Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Matte Lip Contour Kit in Vampire Night

I almost feel like today's post is cheating, as it's just a single product. However, I wanted to review and get this up quickly because it's a Halloween-themed item.

Spoiler alert: it's not necessarily a Halloween makeup item. This isn't like the Wet 'n Wild specialty kits.

I picked up the Makeup Revolution Retro Luxe Matte Lip Contour Kit in Vampire Night ($9) at Ulta one evening on a whim. Full disclosure: I own two other of the Retro Luxe Matte Lip Kits; if you'd like to see me review them please let me know.

There were three new, Halloween-themed lip kits on offer; I passed on the pure black and the unicorn. I thought that Vampire Night might be wearable in general.

These little kits are quite lovely in general- you get 2 full-sized items for that $9. Side note: the combo of this shade, black, and rose gold is maddening to capture without some inherent glare.

This would probably make sense, but Vampire Night reminds me of blood-especially when I swatched the lipstick on my hand.

First off, you receive a lip liner- which is quite creamy and nice- weighing in at 1g/0.03oz.

These are really creamy liners- they're quite beautiful. I actually enjoy wearing these liners with other lip products.

The liquid lipsticks are in a plain component with rose gold accents. They contain 5.5ml/0.18 fl oz of product.

This is what the wand looks like:

Now that I've given you a peek at what the elements of the kit look like, let's dig into the actual shade.

See what I meant about Vampire Night- especially where the lipstick got a bit of extra product- looks like blood? It's a subtle Halloween shout-out.

That said, I feel like this is a classic vampy lip.

Zoomed in, that wasn't the 100% best application. I overdrew my lips and it escalated. The camera made it look like dried blood, but it's still a fall color I'd rock.

In terms of formula, these are pretty drying- but that's to be expected. They're difficult to remove, so that speaks well of their lasting power.

That's it for a quick look at this Halloween product- I just wanted to share it with you before it's seasonally irrelevant!

Urban Decay Vice Lipstick & 24/7 Glide-On Lipliner in Weirdo

I've preached it in the past, so I'm going to live it now.

Although I love chasing the latest and the greatest like everyone else, it's nice to just discover items in a line's permanent collection. Even though I have a pile of new releases to review, I'd like to introduce you to my new lip obsession.

Every time I've wanted a peachy nude over the past few weeks, I've been reaching for Urban Decay's Vice lipstick ($17) and 24/7 Glide-On Liner ($20) in Wierdo. This shade launched with the 100+ shades in Urban Decay's current lip lineup last summer.

According to Sephora, Weirdo is a "pale baby pink" in the cream formula. On my pigmented lips, I'd call it a peachy nude,

Let's talk about the Vice lipstick formula for a minute. As I mentioned, each of these retail for $17. There are a number of formulas (cream, matte, mega matte, metallic, sheer, etc). Wierdo is a cream.

I went for an extended time without wearing any of my Vice lipsticks but the Naked Heat palette made me realize just how lovely they are.

Vice lipsticks come in a two-toned bullet, with the gold end being the handle. OK, let's look at Wierdo specifically. I was looking for a nude when I wandered past the Urban Decay display.

This photo shows the pale pink a little more- but it's peach on the lips.

Let's swatch this in studio lights:

I also purchased the matching 24/7 Glide-On Lipliner, which retails for $20. Honestly, Urban Decay produces one of my favorite lipliners. It's just the price of collecting them all that reigns me in.

I feel like Urban Decay fairly recently redid their package to this black box. It's sleek, with the liner shade depicted on the outside.

Let's get into the liner:

Here's what the liner looks like alone on my lips:

Here's a swatch of both under studio/photography lighting:

Here's a swatch of both in ambient lighting (super dark):

Finally, a shot in studio lighting of the two products layered that's true to what the eye really sees:

Such a lovely shade!

These, like any cream, aren't the world's longest wearing formula. I like to reapply every time I eat; you don't need to do so more often than that. I haven't seen much buzz about this shade but I adore it!

Bottom Line: This is one of my new favorite lipstick formulas, and I've found my go-to peachy nude for the moment. The cream formula is exceptionally comfortable.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Bobbi Brown

Today we have the product, aside from the face palette, that required the most testing. But there are only three items, QBB, you may remark. Oh, just wait. I was doing battle with one of them. And was determined to slay it.

