MAC RiRi Woo Lipstick: Review + Swatch!

Hi Beauties!!!

I am super excited today because I recently received my RiRi Woo lipstick in the mail! This limited edition lipstick is the result of a collaboration between the amazing Rihanna and MAC. RiRi Woo is a 'spin' on the super star's favorite red lipstick, Ruby Woo.

The shade is almost identical to Ruby Woo: a blue-based red with a Retro-Matte finish. Retro-Matte is basically as matte as a lipstick can be (see the swatches below). Virtually no light is reflected back and it has that kind of Old Hollywood glam look to it. The blue undertone also helps to make the teeth look whiter, so that's always a plus!

The actual bullet of lipstick has "RiRi" engraved around it, but otherwise, the packaging is the same as any permanent MAC lipstick. I was secretly hoping there'd be some cool design on the outside of the tube but what can ya do?

In terms of the texture, I do find that even though RiRi Woo and Ruby Woo have the same finish, Rihanna's version applies a bit more easily to the skin in my opinion. RiRi Woo is not as dry but just as matte.

Since it is so matte, I did apply a lip balm before swiping it on my lips in the swatch above. Once the lipstick dries on the lips, it is kind of like a stain and does not budge unless you really rub on it.

From the swatches above, you can see the comparison between RiRi Woo and a couple other similar reds from MAC with slightly different finishes. 

RiRi Woo was an online only limited edition shade which sold out in 3 hours last week but there will be another release in June, so if you didn't get it this time around, your hope is not lost yet! :-)


Bottomline: I really like RiRi Woo. The color, application, finish and lasting power are all top notch! However, honestly speaking, the shade is not unique. If you already have Ruby Woo, which is in the permanent collection, there is no real need to hop on this train - unless of course, you are a huge Rihanna fan like me! :-)

For a list of other great red lipsticks, click here!

Overall, I give RiRi Woo a 4.5 out of 5.

Thanks for reading!

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What do you think about RiRi Woo?

Color of the Moment: Coral!

Hi there Beauties!

I have been having somewhat of a love affair with everything coral for the last few months and I can see this will last well into the summer. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this gorgeous shade, it is basically a mixture of pink and orange - so 'coral' includes all shades in that spectrum: pinky-orangey-peachy goodness!

I've compiled a collection of blushes, eye-shadows, lip products and nail polishes in these shades that I've been loving recently. I think just about anyone can wear these colors - especially if you've got a little warmth to your skin.


Lipstick

Revlon Lip Butter - Tutti Frutti
This shade is more along the orange side of the spectrum but as with all the lip butters, it is extremely moisturizing. The color comes off quite opaque in one swipe but doesn't last as long as a regular lipstick would.

Maybelline Vivids - Candid Coral
The swatch doesn't capture the true shade, but I actually don't think this shade is really coral - it comes off more of a hot pink. But I know many people (like myself) pick up this color expecting the name to mean something. :-)    Review

MAC - On Hold 
This is a pinky-coral. One of my favorites! Amplified formula. Review

MAC - Vegas Volt
This one is an orangey-coral. I have been wearing this for about a week straight! It is gorgeous on the lips! Also an amplified formula.

NYX - Indian Pink
A light, pinky-coral. It has a bit of a frost finish.

Revlon - Coralberry
I would say this is the truest coral of the lot. Falls neatly between pink and orange!


Lip Gloss

Lòreal Infallible - Fiery 
An orangey- coral with gold shimmers and great lasting power. Review

Revlon - Coral Reef
A pretty true coral. Such creamy goodness! No shimmer and it looks really milky and smooth on the lips.


Blush

Elf - Candid Coral

This shade is a little light for my complexion but on fairer skin, this would look beautiful. It also has fine gold sparkles.

Nars - Taos

Have you gotten tired of seeing this blush on my blog? This gives such a warm glow to the skin and looks gorgeous in the sun.

