Category Archives: Lip Stain

New NARS Satin Lip Pencil Swatches

NARS Satin Lip Pencil – Palais Royal

I’ve been hanging out at The Makeup Show Los Angeles, which is a pro-only beauty show, and I have so many pictures and lots of information to share with you all. I’m going to start with one of the most exciting things – swatches of all of NARS’s Satin Lip Pencils, which are new for Spring 2013 – I believe they launch in the U.S. on March 7th, and worldwide on April 1st, though they are available for purchase at The Makeup Show (& I did buy one, which I will review once I have the chance to test it out – review is here).

Note: As of 3/6, these are now available for purchase on Nordstrom.com!

They’re packaged just like NARS’s Velvet Matte and Velvet Gloss pencils – a jumbo pencil that you sharpen – and they come in 13 shades; 12 will be sold at all the usual places, and one shade, Jardin Des Plantes, is exclusive to the freestanding NARS boutiques.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil display at The Makeup Show

The following photos were taken with flash; you can see how glossy the pencils are! Note that the darker colors all left a persistent stain on my arm, and the lighter colors (the nudes) did not leave stains. I’m guessing that these are going to be quite long-wearing, but I’ll get back to you on that.

Hyde Park // Majella // Golshan // Palais Royal

Biscayne Park // Isola Bella // Floralis // Het Loo

Rikugien // Lodhi // Luxembourg // Yu

Please note that the shade names Lodhi & Luxembourg were switched for the first hour or so this post was up; I apologize for the mistake! I am reasonably sure the rest are correct (I double checked my notes) – but if you think there’s something wrong, please let me know!

And finally, Jardin Des Plantes – this one (again), is the boutique exclusive. I believe that boutique exclusives are generally available on narscosmetics.com, but not at other retailers.

Jardin Des Plantes

Here’s the full set:

NARS Satin Lip Pencil Swatches – with flash – click to enlarge

NARS Satin Lip Pencil Swatches – overcast natural light – click to enlarge

These are in the same order as above:

Hyde Park
Majella
Golshan
Palais Royal
Biscayne Park
Isola Bella
Floralis
Het Loo
Rikugien
Lodhi
Luxembourg
Yu
Jardin Des Plantes

Again, these haven’t launched yet – but I’ll update this post when they do! See anything you like? I’m very excited to test out the one I bought, Palais Royal, and I also love the look of Isola Bella!

Physician’s Formula Sexy Glow Red Glossy Stain Review & Swatches

Physician’s Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain

Last week, I purchased the Physician’s Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in Hot Pink. You can read my full review here, but the short version is that despite the tacky packaging, the fact that it isn’t very glossy, and doesn’t stain – I really liked it!

If you haven’t spotted these in your area yet, they’re available to buy online now at Drugstore.com.

So, a few days ago, I bought the red version too. For a full review of the PF Glossy Stains, please see my earlier review – this post is just swatches of the red.

PF Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain - swatch

PF Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain – Red

First, the color is a bright, pretty cherry red – which stays true, and doesn’t turn pink at all on me. Yay! It’s also a touch glossier than the Hot Pink shade, and even stains a bit more (though I think that’s just because reds tend to stain; it’s still more of a liquid lipstick than a stain).

Again, the PF Glossy Stain does not do what is promised – it is not ultra glossy, and it does not stain very well – but as a liquid lipstick, it’s a really lovely product, and I hope to see it released in more shades!

PF Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain - lip swatch

PF Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain – Red

Physician’s Formula Sexy Glow Hot Pink Glossy Stain Review & Swatches

Physician’s Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain – Hot Pink

I am enamored of gloss / stain hybrids lately – I love both YSL Glossy Stains and the L’oreal Shine Caresse gloss stains. So, when I saw a new Physician’s Formula product that claimed to be a glossy stain (and on sale for $3!), I knew I had to give it a try. The Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stains come in only two colors – Red and Hot Pink, and I bought Hot Pink.

First off, I hate the name of the “Sexy Booster” line of products, and the Sexy Glow name as well. Second, I hate the packaging with the little charm attached to the gloss. I’m sure some will like it, but it is just not my style at all – I like sleek, minimalist packaging, and this is just the opposite (the charm and ribbon are not easily removable, by the way).

The packaging is functional – the charm is securely attached, the wand is a good shape to apply the gloss, and the package is sealed — very important for drugstore products! Here’s a close-up of the wand; it’s a similar shape to the other gloss stains I’ve tried.

PF Glossy Stain wand / applicator

And, here’s the package – as you can see, PF claims that this product has intense color, high shine, and kiss proof wear. It is also supposed to stain.

Here’s a short version of my review: the glossy stain is not glossy, is not kiss proof, barely stains, and basically does nothing that it is advertised to do. However, as a long wearing liquid lipstick, it’s fantastic, and it’s a beautiful color – so despite the packaging, I really like it!

