Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in #140 Fuchsia Fever

I have been in the throes of a fuchsia fever. This current obsession reached a frenzied pitch with a blurb on fuchsia lippies in Allure. I just can not get enough of the cheerfulness of a bright pink. You just can not wallow in the doldrums of life with a lippie built on happiness and good cheer.  This Maybelline is all kinds of resplendent neon. Full of optimism.

The brightness is very similar to the great MAC Show Orchid and MAC Candy Yum Yum. I will have to issue my readers a rain check on a comparison photograph.  The texture is fairly creamy with a satin finish. There is no shimmer or glitter. The pigment power is very high end. One swipe is a color fest. I have had no issue with dryness or clunking. It is all kinds of prettiness.

I purchased my tube at my new Ulta store. Let us know what drugstore you spot it in! There are 48 shades in a wide range of shades from crisp reds to rose infused nudes. Visit http://www.maybelline.com/ for a peek. I highly recommend following Maybelline's twitter account. We are Gossip Girl buddies!
http://twitter.com/#!/Maybelline
The price varies from drugstore to drugstore. The best estimate I can give you is around $5!

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclosure: I purchased this lippie from my local Ulta store.  We FINALLY got one in the ytown.

Gaga 2: MAC Viva Glam's Lipstick and Lipglass

My mama told me when I was young
We are all born superstars
She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir

"There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are"
She said, "'Cause He made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say" (Lyrics from Born This Way)


The latest addition to the Viva Glam lineup was launched yesterday. Lady Gaga has reprised her role as the Viva Glam spokeswoman. This time Viva Glam is all about the nude. This goes with her whole new album/Grammy's performance "rebirth" theme. There are no eggs or rubber pancake hats. This collection is about holy grail nude lippies. The amplified lipstick shade is a light warm beige. The lipglass is a gorgeous pinked beige with just a hint of shimmer.
Warm or pinked nudes are the only ones I can carry off!

Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipstick is priced at $14.50
Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipglass is priced at $14.50
The collection is available at your local MAC counter and www.maccosmetics.com
These shades will be available for a full 12 months. Each cent of these lippies goes to the amazing MAC Aids Fund.

Disclosure: A press sample was provided by MAC Cosmetics
Credit: MAC PR and Blogdorf Goodman

Darling Nicki

Happy Pink Friday Barbie & Ken Dolls!

M·A·C Cosmetics and Nicki Minaj created a limited edition lipstick that is called Pink Friday. Pink Friday is also the name of Nicki's first album that launches today!
I was going to use one of Nicki's lyrics for this post but...she is fairly naughty. Nicki is an impish "girly girl" with great skills and style.

Nicki Minaj is one of us.
A hardcore MAC fan who laments the demise of the discontinued and the great. Her passion was Pink Nouveau lipstick. I will have to dig through my archives and see if I can locate a tube. MAC Pink lippies have always been my weakness.
Pink Friday is slightly deceiving. In the tube it looks like a breathtakingly lovely, blue based pink.
On the lips it transforms to a Pepto Bismol shade.
This is a baby pink on acid.

I brought my tube into work for the girls to try. They love and adore Nicki Minaj. Our intern, Ebony, is going to a Pink Friday themed party. I thought the lippie would make her the belle of the ball. One swipe and she was making a face. Ebbie thought it was too intense. She actually handed the lippie back to me. I was crushed but I had to agree with her assessment.

My co-worker Gela tested it and thought Pink Friday "enhanced her lips and butt".
Gela is my jokester!

If you are gun shy on pinks...this is not your kind of lippie. It has a spotlight intensity. The satin formula is creamy but enhances any lip issues such as dryness or creases.

Before you think this is a thumbs down review...I am loving this lippie. Pink Friday is bright yet wearable on me. I am pale as snow and wear pink lippies on a regular basis.

The Pink Friday lippie is limited edition.
Nicki’s ultra exclusive shade will only be available for purchase four Fridays beginning Friday, November 26, 2010, while supplies last, ONLY at http://www.maccosmetics.com/
Available FRIDAYS November 26, December 3, December 10, and December 17, 2010

Disclosure: A press sample of the lippie was provided by MAC Cosmetics
Credits: MAC Cosmetics

This girl is made of lipstick, powder, and paint

Glossy Lip Rouge from Anna Sui
A Review by Jessica M

If you’re an admirer of Anna Sui’s cosmetics, you may already know that the line’s Lip Rouges were redesigned and launched in Spring 2010. I’ve been meaning to write about them for a while, since I’ve been wearing them so often this summer.

