Lip Gloss : Beauty and Fashion Tech

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Shadow and Tropical Fusion Look

CoverGirl has some wonderful new Eye Enhancer shadow shades out and some great looks can be created with them. I watched a webinar presented by CoverGirl and will show one of the looks that be created from the Tropical Fusion CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Set (pictured).

Below are swatches from the quad. The second color from the right is a mix of the turquoise and yellow shades in the quad, which makes a pretty light green as used in the look below.

First off though, a bit about the shadow: The CoverGirl shadows are pretty good in terms of pigment. These have a nice color payoff and staying power that you normally won’t see in such an affordable shadow. When I swatched these, it took a bit of work to wash them off! So they are a really nice value. They also have some wonderful bright shades, so if you aren’t afraid of some color, you will find great choices at a bargain price.

One of the fun looks that can be made with the Tropical Fusion is called Caribbean Eyes.

To create this look, apply the turquoise shade to the lid. The CoverGirl shadows build well, so you can make this rather sheer or you can build up the crease more, as you desire.

Now, add the yellow shade over the top of the of the turquoise. I like to use more of it in the center of my lid than the sides for a pop of color there. Blended well, this will give a pretty light Caribbean green look that is really rather luminous—more so than the swatch picture shows.

The eye is lined with the royal blue shade. Work it in with a press brush and then smudge it out some. You can wet the shadow for a finer line or more intense look.

The peach shade in the quad can be used as a blush, especially on darker skin. It is not really as orange as it appears in the quad, but it does have quite a bit of pigment–a bit too much to use as blush on my fair skin, but it would be fine on medium to dark shades of skin.

The lips were done in CoverGirl Amazemint Happy Hour, which looks blue in the tube but is actually clear, with a nice cool tone and taste. For more on the CoverGirl Amazemint glosses, which contain Crest peppermint oils, see my review on Girl Gloss.

CoverGirl cosmetics can be purchased at virtually all drugstores and big box retailers.

Shop for CoverGirl Cosmetics

Popularity: 14% [?]

Revlon Spring Collection, Nice Colors at a Nice Price

Revlon has a number of really nice items in their Spring collection. I picked up a bunch and have made good use of them.

Revlon Soft on the Eyes Palette Eyeshadow

For the eyes, I purchased a set of Revlon Soft on the Eyes Sheer Loose Shadow in a palette with beautiful pink and brown shades. This loose powder is great for a sheer, light look. It isn’t as well pigmented as say M.A.C., Stila, or any of the better mineral shimmers out on the market, but for a quiet, daytime look, it is just fine. It also comes packaged with a very usable brush. If you like loose powder shadow and are on a budget, this one is worth checking out.

Revlon A Floral Affair Sheer Powder Blush, in Pinking of You is another excellent sheer color for Spring. I adore all of the pretty pink sheer blushes that Spring is bringing in and this one is a current favorite. I have seen quite a few people raving about this one.

For the lips, you can get some incredible shine with a hint of berry red color from Revlon Mix & Mingle Lip Palette, in Chatty Cherry. For more, see my review over at Girl Gloss.Finally, there are some great spring shades in the Revlon SuperLustrous Lipgloss line. Revlon is generally my favorite drugstore gloss. It has the shine and quality of many of the better and more expensive glosses, yet carries a decent price tag and has a great selection of colors. Revlon also tends to put out particularly nice limited edition shades. This season is no different. There are some gorgeous new shades available!

Revlon cosmetics are available both online and at major drugstores and big box retailers.

Shop for Revlon cosmetics

Popularity: 11% [?]

Benefit Cosmetics: The Gloss Coupon Offer

Benefit Cosmetics makes one of my favorite lip glosses. the gloss lip glossis shiny, lasts well, and feels great. Plus, at $14, it is pretty affordable for a higher end gloss. So, when I saw this promotion in my affiliate email today, I definitely had to share it!

Here it is, straight from my email:

Benefit Cosmetics Valid: 9/17/2007 to 9/27/2007Code: THEGLOSSDescription: This deal is sealed with a kiss! Drive more sales with this special affiliate only promotion! Any customer that spends $40 receives a FREE the gloss in the shade “kiss me.” Enter promo code THEGLOSS at checkout & don’t forget to remind your readers to put the gloss in their shopping bag before checkout.

Benefit has some great stuff, so if you want a free gloss, head over and check them out. Looking for some purchase suggestions? See my previous posts about Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Blush or Benetint Cheek and Lip Stain.

Shop for more Benefit Cosmetics

Popularity: 4% [?]

Introducing GirlGloss.com: A New Blog Dedicated To Lip Products

I have a pretty serious lip balm addiction, and I love, love, love lipgloss. My lipstick collection is starting to grow as well. As a result, I started a new site devoted solely to lip products!

I will still review lip products on Beauty and Fashion Tech as well, but for more of all things lipstick, gloss and balm stop by Girl Gloss and say hello!

Popularity: 7% [?]

M.A.C In 3D LipGlass

The M.A.C In 3D Collection has a very nice set of lipglass colors and a new lip pencil. From the 3d Glass description:

A lipcolour that fuses a high gloss wet-look finish with balm-style emolliency and conditioning. Delivers 3D-style dimension to the lips through an innovative combo-blend of extreme pearl and multi-reflective shine. Non-sticky, smooth to apply. Instantly moisturizing and comfortable to wear. The unique high-fashion look and finish lasts for hours.
US$14.00

I tried some of the new shades and found them to be nicely moisturizing and not at all sticky. The colors are high shine and although they look rather bright in the bottles, they go on a bit lighter. The shades Racy and In 3D are my favorites.

