Makeup For Life - Beauty Blog, Makeup Tutorials, Product Reviews, Celebrity Makeup, Beauty Advice » lip swatches

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick Reviews, Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:45:53 +0000

Besides making a stop at the NARS Boutique during my trip to NYC, I also checked out the Dolce & Gabbana Makeup counter at Saks Fifth Avenue and hauled a few goodies, including two Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks.

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipsticks
The Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick is a rich, creamy lip color wrapped around a satin gloss in a sleek, gold tube.

Infatuation is a beautiful bright red that Scarlett Johansson wore for the campaign shoot. It really pops against my dark hair and the blue undertones also make my teeth look whiter. Defintiely my new holy grail red lipstick!

Imperial, supposedly Kim Kardashian’s favorite color, is a gorgeous nude with pink undertones. It goes really well with my NC30 skin tone without washing me out and is perfect with a dramatic smoky eye.

Both lipsticks apply with excellent pigmentation, feel super moisturizing and leave behind tons of shine like a gloss.The staying power is also amazing. The color hardly feathers and stayed on even after a few drinks and a meal. Plus the price tag is comparatively lower than lipsticks that perform just as well, like my favorite Kanebo Sensai Lasting Treatment Rouge Lipsticks. Must get my hands on more! Any color recs?

Imperial and Infatuation

Imperial

Infatuation

Overall Rating:

Dolce & Gabbana Passion Duo Gloss Fusion Lipstick is available at Saks.com and select Saks Fifth Avenue stores for $34.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

NARS 413 BLKR Larger Than Life Lip Gloss Review, Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:35:37 +0000

During a quick trip to NYC, I finally paid homage to my favorite makeup brand and stopped by the world’s one-and-only NARS Boutique. The cute little store is located in Manhattan’s West Village on 413 Bleecker Street, just a minute away from the famed apartment of Sex And The City’s Carrie Bradshaw. As a souvenir, I left with the exclusive 413 BLKR Larger Than Life Lip Gloss.

Just like the NARS x Lady Gaga Born This Way Larger Than Life Lip Gloss, 413 BLKR comes in a non-sticky, semi-moisturizing formula with great pigmentation and excellent wearing power. The color is a gorgeous bright red that can instantly polish up any look. I love pairing it with a clean face and winged eyeliner and I always get SO many compliments wearing it.

I also thought the applicator was better than the Gaga gloss. The bristles were much softer right off the bat and simply great for application. All I do is swipe it over my lips once, add a bit of MAC Cherry Lip Pencil here and there and bam! Hot red lips with lots of shine!

Overall Rating:

NARS 413 BLKR Larger Than Life Lip Gloss is available exclusively at the NARS Boutique and narscosmetics.com for $26.

Disclosure: The product in this entry was purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

MAC x Chen Man Force of Love and Budding Love Lipsticks Reviews, Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 04:14:21 +0000

From MAC Chen Man Love and Water Collection, I picked up the two new lipsticks, Force of Love and Budding Love. Read on for my long due review and swatches!

MAC x Chen Man Force of Love and Budding Love Lipsticks
Described as a “vivid honeysuckle pink”, Force of Love is a gorgeous matte vibrant pink with coral undertones and no doubt one of my favorites this spring. It is a tinge pinker than MAC Watch Me Simmer and MAC Red Full Stop yet not as pink as MAC Viva Glam Nicki. It also applies evenly with excellent pigmentation and does not feel drying at all. Love love love!

Budding Love is a very cool-toned pink with a touch of lavender in the Lustre formula. It is a little sheerer than Force of Love and just like most Lustre lipsticks, it leaves behind a wet-looking sheen. My only complaint? It does not go on evenly and requires a bit of layering to cover my lips completely. Nonetheless, the color is pretty and similar to MAC Viva Glam Gaga, another Lustre that I like.

Budding Love and Force Of Love

Wearing MAC Budding Love Lipstick

Wearing MAC Force of Love Lipstick
And a few comparisons with other MAC lipsticks:

Lavender Whip, Budding Love, Pink Friday, Viva Glam Gaga, Melrose Wood and Saint Germain

Watch Me Simmer, Red Full Stop, Force of Love, Impassioned, Viva Glam Nicki and Utterly Frivolous

What do you guys think? Did you pick up anything from the Chen Man collection?

Disclosure: The products in this entry were purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches

Phyllis — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:11:51 +0000

In stores this week is MAC 2012 Viva Glam Collection featuring Ricky Martin and Nicki Minaj. Let’s see if the new lipstick delivers!

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick
Described as a “bright yellow pink”, Viva Glam Nicki lipstick is a vivid, almost neon coral pink and a great sequel to Nicki’s first MAC lipstick, Pink Friday.

While the Satin formula offers superb coverage, I find it extremely difficult to work with, especially on my dry lips. Regardless of how I exfoliate and moisturize, it always seems to dry out my lips, highlight flakes and fine lines. The only way I can make it work is to prep my lips with a thick layer of Ruby Kisses Menthol Lip Salvation, then carefully paint the color on layer by layer with a brush AND finish with another layer of gloss on top. Talk about time-consuming!

Anyhow, MAC Viva Glam Nicki is a gorgeous gorgeous color that I love against my NC30 skin and I am sure it will look great on most skin tones as well. If only the formula was less drying!

Overall Rating:

Did you pick up the new Viva Glam products? What did you think of them?

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick is available at maccosmetics.com and MAC counters for $14.50. Every cent will go to support the MAC AIDS Fund.

Disclosure: The product in this entry was purchased by me. Please see Disclosures and Policies for more information on my posting policy.

Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss Spring 2012 Review, Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:20:24 +0000

Looking to make a statement? Give your lips all the attention they deserve with the new Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss for Spring 2012!

Milani Spring 2012 Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipglosses
Available in 6 electrifying shades, the Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss is a repromote from Summer 2011 and will now be part of the permanent line. The gloss comes in a long, slim tube with a flat applicator just like Dare to Wear Lipglass.

Hot Flash is a bright red with gold shimmer.
Flashy is a hot pink with silver shimmer.
In A Flash is a vibrant purple with silver shimmer.
Star Flash is a cool-toned pink with silver shimmer.
Golden Flash is a brownish taupe with gold shimmer.
Quick Flash is a rosy pink with gold shimmer.

The formula goes on non-tacky, not too drying and semi-thick like a lip cream instead of a gloss. One swipe will give you gorgeous opaque color with tons of fine shimmer. Plus the anti-feathering formula stays on for hours, even after a few drinks. I definitely recommend these, especially at this price!

Quick Flash, Star Flash, Flash, Hot Flash, In A Flash and Golden Flash

Swatch time!

Quick Flash

Flashy

In A Flash

The winners of the giveaway are Halifax, Constanze and Jody. Thanks everyone for participating!

Overall Rating:

Milani Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipgloss is available at drugstores nationwide for $6.99.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration only. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.