Every Tatcha Lipstick, Swatched

I've always had a soft spot for Tatcha because they were one of the first brands to ever support Messy Wands. Such was my love for them that I once reached out to the founder Vicky for a job, and though I've never worked for them directly, I did join the public relations agency that represented them, and happily they gave me the Tatcha account.

As you can probably guess, public relations is not my thing. However! I've never stopped loving the brand. While I've moved away from having an all Tatcha skincare routine (more out of a compulsive need for experimentation than anything), I usually still have one or two of their products in my lineup.

But today is not about skincare. It is another opportune moment to talk about lipsticks, the reason for which will be clear by the end of the post. I happen to be the fortunate owner of every single lipstick shade Tatcha ever made, which seems to mean that I'm duty bound to swatch them, especially when all but one, Peony Blossom, are still available on the website.

Left to Right: Twilight: A Cherry Blossom, Plum Blossom, Magnolia Bloom

First, let's talk texture. Tatcha maintained the same formula for all its lipsticks, varying only the colors. This is a fantastic thing, because it really is one of the most comfortable lipsticks I've worn. They're fragrance free, taste free, non-drying and has a buildable formula, which means you can wear them sheer or fully pigmented.

I swatched all six in one sitting, wiping each color off with a cotton pad doused with micellar water and applying a light layer of Tatcha lip balm in between color changes. Multiple lipstick posts aren't my favorite because my lips would be crying by the end, but being rigid about the balm application made this a breeze.

Cherry Blossom is my go-to nude pink, as you can see from the well worn bullet. I try to keep the diamond facets of Tatcha lipsticks intact as I'm using it, but one can only do so much. Plum Blossom is a nude that pulls the slightest cool plum, whereas Magnolia Bloom is a curious warm in-between red-pink.

Cherry Blossom Silk Lipstick

Plum Blossom Silk Lipstick

Magnolia Bloom Silk Lipstick

Left to Right: Peony Blossom, Beautyberry, Kyoto Red

Peony Blossom's brighter, more vibrant case always trips me up, because on lips it's a much lighter coral pink. Beautyberry is, as you might imagine, a true berry shade. I talked extensively about Kyoto Red in this post, so I won't repeat myself, but I giggle a little thinking about how all my photos used to be of the deer in headlights variety.

Peony Blossom Silk Lipstick

Beautyberry Silk Lipstick

Kyoto Red Silk Lipstick

From July 21 to 29, Tatcha is offering a free mini Plum Blossom with $100 purchase, mini Plum Blossom and Kyoto Red with $125 purchase, and mini Plum Blossom, Kyoto Red and Cherry Blossom with $150 purchase. Use code KISSES19 at checkout to redeem!

Guerlain KissKiss Shaping Cream Lip Color in 325 Rouge Kiss

My dear friend and beauty editor extraordinaire Phillip Picardi (and literally the prettiest man I know) hosted a Guerlain event at Bergdorf Goodman yesterday, which was a perfect excuse for me to pop by and play with the new Guerlain KissKiss Shaping Cream Lip Colors.

Featured here is 325 Rouge Kiss, a coral red that surprisingly works on me (they usually pull too warm). The formula is slightly heavier and more emollient than the Rouge Automatique, and is definitely a lipstick you can "feel." It can be applied as a light stain or layered on for a full-coverage finish, as shown above. I've only had this for a day, but it's making a fantastic first impression.

While getting rid of stuff for my impending move (50% of my nail collection, tragically given away!), I stumbled across the dusky blue Rescue Beauty Lounge Forgotten Road and rushed to put it on. Have I told you how much I love in-between colors? My favorite ones make you just a little unsure what tone it is. Forgotten Road straddles blue and gray and looks like either depending on the light. How exciting!

Also, I have three new additions to my dainty ring collection! Accompanying the Catbird stalwarts are an Erica Weiner Infinity Ring and two pieces by Guenevere Rodriguez, all Brooklyn-based jewelers. If you are fortunate enough to live in Manhattan, Guenevere has a stall on weekends on Prince St between Mott & Mulberry. Prices at that location are significantly less than on the website.

Guerlain KissKiss Shaping Cream Lip Colors retail for $37 and are currently only available online at saks.com. I received mine as an event gift at Bergdorf Goodman.

