Tag Archives: emi’s favorites

Black Radiance Perfect Tone Lipstick Review & Swatches

Black Radiance Perfect Tone Lipsticks are one of the drugstore’s true hidden gems. Black Radiance is made by Markwins, the same company that makes Wet n Wild, and is priced similar to Wet n Wild – these lipsticks are $1.99 each, which is an absolute steal – if you dressed these lipsticks up in better packaging, you could easily sell them for $30 a piece.

And, let’s take a minute to talk about my least favorite part of the lipsticks – the packaging. It is pretty much what you’d expect for a two dollar drugstore lipstick, but it does leave much to be desired. The lipsticks don’t fully retract into the bullet, so it’s easy to nick them. The shade name is not on the bottom of the tube — it’s only on the shrinkwrap, and only the number is on the bottom of the tube. On the positive side, at least the lipsticks are shrinkwrapped, which I think is ideal for drugstore products; it’s not as wasteful as having cardboard packaging, but it lets you know if someone has opened the lipstick (nothing prevents determined people from opening drugstore products, so my main goal is just to be able to determine if something has been opened or not).

I only own three Black Radiance lipsticks so far, but I will definitely be buying more! The three shades I own are 5005 Sahara Red, 5010 Brandywine, and 5033 Midnight Glow. All three are very pigmented and creamy, with full coverage in a single swipe. The swatches below are one swipe only.

Sahara Red // Brandywine // Midnight Glow

And lip swatches:

Sahara Red

Sahara Red is a brick red.

Brandywine

Brandywine is a gorgeous deep berry.

Midnight Glow

Midnight Glow is another deep berry; it’s slightly more purple than Brandywine.

My lips were in pretty bad shape when I took these photographs and the lipsticks smoothed out my lip lines significantly. My lips still don’t look perfect, but the lipsticks made them look better, rather than emphasizing the dry spots.

These lipsticks also work very well blotted down and worn as stain – I wear Brandywine like this frequently. They’re quite long lasting, either full strength or blotted down, and not drying at all – perhaps even slightly moisturizing. There’s really nothing I don’t love about the formula!

Do note that Black Radiance can be hard to find in some areas (in Los Angeles, some, but not all, Rite Aid and CVS stores carry it), but it is available online at Drugstore.com. The brand’s own website has a store locator, but do call ahead – the locator is not accurate for the stores in my area.

Overall, I love these lipsticks, and I think you should check them out. They’re comfortable to wear, longwearing, very pigmented, and come in a great range of colors. I’m planning to buy several more, and I’ll post swatches when I do!

(I did buy more – swatches are here!)

Wet n Wild Fergie Perfect Pout Lipstick Swatches & Review

Fergie Daily, Bebot Love, Old School Glam, Saraghina, Fuchsianista, Ferguson Crest Cabernet, Pagan Angel

As part of my initial Wet n Wild buying spree, I purchased D-Vinely Chilled Ferguson Crest Cabernet lipstick (reviewed here), which was unfortunately mislabeled as D-Vinely Chilled! I love it so much that I went back and bought six more of the Perfect Pout lipsticks! The only ones I didn’t buy are the two pinks and one shade that appears to have shimmer. These are now available to buy online if you can’t find them locally.

The one thing I don’t like about them is the packaging – it looks cheap, and since the bullet doesn’t retract all the way into the tube, if you aren’t extra-careful, you can easily nick it when putting the cap back on.

These lipsticks look similar to Wet n Wild’s Mega Last matte lip colors, but they are completely different – the Perfect Pout lipsticks are semi-translucent and slightly glossy. All the colors I purchased are shimmer-free (Fuchsianista has a slight duochrome) and have excellent pigmentation. I’ve tested a couple of the shades for wear, and the lighter shades last 2-3 hours, while the darker shades last 4-6 hours. The two nudes and the black do not leave stains; the other four shades do leave stains, which last an additional couple hours after the lipstick fades, and last through a meal.

I have swatches of seven of the shades. The three missing shades are a light pink (V.I.P. Pink), a darker pink (Penthouse Sweet) and a wine color that appears to have shimmer (Ferguson Crest Cabernet).

