Four Looks with Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Lipsticks

Recently, Lancôme sent me their range of L’Absolu Rouge lipsticks to try and I was absolutely gobsmacked! Revamped by their global makeup creative director, the incomparable and extremely talented Lisa Eldridge, these lipsticks come in a wide variety of stunning hues and in three different finishes - cream, matte, and sheer. There is truly a shade for every occasion in the line of 44 lipsticks! I'm also incredibly smitten with their new, sleek case with the "signature Lancôme rose as a gold domed seal on the cap - with just one simple push of the rose, the lipstick is revealed". Sublime!

I asked my readers on Twitter what shades I should spotlight in this post, and had such a fun time creating looks centered around the lip colors you helped chose!

The Isabella
A classic, timeless look: the matte red lip, perfected skin, and winged liner. Exemplified by Isabella Rossellini, Lancôme's muse for over a decade.

One of my favorite actresses and models is Isabella Rossellini - the always poised, stunning inside-and-out, daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. Growing up, I would pour over books and websites, admiring her campaigns for Lancôme in the 80s and 90s. I was extremely excited to hear she was recently invited back as one of Lancôme's ambassadresses at age 64! When I saw this shade was called Isabella, I had a hunch it was named after her - and Lisa Eldridge herself confirmed she named the shade after her in this lovely post! The lipstick, a matte, cherry red is a truly classic shade.

I'm wearing:

L'Absolu Rouge 189 Isabella Lipstick *

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation *

Mattifying Translucent Powder

The Deneuve
A light lip and heavy liner - the trademark look for any bombshell.

One of my favorite beauty looks is the iconic bombshell - the heavily lined eyes, light lip, and voluminous, tumbling locks combination was popularized in the late 50s/early 60s by Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot! The L'Absolu Rouge shade 202 Nuit et Jour is a gorgeous, sheer pink that is perfect for this look.

I'm wearing:

L'Absolu Rouge 202 Nuit et Jour Lipstick *

Black Eyeliner

Muted Rose Blush

False Lashes

The Clara
The roaring 20s are back! Silent film actresses Clara Bow and Louise Brooks inspired a legion with their expressive faces and dark, vampy lipstick drawn in the style they popularized, the "beestung" lip.

The 20s were the beginning of when it was socially acceptable to wear makeup again after the Victorian era completely looked down on it. The first wave of film stars inspired people all over the world to paint their lips, fringe their eyes with eyeliner, and publicly powder their noses (and knees, to the distraught of the older folks with Victorian sensibilities)!

When I first got into makeup as a teenager, I was incredibly smitten with the Bright Young Things of the 20s and attempted to recreate their look on my own face. Though I had very beginning level skills, attempting my first smokey eye and drawing my lipstick in the exaggerated "beestung lip" style, I was completely transfixed by the image in the mirror. It was incredibly exciting to see the transformative nature of makeup that I hadn't really experienced until then - and it was truly the beginning of my love of makeup! I wanted to try my hand at the 20s style again now that I know a bit more about makeup (heh). 399 Secrete is a vampy purple that is perfect for this era, but is also completely timeless.

I'm wearing:

L'Absolu Rouge 399 Secrete Lipstick *

Mauve blush

The Gidget
Retro summer sweetness! I can just imagine relaxing on the beach in this fruit popsicle inspired look.

For the final look featuring 114 Amuse-Bouche, a bright coral in a cream finish, I wanted a fresh look that could be worn relaxing on the beach like in a retro summer flick - preferably with a fruit popsicle in hand!

I'm wearing:

L'Absolu Rouge 114 Amuse-Bouche Lipstick *

Peachy blush (in Beam)

Gold eyeshadow (in Kitten)

Kat Von D Pastel Goth eyeshadows *

Milk Makeup foundation *

Which of the four looks is your personal favorite?

Olypsticks: The Lipstick Olympics

With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics coming to a close this Sunday, I thought it would be fun to put my lipstick collection to the test and determine my favorite lipsticks in several categories - and the Olypsticks was born!

Obviously, this is limited to my own collection of lipstick and is not all encompassing. Please please tell me your favorite lipsticks for each category too (OR YOU COULD DO YOUR OWN OLYPSTICKS POST ^O^)! <3

Prettiest Tube:
Gold: Tom Ford, Paradiso // The rectangular tube's striking white and gold design screams luxe and elegance.
Silver: MAC, RiRi Woo // MAC's limid edition collections are always among my favorites for their original packaging, and this rose gold design for the RiRi <3's MAC collection is practically perfect!
Bronze: Revlon Lip Butters, Wild Watermelon // I'm smitten with the pretty quilt patterned case that houses the matching lip color inside!

Best Matte:
Gold: MAC, RiRi Woo/Ruby Woo // While this matte lipstick *does* have a very dry formula, this is without a doubt my favorite red for it's gorgeous color and staying power.
Silver: Wet n Wild, Cherry Picking
Bronze: Revlon, Wine Not // Revlon's matte line is unfortunately no longer in production, but keep your eye out for Wine Not, Really Red, and Strawberry Suede on ebay, Amazon, and in drugstores that still stock older products because their formula is amazing - vibrant, completely matte, and not too drying!
Honorable Mention: NYX

Most Pigmented:
Gold: Urban Decay, Jilted // Hyper pigmented and available in a large array of colors, Urban Decay's new line of lipsticks are stunners.
Silver: Wet n Wild, 24 Carrot Gold // If you've been following me for a while, you will know Wet n Wild's line of lipsticks are some of my very favorites (ever) - they out perform some of the "high end" lipsticks I own in terms of pigmentation and longevity and are only $2 a pop!
Bronze: MAC, Ruby Woo // One of the most talked about reds on the market, this lipstick would look good on just about anybody.

