Shimmer is the number one ingredient to the holidays. From gifts to decorations, beauty products to ornaments, it all looks better when it sparkles just a little bit more than usual.

Gloss with shimmer is always complimentary to the wearer as it does many things. First, it makes almost any color settle on the wearer as a correct match. It's ability to reflect light calls for attention, but also magnifies the lips a bit. Some glosses are also created with flavoring, so as to provide a pleasant scent and taste (whether on purpose or accidental - we won't discuss). The new colors added to the Beauty Rush line up are all full of sparkling goodness. Here are the ones I got:The names all have sweet or practical holiday item names with a twist - do you see candy cane turning into Dandy Cane? What about Hottie Cider?

When companies create beauty products, there are a lot of factors that go into the creative process. The color, consistency, and look are one thing, but what about the scent and the flavor? Does it have sunscreen in it, or maybe a plumper, how about pheromones and aphrodisiacs? Maybe mint to freshen the wearer's breath, or should it last longer than the 9-5 and act as a stain? Most of the time, the wrong combo is created and you have a great looking product on paper that smells like animal musk (not in a good way) and sticks to your hair in the wind and your teeth at all other times, and then of course, companies get it right.

Purple Lab's Luvah is "... laced with aphrodesiacs, Complex OO (two plumpers), ylang-ylang, and a kissable vanilla/mint fragrance. There are two shades, named after all the types of guys there are to date! Mama's Boy (rich nude) and Rich Jerk (a pop of berry)." (source)

The compact comes with two colors, a brush applicator, a mirror with the cutest SWAK (Sealed With A Kiss) accent, and the packaging is purple! Not sold?

My favorite feature of the duo is how thick it is. Not on the lips, only on application. I was a bit lazy and used my finger to apply instead of the brush, and was surprised at how little I scooped up with my finger dip. Usually, products like these let my finger dip all the way down to the pan and I end up wasting my money at lightning speed.

What cosmetics do you wear with jeans? Sometimes we pile everything on, being that denim has become as universally flattering and accepted as the color black has. Poppy King, Founder of Lipstick Queen has been asked which lipstick and gloss matches denim so often that she decided to create a product that did exactly that, the Jean Queen.

The lipstick and lip gloss come separately. Both are a rosy and sheer color with darker undertones. From a glance they seem to be the color that can flatter any skin tone because it is a light wash, and because it has the pink hint that is natural to the human lips.

The pink is meant to offset the blue tones from your jeans, as well as light up your face. The shine in the lipstick and the gloss is also meant to juxtapose the matte nature of most denim.

The roles are reversed, as the lip gloss is of a thicker and a bit darker consistency than the lipstick. For the $18 price tag, if you can't get both, I'd say it's smarter to get the lipstick. Just seems like you'd get more wear out of it, thus making your money work harder. The sheer wash of the lipstick can be layered for a bit of a deeper tone, or the two can be paired together.

Tell me when you have a single day of not needing a lip gloss. No go ahead, tell me... I'll wait. If there are in fact days that I can't make it for long without my lip gloss, ipod, or cell phone - I feel naked without these! How sad!

If my bag doesn't have lip products, my money inevitably gets spent on something new. Most of the time it's on a cheap filler product and other times on a great newbie. The case with this Armour Beauty lipgloss was neither. I was at The Makeup Show (and going to the show, you can surely expect to spend money before you leave) and met the folks behind the company. They had a quaint setup for the product, and the packaging is pretty smooth too. I invested in a single gloss and promised to do a thorough review. 

The first major win for me was the packaging. I love a good packaged product y'all. If you're a regular reader on MOJ, you will know this to be a fact. Great packaging is the way into my wallet and heart!

Want to know more about the brand? Check out the info from their 'About' page:

p.s. I'm still figuring out the coding for this darn setup, so instead of having a 'continue reading' link, please click on the post title to read the rest! If you know the answer to my dilemma, I'd love to hear it!

When I was at the Supima Design Competition Fashion Show, I was able to snag a goodie bag. In it was a tee made of supreme cotton and a lovely green gloss. What? No, not the color green. ;)

The gloss is described as a dual powered gloss. Fancy right? It has color on the inside of the tube and gloss on the outside. It's just like applying lip gloss and then a shiny layer on top without having to mix colors, mess around with textures, etc.

From the site:

"This environmentally-friendly gloss has luminous color on the inside and super shiny clear gloss on the outside. The innovative 2 in 1 tube is recyclable so it's beauty you can feel good about! Contains Moringa Seed Extract for added healthy-skin benefits. With the purchase of every GREEN ROOM product, a Moringa tree will be planted in a developing country by Trees for the Future. The Moringa or “Miracle Tree” is a powerhouse of nutritional value and provides a self-renewing food source for people in need. More trees also mean less soil erosion and cleaner air and water for a greener future. All GREEN ROOM packaging is biodegradable or recyclable and all products are made with environmentally-friendly formulas."

Just in time to get me broke and crying - OCC has revealed that they have five new polish and lip tar colors.

What do you guys think? I know these lip tars will create some yummy mixes with the other colors already present in the OCC roster.

Benefit has new lipglosses! I think this is something I already want to review, though I do offer a disapproving glance to the applicator.

So as I have already happily announced - Stila is back and better than ever!

I'm a little late with this post, but you won't be sorry!

