Quelling a Burning Desire with Deborah Lippmann’s Through the Fire

While I was away this fall, something terrible happened – I missed the Chanel fall collection entirely!  Thankfully, there wasn’t too much I wanted to try, but I DID desperately want Malice, the gorgeous ruby-hued polish and the only one released with the seasonal launch.  As it disappeared from shelves in a snap, I was left to scour the internet trying to find a dupe to the shade.  What I came up with that was close (though by no means an exact match, or even that close, unfortunately), was Deborah Lippmann’s Through the Fire.

Through the Fire, a ‘radiant merlot hue’ was released as part of her 2012 Holiday collection (along with Cleopatra in New York).  While it doesn’t have the slight berry tinge that Malice appears to have, it still has that inner glow that captivates the eye.  Below, this is two coats with Poshe Fast Drying Top Coat.

Apparently, one of the true closer dupes to Malice is OPI’s Royal Rajah Ruby, which if you remember I was iffy about at first, but then found love using it as a pedi shade.  Personally I think RRR is too brown-leaning, but it pleases me that I have one of the closest colors to Malice already in my stash.

As for TtF, I pulled RRR plus a couple other shades to see how they all compare – OPI’s Every Month is Oktoberfest, which has been noted by other bloggers as a potential Malice twin (it’s not), and Misa’s Red Pumps at the Nordstrom (which isn’t like Malice at all, nor TtF – but is red and also has that gorgeous radiance about it).

Left to right (artificial light): OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire, Misa Ruby Pumps at the Nordstrom

Left to right (flash): OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire, Misa Ruby Pumps at the Nordstrom

Top to Bottom (artificial light): Misa Red Pumps at the Nordstrom, Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest

Left to right (flash): OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire, Misa Ruby Pumps at the Nordstrom

Left to right (flash): Misa Red Pumps at the Nordstrom, Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby, OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest

While RRR is in the same vein as TtF, it’s not a dupe and I like TtF much better on my fingernails, as its more feminine with it’s red tones.  Though I tend to prefer cremes over other formulations of polish, I gotta say that these types of polishes with a less metallic shimmer and more of an inner fire, are totally up my alley.  I could stare at them all day!  All four of these polishes captivate my heart in one way or another, and while I don’t feel that my lemming for Malice is fully abated, I’m not totally broken-hearted over it 🙂

Did you pick up Malice, or did you miss it too?  Are you a fan of shimmer polishes, or other types? 

Hourglass Best of Hourglass Collection Has a Few Gems You Need to Try!

While some people are able to go away on vacation and continue to communicate with the outside world, I was pretty much MIA the entire time I was in New Zealand (there I go again!).  Any time I wanted to access the internet, I had to pay for wireless or for computer time, and I was just not having it.  In this day and age, it’s like paying for water (which also annoys me), so I pretty much forgot the whole idea except to periodically let my family and friends know I was alive.

However, when I got an email from Sephora’s PR giving me the opportunity to chose one of the sets from the holiday collections, I happily paid a few bucks in order to respond and select my set.  Of all the offerings, the cream of the crop was most definitely Hourglass’ Best of Hourglass collection ($68CAD), which came with a travel size of their popular Veil Mineral Primer, a full size Film Noir Full Spectrum mascara in Onyx, a full size Extreme Sheen lipgloss in Ignite, and a deluxe sample of the new No. 28 Primer Serum.  Hel-lo!  How could I pass up on on these goodies!!?

As I had tried the Veil Mineral Primer before, in the travel size, and finished it, I was happy to have another small bottle to replace it (for a glowing, more thorough review on this product, see Liz’s post at Beauty Reductionista).  The other three products were entirely new to me, and as anything I have tried from the brand has pretty much knocked my socks off, I was totally eager to get my grabby hands on them and play.  First, let’s discuss the Film Noir Full Spectrum mascara:

To be clear, there is another Film Noir mascara that Hourglass makes, but it is the one that you paint on lash by lash.  This is your regular bristle-brush mascara, and in reality the brush itself IS pretty regular.  It doesn’t have any bells or whistles and looks pretty…normal, compared to every gimmicky brush that’s come out in the last few years.  Don’t let that fool you, however!  Though my pictures below don’t truly do it justice, this mascara is LOVELY.  It separates my lashes perfectly while giving them some serious length as well as volume.  It’s one of the few mascaras I’ve tried that I’ve actually gotten compliments on from people who aren’t bloggers (you guys count…but not in this instance because this is our BIZNESS, yo).

