Left: Red Lips + Concealer, Bottom Left: All Done! Right: NARS Lip Pencil in Cruella

It’s no secret that I love lipstick. Berry is my favorite, but I love pink, peach, red… I decided to do a quick tutorial on applying lipstick (any color!) and then, because red lips are gorgeous but hard to pull off, an easy how-to on picking the right red lipstick for your skin tone.

How to Apply Lipstick…& Make It Look Good:

1. Be sure your lips are well moisturized, and if they’re not, go with a light lip gloss or au naturale. Dry, flaky lips coated with lipstick don’t look good on anyone 😦
2. Prime your lips with a lip primer or lip balm, and if needed, exfoliate.
3. Apply lip liner if desired. (MAKEUP ARTIST TIP: Apply liner all over your lips. This way, if your lipstick wears off, you’ll have an even lip color, not just an outline!)
4. Apply your lipstick. If you want it to be matte and longlasting, use a tissue, place it over your lips, brush translucent powder over top, and apply another coat of lipstick.
5. Fix any mistakes with a Q-Tip and makeup remover, then trace the outside of your lips with concealer to make sure your lip line looks even.
6. I recommend NOT overdrawing with the lipstick and liner, unless you’re really, really good at it, because it is hard to pull off without looking REALLY fake.
7. Highlight your cupid’s bow if desired.

Now how do you find the perfect lipstick for your skintone? Simple. Look at the underside of your wrists. If the veins are blue, you’re cool-toned. If they’re green, you’re warm-toned. If they’re a mix of both, you’re neutral-toned. (I’m going to refer to them as CT, WT, & NT for ease) CT women need blue-based reds. (what’s blue-based, you ask? You’ll know it when you see it! They’re deeper and lean more toward more purple than orange. A LOT of the lipstick out there is orange based. But if you’re determined, scouring the lipstick section will most likely turn up a lovely, blue-based red.) This does not mean you need berry lipstick. Blue-based reds are just slightly deeper and have a more berry-like tone than an orange, fire-engine red tone. WT women need those orange based reds. Lucky for you, there are a lot of them out there! You’ll also know them when you see them – they have a distict orange hue to them and tend to be more bright than blue-based reds. NT women need that perfect middle-ground. “True reds,” as they’re called, are that perfect red that’s not too orange and not too blue. They’re probably what you think of when you think of red lipstick. Beware, however, of going too orange. Just look for a true, candy-apple-red lipstick and you’ll be good to go!

 

P.S. –  The red lipstick I am wearing in the picture is NARS Lip Pencil in Cruella. I love this color, and it looks different on everyone. I read another blog post on this pencil and the lipstick looked much more warm-toned on her! It definitely doesn’t on me. It’s a perfect red for fall and winter!

 

Do you wear red lipstick often? What are your tips for perfect lipstick? Did this post help you out? Let me know in the comments!