IMAN Cosmetics Lip Affair Lip Kit

Swatches & Review

For Fall, IMAN Cosmetics came out with a small lip palette to introduce new shades to their lipstick line coming in 2014. The IMAN Lip Affair Lip Kit is a fun little kit because it has bright, bold colors that will suit many skin-tones instead of a neutral, which is harder to use with different skin-tones.

The Lip Affair Kit is packaged in a small black plastic case. Inside of it, there are five lipstick shades. When I first saw this online, I immediately thought of Inglot's Colour Play lip pans, but these are a lot smaller. There is about 0.03 oz of product in each color. There is a lip brush included in this kit, but mine was very stiff and it smelled really bad so I did not use the lip brush provided.

Kinky Pink: Pink red. This was pretty sheer when I applied it with a lip brush.

Flirtatious: Light fuchsia pink. This was more pigmented when compared to Kinky Pink, but it took a few layers to get it like the shade in the pan.

Taboo: Purple. Although it looks like it has shimmer in the pan, the shimmer is not noticeable at all once it is on the lips. This was pigmented and creamy.

Scandalous: Red. This was one of the most pigmented shade in the palette.

Hot: Orange. This was also pigmented like Scandalous.

Pictures of four of the five shades on me. I tried these on when I did not have makeup on, so excuse the uneven skin-tone on my bare face. When I have foundation on, I am around NC 30 - 35 in MAC and 123 in MUFE if that helps!

Overall, I like that the lip colors in this palette has no scent or taste. I found that these shades apply a lot better when applied with your finger (and it stains your finger too), but I prefer using a lip brush. When using a lip brush, the color applies sheerer than when you would apply it with your fingers so it may require a bit more layers. These feel lightweight and comfortable on the lips. I did not see any feathering around the lips when tested without lip liner however, they do transfer easily since it is more of a glossy finish. Even though it requires more layers when used with a lip brush, this palette retails for $5, yes, FIVE DOLLARS, which is not bad at all if you want to try some bold shades to experiment with them, and there are five of them so you can see which shades you like the most when you are actually ready to buy a full tube of lipstick.

This is available now, but it is currently out of stock. However, it does pop in and out of stock on target.com once in a while, but drugstore.com has taken down its listing for it. From what I have heard, this palette should be released around November in stores such as Walgreens and Target locations who carry IMAN Cosmetics.

What do you think about this palette? Would you be picking it up for $5 if you are able to find it in your area?

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Tarte Cosmetics Pure Delights 8-Piece LipSurgence Set

Swatches & Review

Another set I purchased from Tarte Cosmetics Holiday 2013 Tarte of Giving collection is their Pure Delights LipSurgence lip set. The past two years, Tarte has released LipSurgence sets that are full-sized, but this year, they made a set with eight deluxe-sized LipSurgence's. I was hoping for one that was all matte, but since half of this set is with their matte formula, I had to get it.

The four matte shades are: Glee, Generous, Destined & Cheerful.

Generous: Orange-ish, neutral. On their website, Generous is described as a pink-nude, but to me, it seems a bit more orange when swatched. I was surprised how wearable this nude was because nude lip colors normally wash me out.
Glee: Watermelon, coral-pink. This was very pigmented & glided on smoothly.
Destined: Raspberry pink. This was also very pigmented & glided on smoothly.
Cheerful: This is a coral shade, but it also kind of leans almost bubblegum pink on me. Out of all the matte shades, this shade seemed to show up dry spots on my lips more than the other three.

The four shades of their regular lip tint formula are: Enamored, Grateful, Believe & Lovely.

Lovely: Mauve-pink. It applied smooth & even on the lips.
Enamored: Cool toned red. After applying, I felt like this looks kind of uneven on the lips compared to the others I have tried. However, this was the most pigmented of the bunch, but was still a bit see through on the lips because it is more of a tint to the lips than to cover it up.
Grateful: Nude. Like Generous from the matte shades, I felt like this was more of a orange-nude, which made it wearable for me. This was one of the least pigmented ones in the set and seems more like a MLBB shade.
Believe: This is a medium pink & like Lovely, it applied smooth & even on the lips.

