GUCCI Rouge a Levres Satin LIPSTICKS 2019 Review, Swatches: PART I BOLDS

GUCCI Rouge a Levres Satin LIPSTICKS 2019 Review, Swatches: PART I BOLDS

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, July 19, 2019

Remember Gucci Beauty? They launched back in 2014, with Pat McGrath as one of the creative directors, but the range faded into oblivion in 2016.
They've relaunched now, with a spankin' range of 58 lipsticks in three finishes, for Summer 2019! The range is inspired by Old Hollywood and art and antiques - a passion of current creative director Alessandro Michele (shared by yours truly). This shows in the naming of the lipsticks, as well as the packaging.
Since I've been having a rough time lately, with allergy issues for myself and health issues for my family as well, I decided to treat myself to some of these (as well as a couple of other luxury lipsticks - see here for another recent lipstick haul - I tell you, there is NOTHING like a luxe lippie to cheer you up). Unfortunately, the more muted shades were out of stock when I placed my order, so I picked some of the bolder and brighter shades. I held off on the review, hoping the subtler shades would be back in stock soon. I then lost patience, and went ahead with the review, only to find that all the shades were back in stock! I have some dusty roses on their way to me - I will be adding the swatches of those to this very same post, so do bookmark it and check back in a couple of weeks' time!
For now, I have some of the bolder, fuchsia shades to show you, though I'll definitely tell you what shade numbers contain what colour families, and how to choose the shade you want.

UPDATE: I HAVE RECEIVED MORE NEUTRAL COLOURS - SWATCHES ADDED BELOW. 

Scroll down for my review and swatches of the Gucci Rouge a Levres Satin Lipsticks for Summer 2019.

affiliate

Estee Lauder Pure Color DESIRE ROUGE EXCESS LIPSTICKS Review, Swatches

Estee Lauder Pure Color DESIRE ROUGE EXCESS LIPSTICKS Review, Swatches

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, July 18, 2019

For me, the biggest problem with the Estee Lauder Pure Color Desire Rouge Excess Lipsticks is that name. WHY Pure Color? Why not start a whole new range instead of adding length - and confusing - to a handle?
I'll explain.
First, we had the Estee Lauder Pure Color lipsticks. Then came the Pure Color ENVY Sculpting lipsticks (reviewed here) - regular first, followed by a matte range. Then, we had the Pure Color LOVE Lipsticks (reviewed here). Liquid lipsticks followed (all reviewed here) - Pure Color Love Liquid lip colours, and Pure Color PAINT-ON Liquid Lipsticks. ARGH! Stop already! Can't they remove the "Pure Color" suffix at least now? Why is it on every darn lipstick launch ever? Surely Estee Lauder Desire Rouge Excess is enough without tacking on Pure Color in there?
Enough ranting about the name. Let's talk about the lipsticks themselves. These come in stunning packaging, possibly the best we've seen from Estee Lauder. Very heavy metal. All gold. Satisfying click. Incidentally, these are the lipsticks that are supposed to have the highest percentage of pigment in any Estee Lauder lipstick so far.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Estee Lauder Pure Color Desire Rouge Excess Lipsticks.

affiliate

ABH x Alyssa Edwards Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches: On Deep Set Eyes, Tan Skin

ABH x Alyssa Edwards Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches: On Deep Set Eyes, Tan Skin

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, July 11, 2019

After Modern Renaissance - reviewed here - no Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette wowed me enough to make me buy it. Not Subculture, not Prism, not Soft Glam, not Norvina, nor Riviera.
Until the Alyssa Edwards palette.
Let me confess - I wasn't familiar with RuPaul's Drag Race until recently. And, when I first heard about this collab, I expected the shades to be even brighter than Riviera. This was, after all, a Summer palette. I expected neons. Electric hues.
But when I saw the colours, I was pleasantly surprised. Apart from a bright yellow, the rest weren't scary at all! Okay, there is a PURE white in there, but I can live with it (or even ignore it). The rest? Wearable. Fun to play with. Easy to subdue.
I call it my favourite non-drugstore palette of 2019 SO FAR. Why? You'll find out.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Alyssa Edwards eyeshadow palette, and multiple looks on deep-set eyes.

affiliate

Revolution x Carmi Make Magic Palette Review, Swatches, Duochrome Makeup Tutorial

