Brand Insight: Take Two! Lip Gloss

Brand Insight: Take two! Lip Gloss

 

 

Drugstore Lip Gloss:

NYX Butter Gloss:

The formula of these lip butters is amazing!! The gloss goes on to the lips like butter and they even smell sugary sweet, like vanilla! The gloss is well pigmented with just the right amount of shine. It also doesn't feel sticky on the lips at all. The butter gloss line involves 22 shades, and they just recently added three new shades to the collection! The wear time isn't as long as some brands, but you can easily apply another layer of gloss to your lips to get the pigmentation back to where it was when you first applied it. Some of my favorite colors in the line are crème brulee (nude-pink), strawberry parfait (fuchsia pink), tiramisu (brown-mauve), maple blondie (deep peach tone), and one of the newer colors, angel food cake (deep mauve). You can purchase these lip butters from Ulta or online at NYX Cosmetics (www.nyxcosmetics.com). At $5.00 these butter glosses are never a miss!

 

High-end Lip Gloss: (2)

Buxom Lip Polish and Lip Creams:

Whenever I want a sheer gloss to go over any lipstick I am wearing, these are my go-to glosses. They go on extremely smooth on the lips and don't settle into fine lines. The lip polishes are sheer and shimmery (some more shimmery then others) and are the perfect amount of shine to make your lips really pop! The three colors I own and love from this collection are Dolly (mauve-plum), Katie (light bubblegum-pink), and Amber (peachy-pink). The lip creams in contrast, have no shimmer at all. The formula is very creamy and pigmented. The color I have in this collection is White Russian, which is the perfect nude color with just the right amount of pink in it. Overall, both these collections are amazing and I would love to own every shade, because they are just that good! They are said to have a plumping effect and the shine in the gloss truly does highlight the lips and make them appear to be larger. The glosses smell like vanilla in the tube, but when applied smell like mint. You can purchase these glosses at Sephora or (www.bareescentuals.com) for $19.

 

 Dose of Colors Lip Gloss:

These lip glosses are extremely opaque, dramatic, and incredibly pigmented!!! They have a luscious mousse-like texture to them. I find that they are best applied under a lipstick, but they can be worn alone as well. My favorite shade is Sunshine Kisses (a warm orange shade that looks amazing when layered over a nude lip gloss). Some of my other favorite colors are Wild Child (a bright fuchsia pink color) and Burning Love (a dramatic red color that is perfect for an evening out). These colors add the perfect amount of drama to a makeup look, whether paired with a neutral eye or a dramatic smoky look. I can't stress enough how opaque and pigmented these glosses are! You can purchase a gloss for $15 or you can purchase the lip gloss bundle, which includes all nine shades for $115 online at Dose of Colors (www.doseofcolors.com) . (This would make an incredible birthday gift!)

 

Essential Brushes!

While people often avoid splurging on makeup brushes, they are key to keeping any look polished and airbrushed! Here are the essential brushes that everyone should have in their makeup bag! Personally, I think Sigma brushes are the best in the business as they are relatively cheap yet high-quality brushes! You can purchase these brushes at sigmabeauty.com

 
Foundation Brush: ( F 60)  ($16.00) This brush is usually used to apply liquid, cream or mousse foundations on the face. However, it can also be used to apply cream blush as well as to apply concealer in areas needed. The best way to use this brush is to pat in the foundation (rather than to brush or smear the product on the face) in order to get the best coverage, as we all want that highly coveted air-brushed look!

Kabuki Brush: (F 80 or F 82) ($18.00) This brush is so convenient to have in your makeup bag as it easily replaces multiple brushes! It can be used to apply powder foundation, blush, and mineral powder or setting powder. Once again, the best way to use this brush is to pat on the powder in areas needed rather than to brush on or smear the product on the face as this often strips away product.

Eye Shading Brush: (E 55) ($10.00) This brush is ESSENTIAL to apply eye shadow on the lid. The dense bristles on the brush minimize fall-out when applying eye shadow and allows you to pack on product in order to get the best application. Additionally, you can apply eye shadow wet or dry with this brush.

Blending Brush: (E 40) ($12.00) This brush is useful to apply eye shadow into the crease as well as to blend out any harsh lines in order to get a flawless, seamless look. It is also key to any smokey eye! This brush honestly just makes any complex eye tutorial alot easier to achieve.

In my opinion these brushes are essential for anyone when applying makeup. However, you can definitely expand your brush collection after that. The cool thing about Sigma is that they have brush kits starting at $65.00 where you can get 7 brushes!!! Thus the collection kits are great for those who are trying to expand their brush collection in a less expensive manner.