Filed In: Lip Gloss

Dior Addict Fluid Stick

The newly launched Dior Addict Fluid Stick line, is a true innovation and something of an optical illusion as well. What at first glance appears to be a lipstick housed in a luxe lucite casing, is actually a unique new hybrid product with the pigmentation of a lipstick, the easy wand application of a gloss and the high gloss shine of a lacquer. Bearing names inspired from Dior’s history and available in a range of 16 shades, there is definitely something here to suit every taste.

The technology behind the new Dior Addict Fluid Stick is equally impressive – according to the company:

“Intense, long-hold pigments, like “markers”, are encapsulated in beads of gloss. Colour and shine meld into one, for maximum impact immediately upon application. Unlike a gloss, Dior Addict Fluid Stick contains no wax that could weigh down its texture. It is simply formulated with water … as soon as the texture is applied, the water evaporates, leaving bursting colour …”

To begin with, I love how you can see the colour of each shade from the outside of the case (eliminates plenty of guesswork). The spongey wand shape is designed in such a way as to almost mimic a lipstick’s application, with a wider portion for broad sweeps of colour and a pointed tip for more precision work. The initial feel upon application needs to be experienced first hand: slightly cool and effortlessly gliding across the lips, totally weightless and non-sticky. Incredibly, the shine seems to almost “develop” within a few seconds of application, becoming totally self-levelling and leaving behind a glassy finish. I can honestly say that apart from the initial feel (an odd sensation, probably because I was expecting something so colour-saturated to feel more dense), you almost forget that you’re wearing anything at all – and a quick press of the lips is enough to re-juvinate the colour throughout the wearing. The lighter shades are definitely not as long-lasting as the more vibrant hues, which is to be expected, but the level of pigmentation remains commensurate and there’s no denying the completely hydrated and moisturized feel to the lips long after all traces of product is gone.

NOTE: with the exception of the following 4 shades (and 1 exclusive to Sephora), the rest will remain as permanent:

#239 Frisson
#479 Magique
#753 Open Me
#995 Intrigue
#269 Tiny Pink (Sephora only)

Dior Addict Fluid Stick

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #338 Mirage (CAN $36.00) – warm nude shade with just enough peach tint in the base to add gorgeous colour to the lips. While not as highly pigmented as the others shown here, lasting power was still excellent – approx. 4.5 hours before fading. Upon initial application, there’s some settling into natural lip lines, but within minutes this shade self-levels and covers beautifully.

*This was the shade worn by Jennifer Lawrence at this year’s Oscars (reviewed here)

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #338 Mirage

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #551 Aventure (CAN $36.00) – a warm-leaning and totally luscious coral, with a red influence in the base. Pigmentation is insane even at first swipe and lasting power goes well beyond the 5 hour mark, leaving lips lightly stained and thoroughly moisturized after that.

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #551 Aventure

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #575 Wonderland (CAN $36.00) – a fuchsia hue with maraschino cherry tints in the base, that’s both cool & warm leaning – meaning it will suit a wide variety of complexions. Once again, pigmentation is totally amazing: one swipe provides enough colour for excellent coverage, with long-lasting staying power and a juicy pink tint to the lips once the glossy part has faded.

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #575 Wonderland

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #754 Pandore (CAN $36.00) – a vibrant red hue that is ultra saturated in colour and with the longest staying power of the four shown. Interestingly, this shade of red can most likely be worn by both warm and cooler-toned complexions – it seems to have morphing abilities, and the stain left behind on the lips is an evenly tinted red rose – just gorgeous.

Dior Addict Fluid Stick #754 Pandore

While I absolutely love the old-world glamour feel of applying a lipstick, I tend to stick with easy-to-use glosses on a daily basis – but that option can be less than exciting, especially for a makeup aficionado. With so many brands now releasing hybrid lip products such as these, Dior has still managed to create something original with Dior Addict Fluid Stick, starting from the colour range – to the eerie texture (believe it or not, my lips actually felt confused). From the 4 here and before swatching, I would have said that #338 Mirage would be my favourite (and it’s seriously an amazing alternative to wearing a plain old neutral), but I honestly cannot choose between them. Good thing I don’t have to, either.

Available exclusively now through The Bay (Canada), these will launch at all other Dior counters as of May 1st. For more information:

*Disclosure: Product samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

Revlon – Colorstay Moisture Stain

April 10, 2014

Multi-tasking beauty products are nothing new these days (moisturizer & sunscreen, primer & bronzer, foundation & skincare), and yet Revlon® has managed to find something new to add to this category way just the same. Joining the ranks of their successful Colorstay™ range, are the new Colorstay Moisture Stain™ (CAN $12.95) line of lip products (launching in June), a selection of 12 hues in a hybrid gloss/balm/stain formula with names inspired by some of the most exotic locales around the globe.