To expand: the glossy stain does absolutely have intense color. It does not, however, have high shine. If I apply a normal amount, it has a low shine finish – just slightly glossy, more glossy than a satin, but not what I think of as a high shine finish. If I apply an extra layer, it takes to to actually glossy, but it’s still not high shine, and with the extra layer it is quite messy and transfers on to absolutely everything.

I haven’t done an actual kiss test, but I assure you that this is not kiss proof. If I wear a normal amount without blotting, it transfers on to my coffee cup significantly – just as much as any non-matte lipstick, and more than a matte lipstick. Of course, if I blot it enough, it will transfer less, but that’s true of any lip product.

It also doesn’t stain very well – it’s nothing like the YSL Glossy Stains or L’oreal Shine Caresse stains. In the swatch below, I left it on my arm for several minutes, then wiped it off. There is a faint stain, but nothing more than a reasonably pigmented lipstick would leave. Compare to the L’oreal stains in this post.

When worn, the Glossy Stain does wear down to a kind of a stain over several hours, but it’s not the type of stain left by a true lip stain; it’s the type of stain left by any pigmented lipstick. Does that make sense? The product isn’t actually a lip stain – it’s a pigmented liquid lipstick, that leaves a bit of a stain as it wears off.

Here’s my lip swatch. And for a full face photo of me wearing this product, see this post.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Physician’s Formula Glossy Stains – I’m planning to buy the red one too! It’s a really nice product – as long as you are looking for a liquid lipstick, and not a glossy stain.

If you haven’t seen this at a local drugstore yet, it’s online at Drugstore.com.

L’oreal Shine Caresse Gloss Stain Swatches, Review, Photos

All of the L’oreal Shine Caresse shades

This is Part Two of my review of the USA L’oreal Shine Caresse / Color Caresse gloss stains. For Part One (an overview of the product and a comparison to the YSL Glossy Stains), please click here. This post has swatches of all twelve currently available shades.

I’m very confused about the name for these – Target is calling them L’oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquer, and Drugstore.com is calling them L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain. The good news is that if you can’t find them locally – you can currently buy them online at Target.com for $7.99 each, or at Drugstore.com (which has a lower free ship minimum) for $9.99!

I photographed the swatches both with flash and in natural light. Then, I wiped off the gloss with a damp tissue, to see the stain it left behind, and photographed the stain in natural light. You will see that the darker shades leave a significant stain, and the lighter shades do not – this is true on the lips as well as the skin. You can click to enlarge the swatch photos.

L'oreal 183 Pink Perseverance shine caresse swatch

183 Pink Perseverance
natural light, with flash, stain in natural light

183 Pink Perseverance shine caresse lip swatch

182 Pink Perseverance

Pink Perseverance is a pale baby pink with microshimmer. Applied on the lips, it is basically clear. It does not leave a stain. I do not recommend this one unless you really love the texture of these and want one to use as a clear gloss.

183 Pink Resistance shine caresse swatch

183 Pink Resistance
natural light, with flash, stain in natural light

183 Pink Resistance

Pink Resistance is a soft pink-coral with microshimmer. This is a good everyday shade – it’s quite subtle on my pigmented lips, but would be more noticeable on others. It is much softer in color than YSL Glossy Stain 12 Corail Fauve, which is brigher.

184 Rose On and On
with flash, natural light, stain in natural light

184 Rose On and On

Rose On and On has microshimmer. I am not familiar with any of the pink YSL Glossy Stains, so I’m not sure how this compares – but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a similar shade. I’m not much of a pink lip person or a shimmer lip person, but this is surprisingly lovely.

185 Lilac Ever After shine caresse swatch

185 Lilac Ever After
natural light, with flash, stain in natural light

185 Lilac Ever After

Lilac Ever After looks more pink to me than lilac, but I don’t mind – it’s lovely, very natural. It has microshimmer which is easily visible when swatched, but seems to disappear on the lips. I would definitely recommend this one as a great everyday my lips but better shade!

186 Berry Persistent shine caresse swatch

186 Berry Persistent
with flash; natural light; stain in natural light

186 Berry Persistent

Berry Persistent is a purple / berry shade. It reminds me of Wet n Wild D-Vinely Chilled and MAC Rebel. It’s brighter than YSL Glossy Stain 1 Violet Edition (swatched here). This one is my favorite!

187 Infinite Fuchsia shine caresse swatch

187 Infinite Fuchsia
with flash, natural light, stain in natural light

187 Infinite Fuchsia

Infinite Fuchsia is a gorgeous deep pink that leaves a vibrant, very long lasting stain. I don’t own a similar Glossy Stain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one existed.

