PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Lipstick in Obsessed

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Today I'll be showing you Obsessed, one of PUR Cosmetics new Velvet Matte liquid lipsticks. Obsessed is described on Ulta as a muted coral, but it looks more like a true flamingo pink on me. Personally, I love flamingo pinks, so no problem there, and considering the temps are still in the mid-80's here in Mobile, it's a color I can wear almost year round. Almost.

Obsessed performed better than yesterday's vampy wine Addiction, which is not a huge surprise considering darker colors sometimes finicky behavior. I had no issues getting smooth and even color with Obsessed, and I applied the first layer with my Lipstick Queen lip brush to line and fill in the lips, and then topped it off with the wand to make sure I had even, opaque color.

The formula of the Velvet Mattes does truly yield a true matte finish, which is completely non sticky and dries down almost immediately. These are transfer resistant but not smudge proof, and Obsessed wore well right up until I ate lunch. The inside portion of the lips wears off when eating, which again is no huge surprise.

Post lunch I apply the Agave Lip Oil that comes in the Matte Perfection set, which transforms the matte lipstick into a cream. It's a great way to extend the life of the Velvet Mattes without having to reapply them, and the pigment of these is concentrated enough that the color stays quite vibrant, even after wearing half way off.

Also, I wanted to show you how the Tartiest clay liner in Navy looks, which is what I was wearing on my eyes that day. You can see my full review of the Tarteist Wing Workers liner set here.  I softened the line with Urban Decay's Danger from the Gwen Stefani palette, but did experience a bit a transfer to my upper lid as a result. The reality of hooded eyes.

So far, I'm really liking the PUR Cosmetics Velvet Mattes. I'm far from a matte liquid lip connoisseur, but these hit the mark for me in that they are truly matte yet comfortable to wear. They don't over emphasize my lip lines, flake, or crack, and Obsessed did not have the obvious pigment clumps that I experienced with the darker Addiction (review here). Now, let's see Oh Bae and Key Red perform well and if I can truly recommend The Perfect Matte set ($34)!

PUR Cosmetics Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick in Addiction

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

PUR Cosmetics has a new matte liquid lipstick out called Velvet Mattes.  They are supposed to be a true matte lipstick that will not flake or dry out your lips while providing a smooth and flawless finish. I picked up the Perfect Matte 5 piece set which includes 4 matte lipsticks plus an agave lip oil and have some initial impressions to share. Let's see if these live up to their claims!

Three of the colors in this set are part of the permanent line: Oh Bae, Obsessed, and Addiction.  Key Red appears to be limited edition to this set, along with the Agave Oil. Ulta is claiming that the set is worth $100, and while the full sized Velvet Matte lipsticks are $20 each, they are .11 oz in size and the ones in the set are .07 ounces.  So, you are getting a little over 3 full sized lip products, which makes the set worth about $60.  Still a deal considering the set is $34, but definitely not the $100 value listed on Ulta.

Oh Bae, Obsessed, Addiction, Key Red, Agave Lip Oil

I'll be reviewing each Velvet Matte in the set separately in case there are variations in formula and performance depending on the color. I decided to start with the darkest shade Addiction, as dark colors can be tricky. Addiction is not without it's issues, but these definitely have their appeal.

Addiction is described as a dark blue red, which I guess it can be when worn with just one layer. In the tube it looks more wine to me, and I was hoping for a deep vampy look, which would definitely take me outside of my comfort zone. Sometimes you need that.

One layer of Addiction is truer to the dark blue red description, and it's a bit patchy. The formula does this really strange thing where it bunches up, almost like the pigment is forming little clumps. It will smooth out but takes some effort, and you can see a few small clumps of color on my lips that did not get smoothed out.

I used my Lipstick Queen lip brush to apply, as I can get a much more precise edge with it.  I also used my fingers to pat and smooth out the color once applied. For reference, here is a great video from Nikkia Joy on how to apply liquid lipsticks that I found very helpful. I did exfoliate my lips and used the Agave Lip Oil prior to application so that my lips would be hydrated and smooth. FYI: I'm loving the lip oil and hope that will be available on it's own in the future.

For the second layer I applied using the doe wand from the tube but then used the lip brush to smooth things out. The color definitely looked more true to tube with two layers and gave that dark vampy lip I was hoping for.  However, I had a hard time getting the darker color closer to my lip line, which wanted to stay the lighter red shade. I dug out OCC's Black Dahlia to line my lips, and in the future I would probably use Black Dahlia to line and fill in my lips prior to applying Addiction.

