A Winter Lipstick Wardrobe | Cruelty-Free

Yay for another lipstick post if you're a lipstick lover like me!

This one was inspired by an article I found on the interwebs when I was looking for 2017 winter lipstick trends and it resulted in one of those fun 'shop my stash' sessions. The article published in Makeup Tutorials (here) lists some 13 lipstick shades and while I didn't pull together a collection of 13, I did come up with 6 shades that I think will meet most of my winter needs when I need to go out and face the world.  I must admit I came away with a few lipstick cravings too but I'll talk about those at the end of the post.

So - I've created my little lipstick capsule wardrobe for the winter - which was surprisingly enjoyable and got me out of my current makeup rut - and being the oversharer that I am I had to show you what I came up with! Can you tell I'm in a bit of a playful mood today?

My winter lipstick wardrobe is organised into 3 categories comprising muted shades, reds and brights.  This might sound impressive but it wasn't intentional!  Funnily enough and also quite accidentally I've also ended up with an even mix of traditional lipstick bullets, lipstick crayons, and liquid lippies, comprising some mattes and some creamy, glossier lipstick formulas. Without trying I really did cover the bases in this capsule...

My picks are listed in the same order as shown above, progressing from muted shades on the left through to the reds and brights:

Too Face Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (Melted Chihuahua)

These liquid lipsticks have been available for a long time now so the social media novelty has well and truly worn off but I still have a soft spot for a matte lipstick that doesn't dry the life out of my lips. That's beside the point though because this is all about the colour and Melted Chihuahua is a flattering muted shade and just the kind of variation of nude lip that I like to wear in winter as it doesn't erase my lips or wash me out. The official description is dusty rose but it wears more like a brown nude on me and seems to work with warm or cool eye makeup.

Antipodes Moisture Boost Natural Lipstick (Remarkably Red)

The actual lipstick shade doesn't live up to the name but is instead a muted rose red. It has a very cool undertone and it almost looks plum on my lips so I pair this with a cool neutral eye makeup look.  The lipstick formula itself is quite creamy and comfortable to wear.

NARS* Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (Cruella)

Now, this is a true classic RED and it's matte. The end.

Nudestix Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil (Raven)
This matte red is deeper and cooler in tone than Cruella and wears like a deep wine on my lips - unfortunately the swatch below doesn't do it justice.  Raven makes for another classic statement winter lip but I also feel that deep matte red lips are a must in my lipstick wardrobe all year round for an evening option as they add that drama that I like.

Urban Decay Cream Lipstick (Bang)
Moving on to the brights I also love wearing a bright red-orange throughout the year but it's more unexpected and fun during a dreary grey winter's day.  Bang (perfectly named) is a juicy shade in a creamy finish so not only does it look amazing but the creamy formula feels amazing on the lips too. Speaking of the formula, this is one of those one-swipe beauties of a lipstick so I could be tempted to look at the collection again in future...if only I could justify it of course!

Chi Chi Creamy Matte Liquid Lipstick (Drama Queen)
This almost fuchsia shade of bright purple is the most 'fun' bright in my lipstick wardrobe and while I have to summon up the courage to wear it, I enjoy it when I do.  This liquid lippy has a grape scent/taste and is creamy rather than flat matte as it does not dry down completely.  It does stain the lips significantly but the stain is a bright berry, reminiscent of the stain MAC Rebel leaves, which is fine with me as Rebel was my all-time favourite MAC lippy.

L-R:

Melted Chihuahua, Remarkably Red, Cruella*, Raven, Bang, Drama Queen

So, if you are in a lipstick rut and looking to be re-inspired I recommend this exercise.  It certainly has me feeling a renewed appreciation for what I have - I'm reassured I have enough options to comfortably keep up with the lipstick trends this season

And as for what I don't have in my collection?  Isn't it always the way for us makeup enthusiasts/junkies! I was looking for the perfect oxblood and toffee lipstick shades which I don't seem to have...but...I don't know...I think I'll stop here before I justify another lipstick purchase...

Do you follow lipstick trends or do you have your own signature look?

*EDIT - Unfortunately, shortly after publishing this post I became aware that NARS is no longer a Cruelty-Free brand.*

(All products purchased by me)

Summer lippy selections! [Cruelty Free]

Quick - before the season's over here's my summer lip post!

Now, I haven't been following the S/S 2016 trends all that closely but for me personally this summer has been all about the extremes when it comes to lip colours.  I'm either choosing soft and sheer washes of colour or crazy bright lips - oh, okay there has been the occasional nude lip thrown in but not enough to warrant more than a passing mention! It's all about colour for me, so I've been favouring pinks, mauves and corals.

