First Day of Fall with Bite Beauty "Barberry"

Am I excited about “Fall”? Hell no! But has that deterred me from trying out new Fall-exclusive Beauty launches? Absolutely not! I am not the biggest fan of Fall because to me it is a reminder that WINTER is just around the corner! I never liked vampy lip-shades as well! But for some reason this year I have suddenly become so interested in Fall makeup trends; especially dark lip colors! Bite Beauty recently came out with a new range of lipsticks called “Frozen Berries” that are inspired by flash-frozen wild berries! Each shade is dark and fall appropriate but my eyes were stuck on “Barberry”! It was sold out online but I am glad that I was able to find it in my local Sephora inside JC Penny!

Bite Beauty Lip Formulas are undoubtedly one of best formulas I have tried. But recently I have been a little annoyed with them; no personal reason though! They have been releasing out different limited-edition collections which they are retailing at more than the average price of their regular products. They had a new line called Butter Cream lipsticks where they hand cut the bullets in order to retain utmost creaminess. These cost $28 for the same 0.15 oz. of product. Their Lip Lab Limited Release Crème Deluxe Lipstick costs a whopping $36 for the same 0.15 oz. of product. I simply ADORE their rouge crème lipstick formula and I am truly not sure if it can get any better! I personally have not tried these new ranges of products but it seems people like them. I am however still skeptical and a little bit annoyed with the higher price of these new releases.

But just when I thought I am over my Bite Beauty obsession, they released these “Frozen Berries” lipsticks. And they retail at the same price of $24 for 0.15 oz. of product. 5 rich fall/winter shades in Juniper (deep fuschia), Barberry (muted orchid), Plum (rich eggplant), Elderberry (deep purple), Black Cherry (deep oxblood)! The formula is called “Matte Crème” which is described as pigmented and highly moisturizing and is formulated without Parabens, Sulfates and Phthalates. I personally did not feel a lot of difference between this and their regular rouge crème lipstick formula. The packaging is same dark grey rubberized packaging. Very elegant! The only thing I don’t like is that you cannot really distinguish the lipstick shade from outside. It is difficult to grab the right shade without opening the cap, especially when you keep collecting these :-)

Like all of their lip products, this formula is smooth and easy to apply! It’s very comfortable on the lips and weightless and you get the feeling that you are wearing a high end lipstick! It is described as matte but in application as well as finish I don’t find it utterly and drying-ly matte. You can see in the swipe that there is a very subtle metallic hint to the finish; I actually really enjoy that. I think it gives a different dimension to the appearance! 
As I have mentioned before in this blog, Bite Beauty lipsticks has impressive staying power for crème lipsticks. This also lasted for around 5 to 7 hrs beautifully, after that it slightly fades! “Barberry” is without doubt a very unique and complex color. It is described as a muted orchid and it IS a muted orchid :-) In some light it appears to be a grey type of purple but in sunlight it is a brighter richer beautiful violet. And like other purple shades it does not make my teeth look yellow. I am totally LOVING this shade.

I had a pretty hectic day today at work with some field visits but otherwise I would have totally worn this to welcome the official start for Fall weather :-)… This is a limited edition line so grab it while it lasts…and Barberry was available available online on Sephora till late night yesterday but it is currently showing out of stock. If you are interested I suggest you opt for email notification so that whenever it is in stock again, you get to be the first one to know :-) 

If you are interested, I have done a pretty lengthy review of “Cin Cin” from their line back when I started blogging regularly. “Cin Cin” is one of my top 5 favorite lipsticks. But because of the steep price I always end up buying their value sets rather than expanding my collection of regular rouge crème lipsticks. I am so glad that I waited this long for this collection to come out. Now my “Cin Cin” has a pretty little sister :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Beauty Favorites - 2014

"Monthly Favorites" is a very popular topic in the Beauty Blogger/Vlogger's world. My work require that I travel a lot and I am on the field all the time. This is a challenging work environment to use and experiment with my cosmetics products. Hence it is almost impractical to carry a lot of makeup with me, which eventually does not inspire me enough to pick up my "monthly favorites" and blog about it. 

