Illamasqua Lipsticks

I was very excited when I first found out about Illamasqua, since it is a cruelty-free company that offers a range of unique lipstick colors in matte and satin finishes. However, I quickly found out that the pigmentation, creaminess and staying power differ vastly between the colors.

Because all but one of my lipsticks have matte finishes, I have decided to review all of them together here. Below are two arm swatches of the colors: one in sunlight (man! I look pale) and one in indoor lighting.

Arm Swatches in Sunlight


L to R: Underworld-Liv-Flare-Apocalips-Kontrol-Disciple-Pristine-Soaked

Arm Swatches in Indoor Lighting


L to R: Underworld-Liv-Flare-Apocalips-Kontrol-Disciple-Pristine-Soaked

My Lips - for reference


Matte Lipsticks
The matte lipsticks from Illamasqua are very true to their description because they are absolutely matte. As such, most are at least slightly drying over time, but there is quite a bit of variance in the degree of creaminess or stiffness between the colors. The matte colors tend to be easier to apply when the temperature is a bit warmer, but even then, some are not easy to work with.

Here are swatches without any primer or lip liner, which should help to explain why some are not extremely attractive.

Underworld

Underworld is an iridescent, purple-blue-pink color that is rather sheer. It could be a beautiful color, but it is so stiff, and when applied, it always applies in patchy splotches. This is probably the best application I have gotten out of this lipstick, since it doesn't look that bad, but other times, I have applied multiple coats in efforts to make the color more even - only to make everything even patchier. I wanted to love this because I thought that it could be a great, sheer color to wear alone or combine with other lipticks, but I cannot even wear it. Maybe it only applies like in the picture in the summer, so I will give it a try on other warm days, but this is disappointing, since it could be so pretty if only the formula wasn't so horrible.

Liv

I cannot imagine who this color would look good on - maybe people who are a bit tan and quite daring - or maybe in combination with another color in an ombre look of some sort. Liv is fairly creamy compared to some of the others, but it applies in streaks and is difficult to even out because it comes off so easily, revealing the lip color underneath. This color would definitely need a primer or a lip concealer to prevent that from happening, but I have no idea when anyone would wear this, except maybe as part of a costume.

Flare

Flare is one of the stiffer colors that must be built up quite a bit, but it doesn't apply in streaks like Liv. The color is a yellow-orange that is beautiful, if not universally flattering. It definitely needs a lip liner, as almost all of the other colors, and it should be accompanied by a primer and/balm because it is fairly drying.

Apocalips

Apocalips is one of the creamier colors, and it generally applies fairly smoothly and comes off opaque in one to two coats. It is a beautiful teal color, and this is one of the first lipsticks I bought from Illamasqua, which made me think that all of them were so smooth and only minimally drying. Sadly, that is not the case with many of the mattes.

Kontrol

Kontrol is my favorite lipstick from Illamasqua, and it is one of my favorite lipsticks, in general. This is by far the creamiest of the mattes from Illamasqua, and it applies fully opaque in one swipe. Over time, it is slightly drying, and because it does not wear off evenly, it is necessary to have the bullet on hand. However, it does last for about 5 hours before re-application is necessary.

Disciple

As you can see, Disciple is one of the colors that streaks when applied. It is one of the stiffer colors, and even after applying multiple coats, it stays patchy. The only hope is to cancel out your lip color and use a liner. Keeping lip balm on hand is also vital because this color is very drying. It also tends to settle into lip lines.

Pristine

Pristine is probably the second worst of all the Illamasqua lipsticks that I have (next to Underworld). It is very stiff and impossible to apply evenly. It always ends up patchy, and it settles into lip lines. It is also very drying over time.


Glamore Lipstick - Satin
I cannot speak to all of the satin lipsticks from Illamasqua, as I only have one, but if the others are as good as this one, they would be great lipsticks.

Soaked

Soaked is the only satin that I have, but it applies so smoothly and completely opaque in one swipe that I may consider purchasing other satins. It is a red-toned orange that definitely needs a liner, but that is more flattering than Flare.

