Showing posts with label lipstick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lipstick. Show all posts

Monday, April 22, 2013

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, Lolita Review and Swatches

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita
Fellow bloggers, and even non bloggers, have you ever bought a product, kind liked it when you first got it, let it sit in the vanity for a while, and every time you reach for it you come up with all these reasons not to wear it? I had that moment with these lipsticks. When i first got them i was jazzed about them. They have their issues but i was still happy just because Medusa's Makeup finally released lipsticks. In my hype i think i gave them just a bit more credit, in my mind at least, than i think they really deserved. While these lipsticks i am about to review are not the worst, i think had i done this review when i first received these, it would have leaned a little more hype than realistic.

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita
Back in 2006 when i was really starting to apprecaite differnt types of makeup i stumbled upon an ad for a brand of cosmetics called Medusa's Makeup. With bright pigments, shadows and glitters, and me trying to be a scene queen or whatever i thought i was at the time, just "HAD TO HAVE IT!". The funny thing is the quality of those products, was and still is, pretty darn great. This was in a time when drugstore cosmetics offered products that were beyond boring (aside from the holy grail of collections- the Winter 2006 Revlon collection where i went to Duane Reade and spent 300 dollars buying it all....). Medusa's makeup filled a void that other brands couldn't. Just about 6 years later they release lipsticks and to be blunt- I had to be all up on that.

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita
Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita
The colors range from fun shades like magenta and  hot pink and orange, to vampy shades like dark purple and blood red. The box is a bit on the goth side showing what looks like an intricate window with the logo of the eye in the middle (Medusa's gaze can turn you to stone if you look at her). I think it goes well with the brand. On the top of each box is a color preview square along with a little white spider in the corner. The tubes themselves are black with a rose design on the top, i used to love black roses so i kind of adored this in a nostalgic way, and i am sure anyone who went through the inner teen angst of the late 90's early 2000's may appreciate that as well. The tubes snap closed and have a design raised on the cap part of the tube and the base. The base features the logo in white and the bottom reads the name of each color.


Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita

 The formula is where this product really starts to lack. Though not the worst i have ever experienced but certainly not anywhere near good. Many of the shades are quite sheer. They need to be significantly built up on the lips and can become very streaky as a result. The website was lacking in details as to what these shades looked like so i was pressurized to find out that some were a bit metallic or shall i say "frost" like in finish. I wanted to assume that this was intentional but after looking at the brand as a whole - bright, bold, in your face - having a lipstick that is so sheer does not make much sense and was not advertised as such. Though not all shades had this issue (see individual shade reviews) i was shocked over this. I would have liked to see a matte formula or even just a more pigmented cream. I don't think i could ever imagine someone uttering - "I need a very sheer and streaky purple to wear to that concert where that (insert unknown band name) is playing". If i am completely wrong please tell me so in the comments section below. There is a slight scent that leans sweet to almost soapy.


Undead- A sheer, metallic,  streaky, violet purple. This shade bleeds into the outer lips, is very streaky, lacks pigmentation, lasts only about 2 hours on the lips, and take caution when wearing without liner. Though a pretty shade this requires entirely too many swipes on the lips for coverage. The swatch below is five swipes on the lips.
Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead

 Skid Row- Metallic magenta. Not as sheer as undead but still needs to be built up on the lips. Also is not as streaky and does not bleed like undead. Can be worn without liner and has ok pigmentation. Would be great over a magenta liner to add a frosty finish.

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Skid Row

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Skid Row

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Skid Row

 Triple X- A creamy hot pink. This shade has the best pigmentation over all. Applied creamy and opaque in just two swipes. Lasted about 4 hours on the lips before need of reapplication. No bleeding or streaking. Very smooth and creamy texture.

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Triple X

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Triple X

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Triple X

Rio- Creamy bright orange. This shade was also one of the better preforming lipsticks in that it did apply creamy and nearly opaque. It did have sheerness to it but not as bad as undead or skid row. This shade applied creamy and had no streaking.

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Rio

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Rio

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Rio

Lolita- Creamy blood red. This shade has to easily be the worst of them all. What i expected to be a rich and opaque, rich, goth, red turned out to be nothing more than a streaky, sheer, under pigmented, excuse for a lipstick.  I have sheer lip balms with more color than this lipstick. This "lipstick" requires a minimum of 6 swipes back and forth on the lips to achieve color. Had this been labeled a lip sheer or the equivalent i would not be as shocked. I am surprised that Medusa's Makeup had the gall to release this.
Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Lolita

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Lolita

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Lolita

Since my lips are a bit pigmented on their own i figured i would give you some arm swatches for comparison. Both the lip swatches and arm swatches were taken in the same light. You can see how sheer just one swipe of each lipstick is.
Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita

Medusa's Makeup Lipstick in Undead, Skid Row, Triple X, Rio, and Lolita

Overall the only lipsticks that are really redeeming of this collection are Triple X and Rio. I find most of these lipsticks  to be lacking severely. They are described as having color rich pigment. The person who understands what color rich pigment must have went on vacation the day after Triple X was made. I think this is my harshest review to date and am still in stock over how back these lipsticks apply. There are no swatches on the site and no color description. Save your money and only buy the shadows because these lipsticks are the biggest letdown.



