Darling Girl Glitter Potion Lip Toppers in Charmed, Divine, and Ritual - Swatches, Review, and Photos

I Purchased This

Hey everyone!

It's been a little while since I posted on the blog but I do have an explanation! I got my eyebrows microbladed and wanted to wait until my brows healed before taking any photos for the blog. I also went on vacation to see my family in France so I wasn't able to blog while overseas. I am back and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with more reviews/looks.

I hope you enjoy today's post, a review of the Darling Girl Glitter Potion Lip Toppers. Unlike brands that are marketing lipglosses as lip toppers (here's looking at you Jouer), these are actually water-based lip toppers meant to add glitter/shine to your favorite liquid lipsticks (without breaking them down). Though I don't always wear glitter in my everyday makeup, I still love the idea behind adding a little glitter to my lip products.

These could be a dupe for Lime Crime's Diamond Toppers or Urban Decay's Vice Special Effects Long-Lasting Water-Resistant Lip Topcoats, though I can't say if they're 100% identical since I haven't tried either. Regardless, I love finding a possible indie alternative to a mainstream product.

I got three colors in Charmed, Divine, and Ritual. There are eleven colors in total. 

Click through to read my thoughts, see swatches, and photos of each color when worn.

Life's Entropy Lip Theory Liquids: Swatches and Review

I Purchased This Blogger Discount

Another product from Life's Entropy is their Lip Theory Liquids, their take on the OCC Lip Tars. These take the concept and dial it up to 11 by offering empty gloss tubes to custom mix colors and also a clear lip theory that lets you to mix any of their or your lip safe eyeshadows with. I appreciate how the concept really lets you customize the gloss you do want. These are a vegan product too.

I got a full size and four samples of the lip theory liquids to try out.

Limnit Lipsticks New Collection/Formula Swatches and Review

Press Sample

I'm extremely excited to be posting about the new lipstick colors from Limnit Lipsticks. Limnit Lipsticks is a brand I like due to their unusual colors and vegan formula. They've recently reformulated their lipsticks and released new colors which I'm happy to post swatches of!

I have swatches of eleven of the new colors and two of the older colors. In total, there are eighteen shades to the line.

Click below to read my thoughts on the new formula, see both lip swatches and full face photos of the lipsticks, and read a shade by shade breakdown. There's also currently a 20% off sale on the website until the 30th (no coupon needed!)

OCC January Rising Lip Tar: Swatch and Comparison

I Purchased This

OCC's January Rising was a special limited edition lip tar only available as a perk from a donation as part of an Indiegogo campaign by January Hunt to raise money for her gender confirmation surgeries. Only 1000 were made and I believe this color won't be sold in stores.

If you weren't able to donate to January's campaign, don't fret because it really isn't as unique to the other Lip Tars available in the line. January Rising was said to be a mix between Anime and Pretty Boy lip tar and while I don't own Anime, I do have Pretty Boy and was able to compare both. 

But first, here's a swatch of January Rising on its own. This swatch was taken in natural daylight and January Rising was applied using my finger.



Now January Rising vs Pretty Boy. In my humble opinion, it looks way more different in the swatches than it does when worn. Relative to Pretty Boy, January Rising is maybe a shade lighter and more neon.

Here is a hand swatch of January Rising and Pretty Boy, in natural daylight.

And here's how it looks on my lips. My top lip is January Rising, my bottom lip Pretty Boy. Any real discernible differences you see on your computer screen are negated when seen in real life. Both colors are beautiful but you'd really be hardpressed to see the difference if both were worn (I nearly forgot which was which in the picture).



The moral of the story is not to fret if you missed out on January Rising, Pretty Boy (and possibly Anime) will be close enough. I am glad they went this route, having a color that's relatively common because it means those who weren't able to donate won't have missed out on anything.

