Category Archives: Lips

Makeup So Good I Had To Buy More Pt. 3

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I’m calling this a Part 3, even though Parts 1 & 2 were solely about blushes (plus one more about the fails). This post is intended to showcase additional colors of products I’ve already reviewed before.
If this is your first time visiting my blog…welcome! Herzlich Willkommen!
I will have links to the original reviews in each section (ex: in bold blue) if you’re looking for in-depth information about each product. In a way, this particular series is for the email followers and regular visitors to get any updated information and see how additional colors look.

Chanel Joues Contraste Intense in Rose Radiant (Rouge Franc)

I was so eager to try this on, that I only took one good photo of this in new/untouched condition. Unfortunately, it was in a room with ultra warm lighting. Once I realized this, I tried very hard to color correct the picture, but I couldn’t get it to look accurate enough and had to take a new photo instead.

This is the color I wanted most all along. I just didn’t think it would show up on me until I saw how it looked on someone a little darker than me. I’m very happy with this blush and I like that its appearance is subtle. Although I still like Rouge Franc, I didn’t like it enough to put it in my Project Pan. This one, however, is included in it.

Suqqu Blurring Colour Blush in 105 Akanezome

I’m including this here because I have so many Suqqu blushes, but this is technically a new formula and Akanezome is the only color I have in the Blurring Colour Blush line.
My list of various Suqqu Collections, which consist mainly of blushes, can be found HERE.

I gave up on trying to take photos in front of the window. Time with sunlight streaming in is too limited in Germany and my pictures get washed out. The part that is important to see among the various photos is that this blush shade works for me despite how light it looks in one half of the pan. I do mostly concentrate on swirling my blush brush into the darker corner for more impact.

Suqqu’s Blurring blushes are in the same compact as the Pure Color ones and discontinued Melting Powder blushes, but they are matte black on the outside instead of shiny black.
Regarding the quality and performance, I really can’t tell a difference between the Pure Color and Blurring Blush formulas. My guess is that the Blurring Blush line just has more subdued tones, especially with the kinds of shades that are available to mix with in the compact.

YSL Make Me Blush Bold Blurring Blush in 06 Rose Haze and 83 Spicy Berry

The review containing Peachy Nude, Restless Rose, and Nocturnal Nude can be found HERE.

Because of the way Rose Haze looked on me when using the virtual try-on tool, I just couldn’t let this color go. It still looks pretty and is visible on my cheeks (even more so in person than in photos), but the light color combined with the matte finish makes this look a little less appealing on my dry skin than if it had a shimmery finish. Peachy Nude, being a little darker, doesn’t look as dry on my skin from my perspective.

Sometimes I want a light and subtle blush. It happens so infrequently though that there isn’t a reason for me to have too many of them. If I didn’t have a color like this from Sephora, Nabla, Chanel, and Pat Mcgrath already, I’d have felt more content in adding this to my collection. By now though, I do feel a twinge of regret, although the consolation is that I got it deeply discounted.

The scarcity tactic for this shade absolutely worked on me. It was the last thing I purchased from Selfridges before my Selfridges+ subscription ended. I must also admit that my discussion with Olive Unicorn Beauty about purple blushes led me down the path of wanting a higher quality and newer replacement for the singular purple blush I owned, my four year old blush called Potted from Colourpop. I have raspberry colored blushes and mauves, but Potted was my only true purple. I loved it, but the formula became less smooth over time and it’s a matte blush. Spicy Berry is a satin, which I prefer, so I bought it.

When I look at Spicy Berry up close, it looks cool toned and I could almost swear I see the faintest tiniest tinge of blue shimmer. However, when I hold it at a different angle, it looks more like a dark raspberry or deep magenta. Warm purples suit my skin better. Because my foundations are a bit golden and I discovered that orange mixed with purple or mauve turns into more of a pink color on me, I wasn’t that surprised to see how the blush shade appears on my cheeks.

All of these YSL blushes are pigmented, but Spicy Berry is extra pigmented. The photo above on the left shows how my cheek looked with just two taps of the blush onto my cheek with the rephr Koyo brush, which is a relatively airy squirrel and saikoho goat mixed brush. In the second attempt on the right, I made sure to tap just once at the top and apple of my cheeks and then switched to a clean brush to buff everything in. The result from that is exactly how I hoped this would be and it looks more like Potted this way. If I want a more visible color, I can just add Nocturnal Nude or another orange leaning blush on top because of color theory and how purples and oranges mixed together turn dark pink on me. The other alternative is applying a little more, but toning it down with the remnants on my foundation brush or using a blurring finishing powder.

I am very happy I bought this shade, but be forewarned that at this level of color intensity, it does have a tendency to look a little patchy. Blending it out or mixing it with other things can cover up it and fix it.

YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze Stick in 16 Watermelon High (YSL Lippies)

The Candy Glazes are my favorite of YSL’s lip formulas. I knew I should have stopped at buying number 14 and 15 because these are so sheer, but I couldn’t help myself once I saw 16 (which was part of this year’s shade expansion). It’s basically how I wanted 15 to look on me, but that one is a little light and milky on my pigmented lips. This color is a perfect light-medium pink nude for me! So, even though I know I could have gone without having this, I don’t actually regret buying it.

MAC Intimate Nudes Collection: MAC Lustreglass in Signature Move and MACximal Sleek Satin in Hodge-Podge

Both of these lipstick formulas are new to me and I only have one of them in each formula. However, they’re both from MAC’s Intimate Nudes range of lipsticks. After loving the way Signature Move looked on me, I purchased Hodge-Podge next because it’s a unique color for my collection. So, I think this can count for being in the category of a lipstick so good I had to buy another!

I love the shine level (when first applied) and the lightweight buttery feel of this lipstick. In addition to the sheer partly buidable coverage this has, these attributes remind me of the Lisa Eldridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours. This just feels like an even more emollient version.
I find that this has more pigment than the Lucents, but no matter how much I try to build up color over the darker pigmented spots on my lips, this does not cover it completely. I don’t mind this, but I wanted to be clear that the buildable aspect has limitations.
This MAC formula also does not have the same staying power as the Lisa Eldridge Lucents.

After only an hour, my moisture-greedy lips absorb some of the lipstick and I can feel that there is less slip when I rub my lips together, in addition to the shine having dulled down. Even though there is less lipstick on the surface, my lips continue to feel moisturized. However, if I want the color to be noticeable, I definitely have to reapply after eating, and sometimes after finishing 1-2 cups of water. This is definitely not a long lasting formula. I end up feeling compelled to do touch ups every 3-4 hours (more or less frequently depending on my eating/drinking habits). By the end of the day, there are only the subtlest signs that my lips are drier than before. I can wear this a second day with no issues, or wear a lip treatment to bed to return my lips to a well conditioned state. So, that makes this one of the better lipstick formulas I’ve encountered, but the shorter wear time is a big tradeoff. Because I can get lip nourishment and sheer color from products like the YSL Candy Glazes, I feel like I own enough of these types of products. I foresee myself buying one or two additional shades in the future, but only if they are part of a limited edition collection or have some type of special packaging.

To me, this color is a muted yellow-brown. However, sometimes I could swear it looks a bit olive or that it leans a stronger grey depending on the lighting. How we perceive color is in relation to other colors, so sometimes I think Hodge Podge looks good when I have no other makeup on versus my foundations that tend to lean even warmer. The tones and depth of this shade is like a desaturated version of my skin, so it doesn’t look like full on concealer-lips/foundation-lips, but I don’t feel confident enough to wear this in public without a lip liner. Maybe it’s due to my preference for high contrast looks on myself, and Hodge Podge looks too flat.

In the second photo above, I demonstrated how this pairs with my two darkest brown lip liners. The one from Coloured Raine is warm, so it looks like a better compliment for my undertone. Palladio’s is cool, so I think it pairs better with the actual lipstick.

Although I can get this to fully cover the darker spots on my lips after I first apply it, the color wears down just enough to faintly see those spots after a lot of talking or repeated lip movements over time. So, the coverage level on me is high, but not full.

Regarding the performance, I don’t have to worry about reapplying anything from just drinking, though it will leave obvious imprints on surfaces and will not make it past a meal. After about two hours, similarly to the Lustreglass, some of the lipstick gets absorbed and it feels noticeably less creamy, though not to the levels of being considered drying. It feels super comfortable to wear, but I can still see that at the end of the day my lips show the beginning stages of wear before chapping. So, it still dries my lips like nearly every bullet lipstick formula on me, but at least while I’m wearing it, it looks smooth and shiny to the eye. In fact, my lips look smoother wearing this formula than the Lustreglass after several hours of wear (even though the Lustreglass is actually more moisturizing).

I like this lipstick formula, and it’s a relief to finally have some MAC lippies I’m not afraid to wear for fear of having my lips dry out. However, I don’t feel the need to purchase anymore (unless it’s part of an eye-catching limited edition collection).

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Hot Cocoa (Vanilla Mint)

I said in my Battle of the Lip Balms post that I wouldn’t buy another of these because my collection is so large, but I wanted one with a yummier scent and with a bit more color. Plus, there’s a 12m PAO, which mine has passed, so getting a discounted replacement during the holidays wasn’t quite so bad.

This has flavoring and smells like a tootsie roll, hot chocolate from a powder pack, or some other kind of highly processed chocolate. I don’t recommend licking this, but I did it for science and it does taste like a tootsie roll (plus Vaseline and wax)! I think it’s fun to have a hot cocoa scented lip balm, and I enjoy it. My husband doesn’t agree.

Lisa Eldridge Eyeshadow Singles: Supernaturally, Smoke & Mirrors, Dorian, Talk to the Paw, Posh, and High Maintenance

I was actually working on a Lisa Eldridge post separately, but then realized this was a better place to put the content since I have reviewed at least the eyeshadows before.

I’ve had Smoke & Mirrors from the Vega palette for over a year. Dorian and Supernaturally are from the Fawn Palette and I’ve had them since September 2024, but I didn’t start using these three until December last year. I was honestly a bit disappointed by the ones from Fawn, and it almost stopped me from buying Talk to the Paw, Posh, and High Maintenance from the limited edition Betty palette. However, I had hope the formula of those would be better after watching a few reviews on YouTube, like this one from Beauty with Substance.

Supernaturally is a Seamless Matte, just like Smoke & Mirrors, but it’s so much stiffer, drier, and less pigmented. Even though it’s natural for certain brown shades to have a hard time showing on my brown skin, this color is even sheer when I swatch it on the palm of my hand. Fired Earth and Troubadour are others in my collection that have better color payoff as well. So, I don’t know if Supernaturally was intended to perform, apply, and feel differently than the others.

Dorian is a Lustre, yet it is so dull! It looks like a matte shadow until light hits it directly at the perfect angle. Based on the website description of this formula, it seems like this is supposed to be the most subtle of the shimmer types. Based on my experience (and photos of Taffeta Fan) it seems like Dorian is the only one that can’t take on a pearly effect and isn’t as shiny as even Talk to the Paw despite it being a deep brown as well.

As I mentioned before, Talk to the Paw and High Maintenance are Lustre shadows. As seen in the swatch photo below, they are clearly less shiny and shimmery than Lisa’s Luminous formula, but they still pack more of a punch than Dorian.

I wanted a deep smokey shimmery brown all over my lids, so Talk to the Paw fulfilled the wish (though technically a taupe) that Dorian could not.

Posh is a Luminous shadow. It has the shine factor I want (once it is applied damp and/or with my fingers), but this particular shade has a hard time appearing pink (or mulberry mink) in tone on me unless I pair it with other shades in the same color family. This is not unusual for me when it comes to light pink shimmer eyeshadows looking more like a silver instead.

In the dry application, the individual shimmer particles are easy to spot. In the damp application, the shimmer looks smoother.

Below are swatches of the other shades in my collection that I kept with me.

And here are the swatches of the shadows I left behind.

I went through my Clionadh eyeshadows and found similar shades to the purples from the Betty palette, but nothing close enough to call a dupe because my Clionadh ones are duochromes and multichromes with strong shifts. I learned from Fedaro Beauty that there are much closer similarities within the Viseart Coy palette, but I left those shades in the US. What this indicates to me is that I don’t currently have those colors for a reason. The types of purples in Betty are just not my favorites. It was definitely for the best that I focused on the three shades I wanted most. I probably could have talked myself out of getting the three I did anyway, but because these shades are limited edition, I did not want to miss out.

