ENDLESS GUAVA JOSIE MARAN ARGAN INFINITY LIP AND CHEEK CREAMY OIL - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Endless Guava is a Josie Maran Argan Infinity lip and cheek creamy oil that is described as a vibrant poppy although it seems more like a muted coral on myself. This is the second lip and cheek creamy oil that I have purchased from this brand. I have really dry skin so products like these work really well on my lips, cheeks, or face. The formula for both is the same - which is semi-sheer, applies smooth and creamy but with a slightly greasy feel. Although Endless Guava definitely had more pigmentation than Limitless Pink (see the link below for my review) and it didn't seem quite as greasy. They both currently retail for $18.00 USD, they contain .5 oz of product and are available in store and online at Sephora.

Endless Guava was really pigmented and didn't need to be applied in layers for the color to show. I actually had to buff the color down some due to how intense it looked. It wore for about four hours before significant fading and even then my skin still looked dewy. On my cheeks when the color did fade down somewhat it started to look more like a stain. On my lips it seemed to apply as a stain and was drier. It also feathered slightly around the outer edges of my lips but otherwise wore really well lasting for about three hours. I really love products like these for Summer. They are easy to apply and keep your skin looking dewy with a nice hint of color. 

Check out my review of Limitless Pink here: LIMITLESS PINK JOSIE MARAN ARGAN INFINITY LIP AND CHEEK CREAMY OIL - SWATCHES AND REVIEW  

LIMITLESS PINK JOSIE MARAN ARGAN INFINITY LIP AND CHEEK CREAMY OIL - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

I recently purchased Limitless Pink which is a Josie Maran Argan Infinity lip and cheek creamy oil. Limitless Pink is described as a medium pink although it seems more like a salmon pink on myself. The formula is semi-sheer, applies smooth and creamy but with a slightly greasy feel. It currently retails for $18.00 USD, it contains .5 oz of product and it is available in store and online at Sephora.

I have really dry skin so this product worked well on my cheeks and lips but it didn't last as long as I would have liked. When applied to my cheeks it gave my face a dewy look and feel but it only wore for about an hour, maybe two, before I saw significant fading. On my lips it wore slightly better. It looked nice and I felt like it kept them moisturized for about three to four hours before I needed to reapply.

My advice when applying is to do so in thin layers. If too much product is applied all at once then it maintains a slick, almost greasy feel rather than a nice dewy finish. By applying in thin layers this will also help the color to show up better on the cheeks.

ANGUILLA NARS MATTE MULTIPLE - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Now available for purchase are seven new Nars Matte Multiples. I purchased three of them and I will be posting reviews for each of them. In the meantime you can read more about the entire collection here: NARS MATTE MULTIPLES

Check out my review of ALTIA here: ALTIA NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Check out my review of LAOS here: LAOS NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

I saved the best for last! In my opinion, ANGUILLA is the hidden gem of this collection of new Nars Matte Multiples. It is described as a ginger pink - a warm creamy pink with slight hints of coral. It can be applied wet for a more sheer look or dry for a more pigmented look. It blended easily, has a creamy texture and worked well over top of my foundation. During application it stayed moist long enough for me to blend it out and lasted a total wear time of about six to seven hours. I did notice a slight fading within the first 2-3 hours but nothing significant. Out of the three Matte Multiples Anguilla blended into my foundation and skin the easiest. It didn't streak or leave my skin looking splotchy. Although to be quite honest I didn't think I would really like this shade seeing as how it was just your everyday boring pink blush. Sure it doesn't contain the "wow" factor like Siam but this beautiful pink blush perks up the skin and really makes it come to life. It really leaves the skin looking healthy and vibrant!

Nars Matte Multiples are available at Nars.com and in store / online at Sephora. They retail for $39.00 USD and contain .26 oz of product.

LAOS NARS MATTE MULTIPLE - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

LAOS is one of seven new Nars Matte Multiples recently launched online at Nars.com and at Sephora. It is described as a rose coral (which is fairly accurate) and it can be worn on the lips or cheeks. The texture of Laos is creamy and smooth and the color payoff is beyond amazing. This is an extremely pigmented product. The new Nars Matte Multiples contain .26 oz of product and they currently retail for $39.00 USD.

Read more about the entire collection here: NARS MATTE MULTIPLES COLLECTION

Read my ALTIA review here: ALTIA NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

My thoughts:

Once applied on the lips Laos looked almost watermelon pink. As a lipstick it was extremely drying and felt heavy on the lips. I tried patting it on (like a lip stain) over top of a lip moisturizer and it seemed to work somewhat better but there was still a noticeable heaviness.

As a blush it just didn't work for me. When I tried to wear Laos directly onto my skin (on my upper cheekbones) it caused my skin to become red and inflamed. It was really sensitive to the touch and I had to remove the product immediately as my face felt extremely irritated - almost like a slight burning sensation. I don't have sensitive skin so I can only guess that maybe the color pigments used in Laos were what caused my skin to react this way. I waited until the next day to try and wear Laos over top of my foundation in the hopes that maybe I could get better results. However, when I tried applying Laos over my foundation it looked streaky and splotchy. I tried multiple application methods: using my fingers, a blender sponge and even a stippling brush but none of these seemed to work. It still looked uneven and almost clownish. Hopefully you had better results but for me this just didn't work and I'm really disappointed - Laos is such a beautiful matte blush.

