Review: Lip Pencils

     After trying out mirenesse's lip color pencil, I finally gave those previously ignored lip pencils another look.

Overall impressions:

mireness- absolutely smooth, and highly pigmented. Slight vanilla scent.
BITE- slighty drying, which is expected of matte pencils
NARS- the satin formula is not drying

One odd thing to note is the lid for BITE's Madeira. It tapers at the top, causing the lid to slip off the pencil easily.

Madeira is basically what I would use for a nude color. It tones down my heavily pigmented lips.

NARS's Biscayne Park is also a nude-ish color. It is, however a bit on the warm side. I don't think this is a color that I will be wearing a lot. It would work excellent for one of those photoshoots where you are looking for a more natural look (but not completely nude)

BITE Cava- a lipstick that has a hint of lilac in it. It makes me look like a zombie (grayed out) or someone who just rose from the dead. On someone else with the right skin tone, it could look stunning.

mirenesse's Glossy Kiss in Quick kiss is definitely a head turning color. It's so bright someone would spot you from across the room. Love the formula, will be looking for another color.

BITE Pomegranate- another one of those colors that would let someone spot you from across the room. This almost seemed too bright, so I hesitated and bought Tannin as well. Tannin is cooler and slightly darker. I wore Pomegranate to go out with friends- the other bloggers were right, you will HAVE to get this shade. Be careful though. Since this is an intense red, it can get pretty messy. Pull out all the tricks in your bag to keep this one on. It wore off as I was eating, and made me look like a crazy clown. After a couple hours, it also becomes a bit drying. 

Try them out and tell me how you like them!

P.S. Have you looked and just stared at yourself in the mirror lately? I did that, and was surprised with how different I look. Almost don't recognize myself anymore.

Review: Eglips Lolly Flower and Real Color Lipsticks + Tint

Hihi! Hope you've all been well. We've just gone through a hurricane. While the power was out, I was super bored and had nothing else to do but make swatches. Lucky you!(Most people have had a week off from work due to no power/ lack of gas).

Today I bring you Eglips/ eglips lipsticks. These always rank as one of first items when you sort the cosmetics by Bestsellers on GMarket. Even after searching the whole internet, there are a very limited number of reviews/ swatches. I'm happy to say that they are well worth the purchase!

They gave me this sunscreen extra, can't wait to try it out (when the sun comes up...). It says non-chemical sunscreen, so there probably won't be a rash.

The Lolly Flower line of lipsticks are extremely moisturizing and yet are able to deposit visible color.

No.25 Brilliant Mandarine- I appreciate the slight pink added to this orange color. It really makes it more wearable. These lipsticks are a lot more moisturizing than the Etude House Miss Tangerine line, and therefore, the finish is a lot more flattering.

No.17 Ylang Ylang Peach- It almost appears neon pink in the tube. Even though it's "peach", this is a pinker color than No.25 Brilliant Mandarine. Like all other scary colored Korean lipsticks, this applies to a much more wearable color. Still very eye catching though. This is dryer than the other two Lolly Flower lipsticks.

No.56 Deep Mir- This is (no surprise) my favorite of the Lolly Flower bunch. It is another fuchsia colored lipstick. For some reason these never photograph very well. It is much more intense in color in real life. It is more pink than lavender when compared with Etude House's LUCIDarling #5, and less brown than the Etude House's Dear My Blooming lipstick that I recently reviewed. I will have to do a comparison swatch of all three sometime.

Now for Eglips Real Color Lipstick in #09 Christine. LOVE. Christine looks kind of yellow in the tube, so I was worried, but applied it looks like my lip color a hint on the pinker side. This one works well as a nude for work (for me). It also has more of a moisturizing balm quality to it, and less color pigmentation compared to the Lolly Flower. I had also planned on purchasing Vanessa, but that one sold out.

The lipstick packaging is kind of cheap looking, very little girl lipstick (Even more than Etude House's). Still at ~$5 each, you really can't complain! Would definitely order again in a heartbeat.

