Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color: Punta Cana

Swatches & Review

A few months ago, Cargo Cosmetics released a new line of lipsticks called the Essential Lip Color. There are twelve shades in this line and most of them are named after vacation spots, such as Punta Cana, Paris, Las Vegas, Napa, etc. One of the shades I purchased is Punta Cana because last summer, I was on a pink-lip craze.

The Essential Lip Colors packaging is really similar to Urban Decay's Revolution lipsticks, but it is all grey instead of gunmetal & purple. It is very slim and does not attract much fingerprints, so I like it.

Punta Cana is a hot pink/fuchsia, and it definitely packs a bunch of color when applied.

Punta Cana applied very smoothly and evenly. It was very pigmented because it only needed on swipe across the lips for it to be opaque. It was also very creamy, but it did not make the color uneven whenever the lips are pressed together. Because it is creamy, it did not emphasize much on dry patches on the lips, and was not very drying on the lips. Although it was very rich in color, it felt light on the lips. I did not experience any feathering with the product, but it did transfer because it has a shiny finish to it. After the shine wears off from eating/drinking, the color itself still stays on the lips. After about 6 hours to wear, I noticed that the color on my bottom lip faded a bit more than my upper lip, but the color was still very bright. To remove it, you would need a remover because it stains the lips if you just try wiping it off with a tissue. There is no scent or taste to the lipstick, which is good because I know many people do not like scents in their lipsticks. Overall, the formula for this was fantastic because it was lightweight without being sheer, and it applied very nicely and was pretty long-lasting to me.

The Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Colors retail for $22 and can be purchased at Ulta, Cargo Cosmetics Online, Kohls Beauty & Dermstore.

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Maybelline ColorSensational The Buffs: Maple Kiss (925)

Swatches & Review

Maple Kiss is one of the ten shades from Maybelline's new ColorSensational The Buffs collection. Maple Kiss is supposed to be one of the lighter shades, but it has more color than the usual "nude" lipstick, which makes it very wearable to many skintones.

From the tube, the lipstick looks like it has a shimmer in it. The color from the tube really makes me think of maple syrup!

When swatched on my lips, it looks kind of like a copper shade, which I actually like. The shimmer does not show up once applied either.

Like the last shade I reviewed, Maple Kiss applied evenly & smooth. The formula of this was not very slippery, so I did not see any unevenness on my lips. Since the finish of these are kind of glossy, this does transfer, but it does last a while on the lips. Like all of the Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks, this has a sweet honey scent to it, but the scent fades quickly after applying. I would not really call this a "nude", but it definitely is a lip color that is easy to wear.

What do you think about Maple Kiss? Which color from the three that I have reviewed do you prefer?

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Maybelline ColorSensational The Buffs: Touchable Taupe (940)

Swatches & Review

The other day, I reviewed Untainted Spice from Maybelline's ColorSensational The Buffs collection and today, I have Touchable Taupe for you! Touchable Taupe is one of the lightest shades from the four that I purchased, but there are definitely ones lighter from the display that I did not purchase.

Like the name, this applied like a taupe, but not one that is too light for me. It ended up being a nude that I can wear that is not too light or too dark for me.

Touchable Taupe applied very creamy & evenly. I did not see my natural lip color with two swipes and that's pretty good since nudes sometimes end up applying unevenly, which normally does not look too natural for me. Before trying it, I was kind of worried that Touchable Taupe might be a bit light for me, but it turned out to me my favorite so far, and it might be one of the favorite nudes that I own. Like all of the Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks, this has a sweet honey scent to it, but the scent fades quickly after applying. I felt like this was moisturizing, but after about three hours, it started fading, but I'm not surprised since it was so creamy and it is a nude, so you would need to re-apply it after eating or drinking. I would actually buy a back-up of this because I feel like this would be a nice everyday color for me and it is not often that I am able to find a nude that works for me.

What do you think about Touchable Taupe? Have you seen the shades offered in The Buffs collection? What color do you think will suit you best?