I'm really enjoying the bright lip, defined brow combination for an easy pulled together look whether it's been for work or an occasion, whereas a sheer lip with just a hint of colour has been the perfect pick-me-up for a 'rush out the door' situation  - you know, when the weather's just too hot or humid for me to bother with much more yet I don't want to be completely barefaced. 

So here's my little lippy wardrobe sharing my recent favourites. They're all unabashedly pretty, optimistic 'summer fun in the sun', and not too be taken too seriously shades - and all bunny friendly too of course!

Going in order from left to right (or gloss to matte) these are:

• The Body Shop Flavoured Lip Gloss (Watermelon) - The flavour/scent reminds me more of honeydew melon actually but that's beside the point.  I like wearing this alone for that hint of watermelon pink colour with a lot of juicy shine.  Summer's just got to be the best time to wear a juicy gloss!  The handy tube makes it one of those pop in the pocket and go lip options, and this gloss is also a great moisturising formula. 

• Essence Sheer & Shine Lipstick (11 All About Cupcake) - I look at the new Sheer & Shine range more as tinted balms than lipsticks and they're perfect for a low key lip. I've been enjoying two shades as they've got just the right depth of tone to add a bit of flush to my lips rather than washing them out. Don't be fooled by the vibrant looking lipstick bullet above because All About Cupcake is a very sheer and natural coral pink on the lips. 

• Essence Sheer & Shine Lipstick (07 Sparkling Miracle) - The bullet looks like a deep blue toned mauve but again it swipes over the lips with a sheer wash of flattering pinky mauve and I like having the cooler alternative to All About Cupcake.  

• Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick (Rosé) - This warm pink lipstick is a longtime favourite for spring/summer and I reach for it whenever I want a bright but warm pink lip.  It's just the right balance of playful yet grownup enough for me to get away with at the office too. 

• Too Faced Melted Lipstick (Melted Fuchsia) - Melted Fuchsia is a knockout punch, vibrant blue toned pink but I love it.  It instantly brightens up my face and I really don't need to do much else to look like I've made an effort.  It's more of a playful weekend choice for sure - the slight candy scent adds to the fun - and deserves to be seen during the day!

• Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick (Muse) - This is a bright coral but the most sophisticated choice of the bunch because of its matte finish.  I feel slightly retro in this lipstick and it's great paired with a groomed brow for a polished summer face.

Here are all the lippies swatched in the summer sun (of course!) in reverse order from above:

Muse, Melted Fuchsia, Rosé, Sparkling Miracle, All About Cupcake, Watermelon

I obviously like my corals and pinks!

What lip colours or finishes do you favour in summer?



(All products purchased by me.)

Singapore beauty haul 2015 part 2: The luxury edition

This haul post is hopelessly late as I took these pictures weeks ago!

  I've been busy as usual, but "better late than never" I figure so here are the products I bought at the more spendy end of the Singaporean beauty market - mostly from Sephora.  Yes, Sephora is finally coming to Melbourne very soon but I'm not planning to visit until the hysteria settles so it will probably be next year before I walk through those doors.  Until then I'm well and truly satiated by this beauty loot...

Sephora

• Urban Decay Ten 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set - I've long been a fan of Urban Decay's 24/7 liners thanks to my husband gifting me a set a few years ago.  The only thing that stops me from buying more of these is the price of the individual pencils so another set was the answer. The full sized ultra-black Perversion is the only repeat for me (mine dried up and died a little while ago so this is the backup!) and the other colours are all new additions to my little collection.  Standout shades influencing my decision were Voodoo because it's purple (my favourite coloured liner shade!) and the variously taupey and brown shades like Faint and Mugshot. I don't wear these on the waterline so they perform more than well enough on my upper or lower lash lines for a bit of definition.

• Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick (Temper) - The matte revolution lippies were a brand spanking new release in Sephora so I was keen to try at least one.  I always love a good matte lip and Temper is the kind of bright matte shade I like to wear best.

• Tarte Energy Noir Palette - I'm drawn to eye and cheek palettes, I didn't own anything from Tarte prior to this trip and the colours are neutrals, plums and smokeys which were all speaking to me...need I justify this purchase more? Oh, okay the eye shadows swatched smoothly too! The dusty blush shade looks somewhat similar to Exposed (see below) but this particular shade is Unearthed.

• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Exposed) - I went to two Sephora stores to find this blush so this purchase was a case of mission accomplished! Yes...I know I'm the last person on the planet - or so it feels - to own this particularly well known blush.  It makes a nice change from the usual peaches or corals I gravitate to anyway.

• Too Faced Love Palette - So I tossed up between this and the Semi-Sweet palette and in the end I was convinced this was a better buy and a change from my typical choices.  There's definitely a bit of colour and shimmer in there but it's still wearable enough for me to get away with during the daylight hours.  I also liked the 'three palettes in one' layout for some initial inspiration, and I basically overlooked the inclusion of the waterproof eyeliner! Do I like the heart design? Not really but I can forgive that for the contents.

• Laneige BB Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ (#13 True Beige) - My wonderful friends Sophia and Mabel introduced me to this product as they are both fans. During our joint shopping/dinner evening we were discussing the pros and cons of certain base products and this was the number one recommendation to try.  The girls also helped choose the perfect shade for me too and now I've been officially introduced to the wonders of the BB cushion!  I wouldn't have believed it but now that I've tried it I can say this stuff does feel comfortably cooling on the skin and it's so easy to apply with the enclosed puff sponge. 

• The Original Beautyblender -  There's not much more to say than I finally caved and threw one of these into my shopping basket on the way to the cashier.

• Sephora Lip Liner To Go (08 Classic Pink) - Another Mabel and Sophia recommendation! The ladies told me - and the swatches proved - these lip liners are creamy enough to wear on their own.

VDL

I did have another mineral shadow duo from the VDL boutique that unfortunately got smashed just before I took this picture *sob*.  I'm still hoping to salvage it with some rubbing alcohol...

• Festival Shadow (202 Cork) - I really just wanted to sample some of the eye shadows from this Korean brand so I went with a safe everyday shade that won't get forgotten in the back of the drawer.  As a matter of fact I'm going to be wearing it tomorrow!

• Tint Bar Triple Shot (502 Triple Burgundy) - The gradient or ombre lipstick or balm was a new discovery to me when I arrived in Singapore so I was really intrigued and had to have one! The burgundy layer might look awfully scary in the tube but it looks really soft on the lips and the fade out creates the optical illusion of fuller lips. After wearing this for the first time I'm ever so slightly regretting not buying more.

• Expert Color Lip Cube (502 Rosewood) - Another case of me just wanting to sample from a brand I can't get my hands on at home.  These lipsticks are apparently very long wearing so I have to find out for myself.

Laneige

I bought these Laneige products from the Tangs department store in Vivocity...

• Water Sleeping Mask - I'm talking about this first but this was the afterthought and the result of the SA doing a good job on the upsell! I've never used an overnight mask before and the stuff felt soooo good rubbed into the back of my hand.  Whatever.  I like a good pamper so I don't regret it!

• Two Tone Lip Bar (No. 3 Pink Salmon and No. 5 Daring Darling) - So...like I said earlier I was intrigued by the ombre lip trend and these orange-pink and red-pink combinations looked absolutely wild! So wild that I've not worn them yet but I plan to get playing soon!

Duty free part 1

Leaving Australia...

• Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Skin Care Program - Kits are always the best way to sample a new or different skin care range so I decided to pamper myself with this - still prohibitively expensive - anti-aging range.

• Prada Candy Trio - The only way to get a discount on Prada is DF so that, and my ongoing love affair with Prada fragrances, explains that purchase. 

Duty free part 2

Leaving Singapore...

• Cle De Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer (14 Delicate Pink) - Yes, even buying this DF in Changi Airport was an extravagance but I've wanted this for such a long time and it's just FREAKING GORGEOUS!!! Buyer's remorse? Not this time!

So there you have part 2! Part 3 will be devoted to one brand that I got quite carried away with, so stay tuned...it will happen I promise...

Until next time!

My travel makeup bag: What I packed and what I actually used...

I've been back from Singapore three weeks already(!) but my travel makeup choices are still fresh in my mind so for once I'm sharing my travel makeup bag contents with you.  I was aiming for the barest minimum I could get away with packing this time, because you know how it goes, you - well, me - might pack for every possibility then only end up using a small core number of items anyway...

I thought I did a pretty good job of pared down packing this time around yet I still didn't use everything and I also had some disappointments in my smallish selection.  So as you've figured, this post is about what I packed, what I did/didn't like and what I didn't even use!

Face

I was never going to go overboard with my base products and I know the Singapore climate can get pretty steamy at times so I stuck to the basics so as not to have to worry about my face melting off.

