Giorgio Armani Gloss d'Armani #400, Dupe-able?

Like many of you, I too have fallen in love with the Gloss d'Armani lipglosses! They are stunning, however, the price tag is equally stunning. Like the national budget, my cosmetic budged has recently had major cuts (mostly due to expensive car repairs) :( Because I still love my make-up, I decided to pursue some budget-friendly options.

My favorite shade of Gloss d'Armani is #400, the perfect, creamy, true-red. I tried it on in the store and immediately fell in love, and thus was on a mission for a cheaper dupe. I have mentioned on many occasions a newer brand at Ulta, Essence. They have great finds, especially when it comes to glosses. Essence has a new line of gloss, called Stay With Me Long Lasting Lipgloss. Lucky for me, one of these colors is a shade of red. 07 Kiss Kiss Kiss is a beautiful, opaque, cherry red. It is a true red, not too orange, not too blue.

I swatched out both reds, and surprisingly enough, they are nearly the same shade. I still adore the Armani one, but the Essence gloss is nearly and exact match. As far as longevity, both glosses lasted the same amount of time (both are marketed as long-wearing). The texture is nearly identical, and neither one has a distinct smell. After wearing each one for a day, I was floored when I saw how similar the two products are, yet how different the price tag is. Both give you what you want, but Essence Stay With Me Gloss in Kiss Kiss Kiss won't increase your budget deficit!

Bright Lips for Spring 2011 Swatches - Part Two

As promised, this part of our bright lips for spring, focuses on hot pinks and bold fuchsias. There are literally 100’s of hot pinks/fuchsias out this season, from drugstores to department stores, there is a one for each of you. I actually found myself loving these funky, bright colors, and am really excited to add them to my spring/summer look!

1. Wet n' Wild Lipstick in #521 Blue Rose: a fierce, fuchsia with just enough shimmer. If you are lucky enough to have a deep skin tone, this is stunning! $1
2. Ulta Extreme Wear Lip Stain #11: deep fruit punch color stain, great for medium to deep skin. Looks fantastic under a shiny gloss. $8
3. NYC Liquid Lipshine in Fashion Avenue Fuchsia—shimmering warm fuchsia gloss with loads of color. Looks great on every skin tone. I LOVE this one! $3
4. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Fifth Avenue Fuchsia: dark, matte magenta. Looks great on medium to deep skin. Very wearable. Really liked this one! $7
5. NYC Kiss Gloss in Murray Hill Melon: bright, neon pink. Sheer enough to look good on every skin tone. $2
6. Bath and Body Works Liplicious Tasty Lip Color in Fruit Punch: sparkly, hot pink. It looks smells and taste great! Good for fair to medium skin. $7
7. Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil in Gorgeous Peach: the name is decieving. It is a gorgeous, gold kissed strawberry. A dupe for Nars New Lover Gloss Pencil. Looks great on everyone! **Not pictured here, but worth mentioning are the Miami Pink (bright, glossy bubblegum pink—light skin tones) and Strawberry Delish (vivid strawberry/magenta pink—medium to deep skin tones). These are swatched in my post on the NARS gloss pencils** $12
8. Essence Glossy Lip Balm in Pink Dragonfruit: vibrant, hot pink, in a sparkling, sheer formula. So sexy on fair skin! $1

.These items were purchased by me

New Trend: Grey Nailpolish

The newest trend for nails is matte grey nail polish. It looks dark, trendy, and classy, all at the same time. Grey nail polish is beautiful on every complexion, and goes with everything. You can barely read a magazine or visit a beauty blog these days without seeing a feature on Dior Vernis Gris Montaigne (a beautiful, glossy, matte grey). I will admit, I rushed over to Nordstrom to pick up a $21 bottle as soon as it came out, but then my sanity kicked in. I thought I would look around for dupes. 

Well, ladies you are in luck!!! Due to my craze for grey nail polish, I have found 4 colors that are nearly spot-on with Gris Montaigne, and they are all below $10! Below are photos and swatches.