Onto the tint. In photos it seems like the tint makes your lips into a soft pink. It kind of does that here too in my swatches. In reality, it's quite an intense hot pink color. The good thing is that the tint actually does tint your lips, so you don't have to worry about having naked lips after the color wears off. The tint is a gel applied with a doe-foot applicator. Unfortunately, it seems it must have something that I'm allergic to (like the Revlon Just Bitten lip stains) because my lips become slightly itchy. You have to really be careful to apply evenly or you will get streaks- as demonstrated in the swatches. Not really a fan of this product.

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

Unrelated Note: I finally got around to ordering photo prints. 1311 photos *faints*. Luckily Snapfish has a coupon for 50% off and free shipping. It seems frivolous to print out photos in the digital age when things look so much better on a computer screen anyways, but there's something quite nostalgic about flipping through photos. Plus, if anyone decides to steal my laptop again, at least I'll have hardcopies (... unless they decide to steal those too...).

Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips Lipstick: Pk005, BE101, Pk008

On the whole, I'm a fan of Etude House lipsticks. The formula is non-drying, and the pigmentation is fairly good. Admittedly their new line wasn't that appealing to me at first, but I thought, "What the heck". The Dear My Blooming Lips line's concept is that there are 24 shades you can choose from depending on your "mood of the day".

I selected PK005 & BE101 which are supposedly their "Hot colors". In addition, I picked up PK008.

Look at the cute logo stamp ^^

The packaging overall is a bit on the teenage childish side. The lipstick however, I find to be very moisturizing.

PK005: Looks a lot brighter in the tube. Applies a bit more subtly, but still eye catching. It can look a little uneven in application if you're not careful.

BE101: Warm nude, good for and autumn color. Wasn't what I was really going for. If this suits you, email me juicedmang0s@gmail.com. $7 shipped in the US.

PK008: It looks rose mauve in the tube, but applies closer to a fuchsia. Most excited about this color. I just lost one of my favorite cool toned lipsticks, so it's nice to have something to hold me over until I get it replaced. I was also contemplating getting Butter London's Primrose Hill Picnic, but I think this is pretty close. 

What Does Your Lipstick Say About You?

I came across this interesting post by Tarte Cosmetics attempting to relate lipstick shapes to your personality. http://tartecosmetics.com/blog/2012/08/23/what-does-your-lipstick-say-about-you/

"Ever hear of the lipstick index? It’s the theory that lipstick is an economic barometer. Hmmm, cosmetics predicting finance… maybe. But one thing we know for sure is that the way you apply your lipstick can predict key personality traits.

Need proof? Reach into your bag, pull out your lipstick and compare it’s tip to the seven most common shapes of used lipsticks, which are listed below. Then let us know how closely your personality matches up!"

Thus, I went hunting to see which one I was. For the most part, my lipsticks have different shapes depending on how used they are. For the older ones, I noticed they take on a flatter shape. Then I read the description:

"Flat top: The Diplomat

She has a carefree disposition, she is eloquent… a born diplomat. Friends often ask her for advice, because she is a good listener and always gets to the heart of things. She handles her lipstick just as straightforwardly as she goes through her life. It is worn off flat and reliably. Women do not consider her a competitor, and men do not consider her a sex object – no matter how pretty she looks."

HOW SAD IS THAT?! On the one hand it's like, oh, nice. On the other it's like... wait a minute...

Now, what does it say if your lipstick's melted (got a few of those recently)?? You know this thing isn't too far off. My economic barometer is indeed indicating correctly- finances are in the pits.

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick- Toasted Almond

I'm still looking for the champagne nude lip color. I stumbled upon Maybelline's Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Toasted Almond and thought it might do the job.

This lippie is indeed very moisturizing. Really like the formula. It has a scent that fades away after application.

Unfortunately, this was not the color I was looking for. The shimmers are silver and become very prominent. I do, however, really love the transparent top. It's very sturdy and sleek.

Ah well, better luck next time!

Gmarket Lip Haul Pics/ Review!!!

