Sweet & sexy! But this Cherry Bomb is a lot more innocent than that famous song by the Runaways. I have seen Tokyomilk products in Ricky's NYC for some time and it was the eye catching packaging that made me more curious about them. My first purchase was this gorgeous makeup tote called Dead Sexy. I just love their imagery and packaging. Check out their "curious things" page. It also seems their beauty products are made with natural ingredients, for example in this lip balm: Sunflower seed oil, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera and Shea Butter. It smells like a Marino cherry ice we used get at the Good Humor truck. It leaves my lips perfectly supple and soft for lipstick application. I cannot wait to try their lotions and other luxuries!
Hot. That's one way to describe my favorite colors for the summer. I'm all about candy colored nails this season and these are a few of my favorites. Essie has come out with beautifully bold shades in the last few years (blame the 80's comeback) and this seasons DJ Play that Song is no exception. It's described as "neon plum" on Essie's site and it really is a gorgeous bright purple that looks amazing on tan feet and I'm gonna go for gold and say it's probably one of the few universal neon shades out there. Essie's In the Cab-Ana is described as an aqua blue but for me it's my ultimate turquoise. I always get a blue that's too green which is a big no no for my olive skin so I was thrilled to get this blue and one thing I noticed with this shade is it's staying power. Some blues chip quickly (Essie's Bouncer, It's me, a darker cobalt did NOT last a week without chips). Over the weekend I found that Sephora by OPI was discontinuing their line so I picked up White Hot. A great tip is to apply a white layer before applying neon shades; it makes the color stand out even more instead of blending in with your natural nail. The Q.R.S. neon shades of hottest pink and neon yellow are actually nail stripers with thin brushes for fine art detailing on nails. I got these for under $3 a pop at a beauty supply shop. Lastly is a teenie jar of iridescent orange stars for embellishments. They're super cheap, and also found at the beauty supply store for under $2. Why? Why not!? It's fun!!
Some products are tried and true products. Having purchased two Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip tars before (in Strumpet and Pretty Boy), I was amped when I found out that they were releasing Lip Tar Stained Gloss. You need so little lip tar and the color payoff is huge. Plus the packaging is super cute with it's little case and small lip brush for precision - what's not to love. So I decided to give the Stained Gloss in New Wave a try. There is a BIG difference from the lip tars themselves. You need a lot more than a "bead" as recommended, and the application is very different because the consistency is different. I found that applying this with the brush provided doesn't work out as well as just pushing the color into your lips with your fingers to create a stained, and somewhat glossy finish. And yes, I realize that is not a sanitary way especially for women on the go who want to carry this around, but it's the most efficient for color payoff. If I had to recommend a gloss for the summer I'd have to recommend NARS Larger than Life gloss, which I'll cover in another post with other NARS products. On to the MAC Lipsticks, also tried and true. I admittedly wanted that MAC lipstick in Feel my Pulse because of the sexy matte bronze packaging. This shade is part of their Temperature Rising collection. While I love love love the casing of the bronze bullet the shade is a little tough to pull off; it's a magenta violet with a blue lean which makes it not as flattering on me as it might be on someone else. My lip line is already dark because of my complexion so maybe it's better with foundation applied to the lips first. The second MAC color I purchased most recently is one of their cult shades, Rebel. Why would I buy this shade in the middle of summer? It's not exactly punchy or light but it's uber sexy on. I tried this on at a MAC store and I was sold on how gorgeous and flattering this plum shade is. If you're medium to dark this shade will be vavavoom. It picks up light beautifully and as it wears off it leaves you with wine stained lips. It's a satin finish which means it's smooth upon application and it stays put even through a meal. Swatches of color to come.
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