These are limited edition, so check them out before they are gone! Also stay tuned for news of M.A.C’s upcoming fall collections. They have some really neat smokey and blue items coming out soon.

Shop for more M.A.C Cosmetics

Popularity: 7% [?]

Review: Rimmel Cosmetics Lip Products

Rimmel London Cosmetics is a drugstore line that makes some of my current favorite lip products, especially when used in combination. Unfortunately their website is difficult to operate and would not let me get to the product sections, so I am not linking to there. The newer Rimmel lip products also are not really easy to find online. But I did find links through a mix of sources. You can also find Rimmel products at various drugstores. I find that Meyer stores seem to carry the full line, while places like Target and Walgreens carry a smaller selection.Rimmel Vinyl Jelly lip liner pencil is a top favorite of mine. I imagine when I am doing top new product lists for the year, this will be on it. Unfortunately it is hard to find, both on and off line. The product comes in a pencil and applies like a pencil, but it really is a thick jelly/gloss like substance, that glides on, colors well and looks great! I love, love, love it. It also comes in some really nice colors that are brighter and more vibrant than many standard lip pencils. My favorite is number 004, sorbet, which is a bubblegum pink shade that looks great under other pinks, corals, or neutral mauves and plums. If you can find the Rimmel Vinyl Jelly pencil, I highly recommend that you buy it!

LoudMouth Lip Gloss (pictured right) is another new favorite of mine. The “gloss” is really more like a buildable, moisturizing, sheer lip stick. I have it in the shade pout, which is a light neutral pink. I tend to apply it in a couple of layers with a brush to build it up. At that point, it stays on pretty well and has a nice color to it. Otherwise, it is pretty sheer. LoudMouth comes in some deep shades as well that I imagine would also be buildable to the shade as seen in the pot.

Rimmel Gloss Over (pictured at top) is a pot with five strips of different gloss shades. It comes in a good variety of colors and is a pretty standard gloss. Most of the shades have quite a bit of glitter or sparkle in them, so I like it for adding that over otherwise matte lips.

R i mmel Jelly Gloss Sheer Lipgloss is a nice gel tube type of gloss that I think is pretty comparable to a bunch of other drugstore glosses that are out there. It is perfectly good and quite affordable. But I prefer Rimmel Vinyl Lip Lipgloss (pictured left). Vinyl Lip is high shine with a good amount of shimmer to it. It is pretty long lasting for a tube gloss, is not at all sticky, and tastes good to boot. I have it in the shade surreal, which tastes a bit like strawberry. The shade works well both alone and over a number of other colors. This is another product that I just love. Fortunately it is also a bit easier to find. More Rimmel Vinyl Lip Gloss

Take a look at Rimmel the next time you are at the drugstore. It is a quality, yet affordable line that is well worth exploring.

Shop for more Rimmel cosmetics

Popularity: 9% [?]

Reviewing Popular Nars Products: Dolce Vita Lipstick, Nars Orgasm Blush and Nars Orgasm Gloss

I have been finding all sorts of new favorites recently. Fortunately, it seems like everything I try lately is a quality item. My recent Nars purchases were really no surprise in that department, since I purchased a couple of Nars’ most popular and well received products. Plus I tend to just love Nars all around anyway! NARS Sheer Lipstick, in Dolce Vita (pictured right) is a wonderful color for me.

This particular lipstick has often been touted in the magazines and from the PR folks as the most universally flattering color available, and I agree that it is pretty close, at least for my pale complexion. The shade is a neutral pinkish mauve that is not too opaque and not too sheer. And the Nars lipsticks always feel comfortable. There are no issues with caking or drying.

I also love the packaging of Nars products. Their containers have a soft, almost spongy feel to them, and the black tubes and cases look quite nice. My only complaint is that I don’t think the Nars lipsticks stay on quite as well as some other brands. I tend to find myself reapplying it a bit more often. I have had the same problem lately with Smashbox lipsticks, and hope it isn’t becoming a trend across my otherwise favorite brands!

NARS Lip Gloss, Orgasm (pictured below/right) is the lip gloss version of the hugely popular, cult classic NARS Orgasm Powder Blush (pictured left). Like the blush, the gloss is a peachy pink shade (more peach than pink) and it is gorgeous! I find that the gloss is a bit less shimmery than the blush, which is a bonus for me, since I always found Nars Orgasm blush to be a bit too much on the shimmery side for me. Plus, I like to avoid overly shimmery glosses and add a separate shimmer product if I want more. There is just more control that way. But if you are looking for a fully matte gloss, be warned, this one still is frosted/shimmery, just less so than the blush in my opinion.

This is quickly becoming a favorite gloss for me. I have read some complaints that it is thick or sticky. It is a bit stickier than some glosses, but I have been OK with it in that department. I would not categorize it as moisturizing though, so if you lean toward the moisturizing glosses, this one likely isn’t for you. If you like the blush, trying the gloss is a must do! Even if you don’t like the blush, the gloss is worth a look.

Want to try several of popular Nars’ products? Take a look at the NARS Artist Palette Compact, Cool, which I came across when putting together the links for this post. It has a nice selection of shades.

Finally, one more piece of useful info: If you are making an online beauty purchase anytime soon, right now you can get a free Beauty.com Train Case and samples with your $100 purchase - while supplies last (important note, drugstore.com purchases do not count toward the $100 threshold). The case includes a number of high quality samples, which I think makes it a pretty nice deal. It is tempting me to shop anyway!

Shop for Nars Cosmetics