Amber Monochromatic FOTD Featuring Clinique and Makeup Geek

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

There are certain colors I gravitate towards on a regular basis (hello amber), and occasionally it's nice to do a monochromatic makeup look using variations on one color. Today I'm going to show you a look featuring various products from Clinique, Makeup Geek, Revlon and Estee Lauder.

Clinique Ample Amber shadow stick

Amber shades work particularly well with both my eye color and fair complexion.  Amber is between orange and yellow on the color wheel, and since blue and orange are opposite blue on the color wheel, they are complementary. Clinique's Ample Amber Shadow Stick makes for a super easy wash of color over the id and lower lash line.

The eye liner is Urban Decay's discontinued Lucky (full review here), a gorgeous copper in a blackened base.  So glad I got my hands on one before they disappeared.

For my blush, I combined Makeup Geek's Infatuation with Secret Admirer.  I used the warm terracotta of Infatuation over the entire cheek area and then popped the uber cool-toned Secret Admirer on the center of my cheeks for a bit of pink glow.

Infatuation

Secret Admirer

On my lips I combined the soft reddish brown of Revlon's Brown Sugar Lip Butter with Estee Lauder's Wired Copper lip gloss.  Estee Lauder has some seriously nice glosses, by the way. Love the shimmer in Wired Copper.

Brown Sugar

Bottom:  Wired Copper

Brown Sugar + Wired Copper

So there you go - a warm monochromatic look that works equally well for me in all seasons!  Also, Lily Raisin wanted to say hello with her pink bunny ears :-)

Loving Your Unloved v3: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Raspberry Pie, Creamsicle, Sweet Tart & Candy Apple Usage

Picture taken July 4th

I ended up taking almost 2 months for the 3rd volume of my Loving Your Unloved series, as it seemed like these Revlon Colorburst lip butters just did not want to show any signs of being used.  Perhaps it was because I was trying to make progress on 4 of them (I had to be restricted when it comes to variety), so I compromised by extending the time.  Plus, I've been too busy with work to take pictures :-)

If you are unfamiliar with my Unloving Your Unloved series, it's where I focus for an extended period of time on a product (or products) that has been neglected for a while.  This neglect can be a result of just having too much freakin' stuff to chose from (guilty), or because it just never grabbed my fancy the way I had hoped.  My goal is to make progress using up some cosmetics or to fall (back) in love with something that's been neglected.  Let's see how these four Revlon lip butters fared.

Well, Raspberry Pie, as beautiful as it is, remains neglected because it's just a color that falls outside of my comfort zone.  More often than not, I would  wear Creamsicle layered on top to temper the shade, although the above is Raspberry Pie worn alone.  I need to get more comfortable with this color as I can't find it in me to toss.

Creamsicle was the one I expected to use the least, but I ended up wearing it the most.  It worked well blended with the other colors, and while on it's own it washes me out a bit, I do like how moisturizing the lip butter formula is and would find myself reaching for it more as a lip balm during the day. Here's an example of Creamsicle being used to temper a very intense color, L'oreals matte I Lacque You a Lot, which is an in your face red hot candy color that is drying to wear on it's own.:

I Lacque You a Lot

I Lacque You a Lot + Creamsicle

Sweet Tart is a fairly wearable pink for me, but I wouldn't say I'm crazy about it.  Still, it works well enough that it will stay a part of my collection and will see some wear.

I did fall in love with Candy Apple, which is an uber wearable coral red for me.  Love.  I'll be reaching for Candy Apple a lot more often.

So, some hits (Candy Apple and Creamsicle) and some near misses (Raspberry Pie and Sweet Tart), but nothing that needs to be tossed.

My choices for v.4 of the Loving Your Unloved series are two MAKE blushes, Geisha and Czarina, two lovely blushes that have languished unloved for too long.  

Loving Your Unloved v3: Revlon Colorbust Lip Butters in Raspberry Pie, Creamsicle, Sweet Tart & Candy Apple

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

If you were reading beauty blogs when the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters were first released in 2011, you know the sensation they created.  And for good reason, as the formula is quite nice at a reasonable price point.  I've collected a dozen+ of them now, and yet only one is even close to being finished.