Performance Colors Semi Matte Lipstick Lip Swatches and Review

I Purchased This Gift

When it comes to this brand, Performance Colors, I'm honestly a little surprised that they aren't more popular or talked about on blogs considering how many sales they have on Etsy. I actually didn't get introduced to the brand until Ivy of Rock, Roll, Glam! posted about them. Compared to other brands, they're rather nondescript though maybe they don't need flash; after all the brand is inexpensive and there's a great variety in the products and colors available.

I purchased samples of their undereye concealer, a full size cream eyeshadow, and samples of their semi matte lipsticks (which I'll be reviewing today). I received extra samples from each of the rest of their product lines and will eventually be reviewing the once I really like. and today I'm swatching seven out of the eleven colors available in the Semi Matte Lip Color formula. 

Where to purchase: Performance Colors
Price: Samples aren't available individually but come in a set of three (each having 1 gram of product) for $3.00. Full sizes are $5.00 for one with 5mL or you can take part in their lipstick special of three lipsticks for $10.00.
Do they test on animals? I do believe they do not test on animals. 
Packaging: The sample comes a small clamshell and the full size comes in a chapstick-style twist up tube. The clamshells were a bit fiddly to get open.
My Thoughts on the Formula: 

These are not vegan as the formula contains beeswax.  When you first apply the lipsticks, they have a somewhat shiny finish that dries down into a satin/semi-matte finish after about twenty minutes. These are firm yet creamy with immediate and heavy coverage right off the bat while still being comfortable on the lips. They aren't sticky or heavy and I didn't find them to be drying. There is a hint of vanilla in the formula, though I do think there is a slight generic lipstick scent. 

I'm not too fond of the chapstick-style packaging though it didn't give me too much trouble with application (I still preferred applying with my fingers or a lip brush). I do think that combined with the softness of the formula, you can get a little heavy handed with the lipstick on the lips. You'll have a better wear time and look to the lipstick by smoothing the lipstick down with your fingers or a brush afterwards to better meld it to the lips. For better precision, you can definitely use a lip brush. Wear time with the lipsticks was surprisingly good and relatively resilient through eating and drinking. I got about four hours of wear (even though an oreos and milk session).

Swatches

The lipsticks were applied using my fingers. All swatches were photographed in natural daylight with no flash.

Buff

Buff: "Highly pigmented opaque flesh color" Against my skin tone, I think it is too light for me but lighter skin tones might find it more flattering! You do have to be careful to get this to look opaque because it is slightly milky.

Desert Rose

Desert Rose: "Highly pigmented opaque light neutral coral brown" This will stain your lips though it's a bright pink stain and not a neutral color like the lip product. I think I like this color so much because it reminds me of MAC Strawberry Blonde. I don't think it's close and of course I lost my depot of it so I'm out of luck for comparison's sake. Oh well, it's still a pretty coral brown. I think this is my third favorite color of the bunch.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus: "Highly pigmented opaque full force bright happy warm red" This is a bold and bright strawberry/raspberry bright something color. I thought this looked similar to Milani Flamingo Pose but this is brighter and less milky. I don't really like the fruity scent in Flamingo Pose so I like Hibiscus instead.

Pink Choco

Pink Choco: "Highly pigmented opaque neutral brown pink" This also stained my lips afterwards. I wasn't a fan of this color but I can't really put my finger on why, I think it may just be a little too milky for me.

Posh

Posh: "Highly pigmented opaque toned down coral color" This is more of a brighter orange-y coral type.

I thought that Desert Rose and Posh were really similar so here's a side by side so you can compare the colors. Posh is every so slightly darker while Desert Rose is a bit more pink. It's not necessary to own both in my opinion so pick whichever one you like better!

Valentine

Valentine: "Highly pigmented opaque full force deep dark and mysterious classic valentine blood red rose" I think this was my second favorite color. It's a beautifully berry red with a slight hint of transluence. It's not terribly unique but still, I do love berry reds.

