I have pretty much reached the conclusion that M-A-C is cornering the market on near-perfect lip products. Here's a review of two new M-A-C products I received today. One is from M-A-C's lipglass line (a semi-opaque lipgloss), "Russian Red", and the other is from their lip lacquer line ("Fanplastico").
Short version: These are two of M-A-C's greatest lip products, and two of the reasons I'm starting to like lipgloss again.
Candidate #1: M-A-C Lip Lacquer, #AA6 (Fanplastico)
Purchased: http://www.nordstrom.com/
Cost: $17.00
Candidate: M-A-C Tinted Lipglass, #AB6 (Russian Red)
Purchased: http://www.nordstrom.com/
Cost: $17.00
Brand Info: M-A-C Cosmetics, Inc.
Founded in 1985 by Frank Toskan (a Canadian photographer and makeup artist) and Frank Angelo (Canadian salon owner), a pair of men in the fashion business who shared a frustration with the quality of cosmetics available to customers and even noted major weaknesses in so-called "professional" cosmetics that didn't hold up under bright lights, hot sets, TV appearances, etc. Together with Toskan's brother-in-law, chemist Vic Casale, the three men began designing a new line of high-pigment and long-wearing cosmetics for "All ages, all races, all sexes" (the company's first motto) called "Makeup Art Cosmetics", a line that would later grow into the fashion industry product of choice. (It's a dirty little secret that most celebrities and models who appear on magazine covers wear M-A-C cosmetics, even if another name, such as the brand said spokesmodel/celeb is supposed to be promoting, is credited.) M-A-C was bought by Estee Lauder Cosmetics, Inc., in 1994, and today M-A-C is the "fashionista/edgy" arm of ELC.
M-A-C's lipsticks are mostly wax-based, making them far more durable than the petroleum jelly/lanolin/water/touch-of-paraffin lipsticks other companies make. They also come in over 160 colors and 11 formulas:
M-A-C also has an extensive lipgloss line, collectively known as "Lipglass", to accent and augment their lipstick line. Their lipglosses come in over 130 colors and 8 formulas:
The Tube: Both products come in clear tubes with black applicator lids. The company name and the name of the product are printed in black on the tube. At the bottom of each tube is a silver sticker with the company name ("Makeup Art Cosmetics, Inc."), the product name, and the product identification code in black print. The tinted lipglass tube is a good 3/4" shorter than the lacquer tube.
The Product: Russian Red is a bright cherry red, about as cherry red as cherry red gets. Fanplastico is a darker version of the same red, slightly lighter than what is commonly called "black cherry".
The Application: Russian Red has a traditional sponge-tipped doefoot applicator; Fanplastico has my favorite lip product applicator ever, the mini-brush. Both products cover extremely well; even the doefoot applicator supplies good color. Both products are thicker than one would expect from even liquid lipstick; I could almost get away with wearing Russian Red solo instead of over lipstick. Colors are true to their look in the tube.
The Taste: Most M-A-C lip products taste like vanilla sugar, and these are no exception.
The Blot: Like most glosses/liquid lip products, let these sit about 20-30 secs. before blotting. After that, the blot is true to color, and only the first blot is heavy.
The Wear: Excellent. Applied both products around 2300; it's 0115 here and they're still on and still look good. That said, I haven't done much eating and only a little sipping from a water glass, so YMMV.
The Verdict: If M-A-C made a lacquer line that was comparable with their lipstick line in terms of sheer color volume, I'd pronounce this hunt to be "Game over, drive home safely". As is, Fanplastico is an excellent darker red color and deserves a place in your makeup case if you like darker reds. As for Russian Red Lipglass, I'm definitely keeping it for the covering of my winning red lipstick, whichever it happens to be.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Hunt for the Perfect Lipstick: A Duo from M-A-C ("Russian Red", "Fanplastico")
Sunday, November 25, 2007
The Hunt For The Perfect Lipstick: Makeup Application When You've No Time For Makeup
Makeup is fun. Applying it can be time-consuming, especially when trying to get ready to go out into the daily workforce. I have my makeup routine down under five minutes, with only three steps.
