Not as Good as Gold: Review of L'Oréal Colour Riche Lipstick in Gold Addiction

Affiliate Links

Yep. That's the title I came up with for this post. Anyway, do you ever buy something with a specific and entirely unrealistic image of it in your mind, and then feel massively disappointed when it doesn't live up to that image, even though you know it's your fault for inventing it in the first place? What happened here is that, at the beginning of the metallic lipstick trend a couple of years ago, L'Oréal released their Gold Obsessions lipstick range in the U.K. Some photo I saw convinced me that the plain gold lipstick in that collection was the one. That unlike every other gold lipstick I had ever seen, it was shiny and metallic, rather than sparkly, and opaque, rather than patchy.

So when I saw that that collection had finally popped up on the Ulta website this fall, although with the name changed from Obsession to Addiction, I decided that I needed Gold Addiction, the pure gold option. I didn't do much additional research other than to confirm that this was the same collection. I ordered it.

Then it arrived and it was sheer. And sparkly. And slippery. And patchy. Sure enough, I can't find whatever photo it was that once upon a time made me think this lipstick was going to be special. Did I dream it?

I think maybe you can see in the photo above that the fine glitter has already started to migrate off of my lips, even though I only applied the lipstick two minutes before taking the photo.

Gold seems to be a difficult color to get high pigmentation from when it comes to lipstick. When Bite Beauty teased their zodiac lipstick for Leo this year, I saw the gold bullet and was intrigued. But then swatches demonstrated that it, too, was sheer. I may be the least Leo-y Leo ever, but even I think a sheer gold lipstick is a yawn. I have certainly seen other metallics that are more opaque, even from a bullet and not a liquid formula (though they do have a tendency to be slippery). I don't know if it's the yellow--it's hard to find a yellow eyeshadow or even nail polish that isn't patchy. But then it's not hard to find an opaque gold eyeshadow or nail polish! So the possible technical limitations in play here are eluding me.

Here's a comparison with the sheer gold from Bite's 2016 holiday duos (reviewed here). Gold Addiction is very similar, just a bit sparklier and warmer. The warmer yellow gold of the L'Oréal lipstick is harder for me to wear--I can't generally wear warm yellows on my face without looking a bit sick.

Maybe Pat McGrath's new gold lipstick will be the gold holy grail, but I don't think I'm going to gamble (much more!) on it. Probably I should just finally open up the PMG Labs package I won in the Makeup Museum giveaway and play with the gold pigment. That is if I really want to have opaque gold lips, which, let's face it, is hardly an everyday look for me. This might just be a dream I should let go.

If you're looking for a sheer, shimmery gold lipstick, Gold Addiction is . . . one of the ones that exists. But it's nothing very special. Do you do the whole extra glitter and metallics for the holidays? I like the idea in theory, but in practice I'm not going to be attending the kinds of events where I'll dress up like that.

Urban Decay Backtalk Vice Lipstick Comparisons (plus a quick review of NYX Slip Tease Full Color Lip Oil in Lowkey)

Affiliate Links

Urban Decay's Vice Lipstick in Backtalk, in their Comfort Matte finish, is one of the most popular shades in that huge line. They even made a whole eye and face palette based on it. It's in that dusty pink/mauve/MLBB (my-lips-but-better) family, which is the largest category of lip products in my hoard. Despite its popularity and my personal preference for this type of shade, there's something about Backtalk that's just a little off when I wear it. It's not that it looks bad, exactly, but it also doesn't make my face look better than it did without any lipstick.

I decided to swatch all my lipsticks that are even remotely similar to see if I can pick out any patterns and discern why Backtalk doesn't work for me. And since I was doing that, I figured I might as well post them here for you, in case you want to find/avoid dupes--or in case you can help me answer my question.

Here are the swatches, in no particular order. The first swatch in every photo is always Urban Decay Backtalk.

1. Urban Decay Backtalk

2. Bite Beauty Pepper (Luminous Creme formula)

3. Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé

4. BareMinerals GEN NUDE Liquid Lipstick in Swag

5. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick

6. Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in Rosewood

7. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Fig

So of the lipsticks in this selection, besides Backtalk, the only two I don't really like on myself are the KVD Lovesick and Bite Fig. Lovesick is a little cooler, with more pink/purple, than Backtalk, and Fig is much warmer and peachier. (Fortunately Lovesick is also a sample, because since it does that dried-up butthole thing to my lips, I wouldn't want to be stuck with a whole tube. Also, I don't buy Kat Von D products.) I'm not sure I'm seeing a pattern here yet.

1. Urban Decay Backtalk (It's interesting how Backtalk will look different depending on what other swatches you put it next to. The lighting is the same!)

2. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Rhubarb

3. Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in Touch of Spice (reviewed here)

4. NYX Slip Tease Full Color Lip Oil in Lowkey (which is very, very similar to Touch of Spice--more on this lipstick below!)

5. Colourpop Lux Lipstick in Angel City

6. Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

7. Wet N Wild Megalast Lipstick in Rose-bud

Everything here is much warmer than Backtalk, and it all works well for me, so maybe that's something. Rhubarb is slightly blah on me, but I'm guessing it would look great on people who like Revlon Sultry, which is similar to Maybelline Touch of Spice but slightly less flattering on me (review/comparison here).

Side note: has anyone ever come across a dupe for Wet N Wild Rose-bud? I love the color, but the Megalast formula always dries out my lips.

1. Urban Decay Backtalk 

2. L'Oréal Colour Riche La Lacque Lip Pen in Choco-lacque (reviewed here)

3. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rapture (discontinued, but available in Vice format)

4. Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Sheer Rapture (discontinued)

5. Revlon Balm Stain in Honey (reviewed here)

6. Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Pussycat

Pussycat looks closest to Backtalk here, and it's also the one I like least on my face, though slightly better than Backtalk. These two lipsticks are both pretty muted (i.e. they have grey added), so that could be a clue. Rapture looks muted when you consider it alone, but next to Backtalk, it's a bit more saturated.

1. Urban Decay Backtalk 

2. Tarte Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit (i.e. last year's Sephora birthday gift)

3. LA Girl Matte Lipstick in Snuggle (reviewed here)

4. Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Sedona Sands

5. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Thistle

None of the above is particularly similar to Backtalk, so the fact that most of them work for me isn't especially informative. The exception is Birthday Suit, which is an unflattering beige--I think it's the yellow undertones that set it apart from the superficially similar Snuggle. Come to think of it, though, Thistle is both very muted and pretty cool, and I like it a lot on me. Maybe that's because it's more of a statement corpse-lip, rather than just looking accidentally blah. (I'm wearing it in this Instagram pic, though the lighting isn't great.)

You probably want to see what Backtalk actually looks like on me at this point. (Apologies for the grainy photo.)

Like I said, it's not awful, but a great lipstick will light up your face, and a good lipstick will at least be better than nothing.

I'm not sure what I've learned through this process. I need my MLBB lipsticks to be muted, but not too muted, and more brown than grey, maybe. Or more brown than pink? Thoughts? I have definitely learned that I have way too many similar lipsticks (ok, I already knew that), and that weirdly enough I have never reviewed most of these. Any you'd like to know more about?

I'll tell you more right now about one of them. I recently used Ulta points to pick up a lipstick from one of NYX's 700 or so liquid lipstick lines, a newer one called Slip Tease Full Color Lip Oil. It's full color, sure, but having oil in the name is a bit of a red herring. It's not like YSL Tint-In-Oil or most other products called lip oils. It's less drying than most matte liquid lipsticks, sure, but there's nothing that looks or feels oily about it. (There are a few oils halfway down the ingredients list, but a lot of other things come before them.)

Here is Lowkey on my face:

More flattering, wouldn't you agree, than Backtalk? The rest of my makeup is the same, as is the lighting. Here's a lip swatch:

When you see it all alone, it looks like a rosy pink, but in the swatches above (second set), you can see that it definitely has some brown in it when compared to other lipsticks in the same family. The formula is really lovely. It's slightly moussey and thick enough that you can easily and neatly apply it using just the doe foot (not as thick as the Tarte liquid lipstick, though). It's opaque in one coat, but not so pigmented that it risks getting really messy. The finish is demi-matte. It dries down a bit but not completely, so it retains slip and moisture and feels pretty much like a bullet lipstick--yet it doesn't transfer easily. Wear time is about the same as a decent bullet, so you'll probably have to reapply after a meal. Best of all, it doesn't dry my lips out.

This is one of the nicest lipsticks I've tried recently, and probably the nicest liquid lipstick I've ever used. I'd recommend giving it a try if you see a color you like. That's my one complaint: while I love Lowkey (way to be hip to the new slang, kids), none of the other colors really interests me. There's variety, but something about the selection bores me. Bang Bang and Entice might be ok? I think a terracotta orange would be really great in this formula.

I kind of ordered Lowkey blind (you can never trust Ulta's photos for color accuracy), but it ended up working great. It would be nice if I could work out some kind of rules to predict which lipsticks will work best on me. Do you know what works for you when you see it, or do you have to try everything on like I do?

Floating clown mouth: Review of Colourpop Lux Lipstick in Getty

Affiliate Links

It's fun for me to see unconventional hair colors becoming more mainstream. If we have to experience all the terrible things predicted by dystopian fiction, it's a small consolation to also have people walking around with blue and green and purple hair. A very, very small consolation for those of us with the luxury of of being consoled. But despite the fact that every drugstore makeup brand sells blue and green and purple lipstick now, I still rarely see it on people's actual faces in the wild. How much you see it may depend on where you live, but I live in one of the biggest cities in the country, and it's still a rare sight. I'm hoping it'll become less remarkable before it goes out of style, just like it was still unusual to see shimmery blue nail polish in the mid-90s, but now no one bats an eye at it.

