Nails ~ Fall Skittles with Flakies

Nothing says 'October is here' like Fall themed nails. I have been meaning to do something like this for the longest time, but I lacked the perfect green for it. Most of the greens are muted or muddy. I needed something crisp.

2 coats of the cremes - Sun

I don't have too many Autumn colors in my stash. Most of my stuff is cool toned. Even this orange is borderline neon, but I used flakies to conceal it. I will have to add warm-toned yellow to my wish list as well.

2 coats of the cremes - Fall Afternoon Sun

I started with cremes, but I immediately wanted sparkles. How could I not? I looked for all the flakies that would match the base colors, and I added five different ones; one coat of each. The sun was setting that day, so I decided to wait until the next day to take good pics.

3 coats - Shade

This mani received lots of compliments. Luckily, no one questioned why I have 10 different nail polishes on. I think the normies are too busy with current affairs nowadays. I usually get asked "how many nail polishes do you have?" when I change my mani too frequently during the week.

3 coats - Sun

I tend to change the subject when such questioning ensues or brush it off using the old "I don't know, like half a drawer?" response. We all know my top coats alone occupy that space [insert shifty eyes]... My favorite is to stare blankly and disassociate for a couple of seconds, kind of like Elaine in that Seinfeld episode where she is asked what is wrong with Kramer.

3 coats - Sun

Anyhow, I think this will become a staple mani come next October. It's easy to do, and it goes well with most outfits. I wouldn't mind adding some Fall leaves to it, but then I would risk it being too over the top.

3 coats - Shade

This last pic shows the gorgeous shift of each of the flakies.

Layering Order:
Kokoist Mega Stick Base Coat  Gel (I cure it for 90 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc in low heat)
Kokoist Excel Builder Gel (I cure it for 30 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc)
Essie Smooth-E Base Coat
2 coats Urban Outfitters Red 1 (pinky only)
2 coats Urban Outfitters Yellow 1 (ring only)
2 coats Chanel Giallo Napoli (middle only)
2 coats Enchanted Polish Grass Stain (index only)
2 coats Dare To Wear Fabulous Boot Camp (thumb only)
1 coat Lorena Sindy (pinky only)
1 coat L'Apogee Rubi (ring only)
1 coat Inglot 205 (middle only)
1 coat Inglot 203 (index only)
1 coat Make Up Store Lava (thumb only)
OPI DS Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
Aside from the DTW brown, they are all discontinued.

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3

Nails ~ Purple shimmers

I wanted to incorporate three of my favorite finishes into one mani: holo, duochrome, and color-shifting shimmer. I liked the end result, but it was difficult to capture the beauty in pictures.

Sun

Although I used a purple at the very end of the tips, it came out looking darker than I wanted.

Sun

When I went through my nail art stash, I noticed that I really didn't have too many stickers left from my nail-art-obsessed days. This really needs to change, especially since the holidays are coming up. There is so many things I still have to learn, and there's so much out there to explore. This is what I love about polishing my nails: the possibilities are endless.

Sun

I think I wore this mani for a whole week. Regardless of the stickers, I was quite pleased with it. I think some geometric patterns would have looked nicer, something like diamonds or stars.

Sun
knuckle rings by S.A. Treasures

As a side note, and totally unrelated, I really like this new chapter in my life and my blog. I think I am ok with going a while without posting. Gone are the days where I stressed about "making content". Quality over quantity is my motto.

Shade

Especially, because my life has always been so busy with juggling everything. I think I am happy now with my little blog. I write when I can, when I want, without pressure. Last weekend I was decorating for Fall, and I was just enjoying the new season, and thinking about the holidays, etc. Of course, I wanted to do my nails and blog, but I am now living with a focus on prioritization.

