Favorite Lip products of 2011!! (yes I know its February :P )

It’s been a while, a very long while if I may add. I guess sometimes your life outside the internet can get in the way of blogging haha. Anyway, I am not going to bore you with all the things that got in the way of me making this post, let’s just say life sometimes doesn’t want you to accomplish anything :P

These are my favorite lip products of the year 2011! I am a total lip product junkie, and this was kind of a challenge for me considering how many products I had to choose from. However I think I did a decent job of narrowing it down, you’ll notice I don’t have a category for lip liners, that’s simply because, well, I don’t wear lip liner and I didn’t just want to show you the lip liners I had, when they aren’t even a favorite product of mine. With that in mind, let’s get started!

Favorite Lip Balms:

EOS Lip Balms: These were such a hit this year, which is not surprising to me at all. They are moisturizing, smell wonderful and have incredibly cute packaging. I don’t think I can go a day without using these.

Any cons? While the packaging is cute, it’s a little bulky to carry around; this is definitely not one of those lip balms you can carry in your pants pocket.

Yes to Carrots Lip balm: Another wonderfully moisturizing lip balm. This is perfect for when I need some instant repair on my lips, it takes care of any flakiness and dryness and it leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth. Also it’s organic!

Any cons? Along with a lot of Yes to products, it can be a little pricey.

Favorite Lip plumper:

ELF Lip primer and Plumper: Let’s first get one thing straight, I only like the plumper side of this product, I find the primer to be completely useless! However the plumper in my honest opinion is really good. It makes my lips nice and full and reddens them quite a bit, which I like. It does sting a bit, but when it comes to plumper, I don’t mind a little bit of pain.

Any cons? It can be a little hard to find, and I really wish they would sell it separately from the primer.

Micabella Lip Plumper: This stuff is truly amazing; it pretty much makes me look like Angelina Jolie has kindly donated her lips to me. It’s a clear gloss, so it makes your lips look nice, plump, red and shiny with just the tiniest amount of product.

Any cons? Really hard to find for me, it’s usually in mall kiosks, but not all malls have a MIcabella stand, and it is pretty darn expensive.

Favorite day time lipsticks:

Mac Lipstick in Cremecup: This is the perfect pinky nude for me; its subtle and very appropriate for everyday wear, what I also love about it is that I don’t have to think much about my make up when I wear this. I don’t have to plan out all the colors on my face, it pretty much plays well with anything.

Any cons? It’s kind of expensive.

Revlon’s colorburst lipstick in Petal: Another great pink lippie. This one is a bit more dramatic, or I guess not as subtle is a better description. It’s a gorgeous mid tone pink with just a touch of golden shimmer. It’s truly beautiful when paired with a coral blush and thick eyeliner on the top lash line.

Any cons? I guess the only complaint I had is that I really wish they had some kind of scent. A light Vanilla scent would be awesome.

Revlon’s Colorburst Lipstick in Soft nude: This is the perfect nude in my opinion. It’s doesn’t make my lips look incredibly pale and it’s something that I can wear every day. It’s pigmented creamy and very affordable.

Any cons? Again, I wish they had a scent.

No.7 Stay Perfect Lipstick in Mischievous: Can you tell I like pink?? This lipstick is sooo pretty on. I automatically feel like a princess when I put this on, it is super girly. I allow myself a couple super girly days every now and then. Along with that it is super pigmented and lasts quite a while on my lips.

Any cons? It can be a bit drying, and it’s a bit pricey for a drugstore product.

Favorite Nighttime or Special Occasion Lipsticks:

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo: Perfect lipstick to feel instantly glamorous. The color is an amazing red that suits almost everyone, it’s a bit blue toned, but I haven’t met anyone who can’t pull this off. It’s very matte, which I actually like when it comes to dark lipsticks and quite long lasting. It’s definitely one of my all-time favorite make up products, and a great staple in my collection.

Any cons? Yeah it can be pretty drying, but nothing a little bit of lip balm can’t solve.

Limecrime Lipstick in Retrofuturist: Another great red for a glam look. This one is a bit more subtle than Ruby Woo and its warmer toned. It’s not super bright so it’s another no brainer lipstick for me.