NYX - Cinnamon

In the pan, this is looks straight up orange but when brushed on the cheeks it can pull kind of coral (at least on my skin)

Eyeshadow

 MAC Expensive Pink
I have been getting so much use out of this shadow for the last couple of weeks. Don't let the name fool you. This shade doesn't look 'pink' on the lids at all. It looks more like a champagne-peach (if thats a thing)

Elf - Peach Fizz
This has more of a peachy-gold effect going on. Elf eyeshadows are not my favorite by a long-shot, but at just $1 per pan, it will do if you're on a budget or just want to test the waters. I don't wear this much but I figured it was worth mentioning.


Nail Polishes

Revlon Colorstay - SeaShell
In the store, this color looked so beautiful - and it still is - but it is very sheer and looks very neutral on the nails. Its great for a barely there look or a french manicure.

Revlon - Hushed Blush
A muted, orangey-coral frost

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Coral Reef
A smooth, pinky-coral. This shade screams summer!

OPI - Suzi's Hungary Again
This shade was released with the Euro Centrale Collection which should still be in stores now. It is a bright, pinky-coral


Thats all folks!

Thanks so much for reading! Follow me on Instagram Here :-)

What color will be your staple this summer?

MAC Shape The Future Extra Dimension SkinFinish: A Review

Hi Folks!

Last week I picked up some things from a not-so-innocent trip to MAC and I think my favorite was this new mineralized skin finish called 'Shape the Future' from the new In Extra Dimension collection.

Shape the Future is a two toned highlighter/blush with a pinky-bronze sheen. The texture is almost complicated. Ha! Its a powder compact but is still creamy and I could even dare to describe it as something like a mousse in solid form. Does that make any sense?

Above is a swatch of the skin finish. The bottom, bronzy-pink is on the left and the top pale champagne shade is on the right.

I used the bottom shade as blush and the top as an extra highlight above that. Both shades, which can also be swirled together, provide a beautiful sheen to the skin and a healthy glow.

I really love this shade and think it would look great on most skin tones. It adds warmth without being all goldie-bronze in-yo-face! but the color is actually quite subtle - as a blush. As a highlighter, both shades really show up well. I used a brush in the photos above, but applying with fingers can give a much stronger impact as with the swatches.

MAC Mineralized SkinFinishes retail for $30 wherever MAC Cosmetics is sold. Shape the Future is a limited edition shade.

Overall, I really like this Skin Finish for the purpose of both blush and highlight. I wouldn't say its the most unique thing to hit the shelves, but color payoff, longevity and application are all top notch. It is a bit pricey, but what can a beauty-hoarder do?

I give Shape the Future Extra Dimension Skin Finish a 4.5/5

Thanks for reading!

Have you picked up anything from the Extra Dimension Collection?

NOTM: Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish (Amethyst)

Today's nail of the moment was a little interesting to document because of its duo-chrome (dare I say, triple-chrome) finish. Revlon recently released a few shades in a line of metallic, multi-layered polishes called Chroma Chameleon that reflect light differently.

Amethyst is a mainly purple shade but as the light changes, the nails can look grey, green, bright purple or a deep plum. Cool right?

Above, you can see how the nails look under different light. Honestly, I thought that it would look purple more, but most of the time it just looked kinda looked grey or green (like the photo top right).

The pigmentation is pretty good and full coverage can be achieved in 2 coats as above. The polish dried pretty quickly but I also got chips on many of the nails after just one day of wear and that is unusual for me. With regular polishes I normally don't even see chips because I change them after the 3rd of 4th day.

Chroma Chameleon is a limited edition collection and retails for $5-7 at drugstores.

Overall, I liked this product because it has a cool novelty factor but this particular shade looked a bit dull on my complexion most of the time and the lasting power was a bit disappointing.

I give it a 3/5 score.

Have you tried any duo-chrome polishes?

Nude (Part II): MAC Taupe Lipstick - A Review + Comparison

I'm not much of a nude lip girl, but there are just those times when you need a nice blanket of uncomplicated color when the eyes are strong or you just want to blend in for those "natural" looks ;-). Today I have a short review on MAC's Taupe lipstick, which works as a great nude for dark skin.

