Review - Kat von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

It has been only recently that I decided to start trying out liquid lipsticks. I had a few NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams which I really like, but I decided to try the Kat von D formula that Anna constantly raves about on Reddit. 

Lolita is one of the two shades I decided to start with, the other being Bachelorette (that I will review soon!) I paired this with a lip primer (MAC Prep and Prime Lip!) as I do with all my lip products. I really do recommend a lip primer for matte lip products especially, because there's nothing more not super cute than flaky lips when you wear a matte product. The lipstick was easy to apply, and did not get patchy upon application. (I had exfoliated, always exfoliate for matte products, too!) The doe foot applicator annoys some, but I find that it's pretty easy to apply liquid lipsticks with the doe foot. I did not have to touch up this lipstick often, though by the end of my workday, it had somewhat faded along the inside of my lip, because of eating/drinking/talking on the phone excessively. My only complaint is that the color comes out darker than the color in the tube, but that's not a big deal - just have to work the rest of the makeup around it. It probably occurred due to the pigmentation of my lips.

Kat von D Everlasting Love Liquid
Lipstick in Lolita

Wrist swatch of Lolita

Pros:

• Long lasting
• Pigmented
• Not drying

Cons:

• Color on lips was darker than swatch color

Kat von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Lolita - $19.00 for 0.22oz

Review - 4/5

Swap Haul - Soap & Glory Powders!

I love having friends in other countries, especially friends that love makeup. Last week a package arrived on my doorstep that was full of UK chocolates, and some Soap & Glory goodies!

Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder

Soap & Glory Kick Ass powder

I have yet to try these, because I have about a dozen other powders I have opened and am working through. But I am excited to try these! Pigmented Lips said she sent these over to try and combat my gross oiliness. (Side note - nothing wrong with oily skin, you are not gross, but we all know that oil slick feeling.) I cannot wait to try and review these in the future!

Review - Bite Beauty x J. Crew Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Lola

I've mentioned it before, but I am a total sucker for Bite Beauty products. When I heard about J. Crew getting some limited edition shades of the matte crayons, I thought I could pass...but I eventually gave in and picked up two when they were on sale.

The first shade I got is Lola, a bright pink color. I was mistaken when I thought it would be close to the shade 'Sweety' from the original run of the matte crayons, which I will show below. Sweety is a MUCH cooler pink, while Lola is warmer and darker. I was disappointed to see that Bite had screwed with the packaging yet AGAIN - these don't match either the old or new sets of matte crayons - there is no colored plastic ANYWHERE on these that shows the color, which is somewhat frustrating.

Bite Beauty x J. Crew Matte Creme Lip Crayon
in Lola

Wrist swatch of Lola

Lola on left, Sweety on right

Lola wore just like all of the other shades in this formula. Needed to reapply after eating lunch, but it stuck around through a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, and my morning yogurt. Applied smoothly and did not need a lip liner, though I wore paired with a lip primer (as I always do.) I particularly love how this is a matte formula, yet it is somewhat moisturizing while remaining matte.

Pros:

• Smooth application
• Pigmented formula
• Matte yet moisurizing

Cons:

• Different packaging AGAIN!!!

Bite Beauty x J. Crew Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Lola - $24.00 for 0.05oz

Review - 5/5 (though I'm still grumbling about the packaging.)

Review - Bourjois Color Edition 24H in Petale de Glace

I am slowly entering the world of cream eyeshadow. I usually reach for the traditional pressed powder eyeshadow - easy to work wit, easy to blend. But when I am sent a cream eyeshadow as pretty as Petale de Glace, I must set my preferences aside and work on using new things!

The Color Edition formula is a "cream to powder," so after my blending issues with the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon pencil, I decided not to put a base eyeshadow down, and just use this on top of my eye primer (NARS Smudgeproof.) The shadow glides on pretty effortlessly, and I was able to blend the edges out enough to use some other powder eyeshadows in the look. However, if I did not blend right away, it was more difficult to blend after the eyeshadow had 'set' for a bit. So long as you work quickly, blending is not a huge problem.The eyeshadow did not crease over the span of 9 hours, and I did not notice much fading of the color.

Bourjois Color Edition 24H in Petale de Glace

Hand swatch - one swipe on top, two on bottom.

