Chanel Pensee Glossimer Summer 2011

Chanel Glossimer in Pensee (277) is the third and last item I picked from Chanel Summer 2011, Collection les Fleurs d'Ete. Out of the three Glossimers offered in the summer collection, Pensee is the brightest and most color saturated. The other two, Aurore and Pink Peony, are very pretty but too light and pink for me. Pensee, with its bright fruit punch almost coral hues is enough of a departure from my normal comfort zone. But since it is a lip gloss and sheer enough I figured there won't be an issue pulling it of.

I was right. Pensee might be almost be guava-colored (sorry, I have guavas on my mind because of an upcoming perfume review), but it's also happy, wearable and adds just enough color and brightness to a summer makeup look. My lips are naturally almost purple in color, so they probably somewhat neutralize the gloss' brightness and make it into a lovely pop of color. Fans of Chanel Glossimer usual texture will not be disappointed- the gloss is soft, non-sticky and very moisturizing. The first time I used it I thought there was some grittiness from the shimmer particles (it's not really glitter, though). It was either my own lips or I just got used to it, because I no longer feel it.

Bottom Line: summer love.

Chanel Pensee Glossimer Summer 2011 ($28.50) is a limited edition color. Available now at the counters and from Chanel.com.

This concludes my Chanel Summer 2011 reviews, but if you're a member of The Non-Blonde Facebook group, you already know there's more Chanel coming up here- all approved by Sophie.

All photos are mine.

Kevyn Aucoin Galaxine/Rosette Liquid Cyber Lip

There are some really nice gems in the under-hyped Kevyn Aucoin makeup line. The glosses of the Liquid Cyber Lips range are one such item, offering a very moisturizing texture (not sticky at all), flattering colors (I've never dared to try the light blue one, though) and quite a bit of shine and sparkle when you're in the mood for it. The Galaxine/Rosette shade is a warm rosy brown with multicolored shimmer particles in cooler tones that balance the final look.

I like using Galaxine/Rosette Liquid Cyber Lip over nudish and muted lipsticks to give them (and me) a little more life. This Kevyn Aucoin gloss is also great on its own- my lips are naturally dark enough so Galaxine/Roseete just adds some rosy red hues and shine to the look and keeps my lips hydrated and healthy looking. The sparkle/fine glitter might be a bit too much for an office environment, but not any more than your average Chanel Glossimer. Texturewise  this Liquid Cyber Lip doesn't feel gritty. The finish is beautiful and overall appearance is of a real quality product, which it is.

Bottom Line: Great.

Kevyn Aucoin Liquid Cyber Lip glosses ($27) are available from Bergdorf Goodman (in-store only), Barneys (also online) and Dermstore.

All photos are mine (yes, they're from November, hence the autumn leaf decor).

Burberry Lip Gloss Heather Rose (no. 11)

Burberry Lip Glow lip gloss in Heather Rose (#11) has been my secret weapon lately. It's great on its own, with or without a grounding layer of lip liner underneath, especially for quick and natural looks, but it also adds a lot of dimension to many a lipstick. Heather Rose is a warm beiged-out rose, a bit hard to describe as it changes with the light. Since my lips are darker and have quite a bit of purple pigment, this Burberry gloss is one of my favorite and most flattering nude colors. It would look different if your lips are pale, of course, but I think anyone who can wear delicate warm colors would be able to pull it off.

Like all Burberry lip glosses (and other makeup items, really), the quality here is top notch. The gloss has a light and comfortable texture, it moisturizes and sooths, isn't too sticky and stays in place as well as one can expect from a top of the line lip gloss. I touch up after three hours (or a snack) to maintain the finish, less so if it tops a highly pigmented lipstick.

Burberry Lip Glow lip gloss ($27) is a Nordstrom exclusive, available online and from select locations.

All photos are mine.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Lip Gloss- I Have My Honey (053)

Rouge Bunny Rouge is a niche European brand that has been getting a lot of online buzz and a cult of fans. I've heard about it from readers and bloggers, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when this Gleaming Temptation Lip Gloss in I Have My Honey (#053) arrived at my door. First, behold the feminine packaging. It's extra useful when a tube of lip gloss is different enough to stand out in my drawer so I don't need to waste time searching for a specific one. But Rouge Bunny Rouge is more than its cute tube.