The new Lip Rouge line-up is comprised of lipsticks in four different textures: G/Glossy (semi-sheer and shiny), V/Vivid (richly pigmented), D/Dazzle (sparkly!), and T/Tint (balm-like, with a hint of color). Overall, there are now thirty shades that range from pales to brights, and from neutrals to bolder tones. The lipsticks also have new packaging (which I happen to prefer to the previous look): Art Nouveau-inspired cases with embossed roses and heart-shaped cutouts.

Glossy, my favorite formula in the revamped Lip Rouge line, is packaged in a black-on-black tube. Shade #304 (“Coral Pink”) is a light peachy-canteloupe color, with fine silvery shimmer that gives a slightly frosty effect. It’s a nice option for a soft, natural look when you’re focusing more on your eye makeup. Shade #305 (“Passion Pink) appears almost fuchsia in the tube, but on the lips, it’s a sheer, buildable raspberry shade. I’ve been trying to wear more color this summer, and #305 is an easy, flattering way for me to intensify my look without overdoing it; this shade also coordinates perfectly with a dress I recently bought at the Anna Sui shop!

All the G/Glossy Lip Rouges have an emollient feel, since their formula combines state-of-the-art synthetic ingredients with a few natural oils and waxes. And, last but not least, they are delicately scented with a tea rose fragrance.

Have you tried the reformulated Lip Rouge line yet? Do you have any other favorites from this brand? Feel free to share in the comments!

Anna Sui G/Glossy Lip Rouges retail for $25 each. Anna Sui’s New York City boutique is located at 113 Greene Street; the phone number is 212-941-8406. Visit http://www.annasui.com/ for more information about the full cosmetics line.

Disclaimer: Lip Rouge #304 was provided as a press sample by Anna Sui; I purchased Lip Rouge #305 at the Anna Sui boutique.

Title: lyric from “Maid of Bond Street” by David Bowie
Images: Lipstick photos by Jessica M. Anna Sui runway photo from Style.com.

Let Love Rule

Love can kick rocks in my bitter opinion. Please realize that this is my "inner spinster" speaking. I do appreciate love in all it's wonderful and cruel glory. I would like to drive the love bandwagon instead of plotting it's fiery crash. All these press releases of Valentine gift suggestions just makes me want to pout.
This blogger is not in the throes of true love or participating in any romantic endeavors. However, this blogger does appreciate a great red lippie and pretty smelling things.

Estee Lauder's Kissable Lip Gloss in Cherry Kiss is very fetching. A pop of red with pink shimmer fire. The gloss has a brush applicator and the tube is stamped with the word "love". There are three other shades and the gloss is scented heavily with fig.

Lauder also released 12 Hydra Lustre Lipsticks in the Love Your Lips collection. I received a press sample of Coral Kiss.

Corals are a huge trend this spring and summer. I am starting to lose count of the new Coral themed collections and lippies. Coral Kiss is a more sheer, less oomph version of Lancome's Chris Benz. Lauder's limited edition lippie has the word Love embossed on the actual lipstick. This is an adorable touch.

The lipstick retails for $19.50 while the gloss retails for $18.
Visit your local Estee Lauder counter or the website at www.esteelauder.com

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Estee Lauder

Your kiss is on my list: review of Lancôme Rouge Absolu Lipstick in Chris & Tell

By Jessica M and Angie W

Back in September, we were invited (as Blogdorf representatives!) to attend the backstage preparations for Chris Benz’s Spring 2010 ready-to-wear show during New York Fashion Week. We were able to watch makeup artist Daniel Martin at work, and we even met the designer himself. Since Lancôme will be releasing its newest “Pout-a-Porter” lipstick in February, and 2010’s shade is a collaboration with Chris Benz, this seemed like a good time to recap our visit to the Benz show.

Chris Benz’s spring collection was inspired by Cheryl Tiegs in the 1970s and by the Memphis architectural design group of the 1980s, and these influences were translated into exuberant colors and playful patterns of dots and stripes in a line of youthful, uptown-goes-downtown designs.