Despite my hopes and dreams, not all garish lipsticks are for everyone. Disregarding that truth, I impulsively bought Colourpop's Lux Lipstick in Getty soon after it appeared (well, as impulsive as it is to wait to see how Temptalia reviews it), even though I have a poor track record when it comes to actually wearing odd lipsticks in public. I bought it anyway, because teal is my favorite color--and because I work in museums and currently live in L.A., and it's called Getty. I don't remember ever buying something based on the name before, so it was a weird moment, I guess.

For $7, this is a pretty fantastic teal lipstick. In fact, it would be a fantastic lipstick at any price. It's smooth, pigmented, and comfortable. It feels hydrating. It wears surprisingly well for a green lipstick. If anything, my only minor complaint is with the packaging. While I think the design is stunning, especially the stars on the side of the lipstick bullet itself, in going for that "luxe" impression (not lux, which just means light in Latin), they've made the tube heavier and larger than a typical lipstick. It's made of metal, which explains the weight. But that combined with the size just make it that much more awkward to apply. Here it is compared to a Revlon tube, which is a standard size. The Lux Lipstick is both taller and bigger in diameter.

This is a minor quibble, but being positive all the time makes me queasy. The increased awkwardness is probably only a problem because with a dark, vibrant shade like Getty, precision is that much more important. Here's Getty applied from the bullet, blotted once, and then layered again. A little messy.

Fortunately I have an eyeliner in almost this exact color, so I was able to use that to clean up the edges and get a nicer shape. (Of course Ulta discontinued the shade I used, because it was perfect, but Urban Decay Mainline looks similar). If you're good with a lip brush, I'm sure that would work just as well.

Getty really is a gorgeous lipstick. It has a subtly glossy finish with just enough translucency to give it depth without being at all sheer. And it's a perfect teal, right in the middle of blue and green.

Unfortunately, it's just not my color. Unlike that evil blue lipstick I tried, which looked surprisingly flattering, Getty gives me what I would call floating clown lips (hence the title of the post). It's like someone drew a cartoon mouth and stuck it to my face.

I mean, I don't think it's hideous or anything. But it's not exactly harmonious. Or effortless. Maybe it could work with a more glam or elaborate overall look, but that's not really my style. (Also, this is the best facial expression I could muster? I've been having a bad selfie streak lately.)

Maybe this will just have to be a souvenir of my time in Los Angeles (and a warning against more green lipsticks). I still recommend it for anyone who thinks it might flatter them or who doesn't give a shit about flattery. It's a good lipstick. And teal!

The cheapest metallic thrills: Wet N Wild Silk Finish Lipsticks in Dark Pink Frost and Fuchsia with Blue Pearl

Affiliate Links

Auxiliary Beauty has created a very useful taxonomy flowchart of lipstick finishes, which I think is totally accurate. According to that chart, these two lipsticks are neither metallic, as I'm calling them, nor frosts, as Wet N Wild calls (one of) them. They are probably best classified somewhere in the duochrome or shimmer/pearl families. And yet everything is apparently metallic these days, so I've lazily labelled these things that way too, because I think they serve as cheap dupes or alternatives for the various "metallic" lipsticks that are popping up left and right lately. Whatever you want to call them, they're are good starters for people venturing into reflective lip territory (as well as for those of us who are already pretty comfortable there).

Wet N Wild's Silk Finish Lipsticks are about the cheapest lipsticks you're going to get at 99 cents, and they're really no frills. The packaging is basic (though better designed than the slightly more expensive Wet N Wild MegaLast tubes). Even the names of most of them are simply descriptive. I'm guessing they date back to when these lipsticks were first released, which must be at least 25 years ago, though I haven't been able to find out their history. Even if Dark Pink Frost doesn't seem entirely accurate (it's neither dark nor a frost?), it'll certainly tell you more about what you're getting than the names of the new shades added to the line a few years ago, like What's Up Doc?.

There's definitely some variation in the quality and finish of the lipsticks in this line. I used to have Nouveau Pink, which was a bubblegum pink cream, and it applied and wore wonderfully. In contrast, What's Up Doc? (reviewed here), another cream, was a streaky, slippery mess (but makes a great cream blush!). Both of these shimmers are gorgeous, but Dark Pink Frost is much sheerer than Fuchsia with Blue Pearl. They both have an average wear time--they're not going to last all day, but you're also not going to look in a mirror an hour after applying them to find a mess. Fuchsia with Blue Pearl in particular leaves a pretty even stain behind.

