Lip Stain Crazy: Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge and The Face Shop

[All purchased by yours truly]

I think that warmer weather causes me to get more into the light texture/high impact lip thing in a  big way.  That, or I am lazy and can't be bothered to retouch my makeup very often throughout the day.  Whatever reason it may be, I bought a few lip stains that I thought were different and interesting enough to warrant a post. 

From The Face Shop I got two lip stains that are very different: Lovely Me:Ex Aqua Tint in 01 Juicy Cherry and the Lovely Me:Ex Milky Tint in 02 Baby Peach.   From Make Up For Ever (MUFE) I got the Aqua Rouge in 18 which is called "Coral" even though I know MUFE has a habit of not naming their shades. 

Face Shop Juicy Cherry, Baby Peach and MUFE 18 Coral

Per special request, I have been on the hunt for a Korean lip stain that rivals Benefit's Benetint.  Since this Juicy Cherry shade is the first that I've tried, I don't know yet if anything else is comparable but it is a very nice stain on its own.  With a doe-foot applicator and a very thin watery consistency, the stain is easy to apply and feels very comfortable on the lips.  There's no extra "layer" of product feeling on the lips and the result is a bold easy to wear red.  My biggest complaint with this product is the taste.  Anyone who has worn lip stains like this knows that they can taste very artificial and chemically.  I haven't used this on the cheeks because rosy flushes always make me think of cold weather.  If you can get past the taste, this is a really good budget lip stain choice!

I already own one of The Face Shop's Milky Tints (check it out in an earlier post on my Spring Edit) in the pink shade.  I thought I would like the orange shade in the range better but this peach one really caught my attention.  It's a light pinky-orange shade that looks natural.  In fact, I sometimes think that this is a little too natural and needs to be built up on my lips for better pigmentation.  I think that is the biggest drawback for this formula.  The Milky Tints lack the boldness of the Aqua Tints because they have a bit of a milky opaqueness that is the trait of most non-red stains.  This one doesn't have as much of a strange taste and I prefer to wear this on my cheeks for an easy shade that is very light and very natural.  

I think reading beauty blogs really pushed me into wanting a MUFE Aqua Rouge because otherwise I am not very interested in these long-wearing formulas from any brand.  After the storm of posts on this product when MUFE launched and sent their PR samples out, I was pretty sold on the formula but in particular, this color.  I am a sucker for coral as I have said and this looked so pretty I had to have it.  On me, this reads a little bit light and more orange than pink.  I have a certain affection for pinky corals so this one is a bit out of my comfort zone but I love the shade nonetheless.  The paler base of this shade makes it pop a bit more than an average coral so it isn't necessarily a neutral shade.  As regards to the formula, I think that this is very long-wearing but still not an "all-day" kind of thing.  It's very drying and emphasizes any flaking/dryness your lips are suffering so exfoliating and heavy duty lip balm is needed.  You really have to use the gloss that comes with it or else your lips feel like they're being vacuumed of moisture when this dries or "sets".  Overall, I like that I finally have a coral lip color that actually lasts (albeit not through a meal) but I don't see myself rushing out to get other shades in this formula.  

Makeup Bag: Travel Edition

[Everything purchased by me]


As Summer is going full-blast (at least where I live), I think a lot of people are going to be going on vacation (or "holiday" as the Brits say). There was actually an original version of this makeup bag that included more Maybelline Color Tattoos and L'Oreal Infallible pigments but my friend nixed that idea for the more travel-friendly single palette format you see here.

Also, I tried to only bring lip products I included in my "Five Lip Products to Use up in 2013" post from oh so many months ago.  An SPF lip balm is definitely coming with me though.

It's a really basic kit of makeup that I can hopefully adapt everyday to suit my preferences. For base, I haven't decided which one I'm taking but it will definitely be liquid and therefore not in my carry on but in a Ziploc with my skincare.  For concealer, the SheerCover Duo Concealer in Light Medium is a creamy combination of peachy and neutral shades.  It beat out other concealers where brushes/excess blending is required.  The setting powder is from GloMinerals and is translucent.  Nothing to write home about but it has a mirror and is non-chalky.  A mini of Benefit's Watt's Up is not only coming along for it's compact size but also because it's a very nice highlighter.  I can't stand the fact that the full size is so bulky and has an applicator at the other end though so may have to find another alternative when this is gone.