It’s a drier formula than I usually like, but I think it’s actually the *perfect* consistency – not really dry at all but not so wet that its glopping on and causing clumps.  The brush really combs through the lashes each time, leaving them entirely clump-free.  I didn’t have to separate my lashes in the photos above with a comb afterward at all, which is uncommon I find.  It’s a total win.  I would actually spend the $33CAD and buy this again!  Note: There ARE parabens in the mascara.

Next, we have the Extreme Sheen gloss in Ignite, described as a ‘rose beige shimmer.’  I’d say this is more of a sheer shimmering gloss with a touch of beige more than anything, but it’s still pretty.  To buy this separately would cost $33CAD so with that plus the mascara you’re almost have the price of the set alone – not too shabby!  The gloss does have fragrance but it’s the last ingredient listed and it’s faint.  I haven’t noticed any issues yet so hopefully it remains that way!

As you can see, the gloss is essentially colorless with a hint of shimmer.  I typically like my glosses fairly opaque, but this somehow makes my lips look quite nice in the absence of pigment.  It’s a nice way to punch up clear gloss, and  it adds a subtle something extra layered over other lip colors.  Surprisingly, the staying power is pretty decent even with its translucency, and it feels good on the lips – smooth and not sticky at all.  I’d love to try this formula out in a few other shades.

Lastly, but far from least, is the No. 28 Primer Serum.  I know it’s a cheap cop-out to put this marketing image versus the real thing, but to be honest – I don’t want to waste a drop of it’s precious contents.  IT’S SO GOOD!  And as much as I love you, I just can’t swatch this for no good reason.  I’m hoarding it like crazy! At $75CAD for 1oz, you can probably understand why (though – I just saw that you can also get this in a travel size like the Veil primer – 0.33oz for $26CAD – sign me up!!).

Essentially the product combines the effects of a primer (reducing the look of pores, refining and smoothing the skin’s surface, and luminizing) with the treatment of a serum (strengthening skin’s moisture barrier, shielding against environmental aggressors, and hydrating).  All this action means that the skin looks younger and dewier and AMAZING.  It contains essential oils, lipid-rich plant oils, and vitamins to nuture the skin, while being free of parabens and fragrance.

DUDES.  Not only does it sound amazing and make a whole lotta fabulous claims, but it delivers.  I actually wore it for about 5 days straight (before remembering I can’t afford to buy the full size right now and hence it must be conserved), and my skin looked awesome.  Not just while wearing makeup, but overall it was improving the look of my skin!  It’s all sorts of YES PLEASE and believe you me I will be shelling out for this when the sample vial is finished.  I love that it helps my makeup wear better.  I love that it doesn’t make me greasy and in fact helps to control oil while still giving me a fresh, healthy look.  I love that it doesn’t irritate my fussy skin one iota.  The only thing I don’t love is the price, but I can get over that.  When you think about it like a two-in-one product, primer + treatment, the cost doesn’t seem so outrageous.  At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

So, basically, the moral of the story is, you need to buy this kit.  Or if not the set itself, you need to try each and every one of these products at some point, especially the Primer Serum.  I can’t imagine anyone NOT being happy with the collection, and it just reinforces my belief that Hourglass might just be the best makeup brand EVER.  Just sayin’.

What do you think of Hourglass?  Would you be willing to shell out for a product that produces results, or do you have a $$ limit?  What makeup brand do you think is worth the hype?

*Product was sent for my unbiased consideration.

 

 

Illamasqua Lip Twin Sets Make for No-Brainer Pairings!

Throughout my entire New Zealand trip*, I never purchased one cosmetic save for a mascara in the airport en route, so it was a nice end to my self-imposed purgatory to arrive home to three different holiday sets to play with.  I was most excited to play with one of Illamasqua’s holiday Lip Twin Sets ($41CAD), which provide you with a matching gloss and lipstick to wear separately or together depending on your look that day.  The set I received contained Obey, a pale peachy pink matte lipstick (reg. $29CAD), and Plentiful, a bright peachy pink gloss (reg. $27CAD).

*note: I’m fairly certain I’ve mentioned New Zealand in every single post since I got back – forgive me, I’m just hanging on to those memories for dear life!

The two shades are very close, albeit Obey is lighter, and compliment each other exceptionally.

On a pale complexion, or perhaps someone lighter with less pigmented lips, these shades would be quite pretty.  They veer into nude territory without being dead-looking, and the effect would be very flattering.  However, because the two lip products are so pigment-rich, the paleness of the colors in their opaqueness do not work well on me.

