Flirt! Plushious Liquid Velvet Lipcolor: Swatches and Review

*Product gifted to me by a lovely friend* I haven't tried Flirt! Cosmetics, which are found at Khol's. I think I may have had a lip gloss from them years ago, but not anything after they reformulated their line. 

The Plushious Liquid Velvet Lipcolor formula is non-sticky and thinner than I would have thought. 

The shade So Naughty is a deep raspberry color in the swatch, but is slightly lighter on the lips. It has a yummy sweet scent and normally retails for almost $14 (why is Flirt! so expensive??) but is on sale for $6.75 right now, which is a perfect price-point.

This color is a great everyday color and I really like the feeling of it on my lips. It wears well for about 4-5 hours before requiring a touch up and fades well. I am pretty impressed with my first foray into Flirt! and I find myself reaching for this often in my purse.

Have you tried out Flirt! since they apparently re-invented themselves?

Sephora Rouge Infusion in Red Essence

The Sephora Rouge Infusion is a product that has been catching my eye for a while, and now you can get it as a 100 point bonus!! (Which I suggest you do!) And in a brilliant red shade no less!

The 100 point perk is a mini tube, but the original tube retails for $14 for .152oz of product. It has a doe foot wand and comes in 12 different colors.

This is supposed to be a weightless formula leaves a stain. It also claims, as per Sephora's website that "In a test of 23 voluntary participants, 100% claimed that the color was intense".

I'm sorry Sephora, but obviously. I mean, what does that even mean? And 23 people isn't very convincing...but I digress.

This has a gel like slip to it and is very lightweight. The color is buildable without caking or getting patchy in this particular color.

I love the color of this. It is a slightly deeper red than the classic cherry red and will be great for the fall. It does stain, doesn't get on my teeth, is moderately transfer proof, and lasts about 5 hours with drinking.

Overall, I am really digging this formula and shade, even if I think Sephora is a bit silly. :)

NYX Lip Primer: Quick Review

I love the idea of universal lip liners, but sometimes I can't be bothered to sit there and really line my lips. This is why NYX Lip Primer in Nude has become a must have cheap thrill in my makeup bag.

These are a relatively new product from NYX and come in two shades: Nude (pictured above) and Deep Nude. However, the Nude is practically colorless and works like an invisible lip liner that can be applied more like a creamy lip pencil. It saves me time and sometimes even a look in the mirror on the go because it covers the whole lip surface with little effort and won't tug or pull.

After the first use, which seemed to get rid of the 'film' I am finding so many products have now, this turns into a creamy almost-balm that smooths onto your lips, takes out just a bit of color from them (which makes your lip product of choice more true to color) and primes.

 This is a twist up product and retails for $7. I have tried it with a number of lipsticks: UD Revolution, Lancome, Rimmel, Maybelline, and NYX so far, and it extends the wear by at least two hours. It also helped make my tricky matte Lorac lipsticks easier to wear!

This swatch shows a large patch of slightly pinky, but otherwise colorless, primer. It melts into the skin and onto the lips and is very comfortable. This isn't a miracle product, but when I can turn 4 hour wear into 6-7 hour wear with minimized feathering/running, I am happy. Especially since it means no trying to line my lips, a skill which I do not have.

Do you have a favorite lip primer?

 

The Fair Foundation Files: L'Oreal Visible Lift Blur Foundation

Another installation of the Fair Foundation Files! This time I have a drugstore foundation to show you, albeit it is on the higher end of the scale where price is concerned. 

The Lowdown

• $14.99 for 1.3oz
• Blurs lines, wrinkles, and uneven texture
• Anti-Aging benefits of 'Visible Lift' complex
• Nice range of shades, but not many for darker skin tones (12 shades total)
• Lightweight
• Light/medium buildable coverage

 

Light Ivory

The texture of this is very thin and it does blend easily, but that is mostly because it is full of silicones. You really only need this much (dime size) to cover your face. It is light to medium coverage but can be layered easily.

 

Here is a swatch of the foundation half blended to show you the texture. It blends nicely but does slip around a bit. Make sure to set with some type of powder for the best results!

Here is the fully blended foundation. It does not oxidize on me and lasts longer than most of my foundations, about 12 hours with only getting slightly oily at around 2pm. A quick blot fixes that up, but I have to blot with any foundation. 

 Here is my face with only the L'Oreal Visible Lift Foundation in Light Ivory on and the L'Oreal Blur Blush on the cheek closest to the camera (review coming soon). 

This works very well with a sponge, which I highly recommend using it to apply!