Taupe is of an amplified formula - my favorite because it is super pigmented but not drying. The finish on the lips is not completely matte but there isn't much light reflected back. I would say it looks pretty natural.

As with other amplified lipsticks by MAC, the lasting power is great (especially for a nude color) at about 6-8 hours. I'm pretty sure you can exceed this by following a few simple tips in this blog post.

Application is really smooth and the color comes off very opaque. This is one of my "few" nudes that is more of a true brownish shade. It doesn't have pink or mauve undertones and creates a nice naked look without looking too washed out on my NW45 skin tone.

Above, you can see how Taupe appears compared to some other fairly similar nudes. The closest dupe I could find where color and finish are concerned is Wet N Wild's Mocha-Liscious. At $1.99, it is a great  and much cheaper alternative to MAC's Taupe which retails for $15.

My other favorite nude is MAC's Verve, which has a pinker undertone and I find to be a little more moisturizing than Taupe.

Overall, I give Taupe a 5/5 for color payoff, longevity and finish!

Thanks for reading!

Click here to follow me on Instagram! :-)

What is your favorite Nude Lipstick?

Mini Ulta Haul

This past week Ulta had a great 40% off sale on a few brands including NYX and Revlon. Here are some of the things I picked up and a few swatches below.

1. NYX Studio Liquid Liner in SLL 104 Extreme Purple - This liner is super vibrant and lasts forever!

2. NYXAuto Eyebrow Pencil EP05 Dark Brown - pretty standard eyebrow pencil. This is my 3rd repurchase and looks very natural with dark/black brows.

3. Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Amethyst - I'm so excited to rock this duo-chrome polish

4. NYX Blush in Terra Cotta - This gives a beautiful sun-kissed glow to the skin. Contains gold shimmer.

5. NYX Blush in Pinched - A medium-toned pink. Satin finish

6. NYX Blush in Cinnamon - This is my favorite of these. Bright orange but it gives subtle warmth to the skin. Don't worry, you won't look like a clown. Matte finish.

7. NYX Lipstick in Indian Pink - A coral-pink. Satin finish

8. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent - I've been wearing this all week and it really stays matte for a long time. It says its translucent but I have to apply with a light hand to avoid looking ashy.

9. NYX Eyeliner in Emerald City - A gorgeous deep green. It doesn't transfer as easily to the eye as I would like but its beautiful for a subtle pop of color.

10. NYX Lip liner in Rose - soft light pink

11. NYX Lip liner in Pinky - bright pink

12. NYX Lip liner in Coral - goes great with Indian Pink lipstick

13. NYX Lip liner in Orange - bright reddish orange

14. NYX Lip liner in Dolly Pink - blue-based neon pink

15. NYX Wonder Pencil in WP03 Dark - This comes in 3 shades and this is the darkest believe it or not! Works in the lips, eyes and face to conceal or brighten. For me, I think this shade will only be suitable on the eyes.

16. EcoTools Crease brush - surprisingly super soft!

17. StudioTools Dual Ended brush - Blending brush on one side and detail brush on the other end. Also really soft!



And that's it.

Have you tried any of these products?

I'm Finally on Instagram!!! (@LipsNponytails)

Hi Lovelies,

Super quick update for ya.

I have joined modern civilization and entered the world of Instagram!!

(pause for either applause or collective sighing) 

I figured I can do more frequent updates there than I have been doing here lately.

So join me in the fun and follow me @LipsNponytails

Leave your Instagram username below so I can follow you too!

NOTM: OPI Euro Centrale Collection: Suzi's Hungary AGAIN / You're such a BudaPest

Hi Beauties.

This is Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Maam kind of post. This week I've been alternating with these 2 colors on my nails from OPI's Euro Centrale Collection that was released recently.

Suzi's Hungary AGAIN (shown left) is a bright pinky, coral with no shimmer. You're such a BudaPest (shown right) is a blue-based lilac with a hint of shimmer in the bottle but it does not show up on the nails. The polka dots on the ring finger are just alternates of these two shades.

