Beauty Steal! Anastasia Beverly Hills Lustrous Lip Gloss Set

With the holidays right around the corner, you better believe all those holiday sets, palettes and value sets are showing up left and right. To be honest, the holidays are a great time for you to purchase beauty products (for yourself or whomever, no one is judging). Why? Because usually companies do price certain sets and bundles for a great value, especially when you take the time to price everything out individually. One great example of this is the set I'm going talk about in my post today. 

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Lustrous Lip Gloss Set will run you $40.00 for eight lip glosses. Not two or even five...EIGHT glosses! OK, let me put it to you this way, one Lustrous lip gloss from ABH will cost you $16.00. Purchasing these eight glosses individually will run you $128.00 and this set is only $40.00, which means it's only $5.00 a gloss! So if you like at least three of the colors found in this lovely package, you already will have your money's worth. Even if you only liked two of the shades and were meh about the rest, these would be great stocking stuffers for family and friends. Just tie a cute ribbon on it and call it a day. The value of this set is ridiculous when you realize the price difference.

When it comes to the quality of the glosses, these are excellent. The set varies from sheer to jelly to opaque pigmentation so you have plenty to suit whatever mood you are in. They smell like divine vanilla frosting, while I may love it you may not. The packaging is simply but still lovely with the traditional ABH logo and a shiny black cap. As for the longevity, I have to say it's pretty on point. I can wear this the beginning of my work shift and three plus hours later when I head to lunch, the gloss is still noticeable and looks good.

When you purchase the set you will get the following shades:

Gilded: A metallic champagne gold

Dainty: Opaque retro pink

Sunset Strip: A fiery gold-flecked pink

Metallic Rose: Shimmery classic mauve

Weekend Barbie: Vivid bright pink

Date Night: Romantic ruby red

Socialite: Sophisticated scarlet red

Black Cherry: Moody purple plum

So which is my favorite? Currently I have been loving Metallic Rose but they are all quite beautiful and with this price, well worth the money. Perfect for a lip gloss lover and also a great way to introduce yourself or someone else you care about to the ABH Lustrous lip gloss line!

You can find this set online at Anastasia Beverly Hills and Macy's. You can also purchase this set in person at Macy's as well.

It's Been a While

Sometimes it truly amazes me just how quickly time flies. I remember August as if it was yesterday and yet here we are, right smack in autumn with my birthday quickly approaching. I'll be upfront, I find myself lacking motivation to write in this blog and to keep up with the latest and greatest trends, all while working and doing other adult things in life.

It would be different if this was my livelihood, and I made most my bread from blogging but it's not. To be honest, I debate about shutting this entirely down and closing my blogging chapter but there is a part of me that won't let me do it. I've met so many wonderful people on here and while we may not speak as much as we used to, conversing about the newly released palettes or the current must have lip color, I still cherish them and we still occasionally communicate with each other.

So I am going to give this one more go. Lately in my life, I've been working really hard to keep a balance. I strive to be a hard worker but still want to have time to personally develop myself to be a better person as a whole. Let me tell you, it's really hard work. After a long day, I would love to do nothing more than to just vege out and watch YouTube videos until bedtime. However, that's not progress.

So as Yoda once eloquently stated to a young Luke Skywalker, "do or do not, there is no try," I need to ultimately make the choice of being consistent with my blog or finally shut it down. Instead of lamenting how expensive it is to keep up with the latest trends, I'll intermix some more personal (probably mostly fitness) posts with my beauty posts. I think it will be interesting and I hope this will get me more motivated to post content on a regular basis.

Thank you to all of you who have been very patient and who still read my blog. Your support means the world to me!

See you all soon!

Review: Take a Break From Matte Lips and Embrace YSL's Volupte Tint-In-Oil!

As much as I love a matte lip, I feel as if this trend has been in the spotlight for quite some time. My lips have been feeling a bit drier as of late, especially since I've been out in the sun more, so I wanted to give my lips a break from sporting the matte lip and give it some much needed hydration and moisture.

