The Lipstick Tag

I had a request to talk about my lipsticks and I have indeed planned to do so for a while now, as in my mountain of post drafts, I had not one, but two lipstick inspired tags. One is called The Lipstick Tag and the other the Lip Products Addict Tag. I decided to combine them in one post as some questions were basically the same. 

1. What was the first lipstick you owned? 

I sort of answered this in my Make Up Memory Lane Tag a few months ago. The question there was about the first makeup item ever and as a true lipstick enthusiast it was of course a lipstick. It was one of L'Oreal's Color Riche ones in a my-lips-but-better rosy colour and I was 13 when I got it. I lost it within a month (this is a different Color Riche on the picture, but the packaging is still the same). 

2. What is your favourite lipstick brand? 

That's a hard one. I have so many different brands in my collection and the one thing I've learned through the years is how good drugstore lipsticks have become. On my All-time favourites page I have Catrice's Ultimate Colours under the category of regular lipsticks because they combine a great formula, affordability and lovely selection of shades. But there are so many other excellent lipsticks and the ones I have to mention are Bourjois' Rouge Edition and L'Oreal's colour Riche.

Of course if I consider liquid lipsticks here as well, then my absolute favourite are Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet.

3. What is your most worn lipstick? 

I swap colour so very often and it's not uncommon that I change it several times daily, but a couple of years ago my answer would be Catrice's Ultimate Colour 250 Matt About Pink, which I wore almost every day (it's now sadly discontinued). I guess if I have to pick one that is my default shade that I just pick up when I'm in a hurry, or I need to look good without being too made up, it would be Bourjois' Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist.

5. What is your favourite finish?

Matte. Especially at bright and deep shades.

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?

It's been a while, so I had to check in my New Ins and Instagram, but it was Kiko's Velvet Mat Lipstick 612 Strawberry Pink that I got back in March . That's the one I bought, but since then I got sent several lipsticks and I believe the last one was Hot Shop Lipstick 01 from Born Pretty, which turned out to be way too orange for me.

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?  

Technically five, but I have two bags. In the big one, where I also have an emergency bag, I keep Catrice Pure Shine Colour Lip Balm 070 I Don't Red It for a sheer red pout, a mini H&M lipstick in Perfect Red that is a gorgeous, super glamorous red and a Burt's Bees lip balm, which I literally never use. In my other smaller bag, which I carry most often, I keep Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm 30 Redefined Rose for a no fuss pink and I actually reach for it very often, and I also carry a dinky sample of Avon Ultra Color Indulgence lipstick in Red Tulip which Petra (Adjusting Beauty) sent me for my birthday. 

Why I have so many reds, I don't know.

8. What is your favourite red lip colour? 

L'Oreal's Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive in Blake. People you need this in your life. I think that everyone deserves one fantastic red in their collection and this one is so worth it. It blows all other reds out of the water, including the old classics from MAC, which I have four including Ruby Woo and Russian Red.

9. How do you store your lipsticks? 

Basically all my makeup fits into two smallest drawers in my Alex unit and even those are a third empty. Some lipsticks are in the two makeup/lipstick organizer units that I got from Müller, while the others are in Ferrero Rocher plastic boxes (as you can see I eat a lot of that stuff). The lip liners are in a candle holder that I got years ago in Rutar.

 10. Which lipstick are you currently lusting after?

I'm currently on a search for a perfect warm red-purple, think Mac's Rebel like. I saw a swatch of La Splash Studio Shine Lip Lustre in Aurora, but I don't buy that the colour actually looks like that. I'd like to give Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy a try, to see if it looks the way I want.

I have a few others on my wishlist, which you can see here.

11. Favourite balm/treatment? 

For several years now it's Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick. It's basically the only lip balm I ever use, excluding the Labello's Fruity Shine Peach Lip Balm as that one is more of a gimmicky product to me since it's a tinted lip balm with little moisturising properties. But I must confess that my lips don't even need a lip balm any more. For some reason my lips are never dry.

12. Best luxury and best drugstore?

I haven't even tried that many luxury brands when it comes to lipsticks, but my pick would be Lancome Rouge In Love Lipsticks, however Bourjois Rouge Editions feel pretty much exactly the same on the lips. 

13. Best MAC lipstick? 

Without a doubt Relentlessly Red. It's bloody gorgeous and I never found anything similar. It's a bright red-magenta pink with a matte finish. I still only have a sample that I save like crazy, but one day I hope I'll get a full size of it.

