LIPPIE: Estee Lauder GWP II

  Okay, it's Sunday. I am a little behind in publishing a post. I'm sorry. I do not have a legit excuse, other than the fact that I have been tired and lazy. Hey, at least I'm honest =). I have a few backlogged posts that I need to finish start, please bear with me! I hope everyone has been doing well! 
  As the name suggests, this is a continuation of some GWP items I received. Normally, I do not particularly enjoy the lipsticks or lipglosses that come with GWPs, just because I feel as though they are mediocre in quality and do not speak to or reflect the real product at all. However, this combination is love. 

   I went and swatched the real Hydra Lustre Lipstick in Tender Mauve...and it was completely different than the GWP one. It was a strange thing. The GWP is a beautiful warm pink with silver shimmers but the shimmers are insanely gritty if worn alone. The actual product is deeper in tone and the grit is non-existent. The Pure Color Gloss in Berry is still available I believe, and it is a pretty pink with silver shimmer. Just from reading the descriptions, you can tell that they make a great pair. The gloss greatly smooths out the gritty texture of the lipstick. 

  They are both quite sheer but I rather like them this way. I do not look like I have a lot of lip product on my lips, great if you want a low-maintenance lip color. Here is a swatch of them layered together:

Pretty, right? 

I have purchased some items from Guerlain's Spring 2011 collection, and an item from CHANEL's Spring 2011 Collection. I have also purchased the new Revlon Colorburst lipgloss, which by far, is the best drugstore gloss in my opinion. It is so much better than the Super Lustrous formula. I will have posts on these once I am satisfied with the photos. By the time I get home from work, it is complete darkness outside so I am having a hard time...finding time =_='.  An item I am anticipating is the new Rouge Coco Shine by CHANEL, which is set to launch worldwide in April. 

What's new with you? 

Products: 1. Estee Lauder Hydra Lustre Lipstick - $24CAN  2. Estee Lauder High Gloss - $18CAN

RANDOM: I'm Going Into Hibernation

   Not literally, but work has taken over and I just cannot commit to this blog as regularly as I would like. I have many products to feature, but I just have not gotten around to uploading the photos...which are currently sitting in the SD card...in the camera...stashed away in my closet. I hope to have a post within a week or so. I thank you for stopping by to check out my blog, it means a lot =D. See you in a bit!

TOP 10: YouTubers

  I love YouTube. It is a vast plethora of knowledge, you can find just about anything on there. Although, I have come across some disturbing videos that I curse to high heavens and flag...
  I am going to reiterate - I love reading user comments. Useful, offensive, hilarious, pious, crude - I read 'em all. I wanted to share with you some of the channels I frequent, some of them are beauty related while others I watch solely for entertainment. 

1. lisaeldridgedotcom - One of my favorite beauty channels by far. Incredibly beautiful and helpful, Lisa is a true makeup connoisseur. She has been in the industry for a long time, much of her work has been featured all over the globe. She is also the creative director for the brand Boots No.7. Since her channel is devoted to makeup in the purest form, her techniques and looks are a joy to watch.

2. dustyohunter - I love dusty's channel, he is so creative and offers innovative and interesting ideas on how to use certain products. He also has a comprehensive guide for MAC foundations and concealers. It also helps that he is very easy on the eyes and extremely humorous =).

3. cookingwithdog - Of course I had to include an obligatory food channel. cookingwithdog focuses on Japanese cuisine, the videos are easy to follow and delectably delicious. The chefs' skills are enviable, I wish I could handle a knife as effortlessly as her! 

4. theRSAorg - An excerpt from their website explains that the RSA "seeks to develop and promote new ways of thinking about human fulfilment and social progress"(thersa.org). In a serendipitous moment, I found this channel and it has been a delight watching their videos, especially the animate ones. It is extraordinarily enlightening, even if I do not agree with all the points made. If you are a visual learner, like myself, you will enjoy them. Note: only certain lectures are animated.

5. Raeview - I adore Rae and her amazing videos. She focuses mainly on high end, luxury cosmetics which I personally, am most interested in. Well versed, articulate and highly intelligent, Rae's reviews deliver. I highly encourage you to stop by and take a peek! Jesus, I make it sound like a store...

6. machinima - This is such an entertaining channel if you are interested in video games and the like. It offers trailers, gameplay and some original videos for your viewing pleasure. I am not fond of all the videos, but I have found some great ones in the massive volume of media. They also have a site, machinima.com, if you prefer that instead.

7. freddiew - In another trip through YouTube, I stumbled upon Freddie's channel, who utilizes some great FX. He also has a sister site, freddiew2, which he uses as a mule to show tutorials on how these FX were created. It is all too complex for my small, meager mind so I am satisfied with only watching. I particularly enjoyed his "Future FPS" vid.

