Review: Lipstick Queen Scarlet Red Sinner, Velvet Rope Brat Pack, and Jean Queen lipsticks

It's always fun to revisit a favorite brand featured on my blog from my first year of blogging. Lipstick Queen is one of the best niche beauty brands on the market. Lipstick Queen has tinted treatments like fan favorite Medieval (created to simulate the color that women achieved by rubbing lemon onto their lips - a makeup trick from centuries ago!) or Butterfly Ball (shimmering color spiked with a flash of iridescent turquoise). Hello Sailor made a splash last a Summer, a tube of sheer blue lipstick to work with your natural lip pigmentation to produce a striking yet natural shade of berry. Of course, these are only just a few examples of what Lipstick Queen has to offer. Poppy King, genius behind the brand, is a one of a kind woman in the beauty industry and I will be a forever fan of the brand. Poppy was even kind enough to let me interview her a few years back on my blog.

Lipstick Queen's beloved Saint and Sinner product line is amazing. If you see a color you love, you can can find the coverage you want, expertly tailored to your preference. The 10% pigment Saint and 90% pigment Sinner are available in 20 perfect shades.

I love red lipstick - and I love Scarlet Red Sinner. It's one of the greatest things that ever existed. One swipe of a color you love can lift your mood and give you that extra boost of confidence. Scarlet Red Sinner is a beautiful red with a strong blue undertone. Blue reds are so glamorous! I love the pigmentation of the Sinner formula. The finish is predominantly matte, but a very subtle sheen can present itself if you apply layer upon layer. I enthusiastically recommend this to any and every red lip lover.

Before I rave about the color of the lipstick, how glam is the packaging?! It has that vintage look that so many wish to attain. I can see myself reaching for Velvet Rope in Brat Pack to reapply in public just because it looks so unbelievably glamorous. I was surprised by how heavy the tube is, but that only adds to the glamour quota. The packaging of Brat Pack embodies vintage glamour and luxury in the very best way, but the color glides on so smoothly and rich. I love red lipsticks, and I plan to wear them forever. Some might think the price tag is a bit steep, but I think the quality of the lipstick is well worth it. I tried Brat Pack my second day home from the hospital (because adjusting to my halo brace was much tougher than I thought it would be and I needed a "pick me up"). My lips felt neglected after 5 days in the hospital so I wasn't sure how well this would apply to my lips, but it felt very silky and smooth. No complaints here; none at all.

The concept behind Jean Queen is pretty jean-ious. It was designed as the perfect casual lip color to wear with jeans. The pink contrasts with the blue color of jeans for a casually glam look. I like that it packs more of a pigmented punch than a nude lip. I prefer a little more color, so this was a perfect fit to fill the desire for a more casual shade in my lipstick collection. Jean Queen is a very natural looking sheer pink. The first word that comes to mind is "healthy". Most nudes tend to pull too orange or brown on me, so this is my idea of a perfect "nude".

You can find Lipstick Queen products are Barney's, Nordstrom, and the official Lipstick Queen online shop. 

Lipstick Queen on Facebook

Lipstick Queen on Twitter

Just a quick personal post -

I was in a really bad car accident in early September. I broke the second cervical vertabrae in my neck, so I had to be fitted for a cervical halo brace. I spent 5 days in the hospital. It's huge and bulky and I can't do much by myself and need assistance with everything but I'm scheduled for halo removal on December 6th.

Even though this experience has been the scariest ordeal I have ever had to go through, I feel very lucky and blessed to have survived. The name of my fracture is called "The Hangman's Fracture". The history behind the name goes back to the days of judicial hangings because the point of impact was positioned at the second cervical vertabrae. Even hospital/trauma personnel said that I was very lucky, and that it was a miracle from God that I was spared from death and spinal cord injury. I will be forever grateful.

I'm counting down the days on my The Hunger Games calendar! My sister has been updating my blog periodically for me so it's not completely neglected. I will be back soon, after I give my body some more time to heal itself.

Ashley

OCC Lip Tar All-Star Mini Set

OCC now has a limited edition set of minis available at Sephora! Love Lip Tar, but want smaller tubes for easy travel? Or, are you curious about trying Lip Tar, but weren't sure which color to buy? Now you can get a limited edition OCC Lip Tar All-Star Mini Set of 4 of their best selling colors (Memento, NSFW, Anime, Black Dahlia) in a cute little plastic zip bag with mini lip brush. The lip tars come in a miniature version of the full size tubes. With lip tar, a little goes a long way, so this set is totally a great budget friendly set for makeup lovers. Such an adorable set! Only $20 at Sephora - these would make awesome stocking-stuffers and gifts for friends this upcoming holiday season!