Packaged in a sleek, travel-friendly and easy to store rectangular container, the transparent body of the tube displays the colour (no guesswork required, thank you). The wand bears a slanted and spade-shaped sponge applicator – very similar to what we’re seeing these days from several brands, from mass market to luxury, making application effortless: the broader portion helps to deposit most of the colour with a quick swipe, while the pointed end is useful for getting to edges and creating a clean line. There’s a slight waxy/plastic-y scent that I initially found off-putting upon opening the tube, but thankfully this is undetected when worn. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I also felt a light cooling effect upon initial application – pretty unique, although it didn’t last. An infusion of Vitamin E and aloe gives these stains a non-sticky, weightless and balmy feel, with a mirror-like shine at the end.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: the formula. The first hue I applied was 050 London Posh and if not for the sake of this review, I may have been tempted to declare this specific shade a fail – but then something happened. What looked like an initial patchy and almost dry-looking swipe of colour, began to morph before my eyes – becoming even & self-levelling, smoothening itself out and completely covering every section of my lips. What sorcery was this? There was even a glassy shine at the end, although not as intense as the other two shades – probably due to its light shimmer. The other two were equally impressive, continuing to alter their composition until the pigment settled into place and sealed the deal with a brilliant gloss. Staying power was longer than I expected with the lightest shade, going easily 3 hours and even longer with the other two. With the darker/brighter shades, there was a definite stain left behind on the lips, but not the “ring” variety – more of an overall colour, albeit paler/faded. For a long-lasting product, I was most pleased with the way my lips felt long after most of it had worn off: hydrated, smooth and totally moisturized.

Revlon® Colorstay Moisture Stain™

050 London Posh – what appears to be an apricot hue from looking at the tube, turned out to be more of a peachy-nude tint on my lips, with an ultra-fine shimmer for depth. Initial application made this shade look almost beige, but like magic, it transformed to the colour shown in my swatch – a gorgeous neutral that’s both warm & cool leaning.

Revlon® Colorstay Moisture Stain™ – 050 London Posh

025 Cannes Crush – a vivid coral/tangerine/cherry hue that instantly brightens your face. While easily worn by fair skin tones for a pop of colour (or as an alternative to less-forgiving red), this shade will also look amazing against darker skin tones. The perfect Summer shade, wouldn’t you agree?

Revlon® Colorstay Moisture Stain™ – 025 Cannes Crush

005 Parisian Passion – deep, rich and ridiculously sexy: a burgundy/berry hue with just the right amount of dark and bright pigment, to keep your lips looking lusciously vampy as well as sophisticated. The stain left behind with this shade was the most visible (naturally): a cool leaning grape hue.

Revlon® Colorstay Moisture Stain™ – 005 Parisian Passion

I absolutely love it when a beauty brand, especially one that’s not usually on my radar (confessions of a cosmetics snob), surprises me like this. Playing with these Colorstay Moisture Stain™ shades has also reinforced another valuable beauty lesson: don’t judge before trying. With their wallet-friendly price points (with many drugstores usually offering promos or rebates for even more of a deal), as well as their awesome formula and colour range (of which I was fortunate enough to see them all – trust me, they’re fabulous!), there is no reason to not indulge.

Revlon® Colorstay Moisture Stain™ will be available as of June 2014 through mass market retailers and drugstores nation-wide (Canada).

*Disclosure: Product samples provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration

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Lancôme Lip Lover

April 7, 2014

Lancôme has just launched Lip Lover (CAN $29.00), a revolutionary new hybrid lip product: colour that melts into your lips, coupled with the brilliant shine of a gloss which feels absolutely non-sticky (along with a slight lip plumping effect, thanks to a silicon layer), and ending with the long-lasting moisture benefits of a balm to keep your lips well hydrated and nourished for up to 8 hours. Available in a range of 21 shades, it’s almost impossible to not want to scoop them all up once you’ve tried one.

The 3 shades I chose (#316 Rose Attrape-Coeur, #334 Corail Cabriole, and #337 Lip Lover) all inspired me to create the mood board seen in the opening photo (above), depicting some of my favourite things and places, although once I began creating, it was so hard to stop with just these images – something about wearing such a lovely product really draws out your inner artiste!