Is that a call out of a brand we all know and love, Bobbi?

We're going to discuss the Bobbi Brown Bobbi on Trend Lips Collection- Nude ($50). This set comes with three full-sized products and is listed with an overall value of $83.

I'll readily admit that I don't review Bobbi Brown products that often- but like Laura Mercier, I find the brand to be packed with everyday go-tos and something I can usually trust. I liked both the Nude and Pop kits, but decided to go with Nude for a few reasons. I was afraid that the Pop color would pull too dark on my pigmented lips, and I was on the hunt for a new nude (clearly).

Each kit comes with three full-sized products. Per the Bobbi Brown MUA I was chatting with, only the lipstick is exclusive to the set. So for your $50, you get a lip liner, a Liquid Artistic, and a lipstick. It was really the lipstick that sold me because of a recent experience.

I received a deluxe mini in other neutral from Sephora a couple of months ago and love the formula. That's why initially I went for this kit over the Laura Mercier or the MAC (I hadn't shopped clothes/shoes yet, so my budget for beauty went up as a result later).

I mentioned that I was fighting with one of the products in the kit- don't worry, we'll get to that in detail later. I like that we have 3 different undertones for nudes in this kit.

Let's start with the item that pulled me into the kit- the lipstick.

The Bobbi Brown Lip Color contains 0.12oz of product and usually retails for $28.

This kit's exclusive shade is #52, Uber Beige. It's described as "a sandy-toned neutral".

Let's talk formula.It's balmy, hydrating, and fades beautifully. It's not long-wearing, but that's not a claim of the product. This is a perfect type of item to keep around for either an effortless look- or with me on the go. 

I get Chanel Rouge Coco vibes (the latest relaunch, with the names) in terms of packaging, size, and formula. But this is more hydrating than the Chanel.

Now, I'm probably the harshest critic when it comes to finding a nude lipstick because I have pigmented lips.

It's very nice. I usually have several concerns when evaluating shades like this, and this passes all tests.

1. Is it overly sheer? Nope, it is just right. With my levels of pigmentation, these are tricky. I don't like investing in I something that does nothing.

2. Is it overly opaque, leading to a concealer look? Again, not a worry

3. Is it overly brown? With my complexion, this is a concern. It's flattering on me despite a lack of rose undertones.

I think this is a lovely color that's easy to wear and flatters any number of people. It truly is a shade that I don't have to worry about and it works with warm, cool, and neutral options.

As an aside, I'd like to think that this week has been a personal challenge in making time. I've really been limited to doing 95% of work on the weekends; purchasing everything on Friday didn't allow me to do so. So I spent my commutes- 15-20 min on the bus, time on the train, etc- typing out the body of reviews. I can photograph and do my minimal watermarking, cropping, etc quickly. It's just doing both parts that takes awhile.

Now, onto the product that delayed this post because I was determined to figure it out (I was already familiar with the lipstick formula, so I really just wanted to test it for a couple hours Saturday. Yes, I've been playing with this kit since Saturday.). The Art Stick Liquid Lip is not a new product, but it's new to me. It's a liquid lip in a squeeze tube.

Each Artstick Liquid Lip contains 0.17oz of product and normally retails for $28. This shade, Honey Bare, is in the permanent lineup. It's described as "a soft beige."

Let me say this before I continue: great product, flawed packaging. Like anyone else with no prior experience with it, i applied straight from the tube on try #1. And I found it to be gloopy, thick, and looking like crap. After that, I blotted and smoothed- which gave me an idea.

Try #2 yielded the answer for me. I applied from a lip brush. I got a smooth, even coat. It lasted through a meal and lots of drinking ( it's summer and hot!). So this seems like the way to do it- but I'll be honest, carrying around a brush is a PITA.

Let's also talk the good/bad about the formula. It is one of the most comfortable that I've tried- and that's due to its dry down time. This is super slow to dry- think 5 min or so. That's somewhat annoying when you're in a rush, but also gives ample clean-up time and makes me think this might be ideal for an ombré look. I'm intrigued enough  that I'm considering additional purchases in the line.

It's quite lovely but high-maintenance on the front end. Look at that pigmentation- and the fact that it's non-drying is awesome.


I'll wrap up by briefly discussing the liner. It's a nice, basic nude liner. I'll use it up. I don't have a plethora of superlatives to offer about this- but I do like a good nude liner.

