Clinique Black Honey lipstick review

Alienman was curious to see how Clinique Black Honey lipstick looked like when applied so I took some comparison pics. Also figured I might as well do a mini review of it too :)



Swatch:

Top swatch is with several coats, bottom swatch is with just a couple coats. As you can see the color can be built up with more coats.



Bare lips:



About 2 coats of Clinique Black Honey:



And a few more extra coats: the intensity doesn't show too well in this pic :( I know it looks almost the same as the previous pic but trust me, it can show up quite red on me.




It really is more like a lipstain in terms of the feel of the product. However these pictures don't do it justice. In real life, when I apply several coats of it, it looks like I'm wearing red lipstick. So far I've just been using it lightly to give a slight stain, and I like how it looks like a natural 'just bitten' look. It doesn't look like I have lipstick on at all, but more like my lips are flushed or something.

I've heard that the colour does vary from person to person, and that makes sense because its part of Clinique's line of "Almost Lipsticks", so the colour is sheer enough that your natural lipcolour will show through, but is enhanced by the reddish stain.

In general, thumbs up from me for this product. However I have a feeling I've seen a drugstore product that does the same thing, so that might be something to check out first. I think it was a Revlon liquid cheekstain thing I saw a couple months back. I haven't seen it around lately though, so maybe it was a limited edition product. (I find it very strange by the way that drugstore brands do limited edition products....I guess they're following what MAC does best ...)

Silk Naturals haul

As I mentioned in my last post, I ordered a sample kit from Silk Naturals which arrived a few days ago. The shipping cost only $3 for the sample kit, compared to Everyday Minerals which charges $7. However, EM's samples are free while SN's sample kit costs $4, so it works out to be about the same.

I do like how they give you a nice red mesh bag with the order :) I also got a free sample of their Head to toe conditioner.




Unpacked:




What I got:

1. Intro Foundation, Finishing powder kit:

Sample bags of Ebony, Warm Gold, Buttery Gold, and Ivory base.

- Empty sifter jar
- Mini scoop
- Instructions for mixing
- Dait Bait Perfecting powder
- Finishing powder




2. Eyeshadows

- Lush eyeshadow, supposed to be a dupe for MAC Humid eyeshadow
- Bargain Pink eyeshadow, supposedly a dupe for MAC Expensive Pink eyeshadow (I love some of SN's names for their product dupes, like this one lol)


3. Samples of Mineral Glows

- Heavenly Mineral Glow, dupe of MAC Stereo Rose MSF
- Cupid Mineral Glow, dupe of MAC Northern Lights MSF


4. Other samples

- Climax blush, dupe of NARS Orgasm blush
- Sleep in a Jar concealer (colour looks similar to EM's Sunlight and Intensive Fair concealers)





Swatches of eyeshadows, mineral glows, blush samples:




Closeup, same order as before which was:

- Climax blush, Heavenly Mineral Glow, Cupid Mineral Glow, Expensive Pink eyeshadow, and Lush eyeshadow





When swatching them, I realised there isn't a whole lot of difference between Bargain Pink eyeshadow, and the Heavenly Mineral Glow. Bargain Pink just looks a bit more coppery/peachy, while Heavenly is more on the pink side.

Also I don't think Lush is that great of a dupe for MAC Humid. Although I don't own Humid, I've swatched it several times at MAC stores and I remember it being more frosty. Lush seems a bit more flat.

As for Climax, the colouring does seem pretty spot on from the numerous times I've swatched NARS Orgasm at Sephora. Only thing that bothers me is that Climax seems to have a bit too much shimmer compared to the NARS stuff.

As for the other samples, I don't actually own any of the products that these are supposed to be a dupe of, and I don't remember how they look so I can't really compare them as such. But hopefully these swatches will help give you an idea of how similar/dissimilar they are to the real thing.

Also here are some swatches of the foundation types in case anyone is interested...

From left to right: Ivory, Buttery Gold, Warm Gold, Ebony





I find that Buttery Gold is yellow based, Warm Gold is more brown yellow, and Ebony is more reddish. Tried mixing some up today, and so far I came up with 7 scoops of Ivory and 1 scoop of Buttery Gold. I'm not 100% sure if its light enough yet, as I think the best test will be when I use a proper face brush to apply it. When mixing it up I was just swatching it on my jawline for comparison.

I have a feeling that Buttery Gold isn't yellow enough for me....although maybe it just means the colour is too dark and I just need to add more Ivory to it. This whole custom mixing process is not that difficult by the way, I'm just lazy to actually try it on properly since I've been staying home all day. I'll update with more details on it once I actually use it in a FOTD :)

online shopping!

