NOTD: Inspired by Chanel

So, I cannot bring myself to spend $25 on a single bottle of nail polish, but I absolutely fell in love with the colors from Chanel's Fall 2011 line, especially Graphite! It is this awesome dark warmed gunmetal with metallic flecks that keep it from showing brush strokes and give it this wonderful depth. I'd picked up Spy Wear, a metallic khaki-brown steel shade made by Pixel, this nail polish brand I just found at Ulta. After two coats of Spy Wear (enough to get it opaque!), it reminded me a lot of Graphite, but without the same shimmery depth. I grabbed an old favorite, Sephora by OPI's Already Famous, a bronze and gold subtle glittery shade. One layer of that later, and I came up with a pretty good dupe for Graphite! Already Famous added a bit more depth and mixed up some of the type of shimmer present in the polish. Even if I'd had to buy both colors new, it would have put me out $11.50, which is a far cry from $25! And even Spy Wear on its own is close enough that if you are lusting after Graphite and want something that will get you 75% of the way there, Spy Wear will only run you $2.50. I was at Nordstrom today and slapped on a thick, opaque layer of Graphite on my little finger to see just how close it was to my dupe; Graphite is a little bit cooler and darker, has a little bit more shimmer, but it's very much in the same vein. Good enough for my money! 

Spy Wear, by Pixel!

Already Famous, by Sephora by OPI

My concoction on my three left fingers, Graphite on my little finger on the right 

Graphite on my little finger, Spy Wear and Already Famous on the rest of my nails

Close up of Graphite (on the right) and my approximation (on the left). 

It's not exactly the same, but for those of us on a budget, it may be close enough! If I had an empty bottle to franken in, I'm sure that I'd be able to add a gunmetal shade to get the color closer, but as it stands, this is a quick and easy nail, and I think it's lovely for an on-trend fall look! Alternatively, if Graphite is too cool-toned for you, Spy Wear or Already Famous (which is even warmer) might be your cup of tea!

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Papaya and Crystal Lilac

Happy Saturday!

I am taking a break from red to show you two shades of Revlon's Colorburst Lipgloss, Papaya and Crystal Lilac. I had heard some really good things about these, and decided to treat myself to two as a birthday present! These retail for around $7.50, but you can often find them on sale at drugstores, or offered more cheaply through retailers like Walmart, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond (which is where I found mine), and contain .2 ounces of gloss. The wands are an indented doe foot paddle, which I suppose is supposed to act as a little well to hold more gloss than what would normally cling to the applicator. I still need about two dips to get my lips covered, but I don't mind having to go back for more; I much prefer this to having too much gloss on the applicator and having it be messy. The gloss itself is slick with a slightly oily feel to it, and thin enough that you can feel the texture of the shimmer. Because neither color I own has any glitter, this isn't a grit, and I don't find it distracting; however, this isn't a flawless, cushiony feeling gloss. Personally, I prefer this lightweight formula to something thick and gloppy; it doesn't feel heavy on the lips, and you don't have to pile the product on to get it as opaque as it's going to get (which, admittedly, is still sheer-  this isn't supposed to be an opaque gloss). I don't find this to be sticky or tacky at all; it simply feels moist on the lips. This gloss has a vanilla scent to it, so if you are sensitive to fragrance, be warned! I generally find synthetic vanilla scents to be obnoxious, but this smells like vanilla extract, which I find pleasing and inoffensive. I haven't noticed any taste to this gloss.

Crystal Lilac is an iridescent cool-toned pink that flashes warm violet in the tube (this effect is less pronounced on the lips), and Papaya is a bright coral with gold and pink shimmer. I really like the tube; they are roughly the size and shape of NARS' lipglosses, with a shiny clear plastic base and a black plastic cap embossed with a diamond pattern. The packaging feels a little classier than most drug-store lipglosses. I should probably mention that Revlon claims these have 5x more shine than patent leather; I don't know about that (how do you quantify shine? Where does patent leather fall in that range?), but these are pretty darn shiny.

I had some trouble getting my camera to focus correctly... sorry for the fuzz! Here's the packaging:

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss

Crystal Lilac in the tube

The label!

Papaya in the tube

The label!

Swatches of Papaya (top) and Crystal Lilac (bottom) 

Oh man, looking at these pictures of my face, I've decided I was just off my picture-taking game this day... 