It's a bit difficult to capture the blue in FWBP in a photo, but it's definitely there. And you can see that DPF has some more sparkly shimmer, while FWBP has that smooth pearly finish. But since neither of them reflects back icy or silvery, I don't think they're truly frosty. Each of the swatches below is a few swipes, since, as I said, neither is completely opaque.

So you can see where their subtle duochrome identity comes in. DPF is pink with gold shimmer, or rose gold, and FWBP is, well, fuchsia with blue pearl.

On my lips, DPF does emphasize lines a bit, but that doesn't bother me. Lips normally have lines in them, regardless of age. Think of it the other way around: the texture of my lips enhances the shimmer. It's a warm, rosy pink that keeps it from veering into scarily frosty territory, and it's easy to wear with whatever else I have going on.

FWBP is bolder, for sure, but the blue is subtle enough that if you can pull off a bright pink in general, this isn't going to look costumey or bizarre. It's not perfectly opaque, but it's pigmented enough that you can get good coverage in one layer. Both of these lipsticks are non-drying and maybe even a little moisturizing. Both of the disguise dry flakiness in my lips rather than exaggerating it.

I think these are both, in fact, totally 80s lipsticks while at the same time being totally current. I mean, Too Faced could easily feed us some unicorn-fairy bullshit to sell these colors. Overall, the Wet N Wild Silk Finish lipsticks are decent products with some interesting colors in the line. I think these two stand on their own as just plain good lipsticks, but the $1 price also makes them an excellent choice for trying out colors and finishes you might not be sure will work for you.

I've only tried the four Silk Finish lipsticks mentioned here. Are there any others you've used that you'd recommend?

Plummy bronze: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Accident and Urban Decay Revolution Lip Gloss in Shadowheart

Affiliate Links

Can you tell I couldn't come up with a good title? Titles are always the hardest part of any writing. In general, though, I've been struggling a bit with motivation/inspiration to blog lately, even though I've been fully enjoying my beauty products. I think I've figured something out. I usually have some kind of angle to my posts, like a comparison or an analysis, you know? At the very least I'm trying to write about whether or not something is worth buying. But right now I have a lot of products that I haven't written about, but that don't exactly have a hook. So I've been feeling like I have nothing to write about, even though I actually have a ton of shit. It's not that these products aren't interesting; it's just that they aren't gimmicky or controversial, etc. But I'm just going to go ahead and write about them anyway. Why not? We'll look at some pretty (I hope) pictures together and think about makeup and skincare. I definitely still have some of my old tricks up my sleeve, but I'm also going to work my way through my hoard and show you all the things. Does that sound cool?

I'm starting with a lipstick I bought in the fall, Urban Decay Vice Accident, and a gloss I bought earlier in the winter, Urban Decay Revolution Shadowheart. They're an obvious pairing since they're almost exactly the same color in two different formulas and finishes (obviously). Shadowheart has been discontinued, along with the rest of the Revolution glosses, but you may still be able to get it for $11 on Urban Decay's site, which is where I got this tube. It's also been included in their new lip gloss formula, which isn't available yet.

(Side note: It looks like Urban Decay changed their loyalty program so that you don't get free shipping until the second tier, which is too bad. But if you're going to shop from their site anyway, I think it's still worth joining to get the birthday gift, etc. This is my referral link, which gives you 10 points.)

Accident is one of the metallized Vice lipsticks, with a plummy brown base and gold shimmer. The brown is on the neutral side (is neutral a side?), but it will probably look different depending on your natural lip color, since it's just a little sheer. Shadowheart looks a bit redder in the tube, but is also a brown base with gold shimmer, though not nearly as metallic as Accident.

Why did I buy a gloss the same color as a lipstick I already had? I DON'T KNOW.

Here, swatches! Accident on the left, Shadowheart on the right.

See how similar they are? Shadow heart has a little more red in it, but it's very close.

It's interesting how Accident doesn't look very reflective in a swatch, like it does on the lips. Arm swatches can only tell you so much. Let me show you.

Here is Accident on my lips:

Like I said, it's a bit sheer, so I apply a layer, blot, and then apply a second layer. I haven't had any trouble with bleeding or settling into lip lines. The wear time is decent, and it doesn't look ugly as it wears off, though it's certainly not an unusually long-wearing lipstick. It's extremely comfortable, just like almost every Urban Decay lipstick I've tried. (The exception is Sheer F-Bomb, reviewed here.) It feels lovely--I'd go as far as to say it's a actually moisturizing.

Here's my whole face. (Excuse the terrible reflections on my glasses. I've yet to find the right lighting for selfies in this apartment. If I go out on the balcony, I end up squinting and frowning, but inside in front of a window this happens. I'm working on it. Maybe I should get Lasik for purely blogging purposes.)

