August 2017 - Page 2 of 7 - Reviews and Other Stuff

Month: August 2017

Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick Matte Finish Review + Swatches

August 25, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Advance Happy Weekend Everybody! I must have been asleep or in a coma (LOL) when Urban Decay released the liquid version of their fan-favorite and ever-popular Vice Lipsticks, which are simply called The Vice Liquid Lipsticks (0.17 oz: $18). They come in two finishes, which are matte and metallic. Since I’m a huge fan of matte liquid lipsticks, this review is gonna be all about the mattes.

I reviewed the Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks before, seen HERE, and I really like those lippies. They also come in different finishes and they have incredible pigments. I was such a fan of those that I’ve always wanted them in liquid versions and was hoping that Urban Decay might release them soon. Unbeknownst to me, they’ve already released the Vice Liquid Lipsticks, and here I was, always late in the news. Somehow, I don’t know why it occurred to me that the UD Vice Liquid Lipsticks were all in metallic finishes. But anyway, since finding out that they also have some matte ones, I thought of getting a few. Unfortunately, by the time I realized all this, I was a bit a little too late. Most of my preferred matte finish shades are now discontinued, so I was left with only a couple of shades to choose from. Anyways, I picked the ones that I really like and here they are.

Amulet – Matte Brick Rose. This is a shimmery brick rose shade that you’d think it belongs to the metallic finish group, but this dries matte. Somehow, it has a metallic effect since there’s a decent amount of glitter in it. It can be quite reflective but not necessarily shiny. I thought this was gonna be a flashy shade for me, obviously because of the glitters, but I actually like this because it adds dimension to the lips. This is a unique and gorgeous shade for sure.

Backtalk – Matte Mauve Nude-Pink. This pretty shade can work for every skin tone because it’s a nice blend of muted nude mauvy pink. It’s a pretty shade that won’t’ make you look too pale, and it adds just a bit of rosy touch to the lips.

1993 – Matte Medium Brown. Love this SO ’90’s shade. It’s a sexy and edgy shade for light, medium, and dark skin tones. It’s so well-pigmented and it makes your pout truly gorg.

Urban Decay Vice LIQUID Lipsticks Arm Swatch

Compared to the Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks

I might have been late in reviewing these liquid lipsticks, but I’m glad I found them, it’s better late than never, right? As for the formulations and the shades, these Vice Liquid Lipsticks don’t have a lot of love from the reviews at Sephora, that’s because even though these are very well-pigmented, there’s something wrong with the formulation. I’m not sure if all the shades are like that, but I noticed that these liquid lipsticks tend to feel sticky while they’re settling on the lips, and if you close your lips together, you’d feel them sticking to each other. It’s weird and it’s kinda annoying. Also, it takes a while for these liquid lipsticks to set, which reminds of Colourpop Ultra Satin Lips, reviewed HERE. They both have beautiful and well-pigmented shades, but the formula is somewhat sticky.

Other than that, these UD Vice Liquid Lipsticks have such good color payoff to them. They apply as creamy and not that streaky, and the scent is almost indiscernible. I like its sleek and shiny packaging with a pretty sturdy applicator. It does a good job at precisely lining and applying colors on the lips. Overall, these lipsticks last a long time for me, though some shades may feel kinda drying on the lips, and the sticky formula needs to be improved.

What do think about these liquid lipsticks?

The Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks are available at Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Selfridges, and Macy’s

Visit my Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

T.G.I.F

X.O.X.O

G.T.G

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit Review + Swatches

August 24, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

If you’re looking for a palette full of well-crafted highlighters with different tones, well, look no further because this Glow Kit from Anastasia Beverly Hills ($40) might just be the answer you’re looking for, especially if you’re crazy over highlighters nowadays.

I’ve reviewed several highlighters here in the blog, some of them are in kits or palettes, while some are in one single compact. Some are even in liquid or stick forms which I will be comparing with this ABH Glow Kit later on this post. While it’s nice to have everything in one single compact that contains a blush, a contour, and a highlighter shade, this Anastasia Glow Kit is quite different. It has 4 highlighters in one single kit or palette, which I think is made especially for those who just can’t get enough of highlighters and for those who need a highlighter that truly matches their complexion.

Depending on your skin tone, some highlighters may overemphasize or underemphasize your features. Some may even make you glow too much like a flashlight. There are even some shades that just don’t show up on your skin. So with 4 highlighters in one palette? I’m all up for it.

Bronzed – This is a shimmery bronze-gold that can work as a bronzer or as a golden highlighter for different skin tones, but I think this is specially meant for medium to dark skin tones as well. This is really shimmery and if you wanna look super gilded like the queen of the Nile, then this one’s for you.

Summer – A pearly-gold shimmer for those with lighter complexions. This really highlights your cheekbones and all the bony prominences of your face.

