L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain Rev--Oh, Let's Just Call It What It Is--RAVE!

Here's my pick for favorite long-wearing Summer lippie. I know that the other day I posted about the Rimmel Show Off (Apocalips...whatever...) liquid lip lacquers, and said that while they were okay, they were a little drying, and just not my favorite. Of course, I also said that I probably wouldn't pick up any more, and I totally did today, so what do I know? It's my birthday...it was sparkly...I need help...

Anyhoo, in case you were wondering what my favorite actually is, it's the L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain. Well, that's a mouthful.

The first time I tried this, I hated it. Flat-out despised. I don't remember why, though, to be perfectly honest. I just remember that I thought it sucked, and I tossed it in the back of my traincase, presumably never to be seen again...

...But then, I needed an orange lip color. I don't remember why. I also don't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, and ocassionally can't remember my phone number. For whatever reason, though, I needed an orange lippie, and Coral Tattoo was the only one available. You know what? I loved it!! It was easy to appy, true to color, shiny, lightweight, moisturizing...pretty much everything you could want. I picked up Rose On and On the next time I was at Walgreen's, and it's become a staple. I don't have a shot of Coral Tattoo, but here's the Rose On and On:

Isn't that gorgeous?! You get great color payoff, and it's comfortable. It's like pajama pants for your mouth. You just throw it on and forget about it. I wore Coral Tattoo to a friend's baby shower, and after a couple of hours of eating, drinking, and talking, it hadn't budged. Today, I wore Rose On and On to lunch with my family, and while I did need to touch it up afterwards, it was only because the shine had worn off. The color was still there.

Photo Credit: Crushing On Clothes
This blogger has some lovely swatches, so head on over there! This is Coral Tattoo, by the way.

I could continue to extol upon the virtues of this lip color...so I will! The packaging is too pretty for words. The tube is gold with a little clear window to display the shade inside. The product is scented, but it's a light, floral scent that fades upon application. It's sticky enough to stay put, but not so sticky that it's obnoxious or causes you to eat hair every time the wind blows. It's supposedly a budget-friendly (less than $10, depending on where you go) dupe for the YSL Glossy Stain, and while I have not tried that (because it's freaking expensive), I would believe the L'Oreal to be high end. Basically, it's just a d*** fine lippie.

Final Verdict: I have no cons. None. This is a rare 10 out of 10.

And now, because it's my birthday, and my awesome baby brother took me out to lunch to celebrate (on his dime, I might add), I have to add this photo, because it makes me happy. I love that kid so much.

Happy Thursday, everyone! 

Have We Met Before?: Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal Review and Comparison

Today's post is courtesy of morbid curiosity and a sale at Walgreen's. For some time now, I've been intrigued by Maybelline's Color Tattoo series; not so much because I thought they were new and exciting, but more for the sheer fact that they weren't. I already own the Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow that's almost exactly like it, and both of those products seem ridiculously similar to MAC's Paint Pots. The curiosity stems from the fact that I paid a heck of a lot more for my Benefit. Well, actually, no I didn't, come to think about it. I have three colors, and one was free, one was bought cheap from a third party, and the other...oh, yeah, I did pay full price for that one! Well, there you go.

Anyway, I have been really hesitant to buy any of the Color Tattoos because the only shades that really interested me were shades I already owned. I mean, I have silver, gold, and pewter bases from Benefit. Urban Decay also has a gold, along with Eden's yellow-y flesh-tone and Sin's champagne pink. Plus, I've got shadow pencils from UD and NYX, so, really, I'm good. This is not said to brag about my extensive collection (ha! It fits in a drawer with a few extra things in a case. It's not anything to brag about. I don't "collect". I buy stuff that I'm actually going to use on a day to day basis), but to show you that this is not a new thing. It's just new to the drugstore. I'd have tried them out a long time ago if I'd been able to justify the purchase, but I couldn't. Honestly, I still can't, but my curiosity got the better of me; I had to know if this was the same thing. If so, I could let you guys know, and also save myself a few bucks when my higher-end bases run out. The "Inked in Pink" shade from the new Metal line looked incredibly pretty, so I snapped up one and took it home to try out.

