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Cosmetics for the curated makeup bag. How to apply the must-have new and classic cosmetic makeup for face, eyes, and lips.
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Find your go-to makeup products for everyday and special occasion events.
How to guides ranging from how to best use YSL Touche Eclat to How to Apply Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara.
What You Need to Know Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain
When Tarte came out with mascara that says it lasts 4 days, this got StyleChick Lyn’s attention. Here is what Lyn has to say about Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain:
I recently tried Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain, which Sephora says is a stain that keeps lashes looking naturally full for four days without reapplying.
Putting mascara on just twice a week sounded like a great time saver. Imagine waking up in the morning with full, thick, ready to go lashes? So I gave it a try and found for me there were pros and cons to the Tarte mascara.
Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain Experience
I did LOVE the way it looked when I first applied the mascara, and thought it was likely to replace my trusty mascara standbys of Imju Fiberwig or Shu Uemura Basic Black.
While Shu Uemura Basic Black is a light to medium dull black the Tarte mascara is very VERY black and glossy. The word stain made me expect more of a stain liquid consistency to the mascara (maybe like Liptini has for lips? Ooh that would be AMAZING) but the consistency of Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is not like a regular mascara or a stain, it has more of a liquefied vinyl feel to it.
Even when I applied it very gingerly, it did have a bit of a vinyl look when it dried, this is more noticeable from the side view of the lashes then the head-on . This mascara was not coming off no matter what and my lashes looked a mile long. My lashes held their post-Paula Dorf eyelash curler curl after the mascara application, which is a plus. I hate when mascara is so heavy that it droops a good lash curl immediately.
The problem was even though the Tarte mascara did not run, it did come to look plastic-y vinyl like on my lashes, making them look a little fake, especially where I was not careful to comb out any clumps. It is NOT a rush and go sort of mascara that you can quickly apply, it requires time.
My biggest problem though was it irritated my eyes as the day wore on, so wearing it for four days was just not going to happen. The vinyl-like feel is also so heavy that I was reluctant to wear it overnight for fear of damaging or pulling out my lashes due to the weight of the applied product.
I really wanted Tarte 4 Day Stay Lash Stain to work and it did look absolutely great when first applied, sort of in an anime girl doe eye way,so I tried the mascara a few times, but each time my eyes got irritated and I got asked if I had been crying or if I was sick. I have never had a problem with a mascara before and I can tolerate most eye makeup and products well (and I have no problem suffering for beautys sake!) but Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain just irritated my eyes too much. It did not flake or run and the actual mascara stayed absolutely intact, so I am not sure of the source of the irritation. The lashes looked perfect even though my eyes looked red and bloodshot and itchy.
As a second beauty idea, I had also hoped the Tarte mascara could double as a grey hair root touch up in a pinch as it says it would last for four days, so I thought I might be able to cover a few pesky gray hairs that refuse to submit to hair dye. Now bear in mind Tarte makes no promises of the sort, but if you had the same idea that I did, I found it too thick and vinyl-like to actually apply to hair. There are some good temporary hair color pens just for this purpose now, I think I am going to just give in and try one of those.
But Tarte mascara looks so good when first applied, that if Tarte came out with a sensitive eye version, I would try it again in a heartbeat.
Where to Find It
Tarte 4 Day Lash Stain is $18 at is available at Sephora.com
New Product: Spinlash The Cure for the Common Clump
Metal eyelash separators freak me out. And the few times I’ve used one, they never actually got rid of all the clumps anyways. And no matter how non-clumping a mascara formula is, lashes still get stuck together after I apply mascara.
And then the SpinLash was invented.
This amazing device gently removes every clump from your lashes, leaving your fringe perfectly defined and frankly, better than your lashes look on their own. Take a look at your non-mascara’d lashes they grow in clumps some grow straight out, some grow kind of diagonally, and some grow straight down. Is it any wonder your standard wand can’t distribute mascara evenly?
Spinlash works via a battery operated lash brush that slowly spins as you work it through your lashes after you have applied mascara use the same motion as how you apply mascara just work it from root to the tip of your lashes. It works in two directions, so you can use it on both top and bottom lashes, and it fits comfortably in either your left or right hand. As you brush it through your lashes, it pulls out all the clumps, as well as distributes extra mascara on the tips of your lashes, giving your lashes definite presence and extra length. Your lashes will look magazine ad perfect in seconds!
I was truly astonished at how easy Spinlash is to use it takes virtually no time to brush through your lashes, and considering I don’t have to manually separate lashes that get stuck together, it saves a lot of time (and eyelid cleanup) in the morning. And I find that I look forward to using it it’s kind of fun to watch the clumps disappear!
While you can apply your favorite mascara with no problem before you use SpinLash, they also include a complimentary mascara you can choose from black or brownish black. It’s a great mascara black is a rich, lush black that doesn’t smudge at all and can stand on its own as a great product. My lashes looked incredibly thick and long, even though they were looking pretty wimpy before I applied the product (remember a few weeks ago saying that I was at the long part of my lash growth cycle and I’d be complaining soon that my lashes were short? My lashes are short now. Good thing Spinlash came along…)
You can order Spinlash for $14.95 from https://www.glamza.co.uk/products/glamza-spin-lash
Liptini Lip Liqueur Lip & Cheek Stains What to Know
Once upon a time (September 1998) in a land far away (My local Body Shop) a fair maiden (me at a young enough age that I didn’t need undereye concealer) found a subtle red lip stain marker. It was perfect – my lips but better.