 I love these 2 colors because they just scream spring and summer to me and I can tell that I will get good use out of these.

OPI nail polishes are sold in Ulta and other retailers for $9 each.

I think Suzi's Hungary AGAIN is my favorite of these two.

Which shade do you like better?

For the Modern Day Olive Oyl: CreaNails

I remember not too long ago when I was just a little lass watching Popeye the Sailor on Cartoon Network for as long as my parents would let me sit in front of the television. One scene from that show has stayed with me after all this time and that was when Olive Oyl got her nails painted through a giant block with cutouts for her toes and one swipe of the world's largest paint brush.

I always thought that was such a cool idea to metaphorically kill 5 birds with one stone and it was only a matter of time that someone made such a system to easily paint your nails.

Yesterday, while mindlessly browsing the Internet, I stumbled upon a product called CreaNails, which employs a very similar technique to Popeye's lady. Check out the likeness below.

In the episode Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, Olive sticks her alarmingly flexible toes through a block with special cutouts for her nails. Then a large brush is painted over the entire block and upon pulling out of the block, she reveals perfectly painted nails!

The CreaNails process is not much different. It doesn't protect the cuticles from painting with reckless abandon, but it does a pretty good job of ensuring the sides of the nails don't get splattered on.

I think this is a nifty idea for those learning to paint their nails or who are just prone to manicuring the sides of their fingers too. This kit is sold for $24.99 and you can get more info on it here.

Watch the YouTube demonstration for CreaNails below.

Also, if you want to check out the Popeye the Sailor episode, click the video below. The short segment of interest starts at 14:48 and ends at 15:03.

Note: I do not own any of these products. I just found this interesting :-)
Also, images used in the comparison for this post were taken from the two YouTube videos above.

Thanks for reading.

Would you try CreaNails?

Restoring Old Paint Pots

Hi there Beauties!

I kinda have an on again off again relationship with paint pots. Unfortunately, sometimes when I'm on again, they're off! I hate to see good stuff go to waste, so I thought there must be a way to restore dried up paint pots and cream shadows or liners.

Turns out there is - and its super simple!

All you need to do is follow the steps below:

1. Take your old or dried up paint pot and place it in the microwave for about a minute (times vary with the make and model of your microwave). You need just enough time to loosen up the cream. It doesn't have to melt completely.

2. Take the paint pot out of the microwave and with a toothpick, move the product around to spread in the entire jar.

3. Optional: Take a plastic spoon or something with a smooth, flat edge to level the top of the product.

And you're done!

The paint pot should dry to its regular consistency within about 15 minutes.

To prevent premature drying out, store the pots upside down.

(Products shown top left to right: Benefit Get Figgy, MAC Groundwork, MAC Indianwood.)

Thanks for reading!

Do your paint pots get dry like this?

Rimmel Scandal Eyes: A Review

Hi Beauties!

This review is pretty overdue, as I have been loving these little babies for a few weeks now, but here it is nevertheless :-). Don't worry, I'd keep it short and sleep..... I mean sweet..... (is my exhaustion showing?)

Rimmel Scandal Eyes is a relatively new collection of eye pencils and crayons that are super saturated, glide on softly and dry to a waterproof and long-lasting finish.

I've shown 2 of the Shadow Sticks (Paranoid Purple and Bad Girl Bronze) and 2 of the Kohl Kajals (Nude and Brown). Each of these pencils packs a pigment punch and I was impressed at how creamy they applied to the skin.

On a side note, clearly, they ran out of creative names for the kohl pencils. They have painfully boring labels. ^_^

All of the pencils (with the exception of Nude) have a little bit of shimmer but do not feel gritty at all. In fact, they're glide on like 'buttah'

 The look shown here was created with Paranoid Purple along the upper and lower lid and Nude in the waterline.

Longevity with these pencils is impressive. I noticed that if I needed to blend, I had to do so quickly because once it sets, it doesn't budge!

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Sticks and Kohl Kajals retail for about $4.49 each and are sold at Ulta and drugstores.