Sun

Layering Order:
Kokoist Mega Stick Base Coat  Gel (I cure it for 90 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc in low heat)
Kokoist Excel Builder Gel (I cure it for 30 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc)
Essie Smooth-E Base Coat
2 coats Color Club Eternal Beauty
1 coat Dare To Wear Eternal (tips only)
1 coat Colors by Llarowe Love Me Some Blurple (tips only)
1 coat Enchanted Snowflake Syrup (tips only)
OPI Designer Series Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
The Dare to Wear Duochrome is on their website. Color Club Holos are available on their website. CbL and EP are discontinued brands. Sterling Silver rings by S.A. Treasures.

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3

Makeup ~ Decorte

I stumbled upon these eye shadows, when I was on my quest to get a good icy lavender shadow that I would use on the go without a brush or meticulous planning. These captured my attention after I purchased Decorte PU 120, a limited edition eye crayon.

My first Decorte purchase

This is a Japanese brand that is well rounded, they have makeup, skincare, nail polish, and perfume. It kind of reminds me of Dior for some reason. I can find a few items that I love, but others that seem overpriced. I use their cotton, their toners, and the Phytotune Foaming Wash at the moment. When I used to wear more makeup (pre-covid) I reached for these eye shadows a lot. Their emulsions and lotions are ok, but I like to buy them during sales. Their lipsticks are creamy, but nothing memorable for me. I like their sales a lot, and their gift with purchase offers is what pushed me to get more eye colors from this type.

The lids are clear, which make it easy to see the colors;
they each come in beautiful boxes

Containers are acrylic (plastic) but look like glass

These are not supposed to be super pigmented, I think of it like the subtle glistening tops of pastel macaroons.

Summer selection at Honey & Butter

In fact, they look like macaroons when they're brand new. These are the first 4 I purchased. I was so fascinated by these little pots.

dome-shaped tops

These are shimmery, there is no way to sugar coat it (pun intended). I know some will probably say that they are glittery, but being a nail polish blogger, I am able to make that distinction. Trust me, these are frosty and shimmery, but the pigments are so fine and elegant that they could never be categorized as glitter. at most, I would describe it as grown up microglitter. Would I use these on my brow bone? probably not.

current stash - swatches in the sun

current stash - containers

Application wise, I like to pick up a smidge with a Q-tip or an applicator or my pinky nail, and spread it across the eyelid. I think these are meant to be used by rubbing the top directly with the fingertips. I would use that method as a last resort. As a second option, I would use a cream shadow brush. I used a ruler in this pic for scale, to show the approximate amount that is required for one eye. At this rate, these will last me a long time.

on the left is the amount required for the swatches on the right

The good thing is that they are very forgiving. If I accidentally take it too far past the outer edge, I can use a clean finger and erase it. Which brings me to the removal process, these are quite easy to remove with any facial soap, no need to do double cleanser or use any special oil-based remover.

swatches in the shade
Top to bottom: GR 781, PK 884, GD 082, PK 885, BR 383, BL 981, BL 980, and PU 981

They are really convenient for me. Of course the staying power is not as good as powder shadows or waterproof cream shadows, but I like the way they fade. On me, they do not crease at all. The color range is pretty good, although there are too many neutrals that look alike. That being said, I plan to get a few more colors soon.

Color range - Image source

Ingredients listed on their website are as follows:

CYCLOMETHICONE･ DIPHENYL DIMETHICONE･ SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE･ DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER･ ISODODECANE･ TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE･ DIMETHICONE･ CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE･ CITRUS LIMON (LEMON) FRUIT EXTRACT･ JASMINUM SAMBAC (JASMINE) FLOWER EXTRACT･ ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER EXTRACT･ TOCOPHEROL･ ALCOHOL･ ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE･ BUTYLENE GLYCOL･ CELLULOSE･ CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE･ DEXTRIN ISOSTEARATE･ HYDROGEN DIMETHICONE･ HYDROGENATED LECITHIN･ ISOPROPYL TITANIUM TRIISOSTEARATE･ MINERAL OIL/PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM/HUILE MINÉRALE･ PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE･ POLYETHYLENE･ POLYPROPYLENE･ SILICA･ SQUALANE･ STEAROYL INULIN･ TIN OXIDE･ TRIETHANOLAMINE･ TRIETHYLHEXANOIN･ WATER/AQUA/EAU･ PHENOXYETHANOL･ FRAGRANCE (PARFUM)･ MAY CONTAIN (+/-):BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE (CI 77163)･ IRON OXIDES (CI 77491)･ IRON OXIDES (CI 77492)･ IRON OXIDES (CI 77499)･ MICA･ TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891)･ ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)･ YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140)

