Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks | Review + Swatch

If you follow me on Instagram (@livforlashes) you'd have seen back in January that I posted a picture of my order of liquid lipsticks by Anastasia Beverly Hills. I had every intention of doing a review and swatch post about them a lot sooner, but after reading a ton of conflicting reviews on them, I really wanted to take my time with wearing them and getting to know each shade that I bought to learn about the wear, the formula, etc.

 Almost every IG or YouTube beauty "guru" (I loathe that term) had nothing but positive things to say, but then again, they received them for free and probably got paid to say nice things. Then on the other side of things, a lot of people said they hated them. That's why I wanted to form my own opinion on them. So I wore each shade for a few days straight so I could give you guys my most honest review possible, if you're looking into buying a few of these. There was also a bit of controversy that maybe these were repackaged products from Hot Makeup, which has the exact same shades only different names and a buck cheaper. 

First off with the packaging, they come in the standard ABH black box with silver and rose gold writing. Very low-key. The tube themselves are clear plastic with a silver lid. On the top of the tube by the lid, is a gold band with the infinity symbol, and the brand name written on the side of the tube. In the bottom is a sticker with the shade name. The product does feel quite heavy and high end though, if that's such a thing. 

 

I bought the shades Milk Shake, Pure Hollywood, Lovely, Baby Pink, Retro Coral, Carina, Persimmon, American Doll, Vamp, and Sad Girl. 

The application was kind of hard with some of these. A few of the shades like Milk Shake, Vamp and Retro Coral were very streaky when I was applying them. I'd swipe a layer on, and when I'd go back to make it more opaque, it's like the first layer wiped off and made the lipstick uneven and kind of chunky. Another thing is that these are quite messy. Vamp, Lovely, Persimmon and Milk Shake had so much product on the doe foot applicator, that I had the scrape a ton off on the lip of the tube, which caused lipstick to smear all over when I closed the tube up. These shades I found were better to apply with a lip brush. Also, they don't dry very fast. I had to apply a layer, let it set for a min or two, then CAREFULLY apply another layer then let it set again. And since it does take a while to set, you can mix shades for a custom color which is fun. It took a while but once I got the application down, they looked and felt pretty nice. They weren't drying though which is awesome for a liquid matte lipstick. They did feel quite moisturizing without being sticky or making my lips feel tight and gunky. And some of the shades were just amazing, like Pure Hollywood, Carina and Sad Girl. 

Once set, removal was kind of hard, expected since these are "long lasting." Makeup wipes didn't cut it, so I recommend an oil based makeup remover. 

*All Swatches are one Swipe*

Milk Shake

This is the lightest in the range. It looked much more pink online but it's really almost a white with a pink base. Without lip liner, this one is a little streaky and clumps up in the corners of the mouth. It did dry more pink though thankfully. This one lasted about 5 hours before wearing off in the middle of my lips.  

Pure Hollywood

This is a dusty pink shade. It sold out pretty quickly and for good reason. It's perfectly pigmented in one swipe. It dried more brown than pink, almost like KVD Lolita. It lasted almost all day with only one touch up and it didn't sink into my lip lines or flake off. 

Lovely

Just as the name suggests, this is a lovely dusty rose color. It goes on really smooth with no streaks and it lasted about 6 hours before fading away. It dried to this pretty mauve-y color. 

Baby Pink

This pink is a little neon but it went on pretty well, only slightly streaky when I went to touch up. It lasted a good 6-7 hours before fading away in the center of my lips. This was another one that was quite streaky during application. 

Retro Coral

This is a bright salmon shade that I love. It was a little streaky at first but it was easier to apply than some of the other shades. It's a little too neon to be totally wearable for me, so this is definitely a statement lipstick, but it did tone down a bit once dry. It faded away quicker than some of the other shades, lasting about 3 hours before getting patchy. 