Comparison:

Compared to a full-sized LipSurgence, these deluxe-sized ones look a bit more than half of a full-sized. A full-sized contains 0.10 oz of product & the ones in the Pure Delights set contains 0.06 oz each.

Overall, I like this set more than I thought I would. When I first received it, I initially thought "Wow, these are SO small," but after comparing them to full-sized ones, I guess it really isn't THAT small. I really like the matte formula of LipSurgence's because they are not very drying & they pack a bunch of pigment as well. I feel like it would be faster to use up the regular formula lip tints because they use more products because the product itself feels very soft, while the mattes have a bit of a harder feel on the product itself. These have a slight peppermint scent to it & it feels kind of cool once applied to the lips, but the scent fades away after a while of wearing it. I believe the colors in this set are exclusive so once it's gone, it's gone. These are so cute, they would definitely make great stocking stuffers! The Pure Delights LipSurgence set retails for $34 and can be purchased from Sephora (in-store & online), Ulta (in-store mid October & online now) & tartecosmetics.com.

What do you think about this LipSurgence set? Do you like the matte LipSurgence formula?

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Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick: Manic

Swatches & Review

Manic is one of the shades that were released with twenty-one other colors from Urban Decay's new Revolution lipsticks. After trying them, I just had to buy some & I ended up with a total of eight! Manic is the second color I tried from the ones I have purchased after Jilted(link), which I have reviewed.

The Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks are packaged in a slim gunmetal packaging, however, it attracts fingerprints.

Manic is described as a soft wine. There is a bit of shimmer when you look at it from the tube.

Applied, it looks like a pink-ish plummy wine on me. The shimmer is not noticeable after applying it, but there is a slight sheen to it when outdoors. This is like a not so very neutral, neutral to me & seems like it would be nice for everyday wear. As for the creamy, badass luxury, this did not disappoint! Manic was very creamy so it applied smoothly and gave full coverage. I did not notice any bleeding/feathering with Manic without any lip liners. It lasted about four hours for me with minimal eating and drinking & it was not too drying either. The only downside is that they are a bit pricey because the size of these are a bit less than an average lipstick at 0.09 oz per lipstick & they retail for $22.

Have you tried any shades from Urban Decay's new line of lipsticks? Which shades do you prefer?

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Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick: Jilted

Swatches & Review

Urban Decay recently came out with a new line of lipsticks called the Revolution Lipsticks after about a year of discontinuing their old ones. These lipsticks are supposed to be "creamy, badass luxury" because they are supposed to be super pigmented. I purchased a few of them and the one I was most excited about was Jilted.

The new Urban Decay lipsticks are packaged in a gunmetal packaging. I like it because it looks very slim and sleek, but I hate that it is a fingerprint magnet! I literally have to micro-fiber cloth it after touching it. The lipstick shape is round and not pointed. What I noticed is almost all new lipsticks are now round (Cargo, Too Faced, Stila, etc..), but I wish it was pointed so I would be able to make the lines look sharper when applying. Another thing I noticed is that this is also packaged like Too Faced lipsticks and the new Cargo Essential Lip Color with just a different outer packaging.

Jilted is a deep fuchsia, and when it is upclose, you can see a bit of blue shimmer in it.

Although there are slight blue iridescent shimmer in the lipstick, I did not notice it on the lips much. On the lips, it is a nice bright, but deep fuchsia. Look at how creamy it is!

With bold lips, I wore it with neutral eyes & winged liner.

