Lipstick Bandits: It's A Man's World

It's a man's world today on Rocaille Writes as part of the Lipstick Bandits collaboration! Our challenge this time is to feature a lip product that's been chosen by our significant other; or, well, any other significant male in our lives.

As I only have my dearly wed available for some such brain-picking and, to put it mildly, he's not very much into beauty products, I was really dragging my feet to even start the conversation. But, one sunny day, after having fed him a late breakfast (because asking a hungry morning grump is a sure way to fail just about anything in this household), we had this memorable exchange:
'Umm, so... I know this is a bit off-topic, but which lipstick color do you like on me?'
'I don't know.'
'But if you had to choose one?'
'Not red. Red doesn't suit you.'
'...'
'Something dark.' (At this point, seeing his obvious frustration with my inquiries, I brought out my lipstick organizers from the vanity and had him pick a color he liked, thinking that would facilitate the process.) '... Dark brown maybe? Here, this is ok.'
'Wait, what... DARK BROWN?!'

Now, I'm sure we can all gather in sorrow and utter confusion resulting from my beloved beau having picked a freakin' dark brown lipstick. If there's any shade of lipstick I furiously avoid and associate with nineties sitcoms, it would be brown, no doubt about it. But, according to the mister, Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in Plum Perfect (...) is a prime example of a dark brown, and thus we shall roll with the punches, so to speak.

According to myself, Plum Perfect is a dark wine with (all right, admit it) warm brown undertones. As you may know, Maybelline Color Sensationals are one of my favorite drugstore lipsticks, closely tied with Revlon Superlustrous. Maybelline Plum Perfect is creamy, opaque in just a couple swipes, quite long-lasting and has that signature whiff of coconut scent to it. Compared to some other plummy wine shades in my collection, Maybelline Perfect Plum (left) is a lot warmer and more red than Wet'n'Wild Dark Wine (middle) or Revlon Black Cherry (right).

I like to imagine Perfect Plum as the perfect 1920's silent movie star lip, something Clara Bow might have pulled out of her minaudiere. I tend to wear this shade mostly in the fall and winter, paired with a subtle neutral eyeshadow and a warm cheek. In the photo below, I coupled it with some shimmery bronze shades from theBalm Nude'tude palette and the NYX Powder Blush in Mauve.

Don't forget to check out the gentlemen's picks of these fabulous Lipstick Bandits:

• Beauty Reflections
• BellaChique‎
• ChloeAsh‎
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Messy Wands
• Mostly Sunny‎
• My Funny Valentine
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Which shade would your significant other choose for you? Are there any lipsticks you would absolutely hate for him to pick?

What a Man Wants: Lipstick Bandits Valentine's Look

And not just any man - my husband, that is! For our February Lipstick Bandit collab, we decided to either feature a Valentine's Day inspired look or a pink lip product. Since I haven't really had anything in store pink-wise (shocking, I know), I've settled on a look based on what a man wants for his woman to wear, specifically what Mr likes me to wear, as discovered by careful fishing around.

Coincidentally, I've also recently stumbled upon an article in the Self magazine on beauty trends men love and hate. Setting aside the sheer stupidity of the piece ('Side-swept bangs make him want to go bang-bang', or some such nonsense), I felt very rebellious at the very idea of a woman choosing a look because men seem to like it. Frankly, my dears, I just wouldn't give a damn. I dress the way I want to, I style my hair the way I want to, and lastly, I make myself up the way I want to. I may, if such is my fancy at the time, sport a make-up look my husband likes more than some of the others but honestly, most of the time, he doesn't give a damn either. So this post is essentialy a bit tongue-in-cheek but hey, I desperately needed an idea for Valentine's look; hearts and Cupids are just not my thing.

So, having spent a couple minutes interviewing my very puzzled other half, it seems he prefers a make-up that is a) noticeable, b) more glamorous than daytime, c) with a darker lip and some smokey action on the eyes (this has been translated into technical terms from cave speech by yours truly). From these simple outlines, I've decided on a fresh, flawless complexion achieved by layering a couple of base products rather than using one high coverage foundation, an understated but glowy cheek, a medium brown smokey eyes and a sheer but darker lip, applied by patting the lipstick on with a finger for a pretty wine stain. I've also wanted the look to have an easy, comfortable feel - a bit more dramatic than any other day but still quite effortless and feminine, so no fiddling with false lashes, no lip liner and gloss on the lips. The result is a look he likes on me, and a look I feel pretty in.

Here's the breakdown of the products used; they're some examples from my collection but you could very easily replace them with whatever you have. I've used a foundation primer to give my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum a bit more staying power on my combination skin, and to diffuse any uneven texture. I finished off the face by using Laura Mercier Mineral Powder for added coverage and to set the liquid foundation. The medium and dark browns from the Stila E! Live on the Red Carpet palette have a soft, satin finish and supreme blendability, which made them a perfect match for this look. There isn't a whole lot of shimmer going on here, apart from a subtly glowy baked Accessorize blush in Diva and a dab of Stila 'Kitten' eyeshadow on the inner corners. Lips are, of course, my beloved Sleek Make-up lipstick in Cherry.
Don't forget to check out other Bandits' picks for the Valentine's Day:
Beauty Reflections
ChloeAsh‎
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
My Women Stuff
theNotice: a beauty blog‎

And new to the Lipstick Bandits this time around:

• BellaChique‎
• Mostly Sunny‎

Do you know what is your man's favorite make-up look on you? Any exciting plans for Valentine's?

Lipstick Bandits Secret Santa Look Swap!

And now for something completely different: Lipstick Bandits Make-up Look Swap! Back in October, it was decided that our Holiday installment would consist of swapping the participating Lipstick Bandits signature make-up looks, Secret Santa-style. And guess what, Rae, our Head Bandit, drew Larie of Eye Heart It for me!

Having met Larie in person (yay for Seattle-based beauty bloggers!), I was under no illusion that my features even remotely resemble hers (I would have loved to swap for that gorgeously smooth skin though!), so I decided to recreate a recent look she posted that was based on a Vietnamese editorial make-up she was inspired by (click!). I thought it was a good example of a glamorous Holiday eye look for monolids (which I obviously don't have) that could be easily adapted to suit a variety of eye shapes, and those red lips... I couldn't resist!

Our little secret swap allowed me to experiment with a couple things I rarely opt for in my everyday make-up routine. For once, I used a cool matte brown eyeshadow (Annabelle So Foxy) to make my brows a bit thicker. I also tried to copy the beautiful, defined almond shape of the eyeshadow but I think I failed in that regard; I just don't have enough space between the crease of my eyes and my brows. I also altered the shape of my liner on the upper lashline to make it a bit rounder and more flirty - Larie is a pro at this! I usually don't line my eyes all the way around but I was pleasantly surprised at how it looked on me; this made my eyes appear a lot more feline and coupled with the coppery and golden shades of the eyeshadow, I felt like a lioness.

I used my blush and bronzer in a more sculpting fashion by following the line under my cheekbones - I need to do this more often! For the lips, I tried accentuating my cupid's bow to mimick the model's lip shape, which I find added a bit of softness to the overall look. I kept the skin more satin by skipping the powder too.

And here's what I used, in case you're curious: Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination Skin in Ivory, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque for under the eyes and highlighting the center part of the face, Becca Compact Concealer in Sherbet on blemishes, The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in Fair(?) with NARS Douceur blush to contour.

For the eyes, I primed with NARS eye primer and then used Urban Decay Smog all over the lid blended out with Inglot eyeshadow no.405 Pearl, UD Virgin in the inner corner and under the brow, Fyrinnae Sacred on the lower lashline with a bit of UD Half-Baked. I used Clinique gel liner in black on my upper lashline and lower waterline and finished off with a good coat of Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara in Black.

I lined and filled the lips with NYX Plush Red lip liner, applied a coat of Milani Berry Rich on top and topped with Lancome Juicy Tubes for lots of glossiness.

Don't forget to check out other Lipstick Bandits' swap looks, including one inspired by my face...
Call It Beauty
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
theNotice: a beauty blog‎
And a new Bandit this round: ChloeAsh‎

I also wanted to wish all of you who celebrate a very Merry Christmas - as you might know, I'm home with my family at last and I just couldn't have a better holiday season. In Poland, we traditionally unwrap our presents after a big dinner on Christmas Eve, which is today! I can't wait to see what everyone is going to find under the tree and I'm very excited for all the fun we're going to share. Again, Merry Christmas my lovely readers, and Larie - I hoped you liked your little Secret Santa!

Lipstick Bandit Vamps: Dark Cherries

This time, our Lipstick Bandit crew decided to tackle a very important subject of vampy lipstick. Also, this time I get to be the enfant terrible of the band because of my indecisiveness and have not one, but two lipsticks to show you in this post!

To be honest, vampy lips is something I don't really go for and as you all know, I'm not one to shy away from a bold lipstick. I think that due to my fair skintone, wearing a very dark lip often ends up in me looking literally like a vampire - drained face and bruised lips, which is something I prefer to reserve for Halloween. But I believe I've found my solution: using a classic ultra vampy shade, Revlon Black Cherry, to darken other bold lipsticks up, like this long-time favorite, Sleek Cherry. It's a double cherry WHAM! (So I'm never gonna dance again, The way I danced with you, ooh…)

I've only got my hands on Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Black Cherry very recently and I do admit it's one of the more difficult lipsticks to work with; it has a tendency to spread unevenly, on its own it clings to dry patches, on top of lip balm it just slides around. Black Cherry is a beautiful, beautiful mulberry shade though that reminds me of chocolate covered cherries, so I am willing to overlook the imperfect formula. Just pair it with a creamier lipstick and it does look wonderful and smooth!

I featured Sleek True Colour lipstick in Cherry a few times already, so there's not much left to write about that - I still love this dark cool-toned red and wear it frequently in the fall/winter season. If you wanted to stick to the dark cherry theme, Revlon's Black Cherry also looks fantastic paired with Revlon's Cherries in the Snow, another pinky red; ultimately, the combination of a berry red with darker purple tones of Black Cherry is my perfect vampy lip that I still feel comfortable wearing out.

Here you can see some arm swatches for comparisons between shades and the combos I came up with; this whole mixing business makes me feel very much like an artist...

L-R: Revlon Black Cherry, Sleek Cherry, Revlon Cherries in the Snow; Black Cherry + Cherry, Black Cherry + Cherries in the Snow

And here's Revlon Black Cherry and Sleek Cherry paired with a simple daytime smokey eye; I wore this look yesterday to work. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted but I think it's not too much for a vampy lip - what do you say?

Don't forget to check out other Lipstick Bandits' posts on their favorite vampy lip shades:
Beauty Reflections
Call It Beauty
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
My Women Stuff
theNotice: a beauty blog‎  

Do you ever wear a vampy lip? What is your go-to vampy lip product?

Lipstick Bandits: Sheer Love for Revlon Balm Stains

When our Bandit Chief announced 'sheers' as the theme of this month's collaboration, my heart sunk a little; I already wrote a post about my favorite sheer coral lipstick last time round... But I sat down to mentally peruse my collection, biting my lips in distress (as you do), and dug out a recent favorite: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten ($8.99 for 0.09 oz), a beautiful cool berry pink, which as it happens, is also sheer!

I'm pretty sure that by now, everyone and their cat is not only familiar but also raving about these Revlon Balm Stains, a curious mix between a tinted lip balm and a stain. I can't quite comment on how (dis)similar they are to their look-a-likes, Clinique's Chubby Sticks but certainly the Revlon Balm Stains are a fantastic product in their own right. The color selection is beautiful, the price very reasonable (especially if you wait for a discount) and the formula is pure perfection!

Revlon Balm Stains are packaged in a twist-up fat crayon type of tube, which makes applying the product to the lips a breeze - you literally just paint it on. The shade glides easily and evenly on the lips, which is a no mean feat for a stain, and has a slightly glossy appearance of a tinted lip balm - but, with a staying power of a liquid stain that we've all come to know (and, in most cases, hate). The glossiness fades after a couple hours, but the product is still comfortable and most importantly, non drying on the lips.

I've decided to do a little comparison with two other traditional stains from my collection, The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in Rose Pink and theBalm Stainiac in Beauty Queen, a sheer berry pink. As you can see, all three products are quite similar in shade, but very different in formulation. Even on my arm, you can see that the Revlon Balm Stain in Smitten (left) is by far the smoothest application, with both The Body Shop stain (centre), which is a liquid product, and Stainiac (right), which is a gel, being quite streaky and uneven. When I wiped the swatches down with a tissue, all three left about the same amount of pigment on the skin. So, without a doubt, the Revlon Balm Stain is a clear winner here for the evenness of application and a staying power on par with the conventional stains.

The Revlon Balm Stain in Smitten is also a perfect product for summer holidays - in fact, I'm intending to pack this and little else in terms of lip products for our family road trip (which, at the time you're reading this, I'm actually on!). It's a fast, easy and durable way to perk up a sun-kissed face, and I dare say it pairs rather well with my freckles, as you can see in the photo below.

Make sure to check out other Lipstick Bandits' picks by clicking on the links:

• Beauty Reflections
• Bloomin' Beauty Blog
• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• My Women Stuff
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Have you already tried Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains? What is your favorite sheer lip product of the moment?

Summer Brights Lipstick Bandit Style!

Lipstick Bandits strike again for the summer, peeps! We simply wouldn't be ourselves if we didn't put our spin on the summer brights theme, so prepare for some eye-searing hues, my dears!

Well, truth be told, this time round I'm actually taking a more relaxed approach to bright lips (shock horror). Don't get me wrong, I love my bold pinks and corals, but sometimes I'm not really in the mood for upkeep; especially on those days when I actually apply my lipstick waiting for the lights to change at an intersection. Plus... you know I love me a great sheer texture.

So there, meet my new treasure: Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers Hydrating Lipcolor in Coral 301. It probably comes as a no surprise to you that I chose another orange-hued shade this month. This lipstick is just dreamy; starting with a neon orange bullet embossed with Giorgio Armani logo, through the black sleek tube slightly reminiscent of a bamboo with a satisfying weight and an even more satisfying magnetic closure, to the formulation itself. It just couldn't be any more perfect!

On the lips, the Rouge d'Armani Sheers feels virtually weightless and incredibly smooth. Upon the first swipe, you get barely a whisper of tangerine, which can be built up to a very intense orange. I like wearing it somewhere in the middle, more like what a pigmented gloss tends to achieve on the lips in terms of opacity. The finish is quite glossy, but slightly less than a lipgloss, which you can see in the arm swatches below. The texture is also a lot more thin, giving it that comfortable, hydrating, non-sticky feel. It does settle into the lips after about 2 hours and needs refreshing, which I think is to be expected of this kind of formulation.

Coral 301 is a warm tangerine with a touch of pink; I believe this shade is immensly wearable across different skintones due to the sheer texture - on me, it comes out a lot more pink simply because that's my natural lipcolor peeking through. The end result is fresh, natural and effortless; just as it should be for the summertime. Here you can see it both in natural daylight, one photo was taken in the shade, the other in direct sunlight.

For more beautiful summer brights, check out other Lipstick Bandits' posts below:

• Beauty Reflections
• Bloomin' Beauty Blog
• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• My Women Stuff
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

What is your favorite summer bright lipstick? Do tell!

Lipstick Bandits: Universally Nude

Just to make things clear, this is not a post in which Lipstick Bandits undress together to pose for a charity calendar or something: it is about a universally nude lipstick, of course!

We'd been racking our brains for the longest time on this one - how do we find a lipstick that is beautifully wearable across our very different skintones and also readily available around the world? There have been many suggestions, but finally Tracy came up with our perfect lippie, which is nude to boot!


Ladies and gents, I present you MAC Viva Glam V. I'm not entirely sure what it is about this lipstick, but I walked past Viva Glam V every time I visited the counter, even though it's one of the most popular shades and I support MAC's AIDS cause with all my heart. So when I came home with this after our final decision, I wasn't too impressed to be honest. I mean, just look - it's... brown. With sparkles.


And then, it just looks so right on! As you can see in the lip swatches below, MAC Viva Glam V definitely leans more pink on my pinky lips; worn sheer as in the top swatch, it lets a lot of my natural lip color show through, worn opaque it covers all my lip imperfections, and worn with a nude pink gloss on top (Stila Guava) it shimmers with gold and glides over the lip. I've been wearing this bottom combo for the past week, and it's a great work appropriate lip look!

Compared to other nudes in my collection, it's most similar to Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Caramel Kiss, but a bit lighter. It's still a close enough dupe if you're looking for a less expensive alternative.

In the daylight full face shot, you can also see that Viva Glam V is definitely not a dark shade - it looks very subtle, but never washes me out, as most nudes tend to do. I have a lot of Lustres in my MAC lipstick collection, and this formulation doesn't disappoint in Viva Glam V either - the golden shimmer is very fine and provides just a bit of extra shine and dimension to the color.

To see how MAC Viva Glam V looks on other Lipstick Bandits, make sure to check out the links below!

• Arianne, at Glitter Geek


• Dani, at Call It Beauty.


• Danielle, at Bloomin' Beauty Blog


• Jenny, at My Funny Valentine


• Jessica, at Getting Cheeky


• Larie, at Eye Heart It


• Mariella, at Musing On Beauty


• Paris, at My Women Stuff


• Rae, at theNotice: a beauty blog


• Tracy, at Beauty Reflections


• Xiao, at Messy Wands

Which lipstick do you find universally flattering? What is your favorite nude lip product?

Lipstick Bandits: Becoming a Lipstick Lover

As some of you might already know, one of the official Lipstick Bandits' raisons d'être stipulated in our statute is to make you fall head over heels for the lipsticks we feature. However, not everyone is necessarily a lipstick lover, the fact that we often prefer not to acknowledge, but which unfortunately is true nonetheless - there are individuals who might deem a lip gloss, a lip balm, a lip whatever superior to a lipstick. O tempora, o mores!


Which is why we've decided to tackle the subject of a starter lipstick this month: either our personal very first tube, or a lipstick that would make a great introduction into the wild world of lipsticks. Luckily for you, I no longer own my first lipstick, a very 90's longwearing brown affair acquired when I was maybe 14. Instead, I've found something that I'd happily recommend to anyone looking for their first tube to fall in love with: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie (050).

Just to clarify, I don't really consider Revlon Lip Butters to be that innovative and thus worth all the hype. Still, this particular shade ticks all the boxes for me: it's an extremely wearable color across different skintones, the pigmentation is sheer enough to allow for some of your natural lip color to show through but opaque enough to lift the complexion, the texture is smooth, glossy with the subtlest hint of pink shimmer and comfortable on the lips. The only downside is that it doesn't last very long on the lips, and it's neither drying nor moisturizing.


I wouldn't exactly call these 'lip butters'; they're more of a glossy finish lipstick, which is why I believe they would be a good transitional product for someone who loves lip glosses and tinted lip balms. Also, as much as I love my bold, pigmented lipsticks, I agree that they require a bit of up-keep, whereas Berry Smoothie is a lovely bright pink that you can just throw on mere seconds before heading out the door. While this shade is fresh and saturated, it's still very much daytime/office/school appropriate.

Here are some swatches next to similar sheerer glossy pinks from my collection: a Sleek Pout Polish, which is actually very much like a tinted lip butter, and a Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balm.

And the obligatory lip swatches - top is Berry Smoothie lightly dabbed on the lips, on the bottom we have an opaque application (at least 3 swipes).


If you're a lipstick hater, I hope that you give Revlon Berry Smoothie a try and eventually become a Lipstick Lover; but I warn you, once you enter our realm for good, there's no coming back! Meanwhile, check out other Bandits' picks by clicking on the links below:

• Arianne (Glitter Geek)


• Dani (Call It Beauty)


• Danielle (Bloomin’ Beauty Blog)


• Jenny (My Funny Valentine)


• Larie (Eye Heart It)


• Makeup Morsels


• Mariella (Musing On Beauty)


• Paris (My Women Stuff)


• Rae (theNotice: a beauty blog)


• Tracy (Beauty Reflections)


• Xiao (Messy Wands)

What was the first lip product you ever bought? Which brand and shade would you consider the perfect starter lipstick?