Revlon Colorburst Crystal Lilac, no flash

Crystal Lilac, no flash

Crystal Lilac, flash

Crystal Lilac, flash

Papaya, no flash

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss Papaya, no flash

Revlon Papaya, flash

Revlon's Papaya, flash

And here's the applicator. See the dip? It's sort of a pinched lozenge shape. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

I am really pleased with these lip glosses! I can honestly say that, for the price, I haven't come across any I like better, and I actually prefer this formula to a lot of higher-end lipglosses that are twice (or more!) the price! I only wish the range was larger and included more unusual colors; all the basics are covered, but I'd love to have some trendier shades. Oh well, you can bet I'll be building up my collection of these beauties as I catch them on sale! If these were a little bit smoother- feeling on the lips, maybe a little less oily, I'd be giving them full marks, but as it stands I still consider these an excellent product. 

Great Reds: Apricot by Bite

Hi All,

Continuing with my series of red lip colors, I am bringing you a personal favorite, Apricot, a shade in Bite's Luminous Creme Lipstick line. It is a true orange red, brighter than Nars' Rouge Basque. I love wearing this blotted as a stain throughout the day, and fully opaque at night and for special occasions. When blotted, this leans more deep orange than orange-red, creating a nifty variation. You can find Bite at Sephora for $24, and the lipsticks have .13 ounces of product. Bite claims that these lipsticks have long-term anti-aging benefits, with the antioxidant resveratrol. Furthermore, these lipsticks are free of synthetic fragrances, synethetic dyes, parabens, and petroleum by-products; Bite boasts that these would be safe enough to eat, should you so desire.

The formula is densely pigmented, and creamy but not thick; it goes in in a thin layer. I find this lipstick to be on the messy side; it's looking for any excuse to smear on my hand, my cup, outside of my lip line, etc... It's obnoxious, but alright as long as I am careful about it. I do find that it only wears for 2 or 3 hours before it has worn off significantly and needs to be touched up. I find the formula to be slightly moisturizing. They have a very faint scent, barely noticeable, but it is a bit peppery to me. I have not noticed any taste to these.

The case; matte black with a curved tip

Apricot!

Bite's logo is pressed into the lipstick bullet

Bite's Apricot, no flash

Apricot by Bite, no flash

Bite's Apricot, flash!

Apricot, flash

Blotted, no flash

Blotted, with flash

Rating: 8 out of 10

I really love this color, it's been a great, versatile summery red that works equally as well blotted as full-color. Because this is so pigmented, it leaves a nice stain for quite awhile when blotted; however, if you are wearing it opaque, the wear time suffers and the formula can be a bit messy. On the other hand, I appreciate that these are natural and that the company has gone out of their way to avoid controversial ingredients, such as petroleum. I think this pays off; I find this lip color to be slightly moisturizing, which is a feat considering how thin the lipstick feels on my lips!

Great Reds: Moulin Rouge by MUFE

 Hello!

I'm trying to power on through these red lipsticks since I have more neat things I want to show you, but I don't want to forget I have all of these pictures sitting in a file waiting to be posted. I dyed my hair a crazy red, too, and I kind of want to get all of the "old hair" pictures up before I start posting more recent things, since it might look strange to have my  hair changing color every other post! At any rate, I'm going to show you Moulin Rouge (43), one of the Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks by Make Up For Ever. This is the red that MUFE designed for the girls at the Moulin Rouge to wear; as such, it had to work with a bunch of different skin tones, and be bright enough to stand out on a stage. I think it hits the mark on these two counts, but believe me, this isn't for the faint of heart!

You can find this product at Sephora, where it sells for $19 for .12 ounces of product. The case is plain black plastic, but the Moulin Rouge shade has a metallic red base and the Moulin Rouge logo in metallic red on it. The color itself straddles the line between a blue based and yellow based red. The formula glides on; it's nice and creamy, but not too thick, and is so pigmented that one swipe is completely opaque. The Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks are some of the more pigmented formulas I've come across. The finish is a nice satin; it's glossier than a lot of lipsticks, but nowhere near as glossy as an actual lip gloss or a formula designed to be glossy. This particular shade smells a bit like rose, although you can smell the waxy base coming through. The scent doesn't bother me, since it is pleasant and reminds me of the way my mother's makeup always smelled, but if you are sensitive to scented products, you may want to steer clear.