Dear God, my countertops don't look anywhere near that filthy in person! I just cleaned that bathroom Monday!

The color is a beautiful, shimmering rose. I can say from experience, now, that it looks stunning with gold, but I think it would be equally pretty with cooler tones, as well. It's just a good, neutral shade. The packaging is also gorgeous. The product comes packed in a heavy glass jar, with a black plastic lid. It looks very sleek, and very high-end. In fact...



...they're twins!! Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow comes in the exact same packaging. The only differences between the two are the design of sticker on the lid, and the Benefit holds half a gram more product. That's it.

Here are the Maybelline and Benefit swatched together. Obviously, the colors are not the same, but the consistency and pigmentation are on par with one another.

While I was at it, I thought I'd check out how the Maybelline compared to UD Sin Primer Potion. There's really no comparison. The UD is a very pale champagne color, where the Maybelline is a truer pink. The UD is also very dry, while the Maybelline has a wetter formula. As a final test of all three products, I washed my hands. See, when I first opened up the Maybelline, I swatched the color on the back of my hand, just to see what it looked like, then washed my hands with soap to clean it off. It didn't budge. Period. I eventually had to use makeup remover. This time, I used a lot more soap, water as hot as I could stand it, and scrubbed. The first to go was the Benefit, in a laughably short amount of time. The Maybelline did come off, but it took some work. The winner was actually the Primer Potion, with a little left on my hand even after I gave up and dried off.

This is a shot of the Color Tattoo alone on my eye. The shade is very pale, so it blends into my NW15 skin, but you can definitely see the shine. My lids look wet! This does dry quickly, so if you want to blend it into another product, you have to work pretty fast. Just FYI, I tried it with Benefit Sippin' and Dippin' (that's the product I've compared it with in this post), and the effect was just beautiful. Plus, they blended together very easily, so if you own some cream products and just want to add to your stash, these should work well with the stuff you already have.

Here, you can see the finished eye look, with the Color Tattoo used as a base for powder shadows. I used Sin all over the lid, Virgin on the inner corner, Naked in the crease (all from the Urban Decay Naked palette), Faint on the outer corner and W.O.S. as brow highlight (both from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette). UD 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab works as lower lash liner, and UD 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero lines the upper lashes. Mascara is Buxom Lash. After almost four hours, there's absolutely no creasing or fading.

Bottom line, this is a fantastic product. It looks beautiful both on your eyes and on your counter, and is every bit as good (if not better) than its higher-end counterpart. And it's a third of the price. Did I mention that? A Color Tattoo will run around $6.99, and that's without a coupon or sale. Benefit runs $19. I didn't have a MAC Paint Pot to compare in this post, but I've used them, and they're the same thing. One of them will set you back $18.50. If you're looking for a good shadow base, and like the colors that Maybelline offers (and there are fourteen to choose from), you can't beat this.

Final Verdict: 10 out of 10. This is an absolute gem.

Review: E.L.F. Baked Blush in Passion Pink

Yesterday, I showed you a little haul that included two of the E.L.F. Baked Blushes. Today, I've got a review for you on Passion Pink.

First up, don't let the name fool you. This is actually peach; much in the same way that Pinktastic is actually gold. I have this ridiculous compulsion to buy Peachy Cheeky, simply to find out what color it really is, since these names have absolutely nothing to do with the color payoff. That aside, I'm not disappointed in the color, just confused.

And speaking of color...you know how yesterday I mentioned that this looked like a dupe for NARS Orgasm?

NARS on Left, E.L.F. on Right.

I wasn't far off. The E.L.F. is a tad more peach than the NARS, and much more pigmented. The NARS is pinker and sparklier, and far sheerer. I had to swatch it several times to match the single swatch of the E.L.F. They're not exact, by any means, but if you're in the market for an Orgasm-ish color, you could do a lot worse for three bucks. They look much more similar in person, for the record.

