The Jury's Still Out: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Candy Apple Febraury 18, 2016

 

When I went to scope out the Kat Von D, I also saw the Anastasia Beverly Hills that I have also been wanting to try.  I decided to try that one today, since I have been crushing on Candy Apple for awhile.

Let's just cover this up front, this is not my color:

 

Its reading okay in the picture, but in person, it was all over the place.  It was red, but also really bright pink and sort of orange.  It was every color except the right color. It is really REALLY bright.  Its a very pigmented, opaque color, but it is not meant for me.  For a color that has this much warmth, you need warm skin to go with.  You need a tan, preferably a real one.  If your ancestors hail from eastern Europe, this is not the color for you.   But, the point of this little experience isn't really the color. There are other colors.  This is about the formula and if any of these pricey liquids are really worth their money for the longevity.  So even though I hated the color and wanted to take it off immediately, I persevered. Science.

 

So... the experience.  This applicator is kind of unwieldy. You may notice my top lips are overlined.  I had no control over that.  This stuff just went where it wanted to go and I was powerless against it.  the thing with liquids is that if you mess them up, you really have to stop, take the whole thing off, and start over.  Mother didnt have the kind of time.  So, we rolled with it. 

 



It did dry immediately and there was no issue with the wind, but it definitely felt a little sticky on my lips and was not soft at all like the other two.  It doesn't smell like anything, though I was too busy hating the color to really notice much else.

Eating lunch went pretty well. They all went pretty well through lunch.  But here's the photo op.

And that's when it happened.  I first saw it.  I literally did not notice at all before.  I had to go to my car to really try and get into the light so you could see it too.  It was totally inexplicable.  I am still baffled by it.  Before you watch the video, I will also say it is the best representation of the base color.  Do you see how its really more pink than red?

 

Do you see it?  I know that the video is totally awkward, but I was trying to lay back and really catch the light so it would show.  GLITTER.  It is covered it glitter!  Covered!  I have no ide where it came from! It seemed pretty matte in the store, but this was unmistakable gold ass glitter.  I'm 34.  I have three children.  I am not a performer in Cirque du Soliel.  I do not need to spend $20 on a tiny tube of lip gloss to get one covered in glitter.  So that was pretty weird, and I was just about ready to be totally done, but I still wanted to finish the whole experience and eat the orange.

You guys. 

It totally stayed.  If KVD was the orange's bitch, this was the total opposite. It did not budge at all.

 

Here I am at 5 o'clock with no touch ups:

 

 

 

I'm really on the fence about this one.  On the one hand I feel like I finally found something that lives up to what it promises in terms of longevity.  On the other hand, its is pretty drying,  and don't forget the glitter.  It doesn't show in all of the pictures, but believe me when I tell you, it was there.

 

I'm still kind of out to lunch on the whole thing.  So far nothing has really moved my spirit to the point that I want to drop that much money.  I kind of wish I could combine them all, but that isn't really possible.  So, I guess the search continues.

The Jury's Still Out: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw + Ulta Lip Crayon in American Girl February 17, 2016

 

After trying out the Stila the other day I decided to try out a few more high end liquids to see if any of them can live up to what I am after.  Kat Von D is really well known in he liquid lipstick world.  It is one of her trademarks, and her lippies tend to be really well reviewed.  There are two colors of hers that I have been lusting after for a long time, but the main color is a bright reddy red called "Outlaw"

As I mentioned before, Kat Von D products are not sold at Ulta so I had to venture out to Sephora.  Sephora is  perfectly lovely store too, but it only carries luxury brands and fewer of those at that.  But what its good for, its good for, know what I mean?

 

First off, this applies like a dream.  Seriously I own 0.0 lipsticks that apply as easily and as well.  It just slides right on and is dry immediately.  The applicator is really easy to control and maneuver and one swipe is all you need.  I started out very, very impressed.  I will say, it is a little bit bleedy, and would probably do well to have a lip pencil applied around the edges, but I loved it to begin with.  After leaving Sephora, I walked outside and a large gust of wind blew all of my hair into my face.  I braced for the goopy, sticky, hair in lip gloss routine, but there was none.  It was like I was wearing nothing at all.

 

It doesn't smell like anything at all, but the texture is incredibly velvety.  Kat Von D has a reputation as being drying but that wasnt my experience at all.  I found it to be incredibly soft.  I found myself rubbing my lips together over and over just because it felt nice.  Its a really lovely formula.