Revolution x Carmi Make Magic Palette Review, Swatches, Duochrome Makeup Tutorial

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, June 04, 2019

Are you ready for this? Duochrome eyeshadows! Magical blending! Easy-to-do EOTDs with depth and dimension!
Meet the Revolution x Carmi Make Magic Eyeshadow Palette, launched by Revolution Beauty in collaboration with beauty YouTuber Carmi MUA. This is Makeup Revolution's second collab with Carmi.
The Carmi Make Magic Palette is very different from the Tammi Tropical Carnival Palette, that I reviewed here - that was a lot bolder, more summery - this one isn't seasonal, you can use it at any time. 
The palette costs just £10, and contains 20 eyeshadows, of which six are a bit larger, and include duochromes, foils, metallics, glitters, and shimmers. The rest are matte or pearly/shimmery, no glitters. The colour scheme includes something for everyone. There are perfectly work-friendly neutrals, including the ideal base shades for those who are tan/warm/medium/olive hued. There are pops of colour that will see you through Summer. There are rich, smoky shades. There are ice-queen pales. Best of all, there are warm and cool eyeshadows in here. In short, I think this is one of the most universal palettes I've seen in a long while.

Scroll down for my review and swatches of the Revolution x Carmi Make Magic Palette, and a duochrome eye makeup tutorial.

affiliate

By Terry Lip-Expert Matte Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

By Terry Lip-Expert Matte Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, May 20, 2019

Cremes may come and glosses may go, but my heart shall continue to flip at the sight of a long-wearing matte liquid lipstick. Hopefully, the trend isn't over yet - there are brands that are continuing to launch liquid lippies, By Terry having come out with a set of 15 shades for Spring 2019, called the Lip-Expert Liquid Lipsticks.
These come in shine and matte finishes. No prizes for guessing which I picked. 
The packaging is very different from other liquid lipsticks we've seen; this one is futuristic, and, for the want of a better term, very cool. Doe foot applicator. I picked up three shades, and returned one - shade 3 happens to be a bubblegum pink rather than the dusty rose they've advertised, but shade 2 is perfect for everyday wear, while shade 4 is a deeper colour that I'm embracing in my quest to get out of my comfort zone. But you'll see all of that in a minute.

Scroll down for the review and swatches of the By Terry Lip-Expert Matte Liquid Lipsticks.

affiliate

By Terry Lip Powder Essence Is A Powder That Becomes Liquid!

By Terry Lip Powder Essence Is A Powder That Becomes Liquid!

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, July 28, 2018

I've been in a makeup rut for a while now. Everything feels same-old, same-old, you know? Warm neutral eyeshadow palettes with lots of orange-ish variants. Filter-ing foundation variants. Matte liquid lipsticks. Meh. I want new, exciting things!
That's when I saw the By Terry Lip Powder Essence on Feelunique, when I was browsing around with a birthday discount code. Guided by my intuition, I decided to buy it.
What is it? A POWDER. A powder that transforms into a long-wearing, highly pigmented, liquid lipstick, upon contact with the lips. I'm completely stunned.
While awaiting my order, I was plagued with doubts. How was a powder even going to go on my lips, let alone stay there? Would I not end up with a massive mess on my face? Would the powder not be drying on my already parched lips? What if I dropped the product and all the powder spilled out?

Scroll down for the review and demo of the By Terry Lip Powder Essence.

affiliate

Karl Lagerfeld x ModelCo Lip Lights Matte Liquid Lipsticks Review, Demo, Swatches

Karl Lagerfeld x ModelCo Lip Lights Matte Liquid Lipsticks Review, Demo, Swatches

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, June 17, 2018

When I heard that fashion supremo Karl Lagerfeld had collaborated with Australian beauty brand ModelCo to bring out an exclusive, limited edition makeup collection for Summer 2018, I was as excited as any makeup lover. This has been touted as the most anticipated makeup launch of this year.
The collection launched on May 14, and is 100% cruelty-free. There is a whole gamut of products in here - eyeshadow palettes, mascara, eyeliners, highlighters, makeup sets, makeup brushes, lip toppers, lip glosses, matte liquid lipsticks... pretty much everything except foundation itself. All products are one-stock-drop only.
I have the matte liquid lipsticks to show you. These are called the Lip Lights - as you've probably guessed, there is a light when you open the tube, which means you can apply this lipstick in the dark or in low light without accidentally endowing your ears in scarlet. There are eight shades in the matte liquid lipstick range, and each one costs £22 - for a 6ml tube.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Karl Lagerfeld x ModelCo Lip Lights Matte Liquid Lipsticks, and my thoughts on the whole collection.