Lisa Eldridge Liquid Silk Eyeshadow in Gaia and Phoebe

I planned to only get Gaia, but I enjoyed it so much that I felt compelled to own at least one more too.

Gaia works as a subtle one-and-done liquid eyeshadow, but I was more entranced by the color because it reminded me of one of my favorite eye bases from a brand I don’t support anymore. It’s so smooth on the lids. I have enough time to blend out the edges before it fully sets and it mixes well with other shades. It doesn’t crease, nor fade, and it doesn’t look drying on my lids. It usually stays put very well in my deepest eye wrinkle/crease. This formula is the reason I’m excited to try the brand’s upcoming liquid concealer!

Since I reach for powder eyeshadows 49 times out of 50, buying a lot of these wouldn’t be practical for me. I use matte liquid and cream eyeshadows even less than shimmery ones. However, when I tested this out as an eyeshadow base and it worked wonderfully with no issues, this became my replacement for the product that shall not be named! The only downside is that I needed a lighter shade to prime under my brows. That’s why I purchased Phoebe, but since it’s less pale than I expected, I have mostly been using Phoebe as an eye base/primer by itself. Gaia doesn’t get used as much anymore, but Phoebe is now a staple in my collection!

I have additional pictures of both of them used together in the Benefit mascara section, but I realized everything I photographed was during the testing phase, so I didn’t have any of me actually trying to create a seamless transition between the two shades.

The photo above is that demonstration. I have to put in more effort to get 100% full coverage considering the super dark sections in my eye area, so how this looks in this quick low effort example is satisfactory for me. There are plenty of great matte liquid eyeshadows at a lower price from other brands, so I consider this a semi-splurge type of product unless you’re someone with mature eyes. Then spending this amount of money for this product might be well worth the cost. There are also great primers available for a cheaper price, but since I prefer having an eyeshadow primer that covers the discoloration around my eyes (in a shade that isn’t that crazy far off from my skin tone) without having to resort to using an actual concealer, this product is doubly important to me.

*JUNE 29, 2025 UPDATE: I started using Phoebe almost exclusively and within three months I was struggling to get product out. I had to uncork the stopper and mix it a little to start reaching product again. It still periodically moves to a spot along the sides that I cannot reach with the applicator, so I have had to uncork it an additional two times, which is not an easy task! I had to use tools because it’s very tightly in there to keep the product from drying out. So, if you think you might have used yours up quickly, I recommend removing the stopper and checking. By this point, six months after purchasing it, I estimate I’ve used up half of the product.

Benefit Cosmetics BADGal Bounce Mascara

I’m reaching a bit on this one to have this fit the theme, but I’ve been a fan of the original Benefit BadGal mascara, so I felt compelled to give the new Bounce version a try!

I conveniently had a free mini of the original from a past purchase, so I was able to compare it to the travel size of Bounce. Both are dry formulas. The original Badgal Bang has a plastic applicator that starts with a small round tip that gradually widens. It also has a bendy part on the wand that allows me to better angle the applicator to avoid accidental smudging of the mascara.
The Bounce version has one side with a bunch of brush bristles that curve and another side with straighter spikes that act a bit like a comb. I’ve tried to figure out how best to apply mascara with it, but I just prefer the original wand. The Bounce wand creates a fluffier wispier look, but it takes so much time to build up the length and thickness I want. It’s also tricky applying the mascara to my lower lash line because the brush part is too thick to get that close, but the comb part has more gaps, making it easier to miss the finer thinner hairs of my lower lashes with repeated swipes. I can get it to look good, but it takes extra time. I wonder if adding a bendy portion to this wand could have made it better.

I don’t recall my past minis and full-size tubes of the original BadGal Bang having an issue of flaking, but this newest tube does flake a little. However, the Bounce one flakes even more. For this reason alone, I don’t intend to wear the Bounce anymore and if I had to choose a winner, it would be the original!

That concludes everything in today’s post. I hope this has been helpful!

-Lili ❤

Battle of the Lip Balms

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Today, we’ll be looking at seven lip balms I’ve yet to review on this blog! As it’s winter time and most people’s lips on this side of the globe tend to be in a more vulnerable state, now seemed like the right time to tackle this topic! Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone with lips as difficult to keep conditioned as mine.

Before we start, I’d like to share photos and a first impression of one more lip balm: The YSL Valentine’s Day Loveshine Candy Glow Collector that I’ve only had for four days by this point. The shade 7b Nude Pleasure is not a new color. It’s just the packaging that is limited edition. It’s made of the same material as the other lippies, but the pink and blue outer portion feels like a soft touch matte. The only other shade available in this packaging is another repeat color called Nude Lavallière.

I have now experienced all of YSL’s Loveshine formulas. This has the thinnest consistency, is moisturizing, but not the best at hydrating. It doesn’t last on the lips as long as the others and I have to reapply quite a lot. It has the sheerest amount of pigment, but still bestows more color to the lips than I expected. At least, this particular shade does. This also has the signature fruity scent that I find very pleasing.
I consider this formula to be a sheerer, balmier, and lightweight version of the Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipstick in Caramel Swirl #122.

My favorite of the YSL lip formulas are still the Candy Glazes. This specific balm is nice, so I don’t regret buying it. However, I don’t need more than one from this line in my collection; I bought it out of curiosity and for the limited edition packaging. I am on a lip product low-buy, but this was something I planned to get when I saw the sneak peeks six months ago, so it’s an exception.

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Sweet Mint

Summer Fridays’ range has different scents and colors. I wanted one that was essentially clear, so I chose Sweet Mint. The scent is weak in the tube, but once a thick enough layer is dispersed onto the lips, it’s much more apparent. I also get a minty tingling sensation from the combination of menthone glycerin acetal and peppermint oil that are in this formula.

The consistency isn’t sticky. It has a nice level of shine. There’s more reflect than a traditional balm, but much less than a gloss. I think it’s interesting that this balm contains some mica, which possibly adds to the reflectivity.

The brand says that this can be worn overnight as a lip treatment, but it doesn’t have enough grip to last the whole time. I have to reapply throughout the day and at the end of the night I have a mix of plumped soft hydrated spots and a few dry spots where the product couldn’t stay on the lips as long. This result is quite similar to the Lancôme balm I will discuss later, but this one works better as a conditioning agent for my lips. It hydrates my lips a tad more and holds on a little longer, making my lips softer overall.

I’ve had this since November 2023, and unlike many other lip balms I’ve used that come in squeeze tubes, the formula hasn’t separated. My luck might start to run out since it’s good for up to 12 months after opening, but I’m planning to keep this around a bit longer. In fact, it’s my replacement “bag balm” for when I forget to put on a lippie after leaving the house and have to grab one from my bag.

I am curious as to whether I would like the other shades, but I’m not going to buy more while I have so many other lip products to go through. This doesn’t get holy grail status with me, but I at least understand the hype. I also find it interesting that Morgan Turner didn’t think these were anything special, while living in Florida, until she moved to a colder climate. I had the exact same experience where I thought this was just fine while I was in Florida, but enjoyed it way more once I moved.

One other thing I discovered as a major reparative combination is applying the Clarins Lip Oil to my lips and then adding a bit of this on top. The Clarins works quicker at nourishing my lips than a lot of other products, but suffers from not having enough grip to stay on my lips for longer. Although the Sunday Fridays doesn’t have a lot of grip either, adding it on top helps the Clarins stay on longer overall and form a better occlusive layer. Having Clarins underneath also prevents me from feeling the cool-tingling effects of the Sunday Fridays balm.

Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum in Honey Glow and Blush Glow

At the time I bought this, I didn’t realize it was a plumping formula (which I usually avoid). Thankfully, it’s the cooling type rather than the burning one. The cold sensation lasts for two hours before it starts to fade away. I think it makes my lips slightly bigger, but it’s hard to tell as I already have full lips.

This has a click mechanism to propel it upward, but it can’t go back down, and because it’s a melting type of formula, it is very easy for this tube to get messy. I didn’t think anything about how light the component felt in the beginning, but after splurging lately on high-end and luxury lip products, I started to dislike the Makeup by Mario one. Comparing it to drugstore priced lip products in my collection, this is cheaper feeling than some of them and nearly all my mid-range lip products have more substantial packaging. There’s something sleek about it and appealing in a minimalist way, and I’m sure it cost more money to make every tube match the balm color, so I’m not disappointed visually. I’m only disappointed once I pick it up and hold it.

The balm smells sweet, but I can’t put my finger on what it’s supposed to smell like. It contains Vanillyl Butyl Ether as well as fragrance. After a few hours some of the layers sink into my lips, so there’s less on the surface, but the balm hangs on until I eat food.

When it comes to products creating a white rim around the mouth, I assumed it was from formulas that were too emollient. I don’t apply what I consider to be too much, yet I still get the white ring sometimes. Also, this doesn’t feel sticky when I first apply it, but after it has time to settle on my lips, it does become stickier. It’s nice to be occlusive, but watch out on a windy day if you wear your hair down or get too close to someone else’s hair!

It looks shiny on the lips at the start too, but when some of it is gone, it doesn’t look much different from a regular lip balm. Even though this product is hydrating and does a decent job maintaining moisture on the lips, I hate having to reapply because it feels cold for so long. It’s hard to forget it’s there, which is somewhat uncomfortable especially as I live in a cold climate. It’s the reason I try to avoid wearing the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm in winter (though the cooling only lasts 45 minutes to an hour, which is more tolerable). If the brand made a non-cooling/non-plumping version, I would consider buying one of those instead. This range has a ton of colors, but they’re too sheer for me to feel like I need more than one.

Fantasy Cosmetica x Makeup Just for Fun Tinted Lip Balm in Pomander

According to the website, this particular shade is “spiced orange scented” and the color is described as “sheer dusty orange.” Both the color and smell actually remind me of persimmons and cinnamon. I’m not surprised that I like the scent considering Fantasy Cosmetica has delved into fragrances already in the form of perfumes and candles. I haven’t purchased those, but I heard only positive things, so I expected scented balms from them to be just as good.

This particular product is part of a collab with Makeup Just For Fun and comes in four other shades and scents. I honestly bought it because I wanted to hit the free shipping minimum through Monolith EU and it had a good review from I Am Jamila.

I think the slight tint of color is very pretty. To me, this is a little sticky, but that helps to keep it on the lips longer. It works better as a moisturizing product for me than a hydrating one. Essentially, it smooths out and softens my lips, but once it wears off it doesn’t have lingering effects that prevent my lips from starting to dry. For example, the top conditioning products in my collection make it so that I can go 1-3 days without wearing anything on my lips before they start to chap. Because it can’t do that, I just won’t consider it a lip treatment. As a normal balm, it feels soothing the whole time I wear it with the extra benefits of a glossy appearance, flattering color, and smoothing aspect. It can’t survive past me eating a meal or drinking too much throughout the day, but I reapply less often than I would assume based off the consistency of the balm.
I should specify that after eating and drinking a lot, I have to apply more because the emollient layer is easily removed, but I’m left with a sticky coating on my lips that’s not as comfortable to wear in that barely-there state. The balm technically hangs on, but realistically should be reapplied.
I have to also be careful how much product I squeeze out of the tube. It’s not difficult to accidentally squeeze out too much.

I like this enough that I would have considered getting other shades/scents if I wasn’t on a low buy. I’d rank this product somewhere among the upper middle of my lip collection. It’s not a favorite, but I like it more than I thought I would.

Rabanne Lovebalm in Bloody Kiss 068

I didn’t have the patience to wait and take photos first before using this because I was so excited to immediately try it out. I had no interest in this product until Kackie Reviews Beauty talked about it in her video Testing 45 Lip Balms.
In September, Ulta had 10x reward points on Rabanne Beauty, so I bought the shade called Kiss My Neck and had it shipped to good old USA thinking I would still be going to Florida. Unfortunately, plans changed, so I don’t have that shade to showcase here today. However, I will update this post in the future to show pictures of the color (though I expect it to basically be clear).

That’s where I thought things would end, except that Hannah Louise Poston ranked it as the best luxury lip balm in her Epic Lip Balm Search video, and curiosity turned me rabid. As soon as it was on sale at Sephora’s German website, I bought Bloody Kiss, which was the only other color I wanted.