The thing I like about these eye shadows is the smoothing effect. For some reason, they make the eyelids look younger and rested. Maybe it's because they have some sort of silicone. I hope my swatches are helpful. Michele Wang has a great video review of the shadows at minute 7. There are a few swatches with descriptions in English here and here. And a swatch review in Japanese here.

swatches in the sun with descriptions

GR 781 is a peridot, leaning lime. This has gold undertones, but also silver, so it somehow ends up looking cooler on the arm swatch. However, on my lids, since they are sometimes tired and darkened, all it does is neutralize the redness, and make me look more awake. The golden tones are pulled in and it just makes for a great base color, which blends well with the natural browned edges. PK 884 is a light pink with gold undertones. This one is my go to, because I love baby pink eye shadow and I equally love gold, and sometimes I cannot make up my mind on which one to wear, so I reach for this one. It is definitely warmer than PK 885, but the shimmer is so similar that they both end up looking cool toned on me.

Top to bottom: GR 781 and PK 884

GD 082 is a neutral cool toned gold. Nothing too over the top, and it performs as expected. Just by looking at the color on the pot, that is what will translate onto the eye. It is sheer, just like most of them, but it provides a really nice smoothing effect. It can be used to enhance corners too. PK 885 is super girly and loud. Even though the pictures here don't do it justice, I think this one is very buildable. Depending on skin tone it can look a bit 80s, I mean it will lean bubblegum pink on me some days, depending on lighting. So I try to not over do it. This is not one that I use as a monoshadow, I feel like I have to add something to deepen it.

Top to bottom: GD 082 and PK 885

BR 383 is a golden brown, and it leans really dark on me, so I have to be careful not to use too much of it. I mainly got it for the crease, as it gives a nice depth, but if I'm using my fingers, this is kind of a task. My favorite way to use it is as a thick smudged liner over the other shadows. I love that this brown is not muddy, it just looks like an expensive copper eyeshadow that brightens the eyes. BL 981 was a disappointment for me, because this blue is so silvery on me. It's very metallic, so I have to tread carefully, again, to avoid that frosty 80s look. I wanted it to be purple, but it was just a basic medium denim color. Moreover, worn by itself, it tends to look patchy on my tired skin. I like it only on one third of my eye, blended with a lighter shadow, like PK 885. I will have to try it with a primer or over concealer. I think it will look better for someone with naturally fair eyelids or perhaps with heavy black eyeliner and some falsies.

Top to bottom: BR 383 and BL 981

BL 980 is a navy dark blue with some violet undertones. This one looks stunning, but I am not sure if I can use it for a mono look either. Again, outer corner for me, just to be safe. I do love the color, and this one leans more purple in certain lighting situations. It almost has like a duochrome effect going on, which is rather unique. This is the most pigmented of the bunch, and it doesn't really fit that macaroon description I was talking about earlier. Last but not least, PU 981. This one is stunning, it has a grey, blue-toned pink microshimmer throughout, which reminds me of my favorite MAC pigment, called Lark About. It's quite a stunner. Think of it like an iridescent nail polish topper. It's very white so I definitely need to wear an eyeliner when I use this. 

Top to bottom: BL 980 and PU 981

Where to buy in the US:

Decorte Makeup online here or here. Physical stores that I know where you can find it would be Saks 5th Avenue in Beverly Hills, CA.

