purple

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SMASHBOX 25 YEARS LIPSTICK PALETTE REVIEW-SWATCHES

SMASHBOX 25 YEARS LIMITED EDITION LIPSTICK PALETTE-REVIEW-SWATCHES

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Hello guys and happy Sunday! In this post I am going to review a product I was really excited to get my hands on: the Smashbox 25 years limited edition lipstick palette. Smashobox is a very popular makeup brand that, among others, has one of the most amazing primers I have ever applied on my face: the Photofinish Foundation Primer. Besides that primer, I hadn’t tried any other product of the brand, but I had high regards of it based on the things I had heard online. Now you all know I am a lipstick hoarder. I love lipstick a lot, in fact they are my favorite makeup item. I love having different shades and different types of finish. When I saw this palette I knew I had to have it. It is like a little treat; all these amazing colors in one box! Smashobox released this palette in order to celebrate they 25 years since its foundation. Therefore, the limited edition palette has 25 shades, each for a year. I really like the palette’s direct association with the brand’s celebration of its 25 years from foundation.

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The palette itself is gorgeous; all black, sleek and minimal. It has a huge mirror and the brush is very nice. Smashbox’s makeup brushes have good reviews, so I was glad they did include a brush in the palette. Now as far as the actual lipsticks, they are all amazing. As a pale brunette with reddish lips, I expected a few colors not to suit me. Shades like light pink, brown, nude and corally/orangey red are out of my comfort zone plus they have the “dead” effect on me. Once I tried on all the colors I was blown away. Most of the colors don’t look as intense on as they are in the palette. On the contrary they easily blend with the natural color of my lips and give a more tinted effect. I can also build them up and make them more vivid and intense. Even the colors I was wary of looked amazing on; very flattering. I was excited because now I can wear some shades I wouldn’t wear normally. The variety is huge: nudes, browns, pinks, reds and plums; from very light to very dark. The type of finish varies as well: there are matte ones (my favorites) and creamy/satin ones too. The creamy/satin ones are more sheer and shiny, whereas the matte ones are more vivid and steady. The red and fuchsia/red shades do tint the lips a little bit as the majority of these colors does. On the swatch picture I mention the finish as well as the shade of each color. I believe that because there are so many different shades, everyone will be satisfied; those who prefer more neutral and pink shades, those who love red and those who like a little bit of dark plum in their lives. Also the lipsticks can be used for day to-night looks. They are easy to apply with the brush and easy to remove. The palette is not small, so it’s not easy to carry it with you in your bag, but I personally don’t care much about that since I get the amazing deal of 25 lipstick shades in one. I highly recommend the palette.

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When I was contemplating on buying this gorgeous palette, I was worried about the quality of Smashbox lipsticks. Since I hadn’t tried any of them before and since I am quite picky with my lipsticks (I am a matte lover), I was a little concerned. Therefore, I was searching online for reviews of it. Sadly I didn’t find a single review. I actually found a misleading site, where instead of reviews, it had complaints of girls about the very existence of the palette, even though they had never tried it out. The lack of reviews about something quite unique and relatively pricey, prompted me to write this review, in hopes of helping others who are interesting in it. Overall the palette is a dream. It has a good quality design, a nice big mirror, so many shades – practicaly everything – and an amazing professional lip brush. The lipsticks set nicely and blend easily. For some reason all shades but one work great on my lips! What’s not to love about that right? If you already have the palette I would like to know what you think of it. If you are thinking about buying it and you’re looking for some more information, don’t hesitate to mail me. Also I would love it if you could pop over my Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) and say hi!

 

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

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MY FAVORITE MAC LIPSTICKS – SWATCHES

MY FAVORITE MAC LIPSTICKS – SWATCHES

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I love lipsticks! From all the different types of makeup products out there, lipsticks are my absolute favorite. Even when I am not in the mood for a full face makeup look, I just put some lipstick on and I instantly feel happier and like my self is more put together. I like how a lipstick is enough to transform a day time look to a night-time one, orr how there are different shades that compliment you during the different seasons.

