 Shoeperwoman |
 Dollface |
 Fashion Police |
 Follow Us |
 Become a Fan |
 Subscribe |
 Follow |
 Subscribe Via Email |
Tag Archives: lipstick
Dollface Reviews: M.A.C. Pro Longwear Lip Colour in ‘Lasting Lust’
I feel like all I do at the moment is apologise for the lack of posts here: sorry! I can’t promise a whole lot of them over the next little while, but here’s a quickie featuring the other M.A.C. lip colour I picked up a couple of weeks ago: the Pro Longwear Lip Colour in ‘Lasting Lust’.
Because of my great love of red lips, I’m always particularly interested in long-lasting lipcolours, because as dramatic as the colour is, it can also be very high maintenance. I find the M.A.C. lipsticks I normally use last longer than most, but they still require frequent top-ups, and, well, I’m just too lazy. Also, bright red isn’t a colour you can apply one-handed while checking your email or reading the newspaper on the train. It requires careful, precise application, and given that I’m rarely without either a hot beverage or a bottle of water, mine generally tends to disappear after the first coffee of the day, never to be re-applied.
I’ve tried many long-stay products over the years, but this was actually my first experience with M.A.C’s Pro Longwear, which has colour on one end and gloss on the other. ‘Lasting Lust’ is a bright, true red, which you paint on using a sponge applicator which comes with it:
In certain lights this can look slightly orangey on me, which put me off at first, but I’ve come to really love it. I’m not much of a gloss girl, so I normally just wear it like this, but in the interests of Dollface research, here it is with the gloss over the top:
It’s shiny, but not sticky. And that’s really all I can tell you about it, because as I said, I don’t really use it – sorry, gloss girls! If they sold this without the gloss, for less money, I’d be a happy Dollface indeed.
My main interest in this, however, wasn’t in the colour, but the longevity. I put this to the test the very first day I bought it by coming home, slapping it on, deciding the colour was waaay too bright… and then being completely unable to get it off. A tissue didn’t work. Water on a tissue didn’t work. The, er, back of my hand didn’t work. Finally I had to put some eye-makeup remover on a cotton wool pad to get rid of it. From this, you can probably tell that this stuff LASTS. It really does. It’ll get you through a meal and a couple of drinks, say, without too much trouble, and while it WILL fade, it tends to fade fairly evenly, so you’re not left with the dreaded ‘Lipstick Moustache’. On me, it doesn’t last perfectly all day. I mean, I could just leave it all day, and there would still be colour on my lips by the end of it, but it would be that kind of blurry, end-of-the-day colour, so while it will get you through lunch, or dinner, or whatever, as I said above, you’re probably going to want to apply it at least once to keep it looking its best.
(You’re also going to want to take a lot of care applying it. The fact that it doesn’t budge is great news if you’ve applied it perfectly and love the colour, but not so great if you don’t. Trust me.)
The other good point about this product is that, unlike most other longwear lipsticks I’ve tried, it’s not drying. It’s not as comfortable to wear as a cream lipstick, obviously, but I’ve had no major issues with it, and it doesn’t have that “caked on” look some similar products can give you too.
Overall? Two thumbs up from me. This is expensive at £17, but if you’re looking for a lip colour that will last, this is it.
Click here to buy it. (It’s available in eight other shades, too.)
Dollface Reviews: M.A.C. Russian Red Matte Lipstick (with swatches)
As longtime readers of this site (Hi, both of you!), may recall, I’m a huge fan of red lipstick, and for a while now, my go-to red has been MAC’s Ruby Woo. I happened to walk past the M.A.C. counter in Harvey Nichols this week (OK, OK, I went in deliberately for that very purpose. I’ve never been able to resist M.A.C. lipsticks…) and ended up picking up a couple of new colours, one of which was the classic ‘Russian Red’, which I can’t quite believe I didn’t already own. (I actually really wanted to get this in the Wonder Woman packaging, but of course, I left it much too late for that and it’s all sold out, so I had to settle for the regular version.)
This lipstick is so well-known in beauty circles that I’m sure it needs no introduction from me, but just in case you’ve never heard of it, it basically enjoys a reputation as THE red lipstick from this brand, and it’s a very deep, blue-toned red, which, ironically enough, is much more of a “ruby” shade than its fellow M.A.C. red, Ruby Woo:
Also like Ruby Woo, this is a matte formula, but it’s much, much easier to work with than the former lipstick. Ruby Woo (I promise I’ll stop the comparisons between the two soon…) is very matte, and very dry (I normally have to wear lip balm under it because it’s so dry), but Russian Red is very creamy, and has a slight sheen to it: it glides on easily and is really comfortable to wear – in fact, in terms of application, etc, it’s pretty much perfect.
