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Winter Lipstick Favorites

February 1, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi guys, I am back from a momentary pause. My website experienced a downtime a few days ago, but I am here now, still alive and kicking. So, what have I been doing lately? Apart from going through the whole #snowpocalypse saga, I binge-watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo in Netflix and I suddenly got an idea. Meet me, Marie Apartment (LOL) and I am here to talk to you about the lipsticks that spark joy for me this Winter. And nope, I didn’t throw away my other lipsticks that didn’t spark joy. I still keep them, and I will always keep them all because, in all honesty, these lipsticks always give me joy. But for this Winter, I’m rounding up my faves in liquid lipsticks, balms, lip pencils and lipsticks. This is kind of an exhaustive roundup so grab your favorite drinks and chill. Take note that since I’m a lover of matte lipsticks, almost all the lipsticks here are mostly matte.

I use these lipsticks mostly in rotation, and also, depending on my activity for the day, I tend to pick the shade that would look best and appropriate on me for that occasion. And if I’m undecided, I would just pick the shade that’s giving me all the feels (LOL), unless of course, I have no feels on that day (LOL again), then that’s another story.

Excited to see which lipsticks made the cut? Keep reading (You’ve been warned :-)).

CHARLOTTE TILBURY/SHISEIDO/BITE BEAUTY/FENTY BEAUTY

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips Liquid Lipstick in Show Girl (0.24 oz: $34) – warm deep berry. Always and will be in love with this shade. I love the thick whipped formula of this liquid lipstick and it sets into a velvety matte that won’t emphasize the lip lines. Lip swatch HERE.

Shiseido Modern Matte Powder Lipstick in 508 Semi Nude (0.14 oz: $26) – cinnamon. My most unforgettable lipstick ever. One of the most beautiful things that happened lately in my life happened when I wore this lipstick, so this totally sparks a thousand joy for me. This shade is not exactly semi-nude, but more like a muted cinnamon, and the tube of this lipstick is heavy and magnetic. For more of this lipstick, click HERE.

Bite Beauty Multistick in Mascarpone (0.17oz: $24) – deep salmon. I love Bite Beauty’s Multistick (seen HERE) and I like that this is so versatile. You can absolutely do a monochromatic look with just this shade. Just swipe a bit on the lids, lips, and cheeks, and voila! Lagertha (Vikings) is that you? LOL.

Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé (0.05 oz: $24) – dusty mauve. My favorite shade from the Bite Lip Crayon, this color is so versatile and the formula is creamy and comfortable, not to mention the irresistible flavor that this lip product has. More details HERE.

Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Thicc (0.06 oz: $18) – sultry mauve. One of the newest shades from the Mattemoiselle Plush line. This is such a pretty shade that can work with almost any skin tone and the lasting power of this lipstick is just amazing. Also, this feels comfy on the lips given that this is matte. More Fenty Beauty review HERE.

BURBERRY/DIOR

There are two Burberry lipsticks that I love in my life and they’re both from the Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet Line. One is Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet in Fawn No. 5 (0.2 oz: $34) and the other is Burberry Liquid Lip Velvet in Dark Rosewood No. 17 (0.2 oz: $34), seen HERE. These shades may not be available in Sephora anymore, but they’re still available at Nordstrom or at Saks Fifth Avenue. I just love how soft and natural-looking these velvety matte liquid lipsticks appeal on the lips, and they’re so moisturizing as well. You can never go wrong with these.

Dior Lip Glow in Berry (0.12 oz: $34) – sheer berry balm. This is probably the Dior Lip Glow shade that complements my skin tone very well since this has a mauve tone that adjusts beautifully to my lips’ natural color. More Dior Lip Glow shades and swatches HERE.

Dior Addict Lacquer Stick in 420 Underground (0.11 oz: $37) – pink nude. This is one of my favorites when it comes to natural or nude lipstick colors. It’s nude but kinda like a warm mid-tone nude with a bit of pink that is enough to complement and add some color to the lips. Great for everyday wear. See the lip swatch HERE.

Rouge Dior Ultra Rouge Lipstick in 843 Ultra Crave ($37) – terracotta pink. This lipstick is so long-wearing and very comfortable to wear. The Ultra-Crave shade really makes you wanna crave for more of this type of lipstick, and of course, the Dior red packaging is so elegant and sleek. Complete review HERE.