I usually avoid buying dark lip colors (especially cool toned ones), but because this can be applied in an ultra sheer layer, I was intrigued to have a balm that could leave me with a light tint or create a wintery-cold type of look.

Unlike my Ami Cole and Too Faced Pillow Balms that are effective at quickly nourishing my lips no matter what state they’re in, this one works slower. My lips look smoother when I apply the Rabanne Lovebalm, but I can see the color gathering in the crevices between chapped skin. In times like that, it’s best that I don’t try to do a sheer layer and to obscure the look by building up its maximum opacity. In the example below, it was nighttime and was wearing off, which was how I could see the spots that color gathered up.

Going back to the treatment aspect, this feels moisturizing from the balmy/waxy consistency and it isn’t oily or sticky. It clings to my lips well enough that eating is all that forces me to reapply (though I can usually get through breakfast without needing to). This grip is a good thing because I can wear the balm overnight and it can continue to hydrate at that slow pace. It takes nearly 24 hours, but by then my lips will be in better condition than the previous day. If my lips are in decent condition at the start, this balm keeps it that way and I have no problems. If my lips are in bad shape, even though this can improve them in 24 hours, I’m going to reach for something else that’s more moisturizing and hydrating to soothe my lips much quicker. So, I like this product a lot and consider it one of my favorites, but it’s not enough to make my top 5. Perhaps it would be in the top 10. Maybe my other shade will rank even higher.

I consider this on the heavier side of lightweight because I can sometimes forget I’m wearing it, but it’s not as light feeling as my other waxy (and admittedly inferior) balms. As a makeup product, the gathering of color in chapped spots isn’t great, but that can be worked around, and lighter shades in the line might not show this problem as easily. I like being able to control the color intensity. This has some shine, but it’s far from glossy. I give the brand kudos for creating a nice makeup/skincare hybrid. What comes to mind is the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, which I think is an even better formula for my lips than the Rabanne Lovebalm. They are similarly priced, but Lisa’s is 2.8 grams and in a melty formula that I’ll use up way quicker than Rabanne’s at 3.4 grams. Both packaging is luxurious looking, but LE’s is gold toned and lightweight whereas rabanne’s is bigger, heavier, and has the really pretty pink ombre into silver tube. Rabanne’s feels more luxe in the hand, like a taller and skinnier YSL Loveshine tube.

At the start of the Lovebalm review, I mentioned Kackie and Hannah who raved about this product, but in the shade Soul Kiss. Even though I like this balm, I will be sticking with the two shades I have currently.

Lancôme Lip Idôle Squalane-12 Butterglow Hydrating Lip Balm in 53 The Tea is Hot

This product feels like I’m applying a satin lipstick, but it isn’t until I rub my lips together that I can feel the balminess. The finish has some shine, but it’s definitely not glossy. The consistency leans more creamy-waxy than oily-emollient. It’s lightweight enough that I keep forgetting I’m wearing it until I accidentally lick my lips and get the waxy-chemical taste.
The scent is candy-like mint, the kind that reminds me of buttery after dinner mints. In addition to fragrance, the formula contains peppermint oil, but I assume it’s intended to give a plumping or cooling effect, though I don’t detect either in practice.

This has a slight sticking quality, but not enough for me to call it sticky. My lips look smooth and I love the color I chose! It’s pigmented enough for me to be satisfied with the coverage, but the other colors I’m interested in would be of similar depth and just different in tone, making it not worth it to me to buy more shades (even at the discounted price I got).

It’s decently moisturizing and hydrating while it’s on my lips, but the issue is that it’s not long lasting. By the end of the day filled with several reapplications, the spots where my lips had the product on longest remain soft, but places where the balm kept wearing off first (ex: corners of my mouth) were dry. Lancôme heavily advertises the 12% squalane and inclusion of ceramides, but I’ve never been able to tell how effective those ingredients are for my lips. I’ve worn products with both of those ingredients that either did nothing or worked well, so it’s impossible for me to know how much of a role they played versus the contributions from the other ingredients. In this particular case, Lancôme’s balm also contains shea butter that I know my lips enjoy, sunflower seed wax that I only know my lips enjoy in oil form but can’t tell if the wax would be as effective, as well as castor oil, canola oil, and jojoba butter and oil that I also haven’t been able to isolate and rate.

Since this works well when it’s on my lips, but I’m very bad at remembering to reapply, I won’t think of this as a lip treatment product. Instead, I will look at it as a makeup product with a few benefits. So, I am happy with my purchase.

Nivea Deep Moisture Balms (Melty Type)

I showed the photo of the unscented above, but I bought the honey “flavor” afterwards, since people were heavily praising the scented ones. The honey balm is yellow, but doesn’t leave any color on the lips. It’s called a flavor, but doesn’t actually have a taste, and its honey smell makes using this far more enjoyable.

It feels nice wearing this and isn’t too sticky, plus it has a nice glossy effect when I first put it on. However, as I wear it and talk, it likes to gather in the corners of my mouth and also form a white ring. Every so often I get the sensation of needing to rub my lips together to smooth the balm layer back out. It’s moisturizing, but it doesn’t have enough grip to stay on the lips past having several drinks. Another reason I have to reapply more frequently is because I have to wipe it off where it gathered in excess and then reapply to the spots I want.

Besides having several ingredients my lips like, the second best benefit to this balm is the 26 SPF PA++. Though direct sunlight isn’t as much of a problem for me anymore, it’s a general rule that I like to have at least one lip product with sun protection in my collection at all times. Lip skin is delicate for everyone, and my lips have their sensitive moments, so it’s especially important to have if I’m going to be outdoors for long periods of time, especially when I go back to Florida. This is the most conditioning formula of the SPF lippies I’ve used in the past, so this was worth it to me to buy this specifically for the SPF.

Labello (Original)

This product is a classic in Germany and maybe even the equivalent fame here as Chapstick brand of Chapstick is in the US. I’ve seen men and women using this around town and even my husband knows about it! I had so many reasons to expect to love this, but it’s just okay. It doesn’t last the longest on my lips. It doesn’t feel that it’s really penetrating deeply enough to hydrate. The ingredient list for this balm is simple, but it contains shea butter, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin e, which should all be things my lips like. Perhaps it needs additives to help make the star ingredients absorb into the skin better in order to work for my lips. Perhaps the added aroma and natural fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Citral) are drying my lips and counteracting the positive effects. I just know that this feels nice in the beginning, but within 3-5 hours I feel the urge to switch to a different balm because my lips feel dry. Within that time frame, the product needs to be reapplied anyway, but that sensation of dryness continues even after adding an additional layer. So, this unfortunately is the worst balm of the bunch for my lips.

Since I called this a battle in the title, I declare the Rabanne and Summer Fridays balms to be the victors! Third place goes to Lancôme.

That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤

Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Lipsticks

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Lisa Eldridge has a way of making everything she releases from her brand sound so exciting! I got swept up as usual, and that’s not to say it wasn’t worth it. I just don’t consider myself a lipstick aficionado, so I really don’t think I should have as large of a lip collection as I do! However, I can’t deny that she makes excellent products, which is why it’s always so hard to resist!

For those wondering, I have purchased her newest product, the Pinpoint Concealing Micro Correcting Pencil, but it hasn’t shipped yet. A review for it, and other unreviewed Lisa Eldridge products, will come in the future. Today’s post is just about the brand’s recent lipstick launch.

In November, I decided as a birthday gift to myself that I would take part in the full rouge experience:

  • First, I decided which lipstick shade I would buy pre-filled in the case.
  • Then, I clicked the engraving option and typed my initials before selecting “Add to Bag.”
  • Next, I added two lipstick refills to my cart as well.
  • Lastly, I added the beautiful Cherry Chocolate Velvet Makeup Bag to my cart before checking out!

Some important things to note is that the makeup bag costs $19/£19/€23. I got mine for free because the total amount in my cart exceeded the $105/£85/€102 price minimum. The bag did not get added to the cart automatically like it used to in the past. So, don’t forget to add it and potentially miss out!*

*Note: I worked on this post between November and December 2024. The Chocolate Cherry colored bag I referenced is no longer an option, but currently the one on offer is the Pinpoint Pencil Case in Olive Green.

There is an ongoing deal on the website that if you are already buying a complete Rouge Experience lipstick (lipstick plus case), adding one refill will drop the price of the refill by 15% and adding a second refill will drop the prices of the refills by 20%. This discount only applies to the refills. Trying to add 1 or more refills to the shopping cart will not trigger a discount if a complete Rouge Experience lipstick isn’t in the order too.

The engraving currently costs $4/£3/€4.

The qualifications for free shipping was met, so I was able to select the option for free standard international delivery. The expedited shipping fee to Germany is €10 via DHL. The free shipping option for me in the past had been via DPD. This time, it was through FedEx to Hermes.

If you signed up to be part of the Lisa & Me rewards program and accrued 300 or more points, you can redeem a code for 5% off your order total, which is what I did. I wish the brand offered additional redemption options, but it’s better than nothing.

183 Ashes of Roses

Even though Ashes of Roses looks different from Painterly in the tube, those two look quite similar on my skin, though different again on the lips. I just found that to be interesting.

Ashes of Roses is the color I thought I’d like the most, but it’s lighter on my lips than I expected. I can somewhat pull off wearing it without a lip liner, but I couldn’t help but still be disappointed. Using a brown or other colored liner darker than the lipstick is a great way to make an unflattering color work, but it’s honestly a hassle for me. There are many times that I grab my lip product to apply on-the-go. I can’t do that as easily if I need to put on lip liner first.

178 Lisa

I thought this might be an iffy color for me to buy since I tend to only like warm pinks. This shade is neutral, but it looks cool-toned against my natural lip color. For that reason, I only like this if I’m doing a full pink monochrome look.

The color Lisa is also a brighter shade than I expected. I have to use lip liners to try and mute it to something less vibrant, but it’s not as easy to do with my current collection of liners.

182 Simone

I was quite surprised that this color looked the best on me! It gives off a little bit of the “concealer lips” look. I think I could almost get away with using it without a lip liner too, but pairing it with one results in exactly the kind of look I was going for. So, this shade is more of a successful purchase.

Regarding how these feel on the lips, they’re not quite balmy, but also not fully waxy. This has a very nice glide in the application. It takes two layers to get full opacity, but I have to pass over the pigmented spots on my lips one additional time to fully cover where my lips are naturally darker.

I wouldn’t go as far as to call this sticky, but it has a slight tack feeling as if a layer is trying to grip onto my lips to help in making it long wearing. Lisa described this formula as something between the True Velvets and Luxuriously Lucent Lips, but this actually reminds me of her liquid lipstick formula as well. It had this slight gripping tack feeling too.

Based on my first impression, I was concerned about the discomfort level I felt at the end of the night after having worn it all day. However, every subsequent instance after that wasn’t nearly as dramatic regarding the dryness. This is why I try spend so much time doing wear tests for my reviews. On that first try, it’s easy to overlook other circumstances that affected the results. I will post my first impression notes, but also follow up with my findings after having worn these lipsticks on and off for a few weeks.

FIRST IMPRESSION NOTES: I started off with very well conditioned (for me) lips and put it on after breakfast. After having lunch, barely anything was missing. I had a very light imprint on my drinking glass, so I did not touch it up. By 4:30 pm (5.5 hours worn), I felt dryness in the outer corners of my mouth, but it was mostly fine. By 7:35 pm (8.5 hrs worn), I reapplied it because it felt significantly drier and started to be uncomfortable even though my lips didn’t look dry. It felt good at first because a tiny bit of moisture was added back, but after another hour (9.5 hours worn) my lips felt uncomfortable again and didn’t look nice and smooth like at the start of the day. My lips didn’t look crusty or peeled, but still felt a tad parched. It essentially still looked better than it felt. By 9:36 (10.5 hours worn), I ended the wear test and put on a Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace. I could see the chapping by that point as I removed the remaining lipstick after dinner (which this time the meal was oilier so I had barely any lipstick left).