188 Coral Tattoo
with flash, natural light; stain in natural light

188 Coral Tattoo

Coral Tattoo is very bright, and very orange – it isn’t coral on me, just straight up orange. I bet it’s similar to YSL Glossy Stain 8 Orange de Chine (reviewed here on Delicate Hummingbird), which I don’t own, though the YSL may be redder.

189 Pink Rebellion
natural light, flash, stain in natural light

189 Pink Rebellion

Pink Rebellion is a blue based pink – not usually my type of color, but this is bright and pretty. It has no shimmer, and leaves a lingering stain. I think it might be similar to YSL Glossy Stain 15 Rose Vinyl, but I’m not sure (I used to own that one, but no longer do).

190 Endless Red
with flash, natural light, stain in natural light

190 Endless Red

Endless Red is a true ruby red, similar to many red lipsticks. I don’t own any of the red YSL Glossy Stains, but I think it’s similar to 9 Rouge Laque (swatched here on Karla Sugar).

191 Stubborn Plum
with flash, natural light, stain in natural light

191 Stubborn Plum

Next up, Stubborn Plum. Any visible shimmer is because I swatched this after On and On rose – this has no shimmer. It’s cooler, more purple, and lighter than On and On Rose in swatches, but they do look similar on the lips. I thought it might be similar to YSL Glossy Stain 4, but it is much pinker and lighter.

192 Everlasting Caramel
natural light, with flash, stain

192 Everlasting Caramel

Everlasting Caramel is a red based brown. It is definitely quite brown, and not a shade I ever wear. It might be more suitable for someone of a different skintone than I am. I’ve also heard that brown lipsticks are making a comeback! It also layers very well with the other Shine Caresse glosses – here, I’ve layered it with Endless Red to make a warm reddish brown which is very wearable:

everlasting caramel / both layered / endless red

And finally:

193 Eternally Nude
with flash, natural light, stain in natural light

193 Eternally Nude

Eternally Nude is a sort of orangey nude – I don’t think I like this one. I don’t think any of the YSL Glossy Stains are similar.

And, here are all twelve gloss stains (or Aqua Lip Laquers perhaps) together – the swatches are in the correct numbered order.

L'oreal Shine Caresse Stain Gloss Swatches - All Shades

L’oreal Shine Caresse Swatches – click to enlarge

If you are planning to swatch these , beware of staining – the staining on my arms took several rounds oil then scrubbing to remove! The most vibrant and long lasting stains are from Berry Persistant, Endless Red, and Infinite Fuchsia.

Again, I absolutely recommend these both as a dupe to the YSL Glossy Stains and as a fantastic product in their own right! My favorites are Berry Persistent, Endless Red, and Infinite Fuchsia – but really, they’re all lovely.

——–

L’oreal Shine Caresse Gloss Stain Review and Comparison to YSL Glossy Stains

L’oreal Shine Caresse / Color Caresse Gloss Stains

Some of my favorite lip products of all time are the YSL Glossy Stains (I have reviews of two and swatches of two more here — scroll down), so I was very excited to hear that L’oreal was releasing a new lip product called Shine Caresse, which is very similar to the Glossy Stains. After trying out the Shine Caresse glosses, I can confirm that they are indeed very similar. I started to write a review post that also compared the L’oreal product to the YSL product, but it was so long that I decided to split it into two parts: this is a review of the overall product and a comparison to the YSL Glossy stains, and I will post swatches separately (update: swatches are here).

A note about names: I have heard these referred to as Shine Caresse glosses (that’s what they are called in Europe, where they have been available for a while), but the L’oreal display I saw said Color Caresse instead – perhaps that is the US name? I’m not sure.

An update: I’m very confused about the name for these – Target is calling them L’oreal Colour Riche Caresse Aqua Lip Lacquer, and Drugstore.com is calling them L’Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain. The good news is that if you can’t find them locally – you can currently -->buy them online at Target.com --> for $7.99 each, or at Drugstore.com (which has a lower free ship minimum) for $9.99!

The packaging of the Shine Caresse / Color Caresse glosses is fine – I don’t really like gold (I prefer black), but I’m sure some other do. They’re very lightweight (especially compared the the Glossy Stain packaging), and the tops attach securely. The applicator is very similar to the Glossy Stain applicator, but not identical.

Glossy Stain applicator / Shine Caresse applicator

The texture of the two products is also similar – both are very thin and easy to apply, but quickly dry down to a transfer – resistant finish. I find that the Glossy Stain is a bit more tacky feeling as it dries down, but the difference is minimal. I think the L’oreal product transfers just a bit less, but it’s quite hard to say – and it may depend on the shade.