The makeup for the show was also lively but easygoing; Daniel Martin said that he always tries to achieve a “do-it-yourself” effect in his work with Chris Benz. He used Lancôme’s Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate on the models' skin, Color Design eye shadow in Honeymoon crushed and pressed onto the eyelid, Hypnôse Drama mascara in Black, and the new Pop‘N Cheeks blush mosaic in Coral Flirt. (We also spied a row of Shu Uemura Nobara stick foundations!)

However, the overall makeup look revolved around the lipstick: all the models wore the new Pout-a-Porter Rouge Absolu lippie, whose name – Chris & Tell – had just been chosen through a contest on Chris Benz’s Facebook page. The color was developed by Chris and Daniel, with input from their friend Elettra Wiedemann, who is also a model and a Lancôme muse. Chris recalled that they kept gravitating towards orange-y shades, and they ended up with a pinkish coral that looks slightly different on everybody who wears it.

Daniel applied Chris & Tell directly from the tube or dabbed it on with a fingertip for this show; no lip brushes were used. As he said, "What makes it modern is keeping the face fresh.” The result was a soft and effortless style, a natural look that did remind us a little bit of Cheryl Tiegs in her heyday, with the lipstick as the finishing touch.

Coral lipsticks were definitely popular in the 70s, but Chris & Tell doesn’t have that outdated frosty or chalky look: it’s matte, but just creamy enough to look clean and young. And, as Daniel suggested, if you want to give the color more dimension, just add a balm underneath or a clear gloss over it.

Annie has a sample of Chris & Tell, and she’ll be reviewing it here in the near future. In the meantime, if you’re hoping to own a Chris & Tell lipstick of your own, contact your local Saks Fifth Avenue or Lancôme boutique to put your name on the waiting list!

Photos credit: Jessica M and Angie W
Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Lancome.

Isn’t it romantic? ... New lipsticks and glosses from Edward Bess at Bergdorf Goodman

Sneak Peek and Review by Jessica M

“It’s autumn in New York that brings the promise of new love” – “Autumn in New York,” lyrics by Vernon Duke,
performed by Ella Fitzgerald (and many others)


Edward Bess recently made a personal appearance at Bergdorf Goodman in New York and demonstrated the newest, easy-to-love products in his self-titled cosmetics line. If you read Annie’s original post about Edward in December 2007, or you’ve tried his makeup yourself, you know that he’s a perfectionist about the colors, textures, packaging, and overall high quality of his cosmetics.

This autumn brings us three new Ultra Slick Lipstick colors and three new Deep Shine Lip Gloss shades in the Edward Bess line. Most of these amour-themed shades fall into the plum/berry family. This makes me happy, because they flatter pale skin and/or dark hair (like mine!), but they’ll work well with many other skin tones as well.

The three lipstick shades, as seen and swatched on Edward’s hand, are Night Romance (left), Forever Yours (center), and Tender Love (right). All three are beautiful, and Tender Love in particular made my heart skip a beat. ($29 each)

The three gloss shades, as held in his hand, are Nude Satin (left), Love Always (center), and Sweet Dream (right). Worn alone, they’re sleek and sheer. Applied over the lipsticks, they add depth and shine without any stickiness. ($28 each)

These new products are also packaged in sets of three lipsticks or three glosses, nestled into little black boxes. ($75 each set).

Edward will be introducing more new items this autumn, including a makeup bag and a cream blush. When we asked him, he admitted that he’d love to release an Edward Bess fragrance someday, too. His current favorite fragrances are the IUNX line by Olivia Giacobetti, so he obviously has good taste in scent as well as in beauty!

Let us know if you’re able to make a visit to the exclusive Edward Bess counter at Bergdorf Goodman and if you fall for any of these crush-worthy colors. For more information, call 1-888-774-2424. The company website is http://www.edwardbess.com

Photos by Jessica M

Our Lips Are Sealed: Armani Event

There appears to be a gaggle of beauty events during fashion week. One of the events that caught my eye was for Armani.

The Deets:

Date: Thursday, September 10th 2009
Time: 5pm-8pm
Location: Giorgio Armani Beauty counter at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC
Why Should You Go: Tim Quinn will be dishing about fall trends and giving a sneak peek at the Rouge d’Armani lippie. This is the new lipstick from Giorgio Armani featuring 8 hour wear and a high dose of pigment. You will be able to purchase Rouge d’Armani #400 rouge and #600 plum way before the launch date of October 15th 2009.