FINAL ANALYSIS AFTER MULTIPLE WEAR TESTS: I still believe that whatever ingredient helps to make Lisa’s liquid lipsticks long-lasting is partly present in these. I don’t have to touch up as frequently as I would have expected.
As to what happened the first time I wore the lipsticks, I had just come off a two week trial run of conditioning lip balms and lip oils, so my lips had gotten used to be over-saturated with moisture. Suddenly switching to a soft matte lipstick was uncomfortable in comparison. I gave it a week before starting to test the lipsticks again and I had no problems with discomfort despite wearing them in 8-12 hour time frames. My lips did get a little chapped in spots, but how frequently that happened depended on how well conditioned or not my lips were at the start of the day or over the course of several days. Essentially, if my lips were in a hydrated enough condition, my lips weren’t effected at the end of the day. If my lips were in bad shape, there was only minor chapping. The first impression was the only negative experience, and even that wasn’t really that bad. So, I’m pleased with the formula of this product!

I love the packaging. The formula is nice enough (I still very much prefer the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours). It’s essentially the shade range that I’m less enthused about. I was motivated to keep reaching for the Rouge Experience lipsticks because I wanted to be able to review them properly. After this is posted, I honestly don’t think I’ll be reaching for them again, except perhaps Simone since I don’t have a shade like that in my collection and might feel in the mood for a concealer lips type of look. Otherwise, I’ll keep wearing the Lucents and Baume Embraces every time. Lisa Eldridge mentioned that there will be many more shades and formulas to come, so it’s possible I’ll get another color if any actually excite me. However, I actually just hope she’ll put the Lucents into refill packaging so I can use that line in my special lipstick case instead.

That’s everything for today! Thanks for stopping by!

-Lili ❤

Fenty’s Newest Forms of Gloss Bombs

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I’ve always been a fan of Fenty’s original Gloss Bomb formula, but I had so many and could never get through finishing any of them. I eventually decluttered them because of how old they were and planned to repurchase a single one to keep in my collection. When I thought about the glossy products that I preferred from several other brands because of the level of nourishment they brought to my lips, I decided not to make that purchase. However, when Fenty released the Gloss Bomb Oil and High-Shine Gloss Stix, I had to see for myself how the newbies measured up to the standard.

Starting with the Gloss Bomb Oil, it does feel exactly like a cosmetic chemist took a Gloss Bomb and mixed in some oil to make it slightly less thick, less sticky, and more emollient. The downside is that this change also made it harder to adhere to my lips, so it absolutely cannot last through a meal and comes off very easily when drinking. They succeeded in making this feel more hydrating than the regular Gloss Bomb, but because it’s not long lasting and I often forget to reapply lip products, I’m without that moisture for longer and then end up with dry lips anyway.

As a makeup product, Coppa Cookie is a bit nostalgic because I remember as a kid borrowing a metallic copper/warm brown lipstick color like this from my sister and loving it. Admittedly, this kind of finish isn’t my style anymore. It’s only coppery-pink when built up to the max, and the color isn’t opaque even then and has a bit of trouble looking evenly spread the same way the Fenty Gloss Bomb Cream formula was like on my lips (but not quite as bad as that). To get the kind of color in the first picture in the trio above, is an amount I would not want to wear regularly because it’s uncomfortably heavy with too much product on the lips anyway. In a normal amount I want to wear, my natural lip color absolutely peeks through underneath and looks like the kind of pigmentation level of a normal Gloss Bomb.

I might have still been tempted to buy a non-metallic shade of this in the future if not for the Gloss Bomb Stix, which is my new favorite!

To me, Fenty finally topped their original Gloss Bombs! For starters, this isn’t quite as sticky and is slightly less thick, yet it adheres just as well! I wouldn’t call it a lightweight product, but it’s tolerable because of how moisturizing it feels with a bit of extra hydration. The color is very even and the product looks smoothing on my lips. I was curious why this one felt the most comfortable and compared the three ingredient lists. All of them have the shea butter my lips like, but this one has sunflower seed oil too, which my lips love! My lips remain soft all day and are in better condition the next day. Ami Cole’s Lip Oil/Gloss Treatment is still more effective as lip care, but I’m still very happy with this formula, especially considering the makeup aspect.

As a lip color product, I love this Spice Cold shade! I bought it because it looked like a pink-brown. In the bullet, I can see it has a little purple tone to it, but on my lips it still ends up pink brown with the tiniest hint of mauve. The brand has a lot more shades with stronger purple tones available for those who actually want that kind of color. I like the tones of the lippies like Fenty Glow and Sorta Selfi$h, but I wanted a gloss stick dark enough that I could wear it without needing a lip liner. The nude shades being so light is the only thing keeping me from buying more, but I expect to see the brand eventually expand the range.

I have to add that this product reminds me a lot of the YSL Candy Glaze. Fenty’s is more pigmented and YSL’s is slightly shinier, but the gel-like feel and moisture level is so similar! Fenty’s is the tiniest bit more hydrating for me and I like the packaging and the scent (though it’s starting to fade a few months in), but YSL’s smells even yummier and the packaging is more luxurious. YSL’s price is easier to absorb when on sale for just a few bucks more than Fenty’s full retail price, but Fenty is at least more affordable (by comparison) all year round. They both have totally different ingredients, but to me, this is a good alternative for someone who doesn’t care about packaging and would like a similar-enough product for less money.

Another product I’ve found that is similar to Fenty’s is the Nabla Beyond Jelly Sheer Lipstick. It has a similar texture, but Nabla’s is even stickier and a little sheerer!

That’s everything for today! I hope to see you next week!

-Lili ❤

YSL Lippies: Candy Glaze, Loveshines, and Volupté

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The YSL Rouge Volupté have been raved about for over a decade. I’ve always been a basic gloss kind of gal, so I couldn’t justify the $45 to try them out. When the Candy Glazes (Loveshine Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick) launched in 2023, there was a resurgence of interest for myself and other beauty lovers, but the price continued to hold me back. It wasn’t until I realized the brand’s website had these frequently on sale between $22-30 that I really started to pay attention. By then, they also had the High-Shine Caring Lipsticks (Lip Oil Stick) and Candy Glow Tinted Butter Balms (aka Sheer-Shine Colour & Care Lip Balms aka Candy Glow Lip Balms). All of them had “Loveshine” in the names and were used interchangeably on social media. The names themselves vary by country. I had no idea what the difference was between “candy glow” and “candy glaze” and which colors of components went with which formula. With such similarities, I was deeply confused and had to spend a lot of time researching. Today, I’m going to share my thoughts on the formulas and all the relevant information I can find. If anyone else was just as confused as me, I hope this post will help.

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick in 122 Burnt Zellige

To start with, this is the first YSL lip product I ever purchased. I was so happy when I bought this because it was on sale and has stunning packaging that I was able to personalize for only $5 extra. Seeing my name engraved on the lipstick makes it feel so much more special. I have another one (87 Rose Afrique) that was delivered to the US just before I left, so I haven’t seen that shade yet in person.

The main benefit to purchasing from the YSL-US website is the ability to engrave any lipstick from among their permanent ranges. On the YSL-DE site, I’ve been unable to find any engraving options and haven’t seen the same kind of discounts. Instead, all their retail partners frequently have sales on these lip products within the 25 Euro range. There are of course less shade options. Anyway, I purchased this warm red-brown color.

This lives up to the description of being an oil-in-stick. It’s not as shiny as a lip gloss, but it feels slightly more substantial than a pure form of lip oil. The color spreads nicely across the lips. It takes about two layers to get high-medium pigmentation. Going over the lips more than three times increases the frequency in which the product will spread to the outer edges of my lips and start to feel like too much was applied.
I don’t know if it’s just this color, but it has a light staining effect. I can get through a light meal where the emollient layer is gone, but slight color is left behind. However, this can’t last through a second meal without needing to be reapplied. This isn’t a long-wear type of product, but while it’s on my lips they feel nicely moisturized and fairly hydrated considering I have a lot of problems with lip care products that have an opposite effect if colorants are used. I definitely like this formula, but I don’t think these would be worth the full price if not for the brand name and luxury packaging. At the discounted price I paid though, I’m quite happy.

According to some sources, the Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipsticks are just new packaging for the Rouge Voluptés, but according to YSL’s own website, it’s called an “upgraded” formula. I notice a difference and will discuss that in the next section.
I cannot find any Rouge Voluptés on their DE website (and they’re only available in select colors at retailers), but they are still being sold readily within the US. So, I don’t know for certain if the Rouge Voluptés are officially discontinued or how long it will take before they are gone for good.

I can keep my engraved cap long after the lipstick expires and put it on a newer YSL lipstick, but it would look a bit strange pairing a silver base and gold cap!

YSL Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipstick in Limited Edition 209 Pink Desire, 122 Caramel Swirl, and 202 Peachy Glow

I already reviewed the glittery version of Pink Desire in my 2024 YSL Holiday post, so I will focus on the others. I have to say though that I noticed the limited edition Pink Desire feels balmier. The feeling of the limited edition version is the whole reason I wanted a more of these in wearable shades. I didn’t want to buy YSL’s Loveshine Balm because I heard of that one’s lack of pigmentation and the PH adjusting properties that I’m not interested in (though I will most likely try the formula next year in the limited edition ombre pastel pink and blue packaging that has been sneak peeked for at least four months). *

*Edit: I did buy it! Review for the Loveshine Balm is HERE.

Between Pink Desire and Caramel Swirl, the ingredients of the two shades are nearly identical, but the 5th and 6th ingredients swapped positions and the lower middle section has a few more in a different order. So, perhaps those minuscule changes still had an impact. The feeling of the limited edition version of Pink Desire would make it absolutely worth buying more (in different color options) if I could guarantee I’d get that same kind of texture/finish. Caramel Swirl feels more slippery. Peachy Glow feels like a true middle-ground because it’s balmier than Caramel Swirl, but feels oilier than the limited edition Pink Desire. I cannot account for why that is, considering the only ingredient differences I see between Caramel Swirl and Peachy Glow are the ones that effect the color. “Collector” Pink Desire is more different than Caramel Swirl and Peachy Glow are to each other, so I will go out on a limb and guess that if someone buys a Loveshine without shimmer specks it’s going to feel like the rest of the permanent range.

I will refer to this formula from now on as simply “Loveshine” because that seems to be what most people shorten the name to instead of High-Shine Caring Lipsticks or Lip Oil Sticks. Based on the permanent shades, Loveshines are moisturizing, but not equally as hydrating. It’s occlusive, forming a barrier keeping moisture on the surface, but I don’t feel like it conditions my lips over time as well as some colorful lippies I own from other brands. For example, I like Lisa Eldridge Lucents more for the color choices and way they feel on the lips. I also prefer the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces because they’re more lightweight, yet have a stronger grip on the surface of my lips. With the Loveshines, I get this needy sensation to keep rubbing my lips together. I can feel it and am aware of it all day, unlike the Rouge Volupté. The color sinks a bit into chapped spots, but since I spend so much time rubbing my lips, it smooths the color back out. The smell is lovely (candy-fruity) and I’m still pleased with this as a moisturizing product and adding color to the lips. As the day goes on, after the emollient layer eventually wears off and colorant is still lingering, that’s when my lips start to turn dry and look drier than when my day started. That might be a me thing and my problems with some pigments/dyes. However, this doesn’t happen with the Rouge Volupté and I own the same color for one of them!

When I bought Caramel Swirl, I thought the number for it sounded familiar, but I made the mistake of only checking for a duplicate name. Because my first one was called Burnt Zellige, I thought they would be different. Technically, if I really stare hard at the color on my lips and in swatches, Burnt Zellige has the tiniest bit more red in the red-brown with Caramel Swirl being slightly more pink-red-brown, but I highly doubt anyone would notice if I put one on one half of my lips and put the other on the other half. The tiniest difference in color is as small as what can occur between different batches of the same lipstick. I can see it, but I asked my husband and he could not. What type of lighting I’m under also plays a factor. So, I will acknowledge they’re the same shades in different formulas.

In essence, the differences I can detect between this Rouge Volupté and the same shade of Loveshine is that the Rouge Volupté is more pigmented (took 2 swipes in the photo above versus 3 swipes of the Loveshine), oilier and more hydrating, but that oil keeps it from lingering on the lips as well as the Loveshines. I also get a staining effect with the Rouge Volupté, but not with the Loveshine.