Verdict:

Likes:

• Lasts 12 hours without primer
• Buildable coverage
• Makes my skin look very airbrushed
• Sunscreen
• Doesn't oxidize
• Didn't break me out

Dislikes:

• Doesn't give me enough coverage to cover my acne scars, even with layering
• Smells like fake tanner when you apply
• Loaded with silicones

Overall: The only real turn off for me with this foundation is the smell. It has that almond-y fake tan smell but that only lasts during application. I was surprised that even with two weeks of use and no primer that it did not break me out even though it has a slick/silicone/primer feel. The shade didn't oxidize and it is definitely now in my foundation rotation!

Are you liking the new L'Oreal Blur line of products?

Better Than...Not Much Actually

I may be exaggerating a bit with this title, but I am not in the camp that thinks the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara is anything to write home about.

 

 But if you have tried it and it worked for your lashes...head's up: Ulta is selling a full size and a deluxe size pack for $23! (shown above)

 The pink tube is cute, I get that, and the brush is kinda cool (meant to mimic the curves of a woman and supposedly based on Marilyn Monroe's curves), but I was really hoping for a new HG mascara.

 

It is great to see that the brushes for the full size and the deluxe are the same. There is nothing worse than running into a deluxe size that has a slightly 'off' brush. The handle is really weighty and I like the feel of it in my hands. Usually I shy away from curvy, gimmicky brushes but this one fits nicely against the eye.

 This smears horribly on the upper lashline (as you can see in this picture). The color is very black, which is great, but it does the same thing any Covergirl mascara has done for me---slightly thicken and darken. It starts to flake on me after 9 hours and it does not hold a curl.

Sadly, Better Than Sex wasn't even 'Good Enough' for me.

Have you tried this mascara?

Urban Decay Mrs. Mia Wallace Revolution Lipstick from the Pulp Fiction Collection

Who doesn't want lips like Mrs. Mia Wallace?

Image Credit: The Gloss
I'm not a die-hard enough fan of "Pulp Fiction" to get the entire set (palette, lip liner, and nail polish), but as a self-proclaimed red lipstick aficionado, I just had to have Mrs. Mia Wallace in Urban Decay's amazing Revolution Lipstick formula ($22). 
Click for more!

Lorac Pro Brow Pencil in Light Brown: Not The End All Be All

Brows drive me crazy. I admit to being a bit of a novice at lining them/filling them/whatever.   I have tried Anastasia Brow Wiz and loved it, but I hated how fast it ran out and that the pencil sometimes broke. I currently use Anastasia Dip Brow and Benefit Gimme Brow.   However, I was intrigued by the new Lorac Pro Brow Pencil ($19).  

 At $2 less than the Anastasia version, I was really excited for this pencil.

 

One end is the pencil and the other end is a spoolie with a cap, which I also really loved as a feature. This comes in a range of colors: Blonde, Light Brown, Auburn, Brunette, Slate, and Dark Brown.

 This is a twist up pen and it twists very slowly, which I assume is to save product from being wasted. I chose the color Light Brown.

Because of the thin nature of the pen, you can make really precise hair-like strokes, but if you press even a bit too hard, product flakes off and makes little bumps (as you can see above)

Here is what Light Brown looks like on my eyebrows. I like the precision, but I hate the coloring for me. I am growing out my red now and most of my hair is light brown/blonde with some dark red at the ends but it is so unnoticeable. If I were still a red-head, this would be a great color, but it just doesn't work. Okay, I thought, maybe just try the blonde!

But here is why I do not like this product and won't be trying any other colors: Just pressing lightly to fill in one brow broke off a chunk of the product. I can't waste product like that for that much money, so this is going back. That was my same gripe with the Brow Wiz, but even that didn't break as easily.

Sorry Lorac Pro Brow Pencil, you weren't the one.

What are you using on your brows right now?

 

   

Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette: Swatches, Review, and Looks

Hey Pandas!   I finally caved and bought something I have been eying since the press releases. I have a thing for snakes. I really like what they stand for in regards to change and rebirth...and I think of myself as a Slytherin at heart, so naturally the packaging alone intrigued me.

The palette is circular and made to look like wood with a gold, curled-up snake embossed on the top with a purple jewel. The embossed snake was already slightly scratched, which dissapointed me, but all of the ones in store (I bought this at Ulta) were slightly scratched in some way.

The box itself is rather pretty and embossed with a snakeskin pattern. The palette retails for $38 and comes with a blush, bronzer, highlighter, and six eyeshadows, all in Tarte's signature colored clay formula.

 There is a large mirror, bit it has a bit of trouble staying up at some angles by itself, but that isn't a big issue for me. Overall, the packaging is sturdy.

This palette is purples, plums, golds, and browns, making it a great fall palette. For swatches, keep reading!