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EM Cosmetics Creamy Color Matte Lipstick: Passion Berries

Swatches & Review

When EM Cosmetics had a 30% off promotion with Ipsy, I purchased Passion Berries because I have been wanting to try their lip products, but did not want to pay full-price. From the website itself, I purchased it because I thought it would be more of a deep purple berry color, but once it arrived, the shade was definitely lighter than I thought it was.

The lipsticks come in a glossy black & white box.

The lipstick itself is a bit more red than the purple berry color it shows on the website.

Swatched, Passion Berries is a pink-red berry. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping it would be more of a purple-berry, but the color itself is not too bad. This definitely is not the most unique color though. For a matte lipstick, I found that it was pretty creamy and not too drying, but it definitely does emphasize dry spots on your lips so you would definitely need to exfoliate before using this. Because it is matte, it does not transfer a lot and it stays on the lips for a while. After about four hours of wear, I found that this started bleeding so I would recommend using a lip liner with this also. After removing, the color still stayed on my lip lines and it was super hard to get it off, so it was not very flattering because the stain lasted about a day and it wouldn't even come off when I exfoliated. This was a nice color, but not enough for me to actually want to pay full-price for this.

The EM Cosmetic's lipsticks retail for $16.50 and can be purchased from emcosmetics (non-affiliated link).

What do you think about EM Cosmetic's Michelle Phan's line? Have you tried anything from them? Is there anything you would like to try?

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Maybelline ColorSensational The Buffs: Untainted Spice (950)

Swatches & Review

Hi Everyone! It's been a while, but I just submitted my last final for the Fall semester so I will be back blogging during my break & I definitely have a lot to catch up on! Anyway, one of the newest lip collections out are the new Maybelline ColorSensational The Buff's lipsticks. These lipsticks are supposed to be part of the new lipstick collection for 2014 and it contains 10 brand-new, neutral/nude shades.

The Buffs lipstick line is packaged with a soft looking beige cap. I actually really like this tube compared to the orange from the Vivids because it is very soft-looking and just nice.. to me at least!

Untainted Spice looks kind of like a pink-ish medium brown. (It should a bit browner, but it showed up like this in most of the pictures. It looks like this when it is under a light indoors, but a bit browner when outdoors)

All of the pictures were taken outdoor except the lower right picture, which was taken indoor.

When I am outdoors, you can see that the lipstick is like a pink-brown, but once I am indoors, it looks darker and just a medium-brown. Untainted Spice is creamy with no shimmer, so it was not drying for the first three hours. It applied evenly and it was pretty pigmented. Because it is creamy, is does transfer, but it did not feather or bleed within the time that I tried it. It is a bit on the darker side so if your skin-tone is fair or light, this may actually look very dark on you instead of a "neutral". The scent of these are like the usual Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick scent, which is a bit sweet.

Overall, I like how there is a wide range of neutral shades so that many people would be able to find one that will work for them instead of washing them out. Like all other Maybelline lipsticks, I wish there was a safety seal on them because it has nothing, so people can easily just open these and test them without buying them, which makes it frustrating for those who do want to buy them.

I purchased mine at Rite Aid, and they retail for $9.49 at Rite Aid locations near me. The prices may vary depending on location, where it may be cheaper at Target & Walmart, but around the same price I paid for at CVS & Walgreens.

What do you think about Untainted Spice? Have you seen colors from The Buffs collection that you are interested in?

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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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Budget Friendly Fall Lipstick Picks

Swatches

I have not posted in a while because of school, but since I was taking a break from all the homework assignments I have for the weekend, I decided to do a lipstick post for Fall. At first, I was going to mix up all the fall lipstick picks I have, but I decided to do one that's for drugstore lipsticks & I will probably end up doing one for the mid-range brands as well.