Bottomline: I love these pencils! Application is a dream and it lasts forever! What more can I say? The Nude liner applied just a tad streaky on the waterline so it took a little blending but otherwise, I think these are great!

Overall, I give Scandal Eyes 4.5 out of 5!

Thanks for reading!

(To complete the look, I used MAC Vibrant Grape and Swiss Chocolate to blend in the crease. Also on my face, I used Revlon's ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen, MAC Lovejoy Blush and Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash )

NOTM: Polka Dot Half Moons

Here's a Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Maam post. I've been rocking this look on my nails for several days and its super easy to recreate.

I simply painted Revlon's Buttercup all over the nail and dotted OPI's Cuckoo for this Color around the cuticle. I love that Buttercup is like a neutral with an extra punch.

I used a dotting tool to create the little half moon polka dots with Cuckoo for this Color - but you can really use a tooth pick or any small object to create the dots! I think this OPI shade was limited edition but it's easily dupable with drugstore polishes.

And that's it!

Revlon ColorStay Nail Polishes retail for about $4.50 in drugstores and OPI goes for about $9 at Ulta or other stores.

Thanks for reading!

Super Easy Heatless Waves!

So here's a random fact about me: I'm really lazy with my hair! How lazy you ask?

Well, I haven't blow dried it or used any styling tools on it in almost a year! I can spend about 20 minutes doing my makeup in the morning but would normally leave only about a minute or two (max) for my hair.

This is a super easy way to prepare my hair after washing it and then just shackle out for the next day.

Total time to prepare this is probably under 5 minutes and all you'll need are some tiny butterfly clips to secure the ends and maybe a roller.

For the waves to set, there should be a little moisture in the hair - either from about 80% air dried hair from the shower or dry hair that has been lightly spritzed with water. The hair shouldn't be dripping wet. Just make sure you allot enough time for it to dry. I wash my hair at night so that it will be dry in the morning.

Step 1:

Separate slightly damp hair into 2 fairly equal sections. I wouldn't recommend a straight line down the middle of your head because this is hard to conceal once you've separated the waves. I like to do a random zig zag separation with my fingers. (Avoid any kind of straight line)

Tip: If you have lots of layers around your face or on the top section of your head, you may get better results by parting the hair horizontally (ear to ear). This also gives good volume at the crown.

Step 2: 

After detangling the hair and applying whatever products you like to use, create a tight two-strand twist. The tighter you make the twist, the more defined the waves would be.

Tip: I like to start each twist near the temple of my head so that the waves start higher up to give a more natural look and added volume near the roots.

Step 3: 

Continue twisting until you reach either the end of your strands or until the twist starts getting thinner. If you have layers, the twist will start out thick and get thinner at the ends. I prefer to avoid twisting the ends that get thinner because it creates tighter waves and kinks that can look frizzy easier. I usually leave about an inch or two at the end undone.

Tip: If the ends of your hair are straight, you can use a medium sized curler to just tuck the ends under to complete the wave. Don't roll more than about 2 inches of hair because it will coil up.

Step 4: 

A two-strand twist will unravel unless it is clipped in place. Using a small butterfly clip, pin the end of the twist at the desired tightness to your roots so the hair will dry in the shape of the twist.

Tip: Avoid using hair elastics or clips that will leave an indentation in the hair.

In the morning, take down the twists and gently unravel them with your fingers. Using a brush or a comb will make the hair a big, frizzy mess. Just separate the strands with your fingers as you see fit or shake the roots to get volume and separation without frizzing out the ends.

And that's about it!

You can modify this however you want. If you want smaller waves, create more twists and fewer twists for bigger waves.

You can also create waves with a regular 3-strand braid but they will look more like crimps instead of S-shaped waves.

This can be done on straight and curly hair. If you're hair is very tightly coiled, you can either create smaller twists or stretch your natural curls a bit in order to define them into the new, looser curl pattern.

This has been my go-to hair routine for over a year now and takes just about 5 minutes at night and one minute in the morning and does NO DAMAGE to the hair!

Easy right?

What's your favorite heatless hairstyle?