Illuminating Light Up Lip Gloss by Beauty for Real
FTC Disclosure: These products were provided by a pr firm for review.
Illuminating Light Up Lip Gloss
Ladies, we’ve all been there before. We’re out late at night and try to do one thing: reapply our lip gloss. In theory, this should be an easy feat, but when you can’t see to make sure you are carefully filling in the contours of your pout perfectly, the result can be disastrous. The last thing you want is to have someone say, “You look like you put your makeup on in the dark!”
So, when I was sent a sample of Illuminating Light Up Lip Gloss by Beauty for Real, the clouds parted, harps started playing, and I decided that it would be absolutely sinful if I didn’t share it with you. The Illuminating Light Up Lip Gloss is a fantastic high-tech product in terms of exterior design and formula. The lip gloss is loaded with plant derived antioxidants, essential vitamins, and marine collagen for super plump lips. The bottle has a small mirror attached to its exterior, and the wand has a LED light in the lid to illuminate lips when applying. The lid can also be used a s a small flashlight to see inside your purse, making it the ultimate must-have staple for your handbag.
I tested out the Just Lust shade ($22), which is a perfect rose gold hue, and looks amazing against my olive skin tone. The color is rich, yet felt lightweight, and lasted about 4 hours before I needed a retouch.
Swatch of Just Lust
Before applying the lip gloss, I lined my lips with The Perfect Pencil in Nude ($14) by Beauty for Real. The company only makes the lip pencil in one universally flattering shade to take the guesswork out of finding the perfect color.
Here are my results after applying one coat:
Below, I’ve included a short video on how easy it is to use the Illuminating Light Up Lip Gloss in the dark. Check it out:
Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Review + Get Ombré Lips
I have never been a huge fan of lipstick. I like the glossy, moisturized pout that only lip gloss can provide. But, I do love the staying power of lipstick, which is why I tend to wear it underneath gloss for long-lasting color. This week I tested 3 lipsticks from Make Up For Ever’s Rouge Artist Natural line: N47 (Red Brick), N50 (Aubergine), and N34 (Candy Pink). The lipsticks in this line are supposed to be a cross between a lip balm and a lipstick, so I had to give them a try.
Rouge Artist Natural lipsticks keep lips hydrated for up to 8 hours.
Swatches from left to right: N34 (Candy Pink ), N47 (Red Brick), N50 (Aubergine )
What I like:
•The lipsticks are extremely hydrating - in all the pictures you will see below I did not apply lip balm before putting on the colors, and look how moisturized my lips look. This is great because I didn’t have to use my trick of applying lip gloss over the stain for a moistened, shiny finish.
•They glided on smoothly and the conditioned my dry lips – this allowed me to skip the process of exfoliating before applying, so it’s perfect to use when you are on a time crunch.
•The stains are nicely pigmented and lasted from morning until mid-afternoon.
The Candy Pink is comparable to bubblegum, but a little darker. Normally, I wouldn’t wear pink at night, but the deep shade of this color would transition very nicely from day to evening.
#N34 Candy Pink
Usually, I stay away from reds. If you don’t pick the right shade you can looked washed out or downright scary, but Red Brick was perfect for my olive complexion, and wasn’t overpowering.
#N47 Red Brick
Aubergine looked a little intimidating in the tube, and I was expecting to look gothic chic; however, once I applied it, the rich purple is sheer and had red undertones, which made for a very classy lip look.
#N50 Aubergine
You can combine Aubergine and Red Brick for sexy ombré lips. First, fill in your entire pout with the Red Brick color, and then smudge the Aubergine in the center to re-create the look seen on the runway during Nina Ricci’s Fall/Winter 2012 show (pictured below).
Red lips from Nina Ricci – Fall/Winter 2012 (Photo credit: http://glam.co.uk/2012/10/dark-dishevelled-glamour-at-nina-ricci/)
Or, reverse the colors by applying Red Brick all over the mouth, and then going over all but the center of your lip with Aubergine for the look seen at Gucci’s 2012 Fall/Winter show (pictured below).
Red lips from Gucci – Fall/Winter 2012 (Photo source http://beautyeditor.ca/2012/09/27/how-to-the-dark-red-lips-at-gucci-fw-12/)
With all the colors, I recommend applying concealer over your lips to prevent bleeding, and to draw out the natural hue.
See more color options from the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural lipstick line at sephora.com.