ALTAI NARS MATTE MULTIPLE - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

ALTAI is one of the new recently launched NARS Matte Multiples. There are a total of seven and they are available at Nars.com and at Sephora. They can be worn wet for a more sheer look or dry for a more pigmented look. They are safe for lips and cheeks and come in a variety of colors. Altai is described as a rose bronze cream blush. It has a creamy texture and blends easily into the skin. The formula contains miniscule flecks of micro-glitter that are hardly visible to the eye. If you are a fan of the original Nars Multiples then you will immediately see a difference in the new Matte Multiples. The new ones are half the size (.26 oz of product) versus the original (.50 oz of product) and both cost the same (they each retail for $39.00 USD each).

Read more about the entire collection here: NARS MATTE MULTIPLES

Check out my review of ALTIA here: ALTIA NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Check out my review of LAOS here: LAOS NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

My thoughts:

I was most excited for Altai based on it's rose bronze color description. However, as soon as I swatched it I knew I was going to return it immediately. The color is not a rose bronze - its more like a warm yellow based orange brown. In other words, its an ugly muddy brown almost like the color of Georgia clay and it looks as though I was wallowing in the mud when I tried to wear it. Sure it has a smooth texture, applies easily and is extremely pigmented but I just can't get past the color! It really doesn't work for me as a blush and it is way too yellow / orange for my skintone to work as a contour color. On my lips it looks even worse so this is definitely going back to Sephora.

NARS MATTE MULTIPLES - NOW AVAILABLE

 In passing I had heard about the new Nars Matte multiples but I didn't really think that much about them. I had seen and tried the regular Nars multiples but they never really worked for me. So I figured these would be something similar. Then today I got an e-mail advertisement from Sephora and I was just blown away by the gorgeous promo pic of them. I immediately clicked on the "shop now" and I was heartbroken to see they were already sold out! How could I have missed these; I didn't think they were even available for another week!

I kept checking the Sephora website all day today and I was overjoyed to finally see six of the seven matte multiples are now available for purchase (see promo pics below). I guess Sephora just hadn't had time to update their website before the e-mail ad was sent out. Anyway, I want at least three of them maybe four. I'm still on the fence about Siam - does it lean more orange/red or pink/red. I mean it is a beautiful red but I'm not sure if it will work for me. I will be sure to post swatches, pics and my review of them as soon as I've tried them so check back or leave me your thoughts / review on them below in the comments section. I'd love to hear how it works out for you!

NARS Matte Multiple - $39.00 USD for .26 oz of product


Check out my review of ALTIA here: ALTIA NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Check out my review of LAOS here: LAOS NARS MATTE MULTIPLE SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Available here on Sephora and there are seven shades but as of today only six are available for purchase:

• Anguilla (ginger pink)
• Exumas (pink apricot)
• Laos (rose coral)
• Siam (poppy red)
• Altai (rose bronze)
• Vientiane (copper bronze)
• Cappadoce (golden bronze) - at this time not available on the Sephora website

The Matte Multiple is safe to use wet or dry on the lips and cheeks.

1. Use dry for a vibrant flush of color.
2. Use wet for a melt into the skin appearance

“Matte Multiples give new possibilities and versatility. There’s no rules no right way or wrong way.” —François Nars

Anguilla - ginger pink

Exumas - pink apricot

Laos - rose coral

Siam - poppy red

Altai - rose bronze

Vientiane - copper bronze

LOLLITINT BENEFIT COSMETICS LIP AND CHEEK STAIN - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

The Pantone 2014 color of the year is Radiant Orchid and Benefit Cosmetics newest smudge-proof lip and cheek stain, Lollitint, has nailed it. It's a beautiful bright candy orchid tint that can be applied to the cheeks or the lips for a flush of pink. The color in the bottle may seem extreme but when applied it blends into a nice pink color. Nothing over the top but of course if you prefer a more bolder look with a stronger intensity then reapplying will definitely amp up the color.

The first time I applied Lollitint to my cheeks I used the brush applicator but I felt like I had less control when applying and it deposited way to much product. The next time I wore the tint I tried using my fingers but it didn't blend as seamless as what it should - it looked rather splotchy. What I finally found to work the best was the MAC 188 duo fiber brush; especially for small application areas. For larger application areas the larger MAC 189 duo fiber brush worked beautifully. Both allowed me to deposit small amounts of product and then blend it in without any streaking, smearing or splotchy-ness. Wear time for the tint on my cheeks and face was 10 hours with little to no fading. By the 12 hour mark there was some slight fading but the flush of pink was still very apparent.

For my lips I used my fingertips to pat and blot the tint on rather than the brush applicator or a lip brush. When I used either of them the tint seemed to settle into my lips and it didn't apply as evenly. Once the tint dried down somewhat then I applied a clear gloss over it for a bit of shine. Wear time as a lip tint was about four hours although I did reapply the gloss which seemed to revitalize the lip tint and then I was able to extend the wear time by an additional two hours.

Lollitint currently retails for $30.00 USD and it contains .42 oz of product.