I got my Silk Naturals haul yesterday in the mail :) Yes I caved some time after seeing the awesome reviews on it from Alienman and Vanessa...but only because EM failed me on a couple of occasions :S The thing is, EM does help even out my skintone when my skin is being normal, but coverage isn't that great when I'm having extra crappy skin days. And when my skin is acting up, the last thing I'd want to do is cover it with heavy liquid foundation even if that coverage is better.

So I got the Silk Naturals sample kit, plus ordered a few other samples of their brand name dupes. I took a couple pics of the stuff but I'll wait til tomorrow to post them because I want to do some swatches as well, and I find swatches are best done in natural daylight. Still haven't had to chance to mix up the sample foundation either...by the time I get home its too dark and I must have good daylight available if i'm going to custom mix my foundation shade.

But anyway, thanks to Christiana, I am in midst of completing a new order at Everyday Minerals...and one for Madame Madeline too lol.

What I'm getting from EM:

- Personal Custom Kit Mini
- Mini Eyeshadow Kit
- Free sample kit








I'm actually going to email EM and see if I can get more samples of blushes instead of the foundation samples, because I think I'm satisfied with Light Winged Butter in Original glo already. I don't see why it would be a problem in terms of cost though, because the foundation is more expensive than the blushes on the website.


What I'm getting from MM:

- DUO eyelash adhesive in Dark (the Clear version doesn't dry clear for me, i don't know why :S it still shows up white, and its a pain to cover it with liner after...i prefer doing liner before)

- Ardell Invisiband Fairies in Black



- Ardell Invisiband Demi Pixies in Black (picture is brown)



I also want to try Ardell 112's, those are bottom lashes, but I don't feel like going over the $20 limit that Canada Customs allows before they start charging duty and taxes on a shipment. I'd rather order in two separate shipments of $20 and spend a bit more on shipping. At least I know up front how much the stuff will cost me, rather than being 'surprised' with high duty charges later.

I'm going to actually take the chance with EM though because of EM's special offer, and I'm curious if they'll let something like $30 pass. Also I'd like to finally find out how much duty they will charge for something like makeup.

Now to wait another 1-2 weeks for this stuff to arrive.

winter tangerine

Yesterday's look - shades of light gold, bronze, and orange

(Edit: my previous title for this was an indian summer in winter...but then i looked back at the published post and realised this looks more like tangerine...)

[Face]

- Everyday Minerals makeup in Light, Original-glo formula
- Everyday Minerals concealer in Multitasking
- LORAC blush in Plum from Greatest Hits CD2 palette
- MAC blush in Emote - to contour

[Eyes]

- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Maybelline quad in Amber Adventure - lightest gold shade on inner corners
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow - centre of lid to blend
- NYX eyeshadow in Tropical - outer corners
- Blinc Kiss Me mascara
- MAC Shadowy Lady eyeshadow - fill brows

[Lips]

- Blistex Ultra Protection SPF30 lipbalm
- Dior Addict Ultra-Reflect gloss in Raffia Orange




(ignore the 2 zits btw....or at least try to ? I think EM is great for evening out skintone but not actually covering up really red areas)






***

Also,

Blinc mascara I like :)

Pros: Keeps a curl nicely and removes easily with water / facial wash without getting onto undereye area. Appears to lengthen because the lashes stay curled -> thus they look longer.

Cons: Doesn't do much for volume, actual lengthening is only a little bit. Lashes do look longer, but its because they are kept curled up thus creating the illusion of length.






Conclusion:
Great everyday mascara, especially since it supposedly is waterproof. It should come off lashes only when water + pressure are both applied to lashes. Comes off cleanly - no need to remove dark smudges from undereye area unlike regular mascaras.
Doesn't lengthen a whole lot, and fails to thicken lashes, but thats why its a great natural looking, everyday mascara. If you want the whole fake lashes look, then use L'oreal Voluminous instead.

Violet liner FOTD, OOTD

Decided to skip eyeshadow today and just go with liner and falsies. I got the inspiration for the eye look from an ABB member, hers was done with blue contacts and blue liner. I was in a hurry so face stuff was kept to bare minimum and the application here might look sloppy...

[Face]

- Everyday Minerals foundation in Light, Original-glo formula
- Everyday Minerals blush in All Smiles

[Eyes]

- Freshlook Colourblends contacts in Amethyst
- MAC pigment in Violet layered on outer 2/3 of lower lashline, applied wet with Visine
- Maybelline Line Stylist in Bright Highlight (pearl white) on inner 1/3 of lower lashline
- MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack on top lashline
- Ardell #108 falsies

[Lips]

- Blistex Ultra Protection SPF 30 lipbalm
- Guerlain KissKiss gloss in Fraises a Croquer











In retropect, I would rather have used a pink blush, I think it goes better with the pink gloss and the purple liner. The peachy shade looks out of place. Also definitely need to fill in my brows next time.