As for the colour, well, it’s one of those classic, “retro” reds, as seen on pin-up girls and old movie stars:
It’s also bright. That’s one of the reasons I like it so much, but every so often I get comments/emails from people who say they’d love to try red lipstick, but are a bit daunted by the thought of it, and all I can is that if that sounds like you, Russian Red probably isn’t the colour to start out with, because it’s not exactly subtle. It’s a red that’s designed to stand out, and as much as I love my red lipstick, it’s maybe a little too bold even for me to wear as a day-to-day colour (Because I have very pale skin, this lipstick looks very dramatic in contrast. I love the look, but it’s not for the faint hearted.) although perfect for evenings, special occasions etc.
So far I’ve been really impressed with how long this lasts, too. One problem I’ve always had with Ruby Woo is that I find I need to reapply it constantly or it will disappear. This made it through a couple of glasses of wine and a snack last night without looking too much the worse for wear, although it’s yet to be tested for longer periods of time (I’m wearing it right now, though, so will report back!).
(I promise I’m not that shiny in real life, it’s the flash bouncing off my forehead!)
Overall, I love this, and think I’m going to have to name it the Holy Grail of Red Lipstick. In fact, yes, I am. Move over, Ruby Woo, we have a new favourite!
This is £13.50 at M.A.C.: click here to buy it.
NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil
Because my middle name is “lazy”, I’ve always been a fan of lipsticks that come in the form of a pencil: well, it’s so much quicker and easier to be able to outline and fill-in with just one product, isn’t it? I’m also a fan of red lips, so the colours of NARS’ new Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil also appeals to me. This is a creamy, easy-to-apply (apparently) formula, which is based on the Velvet Matte collection, but rather than providing a matte finish, it provides a glossy sheen instead, as you’d have guessed from the name.
These are £17.50 each, which is on the expensive side for a lipstick, but the colours do look gorgeous, so if you want to check them out for yourself, just click here to go to the NARS website. Oh, and while I’m on the subject, did you know NARS is also now sold at ASOS.com? This combination of two of my favourite brands is going to be absolutely lethal for me, I can tell…
Beauty Wishlist: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire & Ice
As a lover of all things (well, OK, most things) retro, I’d probably always have been interested in the re-launch of Revlon’s iconic ‘Fire & Ice’ lipstick: the fact that it just so happens to be that perfect shade of red is just an added bonus!
The shade was originally launched in 1952, and makes a limited edition comeback this year, as part of Revlon’s new ‘Fire & Ice’ collection. This is what they, rather endearingly, refer to as a “lips and tips” collection, as it features matching shades of the brand’s Super Lustrous Lipstick and Nail Enamel, in ‘Siren’, ‘Temptress’ and ‘Demure’.
It’s the re-issue of the original Fire & Ice, which comes in a vintage look silver case, however, that really interests me: I’ll have to see it in person to be sure, of course, but doesn’t it look like that perfect “red” we’re always searching for (and by “we”, I mean “I”, of course)?
I also like the ad campaign, featuring Jessica Biel:
This is available from now until January, so look out for it at Revlon stands everywhere, and bear in mind that it’s limited edition, so if you want to try it, you better act fast!
Paul & Joe Lipstick C – limited edition cat engraved lippie
This is just far too cute to use, isn’t it?
It’s Paul & Joe’s Lipstick C, which comes in three shades of pink… and has a cat’s face, complete with ears, engraved on each one. I just couldn’t do it, could you? I don’t think I could bear to use the lipstick and rub off that little face. I mean, look at those ears!
“Please don’t rub my face off!” the cat seems to be saying. “Pleeeaaaaase!”
I’m going to respect the cat’s wishes and stay away from this one, but if you think you can bring yourself to use it, click here to order one for £16, and remember, they’re limited edition, so they won’t be around forever!
MAC Ruby Woo: the perfect red lipstick!
Because I can’t seem to walk past a MAC counter without buying a new lipstick, I picked up their Ruby Woo on impulse last month, having heard lots of people refer to it as the “perfect” red.
Well, all I can say is that the reports were right. I absolutely love this colour. I want to wear it forever. In fact, I’ve already made a start on that, and have been wearing it almost constantly since I bought it. If they ever stop making it, I’m going to cry. That’s how much I love it.