I didn't want to bother with glass bottles so opted for a stick foundation this time and had a winning combination in Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix Makeup (140 Nude)* set with a little Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder Foundation (002 Soft Beige)*. After initial struggles with it, I've finally found the best way to use the Rimmel powder is as a topper, and the foundation stick and powder combination stood up to the humidity while still looking natural.

Benefit's The Porefessional was my primer because of the small tube - well yes I was all about cramming in as little as possible this time - and because it works to blur the dreaded pores on and around my nose.  I used the teeny Benefit Stay Don't Stray for the first time (ever!) as my eye shadow base and found it pretty darn good as an eyelid brightener as much as a effective base for holding my eye makeup in place so that was a daily staple.  On the other hand - and I'm not sure why - Benefit's Ooh La Lift didn't really get much use and I only used it once to brighten the under eye area after I realized my rather expensive Tom Ford concealer wasn't cutting it. See below for my thoughts on that product - I forgot to include it with the base products so it's with eye makeup stuff.

For colour I used Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Medium/Deep Matte Bronzer for the occasional bit of after-dark contouring and a little sweep of the very soft Bourjois Rose Pompon blush for the daily dose of cheek colour.  I've had that blush in my drawer forever so it had its inaugural outing on this trip.  It's very soft and needs to be built up so it was good choice for avoiding the obviously made up look - I don't want to look like I've tried too hard on holiday!

Eyes

Again it was all about low-fuss low key items so I chose the very compact neutral Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics for my every day eye makeup - I personally prefer this slightly cooler, more muted palette over the original Naked Basics - and packed my favourite L'Oreal Infallible Hourglass Beige shadow which came in handy to add a touch of shimmer for evening eyes.  I like a little bit of pencil liner for daily definition and Face of Australia's Brown Eye Definer was a no-brainer choice because I use it just about every day anyway.

Now for the disappointments. Tom Ford Concealing Pen (Light/Medium) was something I'd stashed away for a worthy special occasion and it just completely underwhelmed me.  I didn't like the sponge applicator and the shade was too dark to do anything to brighten my under eye area - I don't know how the hell I got sold into making that mistake! The other disappointment was Kevyn Aucoin's The Volume mascara. I packed this because it's a tubing mascara, perfect for humidity, swimming and so on...but the brush...I think it's the brush...maybe it's the rather dry formula too?...did nothing to deposit enough mascara to volumize my lashes. They were tinted more than voluminous. Ugh.

Lips

I tried to cover all the possibilities, within reason, for a week's worth of lip choices (I only chose 6 items and most of them were minis, hah!) and you know what? This is where I actually over packed!

I was so sure I would need a red lip option that I packed two - Tom Ford Cherry Lush Lip Colour and the very vampy Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick (Icon) - and yet I wore neither! Nude or mauve pinks were the winners - rather than reaching for the obvious red I ended up wearing bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie Lipstick (Speak Your Mind) topped with another bareMinerals Marvellous Moxie Lip Gloss (Show Off) for my evening lips, while Chanel Glossimer (119) or The Body Shop Flavoured Gloss (Coconut) were easy daily choices.

********************************

So that was my vacay makeup bag:  mostly good choices, some bad, a few unnecessary things, but I'm satisfied to have used most of what I'd packed!

Do you travel light when it comes to makeup or do you like to plan for all the possibilities?


(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Hawaii Beauty Buys: The Luxury Edit

 

I've been very sporadic in my posting lately (if you follow on Twitter then you might know there have been some family health dramas taking up my time and energy) so this is another better late than never post from me.  I'm finally in the mood to get back on with the lighter, more fun side of my life and what better way for a beauty blogger to get happy than photographing lots of new makeup courtesy of a big overseas makeup haul!

I think I left the best of the vacation shopping posts until this last instalment - the best value for money perhaps? I don't know about that because I wasn't comparing the $$ but I do know I had a lot of fun buying all of these products which for the most part are not yet readily available in Australia - until Sephora opens it's doors in Sydney next month anyway! I actually did most of my beauty shopping in Sephora - Yeah baby!!! -  so let's start there! Now why on earth am I channelling Austin Powers?!?...

Sephora

• Urban Decay Naked2 Basics - I know the original Urban Decay Naked Basics palette was a bit of a love it or leave it item depending on how colour obsessed you are (I guess?), but being a bit of a neutral girl in my everyday life, I was in the love it category.  The cooler toned option of 2 was on my radar from the moment it was released so I bought this as a 'must have' item for my little UD collection. 
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - I've used up a couple of sample sized tubes and found it did the job well enough so I basically threw this into my basket!