You'll all be so proud of me, first I found those earrings that I lost. Turns out I just put them in my other organizer case. Those things are so handy. I got one with a handle and many compartments from Michael's for only $6. I have a 50% off coupon so maybe I should drop by and grab another. Second, I finally just up and got the gumption to assemble all the pictures for the lip products I hauled from Gmarket! yayyy!!! Here they are: Lots of chances for you to take items from here that seem interesting to you as well! ENLARGE ALL PICTURES BY CLICKING ON THEM TO GET A BETTER LOOK!

Well before that let me start off with a freebie that I got. This is a yogurt cleansing foam from Etude House. It's supposed to be a peel because of the AHA in it, so I was a bit hesitant to try it in case I ended up in rashes or something. Actually I really like it!! It has a clean fresh scent. Not like lemony or anything, but like when you buy body wash in asia or something, that kind of scent. I don't really see any of the peeling effects. It's a gentle cleanser, and yet it does make my face feel well cleansed after! I might consider buying it, maybe. I have two other shiseido cleansers in use currently and a clean and clear somewhere that needs to be finished off, so maybe after a while. Besides these 1 oz samples are huge and last forever, I really like that. This way you can really test out if you like the product.

Now onto Etude House Lip products~ I apologize in advance for my messy lips >.<

I would say these Sweet Shower Lips lip products have the strongest scent out of the whole Miss Tangerine line (still very faint though). The packaging is sturdy plastic which surprised me, I expected it to be cheaper plastic. These are kind of like lip gloss solidified in a tube ^^. They have microglitter in them too. The sheer color really makes these colors wearable and I highly recommend. My favorite of the two is #1 though. You turn the bottoms and they click while pushing the product upwards. WARNING: do not advance it more than you plan to use because you can't make it go back down. This is a con.

Next in line is the Miss Tangerine LUCIDarling Fantastic Rouge in #12.

If you remember from before, I raved about the formula for this line and how it really is able to cover lip color. You can see that from my swatch below as well. The top swatch is the same color as it is in the tube. The lighter center for the lipstick on the leftmost picture is non existent- due to flash. Very faint tangerine smell that gets a bit stronger as you apply. Still, it's barely noticeable. #12 is the pinker of the two tangerine line shades.

While I still love this line, I find the color a bit too similar to a color I already have. If interested, EMAIL ME: juicedmang0s@gmail.com. $9 shipped- sorry, the USD is depreciating -___-;;

Continuing on with Etude House lipstick theme, I have the VIP Girl Dear Darling Lips lippies.

PK007 is from their main line and OR205 is from the Miss Tangerine line. 

I wasn't sure whether or not to get pk006 or pk007 at first, and even all the swatches from blogs couldn't help me. I decided to go with pk007 because it got a rave review and I'd rather be safe than sorry. Turns out it's a nice nude pink shade. I might have regretted the pk006 because I think it would've ended up too light. The disappointing thing is that I love the color, I love how it looks when it's applied, but I'm not liking the overall effect of it on my face. =(. I don't know whether it's because my lips are too thick or something, but it seems like this color is looking a little too light. I look like a clown of sorts. Or perhaps I need something with a more opaque formula, if only they made a similar shade in the LUCIDarling line! Maybe I will take another look in the morning with different lighting. Pk007 has a very very faint scent that I can't put my finger on. 

OR205 actually has a bit stronger of a tangerine scent than the other tangerine line products. Perhaps I was wrong about the Sweet Shower Lips having the strongest scent. It's a yummy scent =D. The color is wearable and slightly opaque. A lovely color. The more I stare at it, the more I think I should keep it. But my common sense kicks in and tells me that I wouldn't wear this shade that often. My clothes are all intensely colored so.. I don't know things just seem to not fit well together color scheme wise. I tends more towards the neutral/ cool shades of makeup, so why in the world I picked up so many tangerine things is a mystery to me @.@. Again, OR205 is the pinker of the two released for the Miss Tangerine line. The other is OR207. Make no mistake though, when you put this on, people will know it is orange!

The VIP Girl lipsticks are both medium creamy, as in creamy, but not so creamy that the product is sliding all over the place. I find the it has a good amount of coverage as well. My pigmented lips were concealed. The only thing is you will need to exfoliate before applying or it can look tacky.

