Armani Lip Maestro in 501 and 502 First Impressions +

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is okay after Hurricane Sandy. I'm not at home with all of my makeup, but I am safe with power. Thank you to all who had asked how I'm doing since right now I am in a location where I can walk to most places, whereas had I been stuck at my regular residence, I would have access to almost nothing. 

Given my circumstances, I can only really give a small review on the new Armani Lip Maestro and my first impressions of them.

Packaging: I don't like the new Armani red cap packaging. They're like the Gloss d'Armani, except the Lip Maestros have a red cap, which I feel is a bit tacky looking. I do wish they had like another color lid, like gunmetal or something. 

Formula: They remind me of the new Guerlain liquid lipsticks in terms of slip (when swatched on my arms). They have slip, and when applied on the lips, it can be patted on like a stain, or full on velvet like lipstick. Once set, there's no slip like a standard lipstick. No shimmer in any of the ones I've swatched so far.  They're not sticky at all and the color selection is pretty good, but the colors I've seen are bold and vibrant colors.

What I can say is that they do last at least 3 hours, but the downside to them (from the couple of times I've worn them), is that they don't fade as nicely as I'd like, plus they're not as long lasting as I'd had hoped. 

I will say that I do like the formula since it clings on like a stain, and aren't drying on the lips like the Hourglass liquid lipsticks. I do think those with dry lips will need a bit of balm before applying the lip maestro. When you do wear it, there's also a bit of transfer if you apply it with the doe foot, but if u pat it on like a stain (using fingers or rubbing it in with a lip brush, there's minimal to almost no transfer).

I'll do a better review or maybe an update once I've worn them for a few more days, but I hope you enjoy the swatches.

In the meantime I need to figure out how to get some of my clothes...since the trains are down and I need some clothes. 

Price and Size: Price it's either $28 or $30. for the life of me I can't find my receipt. The size is 6.5 ml or 0.22 fl. oz

Onto the pics

501 on left, 502 on right

501 on top, 502 on bottom

(this pic is color accurate)

My makeup Brushes and Thoughts +

I was asked to do a video on my makeup brushes....and due to my nature to explain my thoughts on them, I broke it down into four sections. I hope you enjoy the videos and feel free to ask me any questions in the comments :) 

Introduction, Face & Lip Brushes:

Cheek Brushes:

Eyeshadow Laydown and Eyeliner Brushes:

Eyeshadow Blending & Crease Brushes and Conclusion:

Haul Video :)

Please be aware that I made a mistake with comparing By Terry Beach Bomb to Florita. I meant to compare it to Orpheline blush. Thank you for understanding. LOL

Video: 2 parts -- What's in my makeup bag?

Part I: the makeup bag itself  

 the makeup bag itself seen here.

dimensions of the bag: 6" height x 8.75" width x 1.25" depth 

 the Alexander Wang bag I would like to get seen here.

---

 Part II: the makeup pretties:

By Terry Hyraluronic Hydra-Primer

So yesterday/today is the official release of By Terrys new liquid primer. It's taken me a while to get around to reviewing it for a couple of reasons:

1. I wanted to test it on a couple of different foundations to see how it wears
2. Being busy getting ready to pack for my vacation. My plane leaves in the morning. 

Packaging: Tube packaging with a silver cap. Nothing special. I do wish there was a way to see how much you have used the actual product. 

Formula: It feels somewhere in between a primer and a serum, probably due to the hyaluronic acid. It feels like a serum in comparison to Shu Uemura's Stage Performer, yet slightly less runny than Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Once applied on the skin, you feel a serious hydrating sensation. The one negative to the formula is that if you apply a lot of the product, it does slightly pill (rolls off). The product itself is white, but once applied and blended onto the skin, it becomes colorless. It's definitely matte in finish, as in your skin doesn't look luminous, it just looks the same. 

I first tried it with Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle foundation to see how it would do with a foundation that tends to separate on the parts of my skin that are oily / large pores (basically my T-zone). The foundation holds up much better and lasts longer on my skin. By hour 10, my foundation still looked as if it was freshly applied. When I had samples of Hourglass Mineral Veil by hour 8 it would slightly separate (hardly noticeable though).

What I have noticed with Armani Maestro when worn alone is that after day 4, it slightly makes my skin drier. So then I tried Maestro with the primer underneath. Day 8 and my skin didn't feel drier. So if you're someone who loves Maestro and want to wear it every day, but feel like it can dry you out after a few days, try it with this primer. It's wonderful.

I feel like this item will be a staple come winter time when my skin is on the dry side. I've been using it almost everyday, sometimes without foundation because of the nice hydrating sensation it gives. 

Price and Size: $59 for 40 mL, 1.33 fl oz

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October as some of you may know is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm sure we all know someone or know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer, it never hurts to remind everyone (myself included) to get screened / tested. My experience with breast cancer is my mom. In the past 10 years, she had 2 tumors (one in each breast) and had them removed thanks to early detection. I'm glad I have her as an example because she always gets screened every six months. 

Which basically puts me in a higher risk category :| 


Just some random info (which I didn't know):

• Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
• Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every year starting at age 40
• 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer (includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors). [In the USA]

Really? Every three years starting at age 20? I thought it was every year. oops. 

information thanks to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. 

Everyone gets involved in some way, shape or form in terms of raising awareness, and some people like to donate or purchase items whose proceeds go towards Breast Cancer Awareness. Since it's a beauty blog, I figure it would be helpful to know some of the companies who are selling items that go towards a great cause. 

Laura Mericer

Bobbi Brown

Estee Lauder

Sephora

Ulta

If you know of other places/brands that are selling products whose proceeds go towards breast cancer awareness, please comment. 

thanks for listening.