16. The most disappointing? 

Not exactly disappointing, but lacking in quality - it's Makeup Revolution's lipstick. It just feels cheap. Their Iconic Pro didn't wow me either. I'm also not a fan of Essence Longlasting lipsticks. The formula is ok, but they last a total of 15 minutes on the lips.

17. Liner, yes or no? 

Oh, yes. I also love wearing lip liners on their own, especially light colours. My favourites include Bourjois' Contour Edition Lip Liner 02 Cotton Candy, Essence's Lipliner 12 Wish Me a Rose, which is a dupe for Mac's Please Me, the űber gorgeous Catrice's Longlasting Pencil 070 I got you Babel, Essence's Longlasting Lipliner 05 Lovely Frappuccino as the 90's lip colour that actually looks like one against my pale complexion and Kiko's Smart Lip Pencil in 709 Magenta because it's a stunning red-pink shade. When it comes to reds, brights and deep shades I almost always use a lip pencil to fix the outer edges.

18. Best gloss? 

That would be L'Oreal L'Extrodinaire Liquid Lipsticks. They are expensive, but so lovely. The formula is super creamy, comfortable and these have great pigmentation. They also smell like peaches which for me is a huge plus.

19. Something extra? 

Some of my other favourite shades. Mac's Peach Blossom as my choice for a nude, Shiseido's Glowing Matte Pk224 Sugar Babe for the perfect peach on my pale complexion, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 02 Frambourjoise because it's an amazing pink-red shade, L'Oreal's Colour Riche in Laetitia for the best ever burgundy shade, Mac's Dangerous for a bright, warm orange red. Revlon's Ultra HD in Rose for a classic, everyday pink that smells like Planica ice cream, Revlon's Colorbust Matte Balm in Unapologetic for a bright coral-pink that is a good dupe for Mac's Impassioned and Catrice's Ultimate Lipstick 360 MATraction for an amazing deep red-pink.

My entire collection, which I posted a while ago on Instagram:

 

And link to a Lipstick Tag I did four years ago here. 

I hope you enjoyed this picture heavy post and have a great day!

Catrice Lumination LE Powder Blush C01 Flushed-Fiction

Normally I don't pay much attention to limited editions, I'm just put off by the whole concept, but when I saw this blush, it landed in my shopping basket in a blink of an eye. It's been a bumpy road with this blush and I only had it for a week or so. The reason why I'm posting a review so quickly (well at least for what I'm used to) is that's it's a limited edition item. It was love at first sight, then a disappointment and then I started liking it again - I told you it was bumpy.

So I have this one colour of blushes that I love and buy dupes of them with that defiant "They're not the same, they're similar" stance that secretly even I don't believe. Oh, the lies we tell ourselves to make us feel better *she glances at her ever growing mint green nail polish collection*. Some of you might have noticed it yourself if you saw this blush in person that it is similar to I'm Nuts About You from the Illuminating Blush range and it's also in the same colour family as my beloved Rose Royce from the Defining Blush range. Flushed-Fixion is a warm natural shade or kind of a muted pink and is only a hint cooler than Nuts About You, while it's less intense as well as less warm than Rose Royce. This translates into a lovely fresh, but subtle flush on the cheeks. Unlike the other two before mentioned blushes, this one has, as the name of the collection implies, a glowy/luminous finish on the cheeks Just think of it as Catrice's version of Max Factor's Creme Puffs. Basically this shade is what I wanted and expected MF's Lavish Mauve to be. Of course, Catrice likes to think that Nuts About You is illuminating, well not on my cheeks it isn't. But no matter, they got there eventually, even if it is a limited edition. 

So now to why things have been so bumpy. I obviously loved the colour straight away and shoved it into my shopping basket in 0.0002 seconds after seeing it, so I didn't check the pigmentation well. At home I discovered that the pigmentation is very poor and I needed several layers for the colour to show up. Naturally I was quite disappointed and even that illuminating effect was weaker than I expected. Thankfully, now that broke through the top layer, the pigmentation is much better. The interesting pattern is subsequently quickly disappearing, but I'm much happier with the blush than I was a week ago. The illuminating effect is nice as well, though you won't see it on my pictures because my poor Galaxy couldn't pick it up. It's more of a subtle to medium strength sheen, so some might be disappointed if they like super glowy cheeks, but for me it enough. As far as staying power goes, I don't think it's as good as Defining Blushes, but it's still nice, especially for drugstore blushes. 

In the end it did end up to be all I wanted Lavish Mauve to be, so just a simple natural-pinky blush with an illuminating effect. I'm glad this landed in my shopping basket. I got mine in Müller for 4.29 € and I've seen this collection in many places. There is also a very interesting highlighter in this collection that I'm still pondering whether to get or not, while Taya reviewed a bright pink lipstick from called Pink MATTrix.