 

 

• NARS Audacious Lipstick (Grace) - Just look at that black minimalist packaging and of  course the now almost mandatory embossed bullet. After seeing all the buzz on Instagram a NARS Audacious lipstick was also on my wishlist to try because I'm all about high pigment lipstick.  I confess I don't own a NARS blush but now I do own a NARS lipstick! I chose Grace as it's a bright pink coral and very promising as a perfect shade for summer statement lips.

 

• Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick Duos (Vivid Violet/Palomino & Neutral Lychee/Musk) -  I've been a fan of the moisturising Luminous Lip Crème formula since buying my first (and only until now) Bite Beauty lipstick last year and these lip duos are a cutely portable, more affordable way of trying other shades from the range. I love how Sephora have all those irresistible little items lined up along the way to the counter for the last minute impulse buys - It's the beauty equivalent of the candy stand at the supermarket checkout!

 

 

• Give Me More Lip - Sephora Favorites - Oh my, I walked around and around this one because the idea of getting 17 new lip products in one hit felt pretty extravagant after all my discipline earlier this year.  Ah well, it's 17 sample sizes and a heap of them are products I'd not tried before but seen raves about (Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear lipstick, Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick are just two worth mentioning) so why not?  It's becoming pretty clear my beauty obsession is leaning a LOT more heavily towards lip colours these days, hmm?

 

• Stila Pretty Pick-Me-Ups lip & cheek set - Another on the way to the counter grab!  This little set contains two mini versions of popular Stila products that I didn't have:  the much obsessed about Peony Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Cream and Guava Lip Glaze.  It's taken me a long time to 'get' cream cheek products but now that I do I'm in love with the healthy, youthful glow they give to my middle aged old cheeks and I can't get enough of them!

 

• Sephora Outrageous Prisma Chrome mono eye shadow pots - I found these two shades (Outrageous Metallic Grey and Outrageous Metallic Lilac) in the discount bin for $5 each and, being typically indecisive, bought them both! Since getting back from my trip I've read raves about these wet/dry metallic eye shadows so can't understand why they've been discontinued unless it's only these shades? 

 

And the samples...

After all that shopping I qualified for Sephora Beauty Insider signup so I received my free samples, mini Bare Minerals 5 in 1 cream eye shadow as a points perk and MUFE birthday gift on the spot. Not having regular access to Sephora made this a bit of a big deal for me so it makes me excited for when Sephora expands in Australia and...finally comes to Melbourne.  Hurry up, will you?

 

Neiman Marcus

 

 

I really should say this was the "Tom Ford beauty counter at Neiman Marcus" because that's what I zeroed in on and where I had an impromptu makeover while the SA wooed me with the above products - and the rest, hah! If there was one additional thing I should have bought at the time but didn't was the TF Eye Primer Duo. We decided to go for a hike up to Diamond Head Lookout later in the afternoon and while the rest of my face melted off in the sweaty heat my eye shadow was FLAWLESS! If only I'd had time to get back to that counter.  You know how it is, wise after the fact *sigh*.

So I ended adding these products to my Tom 'freaking' Ford collection:

• Tom Ford Lip Color (31 Twist of Fate) - This coral lipstick is from TF's Fall 2014 collection and given that we don't get many of the LE releases in Australia I didn't hesitate after trying it on at the counter. It's more subtle than TF's True Coral and looks equally put together yet in a low-key way.
• Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Gloss (07 Peach Absolut) - The SA used this as a complimentary topper for the lippy and...I don't have any TF glosses in my collection...and this looked perfect...so...yes.
• Tom Ford Concealing Pen (02 Light Medium) - Being the concealer addict I am I was all up for trying this newish release and it was on my luxe beauty wishlist so I can now check that one off! 

 

Macy's

Yes I found this at Macy's! The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette has been around for some time and I'm a latecomer to exploring the brand per se so...I had that first sniff of the cocoa powder shadows, had a little swatch - these are velvety as opposed to buttery and well pigmented - and was convinced I had to buy me a palette!

After my first use I'm already impressed because the shades build and blend well, and with all of those complimentary colours I was able to create my own look very easily without too much deliberation.  There are three eye makeup looks included in the Chocolate Bar pamphlet but just looking at the palette I can see a multitude of looks in the making.  Lots of playing to be done with the Chocolate Bar and I can understand the raves it gets.

Well that's enough shopping for now perhaps?

If you'd like any more detailed reviews or swatches please let me know in the comments!