Pros:

• Large amount of product
• No creasing or fading
• Smooth application

Cons:

• Can be difficult to blend if not done right away

Bourjois Color Edition 24H in Petale de Glace - £6.99 for 5g

Review - 4.5/5

Review - Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick in Bitch Perfect and Lip Cheat Lipliner in Pillow Talk

Ever since I heard that there was a lipstick called "Bitch Perfect," I knew I needed it in my life. It didn't matter if it wasn't my shade, or if it was something I would never wear - I had to have it. Thankfully, it is a shade that not only works for me, but is easy enough to apply that I will be reaching for it often! I received Bitch Perfect and the matching lipliner in Pillow Talk in my recent swap, since Charlotte Tilbury is difficult to get a hold of in an affordable manner in the US as of right now.

Charlotte Tilbury KISSING lipstick in Bitch Perfect

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat lipliner in Pillow Talk

Wrist swatches - Bitch Perfect on top,
Pillow Talk on bottom

Look at that rose gold packaging - mmm. The packaging for the lipstick has some definite weight to it, and a luxe feel about it. Application was smooth, ant not patchy. The formula is a tiny bit drying, but I was not having the world's best lip day when I wore it, so the formula may not be drying. The finish of the lipstick after blotting is a nice satin finish. After a cup of coffee and a snack, the color is still going strong. No bleeding or feathering - but that may be due to the lipliner!

The Lip Cheat liner applied smoothly with no skips, and did not allow any bleeding or feathering of the lipstick. The lipliner was a matte finish, which paired nicely with the satin of the lipstick - blended right in and created a defined lip line.I dislike that I will have to sharpen the product, since that means I will lose some of it to the sharpening process. The packaging is very nice, the lid does not seem to be one of those that will split if put back on a bit too forcefully. The colored end is always appreciated, as you can grab the color you want without having to read the label.

Charlotte Tilbury KISSING lipstick in Bitch Perfect:

Pros:

• Gorgeous, luxe packaging
• Nicely pigmented
• Smooth application

Cons:

• Not the most moisturizing product

£23 for 3.5g

Review - 4.5/5

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat lipliner in Pillow Talk:

Pros:

• Applied smoothly

Cons:

• Will need to sharpen product

£16 for 1.2g

Review - 4.5/5

Review - Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl

Slowly but surely, I have been getting onto the cream eyeshadow pencil bandwagon. It started with Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, and then moved on to By Terry Ombré Blackstars. In my latest swap, I was given a Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chamelon pencil which I was very excited to try. I liked that the shade was specified for daytime brown eyes - though I don't normally pay attention to what colors would go with my brown eyes and wear whatever.

I wore the shadow pencil on the lid with a base shadow down first, and found that the cream did not blend very well over a base shadow. I always put a base shadow down to help with blending, but will have to omit this step next time I use it. The shadow did not crease after 9 hours of wear (my workday) and still looked good.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chamelon in Dark Pearl

Wrist swatch of Dark Pearl, no primer.

Pros:

• Good pigmentation
• Smooth application
• Did not crease

Cons:

• Did not blend well over a base shadow
• Needs to be sharpened - will lose product

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chamelon in Dark Pearl - £19 for 1.6g

Review - 4/5

Review - Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Sucré

So as you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of Bite Beauty products.I really dug their Matte Creme Lip Crayons they released as a limited edition item earlier this year, and was thrilled to hear they expanded the line for the fall with 12 new shades! So far, I've picked up three of the new shades (Sucré, Brandy, and Peché) and have a few more on my wishlist.

The formula for the new releases is the same as the old - an easy to apply, creamy matte lip color with excellent pigmentation. There is a scent, to me it smells of oranges, but it fades quickly - I actually like the scent, but others may not. I find the formula to be long lasting and not drying. One application lasted me through a cup of coffee, a snack, and a cup of tea.

One complaint is that they changed the packaging - on the earlier crayons, there was a plastic button on the bottom of the package that was the color of the product. I found that this was extremely helpful, as you could see what color you were reaching for at a glance. Instead, the colored plastic is found under the cap. Dear Bite, ¿por que no los dos?

 

Bite Beauty Matte Creme
Lip Crayon in Sucré

Full face, wearing Sucré

Sucré wrist swatch
(world's worst quality!)