I think that the pink in my lips enhances the plum in this lipstick a little, and those purplish undertones help it to be more flattering on me than a true brown lipstick would be. The gold shimmer gives Accident a glossy look as much as a metallic finish. It's a really fun and unusual lipstick, but totally wearable for pretty much any occasion. Here's another photo of it in warmer indoor lighting.

Shadowheart was a little disappointing, because it looks more shimmery and opaque in Temptalia's photos. I also have the Revolution gloss in After Dark, which is so opaque that it's almost a liquid lipstick, so I had high expectations.

In the photo above, I've applied a pretty heavy layer of Shadowheart, and you can see that it's still pretty sheer and a little patchy. It doesn't look bad from a distance, though (below). The gold shimmer is extremely understated. It's a nice gloss in a great color that I didn't have--it just doesn't have the impact of Accident. It is, however, just as comfortable and moisturizing as the lipstick.

See? A pretty gloss, for sure. Using Too Faced's Lip Insurance (reviewed here) helps a bit with the pigmentation, and Shadowheart also looks great layered on top of Accident.

As you can see, I've now fully embraced the brown lipstick life. I'm enjoying both of these, though if I had to choose, obviously I'd go with Accident. It's a really special lipstick in my overflowing collection. Shadowheart has been included in the new Urban Decay lip gloss selection, though, so maybe they've amped up the shimmer and pigment. Here's hoping!

My 2017 Makeup and Skincare Favorites

Affiliate Links

Without too much preamble, I'm going to dive right into my favorite products from the last year, and then when I get to the end of the list, I'll discuss any patterns or other observations that come from looking at the group as a whole. These weren't all necessarily new releases in 2017--because I'm not that on top of trends--but they are things that I bought in 2017 or late 2016 and enjoyed during the last year.

Urban Decay Naked Heat palette and Juvia's Place The Nubian palette

The easiest choices for my list this year were the two palettes above. I've never been a big eyeshadow palette hoarder, but last year I ended up with a few of them, and I seem to have my eye on some others. Not sure what's going on there, but I doubt I will ever have more than a half dozen or so palettes as large as these. Even that is a lot of eyeshadow.

Urban Decay's latest Naked palette offering seems to be a bit polarizing. There are those who complain that all the colors are so similar that it's hard to create a look using just this palette that has any contrast. Fair enough. Then there are those like me who absolutely love coppery eyeshadows, and who have small and/or hooded lids, so that they don't create complex designs with their eye makeup anyway. I rarely use more than a couple of different eyeshadows at the same time. So for me, a whole spectrum of variations on a favorite in different finishes is right up my alley. While I understand why it's not for everyone, it's still one of my personal favorites from the past year. I also like the 80s-style design of the packaging, for what it's worth. (I haven't actually swatched or written about this palette here yet--not that there's a lack of information about it out there--but I will work on that.)

Juvia's Place The Nubian is another warm palette, like so many that came after it in 2016-2017. It's more exciting than Naked Heat, but also trickier to use (for me, at least). I reviewed it here, but the main difference is that the shadows tend to appear more orange/pink/red rather than brown on me, even those that look quite brown in the pan. It's beautiful and good quality and a lot of fun, though, so I don't like it any less than Naked Heat.

Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Ultra Black

I finally bought the Physician's Formula liquid liner pen with all its ridiculous claims and horribly long name, and it's as great as everyone says it is. I reviewed it here. I recently brought the brown too, but I'm waiting to finish another brown liquid liner before I crack it open.

Butter London Glazen Eye Gloss in Oil Slick

This gooey, glittery cream eyeshadow isn't anything like a staple product, but it's got to be the most unusual and entertaining makeup I've bought recently. Swatched in all its glory here. I see that Butter London now has blushes and a highlighter in the same formula--intriguing! I will probably use some Ulta points to try out the blush at some point, though surely it's not as sparkly as the eyeshadow (right?), because I don't think that would work for me.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Yellow and Essence Eyebrow Designer Pencil in Soft Blonde

Urban Decay's yellow corrector, on the other hand, has become a staple in my routine. I use it almost every day. (Reviewed here.) It's not cheap, however, so I've bought the LA Girl version, and I'm going to write a comparison post soon, since my Urban Decay tube is getting low.

What is cheap, though, is this Essence eyebrow pencil. Soft Blonde is a nice taupe that is slightly warmer than my discontinued Avon favorite, so while it's not the absolutely perfect shade, for $2 I will gladly accept nearly perfect. It's the right softness and pigmentation (i.e. not too much of either) to make it easy to use when I'm in a hurry (i.e. every morning).

Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks

From left to right above: Venom, Backtalk, Manic, Rock Steady, Sheer F-Bomb, Wildfire, Accident, Epigram.