Vertigo

Vertigo: "Highly pigmented opaque dark violet brown color" I saved the best for last. The first time I wore it I got an immediate compliment so it's for sure worth getting as a sample. I have such a weakness for wine colored rose creams. I think wine tinged colors are such an easy way to wear purples without being in your face about it.

Final Thoughts

I always like trying new indie brands, especially ones that offer lip products. These are definitely very wearable colors and I'm so enthused about Vertigo, the surprise wine lipstick that I've been searching for. Compared to other lipsticks, these are softer but there's incredible payoff and a great variety of colors. I feel like most indie lipsticks have a somewhat shinier finish so the semi-matte finish is a little different. For only $5.00 each, they are worth a look  and if not, the three pack of lipstick samples is only $3.00! 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Are you thinking about scoping out Performance Colors on Etsy?

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I've finished my finals and I've officially graduated from university! I'm so thankful to be done and I've got the summer off before I start grad school in the fall (only 2 1/2-3 years until I get my Masters degree >> ) I'll be attending Generation Beauty next week (a new beauty event held by Ipsy) so if anyone is going then, do tell me! If you're still in school, I hope for the best when it comes to finals week!

Disclaimer: I purchased three samples (Buff, Hibiscus, and Vertigo) and received the other four samples for free. I wasn't compensated to write this post and all opinions are my own.

Kiss My Sass Cosmetics Lip Glaze Lip Swatches, Review, and Photos

I Purchased This Affiliate Link

I recently polled my Twitter and Facebook about how to format my lip swatches and most people said they preferred having my lip swatches in a side-by-side format as opposed to my previous column format. I hope you find the change to be a good one and hopefully it serves as a better way to compare the lip product to my bare lips.

As part of a recent Kiss My Sass Cosmetics order, I picked three lip glazes, two pigmented and one sheer. As the names imply, The sheer lip glazes are less pigmented than the Pigmented lip glazes and are good for layering or a subtle shine. The pigmented lip glazes have more color and can be worn on their own. By the way, Kiss My Sass has some pretty dang accurate lip swatches of the glosses on their website (always a plus from an indie company!!)

The three I chose were Glamorous, Pink Rush, and Summer Lovin.

Where to purchase: Kiss My Sass*(affiliate link) 
Price: $2.50 for 1 gram by weight and $8.00 for 10 grams by weight of product
Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals. 
Packaging: The sample comes in a 5 gram jar and the full size comes in a squeeze tube with a doefoot applicator.
My Thoughts on the Formulas: These are all Marshmallow flavored which is a light vanilla scent. The lip glazes have a light but not runny formula. These do have some weight to them so it feels like they cover the lips well. These spread evenly on the lips and I didn't think these were sticky at all. I found them to be moisturizing on my lips as my lips felt softer and smoother after wearing them. Wear time on the colors was quite good, about three-four hours with no eating or drinking.

Glamorous

Glamorous: "Clear to sheer white with pink sparkle" In the pot, Glamorous looks like a pearly white-green but when worn, the pink/red sparkle shines through. This would be great for adding a bit of sparkle to a shimmerless lipstick. I did find that the sparkle settled slightly into lip lines.

Pink Rush

Pink Rush: "Rosy pink with a strawberry pink shimmer" this was my favorite color of the bunch, it is slightly brighter in person. It's great as a wearable color and the pink shimmer subtle enough that it doesn't overwhelm the color. If you had to get one color, I'd pick this.

Summer Lovin

Summer Lovin: "Fuchsia with a green shimmer" I think I liked the idea of the color more than the color in person. There's such a strong green shimmer to it that I think is a little too strong for me personally. The base color itself is bright and gorgeous and the fact that it's not a color for me doesn't detract from it. Just be warned that the green shimmer is quite strong.

