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!

Beauty on the Go - Spring/Summer 2011

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, travel size beauty products. I think its the cute, tiny packaging, and the ability to take it anywhere. No matter the reason, I jumped at the chance to pick up Sephora's Limited Edition Color Flip Palette!  These are perfect for spring/summer when on the go.

The cards are very similar to the old Trish McEvoy Beauty Emergency Card. About the same size, only a little thicker, because it has 3 levels. Dimensions are 2.75 in. x 1.75 in. x 0.5 in.

The first layer contains 8 beautiful eye shadows. Colors are shimmering white, bronze, aqua, bright purple, nude, plum, peacock, and matte brown. They are all very wearable, blend easily, and look great!

The second layer contains 8 lip glosses (cherry, hot pink, nude, peach, fuchsia, bubblegum pink, bronze, and clear) I usually don't use any of the lip glosses that come in any palette, but these are very sheer, and will look great for Spring.

The third layer contains a lovely brush and bronzer. The duo is similar to NARS Orgasm/Laguna, but a little lighter. So pretty. The bronzer is very golden, which I prefer for my olive skin. They are sheer, but can be layered for more color.

This is such a bargain at $15! It is perfect for busy women on the go (throw it in your pocket, gym bag, purse), or its great for those looking to get quality makeup, while on a budget. I think this set gives you the most for your money. It's sleek, portable, and a great deal! What more could a girl ask for?

This item was happily purchased by me!

Bright Lips for Spring 2011 Swatches - Part One

Bright, 80’s inspired, colorful lips are all over the place right now. On runways, in magazines, on TV—bold lips are the new fashion accessory. I admit, that this trend had me very doubtful. As you know, I love nude lips, so this is a whole new venture for me!


I have decided to post this review in two parts: #1-corals/oranges and #2 bright pinks. I have tried to narrow it down to my favorite in each category. (Just so you know, I just can’t see spending lots of $ on a color I am only going to wear every so often, so I tried to keep most of the products under $10).

1. Maybelline Color Sensational in Coral Crush: bright, saturated, neon coral. Best on deep skin tones. $7


2. Revlon Super Lustrous in Kiss Me Coral: creamy, carrot orange. Looks good on medium to deep skin tones. Suprisingly wearable. $5


3. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Continuous Coral: deep, opaque, shimmery coral. Beautiful on deep skin, good on medium skin. I really liked it layered over the Ulta stain. $9


4. 
Ulta Extreme Wear Lip Stain #10: sheer, true coral. Lightweight stain, layerable for deeper intensity. Looks good on all skin tones. $8


5. Lipfusion Gloss in Boca Babe: very sheer, true orange. Light to medium skin. $38 (for full size, mine was a free sample)


6. 
Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink in Cactus Friends: bright, true coral stain. Sharpie-style applicator, good for medium to dark skin. $10


7. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef: opaque, cream gloss in a light, coral color. All skin tones. $7


8. Rimmel Moisture Renewal in Coral Shimmer: shimmery, peachy-pink. Beautiful on fair skin! $5.50


9. Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in Red Delicious: unlike the name, it’s a beautiful, sheer, shimmering melon. Great on all skin tones! $7


10. YSL Gloss Volupte #1: super shiny, glossy, sheer peachy-coral. Stunning on fair skin, or those who need to ease into this coral lip thing. $30

Deeper skin tones really can rock all of the bold, bright colors, with ease, so go for it!! For fair and medium skin, its all about finding the right shade. I find that glosses are the easiest to wear, and you can layer them over a stain for more intensity! Stay tuned for part 2, bright pink lips!

All items were purchased by me, unless stated free sample.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil vs. Knockoffs

Ok, so by now, I'm sure you've all had plenty of time to "ohh" and "ahh" over the new NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils. I wanted almost every color, the second they came out, but restrained myself (mainly because they are $24 each). I went into my local Sephora yesterday, on a mission: seek out any duplicates or knockoffs for these coveted Gloss Pencils.

The contenders: Sephora Collection Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil ($12) and Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm ($15). Swatches of all are shown below:

L to R: NARS Club Mix, Sephora Fancy Red, NARS Baroque, Sephora Miami Pink, Sephora Sweet Beige, NARS Happy Days, Clinique Mega Melon, Sephora Coral Glow, NARS New Lover, Sephora Gorgeous Peach, Sephora Strawberry Delish.

Verdict: Clinique Mega Melon is a dupe for NARS Happy Days, and saves you about $9. Sephora Gorgeous Peach (the actually color is nothing like the name) is the nearly the exact same color as NARS New Lover (yeah!!!), and saves you $12. I did not try NARS Frivolous, as light pink just doesn't wear well on me.

As for NARS Baroque (deep raspberry), Hopi (coral-nude), and Club Mix (sheer merlot grape), I am sad to report that I was unable to find a cheaper alternative. But if you have done so, please let us know!!

I already have Hopi, and will probably go back for Club Mix. This color really suprised me, it gave a nice vampy, yet sheer lip. I felt like a "bond girl" with this color on!

All of these items were samples, or 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.