Any cons? It stains a little, which I don’t mind that much, but it’s kind of a pain to take it off sometimes. Also it’s a bit pricey.

Maybelline’s Color sensational Lipstick in Mauve-ulous: This one is amazing for nights in the fall, and I find that it looks especially great on my light skin, it really pops. The formula is super nice and creamy and not overly matte.

Any cons? Color is a bit hard to pull off.

Favorite exceptional or unique colors:

·         Mac Costa Chic

·         Limecrime D’lilac

·         Revlon Siren

·         Revlon Lip Butter Gumdrop

·         Mac Impassioned

Favorite Lip Gloss

So I guess I’m kind of snobby when it comes to Lip Gloss, because the only formula I like, let me rephrase, the only lip gloss I LOVE and I will use is:

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

The shades I have are

·         Pink Pop

·         Coral Reef

·         Nude Lustre

·         Pink Pursuit

Best Lip product releases of 2011

Drum roll please…

Revlon Lip Butters!

I am sure that you have seen tons of reviews on these amazing lip butters, but just to refresh your memory, they are creamy, pigmented and super smooth.  And at about 7 dollars a pop, these are a definite must have.

Nyx Matte Lip Creams

Not quite a lipstick, but not quite a lip-gloss. These are exactly what they are described as, a matte cream. They are really pigmented and look great on the lips. Also the lasting power is great on these!!

Favorite Lip Stain:

ELF Lip stain in First date: this is another great pink Lip product, it reminds me a lot of the no.7 Lipstick but in a much more durable formula.

Any cons? A bit drying.

So there you have it! I am sorry it took so long, but better late than never i guess ;)

hope you guys have an amazing night!!

<3 Angie

Best Beauty Products of 2011!!!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic New Year's weekend and first let me apologize for not having done the New Year's look I said I would. Things just got pretty busy AND the place I was staying at had terrible wi-fi coverage, so once again sorry :(

Although I am very excited to start a new year, there's no way I can forget about all the amazing things that 2011 brought me, including the amazing beauty products I discovered so I wanted to take the time to share those products with you.

Let me start with a few general products, Nars blushes. After the first one I got, I was hooked. The quality of these blushes is fabulous. Blend like a dream, very nicely pigmented, and a wide variety of shades. I know that at first glance they may seem overly glittery but somehow the glitter doesn't transfer the way it looks in the pan. I don't know if I'm making sense, but trust me, they're beautiful. Now I'm itching to try their cream blushes ;) Next product is EOS lip balms. I love that they're 95% organic AND simply adorable to look at (I'm a sucker for cute packaging). Moving on, NYX jumbo pencils. They're a cheap but effective option for eye shadow base to make any of your eye shadows really appear true to color and last longer. They have such an incredible range of colors too, you're bound to find at least one that catches your eye. So now Revlon lip glosses, these are so great I just can't believe it took me this long to try them. They have the perfect texture, not too sticky but not too thin or watery either. Plus they are so nicely pigmented, will definitely continue buying these. Also in the world of lip glosses I have to include the Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polishes. Oh. My. Gosh. These are by far my all time favorite lip glosses. They're supposed to be lip plumping so they give your lips this lovely tingling sensation which I personally really like. I'd say they are a little bit thicker in texture to say the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses, and sheerer as well, beautiful nonetheless. Last for my general products, but definitely not least, are the Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman. Personally, I prefer these over Mac brushes. Mac brushes seem scratchy to me and the Real Technique brushes are ever so soft. They feel lovely on the skin and don't shed AT ALL. My Mac brushes shed all the time, that is why I wouldn't say they are the best out there. I look forward to getting more of the Real Technique brushes in the near future! Oh gosh I forgot about Essie polishes! This year I was able to pick up a few shades from Essie and quickly fell in love. Each polish applied beautifully and honestly all you need is one, yes one, coat of the varnish for a completely opaque nail.