NARS on Left, E.L.F. on Right.

It's a very subtle blush once it's on your cheeks. More than color, it leaves a pretty glow.

On cheeks: E.L.F. Passion Pink. Highlighter: E.L.F. Pinktastic. Bronzer: Tarte Park Ave. Princess.

I packed it in my purse, just in case it faded and I needed a touch-up during the day. Happily, I can say that I've been wearing this for four hours, and it's still going strong. I have touched my face, been in and out of doors, talked on my phone, and moved around quite a bit. In other words, I haven't been sitting like a china doll on a shelf.

I like the natural, soft look of this blush. The staying power is there, the color is lovely, and you can't beat the price. The packaging isn't fancy, but it looks nice and functions well.

Final Verdict: 8 out of 10. It would be nice if the names matched the colors, but you can't always get what you want; sometimes, you get what you need.

In case you were wondering about the rest of the face, here's what's doing:

Primer: Tarte Clean Slate

Foundation: MAC Studio Sculpt NW15

Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind in Neutralizer (yup, I'm pale)

Setting Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte in Transparent

Finishing Powder: E.L.F. Baked Bronzer in St. Lucia (yup, it's pale)

Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Snakebite (all by itself. It gets a bum rap, but it's gorgeous as an all-over color)

Eye Liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Stick in Rehab

Inner Corner: Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Stick in Midnight Cowboy

Brows: E.L.F. Brow Kit

Mascara: Buxom Lash Waterproof

Contour: Benefit Hoola

Lips: MAC Shy Girl

Luxury Look-Alikes: NARS Orgasm vs. Revlon Peach Parfait

You know how NARS Orgasm (sorry, Mom!) anything is an instant cult favorite? Well, I found a drugstore product that could easily drink the kool-aid and fit right in. Right now, NARS has two individual blushes, a blush palette, a bronzer duo, an all-over stick (The Multiple), an illuminator, two lip glosses, and a nail polish. You know what they don't have (I mean, besides a partridge in a pear tree)? A lip butter! You know who has one that's a dead ringer* for Orgasm (sorry, Mom!)? Revlon!

I'm not even slightly kidding, folks. It's pretty startling how much these look like each other.

With my well-worn, de-potted NARS Orgasm (sor--oh, you get the point...)

With my newer, still in the packaging, NARS Super Orgasm.

The color is Peach Parfait, and is the shade worn by Emma Stone in the advertisements. The ad image looks nothing like the real deal, and actually almost kept me from buying this. It looks beautiful on her, but the color in the ad looks like an orangey peach. In reality, it's more of a golden peachy-pink.

Credit

Swatched on my lips. You can see that it's much less opaque, pinker, and has tiny flecks of gold running throughout.

Just to drive the point home, I used NARS Orgasm in all of my makeup today. I layered NARS Orgasm illuminator over a golden peach eyeshadow base (Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Sippin' 'n' Dippin'), and underneath a light dusting of NARS Orgasm blush. Highlights courtesy of Stila Kitten eyeshadow, and bronzer by Too Faced in Sun Bunny. There were other products involved, but those are the only real "color" items.



Might I add, it's hotter than Hades with a million percent humidity. I gave up on my hair around July 7th or 8th. I'll care again in October.

Folks, it's the same color. Flat out. If you are a fan of the Orgasm line, but want something other than a gloss on your lips, snap up Peach Parfait. It's a universally flattering color that will be just as appropriate this Fall and Winter as it has been this Spring and Summer. Added perk: it's roughly a third of the cost of a NARS gloss.

Anybody else have a find, dupe, or must-have they want to share? Leave it in the comments. Thanks!

*Note: This is not a dupe for anything in the NARS Orgasm collection. It's simply the same color as everything in that collection. I repeat: there is not a lip butter in the collection, and this is not a dupe for the glosses. Thank you, The Management.

P.S. Do you know how hard it was to come up with a title for this that didn't involve both "orgasm" (unavoidable) and "fake", or worse, "butter"? This could have shown up under some very interesting Google searches...yikes...