Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection: Swatches and review

My thoughts on nude lipsticks?  They can look beautifully natural and youthful if you can find the right shade - and therein lies the challenge. It can be so hard to find the right one and I know because I've bought a few over the years that weren't quite right for me because they were too pale and concealer-y, too warm, too cool, too dark, too dead looking and so on. I'm sure you get what I'm saying!

For that reason I was pleased to be sent the full complement of Rimmel's new Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection to review because I have a chance of finding at least one that will suit... 

The collection comprises five nudes from the extremely pale through to a very deep warm nude suitable for darker skin tones. The nude packaging has grown on me - I wasn't sure at first but now I quite like it (other brands are doing it too) and it does make it easy to single out the nude lippies in my drawer.

The lipstick formula is what I've come to expect from Rimmel's Lasting Finish range:  richly creamy, very well pigmented and very long lasting on the lips without any drying feeling.  These lipsticks last hours on the lips without any fading or bleeding and one application will easily last me from breakfast through to lunch.  Rimmel say they last "up to 8 hours" and that doesn't seem a stretch at all.  Also, there's none of the unflattering whitish 'fade' happening around the inner lip as can happen with some nude lip products. That these lipsticks perform so well was no surprise to me at all and I continue to hold Rimmel lipsticks up as my favourite from the drugstore because the quality is right up there with higher end brands.

Now onto the swatches.  As it happened I've found three nudes I can wear in this collection:  42, 43 and 45 so I'm personally quite pleased with the colour selection.

Swatched left to right:  40, 42, 43, 45, 48

And here I am wearing the pink nude 42 on my lips

The Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection is available from the following stores:

Big W, Chemist Warehouse, Coles, My Chemist, Priceline, Woolworths.

RRP:  $12.95AUD

(Products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

My (eclectic) MAC lipstick collection...

This post has been sitting around patiently, waiting to be written for so long that I've literally finished one of my MAC lipsticks in the meantime!  It's just that combination of being busy, feeling obliged to do PR posts first (beauty blogger problems clearly!) AND suffering three internet outages in as many weeks, but now I finally have that window of opportunity to do one of my just for fun posts. 

 

Let me open up my MAC lipstick wardrobe and share - I love reading other people's lipstick posts (lipstick is my other obsession besides nails) so this was definitely fun to do!  It did actually serve another, "practical" purpose too because I was well and truly ready for a Back 2 MAC lipstick so I wanted to do a bit of a colour inventory first and see where the gap is in my own collection.  Read on and you shall see!

 

Reds

I'll start with classic reds because that's where my MAC obsession started all those years ago - as you might have spotted in the picture one of these is very old too (original packaging!) but I've been keeping it for sentimental value and because it - amazingly - hasn't gone bad otherwise it would be going Back 2 MAC for sure! I'm going to list everything throughout the post from left to right so here we go...

• Lady Danger (Matte) - Described by MAC as a vivid bright coral-red.  I've been fixated with orangey reds over the past year and this was my most recent addition to my MAC family by way of Back 2 MAC actually! It's screechingly bright to the point I have to be feeling confident to wear it but it adds confidence once it's on so it's worth that first step.  While some of my MAC matte lipsticks are dry and apply with a lot of dragging across the lips Lady Danger positively glides on in one swipe.

• RiRi Woo (Matte) - Matte cool red with a retro matte finish.  Now this one literally is a drag unfortunately so it needs the help of balm to get it onto my lips without tearing them up. I love the blue red but it doesn't love me back.  I've hung onto this lipstick mostly because of the rose gold limited edition packaging.

• Russian Red (Matte) - I'm not sure what the official shade description is but to me this is probably the truest red lipstick in my entire lipstick collection! It's obviously old judging by the packaging and I've only worn it a couple of times a year on average because again it's a serious red and unfortunately that powdery matte formula dries out my lips.

• Dubonnet (Amplified) - The deepest red in my MAC collection and my favourite of the four.  This is brownish slightly vampy red which adds impact in a more toned down way than my brighter shades.  Being a fan of the Amplified formula I love how this piles on the colour in a single swipe and has a slight creamy sheen. Best of all it's the one red which doesn't dry out my lips! Without sounding depressing Dubonnet is the perfect austere red for autumn and winter in Melbourne when I wear my black clothes in all their glory.

 

Now for some rather messy swatches in the same order as above!

Nudes

One of these nudes has literally been worn to death since I took these pictures because I loved it to death...

• Peach Blossom (Cremesheen) - A soft pink-nude with a shiny finish.  I've been enjoying this as my nude of choice over the summer because it's a swipe and go kind of colour.  Cremesheens are up there as being one of my favourite finishes in the MAC family for their shiny formula but for one significant drawback:  a lot of mine have snapped at the stub.

• Modesty (Cremesheen) - This was the nude lipstick I loved to death and finished off.  The mauve-nude tone perfectly emulated and embellished my natural lip colour so it was the 'my lips but better' lipstick of choice and I can definitely see it being repurchased.  Despite being a Cremesheen the bullet held fast without snapping so that's another reason it was/is a favourite. 

• Brave (Satin) - This is the 'other' Modesty if you like as it has a very similar, ever so slightly more mauve nude tone and is my current MLBB choice.  Being a satin it can look a bit flat and lifeless on my lips worn on its own so I prefer to top it with a bit of gloss. I've just been reading this is one of the shades for the Kylie Jenner lip if you're into that look although I bought this lipstick a couple of years before the craze.  Apparently I was ahead of the trend!

• Plastique (Frost) - Caramel frost.  I bought this one more than a couple of years ago and it only comes out to play as a topper these days because it's just a little too beigey on its own.  I'm considering putting this lipstick in my Back 2 MAC pile.

 

The swatches:



 Pink & Purples

 

This is a bit of a motley grouping of colours but close enough for me...

 

• Impassioned (Amplified) - Described by MAC as a bright warm pink this - HOT coral pink in my words - is the most screamingly bright MAC lipstick in my collection hands down!!!  I jumped on the bandwagon with this one when it felt like everyone was raving about it.  Honestly whenever I wear this statement shade my lips enter the room before I do! I really need to pluck up every ounce of courage to put it on - although right now I can feel my little inner voice daring me to again!

• Up The Amp (Amplified) - The official description for this shade is lavender violet - a pinkish purple!  I don't shy away from purple because it works with my complexion, whitens my teeth and it's an unexpected alternative to pink.  I've worn this lippy a lot but because the Amplified formula is a one-swipe wonder and super pigmented it's going to take forever to wear down the stub.

• Rebel (Satin) - This scary looking bullet wears as a bright pink plum on my lips and this is my favourite MAC lipstick shade of all time and the first MAC lipstick I have repurchased.  I love how this shade can be built up from a sheer raspberry to a deeply vibrant colour depending on my mood.  I opt for this in the cooler months as an alternative to dark red but I can also get away with it as an unexpected summer evening lipstick choice when I want to wear a statement lip.

 

And the vibrant swatches!





 

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After going through all the lipstick shades in my collection I realised there was indeed a gap and I needed a soft pink lipstick to fill it.  My selection when I finally did go the MAC counter?  Angel!

 

What's your favourite MAC lipstick shade?



Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Peachy Keen

When we went on our beach vacation I really wasn't sure if I would have the time or inclination to change my manicure so I decided a pale nude polish was the way to go.  Cue Sally Hansen's Peachy Keen.

 

Peachy Keen is a warm peachy nude cream which almost seamlessly blended into my pale skin - the perfect low-maintenance shade for when I didn't want to be worrying about the usual manicure wear and tear.  It reminds me very much of one of my old, old OPI favourite nudes:  Coney Island Cotton Candy.   This polish is one of Sally Hansen's 7-in-1 formula Complete Salon Manicure range, with inbuilt base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, colour, top coat, featuring gel-like shine and chip resistance. 

 

I found application quite easy with the flat brush although with the lighter shade I needed 3 coats to get sufficiently even opaque coverage.  Out of habit I'd used a base coat so perhaps because of that mistake I found my manicure was taking a longer than usual time to dry and I caved in to finishing off with a quick dry top coat.  Wear time was fantastic though and my manicure easily lasted the 10 days I wore it, looking fresh and glossy with only a few little chips which didn't appear until around day 8.  I have a few more autumnal shades from this range to try so I'll make sure to remember to FORGET the base coat and top coat next time!

 

All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

 

 

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is available from Priceline, Priceline Pharmacies, Target, K Mart, Terry White Chemists, Chemist Warehouse, Good Price Pharmacies and independent pharmacies nationally.

 

Have you tried Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure polish?

 

 

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

 



Perfect partners: Chanel Insouciance & Rimmel Undressed

When wearing nude lipstick I usually enhance it with a layer of matching gloss to give my (fairly thin) lips a fuller look.  My lips aren't as full as they once were so I need a bit of oomph and as I'm scared of injectables I rely on gloss for the illusion of plump, juicy lipped youth!

I like creamy, non shimmery nudes yet for some reason it's so difficult to find the perfect creamy-caramel-nude-NON-shimmery gloss to top off my lipstick - currently my nude lippy of choice is the deliciously caramel toned nude, Undressed by Rimmel. You can imagine how happy I was a few weeks ago *cue one of those little happy jigs!* when I found THE perfect gloss when idly cruising the Chanel counter.

Rimmel Undressed, please meet Chanel Extrait de Gloss 51 Insouciance...

Now I was in one of those moods and found out that 'Insouciance' translates as recklessness so it seems to be the perfect partner for a lipstick named Undressed on that basis alone!

Side by side you can see the close resemblance in shade. 

Swatched Top to Bottom:

Rimmel Undressed

Chanel Insouciant

Insouciant layered over Undressed

As you can see from the swatch Undressed (top) has a creamy semi-matte finish and while it looks a little pink toned on my arm, trust me it's a true caramel nude on my lips.  Chanel's gel formula gloss Insouciance (middle) has fantastic opaque coverage when worn alone but because it's so close in tone to Undressed it layers over Undressed easily, adding shine without any significant change to the colour.  I get the perfect glossy nude lip I'm craving with this combination. 

The lip swatch:

  Undressed topped with Insouciance

Now I'm not the only one with a passion for layering with Chanel nude glosses.  For another great post see Lola's post here..

What's your favourite lip colour combo?

How do you like to wear nude lips?

That's it for now.

Vita :)

An accidental L'Oreal favourite: True Match Blush 125 (Nude Pink)

This was a by chance purchase and I wanted to share it with other pale skinned girls because I love it! 

My local pharmacy was selling out all of their L'Oreal stock at 50% off so I dove into the discount bin and bought a True Match blush for around $13AUD (instead of the usual $25.95)!  I like bright and pretty pink and peachy blush shades but it's also great to have something a bit more nude-toned to wear as a natural, low key tone for every day and Nude Pink looked like it would fit that bill for me.

As you can see in the open pan Nude Pink is the perfect description for this blush as it's a neutral toned nude pink making it perfectly suited for fair to medium skin-toned girls, or *ahem* women, like me.  The packaging of pan itself is a great little design for a drugstore/pharmacy product as it has two compartments:  the blush in the top, and a wide, curved brush sits in the bottom compartment which also houses a mirror, making this a great blush for carrying in my makeup purse.  I do find the brush is a bit stiff for effective blending but I always carry a blush brush in my makeup bag ready to use for touch ups anyway.

It's all about the product!  What I love most about this blush is that it doesn't just give me ultra natural colour on my cheeks, it also gives my cheeks a subtle glow - now we're not talking glitter or shimmer, we're definitely talking glow here.  My research assures me I'm not going mad either as according to the L'Oreal website the formulation "...features light-reflecting, ultra-fine pearlescent particles that melt delicately onto the skin producing a transparent kiss of colour..." 

In terms of wear, the colour does last most of the day and I'll get through my working day without the need for a touch up. 

Swatched indoors

I love my little bargain - I'd never have discovered this blush if not for the discount bin!

What makeup item have you bought on a whim that you love?

That's all for now

Vita :)

Vintage OPI - Vanilla Zuela

I've been wearing an old, discontinued OPI on my nails this week.

I chose Vanilla-Zuela because I was in a neutral mood - and I needed to camouflage my badly torn pinky nail on my swatch hand.  Yes, it's happened to me again so I'm getting pretty good at painting my nails with my wrong hand.  I'm practically ambidextrous now!  Vanilla-Zuela is from OPI's 2002 South American Collection - this old collection spawned a lot of classic OPI shades:  Dulce de Leche, La Paz-itively Hot, Senorita Rosalita, Peru-B-Ruby, Argenteeny Pinkini.  I can understand why Vanilla-Zuela has been discontinued because it's one of the less interesting pale nude shades in a sea of nude OPI polishes, although it's a pretty good match for my yellowish skin with its peach tone.  I've almost got the mannequin hands thing happening with this creme polish on my nails.

I had to rely on lamplight for my pictures because I literally ran out of daylight and this portrays the warmth of the polish:

This is what I mean about not enough daylight:

That's all for now.

Vita :)

OPI: Tickle My France-y

Hi!

This mani is from a few weeks ago when I had to do an ultra conservative look.  I was one of three people on an interview panel representing my department so I had to look the part.  Tickle My France-y from OPI's 2008 France collection was my choice.  This is a lovely warm creamy nude colour which reminds me of very milky coffee.  Two coats gave a glossy even finish and it lasted beautifully the entire week.  It looked very chic and I think it almost gave me the mannequin hands look:

Outdoors shade



Full sun

What's your favourite nude nail polish?

Until my next post.

Vita :)

My autumn lipstick wardrobe

One of my very close friends (and one of my first followers) mentioned that I hadn't done a proper post on lipstick in a while, so...

Here's a peek at the lipstick shades I've got on high rotation this autumn.  I've got a pretty light complexion - I'm an NC20 on the MAC scale - so as the weather gets cooler I gravitate towards deeper nudes, maroons, plums & berries to liven up my colouring.

From L - R these are:

• MAC Amplified (Cosmo) - a warm creme deep nude, high in pigment.  This has carried over from my summer collection as it's such a versatile nude and contrasts enough against my skin
• MAC Amplified (Molassie) - a warm milk chocolate creme shade, also high in pigment as per the Amplified formula
• L'Oreal Colour Riche (Plum Brulee) - deep red/maroon creme, also very rich in pigment
• MAC Cremesheen (Party Line) - deep plum creme
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick (Temptation) - bright strawberry red with slight shimmer and semi-matte finish.  This one's a newbie I bought to try out the new Rimmel lipstick range

I've swatched these in the order of lightest to deepest shade on the inside of my arm.  This photo was taken indoors in natural daylight:

Swatches from L - R:

Cosmo

Molassie

Party Line

Temptation

Plum Brulee

Do you change your lipstick shades to match the season or do you have a signature lipstick look?

Until my next post.

Vita :)

Back to work: Lip colours for the office

Hi!

As my son's back to school that means one thing:  I'm back to work.  I work in a semi-conservative office  where I have to dress in corporate attire so there are some things that just won't cut it.  I can't wear outrageous make-up or nail polish as I have to look professional (although I push the nail colour boundaries a bit unless I'm attending important meetings!)

I thought I'd share my office-appropriate lipstick wardrobe with you.  These colours work well with my skin tone and don't look ghoulish under the fluorescent lighting.  FYI I'm quite fair but with a golden undertone to my skin if that makes sense.

Here are the colours I'll be having on high rotation for the rest of the summer:

The colours from L - R in detail are:

• Loreal Made for me Naturals (233 Taffeta) - soft shimmer nude, suitable for blondes according to the packaging
• MAC Amplified (Cosmo) - warm creme deep nude, high in pigment
• MAC Cremesheen (Hot Gossip) - soft shimmer natural pink
• Chanel Rouge Coco (Legende) - medium pink with soft shimmer.  This is the shade worn by Vanessa Paradis in the Chanel advertisements.  I thought it was going to be a soft coral-red, but it's actually a grown-up pink
• MAC Lustre (Lustering) - hot, but not screaming, pink creme.  Great for a pop of summer colour
• MAC Cremesheen (Crosswires) - coral creme

And some swatches:

Top-Bottom/L-R:  Taffeta, Cosmo, Hot Gossip, Legende, Lustering, Crosswires

I've checked and all of these shades are currently available from each of the brands mentioned if any take your fancy.

That's all for now.

Vita :)