If blended out as I’ve done here, Plentiful is a nice peachy shade that makes me think of spring.  With the makeup I have on in the photo, it actually works well as a more nude-natural lip.  The gloss is fairly thick however, and must be applied carefully to avoid it looking milky and obvious (at least on me).

Obey, on the other hand, washes me out completely.  If I had a smokey eye here, it *might* work ok, but I would have to sheer it out to be comfortable with the shade.  As well, due to the somewhat chalky nature of the color, you MUST have your lips in perfect condition – otherwise flakes and other issues are entirely apparent.  I had exfoliated and hydrated my lips for a good hour before trying this again, with the same patchy results.  Again, I think if your lips are less pigmented than mine (and you hair a more fair complexion),  you could wear this shade well.  I don’t think it’s a total no-go, just a complete NO-NO for me.

On top of the general shade issues of Obey, I discovered that the Illamasqua lipsticks contain lanolin, another no-no for me.  The gloss also contains linalool and limonene, two potentially irritating ingredients I try to avoid, and both the lipstick and gloss contain fragrance.  Neither appear to contain parabens, however.  Here is the ingredient lists for both products:

Overall, I love the idea of the twin sets and I think Plentiful would be a gorgeous shade on the right person.  I withhold making a full judgement on Obey until I see it on someone with the ‘right’ skin/lip tone, but have my reservations.  Even the lip swatches on the Illamasqua site don’t make it look all that appealing.  However, if you’re interested in the twin sets, there is another available on the website with the shades Sangers and Succubus, a rich blood red duo (and much more up my alley!).

What do you think of the lip twin sets? Would you wear a matching gloss on top of your lipstick? What lip shades do NOT work on you and why?

Products were sent by PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.

Make Up For Ever All Eyes On You Set = Effortless Holiday Beauty!

Today I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs (I am SO behind!), and of course I started noticing a trend – everyone was talking about holiday beauty, in some way or another.  It always comes as a shock to me that as soon as November begins, the holidays begin in full-force without a pause – it was especially weird being away from home and seeing decorations going up everywhere in New Zealand ~brain does not compute.~  I find it particular distressing to see all the beautiful holiday makeup collections and sets coming out that are desperately calling my name, because I feel so guilty splurging on myself when it should be spent on others (I sometimes like to employ the ‘one for you, one for me strategy’ in my weaker moments).

Aside from the consumerism-mode that we can get into during the holidays, another aspect is actually putting looks together, whether it be fashion or makeup.  Yesterday I pulled out all my red, gold and silver makeup (just realized I forgot green….must correct that!) to have at the ready so I can be as festive as possible (though I did see a couple of great looks today that didn’t showcase the requisite ‘holiday colors’, which got me thinking outside the box a little bit).  While you don’t need to be as anal organized as I am, it does help to lessen the stress of what makeup to wear if you have a couple go-to products at the ready.  Here’s where Make Up For Ever’s new All Eyes On You set comes in!

The kit contains (click on links for previous reviews): an HD Microfinish Powder; an Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color in #16 (a pink-beige shimmer); two of their waterproof, long-wearing Aqua Eyes Eyeliners in 21L (dark metallic grey) and 0L (mat black); and a Smoky Lash Extra Black mascara.

As I already own all the products in this set except for the Aqua Cream shade (of which I own several other shades), I can attest to their awesomeness as I’ve been using them all for some time.  While the Smoky Lash formula isn’t my favorite, looking back at the photos I took of the mascara worn, it really did give my lashes some oomph!  The liners, with their waxy-like finish, wear exceptionally well, and 21L (gifted to me by the lovely Liz of Beauty Reductionista) is one of my favorite liner shades ever – somehow both soft and defining at the same time (see photo of me rocking it out, below).  The HD powder is wonderful at setting makeup and giving a flawless, smooth finish – just be sure to use a light hand (I know some who have concerns about it turning white under the camera’s flash, but I’ve personally never experienced this).

Aqua Eyes Liner in 0L Mat Black on left; 21L Dark Grey on right

Wearing Aqua Eyes 21L on upper lash line.

The Aqua Cream shade, #16, is a metallic beigey-pink that can be applied sparingly to the eyelid for a subtle, eye-opening look, or heavier for a more dazzling look.  You can also wear this on the cheekbone as a highlighter.  On the back of the kit box they have two suggested looks to try, one of which is described as a ‘soft shimmer’ (in which you use the color smudged on the eye); the other is for ‘dramatic glamour,’ where they recommend the product be worn on the both the brow and cheek bones.