Fergie for Wet n Wild Perfect Pout Lip Color Swatches (note mislabeled shade)
Fergie Daily, Bebot Love, Old School Glam, Saraghina, Fuchsianista,
Ferguson Crest Cabernet, Pagan Angel

The reason the Pagan Angel (black) swatch is so messy is that the tip of that lipstick broke off while I was swatching it – I’m pretty sure it was already broken when I bought it. Since the other six shades are completely fine, I don’t think this is a systemic problem with the lipsticks, but please comment if you have this problem too!

Fergie Daily, Bebot Love

Fergie Daily

Bebot Love

Old School Glam, Saraghina

Old School Glam

Saraghina

Fuchsianista, Ferguson Crest Cabernet

Fuchsianisa

Ferguson Crest Cabernet

Pagan Angel

Overall, I would definitely recommend these lipsticks to everyone – I just love the texture and finish! My favorite colors are Ferguson Crest Cabernet and Old School Glam.

~~I believe that these are currently only available at one specific Walgreens in Los Angeles (at Sunset & Vine), and will be hitting drugstores nationwide in January.~~

These are now showing up at Walgreens drugstores nationwide!

Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner Swatches – Eight Shades

Eight Prestige Total Intensity eyeliners – black one has been used quite a bit!

Prestige Total Intensity eyeliners are my absolute favorite eyeliners. I’ve owned Deepest Black and Fierce Blue for a while, and recently bought Intense Olive. Right now, Rite Aide has a good sale on Prestige products, so I decided to pick up the final three of the collection – Bold Brown, Daring Green, and Powerful Purple for about $4 each – a total steal.

Edited: Thanks to a commenter, I realized there were two more shades – Strong Slate and Fearless Teal I didn’t know about. Rite Aide doesn’t carry them, but some other stores do. I bought them and added swatches below! Per the -->Prestige website -->, this is all of them, at last!

Edited again: Prestige has released two more shades, Outrageous Emerald and Totally Turquoise. I haven’t decided whether to buy and swatch them yet!

As I said in my Intense Olive review, there are two things I really love about the Total Intensity eyeliner range: the intense pigmentation and the amazing lasting power. The three pencils I’ve owned for while don’t smudge or migrate on me and they last all day – I haven’t tested the three new ones, but the texture seems identical.

The pigmentation of all six eight is fantastic, and the texture is lovely. As you can see, the black and brown are matte, while the green, blue, olive, and purple are shimmery.

In the swatches below, the thin line is one swipe so you can see the pigmentation, and the larger patch is to better show the color. Click to enlarge.

Deepest Black, Bold Brown, Daring Green, Fierce Blue, Intense Olive, Powerful Purple

Prestige Total Intensity swatches - Deepest Black, Bold Brown, Daring Green, Intense Olive, Powerful Purple, Fierce Blue, Fearless Teal, Strong Slate

Deepest Black, Bold Brown, Daring Green, Intense Olive,
Powerful Purple, Fierce Blue, Fearless Teal, Strong Slate

Deepest Black, Bold Brown, Daring Green, Fierce Blue, Intense Olive

Fierce Blue, Powerful Purple, Fearless Teal, Strong Slate

The only downside to these liners is that they are very soft, and thus require frequent sharpening. You do lose some product because of this, but at around $5.50, I don’t mind – they’re still cheaper than even most other drugstore eyeliners. I find that both Urban Decay grindhouse or its Essence dupe do a great job sharpening them.

I also want to show you this picture again, from my black eyeliner comparison post. If you want the blackest eyeliner, Prestige is it – it’s even darker than Urban Decay Perversion or its dupe Milani Liquif’eye.

I know I write about these pencils a lot – I just love them so! Have you tried them? What do you think of them?

Armani Rouge d’ Armani 400 Review & Swatches

Giorgio Armani Rouge d’ Armani 400

When I bought my Armani Maestro foundation, there was a gift with purchase going on so I decided to pick up a couple other items and get the (excellent) GWP. One might think that I already have enough red lipsticks – but I always have room in my vanity for a truly fabulous red, and Rouge d’Armani 400 is just that.

The packaging is luxurious; it’s hard to tell from the photo, but the case is an interesting twisted oval shape, rather than being round or oval. It has a magnetic closure with a satisfying click. It’s a little bit heavy, but not too bad.

As you can see from the swatch – which is just one swipe – it is a very pigmented true red. Reds often pull quite pink on me (see, for example, Wet n Wild Hot Red here), and from the swatch, this also looks like it might pull pink. But, when applied, it is a very true red. It starts off with a slight glossy finish, and (like most lipsticks) eventually wears into a semi-matte finish.

