Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper Review and Pictures

I'm not really sure what inspired me to purchase this. I don't tend to have need for lip plumpers (a decent lippie formula provides enough moisture to even out any lines), and I'm not really a gloss girl. But still, upon returning my Chanel and Armani lip glosses to Nordstrom (last July, as in 2013. Because I am super behind.) and being asked if I wanted to pick up something else instead, I asked for this, the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper. Which is an utterly absurd name, and shall henceforth be referred to as "it" or "this".

Pretty! That brown in the background is the ruins of the Acropolis
at Pergamon, where I discovered that it is a very bad idea to
wear lip gloss in a dusty place on a windy day.

Lancôme Lip Lover in 333 Rose des Nymphes Review and Swatches

This is Lancôme's take on the all-in-one lip color trend. After reading numerous favorable reviews of the formula, I decided to pick one up during the Sephora sale. I chose Rose des Nymphes, a pink, as I have no glosses of that shade (lots of lipsticks, though, ha), and doesn't warm weather warrant pink? 

Dior Addict Gloss in 783 Atout Coeur Review and Swatches

OH HI GUYS. I'm not even going to try and give excuses for my long absence––at this point, y'all are probably used to it, eh? Suffice it to say, it involved stomach problems and a conference in San Diego (where I got to see my girl V!). I originally wrote this post as a back-to-school thing, as that was why I purchased this gloss, but since it's been 7 weeks since school started, I probably should change it. But I'm not gonna, because I have grant essays to finish, and, well, whatever. BJB, bringing you timely posts since 2011! Ha. haha. ha.

Some people buy a nice new pair of shoes or a coat at the beginning of a new school year; I buy a new lippie. Before starting my first year of grad school, I bought Clinique High Impact in After Party (which is a beautiful color, but the shimmer is a bit much for my taste, and I've become too lazy to apply it sheerly over balm, as I did back in the day), and last year I picked up Rouge Dior in Rouge Favori, a combo wedding/back-to-school present to myself. This year, I wanted to try the new Dior gloss formula after Larie raved about it, and since it's $29.50 a tube, I decided to get something that I could see myself wearing all the time. For me, that means something pinky-plum without glitter. Fortunately, Dior had just such a shade in 783 Atout Coeur.

Hello, beautiful.

Quick Review: Korres Quince Lip Butter

I've been wanting to try Korres' lip butters for years, but never got around to it. Until I was in Sephora, and they had 4 shades to try, and I had 15% off, and I figured why not. I debated between the deep red Wild Rose and the lighter, warmer pink Quince, and obviously decided on the latter. I figured I had enough reds already, and I wanted something "natural" but pretty.

It gets smudgy after you've used it for a bit. Sorry.

Chanel Aqualumière Savage Grace Review and Swatches

This was the other lip gloss I picked up from Nordstrom, having heard good things about the Aqualumiere formula and falling in love with the way it looked in the tube and "needing" a fuchsia lip gloss.

Before I go further, I want to point out something very important: THE SHIMMERS ARE DUOCHROME. I was not at all able to capture it on film, but they shift from orange to red to purple, though it's not really noticeable on the lips. It makes playing with the tube really fun, which is...probably something normal people don't do, but I have never claimed to be normal.

Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer 608 Review and Swatches

Hi, guys! I apologize for my unintentional absence from here and online in general; the term was truly miserable, crowned by finals last week which finished eating my life, and then after those got done I had to recuperate and start finalizing plans for my trip! And now I am at the beach with my mother, inhaling salty air and battling beach hair. I have lots of things to show you, though, so let me just dive right in.

I've not been a gloss person since early college. They're generally too sticky, too migratory, too sheer, too fleeting, too smelly, too juvenile. But then I tried Lipstick Queen Big Bang gloss, which was a revelation: translucent but not particularly sheer, not sticky, pleasant gel texture, long-wearing, and pretty. Then came Burberry Mallow Pink, the most gloriously perfect pink-coral. Slightly tackier than LQ in texture, but beautifully pigmented, understated shimmer, moisturizing and beautiful wear: it has been my most-worn lippie pretty much since I got it. It's my daily choice at least twice a week, and given that I have 30+ lippies, that's high praise.