Forget everything you knew about the colour pink; the new Lip Lover range comes in 2 colour groups – ‘Basic Chic’ shades (of which #316 Rose Attrape-Coeur and #334 Corail Cabriole are a part of) in subtle yet evocative tones, lightly scented with rose petals as well as a hint of vanilla and touches of raspberry, while the ‘Creative Chic’ (#337 Lip Lover falls in this grouping) shades take this colour to brighter, more daring levels – all infused with a more voluptuous fragrance of rose, iris and violets.

The first thing I notice upon application, is how feather-light they feel and so totally non-sticky as well. To be fair, I didn’t really notice the scent all that much – which is a good thing if you have sensitivities that way – and while I was tempted to apply more, especially with the lighter shades, I was surprised to find that coverage was pretty good even at first swipe. The subtle shimmer is undetectable upon the lips and not really obvious if someone’s looking at you, but serves to add depth and stunning reflective shine. Wear time will vary with the selected colour, with the lighter shades obviously fading faster, although I managed to get a good 3.5 hours with each just the same. The best part, is how incredibly soft my lips feel long after the colour has faded – very balm like, indeed.

*Read on below for exciting details on how you can win the shade of your choice, as well as a fabulous promotional offer you’ll definitely want to take advantage of.

Lancôme Lip Lover

Lancôme Lip Lover, ingredients

#316 Rose Attrape-Coeur – a soft rose hue with delicate shimmer

Lancôme #316 Rose Attrape-Coeur

#334 Corail Cabriole – a warm light coral hue with delicate shimmer

Lancôme #334 Corail Cabriole

#337 Lip Lover – the signature shade, a luscious pink hue with delicate shimmer

Lancôme #337 Lip Lover

To win your favourite Lip Lover shade, visit liplover.ca to view the full range of Lip Lover shades, then click on your colour of choice (be prepared for a really hard decision, though!) … and good luck!

BUT WAIT! (couldn’t resist!)

Until April 25th, receive 10% off your order + free shipping (Canada only) by entering the promo code LIPLOVER at checkout

See? Everyone wins!

Find more information via:

*Disclosure: Products provided by the company/PR for my unbiased consideration with compensation – reviews and opinions are strictly my own

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NARS – Bimini Larger than Life Lip Gloss, Spring 2014

February 4, 2014

The NARS Spring 2014 Color Collection which offers an eclectic palette of hues, holds two decidedly softer-looking lip gloss shades – Bimini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (sheer, pinky & a touch shimmery) and Années Folles (sheer milky lavender, not shown). NARS products have become synonymous with exceptional quality as well as unexpected & often quirky colour launches, but always oh-so-tastefully done. And modern. And fresh. And vibrant.

Bimini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (CAN $32.00) – described by the brand as a “soft pink guava”, I might also add hints of pink, melon, pale coral, and warm nude – as well as ultra fine golden & prismatic shimmer. Sounds like there’s a lot going on, doesn’t it? But the reality is that this is a sheer lip gloss with multi-level sparkle. Unscented and non-sticky, Bimini is ultra-glossy with the shimmer laying down completely smooth – as well as having the ability to be easily layered over any other lip shade to provide an extra touch of sparkly shine.

Giving lips the lightest tinge of colour (darkly pigmented lips will in all likelihood not see any colour change whatsoever, although the shimmer will probably stand out more, with lightly pigmented lips standing a better chance of actually seeing more tint), this gloss comes with a tiny and densely bristled brush – which I’m happy to see appears larger than previous versions (see an example here) and either you’ll love it or not; I personally don’t mind a small brush, as I feel you don’t waste any of the product – unlike a sponge-tipped applicator that tends to soak things up, resulting in waste – although both do have their merits. You’ll need a few swipes with the brush for complete coverage, but the semi-flexible bristles provide enough rigidity (without compromising any softness, mind you) that it helps with a precision application. I received about 2.5 hours of wear, less after eating/drinking, but I must say that my lips felt quite soft & well-hydrated once all traces were gone.

NARS – Bimini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (direct sunlight)

NARS – Bimini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss (natural light)

NARS – Bimini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss

I don’t have the second shade of this collection to compare, but from what I’ve seen of the two, Bimini is definitely the better option as it offers the versatility of either being worn solo or layered, bearing a light-reflecting sparkle, and will not settle into any lines or pool around lip edges as I’ve seen swatches of Années Folles do. I do love me some nude lip shades, and what makes this one unique is the fact that A) it’s a gloss, meaning a mirror-free application, B) there’s shimmer for visual interest and to provide depth, and C) it’s so darn pretty. I mean, just look at it? The only downside, is the hefty price tag, but the way I see it, when a product meets all my requirements and makes me feel confident while wearing it, that makes it all worthwhile.

