My Favorite Pink Lipsticks and Glosses

In honor of valentine's day, here are my favorite pink lip products -- including natural and bright pinks. Yesterday I wore MAC Impassioned, the brightest pink I own, and today I wore NYX Tea Rose a softer pink that is still a step up from MLBB.

The lighting is rather bad in the first set and last set of swatches because it was really cloudy yesterday when I was taking the pictures. I tried to adjust the color to make it as accurate as possible.

NYX Tea Rose, NYX Fig, Revlon Pink in the Afternoon, MAC Sweetie, MAC Hue lipsticks

NYX Tea Rose, NYX Fig, Revlon Pink in the Afternoon, MAC Sweetie, MAC Hue lipsticks

Tea Rose is an opaque rosy pink. Fig is nearly the same as Tea Rose but a bit brighter and slightly more coral. Pink in the Afternoon is one of my favorite pinks, a nice neutral pink great for everyday wear. Sweetie is a pinky plum with silvery shimmer/glitter that gives it a slightly frosty finish. Hue is a sheer milky pale pink.

Now onto the in-your-face brights!! :D

Click past the jump to see bright pinks, lip glosses, and me wearing Impassioned!

Pretty in Pink FOTD

Pinks are neglected in my stash so I decided to wear a totally pink makeup look today using products I have rarely used recently. I also couldn't decide between a more natural pink lipstick and a bright pink lipstick so I'll show you both!

In the first version I used a more natural pink, Revlon Pink in the Afternoon. It is a beautiful warm pink which is slightly brighter in real life.

 

Click past the jump to see more photos and the other version of this look, with a BRIGHT pink lipstick! :)

My Top 5 "Winter" Lippies

Following up on my tips to rocking bright lips post here I wanted to show you some of my favorite winter lip products. Of course what do I really know about the mythical season known as winter? *looks outside window to see 75 degree sunny weather* I'm currently sweating in a tshirt and jeans in LA. But who cares if it looks like it's time to go to the beach, I'm going to be proudly wearing my winter lippies!

So anyways from what I hear, "winter" lip colors traditionally include darker shades such as berries, plums, and reds. Now this sounds excellent to me because I cannot resist a bright/in-your-face lipstick. Most of my favorite winter lipsticks can be worn year round though.

Here are swatches of my favorites. Obviously because I am ridiculously obsessed with red lipstick I just had to include three.

Revlon Fire l/g, MAC Russian Red, Chanel Dragon, Revlon Raspberry Bite, WnW Sugar Plum Fairy

1. Revlon Colorburst Fire lipgloss 
I rarely wear lipglosses but this is a SUPER pigmented bright red gloss that verges into liquid lipstick territory. The pigmentation on this is similar to the Illamasqua intense lipglosses. In one swipe it is full impact red. The lip swatch looks rather odd because of the shininess. 

Revlon ColorBurst Fire lipgloss

Click past the jump to see pics of me wearing the rest of the lipsticks!

Tips for Rocking Bright Lips

I love wearing bright lips but I know most people are deathly afraid of bright lipsticks, so I wanted to give my tips for pulling off bold lips. There definitely was a learning curve for me but honestly I think everyone is able to wear bright lips, they just have to find the right shades and balance the rest of their makeup.

First, I had to get used to actually seeing myself wearing bright lips. If you have never really worn bright lips before it takes some getting used to so try wearing it around the house. Then try wearing it out, you'll be surprised by all of the compliments you get on it!

That leads to the number one key to rocking bright lipstick -- CONFIDENCE! And don't forget to smile :)

Now for some makeup tips to balancing red or bright lips (for beginners):

• Keep the rest of your look simple, but you'll need a full face to balance the lips
• Even, natural skin is really important -- use foundation to even out your skin and undereye concealer helps brighten up your face
•  Fill in your brows. It is SO essential to define the rest of your face to balance the strong lips. 
• Use a very natural/neutral blush. I LOVE Tarte Exposed for this, I also like a soft pink like Rock & Republic Call Me, and you could even use just bronzer to be extra safe (bronzer looks really good with red lipstick)
• Soft highlighting on tops of cheekbones, down the nose, and in the center of the forehead will make you glow. Don't go overboard though!
• Keep eye makeup simple -- I stick to a sheer wash of eyeshadow, black winged liner, and mascara
  
  

Continue reading to see more photos and the products I used!

MAC Lipstick Formula Comparison, Review, and Swatches

  I wanted to compare different MAC lipstick formulas for you to see the differences in finish, texture, and opacity. I own all the regular formulas except frost (which I hate hate HATE in lipsticks). Though individual shades in each formula may have slightly different qualities, I find that most within each formula are nearly the same.