affiliate

Revolution Pro Full Cover Camouflage Foundation Review, Demo, Test, Swatches

Revolution Pro Full Cover Camouflage Foundation Review, Demo, Test, Swatches

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, June 02, 2018

Revolution Pro's Full Cover Camouflage Foundation promises to cover blemishes, scars, and even tattoos. It is a vegan, cruelty-free foundation that costs just £7 for 25ml, and comes in 18 shades, just like other foundations and concealers from the Revolution Beauty range of products.
There is also a Full Cover Camouflage Concealer available, in 18 shades as well - review of that to follow soon. I call this one the best drugstore foundation of 2018, and the best drugstore full-coverage foundation.
I've live-tested it on VERY severe cystic acne and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation - as you will see further below. For reference, I have very oily, acne-prone skin.

Scroll down for the review, live demo, and swatches of the Revolution Pro Full Cover Camouflage Foundation.

affiliate

Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigments Review, Swatches, Demo

Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigments Review, Swatches, Demo

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, May 25, 2018

The Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigments are long-wearing cruelty-free liquid lipsticks from the professional range of Revolution Beauty. They cost just £4 each, and are supposed to be dupes for the NARS Power Matte Lip Pigments.
They come in a whopping 30 shades. Very impressive - there are foundations out there that don't have half as many shades. The shades range from white to black, and include neutrals, pinks, berries, brights, reds, and corals.
These claim to be transfer-proof, fully-pigmented, and long-wearing. Let's see if all that is true.

Scroll down for review, swatches, and demos of the Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigments.

affiliate

Makeup Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick Review, Demo On Oily Skin

Makeup Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick Review, Demo On Oily Skin

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Makeup Revolution's Fast Base Foundation Stick costs just £5, and is a buildable medium-to-full coverage foundation that blends out like a dream.
Let me get this straight. I dislike stick foundations. I've noticed that they go on streaky, are hard to blend out, and don't stay on very well on my freakishly oily skin.
This one is the exception. And, I can't get over the cost! It is cheaper than The Ordinary's foundations. There are 18 shades, with more being added soon. You can take it along while travelling; nothing happens when you drop it - been there, done that - and, while I require some mattifying powder over lunch, it does perform quite well on my skin. As well as the average high-end foundation does.

Scroll down for my review and demo of the Makeup Revolution Fast Base Foundation Stick.

affiliate

Makeup Revolution Easter Surprise Eggs Swatches, Demo, Review

Makeup Revolution Easter Surprise Eggs Swatches, Demo, Review

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, April 06, 2018

I hope you enjoyed your Easter break. Remember I told you about the Makeup Revolution Easter Surprise Eggs a few days ago? I got mine finally, and, as promised, I have swatches, review, and a makeup look for you.
For those who came in late, the Easter Surprise Eggs are Makeup Revolution's Easter launch. They are metallic "Eggs" that contain five eyeshadows and two highlighters apiece. Each one costs just £5. There are six eggs in all. I accidentally ordered only five - don't ask me how; it was an oversight.
The eggs are colour-coordinated, and four of them are named of mythical creatures - Unicorn, Mermaid, Dragon, and Angel. The other two are Gold and Rose Gold, and you can guess the colour scheme inside.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, demo, and makeup look of the Makeup Revolution Easter Surprise Eggs. 

affiliate

Rouge Dior Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

Rouge Dior Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, April 01, 2018

For some reason, the Rouge Dior Liquid Lipsticks came without much brouhaha. I mean, there is SO much noise about beauty launches these days... leaks on some Instagram accounts, debates over the leaks, pre-ponement of the launch date owing to said leak, PR parties, luxury holidays, massively over-egged packaging, more debates and controversies... I'm actually veering towards designer brands such as Chanel and Dior simply because of the lack of a hullabaloo over new releases.
I found these when Harrods had a 10% off sale, and they seemed a lot of fun. I had already picked up a few Armani Lip Magnets in store, and when I read that the formula was similarly non-drying, I knew I wanted these. They have a whopping 28 different shades - ARE YOU HEARING THIS, BRANDS COMING OUT WITH FOUNDATIONS AND CONCEALERS? - and a number of these are neutral, though some of the subtle shades I wanted were not in stock. I only picked three of them.
There are three different finishes - matte, satin, and metal. Obviously, I went in for matte. These are powdery-matte. Velvet matte. Not at all drying.

