Category: lips

Seven lip gloss reviews from 7 beauty bloggers

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Feeling royal? Jen Mathews from My Beauty Bunny shares her fave cruelty free lip glosses fit for a queen, http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2012/gold-lip-glosses/.

Julie (that’s me!) from The Style Page thought that lip gloss was kid stuff until she tried Three Custom Color Specialists.  Read her review of lip glosses from the Robert Jones Signature Collection from 3CC, http://thestylepage.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-of-3cc-robert-jones-signature.html

Expensive, but worth it: Brittany from Clumps of Mascara discovers cult favorite Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, http://clumpsofmascara.com/2011/10/fresh-sugar-lip-treatment.html

Brooke from BlushingNoir reviews three Lipglasses from MAC’s limited edition Tour de Fabulous collection, http://blushingnoir.blogspot.com/2011/12/mac-rich-witty-rich-bounty-and-knockout.html

Brie for Madame B Fatale discovers a multi-tasking product with “completely environmentally friendly packaging, 100% natural active fair trade ingredients and fragrances, and no animal testing,” http://www.madamebfatale.com/2010/04/13/review-trilogy-everything-balm

Jessika from polish insomniac will be a repeat customer for the luxe French brand By Terry after trying its Gloss Delectation, http://www.polishinsomniac.net/2011/06/makeup-monday-by-terry-gloss.html

Melody from Cosmetically Challenged calls Afrobella’s All My Purple Life Lipglass from MAC’s Bloggers collection “amazing,” http://www.cosmetically-challenged.com/2011/06/23/afrobellas-all-my-purple-life-lipglass/. She looks gorgeous wearing it!

More winter skin care advice – lips

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The article Expert advice on winter skin care provided a lot of excellent tips about protecting your skin during cold winter weather.  In this article, I provide my time-proven tips about keeping lips soft in winter.

Instead of removing dry flakes from my lips with a soft toothbrush, I use Paula Begoun’s lip treatment, a wax that removes flaking skin, but it’s no longer available through her website. It was modeled after Beauticontrol’s Lip Apeel.

May I say something about Aquaphor? Allure touted it as a lip protectant, but it does little for me. A lip product with Vitamin E works better than Aquaphor. The Agatha Ruiz de la Prada fruit-flavored lip balms that you find at duty-free shops at airports in Europe (I have also seen them at anthropologie) are very emollient. Sally Hansen Healing Butter for Lips and the Reviva Labs Vitamin E Stick are satisfactory, but not as good as the Agatha Ruiz de la Prada lip balms. Skin care expert Liz Earle recommends ingesting Vitamin E capsules, but Vitamin E is also great as a topical treatment.

Erno Laszlo TranspHuse Lip pHixative

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Erno Lazslo TranspHuse Lip pHixative is a colorless lip plumper designed to be worn under lip color.

The tube features a roller ball for smooth application. Silicone ingredients help. When I tested it, it didn’t burn or sting on contact like the lip plumping Lip Butter from Fruits and Passion. Once the lip plumper dries, a numbing sensation kicks in. The numbing sensation and lip plumping last a couple of days.

Although Erno Lazslo TranspHuse Lip pHixative contains emollient ingredients, lip plumpers should be used judiciously during cold winter months. You need all the lubrication you can get.

NOTE This product was provided to me by Erno Laszlo.

Sue Devitt Beauty

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Sue Devitt Beauty is a line of cosmetics from Australia that has reached our shores. I recently road-tested two products: Eye Intensifier Pencil and Mini Lip Gloss.

Eye Intensifier Pencil is a jumbo eye liner pencil with a flexible smudger tip. Usually, I have to “prime” eye pencils before applying, by stroking them back and forth on the back of my hand: with this pencil, I don’t have to. According to the website, “Special ingredient Nylon-12 expands and contracts with facial movements without creasing or cracking, guaranteeing durability and long-lasting coverage.” I can’t vouch for Nylon-12, but I can tell you that Eye Intensifier Pencil goes on very smoothly and lasts. Eye Intensifier Pencil is a winner.

Eye Intensifier Pencil in Pointe-Noire is currently my everyday eyeliner. It also comes in 12 other colors.


Sue Devitt Beauty Mini Lip Gloss

Mini Lip Gloss comes in 12 beautiful shades. I tried the rosy Alanya shade, which was very flattering for my complexion. It’s sheer and neutral enough to flatter other skin tones. It’s somewhat tacky on the lips, so it doesn’t quite reach the gold standard that Three Custom Color Specialists has set for lip glosses.

Sephora discontinued Sue Devitt Beauty, but you may now shop Sue Devitt Beauty at Ulta stores, Ulta.com, and Sue Devitt Beauty.

NOTE These products were provided to me by representatives for Sue Devitt Beauty.

Review of 3CC Robert Jones Signature Collection

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Three Custom Color Specialists has launched yet another of its special collections. The Robert Jones Signature Collection consists of three shades of lip gloss and three shades of Crème to Powder blush. Robert Jones is a makeup artist who specializes in classic makeup looks and appropriate makeup for older women. He is the author of two books on makeup application Makeup Makeovers (the subject of a future article) and Looking Younger.


Robert Jones Signature Collection from 3CC
Lip glosses in Just Bitten, Life’s A Beach, and Bare, But …
Crème to Powder blush in Pinch My Cheeks, Morning After, and Kiss My Apricot

I eschewed lip gloss, but 3CC’s lip gloss in the caramelicious Trae’s Favorite was smooth, neither slick nor sticky. From the Robert Jones Signature Collection, I purchased lip gloss in Just Bitten, described as shiny, shimmering mahogany, and Life’s A Beach, a sandy beige. Just Bitten looked a lot like Trae’s Favorite, but with shimmer. It also has more berry, and less brown. As women get older, they need more color: as Trish McEvoy said, go lighter and brighter.