8. russianbabe1981 - If you are a MAC fan, this is the channel to visit. Ameera is gorgeous, and she often purchases many pieces from each collection that is released (some entirely) and is gracious enough to do swatches and reviews on them. She also has videos with swatches of all the MAC lipglasses, lipsticks etc. that she has in her possession. Love her. 

EDIT 26/03/11 
9. blushisthenewblack - I stumbled upon this lovely blog a couple of months ago while MIA. I have come to thoroughly enjoy every single one of her posts. She is beautiful and has great style, sharing the same passion for lip products as I. I highly suggest you check out her channel and blog.

10 - Not Applicable. 

P.S. By no means am I stating that I have the right to judge who's "top 10" and who's not. I thoroughly enjoy the lovely channels mentioned above, and I am not affiliated with any!  

LIPPIE: Revlon Super Lustrous - Rose Velvet

   I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! The Body Shop and Bath & Body Works still has their crazy sale going on, so I stocked up on some items =). Today, I wanted to share with you another lippie favorite. 
   I still believe that Revlon makes the best lip products when it comes to the drugstore. My very first Revlons were from the Super Lustrous lipstick line. In my opinion, the SL Creme formula beats the living hell out of the Colorburst formula. I mean, major beatdown. They are creamy, smooth and do not skimp on pigment. 

   The SL lipsticks come in three finishes: Creme, I forget and I forget. I don't care much for the other ones. Rose Velvet is beautiful:

In sunlight, you can see the pink tone this lipstick has.

  I describe this shade as a brown based pink-rose. On my lips, it goes on true to color and is another "my-lips-but-better" for me. It has a slight sheen as you can see in the swatches, and if I were to compare this to a finish within the inventory of MAC, it would be the Amplified. This is less drying than the Colorburst lipsticks, but I still wear a balm underneath. Again, 3-4 hours of wear is expected and you can find these at any drugstore. I purchased mine for $2.99 when Shoppers Drug Mart was having a sale last summer. 

  If you do not wear lipstick but want to, this is a product that you can experiment with and not have to invest too much money as it is relatively inexpensive. 

Product: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick - $7.99-10.99.

RANDOM: Just Because

I was catching up and perusing through Kotaku posts and this is what I found: 

The Portable Laptop... 

Didn't see this coming at all *nudge*. Nonetheless, the guy was so intense in the beginning that I will be severely disappointed if this fails big time whenever it is released.  It's an interesting concept but I'm questioning the functionality. This isn't a rant, so I'll stop here.

Anyways, just thought some of you would care to take a look. I'm off to enjoy my weekend now! =)

EDIT: The things we come up with - Cocaine Vaccine. No comment.

CHEEK: NARS Mata Hari

  I enjoy NARS blushers, I do. But I have a question Monsieur Nars, why do you name your products this way? I'm not sure whether it is just a means to seek and be attention grabbing or whether it is due to some psychological attachment.

 Julie, it's just a blush. Get over it. 

   Sephora describes this as a "rose petal pink". I disagree, it is more of a blue based lilac pink. I don't find it rosy at all, at least on my NC30 cheeks it isn't. I did not expect this to be as cool as it is, most swatches I have seen present this as a warm pink. However, I still love the way it perks my skin up, it contrasts nicely. 

   If you would like a more detailed description on what the finish is like, I have a post on Exhibit A, my favorite NARS product so far. The powder is very fine and smooth and chalk factor is nonexistent with these blushers.  They are also extremely long wearing, I had this on from 6am to 6pm and it looked pristine for those 12 hours. 

  Sorry, I'm not flicking you off. Thanks to Wikipedia and my ignorance, I discovered that Mata Hari was the moniker of an exotic dancer and courtesan. She was accused of being a spy and was executed during WWI. Yes...it's only slightly depressing.

  Have a great weekend everyone! 

P.S. I went in to see CHANEL's Spring collection and was seriously underwhelmed. Jersey Rose and Peregrina were too light for me; Nakkar and Aragonite were uneventful; but I may end up purchasing Coquette Rouge Allure. It was the only one that showed up! =(.

Product: NARS Blush - $29CAN

LIPPIE: MAC is Dreamy

   I detest the Lipglass formula that MAC has created, to the point where it is a little misanthropic. Okay, maybe not that extreme but I'm sure some of you feel the same. I say this, yet a month ago I found this little gem hidden, unopened, deep in my cosmetic abyss:

    I do not remember when I purchased this. In fact, I can't remember the last time I went to MAC with the intention of looking at their Lipglass section. It has somehow eluded me for this long. Do not fear, this tube was manufactured in 2010. Dreamy is very icy and ethereal.