Fashionable Lipstick
What woman doesn’t love lipstick? The ability to transform your face resides in one little reliable tube packed with color. Personally, my everyday purse has several different shades housed in the secret compartments of my bag (the compartments are secret, because sometimes I’m not even aware of where the lipstick tubes travel to, which is why I keep throwing more and more tubes inside my bag, unintentionally creating a portable department store makeup counter).
Sometimes all a woman needs to do is add some tint to her lips to create an instant face brightener sans makeup. And, don’t forget about my previous post about how lipstick can double as blush. There are so many brands of lipsticks out there, and with so much competition, manufactures have two options to make theirs stand out: develop an amazing product or create a captivating design. If a brand is really great they will combine the two and develop a product that not only works well, but looks chic, because let’s face it we do, sometimes, buy with our eyes. This is why I have decided to seek out the most alluring lipstick tube designs. Check them out below, and see if you’re not tempted to add them to your collection.
1. Make Up For Ever La Bohème Rouge Artist Natural, $19.00
2. Diorific High Fashion Lipstick, $34.00
3. Too Faced’s Lip of Luxury, $20.00
4. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté, $34.00
5. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick, $27.00 – $33.00
6. Burberry ‘Lip Cover’ Soft Satin Lipstick, $30.00
7. Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick, $19.00
Beauty Secrets from my mom: #2 Using lipstick as Blush
My mom doesn’t own a ton of makeup. Most of the beauty products she currently has, are things I’ve bought her or things I bought myself, didn’t like, and handed down to her. That hasn’t always been the case, she complains. Before she had kids, she also had expensive taste, and would buy all of the high-end beauty brands a woman could find. Somehow, having three little girls made her makeup start to mysteriously disappear one by one. And, when her little girls, became teenagers, her makeup bag was completely empty. So, one trick I’ve seen her do countless times is to use her lipstick as blush on her freshly moisturized face. It’s a great substitute for cream blush, and gives your cheeks a soft, dewy flush. This is something I never tried until recently when I was asked at the last minute to attend an event after work, and only had tinted moisturizer and two lipstick tubes in my bag. I applied the moisturizer and used my finger to apply a few dabs of lipstick stain onto the apples of my cheeks. The result was a natural, sun-kissed flush. Although I wouldn’t recommend this trick for everyday use, it’s a great option for those of you who don’t want to walk around with a bag full of cosmetics, or need to improvise when you are asked to go somewhere at the last-minute, as I was.
Here are the steps:
- Moisturize – The color will be easier to apply and blend on skin that is hydrated.
- Wash your hands – Make sure your hands are clean before swiping it over the lipstick.
- Use your finger to obtain the color – Do not apply the lipstick directly onto your face to prevent contamination.
- Dab a few spots onto the apples of your cheeks – You will have to use more or less depending on how rich the color is.
- Blend – Blend the color onto your cheeks and outward, the same way you would apply cream blush.
Makeup tip: Want to know if you’ve applied too much blush? Stand in front of the mirror and squint. If you can still see the color, then you’ve applied too much.
Nicki Minaj’s pink lipstick on sale & Choosing the right shade of pink for you
After much anticipation, Nicki Minaj’s new limited edition lipstick, Pink 4 Friday ($14.50), will be available online* only starting today for four consecutive Fridays (through Dec. 17). A Collaboration with MAC Cosmetics, the lipstick was made to coincide with the release of her debut album, Pink Friday.
****Due to high demand, this product has sold out.****
Choosing the right shade of pink lipstick for you
The bright bubblegum-pink color of Nikki’s new lipstick is gorgeous, but it won’t look great on everyone. When choosing pink lipstick, it’s important to choose the right shade based on your skin complexion.
Warm Skin Tones
If your skin tone is warm, then rich pinks like fuchsia will look great against your complexion, including Nikki’s Pink Fiday 4. In fact, the darker your skin tone, the more pigment you can wear, but stay away from light pale pinks, as it will make you look washed out (see the below Jennifer Lopez example). Those with olive skin tones are the luckiest, because almost any shade of pink will look great against your complexion.
The pink lipstick worn by Jennifer Lopez looks odd against her bronzed skin.
Kim Kardashian uses MAC's Angel lipstick with NARS Turkish Delight lip gloss on top. The colors look great with her olive skin tone.
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Cool Skin Tones
Blue based pinks work best for those of you who have lighter complexions. Stay away from hot pink, as it can look too intense and overpowering against your skin. Try mauve, light and nude pink colors.
Heidi Klum wears Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Makeup Perfect Lipstick in Whisper, a peachy-nude shade.
This fuchsia hue was not the best shade of pink for Jessica Simpon's light skin.