Rouge d’ Armani 400

Rouge d’ Armani 400 – after four hours

The formula is excellent. It is very long lasting; after 4 hours I thought it looked freshly applied, though in comparing the swatches, it obviously isn’t. Still, I think it looks fantastic for four hours of wear! I haven’t worn it more than four, but I would not be surprised if it wore a full eight. After I removed it, it left an even stain that wore for several more hours.

I rarely find lipsticks drying – I wear a lot of mattes – and this was no exception. I found it very comfortable and moisturizing. It’s also very lightweight; I forgot that I was wearing it.

Overall? Love, love, love. The color is fantastic, the formula is perfect. The only thing I wish I could change is the price – $30. Still, that’s less than Guerlain’s Rouge Automatique’s at $35, and I might like this formula even better.

Rouge d’Armani lipsticks are available at Nordstrom.com, as well as other department stores.

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Rouge Bunny Rouge Bohemian Waxwing, Solstice Halcyon Eyeshadow Review, Swatches, Photos

Rouge Bunny Rouge Solstice Halcyon, Bohemian Waxwing

When I made my Rouge Bunny Rouge purchase at BeautyHabit, in addition to Abyssinian Catbird eyeshadow, I purchased two taupe eyeshadows – Bohemian Waxwing and Solstice Halcyon.

Both eyeshadows have the same incredible texture as Abyssinian Catbird – and, since it’s been several days since I purchased them now, I can report that the wear is great too – no creasing or fading until I remove them at night (I always wear eyeshadow primer, and rarely have problems with eyeshadow creasing, however).

RBR Bohemian Waxwing, Solstice Halcyon

The color of the two eyeshadows is fairly similar, though not identical. Bohemian Waxwing is described by the brand as an “iridescent bronzed champagne,” and Solstice Halcyon is described as a “semi-matte mauve beige”. Solstice Halcyon has some purple in it, while Bohemian Waxwing does not.

The finish of the eyeshadows, however, is totally different; Bohemian Waxwing is a high-sheen metallic, and and Solstice Halcyon is a very soft “semi-matte” – a low shimmer shade. Given this difference, it’s absolutely worth it to me to have both of them!

Overall, these are fantastic eyeshadows. I have my eye on several more, but I’m hoping that the brand releases more shades as pans, rather than in pots, as they are $7 less. Out of these too, I especially love Solstice Halcyon. The color and finish make it a very neutral eye, but the hint of purple and hint of shimmer also make it something special.

Guerlain Teint Beige Meteorites Compact Powder Review, Photos

Guerlain is my favorite luxury brand, and one of my favorite products is the meteorites pearls (the loose balls). However, I’ve -->modified my meteorites pearls --> by removing the shimmering ones to create a matte powder. Recently, I discovered that Guerlain makes a matte meteorites powder (three, in fact), which comes in a pressed form.

Guerlain Météorites Compact Powder is an “illuminating and mattifying pressed powder” that has a natural finish – unlike the meteorites pearls, it has no shimmer or even sheen. However, it’s not a harsh matte; it’s a very natural, beautiful finish. As I tend not to get oily, I can’t speak to whether it actually controls oil. It did seem to make my makeup last longer overall, and it was not drying – which is the most common problem I have with powders.

The pressed meteorite compact has the signature Guerlain scent – I enjoy the scent in the Guerlain powders, as it feels luxurious to use, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re sensitive to scents.

The Meteorites Compact Powder comes in three shades; from light to dark, the are Teint Rose, Teint Beige, and Teint Dore. I have Teint Beige – which is really so sheer that it should work for most skintones.

The powder comes packaged in a plastic compact embossed with the same design that the meteorites pearls packaging has. The compact is surprisingly light – I would have expected a more substantial compact from Guerlain and at this price point. However, it’s sort of nice that this is so portable. It is a very sturdy compact.

The powder comes with a very insubstantial puff, which I don’t use to apply it – I prefer to use a brush. I also don’t like to store applicators directly on top of powders, so I’ve thrown out the puff entirely.

Overall, I really like the Meteorites Compact Powder. I enjoy the experience of using it – which is one of my favorite things about Guerlain products – and I love the natural finish. It seems to help my makeup last longer.

Because it’s basically a translucent powder, I don’t have a swatch for you; swatches didn’t seem very helpful! The finish is really lovely when applied, but it’s one of those things that doesn’t quite translate to photos.

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