Saturday, April 20, 2013

Rhianna Loves MAC is coming!

Are you ready to get your hands on another songstresses lipstick? Rhianna Loves MAC, the first installment,  is set to hit her concerts and online on MAY 4th. Feels like it's just around the corner doesn't it? This elusive lipstick will feature Rhianna's signature etched on to its side. The packaging is the same as all other MAC lipsticks though. Since MAC is notorious for releasing products before they go live make sure to check back on the site the night before so you do not miss out. Do not fret though! This shade will be released again later on in the year!

There has been speculation that a gloss and a liner will accompany the lipstick but i can not confirm this.
Are you excited??

Friday, April 12, 2013

Lime Crime Opaque Lipstick in New Yolk City, Mint To Be, and No She Didn't Review and Swatches

Prepare yourself, these swatches are not for the meek and the timid! At the beginning of March Lime Crime restocked all the delicious and bright pastel shades of lipstick ($15.99). While i honestly don't remember these ever being "seasonal" they are now, so get them while you can.

The packaging is something you may either love or hate. These babies come packaged in a bight purple box adorned with silver unicorns and if you think it ends there you are wrong. The tubes themselves feature a holographic unicorn and stars on a bright purple base. These tubes are almost the size of MAC but just a bit larger. These snap closed.
The formula is very creamy and highly pigmented. These apply well but after an hour they begin to look sometimes streaky or chalky. I like to line my lips with a corresponding liner ( try MAC chromatography pencils) to prevent a streaky or cakey look after a few hours. I also suggest blotting your lips after applying because simple pressing of the lips together can cause the look of this lipstick to change on your lips. While not the best formula on their own there are solutions and they are great for photo shoots. I personally did not find these drying but i would suggest exfoliating lips before applying to avoid any lip flaws showing through.

The shades that i picked up are New Yolk City a bright banana yellow (this shade had the most issues with even coverage), Mint To Be - green mint, and No She Didn't a bright blue shade (this had the best coverage)



New Yolk City:







Mint to Be:



No She Didn't:


Overall if you are looking for some shockingly bright lipstick you can look no further than Lime Crime. Great for photo shoots, quick wear, or worn over a corresponding lip pencil. There are other brands with higher quality lipsticks like Milan Rowe ($14) who has similar colors. You can check out Caribbean Queen and Phenomenon as they are similar to Mint to Be and No She Didn't.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

MAC Fashion Sets Spring 2013



Just in case you missed the online release of MAC Fashion Sets for spring 2013, you're in luck! Nordstrom will be receiving this collection and it should be released on counters and in store on the 4th of April (same day it will be released on MAC counters).

Just a few tips for future collections:
1) collections are usually released online a week before in stores,
2) collections are usually released at 6am, 12pm, 6pm, and 12am est. so those are great times to start searching your desired product if the collection is not officially live yet.
3) keep an eye on blogs and Instagram. Follow the beauty addicts to be notified when the collections go live. A lot will alert you if you ask them to ( follow me at Recycledstardust, leave your comment and ill at you when collections go live)
4) if you happen to miss the item you wanted, wait for it to be released in store, on Macy's, Nordstrom, and even Bloomingdales websites. 
5) if all else fails find a reputable seller on eBay

Happy hunting!

Fashion Sets for 2013 Include lipstick, lip pencils, shadows, and polish in bold and modern shades. 

Eyeshadow:
Heroine- Bright cobalt blue (Matte), Ablaze- Mid-tone coral (Matte), Silly- Clean blue pink (frost), and Embrace Me - soft pink (satin)
 
Lipstick: (all matte)
Heroine- Bright violet purple, Ablaze- Bright apricot cream, Silly- Bright pink cream, and Embrace Me- Bright Fuchsia cream



Lipglass:
Heroine- Bright Purple, Ablaze- Bright orange, Silly- Bright pink, and Embrace Me- Bright Fuchsia. 

 
Nail Lacquer: (all cream finish)
Heroine- Bright Violet, Ablaze - Bright orange, Silly- Bright pink, and Embrace Me- Bright fuchsia.
 

Lip Pencil:
Heroine- Bright purple, Ablaze- Bright apricot, Silly- Bright pink, and Embrace Me - Vivid fuchsia pink.