Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Summer Beauty Review: It's A Coral Kind Of Summer!


This summer has been all about the corals. My lips have been rockin' everything from orange corals to pink corals. Here are some of my favourite picks this season! (Will have to update with swatches - still no memory card! :()

(Counter clockwise)

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Mega Melon ($19 CAD): These chubby sticks bring me back to my kindergarten days when I used to rub crayons on my lips for colour. These balms will drench your lips with moisture. Love the colour pay off too. I was expecting it to be sheer, but the colour payoff is similar to a glossy lipstick. Mega Melon is a beautiful shade just right for bronzy summer skin. It leans more orange than pink so it gives the skin some warmth. I also love the twist-up feature. I hate sharpening gloss pencils - just too messy. Available in 8 shades.

Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Nahema ($35 USD): Luxury in a lipstick tube. Guerlain's signature gold casing and interesting packaging screams luxury. This is the first time my lips have ever been touched by Guerlain and unfortunately I'm in love. The texture is unbelievably creamy. For a long-lasting lip colour, it doesn't dry out your lips and keeps them hydrated. I love the flip-top applicator. No need to take off the cap - just push up and your lipstick pops out. And isn't luxury all about convenience? Nahema is a bright coral sheen. It has a nice mix of both cool and warm undertones so it will work for many skin tones. If you love collecting uber chic and luxurious lipsticks this is one to add to the collection! Available at Sephora.

Revolution Organics Freedom Gloss in Vibe ($26 CAD): You all know my love affair with Revolution Organics so I'm sure it's no surprise I'm featuring the brand again. Vibe is described as "fresh warm peach", but it looks more like a flat orange in the tube. Before trying it I wasn't too keen on this shade, but once it was on my lips I fell in love. There is a slight shimmer and it has beautiful undertones of coral and peach. With the Freedom Glosses, you never feel like you're wearing a gloss. I never have to apply a lip conditioner before applying these glosses. They contain organic plant proteins, oils and shea butter that moisturize and heal the lips. 

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bolero ($24 USD): New for summer, Bolero is described as "pink cantaloupe". The bright pink swatch on the website is deceiving. Do go to the counter and test this out. I'm featuring this not because I'm totally in love with it, but I think it's an interesting shade for summer.

What I love: 
  • The matte texture is a nice alternative to the usual glossy lips for summer. When you wear shimmer on the eyes and face it's important to keep one area non-shimmery. A matte lip is the perfect compliment.
  • It accentuates your tan. This shade will look different on everyone. On paler skin, more of the pink undertones will come out. On bronzy skin, it will look edgy and you'll look more golden. Reminds me of day glo lip balms with sunblock. Deeper skin tones should be wary though - it might make you look ashy. 
What I hate:
  • The matte texture. My lips can get extremely dry and chapped. The combination of this texture and shade just accentuated the dryness even more. But with a little lip balm, it wore pretty good but settled into my lines. 
  • You have to sharpen the pencil.
Stila Convertible Color in Petunia ($25 USD): Petunia is such a pretty pinky coral shade. It looks amazing with a bit of bronzer and really perks up the skin. The finish is creamy and gives the skin a lovely glow. It'll never look overdone because it melts right into the skin. The shade is highly pigmented yet it's very easy to blend. You can wear them on the lips, but I find it dries mine out too much. But it works great as a base for glosses. If your skin needs a good pick-me-up or you're in a rush these are perfect, but don't expect it to last in humid sticky weather! Tip: Make it last a little longer with translucent powder or a powder blush in a similar shade.

Have you tried any of these lovely corals? What colours have you been wearing a lot of this summer?

Products were sent for editorial consideration and I truly love them.

10 comments:

dani@callitbeauty said...

coral has been my colour this summer! i loved wearing MAC's Vegas Volt this summer. =)

Jamilla Camel said...

thanks for showing Nahema - I want to get this!

Donna Marie said...

I've been rocking the corals this summer too! My fave is MAC Lipstick in See Sheer and Korres lip butter in Pomegranate.

AnaDeadMystic said...

i love coral!!!! . I want get a chubby stick
Cheers from Panama

the creation of beauty is art. said...

I have been obsessed with corals this summer as well, mostly orange corals. I think they look gorgeous on everyone and they're really fun and colourful without being too dramatic! I love this post, there was so much information! :)

http://the-creationofbeauty.blogspot.com

Janalyn said...

Love that Nars Bolero and Stila Petunia! Ive always wanted to try Stila's convertible colors!

Make Up Artist Scotland said...

NARS Bolero is amazing. Coral is such a flattering colour on so many skintones and it's definitely my favourite!

Lions and Tigers and Make-up said...

The Clinique chubby sticks definetely were a summer must-have to keep lips nice and moisturized without being too heavy. This is a lovely selection of amazing lip products!

Mineral cosmetic said...

This has been my color of the season, loved wearing it.

Anonymous said...

Joy~
Just wanted to say that I've been missing your online presence~
hope you and the family are doing well!