So, I've pulled four of the colors that have seen minimal usage and will be focusing on them for the month of July.  Since I shudder at the thought of being restricted to just one shade and the goal of this series is not to punish myself, but rather to rediscover my love for languishing products, my Lip Butter choices for July are:

• Raspberry Pie:  medium-dark raspberry pink 
• Creamsicle (discontinued):  creamy vanilla peach
• Sweet Tart:  bubblegum pink
• Candy Apple:  orange red

When looking through my Colorburst Lip Butter collection, it was immediately obvious that Peach Parfait has received lots of love and is the closest to being finished.  I was tempted to include it just to finish it off, but considering the series focuses on the unloved, it doesn't really fit.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress I make with these neglected Lip Butters!

New! Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sorbet

Sorbet

Revlon has released four new Colorburst lip butters, and I was able to pick up one of them recently.  Sorbet is a vibrant fuschia pink and perfect for Spring's pink lip trend.  It's also perfect for me, as it is pigmented but sheer enough that I can build color to suit my comfort level.

I'm a fan of the lip butter formula, as they contain mango, shea, and coconut butters and are moisturizing enough that I can wear them on their own without that dreaded dry lip feel that can distract me to no end.

Sorbet is one of the four new colors recently released, along with Wild Watermelon, Pink Lemonade, and Juicy Papaya.  I've yet to find the others, but I'm sure they will pop up eventually.  I got Sorbet from ulta.com during a recent BOGO offer, along with Creme Brulee. 

I was thinking that some of the other lip butters might be close in color to Sorbet, but when I looked through the ones I own, none were even close! Lollipop may be the closest in color, but I don't have that one so could not compare. 

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

You know how those BOGO offers induce you to select something you wouldn't ordinarily?  Well, that's the story of me and Creme Brulee.  I wanted the new Colorburst lip butter called Sorbet, but I swear I don't remember deciding on Creme Brulee as well, although I must have!

I must have convinced myself I can rock a nude lip, although that really hasn't been the case thus far.  Fortunately, Creme Brulee is somewhat sheer, so it didn't render me corpse like.  It wasn't particularly glossy, although it did not feel dry. 

I'm just not sure I'll get much use out of this, as it's kind of 'ho-hum' to me.  Maybe as a layering alternative with other colors?  That's probably the way I'll go, as here it is layered with Sorbet.  A much better color for me, I think!

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters in Cherry Tart & Candy Apple

Cherry Tart, Candy Apple

Did you know that lipsticks were thought to be the "incarnation of the devil" and banned by the church in medieval Europe?  Apparently prostitutes were the only women to wear cosmetics during that time.  Which, if you consider that lipsticks mimic the flush that comes from sexual arousal, makes sense.  A few hundred years later, cosmetics had also been adopted by actresses, but their use was frowned upon by "respectable" women.  There was even a proposed law that a woman's marriage could be annulled if she wore cosmetics before her wedding day (source link).

Candy Apple

The strong desire by certain segments of society to control women's sexuality never fails to amaze me, and sadly it continues in pockets all over the world even today.  I remember a story of women in Taliban controlled Afghanistan who would meet in secret to have makeup parties, after it was forbidden for them to wear cosmetics or paint their nails.  The risks were real - there were instances of women having their fingers cut off for having colored nails. 

Candy Apple, Cherry Tart (sun)

Who knew that lipstick could be so threatening?  Make it red lipstick and you've got a double whammy.  There is some research indicating that our reaction to the color red goes beyond cultural conditioning and may be hardwired into our primate brains.  Rhesus monkeys would not accept food from researchers attired in red, although they would from those wearing blue or green (source link).  Red is power, baby.  Another reason why so many military uniforms historically featured red.

Cherry Tart

So, with that bit of historical musing, today I have  two of the red Colorburst lip butters from Revlon to show you.  Cherry Tart is a pinkish red with a subtle shimmer, and Candy Apple is a creme coral red.  I find these lip butters to be a way for me to achieve a red lip that is quite wearable without being overpowering - since we've already established that red can be intimidating. 

Candy Apple, Cherry Tart (shade)

Candy Apple is the more pigmented of the two, but also wore a bit more patchy.  Both are comfortable on and wear for about 2 hours before needing a touch up.  Revlon Lip Butters can be purchased at most drugstores for around $5-$7.  I got most of mine at either Ulta or RiteAid when they were offering BOGO sales.