It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi: Swatches and Review

I am not always a fan of everything It Cosmetics releases, but more and more, I find myself becoming an 'It' girl, and the product I have been reviewing the last few weeks, the It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi has been constantly on my cheeks.

 

This blush retails for $24 and with the amount I have been using it, worth every penny! There is currently only one color selection, which is a pink. But according to It Cosmetics, it is supposed to self-adjust to give you your own unique glow! It turns rather peachy pink on my skin!

It is also has collagen and peptides, which is where (I am assuming) the CC+ comes into play.

 

Isn't this just the prettiest? You can use the top section as a highlight, which I like to do, although swirling all the colors together will not get rid of the ombre´. I love this because it really does give a lit from within glow that is just so easy, which is why I keep reaching for it. 

 

The swatches show the individual sections of the blush and then what it looks like blended together. The texture is easy to work with: not too dense or powdery.

This gives me a healthy glow that I am addicted to. Keep in mind that it has a luminous finish but is neither sparkly or matte. I love it!

Have you tried this CC+ Radiance Blush?

OCC After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube x4 Set: Review and Swatches

Hey everyone! I am back and sorry for the other extended absence. I got a puppy, which is basically a full time job, on top of a nasty cold. But today I have something to show you that if you want, you should head on over to Sephora because it is on SALE for $10!!

The Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) After Dark Stained Gloss Test Tube x4 Set is an awesome pick up ($10) for four mini tubes of stained gloss and a mini lip brush. 

Each tube is .08 fluid ounces (or 2.5 ml) compared to the full size .33 ounce. I don't profess to be good at math, but that is roughly a quarter of the product = $4.5 per mini tube. Times 4 = $18 (which is the full-size product price. 

If you were to pay full price for this little set ($20), I wouldn't recommend because you are paying more to get a variety of products and I only love 3 of them (value of $13.5 so at $10 you come out ahead).

Phew. I'm done with math. Let's move on!

Above from left to right: Hedonist (a pale pink), Jealous (a coral/red), Little Black Dress (sheer black wash), and New Wave (bright pink)

 These all have a minty smell and taste but it isn't strong and it doesn't make my lips tingle in any way. A tiny dot on a lip brush is enough to cover your mouth (as with the original lip tar) so there is a ton of product here. You at least have a chance to finish one of these tubes off in your lifetime.

New Wave was my absolute favorite out of this set. If you aren't interested in a set but are curious about the stained gloss formula, I would highly recommend this shade.

It made my lips look the best (full and glossy) and lasted for four hours during a work shift in which I talked to people on the phone the entire time. It does stain a very similar color when it wears off and felt comfortable on. When it does fade away my lips felt a but dry and sticky but a little balm over my lips was perfect because the color lingered from the stain. 

These will transfer because they are a gloss, but last longer than most glosses for me. I really loved how vibrant this color was, and yet still wearable.

 

Hedonist is a very bright pepto pink that I am currently loving to do mod 60's looks with. As you can see it will pull into lip lines a bit, but from a normal distance it isn't noticeable. The cool thing about Hedonist is that the stain it leaves behind looks like New Wave, a darker, vibrant pink. Weird, but I don't mind. The wear time was slightly shorter here, at 3 hours.

 

Yes, this is Little Black Dress on my lips. So it basically looks like my lips but glossy. You may be able to see the hint of darkness, but this was a miss for me. A black lipstick or lip tar would be better for darkening something. 

 Jealous is also a really fun color. It is a perfect combo of red and orange and the glossy finish really amps it up. It does leave a similar colored stain and wears about 3.5 hours.

 

 Out of curiosity I layered Little Black Dress (because it is supposed to be layered, although I hoped it might look cool on it's own). This is LBD layered over Jealous. It does darken it, but it got a bit streaky and I wasn't impressed. It might be fun to experiment with later though!

I really found this little set to be a fun deal and it introduced me to the OCC stained gloss formula which is really cool. The only downside is reapplication on the go is a pain!

 

Colour Pop Lippie Stix in Bichette: Review and Swatches

Hey everyone!! You may have peeped me playing around on my Instagrams this morning during my last day of testing ColourPop Lippie Stix in the color Bichette. I  am now completely comfortable telling you my thoughts!  

  To be honest, Bichette was the Lippie Stix I was most excited about receiving, and the one that gave me the worst first impression. When I swatched the first time, the tip broke off and I lost a half inch of color. I had no issues with my other three, so I was sad about this.    I spoke a little bit about what I liked about Lippie Stix in my last post, but a recap is the price ($5), the vanilla scent (very MAC-ish), and the fun range of colors.  

 

All Lippie Stix have a slanted tip, but mine is flat because it broke :(.

 

Bichette is a matte red, slightly darker than your standard 'fire-engine red', so I think it would look best on very pale or rich, deep skin tones, but is very wearable for anyone. Colour Pop has a few red lippies to peruse, and you know I love my reds!

 Here is Bichette on my lips taken somewhere during the first hour of application. I would say it starts out as a satin matte for the first hour or so. I would also suggest a lip liner, as you can see some feathering on my upper lip. This is a very 'thick' lipstick, in that is does drag and pull during application. Please keep in mind, as I have said before, that I have drier lips and did not apply balm for testing purposes. Coverage is true to tube in one swipe.

*Also, note my uneven teeth bottoms (is that a thing?) I love them! My dentist wants to cosmetically fix them but I think they give me character!? What is a part of you that you love?*

 Bichette (who loves that name? I do!) wears better than a normal matte for me. While Lumiere got uncomfortably dry around the 4/5 hour mark, Bichette stayed reasonably comfortable. But this is in no way moisturizing, just not Sahara desert.

This is Bichette on my lips at hour 5.5. I have had water and some small nibbles but no food here (because of the thickness, I find it kinda gets everywhere during eating, unlike Lumiere, but this will still stay mostly behind, but will need reapplication after a meal). At hours 5/6 the finish is much more matte, but still decently comfortable for a matte on my lips.

So, the wear time then? Basically this will last on you as long as you have until your next meal, and then just touching up is needed. I loved that this never got on my teeth and I did a lot of talking during testing!

Bichette is my favorite Lippie Stix so far and dare I say may sneak into my favorite reds pile. I still have two more to show you and lots more goodies. Have a great day guys!