Keep Acne at Bay with Neutrogena Oil Free Wash and Cleansing Wipes

I've been a fan of Neutrogena since the 90's. Having an older sister, I was always getting into her products, and she always had cool skincare and makeup items like Neutrogena products. The Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash was an essential, and still is. The formula is gentle, lathers nicely, and leaves your face feeling clean without drying out your skin. It also uses salicylic acid to help ease breakouts and acne. It won't clog your pores and it leaves your skin feeling clean and soothed. Definitely a must have to keep pimples and acne at bay.

One of Neutrogena's newer products, the Neutrogena Oil Free Cleansing Wipes in Pink Grapefruit, are something I use daily. These wipes smell fresh and give you a burst of citrus fragrance that lingers on your skin lightly. These moistened wipes are great for on the go, or just having on your bathroom counter for a quick wipe down in the morning and at night. The wipes clean away pore-clogging dirt and leave your face feeling clean, fresh, and moisturized. These are great for oily skin and acne breakouts.

Review: Molton Brown Indian Cress Shampoo and Conditoner

I'm currently using Molton Brown Indian Cress Shampoo and Conditioner and it's great. It smells lovely like jasmine, honeysuckle and sandalwood. The smell is light and fresh, not too strong or overpowering. This purifying shampoo and conditioner improves shine, moisturizes your hair, and it is formulated with Indian Cress, which promotes hair growth. The shampoo creates a rich lather and leaves hair feeling clean and fresh, without over making it dry. The conditioner is rich and fragrant and gives your hair a lovely shine. I'm loving this haircare set right now! Available at Molton Brown for $30 a bottle.

Review: Mixed Chicks Spring Hair Bands

I have been wearing these in my hair non-stop lately. The multicultural haircare brand Mixed Chicks, just came out with awesome new hair accessories called Mixed Chicks Spring Bands. These hair bands are made of a super stretchy plastic material that holds your hair in place without pulling your hair or tangling your hair. Awesome! I often hair problems wearing my hair up in a elastic band or clip because it causes my hair to get tangled or gives me knots, not to mention, it often pulls my hair and can yank strands out. No fun! These hair bands from Mixed Chicks are different. They are comfy, lightweight, super stretchy, and they work on all hair types! They're available in cute colors like pink, blue, and yellow too. Each pack comes with 5 hair bands and is available at Mixed Chicks for only $3

REVIEW: Bite Beauty Cuvée Creme Lipstick

While beauty brands are regularly churning out new products, it's awesome to know that there are great quality brands devoted to lips. Bite Beauty has you covered from various color formula options (shades that pack a pigmented punch like High Pigment Matte Lip Pencils to a sheer kiss of color Lush Lip Tint), to Line & Define Lip Primer for all your priming needs, to Whipped Cherry Scrub and Superfruit Lip Butter to keep your lips in tip top shape. Bite Beauty is definitely not a brand to overlook at Sephora online or at a freestanding Sephora store.
I got to try some of the lipstick formula Bite Beauty Cuvee.  Swatches below!

Coral is such a fun shade. On my lips, Coral tends to lean on the pink side. I'm definitely not complaining, pink or red based corals are my favorite kind. I don't follow the usual color trends (only vampy colors in Fall/Winter and only bright shades in Spring/Summer). I personally believe that you should wear whatever color you want, whenever you want. This is similar to High Pigment Matte Pencil in Corvina, but with a creamier finish and overall texture/feel on my lips. I love how moisturizing these are!

Rose is a really pretty saturated red color. I can't get over how moisturizing these are. I'll admit; I have applied these lipsticks with less than super smooth lips and by the time I removed them, my lips were a lot softer and smoother. The pigmentation is amazing. I like to apply 2-3 coats in general with most lipsticks, but even a single coat of this delivered bright and bold evenly distributed color. You will never ever have to worry about patchiness with Bite Beauty lipsticks.

Note: At the time this review was initially written, the Cuvee Creme Lipsticks were available as individual shades. Sephora has since changed the availability, and the colors are available in a four shade gift set. The gift set includes Coral and Rose (swatched in this post), Blush and Blanc (two natural/neutral shades). It's a great way to try the Cuvee Creme formula while also trying out shades from separate color families.  The set is available at Sephora for $72.00

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics debuts at Comic Con 2013

How awesome is this?! I wish I lived in California so I could snag this gem of a lip tar. The metallic finish of OCC lip tars is simply out of this world. This Fall, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics will be adding six new beautiful Lip Tars to their already perfect product line-up! The Fall 2013 Lip Tar Collection, Moderncraft will feature a gorgeous mix of Stained Lip Gloss, Metallic Lip Tar, and regular Lip Tar. Moderncraft is scheduled to debut in August, which couldn't be more perfect because my birthday is in August!!!