I am seriously loving these new Urban Decay lipsticks! What I love the most about these is that they are not scented at all & they do not taste like anything, which is hard to come by. Compared to their discontinued lipsticks, the quality of these have definitely improved. Jilted was very creamy and pigmented, I used only one swipe for my lips in all the pictures above and it lasted me about four hours before fading and feeling a bit dry because the creamy feeling wore off. Although it was super pigmented, it also felt light on the lips. I have tried these without a lip liner and they did not bleed/feather, which is great for a bright lipstick. The only downside is that they are a bit pricey because the size of these are a bit less than an average lipstick at 0.09 oz per lipstick & they retail for $22.

What do you think about the new Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks? Have you tried anything from the new line? Are there any colors you might be interested in? :)

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CK One Color Pure Color Lipstick: Wanted

Swatches & Review

This summer, I have been obsessed with Calvin Klein's line of lipsticks, which is their CK One cosmetics line. The first color I tried from their lipstick collection is Wanted.

CK One has revamped their packaging not too long ago and it is super cute. The lipstick looks like a pill. The top part (white) is plastic, and the bottom part (black) has a rubberized feeling to it (think NARS).

It was super hard to capture the color of this so this looks a tiny bit more red than it really is, but it is pretty similar to how it looks like in person.

Wanted applied as a bright medium pink.

The application of this was fantastic. It was super creamy, smooth & pigmented! I swipe the lipstick once and it was already enough coverage with one layer! Although I applied it when my lips were kind of dry, the dryness did not show much, which is good because most lipsticks tend to show the dry spots even more. The CK One Pure Color Lipsticks have a vanilla scent to it, which is similar to MAC Cosmetics, but I feel like the vanilla scent on these are slightly stronger than MAC lipsticks.

I found that this was very long wearing. Normally, lipsticks that are creamy and smooth does not last long on my lips because they wipe off when I eat, but this lasted through eating a meal and drinking from a water bottle. After six hours, the color is not as vibrant as it was when first applied, but the color that lasted was not bad either. It did not leave any patchy-ness of colors all over my lips, which is also a good thing. There was no feathering/bleeding when tried without a lipliner, which also surprised me because bright shades like these normally bleed without lipliners for me. This quickly became one of my favorite lipstick line and priced at $16, the quality is very nice. I really do not have anything bad to say about Wanted because it is amazing! I only wish that they were a bit easier to purchase with more shades because the only location that sells it around the area is at Ulta, and the shades are limited, but I see that they offer more shade selections in other countries.

What do you think about CK One Cosmetics line? Have you tried any of their products?

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Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick: 107

Swatches & Review


Since purchasing Rimmel London's Kate Moss lipsticks a few months ago when they had their 50% off sale, I only tried two since I have been trying to use up some lipsticks I already have before opening new ones. I have always wanted to try 107, but it seems like it is more of a Fall shade, which is why I decided to try it now as the end of summer is nearing.

107 is a berry red shade in the tube.

The lipstick is packaged in a plastic semi-matte red tube. The red tube is from the Kate Moss line of Matte finish lipsticks and I like how the package is semi-matte because it does not attract fingerprints so I don't have to whip out the microfiber cloth after using :P

Swatched on the lips, it definitely looks similar to the color straight from the tube. It is a gorgeous berry red and this glided on the lips very smooth. This was super pigmented so I used one swipe from the tube. I did not use any lip liners to see if it bleeds or feathers and it did not, which is good since dark and bright shades usually bleed/feather around my lips. This lasted on me for about four hours with minimal eating and drinking before I had to reapply it. The downside to this is like 109. Although it claims to be matte, it is not very matte. It seems more like a semi-matte finish, which is more matte than their black tube lipsticks, which has a bit of shine to it. Because it is not really matte, it was not very drying on the lips. Another downside to this is the scent. Like 109 and the Show Off/Apocalips Lip Lacquers, they smell just like Asian dried plums, while the black tubes have a sweeter scent, but the scent does not linger around the lips after applying.

