Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick - 06 Kiss Me If You Can

Here is what the shade 06 Kiss Me If You Can looks like in the tube and on my lips.


I am IN LOVE with this red. It's not often you find an absolute stunning red lipstick from a drugstore brand...but this is definitely one of them! If you are a fan of reds you need to pick this up ASAP!

Overall the formula is great! It has a "Matt" finish but doesn't leave your lips dry and cracked. This is still a lipstick so don't expect there to be no transfer...there will still be small amounts of transfer that occurs on items. Since this is a very pigmented red expect more transfer than the lighter shades. I would recommend using this with a lip liner in a similar color or a translucent lip liner. I didn't bother with a lip linger for this swatch and I was still able to get crisp lines but for long wear it's better to be safe than sorry.

Here is what this shade looks like on the Essence website:
https://essencemakeup.com/products/matt-matt-matt-lipstick


Reminder I purchased these shades at Ulta so I could test swatch on the back of my hand and use a coupon that allowed me to purchase 5 for under $13!

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick - 03 Wow Effect

Here is what the shade 03 Wow Effect looks like in the tube and on my lips.

 

At first I wasn't 100% on board with this shade simply because I didn't think pink looks good on my lips. After a few times wearing this shade I fell in love. It's really easy to wear every day with just about every makeup look and outfit! It also suits my skin tone to even if I tan I will still be able to wear this shade! #score

Overall the formula is great! It has a "Matt" finish but doesn't leave your lips dry and cracked. This is still a lipstick so don't expect there to be no transfer...there will still be small amounts of transfer that occurs on items (cups, boyfriends, etc.)

Here is what this color looks like on the Essence website:

https://essencemakeup.com/products/matt-matt-matt-lipstick

Have you found your favorite shade yet?

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick - 02 Perfect Match

Here is what the shade 02 Perfect Match looks like in the tube and on my lips.


 Honestly it looks a lot darker in the tube than it does on my lips. When it's swatched on my lips it is more subtle and doesn't lean towards a dark nude or taupe nude.

Wearing this shade is doable if you are light-medium skin tone but during the summer when I tan I will have to wear a darker liner underneath this shade.

Here is a reminder of what the outside packaging looks like:







These retail at Ulta for super cheap and have testers you can swatch, but looking online it's easier to tell the color from the Essence website.
https://essencemakeup.com/products/matt-matt-matt-lipstick

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick

As promised here are some hand swatches of the Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipsticks I bought on the 22nd of March.

The colors I purchased from nude to dark are as follows:

Nude
02 Perfect Match *
03 Wow Effect

Red
06 Kiss Me if You Can*

Dark
07 Purple Power*
08 It's a Statement

The shades with stars (*) next to them are my current favorites.
http://www.ulta.com/matt-matt-matt-lipstick?productId=xlsImpprod15131005


The shades swatched from Left to Right are: 08, 07, 06, 03, and 02
They do not have the names on the packaging just the number.

Again these bad boys were ONLY $3.99 and buy one get one 50% off is a steal. You get one lipstick for $4 and the other for $2!! Use a coupon for $3.50 off of $15 and that's $11.50 so get 5, or 6 lipsticks in order to capitalize on this deal

5 lipsticks = $16 - $3.50 = $12.50
6 lipsticks = $18 - $3.50 = $14.5

Here is a link to the coupon I am talking about! http://www.ulta.com/ulta/global/global_print_coupon_image_slot.jsp?cmpid=PS_Brand!google!Brand&CAWELAID=330000200000040753&CAPCID=172494833887&cadevice=c&agid=996789630&catci=aud-91703939550:kwd-55822220&gclid=CjwKEAjwwcjGBRDj-P7TwcinyBkSJADymblTVtAflaqVIQU5BOHzjHTlqhA3bioq9zoVpxC5d5R4MBoC4LTw_wcB

Considering how quickly drugstore brands are increasing their prices this is a great deal to get that many lipsticks under $20!!!

Matt Matt Matt Lipstick Essence Cosmetics

21 days of Beauty and a $100 gift card to Ulta from Bae :* for my birthday and I stopped into Ulta this week (already three times and it's just Wednesday) 

First I wanted to pick up some Buxom Lip Cremes since there were only $10 dollars today instead of the regular price $22. The color selection was mostly sold out of the cremes I wanted but I did manage to pick up one color and I will swatch it in a different post.

I wanted to create this one because I saw these awesome looking lipsticks the other day and was wishing they had a nude/normal shade range....
Vibrant Shock Lipsticks: https://essencemakeup.com/products/vibrant-shock-lipsticks

Well I found that normal shade range today and picked up a few shades!! They were only $3.99 and it was buy one get one 50% in store at Ulta so I couldn't pass it up.
These are called  Matt Matt Matt Lipstick: http://www.ulta.com/matt-matt-matt-lipstick?productId=xlsImpprod15131005

It's a lot easier to tell the shades on the Essence website than the Ulta website. The plus side is there are testers in store at Ulta that you can swatch. https://essencemakeup.com/products/matt-matt-matt-lipstick

I swatched these on my hand before buying and then as soon as I got home. Currently wearing 02 (not pictured above) and I love the formula. There is a smell to them, but to me it smells like some sort of candy. These are pigmented/opaque and the packaging is pretty decent for $3.99.