I had purchased the Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Tint-In-Oil ($32.00 USD) a few months back when it was colder. I didn't really use it as much since I hate smudging lip products all over my scarves. So it sat waiting patiently in my drawer, until now. I feel like this is a perfect lip gloss or the summer. It doesn't feel heavy, leaves your lips feeling hydrated, and also leaves a nice stain.

The product comes housed in YSL's beautiful packaging, So not only are you paying top dollar for the product, you're paying for the packaging. The silver tube looks luxurious and is embossed with the infamous YSL logo. The logo coloring depends on what shade you decide upon. Since I decided on Pink About Me 8, my tube comes with a pink stripe. I can't but feel glam every time I whip it out of my purse.

As far as application, you can apply it as lightly or as liberally as you want. The applicator is a unique shape and gives not only great precision but also applies the product uniformly. I don't need to dip the applicator back into the tube to get more product. However, if I do want to make my lips extra glossy, I can apply two coats. Once applied, this product is not sticky at all but feels smooth and buttery. It immediately makes my lips look plumper and fills my lip lines which I'm all for. You can even top a lipstick with this lip oil to give it high shine and some additional moisture.

There are many reviews that complain about the lack of color when it comes to this lip oil and with some the shades I do agree. YSL touts this as a "revolutionary lip color" yet some of these shades will look the same on your lips, especially if you have pigmented lips like I do. I settled on Pink About Me because it was one of the deeper colors but I originally had my eye on Undress Me, thinking it would be a pinky nude, but when I swatched this in the store, it was pretty much a clear gloss. So I would say, if you are unsure of the shade you want, go to the store and test the colors before you make the decision.

The other complaint I've seen people have is the fact this is not very long lasting. I didn't expect this to be long lasting, especially since it's not a tacky gloss. However, I can see why people would not want to shell out money for a product that doesn't last very long. For me, this can last up to 3 hours with no eating or drinking.

I am absolutely in love with the YSL Volupte Tint-In-Oil. If I could, I would definitely purchase all the shades. Lip oils, especially this one, are a lovely addition to a collection. While I may not be able to get all the shades, this will be a definite repurchase for me once I finished this tube.

Purchase here

Review Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Pure Hollywood

Anastasia Beverly Hills has quickly become a very popular brand. It was no surprise that when the liquid lipsticks came out, everyone would be quick to snatch these up...including myself.

The shades from the line are quite beautiful, ranging from nudey pinks to even a metallic blue. Out of all the shades (before her newly released ones) I settled for Pure Hollywood. It's the second lightest out of the bunch and could be described as a peachy pink nude. Of course the color I wanted is the one that's hard to find. The few times I went to the Macy's stand, it was sold out. Finally one day I wandered in and they must have just restocked the liquid lipsticks because there were five Pure Hollywood's just chillin in their cubby spot. I took it as a sign and purchased it on the spot.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks will set you back $20.00 USD for 0.11 fl. oz. While it's not crazy expensive it's not inexpensive either. To be honest, ABH has some beautiful shades but if you are unsure of how your lips will react to a drying, matte formula, there are other options to try. Sephora Cream Lip Stains will cost you $14.00 USD and the ColorPop Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks will only cost you $6.00. The Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks cost $20.00 USD but comes with more product (0.22 oz.).

While I love the color I selected, I found this formula to be very drying. I know all liquid lipsticks will dry down to a very matte texture since that is what helps the staying power but this one was painfully dry for me. After about four hours, my lips screamed at me to put on some damn lip balm. As the color wears on, it settles into the cracks of your lips, making lips look quite dry.

The formula itself is very liquidy which means you have to be precise with application. The first time I applied this, I pressed my lips together and found it made the color uneven and patchy. So no lip smushing for this product! Once you let the color do its magic on your lips, it evenly settles and dries down.

Overall, while I am impressed with the color, the formula isn't the greatest for me. So unless there is another shade I really wanted (probably a darker, more forgiving shade), I won't be purchasing another of the ABH liquid lipsticks.