Scroll down for my review and swatches of the Rouge Dior Liquid Lipsticks.

affiliate

Choosing the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation Shade For Olive/Warm/Tan Skintones

Choosing the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation Shade For Olive/Warm/Tan Skintones

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, March 02, 2018

Choosing the right foundation shade in-store can be a nightmare at the best of times. All that store lighting, sales assistants with their own ideas, the distractingly huge array of products....
When buying online, the nightmare is all the worse! Different monitors, lighting, confusing online swatches....

Over the last few years, I've bought eight foundations online without being shade-matched in-store for the brand prior to buying - Tarte Amazonian Clay, By Terry Densiliss, Kevyn Aucoin SSE (advised by MUA friend), TheBalm Even Steven, The Ordinary, Chantecaille Future Skin, IT Cosmetics CC Cream, and Huda Beauty #FauxFilter.
I was singularly lucky to have hit the jackpot when it came to shade matching - with the exception of the IT Cosmetics, where Medium is too pale and Tan is way too deep for me, but that is because they do not HAVE a shade for me, rather than because I picked the wrong one. The same is the case with The Ordinary - 2.1Y is too deep, the rest are too pale or too red. Again, not because of my choice, but because of the brand's shade limitations.
In all the other six cases, I picked the perfect shade match for me, thanks to intensive googling, comparison with other foundation matches, advice from a MUA friend in one case, and guesswork.

Today, I've got swatches and demos of the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation shades for the warm-yellow/medium-tan/olive part of the spectrum - specifically, shades that cater to South Asian/Indian/Middle Eastern, and Latino skintones. Sorry, everyone else - unfortunately, this blog doesn't get much by way of PR samples (I get, what, FOUR a year? And those are mostly skincare), and I don't buy up things I don't use. Ergo, the shades I chose are in my own range, apart from a few samples I received as GWPs.

So hopefully, this will help those who are warm-yellow, medium to tan, olive-hued, in choosing the right Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation for them. For reference, I've also included the full range of every foundation shade I wear, and a comparison with NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation.

Scroll down for swatches, demo, and review of the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation Shade For Olive/Warm/Tan Skintones.

affiliate

INC.redible Matte My Day Liquid Lip Paint Review, Demo, Comparisons

INC.redible Matte My Day Liquid Lip Paint Review, Demo, Comparisons

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, February 11, 2018

Metal and glossy lips may be attempting a comeback, but the matte lip trend is as strong as ever. The latest liquid lipstick on the bandwagon is the INC.redible Matte My Day Liquid Lip Paint, from Nails INC - the nail polish brand, no less. Good to see polish brands such as Models Own, Butter London, and Nails INC venture into makeup territory.
The INC.redible Matte My Day Liquid Lip Paints come in a generous 14 shades, covering everything from neutrals to brights. These are just £8, for which you get 3.8ml of product, packaged in a sturdy tube, where you can see both colour and quantity of product left. There's a doefoot applicator which does the job, and the fragrance of the lipstick is very similar to that of Jouer Long Wear Lip Cremes, or the Huda Beauty Lip Mattes - tropical and sweet, but not irritatingly strong.

Scroll down for the review and demo of the INC.redible Matte My Day Liquid Lip Paints.

affiliate

Makeup Revolution Chocolate Rose Gold Eye Palette Review, Swatches, Tutorial

Makeup Revolution Chocolate Rose Gold Eye Palette Review, Swatches, Tutorial

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, December 13, 2017

You cannot go wrong with the Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palettes. They are superbly pigmented, perform really well, and are very affordable. Also, they are cruelty-free. I do wish a bunch of higher-end brands *cough Too Faced cough* would take a leaf from MUR's book and up their eyeshadow quality.
I have their Chocolate Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette to show you today; this is a very close dupe of the Huda Beauty Textured Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette. The difference, of course, is that while the MUR palette costs £8.99, Huda's is priced at £56.
Unfortunately, the palette was damaged in the post, and two of the eyeshadows needed putting back together with rubbing alcohol. Which explains why my specimen doesn't look as neat as it should.