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If I was stuck in an island and I only had to choose one makeup product to have with me, it would definitely be a lipstick. And it would probably be a MAC one. MAC is one of my favorite makeup brands, but above all I really like its lipsticks. I love how long-lasting they are and how easy to apply and blend. Also I really like the variety of the types of finish. There are satin lipsticks, matte (my favorite), lustre, cremesheen and more. The finish is really what differentiates one lipstick from the other, because it basically is how the lipstick will end up looking once applied. So the matte ones are not going to be shiny at all, whereas the cremesheen and lustre ones, are creamier and shinier. In this post I am going to share my favorite MAC lipsticks divided in three categories based on their color: plum/purple/dark red, pink/nude and bright colors like red and fuchsia.

Pink/nude lipsticks

PINK

Please me: This is a lovely rosy pink shade which is perfect for a casual day look. It has a matte finish which is my favorite, because it looks more natural and toned down. I don’t like creamy lipsticks a lot, because they look too glossy for my taste, they last less and my hair tends to stick on them which is not cool at all. I feel that this is the perfect pink shade; not too pink and Barbie-like but also not too nude.

Pink plaid: This is another lovely pink shade. I really like this shade because it is a blue-toned pink. I am not a huge fan of pink color makeup wise because I feel it doesn’t really flatter me. However, I love the blue-toned pink. Its cool tone matches my quite pale skin and brunette hair color. Its matte finish is a plus. Another perfect pink for a casual look. Please me is just a bit warmer than pink plaid however, they both work quite well on my skin.

Mehr: This is a new lipstick I got my hands on this year and I am absolutely in love with it. It is another dirty blue pink, like the Pink Plaid lipstick, plus it is also matte. The difference is that Mehr looks a bit more brown on my lips than pink. It is like a deeper shade of pink that is almost brown/mauve. I really love this lipstick for a day and night look. Its darker than the previous two and perfect for fall/winter.

Plum/dark red

RED

Amorous: Moving on to the plum/dark red category, one of my favorite lipsticks is Amorous. This is a dark cranberry shade, with a satin finish. Satin finish is a semi-matte finish, which means it is the closest thing to the absolute matte finish, but it also has some creaminess. I love this shade for fall and winter, as it is a lovely dark pinkish-red, which really compliments my reddish hair color and my pale skin tone. It is perfect for the entire day. I really like wearing darker shades in the daytime especially in the winter, because they make eye makeup redundant.

Plumful: This is one of my oldest MAC lipsticks. It is a rose-plum shade with lustre finish. I really like this color as it is a perfect plum and plum is another perfect fall/winter shade. It is a pinkish plum shade instead of dark purple one, which makes it wearable in the daytime as well as the nighttime. Being lustre, means it is creamy and with some shine, which although it’s not my favorite, is not bad at all. I can tap some powder over it and it immediately becomes more matte.

Rebel: This is the newest addition to my collection. I got a week ago and I am in love with it. I had its matching lip pencil, the Rebelious, and I love it so much that I thought I should get the lipstick too. I am really happy with this lipstick. It is a satin, dark purple plum shade. I know it sounds so confusing, but it is not an eggplant purple, or a very dark one like the Cyber. It looks very dark in the bullet, but once applied it can come off a bit lighter, like a magenta toned plum. It is semi-matte, which makes it long-lasting and steadier. Although it is quite dark, I would actually wear it in the day time as well, because it is a statement lipstick that is enough to be a look on its own. Such a show stopper!

Bright red/fuchsia

Purple

Girl About Town: The last category is about the bright colors of my collection that I really like. Girl About Town, is one of my favorite lipsticks in general if not my favorite. I absolutely love this shade. I find it perfect for all year round and all day round. It’s a bright fuchsia shade with a creamy amplified finish. It feels buttery on the lips but it doesn’t really fade easily. It is such a lovely shade, that always cheers me up. I feel pretty and just in a better mood whenever I am wearing it. I also believe it flatters all skin shades!