Overall, I have been extremely disappointed by about half of my Illamasqua lipsticks, and the other half really surprised me positively. That being said, I will be much more weary about buying any lipsticks from them in the future, but if the lipsticks are on sale sometime, maybe I will pick up some more of the satins. Apocalips and Kontrol are two of my favorite matte lipsticks that I own, and because Kontrol is not an easily dupable color, it is definitely worth the money for the great quality and the unique color.

I have not received any financial or other incentives for writing this review. This review represents my opinions about the lipsticks described.

Illamasqua's website: http://www.illamasqua.com/

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick - Swatches and Review

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick

The Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipsticks are great. They have a creamy texture, and they apply smoothly and fully opaque in one swipe. I am so sad that they have been discontinued, but maybe they will make a comeback at sometime in the future (I hope). However, you can still find one color (playful) left on sale on Tarte's website (see links at the bottom of the post). These lipsticks last for about 2 hours, on average, which is not bad for me, since I constantly press my lips together throughout the day.

On to the lip swatches...


Bare Lips


Here are my bare lips, for reference.


Whimsy


Whimsy is a cool-toned light pink color that is beautiful and great for the spring and summer.


Playful


Playful is a light berry color that is nice for everyday wear. It is subtle enough to wear to work or just to add a bit of color to your lips. This is also the only color that is currently available on Tarte's website.


Foxy


Foxy is a bright, warm-toned pink that is a bit outside of my comfort zone. It has great coverage and pigmentation for anyone who likes pinks, however.


Fierce


Fierce is a great, warm-toned red that looks almost orange in this picture. In other light, it shows up as a classic warm-toned red that does not lean orange.


Wild


Wild is a beautiful, cool-toned red that can basically be worn for any occasion if you like reds like I do.


Overall I love these lipsticks. They have a neutral scent and are very comfortable to apply and wear. Their texture is a bit like that of lip balm, which is great for me, and they wear down to a less shiny finish after blotting. They are definitely not matte, however, so if you are looking for a matte finish, you might want to try Tarte's new line of Tartiest liquid lipsticks.

Tarte, please bring these back!


Disclaimer: I purchased these lipsticks on my own and received no financial or material incentives for this review.


Related Links:
Tarte's Sale Site with Playful: http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-glamazon-lipstick
Ulta's Tarte Selection: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/a/Tarte/Makeup/_/N-1z1410mZ26y1?No=0&Nrpp=91&ciSelector=searchResults
Sephora's Selection of Tarte Products: http://www.sephora.com/tarte?node=1050000&currentPage=2
QVC's Selection of Tarte Products: http://www.qvc.com/beauty/tarte/_/N-rhtyZ1z138ni/c.html?pageSize=ALL

Bite Beauty 2015 Limited Edition Lip Lab Crème Deluxe Lipsticks - Swatches and Review

On the first Wednesday of each month of 2015, BITE Beauty released a new, limited edition lip lab lipstick, each of which sold for $36.00 USD. Almost all of these, with the exception of 008 (if memory serves), sold out within the first day or so of going live. Since I had been completely unaware of their existence until mid-June, I had unknowingly missed out on some colors that I ended up really wanting, in particular 001 and 005. That being said, I was ecstatic when BITE released a set of all 12 lipsticks at the end of November. Because I am obsessed with BITE's lipsticks, I, of course, bought the $298.00 USD set, and I am so happy that I did.

Each of the colors is beautiful in its own way, and the texture is comfortable to apply and wear all day. Every one applied fully opaque in one swipe, which is impressive for such a diverse collection. Some colors have more slip in them than others, and some are not as opaque as others, but I love each and every one. Below I have included lip swatches of all 12 colors. As an aside to the swatches, I had done them in a bit of a hurry, and because my parents' house has rather poor lighting, I did not realize just how horribly sloppy the application of several of the lipsticks was. That being said, I apologize in advance for the hot mess to come. In order to show the colors as true to their original form as possible, I did not apply any type of liner or base.


