OPI DS Classic // Butter London All Hail The Queen // Color Club Cherubic //
Color Club Cosmic Fate // China Glaze FYI
I love, love nude / neutral holo polishes. I have five so far – two scattered and two linear. My favorites are Butter London All Hail The Queen and China Glaze FYI, which are the two with the smallest holo particles – but I really do love all five. Do you have a favorite?
Old version // new version
Milani recently discontinued their entire line of lipsticks and released a new lineup. Some of the shades are gone, but some have been rereleased in the new formula. I previously reviewed the shade Black Cherry, and although I loved the color, I found the formula unwearable – it clung to every dry spot on my lips. So, I purchased the new Black Cherry to see if the formula was better!
Old version // new version
As you can see, the packaging has changed from a matte gold to a shiny gold. I prefer the older packaging, but it’s certainly not a dealbreaker. The shape of the lipstick bullet has also changed – the discontinued version has a sort of uniquely shaped bullet (you can see it in the first photo), and the new version has a standard bullet. The scent has also changed – the old version seems to be unscented, and just has that normal lipstick-y smell, while the new version has a strong fruity smell.
Old version // new version
Here are skin swatches of both the old / discontinued and the new version. The color is almost the same, but the old version appears slightly deeper.
Discontinued Version
Here’s the discontinued version. As you can see, it clings to the dry patches in my lips in an unattractive way. If I exfoliate my lips and use a lip primer, it does better, but it’s still not perfect and is just very difficult to wear.
New version
And here is the new version of Black Cherry – the formula is a huge improvement! It is much, much more even. On the lips, the color is just about identical between the old and the new versions – the main difference is the improvement in the formula.
Overall, I am really happy with the reformulation of the Milani lipsticks – or at least this one shade that I have tried. I do prefer the older packaging and I’m not thrilled with the new scent, but it’s completely worth it when you consider that the old version wasn’t really wearable and the new version is gorgeous! Both formulas – old and new – are currently available online at Cherryculture, which ships internationally. Other online retailers only have the old version at the time of this post.
Have you seen the new Milani lipsticks in your area yet, and have you tried them?
Lately, I’ve really been loving berry lips and vampy lips, and I’ve bought a few lipglosses to layer with my lipsticks to amp up the vamp factor! Today, I have swatches of Rimmel Black Diva, MAC Feelin’ So Good (reviewed here), and Becca Berry Twist.
Rimmel Black Diva // MAC Feelin’ So Good // Becca Berry Twist
As you can see, the Rimmel gloss is a true black. The MAC gloss is a very deep plum brown, and the Becca is a true berry. None of the three have any shimmer.
Rimmel Black Diva
Rimmel Black Diva is quite sheer when applied. I don’t see myself, or most, wearing it alone – it’s definitely a layering gloss.
MAC Feelin’ So Good
Feelin’ So Good is a color that is wearable alone, but it really gathers in lip lines. So, it’s also best for layering – but it is an incredibly layering shade, and I absolutely LOVE it.
Becca Berry Twist
Becca Berry Twist is definitely the best shade to wear on its own. My lips weren’t in very good condition when I swatched it – you can see a horizontal line on them, which means I need to exfoliate, but it’s not really the lipgloss’s fault. Note that the Becca gloss does have a rather strong sweet scent – I don’t really like it, but it does fade quickly.
I’ve also swatched all the glosses over a berry lipstick, Wet n Wild Ferguson Crest Cabernet. Here’s the lipstick alone:
Wet n Wild Ferguson Crest Cabernet
It’s a really lovely bright berry, and one that I’ve been wearing frequently! I have a review of it and all the other Wet n Wild Perfect Pout lipsticks here.
WnW + Rimmel Black Diva
Here is the same lipstick with the Rimmel lipgloss. It tones down the brightness, and somehow brings out the purple. I like this, but I don’t think I love it.