Step 1: Put on mascara first. Most makeup wearers, when they first learned to apply makeup, did whatever the person who taught them did, and most professional makeup artists put mascara on after applying practically everything else. I've run into makeup guides purported to be for the average makeup wearer that have mascara on the list as #7 out of ten (?!?) steps. Trust me, I have made every single mistake you can make in learning to apply makeup, and none are more damaging than getting spots of mascara all over the smoky eye layers of eyeshadow you've just spent five minutes putting in just the right place. Not only do you have to take off all your eye makeup on that eye to fix the problem, you've now just wasted five minutes of your precious time (and everybody's time is precious these days). By applying mascara first, you're still working on a blank slate and thus any mistakes can be easily fixed. For a daytime look, you only need one coat of mascara on the top lashes only, and it takes about 30 seconds per eye. Give your mascara a quick blot by putting a tissue under each eye against the lower eyelid and giving two or three blinks.
Step 2: With a good powder brush or a cosmetic puff, brush on one coat of a powdered foundation or translucent face powder. Most powder foundations are enough to smooth out skin tones and give the face a lightly-airbrushed look. My favorite powder foundation is M-A-C Cosmetics' Studio Fix. For problem areas (undereye circles, acne), wet down either a small makeup brush or the tip of a cosmetic sponge, shake off or wring out the excess water, then use the damp applicator to spot-apply a heavier coat in areas that need it. Brushing on the powder takes 30-45 seconds, maybe 60 if you need spot touch-ups. (I brush on in a "Letter T" pattern--two swipes across the forehead and eyes, one swipe down the center of the face--then around my jawbone, across my cheeks, and finally give nose, chin, and lips one or two swipes each to make sure to cover them. Dark circles under my eyes get a bit of a light gold or yellow concealer powder (or my powdered foundation, if I don't have my full makeup kit with me) applied with a damp brush to neutralize the blue/purple skin, then the touched-up areas get another pass with the dry brush to help hide the concealer.)
Step 3: Apply lipstick. I use lipliner first, but a lot of makeup artists are now switching to applying lipliner last to conceal any flaws or to make a hard edge to keep the lipstick from feathering. (Laura Mercier Cosmetics makes a "nude" liner designed to be used to define the edge of the lips, and it is usually applied after lipstick goes on.) Some makeup artists use a lip primer to help the lipstick adhere to the lips better before applying lipstick; if you use a color correcting lip product, it too should be applied before applying the primary shade. I apply one coat of lipstick and blot it twice. If you like lip gloss atop your lipstick, make it the last thing you put on, and allow it time (15-20 seconds) to set up before blotting or applying a finishing powder over it. This entire step takes anywhere from 30-60 seconds.
Voila, your everyday makeup application is done in about 3-5 minutes. I like to use Marutake Rice Powder as a final coat to seal everything; this step can be skipped, or substitute a quick touchup with a bronzing powder on the cheek apples, the tip of the nose, the tip of the chin, and across both eyebrows to bring light-play to areas where lights would naturally hit first.
Notice what I don't use: Eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush. I hardly every use eyeshadow or eyeliner any more and use blush only occasionally. In the daytime, I feel overly made up with eyeshadow and eyeliner; a good coat of mascara can do wonders to make eyes stand out without applying more and more color to the lids. I use a bronzer or an illuminating powder in place of blush in the daytime to make the skin look brighter and sunnier without adding color. There's an old adage that the best makeup jobs look like you're not wearing makeup at all, and I've learned to appreciate that adage in my latter years.
YMMV, of course.
Monday, November 19, 2007
The Hunt For The Perfect Lipstick: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #010, #060, #070, #190
2007-11-20: Edited to add info on color #70, "Boast".
As the end-of-year holidays approach, cosmetics manufacturers roll out new products, new colors within their regular product line, special product gift sets, etc., as well as clearance sales on their summer lines. So, I'm going to do several mass updates on a number of lip products I've run across these past few months, starting with Rimmel London's Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour.
The short version: It goes on great. Its applicator rocks my world. Its color pigmentation is great. Volume boosting? Not so much, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That said, it's also a Rimmel, with all that entails (including a not-great wear time).