The Gleaming Temptation Lip Gloss is hydrating and comfortable to wear. It stays on nicely without migrating, smearing or fading (until lunch, that is). Even a sheer and nude color such as I Have My Honey is nicely pigmented and gives the lips a healthy radiance and plumped up look. This specific color is a lot more complex than I expected. No. 053 is a warm mauve with tiny coppery particles that don't cross the line into glitter territory (unlike the somewhat similar LORAC 3D I reviewed earlier this week). It looks beautiful over a nud(ish) lip liner or on top of light rosy colored lipsticks (or this one from Youngblood Cosmetics, that I've been wearing a lot lately).

Bottom Line: My wishlist is already a mile long.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Lip Gloss ( £20, right now about $31 according to the website) is available from Zuneta.com. They ship internationally. The lip gloss for this review was sent for my consideration by the store.

All photos are mine.

LORAC Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss

I have a feeling I'm past the age demographic for this particular LORAC lip gloss. I got a mini Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss as a GWP some time ago, eyed it suspiciously and then decided to wear it occasionally. Just because the color is so pretty and wearable and I couldn't help it- it's too shiny and there's actual glitter in it, but it's fun.

I like makeup artist Carol Shaw's work and the color sensibility of her LORAC brand usually speak to me (her various palettes are great). I still think the whole 3D thing is a bit too gimmicky- "holographic pigments for a multi-dimensional, high-lacquer shine and long-lasting color" simply means glitter, but at least in the case of this bronzed rose color, confusingly also named 3D, the effect is not over-the-top, even though it is, indeed very (VERY) shiny.

The texture is minimally sticky, very moisturizing and not too heavy. It stays in place over naked lips as well as topping a lipstick and adds a lot of life to creamy lipstick formulas. It can perk up the look and make a demure rose shade a lot more glamorous. But the bottom line is that you're still wearing glitter, even if it's a very pretty glittery gloss, so user's discretion advised.

LORAC Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss ($22) is avilable from Sephora and Ulta.

All photos are mine.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Baroque & Club Mix

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils were released last week in six colors. I chose two, Club Mix and Baroque, and could probably also wear and enjoy New Lover, but I was careful this time and only went with the first two. Baroque is a warm(ish) -to-neutral  red while Club Mix is a mauve plum. Surprisingly, I actually prefer Baroque, but that might be because the texture isn't quite the same. Yes, that's odd.

Both NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are soft and hydrating  to the point of actually plumping the lips with moisture (I love it!). Baroque is glossier when applied to my lips (impossible to see in the swatches, though) and also softer. So soft, actually, I need to be careful with it as it breaks very easily. On the other hand it also has a very strong burnt plastic smell when first applied but it goes away within seconds.

Club Mix goes on a bit more dry and requires for me to fill the scar on my bottom lip with a base/primer so the color doesn't pool in there. It shouldn't be an issue for anyone else, though, and the feel of this crayon is as velvety and glossy as in Baroque. I could not detect any odor from Club Mix. The color is a little more brown than I expected when on the lips, which is why I'm now considering the more pink New Lover. I'm not in a rush as the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are not a limited edition, so we'll be able to find them in NARS permanent collection.

Other stuff: the pencils are rather small and I seem to be using quite a bit of material every time (plus touch ups after 3-4 hours or a snack. These crayons are more tenacious than regular glosses but nowhere as near as a good lipstick). I already bought a NARS sharpener for my chubby eye pencils, but since the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are, well, glossy, one needs to wipe the blade carefully after every use. It's annoying and I would have appreciated if a sharpener was included in the price.

Bottom Line: Other than the kvetching above, these are my favorite NARS lip products.

To see photos and swatches of the other color in this range, I highly recommend visiting The Beauty Look Book. Sabrina did a very thorough work showing and reviewing these pencils.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils ($24 each) are available from narscosmetics.com and are arriving quickly to NARS counters everywhere.

Photos and snowy back yard are mine.

Edward Bess Warm Flame Deep Shine Lip Gloss

Warm Flame is one of Edward Bess original Deep Shine lip gloss colors and the reddest in the collection. In the tube it looks rather close to the newer Amor gloss, but as you can see from the swatches, Amor is pink-red while Warm Flame is true to its name. It can be worn alone or layered over lipstick. I've worn it with Edward Bess dramatic Midnight Bloom lipstick as well as atop low key nudes- it gives both shine and extra pigment.

Like all Edward Bess glosses, the only fault of Warm Flame is the strong fruity scent. It doesn't linger for too long and at this point I'm so used to the smell no longer bothers me, but I know some of you really dislike it. Still, the texture, color and the way Edward Bess lip products wear all make them an incredible treat and among the best you can find.

