Milani HD Advanced Lipcolor--GH Alert

I discovered a drugstore brand that I have been neglecting since high school. Milani! Milani always had bold, vibrant, colors for women of any skin tone. I never expect to find an amazing, classy nude lip color hidden among the bright colors of that thine.

Milani HD Advanced Lipcolor is everything I want in a lipcolor, and more!

"Milani's 3-in-1 lip color that nourishes, hydrates, and delivers a sheer wash of color with clarity and perfect radiant shine. It instantly comforts dry, chapped lips, and provides long-term moisturization."

This lipcolor is the most amazing shade of sheer nude (perfect --yes-my-lips-are-always-this-dewy and-fresh-naturally--color). It will look amazing on a variety of skin tones. It has a light pleasant citrus smell. The packaging is very old school glamorous--looks like it would be way more expensive--but lucky for us, its a steal at $7.00.

Swatched on my arm (after a weekend at the beach)

You must run out and buy several tubes: for you gymbag, your purse, your desk, stocking stuffers for you girlfriends,etc---just save a few for me!!!!!

**Item purchased by me.

Bite High Pigment Matte Pencil Swatches and Review

Another Bite product!  This time I am trying out the High Pigment Matte Pencil.  This is a lip pencil that gives a long lasting matte color.  I am loving all these lip pencils, so easy and portable for spring and summer.  This Bite product, like all contain resveratrol, an antioxidant.  Price is $24 USD.


The lip pencils come in 6 shades, and I am reviewing Bouquet (a peachy-pink) and Velvet (a vibrant rose pink).

I didn't realize the two colors would be the close in color to each other.  These is a definite peach tone to Bouquet compared to Velvet.  Bite products are sold online only, so it hard to tell exactly what color. (Thank you Sephora for your amazing return policy!)

The pencil glides on so smooth and stays on.  My lips never felt dry while wearing, but didn't feel sticky or greasy either!  The pencil tip is smaller, so it allows for a more precision application.  The color just twists up from the bottom - so no sharpener required.

The color is matte and the color of the pencil is pretty much the same color as it applied on my lips.  I think Bouquet looked better for my skin tone, as Velvet was a little too pink and has a blue base to it.  Bouquet is great for a light peachy lip.  This is a low-maintance lip color, so I recommend for spring and summer!  Another great product from Bite - just wish they would release more colors.

* This weekend only there is 20% off at Folica.com.  They sell my absolute favorite flat-iron - the Sedu Revolution.  Good until 4/11/11 *

This product was purchased by me.

Preview of Estee Lauder GWP at Nordstrom

A-MAZING! Estee Lauder fans, here is a preview of their amazing GWP event, at Nordstrom.

This promo starts April 14, but if you pre-order, you get so much more!!

So, if you spend over $32.50, you will receive a cute floral cosmetic bag, a moisturizer and eye cream (please excuse the writing on the card, my sale's associate was telling me which one is good for my skin), you get to choose your shade of Double Wear Light Foundation--one of my HG's for summer!, and you also get to choose a lipstick shade and eye palette. If you spend over $60.00, you get an additional cosmetic bag, a mascara sample, a black Eye Pencil, Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, and your shade of Double Wear Concealer. All this alone is a really great deal, especially if you wear Double Wear. If you pre-order, you also get one free additional gift item, so I choose a second Double Wear Foundation. This is a great chance to try some of the new Pure Color Lipstick shades (which are so gorgeous). Have I mentioned how much I LOVE GWP events at Nordstrom! Check back in April for more photos of the GWP and my new Lip Colors!!

GWP selections may vary between stores. This GWP event info is from Nordstrom at the Streets of Southpoint, Durham, NC.

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

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.

Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm Review

I recently just picked up the new Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm.  Its a lightweight balm that has sheer color.  Contains mango and shea butter to make your lips feels good.  Also has SPF 15 in the formula (love!).

Overall, I really liked these!  The colors go on shear and feel good on your lips.  The darker color, Pinot, had a good amount of color too it, but still shear.  They remind me of the YSL sheer sensual gloss stick but with a different formula.  Very easy to apply and did not feel greasy!  Has anyone else tried these yet?

These products 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.