Did you get or do you plan to get anything from this collection?

Have a great day!

L'Oreal Infallible 24H Matte Foundation 10 Porcelain

If you're a frequent reader of beauty blogs, I'm sure the hype about this foundation did not escape your attention. I've heard so many raves about this new matte version of the Infallible foundation and though I had my doubts about it simply because it sounded too good to be true, in a typical beauty blogger fashion, I desperately wanted to try it. So does it live up to the hype? Oh, yes. I think it does.

Texture: The consistency is somewhere between liquid and thick and it reminds me a bit of Catrice's Nude Illusion, but it's a bit lighter compared to that one and also feels drier to the touch meaning it has a high content of silicones. It's one of those foundations that dries fast once applied, so you don't have a lot of time for blending it in and that's why I apply this foundation in sections to avoid any unblended patches of foundation.

Coverage: I'd say it's medium, though I've heard many people say it's almost full coverage and I have a feeling that some might say it looks like light-medium coverage based on my close-up pictures. I actually apply thin coats of any foundation, hence why my freckles still show through on the pictures. Because it's a matte foundation, I prefer to apply less, as foundations tend to look cakey very fast on my skin (I seriously have no idea how Youtube/Instagram girls get off with such thick coats of foundation and contour. It all looks so fake on me). Its best feature in my opinion is how well it hides pores. This looks amazing over pores. I've never tried anything like it, not even a primer. Almost every foundation started to emphasize my pores for some reason, but this kind of just camouflages it by filling them in, instead of just sinking into them. It's so amazing to see how the pores look so diminished with this foundation, I'm a huge fan. I have noticed though that with a brush I don't get such a flawless result when it comes to pores, so my preferred method of application is with fingers - well, at least when it comes to the areas around the nose. It doesn't cover under eye circles well and the blemishes will still peak though despite applying several layers on them, so an additional layer of concealer is needed.

Finish: This is a matte finish foundation and as I said it sets fast, however, it's not completely draining matte. I'm not sure if it looks like this only on my slightly oilier summer skin, but there is definitely that natural radiance I have showing though. It manages to keep my skin matte for a very long time, but if it's a very hot day, then I use a bit of powder on my forehead. It doesn't crease under the eyes, probably due to a high silicone content, same goes for any lines, though it doesn't disguise them like pores. This will look weird over patches, just to warn you. I have to be careful especially in the area around the eyebrows and close to the scalp. If your skin is dry or dehydrated, I don't think this is a foundation for you. 

Shade (10 Porcelain): I got the lightest one in the range and it's s closest to Bourjois Healthy Mix 51, only it's pink toned. L'Oreal has a tendency to make their pink toned foundation look a bit orange and I get that same impression when I swatch this on the back of my hand and it's also not the best match for my skin, but it doesn't look terribly fake I think, especially compared to N1 from their True Match range. It could be lighter, but at least I now have a decent face self-tanner, so I'll be able to use it in the winter as well.

Staying power: I've said a few times than I never check my foundation during the day because I just don't care enough, but I did notice that this foundation lasts averagely. It lasts maybe up to 8 hours on me, as by then it's definitely mostly wiped off on my nose, but the skin is mostly still matte. But it does fade nicely, without caking up or looking patchy.

Scent: It has a faint scent that I barely notice, but it's sort of a classic makeup scent.

Packaging: It's a simple tube with a precise nozzle applicator. The black parts of the packaging can get dirty from foundation fast, especially the cap as it's slightly rubberised. 

Price and availability: This doesn't appear like it will reach our drugstores anytime soon, even so I highly doubt that 10 Porcelain will be sold here (because as we all know pale women don't live in Slovenia *rolls eyes*), but I got mine on Salma for 10.90 €. I'm not sure in which countries it's sold apart from UK, but check your drugstores. US version comes in a bit different, flatter packaging. I have seen just the primer from this line in our drugstores.

So the final verdict on this foundation? I'm impressed. Do I like it more than my long time favourite Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum? I'm not sure that I do because that one looks like nothing on my skin and this one has that tell-tale matte finish, nor do I think like it more than Nars' Sheer Glow, but it's definitely in my top 5 and it's my favourite summer foundation for sure. I love how it looks over pores and I even like the matte finish, even though it doesn't make it the most natural looking foundation, but it's definitely very handy in the summer heat. The shade is its weak point, L'Oreal just has to learn how to make neutral light foundations. It's a foundation that to me appears like it has a high content of silicones and since it "fills in" the pores so well, I make sure I really get everything off at the end of the day, so I don't end up with blocked pores, but so far it hasn't caused me any skin problems at all. If you have oily, combination or normal skin, this is definitely a foundation to try, however, people with dry skin and any dry patches, might not like this foundation so much. I'm still a bit concerned how this will perform on me in colder months, but for now I'm fan.