Overall, this is a nice berry red lipstick for fall and the holiday season & the price is not too bad (about $5.99 depending on location and store). I wish there were names of the lipsticks instead of just numbers, but I think after a while, the numbers aren't too bad to remember. Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipsticks can be found at some drugstores, and Target/Walmart.

What do you think about Rimmel London's Kate Moss lipstick line? Do you prefer the red tubes, or the black tubes? (I wish they had the pink tubes in the US).

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Maybelline Color Whisper Lipcolor: Plum-Setter

Swatches & Review

Maybelline's Plum-Setter Color Whisper is part of their new limited edition display of lip colors. Maybelline describes their Color Whisper line as weightless gel, so it is supposed to be very lightweight on the lips.

Like all of Maybelline's line of Color Whispers, they are packaged in a plastic tube with its color being similar to the color of the lip color itself.

Plum-Setter looks like a dark vampy purple with sparkles in it from the tube.

For the first lip picture, I took it in direct sunlight. The other two were taken indoor, with the middle one being in front of the window.

Swatched, it is a very sheer plum color. For the arm swatch, I used one swipe, but for the lips, I used two swipes in order for the color to show. In the arm swatch, you can not see the glitters much, but if you enlarge the picture, you can see the glitter on my lips.

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with Plum-Setter because I expected it to be a bit more pigmented, especially since it looks like such a dark shade from the tube & it applied unevenly on the lips. I understand that their Color Whisper formula is supposed to be very moisturizing and not have as much pigmentation, but I have tried a few from their permanent line that are a bit more pigmented than this is. When I think about this, I feel like I am using Baby Lips, which I would definitely choose over this limited edition color because it is half the price, is more moisturizing if you are looking for an item that moisturizes the lips & the slight tint is basically what this similar to. If you are not looking for much pigmentation & want something moisturizing and lightweight, this might be for you, but it is definitely not for me since I would rather pick Baby Lips (for moisture) or Revlon's Lip Butters (for pigmentation) over this. Skip!

What do you think about Maybelline's Color Whispers? Have you tried their limited edition colors?

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Too Faced La Creme Lip Cream: Loganberry

Swatches & Review


I have always wanted to try Too Faced's La Creme lip color, but I never had the chance to get it. When I found a good deal on it, I was able to purchase two of them to try. Loganberry is described as a berry pink from Too Faced.

The lipstick is packaged in a metallic golden tube, however, it is not a super-shiny finish to the packaging, which means that it does not attract fingerprints. It's taller than most lipsticks, but feel a bit slimmer at the same time.

Although Loganberry is described as a berry pink, I thought that it looked more like a berry red-pink, with the red being more visible when swatched & worn. Usually, I feel like berry colors are more for the fall & winter season, but Too Faced came out with their berry line for Spring & I can definitely see why. This berry shade feels like it can be worn year round! For my swatches, I used one swipe and it was super pigmented! It was very soft and lightweight, which made it feel comfortable on the lips. The downside to these are that because they are very lightweight, they wear off easily. When eating, I find that I would have to reapply right after because there would be nothing left by the time I was done. When worn without eating, it lasts about 3 hours before it fades away, so these are not long-wearing at all. I also found that these need to be applied carefully with not too much pressure because they are really soft, or else, it would break apart easily.

Overall, I like the color and I love how it feels very light on the lips, but because it is very soft and wears off easily, I kind of have mixed feelings about these. You would use a lot more product from all the re-applying you would have to do with these & it isn't always convenient considering they would melt easily if you were to carry these around out. I would get these if I find deals on these, but I probably would not pay full-priced out of pocket for these. The Too Faced La Creme Lip Cream's retail for $21 and can be purchased on TooFaced.com, Sephora (Online & In-store) & Ulta (Online & In-store).

What do you think about Too Faced's La Creme Lip Cream? Have you tried any? Which are your favorites?

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Milani Color Statement Lipstick: Uptown Mauve

Swatches & Review


This year, Milani has released a new line of their lipsticks called the Color Statement Lipsticks. Their lipsticks have a variety of colors, as well as finishes, such as cream, matte, vinyl, and metallic. Uptown Mauve is one of the lipsticks with a cream finish.