I'll be posting later with both hand and lip swatches so be on the lookout :D

Covergirl Star Wars The Force Awakens

BAM just when you think makeup couldn't get anymore exciting Covergirl launched a collection for Star Wars The Force Awakens 

I picked up 2 mascaras and three lipsticks. The most used product for me is the #70 lipstick...on the light side of the force. Metallics are huge this year and this shade fits right in. This is a metallic nude shade with loads of sparkle. This shade is SUPER pale, so for my skin tone I need to wear a nude lipliner underneath or I pair it with the shade Mink by Revlon.


Here is the product swatched on my lips with no liner or base lipstick underneath.


Here is the product swatched on my hand. This is where you can see how pale this lipstick shade is in comparison to a brown lip liner in Tawny by Jordana.

I love this collection and I think it was neat that Covergirl decided to win one for all the ladies who are Star Wars Fans!! P.S. I like this shade so much I bought a backup :)

Stila Eternal Love Liquid Lipstick Baci

So originally my thoughts on the nude (Baci) of this collection was I Hate IT. I saw it in the packaging before I even swatched it in my hand and instantly thought, "oh great another nude that will make me look like I'm dead." I swatched it and it conformed my suspicions.

Yet this is what I got when I decided to put in some actual effort into my makeup look. I have a clear gloss on top and I think that's the best why to rock it with my skin tone. Overall the eye look has to be more dramatic (think smokey and dark purples/browns/black) in order for some balance. I do have bronzer and blush on but the camera didn't pick it up. Let me know if you think this liquid lipstick works on my skintone and let me know if it works for you.



******UPDATE******
I decided to test this formula out in the pool! Like I explained in one of my recent posts I'm a WSI or simply just a swimming instructor. I work Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Since I get in the pool wayyyyy after my day has started Tuesday and Thursday I tend to have makeup on while teaching lessons. Which may seem scary as I do but my face in the water ALOT, but after surviving working 8hrs in the pool each day over the summer I've found eyeshadows that work on my lids and as eyeliner, mascaras, and foundation (BB creme) that 100% work and last throughout the lessons. 

However I'm always hesitant to try out lip products in the pool because I never know if they will slide right off my face and get all over my chin/other parts of my face….which would be super embarrassing! For a 3hr work day I put on two layers of Baci and then put on a clear gloss and to my surprise it stayed on, didn't crumble, and there wasn't even a white line on the inside of my mouth. The only thing that was missing was the gloss but it looked great without it! 

I think I'm liking this liquid lipstick thing!!

Stila Eternal Love Liquid Lipstick Set

Here is a screenshot of what Stila posted on their instagram. The dark plum/brown color is Ricco, the nude is called Baci, and the Red is called Beso. I ordered the set online through Ulta because the shipping was free after I added a $1 donation for breast cancer (I don't know if that promotion is still running). The total came out around $22-24 which isn't bad figuring the full size of one color lipstick is $22! I honestly can't justify paying that much for one liquid lipstick so I thought this would be a great way to test out the colors and the formula.

So for the price range I was thinking there was going to be more product but in actuality these tubes are quite small. A little under 1 full oz of product!

With packaging the whole thing is a little smaller than my mac mousepad for reference.

Overall the red and plum/brown are gorgeous colors and my first impression of the nude is not good. The nude may be just too light for my skin tone which is disappointing. The formula is like a mousse like constancy which doesn't feel drying on the lips. It fades nicely but does feel dry on the lips as the day goes by.

I wish companies would almost make 2 sets of holiday sets that include darker wearable nudes for deeper skin tones. That way you could choose the set that would best suit your skin tone! (just a thought here)

Maybelline New York The Elixir COLORSENSATIONAL 060 Nude Illusion

060 Nude Illusion
The perfect nude, I thought that it would be too light because my natural lip color is a little dark. However these lipgloss/lipsticks are super opaque!! They are comfortable and very moisturizing. This color you might be able to get away putting it on without a mirror, but some of the other colors you won't get that lucky.

Milani Lipstick 25 Naturally Chic

25 Naturally Chic

HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE NUDE EVER!!!!!!!!
Can I just take a second here to rant about how there are so many lipsticks out there that are basically meant to NEVER be used on tan skin tones!! So many nudes make me look DEAD or sleepy or like I have negative lips >:( it makes me frustrated that companies have so many beautiful reds, pinks, etc etc and yet come out with nudes that wouldn't work for tan people. HELLO not our fault we were born this way.
CAN WE GET AN AMEN
Milani has done it right! Naturally Chic is my go to nude lipstick during the whole year. It even works in the summer when I'm darker, and it works when I'm lighter in the winter.
It's super creamy and easy to apply (with or without at lip liner).
Also since it's a nude when I had a boyfriend he didn't mind getting kisses when I wore this color so CHECK boyfriend approved.