All posts filed under: This or That

Lipstick Week, Day 3: How to Wear Red Lipstick & Other (Rather Vampy) Alternatives

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(This happened because I don’t have red lip liner and I don’t know how to count.) Hello everyone! I just wanted to first say thanks to everyone who’s been interacting with me on my current series, Lipstick Week! I’m trying to switch things up and make things a bit more interesting while featuring as many lipsticks as possible. Once again, thanks to Tellie for tagging me. 🙂 SO. We are at Day 3. I thought I would do this feature now (instead of after my “How to Make Your Lipstick Last Longer” post), just in time for the Manila screening of The Great Gatsby. When I think of the 1920s, I think of luscious jazz parties, flapper dresses and bubbly, fizzy drinks—and of course, red lipstick! I’ll tell you right away—red is not my color. I wish it was. Red lip lovers, like my friends Reggie, Abi, and Krysty, seem to cull some sort of magic confidence elixir from wearing red lipstick. AND I WANT THAT. Alas. I have always shied away from red, even …

Lipstick Week, Day 2: Most Loved Lipsticks

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In the few odd years that I’ve been buying makeup, there have been a few stand-outs. Today’s installment for Lipstick Week is going to be about my Most Loved Lipsticks. I’ve found new favorites here and there, but these are the ones that I’ve used the most. They’re probably most-used also because they’re a bit older than some of my other purchases, but I thought I’d show you which colors I wore a lot before I drowned in the Sea of Impulse Buying. I’ll start with a Chanel Rouge Coco in Perlé. I talked about this in my first Lipstick Week installment, Chanel Lipsticks. It was my first high-end lipstick purchase, and I actually bought it off my friend, Jin, who wasn’t feeling the color, so it wasn’t until much later that I swatched like a crazy woman to make a purchase. This was pretty much handed to me and it’s weird because I wouldn’t have picked it out for myself, but I love it a lot. As you can see, it’s a pretty easy …

Swatch Experiment: Goldy Purple Eyeshadows

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I was writing about the Le Métier de Beauté Melange de Colour Fashion Palette, when I noticed that one of the shades looked remarkably like one of the eyeshadows I already owned, MAC Trax. They had the same flecks of gold and purple base. I pulled it out to compare and decided to look at all my other shadows as well. These seemed to be the strongest contenders. From left to right: Laura Mercier’s African Violet. The gold is very strong in this shade. It was part of my Artist’s Palette for Eyes, which is Limited Edition, but you can buy this shade individually. Le Métier de Beauté’s Tapestry. This is very close to Trax, but it has a more opaque base. This is part of the Silk Road Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, which is Limited Edition. Le Métier de Beauté’s Ikat. This is actually more of a frosty plum-gold, with the gold infused in the base, rather than as a separate component/glitter element. This is part of the Silk Road Kaleidoscope Eye Kit, which is …

This or That: Guerlain Turandot vs. Le Métier de Beauté Silk Road

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Today’s post is a quick comparison between the Guerlain quad in Turandot from the Holiday 2012 collection and the Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope Eye Kit in Silk Road from the Fall/Winter 2011 collection. Turandot ($59) is part of Guerlain’s permanent line and Silk Road ($95) is limited edition. I don’t think you can get it anymore, but if it helps, I got it from Neiman Marcus. I noticed some similarities between these two palettes when I had already gotten them. I put off swatching them right next to each other for the longest time because I didn’t want to admit that I might have gotten two identical high-end eyeshadow quads. Thankfully, they are different enough for me, personally, to not feel bad about purchasing both. Both are limited edition. ETA: Turandot is not limited edition. Guerlain is cheaper at $59 but it comes with less product. I do like the more stark variation of Turandot when it comes to finishes, but I appreciate the “technology” of Le Métier de Beauté eyeshadows in that layering …

The Quest for the Fudge Dupe

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I mentioned in an earlier post that I was on the lookout for a Fudge dupe, since I couldn’t figure out if it was actually a dupe-able color. It seems like a simple warm medium brown with a somewhat frosty/metallic finish, but I had to make sure if it was complex enough to recommend it to someone who may encounter it in the future. So! Here are most of the shimmery browns I have. I didn’t include obvious too-cool shades. The Contenders: MAC eyeshadow (Amber Lights) Urban Decay Naked 2 (Snake Bite) Urban Decay Naked 1 & 2 (Half Baked) Urban Decay Naked (Dark Horse) theBalm Nude ‘Tude (Seductive) Addiction eyeshadow (Fudge) shu uemura x Karl Lagerfeld Prestigious Bordeaux Palette, the brown Silk Smooth Eyeshadow Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette, first crease color Urban Decay Naked (Smog) Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Single (Penny) Hmm, as you can see, there aren’t any super close dupes, so if you have your eye on Fudge, I think you could go for it. If you do already have …

This or That: YSL Glossy Stain vs. L’Oreal Shine Caresse

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Introducing This or That, a new series in which I make beauty products contend with each other, after which I will declare a winner. They’re not necessarily going to be drugstore vs. high end, but this first one is. I’m obviously not the first one to bring up the comparisons between both products, but I thought I’d experiment and compare on my own as well. Today, I’ll be comparing the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain and the L’Oreal Shine Caresse. I have exactly one shade of each (they are fairly different shades), so it won’t be a “dupe” comparison. I’ll be reviewing the formulation, the smell, et al. So, let’s get started. YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain in N° 24 (Fuschia Intemporel) “A revolutionary new lip product! Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain combines the texture and shine of a gloss with the long-wear of a stain for a truly innovative lip product. A lightweight texture that immediately melts onto lips. Rouge Pur Couture Vernis …