Let us know if you attend and if the lippies are lemming worthy!

Hand me my purse, darling, will you.
A girl can't read this sort of thing without her lipstick....(Holly Golightly)

Clip from Breakfast at Tiffanys
Credit: Youtube link via Storybookheroine

Dick Page is a a Genius! Perfect Rouge Debuts

Shiseido introduces Perfect Rouge; the first global color collection created by Shiseido Artistic Director, Dick Page. Shiseido Makeup Perfect Rouge brings a whole new meaning to self expression with a comprehensive line of 20 vibrant shades that provide the truest, intense color for a sophisticated and perfectly lustrous look. The luxurious texture smoothes and hydrates for ultra moisturized and vibrant lips.

Patti and I went to our local counter to witness the best lippie of 2009. I know it is too early for "a best of the year" prediction. However, this lippie is quite spectacular and well produced. The Perfect Rouge collection boasts 20 shades ranging from pinky nudes to a beautiful blue red. My personal favorite was Fuchsia. This was a blue based pink that just popped. It was so good that it quite literally hypnotised me. I found it difficult to look away.
The lipstick's texture is ultra rich and feels like silk on the skin.

The red lippies are Sweet Pea, Salon, Cerise(blue red),Valentine, Dragon and Mystery(vampy).
The pink lippies are Tourmaline, Pink Mesa, Ariel(more a sheer carnation shade), and Bubblegum.
The beige lippes are Spiced Cream, Baby, Dune, Almond Pink.
There is a warm orange shade called Day Lily.
The rose Shades are Serenity, Venetian Rose, Titan(a warm & toasty pink), Gilded Wine and Fuchsia. Venetian Rose and Titan are fabulous pink beige shades.

They retail for $25 and are currently available at your Shiseido counter.

Shiseido Makeup Smoothing Lip Pencil $20

Designed to be the perfect complement to the new Shiseido Makeup Perfect Rouge, Artistic Director, Dick Page has created the NEW Shiseido Makeup Smoothing Lip Pencil. This refined lip pencil glides on smoothly and effortlessly for a polished finish in seven new exciting shades.

The lip pencils glide on smooth and are rich in pigment. They also have a well crafted brush on the bottom. The shades are Hazel, Anemone, Mauve, Sakura(pink), Siren(red), Rosewood and Coffee Bean.

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

NARS Sephora Flame Lipstick (exclusive from Sephora's 10th Anniversary)
Review by Storybookheroine

This limited edition lipstick is only available at Sephora stores and Sephora.com as an exclusive for their 10th anniversary celebration.

I am a huge NARS lipstick fan and have owned, in either regular form or palette, almost all the shades at one point or another but one thing I've not found is a very deep matte red brown shade. Flame is it for me. The formula is semi-matte, highly pigmented and long wearing. This shade does not go pink, it does not go fuchsia and it is not bright in the least (I think the touch of brown really helps in this). Sephora Flame is a true retro deep red shade worthy of a pinup and maybe slightly gothic to some. It's what I call a redhead red. Now I'm not exactly a redhead but I have light brown hair with a lot of copper in it so I do lean a bit in that direction and any redhead will tell you a good red is hard to find if you do not feel comfortable in brights. My skin is fair, some light freckles and neutral to leaning warm and Flame really flatters my complexion. It makes my eyes, which are a mix of green, gray and blue, really stand out so if you have any of those shades this could be a great red for you. This is the POW! factor I've been searching for!

I had hoped Fire Down Below (semi matte pure blood red) or Spanish Red (satin sangria) would have been this shade but as Fire Down Below is a brighter fresh blood red and Spanish Red turned a odd shade on me, Flame is more a dried blood red. Sorry if that sounds terrible but I want to describe it as accurately as possible. I do not find it drying but if you do I suggest using a bit of lip balm under the color. Overall I love this and it's just in time for the holidays. I can't wait to try it with Misbehave or Moonfleet gloss over it!
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P223426&categoryId=C7010

Credit: Storybookheroine
Disclosure: All products mentioned in this review were purchased by the reviewer.