Perpetual Flame: This is a Pro-Longwear lipstick, which means that it is supposed to last much longer than the regular ones. It is a lovely red/pink shade. It has a matte finish, but it feels quite steady on the lips and I dare to say a little drying. Once on the lips its feels like it’s not going anywhere. It is also a little harder to remove and it stains the lips a little bit. However, it is a gorgeous color and I love how matte and steady it is. Perfect for all year round due to the red and pink hues it has.

Russian Red: Another classic lipstick! This along with Girl About Town are my oldest and favorite shades. This is a blueish, bright red and it has a matte finish. It is absolutely gorgeous. It is a bright, cool toned red. It doesn’t have any coral hues which I really like. It flatters all the skin tones and hair colors, and it is perfect for all year round. I do enjoy wearing it in the spring and summer more though, as in the winter I go for darker and deeper shades of red. I even have the magic lip liner (Cherry), because you can never wear a red lipstick without a liner first!

As you have probably realized by now, I am a lipstick hoarder. I love lipsticks very much because they brighten up my mood and make me feel much prettier than any eye shadow can. They are all I need in a makeup look essentially. MAC lipsticks are amazing. With different finish and in a variety of shades, the choices are many. The shades I usually go for are plum, red and berry. Sometimes I go for light pink as well. I love how they are long-lasting and good quality. I recommend all the lipsticks mentioned above, as well as MAC lipsticks in general. What is your favorite lipstick? Comment down below and share or snap a picture wearing it and upload it on Instagram using the hashtag #myonelipstick . I would check them all out! Also don’t forget to pop over my Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) and say hi!

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

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MAC, NARS AND TOO FACED LIPS

NARS, MAC AND TOO FACED LIPS

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Lipsticks are my favorite part of my makeup. Whether it is  a casual day or a fancy occasion, I love going natural and topping it off with a bold lipstick. A flawless face is the perfect base for any lipstick color, especially the ones that are a statement on their own. In the past, almost all my lipsticks were MAC, however, this last year I have discovered brands such as NARS and Too Faced (yes I was living under a rock) and I have fallen in love with them. In this post I am going to share with you guys my favorite lipsticks for this season from each brand, and I am also going to review and compare them to each other. Keep in mind though that all these brands have a place in my heart!

MAC is an old-time favorite brand. I have been using it for quite a few years and I can admit I am a loyal follower. I own many lipsticks (over a dozen), in different colors and of different finish. Although my favorite finish is matte, as I like how soft it is and how it stays put no matter what, the lipsticks I enjoy the most this season have a satin or lustre finish.  These two different types of finish, are the opposite of matte; they are creamy, sheer and a little glossy. The two shades that are my must for this fall, are Amorous and Plumful. Plumful is a beautiful, rose-plum, creamy lustre and Amorous is a gorgeous, cranberry, sheer satin. Both of these shades are perfect for autumn, as dark red and purply rose are this season’s IT colors! MAC lipsticks are easy to apply, have a great color payoff and are quite long-lasting. Also they don’t really stain the lips and they don’t sit on the natural lines of the lips. At the affordable price of 17$, I highly recommend them.

Although I love MAC to pieces, it is not the only brand I have in my heart anymore. Once I read some amazing reviews on NARS Audacious collection of lipsticks, I knew I had to get my hands on those. Therefore, when I got the chance, I added 4 of them to my collection. From those 4 shades, my two favorite ones for fall are Audrey, a beautiful red currant shade, and Anna, a lovely smokey rose shade. These lipsticks, although they have a somewhat satin finish, they are not sheer at all. On the contrary, they have an amazing color payoff, last forever and feel so smooth and silky on the lips. I don’t know what is it about their formula but it is the best formula I have ever tried on my lips. However, they are on the pricey side, as – at 32$ – they are almost twice the price of the MAC lipstics.

Last but not least, another brand I love is Too Faced. The Melted Lipsticks collection is one of my favorite ones and I do own a few shades of those. The ones I love for fall, would be Melted Peony and Melted Berry. The previous is a lovely dusty rose, perfect for a casual neutral day, and the later is a berry red, that literally goes with everything, as it enhances my natural lip color as if I am wearing a tinted lip balm. What I like about them, is that they are different to everything else I own; they basically are liquified lipsticks. However, they are not glossy and sticky like most liquid lip products but more like proper – in the bullet – lipsticks. They are matte and blend in such a wonderful way with the lips. They are very sturdy and last for hours. However, they do sit on the lip lines or dry patches and the Melted Berry, stains the lips a little bit. I wouldn’t change them for the world though. Especially the Melted Peony, is the best pink lipstick I have found, because it actually blends on my lips without fading (my lip color is on the red side). They are also very affordable as they are 21$.

