Brand: AYA Cosmetics
Range: Lipstick
Shade: In the Buff, Naturally Nude, Just Peachy, Particular Pink
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• AYA Cosmetics lipsticks are vegan, free of lead and provide rich, creamy colour without any toxic dyes or animal by-products.
• The lipstick packaging is also eco friendly – made from all-recyclable materials.
• Available in 4 shades – In the Buff, Naturally Nude, Just Peachy and Particular Pink.
• Applies creamy smooth & feels moisturising initially, but the ingredients absorb quickly settling into a satin finish.
• Ingredients: Cocoa Butter, Candelilla Wax, Castor Oil, Organic Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Sesame Oil, Avocado Butter, Macadamia Nut Oil, Vitamin E, Rosemary Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract. May contain: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Manganese Violet.
• Verdict: I had to wear lip balm while swatching these, but this lipstick actually works best directly on lips without any lip balm.  It grips better, creating a more opaque finish that will appeal to those that like an ultra-nude lip.  Just Peachy was the most suitable shade against my pigmented lip tone, but for all other shades I recommend them only if you like that “ultra nude” opaque finish and if you have a pale lip tone & complexion.

I applied a sheer layer over lip balm to make it work for my pigmented lips. Coverage is buildable into a more opaque finish.

 RRP: $16.95 AUD available online at AYA Cosmetics

This product was provided for consideration.

Brand: Rimmel
Range: Kate Moss Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick
Shades: 107, 111, 113
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• Further to my other Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipstick swatches (Part 1 and Part 2), today I have the Matte Lipstick which comes in a total 6 matte shades in a new matte red packaging.
• Formulated with Ruby Powder, the velvety matte finish is incredibly lightweight and flexible, making it comfortable to wear.  It does grip well to the lip surface, which means you get a richly pigmented seamless coverage, but the “character” of your lips stays visible with no particular smoothing effects other than the diffused matte finish.
• Out of the 6 shades available I received 3 shades – 107 (deep red), 111 (rich red) and 113 (nude).  In real life, shade 111 (rich red) is a richer red closer to how it looks on the tube, as opposed to a bright red which the swatches suggest.
• The formula is non-drying & looks much softer when applied on moisturised lips, or on top of a moisturising lip stain.   I only swatched 2 shades as I wasn’t so lucky with the nude shade 113, which clashed with my lip tone & accentuated every little lip flaw, even flakes I didn’t even know I had.  Therefore I only recommend the nude shade if you have a pale lip tone & no issues with dry lips.
• Long lasting rich pigments that fade gracefully
  
• Verdict: The matte red lip trend is here to stay, so if you’re looking to add a matte shade or two to your lipstick wardrobe that won’t break your wallet I recommend trying Rimmel Kate Moss’s matte lipstick range.  It’s pigmented enough that you only need a lip brush – no lip liner required.

Swatched over a layer of Nivea Lip Butter.

RRP: $12.95 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.

Brand: Yves Saint Laurent
Range: Rouge Volupte Shine
Shade: Fuchsia in Excess #5
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• YSL’s new Rouge Volupte Shine are a comforting lipstick with a luminous shine, and rich in fruit extracts (vitamins & antioxidants) that leave lips visibly softer and smoother with up to 8 hours of hydration.
• Melts on application, providing instant hydration (comparable with a lip balm), and is richly pigmented to give lips a wash of vibrant colour.
• Contains pomegranate and rosemary to reduces fine lines, and hyaluronic acid spheres to hydrate and soften lips.  The candellila resin forms a thin protective layer to seal in moisture and magnify shine.
• Whilst it’s excellent at hydrating lips, it doesn’t give any sculpting or line smoothing effects.
• Fuchsia in Excess is described as a “bright luminous pink”.  It looks like a berry red in the tube but sets on lips into a soft fuchsia  after a few minutes.  Once the moisture is absorbed it leaves lips with a stained effect that’s moderate in lasting power.
• Verdict: If you are contemplating between this and YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Gloss, I recommend hands down the Rouge Volupte Shine.  Despite being so similar in ingredients, Rouge Volupte Shine wins by a mile in both hydration and pigment.  On its own the sheerness makes the edges look diffused making it perfect for days you want your makeup to look vibrant but not overly done up.