Through sampling of Bésame Voluptuous Lipstick and Pür Minerals’ Nude Lips look, I was reminded of the benefits of filling in your lips with pencil to leave behind a stain after the lip gloss or lipstick has worn off. The good news is that lip pencils are products that you can save on: pencils from Wet’n’Wild or Jordana work perfectly well. I love pairing Just Bitten with Wet’n’Wild Crème Lip Liner Pencil in Brandy Wine and Life’s a Beach with a nude pencil (maybe go a shade lighter than your natural lip color).

I have built a collection of sheer lipsticks and lip glosses from Three Custom Color Specialists, and the lip glosses from the Robert Jones Signature Collection are yet another beautiful addition to my collection.

You may purchase Three Custom Color Specialists products through its website: however, the website loads so slowly, I get timed out. A few 3CC products are available on QVC.com: 3CC debuted its Creme Concealer Foundation on QVC on August 18. A wider variety of 3CC products is found at dermstore.com.

Nude lips

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Pardon me if I don’t get overly enthused about the latest fashion and beauty trends. Everything old is new again. For example, net-a-porter.com and other trendsetters say that leopard prints will be big for fall: did leopard prints ever really go out of fashion?

It’s the same way with beauty trends. The August 2009 issue of Allure highlights nude lips with smoky eyes on the runway. This is a classic look. Makeup artists advise women to focus on either the lips or the eyes: thus, if you wear a smoky eye, keep lips neutral.

Pür Minerals is pairing matte nude lips with a twist on the smoky eye. To create the nude lip with Pür Minerals, use its lip liner in Natural Calcite (all Pür Minerals’ shades are named after minerals) to line and fill in the lips. Then apply its lipstick in Sheer Zircon. To make the lips matte, apply powder over your lip color (not surprisingly, Pür Minerals recommends its 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation With SPF 15).

Pür Minerals Mineral Shea Butter Lipstick in Sheer Zircon

The smoky eye is created with Pür Minerals Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows in Champagne Citrine and Midnight Jade.

I’ve discovered that after the lipstick fades, the stain from the lip liner remains, even through donuts and salad dressing. Also, what if there’s pinkish skin beyond your lip line? I use concealer applied with a tightly wound, pointed tip cotton swab (I bought my swabs in Japan) just outside your lip line and blend: I use a dampened Beautyblender.

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TotalBeauty.com
Get Your Best Lashes and Lips

Readers and Bloggers share their favorite tricks for playing up our flirtiest features

Get Your Best Lashes and Lips

Oh, those eyes! Those lips! Keep all eyes fixed on your gorgeous face with these alluring tips and tricks from TotalBeauty.com’s glam-savvy readers and bloggers.

See tricks

TotalBeauty bloggers provide tips on lips and eyes in conjunction with “sneak peak” reviews of MAX Factor Vivid Impact Lipcolor and MAX Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper Mascara.

OCC Lip Tar giveaway

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I’ve been a fan of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics‘ lip color from its original Lip Balm in Tarred (black) and Feathered (White) to its expansion of its Lip Balm collection to include five additional shades.

OCC introduced Lip Tar, a new collection of lip color, at The Makeup Show in LA last month. It sold out its supply of Lip Tar at the event, and needed to replenish its supply of NSFW (described as “a vivid, primary scarlet”) and Pageant (described as “an intensley bright beauty queen fuchsia”). NSFW and Pageant have since been restocked.


Three shades from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ new Lip Tar collection

When OCC says that the Lip Tar shades are intense, it’s not kidding! Safety Orange, for example, indeed mimics the bright orange of traffic warning signs. These colors are highly pigmented.

The best part is that we’re hosting a giveaway of the complete Lip Tar collection! One lucky winner will get all nine shades of Lip Tar. It’s exciting to present an exclusive offer for a recent cosmetics launch.

http://contestmachine.com/embed/survey_js/S26P400HJC

Like my lips, only deeper

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I’ve cited Bobbi Brown’s advice that the most flattering lip color is two shades deeper than one’s natural lip color. I’ve repeated that advice because it works.

What if you want an even more natural looking lip color than the rose brown that was touted? I found my match in Laura Mercier Stickgloss in Pomegrante, which lauramercier.com describes as “yellow-red-brown.” It mimics my natural lip color, but is a little deeper.


Laura Mercier Stickgloss in Pomegranate

When I purchased Laura Mercier Stickgloss in Pomegranate at Sephora, the saleswoman said that this lip color would be really beautiful on me. She was right.

You may find Laura Mercier cosmetics at lauramercier.com, Sephora.com, Nordstrom, Sephora, bluemercury, and other high-end stores.

Find a lipstick in your favorite shade for less

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TotalBeauty.com
Less vs. Luxe Lipsticks (Happy Valentine’s Day!)

See how to get the look of your favorite Nars, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent lipsticks at drugstore prices

Why spend $30 on a lipstick when you can spend $3 and get the exact same look? We asked celebrity makeup artists Molly Stern and Fiona Stiles to share their favorite lipstick look-a-likes — and they delivered exact shade and texture matches (no one will be able to tell the difference). Now you can get the look of a Chanel lipstick and still afford a night out.

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