I purchased four shades, and all four have good pigmentation when swatches and freshly applied. I found that the darkest two colors leave a significant stain; the one leaves a medium stain, and the lightest barely stains at all. This is similar to the YSL Glossy Stains – the darker shades stain and the lighter shades do not.

Both products are fragranced. I’ve heard that that others find them heavily fragranced, especially the L’oreal, but I tend not to notice scents (and I also have a cold right now). They smell fairly similar to me – sort of perfumey and floral.

Wear time also seems similar between the two products – it varies from about 3 hours with the lighter shades to 5-6 hours with the darker shades, with the stain lasting even longer. I find both products very comfortable to wear, though I’ve heard some say that they find the YSL Glossy Stains to be drying, especially when worn multiple days in a row.

As an update: I’ve now worn the L’oreal Shine Caresse glosses several times, and overall I find that they are a touch more drying, but a touch longer lasting, than the YSL Glossy Stains on me. As always, your mileage may vary!

I also have photos of the display, with all the US shade names – there appear to be twelve shades:

Pink Perseverance, Pink Resistance, Rose On and On

Lilac Ever After, Berry Persistent, Infinite Fuchsia

Coral Tattoo, Pink Rebellion, Endless Red

Stubborn Plum, Everlasting Caramel, Eternally Nude

Overall, I am loving the L’oreal Shine Caresse gloss stains – they are not identical to the YSL glossy stains, but they are very similar, and they are a lovely product in their own right as well! I will definitely be buying more.

——–

Birchbox Mini-Reviews

My November Birchbox – probably my favorite one thus far

Beauty sample box services have a mixed reputation. Some love getting samples each month; some don’t understand why samples are worth paying for. I’ve written before about why I think Birchbox in particular is worth it (it’s due to the points system, which basically brings down the cost of each box to around $5). I’ve now been a Birchbox subscriber for seven months, and I like it enough that I’m considering buying the year-long option (pay for 11 boxes and get 12).

Today, I’m going to review several (though not all) of the makeup items I’ve received over the past seven months. Thus far, I’ve received at least one, and often two, makeup or nail polish items in each box – I hope this trend continues!

TheBalm Beauty Queen Staniac – mini size

First up – TheBalm Staniac, which I received in my first box last June. Staniac comes in three shades (“Beauty Queen is a magenta-toned pink, Prom Queen is a lovely rose pink, and Homecoming Queen is a dewy peach”), and I received a mini tube of the shade Beauty Queen, which I would describe as a bright raspberry. It is a true stain – waterproof and very transfer-resistent. It’s very pigmented, but is remarkably easy to blend, given the pigmentation level. I really like it – I wish I could buy minis of all three shades!

TheBalm Hot Mama mini

Next, another TheBalm product – Hot Mama eyeshadow / blush, which I just received in December’s box a few days ago. This is also a mini product. It is a Nars Orgasm like color – peachy pink with golden shimmer, but more pigmented and more shimmery than Orgasm. It is very smooth and pigmented, fantastic quality. It’s far more shimmery than I prefer for a blush, but I would wear it as a highlighter or an eyeshadow.

Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen – Shell Sheen – full size

The Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in the shade Shell Sheen is a full size product from last August’s box. It is an eyeshadow pencil. It is very creamy and blendable, and the shade is perfect for an inner-eye corner highlight. It’s a nice product, but nothing extra-special.

Sumita black eyeliner – full size

November was an exceptionally good box, and part of that was the Sumita eyeliner I received. I have plenty of black pencil eyeliners I love, so an eyeliner really has to be special for me to sit up and take notice. This one is great – it’s very black and intense, and once it sets, it does not budge. I did my best to smudge the swatch on my hand, and it didn’t move at all. Recommended!

Model Co. lip gloss – Showgirl Red – full size

My November box also included a Model Co. Shine Ultra lip gloss labeled Showgirl Red. The gloss is actually a sheer pink, so I wonder if it’s a mislabeled Berry Pink (one of the other available shades) – but it doesn’t really matter to me. It adds a just hint of color. It also has a very fine shimmer that makes my lips look full and glossier, but is not visible as shimmer. I love the texture – it’s very moisturizing and not sticky at all. The one downside is the sweet, artificial fruity scent, which I loathe – but which luckily fades quite fast. I have been keeping this in my purse for a bit of extra moisture and shine!

And, swatches!

swatches - the Balm Stainac Prom Queen ; theBalm Hot Mama Pixi Shell Sheen, Sumita black eyeliner

the Balm Stainac Prom Queen unblended / blended; theBalm Hot Mama
Pixi Shell Sheen, Sumita black eyeliner

And I forgot to include a swatch of the Model Co lipgloss with the others, so here it is alone:

If you are interested in signing up for Birchbox, I would love it if you decided to use my referral link (I pay for my own box). You can, of course, go directly to Birchbox.com to sign up as well.

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