Showing posts with label Lipstick Bandit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lipstick Bandit. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2013

Lipstick Bandits: A Flailing Pick

Like all Lipstick Bandit posts, the idea came from a Twitter conversation. The details by now are fuzzy in my mind, but the outcome was a curiosity among us bandits — what does the opposite sex have in mind when they think of our lipsticks? And if they had to choose, what would their "ideal color" be?

I brought this up with my boyfriend months ago, and I remember his reaction being one of the flailing sort; we avoided a conclusion then. A few weeks ago I asked again, and he said "classic red," to my surprise. I said, "really?" And he sheepishly said, "that should go with smokey eyes, right?" Apparently, his idea of ideal makeup is 100% bombshell (though I did try to explain that I wear nudes with smokey eyes more often).

Then finally, with an answer worthy of a Bandit Boyfriend, he named a specific lipstick I once had on that he really really liked. It was Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir, which I wore to the Gatsby party a couple of months ago. In the pictures below, I cheated by adding a layer of Dior Black-Tie Plum Gloss because my eternally dry lips make dark colors look patchy.

You haven't seen me in a while (hi, *sheepish wave*) and my hair has grown a fair bit. Remember how I looked like a 13-year-old Chinese high school boy in my pixie days? I can now pass as an emo Korean rockstar. Case in point:




But I assure you this is how I look like usually.


The hair is now at the awkward stage of trying to be a bob but is just not quite there yet. I usually just tuck the excess behind my ear and call it a day. As for makeup, this is kind of the most I've been wearing in months. Usually it's a brows, conceal, and blush situation, which I'm oddly pleased about. I've never felt like I needed anything else for daily life, except perhaps a fuller set of brows? I may seriously consider feathering when all this shading in gets old.

Anyway, there were rumors that some bandits had really unexpected feedback from their other halves (green lips, anyone?) and I can't wait to see if those rumors are true!


Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Burberry Sheer Summer Glow Natural Highlighting Compact
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light
Guerlain Noir G Mascara
Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lipliner #13C
Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir #109
Dior Addict Ultra Gloss in Black-Tie Plum #982
Illamasqua Raindrops
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Monday, April 15, 2013

Lipstick Bandits: The Coral Conundrum


HOW TO BLAHG? My response to the empty draft that was this post. I'm out of shape even though my day job requires me to write for ten hours (or maybe it's precisely because of that?). I miss blogging but I have to say I've been enjoying my hiatus. It's been the first time in years that I didn't have to do anything on weekends.

Moving on, what brought me back today is a new installment of Lipstick Bandits, and this time we're tackling coral. As many of the troop will tell you, we don't know what color coral is supposed to be. I've been told it's something between pink and red, but I've definitely seen "corals" that lean orange. I feel like it's one of those colors (like taupe) that have no real meaning anymore because everyone just uses the word to describe a broad range of color.

But it's true we've never tackled the hue before, so here we are. The one I'm wearing in the picture is Le Métier de Beauté Riviera. A makeup artist once told me that Riviera is a "true coral," and I can definitely see the pink peeking out from the red. Maybe this is it?

*Swatches and product photos are absent because I took these a long time ago (look at that winter-dry skin!) and I'm a rusty blogger. Sorry.


Other fun things in this photo: Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands and JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue. Catbird Rings.


Other Bandits:

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Shiseido Luminizing Eye Color Trio in Pink Sands
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Le Métier de Beauté Riviera Lipstick
JINsoon Nail Polish in French Lilac and Poppy Blue
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Monday, February 4, 2013

Lipstick Bandits: Pink in Love


Pink? Groan. I suppose it's kind of my fault the Lipstick Bandits are attempting this color since I suggested it... even though half of us avoid it like the plague on regular days. But Valentine's is nigh and pink is seasonally relevant, so there.

I don't know if I've mentioned it on the blog so here goes: only within the last year did I realize that my skin wasn't warm-toned as I previously believed. In fact, I am neutral leaning cool. While this doesn't really affect my makeup buying (I don't really subscribe to the whole warm can only wear warm theory. I insist on my warm brown eyeshadows!), it does explain why I cannot pull off warm pink lipsticks. It used to befuddle me – this color that was touted as universal refused to work on my also-supposedly-warm-pink lips. Let's just say I gave up on the idea of pink for a long time.




By now I know what looks best on me and have amassed some great pink neutrals, but it was a fateful Bergdorf shopping trip that made me realize I didn't own a bright pink lipstick; the dire situation that I, of course, had to rectify immediately.

(I say that, but the more likely reason is I just needed something to be in that elephant case. Shhh.)



Exploring new ways to show a lip color? Yes, yes I am.


In the pictures, I am wearing the unabashedly bright fuchsia Paul & Joe Lipstick Refill CS Manège topped with Le Métier de Beauté Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss. The lipstick is pretty on its own, but it really transforms into a stunner with a clear gloss on top. I've been wearing it for a couple of days now, but I haven't figured out why a touch of sheen makes it infinitely better. For the record, the lipstick is pigmented and has a balmy texture, so it's not because it's drying or anything.