This was also the first time I've used pigments as a liner, and I think I need something that makes the pigment stick more. When I first got out of the house I was like "whoa" when checking my reflection, because the violet was just sooooooooo intensely violet. But after a couple hours the pigment started flaking off bit by bit :( These pictures were taken when I got home so the colour looks less intense. I remember getting a tip from an ABB member on using UDPP with eyeshadows to use them as liners, so I think I'll try that with the pigment next time.


Outfit of the day:






Nothing special, but I have to say I love those boots. They're one of the few pairs with a higher heel that I can still wear. I normally suck in walking in heels but these boots are an exception. I would wear these more often if there wasn't so much snow in Toronto :S Its always either too hot or too much snow to wear boots. These ones are suede so I can't afford to have them get wet in snow.

my poor wallet :S

Ok, I was supposed to sleep but i couldn't resist browsing for pictures of the Fafi collection due in Feb'08, and man the entire collection looks super cute!

Lots of pics on Specktra Beauty Blog, and in the forums there. I just can't help drooling over them now, those character drawings are awesome! if none of the products suck, I'll have a hard time choosing which ones to get :S

(I didn't even know who Fafi was, but apparently she is a well known French artist. Her stuff here looks pretty good.)

MAC Originals at MAC Pro Stores tomorrow!

So I just called the Queen Street West Pro Store, and they will have The Originals collection out tomorrow! I'm so happy because that means I won't have to fight with crowds on Boxing Day to get it from regular stores or counters :D

I probably won't be able to make it down there tomorrow because its like 1.5hrs hours away from where I live, but I'll definitely call and put Parrot eyeshadow on hold to pick up on Saturday :) Thats the only thing I really want from this collection actually. Everything else looks mediocre in the online pictures, so we'll see how they look in real life at the store. I actually hope they won't look that great because I want to save money for the MSFs and Fafi collection coming out Jan and Feb '08.


Edit: On second thought, after browsing through the descriptions on MAC Online I might have to pick up Steel Blue pigment :S

An unexpected haul...

Guess what I bought today! (not makeup...well not all of it)


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Guitar Hero III : Legends of Rock Bundle!



Well technically it wasn't for me, I got it for my bf as he was having a super crummy day. Some hacker stole his account for an online game that he's been playing for the past 5 years....meaning all the time he spent building up his character, buying equipment, and gaining exp points, all went to nothing :(

He tried calling up the company that runs the game but they wouldn't help him. He can't even get them to verify his identity just because his credit card info doesn't match the one currently on file. Of course it doesn't match, because the hacker obviously changed the info right away after getting in! They won't even freeze the account to open an inquiry into it :( Basically the company told him he'd have to have a court order or something to do anything about it.

Thinking about it, his character basically had enough experience, equipment etc, etc that the account could've been sold for like $1000....

Five years gone to waste ... so i feel pretty bad for him too :(

So Guitar Hero is all we've been doing the whole night....nevermind that we both have to get up for work early tomorrow ...

Anyways we went to the mall originally because last night, I suddenly had an urge to get Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, which was sold out in Sephora and Sears. That really depressed me and I wanted to get MAC Tango lipstick and 6th Sin to make up for it lol ..... but they were sold out of those both at the counter, AND at the freestanding store! :*(

In the end though, I managed to find the Clinique lipstick at The Bay. At first I asked the lady behind the counter for the lipgloss version because the gloss looked more pigmented, but they were out of it too! So lipstick it was. I'm glad actually, because the lipstick colour is already surprisingly quite dark even on my pigmented lips. From the reviews on MUA I would've thought it would just show as a touch of colour on me.

The lipstick packaging is suprisingly not that great for what I'd expect from Clinique. Even though its in a sleek silver tube, when you hold it, it feels like cheap aluminium because its so light :( In comparison to other brands in the same price range, I'd much prefer MAC packaging for design and durability. Especially the Mattene range, those lipstick cases kick Clinique's ass!

But anyway... pictures.

and

Looks almost black doesn't it? But it makes more sense once you see it in real life...its not a super pigmented looking lipstick, it looks like a waxy lipcolour / almost lipbalm-y.

FOTD: Revisiting pink

I revisited an old look of mine yesterday for the first time. Was wearing purple contacts but I think it was too much together with the pink :S oh well. I look overdone I think :( plus I think I could've blended more.

