American Jellies: Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelées

Last year, I tried for the first time and fell in love with jelly finish in cream cheek products. While it's more of an Asian beauty trend and not widely available among Western brands, there is a jelly product you can get easily if you live in the US: the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelées ($22 for 0.18 oz). I seem to have acquired two shades in very quick succession: Pink Escape, via Sephora's Beauty Insider perk (hence the dinky pot), and Getaway Red, because... strawberry jelly! I wish it smelt like berry gelée too, but, alas - absolutely no scent on these.

Here's the Sephora blurb for you, lifted from the website: 'This buildable, blendable blush hybrid provides the natural look of a cream blush with the long-lasting hydrating color of a gel stain. Infused with 50 percent pure coconut water, it instantly hydrates while nourishing with the powerful benefits of vitamin E-rich argan oil. Like a refreshing sip of coconut water for your skin, this moisture-packed blush instantly drenches cheeks in a cool veil of color'. End of blurb. There are eight colors in the line, ranging from sunny orange to deep wine.

A quick look at the ingredients proves that the Watercolor Gelées indeed contain quite a bit of coconut water (yum!), as well as moisturizing glycerin and argan oil. Josie Maran's product line could be described as 'aiming to be natural', and while there IS some lab-produced chemistry in there (shock horror! Nah, I don't care...), it's nice to know this blush is vegan, paraben, gluten and cruelty-free.

Can we contemplate the merry squishiness of the untouched product for a moment? Aaaah... Purdy. Now, when you touch your finger to the blush inside, it does indeed have a somewhat stiff gelatinous texture to it - interesting! Through a lot of trial and error, I've found that applying with a small duo fiber stippling brush dabbed straight into the jar works the best for me, because these are jelly STAINS, and they set incredibly quickly. I do a couple of very fast and vigorous blending motions with my brush to avoid concentrated patches of color. Trying to pick up color with your fingers results in most of the product staining your fingers, not your cheeks.

Those difficulties aside, I find these Watercolor Cheek Gelées to be a very cool (literally) and unique concept. They do feel nice and cooling on your skin, so they'd be perfect for hot summer months - also, they really are long-wearing. The pigmentation is on the sheer side (so they're not as scary as they look in the pot... Or who am I kidding, when am I ever scared by a bright blush?) but buildable, and the fun, punchy colors stand out on the skin and give it a natural, radiant flush. These Gelées also feel and look beautifully lightweight on the cheeks, there's literally no product feel to these, so if you like invisible blush that provides that glowing from within look, you need to give them a good swatch session.

Please don't be turned off by my swatches - I will admit that these are pants in arm swatches, they just don't lend themselves to being laid on thick; so if you want more opacity on your cheeks, I'd recommend thin layers rather than smacking half the jar on at once. For science, I did try these on the lips as well, and they're quite subtle and pretty when dabbed on; they don't even feel dry or tight, and that's a big achievement for a stain. I especially like to wear the Gelées under a sheer lipgloss to amp up the brightness a bit.

Compared to my favorite jellies of 2014, the Canmake Cream Cheeks in the clear finish, the Josie Maran Cheek Gelées are thinner in consistency and more sheer, and they almost have a bit of that dry silicone feel, although definitely less than the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush. The difference in textures of these three cheek products boils down to this, in my opinion: Canmake Cream Cheek is a cream jelly, Josie Maran is a gel jelly (wtf?), Revlon Photoready Cream Blush is a translucent cream to powder. As for the shades, Pink Escape is a cool toned/ just in from the cold pink (very similar to Revlon Flushed), while Getaway Red is a cool toned/ pinky red.