Save me from myself and take OR205 and/ or PK007 (I'm still debating whether or not to keep this one, but in the meantime... up for grabs) for $7 shipped by EMAILING ME at juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Rollin' Rollin' on...to the Dear Darling Roll Roll gloss. This one is pretty fun, the tip rolls to help you apply the product. It has multicolored microglitters in it, very cool. I got #4 which I think is supposed to be guava but it smells more like strawberry?? cherry? maybe cherry. (sorry I'm not good at describing these things). I was hoping there'd be more of a color impact but it's a subtle gloss instead. Kind of thick, and slight stickiness.

As you all know I have a buttload of glosses already (see previous gmarket hauls) including the LUCIDarlings and Peach Waters from Etude. So I must ask one of you to step up and be this one's new owner. I haven't even made a dent in those yet. Secondhand gloss is pretty iffy, but I tried to keep things sanitary by washing hands before depositing product on finger--> lips. $6 shipped, EMAIL juicedmang0s@gmail.com if interested.

And another gloss! This one is the Moon Crystal Power gloss with enough glitter to blind someone. The color is actually opaque enough to cover up some of the lip pigment as shown in the non flash picture. Flash just makes the camera see right through the glittery illusion. It's a thicker product, slightly sticky. The color is absolutely gorgeous. The applicator is an actual brush, like with bristles and all. The only slight downside to this product is that it has a faint chemical-ish smell. It fades away after application, but it is something to be noted.

I imagine this as a lipcolor for glitzy night parties. Buttt... as I don't party, it seems like such a shame (Really really really gorgeous). Perhaps someone can do it justice for $7 shipped EMAIL me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Again, as I said for the previous gloss, I tried to keep things hygienic. 

The last of the Etude Lippies is the Miss Tangerine Follow Me Tint. They have another one for the Peripera line that changes shades from blue to pink. I was scared because people said that one had a bad smell. This one, I'm happy to say, only has the faintest tangerine scent. It doesn't change that much, the color is a very faint pink. After you wipe the color away it's gone. Your lips don't actually get tinted. Again, very pleased with the sturdy plastic packaging, and the barrel is metal. This is SPF 13 product. I wouldn't say it's horribly special, just a product that can give you a pop of color and a little sun protection. This would be good for those who don't want a dramatic effect but want their lips a step up from the bare natural look.

Out with the Etude, in with... Holika Holika?!

This is a very cute concept brand, all the google images you see of their stores makes you really want to visit. The particular product I have here is the Aqua Petit Jelly Tint Bar. It is essentially like a tinted gloss solidified. Kind of like the Follow Me Tint above except without spf and changing colors, but with more color impact. The color is a bit stronger irl than in the photo, and I think you can build it up as well. It's transparent and has a sprinkling of glitter. I got 01 which is cherry scented. I have so many things like this already, including the Follow Me Tint, I also have the Clio lip pencil from last time- they're just all different scents. If you don't have something like this already, I suggest trying it out. This is a great way to spruce up your day with a hint of color on your lips. Take this away from me for a mere $8 shipped by EMAILING juicedmang0s@gmail.com

Last but not least, I have the Tony Moly Tony Tint in 01 Cherry. I've had my eye on this for quite a while now. It's in a cute round bottle and .. so red. I finally got two freebie samples with my (accidental) Tony Moly  order. Each of these sample ones has the diameter of about a quarter (super tiny!), and it's only filled half way. The product applies extremely bloody red. I love it. Applies like water. Once it dries it totally does not smudge off. BUT if you wet it, it comes off right away with little actual lip tinting. (see pictures below of just applied and wiped off with water). 

I think you can probably just dab a bit on and move your lips around to get a lighter application as well. I think this was the lip tint used in some drama as well, and her lips were only faintly pink. Con of this product, it has a faintly unpleasant smell. Still bearable though, as it fades after application. The smell is like that of Revlon Just Bitten lip tint- except I don't seem to have any allergic reactions to this product, no itchiness as with the Revlon.

If you want to try this out, I can mail you my extra for $4 shipped if you EMAIL me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com 

It's a highly popular product so take advantage!!

The end!

