Shadow and Shimmer: March 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014

L'Oreal Caresse Wet Shine Stain Swatches and Review

I recently picked up four of the L'Oreal Caresse Wet Shine Stains.

· 191 Stubborn Plum - a light lilac based pink.
· 189 Pink Rebellion - a light/medium pink.
· 187 Infinite Fuchsia - a bright medium fuchsia.
· 186 Berry Persistent - a medium berry.

These are supposed to be a lightweight staining gloss. They feel really different from any of the other lip products I own. The texture is almost gel like. When you put them on they first feel very slippery and wet then after a few minutes of dry down they get a little tacky, and then finally they become creamy and smooth.

I find them very comfortable to wear. They didn't dry out or irritate my lips, and my lips actually felt softer after wearing them. They are DEFINITELY staining, though the lighter colors leave just a slight wash of color. With the darker/brighter colors you will need to be very careful about applying them because wherever they go there will be a noticeable stain.

They do have a strong floral/soapy/perfumy fragrance to them, as most of the L'Oreal lip products do. I really enjoy it but if you're sensitive to smells you may not like it.

They come in a gold tube that is squared at the top and comes down to a point at the bottom. They have a transparent band that shows the color of the product in the tube. The applicator is a slanted, flat teardrop shaped doe foot style brush on a wand. The applicator has a slight well in it that traps product to make it easy to cover your lips with out having to re dip the wand.

I am going to be picking up more of these soon!

*The products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions expressed are my own and are never paid for.*

(L-R) Berry Persistent, Infinite Fuchsia, Pink Rebellion, Stuborn Plum

Applicator

(L-R) Stubborn Plum, Pink Rebellion, Infinite Fuchsia, Berry Persitent

Stains after removing gloss with a makeup removing wipe. In reverse order from picture above.

Stubborn Plum

Stubborn Plum stain

Pink Rebellion

Pink Rebellion stain

Infinite Fuchsia

Infinite Fuchsia stain

Berry Persistant

Berry Persistant stain

Zoya Spring 2014 Awaken and Monet Swatches and Review

Today I have the new Zoya Spring 2014 Awaken Collection and Monet topper for you!

·Dot - pink petal cream.
·Cole - peach whisper cream.
·Hudson - purple orchids metallic with silver shimmer.
·Dillon - green mint metallic with silver shimmer.
·Brooklyn - white gold shimmer metallic.
·Rebel - blue sky metallic with silver shimmer.

·Monet - multi colored holographic cellophane topper.

Dot and Cole are listed as 4 out of 5 on the opacity scale. The rest of the Awakens are listed as 5. I found Dot and Cole to be very sheer and a bit streaky and they both required 3 layers for opacity, and could have honestly used another. The rest of the collection went on full opacity in two coats. The shimmers/metalics in this collection did show some brush strokes, but not terribly, with the exception of Brooklyn. Since Brooklyn is more metallic than the rest it had a tendency to show more strokes and any imperfections on your nail will be noticeable. I recommend using Zoya's Get Even ridge filling base coat with it. I did find all of them to be nice consistency wise and went on fluidly.

Monet is a glitter top coat with holographic cellophane circle glitter suspended in a translucent pink base. The base was very thick and took a minute to get used to applying. The trick I found was to load the brush with enough for the entire nail and work quickly to lay a smooth layer down. The longer I tried to work with it the goopier it became. I think that the thickness helps keep the glitter evenly distributed in the base so that you don't have to fish for them. It also created a nice thick gel like look when used over the other polishes. It looks beautiful! Kind of like the glitter is suspended, floating on your nails. My only complaints with it are that I wish it had more concentrated glitter, and I found that it takes extra time to dry because it is so thick.

Overall, I wish Dot and Cole were less sheer, but I love the colors enough that I will still use them. The rest I like a lot and can see getting use out of them all through the summer, and even using Brooklyn in the winter.

The Awaken Collection can be purchased from Zoya.com (click each polish name above to go to that page) for $9 each, or as a set (HERE) for $54. Monet can be purchased for $10 (HERE).

*The products in this post were sent to me for consideration and review. All opinions expressed are my own and are never paid for.*