I have to address another part that is tricky regarding these lipsticks. The color in the tube isn’t necessarily the color one will end up with on the lips. Also, I’m not sure why 202 was named Peachy Glow when it’s not a peachy color. It looks like a nude pink on me and I’ve seen it look medium-dark cool mauve on other people. Neither of those shades match the pinky brown that it looks like in the tube. I feel catfished by a lipstick! Thankfully, it’s still pretty, though a bit pale on me. I don’t recommend purchasing these based on the tube color, but judging off swatches is a risk too!

I think this is a nice product and most people that love the Voluptés will love the Loveshines. I have such picky lips that if I wanted to use it as a “caring” treatment type of product, this wouldn’t be worth the price (unlike on other people with less lip sensitivities who would have zero issues with this). However, as a makeup product and just wanting to have something comfortable enough to wear in a pretty color and with packaging that feels luxurious and indulgent, this succeeds in that.

YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 14 Scenic Brown and 15 Showcasing Nude

Figuring out the differences between these lipsticks was confusing enough, but I also realized some shades exist in multiple formulas! There is a 14 Scenic Brown in this Candy Glaze, as well as a 207 Scenic Brown of the Loveshine Lip Oil Stick (High-Shine Caring Lipstick). So, if someone requests a YSL lippie in Scenic Brown for Christmas, a birthday, or some other event…be sure to find out which formula they prefer!

The Candy Glaze feels more like a gloss than a lipstick, so now I understand why it’s considered to have a jelly texture. It feels both moisturizing and decently hydrating. To me, this is like a thinner version of Fenty’s Gloss Bombs and I would even go as far as to say Fenty might have duped this with their Gloss Bomb Stix. Another similar product are the Nabla Beyond Jelly Sheer Lipsticks. The downside to both Fenty and Nabla’s lines is that there aren’t additional shades from them that I would want to buy over the single ones I currently own. I’d be interested in shade extensions for both.

This feels stickier and therefore has more grip on the lips than the Loveshine, but that’s not a bad thing. Among all glosses on the market, this is on the lower medium spectrum of stickiness. I can sometimes forget I’m wearing it because it doesn’t move around as much on the lips, but I’d still consider it medium-weight instead of lightweight. Multiple layers can build up a tiny bit more opacity, but I don’t recommend swiping too much on as it can then become heavier, thicker, stickier, and gather too much in the lip corners. This has a click mechanism for getting product up and back down. It’s meant to discourage anyone from rolling up the Candy Glaze in this soft formula too high and damaging it.

After doing swatches, I noticed Scenic Brown had a slight staining effect on the skin, but Showcasing Nude didn’t. I assume this is due to the colorant used and the darker shades in this formula will do it, but not all of them. It’s just interesting because I heard the Candy Glazes were supposed to have the most color payoff, but both of my shades look way sheerer than was represented in the many photos I saw online from the brand and beauty influencers. At the same time, if I build up the color specifically on the dark pigmented spots on my lips, it gets covered fairly well. So, I guess I don’t need it to be a more pigmented formula.

I’ve mentioned the difficulties being able to tell what the shades actually look like in person. There is yet another element of trouble, which is distinguishing between similarities among all the formulas. On me, Showcasing Nude and Peachy Glow look pretty similar. Showcasing Nude is paler, so I prefer the look of Peachy Glow on myself even though I prefer the Candy Glaze formula. With the numbering system being different, I haven’t been able to figure out an easy way to compare shades across formulas.

In playing around with different lip products in my collection, I found out that if I take a little bit of my Rabanne Lovebalm in Bloody Kiss and lightly press it onto my lips to get some of that deep color, then apply Showcasing Nude on top, the lip look becomes a wearable cool-leaning medium pink. It’s such a pretty combination!

My Candy Glazes have a scent, but it’s not as strong as the Loveshines or Rouge Volupté. I get the barest whiff of sweetness, but they don’t have as distinct of a fruity candy-like smell as the others. I bought them in October, so it can’t be due to being too old.

Of all the YSL lip products I tried, I like the Candy Glaze formula the most. However, I can’t ignore how much this reminds me of the Fenty Gloss Bomb Stix and those are 23 Euros ($25 USD) at full price versus a maximum discounted price of 26-29 Euros for the Candy Glaze.

Based on everything I’ve tried, I understand the hype for YSL Lip Products and do feel that it’s warranted. However, I recommend waiting for a sale. Perhaps 10 years ago these were more unique, but other brands are catching up and matching formulas. I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to find colored lip products that look beautiful and are also capable of nourishing my lips. However, I do have more options than just YSL. There is admittedly something about the packaging that is alluring enough to make me want to buy more. So, no judgements to anyone who buys these at full price (my limited edition one was full price). We’re still getting a quality product and I can’t say that I wouldn’t buy more in the future. One of the biggest deterrents though is that I don’t shop for makeup in person and even when I try to make sure I’m not getting the same colors within the same formula, it ends up nearly matching the color of another formula of YSL lippie. These are too expensive for me to want to keep getting duplicates!

That’s all for today! Consider clicking follow if you’d like to be emailed whenever a new post is out!

-Lili ❤

YSL Golden Lace Couture Mini Clutch and Holiday 2024 Lipstick Review

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In my previous review of YSL Quads, I mentioned I’m willing to pay full price for these if they’re going to be color stories I love, though I always recommend trying to get a deal if possible. For this holiday order, I paid full price, but the brand offered a gift with purchase option where customers could choose one of twelve different bags/pouches, choose one of two travel size fragrances, and the mini shower gel came with it. I also had the option to choose two out of six samples, which comes with every order directly from YSL’s website. I only like their Black Opium line, so I gave the larger freebies to my husband.

At the time I started writing the first draft of this review, one month after the initial launch, the official website was the only place that sold the palette in Germany. I was not patient enough to wait for a potential monetary deal and the 10% off welcome discount code did not apply to new items.

YSL Couture Mini Clutch in 024 Golden Lace

I think these colors are gorgeous! They aren’t unique, as I’m sure I could find dupes in my collection (perhaps from Natasha Denona’s Gold or Bronze palettes). The shades are extremely close to YSL’s own Over Doré quad.
Fedaro_Beauty on Instagram has fantastic comparisons between both palettes. She was kind enough to allow me to share her example photos here, but her post has additional photos, including eye looks and the lipstick for those interested in seeing more.

To see her YouTube short of these two items in high quality video format, click HERE.
I recommend subscribing to the Fedaro Beauty YouTube channel as well as following on Instagram. She has very insightful and in-depth reviews that have helped me be a better informed consumer and make smarter purchasing decisions. It was actually due to reviews from Fedaro Beauty that I realized Over Doré’s darkest shade didn’t look like it would be deep enough for my liking, and why I skipped buying that quad. Now, I am especially happy that I decided not to buy it because Golden Lace is slightly better suited for my preferences, making it the better purchase for me.

With Golden Lace, the darkest color adds depth, but I have to build it up so much that I sometimes get it higher above my crease than I want, and using a smaller brush takes too much time. One of the biggest selling points for me is that I can create pretty looks very quickly with YSL quads because they are so easy to blend. Building up Shade 4 and not having a lighter shade to help blend out the edges is only a problem for review purposes. In everyday life, I just use a lighter matte from the other quads or use this shade in the crease and deepen the outer corner with the black color from Over Noir. It’s not so bad dipping into other quads if it only takes half the usual blending time as eyeshadows from other brands would require.

Above is a demonstration of a more dramatic look built up to the max. The shimmers were applied damp to intensify the shine. Below is an example of a toned down look with shimmers applied by finger and a dry brush. I also blended out the edge with Shade 2 from Over Brun.

I don’t notice any quality differences between this limited edition palette and the permanent line, which is a relief since many brands unfortunately use cheaper formulations for their holiday launches. I get no creasing or fading issues. There isn’t much fallout, particularly if I apply them wet. I’ve tested the quad on three different primers/bases and had no performance problems. The eyeshadows blend well, though I did mention needing to build up the darkest shade a lot and having to wet the shimmers to get the level of opacity and depth I want for my skin tone. This is unlikely to be a problem for those with lighter skin.

Although the colors in Golden Lace don’t scream holidays to me, the packaging and beautiful winter flower imprint on the shades fulfill that vibe. I’m quite happy to have purchased this! I have to add that Over Brun is still my favorite of the bunch!

One other thing to add is that I was curious to see if Shade 3 could be used as a highlighter. In the swatches, it blends in so well with my skin tone. I can confirm that the color makes for a great highlighter and although the shimmer particles are a bit more apparent than what I usually go for, I’d feel comfortable enough to wear it for festive occasions. There are actual highlighters I’ve removed from my collection for being way more sparkly than this eyeshadow looks on my cheeks. I don’t think anyone would be able to tell, just by looking at me, that it was an eyeshadow I was using and not a traditional highlighter. I was inspired to use Shade 3 from Over Brun as well and that works too, although Over Brun’s shadow is a little more reflective.

YSL Loveshine Lipstick Collector in Shade 209 Pink Desire

The swatch for this is further above in the eyeshadow section. In that picture, the magenta or pinky-purple sparkles are easier to see than I was able to capture in lip swatches. This version of Pink Desire is too vibrant for my taste and not the best suited for my warm undertone, but it’s such a fun color that I would just use it on particular occasions.

I’ve tried pairing it with a lip liner and it while it helps a little, I don’t see a significant difference. It’s still bold. As for the Loveshine formula, which is a first for me as I only had YSL Volupté lippies prior to this, I do like it. It feels comfortable and moisturizing on the lips, gives good color payoff, and has a yummy fruity-candy scent. I have not gone an entire day wearing this shade though. I apologize, but I can’t do a full day wear test with this one. I don’t have the confidence to rock it in normal everyday situations where everyone is able to see me.
I ordered another Loveshine from the permanent range and intend to give that a proper test before updating this post 3-4 weeks from now.*

*NOVEMBER 7th 2024 UPDATE: As promised, I just want to update about the fact that this particular formula of Loveshine with shimmer differs from the feel of the other Loveshine High-Shine Caring Lipsticks. This one was balmier, but the normal range is more emollient. It feels moisturizing and nice, but by the end of the day, I still suffer a bit of dryness. I will be releasing a dedicated YSL lippie post in the future, so I will go more in-depth there. In summation though, “I have such picky lips that if I wanted to use it as a caring lip treatment type of product, this wouldn’t be worth the price (unlike on other people with less lip sensitivities who would have zero issues with this). However, as a makeup product and just wanting to have something comfortable enough to wear in a pretty color and with packaging that feels luxurious and indulgent, this succeeds in that.”

Below are more photos with the eyeshadow quad used on my eyes and Pink Desire on my lips (the photo with liner is on the right). Even after taking these pictures, I removed the lipstick and put a different shade on instead to finish out the rest of my day. This color isn’t for me, but I’ve seen it look beautiful on other people. There are two additional lip colors available in the limited edition tubes, but I believe they might be too light for my taste.

That’s everything I have to share! Thank you for reading and I hope this has been helpful!

-Lili ❤

Romand Glasting Melting Balms

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I have to give credit to The Makeup Archives on YouTube for this purchase after she mentioned these balms are comparable to the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colours. I purchased the shades Kaya Fig, Dear Apple, and Pecan Brew. I believe the first is from the main collection whereas the latter two are Dusty On the Nude Editions.

These have a lot of ingredients my lips like, but they’re closer to the bottom of the list, and are therefore in smaller amounts than the bulk of the formula makes up. The list also has some ingredients that have the potential to dry my lips depending on the amounts, so I didn’t expect them to condition my lips over time when I bought them. I would be satisfied if I could at least wear them comfortably and have them not make my lips worse at the end of the day, so that was my goalpost for them. Plus, I was curious how similar they truly felt to Lisa’s considering I bought 3 Glasting Melting Balms for less money than a single Baume Embrace.

