Manhattan Colour Splash Liquid Lip Tint 94R Red Tulip

I love the concept of lip stains, because I am very lazy, and the idea of one-time application and all-day wear is very appealing. Unfortunately, most lip stains work horribly for me, drying out my lips, wearing away unevenly, settling into lip lines, and just generally looking and feeling awful. But still, I hold out hope.

When I was in Berlin for a conference this summer (any other CogSci folks here?), I visited dm drogerie markt, a common German drugstore, several times, and swatched a bunch of products that looked promising (because unlike here, drugstores have testers in Europe––what a concept!). One was the Manhattan Colour Splash Liquid Lip Tint in 94R Red Tulip, which initially swatched extremely orange and I thus disregarded it, until it came time to wipe my hand free of swatches, when the prettiest coral-red stain was revealed. This stain lasted 24+ hours on my hand, and my interest was further piqued. On our last day, the boy and I visited a dm before heading to the airport, and I picked up a number of things that I'd seen earlier and still wanted, including this stain, because I figured I would regret it if I didn't. Plus, it was, like, €3,95, so I didn't really have much to lose...

So orangey!

Becca Beach Tints in Watermelon and Fig Review and Swatches

During Sephora's sale (I'm a little behind the times, shush), I picked up the Beach Tint Duo mini tubes in Watermelon and Fig after reading Liz's review; while she found Fig to be too light to be worthwhile, I figured it might be a nice neutral blush on my pale skin, and Watermelon is just the prettiest, happiest pink. I don't tend to gravitate towards cream blushes because I dislike getting my fingers blushy, and the process of rubbing it into my cheeks turns my skin red and therefore makes it very difficult to see how much I have applied, so I also picked up the Real Techniques Stippling Brush to use with them.

They're adorable, you guys.

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 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: Becca Beach Tint in Raspberry Review and Swatches

I made myself a little sample of Becca's cult favorite Beach Tint in Raspberry when I was in California because I thought it would be a nice way to a) experience the hype, b) add a non-powder blush to my life, and c) try something purpley and vibrant!

Becca Raspberry Beach Tint, via Sephora

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)

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush Review and Swatches

I already have, like, way too many lip products, but when I saw a full display of the new Balm Stains from Revlon at Rite Aid during the Revlon 40% off sale, I couldn't resist picking one up.

Oh fer pretty!

I love balms, and stains, and though I already have several lippies in this style, I wanted to see how this compares.

Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush

Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss in Light Pink Review and Swatches

I first saw a review of this on theNotice, who described it as a nice pink gloss that also stains (along with her trademark wittiness!). I'm always looking for some way to achieve a lip stain that doesn't require actually using a lip stain, since my experience with those so far has been exquisitely terrible, so needless to say my interest was piqued! When I was in New York, CVS was having 40% off Physicians Formula, and I snagged one. It comes in two colors, Light Pink and Pink, and it took me a good 5 minutes to decide between them (fortunately, my friends have the patience of saints). I ended up opting for the Light Pink, since I figured it was less likely to turn hot pink on me.

pH Matchmaker Lip Gloss in Light Pink

Currently Coveting: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres

I have no idea why I haven't posted a CC for this product yet, because it has been on my mind for weeks.

image via NM

It's a new product from YSL that is a hybrid gloss-stain-lipstick, and it sounds potentially awesome. The idea is that you apply one layer to lips and let it settle, which gives color and a natural finish, before adding another layer for shine and more color. The texture sounds very distinctive, and I'm not sure I'd be okay with it (we all know how much I hate sticky gloss), but the idea is very intriguing! I swatched a couple of shades when I was in New York, and I really want #5 Rouge Vintage, a berry-red, though there's a number of shades that appeal to me (#7 Corail Aquatique, #10 Rouge Philtre, 12 Corail Fauve...). I may have to cave and buy one sometime, though it'll have to wait until next month, since I don't have $32 left in my beauty budget for this one!
$32 for 0.20 oz, available from Sephora, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus

Benefit Benetint, Posietint, and High Beam Review and Swatches

Earlier this year, Benefit had a trio of minis of three of their most popular bottles: rosy-red Benetint, warm pink Posietint, and pale pink glowy High Beam for a mere $15. I'd been dying to try Benetint and Posietint for years, but was not about to pay $28 (now $29, great) for something I wasn't sure I'd like, so I was thrilled to see this set. Regular readers know that I have the world's oiliest, shiniest skin, so a highlighter is really not something I get much use out of (which is sad, because so many highlighters are just so pretty), but I wanted the other two products enough to accept it. I'm always looking for a great long-wear, natural lip product, and I hoped that Benetint and/or Posietint would fit the bill. Each product comes in a mini bottle, similar to a nail polish bottle, with a little brush––very cute, and given the formulas, pretty functional.

Left to right: Benetint, High Beam, Posietint

Recommendation Thursday: Lip Stain

I'm always on the hunt for a good, long-lasting stain, though so far I've had little success at finding one that actually works.  This is, again, a rather self-indulgent Recommendation Thursday, so if there's anything in particular you'd like to see featured, leave a comment below.  See the original post for an explanation of RT and for further contact info!

There are several formulations for lip stains (which can often also double as cheek stains).  One of the more common ones lately is the felt-tip pen variety, but they also come in balms, gels, liquids, and sticks.  There are also many other lip products that can be used as lip stains––many dark lipsticks can be blotted and last as long as stains––but I'm not including those here.  These are just products that are intended to be lip stains (and that's still a large pool of contenders!), and out of those, only ones that are very well reviewed.  Without further ado, then, here are the best lip stains, according to popular opinion.

Tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Pink Martini Review and Swatches

The boyfriend has gone back east, which is very sad for me.  On the upside, I have some time to do some reviews!

Next installment in the HG Lip Search series: Tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain in Pink Martini!