For cheeks, I have a little duo from Tarte in Park Ave Princess and Dollface.  The bronzer contains shimmer so it's not my favorite and the blush is ok as well.  It's a nice lighter pink blush and for a peachier option I am taking Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral.  I've been reaching for this a lot because it's easy to apply and hard to over-do. 

I think the Too Faced Summer Eye palette will be great for a neutral look to pair along my pinker lip colors (NYX Haute Melon, Revlon Peach Parfait) but also adjust really well to a brighter blue or pink look if I want to wear just the Dior Beige Casual lipstick.  For brows, the Missha Brow Styler from the semi-annual sale post is really impressing me. As for eyeliner, I am taking Stila Smudge Sticks in Stargazer and Oscar Fish.  The lash curler you see above is from Koji.  


Bonus Item!

This was in my original version of my travel makeup bag, but I had to add it back in because I want my friend (the one I'm visiting who has an impressive makeup collection already) to try this out!  I'm so sold on this duo and it's a current must have.  

There you have it!  Wishing everyone safe travels this Summer! 

Bronze Ambition

[All purchased by me]


I am not the kind of person to typically want to make myself look tanner.  It was kind of a spur of the moment thing that I realized, “hey tan legs look nice.”  Then, supported by my overly enthusiastic friends, I took the hint and the went for something to tan up my pasty complexion.  Eventually I landed on probably the most mundane of all self tanners:  Jergens Natural Glow (with less odor!!).  I chose the color medium to dark because it kind of seems like a waste of money to buy the lighter shades.  Why, may you ask, did I also then go out and buy the Nivea self tanning lotion in fair to medium?  This was on sale and I didn’t read the label is the short answer.  

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronze Ambition and Physician's Formula Bronze Booster in Medium to Dark

The Jergens lotion does have a strong “faux fresh” scent on initial application but not much of a self-tanner scent.  I used to use Neutrogena’s Build a Tan way back in the day and that definitely had that distinct self-tanner smell but this one isn’t so bad.  The color built up relatively evenly over the course of 4-5 days of daily use.  The Nivea I use more as a “maintenance” tanner.  Yeah I am getting real technical with my self-tanners since I’m such a pro now (not).  It doesn’t add much color and with about 3 days of continuous use I would say it actually makes the tan from the Jergens fade.  Nivea has a citrusy scent and zero fake-tanner smell. I guess this is good for those who want really low risk but also will end up with low reward.  Of the two, I recommend the Jergens one for a noticeable tan.  


As everyone says, it’s important to properly exfoliate if you’re going to self-tan, especially on the first day.  Use a scrub- don’t just rely on a loofah and be careful around ankles, knees, elbows and hands.  In fact, always wash your hands after you apply any tanning lotion.  


Spurred on by my need to bronze up my face I also added a new bronzer to the mix.  I had been using Tarte Park Ave Princess bronzer in the mini size and thought “meh.”  In terms of drugstore bronzers, Physician’s Formula always outranks any other bronzer brand in terms of quality (and price, this cost almost $14) so I chose the Bronze Booster in Medium to Dark as it contained self tanning “glow booster” ingredients.  How effective they are, I couldn't really tell you since I just got it but I didn’t want to apply the Jergens on my face or go and buy a self tanner specifically for my face (I’m not that committed to this bronze goddess thing yet).  What I can say is that this is a very finely milled powder with barely detectable sheen that looks natural on the skin. The packaging is overly bulk as almost all Physician’s Formula powders are but it does look nice for something that doesn’t break the $20 mark.  


I decided that I also needed to have L’Oreal Infallible shadow in Bronzed Taupe while I was at it after seeing this on Amelia Liana’s Youtube channel and recommending it to someone starting out in make-up.  I have a few of these and I know the texture pretty well.  The metallics are particularly impressive and  I recommended this because it has enough depth to act as an all over lid color as well as a crease color.  There’s no overly complicated palette blending and shadow placement techniques involved.  You can just use your finger to smudge this up to the crease and slightly over for a pretty smoky eye.  I blended this out with that Physicians Formula bronzer for a matte transition color cause I was feeling extra fancy with some liner and it was a complete look.  I don’t think this shadow is a must-have if you have loads of neutrals in your collection and I think it’s especially something you don’t need to run out to buy if you own a lot of Bareminerals Ready pressed shadows in neutral tones.  Is this one of my favorite of the Infallible shadows I own though?  Yes.  