RRP: $55 AUD

This product was provided for consideration.

Brand: Clinique
Range: Long Last Lipstick & High Impact Lipstick
High Impact Lipstick Shades: Flamenco, Coral Crush, RSVPink, Pink Style, Magenta Rose
Long Last Lipstick Shades: Party Red, Coral Chic, Silvery moon, Tropical Coral, Perfect Beige, Soft Bloom, Berry Intense, Runway Coral, Bejeweled Pink, Spanish Rose
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

As part of my EXCITING collaboration with Clinique & Mecca Maxima this 10th – 11th May, I have been busy preparing a “lip swatch” color selector to help you find your perfect lipstick shade.  The swatch card features the shades below including “colour notes” written by yours truly to help you decide on a colour group.

The swatch card will be available to those who attend, but feel free to browse from my swatches below before coming to see which shade you’re in the mood for on the day!

I recommend High Impact Lipstick for those that like a creamy, moisturising lipstick that has good grip that lasts really well & has SPF 15.  Long Last Lipstick will appeal to those who like a long wearing creamy-matte formula that won’t feather, stain or dry out.

Enjoy the swatches & I look forward to seeing you this Friday & Saturday!

Click to view enlarged image.

RRP: $36 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.

Brand: L’Oreal Paris
Range: Shine Caresse Lip Colour
Shades: Lolita 101, Romy 102, Marilyn 103, Princess 200, Juliet 300, Eve 400, Milady 402, Bonnie 501.
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• L’Oreal Paris Shine Caresse Lip Colours have an ultra-light fluid texture, that is a unique formulation of 30% water and 60% oil that boosts lip hydration and is comfortable to wear.
• The foam applicator has a hole in the centre, specially designed to remove any excess colour leaving a veil-like lustruous finish.
• The formula takes a while to set, making it easy to fix bloopers while it is still wet.
• Sheer buildable coverage – 2 layers is perfect for my pigmented lips, but for some shades I needed around as many as 3 layers for photography purposes.
• Available in 8 shades – Lolita, Romy, Marilyn, Princess, Juliet, Eve, Milady and Bonnie.

Are these dupes of YSL Glossy Stain?

• Both have lightweight fluid textures that have a non-sticky but slightly tacky finish.
• Both are long lasting and fade gracefully into a light stain, but YSL lasted slightly longer whilst L’Oreal left more of a stain.
• YSL sets quicker than L’Oreal where you’re left with that oil/water film that takes just a few more seconds to set.
• YSL has a more vibrant colour range & is richer in pigment but it’s offset by a water colour finish. Except for a few, most shades from L’Oreal are more subdued and need several layers to build coverage.
• YSL’s taste is noticeably synthetic, whereas L’Oreal has sweetened theirs slightly in an attempt to mask the synthetic taste – but I can still taste it.
• YSL does a better job at reviving tired dry lips & camouflaging lip flaws than L’Oreal, which only looks best on healthy lips.

Verdict: With both lip stains coming from the same umbrella company (YSL Beauty is owned by L’Oreal), it’s tempting to draw conclusions that they are dupes for each other.  I’d say that L’Oreal offers very impressive & similar results to YSL but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that one is replaceable for the other.  Where L’Oreal stands out from YSL is how easy it is to control just the right amount & it stains better than YSL if that’s what you like in a lip product.  Even though YSL has more sophisticated pigments, L’Oreal’s finish (once set) is more polished than the water colour finish of YSL that I find messy when combined with shades such as red & coral  hence why I only own one shade from YSL Glossy Stain).

Click on the lip swatches to view enlarged images.

Click on the lip swatches to view enlarged images.

RRP: $23.95 AUD

These products were provided for consideration.