Bare Lips














Here are my bear lips for reference. 


001 (deep burgundy)


001 is a deep burgundy red which leans a bit brown. Evidently this color was reformulated due to issues that many people had with the first formulation. This color reminds me a bit of Scarlet from the Mix and Mingle collection, but it has a bit more brown in it than Scarlet. This color had a bit of slip to it and would definitely need a liner for accurate application.


002 (Japanese eggplant)


002 is a berry/lilac fushia color that applied beautifully. I don't normally like pinks much, but this one has enough purple in it for me to work with.


003 (chilly pepper)


003 was described as a fiery coral, which is a fairly accurate description. It is a bright, warm-toned red that definitely leans orange. This would be a very wearable color for anyone who wants to try out orange lipsticks but is a bit put off by the full-on oranges out there.


004 (dragon fruit)


004 is more of your standard fushia, and even though this is a bit outside of my normal comfort zone, I like that there is a hint of berry in this so that it does not look like a bright pink on me.


005 (lavender thistle)


I was so excited about 005, which is a sort of grayish lilac color, and I was not disappointed. I had been wanting to try out Nars' Dominique, but I am not sure how often I would wear that bright of a lilac lipstick. 005, on the other hand, is subtle enough to wear to the office all day, yet unique enough to wear out. This one is also light enough a color not to need a liner as much as the other colors in this collection, since it is a bit more muted. I have seen this compared to BITE's Amuse Bouche lipstick in Spritzer, but Spritzer seems closer to Dominique in brightness and opacity, but Spritzer appears to lean more pink, while Dominique leans more lilac.


006 (mango daquiri)


006 is a peachy coral, and even though I probably would not have bought this on its own, I am so glad that I have it in my collection, as it looks so much better on me than I could have imagined. I had been playing around with the idea of getting Melt's Summer, but this seems like a nice alternative, especially since it is so comfortable and creamy to wear, whereas Summer is a true matte and is said to be slightly drying. This color seems comparable to BITE's Amuse Bouche lipstick in Gingersnap, which is described as an "electric coral" on Sephora's website.


007 (snapdragon)


007 is a blue-based bubblegum pink, which I actually really like. It reminds me a bit of Violet from BITE's Mix and Mingle collection, which is one of my favorite colors from that line. Additionally, it looks like it may be quite similar to BITE's new Gin Fizz or Dragonfruit lipstick in the Amuse Bouche line.


008 (sweet mandarin)


Wow! Aside from the fact that I clearly forgot that I had a cupid's bow to be careful about when applying this, I adore this color. 008 is a bright orange that seems to lean slightly red, making it a bit more wearable for people who do not like yellowy orange lipsticks. It is a bit like BITE's Warmed Maple, except that it has more red in it. Overall, I think this is a great color, although it definitely needs a liner for precise application.


009 (candied apple)









Aside from the fact that this application is officially the hottest of hot messes, this color is gorgeous. Obviously, this color requires a liner and good lighting for even a reasonably good application. 009 was described as candied apple, which is a fitting description in my opinion. It is a nice, solid red that can be worn for any and all occasions.


010 (boysenberry)









010 is a pink-based purple that is not too in-your-face to wear to the office. It clearly needs a liner and has a bit of slip to it, but it is a lovely color.


011 (swiss chocolate)


011 is a sort of coffee brown with red undertones. It is a gorgeous color, but it has a bit of slip to it and absolutely needs a liner for accurate application. It seems similar to BITE's Truffle Matte Lip Crayon, but it is a bit lighter in color and less matte in texture.


012 (sugar plum)


012 is a pink-based red that definitely requires a liner. This color is almost too pink for me, but I think I can work with it. This one might be similar to the new Sour Cherry lipstick in BITE's Amuse Bouche collection.

