Lovely Lips: NARS Satin Lip Pencil

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NARS Satin Lip Pencil is an uber-rich and creamy jumbo pencil that is long-wearing and hydrating. The formula consists of interesting ingredients like pomegranate and yeast extracts, hyaluronic acid, collagen pre-peptides and vitamin E to moisturize, soothe and create fuller-looking lips. These lip pencils provide great wear and intense color with a satin finish.

Available in 13 shades, ranging from nuanced nudes to arresting pinks and reds, use for lining, all-over lip color, or pairing with another lip product. Each of the 13 shades are named after parks around the world:

• Floralies– A light apricot inspired by the Montreal garden created for the 1980 International Floralies competition and featuring plots representing Canada, the United States, France, England, Mexico, Belgium and Italy.
• Isola Bella – A peach beige hue named in honor of the Palazzo Borromeo and its 19th century-era garden found in one of the Borromean Islands in northern Italy.
• Biscayne Park – A pink guava christened after the US National Park located in Southern Florida – the largest marine park in the National Park System.
• Lodhi – A vibrant coral named for the serene, Mughal-designed Lodhi (or Lodi) Gardens in Dehli, India.
• Rikugien – A rose pink inspired by the scenic Tokyo park constructed between 1695 and 1702 by the samurai Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu and named for the six elements of Japanese poetry.
• Yu – A shocking pink inspired by the Chinese garden located in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai. Conceived during the Ming Dynasty, the Yu (or Yuyuan as it’s also known) means Garden of Happiness or Garden of Peace in English.
• Jardin Des Plantes – A fuchsia hue named for a botanical garden on the bank of the Seine in Paris. Part of the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (National Museum of Natural History), the grounds include four galleries open to the public and a botanical school.
• Palais Royal – A stately hue befitting Paris’ 1st arrondissement palace and garden that was originally the personal residence of Cardinal Richelieu until it became the property of the King in 1642.
• Majella – A rich garnet befitting the botanical garden in Via Colle della Madonna, Abruzzo, Italy – home to approximately 500 varieties of plants, including several species native to the Central Apennines or Mount Majella regions.
• Hyde Park – A cardinal red that lives up to its moniker as one of the largest Royal Parks in central London.
• Luxembourg – A vivid watermelon named after the second-largest public park in Paris, originally commissioned by Maride de Medici in 1611 and featuring a lawn dotted with more than 100 statues, monuments and fountains.
• Golshan – A spiced win shade named for the 127,000 – square meter Persian garden located in Fars Province, Iran that’s also the home to a former royal palace.
• Het Loo – A cognac color named for the richly decorated baroque garden located in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

Lip Lacquer: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars

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Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars combine the longevity of a lipstick, with consistency of a gloss. 100% vegan and cruelty-free, OCC has created a truly innovative product.

Become your own alchemist with OCC Lip Tars. With 40 blendable shades, one is inspired to invent and create new colors of their own.

OCC Lip Tars contain an unprecedented amount of pigment and are very true to color. They have a very liquid consistency, which makes application difficult. For more precision, I suggest using a lip-brush.

Unlike traditional lipsticks, Lip Tars come packaged in a small squeeze tube. You only need a tiny bead of color for an application, so they last forever despite their small size. The product goes on very slick and moist and dries down to a satin finish. It feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips and is truly long-lasting. Formulated with Hemp Oil, Peppermint Oil and Vitamin E, OCC Lip Tars feel as good on the lips as they look.

Lacquer your lips in high-impact color with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars.

How To: Nude Lip

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Originally applied to downplay the rest of the face when having a dramatic smoky eye or a major blush moment, the nude lip has transcended from a trend to a classic.

Your perfect nude lip will depend entirely on the shade. Remember nude is not the same as neutral, you must take into consideration your skin tone and lip color. The right color will create depth and contour as the wrong color can make the entire face look dull or washed-out.

Choosing a color for your skin tone:

• For fair or pale skin: Avoid beige tones. Opt for soft pinks, peaches or pale apricot as your base shade.
• For the golden girls: Creamy, caramel-toned nudes and warm beiges. Avoid anything too cool, like grays or silver-toned shades.
• For olive tones: Just about any nude shade will work, from beige to bronze to pinks.
• For skin with yellow undertones: Light, creamy-toned beiges like latte or mocha.
• For dark-toned skin: Go for chocolate tones such as rich golden browns and coffees.

Needed:

• Foundation
• Nude Lip Liner – Favorite: Here
• Lip Brush
• Nude Lipstick – Favorite: Here
• Nude Lipgloss – Favorite: Here

How To:

• Prep and moisturize the lips.
• Blot a layer of foundation onto the lips. This will let lipstick perform at it’s truest color.
• Define lips with a liner that is the half-a-shade deeper than lipstick. This will give the illusion of plumper lips.
• Using a lip brush, apply lipstick.
• Blot the lips with tissue and reapply.
• If a glossy finish is preferred – apply nude lipgloss.

Tried & Tested: Bare Escentuals Magic Wand Brushless Mascara

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Magic Wand Brushless Mascara

Curiosity was the culprit to testing Bare Escentuals Magic Wand Brushless Mascara.

According to Bare Escentuals, their mascara claims to coat the lashes, one by one, to achieve the look of false lashes. The unique design of the brushless wand has tiny ridges etched-in to capture each individual lash. The formula is pitch black with a satin finish, long-wearing and no flakes.

Application is where there is a learning curve. Technique and patience are strongly advised. Clumpy spider lashes will be the outcome of the preliminary trials. Revert back to directions which specifically state to use soft and slow strokes. Lashes will still clump together but notice the ridiculous length. Using a lash comb (Favorite: Tweezerman Metal Lash Comb) separate the lashes and finally you have applied one coat of mascara. Add second coat if needed.

To be honest, this is a great mascara. To be frank, do you really want to spend twenty minutes applying mascara?