Have a great day!

Pa Dolly Love HS-37 False Eyelashes (Born Pretty)

So I've got another pack of eyelashes from Born Pretty for you today. And yes, I know I'm probably the last person who needs false lashes, but it's just a bit of fun. I loved the first ones I showed you, HS-43, despite the issues of them not sticking nicely in the inner corners (an eyeliner hides everything anyway) and I'm even wearing them in my profile picture. Since those are tapered just as Ardell's Demi Wispies, I wanted a different shape for a change and decided on a very classic rounded one. I knew these will be even more dramatic than HS-43, but HS-37 are absolutely huge. I think they may be already too much for me, though with a very dark smoky eye they could work, but I believe that these might be better suited for people with large and deep set eyes. 

HS-37 are long and dense lashes with a rounded shape. Compared to HS-43, these are so much easier to get out of the box because they are on a clear plastic string and can be just pulled out of the box. They are also a lot easier to apply and they fit my eyes well in terms of length, which I appreciate because there is no need for cutting them. Due to the strip being clear, there is no urgent need to hide the seam with an eyeliner if you glue them very close to the lashes, but I still like to wear one (I'm not wearing liner in any of the pictures). I can feel these on the eyes, which is not surprising considering how big the are. 

I included a comparison of HS-37 and HS-43. See how much more drama HS-37 bring to the eyes? click on the picture is you want to see it larger.

Other makeup on the left: L'Oreal Infallible 24h Matte foundation, Maybelliner the Eraser concealer, Essence Big Bright Eyes Pencil Highlight It... Nude, Catrice Lumination TE Powder Blush Flushed-Fiction, Mac Sheen Supreme Full Speed

On the right: Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lovely Pink, Revlon Ultra HD lipstick in Rose, Essence Big Bright Eyes Pencil Highlight It... Nude.

I think these lashes scream drama and I would wear them only with an intense smoky eye. These don't like natural lashes in any way, but sometimes you just need a pair that is a bit more fun. I do of course prefer HS-43's.

You can get them on the Born Pretty website where they currently cost 4$ for 10 lashes (there is no glue included). You can use a code MKOH10 for 10% off entire purchase.

Have a great day!

*Lashes were sent to me.

Catrice Longlasting Lip Pencil Berryson Ford

This may a completely wrong time to post about this lip pencil because to me it's such a classic autumnal shade, but write down the name of it in case you think you'll want to experiment with burgundy-berries in colder months as this is probably the cheapest product here in such a colour. I've seen this on Sara's blog and it instantly caught my eye. On her is has a pinkish-berry tone that made it so unique to me, though on me it looks a bit more ordinary, but I love the colour nonetheless. If you like deep red shades, you'll love this as you can pair it with lipsticks such as L'Oreal's Laetitia, Rimmel's Kate lipstick in 107 and Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Grand Cru.

Colour: As the name suggests it's a berry shade, so a deep berry-burgundy shade at that reminds me a lot of the combination I love to wear of Catrice's Ultimate Stay Lip liner in Love the Way you Plum and Bourjois' Rouge Edition Velvet in Grand Cru. Basically it's a redder version of Catrice's Love the Way you Plum, but with a way better formula. It's even very similar to the L'Oreal's Laettia lipstick, which makes it perfect for defining the lips when I want to wear that colour. Berryson Ford is just one of those very glam shades that fits so well into the autumn/winter period. 

Formula: Catrice's pencils aren't exactly known for being super creamy, but since the shade is more pigmented, it doesn't drag on the lips or looks chalky like some light colours might. Due to being a harder formula than for example Essence's lip liners, it's much more precise which I find very important at such deep colours. Also because the shade is darker, it doesn't emphasize patches, but it's not easy getting the shade completely even since it's a pencil (it's the same problem as at Love the Way You Lie).

Staying power: Darker colours have a better staying power in almost any range of lip colours and this is no exception. However, this doesn't survive eating well and it can form a ring of colour if worn on its on, but if you plan to pair it with (preferably a matte) lipstick on top, it'll last longer.

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 2.29 €. Check that no one used the pencil because they don't have testers for these and I went in three drugstores to find one that was untouched. 

Berryson Ford on the left and ...And the Cherry on the Top on the right:

Have a great day!