Before we get into the review, I feel it’s important to talk about how I acquired them. I always want to know if there’s anything I need to watch out for regarding shipping times, customer service, etc. So, I assume most people are like me and want to know as well.
I ordered these from YesStyle. I’ve had an account with them for years, but this was my first time actually purchasing. My full order exceeded $55 USD, since I added extra items to my cart, so I was eligible for free shipping. I was allowed to pay with US Dollars instead of Euros and still have it shipped to Germany with VAT included. My order was “shipped” within two days, but the warehouse is in Hong Kong, so it took 9 days to be in possession of the carrier Hermes. Therefore, tracking was unavailable until it reached the hands of Hermes, which was by then when it was in Germany. The following day it was scheduled for delivery. So, it took a total of 12 days to arrive. According to information I found online, some people get their orders fast (in under 10 days) whereas some people could get it after nearly a month. For those saying it took longer, I’m not sure if they bought items that had the “Usually ships within 24 hours” marker on them or if a longer time frame was written. My Oden’s Eye and Kaleidos orders usually take between 2-4 weeks to arrive, as well as anything I order from Ebay or Amazon listed as coming from China (no matter if it’s going to the US or Germany), so it’s possible that’s just how it can be sometimes via YesStyle. Because my order went smoothly, I had no interactions with customer service.

Also, the packaging says “Rom&nd,” but the descriptions all say, “Romand.” I guess that’s to avoid it looking like there’s a typo and keeping it easier to find or to use hashtags and whatnot.

The first thing I noticed when putting this on my lips is that it’s not a lightweight feeling formula. It’s very emollient feeling, but not full-on oily. It’s got a bit of tack to it. When I first apply it, it feels like my lips are heavy and speaking is a bit difficult because of the partial stickiness. The benefit though is that this feels very much moisturizing and hydrating. My lips feel conditioned after wearing it.

These are quite pigmented for balms, though Pecan Brew has probably twice the amount of pigment. It’s not easy to get a sheered out look with that shade. I love that the other two look quite natural. The downside to the pigment part of the balms is that it clings to every dry and peeling patch. I have to pull off strings of color to get it to look smooth and not textured. It’s evident in the swatch picture how building up the color didn’t go on my arm evenly and I had to use my finger to smooth it out. Also, the top layer of product is so easy to transfer, but the closest layers on the skin having a clinging quality that lasts a pretty good amount of time as long as drinking and eating aren’t in the equation. I’m able to apply this before bed, like an actual lip treatment, and there’s still some on my lips in the morning.

Fragrance is listed in the ingredients, and I can smell something, but it’s not a clearly identifiable scent. The closest I could describe it as is vaguely fruity.

These are actually nourishing, which makes them instantly worth me buying! The downside is that my husband hates kissing me with them on. They’re too goopy for his liking. This is why I still prefer the Lisa Eldridge Baume Embraces, though I will definitely keep using this product for the makeup qualities. I don’t often wear lipsticks because of my dryness issue, so to be able to have colors that will actually improve the state of my lips is a very welcome option. I plan to keep using Dear Apple and Kaya Fig, but I prefer how Lisa Eldridge’s Red Curve looks on me over Pecan Brew. Based on photos I’ve seen online, I assume Scotch Nude is more similar to LE’s Sweet Fig, which is why I didn’t buy that one.

Colors aside, Lisa’s formula is less emollient and a little less nourishing. They end up lasting the same amount of time on the lips as Romand’s during the daytime, but can’t last through sleeping. The LE lippie’s color applies much more smoothly. My lip lines look smoothed out, whereas with the Glasting balms they have a slightly pruned look to them the way fingertips look when soaked in water for too long. I feel the Baume Embrace has a more sophisticated formula in terms of being a makeup-skincare hybrid. Romand’s feel more like a treatment, even with the amount of coloring agent used. I also like being able to put on the Baume Embrace and forget I’m wearing it because it’s not so heavy on the lips. The comfort from not having the sensations of needing to wipe off the edges of my lips every so often makes me more willing to wear LE’s over Romand’s.

I can see why the YouTuber said the Romand Glasting Melting Balms reminded her of the Baume Embraces, but the way they feel on the lips is too different for me to consider them dupes. There are a lot of other melting type tinted lip balms on the market (Tarta Maracuja Juicy Lip, Makeup by Mario Moisture Glow, Nivea Melty Lip Balms, etc.). I even saw plenty of other “melting balms” on YesStyle.
The amount of color, the ingredients used, and texture/consistency are the qualities that differentiate one balm from another. I think the Baume Embraces stand on their own enough that they were worth it for me to buy. However, for the lip conditioning aspect and having additional shade options, I’m also glad to have bought these from Romand. They’re a third of the price as well!

That’s all for this week! Have a good one, and thanks for reading!

-Lili ❤

Lethal Cosmetics x Avatar the Last Airbender Collab

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Oh boy! I can’t start this review without talking about the insanity of this launch. There was so much traffic to the website that it went down even before the starting time (4:00 pm Central European Time). There were continuous 500-504 Gateway errors. US shoppers had the option to try their luck with the retailer Camera Ready Cosmetics, but the rest of the world only had the official Lethal Cosmetics website to be able to purchase from. After about 40 minutes, the brand announced on Instagram that they would need time to fix things and for everyone to try again at 5:30 pm CET. They specifically mentioned they would hold the stock back so that even if someone was able to get on the site, they wouldn’t be able to purchase until the appointed time as to make it fair for the ones who got off the website. It was clear they needed less people overloading the servers. The website was still giving the same errors until 5:36 pm, which is when the queue page appeared for me.

I took a screenshot, but the numbers were counting down so quickly that I couldn’t capture my true number in line (a little over 2000), but it did say 55 minutes and took close to that long to get on the main website. I added things to my cart, but the checkout process was constantly producing those same gateway errors again. The saving grace was that I didn’t need to go back in the queue or add things to my cart again. Refreshing over and over eventually got me back to the checkout page at the points where I last left off.

The most confusing part of this process was when I finally returned to the PayPal page and clicked to submit the order, it started loading, and then brought me to the error message again. I had a moment of hope when I could hear my cell phone buzz and saw I had the PayPal confirmation notification and email confirmation from Lethal Cosmetics. Just to be even more certain, I continued to refresh the page in the hopes that I could get back on the website and check the order status through my account information. However, when it finally loaded, it said the items sold out in my cart. My cart had been emptied though, so I added everything back to the cart and noticed that this time the Appa Bag was listed as “preorder.” I checked my confirmation email, but it didn’t have a preorder description. So, I think I may have been one of the very last people to get the remaining stock! Lethal Cosmetics set the limit of 3 of the same type of item per person, so I had added a second bag to my order so I could gift one to my sister-in-law. I wanted the Appa Cosmetics Bag because it’s adorable, but my Schwägerin is an actual fan of the show and she was thrilled to have it! Her toddler was instantly attached to it as well and started filling it with toys.
Thankfully, anyone unable to get this collection was able to pre-order for what is estimated to be a July/August shipment.

It took 2 hours and 40 minutes for me to complete my order. I nearly missed getting the items I wanted as non-preorder. My order took over two weeks to get shipped and delivered.
Let’s see if it was worth it!

Earth Palette

For starters, I am so on board with this color story! If I’m going to wear yellow leaning greens or blue leaning greens, these are the shades I prefer. I love how bright Dai Li looks, although it darkens on my lids if used with other dark shadows or on one of my wetter primers. I’m not sure if Metalbending is technically a duochrome, but at the very least it has a beautiful yellow-green shimmer on what looks to be purple-grey base. I’m not the most knowledgeable about color theory, but on my eyes it looks like it leans on the cooler side of yellow. It has been a long time since I’ve used Lethal Cosmetics shadows and the shimmers seem more to my preference now than before. They don’t feel as thick, but they go on smoothly and opaque. I don’t know if the brand necessarily increased the sparkle level; it appears the particle size of the shimmers are just bigger. Kyoshi is a somewhat flaky multichrome. I have minimal fallout applying the shimmers with my brush and fingers, but Kyoshi gets messy if I try to apply it to my inner corners without dampening the brush.

I get a little creasing near the inner corners where my eye line is the deepest. Wherever I place the shimmer has a tendency to move up a bit higher on my eyes over time (basically covering up some of the crease). So, if you have oily eyelids, these might be a potential problem depending on the severity of it. The amount I get doesn’t deter me from using this palette.

The mattes are closer to how I remember them always being. With Lethal shadows, they’re going to pack a punch! They are pigmented and a bit on the dry side, not the soft nearly creamy feeling powder mattes that have become my preferred formula. I like that these apply opaquely. They require some work to blend, but the end result is beautiful. They adhere well and don’t fade throughout the day. I recommend not using a tightly packed brush and applying with something that won’t put on a ton of product at once. I recommend also using a resilient type of bristle for blending, though it being dense isn’t required per say. This isn’t the kind of formula where I can easily blend it out by working the edges back and forth repeatedly. It sticks too well to the skin, which ensures no patchiness and no fading, so the tradeoff is just needing to switch up my technique. I have an easier time applying a lighter color, darker color, and then applying the lighter color back on top to blend and create that gradient.

I used the Earth palette, plus a beige shade under the brow bone (Lodge) and shimmery greenish gold (Antheia) in the very inner corners of the eyes from Natasha Denona’s Mini Gold palette. So the majority of the eyeshadows used in the look are from Lethal Cosmetics.

If you’re a fan of depotting palettes to create custom magnetic ones or rearranging shadows, these pans are magnetic and able to be removed.

I have a gigantic Lethal Cosmetics eyeshadow collection. They’re one of the first indie brands I tried, and there was a time when I had nearly all of the shadows. I love their color stories and the way that they’ve grown as a company. Everything I have praised them for in the past holds true today. Their eyeshadows, though better than before, haven’t been my preference for a few years now. However, I have no regrets buying this palette. I don’t like to switch up my makeup applying techniques just to use specific products, but I don’t mind for this one.

Ty Lee Lipstick

Lipsticks are less exciting for me than other forms of makeup, but there was no way I could resist that component and with the intricate design on the bullet. It’s just so pretty! I like that it has a magnetic closure, but the magnets are on the weaker side. I would feel nervous chucking this in a purse with other objects for fear the top would come off. However, I assume it would be just fine in a pocket of a purse.

The lipstick bullet appears quite dark. All three shades in the collection looked to be the same depth with just different undertones in the marketing images. However, when applied to actual skin, this lipstick reveals itself to be a medium-dark pink. I understand the confusion about this shade though because Lethal’s Instagram page was flooded with comments about how “the Ty Lee lipstick should be pink” and “I wish these lipsticks weren’t all red.” The brand responded by telling people it was pink and that there was a softer option, but the color in the tube is not how it will actually appear when worn. It even looks dark and red in the brand’s swatches, but it appears much brighter on me. I can’t even say it’s a skin tone difference because they have swatches on an arm that’s similar in color to mine!

Regarding the formula, it has a creamy finish. It feels soft and the tiniest bit waxy (like a Burt’s Bees balm) as it spreads across the lips. It has a little shine, but it’s closer to a satin than a glossy formula. It feels comfortable in the beginning, but is drying over time. The shine lessens after several hours and although the lips continue to have some slip to it when I rub them together, I can still feel it drying beneath the surface.

It has medium pigmentation, so if I want the color to look opaque, I have put at least four layers to cover the two spots on my lips that are naturally darker than the rest. For this reason, I have the urge to want to pair a lip liner with this lipstick so that the outer edge remains defined and opaque, plus to fill in those darker spots so I could use less product. Despite it not being fully opaque, it has a slight staining effect. If I try to wipe it off after it’s been on for at least four hours, there will still be some color left behind, especially between the cracks of dry patches. It doesn’t take much to remove the stain though. Just a little water on a cloth will do the trick.

At the time that I took these photos, it had been cloudy all day for a full week. The pictures above were the better ones I could capture between using my artificial lights versus the natural light available to me. Videos of the products can be found on my Instagram post HERE.

Now that I’ve finished the testing phase, I’m going to stop using this lipstick. It’s not because it’s a bad formula; it’s because this shade of pink is a bit bright for my taste. I like the design and packaging of the lipstick, so I plan to keep it shelved as a collector’s piece instead.

Appa Makeup Bag

I wanted this because it’s cute! Don’t throw tomatoes at me, but I’ve only seen the M. Night Shyamalan version of The Last Airbender. I haven’t seen the Nickelodeon show*, nor the Netflix live-action show. However, it is on my list of things to watch. I have a feeling that once I do, I will be even more happy to have this bag. Cute creatures in anime always become my favorites like Chopper from One Piece, Happy and Frosh from Fairy Tail, Chiaotzu (technically human) and young Dende from Dragon Ball Z, etc. Call it FOMO, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would regret not getting one even though I have no need for more makeup bags.