 

 

And it held up pretty well through lunch.

 

 

It is kiss proof and it is smudge proof.  It didn't come off on my straw or my sandwhich.  It was holding up pretty well and I was starting to think maybe it was going to live up to all I had hoped it would be.

 

And so it was time for the ultimate test.

 

 

After about two hours of wearing it I figured it was nice and set and so I busted out my orange.

 

 

 

Womp womp.

 

 

In short, this lipstick totally punked out.  It completely disintegrated.  You can see it on my chin, and you can see it totally gone from the interior of my lips.  I mean, there was just nothing left.  "Just don't eat oranges," you say.  Well, that's true.  I don't have to.  I could work a little harder to protect the lipstick.  After all, protecting the lipstick is why I love it so much.

 

Red lipstick is hard.  It takes effort.  It takes minding and focus.  You have to pay attention to what you are doing with red lipstick.  Its an art form.

 

 

This is me this past weekend wearing Ulta's Lip Crayon in American Girl.  Its yummy and fun and super easy.  I just swipe it on without even looking at it.  Its fun to change it up with makeup, but this takes no effort.  I like the effort.  Its something for me, its my celebration of being feminine, its what separates the women from the girls.  Red lipstick is a class all its own.

 

 

But here is the thing.  I can buy Ulta Matte Lip Cream or the Liquid Suede Lipcream that I already own.  Kat's liquid costs three times as much as the liquid suede, so I want it to be worth the difference, and sadly, I am not sure that it is.  I was really let down by how quickly Kat's lipstick gave up.

 

 

This one didn't even make it to 5 o'clock before I took it off.  there just wasn't anything left of it.  I really did love how it applied and it started out an amazing color, and it is for sure he softest lipstick I have ever worn, but it just couldn't hold out. 

 

The search continues.

The Jury's Still Out: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso February 16, 2016

I've been feeling like maybe to get the most out of liquid lipstick you need to travel into a higher tax bracket.  I really (like, really really) love the idea of liquid lipstick, but neither of the shades  I have are exactly right, and they don't have the staying power that I imagine a good liquid lipstick should have.

This weekend was Valentine's Day and so, of course, I asked Joe for makeup.  Or rather, if I'm being honest, I bought makeup and said," thanks for the makeup babe!!"  We ended up going back because Joseph wanted some beard care stuff as his gift.  We ended up getting him some beard wash and conditioner from the billy jealousy line. 

*As a side note, if you have a man with a beard, especially a thick one, these products are stupidly amazing.  The transformation to Joe's beard after one use was unreal.  It looked like a totally different beard.  You can buy all the products here in a kit.  You really should.  Seriously, what are you still doing here? Go buy it now.

ANYWAY.

We were in Ulta, and I saw one of the employees wearing the most fabulous lip color.  It looked exactly how I picture lipstick should look, and though I was just lamenting to Joe that I literally own all of the red lipstick and there is no more, hers caught my eye.  I asked her what she was wearing and it was a Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick (my buzzwords) in a color called fiery.  She had dark hair and sort of olive skin and the color looked cramazing on her.  Since it is kind of an orangey-red/ true red, I figured it would be about the same color as my NYX Kitten Heels liquid.  Its so pretty, but its a little too bright for me.  She showed me a color very close to the fiery though, except with a bit of a blue undertone, called "Beso."  Yes.  Beso is definitely the color to go for.

You can find it right over here.

At $24 a pop, this would definitely be considered a luxury brand, and in case there was any question, Ulta keeps it on the luxury brand side of the store.  Which is why I had never seen this brand before, because I stay on the drug store side. 

As luck would have it, I found myself back at Ulta today.  I totally didn't mean to go, but I was meeting my bestie to drop of Halo, and, as my good fortune would have it, she was in Ulta.  Mondays are great days for Ulta, in case you were curious.  Mondays are blah, so you can just drop by and get a nail polish or a new lippie.  Day made.  (If you aren't getting Ulta reward points, you are really missing out.  Its free to sign up and you get $10 off your first purchase if you use this link: http://refer.ulta.com/v2/share/6251729806000613717)

I decided I would give the Beso a test run since I was there. $24 is a lot to spend on one tube of lipstick, especially when I have 37 that are similar in color.  But I wonder if the higher price point would give me the staying power I want.  So, I decided to give it a shot.  Stila promises 6 hours of wear, and I decided to put it to the test.

Here is the color, newly applied:

I'm feeling sick off my ass and none too cute, but when I put this on, Ann immediately told me what a great color it was.  And it definitely is.  Blue reds are universally flattering, but especially if you have cool tones, which I do.  How do you know cool from warm tones, you may ask?  Look at the veins in your wrist. If they are blue, you are cool toned, and if they are green, you are warm toned.  Warm toned people will tend to have more yellow in their base skin color, and cool toned people will be more pink.  There's your science lesson for today.

This smells amazing.  I will say that all of my high end products smell fantastic.  That must be what the extra money gets you.  And while my NYX liquids take a few minutes to dry, this one is in place instantly.  And it is kiss proof.  I'd show you the picture of the kiss mark on my hand, but there isn't one, and I pressed hard.  We were off to a good start.

I had a hot pocket for lunch. We really need to go to the grocery store and I am classy like that.  I snapped another picture after lunch, and I was really impressed with how well it stuck around.

Its pretty much exactly like it was before.  I was also doing a good bit of drinking and I didn't see any transfer.  I was really starting to think that there was something to this, and then I decided to put it to the real test.

In the afternoons I like to eat oranges.  Its a good pick me up, and when you're sick, as I am now, the vitamin C feels good on the throat.  But it is also super wet and acidic, both of which are big ol' lipstick killers.  I decided that if it withstood the orange, I would need to buy one in every color.

I am making this goofy face so that you can see that the color is basically gone from the interior part of my lip.  The orange won.  The orange always wins.  There is still a lot of color left, and it doesn't look horrible or anything, but the search continues for something that really isn't going anywhere.  This was about three hours after I put it on.

5:30 pm on my way home from work.  At this point, the lipstick is about 6 hours old.  Is it still there? Yeah, mostly.  Is it pretty? Uhhhh.....

 

Getting ready for bed.  Makeup free except for the remainder lipstick.

 

 

I really want to try Kat von D's "Outlaw" and I think that one will be next.  The color is almost exactly identical to Beso, but I want to see about the formula.  Outlaw is a little bit cheaper ($20, rather than $24) and with Outlaw, you get over twice as much product (.22 oz, to Beso's .10) but they dont sell Kat von D at Ulta, and so I will have to venture out to Sephora.  Kat's colors are known for staying though, so I want to give it a try too, and see if it can out man the orange.  I will report back.

 

 

Overall though, I have to say, this is a great product.  Its a fab color and it goes on like a dream.  It has a doe foot applicator (most liquids do) but I found it really easy to maneuver.  It smells fantastic.  It has good staying power, it just doesn't stay pretty for six whole hours.  What does though, honestly?  I think this is a good buy, if $24 for a lippie is how you roll.

Things I think I could Love: Liquid Lipstick February 7, 2016

 

In my ongoing quest for the perfect red lipstick, I decided to branch into liquids.  The cool thing about liquid is that you can apply it like a gloss, but then it dries to a matte.  It gives you more precision in application, but still dries like a lipstick.  Its less oily than regular lipstick, and once it dries, it really feels like you don't have anything on.

If you are feeling adventurous and want to start at a slightly higher price point, here are the best o' the best in liquid lipsticks.

I am dying for the shade called "Unicorn Blood" but it has been sold out since forever

"Outlaw" is my favorite shade

I think "Candy Apple" would be the way to go here


That isn't the price point where I wanted to start though, just in case I hated it.  As usual, I went to Ulta, which has products available in all price points.  As a side note, Ulta branded makeup is buy two get to free this weekend, if you happen to be reading this post todayish.

I ended up going back to my trusty NYX and getting two of these.  I initially bought the shade "Kitten Heels" about a week ago, because the shade I really wanted, "Cherry Skies" was sold out.  I went back to Ulta yesterday and bought their last Cherry Skies.  I think its the most popular color, and it makes sense, since I suspect that it would be pretty universally flattering.

I will start by saying that I don't think either one of them is exactly the right shade for me.  I do really love the way they apply, like a gloss, and the color for both is really pigmented.  The claims that they are waterproof and stay on for 8 hours is a lie.  And honestly, its a lie told about almost every lipstick.  I haven't found anything yet that you really don't ever need to re-apply.  It is said A LOT about the Kat Von D liquid lipstick, and maybe at that price point its true, but even my higher priced lipsticks need reapplication, so who knows.


First, for comparison (and just because its a really good picture of me) here I am lipstick free...

Next up is the Kitten Heels.  It is incredibly bright and it is RED, bordering on an orange red.  Because it is so incredibly bright, I think it might be more flattering on someone with darker skin than me, which is to say, pretty much everyone.



These pictures really don't do justice to how bright it is.  Of all he lipsticks I own, this is by far the brightest and the most red, if that is a thing. It is advertised as kiss proof, but that is an untruth.

It gets on everything.  Including teeth.  It takes about two minutes to fully dry, and I very much recommend a teeth check after that period passes.  I learned that one the hard way.

The other color, Cherry Skies, is a much darker burgundy color.  On me, it reads almost purple, but again, I think that is because I am so pale.  It is also a deep, pigmented color, though, because it is so dark, it can apply a little patchy and you need to be aware of that.  I think its a bit dark for me, but I could see how it would be a fun color to wear at night when I am looking for something a little vampier.

See how the application isn't totally even?

These pictures really don't do justice to how dark this is in person.  In some of the pictures of other people that they've posted in their reviews of the shade, it really reads as a dark red, but to me, it doesn't feel red at all.  It feels like berry on me, and isn't quite what I was looking for.  I may try and mix the two together and see what I come up with.





You can see better here how dark it is.  It is a fun color for sure, and if you like this shade, I think you'd be happy with the product.  It will run you about $7, which isn't a big investment, and it really is a pretty good product, just not the shades I want. 

I love the application and look of the liquid lipstick.  I think liquid lipstick in general is a pretty genius product. I may spring for one in a higher price point, but I would need to be able to try the shades on in store.  If you can find the right shade for you, I really think liquid lipstick is the way to go.

ETA:

I have been wanting to try an ombre lip, and I figured I would give it a shot with these two not-quite-right colors.  I think I like the ombre best.

To learn how to create an ombre lip, click here.  To see how to do the look with only liquid lipsticks, click here and scroll down.  You'll see a little movie with lips on the left.  Have fun!

Twofer January 8, 2016

Twofer

It's 9:53pm on a Friday night, my babies are asleep, Lucas is at a sleepover, my husband is in the bathroom, no doubt watching ESPN on his phone, and I am eating stew, the ingredients for which I put in the crock pot this morning.  Needless to say, the the turn up is real.

Since we're having this lovely quiet time together, I wanted to tell you about a new red lippy I bought, and a new hair trick I tried this week.  Its exciting around here.

 

 

The video is pretty self explanatory, and this girl looks a lot like my friend Valerie, who has great hair, so I figured, since I had the day off yesterday, I'd give it a shot.  It took me a couple of tries to get the twisting down, but it wasn't too bad.  And I have to say, I looked pretty hot.

 

 That last sentence was a lie.  I looked totally batshit.

 

 

On my days off, I like to pretend I am a real live stay at home mom.  I clean things.  I bake things.  I take toddlers to classes.  I wear yoga pants. I get Starbucks.  I don't even really like Starbucks, but in my mind, that's what stay at home moms do.  I went to Target, which I never go to, but Target seems to be the Mecca of the at home parent, and I wanted to be with my people.  I wore my hair like this to Target, no joke.  And a gang of people looked at me sideways.  Because my hair looked crazy. 

 

It held up pretty well though.  Here I am first thing (and I mean very first thing) this morning:

 

I woke up like this.

 

 

A few tips:

 

1. you really have to shake the hair band a LOT to get it loose.  A few of the strands you will have to unwind yourself.

 

2. This will not work unless you put your hair up 100% dry.  And not just if you have crazy thick hair like me.  Anyone.  It has to be totally completely dry or it will not work.  This does make it a great second day style for people like me who only wash their hair every other day.

 

3. When you first take it down, it will be a hot frizzy mess.  I will be like the 80's when we used hot stix.  But do not be deterred.  Rub a few drops of some smoothing oil  ( I love this one.  On a side note, it is seriously the best stuff, and it smells so divine, and that little tiny bottle lasts forever, and I should probably write a separate post on the oil... ANYWAY) on your hands and run those bad boys through your hair.  Come to think of it, you could also run a little oil through your hair before you wrap it.  I just thought of that one.