Milani's Color Statement Lipsticks are packaged in a golden plastic tube. I like how the bottom of the lipstick has the color of what the lipstick color itself would be, which makes it easy to pick out the color that you want.

Uptown Mauve is a creamy berry shade. I have tried some of their lipsticks for a while and what I like about Uptown Mauve is that it is one of the creamiest ones that I have tried from their new lipstick line. Normally, berry shades would be kind of dark, but Uptown Mauve seems like it is a berry that would be perfect to use all year-round. The lipstick scent has definitely improved since their older line of lipsticks, but the scent is one of the things that I do not like because it is a very strong fruity scent. Another thing that I do not like is that the plastic packaging attracts fingerprints like crazy! I feel like after I use it, I have to wipe it down with a microfiber cloth so that it will look nice and new again. For me, Uptown Mauve was creamy, applied without tugging and long-lasting. I applied it with one swipe and it was super pigmented. It lasted about four hours for me with some drinking in between and it left a stain on my lips until I wiped it off with makeup remover.

What do you think about Milani's Color Statement Lipsticks? Have you tried any of their new lipsticks? Which shades are your favorite?

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Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer: Big Bang

Swatches & Review

Today, I will be reviewing Rimmel London's Show Off (Apocalips) Lip Lacquer in Big Bang.



These are packaged in a plastic tube with an asteroid-like cap and the color of the shade is shown through the tube.


The Show Off Lip Lacquer has a soft doe-foot applicator and there is a little hole in it where the product falls into.



Big Bang is a bright red. When I first heard about Rimmel's Apocalips, Big Bang was one of the most talked about shades. The lip lacquers are like an opaque lip gloss. They are glossy, but the lasting power is not that well, so you may have to reapply these after a while. Big Bang last about four hours for me, and the glossy finish lasted about an hour and a half. Even without eating, I find that these start fading within the first two hours, but there's a slight stain that stays around until you wipe it off. I did not find any bleeding/feathering from Big Bang and this was applied without any base or gloss on top.

Have you purchased any of the Rimmel London's Lip Lacquer? Which shades are you most interested in?

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Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer: Comet

Swatches & Review

Yesterday, I reviewed Rimmel London's Show Off (Apocalips) Lip Lacquer in Aurora. After that wore off & I completely removed it, I tested out Comet next. Comet seems like one of the Lip Lacquers that may be exclusive to the US since I have not seen it listed on Rimmel's website.



Like Aurora, it is packaged in a plastic tube and the bottom indicates the color of the product.


The Show Off Lip Lacquer's have a doe-foot applicator.


For the first lip picture, I took it in direct sunlight. The other two were taken indoor, with the middle one being in front of the window. (These were taken after sunset so the lighting is not as good).

Comet is a rosy brown creme. Normally, I am wary about buying "neutral" lip products because some products make my lips look dead, but this was a perfect neutral for me. This also has the Asian salty dried plum scent. These have a glossy finish and felt comfortable on the lips. For Comet, I tested it out with no drinking or eating and I felt that the glossiness of this wore off in about an hour and a half, which was faster than Aurora. Comet also felt very drying after the glossiness wore off. With a slight stain, I had about three hours of wear until it was pretty much completely off. I would recommend using a balm underneath Comet because it is drying. I did not experience any bleeding or feathering from this, which is good.

Overall, I like that this shade is the perfect everyday shade for me, but I am not a fan of the scent and I wish that this lasted longer because it felt incredibly drying after the glossiness wore off. It is kind of like a love/hate relationship with Comet because I absolutely love the color, but not the wear.

These retail for $4.99 and can be purchased at Walgreens and online at Walgreens.com and Drugstore.com (but they are currently sold out).

What do you think about Comet? Do you have a go-to neutral shade for everyday wear?

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