Candidate #1: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #10 (Bossy)
Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/
Cost: $6.00
Candidate #2: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #190 (Breathless)
Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/
Cost: $6.00
Candidate #3: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #60 (Plump)
Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/
Cost: $6.00
Candidate #4: Rimmel London Volume Boost Liquid Lipcolour, #70 (Boast)
Purchased: http://www.beauty.com/
Cost: $6.00
Brand Info: Rimmel London Cosmetics
Founded in 1834 by Eugene Rimmel, the House of Rimmel invented the first non-toxic mascara product; to this day, the word for "mascara" in many non-English-speaking countries is "rimmel". The cosmetics division of the House of Rimmel is now owned by Coty, who distributes their product worldwide. Rimmel's cosmetic line targets the young cosmetic buyer who wants something "exotic" and "trendy" instead of the traditional drug store/grocery store/discount store cosmetics.
The Product: The names could not possibly be less descriptive of the contents, and the cases don't help. The product is in an opaque plastic cylindrical case, which is supposedly the same color as the contents. The case takes up 2/3 of the overall length; the lid is maroon and has a sticker on it with the product's bar code, color number, and color name. Printing on the opaque case is in Silver. The four colors range from bubble gum pink ("Breathless") to dusty rose ("Bossy") to pinkish brown ("Plump") to chocolate/cherry ("Boast").
The Application: The applicator is a step up from practically every brand
of lip gloss out there: It's a short-bristled fine-tipped brush. Yes,
just like a nail polish brush. It's fantastic. The brush allows practically exact contouring of the lips without having to re-dip for new gloss every few strokes. I'd buy this product over and over and over again just to have that brush. As for the product itself, it's a weird cross between a gloss and a liquid lipstick: It's thick and has great pigmentation like a liquid lipstick does, but upon application, it tends to sheer out, which is one of the things I hate about lip gloss in general. The colors stay true to their first appearance: Breathless is very pink; Bossy is a dusty rose; Plump is a brown with a touch of pink in it; Boast is darker brown with just the barest hint of cherry red.
The Taste: An odd mix of scents: Rimmel's trademarked bubble gum taste with a bit of wintergreen in it, presumably to plump the lips.
The Blot: Let these set up for a minute before blotting, or all the color will come off. However, the blots are very pale once the color has set up.
The Wear: It's a Rimmel product. Do I really have to answer that? O.K., I will anyway. If you don't like the color, taste, or tingle on your lips (no real plumping occurs), just wait about an hour; it'll be gone along with the rest of the product. Even laid over another lip color, it still disappears within about 60-75 minutes, and will usually fade out whatever lipstick you put on underneath with it.
The Verdict: As a lipgloss, it's not bad. As a lip plumper, it's useless. As an everyday color, get used to reapplying every hour or so and you'll be just fine. And at $6 a tube, if you don't like it, throw it out and get a new one.
Blogged with Flock
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Hunt For The Perfect Lipstick -- Revlon LipGlide Lip Color #175 ("Peachy Sheen"), #230 ("Sparkling Sangria")
It's been a while since I updated my lipstick hunt. A lot has happened in my life over the last few months (most notably, I was laid off from my job a month ago), and other things have taken priority over writing about makeup. (But not over using makeup. We all have our priorities.)
Over this hunt, some of my perceptions about makeup and lip products have changed significantly. The biggest is my newfound interest in lip glosses. While I'm still not wild about the sheer, sticky, shiny glosses of old, there are new categories of lipgloss that intrigue me, particularly the category of "liquid lipstick", opaque lipgloss products that provide coverage similar to a lipstick but with the convenience of lipgloss. I've found a number of these that I really like, and this review is about one of them, Revlon's LipGlide.