As you’d expect from the name, this is a bright, ruby red, and the kind of colour I always think of as “retro red” as it’s that deep, matt shade that women always seem to be wearing in old Hollywood movies. It’s a colour that proved very hard to photograph, so I’ve taken a few shots in different lighting. If you’re near a MAC counter, though, I recommend having a swatch of it: I think it would work with most complexions, and the application is velvety smooth.
The only issue with this product, as with all red lipsticks, is that you do have to take a lot of care when you’re applying it – it’s definitely not a “one swipe and you’re done” lipstick, and you won’t want to try applying it while you’re on the bus, say. A lip liner, brush and steady hand is my recommendation here. It’s also not the longest lasting colour, and food will cause it to fade from the centre of the lips, leaving you with what Mr Dollface refers to as a “lipstick moustache”, where the cupid’s bow is still red, but the centre of the lip isn’t. Meticulous blotting and re-applying will help with this, but I’ve gotten into the habit of popping it into my bag when I go out, in case touch-ups are required.
This is £12.50 at the MAC website.
I’d say this one is probably the closest match to the colour.
Um, I included this one purely because Rubin looked so cute. Doesn’t he look like a stuffed toy?
Barry M Lip Lacquer Crayons
Crayons… that are also lip colours. That really appeals to the part of me that’s secretly only seven years old, and as that’s quite a large part of me, I’ve spent quite a bit of time this afternoon looking at Barry M’s new Lip Lacquer Crayons, and wondering which one I’d buy (Cherry Red, just in case you’re wondering).
These promise to create a high-shine, ultra glossy finish, which isn’t quite the style I usually go for (I’m more of a matt lip kinda girl), but there’s a first time for everything, especially when the price is only £4.95.
Available in five different colours, you can order yours here.
Dollface Reviews: Maybelline Super Stay Color 18-Hour Lipstick
For the last few weeks, I’ve been desperately wanting to find a really good long-lasting lipstick. When you have lips as pale as mine (Without a touch of colour on my lips, I look like I’ve been recently exhumed, and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve got out for the day/evening looking fairly presentable, only to go to the bathroom halfway through my first drink and discover that all of the colour is gone, and I’m once again doing a great impression of the Living Dead) normal lipsticks just don’t cut it, and while I’ve been wearing my Revlon ColorStay a lot in recent months, I’m getting a little tired of the colours, and wanted to try something new. Also, repeated use of the Revlon products does tend to leave my lips feeling very dry (a side-effect of most long-lasting lipsticks I’ve tried), so the hunt was on for something that would stay put for hours, suit my colouring AND be comfortable to wear.
Luckily, I didn’t have to look too long to find something that at least claimed to do all of this and more. I was en-route to the supermarket on Monday when I noticed a billboard advertising Maybelline Super-Stay Color,which now claims to last for 18 hours, rather than the previous 16. “Eighteen hours?!” I thought. “We’ll see about that!”
Fortunately, the supermarket I was headed to has a Maybelline stand, so I didn’t have to wait long to put my plan into action, either. I swung by the stand, and after a large amount of indecision, settled on shade 510 – Red Passion:
Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque lipstick/gloss
For some reason, as the weather gets cooler, I’ve been craving super-shiny red lips. This is something of a departure for me, because I normally go for matte lip colours, but if it’s high shine I’m after, who better to turn to than Chanel? Their Rouge Allure Laque claims to give a “patent-like” finish, and also apparently wears more like a lipstick than a gloss, which is good news to me too.
It comes in 8 different shades – I’m liking the look of the bright red ‘Coromandel’ but the pinkish ‘Ming’ could be a good choice if you prefer a more natural shade. Anyone tried this?
DuWop Lipmousse – not quite a lipstick, not quite a gloss
I really shouldn’t blog when I’m hungry. Words like “mousse”, “light and fluffy” and “whipped”: they make me think of dessert, not makeup.
All of those words have been applied to DuWop’s new Lipmousse, though, and it is decidedly not something you can eat, although you CAN put it on your lips. Other than the foodie descriptive words, though, DuWop haven’t quite made up their minds exactly what they’re selling here: they say it’s not a lipstick, but not quite a gloss (Oh God, does anyone else now have Britney Spear’s ‘Not a Girl, But Not Yet a Woman’ running through their heads? You’re welcome!) – instead, it’s a kind of hybrid of the two, with a “showerhead” style applicator which they say will help to create a “blurring effect” which disguises any lines or imperfections in the lips. A bit like a Monet painting I guess.
(Tai: Do you think she’s pretty? Cher: No, she’s a full-on Monet…)
DuWop Lipmousse is available in six different colours, and is $22 at www.sephora.com.