Be sure to like Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics on Facebook and Twitter so you can keep up to date on all of the latest products and other news!

Check out this awesome press release!
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SAN DIEGO, CA (July 2013) – Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics makes their long-awaited debut at San Diego Comic-Con (July 18-21, 2013) in a collaboration with artist Gail Potocki. 

To commemorate their arrival into Comic-Con, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics has worked with renowned Symbolist painter Gail Potocki to launch a limited edition metallic Lip Tar^TM that is inspired by her latest series of paintings, "Fragmented Alice" -- a uniquely macabre take on Alice in Wonderland.   

The exclusive Lip Tar^TM in 'Fragmented' is a metallic acid green shade that boasts an unprecedented amount of metallic pigment, leaving a spectacularly foil-like finish on the lips that's unquestionably attention-getting.  San Diego Comic-Con is the perfect platform to launch this collaboration as it has become the largest pop-culture event in the world and features not only comics but all aspects of popular arts.  

Attendees of San Diego Comic-Con can be the first to pick up 'Fragmented' Lip Tar^TM: Metallic at the Century Guild booth (#2845) beginning on Preview Night, July 17th.

But that’s not all!  'Fragmented' Lip Tar^TM: Metallic is a preview of what’s to come next from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.  Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon on the full “Fragmented Alice” limited-edition collection, set to launch August 2013. 

 

REVIEW: Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick, Luminous Creme Lipstick, and High Pigment Matte Pencil

It is absolutely no secret that I love Bite Beauty. I have a special affection for the brand because it ultimately caters to my favorite kind of cosmetics: lip products. I love when Bite Beauty releases new shades, I'm always excited to see what new beautiful shades Bite Beauty adds to the already existing gorgeous shade selection. Recently, Bite Beauty added Pomegranate to the Luminous Creme variety. Pomegranate is an existing shade in the High Pigment Matte Pencil, my sister bought it last Christmas and she loves it. It's one of her favorite reds! I decided to swatch "Pomegranate" High Pigment Matte Pencil next to the new "Pomegranate" Luminous Creme Lipstick to show how the two colors are alike, and how they differ:

Pomegranate High Pigment Matte Pencil and Pomegranate Luminous Creme Lipstick swatched

Pomegranate is the newest addition to the Luminous Creme Lipstick color selection, and I'm so glad this shade was introduced. I'm a huge fan of reds (and bold lip colors, in general) so I knew I would love this even before I tried it on for the first time. This is a gorgeous blue-toned red, that I think would contrast nicely against the fairest fair skintone (like mine) and even the deepest ebony skintone, and all shades in between. I noticed a bit of a teeth whitening effect, but that tends to be true for most (if not all) blue-based reds.


Corvina is one of the three new shades launched by Bite Beauty. The three shades are perfect for Spring/Summer! Syrah (nude peach), Violet (lavender violet) and Corvina (bright coral pink).
The shade I'm raving about today is "Corvina". I have (faux) red hair, so I love my corals. I have been searching for a light to medium coral infused with enough pink tones to keep it from going "creamsicle orange" on me. Bite Beauty has not let me down, as I knew they wouldn't. The opacity is divine, and the comfort of wear is impressive. One of my biggest gripes about certain lip products is how uncomfortable some can be to wear, but I usually forget I'm wearing anything when I slick one of these pencils on. I really prefer a light-weight lipstick formula, and Bite Beauty more than delivers. Besides the comfort of wear and opacity, the color itself is just amazing and brightens up my face.

In my most recent review for Bite Beauty, I showed two of four Pastille Matte Creme Lipsticks (Pastille Violet and Pastille Lilac). This bright beauty is Pastille Rosebud. Like Corvina, I feel that this shade is an instant complexion brightener. This reminds me of a shade Snow White would wear. There is a healthy looking sheen, but a simple blot with a tissue should tone that down if a truly matte look is desired. I can imagine this shade suiting many skintones. I really like the contrast this shade has against my super fair skin.

Bite Beauty is amazing and if you haven't tried a product from Bite yet, you really need to get on that - asap. :)

-Ashley

Protect Your Skin this Summer with Neutrogena!

For for in the sun (and water!) this summer, Neutrogena makes a wide range of sunscreens that can fit your busy lifestyle. I'm a surfer, so for me in the summer I like to be in and out of the water, so Neutrogena Beach Defense Sunscreen offers SPF 70 and stays on your skin even in the water. So ideal for those who will be swimming or surfing or at the beach this Summer!