   A very cool pink-based lilac with gold shimmer, I normally cannot pull off such a shade because I am so warm. It is showing a tad washed out, it is more pink and lilac in real life. Worn alone, it pales me far too much but when layered over a (any) lipstick, it is gorgeous. Layering also detracts the utter stickiness of the gloss, it becomes comfortable to wear. I get around 5-6 hours of wear with this.

   I do not know if this is a common occurrence, but every time I try to wear a shade that is lighter than my natural lip color - it drains the all the pigment out of my lips. It 'sets' after 30 minutes or so and transforms itself into a completely different shade. This is also why I prefer to layer because it salvages the color of the product without interference. Am I making any sense? Probably not...

   This was another item included in my December 2010 favorites, it is just perfect for the current season. It reminds me of a cool, winters night - accompanied by light snowfall. It is a permanent shade, do pay this shade a visit the next time you are looking for a pink lippie!

Product: MAC Lipglass - $17.50

LIPPIE: CHANEL Charming

   I picked this gem up about a month ago and included it in my December 2010 favorites. From the Holiday 2010 line-up, this was the Glossimer I initially glazed over. I am very glad to have it in my collection now. 

   It is a warm sparkling baby pink, bedazzled with pink, gold and silver shimmers. If you are wondering if this is similar to Mica, it isn't. I completely forgot to do comparison shots, you just have to take my word for it =). Mica is much cooler and even lighter than Charming. This shade is very sheer and on my lips, there is a subtle pink wash that is very natural. This is the perfect shade to wear when you don't feel like wearing makeup. 

   In direct sunlight, all Glossimers shine with unparalleled dimension. The shimmers are always cohesive and deliver such an elegant look to your lips, no matter what the shade is or how much sparkle is inside the tube. 

   I believe all three shades released within this collection were limited edition, but I'm not 100% sure. CHANEL may state that it is LE in the promo but it always changes, as in the case with Paradoxal. I have also heard from a little birdie that CHANEL will be increasing their prices on their products this month, I'm not sure by how much. These are now $28.50USD (up $1.50), lipsticks are $32USD (up $2) and Joues Contraste blushers are $43USD (up $1).  

Product: CHANEL Glossimer - $31CAN(?)

TOP 10: Beauty Blogs

    If you take a look at my stalking list, you'll notice that there are many. Too many. Of course, I add more to it when I come across another that I like. Which is every other day it seems. In my defense, there are non-beauty related sites thrown in there as well. I wanted to do this post because there are certain blogs that I visit more than others, I feel like they deserve their own little piece of text.

1. The Beauty Look Book - If you aren't familiar with Sabrina's site, I highly encourage you to visit her blog. She features many high-end, luxury and indie cosmetic brands - all of which I love. Her comparison shots and swatches are so, so helpful and comprehensive. I don't think I've ever seen such comprehensive comparisons between high-end brands (even on Temptalia). She has a great personality which reflects in her writing, and a lovely sense of style. 

2. Temptalia - Christine is a godsend when it comes to early press release information and swatches. She is always at the top of her game with every MAC collection and I love her quick reviews. The amount of traffic the site receives is astounding, and I am awed at how she is able to do so many posts, hold giveaways, contests etc. all the time on top of going to school. I worry that she is not getting enough sleep! 

3. Cafe Makeup - I stumbled upon Amy's blog about a year ago, and it has been one of my favorites ever since. Amy is very knowledgeable when it comes to the history/background of a cosmetic brand. She features many high-end brands as well. Her daughter, Liz, is beautiful and is often a model for the products featured. Her photos and swatches are pristine and you will find many hidden gems embedded within her archives.

4. Makeup and Beauty Blog - Karen's site makes me laugh. All of her posts are so quirky and humorous, how can one not laugh? You will find posts on anything to everything, from high-end to drugstore. It is also nice to see swatches on someone who is close to my own skin tone (Karen is NC35 I believe, I am NC30 at the moment). It is extremely helpful when I am trying to figure out which shades to purchase. Her cute cat, Tabs, is also featured prominently on the site.   

5. Musings Of A Muse - The amount of posts that show up on one day alone is astounding! I love this site because of the amount of reviews there are to peruse. There are also posts featuring Korean and Japanese cosmetics, which I appreciate because the products themselves can be hard to find. She is beautiful, talented and always answers your questions and comments timely.

6. Karla Sugar - A.k.a, Swatch Goddess. If I am in dire need of some serious swatchage, I head immediately to this site. She is extremely efficient at swatching entire collections when they are released and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. You will also find swatches for an entire line from a brand. For example, she has so graciously swatched all of the permanent Lipglasses, Blushers and Lipsticks from MAC. Looking for a swatch of a Rouge Coco by CHANEL? No worries. Karla has done the work for you. Amazing.