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend. The above are not affiliated links. The opinions on this post are mine. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3

Nails ~ skittles tips

With the Summer ending, so do the neon manis.

Sun

I don't think I reach for neons that often. They're good in theory, but sometimes they're tricky to apply.

Sun

When done right, they really brighten up my day.

Sun

I got the 'inspo' for this mani when browsing through Instagram's suggested posts. An account called Nailfye posted a skittles mani with neon and pastel skittles only on the tips, sort of a french mani, and I thought, maybe I can recreate this with holos.

Shade

I added my own twist, using a gap in between the colors, and filling it with some iridescent shimmer. To me, this one looks better in pictures than IRL.

Sun

Layering Order:
Kokoist Mega Stick Base Coat  Gel (I cure it for 90 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc in low heat)
Kokoist Excel Builder Gel (I cure it for 30 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc)
Essie Smooth-E Base Coat
2 coats L'apogee Ametista for the gap
Color Club Cosmic Fate and Dare To Wear Coral Carnation (pinky)
Color Club Eternal Beauty and NCLA Pick Me Up at Melrose Place (ring)
Color Club Kismet and Dare To Wear Honeysuckle (middle)
Color Club Blue Heaven and Canmake 53 (index)
Guerlain Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
The Dare to Wear neons have been discontinued. Color Club Holos are still available on their website.

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3

Nails ~ Tonic Fig-ure It Out

Recently, I did an old-school swap with a fellow blogger. I got this gorgeous polish along with two Takkos. Two great indie polish companies.

2 coats - Sun

I wanted to do my nails with a combo that I wouldn't be bored with, because I recently trimmed them to this almond shape, and I want to leave it on for a week or two so that I can allow them to grow.

2 coats - Sun

Nowadays, I usually wear a builder gel to give them structure and prevent breakage. I then polish with regular nail polish. It's a real pain to remove the gel, but with a drill (e-file) and following Suzie's tips, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

2 coats - Sun

What I do if I want to change my color, is use a non-acetone-based remover, as to not disturb the gel underneath, My favorite is the one from Mineral Fusion, which I get from health stores. It works well at removing non-glitter polishes. I get to change it 3 times on average, and always leave the glittery stuff for last, for when I'm ready to remove the whole thing.

2 coats - Shade

This nail polish is so beautiful, it already has the pink flecks in it, which made it blend so well with this mani. The formula was perfect. I tried to do a shooting star on my index, but I am not sure if it's showing up on my pictures.

2 coats - Sun

Layering Order:
Kokoist Mega Stick Base Coat  Gel (I cure it for 90 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc in low heat)
Kokoist Excel Builder Gel (I cure it for 30 sec. with Kokoist Le Blanc)
2 coats Tonic Fig-ure It Out
Pa deco 07 loose glitter and pink holo stars
OPI Designer Series Top Coat

Where to buy in the US:
This particular polish has been discontinued, but there's other good ones on the Tonic website. Kokoist base coat and builder gels can be found on their website. The glitters were purchased at a nail supply store many years ago.

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3

Makeup ~ Jill Stuart 05 amaryllis poetry, 02 seductive romance, and 07 in my dream

Story time. If you want to skip this long post and go straight to the review, check out the content after the wavy ~~~~~ line.

How I Got Into This

To me, Jill Stuart makeup is a gateway... item. This was my doorway into Japanese makeup and skincare. Growing up in an underdeveloped country, I never would have thought of this as an option. I came to the US about 16 years ago, and all I knew about "good makeup" was NARS and MAC. I thought Clinique was good skincare. No shade to anyone who still thinks this, I am sure these brands have some good products. Occasionally, I got fancy and purchased Chanel or YSL. Fast forward to today, now Japanese makeup is always my first option. Why? ingredients and packaging is the simple answer, but it goes beyond that.

My mani that day was F.U.N. Lacquer Holo Queen over purple

I had been struggling with dry/chapped lips for a while. I live in the dry-climate, polluted city of Los Angeles. So one day (Circa 2017), I walked into the JS store with no expectations whatsoever, just to look at the beautiful packaging pictured below. I asked if they had nail polish, but they did not have any. The sales associate showed me the beautiful lipsticks and she insisted that I try Amaryllis Poetry. She said that was a shade that looked great on all skin tones. I skeptically swatched it on my hand, because I have a thing with microbes, and I was shocked at the balm-like texture and delicate hidden shimmer. So I walked out with my little tube.

Jill Stuart 05 amaryllis poetry, I'm already on the second tube

After I purchased the 45-dollar lipstick--because why not, I was on vacation--I opened it and I wore it for the rest of my trip. I loved the texture and the skincare benefits, and the color was just perfect on me. I have naturally pigmented lips, and most light pinks either look milky or don't show up at all. This just magically turned my lips to a soft pink and blended right in. Moreover, it moisturized my lips, and kept them looking young. Isn't that what I wanted anyway? I loved it so much that as soon as I got to LA, I bought a couple more, which I will review later posts. I had to do a phone order, because back then, they did not have a US website. I remember I got a setting powder in 02 lucent, and I ended up repurchasing it a year later because it became a staple in my stash. Granted, I have not tried other makeup items from JS, but I think this brand is a gem. It's highly coveted in Asia, and not just for their makeup/skincare, but for their chic accessories.

Storefront of Anna Sui HQ in Soho, NY

It was right there on Broome Street, next to Anna Sui store, where it all started. I instantly fell in love with this new world of possibilities. The only downside was finding swatches/reviews in English, but I am here to try to improve that. The packaging really sealed the deal for me, as pictured above, some of these lipsticks have a built-in mirror that actually works when I'm on the go. Love it.

How I Stayed and Never Looked Back

A few years back, I was planning to go on a trip to NYC, and at that time, I had just discovered Reddit, and I was really into the sub called Asian Beauty. A blogger had suggested the sub in one of the posts. If I recall correctly, I had stumbled upon Beauty and the Cat when I was searching for a review on Tatcha, a Sephora-bound moisturizer which is actually not as Asian as it seems, but I won't get into that. Anyhow, once I got into Asian skincare, I went back to said blog and before my trip, I saw that they had a post about where to find popular oriental items in NYC for a beauty lover like me. I looked them up on yelp and went to visit them, and hauled me a little piece of the vast sea that is this magical world of good makeup.

Storefront of Ume Cosme in East Village

,At first, for an occidental like myself, the world of Asian beauty seemed pretty intricate. It was just like navigating the subway in the big city. I missed my car + GPS that were back in L.A. almost every 5 minutes during the first day in NYC. Like everything, it has its ups and downs, and some things aren't perfect, but once I learned the ins and outs I stopped focusing on the past, and the comfort of the known, and started embracing the unknown. I use google translate a lot now, and that helps tremendously. Pro tip: I upload pictures of the product labels to the google translate app on my iphone and just go from there. I learned about Korean expiration vs. manufacturing dates as well, but we will leave that for another post. I research things in google and adjust the advanced settings by country to either South Korea or Japan, very rarely Singapore if I cannot find what I need.

High end makeup including Les Marvellous de Ladurèe and Jill Stuart

Random items inside the Ume store

My haul from Ume

So there I was at Ume, with my little shopping basket, and no idea what I wanted. I placed some items inside that I thought would be useful, then went back to the hotel super exhausted and jet lagged. After I woke up from my nap, I washed my face and tried on the 23 years cocoon mask, which I reviewed here. I was converted after that. This thing (which I originally thought was coconut) had taken my post-flight tired skin to a new level. Not only did my skin look younger and rested, but way more supple than what I had started with before even boarding that flight. So anyway, the rest is history. As you will read in other posts there are many hidden gems like this one. Oh, and that Avance eyeliner turned out to be another favorite that quickly became a staple, a few months later I ended up purchasing four other colors at Little Tokyo here in Cali. In Koreatown, I found a store that carried Su:m37 which were 1/3 of the price of La Prairie, but performed better than the Swiss brand. I got some Sulwhasoo items online that were comparable to the American brands I'd been using, and added them to my arsenal. My routine quickly became 90% Asian products because I felt that they met all of my skin needs.

It Wasn't All About Aesthetics, but They Sure Are Nice

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I have posted and raved about Anna Sui nail polishes for a while (tag link). Despite the gloomy weather, the next morning, I was on a mission to go check out the Anna Sui Store in Soho. So I walked there coffee on hand, right after I finished my morning cheese-bread-stick from Dean and Deluca.

Gorgeous view from a Starbucks where I was charging my phone

The nail polish counter inside Anna Sui

A closer look at the window-shopping-worthy storefront

It was a beautiful day to explore the city, and although the employees that time were not so nice or welcoming, I did not let that ruin my experience. Nothing was going to get in the way of me and the whimsical nail polish bottles and makeup cases. The beautiful storefront stood out in the middle of the busy streets. The colorful décor was more than I had bargained for in the gothic-like interior. I ended up getting only 1 nail polish, because I can always shop online, and my budget got cut short after I fell in love with a jeweled hair piece. I also got a liquid lipstick, which was a really good color, and I ended up using it quite a lot, which made it worth it, blotting sheets, plus a free tote, and a hand cream for a friend.

Even the doors were cute, they thought of everything

The floor was red, the furniture was black, it did not disappoint

Random items inside the Anna Sui store

My haul from Anna Sui

When I walked out of the store I felt like I was on a roll and had to keep going. I got so lucky with my purchases including the day before, and I had fulfilled my dream of going to the Anna Sui store ("the" is in the literal sense, because there is just one like it here in the US). I saw the inconspicuous sign for the Jill Stuart store, and although I was familiar with the name from Reddit, I didn't know there was an actual store here. As of writing this I am unsure if they exist, and I will just assume it was all a dream. My stomach-with-butterflies felt like when I'm walking down those clothing designer stores at the Bellagio Shops in Vegas: I see a Chanel sign and I am thinking/hoping/dreaming that they carry nail polish or at least the glossimers *please* I plead to the beauty gods. They smiled. I walked in, and there it was, a mini makeup counter with attention to detail inside the tiny garments store. The most gorgeous makeup packaging that I had ever laid eyes on. Swatch away, bon voyage.

Select Makeup, skincare, and perfume inside Jill Stuart in Soho

The end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have about a dozen Jill Stuart Lipsticks. That is the extent of my obsession for now. The first ones I am going to review are 05 amaryllis poetry, which is the very first Jill Stuart lipstick I ever bought, and then 02 seductive romance, ending with 07 in my dream, which are the latest two that I purchased online last year. I got those two during one of those made up holidays (National Lipstick Day, July 29th 2020). They were giving away a free Dressed Rouge lip gloss as a GWP (gift with purchase), and I could not pass up the opportunity. I also got a mirror that day that I had been drooling over for quite some time. I hope these arm swatches are helpful, I only started doing makeup reviews recently, and I explained here why I do arm swatches and lots of descriptive text.