Pros:

• Smooth application
• High pigmentation
• Non drying matte formula
• Twist up, no loss of product due to sharpening

Cons:

• Change in packaging, less easy to identify shades without checking label

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Sucré - $24.00 for 0.05 oz

Rating - 5/5 (As much as the packaging change irritates me, luv dis!)

Swap Haul Thanks to Pigmented Lips!

I'm so fortunate to have friends around the world. Even more lucky that they also love makeup! I did a swap with Pigmented Lips to get my hands on some lovely UK goodies, and so she could try out some American items.

I'm going to post pictures of all the things she sent, and review them as I wear them. (I am still getting my lighting situation sorted out, even though I built my own light tent! So please excuse the differences in the pictures for now.)

Laura Mercier 2013 Artist's
Palette for Eyes!

Bioderma Micellar and
Reve de Miel lip balm

Charlotte Tilbury KISSING
 lipstick in Bitch Perfect

Rimmel Stay Matte primer
and translucent powder

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet
in Nude-ist

Bourjois Color Edition 24hr
in Petale de Glace

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chamelon
in Dark Pearl

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat
in Pillow Talk

Soap & Glory Super Colout
Fabulipstick in Pom Pom

Review - Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes in "Sultry"

Since I learned how to properly apply them earlier this year, I've slowly become a false eyelash connoisseur of sorts. I wear falsies daily, since I lost the genetic lottery on eyelashes. (It apparently would have been too much to get good cheekbones AND long eyelashes, but alas.) Since I work in an office, I am constantly on the lookout for more natural looking sets of eyelashes, so that I can wear them and not blow my monitors over when I blink.

I picked up a pair of Kiss 'Looks So Natural' Lashes last week at the drugstore. On the packaging (which I regret not taking a picture of!) Kiss claims that these lashes look 'more natural' due to the tapered ends of each lash. Upon closer inspection, the lashes are indeed tapered - and after comarping them with several other sets of lashes (Ardell 120 Demis, and House of Lashes Au Natural) the Kiss ones definitely had the most natural lash taper.

Kiss 'Looks So Natural' Lashes in "Sultry"

From this angle, you can see the taper of the lashes.

The lashes were easy to apply - I actually did not have to trim them to fit my eyes, which is rare for me. They have a clear band which I find to always be the best kind of band - this way, when paired with a clear glue, you don't see the spine of the lashes as easily. The band is flexible and skinny, which makes fitting the falsies to your eye very easy. After application, the lashes are not heavy and are barely noticeable to the wearer.

Pros:

• Drugstore pricing
• Widely Available
• Clear Band
• Tapered ends

Cons:

• Very delicate - remove from case carefully

Kiss 'Looks So Natural' Lashes in "Sultry" - $4.99

Review Score- 5/5

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FOTD - 8.12.14

Since I managed to hustle myself out the door to the gym this morning, I had a bit more time than normal to do my makeup. I do a full face every day, but nothing as...editorial? as this. Thankfully I can wear makeup like this to work, which gives me a lot of freedom when it comes to my morning makeup choices.

Eyes open!

Eyes closed!

Here are the products that went into this look:

Face:

• NYX Q10 Renew Skin Elixir
• Urban Decay Naked Skin Loose Powder in Light
• Maybelline Dream Wonder Liquid Foundation in 15 Ivory
• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
• Anastasia Contour Kit (Fawn, Vanilla, Sand, Banana)
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim
• Guerlain Meteorites in 02 Clair
• NYX powder blush in Angel
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray

Eyes:

• NYX Eyebrow Shaper
• Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown
• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
• NARS Smudgeproof eye primer
• Inglot #353 eyeshadow
• Saucebox Cosmetics Etude Palette
• MAC Fluidline gel liner in Waveline
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Shiro Cosmetics Still No Oscar For Leo DiCaprio loose eyeshadow
• Ardell 120 Demi false lashes
• YSL Babydoll Mascara

Lips:

• MAC Prep and Prime Lip
• NYX retractable lip liner in Vanilla Sky
• Lorac Alter Ego lipstick in Dutchess

First Post!

Welcome to THE BRAUHAUS, yet another beauty blog amidst hundreds of thousands of others. I was pressured (not even joking, actually PRESSURED) by a few online friends to start this, due to my makeup collection slowly reaching critical mass. This way I can show off favorite items and looks, and feel like I'm putting all of my hoarded preciouses to work.

Here's hoping I can actually commit to something and start putting out some semi-quality content for the internet.