Instead of choosing a specific lip product as my favorite, I figured that the number of Vice lipsticks I've accumulated by now is pretty good evidence of how much I like this line. Mind you, two were mini gifts-with-purchase, and there's one here that I don't actually like much (Manic), but I wanted to include them all for completeness. They combine easy application and wear with interesting colors and, most important for me, comfort. My only complaint is that I wish the case didn't look like a fucking bullet. I understand the visual pun, but I could really do without it. (By the way, I swatched a ton of Vice lipsticks from samples last year.)

Oh, you know what I just realized that's kind of weird? Of all the full-size Vice lipsticks I own, only two have not been discontinued (Manic and Accident). That probably says something profound about who I am as a person, or whatever.

CosRx Acne Pimple Master Patches, Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster, and (not pictured) Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Serum

Moving three times to three different states with three very different climates within the space of a year has really confused my skin. I've needed to use more of these CosRx patches than I'd like, but they are reliable. I reviewed them here.

I actually don't remember when I started using my first bottle of the Paula's Choice Niacinamide Booster, but I'm now on my second. I've come to realize that my skin just really responds well to niacinamide, which keeps it smoother and clearer. It's convenient to be able to add this stuff to whatever other product I'm using at the time. It's very pricey, though, so when I finish this bottle I might try The Ordinary's niacinamide stuff, and I've also heard that Stratia's Rewind has a lot of niacinamide and is great. But it'll be a while before I need something else.

Paula's Choice Omega+ Serum is something that I loved, used up, and didn't replace, because it's more than I want to spend right now. But it made my skin feel fantastic, and--even though it's not a benefit they advertise--it cleared up the redness in the center of my face better than anything I've used before or since (including the Paula's Choice Redness Reducing Serum). It was also hydrating enough that I didn't need to use a separate moisturizer in the summer. I'm probably going to have to just buy another bottle, because it has so many ingredients in it that I could waste a lot of money trying to pinpoint what exactly worked so well for me.

So those are my favorites! It's a smallish list, I guess because I already have products in most categories that I love and continue to use from past years (listed here and here and here), and nothing more recent has surpassed them. Two observations from looking at the list as a whole: (1) there is some stuff here that's more expensive than what I usually buy myself; and (2) Urban Decay is heavily represented. On the first point, that's mainly due to having an Ulta MasterCard that I pay off every month. I use the points to get things I might not otherwise buy. (I'm a Canadian who never thought I would stay in the US this long, and I suddenly found I needed to build credit at a rather late stage in my life. And there was that pre-approved Ulta card . . .) On the second point, I've just been liking Urban Decay, I guess. I mean, they have been churning out a lot of crap, and their "shock me, shock me, shock me" eye-rolling marketing doesn't exactly resonate with me, but I've tried a bunch of things that I ended up enjoying a lot.

I was also going to write a disappointments post, like I did last year, but I wasn't able to come up with a very good list. That's surprising for a bitter bitch like myself. (Honorable mentions go to every Maybelline and L'Oréal mascara I tried, though, because they always, always flake like crazy on me.) Can I chalk it up to continued learning and having a better idea of what I like and what I don't like? I certainly think I made fewer impulse purchases in 2017 than in previous years, but as for whether I know myself better, let's give it another year and check in again.

What have you been liking (or hating) recently--whether it's something new or an old favorite? I'm always up for recommendations!

My First Colourpop: Blotted Lip in Candyfloss

Here I am, as usual, years behind the trend curve, with my one and only Colourpop purchase. For whatever reason, I've never been particularly attracted to Colourpop products. It may be because, despite my unreasonable hoard of makeup, I tend not to approach makeup with a collector's attitude, but rather by looking for functional, workhorse products. Most of the time. I get the impression that Colourpop makeup tends not to last an especially long time, either because of its small size or because it will dry up or go bad quickly (obviously this is unlikely to be the case with their new pressed powders). For instance, the Lippie Stix like the one I'm reviewing here are pretty cheap per unit at $5 a piece, but since they contain only a gram of product, they are relatively expensive by weight. I think, then, that they are ideal for someone who wants one of every color and/or doesn't expect to finish lipstick quickly, but less ideal for someone looking to discover their favorite lipstick and wear it constantly. But you know all of that already.

None of the above prevented me from pouncing when Colourpop offered a Blotted Lip for free with shipping a few months ago. It was the perfect way for a (cheap) skeptic like me to try one of their products without having to commit to a big order that would make the shipping seem more reasonable (bad economics, I know). I was on a brown/terracotta lipstick kick this summer (like everyone else), and it hasn't ended yet, so I'm glad I chose Candyfloss. The Blotted Lips are sheer, matte lipsticks, most often compared to Glossier's much pricier Generation G lipsticks.

