Shiseido Perfect Rouge

I buy lipstick but I rarely wear it. I often find myself reaching for one of a dozen or so glosses rattling around the bottom of my purse rather than a tube of lipstick.

I used to wear red lipstick almost exclusively and then for some reason I started to wear gloss....all colors and usually the brighter the better. It was a personal makeup revolution for me that has left my many tubes of lipstick, both new and old, collecting dust.

Still I love a lipstick tube a lot. Something about an actual tube is so satisfying. I am always willing to try new lipstick formulas that come onto the market and look for one that is color true, won't bleed, and is moisturizing.

Shideido is one of those brands that I only pay attention to because of the creative director, makeup artist Dick Page. His runway work is some of my favorite to watch and so when Perfect Rouge hit counters I ran on down to the mall to check out Mr. Page's creation.

Perfect Rouge comes in 20 shades and is $25 a tube. My favorite SA at the local Nordstrom gave me a sample card with 4 shades on it to try and I was instantly hooked. The colors are rich yet clear, almost jelly like. Jelly is rich in color yet ultimately transparent and this lipstick captures that perfectly. This combo is a favorite whether it is nail polish or jelly.

I bought both Salon and Sweet Pea in the red family with Sweet Pea being a pink red and Salon a softer true red.

Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme

If it looks like a Paint Pot, feels like a Paint Pot, and is packaged just like a Paint Pot, then it must be a Paint Pot....right?

You would be mostly correct and let me introduce you to Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme for $17.50 which is exactly one dollar more than a MAC Paint Pot.

So other than the gold lid and the dollar price difference I was wondering if these are indeed the same product and the short answer is yes, they are.

I bought a Paint Pot recently and still had the box so I naturally compared the ingredient lists and you guessed it, they are identical.

EL's ShadowCreme comes in 10 shades and just like MAC Paint Pot this doesn't crease or fade and layers beautifully with pressed shadow or pigment. The color selection is mostly a complete copy of MAC with a few exceptions. Silver Leaf is a mid-tone silver, Lilac Petals is a lavender grey pearl, and Golden Apricot is a warm gold with apricot overtones.

The main difference between the EL versions and MAC is the pigment payoff. EL's are lighter and more sheer but they can be built up nicely and the added color selection make these worth a look if you are a Paint Pot lover.

MAC - Double Dazzle

Oh man! Double Dazzle has come to town with 18 shades to choose from. My understanding is that most of the shades are joining the permanent line except for 2 but none of my local MAC ladies knew which 2 weren't.

For the uninitiated Double Dazzle is all about Dazzleglass which is basically MAC's answer to lipgloss nirvana. I have written before about my love of Dazzleglass and so I will try and keep my enthusing to a minimum. Dazzleglass is a gloss that is thicker than most and contains large particle shimmer. Between the actual gloss formula and the shimmer this gloss is uber shiny and utterly gorgeous.

The color payoff on these varies from barely there to near neon shades with just about everything in between. The thicker consistency allows Dazzleglass to be a bit hardier and stay in place and really dang shiny when other glosses would have wimped out and gone home. The original collection came out in 2008 and I bought nearly all of the shades. The 6 new shades to choose from in Double Dazzle give me the opportunity to refill on favorites and to fall in love with some new beauties.

Dazzleglass is $18 and worth every shimmery penny!

Shu Uemura - Pink Collection

I am a daily reader of Annie's blog, Blogdorf Goodman. I read this blog religiously when I will skip all others. She is currently doing her 40 days of all things lippie related and I eat it up with a spoon!

A few days ago she posted about Shu Uemura's Pink collection that features 9 new lipsticks and 5 new shades of gloss in various shades of, you guessed it, PINK.

Now I love pink lippies and there is hardly a pink I won't consider. I like bright fuchsia pink, soft brown pinks that are about my lip color, sparkly baby pinks, and everything in between. I will even try warm pinks and I generally avoid warm lip colors most of the time.

The Pink Collection is all about a new pink hybrid pigment that is supposed to bring unprecedented pink pureness to these lippies. Well I don't know about you but the looks of the gloss pictured here is darn magnificent to me and if it is achieved through some new fangled pigment science I say yipee! Bring on the pink!

The gloss can be had for $22 and the lipstick for $23. If you are a pink lover this collection should not be missed.

Dior Addict Lipstick

I was tempted to try Dior Addict lipstick because of the latest Sephora ads. One of the models has a bright pink but still transparent lip and I just had to get my paws on the shades.

Well apparently Sephora knew this lippie would be a sought after item because they have a display right at the entrance of my local store with the products they used to achieve the model's look.

Pink Lust is the shade of Dior Addict lipstick responsible for my quest and it lives up to the hype my friends. Pink lust is a shimmering bold fuchsia that is super pigmented but not opaque. It is the perfect balance of color and shine while still being transparent.

There are many shades to choose from and while $26 isn't chump change for a lippie these are worth the extra cash.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper

Now you all know how I am with mascara. Bluntly put I am a mascara tramp. I will go out and try any mascara once and this new one from Max Factor is no exception.

After seeing all the artists use this on Blush I just had to try it. I am here to tell you that this mascara and Lash Blast are twins. If you like Cover Girl's Lash Blast you will like Lash Plumper.

Everything from the tube to the wand to the formula are a dead ringer for each other which is not a bad thing. I like Lash Blast and my only complaint is that the big fat wand can be difficult to maneuver and has a tendency to get mascara on my eyelid.

That aside this mascara, like Lash Blast, separates lashes beautifully and does not clump and is a great affordable mascara option. I found this at Ulta for $8.