On to the more specific products I'd like to start with my Urban Decay Naked palette. What can I say, its a gorgeous palette that's worth every penny. As I'm sure you've all heard tons about it, I won't ramble on and on, but if you're an eye shadow type of girl, this palette is a must. So this year I ventured out into trying different foundations. I have very sensitive, acne-prone skin, so I was basically scared to try other stuff but I'm very glad I did. I found two foundations that I can no longer live without. The one in the picture is Neutrogena's Skin Clearing Oil Free Liquid Foundation. I use the shade honey beige 110 and it matches me perfectly and using my Real Techniques stippling brush it blends so well, you can't tell I'm wearing foundation. I'd say it has medium coverage, but it's definitely buildable, and leaves a matte finish, not overly matte though. This is my staple every day foundation. The other foundation I've run out of the sample's I had of it and it is the Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet + foundation, and I wear the shade #45. This is the foundation I use when I want a completely flawless look. The coverage is amazing! Covers absolutely everything you want to cover and lasts all day. I apply this one with another one of my favorite finds this year which is the Beauty Blender. The combination of my Beauty Blender and the MUFE Matte Velvet+ foundation has been such a life saver for me, love love LOVE them!!!!!! Simply can't say enough. Another MUFE product I found was their HD Microfinish Powder. Put this stuff over your foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, etc. and it makes everything just blend in together giving your face a more natural look, without looking cakey. A little goes a long way with this powder so I don't really believe it to be pricey at all.

Speaking of bronzers, I finally found a matte, non-orange bronzer that suites my skin perfectly, and that is Too Face's Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder. This powder is perfect for contouring, and smells deliciously good! Ok, so the last face make up product is the Sonia Kashuk concealer palette. The texture of this concealer is perfect for covering blemishes, creamy but not too creamy, and very well pigmented. I wouldn't recommend it for under eye concealer though. The last two products are eye shadows. One is Mac's Naked Lunch eye shadow. There's nothing really special about this eye shadow, but I love that its the perfect all over eye shadow for the days you have to rush out the door, also, it is a very nice highlight shade for when you're doing a natural eye look. The other is Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Eye Shadow in Illusoire. The moment I swatched this at the Chanel counter I knew I had to buy it. It's a greyish/purplish/taupe color with silver sparkles and has a mousse like texture. This eye shadow lasts alllllllll day and is so easy to use, I don't even use a brush with it, just my ring finger. It's great for nights out! Now for the last product, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. They also have this in the lotion form, but since I have oily skin, I use the gel. This provides the perfect amount of moisture without leaving your face feeling oily/greasy. Also it leaves your skin feeling really soft and is one of those products where a little goes a long way. I only use one pump and it's enough for my whole face.

Well that's it guys! Those were all my new finds of 2011 that I have learned to love and probably can no longer live without haha hope you enjoyed!

What were your favorite finds?

-Michelle

NOTD: Facets of Fuchsia by Revlon

The moment I saw this polish it basically called my name. Have any of you noticed that glitter polishes have become really in this season?! Well I noticed, I mean OPI's new collection has some, China Glaze brought some out too, and obviously so did Revlon. Now, I have to admit this was not a in the moment purchase. I took a few days to think about it because glitter polishes are always such a fuss to remove. But after seeing it time and time again every time I walked into a store, I finally gave in, and I am ever so glad that I did! First of all let me say that I am VERY impressed with the wear of this polish! This was my first Revlon nail  polish and it didn't chip for like an entire week, maybe even longer if I hadn't taken it off haha. Furthermore, the black base of this polish is very nice and opaque after two coats, however, it does not at all cover the purple glitter. I got so many compliments while wearing it, everyone thought I had layered two polishes. I just love it, it has the darkness I like for these months, PLUS the beautiful sparkle of the glitter which is perfect with the holidays coming up. On another note, I've heard through other blogs that it is comparable to a polish released by Deborah Lippmann called Bad Romance. If you'd like to see pictures of that one, I suggest checking out Allison's blog. From what I can see, they are indeed VERY similar. Their prices differ greatly though, with Revlon being around $5 and Deborah Lippmann around $18.

What do you guys think of it?

Happy Friday <3