Candidate Lip Gloss #1: Revlon LipGlide #175 (Peachy Sheen)
Purchased: Big Lots (Sterling, VA)
Cost: $2.99
Candidate Lip Gloss #2: Revlon LipGlide #230 (Sparkling Sangria)
Purchased: Target (Laurel, MD)
Cost: $6.99
Brand Info:
Revlon, Inc., one of the few big-name U.S. cosmetic companies not owned by the big conglomerate brands (P&G, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder), was founded in 1932 by Charles and Joseph Revson, along with a chemist friend, Charles Lachman; the name "Revlon" came from Lachman's chemistry being the lynchpin joining the visions of the two Revson brothers ("Rev", "L", "On"). The Revsons started with a new type of nail enamel based on high pigment content instead of dyes, allowing the enamel to be more opaque with fewer coats. The nail enamel was a big hit at beauty salons, and by 1937 Revlon was a major presence in department stores and drug stores, becoming a multimillion dollar business within 6 years. By 1940, Revlon added full manicure products to its line and brought out its first lipstick. A contract with the War Department had Revlon creating makeup and related products for the U.S. Army, a product line honored in 1944 by the War Department for excellence. Revlon expanded to a full-service manicure product sales group with a purchase of German cutlery manufacturer Graef & Schmidt, and brought out its first perfume in 1952. Revlon went public in 1955, and its stock price jumped to a staggering $30 per share in just 2 months. In the 1960s, Revlon tried to diverisify into different divisions ala General Motors: Princess Marcella Borghese the upscale line; Ultima 2 the premium line; Revlon the mainline brand; Natural Wonder the teen brand; Moon Drops the aging, dry skin line; Etherea the hypoallergenic line. However, Revlon's department store rival Estee Lauder soon began diversifying as well, and many of Revlon's brands began losing ground to Estee Lauder's Clinique and Prescriptive brands. By the 1970s, Revlon's healthcare line (Armour Pharmaceuticals, Coburn Optical Industries, Lewis-Howe Company) was expanding but the beauty brands were getting squeezed from both sides: Estee Lauder was practically eating up the department store beauty counters, and CoverGirl was gaining ground on the drugstore/discount store front. After a disastrous series of takeovers and buyouts, Revlon is now owned by Ron Perelman's MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings. Revlon still owns its own hypoallergenic brand (now called Almay) and the Jeanne Gatineau lines, but its presence in high-end department stores is practically gone. Nonetheless, Revlon routinely sponsors invitations for "it" celebrities to attend awards ceremonies like the Oscars to show off their latest makeup innovations, proving that one of the oldest brands in the U.S. marketplace isn't about to give up without a fight.
The Tube: Opaque plastic, about the size of a fat ballpoint pen, in a color roughly approximating the product color. Domed lid is sheer plastic. Product name and information is written in gold on the opaque plastic portion of the tube.
The Product: "Peachy Sheen" is pinkish-coral; "Sparkling Sangria" is a reddish wine.
The Application: Revlon's LipGlide lip color possesses one of the best designed delivery points ever for lip gloss. Instead of a traditional doe-foot spongy wand or a flat plastic top to a squeeze tube, LipGlide is shaped like a ballpoint pen and has a spongy oval tip set at an angle like a traditional lipstick. Twist the tube at the mid-body join and product emerges on the sponge in small doses. This allows for two things: A smooth application with the spongy top, and absorption by the sponge to allow more even distribution of the color across the lips. The color itself comes across slightly different than it first appears: "Peachy Sheen" actually comes across as more pink than peach, more rose than coral; "Sparkling Sangria" is a dark bluish red, less wine-colored than it first appears when being cranked up into the applicator. The texture is slightly sticky, but not unpleasantly so--more like a very moist lipstick than a traditional lipgloss.
The Taste: Floral, perfume taste. Not unpleasant.
The Blot: Surprisingly light first blot that looks very true to color (Peachy Sheen looks rosy, Sparkling Sangria looks dark red). Second blot is much lighter.
The Wear: Typical edge-of-the-cup, water bottle, etc. stainers, but it stays on pretty well (I got about 2 hrs. wear before needing to touch up most of the time).
The Verdict: Wish it came in more colors (Revlon lists 24 colors, but at Drugstore.com, only one color is still in stock; Amazon.com also has only a handful of colors in stock), but other than that, I have no complaints. Well worth adding to your makeup case and a good value for a drugstore cosmetic product.