GMarket Korean Lipstick Haul Review

I decided it'd be best to just put all the lip product reviews of the lipsticks/ plumper into one post. I'll try to keep this short.

For all the products i have a picture of the product on half my lips and my normal lips on the other half. It should be kind of obvious so I won't sit here pointing out which is which.

1. Clio Art Lipstick: M020.
- This is a nude shade that I saw modeled in one of the pictures. The texture is creamy and the color is the color of my concealer, lol. The only thing is that I realized I didn't want a true nude color. I wanted something with a more pinkish tone- this one has a more yellow tone =/. Ah well, live and learn. It has this beautiful art piece on the front though, love the idea of putting art on these. ~$17 with shipping. If it interests you, email me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com. I can sell for $13 shipped in the US.

2. Clio Lip Plumper: #01

- I thought this would be more like a lip liner because it just looks like that. Instead, it's a sheer color and has a little bit of tingling. It didn't really plump anything, but I love how it comes with a sharpener! I finally could sharpen my NYX Jumbo eye pencils. I had been contemplating so hard whether or not to buy a sharpener. ~$15 shipped from korea. Not sure if this is worth it =/

3. Etude House LUCIDarling Lipstick: #5

- I LOVE the formulation for these. They're extremely creamy and do cover my natural lip pigment well. There is a faint pleasant scent, but I can't put my finger on it. I think it might be a hint of the peach scent from their peach line. At first I was skeptical because a lipstick with lavender seems hard to wear, but it's surprisingly wearable. It's more pink than in the swatch picture posted by Etude House. ~$9 with shipping.

4. Etude House LUCIDarling Lipstick: #8

-This color was not one that I was planning to buy. I had planned for the #6 peach color, but I thought about it and figured that peach might not look too good on me even though I loved how it looked in the tube. I'm so glad I got this color. It's supposed to be orange. I wear it on days when I feel a little quirky.

5. Etude House LUCIDarling Lipstick: #9

- I have to say I'm most disappointed in this lippie. This was the only one I had originally planned to buy, but it's suprisingly plain and boring looking. I still keep it to wear occasionally, but if you like it and think you would use it more then email me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com. I'd be selling it for $7 shipped within the US.

You can see how pigmented they are from my wipe.

6. Peripera Wonder of Lips Lipstick: #8 (I know the image says #1, but it's 8, I messed up! >.<)

- This lipstick is super creamy. The pink is a lovely gentle pink. The color is more like the non flash picture.
I would love this lipstick except for the huge amount of glitter in the lipstick. I prefer my lips not to be so full of sparkle. It has a nice gentle scent. Quite pleasant, not like the American lipsticks. ~$12 shipped from Korea. If you think you'd be interested in it, I can sell it for $7 shipped in the US , email me at juicedmang0s@gmail.com.

'Til next time!!

Lipliners: Sephora Red vs L'oreal Crayon Petite

Well, with red lipsticks you have to have red lipliners. I originally got the L'oreal at my drugstore, but decided to also pick up the sephora one when I ordered (to make $50 for free shipping).

The L'oreal, true to it's name, smells like a crayon. It bothers me a bit. This is an automatic lipliner and the color goes on smoothly with no problems. It feels a tidge "stickier" at first but that goes away.

The Sephora Red lipliner is a cute 3". People have expressed how upset they were that it's a brick red as opposed to just a red. Well, I've taken a picture, and see for yourself, which is the brick here?! This lipliner glides on very smoothly with non of the slight stickiness I experienced with the L'oreal. And it doesn't smell like crayons.

They're both relatively easy to remove- although not so easy that they would come off all the time on you. The L'oreal costed me about $8, and the Sephora, $3. I can tell you that I'll be putting the Sephora under my lipsticks. I prefer to keep my lipsticks on the more neutral side, and the L'oreal just takes it too far over to the warm side. It made my MUFE Artist Intense Lipstick in #44, a slight cooler toned lipstick turn obviously warm colored. Which confused me and led me to believe that I didn't like the lipstick as much as I actually do.

I wanted to check to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, so here's the comparison of the two lipsticks layered on top of the two lipliners. Sure enough, just a leeetle bit more brick with the L'oreal.