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:

• Beauty Reflections
• BellaChique‎
• ChloeAsh‎
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Mostly Sunny‎
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• My Women Stuff
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

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

Le Métier de Beauté Spring 2013: Pink Berry, Coral Rose, Pink-e Promise

By a stroke of good fortune (or what my editor at Lifestyle Mirror calls "suffering from brand loyalty"),  I acquired three of the five new lip products Le Métier de Beauté has in store for spring. My Muji drawer, previously fitting just the right amount of lip cremes, is now overfloweth. While I recognize that this isn't really a problem, it's kind of still a problem (to my organizational self).

Ah, petty complaints. On to the swatches!

L-R: Pink Berry Lip Creme, Coral Rose and Pink-e Promise Sheer Brilliance Lip Glosses

Pink Berry Lip Crème

In general, this spring's lip products are well named in that there's no guesswork involved on what color you're putting on your lips. There is no exact dupe of Pink Berry in the Le Métier de Beauté core line, but if you want me to make a comparison, I'd say it's the berry version of Fraise Creme.

According to The Ultimate Makeup, Pink Berry is the exact same shade as Cebu, which was previously exclusive to Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria (and sold out really quickly).

Coral Rose Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss

This is me, suffering from deer in headlights face lethargy

Now this is a coral I can get behind! Just slightly pinked down and not overly warm. Great color for a nude summer look.

Pink-e Promise Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss

I find the formula for this a little inconsistent to the name. Pink-e Promise is supposed to be a Sheer Brilliant Lip Gloss, which means it should be pigmented when swatched but barely show up when on the lips (hence "sheer"). I would have called it a lip crème based on the texture. Nevertheless, it's Barbie pink goodness in a tube.

Other Products Used:
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge #2
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Penelope Kaleidoscope
Lancome Khol in Love in Jade Crush
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Tom Ford Narcissist Blush
Guerlain Meteorites Perles d'Azur

Jennifer Zeuner Mini Bar with Diamond Necklace

3 Looks, 1 Palette: Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre

I knew I wanted the Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre ($59) ever since I saw promo pictures, if only because they threw that curveball of a coral in there. It didn't matter that it wasn't the most practical of colors to include in what is essentially a green palette, it's interesting.

The palette consists of shimmers - a coral, a seafoam green, an olive, and a steel gray. Out of all four, only the gray gave me problems. I had to pack on the pigment to get that swatch. I'm assuming it's because it's meant to be a liner and liner shades usually have that issue. That's disappointing for such an expensive quad, but at least it's workable.

Look 1

This look was an attempt to use all four colors at once. I asked the SA how she would use the quad and she said she would apply the seafoam green on the first half of the lid, apply the olive on the second half, then pat on the coral in the center. Use the gray as a liner shade (do note that I tightlined in all the pictures).

Look 2

I guess that's fine, but using the coral that way feels a bit like we're at a playground and we just want to make all the colors feel included. I also think if you weren't careful, it would make the eyelids look muddy. For my second look, I patted the olive shade on the center of my lids, then placed the seafoam green in the inner and outer corners, blending the edges together. I lightly lined both my top and bottom lash line with the steel gray shade.

On a whim, I used the coral shade on my cheeks. Look how pretty that turned out! If you're planning to do this, a light hand is crucial since eyeshadows are usually more pigmented.

Look 3

This was my favorite look. I was so excited to find that the coral was so easy to wear on the eyes! As for the look breakdown, I placed a swath of the coral on my lids, dotted the light green in the inner corners as highlight, and heavily applied the steel gray shade on my bottom lash line.

All in all, a fantastic eyeshadow quad to play with. I always thought I couldn't pull off green and Coup de Foudre convinced me otherwise.

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Guerlain Parure de Nuit Pressed Powder & Blush
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brown Pencil in Seal Brown
Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Burberry Lip Mist No.212 Nude Peach
(For Look 1 product breakdown, click here)

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

Butter Makes Everything Better, Of Korres

I'm sorry. I had to.

Cheesy titling aside, recently I've been enjoying the Korres Eros Coral Cheek Butter and Raspberry Lip Butter Glaze. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), neither made of real butter. 

L-R: Eros Coral Cheek Butter, Raspberry Lip Butter Glaze

I used to be a staunch powder everything girl. Certainly, my powder stash is still much larger than the rest, but I think it's about time I expanded on the cream front. There will be a separate post on this, but let's just say creams can be much more varied in feel and texture than I previously thought, and I find that discovery very exciting.