Here's Candyfloss on my lips:

It's actually not super sheer, as you can see, but it's translucent enough to make it easy to swipe on quickly without worrying too much about mistakes. Because it's sheer, it can look a tiny bit patchy, but only on really close inspection, which most people are not going to subject you to, I assume. I'm guessing that it might appear smoother on someone with a more brownish or peachy natural lip color than it does on my pink lips, because the color showing through wouldn't contrast--whereas pink or fuschia sheer stains tend to look more natural on me.

I like this lipstick a lot. It wears well, and when it fades, it doesn't look messy. It's slightly drying, but you can apply a decent layer of balm underneath or even on top of it, and it will only enhance how it looks. (I'm unreasonably picky about things that dry out my lips, so you might not find this stuff drying at all.) I haven't had any difficulty with the packaging or anything else.

Here are comparisons with some other brownish lipsticks I own. I swiped each one just a single time so that you can see the relative opacity.

Left to right: (1) Colourpop Blotted Lip in Candyfloss; (2) Urban Decay Epigram; (3) Maybelline Maple Kiss; (4) LA Girl Matte Flat Velvet Lipstick in Hush; (5) Maybelline Touch of Spice; and (6) Bite Beauty Pepper.

Candyfloss is now the most orangey-brown lipstick I own, even compared to Maple Kiss, which I used too think was too brown for me to wear. It's quite clearly a lot sheerer than the others I've swatched, though Hush and Pepper are close. If you want a sheer, matte, nude that's available in drugstores (i.e. not just online like Colourpop), LA Girl Hush is a decent alternative for only $4, though obviously it's a much cooler nude than Candyfloss.

The colo(u)r of Candyfloss is beautiful, and the formula is great, so if you're placing a Colourpop order, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it\\adding it to your cart. Of the Blotted Lips, it's one I haven't heard people talk much about, but it's very wearable (at least for me). I probably won't be picking up more of these any time soon, or any other Colourpop products for that matter, but that's mostly because I am trying not to spend money on makeup right now. I will certainly let you know if I happen upon another Colourpop freebie, however!

ETA: Here's a $5 off referral link!

Do you prefer sheer or opaque lip products? Sheer are more beginner friendly, and I certainly had to work my way up to the super-pigmented, but I still love something like this that's simple to apply and reapply.

Can I Wear Brown Lipstick?

Affiliate Links

L.A. Girl Matte Lipstick in Snuggle, NudeStix Magnetic Matte in Greystone, and Maybelline ColorSensational Maple Kiss

We've been in the midst of a 90s retro revival (sometimes 70s-via-90s) in fashion and beauty for a few years now, for better or for worse. The rule I've heard a lot about wearing throwback trends is that if you wore it the first time around, you shouldn't wear it when it comes back. That rings pretty true to me, I suppose, but then that's probably because the things I wore as a teenager aren't exactly coming back as styles that suit suit my 35-year-old self. Not that I am advocating some amorphous age-appropriateness rule here. I'm just saying that the things I wore as a teenager are not things that I want to wear as an adult. If you'd like to borrow my wide-leg carpenter khakis or my gold cross chokers or my white eyeliner, they are probably still stored away somewhere in my parents' attic. I think, however, that if you follow that trend rule too strictly, you can end up stuck in a rut because you avoid updating your look at all for fear of looking ridiculous. I'm trying to find my place in the space between.

So while not long ago the thought of reviving trends from my high school years would have brought to mind this, of which I long ago cycled past acceptance and into rejection:

I just watched Buffy again earlier this year, and her makeup is usually much better than this.

I'm now used to seeing similar colors and textures made modern and fresh and appealing. (I'm also super into the shimmery and metallic lipsticks we're getting after years of matte everything--more on that another time!) I used to think that I just can't do brown lipsticks (witness my lack of success with the Bite Beauty Multisticks). Part of the problem is that brown lipsticks, perhaps more than most colors other than red, are finnicky, and you might have to try a whole bunch of options before you find the one that's right for you. When I decided to try the whole brown lipstick thing again, I remembered that I had one stuck in a reject drawer: Maybelline Maple Kiss. Hooray for hoarding! When I tried on Maple Kiss again (see below), my first thought was, "Wow, this actually looks great!" My second thought was, "Wait, am I just being brainwashed by trends?" But on further reflection, I don't think that's exactly what's happening. In 2014, you would be hard pressed to find warm brown lipsticks being presented in an updated, attractive way. In 2017, those images are everywhere.

If you've watched TV in the last six months or so, you've seen this. For example, Jess from New Girl, who typically wore reddish or rosy lipsticks in the past shifted to a more orangey-brown family in the last season.

Peach? Sienna? Terracotta? Clay? Whatever.