UPDATE: the Nivea self-tanner is really not worth it.  It actually detracts from the tan that the Jergens gives.  

Delayed Posting! Mascara Comparisons
L'Oreal Telescopic vs. Maybelline The Falsies vs. Benefit They're Real

[All purchased by me - the Benefit was a gift with purchase]



Wow I just posted this as a test and it worked!  Basically, since I am a total newbie at this blogging thing, I thought using Word would be an easy way to write blog posts.  HAHAHA that only didn't work a little bit.  I tried copying to Notepad and posting but that didn't work.... UNTIL NOW.  Sigh, this isn't as easy as some of the experts make it look.

Anyone who watches Viviannadoesmakeup knows that L’Oreal Telescopic mascara in the waterproof formula is her favorite mascara of all time.  While I also have a favorite mascara of all time that’s not in this post (will review once I repurchase), I wanted to try out some other options since finding a perfect affordable mascara is probably every beauty blogger’s dream.  I was also rotating around Maybelline The Falsies as well as a mini size of the Benefit They’re Real mascaras and thought since these are three pretty popular mascara options that I’d do a comparison between them.

I’ll rate them along the same characteristics: length, volume, curl, lasting power, removal and overall ease of application using a 1-5 scale with 5 being the best.

Top to Bottom: The Falsies, Telescopic and They're Real

Amateur artistic interpretation of results

L’Oreal Telescopic in Black

Length:  3 – this surprisingly didn’t do amazingly telescopic things to my lashes as the name implied, but it didn’t make them seem short and clumpy either

Volume: 4 – the wand adds a decent coat of mascara to the majority of my lashes and makes them look more intense with one sweep

Curl: 2 – this isn’t the waterproof one so I can’t overly fault this for not holding a curl better but it didn’t really enhance a curl at all

Lasting Power: 3 – not a ton of smudging with this but can’t say zero smudges

Overall ease of application: 3 – The wand is finicky because it’s a thin triangular comb shape which might throw people off who are used to a traditional mascara wand.  I found it pretty easy to maneuver actually but my main qualm was actually getting this back into the tube.  I bend this almost every time I tried to close it.

Maybelline The Falsies:

Length: 2 – does not do much for length and I find all of Maybelline’s variations on the Volum’ Express mascaras actually do make my lashes look a little stunted and clumpy with too many coats

Volume: 5 – the volume-boosting factor is where this mascara really shines and I can see why this is a popular product.  It builds up lashes easily and dramatically.

Curl: 3 – this was better than the Telescopic at holding a curl, probably because of the drier formula.  It won’t dry out your lashes like a waterproof formula will but the curl won’t stay quite as well either.

Lasting Power: 3 – same comments as the Telescopic.

Overall ease of application: 3 - This wand is a little strange and the way the bristles are spaced makes it really easy for me to smudge this on my eye.  If you’re careful you should be fine and this is a pretty subjective characteristic anyway.


Benefit They're Real

Length:  4 - the plastic bristles did a good job of creating believable length and was the most lengthening mascara overall

Volume:  4 – not every use yielded the same amount of volume as the Falsies did but more times than not, this left my lashes looking very full

Curl: 4 – of the three, this held curls the best and was probably due to the drier consistency of the formula.  Luckily, this didn’t increase how hard it was to remove at the end of the day.

Overall ease of application: 3 – I don’t prefer plastic bristles and this one kind of poked your eye a lot because the bristles are so long.  I think that the end of the wand, which is rounded, doesn’t necessarily make it easier to get to the ends.  However, this consistently gave my lashes good length and volume and held a curl well for a non-waterproof formula.

Conclusion:  I think the Benefit mascara is the best one of the bunch but I wouldn’t be willing to purchase this because of the ridiculous price and also because I have a mid-range mascara that I like even better (to be in a future post).  If I had to pick one at the drugstore to buy, the Falsies really impressed me and I think it’s one I would recommend to anyone looking for a volume enhancing mascara.