Final Thoughts

I like these lip glazes because I feel like there's a good variety of colors (both sheer and pigmented) ranging from beiges to brighter colors. I think with indie lip glosses, one can't help but compare them to other brands since it does seem like a lot of them use similar bases. If you're familiar with Darling Girl Cosmetics (DGC) Holo Gloss/Liquid Kiss Luxe, the Lip Glazes in comparison aren't as slippy and feel a little thicker in texture, making them adhere to the lips better in my opinion. Color-wise, none of the lip glazes are holographic in nature like the DGC Holo Glosses but they still do carry colors that are just as unique. Considering that they sell samples of the lip glazes, I'm always inclined to try out more colors!

Have you tried anything from Kiss My Sass Cosmetics? Is anything intriguing?

Disclaimer: I purchased these samples myself as part of a blogger pack. I'm not being compensated for this review and all opinions are my own. The link marked with an asterisk is an affiliate link that gives me a commission based off your use of the link. Feel free to use a nonaffiliate link to make your purchase!

More Fyrinnae Lip Lustres Lip Swatches, Review, and Photos

I purchased this

As part of my Indie Lip Swatch series (more info here), I purchased a few more Fyrinnae lip lustres to swatch. I updated the page and have started compiling Sets of swatches according to color. I'll add these swatches to the sets when Flickr starts behaving! Feel free to give me more suggestions on brands to try out. I purchased Ghost's Kiss, Masala, Meloncholy, Ocelot, Visual Kei and received Dragon's Blood as a free sample.

Where to purchase: Fyrinnae.com 

Price: Lip Lustres: $2.00 for a 1.5 mL trial size, $7.00 for 10mL. I've gotten more than 3-5 applications in the trial sizes FYI.
Do they test on animals? They do not test on animals. All their products are vegan.
Packaging: The trial size lip lustre comes in a lilliputian clear gloss tube tube with a doe foot applicator. The full size lip lustres come in a larger clear gloss tube with silver accents and a doefoot applicator.

I did want to make a point to say that when Fyrinnae says "matte" when describing the colors, that doesn't refer to the actual finish but instead to the lack of sparkle. I neglected to mention this before but the mattes actually have a satin finish. Most are one coaters, the shimmery ones usually look better with two.

I feel like these are almost like a liquid lip balm The mango seed butter and jojoba oil add moisturizing properties and a pleasant mouth feel with that wears down into a plush finish after an hour though the color is still there (for about three to four hours total). I used to be weird about the plush finish after the lip lustres had worn down but I'm actually used to it now, it's kind of like wearing a satin lipstick. These are not lip gloss btw but a nonsticky lipcolour. The lip lustres are described as being a "dry" product because they pack so much color in them but they're not drying. I've found that the shimmery colors have a "drier" (as in thicker) texture compared to nonshimmery colors. The shimmery colors are less prone to feathering than the nonshimmery colors and that's mainly because of the drier texture. These aren't sticky like the description says.

You can stave off feathering with the nonshimmery colors by making sure to apply the thinnest layer possible at the outside edges and more towards the middle but if you're not up to wearing a lipliner or a product that helps prevent bleeding or feathering,  I probably wouldn't recommend getting the nonshimmery/matte colors. 

Swatches

All the lip lustres were swatched using the doefoot applicator and the number of coats needed are denoted under each swatch. All pictures were taken in natural daylight with no flash.

First here's an arm swatch and then there will be individual lip swatches afterwards.

Dragon's Blood

Dragon's Blood: "A deep, rich, cool matte maroon-red, inspired by the campy lipsticks of the 1920s". This was one coat. I know, the name probably doesn't conjure up the most appealing image regarding the color (and I'm sure the name could be seen as humorously incongruous considering the brand's devotion to producing vegan and cruelty free products) but it's beautiful, it truly is. Don't think that the word "blood" means it's synonymous with a yucky brown toned red, this is quite the sophisticated deep berry. This actually was my free sample and one of my favorites of the group.

Ghost's Kiss

Ghost's Kiss: "Slightly shimmery 'nude' with hues of copper and pink" This was two coats. Is it weird that the first thing I thought of when I read the name was Casper the movie? I watched that VHS so many times and had a major adolescent crush on the actor that played the human version of Casper. I wouldn't call this slightly shimmery, it is quite shimmery almost veering into metallic. Two coats is a bit much for me for daily wear but one coat is quite lovely.