Lipsticks are very versatile products, as they can stand on their own on a bare/natural face or complete an entire full-on look. Plum, berry/burgundy red or even some dusty rose, are the colors that represent this season. They channel the decadence this season is all about; falling leaves, cold weather and cloudy skies. All of the brands mentioned above, have some pretty amazing lipsticks in some lovely shades. Each one has a different style and purpose; NARS stands for luxury, Too Faced for comfort and easy, and MAC for diversity with all the different types of finish that provides. Depending on what you are looking for, I would suggest to go for NARS if you don’t mind splurging a little bit as it has the best and consistent formula out of the three; if on the other hand you want something professional but quite affordable you can never go wrong with MAC. Lastly, if you are looking for something more natural and wearable for every day, Too Faced  would be the perfect choice. Prices differ a lot but so does quality. Overall, they are all really lovely and you will be satisfied no matter which one you’ll choose. Comment down below and share your favorite lipstick brand and shade for the fall!

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

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H&M new creamy lipsticks review and swatches

H&M new creamy lipsticks

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One of new year’s resolutions was to cut down on my makeup products as I have far too many and some of them are quite neglected. However, when I found out that H&M has reinvented its makeup collection and has a full range of new creamy lipsticks, I couldn’t resist trying out some of them. Oh my, how pretty they are! They are quite creamy, which is not something I am fond of as I prefer the matte lipsticks more, but all they need is some blending to have a more matte finish. They are not drying at all or cakey and they feel very smooth on the lips. They remind me of tinted lip balms in a way after I blend them to make the color less vibrant and more natural.

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First thing’s first though: the packaging! For some weird enough reason I noticed that all my lipsticks regardless the brand, are black; square or round, magnetic cap or not, they are all black. I believe that there is something elegant in the simple, sleek black packaging but I had never noticed how little variety exists among all the brands; high street and  high-end. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that these lipsticks are completely different; white and gold! Such a lovely combination of colors that adds up glamor without being less sleek than the rest. Absolutely love the packaging! It really adds up and differentiates them.

h&m lipstick

Now moving past the packaging, I have to admit that what really blew me away was the huge variety of colors. The first shade I got myself was he Pomegranate one which is like a fiery red with a hint of orange as I was on the look for a corally red for the summer. Then I got the La vie en rose which is my favorite one and is a purply kind of pink; it looks so pretty and girly on my lips and I am absolutely in love with it. Lastly I got Tea rose which is a-not-so-me shade of bright rosy pink (it’s so hard to describe it); it reminds me of MAC’s Impassioned. Now this is a hard shade to pull off for me, and is the one that needs more blending to look less harsh and out-of-place on me. It is very pretty and different though and I love it as well. I do not own that many pink shades of lipstick as I always found it a hard color for me due to my natural lip color being darker, so I am trying to enrich my collection with as many different pink ones as I can.

From left to right: La vie en rose, Pomegranate, Tea rose
From left to right: La vie en rose, Pomegranate, Tea rose

I had never tried any make up from H&M apart from the nail polishes, so I was a bit skeptical at first of the quality. However, after trying them on I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are very nice and quite long-lasting. I would compare them to NYX lipsticks which I also really like and they are high street as well. Definitely worth trying them if you cannot afford higher end ones or even if you can, they are a lovely addition to anyone’s collection. Seriously guys you will go crazy with the variety! I know I did 😉

From left to right: La vie en rose, Pomegranate, Tea rose
From left to right: La vie en rose, Pomegranate, Tea rose

If you guys have them and like them, upload a picture wearing it on Instagram with the hashtag #hmcreamylips ! I will like all of them J Can’t wait to see all of your lovely pictures!

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky