As a working woman (who rarely has a chance to refresh her makeup in the restroom throughout the day), the durability of a liquid lipstick has always appealed to me. Nevertheless, that same durability can parch the lips as well!

Always on the hunt for a comfortable liquid lipstick, I decided to try Milani’s new version — “Lip Intense” liquid lipstick!

This product comes in 4 vibrant shades (visible in the photo above): “Pink Rave”, “Red Extreme”, “Fiery Coral”, and “Violet Addict”.

I chose the fuchsia shade, “Pink Rave”. For scale:

It has a doe foot applicator:

It applies very smoothly, with brilliant pigmentation:

Upon first applying the product, I felt it was a delightful hybrid between lipstick and lip gloss! Smooth like a gloss but pigmented like a lipstick. It was far from dry on the lips throughout the day — moisturizing, actually! The longevity was a little less than that of more drying liquid lipstick formulas since I did have to re-apply after lunch. Nevertheless, the balance between moisture and longevity is a delicate one, and I like the balance achieved in this product.

Just marvel at this gorgeous fuchsia color!

Full face shot:

One other note about this product!

Milani also sells an “anti-feathering lipliner,” designed specifically to accompany this product, separately. The idea is to outline the lipstick edges with this invisible liner to prevent feathering, as the name suggests. Here it is:

I tried the lipstick with and without the lipliner — and did not notice any feathering of the product with or without the lipliner. Therefore, I do not think that purchasing the lipliner with the lipstick is necessary.

I am eager to try the other 3 shades! 😊

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Available at CVS and www.milanicosmetics.com for $7

One of my favorite makeup lines is Lorac Cosmetics, founded by Carol Shaw. She regularly dolls up prominent celebrities for their red carpet looks — and even her first name (spelled backwards) provided the name of her company. Her company, like Urban Decay, is known for its stellar eyeshadow palettes. I even reviewed the Lorac “Pro to Go” Palette (a small version of its legendary “Pro” palette) here.

When I spotted an even more travel-friendly and downsized version of this palette (the “Pocket Pro Palette”) at my local ULTA, I knew it had to be mine! 😍

Notice the compact size of this palette:

It contains 3 basic neutral colors:

1) “Nude” — An icy champagne color, incredible as a brow bone or inner corner highlight!

2) “Pewter” — Shimmering cool-toned taupe. Great as a lid color or smoked out for a one-shadow look!

3) “Espresso” — Matte chocolate brown. A gorgeous shade for the outer V, crease, and even as an eyebrow color.

The texture of these shadows is buttery beyond belief! And feast your eyes upon their strong pigment:

I have created a sample eye look featuring this amazing palette!

For this look, I applied “Pewter” to the lid and into the crease. Then, I applied “Espresso” to the outer V and crease. I then highlighted the inner corner and brow bone with “Nude”. Lastly, I darkened my eyebrows with “Espresso”.

Final look:

I can’t rave enough about this palette — and about Lorac eyeshadows in general. With their silky smooth texture and high pigment, they are even superior to Mac eyeshadows in my opinion! The small size of this palette also makes it ideal to pack in your bags for a long trip.

A total winner! 👍👍👍

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

Available at ULTA and Loraccosmetics.com for $15

Are you overwhelmed by your makeup clutter? Desperate to free the counter space occupied by eyeshadow singles and blushes?

It’s high time that I introduce you to the wonderful (and addictive!) world of Z-Palettes!

I recently purchased 2 empty Z-palettes — and would like to show you how to use them!

Step 1 — Take your eyeshadow single or blush, and place it on top of one side of a hot flat iron!

It’s really important to leave the item on the flat iron for a minimum of 60 seconds! This will ensure that the wax affixing the shadow/blush to its base will melt completely, ensuring that you can pry it free in the next step.

Step 2 — Take a nail file or knife and insert the point between the pot holding the shadow/blush and its container thus:

Step 3 — Use the nail file or knife as leverage to free the pot from its container:

It’s vital to leave the container resting on the flat iron for at least 60 seconds in Step 1. If you don’t, the pot will not easily be lifted from its container, and the product can crumble in the struggle. I’ve had this happen before and even ruined one of my favorite blushes this way!

Step 4 — Place the pot into the Z-palette:

Isn’t this the best idea ever?!

Look at my completed Z-palettes (thus far):

This is an empty Z-palette:

“De-potting” takes a little practice to perfect. For this reason, I recommend starting with your cheaper makeup products.

All in all, it’s a huge space-saver and fantastic makeup organizer! They come in different sizes, ranging from $14-28.

As an extra tip, if you own Mac eyeshadows or blushes, you can turn in 6 empty (de-potted) containers to your local Mac counter and receive a free lipstick as part of the “Back to Mac” recycling program!

I will be purchasing more Z-palettes!

You can purchase your very own Z-palettes at http://www.zpalette.com

See you next time! 🙂