Edward Bess Deep Shine lip gloss ($30) in Warm Flame and other colors can be found at Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus location as well as online. Also from edwardbess.com.

All photos are mine.

Edward Bess Amor Deep Shine Lip Gloss

It's another Edward Bess Tuesday, which I hope would perk us all up considerably. I don't know about you, but  I can definitely use a fun color to combat the dreariness. Amor, one of the three new colors Edward Bess released in December (the other two, French Lace and Bare Rose are pretty pink little things. Gorgeous but too light for me). Amor was a natural choice  and an instant love for me- it's great on its own and has enough pigment to perk me up, but the real story is how wonderful this color works over lipstick. Layering Amor over Edward's Demi Buff creates one of my favorite looks of the season and works with everything- from innocent neutrals to a sultry smoky eye.

The packaging for the new lip gloss colors has been modified and no longer carries the Edward Bess logo on the tube, only his initials are on the cap. I liked the modern elegance of the previous version, but the new one is bigger and holds more product (0.2oz instead of 0.19), so yay. The scent is the same over-fruity fig jam, but it goes away eventually so I don't really mind. It's all about the color and I love the pink-red of Amor. If you're familiar with Edward's other bold lip gloss shade, Warm Flame, you'll notice they're similar. Warm Flame is more dramatic and red; I'll post a comparison soon, when I review Warm Flame.

I don't think the texture of Edward Bess lip glosses has changed any- they're as shiny, not too sticky and surprisingly tenacious for a gloss. There's no shimmer or sparkle in them, no gold sprinkles of any kind, just a beautiful glazed finish.

Bottom Line: one of the most flattering colors I own.

Edward Bess Amor Deep Shine Lip Gloss ($30) is available from Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus stores and edwardbess.com.

All photos are mine.

Burberry Sepia 03 Lip Gloss And Lip Liner

Burberry conveniently named both gloss and lip liner as Sepia (#03), which makes locating and matching in a hurry a lot easier when you're in a hurry. But this is not why they're so awesome- it's all about the textures and color. I've bought these two items back in August and have been constantly reaching for them, even when not wearing the Burberry lipsticks I got at the same time (though as you can see, they work beautifully together).

Sepia is a warm brown-based rose. The lip liner is a little more neutral than the gloss and is a great base color for lips: under lipstick or topped with the Sepia gloss. It's soft and glides smoothly but never bleeds into lines. I did find that some color tends to gather in the scar on my lower lip, but it's not really an issue- I don't use the pencil without something on top. The gloss is very pretty (and not just because of the sleek Burberry packaging) and keeps the promise of hydrating and glowing. It's comfortable, not sticky and has no shimmery particles. There's a faint powdery makeup scent that goes away within minutes and doesn't bother me.

Bottom Line: Who could ask for anything more?

Burberry Sepia 03 Lip Gloss and Lip Liner ($27 each) are a Nordstrom exclusive, online and in select locations.

All photos are mine.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics- Iceblush Lip Shine

Lip Shine from Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics is basically a shiny tinted lip balm. I've had it for months but only started to fully appreciate it when it dawned on me to actually follow the Youngblood instructions and apply it with a lip brush either over a lip pencil/liner or over a liner+lipstick that you want to both cement into place and make them shine. That was a serious lightbulb moment.

As it is, Lip Shine is a fabulously comfortable-to-wear product, full of extracts, emollients and other feel good ingredients that make it very soothing even for my very picky lips. Its stick factor is minimal and it has very nice glossy sheen. What makes it outstanding is the way it stays in place and doesn't budge. Still, I didn't reach for it as often as I should have because the color I was sent, Iceblush, is completely invisible on me. It has some pigment, as you can clearly see in the swatch, but my natural lip color is much darker. But once I've started using it as directed over other (and usually dry) lip products, Lip shine has become an easy choice. I especially like it over chubby lip crayons (Bobbi Brown, Trish or Shiseido) because they are softer and quicker to fill up the lip.

I've had a quick look at the darker shades of Lip Shine while at Henri Bendel in NYC. Crush is a dark plum and Jubilee is a red raspberry. I didn't test them on my lips but they seem to have a good amount of pigment so I can see them joining my arsenal at some point.

Bottom Line: definitely worth your time (as long as you don't mind the strong vanilla scent).

Lip Shine by Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics ($17) is available from Henri Bendel (in store only) and ybskin.com. This review is based on a free press sample sent by the company.

All photos are mine.