Nevertheless, I have been completely enjoying the world of beauty and cosmetics and it has been great till now. Today I am very excited to share the few products that stood out to me this year. I have been constantly using and loving these products:

BareMinerals First Resort Bronzing Kit (Limited Edition, 35$ for the whole kit with a brush and lip gloss): This is undoubtedly my MOST used product this year. I have raved about this in my earlier blog post back in May '14, and, 7 months later, my love is still intact! This product changed how I felt about bronzers; now I love using them throughout the year to bring some warmth to my face. This palette has a matte warm tone mid-brown (with a VERY little sheen), a highlighter shade and a golden shimmery shade which is my most favorite. It looks a little bit too shimmery on the pan but when applied it gives a BEAUTIFUL healthy-glow without the shimmer showing up much.

MAC Ruby Woo ($16): My first MAC lipstick and I could not have chosen better. I love how flattering it looks on my skin tone; makes me feel elegant and very alluring about myself! It's a retro matte finish which makes your lips very dry! But I love the color and the amazing staying power. More review and swatches here.

Bite Beauty Lip Products: Bite Beauty is undoubtedly one of the best lipstick brands that I have experienced till date. Every single product and shade that I have tried has totally impressed me; they are hydrating, creamy and stay on for a long time on my lips. Among the ones I have, I am a little biased towards Rouge Crème Lipstick in Cin Cin ($24) and High Pigment Pencil in Quince (bought in a kit, $25)! You know I love my bright bold colors :-)

IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette ($42): Prior to 2014 I own only one tiny little eyeshadow Quad. And then makeup fixation grew on me and now I have more palettes than I can ever possibly finish up. This palette from IT Cosmetics however will always have a special place in my heart! These are some very-soft-buttery-smooth-long-lasting matte eyeshadows in some very beautiful soft and romantic shades. I do love shimmery-glittery eyeshadows and use them quite often, but, I picked this palette for "2014 Favorites" because of how easy these shadows are to use. The only problem is the outer velvet-clothing type packaging; it has started to accumulate dirt. More swatches here in my earlier blog post.

MAC Paint Pot in "Layin' low" ($21): A must have for me. I use it almost every time I wear eyeshadows. It keeps them in place for a really long time. Read my previous review here.

Makeup Geek Eye Brushes (varies from $5.99 to $8.99): Considering it’s been just a year for me since I have dived into the world of makeup, I am still experimenting with brushes, especially for the face. I am trying to find out my Holy Grail tools. But as far as eyeshadow brushes are concerned I am pretty much set with these brushes from Makeup Geek. I love the sizes of the bristles because they are just the perfect size for my tiny eyelids. The stiff dome brush is wonderful for very precise application on the crease, and the soft dome brush is amazing for blending. I also love how affordable they are :-) 

It's a 10 Miracle leave-in Plus Keratin ($20 for 4 oz.): Such a long name ;-) It's a pricey product but I think it is worth it. I don't believe that it can satisfy all the 10 claims mentioned in their packaging but I absolutely love using it. I apply it on damp hair after wash and it makes my hair very silky and fuzz free. It also manages to lengthen the interval between hair washes. I received it as a sample product from Ulta but I already have repurchased the biggest size :-)

SPECIAL MENTION
Tarte Amazonian Clay waterproof liner in BRONZE definitely deserves a mention in this list. It's a gel liner but I mostly use it as a single-lid color. It is a very rich bronze with golden micro-shimmer. I have reviewed it in detail here. It's my wonder product; needs just a minute to apply, looks good even without an eyeliner and has an amazing staying power. Slap it on and go outta door; FOOLPROOF   ;-) ;-) ;-) 

So, there you go! I really enjoyed sharing my most favorite products from this year. While I continue trying my best to use up my current products I cannot wait to see what new items hit the market in 2015 :-) NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette expected to release in January looks very interesting :-) What are your favorite products this year? Share with me :-)  

And I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday time with your friends and families... 

Merry Christmas in advance folks! 
Love,

~Arrru