(This picture is on my instagram as well)

Revlon Pink Truffle: Creamy neutral pinkish-brown. This is lightweight and moisturizing. Not too cool of a nude for fall. Depending on location, this is sold for $5.50 - $8.99
Rimmel London 107: Berry red with a matte finish. This glided on very smooth on the lips, but has a fruity scent to it. This is sold for $5.00 - $7.50.
Wet n Wild Ravin' Raisin: Dusty purple with a matte finish. This is very pigmented, but is a bit heavy on the lips. This retails for $1.99 at many locations.
Maybelline Color Whisper Berry Ready: Creamy pink berry. This is very pigmented, lightweight & moisturizing. Since it's very creamy & lightweight, it wears out fast so you would need to reapply this throughout the day. It kind of smells like fruity pebbles to me. This is sold for $6.00 - $8.00
Wet n Wild Cinnamon Spice: Matte brick red. Like Ravin' Raisin, this is very pigmented & a bit heavy on the lips, but it is not too uncomfortable. This retails for $1.99 at many locations.
Milani Black Cherry: Creamy deep red. This applies a bit patchy and it has a strong fruity scent to it. I blot the first layer so the second layer will not be as patchy & exfoliating the lips before applying is also recommended. This is sold for $5.49 - $6.49.

What do you think about these lipsticks from my picks? What are your picks for Fall? :)

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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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Maybelline Fall 2013 On The Runway Collection Lipsticks

Swatches & Review

For Fall, Maybelline has released four limited edition lipsticks for the On The Runway collection. Out of the four lipsticks, I picked up two, which are Lavender Voltage & Violet Intrigue. I was initially going to pick all four up, but once I saw them in person, I felt like I was not going to use Midnight Plum and my Vivids collection had colors similar to Fuchsia Fierce.

For my swatches today, the picture above is used from my instagram because my laptop is being fixed so I do not have an editor to watermark my pictures.

The picture on the left is with Lavender Voltage and the one on the right is with Violet Intrigue.
Lavender Voltage is a medium purple that looks like a blue-purple and Violet Intrigue is more of a pink-purple.

For purple lipsticks, I feel like they are very wearable because they are not too dark. I loved the application and wear of Violet Intrigue because it was very opaque with one swipe. With Lavender Voltage, it required more than one swipe because it was a bit sheer when first applied, but it builds up nice, but when you press your lips with Lavender Voltage, the color seems to move around so blotting it before applying a second/third layer would help. Both of the lipsticks left a slight magenta looking stain on my lips, which is not bad. The scent is like normal Maybelline lipsticks, which smell a bit like honey, but very plastic-y.

Overall, I liked these two lipsticks that I have picked up and for the price, it is definitely worth it! The only downside is that these do no have a seal so anyone is able to just open it and swatch it in stores, which is like all Maybelline lipsticks.

I picked mine up for $5.49 at the beauty section of Bed Bath & Beyond. It should be found in drugstores soon, but prices may vary depending on store & location.

What do you think about purple lipsticks? Would you wear them for fall? :)

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Pink Lipstick Comparisons

Comparison

I was looking at a few of my lipsticks a few days ago and I was wondering how some looked like when compared to each other. From my lipstick stash, I picked out four lipsticks to compare. The four I chose are Milani's Rose Hip, Maybelline's Fuchsia Flash, Hot Plum & Vivid Rose from their Vivids lip color line.

The lipsticks from the tube each looks different than one another. Rose Hip looks like a warm bright pink, Fuchsia Flash looks like a cool bright pink, Hot Plum looks like a purple-pink & Vivid Rose looks like a red-pink.

When swatched on the arm, Fuchsia Flash and Hot Plum look kind of similar, but there are differences because Hot Plum looks a bit more purple. Rose hip looks a lot warmer, while Vivid Rose is more red than the rest.

All of these haave a shiny finish to them. When swatched on the lips, the one that does not look similar to the rest is Vivid Rose, and the other three looks pretty similar. Although the arm swatch shows that Rose Hip & Hot Plum are different, I feel like they are the most similar on the lips because when I apply Rose Hip, it is slightly purple on my lips for some reason, but Rose Hip is definitely creamier and slightly more pigmented than Hot Plum.

Out of the four lipsticks, I have previously reviewed two of them, which are two of the Vivids in this post from Maybelline. I thought it was pretty interesting to see a slight difference when swatched on arm & lips.

What do you think about bright pink lipsticks? Is there a favorite pink for you? :)

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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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