Showing posts with label matte lipsticks. Show all posts

KBEAUTY | VDL Expert Color Lip Cube Must-Haves with Swatches

Last week I was raving about the VDL Lumilayer Primer, but I have also been enjoying some lip goodies that came highly recommended and thankfully I agree! It's always so disappointing when products are bestsellers and then you use them and you don't understand what the hype was all about. I have always been the eternal pessimist so I generally think products (and people really) are crap until proven otherwise. I am happy to report that all went well with these VDL Expert Color Lip Cubes and I hope more shades become available at The Face Shop! 


PR samples (credit given and products and shades chosen by me)

HOLIDAY | All Things Lips from Hard Candy with Swatches!

Today is my weekend and I am taking a much needed break by staying in and surrounding myself with both my furbabies and my makeup babies. Christmas is THIS WEEKEND if you can believe it and though I am now done with my giveaways for the year I still have a couple more holiday items to share that are super cute, affordable and guaranteed to be loved by all!

I don't discriminate when it comes to makeup as there are some amazing and terrible products from both the drugstore and luxury departments and though Hard Candy has had some hits and misses for me in the past, their lip products have always been consistently good in both pigmentation, range of shades and longevity so if you haven't had a chance to try them out or know someone who loves their lippies, these box sets will have them as giddy as a reindeer! 

Hard Candy Lip Gloss Holiday Box Sets with Swatches

MAKEUP | Rouge Dior Couture Colour Lipsticks with 16 Hour Comfort (Yes, Really!)

I'm a little annoyed with myself at time of writing this as I have just discovered an additional three shades of the Dior Rouge Dior Couture Colour Lipsticks ($43.00 CDN) in my office. It obviously goes to show you how unorganized I was and that I need some sort of intervention. I even have a list on my phone of things that I "need to locate". Thankfully, these Rouge Dior lippies were not limited edition and were repackaged and reformulated to include a matte finish and an updated satin formula.

Dior Rouge Dior Swatches Review

MAKEUP | Quo Cosmetics Lip Velours with Lip Swatches

More matte lips, you say? Well, ok then! I have more awesomeness from Quo Cosmetics with six new shades from their Lip Velours collection. At this point, I think we have all tried a few matte lipstick formulations and I remember when long-lasting and matte meant discomfort and lips that were crying out for help! Thankfully, this is no longer the case and we can now wear intensely beautiful shades with ease.

The Quo Lip Velours ($14.00 CDN) apply as a liquid and transform into matte, cream-looking, finish. They are long wearing, transfer-proof and of course have mega pigmentation. I don't think I have ever seen a matte finish that wasn't pigmented. I don't even think it's doable really.

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour Swatch Review

The one thing that makes the Lip Velours different from other matte liquid lipsticks is that the applicator is an actual brush as opposed to a doe foot applicator. The brush is supposed to make application more accurate, but I found it to be about the same. If anything, the slanted edge of the doe foot applicator is helpful to have. 

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour Swatch Review

What seems to be a running theme with the matte liquid lipsticks/creams I have been trying out this year is the inconsistency in formula across different colour. With these swatches below, we can definitely play a game of "one of these things is not like the other"!

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour Swatch Review

After Diva* (lip swatch here), Envy* was my second favourite shade and formula with the same easy application and relatively weightless formula. This bright orange-red seemed to brighten up my skin and add a nice pop of colour to an otherwise neutral makeup look.

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour in Envy Swatch Review
Envy

There are some shades that just don't work and unfortunately Bombshell* was one of them. This probably would not have been so bad in a gloss or cream formula, but this peachy pink looked almost clown-like on me and made me look like I was glowing from afar. Formula was the same as Diva and Envy, but this colour was just too much for me.

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour in Bombshell Swatch Review
Bombshell

Finally we come to Vamp*, which is actually a beautiful colour but the formula was oddly watery. It made me think that I perhaps received a dud, but even with searching online for reviews I wasn't able to find a swatch of Vamp. You can see below that because the formula was so watery, even application was near impossible. My husband thought I had a lip gradient going on, but that is just the patchiness happening...

Quo Cosmetics Lip Velour in Vamp Swatch Review
Vamp

Final verdict:
Diva is the shade I wear most often because of how neutral and flattering it is with any makeup look, but Envy is a close second! The formula is fairly comfortable, but I still find the Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Mattes (review) a bit more comfortable to wear. The Lip Velours were indeed transfer proof, which I tested out by eating a very leafy salad, and last the day. There was some wear on the inner part of my lip after eating which I think is to be expected, but other than the formulation issue with Vamp, I liked the shades that did work and hopefully darker shades like Vamp will be better on the next iteration.

Quo Cosmetics is available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

MAKEUP | Cougar Beauty 24HR Liquid Lipstick in Rioja and Mulberry Review with Swatches

Cougar Beauty is a new-to-me brand from the UK with a number of makeup, skincare, hair and teeth whitening products. I used to follow UK cosmetics quite closely when I first started blogging and I really don't know why I stopped. The UK pumps out some amazing products so I am getting back on the British bandwagon with these Cougar Beauty 24HR Liquid Lipsticks!

Cougar Beauty 24HR Liquid Lipstick Review