YSL

YSL Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain in 23 Singular Taupe (0.20 oz: $37) – deep nude. An Allure Award Winner and no doubt one of the best lip stains I’ve ever tried. I really like this shade a lot. It’s perfect for daytime wear and even to a nighttime formal affair. See the other shades HERE.

The two classic YSL Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks I love are the YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 28 Rose Boheme (0.13 oz: $38) and the 66 Bois De Rose (0.13 oz: $38). 28 Rose Boheme is a purplish pink that seems difficult to locate nowadays, but it’s still one of my fave purple pink lip colors. See lip swatch HERE. You can definitely find some other similar shades of this particular lipstick, like the 09 rose stiletto (lighter) or the matte version called 212 alternative plum (darker). The YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 66 Bois De Rose is my all-time favorite YSL lipstick color. It is pinky nude and it goes well with everything.

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick in 48 Smoking Plum (0.15 oz: $38) – further reviewed HERE. This is a perfect Plum shade that is so great for this Winter. The formula of this is so hydrating like it melts into the lips. The coverage is medium and it has a nice shine to it.

YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain in 409 Burgundy Vibes (0.18 oz: $37) – This is a full coverage high impact dramatic burgundy shade. Perfect for a night out or for an ultra-glam event. I promise you will never be forgotten after wearing this lipstick, LOL. See the lip swatch HERE.

NARS

I’m obsessed with two Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencils in Bahama (0.086 oz: $27) and Walkyrie (0.086 oz: $27). Bahama is pink brown and perfect for a warm nude everyday lip color, while Walkyrie is warm coral red creme that’s great for a date night lewk.

Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in American Woman (0.18 oz: $26) – chestnut rose. From the name of this liquid lipstick, down to its shade, plus its comfortable matte formula, you can’t resist the charm.

ARMANI BEAUTY

The Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet Liquid Lipsticks in 507 Garconne (0.13 oz: $38) and 600 Front Row (0.13 oz: $38) are two of my staple liquid lipstick/lip stain hybrid. I always love the formula of these since they’re somewhat creamy and definitely comfortable. On top of that, they set into a satiny matte. Also, the wear of these is really good. 507 Garconne is a mauve berry. A perfect mid-tone mauve, while 600 Front Row is a rich brownish berry. You can’t help but stare at how beautiful this shade is. It’s one of those enigmatic berry shade that everyone could pull off. Lip swatch HERE

I haven’t gotten over my love for the Armani Lip Magnets, and here goes the new Giorgio Armani Rouge D’Armani Matte in 102 Androgino (0.14 oz: $38) and 201 Nightberry (0.14 oz: $38). Androgino is an antique rose and my latest favorite nude lipstick. This really works well for my light/medium skin tone and my pigmented lips. I also think that this is a very universally flattering shade because this has a versatile sort of androgynous undertone. On the other hand, 201 Nightberry is scarlet red. This shade is just to-die-for. It’s the perfect wine-red berry shade with a comfortable creamy matte formula that lasts for hours and hours. Not really sure if I’ll be able to get over the beauty of this lipstick, probably not, so I hope it’s forever. LOL. Lip swatches HERE

CHANEL

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme in 118 Eternel (0.12 oz: $37) – Part of Chanel’s Fall ’18 releases, this new “extreme matte” formula is amazing. It’s super pigmented and it stays on the lips without the drying effect. The shade Eternel is the perfect nude pink from this line and I love it. Further swatched HERE.

Before the Velvet Extreme lipsticks, I’ve been a fan and will always be a fan of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in 69 Abstrait (0.12 oz: $37) and 58 Rouge Vie (0.12 oz: $37). I also love the Libre shade, but that’s for the Summer. The 69 Abstrait color is a new addition from Chanel and it has a coral nude tone. It is a wonderful shade to moderately brighten the pout with a very comfortable original non-drying velvety matte formula. 58 Rouge Vie is a luminous matte red. It’s hard for me to pull off a true red lip color, but this one has a muted brick-like tone and with a comfortable matte texture, so this works for me since it flatters my skin tone. Lip swatch for Abstrait can be seen HERE.