This shade, Beige, is in the permanent lineup and normally retails for $24. It contains 0.04oz of product, and is described as "a light warm beige."

Let's look at it on my lips:

Yes, it's very pigmented and creates a canvas for a neutral lip.


I didn't see a huge difference compared with just the lipstick, but here's the lipliner and lipstick together:

Now that I showed these on the lips, let's look at a hand swatch. L-R: Lipliner in Beige, Lip Color in Uber Beige, and Artstick Liquid Lip in Honey Beige:

What a beautifully curated set.

Bottom Line: This was a total surprise and impulse buy for me- I wasn't even planning to purchase when I walked into the tent. I haven't heard a lot about this kit, either. I think it's a great value, and a sleeper score from the sale. I'm glad I went with my gut and purchased it. The Artstick Liquid Lip takes a bit of finesse, but it's worth it and I look forward to playing with other shades in the future. The lipstick is a huge favorite of mine- I've worn it twice already! If nudes aren't your thing, there's a brighter/deeper set. I highly recommend checking this out.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Laura Mercier Read My Lips Collection- Roses

Today we have the next lip kit that I purchased during the Early Access at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017: Laura Mercier's Read My Lips Duo -Roses. No Glitter Tuesday while I work my way through the Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives. I want to get everything reviewed during Early Access, if possible. (That might not happen, but I'm trying!)

Here's the basics: there are two versions of this lip kit from Laura Mercier, both retailing for $28 (a $50 value). There is the roses kit that I picked up and a nude kit that I passed on since I'd already purchased the Bobbi Brown Nudes kit. For $28, you receive two full-sized products: a Plumberry lip pencil (which I hadn't tried before) and a Velour Lovers Lip color in Aphrodisiac. I've been familiar with the Velour Lovers line for awhile- I previously reviewed two of the shades here.

That's why I chose this kit to be review #2- I knew I could test on Sunday since I know and like the formula already. What I wasn't expecting was to get multiple compliments on the shade- so your girl knows her colors I guess.

Let's start with the Plumberry Lip Liner. This is a wooden pencil liner (which I don't prefer these days and find a bit dry, to be honest... but that's all wooden liners). These contain 1.49g of product and normally retail for $25 each. Plumberry is a permanent collection item, so you don't need to purchase the kit to get the shade.

It's a lovely light berry liner. I'll swatch both at the end of the post, but for now, let's just see what my lips look like filled in with it:

I see that bit that's not perfect, but neither am I.

Let's move onto the Velour Lovers lipstick in Aphrodisiac. These normally retail for $28 each, and this shade may be exclusive to the kit. I didn't see it on the brand's website, on Nordstrom's site, or at Sephora, Macy's, Blue Mercury, Neiman Marcus, or Bloomingdales. This shade is a gorgeous rose that's slightly darker than mid-toned yet not overly dark. I had a feeling that this wouldn't go goth on my pigmented lips and was in my sweet spot.

Overall, I like the formula on these lipsticks. They're not as drying as the average matte shade but have good longevity. I find my prior purchase to be comfortable for a matte. That said, I'm putting my lips through a lot recently so they're not in great shape in terms of hydration (I need some By Terry back in my life apparently).

Let's take a look at what this looks like on my lips, without the liner (this is important):

See, these aren't 100% matte- which I adore. This is an easy-to-wear shade that I can reach for year-round. I really like it.

Now, let's put that lipstick over the liner. Wait until you see the difference!

That's the same lighting conditions!

Let's take a look at the hand swatch (Liner, lipstick, both):

So, despite the somewhat similar appearance, you've got a number of looks in this kit. I really appreciate when brands give me choices in just two products.

Laura Mercier is one of those quietly good brands. I don't gravitate towards the line for most things (setting powder noted as an exception), but I usually like everything I try from the line. Perhaps it's product overload or the lack of in-your-face marketing, but I really should make an effort to try more.

Bottom Line: This is a good deal for a slightly-drying but lovely matte lipstick that doesn't fail me often. I mentioned my other review earlier; I passed one of the two shades onto a friend but still reach for the other quite often. It's my continued love of that lipstick that convinced me to grab this set after initially passing. This formula is fairly long wearing- and I may have to revisit it in the future.