Polishes L to R: Essence Movie Star ($1), Essence Fivepocket Grey ($2), Sephora Moneymaker ($5), Sephora by OPI Break A Leg-Warmer ($9.50)

Swatches L to R: Essence Movie Star, Essence Fivepocket Grey, Dior Gris Montaigne, Sephora Moneymaker, Sephora by OPI Break A Leg-Warmer

Yes, I will admit that the packaging of the Dior polish is very chic, but I don't really plan to stare at the bottle, or to put it on display in my house, I just want to wear the color on my nails! I always use Out the Door Superfast Dry Topcoat (Sally Beauty Supply--$5), so I can get about a week without chips, with all of these colors. With a variety of prices, now everyone can add this must-have color to their collection.


All of these colors were purchased by me.

Nude Lips

My obsession for mascaras is rivaled only by my love for nude lip color. It can be hard to find the right shade for a sexy nude pout. I love a nude lip, and I am always looking for a new nude lipstick or gloss. I have compiled a list of my favorite nudes, for every budget and skin tone:

Some of my favorite lip colors are:

• NYC Long-Wearing Lip Color #480--long wear, brown-nude. Good for med to dark skin. $5
• MAC Faerie Glen--neutral nude with a natural finish. Great for fair to med skin. One of my favorite nude lipsticks, ever! A nude lip HG for me. $15
• NARS Cruising--sheer light nude pink. Beautiful on fair skin. $24
• Essence Lipstick--creamy, pale mauve-pink. Good for light skin tones. $2.50
• L'oreal Endless Lipcolour in In The Buff--matte finish, neutral nude. Fair skin tones. $8
• Armani Shine Lipstick #50---sheer, high shine light pink. Good for most skin tones. $27
• L'oreal Infallible in Linda's Beige--LOVE this long wear beige-pink lip color. It goes on very sheer, gives my "no color" lips the perfect amount of color. So pretty for med skin. $11
• Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Tiger Lilly--super sheer and shiny peachy-nude. Very moisturizing, great for all skin. Perfect if you love a natural look. $5
• NARS Velvet Lip Pencil in Hopi--high shine, glossy sheer peach. Good on all skin tones. $24
• MAC Viva Glam V (not pictured, I lost my tube)--gorgeous neutral pink on every single skin tone. This color looks fabulous on everyone! $14.50

Lipstick swatches L to R: NYC #480, MAC Faerie Glen, NARS Cruising, Essence Creamy Nude, L'oreal In The Buff, Armani #50, L'oreal Linda's Beige, Burt's Bees Tiger Lily, NARS Hopi.

Below are some of my favorite nude lip glosses:

• LipFusion Gloss in Clear--lightens any color it is layered over. Great if you have lips that are pretty pigmented. $38
• Essence XXXL Nudes Gloss in Pure Beauty--smells like buttercream, light cream color. Also very good for very pigmented lips, or to lighten any color its layered over. $2
• Essence XXXL Nudes Gloss in Toffee Forever--This is my new HG of nude glosses!!! Who knew $2 could be so fantastic! This lipcolor is similar to the new MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2, except it looks soooo much better. Its way more wearable, 1/7th of the cost, and smells like hot cocoa! It looks brown in the photo, but its actually light sandy nude. I can't rave enough about it. Run, don't walk to your nearest Ulta, and pick up a tube (or 10). Its only $2, but worth much more! (BTW-if you get allure magazine, they have a $3.50 off $10 purchase ULTA coupon)
• LipFusion Gloss in Bare--nice peachy-pink with delicate shimmer. Good for med-dark skin. $38
• Essence XXXL Nudes Gloss in Nude Kiss--light natural pink, light buttercream scent. Beautiful gloss, very similar in color and finish to MAC Viva Glam V Gloss, but less sticky. I am so impressed with the Essence glosses, such great quality, but so affordable :)
• YSL Gloss Volupte #5--sheer, shiny nude gloss in a beautiful gold lipstick applicator. Smells like mango, great for a "no make-up" look. I keep one in my gym bag. $30

Gloss swatches L to R: LipFusion Clear, Essence Pure Beauty, Essence Toffee Forever, LipFusion Bare, Essence Nude Kiss, YSL #5.


I also want to mention that the best nude lip liner that I have ever found is MAC Lip Pencil in Subculture, it goes well with all of the above lipsticks and glosses. It is my HG. ($13) For a close second, I recommend Sephora Nano Lip Liner in 02 Cute Caramel, a bit more brown based, but also good. ($5)


All of the above products were purchased by me.