Chanel Rouge Allure Liquid Powder in 960 Avant-Gardiste (0.3 oz: $30.00) – seen HERE. This is a red berry shade. I absolutely love the unique formula of this. It’s powdery, it’s staining, and it’s long-wearing. Perfect for that ombre lip effect.

Chanel Jumbo Longwear Matte Lip Crayon in 267 Impulsion (0.04 oz: $37) – A deep blue-toned red with a smooth and creamy lip crayon formula. It’s so pigmented that it’ll stain the lips for the whole day. A little bit goes a long way. Further swatched HERE.

Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in 174 Melancholia (0.2 oz: $37) – deep berry. Also a very staining lip color and you don’t need to apply a lot. It’s so lightweight on the lips and it’s non-drying. See the lip swatch HERE.

That comprises my Winter lipstick favorites. Did these lipsticks also spark you some joy? LOL, I mean, what are the lipsticks that spark joy on you lately? And what are your favorite lip colors for the Winter?

Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick Review And Swatches

December 14, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my cousin and couldn’t help but compliment her alluring lip color. Just like me, she’s a makeup junkie and she mentioned that the Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is her favorite matte lipstick of the moment and possibly one of her faves ever. She told me that she’s so in love with this particular lipstick that she keeps repurchasing them to keep in her stash. Her favorite shades from this lipstick are the darker tones like Framboise and Bordeaux. Meanwhile, I, her perpetual partner in making silly jokes, listened to her attentively and paid attention to her suggestion of me trying this lipstick. I’ve seen and heard about this Stila lipstick before and I’m a big fan of their products, especially their cult-favorite liquid eyeliners and of course their Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick which I reviewed HERE on the blog. However, for some reason, this Stila Matte’ificent lipstick had slipped through the cracks of my radar and I had simply forgotten to test it.

Thanks to my cousin, my love for Stila lipsticks have been renewed and boy, I’m so impressed with this lipstick so far. The Stila Matte’ificent is a comfortable lightweight matte lipstick with strong pigments that can last up to 5 or 6 hours on me sans reapplication. Contrary to some reviews, it isn’t drying on me and it has no annoying scent, just a regular buttery hint that you’d find typical in most lipsticks. It is slimmer than most lipsticks which is great since it allows for a precise application and speaking of how it applies, it does glide easily on the lips and it doesn’t emphasize the lips’ fine lines that much.

Here are my top four favorite shades

Bonbon – terracotta nude, this looks really great on my light-medium skin tone.

Brulee – caramel nude but looks greige on me

Framboise – dark raspberry, almost dark wine red

Mon Ami – rose nude, looks bright nude pink on me

Just like my cousin’s rec, I too am now in love with this lipstick. I find the shades to be very flattering and they wear very well on me. Unfortunately, for some reason, it looks like Stila might discontinue this lipstick soon (God, I hope not) since it’s getting harder and harder to find this lipstick everywhere. So far, it’s no longer available at Ulta or Sephora, but Stilacosmetics.com still carries some shades of this particular lipstick line and it’s on sale for $8.00. Nordys has some of the shades too.

Not really sure what the fuss is all about, heard an issue about this lipstick’s packaging, but so far, I haven’t had any, so I hope Stila would reissue this lipstick soon with more shades because, for me, this is a very good reliable matte lipstick and one that I highly recommend.

The Stila Matte’ificent Lipstick is currently available at Stilacosmetics.com, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Amazon, and Dermstore.

Current Beauty Favorites

November 27, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello guys! I am back from a holiday break. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and let’s look forward to more holidays and festivities this season. Speaking of gatherings and feasts, I have compiled a few beauty items I’ve been loving lately. These are the ones I’ve been using pretty much a lot since the beginning of Fall and I will probably be reaching out for these even more throughout the Winter season.

Apart from loving my all-black ensemble this cold and gloomy weather, I have this thing of liking beauty products that emphasize a luminous flawless skin with a wide-eyed look and a gorgeous pout. In other words, it’s all about the “glow” for me this season. So, without further ado, here are the beauty items I’m loving lately.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation in Honey (1 oz: $48) – This is my favorite go-to dewy foundation of all time, and I know I can rely on this if I want to pull-off that youthful lit-from-within lewk. I just love how flawless and seamless my skin looks with this and my pores look invisible, smooth and gloriously glowy.

Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil (3.4 oz: $100) – My favorite shimmery body oil with a nice luxurious scent. I’m down to my second bottle of this since last summer and I still enjoy the beautiful shimmers that this gives to my skin. It’s pricey but it’s so worth it, and I’m still dying to try that Rose Gold version. See my other favorite body oils HERE.

Tatcha The Pearl Tinted Eye Illuminating Treatment in Softlight (0.4 oz: $48) – Still one of my favorite products for my undereyes. It’s like a skincare treatment/moisturizer that brightens and hydrates my thin undereye area and this also works as a creamy concealer and it doesn’t fade. More Tatcha faves reviewed HERE.

Glossier Haloscope in Quartz (0.19 oz: $22) – This gives a subtle lit-from-within glow and it goes on creamy and you can use your finger to dab and apply this on the high points of the face.

Glossier Boy Brow in Brown (0.11 oz: $16) – Perfect when you’re in a hurry and don’t have the time to perfectly shape your brows. I love how this gives me that lived-in full natural brow look and the brush applicator is precise enough even if you don’t have a lot of brows to fill with. You can buy the Glossier Haloscope above and this Boy Brow together at glossier.com and save $8.

Stila Shimmer & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Vivid Smoky Quartz (0.153 oz: $24) – This goes on fluid and easy to blend without needing to apply much and this sets well. I love this for a quick eyeshadow application and you can blend this using your finger. The Vivid Smoky Quartz shade is a perfect base eyeshadow that isn’t too glittery. Also, you can add some shimmers on top of it for a glam look, then you’re good to go.

Benefit Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara in Black (0.30 oz: $25) – This isn’t much volumizing but this mascara lifts and curls so well that it helps to give me that wide-eyed fully awake, alert and oriented X3 look, lol. The brush applicator is curved and it helps to reach out every single eyelash strand that needs lifting and curling. More on my favorite mascaras of all time HERE.

Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan 104 Tan-Tastic (0.08 oz: $49) – This my go-to bronzer of the moment and this goes on matte. I love the amazing coconut scent of this and it’s pretty much easy to blend and easy to layer. Also, this stays on my skin keeping it looking contoured and defined for hours.

Benefit Dandelion Box o’ Powder Blush (0.25 oz: $30, mini $16) – I like how subtle this blush is and it sort of complements the kind of flush you tend to get this cold season. This is definitely one of the most natural-looking blushes I’ve ever tried and a great staple for that everyday makeup look.

Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Fusion Powder in #4 (0.12 oz: $58) – I am crazy in love with this glowy finishing powder and this definitely is now part of my holy grail beauties. This has very fine micro shimmers that set the foundation and adds an extra glow, thus making the face appear luminous, healthy, youthful and not flat. It even works perfectly in combination with matte foundations so it won’t look too harsh or too dry.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Macro-Color Eyeshadow in #2 (0.06 oz: $32) – This is a waterproof eyeshadow that doesn’t smudge or budge even if you cry a river, lol, and it’s pretty much reliable in any occasion. I picked the shade #2 which is a dark navy color and it has a matte finish that is not only perfect to contour the lids, it’s also great for the waterline.

Byredo Mojave Ghost Eau de Parfum (1.7 oz: $165, 3.4 oz: $$250) – This has such a unique and complex scent that is as mysterious and intriguing as its name. There’s nothing quite like this fragrance and people often ask me what this is. It’s hard to describe this with its blend of sandalwood, musk, amber, naseberry and something else. It’s a complicated, mysterious, elegant and super long-lasting scent that is totally distinct.

Viktor&Rolf Magic Liquid Diamonds Eau de Parfum (travel size 0.30: $30, 2.5 oz: $190) – Still loving this scent and I still couldn’t get enough of this. I just love how femininely elegant and beautiful this scent is and it totally can lift any woman’s mood and spirit. This is the complete definition of feminine, luxury, clean, and elegance combined in one magical beautiful bottle. Reviewed further HERE.

Have you tried any of these favorites already? What the beauty products you’ve been loving lately?