L-R: Josie Maran Pink Escape, Canmake Cream Cheek in CL04 Clear Pink Joy, Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed, Josie Maran Getaway Red, Canmake Cream Cheek in CL03 Clear Orange

Wearing Getaway Red on them apples. Also, wonky eyebrow -_-

All things considered, I'm having a lot of fun with these Watercolor Cheek Gelées; it's one of the more interesting formulations I've played around with in the recent months. I will say that they're not the easiest product to apply evenly, and they can cling to textural imperfections on the cheeks, but I feel that the same can be said about a lot of other stains - and the Gelées are way cooler than your average stain. So, yeah - go prod them at your local Sephora. What is your favorite cheek stain? Or do you skip creams and jellies altogether and simply prefer powder blushes?

Liz Made Me Do It: Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry

As a beauty blogger and regular blog reader, 99.9% of my purchases are inspired by fellow bloggers. I've also noticed that because of the current move towards sponsored and ad content on YouTube as well as more popular beauty pages, I'm becoming increasingly distrustful towards their recommendations, turning instead towards my b-blogging friends and more niche blogs. That was precisely the case with this Beauty Reductionista's influenced purchase: Liz blogged about the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balms ($8 for 4g/ 0.141 oz) about a month or so ago, and as I was stocking up on their Glow Tonic anyway, I promptly plopped the shade Ripe Raspberry in my basket.

The final nail in the lemming coffin was Liz stating that she preferred the Pixi Shea Butter balm formulation over the pricey Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments. The Fresh lip balms are some of my absolute favorite tinted lip products on the market, and one of the very few balms I keep using up and repurchasing. Any time my lips are feeling particularly dry and flakey (which is 90% of the time), I put one on and it not only doesn't exacerbate the dryness, but in fact also helps to heal it. But anyway, this is not a review of the Fresh Sugar products (there's one coming later on), I just wanted to explain why Liz's statement made me so excited - could I really get the same Holy Grail results from a product that's almost $15 cheaper?

Well, spoiler alert: no, I can't. Not even close. What makes the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments so unique in my book is their thick, unctuous, slippery, balmy texture that covers the lips in a cushiony layer of moisture (or grease, however you want to look at it). When my lips are dry, I NEED that heavy, oily layer of product to fix and smooth over the texture underneath, seal in the moisture, and prevent me from trying to bite off the flakes (sorry, TMI).

The Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm doesn't have that - you can even see the textural difference between it and the Fresh Treatment in the arm swatch photo. That is not to say it's not a nice tinted lip balm in its own right: somewhat hydrating, pigmented, with a thinner consistency and more long lasting color than the Fresh balms, so much so that I even found the shade Ripe Raspberry to stain my lips a bit. But a Sugar Lip Treatment it ain't.

L-R: Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Passion, L'Oreal Caresee in Blushing Sequin

Ripe Raspberry is more of a berry fuschia shade than a pinky red I was expecting (so, coupled with the difference in texture, it didn't turn out to be a good replacement for my now defunct tube of Fresh Sugar Treatment in Passion). Because of its thin but harder waxy texture, it takes a bit of work to get on the lips, but like I said above, once you do it stays on very well, even through a meal. The closest shade dupe in a sheer formula that I have in my collection would be the L'Oreal Caresse lipstick in Blushing Sequin, swatched on the far right. There's no shimmer or glitter in Ripe Raspberry, which is my preference for a tinted balm, and it has that delightful vanilla scent reminiscent of MAC lipsticks.

Two layers of Ripe Raspberry applied on freshly exfoliated lips: you can still see it clinging to some pesky flakes. It also doesn't do much for vertical lip lines. However, it looks perfectly smooth on Liz's lips. My conclusion is that I must have much, much drier, and much more puckered lips than she does :(

You can probably tell that I can't help but feel a trifle disappointed with this Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm; well, the expectations were certainly running high (though I still love you, Liz. We're good). I'll dig it out again once the weather starts warming up, but for now, I'm sticking to the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - fortunately, I just purchased a new tube; not because I was expecting the Pixi to fail, but rather because I have no self-control. Tell me, what is your favorite tinted lip balm? Do you prefer thick, heavy formulas like the Fresh or something more lightweight like the Pixi?