Since this was my first time trying a lip stain, I was amazed that I could apply it in the morning and it stayed on all day. My perfect, “I’m not wearing any makeup, my lips just look this red naturally” lip stain.
You of course know how this story ends – when I went to replace it, they had discontinued that color.
I have been searching ever since for that perfect shade in a lip stain. Every color that I have tried has been close, but not quite – I wasn’t looking for a bold red, just a subtle red. And any time I tried mixing stains together, I’d end up with a weird mud brown color. And I loved the staying power of lip stains- even long-lasting formulas wouldn’t last through the day like a lip stain does. Nor do long lasting formulas provide as great a base for lipstick or gloss – any creamy color will last ten times as long over a lip stain.
ABOUT LIPTINI
So I was very excited when I found the Liptini brand. Their very refreshing philosophy towards makeup is based on “cocktailing” – mixing together different elements to get a variety of looks.
Liptini has a wide range of products, but it was their Lip Liqueur Lip & Cheek Stains that caught my eye. These stains can be worn alone, under lipstick or gloss, or as a cheek stain. Best of all, they can be mixed together to get your perfect shade. For once, I can actually augment a base shade with another color and not end up with a very unflattering brown!
Armed with a few beautiful Liptini colors in an attempt to recreate my perfect shade, I started with a base of Maraschino, a cherry red. The color was consistent and one coat yielded a sheer color, and two layers was pretty close to my perfect color – I was thrilled already. I then added a light coat of Cherry Brandy(a sheer, cool mahogany). That was really, really close to a perfect replacement, but it wasn’t quite there until I added Kirsch (a sheer, light garnet – absolutely stunning on it’s own or with clear gloss on top of it) that I had my long lost color. Ah…now my decade long search is over!!!!!!
THE EXPERIENCE
While each layer takes about twenty seconds to completely dry, the whole application process using three different stains took less time than applying lipstick with a lip brush. And of course once you have your base color the way you want it, adding lipstick or gloss can add more polish and impact.
I was surprised at how nice the applicator is – it comes to a fine tip at the end of the slant, so I can line all the way to the corners and do my “always smiling” trick – without going beyond your lip line, angle the applicator up a bit when you get to the corner (like how you would if you were lining your lips with a standard lip liner). You will look like you always have a pleasant look on your face – which is great if the corners of your mouth tend to turn down. I haven’t been able to do this before with a lip stain applicator, so for me, this is another plus of Liptini.
It’s the rare brand that combines a fun concept with a great product – but Liptini does it well. In addition to the Framboise Cordial Shimmering Lip & Cheek Tints (I will be reviewing two other amazing Liptini Cordial Shimmering Lip & Cheek Tints in a couple of days), I’m going to pick up the Grenadine Straight Up Lipstick (which looks like a great pink for spring) and Blue flame Topper Lip Gloss to create endless great shades with my new favorite lip stains!
WHERE TO FIND IT
You can find Liptini Liqueur Lip & Cheek Stains at Liptini.com and Makeup.com for $16.50 each.
Stay tuned for most of my Liptini Tint experiments (Liptini has turned me into a mad makeup scientist!) and the beautiful Liptini Cordial Shimmering Lip & Cheek Tints!
Being TRUE Sheer Lip Shine in Aglow
I recently discovered the Being TRUE skincare and cosmetic line, and I tried out the Sheer Lip Shine in Aglow, a beautiful limited edition neutral color.
INGREDIENTS
Being TRUE Sheer Lip Shine contains great ingredients:
1) Peppermint and caffeine to plump – a highly effective plumper that doesn’t sting at all and doesn’t cause irritation. On the contrary, it calmed my chapped lips that nothing else has been able to soothe for about a week or so. So if you find some of the traditional plumpers too stingy, Being TRUE Sheer Lip Shine is the plumper for you.
2) Green tea and Vitamin E to condition – Green tea is my go-to raw skin soother, so I love when products (especially color cosmetics) contain green tea in their formulation. And using green tea in combination with Vitamin E will soothe the most chapped lips.
THE EXPERIENCE
Between the plumping and the conditioning features, the little lines that everyone over the age of five has on their lips disappear, and the effect lasts long after the gloss has worn off – which is awhile – this gloss has excellent staying power.
I really like that it’s not sticky, so there is no risk of your hair getting stuck in it. Considering how often I end up with smudged lips and sticky hair when a stiff wind blows my hair around, this is a definite plus for me.
It’s pretty rare to find a neutral lip color that brightens your face and highlights your lips. This is due to pink and gold shimmer (extremely subtle – all that you see is the reflection, not the shimmer particles) that is infused with the toffee base color. Hitting the three bases of pink, gold, and toffee means that Aglow is a universally flattering shade.
Great for everyday wear, and perfect for a glamorous lip look paired with a smokey eye. And the peppermint aroma is so nice, I find myself putting it on constantly in the last couple of days just for a little energy pick me up.
Since Aglow is a limited edition color, it won’t be around forever – check it out now.
WHERE TO FIND IT
The Being TRUE line is sold exclusively through high-end salons and spas – find one near you at the Being TRUE website.
I’m really glad I found the Being TRUE line and can’t wait to try more of their makeup and especially their skincare line!
Here’s some pics I took to show you what it looks like on when you first put it on and after a few minutes of plumping:
