Friday, April 24, 2009

Lip Gloss, Lippie, and Random Tips

Alright, I promised I'd get around to getting that Buxom Gloss in Katie, and guess what? I actually did. Shocker, I know. Scroll down for the review and a few other random tidbits.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips Gloss in Katie, $18 at sephora.com, CARGO PlantLove Botanical Lipstick in Evangeline, $20 at sephora.com, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, $16.50 at maccosmetics.com.


I still love that gloss. It's really quite fantastic. The color is actually really accurate in that picture. You can't see the fine silver shimmer, but other than that it's identical. It's a milky, pale, cool-toned pink that's surprisingly wearable. As for pigmentation, it's medium--not completely sheer, but not opaque. Worn on it's own, this gloss cancels out some of the color on your lips, an easy way to buy into the nude lip trend, and the sparkle adds a lot of dimension, giving you shimmery, pale pink lips. It's not at all porn star-esque, and it's an adorable gloss for a wearable, low-maintenace look that's perfect for those day when you want your lips, just better. As for the "buxom" or plumping aspect, I'd say it plumps your lips a bit, but not that much. You won't be mistaken for Angelina Jolie. However, the tingly, menthol aspect is quite present--your lips will tingle for awhile. I thought that this smelled like mint las time I tried it, but I must have had a temporary lapse of judgment. It is definitely sugar cookie-scented, which is a definite turn-off for me (too sweet!), but I can deal. One of the best parts about this gloss is that it's not sticky, but it's thick and long-lasting--the perfect consistency. I give it a 9.5/10 (.5 0ff for the scent).

Now, this gloss does lighten your lips a bit, but if you want to go all out with the nude lip look for a seriously pale lip, I suggest swiping some concealer on your (well-moisturized) lips before adding the gloss--it gives you a sparkling, pale pink lip that looks natural AND on-trend. The concealer will cancel out most of your natural lip color, and you can build coverage to suit your look. I like MAC's Studio Sculpt concealer. It's creamy, so it works well on lips, it's well-priced, and it's a darn good concealer if it can make me look like a person.

As for that lippie, I tried CARGO's Plantlove lippie in Evangeline (as in Evangeline Lily from Lost). That picture is way off. Evangeline is a bright, coral orange lippie that's almost neon in the tube. I was scared that this would look clownish against my pale skin, like most lippie does, but I was bored, so I tried it anyways. Instead of applying it somewhat thickly as you normally would with a lippie, I instead swatched a bit of it on a sponge, and then used my finger to dab the lippie on like a stain. That was a good call. Even applied sparingly, Evangeline is BRIGHT. But...I actually really liked it. It gave my lips a springy, coral/orange tint that was noticeable and fresh, but not overpowering or ridiculous. I would actually buy this. It was surprisingly flattering and pretty, and the lippie itself has a great, sheer, smooth texture. The lippie is paraben, synthetic fragrance, synthetic dye, petro-chemical, and phthalate free. And, OMG, the packaging. You can plant the box it comes in, and in a few weeks you get a lovely wildflower plant! (The seeds are embedded in the biodegradable box). The tube itself is made of corn and is biodegrabable as well, and for every purchase CARGO donates $2 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Which is kind of awesome. Plus, this lippie is a perfect way to buy into the blood-orange lippie trend from the spring runways!

Really Random Tip (that I stole from Real Simple): Condition your hair before shampooing it. I don't know why it works, but it really, really does. My ends feel WAY less fried after doing this.

Image Sources:
Buxom Gloss: midwestskincare.com, CARGO Lipstick: blog.makeupmoxie.com, MAC Concealer: maccosmetics.com

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