 

MAC lipstick formulas and my thoughts on each:

• Amplified creme: These are full opacity with a creme finish that tends to dry to a semi-matte finish. Most of these shades are rich and BRIGHT. They last about 5 hours on me and don't dry out my lips. These are MACs best formula. 
• My favorites: Vegas Volt and Impassioned.
• Other popular shades: Girl About Town, Up the Amp, Morange, Blankety (not as bright as the rest)

• Cremesheen: These are medium pigmented with a creamy finish. They can be built up to full opacity. These last about 4 hours on me and don't dry out my lips.
• My favorite: Ever Hip (Limited edition)
• Other popular shades: Creme Cup, Shy Girl, Creme d'Nude

• Glaze: There are only a couple of these and I only own Hue, which seems to be different than the rest. Hue is sheer and though it's supposed to be glossy I find it has a creme finish. It lasts 3 hours and doesn't dry out my lips. Don't like this formula.

• Lustre: These are sheer but can be built up to medium pigmentation. They have a glossy finish. They last about 3-4 hours on me and sadly tend to dry out my lips a bit. I love the finish and the shades though which is why I own so many of these.
• My favorites: See Sheer, Hug Me, Viva Glam Cyndi (LE)
• Other popular shades: Freckletone

• Matte: These are full opacity and matte. More than half of these are reds :) They last about 5-7 hours on me depending on the color. I don't find them too drying for a matte formula, though some are more drying than others. 
• My favorite: Russian Red
• Other popular shades: Ruby Woo, Lady Danger

• Satin: These are full pigmented and only a bit creamier than the Mattes. They start off semi-matte but tend to dry matte. When they dry they also dry out my lips. They last 4-6 hours depending on the shade. Along with glaze, these are my least favorite formula overall, though some shades perform better than others. 
• Other popular shades: Snob, Myth, Rebel

In the swatch pics below I swatched each shade in one layer so you can clearly see how sheer/opaque each formula is.Though I have multiple lipsticks in some formulas, I chose representative shades to give you a general idea of each.

Indirect lighting, 1 coat  L-F: Vegas Volt (Amplified), Ever Hip (Cremesheen), Hue (Glaze), See Sheer (Lustre), Russian Red (Matte), Brave New Bronze (Satin)

Direct sunlight to show the sheen

Overall, I don't think MAC's lipstick formulas are the best. As a whole they are one of the more drying formulas out there. I think people tend to own so many MAC lipsticks mainly because of the relatively affordable price point and the HUGE shade range. 

What are your favorite and least favorite MAC lipstick formulas?

What's in my travel makeup bag?

Or rather, bags. I've been away from my makeup stash for a month and this is what I brought with me. Amazingly, I've discovered that I can survive on less, but lets be real, I can't wait to be reunited with all my makeup pretties on Saturday!

My Harajuku Lovers and LeSportsac makeup bags

 I like the Harajuku lovers bag more because the opening is much larger and allows me to find things much more easily.

Clockwise, top left: Tarte Exposed, MAC MSFN, Milani Luminoso, MUFE Face & Body, Revlon Age Defying Concealer

These are some of my favorite face products, including MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (which I use as a natural foundation), MUFE Face & Body foundation, Revlon Age Defying Concealer (in two shades which I mix to match my skintone), Tarte Exposed Amazonian Clay blush (my current favorite everyday blush, I can't stop using this!! My old favorite Rock & Republic Call Me is probably crying as I type this), and Milani Luminoso baked blush.
 

For eye products I brought my favorite Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette, a freestyle palette I made containing WnW Vanity, Night Elf, Silent Treatment, and Walking on Eggshells palettes, WnW creme liner (which I use for my brows), Clinique gel liner, UDPP, Revlon Colorstay liquid liner, and CG Lashexact waterproof mascara.

Now that I think about it I didn't really need to bring my homemade WnW eyeshadow palette, Comfort Zone was more than enough.

L-R: WnW Stoplight Red, MAC Jubilee, MAC See Sheer, MAC VG Cyndi, Chanel Dragon, Chanel Mademoiselle, Revlon Coral, Revlon Raspberry Bite, and Revlon Nude Lustre lipgloss.

And of course, where I always go overboard, lipsticks!!

The only ones I didn't use were the two Revlon lipsticks so I'd say I brought just enough lippies. I love the holidays because they're such a great excuse for wearing red lipstick ;) So many pretties!!

Revlon Nude Lustre, MAC Jubilee, Chanel Mademoiselle, MAC See Sheer, MAC VG Cyndi, Revlon Coral, WnW Stoplight Red, Chanel Dragon, Revlon Raspberry lipstick swatches

Thanks for looking!

Did I go overboard? What makeup do you bring when you travel?

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