7. All Lacquered Up - My nail polish usage has died down significantly after the Holidays have ended, just because of work and laziness. If I need a nail swatch or comparison, I go to this site. It is amazing for all the latest nail polish collections from various brands. I can spend hours just browsing through the archives to look at all the lovely shades. And I have. Sad, isn't it?


8. Yuki's Lazy Channel - This is a blog based in Japan I believe. You can use Google translate if you want to read the text. I love her blog because of the type of posts she creates, some of them are focused on beauty while others are focused on destinations within Japan. I plan to visit Japan in the future, I must! There are numerous posts on Japanese cosmetics as well, which are hard to find in Canada.

9. Lotus Palace - I cannot access many of the brands that are readily available overseas but I like to read about them anyway. This site makes me want to travel just so I can get my hands on the cosmetics (I'm not a big fan of buying things online). I seriously drool at the sight of her posts, they are all so beautiful! Predominantly Korean and Japanese brands (I think there are some Taiwanese cosmetics featured as well). 

10. The Non-Blonde - I love Gaia and her blog. She writes fabulous short reviews on products but she also throws in some harmless fun as well with her celebrity posts. I think she's hilarious. There are also many posts dedicated to scents and perfumes, which are extremely detailed and thorough. I have learned a lot from reading them even though I am not an avid perfume user. You must check her out!

Honorable Mentions: 

naturalNchic makeup

Visionary Beauty

Vampy Varnish

Modesty Brown

  
I hope you visit the mentioned blogs, I truly enjoy every post and the girls are wonderful. I am not affiliated with anyone mentioned on here, I just wanted to share =). Have any recommendations? Personal favorites? Let me know! 

LIPPIE: MAC Has Gone Straight To The Head

    I hope everyone enjoyed their Holidays and the New Year! After the closure of festivities, I hope to get back on track with posting this month. A couple of collections were released right on Boxing Day much to my chagrin, and there was only one particular item that caught my eye. 

   Straight To The Head (STTH) lip gelee was one out of four new shades released with the Cham Pale collection. STTH is the darkest, the other three were too white based and pale for me. Actually, nearly all the items were pale, neutral and uber-shimmery. If you do not like shimmer, this product is not for you. It is chock full of it. The shimmer in this reminds me of the ones released with the Lillyland collection last year, all of which I skipped.

 I love this. I seriously love this. I do not wear eye makeup save mascara, so I think I can afford to wear some bling on my lips. In the tube, it looks quite brown with some golden flecks. However, in the light, this product dances.  I had a hard time capturing the various shades because the lighting was being a complete a-hole. The shimmers flash gold, green, and red but it is  predominantly pink. None of the photos do it justice.

   Wow, all of them are...fail. Applied on my lips of medium pigmentation, it is quite pink. The base is a beautiful brown but because the base is so sheer and the product is so full of shimmer, all you see is the shimmer. Also, a little goes a very long way. I apply this over another gloss or lip balm to thin it out. The result is really pretty. In a not-so-subtle narcissistic fashion, I couldn't stop looking at my lips whenever I had the chance! 

    The photos above were taken in progressively dimming natural light (I was sitting in front of a large window) to show the different nuances. It is not frosty on my lips, it just gives them a glow. Mind you, this is by no means within the realm of a Chanel Glossimer. The shimmer is not as refined, and the texture is different.

    I think the Lipgelee formula is the best from MAC and it saddens me that they have long since discontinued many shades. I believe they are phasing them out completely. They are slightly tacky but not sticky like the Lipglass. Even though these are brimming with shimmer, it doesn't feel gritty and does not irritate my lips. No irritation = no peeling or drying. The staying power is great, I get around 4 hours of this on my lips alone. A word of caution though, try not to touch your lips too much otherwise you'll find that the shimmer will invite itself onto whatever you're touching. Left alone, there is little to no migration. If you try to wipe it off, same thing. The shimmer will be left behind and is quite annoying to get off. That being said, you can always just top off with a different gloss when the sparklies are left behind.

   One thing I also wanted to mention was the amount you receive in the tube. It is a whopping 15mL (or 0.5oz!). One tube will last me forever, but I am ashamed not ashamed to say that yes, I purchased a back-up two backups*. Most of this collection sold out within the following few days of its release, but check your local counters if you are interested as they may have some items left in stock! 

*In my lifetime I have only "backup-ed" six items...unless my memory is failing me.

Product: MAC Lipgelee - $17.50CAN