Recently, Chanel released new shades in their Aqualumiere line which, from swatches online, looked very promising, and the new Armani Flash Lacquers, described as being lightweight and comfortable, called my name. When Nordstrom had 14% cash back on Ebates for their birthday, I picked up glosses from both lines, opting for the fuchsia Savage Grace from Chanel, and the MLBB rose 608 from Armani. The latter is the focus of the post today.

Giveaway Winner, and Preview of Things to Come

Firstly: The winner of the giveaway, as chosen by Random.org, is Lizzy––which made me snort up my tea, since she won the anniversary giveaway last year, too! What strange coincidence, heh. Thank you to all who entered! And stay tuned for an end-of-the-year giveaway in a few weeks :-)

Secondly: I've managed to acquire a number of new lippies recently––a combination of depression and sales led to some cheer-up purchases, and no, I don't regret it: they're all gorgeous, and nothing makes me happier than a pretty lippie (save a holo/duochrome/sparkly nail polish, I suppose!). It may be shallow to enjoy the snap of a luxury lipgloss being closed, but I don't care. I will find joy in whatever small things I can: shortbread cookies, tea, comfort perfumes, and, yes, makeup.

To that end, let me share my new pretties! There will be full reviews and FOTDs of everything in the next few weeks, knowing how slow I am at posting, heh.

Clockwise from top left: Shu Uemura PK 375, BG 935, Becca Berry Twist, Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer 608, Becca Lip Priming Perfector, Korres Lip Butter Quince, Le Métier de Beauté Framboise Crème, Chanel Savage Grace

I've apparently become a bit of a gloss person, weird. Any you're particularly interested in hearing about? And how have y'all been?

30 Days: Day 20

Have you entered the giveaway?! 9 subscriptions, currently only 7 people entered...your chances are good ;) Ends tomorrow!

Only 2 weeks into the term and I am as overwhelmed as during finals. It's gonna be a great quarter, y'all. I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to find wee bits of time for the blog, but I apologize if my posting becomes even more sporadic than usual! For now, though, here's the last of the lippies: the reds! Because I have so many reds. I don't know how that happened. Then again, looking at these swatches, it's coming back to me...

Lipstick Queen Thriller: Very similar in finish and feel to Cosmos (below), but slightly less glossy.
Lipstick Queen Cosmos: Probably my favorite gloss, both because of the color (such a pretty berry-red) and formula (not really very gloss-like at all!). Currently MIA, because I am terrible at keeping track of my things.
L'Oréal Endless Red: Intensely pigmented, shiny, and long-lasting. A true red, very showstopping, and not something I find myself reaching for very often because it's so bold. I love it no less for that!

Quick Review: L'Oreal Color Caresse Shine Stain in Rose On and On

Hey! Have you entered the giveaway?

Picked up this rosy shade when they were on sale at Rite-Aid to complement the two brighter shades from the line that I already have.

The formula is the same as the others, though this one is sheerer and has shimmer in it so it's not as easily blotted (leaves shimmer behind). Wears really well, lasting 3 hours with no fading and even after eating leaves a pretty stain behind, and is a nice lippie for times when I want more than nude but less than plum. You can see it in action here.

Comparisons, left to right: Elizabeth Arden Rosy Shimmer 13, Clarins Coral Pink, L'Oreal Rose On and On, Revlon Sweet Tart, Guerlain Chamade  

If you're looking for a long-lasting, glossy, warm pink lippie and don't mind the strange slightly gummy texture, give Rose On and On a try. It's quite lovely! Grade: A-

How do you feel about pink? What do you think of this one?

30 Days: Day 19

Today's lippies: the cool pinks and plums!