Matte Impact: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo

I realize this blog has been gradually creeping into the high-end territory for the past couple years; you guys may not remember but things were pretty low key on here in the beginning. I think the primary reason for featuring more expensive products recently has been my shift from quantity to quality, which came with the 2 products a month allowance I enforced on myself in January 2013. Not to say that you can't find good quality products in the drugstore - I guess they're just a bit less covetable for me these days. But one of the first affordable brands I've ever written about on Rocaille Writes was NYX, and now I have another product of theirs to show you: the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($5.99 for 0.27 fl. oz/ 8 ml) - so we've come full circle.

I'd been wanting a vampy matte lipstick to add to my collection for fall and while browsing at Ulta (you guys, last week was the first time I've ever set foot in a physical Ulta store - oh, the thrill of it!), I remembered that NYX had a variety of matte lip products in some pretty intense shades. I picked out Monte Carlo (SMLC 10), a deep cool red, although I also had my eye on Copenhagen, which was unfortunately sold out. With some smart usage of store coupons, I scored my new pretty for $2! I think taking advantage of deals and coupons is at least half of the fun of shopping at the drugstore.

I've been reading rave reviews about these Soft Matte Lip Creams for years, but you know that I sometimes tend to shun overly hyped up products. The Soft Matte Lip Creams are in fact liquid lipsticks with a standard doe foot applicator. The consistency is rather dense although the product spreads easily on the lips: in fact, the formula quite reminds me a bit of Fyrinnae Lip Lusters. The NYX Lip Creams smell a bit artificially of a vanilla-flavored pastry, but the scent doesn't linger.

I find that the doe foot applicator comes especially handy in applying the intense shade evenly and precisely along the lip lines. While at first, the Soft Matte Lip Cream formula has a nice slip and creaminess to it, once applied to the lips it sets to a matte finish and doesn't budge. I'd just make sure you're not applying too much product, because it then takes a longer while to set and in the meantime, I managed to get some product on my teeth. To me, since the product actually sets on the lips, I'd call it a stain rather than a cream - or a creamy lip stain maybe? :)

L-R: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo, Avon Make Out Red, Revlon Superlustrous in Cherries in the Snow (very close dupe), Wet n' Wild Deep Wine

Unfortunately, as with most stains and longwearing lip products, I find the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream to be very drying on me. I wore it on bare lips for about 4 hours and removed it as soon as I got home, but my lips were already in tatters. I will experiment a bit more with layering it over and/or under a lip balm, but I definitely have to reserve it for special occasions only. The upside is that the product really stays put and doesn't migrate, feather or transfer easily - so much so that I couldn't fully get rid of it with a micellar make-up remover.

Wearing NYX Monte Carlo with the Rouge Bunny Rouge Chronos palette on the eyes and Hourglass Luminous Flush on the cheeks.

If you're looking for a bold, unusual shade in a longwearing matte formula to wear once in a while, the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are a decent choice, especially if you can get them on sale. I'm thinking that I'll definitely be reaching for Monte Carlo to wear to the upcoming Holiday dinner parties, when I need my lipstick to last through a meal. Have you tried any matte lip products from NYX? What is your favorite matte lipstick formula from the drugstore?

Loving the Orange Lip: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious

I know, I know, by now Revlon Matte Balms are old news - but it takes me a while to decide whether to jump or not on a particular product bandwagon. I mentioned a couple months back, while extolling the orangy red virtues of OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where? nail polish, that was interested in trying a similar shade on my lips, even though warm reds rarely look good on my skintone. So yeah, I really went there - instead of trying an orange red, I actually decided to try a pure bright orange in a matte formula: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in the shade Audacious ($8.99 for 0.09 oz/ 2.5g). Because I'm not a lipstick wuss. Also, I figured that if it was a complete shade fail, at least it'd been at a drugstore price point.

But a fail it's definitely not - in fact, it's pretty fantastic, and I'm just slightly obsessed with Audacious. Gimme all the ORANGE! I think the reason this looks so audaciously bright (har har) on my fair cool skin is the shade's white base, which gives it a more neon appearance. Muted, brown-based oranges on me? A complete flop. Vibrant, white-based or clear almost fluorescent orange shades? Sign me up.

Compared to my other orangey lip products, Revlon's Audacious is the most decidedly orange - Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301 gives just a hint of peachy orange on the lips, recently reviewed Beaute Liqui-gel Stain in Flouron is a lot more pink (and neon!), while Chanel Rouge Allure in Conquise has a more muted, rosey quality. Beaute's Flouron is the only other matte in this line-up, but because of its creamy gel stain formula, it sinks into the lips and wears a lot more closely than Revlon's heavier, more traditional matte lipstick formula; as you can see in the arm swatch, the textures are quite a bit different.

L-R: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious, Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301, Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron, Chanel Rouge Allure in Conquise

Speaking of textures, I usually detest mattes and try to avoid them in my lip products, but the Colorburst Mattes are surprisingly quite good. They're even more matte in finish than Givenchy Le Rouge, another matte-ish lipstick I tolerate; I'd say Revlon walks the line between very matte and chalky, but manages to stay on the good, wearable side. The matte finish aside, the Revlon's Balm has a creamy feel with a lot of slip (no dragging!) for easy application, and after a couple minutes seems to set a bit on the lips, which means no accidental color migration and good longevity. There's quite a bit of a refreshing mint scent to the product, which makes it tingle very slightly for a couple minutes after application - a welcome bonus in the summer heat.

Similarly to their Kissable Balm Stains (which are another favorite of mine), the Matte Balm wears very comfortably on the lips, and while it's not moisturizing enough on its own on my dry lips, it doesn't suck out all the moisture either. I would however recommend prepping your lips before applying the Matte Balm (exfoliating, a thin layer of lip balm), as it seems to go a little patchy around dry flakes or other areas that are still healing. But I think Audacious is worth the extra effort - I just really love this shade, and taking the size of my lip product collection into account, it's quite a surprising discovery.

Are you loving the orange lip trend as well? What are your orange lip favorites?

Cult Classics: Beauté Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron

Beauté's Liqui-Gel Stains are one of these products that were hyped up through the roof a couple years ago, and then they kind of mysteriously disappeared from the beauty scene, never to be mentioned again. Which is probably why, when I enthusiastically grabbed the neon orange tube of Flouron at a sample sale, a friend I was with probably thought I was mentally unstable - and my excited cries of 'No, no, but it swatches differently!' were met with a somewhat puzzled stare and a shrug.

But yeah, I really don't know why nobody talks about these anymore, because the Beauté Liqui-Gel Stain for Cheeks & Lips in Flouron ($29 for 3g) is pure awesome. 'A uniquely textured highly pigmented liquid/gel hybrid, The Liqui-Gel Stain for Cheeks and Lips allows for perfect blendability before setting and lasting hours. Easily buildable the Liqui-Gel Stain allows the sheerest whisper of color or a nearly opaque flush to either cheeks or lips' (description from the brand's website). Beauté (not to be confused with Le Metier de Beauté!), a niche Canadian make-up brand, is admittedly not the easiest to get hold of in the US, but it can be purchased via the brand's website or online at Urban Outfitters - and while you're there, check out their fantastic Korean beauty section!

Back to the product: packaged in a simple, hefty plastic tube with a doe foot applicator, Beauté's Liqui-Gel formula doesn't look any different than a regular lip & cheek stain. The consistency though is a pretty spot-on mix of liquid and gel - thicker than fluid The Body Shop's Lip & Cheek Stain, but thinner than jelly theBalm's Stainiac Hint of Tint For Cheeks and Lips. Beauté's stain has a bit of an old-school make-up smell to it, but once it sets on the lips, there's no lingering scent or taste.

The shade Flouron, which appears to be a highlighter orange shade in the tube, actually swatches as a beautifully neon pinky coral, and as it dries down, sets to an even pinkier hue on my cool-toned lips. The formula gives plenty of time to evenly distribute the product on the lips before it sets, and the Liqui-Gel doesn't sink into vertical lip lines or exaggerate dry patches - a feat virtually unheard of for a lip stain. The creamy liquid does set to a matte finish, but it remains comfortable on the lips, and wears like iron. While I can't say the stain actively moisturizes my lips, it doesn't really dry them out either. On the cheeks, it applies equally easily (although go easy on the amount of product, it's bright!) and gives a pretty, fresh flush of color.

Compared to other bright coral/ warm pink lip shades in my collection, the Beauté's Flouron is definitely the most vibrant. The neon orange bullet of Giorgio Armani's Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301 swatches as a more muted and truer orange shade, while both L'Oreal Colour Caresse lipstick in Blushing Sequin and Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist are pinkier and cooler. I have a pretty large collection of bright warm pinks, but nothing comes close to Flouron! For a glossier finish, it pairs great with Essence Stay With Me Long Lasting Lipgloss in Candy Bar.

L-R: Beauté Liqui-Gel Stain in Fluoron, Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral 301, L'Oreal Colour Caresse in Blushing Sequin, Covergirl Jumbo Bloss Balm in Watermelon Twist

I'm pretty smitten with this Liqui-Gel Stain; I haven't tried that many stain formulas (since usually they're terribly drying on my lips) but the Beauté's version might just be my favorite so far. It's a must-have product for long, lazy summer days: feels lightweight and non-sticky, stays put, and the shade looks stunning on both fair and sunkissed skin.  

Do you reach for lip & cheek stains more often in the summer? What are your favorite formulas?

Chanel Summer 2014: Rouge Allure in Conquise no. 144

It's hard to wear summer make-up trends when you're a pale, pale gal with cool undertones. Warm copper shades on the eyes = a crazed rabbit with a violent case of rabies and pink eye. Tanned bronze goddess = Oompa Loompa overdosing on self-tanner. And lastly, orange lips = I stole this lipstick from an unsuspecting friend/relative because it looked so awesome on them. Uhm... just not really on me.

So yeah, oranges are few and far between in my lipstick drawer. But when I swatched the new limited edition Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Conquise no. 144 ($34 for 0.12 oz/ 3.5g), I was well, conquered *snickers childishly*. It packed enough punch to brighten the face, and the tone looked just right - not too aggresively orange, slightly muted for daytime. Having never tried the Rouge Allures, I succumbed to the secret agent feel of the tube with its clicky release mechanism and the impressive pigmentation and luxurious slip of the formula.

 

My previous experiences with Chanel make-up haven't been so absolutely memorable to justify the price tag, so I found myself rather surprised to be picking up Conquise and one more item from their Summer 2014 collection, which I'll be reviewing very soon. In the end, I sold my first Chanel lipstick (Rouge Coco in Sari Dore) in a blog sale, very rarely reach for my only tube of Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo, and can never get a decent shade match in their foundations. But I don't know, I was in the moment, I felt inspired by the shades compared to what other brands had on offer, and I just went with it. Oh, and I also had the rare coupon that could be applied to beauty purchases.

Chanel Conquise is a muted coral shade with a fair dose of rosy pink and some subtle shimmer that translates into a luminous satin finish on the lips. I'm sorry that my shots are not super color-accurate; I think orange shades are pretty notorious for not coming through properly on camera. As you can hopefully see in the swatches, it's slightly warmer/ less pink than my almost finished tube of Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Soft Coral, which I'll be replacing with Conquise. It's similar in tone but much more pigmented and slightly softer than Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in Coral 301, and a lot more orange than MAC Lustre Lipstick in Jest.

In terms of formula... it hasn't topped my current favorite high-end lipstick, which is Guerlain Rouge Automatique (here's my review of the shade Shalimar). Rouge Allure in Conquise has very good pigmentation and feels soft and velvety going on, but tends to dry out and settle in a couple hours, requiring a touch-up - and it doesn't quite survive a meal in full strength, but does leave a pretty peachy stain behind. It's also not quite as masterful as a Rouge Automatique in perfecting any unwanted texture like lines or dry patches on my lips. So... yet again, I'm not completely blown away by Chanel's lipstick formula. But Conquise is a lovely shade, and it wears well enough to warrant keeping.

Here's an easy summer look to compliment Conquise: warm pink and peach shades on the eyes with a subtle dark brown eyeliner flick (Urban Decay 24/7 in Whiskey), peachy pink cream blush on the cheeks (NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink) and two swipes of Conquise on the lips, slightly blended out with a finger towards the edges of my mouth for a more effortless feel. It's all very monochrone, but pretty in the peaches & cream kind of way, and elegant - or more grown-up than the stuff I usually wear. Also, this is what my skin looks like the morning after using Dr. Wu Intensive Renewal Serum with Mandelic Acid 18% (not bad, huh? My pores do *seem* smaller).

All in all, I'm happy that I took an actual trip to the Chanel counter and swatched their Summer 2014 collection - I liked some pieces way more than I expected from just looking at the promo pictures from the comfort of my own home. As much as I dislike the make-up counter experience and prefer shopping online for most of my cosmetics, it's nice to get out there sometimes and discover new products. Have you picked anything up from the new Chanel release? What is your favorite summer collection so far?

Three Easy Radiant Orchid Nail Art Ideas for Spring

I realize what you may be thinking right now - me and nail art?! But you know, sometimes it is fun to whip out some nail polishes you've had in your collection for a while and combine them into something completely new and different. I'm a total neub when it comes to nail designs, so if I can have a go at these spring-appropriate looks, I'm sure everyone can too; there are minimal tools required, and it's all rather on trend with the Radiant Orchid color theme. Can you tell how proud I am of myself? I am trendy, you guys.

1. Tonal Lavender Gradient with Zoya Julie & Hudson
This was my second time dabbling with a sponge ombre, and I've decided to use two shimmery lilac/lavender shades from Zoya for a subtle tonal gradient. I applied two coats of Julie on my nails, allowed them to dry well, and then dabbed with a sponge painted with a stripe of Hudson (to about 1/3 of my nail length) and a thicker stripe of Julie - I repeated this twice for more coverage. I absolutely loved this look: the ombre effect was delicate but still visible, and I enjoyed the more pronounced warm shimmer running through Hudson.

2. Rose Gold Triangle Accents with China Glaze That's Shore Bright & Champagne Kisses
For these glitter accents, I painted two coats of China Glaze's That's Shore Bright for my base color,  then blocked off the shape of my slim triangles with strips of scotch tape, layered on Champagne Kisses in the triangle area and removed the strips immediately before the polish had a chance to dry. Once I had all the triangles in place, I hand painted more glitter on for greater opacity. I felt that this design was the most interesting texturally: a slightly matte finish of the neon purple played off the sandy grittiness of rose gold glitter rather well (I skipped a top coat to preserve the original finish of these polishes).

3. Easter Egg Polka Dots with Essie Splash of Grenadine & Van D'Go
Happy Easter, my dears! Every year I like to sport a festive manicure for Easter, usually using some fun spring pastel shades. This time I went for a cheerful pastel polka dot look, using two coats of Essie's Splash of Grenadine as a base, and stamping on Van D'Go with a bamboo skewer (I'm not fancy enough to own a set of dotting tools... but I just might one day!). I think this speckled egg 'dotticure' is just perfect for Easter, and I can't wait to play around with other color combinations!

I hope you enjoyed these nail art ideas! It was definitely a lot of fun for me to push myself and experiment with something I'm usually too lazy to go for. Are you into nail designs or do you prefer simpler manicures? Would you try any of these looks yourself?

Five Spring & Summer Lip Gloss Picks

I don't know what's going on, you guys - I'm kinda into glosses at the moment. While I still think you can't beat a nice bright lipstick with a stick, and long wind-blown hair caught in your sticky glossed lips drives me absolutely bonkers, I'm really enjoying the sheerer pigmentation and mirrored shine of lip glosses - while preferrably tying my hair into a ponytail or a messy bun. Here are five different shades and formulas I've been wearing recently, swatched for your viewing pleasure.

One common denomination between all these different glosses is the fact that they're virtually shimmer and glitter-free, which is my preference in both lip glosses and lipsticks. By 'virtually', I mean that I suspect maybe two of the glosses below have very very fine, very very minimal shimmer, but it's nearly undetectable in the arm swatches as well as on the lips. They're also all comfortable, non-drying formulas that I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a new gloss; I'll link to respective reviews where possible for more info on the formulation and longevity.

1. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer 01($23 for 0.35 fl oz, previously mentioned here). Possibly the nudest lip gloss shade I own, the Clarins Rose Shimmer still manages to even out and beautify the lips without verging on the concealer lips territory. The formula is most often described as a balm & gloss hybrid, and it does feel smooth, cushiony and hydrating on the lips. Great gloss to keep in your purse for completely-forgot-to-apply-a-lip-product situations as well as touch-ups on the go.

2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef (sadly discontinued - I'm guessing the closest shade match in the new repackaged & reformulated Super Lustrous Lip Gloss range is Pango Peach, $5.99-7.99 for 0.13 oz). Remember when these were all the rage? Yeah, I totally jumped on that bandwagon with Coral Reef, and haven't regretted it since. It's a beautiful, apricot coral shade with medium pigmentation, bright enough to lift a neutral look but not too in your face. I'm kinda bummed this shade was discontinued - my tube has started separating, and I think it's the last season we can enjoy each other's company.

3. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Dolly Pink ($4.99 for 11ml/ 0.37 fl.oz, the four shades I own are swatched & reviewed here). Actually, I don't reach for this gloss nearly often enough; I will admit that I find the cherry cough drop scent a bit offensive, and there's something about the formula that I don't absolutely love - but I do like it, and Dolly Pink is a wonderful blue fuschia shade that works great with my coloring. You know, sometimes these posts serve as a reminder for me to go rummage through my drawers and come out with something pretty that doesn't get enough love... like this gloss here.

4. Essence Stay With Me Long Lasting Lip Gloss in Candy Bar ($2.99 for 4ml/ 0.13 fl oz). Mentioned a long time ago by Driveller Kate and more recently, Tiffany from Will Work For Make-up, I had this gloss mentally filed away in the 'try-at-a-later-date' category. But, I was placing an online order at Ulta for Mr's shampoo & conditioner, and needed an inexpensive item to get to the free shipping treshold - and so it was meant to be. Candy Bar is such a beautiful, bright coral, and possibly the most pigmented out of the glosses featured here. It has a slightly strange, fruity old-school scent; I remember another gloss from my teenage years by a Polish brand 'Bell' that had the exact same scent... and oddly enough, this gloss is actually also made in Poland. Hmm... Anyway, I don't think you can get a better lip gloss for three bucks than the Essence Stay With Me - I just wish they had more than three colors in the range.

5. Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in Cherry Flip ($19 for 0.14 oz, previously reviewed and swatched here). Still one of my absolute favorite glosses, be it spring, summer, fall or winter; Buxom lip-plumping formula is a winner for me. Cherry Flip looks quite similar to Essence Candy Bar here, and I admit they're not miles apart, but Cherry Flip is slightly more red in a clear base, making it look less vibrant than the pinkier Candy Bar, which has a bit of a white base - hope you can see that in the lip swatches. I always walk past these Lip Creams in Sephora for fear of accidentally plopping more shades in my basket.

Have you been more into lip glosses or lipsticks recently? Or maybe liquid lipsticks, seeing as they're all the range at the moment? I did buy one shade of a newly released lip gloss formula during the Sephora VIB sale that I'm hoping to share really soon (any guesses?), but in the meantime, let me know your spring & summer lip loves - a girl can never have too more lip products, right? Or at least she can start a new wishlist...