I like how this turned out, but Addiction is a bit of a diva and requires careful handling. On the plus side, it is truly matte and is comfortable on the lips. It dries down almost immediately yet the formula does not become flaky or crack. A kiss test showed minimal transfer and that stayed true throughout the day. However, the formula will smudge, so you will not want to rub your lips.

I accidentally touched my face several times with my fingers after having smudged out my lips, and the pigment transferred easily onto my face.  For example, I forgot I had some of the pigment on my finger when I was touching up the inner corner of my eye and left a red smudge there.

Tarteist Clay Liner in Black (review here)

Rather then redo the area, I did the same on the other eye so that they both have a touch of blush on the bottom inner corners.  I actually think these would make a great cream blush, as they smooth out so nicely. I'll be giving that a go and will report back on the results.

Addiction + Agave Lip Oil post lunch

The Agave Lip Oil can also be used over the Velvet Mattes to revive color and hydrate lips, and it works well in that capacity. The Velvet Mattes will not survive eating unscathed and I did experience some smudging and a less than pristine lip line, but using the lip oil on the remnants will smooth out the color for a more traditional cream lipstick finish.  Did I mention I love the Agave lip oil?

Tomorrow I'll show you the coral pink Obsessed, and I look forward to seeing how Oh Bae and Key Red perform. I guess this is going to be a matte lipstick week, which should also give me a good idea on if these truly do not dry out my lips :-)

Tarte Wing Workers Deluxe Tarteist Eyeliner Set

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

The Wing Workers deluxe set ($35) was the second item I picked up with my 20% off birthday code from Tarte. It is part of the holiday sets and features 4 of the Tarteist clay paint liners plus a blush valued at $78. The Tarte holiday sets have been hit or miss based on various reviews I've seen but this one is a winner IMO, and I'm not even someone who wears a winged eyeliner that often. Plus, I'm kinda digging the Pucci inspired print packaging Tarte went with this year.

I'm also loving that these come in tubes, as I'm hoping that means they will not dry out as fast as pot liners. Each tube has a mini well that you can use to work the liner onto your brush, but fair warning: any leftover pigment in the well will be dry the next day. So....we'll have to see have well the tubes do when it comes to keeping the liners wet.

I also like that you get 3 beautiful colors in addition to a standard black matte, as I'm not really a black liner person, as I find it a bit too harsh.  But the matte Aubergine and shimmery Bronze and Navy are such pretty colors, especially for fall.  Plus, you can wear them as eye shadow bases for an intense, opaque eye look!

The navy appears to be the least pigmented of the four and I did need to go back over it twice, but I used such small amounts on my brush to get what you see above. You also get a double ended brush for lining your eyes, and I like the slant side the best for doing a precise line.

So far I've been wearing these more as shadow bases than as eyeliners, but I'm quite pleased with them! They are waterproof and are supposed to wear for 12 hours, and on my oily lids they definitely hold up all day without flaking or creasing. 

Several of Tarte's holiday sets have been made in China and the quality on those has been varied, but these are made in Canada. I've gotten to where I don't buy holiday sets until I've read enough reviews to know how the quality is, given the trend with brands outsourcing to China so often and the sometimes problematic quality issues. No problems here, though.

Tarteist Pro Wild Animal Custom Magnetic Palette

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

My birthday was last week and I took advantage of several discount codes to pick up some items that appealed to me.  With all the holiday sets coming out there is an abundance to chose from, but I'm trying to chose judiciously and not go overboard (not always successfully). I used a 20% off code and chose two items from Tarte, and today I'll be showing you the new Wild Animal custom magnetic palette ($17). It's a beauty.

This medium sized palette has a nice heft to it and feels solid in construction. The cover is a heavy textured plastic that will not show smudges/fingerprints and I like that there is also a mirror inside. The palette is made in China but the quality seems high, with no skimping as far as I can tell.

I no longer mind depotting items and find that I've been using shadows I've depotted more regularly then when they were scattered in different palettes. I decided to put some of my Estee Lauder blushes from the Color Portfolio palettes in this one, as well as a few of my Tarte Amazonian clay blushes.  Pink Kiss is a little worse for the wear as it was the first one I depotted, but the others came out pretty good.

I believe these are limited edition and you can only purchase one per transaction. I'm tempted to get another one before they sell out!

