February 7, 2015

Au Naturale Lipstick in Sangria and Primrose - swatches & review!

Hello, Beautiful!

In this post I have another lip product from Au Naturale cosmetics. This time it's their Lipstick, which I have in two shades: Sangria and Primrose. Both look different in the tube than on the lips - which is why I love doing lip swatches. Honestly, just based off looks, I can say I'd never pick these shades out for myself. However, when swatched on my lips I was surprised to like both shades as much as I did. Check out how they look on my lips, my review and all the product info!


Au Naturale Lipstick
Shades: Sangria, Primrose
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.






Au Naturale Lipstick
Shades: Sangria







Au Naturale Lipstick
Shades: Primrose





Au Naturale Lipstick Info & Review
Cost: $22.00 (3.7 g - full size)
Availability: Available on the Au Naturale website.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Kisses

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION...

Au Naturale's Lipsticks are rich in pigment and boast a nourishing formula infused with organic oil and free of lead, bismuth oxychloride, carmine, gluten and nano-particles. Their lipsticks nourish with organic avocado oil, moisture with organic coca butter, and repair skin health with organic macadamia nut oil. Noticeably improves skin health while providing long lasting, naturally beautiful color.

Currently available in 10 shades.


MY REVIEW...

As I mentioned at the top of this post, these shades look nothing like what I'd choose for myself based on how they look in the tube. But sometimes looks can be deceiving. 

In the tube, both shades look darker than they do on the lips and also marbled a bit. On the lips they apply much more sheer in color pay off, which was actually a bit of a let down for a lipstick - but not every lipstick has to be full-on intense pigmented color. In fact, I know a lot of people - myself included - that can appreciate a lipstick with slightly less than full color pigmentation.

I was sent two shades: Primrose and Sangria.

Primrose is described on their website as a soft pink that will bring the perfect touch of sheer pink color for a refined and natural pout. Now based on that description I didn't expect the actual lipstick to look so dark and frosty swirled. But on the lips, that description is pretty accurate. It's definitely sheer, but it's a pretty pink shade that pulls more peach on my lips.

Sangria is described on their website as a deep, bold pink with a hint of shimmer. Based on the way the lipstick looks, it doesn't seem very pink at all. To me, it looks like a purple fuchsia shade - and on the lips it is a sheer purple based pink on me. Even though it's description says it has shimmer, I find that Primrose has more noticeable shimmer.

Two shades from their line I'd like to try are Innocence (it's listed as their top selling shade) and Cora; both seem really pretty and more my style (those would have been the two I picked out).

The price for these lipsticks is kind of steep at $22 a piece, but they are from a brand that focuses on creating makeup without the yucky, bad ingredients - so you're going to pay a little more to put better ingredient filled products on your face.

Now one con that I found is these had a lot of drag to the lips; they didn't glide on very smooth and maybe they are the kind that just need to be warmed up a bit on the back of the hand first. I found that Primrose had more drag than Sangria, but both were notably stiff. I also don't find these to be very moisturizing, and for my dry winter lips that means I have to wear a lip balm underneath or top with a gloss to feel as comfortable as possible. Maybe in the spring and summer my lips will react better to these, but right now then drag and the non-moisturizing feeling was the one con for these - especially at a $22 price point.

These lipsticks do have a claim to improve your lip health over time, which is something I find very interesting and would love to see if that were true, but right now I am not wearing these enough to report back on that claim.

Overall, I think - based on the two shades I was sent - that these lipsticks offer a nice sheer to medium opacity that would be great for anyone who doesn't want a full-on bold lip but still want to add pretty color to their lips. You may find you need to warm these up a bit on the back of your hand for them to apply better, but other than that you may enjoy these.

Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of this lipstick? Which shade do you like better? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine


Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. However, these products were sent to me for consideration. I am not being paid to make this post, nor has the company influenced me in any way. I have made this post because I wanted to, not because I had to. These are my honest opinions, thoughts and experiences.

February 6, 2015

Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner - all 4 shades - swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

The new Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliners are really pretty! They have a great texture and can be worn as both shadow and all-over lid color. There are four shades in the collection, and I have all four to show you in this post. Check out all the product info, along with my full review, after the pics!

Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner
Shades: 01 Black Gold Foil, 02 Purple Foil, 03 Brown Foil, 04 Navy Foil
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.












Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner
Shade: 01 Black Gold Foil









Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner
Shade: 02 Purple Foil









Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner
Shade: 03 Brown Foil









Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner
Shade: 04 Navy Foil








Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner Info & Review
Cost: $6.99 retail (0.07 oz full size)
Availability: Available on the Milani Cosmetics website, at CVS and other select Milani Cosmetics retailers.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION...

From the runways in Milan straight to your makeup bag, this next-level eyeliner enhances and defines eyes with a rich, intense, metallic finish. The innovative blackout base elevates the luminosity, creating a shiny, shimmering special effect that brightens eyes. Blackened jewel tones with a metal-like foil finish, these can be used for lining or a full-on lid look. Available in four long-wearing shades. Includes a professional brush applicator that deposits color exactly where you want it. Glow for it.

Available in four shades:
  • 01 Black Gold Foil - gilded charcoal
  • 02 Purple Foil - eggplant splashed with lavender
  • 03 Brown Foil - glisteny, wet-sand taupe
  • 04 Navy Foil - inky, moonlit-ocean blue


MY REVIEW...

If you weren't a fan of the Milani Fierce Foil Eyeshines, then the Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliners (names are very similar) may be the choice for you. These have a great texture - creamy, but not overly creamy like the Fierce Foil Eyeshines are. They apply really nicely as liner and as an all-over lid color.

Let's talk about the shades...

Black Gold Foil -- this is a black with gold shimmer flecks in it. Not the most intense black, but still black enough to define your eyes. I'd say their description of a "gilded charcoal" is pretty spot on.

Purple Foil -- this is a really pretty blackened purple shade with shimmer; would look great all over the lid or as an outer-v or outer third lid color.

Brown Foil -- a warmer, chocolaty taupey brown with shimmer. Really nice for a liner or all over the lid.

Navy Foil -- probably my favorite, this is a gorgeous navy blue metallic that is amazing as a liner.

I want to point out that these liners are NOT waterproof. They can smudge off depending on how oily your skin is. Other than that, there really wasn't any cons to this liner.

I've been using Navy Foil as an accent liner a lot. Brown Foil makes a pretty base all over the lid!

Now let me know what you think...
What do you think of this eyeliner? What shade do you like the best? Have you tried this, or would you consider adding this to your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below!

xoxo with love & beauty,
Crystal Valentine


Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. However, these products were sent to me for consideration. I am not being paid to make this post, nor has the company influenced me in any way. I have made this post because I wanted to, not because I had to. These are my honest opinions, thoughts and experiences.