Rock & Republic Blush & Lip Gloss Swatches

I finally got around to swatching all of my R&R blushes.  If they weren't such a steal, I'd be unhappy with AllNighter and X-rated.  It's not that they're bad, it's just that they don't look good on my cheeks.  X-Rated is just tooooooo red for my already ruddy cheeks.  And AllNighter, well, it's goddamn orange.   I know Immoral is orange too, but somehow, I can work with that one.  I knew when I bought them that I probably wouldn't like them but thought I'd give them a shot since they worked out to $7.50 each.

Here are 3 of the lip glosses.  If you're familiar with the way Chantecaille Lip Chics smell, that's exactly what these smell like to my nose.  They're nice, but they didn't wow me.  That said, I'm not much of a lipgloss girl.  I have a couple that I love & use a lot (Guerlain Pomme du Desir is one) but I don't tend to go out searching for them.  Cougar & Mistress are definitely going up on the blog sale.  I really liked Sexy Beast - it's one of my colors that I buy over and over again in different brands and forms.

Chanel Emoi Extrait Lipgloss - Lip Swatch

I adore this color. I was fooling around today with some halloween ideas and put this on and realized I hadn't taken a picture of it on my lips. My nose looks all glowy b/c I used Chantecaille Radiance Aquablush down the bridge. Love that stuff. Anyway, I would have done a full face pic but the Halloween makeup was a total fail. Anyone tried these glosses? Which colors are your favorites?

Chantecaille Lip Chic Swatches - Anais, China Rose, Tea Rose, Zinnia

Please ignore the yucky wrought iron, I took them outside to get truer color pics. :)

These are my favorite lipstick formulas ever.  They feel very soothing on your lips and are excellent for those that don't care for the heavy feel of lipsticks or sticky mess of gloss.  Did I mention they smell like vanilla bean ice cream? These retail for $30 each and can sometimes be found on evilbay for much less.  This is one lip product that I consider worth the splurge.

Sephora Ultra Shine Lipgloss

When I'm at Sephora, normally I just breeze right past their house brand without a glance.  This weekend, for some reason, the end cap drew my eye.  It was a rainbow of lipglosses on display.  Right off the bat I picked up the newly reformulated Ultra Shine Lipgloss because they had a really good selection of plums, purples and violets.  I swatched probably 7-8 on my hand and ended up tossing #24 Reflex Dazzling Violet & #23 Shimmery Glowing Amethyst into my basket.

When I got out to the car, the first thing I did was put one on my lips, then the other right on top of it (don't act like you don't do the same thing!)  It was instant love.  The Reflex formula *looks* a lot like YSL Golden Glosses on the lips but that's where the similarity ends.  I find the Golden Glosses to be too thin, gritty and let's not forget the smell *shudder*.  I can't think of anything to compare the Shimmery formula to except maybe Chanel Glossimers.  These are pleasantly & mildly scented/flavored, and feel very nice on your lips.  It's a medium-thick consistency and feels very smooth and hydrating.  It's not super sticky for a gloss in my opinion.  It just sticky enough.  For $14, you can't go wrong.

Here's Sephora's blurb on these new glosses: 

Ultra Shine Lip Gloss  

What it is:

A maximum-shine, moisturizing gloss starring a new generation of "multi-holographic" shimmers, for perfect light reflection.

What it does:
The most pigmented member of the Sephora Collection gloss family, this smoothing star comes in a profusion of gorgeous shades. Achieve a lush-lip look with full, smooth, hydrated results.

What else you need to know:
Choose your favorite way to shine:
- Reflex: ultra-opalescent effect for a jewel-like finish
- Shimmering: opalescent effect for an elegant luster
- Shiny: opalescent-free, for a wet-looking effect

A specially designed, hourglass-shaped applicator features a soft, flocked tip that picks up a generous amount of gloss. An elegant, transparent pack shows the shade clearly.

Research Results:
In a consumer test on 11 women (measuring with a corneometer):
- 4 hours after application, lip hydration increased by 50%.