Benefit Her Glossiness Lipgloss: Who Does Your Work?

Thanks to so many times of trial-and-error, I've finally figured out that the best lip colour to suit my skintone as well as my lips would be something that's berry-ish. I've yet to find my perfect red, pinks make me look ill, but something that's berry-ish or even plum-ish is very flattering.

A very simple gloss which does as it promises and nothing more. Very glossy, slightly sticky and with a hint of berry scent.

The stickiness does not bother me because I love it for the colour. There's not a hint of shimmer or glitter in it which makes it suitable to wear in almost all circumstances. I love to pair this with a nude eye. The pop of colour on the lips is all that's needed for a 9-5 day at work.

However, I do find that it stings a little on the lips upon application. I'm not sure if the stinging comes from the plumping effect but I most definitely do not find my lips plumped up.

Benefit glosses are, well, glosses. Nothing more, nothing less. Would I re-purchase? Probably not. But, the consistency and the texture is good. BUt the one thing I'd noticed is that the colour does not last long. The gloss and shine effects are still rather prominent after 3-4 hours but the colour is all but gone. I'd say not as pigmented as I thought it would be.

There are always new and more exciting glosses out there so it's always fun to try and experiment new ones.

PSA: Kiehl's on Chapel St

On Friday 18th April 2008, Khiel's first boutique in the state of Victoria opened up at South Yarra. With barely any fanfare or advertisements, I only happened to notice it when I was on my way for groceries one day.

So, on a gloomy Sunday afternoon, being completely sick of walking in the CBD, we took a quick walk around Chapel St. It was a typical Kiehl's standalone store. Clean, simple and nondescript lines. Bare decoration with jars and jars of the products on display on the shelves.

I've read a lot about Kiehl's products for sensitive skin and their all natural products so I was eager to test some out. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on wrecking my skin with the testing of new products so in the end, I settled on a very pretty gloss in Golden Berry. More a coloured balm than a gloss, it gives the my-lips-but-better effect. It's also non-sticky which is a huge plus for girls with long tresses. No more having pesky bits of hair sticking to your lips as you battle the chilly Melbourne winter winds.



Because it's so new, I was given a couple of samples together with my purchase. I was about to sign the credit card slip (yes, I'm spoilt that way. I swipe the plastic even if it's just a $10 bill because I don't like carrying cash with me) when I was asked what my skin type was. Combination at certain times, definitely sensitive, most of the time dry to normal. She then passed me 2 of the cutest sample containers I'd ever seen.


Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner


Abyssine Cream

Kiehl's can be found at 450 Chapel Street, South Yarra and at Mecca Cosmetica Australia-wide.

NARS Orgasm lip gloss and nail polish gift set.

Image from sephora.com

Not content with giving us the blusher, lipgloss and the multiple, NARS has taken their most infamous hue to another level -- the nail polish. NARS nail polish in Orgasm is only available in a limited edition set on Sephora for the time-being, but given that this glowy peachy-pink is an easier colour to love than Zulu, which is currently being hunted by the most hard core of hard core polish fanatics since its disappearance, Orgasm will hopefully enter NARS's small but cultish permanent nail polish collection.

Logo much? Coach lip gloss.

I don't think logoed items should be automatically scorned or dismissed. Louis Vuitton is an iconic brand because of their monogram canvas bags which have spawned countless imitators. I object primarily to ugly logos and the lazy use of logos as it imparts a false sense of value to products -- a tea cosy embroidered with Chanel's interlocking c's isn't going to make a pot of Lipton taste like Mariage Freres. By succumbing to such cheap and blatant branding practices, consumers encourage manufacturers to be complacent and unimaginative.

There's branding, and there's lazy branding. These Coach lip glosses smack of the latter -- the logo is all over the tube like a bad rash. The packaging signals to me that Coach couldn't be bothered to come up with a distinctive product, and like the Coach perfume, the glosses seem as though they were manufactured to steal the few remaining dollars from the purses of their most blinkered customers. "Our customers aren't Hermes customers," you can hear them arguing in the boardroom. "They don't expect top quality, and since they're not paying Hermes prices, we're not going to give them top quality either. Oh, just whip up some gunk, stuff 'em in these containers we bought in China and stamp our logo on it to make them look Coach-y."

The Coach lip glosses come in three shades -- Gardenia, Hibiscus and Heather -- and retails for US$22 on its website. I recommend that you purchase a Guerlain Kiss Kiss gloss, Chanel Glossimer or YSL Golden Gloss for real lip gloss snob factor, if that's what you're after. Even if it's a dumb reason to buy a gloss.