Overall, these are great lipsticks to add to any collection, as BITE's lipsticks are always made with food-grade ingredients and are cruelty-free, gluten-free and paraben-free.

Some of these likely have dupes or similar colors in the new Amuse Bouche line, which I will be reviewing sometime in the weeks to come. Unfortunately, I only have three lipsticks from the new line, but just in case you see any colors you like in this collection that you would like to purchase, your best bet would be to check out the Amuse Bouche lipsticks for similar colors.

Disclaimer: These lipsticks were all purchased by me, and I received no financial or material incentives for this review.

Related Links:
Bite Beauty's Official Website: http://bitebeauty.com/
Bite Beauty's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bitebeauty
Bite Beauty on Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks on Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/amuse-bouche-lipstick-P405057?skuId=1796689  

Bite Beauty Mix and Mingle Part 1 (2014 Christmas edition)

First edition of the Bite Beauty Mix and Mingle mini lipstick duos

I first purchased these in 2014 around Christmas time, and these have re-appeared in various forms around Christmas season ever since (i.e., last year). I actually purchased new colors that came out in 2015, but those are unfortunately at my parents' house on another continent, which means that they will not likely be reviewed by me in the near future. Nonetheless, the ones that I do have will be reviewed here.

First off, we have a picture of the packaging, which has remained stable over time. The containers are gray and matte and have a normal closure (i.e., not magnetic). They are great for carrying around in your purse for re-application or for trying another color later in the day if you are feeling adventurous.




Once opened, they look like this:



Top Left to Bottom Right: Tangerine (sorry, the flash took out the orange somehow, but it is in fact, a very bright, beautiful orange), Lingonberry, Poppy, Scarlet, Retsina, Musk, Palomino, Violet


Bare Lips (for comparison)

 

In the following swatches, I am wearing only the lipstick with nothing else on my lips so that their color is as true as possible, given my lips' natural pigmentation.

Retsina



Retsina is a light, peachy nude that I rather like wearing. It applies smoothly and can be built up to opacity in a few swipes. One thing to be careful about, which is visible in the picture, is that if your lips are at all chapped, it shows, as Retsina tends to settle into lines rather quickly and accentuate any dryness. Therefore, I recommend exfoliating and applying a primer to help with this issue.


Musk



Musk is a light, pinky-beige nude that would be flattering on a variety of skintones. It applies smoothly and is very creamy, and it wears fairly well for a nude of this creamier texture. Normally, it lasts about two hours on me before I need to reapply or refresh with lip balm over it.


Tangerine



Tangerine is a gorgeous, neon orange that might be a bit out there for many people, but I love it. This is one of my go-to colors for summer, since it is so bright. It applies fully opaque with one swipe and lasts about two hours of me teaching class and repeatedly pressing my lips together. It also does not seem to settle into lines as much as some of the other colors do.


Lingonberry



Lingonberry is a pretty, bright pink color. I, personally, do not like wearing pinks, but it is a beautiful color, and it also applies fully opaque with one swipe. Wearing it around the house, it normally lasts between two and three hours, and it does not tend to settle into lines.


Palomino



Palomino is a bright pink that applies smoothly and fully opaque with one swipe. Again, I do not naturally gravitate toward pinks, but if I did, this would be a great color.


Violet



Violet is a cool-toned violet-pink, which I love. Cool-toned pinks are much more wearable for me, and as such, I do wear this one any time I can coordinate it with my outfit. This one also applies smoothly and fully opaque with one swipe and tends to last through two hours of class, during which I talk quite a bit.


Poppy



Poppy is a beautiful, classic red. I have so many reds like this, so I cannot say that it is a unique color, but it is very creamy and comfortable to wear, which is something I cannot say about many other reds. Like many of the colors in this line, it applies smoothly and fully opaque in one swipe and tends to last about two to three hours on me.


