YSL Glossy Stains // #15 Rose and #4 Mauve Pigmente // Swatches, Photos, Review

I first purchased the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres, or Glossy Stains as they are commonly called, when they first launched in Australia. I have worn them quite a bit since then, and decided that now was the time to share my thoughts on them with you.

I chose two shades,  4 Mauve Pigmente and 15 Rose Vinyl. I would say that I wear Rose Vinyl a tiny bit more than Mauve Pigmente, but both have graced my face often in the last few months.

I adore the packaging of the Glossy Stains, they fit nicely alongside one another (and the Rouge Pur Couture's!) and resemble nail lacquer bottles in my opinion. The black and gold packaging is super portable, and are easy to throw into your handbag and forget about. They would also be perfect for taking on holiday, as they aren't meltable like a lipstick yet have more pigmentation than a standard lip gloss.

 

The applicator is another feature of the YSL Glossy Stains that I find easy to work with, I like to use the tip to line my lips with colour and use the flat section of it to coat my lips in the liquid. I find this a quick and easy way to apply.

When I was shown the YSL Glossy Stains by Maria who works at the Bourke St Myer counter, she told me to apply the colour in layers. I generally apply the first layer and then wait, before loading up another coat and waiting again. A third coat really enhances the colour, and because the coats are thin it does not feel too heavy on my lips. This method also helps with longevity with this formulation.

As you can see the colours can be worn sheer or built right up to a pigmentation that rivals most lipsticks (in the case of Rose Vinyl especially)

I prefer Rose Vinyl over these two shades, as it warms up my whole complexion and sits nicely on the lips with no effort whatsoever. I don't have to worry about it sinking into my lip lines, and when it fades it looks even and a stain stays behind. I often wear this to work for this reason!

 



For some reason Mauve Pigmente would not cooperate on the day I photographed these swatches, it usually goes on more evenly and creates a wine like stain on the lips. It's a great typical autumn/winter shade that I really like on.

 

I leave you with this delightful video from YSL on the creation of these amazing glossy stains, which retail for $50 AUD at Myer and David Jones stores nationally.



 

 

*I purchased both of these myself. Honesty, always.

Clarins Crystal Coral // Review, Photos, Swatches

The 'Enchanted Summer' collection from Clarins is a very beautiful one, and one of the coolest designs comes into play with their Instant Smooth Crystal lip balms. I was kindly sent the shade Crystal Coral to play with, and will be showing you the balm today.

The packaging of all of Clarins' products are stellar, and the Crystal Lip Balms are no different. I love the sleek silver tube with accents that match the shade inside, and the base allows you to easily see which shade is which in your collection.

The core of this beautiful balm is a burst of colour, surrounded by a transparent jelly like lip balm. I am fascinated by the idea of transparency in stick form lip products, and I love that this leaves a juicy blood orange stain on my lips that can be worn sheer or built up to be similar to a lipstick in appearance. On the lips this feels like a cross between a balm (because of the light moisture) and a lipstick (because I can feel that I am wearing something)

Wearing Crystal Coral and Nars Orgasm on the cheeks.

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms retail for $34 AUD and are available from Myer and David Jones Australia wide, selected pharmacies as well as Adore Beauty.

Have you tried anything from the Clarins makeup line?

What do you think of the new Crystal lip colours?

*This product was sent for consideration, which does not affect my opinion of it. Honesty, always.

Vampire's Love

The last monthly release from Essence saw them leap onto the vampire trend with vigour. I don't mind the odd True Blood episode or Twilight tune out, but I'm definitely not in the 'vampire obsessed' category. I still fell for this collection, however, and think the execution tread the line between vampy and cute perfectly.

The Vampire's Love line is limited edition, and contains a range of polishes, two lipstains, one blush gelee, shimmer powder, lash thickener, perfume and an eyeshadow palette. I was a good girl and only chose a few items.

Only 5 things, see how restrained I was! (I have since gone back to get more...) I am planning on doing in depth reviews on some of these, but thought I'd post my initial thoughts now so if you were interested you could pick the pieces, as they are limited edition and will be gone soon.

Six gorgeous shadows for $7.50 AUD? It was an easy decision, and I think the shade selection in 'Love at First Bite' leaves room for wearable daytime looks as well as smokier night ones. I'll be doing a look with this palette soon, and more swatches.

This 'Bloody Mary' blush gelee gives a red flush to cheeks, and is sort of like the jelly version of Benefit's Benetint, but much more affordable. I love that the packaging is clear, I think it looks really cool. From memory it was around the $3 mark.

 I assumed that the two lip stains in the Vampires Love range were going to have slant tip applicators as the tube is squeezy, but I was delighted to see a doe foot inside! Best of both worlds, I am a happy little vampire girl and love the 'True Love' shade that I chose. As you can see from the above image, it really does 'stain', that was my attempt at rubbing away the swatch with a wipe.

To really appreciate how amazing these polishes are, you need to see them in person. Photos will never do them justice, especially Gold Old Buffy, which is officially the prettiest polish I own. Captivating, can't stop staring at it and I'm not even a dark nail lover.

Overall I think I did well with this collection, I went back to buy the speckled grey/white polish as I couldn't stop thinking about it. I think they pulled this theme off really well, and I appreciate the range of vampy influence they drew from (Buffy, Sparkly aka Twilight, darkness motifs, myths like Bloody Mary)

I'm very happy with my choices, what do you think of them? Did you pick anything up from the Vampire's Love collection?