 

For me, it ended up looking like this:

 

 

 







 



I was really pleased with the end product and I will definitely do it again.  It was a fun way to add some wave to my hair without any heat or damage, which is a nice change.  It wasn't hard and wrapping it really took all of about five minutes.  I have stupidly thick hair that is also fairly long, and I was sure it would not work because of the length and weight, but it totally did.  I definitely think you should give it a shot.


On to the red lip.

I went kind of a different way this time and bought a lip crayon.  You can make it your own anywhere NYC lip colors are sold.  Mine cost $2.77.  It looks a little something like this:

 

Its a lot of product for your buck, which, of course, I am fan of.  I have found that the drugstore lipsticks work just as well as the luxury brands.  I am not a MAC fan, but I do enjoy Urban Decay, Chanel, and my super fave, Besame.  But those are all going to cost you, and you can get a good quality red and spend much, much less.

 

 

These lip crayons come in a variety of colors:

 

 





I tried to choose between the color I got (Roosevelt Island Red- far right) and the other red one, South Ferry Berry.  I am glad I went with the darker color, because these things are super sheer.  This would be a great intro red if you aren't sure how you feel about it, and want to wade into the water slowly.  I have no interest in wading, so I lathered on about a thousand layers to build up some color.  I will say that it does build easily, so you can really control the amount of color. 

On the plus side, it smells fantastic.  Sort of sweet, but its also very light fragrance.  I really enjoy it.  On the minus, or maybe this is a plus for you, is the texture is really greasy.  It reminds me very much of chap stick.  Really what this is, is red, nice smelling chap stick.  I was hoping for the crayon to really have staying power, and maybe the ones in the higher price point do, but this is not the one.

After lunch, no more color.

Because of the greasy texture of the lip crayon, it is also a little bit shiny, which I don't love.  This is good for day wear though, for a pop of color.  On me, it wears as more of a true red, which doesn't translate when you see the tube.  In the tube it reads as a dark red, but even with a million layers, is doesn't read that way on my face.  I still like it though, it just has to be appreciated for what it is, which is, essentially, a really big, thick, tinted chapstick.

A million layers

 

 



I guess we will go ahead and make this a quick three-fer, because I have one more thing to add.  Thinking about what I said before about my hair, and about adding volume and not overwashing (red color fades quickly, as evidenced by these pictures, my last dye job was only a month ago) dry shampoo has been my new best friend, or at least I have wanted it to be.

As is the continuing theme of this blog, you really don't have to pay a fortune for quality beauty products, which I forget myself sometimes. 

I started out with this one here.  And honestly, its meh, at best.  It smells fantastic.  If you want to spray something that smells great, and have that in your hair, by all means, this could be your guy, but in terms of adding volume or soaking up oil, it just doesn't cut it.  I have better results soaking up oil when I run a little baking soda through my hair. 

But then, for a fraction of the price, I got this one hee-yah.  I won't lie, it was my free gift with purchase when I bought a shampoo and conditioner set- and I never buy Dove, but the set itself was on sale, but its the shit.  It doesn't smell like anything, but it soaks up every drop of oil and gives me- with my thick, heavy, processed hair- crazy volume.   And its a really big can, so I feel like it will last me a good little while.

Anyway, there you have it, three different reviews.  Lots of yummy products, and all the good ones are under $5.

Happy Friday :)

Sometimes Glam January 1, 2016

One other thing that I always want a pass along when I come across them is bloggers that I really enjoy.  And this girl-THIS GIRL- may be my fashion soul mate!  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Crystal Coons and www.sometimesglam.com

Read her New Year post here and see what jumps out at you-also, can you pour one out for your homie, who, after four years of blogging, finally realized how to link stuff.

Did you catch it?!? Mother fucking Peggy Carter AND Besame!  I gasped out loud to no one when I read it!  I knew right then and there that she and I were going to be friends. Not only that, but she wears a ton of Bauble Bar jewelry and I love Bauble Bar!!

(As a side note, and I am not paid to say this- its just my honest opinion- you really should shop at Bauble Bar.  Not only is it a female run small company- something I love to support- their customer service is really second to none. Their stuff is super cute, and totally worth a look.  Find them here.)

I also knew immediately that I loved her style, its crepe and tulle and heels and sparkles and everything super girly that I love. Of the New Year looks, I liked the first one the best, that dress is killer and I love neutral nails, but I'd wear any of them. She definitely had me at hello.


I kept scrolling through and it was this post that made me realize girlfriend is really a force to be reckoned with.