This is another product that’s going to stay on a shelf for collector purposes! The “fur” is soft and seems pretty well made. I think $25 was a very reasonable price for it. It looks like it could hold a fair amount of makeup, but it doesn’t have a handle, which is what I would prefer to have for a functional cosmetics bag. Don’t be surprised if I end up stuffing this with soft accessories like scarves and wool caps and using it as a pillow or stuffed animal instead!

Yes, I still like stuffed animals.

Anyway, I think Lethal did a fantastic job with this collab. Even without me knowing very much about the series, it seems like they worked really hard to do this franchise justice. I would love for them to tackle another IP or do a Round 2 for this collection!

That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤

*UPDATE: I finished watching the animated series (not the Netflix live action), and although I didn’t like the show as much as I hoped, I did end up being happier with my decision to buy the Appa bag.

Lisa Eldridge Lip Product Collection and Reviews

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Not pictured, but included in the review, are Lisa’s new balms and newer lip pencil.

I don’t know how my lip collection from this brand grew to be so large, considering I’m pretty basic when it comes to what I use on my lips. Lisa Eldridge just has a knack for making everything sound glorious and I can’t help but be curious, even about products that don’t typically suit my makeup preferences. Today, I’ll show all the lippies I own from Lisa Eldridge, discuss my experience, and reveal which line is my favorite.

It figures that I would have this review ready to go, only to find out five days prior to the publish/posting date that Lisa Eldridge would be launching a new lip balm line. So, I decided to postpone this review until I could add the additional items.

Velveteen Liquid Lip Colour in Muse

I appreciate that this is a liquid lipstick that doesn’t feel like every bit of moisture gets sucked out of my lips. I agree with the brand that it doesn’t crumble or get chalky, and I guess it’s technically smudge-proof, but it’s definitely not budge-proof for me. The color clings very well to my lips, but it still transfers. That being said, it was good enough for me to wear on my wedding day in combination with other lip products.
It layers well between applications. The dry down color is a bit darker than how it first looks when applied, but that works in my favor since I would not be able to wear other iterations of the shade Muse because (based on model photos) it appears too light to look flattering on me. Overall, this Velveteen Liquid Lip line isn’t for me, but I don’t regret getting one to try out. I continue to use it periodically.

True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Sorcery and Velvet Affair

I reviewed one of these before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. The True Velvets are comfortable feeling all day, which is an achievement for matte lipsticks, and quite a bit is able to linger on the lips after a meal. However, despite it not giving me the sensation of feeling like my lips are getting dried, my lips are still sensitive enough that they get a tad drier after wearing them. The various colors are pretty and they stay put on the lips so that lip liner isn’t technically necessary. However, I recognize that this isn’t the right formula for my skin type nor preferences. The Luxurious Lucent line is though.

Enhance and Define Lip Pencil in Sorcery

Sorcery’s Lip Pencil is a bit lighter than the lipstick, which is an interesting choice. This comes from the Enhance and Define line, as opposed to the newer Sculpt & Shade lip pencils. I have to say that I had such a hard time sharpening this one. My Nars sharpener, which hasn’t given me issues with any other pencil, nearly destroyed this one. It constantly kept making sharp edges and never smoothed out no matter what I tried. In order for this pencil to be usable to me, I had to buy the Charlotte Tilbury sharpener. I was happy that I could finally sharpen this thing properly. Of course, I had no idea that a mere few weeks after buying the CT sharpener, the brand would release a new line of pencils that come with a sharpener. I can confirm that the Lisa Eldridge sharpener does also work for the pencils in this line. Thank goodness!

I like the way this pencil glides smoothly around my lips, but then quickly becomes budgeproof and waterproof. The sharpening problem really turned me off to this product because it was unusable for so long. However, I now like it enough again that I considered buying more. The main reason I don’t is because I prefer my Coloured Raine lip pencils and would rather save the money for something else from the brand that’s more unique of a product. It’s easy to get a nice lip liner from plenty of companies.

Sculpt & Shade Lip Pencil in 3W

My, how things can change in a matter of weeks! In the previous paragraph, I said I would hold off on buying more lip pencils from the brand, but here I am updating this post! So, I purchased this right after watching Lisa’s YouTube video showcasing the Baume Embraces. I figured, let’s just put this curiosity to bed.

I had assumed the formula between this pencil and the previous line of pencils were different based on the Sculpt and Shade pencils looking like standard wood ones and coming with a sharpener versus the Enhance and Define having a gel formula. I can say now that this one feels less dry on the lips and I can achieve a blurred soft-matte look to my lips, but it’s not budgeproof. I had it on for about fifteen minutes and then rubbed my finger across it. Even though it didn’t completely wipe away, it still smeared. It’s a formula that can survive even through eating one meal, but it’s more prone to being moved around than the Enhance & Define ones due to it’s more moisturizing formula. When I did a swatch comparison on my arm to test how easy or not they stay put, the Enhance & Define swatch was way more difficult to remove even with Micellar water.

Having tried both lines, I like how well the Sculpt and Shade pencils blend into other lip colors and I like the natural tones, but I prefer the spreading ease and smudge-resistant nature of the Enhance & Define Lip Pencils instead. However, if I want to fill in my lips completely before adding another lip product on top, the Sculpt and Shade formula is kinder to my dry lips. I can use them both, but if I had to only choose one, it would be the Enhance & Define.

Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Meet Me in Berlin, Spirited Away, and Painterly

This is one of my favorite lip lines from Lisa Eldridge and the one I’m constantly tempted to purchase more of! For starters, it’s moisturizing. It feels good on the lips. I like shiny/satin lipsticks, so the finish is right up my alley. It’s not that I’m interested in sheer lipsticks per say. I like the kind that deposit color that soak into my lips and doesn’t have the color sitting on top of my lips. It’s hard to explain. It’s as if I applied a lip stain to my lips that got soaked up, but then added a shiny balm on top. Normal lip stains or tints dry out my lips too much though, which is why some semi-sheer/buildable color lipsticks are what I prefer to use to achieve this type of look. Often times, if something is colorful with a balmy texture, it has trouble showing enough of that color on naturally more pigmented lips like mine. There usually isn’t enough color in the balm itself. With the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours, they’re pigmented enough to look like separate distinct shades on my lips with some of my natural color peeking under. It’s the “your lips but better” type of situation on me. And though it’s emollient, it isn’t so much that it smears everywhere. There’s still a little grip to it on the lips.
They remind me of the Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks in the sheer formula I used to be crazy about before they were discontinued.

I should note that after about five hours, it loses most of its shine and then starts to feel a bit drier from then onward, but it’s still comfortable to wear. It goes from looking like a strongly colored balm to a traditional creamy lipstick finish.

I’m continually tempted to buy the shade Rose Official to complete my collection (out of what’s currently available), but I fear it might be too similar to Spirited Away on me. Plus, I’d like to get more use out of the three I currently have, so I’m holding off.

Gloss Embrace Lip Gloss in Rain and Blush

The two shades I purchased have been categorized as “light natural pigment level,” which explains why they look so similar just with different undertones. There are currently six glosses that have stronger opacity levels than mine.
I purchased Blush first, but realized that a shade with a warmer undertone would look more flattering on me, which is why I purchased Rain.

These live up to the claim of being nourishing, as it’s a bit like a makeup-lip care hybrid or a lip oil and gloss hybrid. It leaves a sealed hydration effect on the lips, even after the top layer of the gloss is gone. They’re not super sticky, but they aren’t all that lightweight either. I don’t forget that I’m wearing it while it’s on. I reviewed one of these before in December of 2022, and since that time I have found colorful glosses that are slightly more conditioning (like Suqqu’s Treatment Wrapping Lip and Too Faced’s Hangover Pillow Balms) or both conditioning and glossier, such as the Ami Colé Lip Treatment Oil. The Ami Colé ones specifically are why I stopped buying the Gloss Embrace, but I can at least vouch for these being nice and that I still use them from time to time.

Baume Embrace Melting Lip Colour in Sweet Fig and Red Curve

And now for the newest release! As I mentioned in the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Section, I like having color on my lips if I can still get moisturizing benefits and have not be fussy with the color sliding all around. Tinted balms usually don’t have enough pigment in them to show up as a different color on my lips, so I was extremely curious to try out this formula. Lip care is even more important to me than showing color because of how sensitive my lips are to drying out. I sometimes use the Lisa Eldridge Treatment Cleanser as a mask for my lips, and have wished I could keep that product on my lips for an extended amount of time (it doesn’t cling to well enough to be able to wear it like Vaseline or something). Considering this product has Meadowfoam Seed Oil that’s also used in the cleanser, plus different butters that work fairly well for my lips, I was too impatient to wait for reviews and felt compelled to buy them right away.

I wore these every day for a week, and I’m quite pleased! I bought Sweet Fig to have as a “my lips but better” option, which turned out exactly as I hoped. I rarely wear a bold red lip, and the ability to have the barest tinge of red using Red Curve was super appealing to me. I love how it looks in a light layer! When it’s built up, it’s like a warmer version of Tarte’s Maracuja Juicy Lip Balm in the shade Strawberry. They both look beautiful paired with Lisa’s lip pencils.

The consistency is even more balmy than how the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours feel. It’s more moisturizing, hydrating, and shinier. The shine lasts longer. The color takes a minimal amount of pursing of the lips and working it in to look smooth and even. I was impressed how nicely it looked, even in swatches, without needing to blend it by rubbing back and forth with a finger or lip brush. It’s nowhere near splotchy like Fenty’s Cream Gloss Bomb formula or Tarte’s. I am very glad that even when I wear a light layer, the product lasts on my lips until my next meal. If I wear it before bed, it is gone by morning, but at least the hydrated effects continue and I wake up with less peeling/chapped lips than usual. It’s not the most moisturizing product in my collection, but it does a great job. Plus, it’s the most color in a product I’ve been able to get on my lips without dealing with dryness that usually eventually comes with it. An even better bonus is that my husband, who hates kissing me when I’m wearing sticky or creamy lip products, admitted he didn’t mind it when I wore the Baume Embraces! He’s happy that even though it transfers, it’s sheer enough to not be noticeable on his lips, and that it’s not sticky or wet feeling (at least not in the amount I use).
If I take sips of my drink repeatedly and have only worn a light layer, or if I’m extra dehydrated, I have to pack on many more layers for it to last a long time before requiring a normal amount to reapply with.

These balms don’t contain fragrance, but the ingredients used have their own natural smell which is mild and pleasant (light Shea Butter smell plus the tiniest bit fruity).*

*UPDATE DECEMBER 12, 2024: I just wanted to include the note that five months after I started using these, the nice natural scent turned into a “makeupy” smell. It smells like a waxy lipstick, which is not as pleasant as before, but I try to ignore it because of how much I like the formula.


The components of the balms are longer, but skinnier, and contain a little less product than the normal lipstick tubes. It closes with a click instead of magnets. Some people don’t like this change, but I theorize that the tradeoff for having a slightly less expensive tube is getting the more skincare-rich lip product. Skincare formulas tend to be more costly than makeup formulas. I imagine adding more skincare to the line, for nearly the same price, required cutting packaging costs. The metallic gold still feels substantial and not cheap, so I don’t mind the change. I can’t pretend it’s not still expensive for a balm though. In my case, with my lips being so temperamental, I don’t regret these purchases at all. Once the brand expands the range, I might be in trouble wanting to buy them all!

I held off on posting this review not only to include the newest purchases, but also because I heard of a product that’s supposed to be very similar to these Baume Embraces. However, they didn’t arrive until two and a half days ago, so I need more time to test them. From the first impression, they’re not a close enough dupe. So, I decided to save that comparison for another time.

My holy grail lip product right now are the Ami Cole lip oils. They condition my lips better than these balms, but this is still a good product and one I will use a lot more since my hubby prefers these. That doesn’t mean I will stop using the Ami Cole product, just that the Lisa Eldridge balm is a nice compromise if I don’t want to wipe off my lip product before I see him.

I feel it’s too soon to decide if I like the Baume Embraces more than the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours. I can at least say this is a favorite from the brand. It feels like the answer to me wanting a more moisturizing version of a Lucent, and with more control in building up the color as well!