Available now across Canada through Holt Renfrew, The Bay and Sephora stores. Find more information on NARS products via:

*Disclosure: Product sample provided by the company for my unbiased consideration

Maybelline Color Elixir

December 2, 2013

What do you get when you cross a lipstick with a gloss and then throw in a balm? The answer is Maybelline’s new Color Elixir – 20 shades of luscious glossy colour for your lips, 8 of which I’ll be showing you here today. I first got the chance to preview this range during Toronto’s Spring 2014 World MasterCard Fashion Week (posted here), where 2 shades seemed to be in heavy rotation for several of the shows (Nude Illusion and Signature Scarlet) – and just like that, I fell hard for these little jewels.

Maybelline Color Elixir first previewed at WMCFW

Maybelline Color Elixir boxed

Maybelline – Color Elixir

Color Elixir (CAN $10.99) – Lip products said to have the colour saturation of a lipstick, the high shine brilliance of a gloss and the moisturizing feel of a balm. The acrylic rectangular container fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and houses what at first glance appears to be a lipstick bullet – but that’s only the inner form which holds the contents (a unique & really cool effect, actually). The wand is not excessively long (a plus) and the sponge-y angled spade-shaped head makes for an effortless application – picking up a generous amount of product with each pass while giving you the option of using the tip for more precision, or the wider section for a broader sweep. There’s a lovely crème brulée scent and a slight perfumey taste (neither of which lingers too long), and lasting power will vary with the shade selected, although expect to get at least 2 1/2 hours minimum.

In general, the lighter the shade colour, the less pigmented the shade appears, but the gloss factor still remains quite high with each. The sensation of the application is also quite unique – almost buttery feeling and the colour glides very easily across the lips, although to say that each shade is highly pigmented wouldn’t exactly be accurate. The shine is super mirror-like and seems to last quite well throughout the wearing and they are definitely not as sticky as some glosses can be prone to. One thing is for sure, your lips will be left feeling intensely hydrated and baby-bottom soft – with some of the darker shades even leaving behind a light veil of colour.

Nude Illusion – (my weakness!) a nude hue that is definitely warm leaning and incredibly well balanced for a neutral shade, with a surprisingly high amount of pigment for a colour this light.

Caramel Infused – a neutral flesh toned pink hue with hints of peach to warm it up, although the colour seems to come off as more rose than what’s seen in the tube – super pretty, though.

Blush Essence – slightly sheer light pink hue loaded with silvery micro shimmer which adds a nice depth, although this was one of the least pigmented shades.

Breathtaking Apricot – a warm pink hue with some coral hints to liven it up and some scattered silvery micro shimmer throughout, but there’s a slight tendency of this shade pooling in lip lines – made less apparent once the gloss starts to fade.

Fuchsia Flourish – a hot pink hue that offers a decent amount of colour and fairly even pigment distribution, with a good lasting power and colour depositing properties.

Raspberry Rhapsody – a pure berry hue with sparse silver & pink micro shimmer that is surprisingly nowhere near as pigmented on the lips as what’s seen in the tube – but a highly flattering shade just the same.

Signature Scarlet – an absolutely PERFECT red hue, with incredible colour saturation, über-glossy and mega staying power. LOVE ♥

Caviar Couture – a deep vampy burgundy hue with silver & magenta micro-shimmer. The problem child of the bunch, getting this shade to apply solidly from the tube is not easy, as it has a tendency to gather in lip lines. Best if layered over a matching pencil or lipstick for more adhesion – works beautifully then, thankfully, as it’s a total stunner.

left: view of the angled wand, right: view of lips after wearing Caviar Couture – lightly stained & super hydrated/plumped

swatches of all shades shown in direct sunlight

swatches of all shades shown in natural light

Even though lipsticks have been undergoing a recent revival, there’s no denying the ease of use that a gloss offers – in most cases, you don’t even need a mirror for application. What I absolutely love about these Color Elixirs is how velvety smoothly they feel on and the well moisturized sensation on the lips they leave behind – and even though not all shades delivered on colour pigmentation, the ones that did (Nude Illusion & Signature Scarlet, I’m looking at you) blew me away. Hint: I’m thinking that a few Color Elixirs will make perfect stocking stuffers …

Available now (and part of the permanent range – yay!), find more information of Maybelline products via: website/twitter/facebook