Left to right:

Revlon Colorstay Lip Liner in Plum: Got this to wear under Becca Berry Twist because I liked the red one so much. It's warm and brown-leaning, but not too warm for me. On its own, it's a little too dry and tugs, but it applies really nicely over blotted lip-balmed lips and lasts several hours. It also helps even out Berry Twist and extend the wear quite a bit, and is nice under Sugar Plum as well (makes it vampy and last longer).
Prestige Waterproof Lip Liner in Wine: Purchased for the same reason as the Revlon, but I got this one first. I like the shade, a cooler, pinker plum, and the formula is fine; I don't find it as creamy as the Revlon, but it wears well and is about as effective as the Revlon.
Shiseido Nymph: Every time I wear this, I'm reminded how much I like it. It's a lovely neutral rose that gives lips color without being the focus of a look, and the formula is very pleasant, moisturizing and somewhat long-lasting. I prefer the LMdB lip crème formula because Nymph gets a little sticky (on the upside, I never feel the urge to rub my lips together), but the color is gorgeous, and it's still one of the best formulas I've tried.

Burberry Mallow Pink Lip Glow Review and Swatches

Happy Easter! Here's a real, actual, beauty-related post.

I wanted it, and I got it! Hurray! This was my lone purchase at the Burberry counter at the Bellevue Nordstrom with Larie, as the hordes of people proved to be way too overwhelming for my frail psyche. Also, I didn't want to pay 10% sales tax on anything else! Because I am from Oregon, where we do not pump our own gas or pay sales tax. BUT I DIGRESS. Is it everything I hoped it would be?

Burberry Mallow Pink Lip Glow

30 Days: Day 18

Ugh, end of term is upon us and I am swamped, of course. I'll be pretty much a hermit until March 22nd (and then probably MIA through the 25th, as the boy and I are planning to go up to Seattle and hopefully meet up with Larie!). I have a couple of posts mostly ready to go, but I must apologize for my absence, both from here and online in general. I hope you can forgive me!

I'm going to take a page out of Toya's book, and use up a few of the remaining 30 days to boot, by swatching my entire collection. I've swatched my blush before (also as part of 30 days, lolz), but it's been close to a year since then, and my stash has changed somewhat (and while I took photos of all my lippies and eyeshadow, I didn't swatch them). This will also give me a good opportunity to update my stash list, too! Oh, killing so many birds with this one stone. First up: nudes, corals, and warm lippies! (It was sunny today, so I managed to snap swatches of these, but then my arm was stained and I remembered I still had to design an experiment and read a bunch of articles, so I can't promise that I'll be able to swatch much else before the end of the term!)

Left to right:
Revlon Tutti Frutti: Purchased when I was looking for an orange lippie during the year of tangerine (as 2012 shall forever be known in my mind). I wear it once in a blue moon, and has a tendency to apply unevenly due to the sheerness and texture, but it suffices for what I use it for. Also, as I was swatching this, a great big piece fell off the tip and got all smudgy. Lip Butter packaging fail. (And then it happened again with Sweet Tart, because my makeup likes to frustrate me.)
Hourglass Child: Nude! Somewhat drying, but nice to have on hand.
Smashbox Crowned: Peachy nude, which looks really nice on top of warmer lipsticks (particularly Tutti Frutti, to make it a little less orange).

Quick Review: Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child Review and Swatches

I purchased the Sephora lip favorites before Christmas to give as gifts, but I selfishly kept one for myself: the miniature Hourglass lip gloss in Child, a nude. I wanted to see what it was like formula-wise, and I also hoped it would serve as a good nude lippie.

L'Oreal Shine/Colour Caresse Gloss in 187 Infinite Fuchsia and 190 Endless Red Review and Swatches

Lipstick-gloss-stain hybrids! From the drugstore!