Items boxed
Top: mirror in its pouch
L to R: 07, 02, Dressed Rouge Rose Pink (GWP)

all three lipsticks - Sun
L to R: 07, 02, 05

all three lipsticks, close up - Sun
L to R: 07, 02, 05

Nowadays, Jill Stuart has its own separate website for makeup, and I no longer have to resort to the phone orders. They also have an Instagram just for beauty items, and it seems like they are establishing their brand in the beauty arena here in the US. Like Anna Sui, they are niche brands in the fashion industry here in the US, but makeup is not their main focus. Their clothes are made with high end fabric, and the prices reflect their quality. I personally don't own anything to wear from either of those brands. And speaking of prices, the Lip Blossoms that I bought before were $45-$50 each, but now they have adjusted the prices to $24-$31 which is still high-end, but less crazy. I mean, I really dread doing the math on how much I spent on these, to be honest.

all three lipsticks - Sun
Top to bottom: 05, 02, 07

all three lipsticks - Shade
Top to bottom: 05, 02, 07

Amaryllis Poetry (05) is discontinued, but it is definitely my favorite, and I will probably cry when this tube runs out, because I did not have enough for a back up before they closed their website which carried clothing + some makeup. It's a creamy light baby pink with peach undertones. It is really neutral, in that it will look cool in certain lighting situations, but warm in others. I had searched for a color like this in so many American and European brands, that I was ready to give up. Most of the baby or 'barbie' pinks out there seemed either too milky (some even sink into the lip ridges) or too light to cover my red-toned lips. Others seemed patchy or just looked plain awkward. This one just sort of sinks in and blends in with my natural lip color and it looks like I'm wearing a really fancy balmy lipstick.

05 amaryllis poetry Lip Blossom lipstick - Natural Light

Seductive Romance (02) is a straight-forward mauve. Of course I wanted it to be more purple than pink, but it manages to blend well with my skin-tone. It provides a better coverage than the lip blossoms, because this is from a different range that they probably had to introduce to the US because of the demand for more pigment saturation here. It has some brown or bruised undertones, but I am unsure if I was able to capture those in the pictures. It gives it a nice balance, because I wouldn't want it to be too neon or 80s looking. This is a shade that I would wear in the Fall, because it leans more warm to me. I wear it to run errands or go shopping, it looks great in daylight, but I would not wear it to work because the neon factor is past the level that I believe is formal looking.

02 seductive romance Rouge Tint-In-Dream lipstick - Natural Light

Ingredients

In My Dream (07) is a thick, slightly tinted balm with pink glitters. I bought it thinking it would look purple, but I was a bit disappointed that it was just glossy and not pigmented at all. The glitters are really subtle, they actually show up better in the evening so I wear it for a date night or when I go to a restaurant, since it reflects better with indoor lighting. The glitters are not so fancy looking in the sun, and it just doesn't enhance my lips like I hoped it would during the daytime. Because of the thick texture, I find it difficult to use it as a glitter topper with other lipsticks underneath it. I think it has potential because it doesn't disturb the layers like a glittery lip gloss would, but I haven't found a good combo that I like yet. Plus the darkened base makes it difficult to play with.

07 in my dream Rouge Tint-In-Dream lipstick - Natural Light

Overall, these lipsticks are worth a try, but if I had to choose between Lip Blossoms and the Rouge Tint-In-Dreams, I would choose the Lip Blossoms. The color payoff is not the one that us Westerners are used to (i.e.: NARS or MAC lipsticks), but the color palettes are so unique; and the way they feel on the lips is so much more comfortable, that is makes it worth it. Plus, they look so natural and make me look put together. They just blend with my skin, and sink in like a good moisturizer. sits on the skin I don't feel like I need a lip liner, but I do think I need to reapply more frequently than regular lipstick, which is why I think the formula is being tweaked for our market. I really hope that they don't change it too much, because I wouldn't want to see them deviate from what originally made them special to me.

Where to buy in the US:

Jill Stuart Makeup

Anna Sui Polishes here or here

Physical stores I talked about on this post: Jill Stuart, Anna Sui, and Ume Cosme

Fine Print: If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, typos, different opinions, etc. These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend. The above are not affiliated links. The opinions on this post are mine. I am not a professional makeup artist, nor a nail tech, nor an aesthetician, so please take everything with a grain of salt. Actually, take anything found on the internet with a grain of salt <3