Scarlet



Scarlet is a deep, almost brownish red, which is my favorite color of all of these. It applies smoothly and fairly opaque in one swipe, but it has a bit of slip to it and therefore, should be paired with a lip liner. Due to the formula and the dark color of Scarlet, the coverage may appear a bit uneven with just one swipe, which is why I often apply two layers. One issue I have had with Scarlet during wear is that it tends to settle into lines over time, so I often have to refresh with a balm after about two hours.


To sum up...
Overall, I love these lipsticks, and for the price of $14.00 (They used to be $12.00), they are a great way to try out two of Bite's colors at once. Since many people I know, myself included, are not able to use up a whole tube of lipstick very often, these provide a great alternative, since they are very small (1.55 g/ 0.05 oz.). Of all of the colors, Retsina and Scarlet are the most high-maintenance for me, but that is not surprising, given the fact that they are the lightest and darkest colors, respectively.

Hopefully Bite will continue to release these for Christmas seasons to come, as they make great stocking stuffers and great ways to try out Bite's lipsticks.

Disclaimer: All of these lipsticks were purchased by me, and I received no material or financial incentives for this review.

Related Links:
Bite Beauty's Website: http://bitebeauty.com/
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty

Bite Beauty Maple Matte Crème Lipsticks - Swatches and Review

Bite Beauty makes my favorite lipsticks of all time. Bite is a Canadian company that uses only food grade ingredients to create their lip products, which makes sense, since we do end up inadvertently eating our lipstick at some point in the day.

Bite is technically cruelty free, which is why I purchase their products, but evidently they are owned by a larger company that is not cruelty free.

As a non-Canadian, I was extremely sad to find out that the Bite Beauty Maple Matte Crème Lipstick collection, which was released in autumn 2015, was a Canada-exclusive collection. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, however, I was able to procure the entire set for a slightly higher price than I would have paid on the Canadian Sephora website.


Here is the collection with original packaging (with flash).
From left to right: Warmed Maple, Candied Maple, Braised Maple, Sugared Maple, Mulled Maple


Here is the collection without flash.
From left to right: Warmed Maple, Candied Maple, Braised Maple, Sugared Maple, Mulled Maple

This set is a gorgeous line of fall colors that really do tend to mimic the colors of the leaves in autumn. An added bonus for anyone who likes the smell of maple is that these lipsticks all have a light maple scent to them, which is reminiscent of the scent of maple doughnuts. The scent is not overpowering, and although it does fade over time, it may leave you craving pancakes or maple doughnuts upon application.

Swatches from right to left: Warmed Maple, Braised Maple, Candied Maple, Sugared Maple, Mulled Maple (without flash)
Some people may not be big fans of reds, and if this applies to you, this may not be the ideal line of lipstick for you. However, as someone who loves reds, I was ecstatic to see this line. The only other downside to this particular collection, other than it being exclusive to Canada, is that it was limited edition, and as such, it is also sold out even on the Canadian Sephora website. That being said, the only chance to puchase these would likely present itself on some external website such as ebay or the like - that is, of course unless Bite decides to re-introduce the collection sometime in the future.

Each of the shades applies smoothly and has a creamy consistency. Therefore, the term "matte" seems to be applied rather loosely to this product, as it has more of a satin or cream finish. However, once blotted, the finish does appear a bit more matte. Each of the colors wears for a considerable amount of time, which in my experience, depending on whether I eat or drink while wearing the lipsticks, can last from two to five hours. As someone who always has lip balm on hand, I tend to press my lips together at random, so for anyone who does not do this, the lipsticks may last even longer. Over time, each of them tend to settle into the wrinkles of the lips, which can be remedied by pressing your lips together. They also tend to gravitate toward the creases between the lips, which must eventually be wiped away. Nonetheless, this does not seem to happen until maybe the second hour of wear.

My Naked Lips

Here are my lips with no lipstick, for reference.

The following swatches were taken with no liner or primer so that they show a truer picture of how each of the lipstick colors look by themselves upon initial application and before blotting. Some of them may appear more sloppy due to the lack of lip liner, but at least you can get a good idea of how the colors look on my lips against my skintone. The pictures were all taken using only natural light.