Pristine display at Rite Aid

Ever since reading about these on Nouveau Cheap, I've been eagerly anticipating their arrival in the states (why does L'Oreal release their awesomest stuff overseas first? The anticipation is terrible), and when I heard they had landed at some Targets a couple weeks ago, I put it on my to-search-for list. I didn't see it at Target, but luck struck when I went to Fred Meyer. There, a nearly-perfectly intact display––and at BOGO1/2 off! Angels sung, the sun shone (but seriously, the sun was shining that day, which is miraculous around these parts in December––see photo above), and I dithered for 15 minutes on what shades I should get. Now, a good, non-selfish blogger would have gotten two that were different in pigmentation intensity, in order to compare the longevity/application within the line, but I chose to go with two of the deeper shades because they were both just too pretty to pass up.

In case you'd forgotten what they look like since the last post

L'Oreal Shine Caresse Lip Gloss Preview

I found the new L'Oreal Shine Caresse lip glosses at Fred Meyer, and snatched up two of them (because how could I resist BOGO1/2? I would have bought more, but OPI polishes were buy 2 get 1 free, so I had to restrain myself somewhat). I debated whether to get two brights, or one bright and one more natural pink, but then decided that OF COURSE I should get the bright ones (187 Infinite Fuchsia and 190 Endless Red, to be precise). It is a decision I do not regret. I'm still testing these out and all that jazz, but I thought I should get swatches up sooner rather than later. So far, they seem very similar to the YSL Glossy Stains, are a relatively thin consistency which makes spreading/getting an even layer quite easy, and they smell like roses for a good 20 minutes after application. I'll have full reviews and looks up in the next few days! (ETA: Here it is!)

Endless Red (left) and Infinite Fuchsia (right)

A Tale of Two Reds: Rouge Dior in Rouge Favori 752 and Lipstick Queen Chinatown Gloss Stick in Thriller

I've had Rouge Favori for months now and never gotten around to reviewing it, and since I recently picked up another red lippie, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and review them together! Because I am lazy. I mean, because it made thematic sense. Obviously. (Also, a prefatory note: The Rouge Dior photos were taken in September, when there was still abundant sunshine, while the Thriller photos were taken in November, after the rain killed the sun and peed on it. What I'm trying to say is that the photos are not in the same style, and for that I apologize.)

Post-rain Lipstick Queen Thriller, pre-rain Dior Rouge Favori

Lippies Experiment: Final FOTDs!

Guys, I did it! I wore all my lippies this month! HURRAY! Let's see how the last few panned out.

What do you mean I can't have a bunny?

Clinique After Party: This is a delightful vampy plum, with one caveat: gold shimmer. So much gold shimmer. It doesn't migrate, thankfully, but it does remain after the lipstick wears off. The formula also isn't moisturizing, so after a full day of wearing just this, my lips were quite chapped. And very shimmery. I think it's a lippie I'll keep in mind for shorter events––it looks awesome for a couple of hours, and my lips can survive that long just fine. Definitely has inspired me to get another non-shimmery vamp, though! Got my eye on Hourglass Empress.

Lippies Experiment: More FOTDs!

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The Lippies Experiment: FOTDs

I've been making some progress in wearing all my lippies this month. Here's the looks I've done the past week-plus! Only...a lot of lippies left.

Tuesday:

I started with Tarte LipSurgence in Glitzy, the only LipSurgence left in my collection. I'd held on to it because I didn't have anything else like it––it's a beigey pink base with gold glitter––but it's also a shade I definitely have to work around to not have it clash on my face. I wore Maybelline Barely Beige, L'Oreal Iced Latte, and L'Oreal Bronzed Taupe on my eyes and NYX Marbella blush on my cheeks, and I quite liked the warmer-but-still-natural look. Unfortunately, the LipSurgence cap cracked sometime during the day, and that, coupled with the gritty feeling (and the fact that it's not actually all that different looking on than Le Métier Purple Haze) has led me to put it in the discard pile.

Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Lip Gloss in Cosmos Review and Swatches

Every time I visit New York, I try to buy something pretty that I can't easily find elsewhere. This trip, that ended up being Lipstick Queen's Big Bang Illusion lip gloss in Cosmos. The irony of me, lip gloss hater extraordinaire, buying a lipgloss from the lipstick queen, is not lost on me, but guys, this is a lip gloss unlike any others I've tried.

preeeetty