Tourmaline – A rosy shimmer that’s a bit similar to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal. I love this shade because it’s not too bright and not dark for a highlighter. A great complement to any light-medium skin tones.

Moonstone – This is a blend of peachy-pearl-golden shimmer that appeared to be very similar to the Summer shade once applied on my light-medium skin. In fact, it’s hard for me to tell the difference between the two. The difference between them is very subtle, but this is for sure a better option for those with light to medium complexion if you’re looking to level up your highlighter shade but doesn’t want a pure pearly shimmer on your face.

These highlighters are well-pigmented and they’re really shimmery. You can layer them for sure, but I find that just a single swipe of a fan brush or a finger will already give an instant glow. They’re easy to blend, so that’s a big plus, but I find that they’re a bit more shimmery when compared to Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfectors (reviewed HERE), yet they’re also as finely-milled and soft.

I definitely like all the four shades in this ABH Sun Dipped Glow Kit and I noticed that there’s really not a lot of fallouts, and if there is, it’s almost unnoticeable. Compared to some other popular highlighting palettes out there, like the Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette (reviewed HERE), well, even though that’s a different kind of story because that’s more like an all-in-one highlight/contour/blush palette, I feel like this is such a contender. This is great for traveling or just something to have around that’s easy to reach all the time, and with 4 choices of shades, you can’t really go wrong. When it comes to stick or liquid highlighters, well, there’s a lot of good stick highlighters out there that delivers smooth natural highlighting effects like Benefit’s Watt’s Up!, Trestique’s Highlight & Perfect Multipurpose Stick (seen HERE), or Nudestix Nudies All Over Face Color Bronze + Glow (reviewed HERE), but still this ABH Glow Kit in Sun Dipped is very practical, convenient, and worth the money. Overall, the formulation is superb, the shades are wearable, versatile, and they make you glow beautifully.

The ABH Sun Dipped Glow Kit is available at Sephora, Ulta, Macy’s, and Dillard’s

It’s almost weekend, Yey!

Follow on Instagram: @reviewsandotherstuff

Marc Jacobs Highliner Matte Gel Crayon Eyeliner Review

August 23, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 1 Comment

Hey There! As a constant eyeliner user, it’s hard not to notice Marc Jacobs’ latest eyeliner released. The Highliner Matte Gel Crayon Eyeliners (0.01 oz for $25) are pretty much the same type of eyeliners as the cult-favorite Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayons, but of course, these are all in matte finishes. They all share the same amazing pigments which are vivid and they glide like butter, which makes them really easy to apply around the eyes. Most importantly, these don’t smudge because they’re waterproof.

Since I was running out of my favorite brown eyeliners from Urban Decay and also the Fineliners from Marc Jacobs which I also love and tend to use every spring and summer, I thought of trying the latest MJ Matte Highliners. I was eyeing the (Brown)ie and (Earth)quake shades. But before this particular matte finish of eyeliners were released, I had my eyes set on the Ro(Cocoa) and Brown(Out) shades, yet somehow, I couldn’t bring myself into purchasing them because they’re really shimmery, and I’m not really a fan of shimmery eyeliners. Oh well, finally, with the release of these Matte Gel Highliners, I feel like, now there are even more choices for high-quality matte eyeliners in store.

(Brown)ie 43 – Medium Brown. This is my most favorite brown of all the Marc Jacobs Highliner Matte Gel Crayons. It’s a creamy, well-pigmented, chocolate-brown that glides smoothly like butter and settles like it means business. It won’t transfer, won’t crease, won’t bleed, and it’s totally waterproof.

(Earth)quake 41 – Dark Brown. This is a dark muddy brown that also works well for my light to medium skin tone with a warm undertone. It also glides like a dream and it’s very easy to correct while applying it. Once it settles, it’s there for a long time. You’re gonna need a good waterproof makeup remover to take it off.

You can cry a million river with these Marc Jacobs Highliner Matte Gel Crayons and they still won’t budge, unless you intentionally rub them, and even then, they’re still as reliable as they’re meant to do their job. Which means that these are really good quality eyeliners and you can count on them to deliver no matter the circumstances. Because you know that whatever you’ll do, you’ll never look like Corpse Bride, LOL.

I like these eyeliners a lot, and these are gonna be my staple eyeliners from now on. I like the overall sleek pencil-type packaging and they come with a sharpener on the other end. They’re easy and practical to use by just twisting the bottom of the pencil and releasing enough product to use. While they glide very well around the eyes, you can still have enough time or room (15 seconds) for correction if you’ll ever make a mistake because these won’t dry immediately. You can even blend them to create a smokey eye makeup. Once they set, then you won’t have to worry about them moving around, and they’ll stay for at least 12 hours or more.

The Marc Jacobs Highliner Matte Gel Crayon is available at Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter, and MarcJacobs.com

Ciao!der

Follow on Insta:@reviewsandotherstuff