Masala

Masala: "Deep tan 'nude'" This was two coats. I'll admit, I was a little disappointed in the color. I was hoping for a straight on beige but there's a pink sheen to this that I didn't expect. For some reason it looks kind of dated to me and I'm not sure it's a flattering color for me.


Meloncholy

Meloncholy: "A bright coral-melon shade with a slight shimmer" This was two coats. The pink shimmer peeking behind the coral/melon base is so beautiful. The base itself is quite orange but the shimmer helps add the hint of coral.


Ocelot

Ocelot: "Matte warm dusty-rose pink, very close to the soft pink of an Ocelot kitten's paw pads and nose" This was one coat. The color actually reminds me of Haagen Dazs Strawberry Ice Cream; there's a milky dustyness to the pink that doesn't veer into a pastel pink reminiscent of baby showers. I think this is a difficult color for me to pull off, it's too milky and pale for my skintone I think. It doesn't really sink well into my lips and I find that it does highlight imperfections. I think a lighter application or as a layering color would be better for it.

Visual Kei

Visual Kei: "A very bright pink, with a nearly matte finish". This was one coat. This is so bright and saturated, it'll stain your lips just by looking at it. The stain will go away with a good makeup remover though. I was inspired to get Visual Kei after seeing Mandy swatch it (her lip lustre swatch post is worth checking out btw). This was my favorite of the group, despite it staining.

Final Thoughts

The colors are lovely but I will admit that the formula may not be for everyone. While they are moisturizing, the nonshimmery colors are prone to bleeding and feathering (the shimmery colors less so). They do counter this by offering a variety of unconventional colors that you may not get anywhere else (including color changing ones!). For the super conventional colors (like Dragon's Blood), I think you may be able to find a similar color elsewhere (though not necessarily the moisturizing aspect). The wear time is pretty good though (it can last two to four hours total). I would definitely recommend Visual Kei (just beware of the staining!)

Disclaimer: I purchased these lip lustres myself. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own and honest. None of the links in this post are affiliate links.

New Endeavor: Indie Lip Swatch Project

I intended on doing a Q&A Wednesday today but instead I wanted to talk about a new project/focus that I want to do for the blog. I've started to feel the need for a direction to take with the blog. I've been wanting to create my own niche to have the blog be a more useful resource, so I've decided to embark on this new pet project to create an index of lip swatches of indie lip products. 

With lip products, I much prefer seeing lip swatches and I don't think many indie brands do have lip swatches in their listings so I want to try to create a good resource of pictures to help advertise some amazing indie brands. I think lip products take a hell of a lot more effort to craft and perfect than eyeshadows so showcasing their beauty is the least I could do.

I will admit, there is subjectiveness with lip swatches that depend on lip pigmentation and overall skin tone but I suppose I'd still like to give my input and hopefully it is somewhat of a resource for others. I'm going to index the ones I've already done under the "Indie Lip Swatch Project" tab at the top of the blog and add more as I go. I'm also going to create a Flickr set grouping the swatches by color so it will be easier to compare and contrast the swatches. While my skintone may slightly vary in each picture, all the colors are as accurate as I can get them to be.

I've been turning towards lip products over eyeshadows anyway so might as well kill two birds with one stone and try more products out. I will try to mainly index permanent lip products but I might add in limited edition colors anyway for comparison's sake.

So I'd love to get your suggestions of not only brands to try but also specific colors you'd love to see. This project may be slow going but I've got some lip lustres from Fyrinnae on its way (I ordered more trial sizes of their lip lustres!). I'm in need of finding out more indie companies that do lip products.

Send me your recommendations!

*PS I just found out today that I was accepted into a grad school program right here in California! I'm so so excited and while I am waiting for a response back from my alma mater, I just feel so enthused about getting accepted into a program.