Warmed Maple



Warmed Maple is a medium orange lipstick that applies very smoothly and has a bit of slip to it. As such, it seems to be the only color in this collection that needs two swipes to achieve full opacity. Even though I really like the color, I tend to wear this one the least of all of them, which is probably due to the fact that I tend to wear less orange to work on a day to day basis.

Braised Maple


Braised Maple is my favorite of all of these lipsticks. I wear it all the time because it is such a unique lightly toasted brown-red shade that I don't find very often. This color applies very smoothly and evenly and has a thicker, creamier consistency than Warmed Maple. Opacity is achieved with one swipe for Braised Maple and all of the remaining colors. Braised Maple wears very well for about five hours before beginning to fade, but I often don't have to reapply at all at work, except after eating lunch. It seems to leave behind a stain that is similar to the original color, which makes it difficult to tell that the lipstick has even faded at all. This one seems to be the longest lasting of all of the colors in this line.

Candied Maple


Candied Maple is a bright, warm-toned red that is great for everyday wear. It also applies smoothly and evenly. This color seems to fade a bit quicker than Braised Maple, but it also leaves behind a light stain.

Sugared Maple


Sugared Maple is a berry-red that is also wonderful for everyday wear at the office. It applies smoothly and evenly, and it tends to leave behind a noticeable bright pink stain. It also tends to settle into lip lines and creases more quickly than the other colors. This is the one that I find myself having to reapply the most of the whole collection, but this is mainly due to the pink stain it leaves behind. I am not a huge fan of pink, and I normally do not wear pink to work anyway, so this one is a bit more high maintenance for me.

Mulled Maple


Mulled Maple is a beautiful, dark, brick red. It applies smoothly, evenly, and mostly opaque, but it has a bit of slip to it so it needs a couple of swipes to fill in any inconsistencies in the application. Once opacity has been reached, however, the coverage stays even throughout wear until the color begins to settle into lines and creases. This one also seems to leave behind a slight red stain.

As an aside, Mulled Maple is rumored to be the same color as Black Cherry, which is one of the lipsticks from the Frozen Berries collection that was originally the USA-exclusive reply to this Canada-exclusive collection, but it was later released on at least the Canadian Sephora site, as well.

Overall, I love these lipsticks, and I wear them every day work and to most any occasion. They are wonderful, and aside from the maple scent, they wear very similarly to my other Bite Beauty Luminous Crème lipsticks. I really hope that Bite decides to make these available every autumn, especially Braised Maple. Even better would be if these were available worldwide on Sephora, but I guess we will see what happens.

Disclaimer: All of these lipsticks were purchased by me, and I received no financial or material incentives for this review.

Here are some links related to Bite Beauty and their products. 

Bite Beauty's Official Website: http://bitebeauty.com/
Bite Beauty's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bitebeauty
Bite Beauty on Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty

Ode to Bite Beauty

This particular post is dedicated to Bite Beauty in all its glory. Bite Beauty is a wonderful Canadian company that has dedicated itself to providing us lipstick lovers with lipsticks made using food-grade ingredients, since the philosophy at Bite Beauty is that anything we put on our lips should be edible, seeing as how we are likely to ingest it at some point.

As someone with celiac and sensitive skin, I appreciate the fact that Bite Beauty's products are all-natural and gluten-free. An additional plus is that Bite Beauty is cruelty-free, although I believe it is currently owned by a larger company that is not.

In some of the posts to follow I will be reviewing a number of products that I have purchased over the past few years from Bite Beauty. The plan is to include arm and lip swatches of the different colors of lipsticks that I own, along with brief evaluations of application, opacity, pigmentation, wear time, and comfort for each.

Here are some links to more information about Bite Beauty, which is currently only available for purchase on Sephora.com or at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in Soho, NYC, USA.

Bite Beauty Official Website: http://bitebeauty.com/
Bite Beauty Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitebeauty
Bite Beauty on Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty