Only in the beauty community do people associate “MLBB” with lip products rather than baseball! If you are unfamiliar with the acronym MLBB, it simply means a product is very similar in color to that of your lips but slightly enhances them. They can have a hint more pink, brown, peach, purple, etc., but they are meant to be subtle.

For about eight years MLBB liners, glosses, and lipsticks were my obsession. Before I knew it, I had amassed an enormous collection that was eerily similar to one another. I hadn’t even heard of the phrase “my lips but better” — I just knew what I liked. After years of trying to use up my hoard, I feel as though I have become somewhat of an expert on the subject. A self proclaimed MLBB expert. As you might be able to guess by looking at the swatches below, my lips are naturally a pale pink color.



MAC Syrup, MAC Viva Glam V, MAC Peach Blossom, MAC Angel

MAC Syrup (Lustre) —  wonderful MLBB lipstick that would work on a wide range of skintones! This one has a slight purple undertone.

MAC Viva Glam V (Lustre) — a dusky rose with a minimal brown undertone and subtle shimmer. Very popular color for good reason!

MAC Peach Blossom (Cremesheen + Pearl) —  peachy pink with pearl. This is a great lipstick to start transitioning into peach lip products.

MAC Angel (Frost) — light neutral pink with very subtle frost. This probably isn’t the best MLBB lipstick if you have very pigmented lips.


Rimmel East End Snob, MAC Ample Pink, MAC Cultured, Merle Norman Gumdrop, Givenchy Impertinent Nude, Smashbox Radiant

Rimmel East End Snob Lip Liner — This is very close to my lip color, just slightly darker. It works well will most of the lippies and glosses in this post! DUPE ALERT: MAC Soar Lip Pencil

MAC Ample Pink Plushglass — A very basic pink gloss that would work on just about anyone!

MAC Cultured Lipglass — My favorite gloss of all time! A purpley pink with lavender shimmer.

Merle Norman Gumdrop — A light slightly blue toned pink with shimmer.

Givenchy Impertinent Nude — A peachy pinky nude gloss. This one was a gift and definitely a luxury item, but it is absolutely stunning on the lips.

Smashbox Radiant — a soft berry with shimmer.

That’s it for my favorite MLBB products… what are your favorites?

I like to think that I’m immune to the sales pressure of the MAC artists, but my ownership of Prep + Prime Lip proves the contrary. I was at the counter purchasing a couple lippies when the artist asked me about Prep + Prime Lip. She then looked at me aghast when I told her that I don’t use a primer when I wear dark lipstick. Long story short… I bought it.

“A colour-free base to wear under lipstick. Adds light moisture, smoothes andrefines the lips. Improves the appearance of applied lip products.”

When applied MAC Prep + Prime Lip feels very similar to a lip balm. I like to let it sit on the lips for about two minutes before I apply lipstick on top. Overall I am very pleased with the purchase and it does what it says it does! I really like how smooth the lipsticks apply and how moisturized my lips feel underneath. I think this product is great for someone that wears bright/dark lips frequently or suffers from dry lips. I don’t think this primer extends the wear time, but it definitely makes wearing lipsticks much more comfortable.

I highly recommend this product and will definitely be repurchasing when I’m finished with this one!

I feel like there are primers for just about everything these days… do you think they are necessary?

Do you use a lip primer?

Sarah

Today I thought I would do a quick comparison of two of my favorite lipsticks… Ruby Woo vs Russian Red!

COLOR: Russian Red is definitely a cooler (more blue toned) slightly deeper red. Ruby Woo is slightly more neutral leaning and brighter in color.

FINISH: Ruby Woo is a Retro Matte meaning it is extremely dry. I didn’t know it was possible for a lipstick to be that dry! Russian Red is a Matte finish but it is much smoother to apply. If you look at the swatches below you can see the difference in the two finishes. Although Russian Red is Matte you can still see a slight sheen to is, but Ruby Woo is completely flat.

APPLICATION: Because of its incredibly dry texture Ruby Woo is somewhat of a pain to apply and I find it difficult to use a brush with this lipstick. Typically I apply Ruby Woo directly from the bullet and then touch up with a lip liner. Russian Red can be easily applied from the bullet or by brush

WEAR: They both wear extremely well, although I would say Russian Red is a bit more comfortable.



top Russian Red; bottom Ruby Woo

(I’m not that pale in person — the camera washed me out)

When it comes to red lipsticks, your skin tone will be the biggest factor in deciding which looks best on you. Russian Red will suit cool tone ladies best, while Ruby Woo will look great on a variety of skin tones because it is more neutral. I think Russian Red is more of an evening/night color because it is slightly deeper and a more vampy red. I prefer to pair both with Cherry Lip Pencil by MAC. You could also use Brick if you wanted a little contrast. No matter which lipstick you choose, it is necessary to wear a lip balm or primer underneath. I like MAC’s Prep + Prime… it really keeps my lips feeling moisturized. I will be posting a review soon!

Even though Russian Red is easier to apply, I prefer Ruby Woo. The color of Ruby Woo is perfect on my complexion and it seriously lasts forever!

Russian Red, Ruby Woo

Hope you enjoyed! What is your favorite red lipstick?

Sarah

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award by Charlotte at Step Into My Closet. I’m really excited to answer her questions, so let’s get straight into it!

1. Lipstick or Lipgloss?
2. What do you have the most trouble with during makeup application? Eyeliner, brows, eyeshadow, etc?
3. What is your dream car?
4. What is your favorite physical feature of yourself?
5. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
6. Who is your celebrity crush?
7. What is the one luxury beauty item that you would love to spoil yourself with, but the pricetag holds you back?
8. What is your favorite thing about blogging?
9. What is your biggest pet peeve?
10. What quality do you find most attractive in others?
11. What is your biggest fear?

Hello lovelies! Here are my Top 5 MAC lipsticks for Summer! As you are about to see I have an affinity for the Amplified Crème finish; they are super creamy, extremely pigmented and last for hours. When I wear a bright lip I don’t want to have to constantly check that it hasn’t smudged or reapply often. Amplified lipsticks hug your lips and then leave a beautiful stain that has to be removed with a makeup wipe.

Hope you enjoy!

(L-R) Chatterbox, Impassioned, Vegas Volt, Girl About Town, Pink Pearl Pop

IMPASSIONED (Amplified Crème)

Impassioned is a neon corally watermelon pink that looks amazing with winged eyeliner. It is so bright that my camera has a hard time registering the color. It is actually brighter than this lip swatch shows!

GIRL ABOUT TOWN (Amplified Crème)

Girl About Town is a bright fushia that looks gorgeous all year round, but especially for summer!

PINK PEARL POP (Cremesheen + Pearl)

Pink Pearl Pop is definitely the tamest of my top five! You have to build up the color of this one to reach full opacity, but it is such a wearable bright pink — LOVE!

Thank you for reading!!! What is your favorite lipstick for summer?

Sarah

It all started with my quest for the perfect coral lipstick… I researched online, tried on countless lipsticks at the MAC counter and after many failed attempts I decided that I was going to make my own. You see, I had this color in my head of what I wanted and I wasn’t going to give up until it became fully realized.

I decided that I would find the brightest, most orangey coral to start with and use pink lipsticks I already had laying around the house to design my perfect pinky coral. Enter Vegas Volt. MAC’s Vegas Volt is an Amplified Crème that is straight up orange on my complexion… well definitely on the orange side of coral — to say the least.

For the combinations below I started with Vegas Volt and then added the other lipsticks on top… had I started with Pink Pearl Pop it would have given me a slightly different result. Whichever lipstick you start with will usually have a stronger influence on the final result — unless you really pack the second color on top. I recommend doing a patting motion and then mixing the colors carefully with your lips. Using a lip brush is always another option!

You can also add a nude lippy like Hue or Myth to make your base lipstick appear more muted!

I didn’t apply them with a brush so the lip swatches appear a bit sloppy, sorry friends 🙂

VEGAS VOLT

PINK PEARL POP

VEGAS VOLT + PINK PEARL POP

VEGAS VOLT + PINK PEARL POP + LOVELORN = MY PERFECT CORAL LIPPY!

FYI, that is a tiny pebble that has been stuck in my lip since grade school…

Some other combos I’ve been LOVING:


Angel + Viva Glam V = AMAZING! This is my perfect everyday color!

Hue + Girl About Town = a beautiful bright berry color

Craving + Hue = muted magenta

Many of us have mixed lip products or even lipsticks, but this was the first time I purchased a lipstick for the sole purpose of mixing — so I thought it would be fun to share! 🙂

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!

Sarah

The picture above shows the amount I use per eye, sometimes even less!

I had a second interview today and put this look together… It’s probably a bit more makeup than most would wear to an interview, but oh well! My idea of great interview makeup is something that makes you feel confident and put together, but not over the top.

I tried to keep my brows as minimal as possible — which is a HUGE challenge for me. I did a simple eyeshadow look and paired it with brown gel liner. Typically I smoke out my lower lashline with an eyeshadow but I left that out today.

I used my usual full coverage foundation and made sure to set it really well with a powder. I have oily skin and didn’t want to worry about my face looking shiny. I did very subtle bronzing to warm up my complexion and used a matte peach blush on my cheekbones. To finish my skin I added a tiny amount of highlighter to the high points of my cheeks and softly blended it in.

Lastly, I chose one of my favorite MLBB (my lips but better) lipsticks to finish the look!

I did something very similar to my hair that is shown in the pictures — minus the fly aways 🙂

Hope you like it!  Oh, and on a side note… after listing the products used for this look I realized how deep my MAC addiction really is… the first step is admitting you have a problem!

EYES
MAC Painterly Paint Pot
MAC Sable — lid
MAC Soft Brown — crease
MAC Blanc Type — hightlight
MAC Dipdown Fluidline
MAC Smolder Eye Kohl
Covergirl Clump Crusher in Black

BROWS
Maybelline Brow Pencil in Blonde
MAC Omega
MAC Espresso

FACE
MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
MAC Melba Blush
Hard Candy Bronzing Powder (Highlighter) in Tiki
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

LIPS
MAC Viva Glam V

BRUSHES
MAC 217
MAC 239
MAC 210
MAC 266
MAC 129
MAC 168
Real Techniques Blush Brush





Thanks for reading!



Sarah

I typically don’t do a monthly favorites post because my favorites don’t seem to change much… but I found/rediscovered a few gems and wanted to share them with you!

St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse Self Tanner — Every time I use this I love it more and more! I think it gives a natural bronze glow!

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer — I got a huge sample the other day when I was at the MAC counter and this concealer is a total game changer. I don’t think I will ever use anything else under my eyes again. Full review click HERE!

Hard Candy Bronzer in Tiki — it’s a highlighter… not sure why they call it a bronzer. Regardless, it is a great highlighter and cheap as hell! $6 at Walmart! I use a Sigma E40 and dust it on top of my cheekbones.

MAC Impassioned Lipstick (Amplified Crème) — A neon watermelon pink with red and coral undertones. This is a statement lip and I loooooove it! I had a hard time deciding which lipstick to include because I have been loving so many… I may do a Top 5 MAC Summer lipsticks post.

MAC Prep + Prime Fortified Skin Illuminateur in Neutralize — This is meant to be worn under makeup, but lately I have been using this as my facial sunblock at the pool! Typically when I put SPF on my face it breaks me out terribly, but this has worked like a charm and hasn’t irritated my skin.

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Argan Oil — I’m a bit late to be jumping on the Argan oil bandwagon, but I must say that I am loving this product! I apply it to my hair before blow drying and it helps tame my frizz and adds some much needed softness to my coarse locks. I will definitely be buying the full size!

Here’s a not so flattering picture of me wearing Impassioned… It’s even brighter in person! I’m also wearing MAC Pro Longwear Concealer.

I tried to keep it short and sweet! Thank you for reading! 🙂

Have you tried any of my favorites?

Sarah

I don’t know what got in to me today but I decided I wanted to do a Summer grunge look… Grunge makeup is tired looking, smokey, smudgey, messy, and uneven. I typically do polished looks so I wanted to go outside my box. I think it turned out pretty good!

I realized after posting this that I look somewhat cross eyed in the second picture… oops 🙂

PRODUCTS USED

MAC Samoa Silk
MAC Texture
MAC Saddle
MAC Carbon
MAC Smolder Eye Kohl
Loreal Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black
Maybelline Brow Pencil in Blonde
MAC Omega

MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NC15
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Benefit Hoola Bronzer

MAC Burgundy Lipliner

BRUSHES

Sigma F80
MAC 129
Real Techniques Blush Brush
MAC 217 (2)
MAC 219
MAC 266


Thank you for reading!!!



Sarah