It has long been debated whether high end and luxury lipsticks are worth buying over drugstore options. I believe that the packaging (in color, weight, magnetic closure, etc), bespoke components (like the lipstick bullet designs), and ingredients justify the prices of these lipsticks, balms, and glosses. I’m not as certain about the lip pencils though.

It’s no surprise that the Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colours and Baume Embraces are my favorites, but I believe everything from Lisa Eldridge’s line has objectively good quality and performance. It’s just a question of whether the brand carries something that suits your particular needs and that can’t be found elsewhere. Only you can answer that one!

By now, there is only one Lisa Eldridge lip formula I haven’t tried: Insanely Saturated Lip Colours. I don’t believe this line is intended for me, so I have continued to skip it.

Thank you for reading!

-Lili ❤

Wedding Makeup Part 2: Example of Looks

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The photo above demonstrates some of the various stages that I was testing different makeup products and practicing techniques in the weeks prior to the wedding. The very first example is what I would consider my typical amount of makeup, versus the last photo where I put in way more effort with a ton of extra steps that were necessary to create the look I envisioned for myself.

In Part 1, I explained which strategies I chose and showed the specific makeup products used. In Part 2, I’m going into greater detail listing the actual order of the steps I took. That includes all the details about the eyeshadows that I left out of the previous wedding post.
I will also include photos of alternative wedding/special occasion looks in both the cold winter theme, classic looks, and a few colorful ones now that we’re in spring.

The makeup artists were upfront about either not being available on the day of the wedding or not having their own products to match me. I was a bit nervous about having to do it on my own, considering I’m just a makeup enthusiast, but many loved ones reassured me that I knew my own face better than anyone else and they were confident I could pull it off. I hope that this post will be inspiring to anyone else in a similar situation where you have an important event coming up and aren’t sure where to start or would just like to see extra ideas.

My Wedding Makeup Step-By-Step

  • First, I applied skincare (and this would normally include sunscreen though I skipped it), allowing ample time for everything to absorb in the skin before moving onto applying primer(s).
  • I then applied color correctors to the spots I have discoloration, put on the liquid contour for my nose and under the cheeks, and added liquid blush. I left them only halfway blended since the foundation would go over everything anyway as part of the underpainting technique.
  • I made a mixture of foundation shades and applied it to the outer perimeter of my face. The lighter foundation color, I applied to the central zone of my face.
  • The eye primer came next before I filled in my brows with my brow pencil of choice.
  • I applied my skin tone shade of concealer to my under eyes and areas of discoloration. I applied a combination of my skin tone shade and a lighter color to my under eye area again, the bridge of my nose, center of my forehead, and chin. I use the lighter concealer color alone to highlight under my eyebrows.
  • After setting those concealer areas with powder, I did a first round of setting spray to lock those in.

In the photo series above, I saved my eye makeup for last, but I switched the order on the day of the wedding to do the eye makeup next in case I had a mishap with eyeliner, if mascara got on the lids, etc.

1. First, I applied Viseart’s Illusion shade from the Peridot quad under my brows on top of where I laid down the lighter concealer shade.

2. Then I applied Melt’s Rubbish shade from the Rust palette in the space under the Viseart shadow, but above the crease.

3. Next was Melt’s Rust shade from the same palette tightly in the crease, not going past the previous shade.

4. I lightly added Log from Natasha Denona’s Gold Palette, building up the outer corner and moving halfway inward. I chose this placement because of my particular eye shape.

5. I then built up the depth and smokey factor in the outer v area using Xtreme Black from Pat McGrath’s Mothership III: Subversive palette.

6. I smudged the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil along the outer quarter of the lower lash line before using Deep Shade (actual name) from the same PML palette on the rest of the lower lash line.

7. I smoothed on the Nyx Glitter Primer to the empty space on my lids and applied Bronzed Mink from PML’s Bronze Bliss palette to the outer half of the lid, taking care to not cover up the dark shadows in the outer corner.

8. I added Divine Dahlia from PML’s Interstellar Icon Quad on top of Bronze Mink to tone down the warmth of that shade.

9. The next step was picking up Nude Moon from Bronze Bliss on my brush, spraying it with MAC Fix+ and applying it to the inner half of the lids.

10. I placed Skinshow Fever from Mothership III: Subversive in the inner corner, under the brow arch, and the inner third of the lower lash line for highlighting purposes.

11. For extra sparkle, I added Lunar Luxury damp from Bronze Bliss to the inner corner. I applied the waterproof eyeliner to my upper lash line, along with two coats of waterproof mascara to my upper lashes, but only one coat on my lower lashes. Had I used the Clionadh multichrome, I would have placed a small dot that was eyeliner width to the center of the upper lash line.

  • Going back to my base, I applied powder contour under the cheeks and along my jawline. I applied a cooler toned contour to my nose, and on top of the other contoured spots.
  • I applied bronzer along my forehead and slightly above the contour under my cheeks.
  • I used my face powder and the Beautyblender Puff to clean up a small section of my sculpting work without going too far in. Just about one inch inward from my ear.
  • I applied my intense highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones.
  • I applied the mixture of powder blushes to my cheeks.
  • I applied my more subtle highlighters to the top of my cheekbones again, bridge of my nose, above the brows, and any remaining product on the brush to my forehead and chin.
  • I used my blurring finishing powder in any areas that needed extra blending/blurring.
  • I lined my lips with the lip liner of choice, filled it in with liquid lipstick, and added a lighter lip product to the center of my lips. During trial sessions, I even added highlighter, but didn’t end up doing it on the wedding day.
  • I put the leftovers of foundation from my brush and applied it to the spots on my neck that would be seen.
  • I applied highlighter to my collarbones and shoulders.
  • Lastly, I finished up with a generous amount of setting spray to my face. Had I remembered, I would have sprayed my neck and the spots I applied body highlighter.

And that’s everything! It’s a lot of steps, but worth the time and effort for one of the most important days of my life!

Just as unexpected problems can arise on important days, unfortunately, nearly every day that I set aside free time has been a dark day. I’ve done my best to play around with artificial light, take photos during the brightest part of the day for natural light, and do some color adjusting with the photos, but I’m dealing with cloudy days constantly over here. Times like these, I miss Florida haha.

Recreation of my Wedding Makeup/Neutral Glam: Used all the products I still have on hand.
Photo Setup: (1) In front of an open window on a cloudy day. (2) In a room with warm light and a second cell phone’s flashlight was lit behind the camera. (3) In front of an open window with warm white bulbs overhead.

Here are the additional looks!

Frost Queen: Milky Hydro Grip Primer and Armani Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer, Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 10, Hourglass Cosmetics Vanish Airbrush Concealer in Maple and Umber, Chantecaille Perfect Blur Powder in Med/Deep, r.e.m. Beauty Hypernova Satin Matte Bronzer in Cocoa-Nut, REM Beauty Highlighter Topper in Miss Mars, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Armani Neo Nude Melting Color Balm in 60 Warm Plum and Hourglass Ambient Light Blush in At Night, ELF Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Deep Brown, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liner, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Juvia’s Place Lip Liner in Brownie, Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Color in Sorcery, Colourpop Hocus Pocus 2 So Glassy Lip in Boys Will Love Me, the eyeshadow shade Memory (Metallic) from the Tati Beauty Textured Neutrals Volume 1 palette, and shades Nowhere, Christmas Eve, and Snowflake from the Oden’s Eye Christmas Eve Palette.
Photo Setup: In front of an open window with a warm white bulb overhead on a partly sunny day, but near sundown.

Playful Pinks: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Nars Light Reflecting Foundation in MD3.3 Caracas, KVD Good Apple Concealers, Huda Faux Filter Corrector in Mango, Nars Soft Matte Advanced Perfecting Powder in High Tide, GloWish Soft Radiance Bronzing Powder in 04 Deep Tan, Dior Backstage Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Dior Rosy Glow Blush in 012 Rosewood and Nabla Skin Glazing in Lola, Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish: Ultra Glow Highlighter in Divine Rose, Suqqu Treatment Wrapping Lip in 05, Coloured Raine Lip Liner in Decadent, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, MAC Fix+, Melt’s eyeshadows from the Gemini II Palette with shades Bela, Sweetheart, Gemalas, and LX Queen, and the Rust palette with shade Antique. Devinah Cosmetics Eyeshadows in shades Empress, Pixy Stix, and Gelicide. Pat Mcgrath Labs’ eyeshadows from the Mothership III: Subversive palette in VR Pink and from the Celestial Nirvana 5 pan Palette in Nude Allure in the shades Mercurial Rose and Coral Kiss.
Photo Setup: In front of an open window on a less cloudy day, but during late afternoon hours and a warm white bulb overhead.

Chocolate-Gold Glam: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Armani Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer, Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation in 13.5 and 14, L’Oréal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer in 415 Honey, Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder in Blondie, Gxve Beauty Check My Glow Multi-Dimensional Illuminating Highlighter in Karat Country, Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Bronzer in Terracotta, Dior Powder No Powder, Chanel Blush Lumiere Illuminating Blush Powder in Brun Roussi, ELF Instant Lift Brow Pencil in Deep Brown, MAC Macstack Mascara, One/Size Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen, Palladio Waterproof Lip Pencil in Coffee, and Kaleidos Cloud Lab Lip Clay in Sienna. Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour and no contouring anywhere else). Viseart’s Illusion shade from the Peridot Quad, Deep Shade (actual name) and Gigabyte from Pat Mcgrath Labs Mothership III: Subversive, Clionadh Cometics’ shade Lux, and Devinah Cosmetics’ shade Ambrosia.
Photo Setup: In front of an open window on a less cloudy day with a warm white bulb overhead.

Flower Garden: Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Triclone Skin Tech Foundation in 425 Medium Deep Neutral, Tatcha the Liquid Silk Canvas Fenty We’re Even Concealer in 410 W and 385W, Givenchy Prisme Libre Powder in 5 Popeline Mimosa, Dior Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (nose contour), Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick 05 (regular contour), Gucci Bronzer in 04, MAC Glow Play Blush in Peaches N Dreams, Sephora Blush Duo in 02 Peach Blossom, Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Highlighting Duo in Tanlight, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, L’Oreal Telescopic Lift Macara, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, Danessa Myricks Infinite Chrome Micropencil Eyeliners in Jade, Amethyst, and Lemon Quartz. Devinah Matte Eyeshadows in Courtney and Meraki, Clionadh Cosmetics Stained Glass Shadows in Mural, Patina, Quest, Noble, and Spire. Coloured Raine Lip Liner in Pine and Suqqu Sheer Matte Lipstick in 112.
Photo Setup: In front of an open window with the sun poking out randomly on and off from behind the mostly cloudy sky, and a warm white bulb overhead.

Spring Purples: Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Glossier Futuredew, Lisa Eldridge Seamless Skin Foundation in 27, KVD Good Apple Concealers, ELF Camo Color Corrector in Orange, Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish in 2 and 3, Hermès Plein Air H Trio Healthy Glow Mineral Powder, Dior Backstage Powder No Powder, Hindash Beautopsy Palette (contour), ColourPop Pressed Powder Blush in Potted and Gucci Cheeks & Eyes Powder Luminous Matte in 06 Warm Berry, Hourglass Metallic Strobe Powder in Infinite Strobe Light, Lisa Eldridge Enhance and Define Lip Pencil in Sorcery and Lisa Eldridge Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Painterly, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 05, KVD Full Sleeve Mascara, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, Melt’s eyeshadows from the She’s In Parties Palette with shades Total Immortal and Last Caress. Clionadh Cosmetics Multichromes in shades UV and Tracery. Sydney Grace Eyeshadows in Dear Reader, Flannel, and Sovereign Reign.
Photo Setup: (1) In front of a window on a partly sunny day. (2) Same as the first, but from the opposite direction. (3) In front of an open window on partly sunny day and a warm white bulb overhead.

That’s all for today! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll click to follow or bookmark this page to come visit again!

Also, I seem to be having an issue with WordPress. For some reason, images have a hard time loading for those viewing my blog within Germany. The customer service advisors were unhelpful and the only way that even I was able to get around loading issues was to use a VPN. If you live in the US or most other countries, it should be working fine. The issue, as far as I’m aware, is a DE issue for some reason.

-Lili ❤