Carina

Favorite shade here! This is a super pretty bright cool toned pink. It's a little dryer than the rest, which actually made application a little easier. It lasted literally 9 hours before wearing off. I got a ton of compliments on this one :D

Persimmon

This is an orange saturated red. It goes on smooth with no streaks, but it's definitely unforgiving if you mess up and need concealer for a touch up, as it smeared a little. This one also lasted a good 7 hours.  

American Doll

This one is a true blue based red. It's so beautiful on the lips, but it's a pain to apply. It seems a little thinner in consistency so it smeared a bit. I'd definitely use a lip brush for this one. It did last about 6 hours though without getting patchy which is pretty decent. 

Vamp

A red with brown undertones, this one is so unique and just beautiful on the lips. This one was hard to apply since it is one the messier ones I talked about, but once on, it looked nice. It lasted about 5 hours, but when it faded off, it left a weird lip line of color. 

Sad Girl

This one is hands down my favorite out of the bunch. It's a deep purple wine shade but what makes it so unique is that even though it's matte, it has tiny skimmers throughout it making it almost metallic. This one was easy to apply and lasted about 7 hours before wearing off. 

If I were to give these a rating between one and ten, I'd say they're about a 7. Once I got the application down, they really were really nice and they've become one of my favorite liquid lipsticks, next to Kat Von D. However, they are a little messy, they are expensive, the formula leaves something to be desired, but they have potential. These are $20 a piece, which is pretty steep, but I think the name is what you're essentially paying for, as I think you can find other brands with the same if not better formulas. 

What do you guys think? Love them or hate them? I'd love to know since these seem to be a hit or miss with everyone. If you do like them, which shades did you get or which ones do you want?

You can find the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks on her website. 

Let's keep in touch!

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Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

St. Patrick's Day Nails | Water Marble How-To

Hello again everyone! I wanted to do another nail tutorial for you guys and what better excuse than St. Patricks Day coming up in a few days? I'm not usually a huge fan of green nails, but for holidays, it's a fun way to show some spirit. Plus, no one can pinch you for not wearing green ;)

This how-to is slightly more complex than my other manicures, as it is a water marble technique. Water marble manicures are kind of messy and time consuming, but the outcome is so pretty once you get the hang of it. 

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you the technique and you can either use it one all of your nails, or just for accent nails like I have done. And at the end, I'll show you how to water marble a cute shamrock for St. Patricks day! 

What you'll need:

3-4 polishes (I picked light green, dark green and a silver glitter)

A plastic container with cold water

School glue (optional)

Acetone polish remover

A small brush for clean up

Q tips

A safety pin or toothpick

Start out by applying the glue with a q tip around you cuticle and the skin of your fingertip. This will help prevent some of the messiness. 

Now grab your container with the cold water. I would use something that you don't mind ruining. I keep this little TupperWare container handy specifically for water marbleing. Take a polish and add a drop to the water. 

Working quickly, add a drop of the next color you want, right in the center of the first color. 

Do the same with the next color. It's important to work fast so the polish doesn't set. I keep all of my nail polishes completely unscrewed and ready for this. 

Continue adding drops until you get the color pattern that you desire. 

Now grab your safety pin or toothpick (I use the pin so the polish doesn't stick to the wooden toothpick) and gently drag it along the rings of polish to create the marble design. 

Once you have a design that you like, dip your finger as flat as you can into the design. Use a q tip to pull the extra polish on the water away from your finger. 

You should have something like this. 

It looks super messy but that's what the glue was for. Gently wipe away the excess polish and glue with a cotton pad with some acetone on it. The glue shields the skin so it should scrap away easily. Any excess polish around the cuticles can be removed with some acetone on a small brush. The e.l.f. concealer brush is great for this. Now with a qtip, drag it along water to pick the excess polish in the water to prepare for the next design. Seal your design with a top coat and that's it! It looks much more complex than it really is. 

A few tips:

*use nail polishes with a thinner consistency. I like Pure Ice, China Glaze and Essie for water marbles. Thicker polishes won't spread in the water as well and you design will come out chunky and it won't dry.

