LipstickRules

21 May 2013 2 Comments

A classic matte red: Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte lipstick by Kate Moss Kiss of Life (#111)

As a busy mama, glam is not a word that would ever describe how I feel most days. But one swipe of a red lipstick does the trick in helping me feel more put together. Rimmel’s Lasting Finish Matte lipstick by Kate Moss* in #111 is one of those reds.

This colour is a beautiful warm orange-red that would look lovely on many. When I wear this, I keep the rest of my makeup minimal. Some blush, mascara and that’s it.

While I found it comfortable to wear, as a matte it is a bit more drying than typical creamy or satin lipsticks. You have to make sure your lips are well exfoliated and primed — every little flake on your lips will show when wearing this. Also be prepared to do a little work in lining your lips. This can bleed a bit but this can happen with many a red. I found staying power was decent at four to five hours. As with any matte red, you do have to reapply to certain areas as the day wears on.

Overall, I liked the colour of this lipstick. If you want to try a matte red and don’t want to fork out more than $10, then this is one to consider.

I really enjoyed the other Kate Moss lipsticks from Rimmel, and I’m curious as to how the other lipsticks in this line stand up to the test.

Have you tried the matte colours from Rimmel?

17 May 2013 2 Comments

Fashion Friday: My Obsession with the Gap’s Slim Cropped Pants

I’m looking to spice things up on LipstickRules so on occasion, I’m going to venture outside of the beauty and makeup territory. Today, we’re venturing into the land of slim cropped pants from the Gap. I have five, yes five pairs of them now. They are part of my spring ‘uniform’ at work, meaning that you’ll see me wearing these on a regular basis paired with an assortment of tops and blazers. If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen my pics of these pants on a regular basis. Here’s an example:

Until recently, black was the only colour pants I would ever buy. Then I ventured into red. Today, I have a variety of patterned pants, and bright colours like orange and cobalt blue.

I’m not a big fan of trouser pants as I always have trouble with the length. That’s why I love these pants that sit just above my ankle bone. For women my height (5’4″), these come in petite sizes so the length is even more perfect. It never looks like I’m wearing floods! Always a good thing.

I love that these pants can be worn casual with flats or dressed up with heels. I love pairing them with a structured blazer and fun t-shirt or cami, or a flowy top. My favourite pair right now is the bright orange. I feel happy and springy when I have them on.

What I love most about these pants is how comfortable they are to wear. They have a bit of a stretch to them but not in a yoga pant kind of way. They are comfortable enough to wear all day long at the office or out on the town with friends.

So there you have it. My first attempt at a fashion-related post.

Have you tried these slim cropped pants?

15 May 2013 11 Comments

Ready to Rave: Stila’s “Festival” Collection

Be still my beating heart. Stila’s Festival Collection recently landed on my doorstep (and in stores today!), and I can’t stop staring at the pieces. I can feel a rave coming on…and by rave, I mean a product rave

The Limited Edition collection includes tie-dye multi-use pigments and black light responsive lip colours, and bright turquoise eyeliners. This is by far one of the most coolest collections I’ve seen.

The Stila Countless Pigments are full-coverage, multi-use pigrments that feature a tie-dye swirl effect. According to Stila, this was made by a proprietary handmade pressing and baking process. For the most intense payoff, they recommend using fingers to apply shades individually, side by side or mixed together. The two I’m going to test out are Indie (pink) and Tie-Dye (blue). Check them out – ah-mazing yes?

The After Glow Lip Colours in Festive Fuchsia and Rave Red are right up my alley. These black-light responsive (!) lip crayons are supposed to pack a colour punch for the day — and glow in the dark at night. Ah the days of clubbing…

I would have had the perfect opportunity to test this out last week as my daughter was in a black light production at her school.

My daughter was the cake in Beauty & the Beast (she’s above Belle, above!) I totally would have worn one of these lipsticks just to see how it worked. How awesome would it have been to be the parent with glowing lips!

Moving on. According to Stila, these colours offer medium, buildable coverage with staining properties for long-wear. They contain algae extract, glycerin, sunflower seed oil and Vitamins C& E. Sounds divine. I can’t wait to try!

I’m also going to try out a liquid eyeliner and pencil from the collection, both in turquoise. These are so out of my comfort zone but I think these would look lovely with a bronzed look for summer.

Stay tuned for a full review in the coming days.

The Limited Edition collection is available as of today at Shopper’s Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques.

What collections are grabbing your attention these days?

14 May 2013 12 Comments

Hip to Be Square! New ‘Square’ Lipsticks from Avon

Hey Avon, what’s up with the square lipsticks? That is what I thought when I first set eyes on these babies. It had to be a gimmick and I was ready to dismiss them. Then I read a blog post by my buddy, Tracy, at Beauty Reflections. She convinced me to try these and I am glad I did. Note to self, always listen to blogging buddies. They are wise. :-)

It turns out the square shape makes application more precise. Who would have thought?

Aside from looking cool, these lipsticks have some great attributes. They are creamy, pigmented and lovely to apply. They leave a nice glossy finish once they are on the lips and there is no feathering or bleeding. Hooray!

I was able to test out four colours from the 12-colour line. Fuchsia Finish is by far my favourite. I honestly have not met a fuchsia I didn’t like. This one is gorgeous and super fun to wear.

Definite Peach surprised me the most. I thought it would be a standard creamy peach. It’s actually got a bit of a metallic sheen, which makes it really interesting.

Mauve Infallible is a cool toned mauve. Yes, it clashes with my skintone. But it’s a lovely colour. Here I give you a hint of ‘duckface’

Really Red has a bit of sparkle to it, giving it a bit more dimension than a typical red lipstick. I likey!

All in all, this is a really nice collection of lipsticks from Avon. It’s worth a look if you’re on the hunt for something new.

Check out Tracy’s post here for her take on the lipsticks and great swatches!

Lipsticks are available on Avon.ca or via your Avon rep.

13 May 2013 10 Comments

Hello ‘Betsey’! My Friendship With Stila’s Color Balm Lipstick

When I first laid eyes on Stila’s Color Balm Lipstick in Betsey*, I knew we’d be fast friends. What’s not to like? She’s bright and she’s pink — two of my favourite qualities in a lipstick.

The friendship became even better once I tried Betsey on.

I’ve tried many of the hybrid lip balm/lipstick/gloss combinations coming out in the market, and thought this would just be the same. But there is something special about this formula that makes my lipstick-loving heart sing.

First, the colour pay-off. It is highly pigmented almost like a regular lipstick. I haven’t seen such colour from any hybrid, even my beloved Revlon Lip Butters. But don’t fear if you’re afraid of too much colour. You can definitely build this up, and wear as little or as much as you want. On most days, I tend to like to pack it on for maximum impact. And when I mean packing on, it’s one swipe. To get less, I would just dab it on and then blend with my finger or a brush. That’s what I did in the look above. I was out running errands with the fam, and wanted just a bit of colour.

Once on the lip, there is a nice sheen. The colour is not flat. Staying power is fantastic too. I wore it a good four to five hours without having to reapply.

The best part for me is just how comfortable it is to wear. It feels like I was just wearing a lip balm though I knew that it had much more impact than a typical balm.

The colour Betsey is a cool toned fuchsia but works for warm-toned gals like me. It’s the perfect bright spring lip.

We are now BFFs.

Available at Sephora and wherever Stila is sold.