[Face]

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #3
Everyday Minerals blush in Once and Again
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in New Vegas
MAC blush in Emote to contour

[Eyes]

Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Electra eyeshadow
MAC Star Violet eyeshadow
MAC Passionate eyeshadow
MAC Sketch eyeshadow
Blinc Kiss Me Mascara

Also used MAC Shadowy Lady (brown shade from Holiday Cool Eyes palette) to fill in brows

[Lips]

Blistex Ultra Protection lipbalm in SPF30
MAC Mattene lipstick in Poise


I look super pale here because the lighting was fluorescent white :S













(I had already taken out my contacts when I took the picture above)





And I think the contacts make me look like a weird creepy doll here...:S i think the effect is amplified because this was taken with my Sony Ericsson camphone in yellow lighting.




Camphones do weird things to pictures. My friend's camphone, also a Sony, takes these photoshop-esque pictures of people.

My Christmas wishlist

Only reason I'm putting this up is because no one that buys me gifts would read this blog lol. I'd feel weird blatantly posting a wishlist for them.

But anyways these are not in any sort of order...

1. Laura Geller Blush N Brighten in Berry, Pink Grapefruit, or Roseberry




2. Stila Cheek Colour Duo



3. Fresh Mangosteen gift set

4. MAC Metal-X eyeshadow in 6th Sin




5. MAC small duo fibre brush 188

6. MAC Mattene lipstick in Tango

7. An awesome undereye concealer that won't crease! Picks are
Guerlain Issima Precious Light Smoothing Illuminator in Beige Clair
or Yves St. Laurent Touche Eclat
or Dior Skinflash
or Givenchy Mister Light Instant Light Corrective pen
or The Body Shop Lightening Touch concealer
- whichever would work for my very dry skin without looking all crepey and gross...

8. DHC Cleansing Oil

9. Bobbi Brown Pink Quartz Shimmerbrick compact



10. Bobbi Brown Rose Gold collection (mostly because I want the pink case which isn't sold separately :P)

Contact lenses

I finally broke out another pair of my amethyst contacts today and wow, i'd forgotten how blurry they can be. I can see alright with them but would never drive with them, because they leave a few blurry spots around the outer edges of my vision.

I love the look they give, because in my opinion the amethyst isn't blatantly obvious, but very subtle. It kinda makes the eye look different but only up close. Not something people can see from a mile away unlike blue contacts. I so wish I could pull off blue contacts though. Not that I want to be a blue-eyed blonde or anything, its more like a different option I would love to have available. Just like saying I wish I could pull off red eyeshadow instead of sticking to pinks and purples all the time.

But anyways, I've tried all of the Freshlook colours before at the optometrist, and I found the amethyst to be the most suitable for me. Blue, turquoise, and green look super pretty but they also make me look like an anime character - not something i'd want to be on a regular basis. I would consider them if the single wear contacts were more affordable. I definitely would not buy the monthlies unless I was committed to wearing them every week at least.

With Freshlook amethyst contacts:



***

Figure I'd repost a review I did on Acuvue Define daily disposable contacts:

This was from a few months back when I picked them up during my vacation.

I got a 30 day supply of Acuvue Define contacts, which are the ones that are supposed to make your eyes look bigger, and are sold only in Asia. Hope these pics will help anyone who's curious about it.



There are actually 2 types....the Define type that makes your eyes "larger and brighter":



And the Vivid type that makes eyes "bigger and more vivid":



The ones I got were the Define. The store I went to said the Vivid ones, because they were brown, didn't look natural at all so I didn't bother as my irises are naturally super blackish brown.

Pic of the lens:



Eye on the left of this page (i.e. right eye :P) with Define contacts in compared with bare eye on the other side:



(Really sorry about my ungroomed brows at that time.....please excuse them.)

Full face pic - not a huge dramatic difference, just subtle:




Overall Look with both contacts in....



I know there are tons more sold by Korean companies, but I went with Acuvue because I'd only heard of them at that time, also I think I'd trust Acuvue more since it is known for making contact lenses. But there are other more exciting options out there in Asia like coloured AND iris enlarging contacts.

I didn't know at that time, but I've been reading some websites saying to not wear these special contacts in for too long. Apparently since the diameter is wider than regular contacts, that means your eyes get even less oxygen than with normal contact lenses. I'd imagine that applies to coloured contacts too as I find my Freshlooks have a larger diameter than my regular daily disposables. Not to mention since most Freshlook contacts are monthly contacts, they are made of a thicker material as well = less oxygen permeable. That was why I took a 2 month break before opening a new pair of amethyst lenses.