As far as the Cheek Butter goes, I'm used to much more... well-oiled textures from my cream blushes. In comparison, Eros Coral feels dry (let me clarify that while it feels dry, it's not actually dry) and oddly like powder as soon as you apply it to the cheeks. A finger dab's worth is all you need for each cheek, though you can always layer for more intensity. For best results, your first point of contact should be where you want the color to be most intense, then blend out from there. 

Eros Coral is a bright coral pink. When blended out, it produces a healthy, natural flush.

peeled lips (weakness, sorry!) make for patchy application

The Lip Butter Glaze is a follow up to their signature Lip Butters (for the uninitiated, they are potted balms that come in various shades and scents). To me, that suggests that it's more balm than gloss, but I think it works well as both. (Side musing: what category does glaze fall under? It's glossy but not gloss-like. I always found anything named "glaze" looks more watery, whereas glosses look stickier. Does anyone know what I mean?) The color of the Raspberry glaze is actually darker than what you see in my pictures. For some reason, gloss just doesn't translate well in pictures. 

This lasts for about four hours, but any food and drink in between will completely wipe it off. It also smells a bit like crème brûlée on the lips, and the fragrance doesn't wear off till much later. I wasn't affected by the scent, but I thought you'd want to know.

Korres Eros Coral Cheek Butter and Raspberry Lip Butter Glaze retail for $25 and $14 respectively, and are available at Sephora.

The products in this post was sent by the company for editorial consideration

Swatched: Tarte Holiday 2012 Collection Sets

Unless you've been living under a beauty rock, you must have heard of these fantastic Tarte Holiday Sets. From what I've seen and heard, they've been flying off Sephora shelves so fast it's like UD Naked all over again. Looking at them and how little they cost, I totally understand the frenzy. With most of these sets, you're essentially paying a little over the price of one item for multiple products. The best part? Aside from the blush set, they aren't even mini-sized. 

A portion of my face has been rather odd lately so I haven't been able to take photos of myself wearing makeup. For now, here are swatches of the three sets I have, in case you were hesitating on your purchase (but seriously, why are you?).

Fantastic Foursome 4-Piece Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Enthusiast Set ($35 for $60 value)

L-R; Angelic, Fantastic, Magic, Stellar

L-R: Stellar, Magic, Fantastic, Angelic

The colors are all exclusive to this set! Angelic is an ivory highlight, Fantastic is a matte cool pink, Magic is a pink-leaning coral, and Stellar is a shimmery light bronzer. Out of the four, Fantastic was slightly chalky (since it's matte) while Stellar required some packing to show up, but I think that's a good thing in a bronzer shade. 

5-Piece LipSurgence™ Collector's Set ($34 for $120 value)

L-R: Escape, Enchanted, Exposed, Sweet, Elite

Tarte included three different formulas in this 5-piece set. Escape and Sweet are Lip Lusters (sheerer, more shimmer), Enchanted and Elite are Lip Tints (more pigmented), while Exposed is a Matte Lip Tint. It's fantastic if you've been hankering to try out a variety of Tarte lip offerings without breaking the bank. My only caveat is it's mostly comprised of warm pinks. I would have liked to see a wider color selection, maybe switch two out for a red and a nude.

Eye Catchers 6-Piece SmolderEYES™ And Skinny SmolderEYES™ Collector's Set ($39 for $144 value)

L-R: Ash Violet, Rainforest Black, Champagne, Gunmetal, Gold, Onyx

Again, the colors are exclusive to this set and not available in their regular line. I can't even begin to explain how awesome swatching these liners felt. Gliding butter! Yet they won't budge! Look at those colors! And that black! I mean, that's what I call a black! 

I guess it felt like a lot of exclamation points. I think the colors are pretty self-explanatory from the swatches and accompanying names, except Gunmetal, which is a taupey brown and not a steely gray as the name would suggest.

From swatching and some light testing, all the items in these sets hold up to the usual Tarte standard. I've been a longtime fan of their blushes, Exposed being my go-to browned rose, and am happy to rediscover their lip pencils and eye liners. I was once a staunch devotee of SmolderEYES in brown and only put it away because I went back to wearing black liners. 

These Tarte sets are available at Sephora and Tarte.com, and I say they're all worth it. Even if you only like one color out of the entire set, you can split them up and give them as Thanksgiving/Hannukah/Christmas/I-Don't-Need-A-Special-Reason gifts. After all, what girl doesn't like receiving makeup?

The products in this post were provided by the company for editorial consideration