The more exposure we have to new things presented in aesthetically pleasing ways, the more we can come to appreciate them as beautiful. (If you are trying to work on body acceptance, it can work in a similar way. The more beautiful images of bodies of all shapes and sizes you're exposed to, the more you'll train yourself to find them attractive--or you'll suddenly realize it's happened without any effort.)

Brown has been happening for a while, but I largely avoided the corpsey greige lips of the last few years, while admiring them, because they felt like too much of a high-maintenance statement look for my preferences. I have a handful of brownish lipsticks at this point, but I'm looking at three of them here that represent different takes on the latest version of the look, which I think are both current and easily wearable. This is my personal test of whether or not I want to wear brown lipstick (spoiler: yes), and if so, what version I like best.

Swatches of L.A. Girl Matte Lipstick in Snuggle, NudeStix Magnetic Matte in Greystone, and Maybelline ColorSensational Maple Kiss

The three lipsticks pictured above fall into three categories: brownish nude, true brown, and warm/terracotta brown.

When Red Isn't Red: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Sheer F-Bomb

Affiliate Links

Look! A real review! I've been bogged down in work stuff and cat nursing (which you can read a little about here if you missed it), but I'm settling into more of a routine now, so I've finally found time to write more than a couple of sentences.

Remember when I had too many sheer red lip products? Probably not, but I did. Because I had so many, I gave some of them away. And then a few of the ones I kept went off, because I have too much shit, and I got bored with these reds for a while. In the end, I was left with just Revlon Balm Stain in Romantic, which is a formula that I love (and one that seems to last forever without going bad).

In theory, I like Romantic. It's easy to apply and easy to wear, and the warm, slightly orangey red is pretty. So I've kept trying to love it, but there's something just a bit off with my complexion when I wear it. It makes my face a little sallow or sickly or something, so I'll end up looking in the mirror a couple of hours later and grimacing.

I decided ultimately that I needed a new sheer red, because the right one can liven up a look without being too dramatic or competing with my eye makeup like a fully opaque red might do. Yes, I know I could just apply an opaque red in a sheer layer or mix it with some balm, but I was feeling impractical and lazy. In the end, I should have used something I already had, because my new lipstick was a bit of a letdown.

I ended up buying Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Sheer F-Bomb, which is described as "sheer, classic red," toward the end of last year when I had a $10 credit burning a hole in my Beauty Junkies account. I hesitated a bit before getting it, because in close to half the lip swatches you see when you google it, it looks more pink than red. Makes sense, right? Light red is pink, after all, and if you sheer out red over pink lips, you're going to get pink-red, logically. But I still hoped for the best.

Well, you can guess what I got. Though the bullet (above) looks completely red, but on my lips it looks like a fuchsia pink.

I mean, that's not really red at all, is it? My complexion seems to enhance the pink in it much like it does with Revlon Cherries in the Snow (reviewed here). In the swatches below you can see that Sheer F-Bomb is closer to Cherries in the Snow than to any of my other reds.

Left to right: (1) Urban Decay Sheer F-Bomb, (2) Revlon Romantic, (3) NYX Matte Perfect Red, and (4) Revlon Cherries in the Snow.

And here's Sheer F-Bomb compared to Stila Convertible Color in Poppy, which is more opaque (and which I never wear on my lips, because I find it too drying).

You can see at the top of the Sheer F-Bomb swatch, where it's thicker, it looks red. Just like the bullet. I can't build it up to that color on my lips, though.

All is not lost. If I layer Sheer F-Bomb over Romantic, I get the neutral true red that I had in mind all along. Mind you, it's less than ideal to own two lipsticks that aren't great on their own, but at least I have something that I like here. (I don't mind a sheer pink, but I own enough of those already, and that's not what I was looking to add to my hoard with Sheer F-Bomb.)

Red! And of course I can adjust how warm or cool it is by adding more or less of one of the two lipsticks.

As for the formula and performance of Sheer F-Bomb, I'd say it's fine. Decent. It's nowhere near as lasting as a Revlon Balm Stain, though it does leave a light pink stain behind. It's also not as moisturizing as I've found most other Urban Decay Vice (and Revolution) lipsticks to be. Very slightly drying for me, in fact. It's a notch or two higher on the pigmentation scale than a Revlon Balm Stain. Oh and I hate the shotgun shell cases of the Vice lipsticks. So edgy. Blah.

It may be that if your lips are less pink than mine to begin with, you will get a lip color out of Urban Decay Sheer F-Bomb that's closer to how it looks in the bullet. Then again, the swatches on my arm are quite pink too. If you've been dreaming of a sheer version of Cherries in the Snow, you've got it--but you're probably better off not being as lazy as I am and just sheering out your favorite red lipstick yourself.

In conclusion: sheer red lipstick is tricky.

Are you into sheer lip colors, or are you strictly all about the opacity?