Late Summer Favorites Part 2

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

I've committed to using up all of my current foundations before purchasing a new one, and in doing so I'm rediscovering how much I love the Lauren Brooke Creme Foundation ($29.50). This natural ingredient foundation combines vitamins, minerals and pigments in a 97.5% organic botanical base and gives my skin the smoothest and most natural looking finish.

It's a thicker cream and with my oily skin I do have to set it with powder, but gah, it's gorgeous. There is an impressive shade range of 21 colors, 7 each with warm, neutral, or cool tones (you can see the shade range here).  Surprisingly, I've been wearing Cool No. 30 although I may try Neutral No. 30 once I run out. Love this stuff and I'm pleasantly surprised that after owning this for close to 3 years, it has not gone bad despite the lack of chemical preservatives.

 I'm not a big facial primer user, but I've been using Benefit's Porefessional on the areas with more obvious pores, and I like it. It does indeed fill in pores and give a more smooth appearance to my skin, plus it seems to play with with my foundation. Would I go out and purchase a full size? Probably not, but I've got a few samples that I will definitely use up.

I purchased Kevin Aucoin's Contour Book v. 2 during last years Sephora VIB sale, so I've had it for almost a year now.  I use the Sculpting Cream and Powder the most, followed by the Candlelight Powder.  A little goes a long way with the contour shades and when I'm in the mood for contouring, these are stellar.

I've got to admit that all the hype over Tarte's Double Tape concealer made me want to try it, but it is always out of stock plus Estee Lauder's Double Wear really does suit me just fine. I do not wear concealer under my eyes but doe use it for dark spots/pimples, plus Double Wear does not crease on me when I have tried it under my eyes.  Good stuff and I've got a few tubes laying around from GWP's, so I'm going to resist the Double Tape even when it comes back in stock.

My setting powder of choice for the past few months has been a sample of Bare Minerals Mineral Veil.  It is so finely milled and the peach undertone works well with my complexion.  Loose powders are messy as evidenced by me spilling a fair amount when opening this for pictures, but I really like this.

I'm still reaching for and enjoying the X-Rated mascara by Smashbox and Burnished by Le Metier de Beaute was a staple during the hot weather months as a topper for different lip colors.

Now for the perfume oil game: in the mornings I reach in this box and blindly pull out my scent of the day.  It's a great way to use up my Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab imps while also discovering what I like.  A recent like has been Voodoo, with it's notes of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove. It's an earthy scent and on me the clove is dominant, but it works - plus I got compliments on it :-)

Late Summer Favorites Part 1

Disclaimer: I purchased these.

Every October I take the first two weeks off from work. Usually the weather in Mobile is starting to cool down and we get sunny days with low humidity and cool nights. It's probably my favorite time of the year, plus my birthday is on the 7th so it gives me time to relax, work on projects around my house and yard, and just enjoy life.  Hence the lack of blog posts :-)  I do have several months of favorites to show you, however, so let's get going with part 1.

Does anybody else think the formula of Urban Decay's eye primers change when the went from the wand to the tube packaging?  For some reason the new primers just do not do the job for me and end up creasing, and I'm down to my last tube of the older formula, this time in the shimmer Sin shade.

I use Le Metier de Beaute's matte Peachy Keen as my transition crease shade almost every day. It gives just enough definition and is a lovely formula.

It's looks a little worse for the wear as I tried (unsuccesfully) to depot it.  That sucker would not come out of it's compact, but now that's lidless I keep it on my makeup table and it's getting used much more frequently.

I've been for either the 24/7 Scorch eyeliner or Lancome's matte Black Coffee the most lately when it comes to eyeliners.  A good dark matte brown can be hard to come by, and Black Coffee also stays longer than most on my water line.

Urban Decay's Scorch (top), Lancome's Black Coffee (bottom)

Three brushes that I've been loving are Julep's Bronzer, Urban Decay's (UD) 24/7 Pencil, and Lipstick Queen's lip brushes.  I've been tempted to pick up some of UD's discontinued brushes that are on sale, as the few I've tried have been really good. I looked at the new UD brushes in Sephora and was surprised at how light/hollow they felt, although I'm sure the brushes themselves are of good quality. However, I've got a whole new set of some knockoff Artis brushes to show you soon, so I've been restraining myself.

I like the Lipstick Queen lip brush are I find I can both fill and precisely line my lips with it, plus it has a cover that keeps dust off. I believe it was a GWP from somewhere and I'm not sure if it's readily available or not, but if it is...it's worth having IMO.

Tomorrow I'll show you the rest of the items, which includes some new and rediscovered favorites. I've also got a fun game I play with my perfume oil samples to tell you about :-)