Like the festive background in the last shot???  There’s a reason for this…as I don’t own this shade, I guerrilla-swatched it at Sephora at the mall this past weekend.  WHY would I do that, you ask , when I already have the product in my possession!?

You see…in the spirit of the holidays and giving and all that – I thought it might be nice not to mar this pretty collection and share the love with one of my most excellent readers 😀  Seems many of you stuck by me even when I was MIA for almost 6 weeks, and I don’t take that lightly!  It was such an unexpected treat to come home to find that my readership held steady the entire time.  You guys totally and utterly ROCK!!

SO!  Let get this giveaway on the go, shall we?  Contest is open to all residents of North America ages 18 and over, and all you need to do to enter is let me know what’s your favorite thing about the holiday season.  Simple, right?  Of course, you’ll get extra entries if you ‘Like’ Beauty Obsessed on Facebook, if you follow ‘xbeautyobsessed’ on Twitter, and if you tweet about the giveaway!  Contest closes November 30th at 12:01am EST (soo that’s like…1am my time.  Right 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love this Rafflecopter business, it makes things SO darn easy – except the widget doesn’t like WordPress or something and won’t visually show up in this post.  Never fear, if you click on the link above, it’ll take you to where you need to go 🙂  Good luck to all that enter – and an early ‘Happy Holiday wish’ to you!

I am personally wishing you good luck in this photo.

Oh, one more question – is it too early to start drinking rum and eggnog?!

Upcoming on Beauty Obsessed…

So it’s been a week since I’ve been returned from my New Zealand adventure, and I’m slowly (verrrrrry slowly) getting back into the swing of things.  It’s quite an adjustment to go from an action-packed-always-on-the-go-surrounded-by-people-partying-every-night atmosphere, to being…back to work, home alone, same-old same-old.  I’m not knocking my life by any means – I’ve got a warm, cozy condo; a good (though perhaps boring) job; and great friends – but it’s still quite a change to get re-established into.  And I’m someone who really likes to have things to look forward to (which is why I’m planning my next adventure!).

When I googled this country, I noticed it ALSO has a lot of sheep…guess it’s my thing 😉  *Hint hint* 

ANYWAY.  Enough whining, and on with the show, right?  Right.  Tonight, I opted get a bunch of ‘To Do’s’ done and make bread (because what’s more comforting than baking bread!?), but I want to show you what you can expect to see on the blog in the next week or two.  I happily came home to a few surprise packages that had been sent my way, so despite the fact that I haven’t been buying much in the way of exciting cosmetics in the past couple months (though…I did pick up an eyeshadow this weekend ~guilty face~), I do have several holiday sets – four to be exact – to fill you in on!

Illamasqua Lip Twin Set*

Intense Lipgloss in Plentiful & Lipstick in Obey

Hourglass Best of Hourglass Collection*

(Top to Bottom): Veil Mineral Primer, Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara, Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Ignite, No. 28 Primer Serum

Make Up For Ever All Eyes On You Set*

(Clockwise from left): HD High Definition Powder, Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color in #16 (Pink Beige), Smoky Lash Extra Black Mascara, Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils in 21L (dark grey) and 0L (mat black)

Benefit High Flyin’ Glosses Lip Gloss Set

(Clockwise from top left): Coralista, Dallas, Bella Bamba, Dandelion, Sugarbomb, Hoola

I think that’s a pretty good start to the holidays, don’t you?  I will tell you now, I am absolutely IN LOVE with the Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum – it makes my skin look amazing on it’s own, improves it’s texture, doesn’t cause ANY breakouts or irritation (even on my normal-to-oily skin), and my makeup wears better and smoother with it on (though I will say, it doesn’t make it last all day long).  I’m definitely buying a full-size when money isn’t so tight!

So – keep your eyes peeled!  I spent the morning Sunday taking photos of everything, though I have to redo my lipgloss swatches as I had a bit of unnoticed flaking going on – yikes!  I don’t want to scare you away just when I’ve gotten back! 🙂  Also…..one (or even two!) of these sets just *might* be part of a giveaway coming soon to a blog near you – just sayin’.

What’s on everyone’s wish list for the holiday season, cosmetics-wise?  Anything you’ve already picked up and are loving?
*Products marked with an * were provided to me for consideration of review by the PR company/brand.