Scroll down for the review and swatches of the Makeup Revolution Chocolate Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette, and for a makeup tutorial.

pr sample . affiliate

Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palettes Ship Worldwide + GWP Offer Now

Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palettes Ship Worldwide + GWP Offer Now

Winter Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, November 02, 2017

Huda Beauty has released a set of four "Obsessions" eyeshadow palettes, each containing nine eyeshadows. These are "minis" in comparison to Huda's larger 18-shadow palettes, Rose Gold and Desert Dusk.
The four eyeshadow palettes are Mauve Obsessions, Smokey Obsessions, Warm Brown Obsessiona, and Electric Obsessions. They cost £25 each.
They are now available worldwide - and best of all, there's a an ongoing GWP offer - if you buy for £165, you get a large Best of 2017 goody bag with code BESTOF17.

Scroll down for details of each of the Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palettes, and a limited gift with purchase offer.

affiliate

Best Eyeshadow Palettes for Fall 2017

Best Eyeshadow Palettes for Fall 2017

Wycon Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 17, 2017

My favourite eye makeup for this time of the year involves orange, and ruddy hues. And, we've seen a plethora of palettes with those shades recently. To the extent where you might as well label burnt orange the eyeshadow colour of the year.
I've picked my favourite cruelty-free eyeshadow palettes in terms of pigmentation, performance, and shade choices, and have swatches and eye makeup looks for each palette - do watch this video, give me a thumbs-up, and subscribe to my channel. 


There are older releases in here, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance, and newer launches such as TheBalm's Nude Beach, reviewed here. All palettes mentioned in this video are cruelty-free.

I prefer the burnt-orange/ruddy palette to the beige and brown based neutrals that were in vogue not so long ago. The former adds a bit of interest to my skintone, while remaining subtle enough for day-wear.

Which is your favourite palette for Fall 2017? Tell me in the comment box below.

SHOP THE BEST FALL 2017 EYESHADOW PALETTES:

Affiliate Links

TheBalm Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches, FOTD

TheBalm Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches, FOTD

TheBalm Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Every time TheBalm releases an eyeshadow palette, my heart beats faster. I love their palettes so much, not only for the packaging, but also for the quality. That said, I was a bit meh after all the endless Balm Voyage and the Meet Matt(e) launches.
This time, TheBalm has launched the third installment of their famous neutral palette series - meet the Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette. It follows the Nude'Tude and the Nude'Dude eye palettes, both of which are much-loved in my routine.
Yes, all three are sufficiently different from each other, as well as from other brands' neutral palettes. More details, including packaging, pigmentation, and performance, below.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of TheBalm Nude Beach Eyeshadow Palette.

affiliate

Morphe Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

Morphe Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches, Demo

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, October 05, 2017

Morphe Liquid Lipsticks are the second lot of products I've tried from the brand, the first being contouring brushes, which made my contouring game so much easier. The lipsticks promise a bulletproof kiss, and are just $12, or €13.95, or £9 each. They are made in the USA and come in 22 shades.

Scroll down for my review and swatches of the Morphe Liquid Lipsticks.

Please watch this video for the swatches and review of the Morphe Liquid Lipsticks - please also give me a thumbs-up, and do subscribe to my channel!

affiliate

Estee Lauder Pure Color Love Lipsticks Review, Swatches

Estee Lauder Pure Color Love Lipsticks Review, Swatches

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Estee Lauder's Pure Color Love Lipsticks came out earlier this year. Despite having "Pure Color" in the name, the packaging and look seemed to be a departure from the Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipsticks - see review here and here. I picked up three after falling in love with the shades in-store.
There are different sets in this range - Matte, Pearl, Chrome/Foil, and Creme. I only picked the creme ones; you get enough matte from liquid lipsticks, and I like my bullets lippies to be hydrating when I touch-up.
There are 30 shades in the range, and there's something for everyone, from the subtlest of neutrals to the vampiest and boldest lippies. 

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Estee Lauder Pure Color Love Lipsticks.

DA2pJ7B20K19752s01R6 affiliate