Summer Lip Gloss Lovin'

As our beloved Ingrid aka MissGlamorazzi said in her last video, we are smack dab in the middle of summer. Summer is one of my favourite seasons, followed by fall, winter and spring (this normally changes depending on which season we're in). Matte's are amazing for fall and winter, and I am definitely looking forward to breaking out my dark purples and reds, but until then, I am loving lip gloss this summer. I feel like lip glosses are so much less fuss than lipstick, no lip liner needed, you don't have to worry about it being even etc... Most times I don't even need a mirror, just add a quick coat & smack your lips together! Depending on what kind of look I'm going for, these 3 lip glosses are my favourites for summer.

We have Revlon's Colourburst lipgloss in Bellini (which admittedly I do like more with a nude lipstick as a base) which is pretty sheer and goes amazing with any nude lipstick. And let's just talk about the packaging, is it just me or could this baby pass off as a NARS lipgloss? It's freaking stunning! Next up is Tanya Burr's lipgloss in Picnic in the Park! I mean, I don't even know what to say about this one. Perfection, perfection & perfection. Lasting power? Check. Amazing colour payoff? Check. Smells like heaven in a strawberry field? Check. Cute name? Check. Cute packaging? Check. Fellow beauty blogger knows how to get shit done. And lastly, Elizabeth Arden's lipgloss in Passion Fruit. This is the most opaque lipgloss out of the three and is most like a lipstick. It's a bit sticky, but not enough to turn me off. I do however suggest using a very light coat and then blending with your finger, because this a very bright and thick gloss that can get messy if you don't know how to show it whose boss!

Top to Bottom: Bellini, Picnic in the Park, & Passion Fruit

What lip glosses and/or lip products have you been loving this summer??

xoxo

-A

Brand Focus | Elizabeth Arden

I was looking at my lip product collection the other day and noticed I have more Elizabeth Arden lipsticks and lip glosses than any other particular brand. And the truth is, I reach for these products more often than not. So while there are of course many other Elizabeth Arden products out there, I decided to do a bit of a brand focus.

Elizabeth Arden herself was quoted as saying "it is the birth right of every woman to be beautiful" and I completely agree with that. I don't think that you need makeup to be beautiful, we are all beautiful in all of our perfect imperfections (hey there John Legend). But I know from all types of experience that makeup has the ability to make us feel as beautiful on the outside as we are on the inside.

Maybe you're a girl who struggles with acne and makeup helps you feel confident enough to leave your house, or maybe you're like me and hate your invisible eyelashes and uneven brows. Wearing makeup doesn't have to mean you're self conscious or hate the way you look. It just means you like to experiment with different looks, and want to enhance your natural beauty. And with all that rambling, the moral of the story is that I am very glad to support a company such as Elizabeth Arden. If you want to know more about Elizabeth Arden's sustainability and beliefs, click here. 

Left: Passion Fruit

Right: Red Door Red

Now, in term's of products I own two lip glosses and two lipsticks. I purchased Passion Fruit (left) and Red Door Red (right) at an outlet in Florida, but they are still available from most places that sell Elizabeth Arden products. These glosses are super pigmented and actually hang around on your lips for awhile! Their lip glosses have shea butter and mango to help moisturize, as well as a product called Maxi-Lip that helps to plump your lips. Now I don't know about you but all I'm thinking is, yes, yes, yes and uh yes! What else could we want from our glosses? A mirror to make sure you're not pulling a MirandaSings? Well ask and you shall receive my friends! There is a little mirror on the side of the gloss tube!! And the packaging? Gold tops, that cute red door that we all know, and a doe-foot applicator? Heaven!!

Left: Red Door Red

Right: Neoclassical Coral

My first Elizabeth Arden lipsticks were Red Door Red (left) and Neoclassical Coral (right). I am obsessed with these ladies. I feel like you can just tell that they are high quality lipsticks. The colour payoff and longevity are amazing. Red Door Red is obviously a classic in both name and colour. While these lipsticks aren't glossy, they are nourishing and don't leave your lips feeling dry. I think Neoclassical Coral is so on point with the latest orange trends. It's not super orange for those who are a little scared to venture too much out of our comfort zone (not that I am, I'll wear dark purple just for the fun of it). But it's bright enough that it really plays up any look. Plus once again, this packaging is simply stunning.

Top: Red Door Red

Bottom: Neoclassical Coral

I know some people may think of Elizabeth Arden as a more mature makeup company, but I really believe they have products for all ages. I feel so sophisticated and classy when I pull out any of these pieces. They may be a bit on the pricier side, but you truly get what you pay for in both quality and assistance. Overall, I highly recommend you check out this brand for yourself!

xoxo

-A

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, nor was I compensated for this post. I am simply a fan of Elizabeth Arden.

Spring Lipsticks // High-End and Drugstore Dupes!!

This is sort of an ironic post. Actually, I don't know if ironic is the right word for it, but it evolved into a sort of double post. I was going through my lipstick collection and decided I wanted to do a spring lip post. But then as I was swatching I realized a lot of them were almost identical. And, to boot, they were dupes of high end lipsticks! So basically it's a spring lip collection, with their drugstore dupes! I know some of these colours are a bit darker/ brighter than what's on trend. But, they are what I've been loving and I think pastel and nudes asides, these are classics.

Top Row (Left to Right): Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in Hot Plum, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in In Vogue, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in NeoClassical Coral, and Maybelline Colour Sensational in Coral Crush.

Bottom Row: Bite Duo Luminous Creme Lipstick in Violet and Palomino

The thing that I love most about spring is colourful lips. I have been leaning towards more colourful eye looks, but deep down I'm a lipstick girl at heart. I've been loving pairing these lipsticks with winged eyeliner. And as a side note, I found my Holy Grail eyeliner and I am going to do a post very soon. But get excited because this baby is going to blow you away.

Top Set (from top to bottom): In Vogue & Palomino

Second Set: Hot Plum & Violet

Third Set: Coral Crush & NeoClassical Coral

In the above comparison we have Violet from the Bite lipstick on top and Hot Plum from Maybelline on the bottom. The only difference here is that the Bite one is more moisturizing and creamy. Whereas the Hot Plum is more of a matte, not drying but definitely not as shiny as the more expensive one. The Bite Duo Lipstick retails for $15 at Sephora, and the Maybelline Colour Sensational retails for $5.59

The colours in this picture looks a bit off but you can see in the swatches that they are almost identical. On the top we have In Vogue and on the bottom we have Palomino. Once again, the only difference is that the In Vogue is a bit more of a matte shade, and Palomino is more creamy. The Bite lipstick comes with both the Violet and Palomino and again is $15, and the Rimmel is only $4.99!

This is by far the closest dupe out of all three. The consistency and colour are nearly identical. Which is great for you, but sucks for me. Why you might ask? Well Elizabeth Arden is super expensive in Canada and the NeoClassical coral (top) costs $30 and the Coral Crush, $5.59. On my recent trip to Florida I did stop in the Elizabeth Arden outlet store and found the same colour for like $12 but in cheaper packaging. So for all you Americans there is hope if you'd prefer the high end option with a better price tag. I do love Elizabeth Arden lipstick, they last so long and you can really notice the quality difference (my chapped lips and terrible photo taking skills do not do it justice).

So there you have it my beautiful readers! Some amazing spring lipstick options! What are your favourite colours for spring? Do you have any of these colours? Let me know!!!

xoxo

-A