YSL's Volupte Tint-in-Oil

YSL's Volpute Tint-in-Oil in (from left to right) No. 8 Pink About Me, No. 6 Peach Me Love, and No. 1 Drive Me Copper

New year, new lips?

Earlier this month YSL released Volupte Tint-in-Oil, a hybrid lip formula designed to hydrate whilst delivering a whisper of colour to slightly enhance what your mama gave ya. Eight varying pastel-y shades steeped in apricot kernel oil, coriander fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, and possiflora edulis seed (passion flower) oil work together to give the lips a stained glass effect. 

Volupte Tint-in-Oil does more than just hydrate, it also treats, and ties your everyday makeup into a picture perfect bow.

The packaging

Instead of relying on lucite, YSL pulled the silver curtain on Volupte Tint-in-Oil. Despite this slight deviation from its predecessor, Gloss Volupte, the tell-tale logo embossed into the coloured band corresponds to the contents inside. A helpful, and subtle classification necessary for the girl on the go.

The screw top cap remains unchanged -- it twists and locks into place to avoid product spillage, and seepage. The final click proved to be invaluable when I accidentally stowed one of the tubes upside down. 

Note to self: always screw cap tight to avoid a potentially messy situation. #handbagsalvation

The contoured applicators

Hinged at the cupid's bow to create a concave/convex ladle, the applicator serves up a much-needed helping of product. Meanwhile, the tip manages to embrace the trickiest spot, the corners of the lips.

The lip shaped applicator has to be the most fun(ctional) thing I've ever come across. A thoughtful, and memorable feature which sets YSL apart from other luxury makeup brands.

Volupte Tint-in-oil Swatches from left to right: No. 1 Drive Me Copper, No. 6 Peach Me Love, and No. 8 Pink About Me

Of the eight shades available for purchase, I chose Drive Me Copper, Peach Me Love, and Pink About Me in order to skip across the spectrum of colours on offer.

Wearing Shade No. 1 Drive Me Copper

Drive Me Copper when swatched is a semi-translucent burnt copper with golden orange and red shimmer suspended throughout, but once applied onto my lips it pulls redder. Simply delightful when paired with a bronze-y glow.

Wearing Shade no. 6 Peach Me Love

Peach Me Love is a sheer watermelon red with orange undertones to give it that peachy hint. Golden shimmer rounds out the oil slick to enhance its glass-like finish.

Wearing Shade no. 8 Pink About Me

Pink About Me is a baby pink with lilac undertones, and an almost discernible blue shimmer -- I had to hold a flashlight up to a swatch to be absolutely sure.

The finish on all three is as wet as you'd expect, but quickly dries down within the first twenty minutes after applying. Once the wetness subsides, a slight sheen is punched up by an intensified tint which lasts for a good three hours. Prior to completely wearing off, the sheen turns a touch sticky, but not annoyingly so, this is only an observation. The tint-turned-stain for all three lasted around eight to nine hours, call it two meals, a piece of fruit, one coffee, and several glasses of water.

Volupte Tint-in-Oil was never drying, features the signature Sweet Tart scent, and wore evenly as the hours progressed.

If you like Smashbox's O-Gloss, then YSL's Volupte Tint-in-Oil will be right up your alley.

Looking for a few other colours? Sabrina of The Beauty Look Book recently reviewed Oh My Gold, I Rose You, and You Drive Me Copper.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for YSL's Gloss Volupte:

• $49.00 AUS (I suspect) / $32.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — I have big love for YSL lippies, despite the price their products are truly splurge-worthy.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Cherry My Cherie, and Crush Me Orange, I have my eye on you.

Beauty in a tick: Becca's Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle in Raspberry/Opal

Becca's Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle

A blush hybrid combining the pigmentation from Becca's Beach Tint, a glint of sparkle imparted by the Shimmering Skin Perfector and loads of pearls to give this blush its squishy-like consistency.

Raspberry/Opal

Swatch of Becca's Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle in Raspberry/Opal

This blush is scent-sational (smells like raspberries), and aims to be goof-proof in the application department for blush noobs and expert makeup mavens alike. Personally, I prefer to apply Becca's Beach Tint Shimmer Souffle with a proper blush brush as my fingers have a tendency to deposit too much product in random spots. Nobody likes a patchy/splotchy blush situation.

The soft wash of colour across my cheeks is natural and effortless. An easy like Sunday morning kind of thing.

There are five other shades available for your smelling pleasure if Raspberry/Opal doesn't really float your boat.

Wearing Raspberry/Opal on my cheeks

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Becca's Beach Tint Souffle:

• $45.00 AUS / $27.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags — Solid, but I think I was too safe with my colour choice. Until next time, Papaya/Topaz.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Absolutely kicking myself for not picking up the Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights. Totes passes the Gift Giving Guidelines.

Gift idea for the traveller, the gym junkie or the hair product obsessed

Dry Bar's Up, Up and Away! set

When I was inducted as one of Sephora's VIB Rouge elite members (in other words I dropped a butt load of money at Sephora this year) early last month I received a fistful of samples, including Dry Bar's Sake Bomb Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner. The shampoo I found to be pretty meh to average at best, however if you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, well Dry Bar's conditioner will certainly have you singing in the shower.

You're singing Escape (The Pina Colada Song) now, aren't you?

For kicks I picked up this nifty little travel pack prior to leaving Las Vegas. It was one of those last minute, gotta have it now splurges I didn't mind forking over twenty-five bucks for.

The brush is handy with its rubberised exterior and happens to be conveniently coloured in Drybar's telltale buttercup yellow hue. Short in stature, big on saving room.

As I said before the Sake Bomb moisturising shampoo is counter-productive with its ability to leave your strands feeling raw and stripped after washing. The conditioner though, is luxurious, moisturising and makes for a silky situation.

Finally, the Detox Dry Shampoo is the bottled dessert looking to coax the grit, grease and grime out of your hair. Its scent is heavenly, think tawny port or pralines drenched in caramel. If you or your friend has medium brown to black hair, get ready to massage/brush out the white residue left behind after application. The extra elbow grease might be a major detractor for some. 

TSA Approved, under thirty dollars and covers the Gift Giving Guidelines*.

*Gift Giving Guidelines (GGG): 

• Is it appropriate for the recipient? Got a balding Grandpa? Then he might not appreciate the Dry Shampoo as much as your Aunt Pearl.
• Is it a sensible price point in that it won't break the bank for you and also won't make your friend feel guilty for not dropping as much coin on you.
• Does it pass the "I would totally buy this for myself" test?

Kicking hair kinks to the kerb: Invisibobble

Invisibobble

It's a hair thingamabob I don't quite get, but it works. Wrap around twice and you're good to go for a jog or pull your hair into a pineapple-type bun to wash that pretty lil' face of yours. 

The telephone cord-like tie displaces pressure on your strands to keep things in place, thus minimising hair breakage; it also reduces kinks and crimps in the hair and says see ya later to hair headaches. Normally I hate the look of fun buns and ponytails on me, but I broadened my horizons and set my feelings aside in order to give the Invisibobble a fair shake. 

The Invisibobble holds tight through it all. Just learn from my mistake and avoid wrapping the Invisibobble around three times to tie your hair back or you'll be cruising for a hair bruising to kink city.

$10.95 AUS / $9.99 USD

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.