Best Value:
Gold: Wet n Wild, Red Velvet // Again, I can't stop seeing praises for these lipsticks - ONLY TWO DOLLARS.
Silver: Revlon, Lover's Coral // Revlon never fails me; with a pretty selection of colors, smooth formula, and with good color pay-off - these lipsticks are a steal at $6 (and are always going on sale)!
Bronze: NYX, Chloe // NYX has quickly become one of my very favorite makeup brands - their round lipsticks are only $4 a pop and with a huge variety of colors, you're bound to find one you'll love!

Most Moisturizing:
Gold: Revlon's Lip Butters, Sweet Tart // After hearing rave after rave about them, I thought there was no way Revlon's lip butters would live up to the hype - they did. Ranging for sheer to more vibrant colors, each one I've tried is incredibly moisturizing and comfortable on the lips - I have three and I can't help but want a million more!
Silver: Too Faced, Juicy Melons // This lipstick just glides on my lips, keeps them hydrated, and still provides good color pay-off - truly impressive.
Bronze: Urban Decay, F-Bomb // The moisturizing formula and high pigmentation of this lipstick makes it a star in my book! Only downside? This lipstick definitely needs a lipliner to keep from feathering!

Best Scent:
Gold: MAC, Rebel // MAC's infamous sweet, vanilla scent is an obvious answer, but it's truly my favorite!
Silver: Too Faced, Juicy Melons // I was immediately struck by the original fragrance this lipstick has - it reminds me of chocolate oranges (I'm not sure why?)!
Bronze: Tom Ford, Paradiso // Along the same lines as MAC's signature scent, this lipstick has a very sweet smell that is absolutely beautiful!

I'll be back next week with a sugary sweet outfit, until then…! <3

Primp & Pamper

With stressful lives and the gloomy weather, feeling blue in the last legs of winter is almost inevitable. In times like these, I think we all deserve an hour or so just to ourselves for self care in the form of relaxing and pampering. Since I've been feeling a little glum myself, I thought I'd outline some of my favorite ways to "treat yo self"!

Put On Your Favorite Lipstick
Is it just me, or does putting on lipstick put anybody else in a good mood? I have found that devoting a couple minutes to experimenting with your makeup makeup collection has always been a bit therapeutic! After wanting and saving for months, I finally splurged on a Tom Ford lipstick (in Paradiso) and it is heaven. Another favorite? Too Faced's Juicy Melons.

Eat Your Favorite Candy
(Because candy is dandy)

Read a Magazine
While waiting for a face mask or your nails to dry, why not pour over one of your favorite magazines? I am currently smitten with Betty Magazine (look out for a post on this gorgeous magazine soon)!

Use a Face Mask
With a host of affordable to luxury face masks that deep clean, tighten pores or exfoliate on the market, your face deserves a bit of pampering - just don't forget the cucumber slices! n_~ (Here I used a purifying papaya mud mask)

Wear Perfume
I'm kind of guilty of using my perfume only for very, very special occasions - it's just so pretty and expensive I don't ever want to use it all up ;A; I do think, however, spritzing yourself with a lavish scent can be just the right way to perk up your mood! I love Marc Jacob's Daisy (I've had it for years and it still smells perfect!) and Nicki Minaj's fragrance.

Paint Your Nails
Filing and painting one's nails is something I haven't gotten the hang of yet (seriously, how do you people get your nails into specific shapes?!), but now that my nails have grown out (I bite them when I'm nervous!) I've been painting them left and right! Here I'm wearing Wet n Wild's Tickled Pink.

How do you pamper yourself? ♡

Makeup Essentials

With just a swipe of lipstick and a flick of eyeliner, I feel so much more self-confident, and because of this, I have accidentally accumulated quite the collection of makeup u__u

Until recently, my makeup had been scattered haphazardly throughout my room, desk, & bathroom (I'm quite messy heh!) - so when I saw this cat makeup bag on Forever 21 I might have freaked out a bit!

When I received it the other day, I was inspired to photograph and share some of my makeup essentials with you! ♡

1. Nouvelle Vague Nail Polish, Chanel (*) 2. Lacey Lilac Nail Polish, Sally Hansen; $2.50 3. Eye Liner, Wet n Wild; $3 4. Toxic Tale Lipstick, MAC (*) 5. My Dark Magic Eyeshadow, MAC (*) 6. Lash Stiletto Mascara, Maybelline; $8 7. Cherry Picking Lipstick, Wet n Wild; $2 8. Strawberry Malt Lipgloss, MAC; $16.50 9. Divine Lipstick, Covergirl; $6 10. Yelo White Eyeshadow, Urban Decay (*) 11. Eyelash Curler, e.l.f.; $1.50 12. Retro Red Lipstick, N.Y.C.; $1.50
* indicates item is no longer available

Though I usually stick to drugstore makeup, I have been known to splurge occasionally on lip products from MAC - (I can't resist when they do special collaborations animated characters) their Disney Villains Toxic Tale lipstick is the shade I reach for the most!

Meanwhile, I usually stick to doing a bit of a cateye and mascara on both my upper and lower lashes, and this Wet n Wild eyeliner (recommended to me by Marlena ♡♡♡) and Maybelline mascara does the trick perfectly! I'm not very good at eyeshadow (it confuses me I'm sad to admit u__u) but the now discontinued white shadow I got years ago from Urban Decay is my favorite - I'm sad because I've almost used it all up and I can't find anymore! ;_;

What are your makeup essentials? Do you have any recommendations or favorite tutorials? I'd love to hear/see them! ( ♡ ᴥ ♡ )