I'm loving this Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen, it has a broad spectrum of SPF 100+! Awesome! Not to mention, it comes in a nice cooling mist, that you can just spray on your body and allow to dry, without having to worry about doing a lot of rubbing it in. It's also fast drying, non-greasy, and feels light on the skin! It's oil free and protects from UVA/UVB rays. It's also water resistant, which means you can still have a little fun in the water in between applications. This is a must-have for me this summer!

Don't forget about that pretty face of yours! Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen is oil-free and ideal for your face, so you don't have to worry about the formula causing you any breakouts. It's oil free, fragrance free, and has a matte finish. It's ideal to have a different sunscreen for both your face and your body. Don't forget, even if you're not outside for too long, your face needs sunscreen!

Sensitive skin? No Problem. Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen offers a Broad Spectrum SPF of 60+ and fragrance, oil free, and hypoallergenic. This sunscreen is made with PureScreen™ technology, which blends natural sunscreens like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to create a sunscreen for sensitive skin!

Neutrogena even has some great products for the little ones. The Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Beach and Pool Sunscreen that offers an SPF of 45+ and is hypoallergenic, oil free, and fragrance free. It's water resistant, and it can be applied to both dry and wet skin. Making touch-ups easy! Once applied, it forms a barrier on the skin that helps protect from the UVA/UVB rays of the sun using Helioplex® technology. The packaging is so cute too! Keep your little ones protected when they are outside playing in the grass or even in the pool.

You need a gentle formula for baby's skin. Try the Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen with a SPF of 60+ this sunscreen forms a barrier over your baby's skin to protect it from the suns rays. It's fragrance free, oil free, and hypoallergenic and is also water resistant in case baby wants to play in some water! This sunscreen is made with Purescreen, which is fragrance free and contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are naturally-sourced sunscreen ingredients that are gentle on your baby's skin.

Neutrogena literally offers sunscreen varieties for the entire family! Also, these sunscreens are are $10 or less, which means it won't break your budget. It's a affordable sunscreen that you can rely on to protect your skin from the UV rays so you can just have fun in the sun! You can find this sunscreen at stores like Neutrogena.com, CVS, Rite Aid, or Drugstrore.com

You can find Neutrogena on Facebook

REVIEW: Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipsticks in "Pastille Violet" and "Pastille Lilac"

My best friend knows I'm a makeup junkie. During one of our last text conversations, she was talking about walking around in Sephora during a break from classes and noticing a brand called Bite Beauty for the first time. She texted me and asked me if I have ever heard it, and if I have, if the products are any good. I responded with a resounding "yes!", and began rattling off my favorite products. After I name-dropped the "High Pigment Matte Pencil", she mentioned that the pencils caught her eye. I'm a huge fan of bold shades (like "Poppy", "Tart", and "Zinfandel" for example), but she prefers neutrals/natural looking shades so I recommended a few of the natural looking shades that I'm familiar with. Chablis is one of my favorites! It reminds me of the pretty natural looking shade that adorned Kate Winslet's lips in "Titanic". I can recommend Bite Beauty to my best friend with confidence, just as much as I can recommend Bite Beauty to my readers.

Meet the newest addition to Bite Beauty: Matte Creme Lipsticks! There are currently four shades of this new formula: Pastille Violet, Pastille Lilac, and Pastille Rosebud. They are $24.00, and you can find these beauties at Sephora!


Pastille Violet is a beautiful magenta. I was always afraid of purple lipsticks until about 2 years ago. I took the plunge, and haven't looked back. This shade is great for somebody who loves purples (like me), or somebody who is looking for their first purple. In my opinion, Pastille Violet leans more on the pink side of purple rather than the blue side - which is cool, because I actually prefer pink-toned purples more than blue-toned purples. I love the finish of these colors, it leaves behind a healthy looking sheen. I'm so glad Bite Beauty decided to churn these babies out, I love them! These shades are delightfully opaque after just one swipe! $24 is a great investment for a lipstick of this (gorgeous!) color/texture/overall quality.

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Pastille Lilac is such an incredibly saturated pink. I'm especially drawn to shades of bright pink. In my opinion, when it comes to pink; the brighter, the better. Pastille Lilac is very comfortable to wear, neither too dry or too moist. I knew I would love this shade even before I got my hands on a tube! This lipstick would be a fantastic "statement" shade if you follow the "playing up either eyes or lips" rule, or even with black kohl rimmed eyes and false lashes if you're a rule breaker (like me!) ;) I love wearing shades like this, year round. On my lips, Pastille Lilac shows up as a cool-toned pink. Like Pastille Violet, this shade is extremely comfortable to wear: the perfect balance of color opacity and moisture.

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