First of all, I totally agree with every word she says here:

Even though travel is a large part of my normal life, I still romanticize it. I daydream about PanAm flight attendants, dapper pilots with million-dollar smiles, Frank Sinatra piped through the airport speakers and travelers dressed in their best, excited for the journey ahead.

 When did we, as a society, become so casual? Ahh, but that’s a rant for another day.

 I love showing up at the airport for my flight in a look that not only makes me feel great but also pays homage to the days where sweatpants and stained tees weren’t the norm for flights.

And right after reading that sentence is when I spotted it, well, I spotted two things, really. 
1. We have the exact same phone (and phone case)

and the second?

This bitch carrying a mother fucking Hermes bag.  Hermes. Bag.  The makers of the birkin.  Say it with me again- HERMES BAG.

I did a quick online search to see where I might find a good approximation of the bag that she is carrying.  I found one second hand here. That number you are seeing is $10,000.00.  TEN THOUSAND AMERICAN DOLLARS.  I also found this one at the bargain price of just over $20,000.00. 

Now, understand what I am about to say.  It is not the fact that woman is carrying a purse worth more than my car that makes her  fashion expert. No.  I  believe firmly that you can be wearing all thrift store items and be the fiercest thing in the room.  But understand this though.  Crystal Coons is plus size.  Though times, they are a-changin' high end fashion is not typically geared toward women who look like her or me.  You won't see models in my size walking at New York Fashion Week.  Many high profile deisgners would scoff at making clothes that would fit either her or me.  She is not going to be the new face of Dior (which is probably fine with her if they were make her wear the batshit crazy stuff they make Jennifer Lawrence wear) and Ricardo Tisci isn't going to be upholstering any super unflattering dresses for her to wear to the Met Ball.

And yet.

And yet, this woman, with her obvious style, her wit, her smarts, and her overall fabulosity, has made enough money talking about plus size fashion to buy herself an Hermes bag.  Either that, or get herself somewhere or know someone who would give her one as swag.  Either way, my hat is off to her.  If you look like her and carry an Hermes bag, there is only on plausible explanation- you know what the fuck you are doing with your life, and you have your shit together.  This is someone worth listening to.

PS- the post, as you may have seen, offers an "affordable version" of her bag here.  Since $300 is still way too far out of my price range, let me suggest this alternative for anyone who's fabulous but still has bills to pay. Try this one or that one and check out Crystal Coons at Sometimes Glam.  She is very worth the read!

Havent done one in awhile! Thing I'm Loving: NYX Liptstick in Eden November 23, 2015

Havent done one in awhile! Thing I'm Loving: NYX Liptstick in Eden

I have been coveting NYX Eden for a lonnnng time! Months!  I quit buying lipstick for awhile, because it was just getting ridiculous, and we're trying to be super responsible with our money, and pay our debt down and make Dave Ramsey proud, and so I laid off the lipstick for awhile.  But, last Friday, the owner of our company sent around a Thanksgiving gift.  Everyone who works there got a Happy Thanksgiving card with $25 cash money in it.  Have I mentioned that my new company/ the owner of said company are really good at thoughtful holiday gifts?  Because, yes. 

I had been invited to a "Favorite Things" party with some of the other football moms on Friday and needed to get gifts for that.  What is a "Favorite Things" party, you ask?  Actually, its a really clever idea:

 

See? Fun, right?  So, where did I go? Ulta, of course.  And I figured, since I was there, I would treat yo' self to a little and finally get the Eden I had been wanting forevvvvvs.

 

 

It's red, ya'll. Like, RED.

 

 

I feel like Jessica Rabbit, which, in case you are curious, is exactly how you should feel in red lipstick.  This particular formula is very, marker like, I guess.  You know that thing where you put some lipstick on and you rub your lips together and it sort of spreads the lipstick out?  That isn't going to happen here.  It stays though, and it is BRIGHT. I am not sure this picture properly conveys it, but this is a classic cherry sort of red.  You cant miss someone wearing this shade.

 

 

The other NYX shade I have is called Snow White and it is way darker, but I am similarly infatuated with it. 

 

 

The Eden is on the left and the Snow White is on the right.  The Eden is a different sub brand of the NYX and it is slight bigger, but also slightly more expensive ($5.99 vs. $3.99.)  I would still consider them both bargain brands, but honestly, they're both fabulous, and I am really impressed with the coverage and staying power they both have.  I really dont think you can go wrong.