*once you draw your design with the pin, let it sit for a minute or two to allow the colors to set. This makes it easier to apply. 

*letting the design set for even longer will allow the polish to harden. You can then use a toothpick or qtip to gently pull it out of the water and use it as a decal. Just cut off the excess polish like you would a nail wrap. 

*the amount of drops of polish you add will determine the intensity of the marble design. Adding a lot will give you a more tye-dye effect. 

*allow the design to dry completely before adding a top coat. If you try to seal the design while the nail is still tacky and wet with water, it will smudge and NEVER dry!

To do a shamrock:

Do the same steps of adding polish to the water. Now with the pin, gently drag it from the outside of the polish to the center. 

Slowly drag it on the opposite side, going towards the middle. 

Now do the same thing between the first two spots. 

Finish it by doing the opposite side again and there you have it! A shamrock! Let it set and apply to your nail. 

Well thank you for reading and I hope you liked this post! Tag me in any of your water marble designs on Instagram using #livforlashes. I'd love to see them!

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Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

No-Tools Valentine's Day Mani | 3 Easy Manicures for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day guys! Have you ever had a big date and gotten every little detail planned for a perfect night, only to realize last minute you didn't get your nails done? Don't fret! I have three super easy manicures for V-Day, whether you had just forgotten about your nails for your big date, or you're just a last minute person like I am. Each one is super simple and literally takes just a few moments and the best part? No tools! No complex designs! Literally any one with any type of nail painting skill level (if that's such a thing) can do these. The only "tools" you need are your polishes (obviously), a bobby pin, and a cosmetic sponge. Keep reading to see how to create these cute nails!

 

 

1. Dot Manicure

For this first one you need several polishes. I used white, light pink, dark pink and red. You will need a bobby pin for this one. 

Start off with clean nails, painted with just a clear base coat. With your bobby pin, dip it in the white polish and start dotting the polish on to your nail. It doesn't have to be precise and there's no pattern here we're aiming for. 

 

Repeat this with the other three nail polish colors, filling in the blank areas with different colors as you go. 

 

Seal with a top coat and you're done! I concentrated my dots more towards the tip of the nail, but you can do the whole nail, or just an accent nail like this if you want. 

 

2. Ombré Accent Manicure

For this one you need the same polishes as the first manicure and a disposable cosmetic sponge. Start by painting a nail or two with the white polish. This is our base for the ombré. I painted the other nails the same colors I am using for my ombré. 

 

Now paint stripes of polish, going from dark to light on to the cosmetic sponge. 

 

Dab the sponge on to the white base, allowing a few seconds between coats for the polish to set some. If you do it while it's too wet, the colors get mixed and messy. 

 

Clean up the edges with a q-tip dipped in remover and add a top coat to finish off this mani. 

 

3. Gold and Red Heart Manicure

For the third manicure I wanted something a little more sultry and not so bright as pink, so I went for gold and red. Paint one or two nails gold and the rest red. 

 

For the gold nail(s), grab your trusty bobby pin and dip it into some red polish.

Dab two dots of polish on to the upper corner of the nail. This will be the top of our heart.

 

With a little more red polish, connect the dots to finish the heart. 

 

Add a couple of red dots by the point of the heart. 

 

On the red nails, I wanted something so they weren't so basic, so I pulled out some nail studs. You can get these anywhere for just a few bucks. I put a tiny dot of clear polish near the cuticle and then placed a gold circle stud right on the polish. 

 

Again, seal everything with a coat or two of clear polish and you're done!

See? Super simple and each one literally took me about five minutes (not counting drying time between coats). These are perfect for a last minute mani and so cute too!

I hope you guys liked this post! Which one was your favorite?

xoxo

LivforLashes

Polishes Used:

Nina Ultra Pro "French White"

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro "Posh Pink"

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Heart of Stone"

Wet n Wild Megalast "I Red a Good Book"

Nicole by O.P.I "Carried Away" 

China Glaze Clear Base/Top Coat

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Email: liv_2008@icloud.com