WnW + MAC Feelin’ So Good
Here is the lipstick with the MAC lipgloss (or lipglass). I love this, I love it SO much. It’s deeper, a bit more plum, but not too dark, and just a gorgeous shade overall!
If you’d like to see this lipgloss over several other shades (reds & a vamp), please see this post.
WnW + Becca Berry Twist
Adding the Becca gloss also deepens the Wet n Wild lipstick, but doesn’t change the color as much as the other two. It does tone down the brightness, and is a really lovely color – a great combination. I’ll be wearing this combination in the future for sure!
As a final note, due to reader feedback, I’m experimenting with zoomed-out lip swatches that show more of my face. Do you like them, hate them, are you indifferent to them? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Sinful Colors Matte Top Coat
As I posted, I recently found a display with a new Sinful Colors matte top coat (which sells for $1.99, the same price as the other Sinful Colors polishes). I’ve tested it out, and I have a review and some comparison swatches for you! In the photo below, I have two coats of Nails, Inc. Black Taxi (a shiny black creme) on all four fingers, and then my index and ring finger each have one coat of the matte top coat. There’s not really much to say about it; it certainly works!
I only own one other matte top coat – NYC’s Matte Me Crazy top coat, which is also $1.99. For the following photo, I left the two Sinful Colors nails alone, and painted the two glossy nails with one coat of the NYC topcoat.
Sinful Colors and NYC matte top coat comparison
Please let me know if you can detect a difference – because I definitely couldn’t; the finish was identical. The consistency of both polishes was identical as well – just slightly thicker than I’d prefer, but easy enough to work with.
I’ve heard that the NYC Matte Me Crazy is less matte / more satin as compared to some other topcoats (like the Essie Matte About You), but I couldn’t find a clear comparison of the two. If you own multiple matte topcoats, please let me know in the comments whether you can tell them apart!
It’s time for the next part in my nail polish comparison series! Today, I have metallics, chromes, and foils. If you’d like to see the previous ones, I’m collecting all the links from the nail polish swatch series on my Project Swatch Roundup page.
As before, I’ve included pictures that have the handle of the swatch stick, so you can more easily see the name of the polish. I also have a close-up of the polished tips only. In every set, the close-up of the tips is more color accurate. The number at the end of the stick is the number of coats, and no number means two coats.
First up: Bright silvers – here, my favorite is Maybelline Mirror Image, which is long-discontinued. I bought mine on Ebay. I also love Zoya Trixie – I love it alone, but also frequently use it as a base for silver holos. I would consider Zoya Trixie and Revlon Silver Dollar dupes.
Maybelline Mirror Image, Wet n Wild Metallica, Zoya Trixie, Revlon Silver Dollar |
I swatched these before I purchased Revlon Hypnotize – otherwise, it would fit right in! My favorites here are Revlon Gold Coin and Wet n Wild Deadly Dose (which was a limited edition from last Halloween).
Wet n Wild Chrome Steel The Spotlight, Revlon Gold Coin, |
I love copper polishes, and I really love all four of these. I can’t pick a favorite, they’re all different and beautiful to me.
Sinful Colors Super Nova, Revlon Copper Penny, |
I put too many polishes in one shot here, but these are all sort of similar, though none are dupes. All of these are pretty, but I don’t love any of these as much as the bright silver, gold, and copper polishes.
Note that I left the very last photo extra-large since it has so many swatches – click to see enlarge.
Essence Date With the Night, Maybelline Metal Icon, Revlon Carbonite, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Oxide, ELF no-name (bottom says 25), OPI Brand New Skates, Wet n Wild Megalast Venemous Vixen, Revlon Steel Her Heart |
Anything you especially love in here?
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| 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.
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| Glossy Stain applicator / Shine Caresse applicator |
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| 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:
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| Pink Perseverance, Pink Resistance, Rose On and On |
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| Lilac Ever After, Berry Persistent, Infinite Fuchsia |
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| Coral Tattoo, Pink Rebellion, Endless Red |
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| 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.
This post is from Project Swatch. All rights reserved.