The other part of the Lipstick Bandit assignment was to incorporate the pink in a Valentine's Day look. In my experience, a well executed smokey eye for a date never goes wrong (wink).

And the best part of Lipstick Bandit days, lots and lots of other Lipstick Bandits posts!

And new to the Lipstick Bandits this time around:

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Guerlain Meteorites Perles du Paradis
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Eye Pencil in Tamarack
Dolce & Gabbana Femme Fatale Smooth Eye Color Quad
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Suqqu Balancing Cheeks in 02 Mukuge
Paul & Joe Lipstick Case CS 006 and Lipstick Refill CS 080 Manège
Le Métier de Beauté Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss
YSL La Laque Couture in Jade Imperial

Accessories:
Jennifer Zeuner Mini Bar Necklace
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Monday, December 24, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: Secret Santa Look Swap


We have perhaps the most elaborate Lipstick Bandit collaboration ever today! If you follow any of us on Twitter you'll know we've been very excited about this, largely because none of us knows what the other person is going to do. We're as clueless as you may be, dear readers, and for some reason this makes us giddy.

But what is this we're actually doing, you ask? The idea is based on Secret Santa and our "gift" to each other is a signature makeup look. Rae emailed each of us our assignments and we weren't allowed to reveal who we got until, well, now. I wasn't surprised to find out who she picked for me, but let's see if you can guess by looking at this picture below.


If that doesn't give it away, this would totally do it.


I was assigned Arianne of Glitter Geek because I proposed "dimple contouring" and Rae was amused. I actually attempted it in earnest for this look, but it's kind of impossible to contour something that only appears when your face moves in a certain way. I was thrilled to (re)discover that I actually have a dimple though.

If you didn't already know, Arianne is a huge fan of cats. Naturally, I chose to emulate this look she featured on her blog because recently that's how I've been thinking of her - all sexy and feline-like. I made sure to emphasize my lashes (by layering two mascaras) because hers are long, luscious, and completely envy-inducing. To complete the look, I even tried posing like her.



But of course, I reverted to my own style later.




Merry Christmas, Arianne (and everyone else)! I hope I did you justice.

We have a new bandit again! Please join us in welcoming Lily from ChloeAsh to our little masked tribe. We can't wait till you're all caught up in our shenanigans!

New Bandit:

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Guerlain Perles D'Azur Meteorites
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow in Moss Green 01
Suqqu Eyebrow Liquid Pen in Moss Green 01
Giorgio Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil #1
Shu Uemura 5R Pure Kolinsky Brush
Burberry No.3 Porcelain Eyeshadow
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Billiant Black
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Chanel Tempting Beige Blush
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Lip Pencil in Rose
Guerlain Rouge Automatique #125 Vega

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample product(s) sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

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Monday, November 19, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: Vamp

I swear we've been planning for this topic since July. Larie and I have certainly been through every. vamp. lipstick we could get our hands on to find the perfect one. I thought I've already found mine in Chanel Rouge Allure Rouge Noir, but who ever said I could only have one?


The other lipstick in question is Le Métier de Beauté Kona Lipstick, a deep burgandy plum.



Smiley picture! (Well, I was actually laughing at the camera here)

I have been known to cheat in my Bandit assignments, but this time it's out of necessity! Whether it's the cold weather or I'm not rigorous enough with my lip balm application, my lips have been peeling so badly I look like I have lip dandruff.

Suffice to say, dark lipstick on patchy lips isn't the best scene, but I found Le Métier de Beauté La Belle Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss to be a great topper for vamps. The sheer sparkly brown (don't be fooled by the swatch below, it's really sheer when on the lips) deepens the base shade just a little, and in some cases, make it look just right.




L-R: Kona, La Belle, MUFE #13C

Le Métier de Beauté Kona and La Belle can be found at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and of course, Bergdorf Goodman.

On to the best part of Lipstick Bandit days! Make sure you check out what my fellow masked cohorts are sporting:

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.
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Monday, September 24, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: Nudes


What do we mean when we say nude? Is it the color of your lips, the concealer lip, or somewhere in between? It gets a little confusing when we use this term when everyone has their own definition (rendering it not a very good word since it confounds communication), but I suppose in the beauty blog world we have pictures to make up for that. 

The Bandit Collective didn't define nude for this assignment, so I will be interested to see how my fellow masked villainsfriends see it (links below, as usual). For me, nude is somewhere in between concealer and original lip color, so in my mind there are many shades of nudes. And because I never properly wrote about it (but used it in this post), here's Rouge Dior #314 Beige Angelique.

I screwed up the white balance on my camera so I look much more olive in my pictures. It's an interesting color on me, and I'm surprised I actually like looking so bronzed (after years of wanting to look lighter). The purpose of stating it is just so you know the below is not a product of excessive bronzing. 