The Search for Red: Make Up For Ever #44/32 & NARS Shanghai Express/ Fire Down Below

So you may know that i've been on the quest for the perfect red. For some odd reason I never bothered trying out the lipsticks that I had researched online that mentioned colors that were good. Something about how they looked in the tube that didn't satisfy me. They didn't look red enough, they were all brown, or orange or whatever. With the emergence of Make Up For Ever's new 50 lipsticks, I decided to use Sephora's return policy to my advantage. Since I don't currently have a car, going there to test out the lipsticks is hard, not to mention awkward with all the sales people watching. So I decided to order them online and if I didn't like them, return them. Normally I'm against this type of thing. I have the "if you bought the wrong item/ color and use it, suck it up" mentality, the store shouldn't have to lose profits just because you made a mistake. but in this case, I considered it a special time since I had no way to get to sephora to try the colors out. I don't recommend doing this every time you want to try something out. It's just not nice. Go to the store and swatch instead.

So I got 4 lipsticks to try out. Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #44 & #32 and NARS Shanghai Express and Fire Down Below.

I dislike the NARS tube a bit because I think it's too easy to turn the tube. What if I accidentally turned it when I don't want to?

The MUFE are Satin texture. I was really upset with #32 because I had wanted a lipstick that would give my lips a light/ gentle/ sort of baby pink effect. Instead, it just looked like a shiny version of my natural lip color in a tube.

The #44 is a lovely red. I would say blood red, but it's not quite a blood red. It looks like a true red in the tube, but when swatched on paper, I can see it's actually a little on the cool side. I think it's described as a brown red on the site, but I'm not sure. The texture is not drying and it didn't seem to feather. Of course with all these strong lip colors I worry anyways that they get smudged or something.

NARS: these lipsticks are matte and therefore ever so slightly drying. This can't be helped though due to the properties of a matte lipstick. I feel like it feathers ever so slightly- barely noticeable.

Now you may be wondering what's the difference between the three red lipsticks. Let me tell you, it's really hard to tell when they're swatched on the lips. Shanghai Express is lighter- has a little less rich color than the other two. It's cool toned and more similar to the MUFE one than the Fire Down Below.

The MUFE one is more of a cherrier red than the Fire down below. It has less brown so it's more vibrant looking. Fire Down below is the darkest of the three, but with the little extra bit of brown it's probably the most wearable for everyday life in the morning.

Shanghai Express is again, less intense than Fire Down Below, less brown, and more on the cooler side. It's lighter in color and pops a bit more.

Even though Fire Down below looks really warm toned on the swatch in comparison, when I put it on my lips it turns a bit cool toned when viewed in natural light. All the colors change a bit depending on lighting. Strange how I have fluorescence lights and they all turn a bit yellow.

I can see where people get the idea that red lipstick lets your teeth look whiter. For me, it doesn't look so much whiter as more intense, probably from the contrast.

Turns out I can pull off all three shades equally well.

I'm at a dilemma because I can't pick one!! I decided that I don't want Shanghai Express. I want something that gives impact. The Fire Down Below is more natural a bit.  The step of brown makes it more wearable for daytime. The MUFE pops ever so slightly more (due to less brown and mostly likely the satin finish). I like the matte finish of NARS as well because I don't have to worry about it slipping/ sliding as much.

I like them both equally as much!! the MUFE is $19 and the NARS is $24, I know I should take the NARS back because of the pricing, but I do like having that lipstick that's a little more wearable. What to do... what would you do?

If it's all the same to you and you don't care about slight color differences or finishes then I do recommend the MUFE #44 over NARS Shanghai Express, only because they do look similar and MUFE is less drying and cheaper.

It was REALLY hard to get the color differences to show on camera for the lip swatches. Originally I had swatched them all separately, but then looking at them later I couldn't tell which was which, so I just did one with them all together. The picture only shows the lipsticks in indoor/ flash light. In natural light they look more cool toned. Apologies for the sloppy application, but I originally did a lot of combinations, so no point in perfectly applying them.

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #32 (irl it's a tidge more coral)

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #44 (Imagine a color between the two swatches- I know, not helpful)