I took more pictures of the packaging than usual so you guys could see the cute Moulin Rouge branding!

The case; this is what all the MUFE lipsticks look like, except for the red base.

MOULIN ROUGE

Here's the Moulin Rouge side of the lipstick case!

And the top has the little red windmill on it :) 

The twisty part is red metal, and also has the Moulin Rouge  graphic on it. 

MUFE Moulin Rouge, no flash

MUFE Moulin Rouge, no flash

MUFE Moulin Rouge, flash

MUFE Moulin Rouge, flash

Rating: 8 out of 10

Overall, I am very pleased with this lipstick. I think that the creaminess makes it a little more difficult to apply than a slightly stiffer formula, such as NARS', but it is very comfortable on the lips nonetheless, and I don't seem to have a problem with this migrating like I do with some creamy formulas. It is a lovely bright red, and I am a fan of the Moulin Rouge branding; I always feel so glamorous putting this lipstick on! At $19, these are no drugstore-style bargain, but I think they outperform some even pricier brands. I think MUFE is a solid brand with a lot of quality, innovative products, and in my experience the Rouge Artist lipsticks are no exception. If you haven't given these a try and are a fan of luxe lipsticks, check them out when you get a chance! If you have tried them, I'm curious to see if others agree with my general assessment.

Great Reds: Urban Decay Gash

Hi All!

I've got one more NARS product in the lineup, but I decided to shake things up and throw Urban Decay's lipstick in Gash into the mix, for something different. I've reviewed one of these lipsticks before, Confession, which is a sheer, glossy formula. Gash is significantly different; Confession is described as being a cream with no shimmer or glitter, and sheer, buildable coverage. Gash, on the other hand, is described on their website as being full coverage with a "sheen" (defined by UD as a glossy luster, but this seems to be a metallic/ frosted type of shimmer, without the whiteness often associated with frosts). Gash is a bright but deep blue-based red; it's not in your face candy apple red, but it's not a deep or muted brick red, either. The shimmery frost in it seems to be the same color as the base, flashing more pink or almost gold depending on how the light hits it. It comes with .13 ounces of product and retails for $22.

Now, I know a lot of people have commented on the bad taste and smell that UD lipsticks have, and attributed this to the fact that they are vegan. I have not had this experience across the board; for instance, Confession doesn't bother me at all, and the odd flavor/ scent to Vinyl is minimal. Gash is a different story. It tastes acrid and bitter, and while I can smell the "caramel" scent that these are supposed to have, I also smell another, chemical-y scent (reminds me of pencil shavings when these two scents come together!) under that. I go out of my way to avoid licking my lips when I have this lipstick on, and I try to remember to wipe it all off before I eat or drink since the flavor is that gross. I tend to only notice it the first five or ten minutes I'm wearing it (unless I lick my lips or eat something), but it's off-putting enough that I wouldn't recommend this to people who are sensitive to lip products having bad flavors. On the other hand, it *is* vegan, and not tested on animals so if that is a particularly important quality to you, this might be worth putting up with.

Another concern people have with UD's lipsticks is the case; they are bulky, stylized, and have a pokey little dagger on the end. I've never had a dagger snap off, even though I haul these around in my purse, but I know people have had that problem in the past. Lucky for me, I'm a sucker for fancy stylish packaging, so this is a plus for me, but if you hate extra bulk and weight, you may need to take that into consideration when choosing an Urban Decay lipstick over another brand.

The Urban Decay Lipstick Case

Gash!

The cute little dagger! 

Gash! With "Urban Decay" printed into the lipstick :) 

Swatch of Gash

Gash by Urban Decay, no flash

Urban Decay's Gash

Gash, with flash

Urban Decay's Gash, with flash

Rating: 6 out of 10

I love this color, but I cannot give it full marks because of the taste and scent of the product! The formula itself is nice, but nothing special; it goes on evenly, doesn't emphasize lip lines, and isn't drying, although I don't find it moisturizing, and it's neither creamy or weightless; just kind of there. It is described as an opaque color, and while it gives a lot of coverage, I don't find it to be the most pigmented formula ever, which does make this more wearable, but it's still not performing as described. That being said, it's a great kind of muted red, very wearable, and I think it would be flattering on a lot of skin tones!