Eyes: Chanel Prelude Eyeshadow Quad; Cheeks: LMdB Creme Fresh Tint in Tenne

Beige Angelique is a beige peach shade on me. Going by the tube, I would assume it wouldn't go well with my skin tone, but in real life it works. I do think that as far as nude peach shades go, Burberry Nude Peach looks better on me. 

We are missing a lot of comrades this time around, but please do still give Bloomin' Beauty, Call It Beauty, Makeup Morsels, and Rocaille Writes a visit!
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Monday, August 6, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: A Sheering Summer

Sheering/Searing. It's not even that hot out. Nevermind.

What I'm about to say feels like a crime, though it really is not. I don't have the original tube of Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy to show you, just because I'm using one of those four-lipstick flat-card samples Chanel gave to me as a GWP. My resolution was to completely finish the sample before purchasing any of the lipsticks, but it turns out there's way more in that little card than I thought was possible.

Anyway, I might be late to the Chanel Boy party (remember how everyone went crazy over this shade last year?) but here I am, and fine, now I know why they like it so much.




Boy is a neutral, flattering pink. If you've been browsing lipstick aisles recently, you'll realize that it is very hard to find an easy pink (a number of blog sale lipsticks were of the pink variety). On me, it accentuates my natural (quite pigmented) lip color and delivers a slight sheen. 

this is not a duck face. it is a :3

I reiterate: very, very easy for summer.

Also, because I don't think I'll ever get around to reviewing it, just a quick note that the blush used in this post is Chanel Fleur de Lotus, previously an Asia exclusive now available at Nordstrom. For stunning close ups of the blush, visit The Beauty Sample.



Now, to the fun part. Shuffle on to my fellow bandits' blogs to see what they're offering. I bet this is how I'll finally go full steam ahead on the sheer lipstick train:
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Monday, May 28, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: Summer Brights

The happiest of days are Lipstick Bandit days, and today we are tackling summer brights. It's a topic Larie and I have been raving about since our last post and of course by now I've already blogged about most of my favorite brights of the season (NARS Mexican Rose and Moscow, for example).

But if there's anything to be expected from lipstick, it's that you can never run out of great ones!

My pick is more about formula than color, though it's pretty amazing on that front too. I first tried Shiseido's 'Perfect Rouge' Lipstick line a few weeks ago, and I believe I exclaimed (to myself, because I talk about makeup to myself that way) "why did I wait so long?!" and shook my head laughing. I love getting pleasant surprises. 


L-R: Shiseido Perfect Rouge PK417, OR418

I think the Japanese has lips down pat when it comes to formula. These remind me of Suqqu lipsticks (less creamy) but are infinitely more accessible. It goes on with the feel of a sheer lipstick but is actually opaque and lasts way longer. If there is any consolation to falling asleep with my makeup on, it's knowing that the lipstick I applied six hours before is still completely intact when I wake up (yay involuntary makeup testing!). The formula is scent-free, taste-free, and moisturizing as well. I don't remember the last time I found so much win in one lipstick.

Below I'm showing you the two colors I mysteriously found in my stash. PK417 is a neutral light pink and OR418 is an orange with strong yellow undertone.

PK417


OR418


The best part? Shiseido 'Perfect Rouge' Lipsticks retail for $25, which is not inexpensive by itself, but less of a shocker compared to half the things I rave about.


As usual, the best part of Lipstick Bandit posts is finding out what everyone else picked, so mosey on over:
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Monday, April 2, 2012

Lipstick Bandits: The Universal One

Never to shirk from a challenge, the Lipstick Bandits are back to tackle "universal color." Beauty bloggers (myself included) throw that word around quite often, but are there really beauty products that truly work across all manners of lips and skin tones? An experiment is born, and we've set out to prove that there is at least one lipstick out there that deserves such a moniker. After vetoing a bunch of colors (Clinique Black Honey was a perennial favorite), the ever-wise Tracy suggested MAC Viva Glam V. We collectively had an "aha!" moment, and now here we are. 

As I was editing my pictures I realized I didn't take a swatch photo of Viva Glam V, but for once I'll let it slide because my bandit friends probably have that covered (it's a bad excuse for laziness, but for now I'll take whatever saves me time!).


MAC Viva Glam V is a neutral beige nude shade. It contains quite a bit of shimmer, but you'll have to be a few inches away from the mirror to see it. From a (more human) distance, the shimmer works instead to give dimension to the lips. It features the vanilla scent that accompanies all MAC lipsticks, but the smell fades away within minutes so it doesn't bother me.




Here's what I used for the complete look:



MAC Viva Glam V retails for $14.50 and can be found at MAC counters worldwide and maccosmetics.com. The best thing about the purchasing any iteration of the Viva Glam lipstick is 100 percent of the proceeds go to the MAC Aids Fund. I love it when a brand "goes all out" with donations!

I don't actually know if this lipstick works on everyone, but I'm about to find out (and my intuition tells me it will). Join me in seeing how Viva Glam V works on the rest of my Bandit pals, and let us know if VGV works for you as well!
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