First let me show you the proof - while at the Makeup Show NY, we not only got to see numerous beautiful brands, including the lovely Stila, but we also got to chat with the people that bring you those favorite brands!

Here you will see the staff for Stila giving all Yaya's readers a thumbs up. This was an exclusive photo!! :)

Remember when I posted about the Stila limited edition Pearl collection? Well it's an ongoing theme now.

As part of the prosperous and long lasting (fingers crossed) direction that Stila is heading in, it seems that the seasons come with gems and precious stones to adorn the Stila lover.

Everything in this collection contains actual 24k gold in it. Every item in the roster has little flecks of gold in it. Even the smudge pot! Oh man, the smudge pot is sooooo gorgeous!!

Review (5 highest, 1 lowest):

Packaging: 5 out of 5 (the lip gloss has a hand made bindi attached to it)

Quality: 5 out of 5

Price: 4.5 out of 5 ($22.00 for each - it IS a "recession")

Overall: 5 out of 5




This was after I wiped the gloss off with a Kleenex. The gold specs stay on your lips and look so nice.

Please note: the mascara is currently sold out on Stila's website - but keep checking back, it is worth the trouble! I also don't think this is in the Indian Summer collection, but I was too excited to wait around till another post!



Both sides on both eyes, I got a little heavy with the right side but still no clumps!


My Verdict:

First of all - the bindi is an unbelievably detailed and gorgeous addition to the design aspect. Do y'all know what a bindi is? Here's the short of it a la Wiki: A bindi (from Sanskrit bindu, meaning "a drop, small particle, dot") is a forehead decoration worn in South Asia (particularly India)^[1] and Southeast Asia.

Though I had the financial willpower to resist every darn item in the roster, I don't fault anyone who got it all. I think I will be sauntering back to get the smudge pot. The more you move every item around, the more evident the gold flecks become, and blends seamlessly together.






I think this collection is a must have!

Have any of you had the pleasure of trying it yet?

Plan to?

Let me know!

Product Story (from the Sephora page):

"What it is: A nourishing liquid lipstick.

What it does: LORAC Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick delivers a glamorous-looking pout and luxuriously smooth textured lips. This formula is packed with ingredients that will leave your lips in prime-puckering condition. There's light-reflecting Mother of Pearl for radiant shine; Hyaluronic Acid for hydrating and helping fill in lines; Jojoba Oil and Sweet Almond Oil for moist, smooth lips; and Oriza Sativa Bran Extract to keep lips nourished and protected.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Phthalates"

Color tested: Haute

Review (5 highest, 1 lowest):

Packaging: 2 out of 5 (it's a glass type bottle, which means even with it not being a tube, you can't depot it and lose a lot of the product to mr. trash)

Price: 3 out of 5 ($22 at Sephora & Lorac)

Quality: 5 out of 5

Overall: 2.5 out of 5

with 2 coats

My Verdict:
This gloss was very good looking, and did everything it promised. However (and this is a BIG however) the packaging ruined it. Not even the price.

I realize the price of $22 for one 0.17oz lip gloss may be steep. But in the world of beauty, where you can probably get free shipping and three samples from Sephora, or whatever type of goodies a retailer offers you. The point is - price can be negotiated in my mind of minds to be seen as alright. Especially if a product does what it promises to do.

All the colors rocked my socks but I didn't purchase many, due to my unhappiness and the price. The problem with it? The packaging looks like it's a glass tube. Similar to the MAC lipglass ones. This is a fancypants packaging, and though it's appealing - it hinders the purpose of getting every ounce for your buck. The packaging will probably be impossible to cut into pieces to get all the product, and with it's solid state, it will not bend or squeeze to give it up to mama anyway. I'm almost 100% positive that when I feel like it's empty - I will be prematurely thinking so.

Though I donate plenty throughout the year to various organizations... I am the least happiest when I unwillingly donate products to Mr. Trash.

So yes - the lipgloss is great, but the price raised my brow, and the packaging lowered my thumb. Boo!

Makeup Minute from Splendicity.com previewed the new Stila glosses for Sephora and Stila (natch - haha I use the word too now!). The photos of the glosses look like they are stalker worthy for me, myself, and I.

The reason for my excitement:
The main reason? Hello, I am ya ya the lip gloss lover, buyer and hoarder. .... Stila? I love:The colors. They have pearls in the formula. The Stila lipgloss formula is a favorite in my roster of glosses. And I could go on and on.

This limited edition is available at Stila and Sephora.

Have you tried any Stila glosses? Fan/Hater? Let me know!

Beauty and the Blog posted about Urban Decay Pocket Rocket lipgloss, and I just had to follow in suit. See here for the post.

Hey y'all!

I'm getting readership now - how exciting is that?

Doing a glance over of my handbag (pray for it please b/c yaya has not been kind) and its contents and I realized I'm carrying lots of obsessions around with me.

Figured I'd do a review just to let ya know.

Too Faced came out with a lip gloss line called Mirror Mirror ($16 at Sephora).
All the names (a la OPI) are for the narcissist in all of us. After trying my first one in I'm Perfect, I had (justified needs?) to get more. So to date there are now three different colors in my collection: I'm Perfect (x2), Don't Hate Me, Envy Me.




Product Story: "It's YOU darling when your lips are slicked and shined with Too Faced's mirror finish lip gloss. Drenched with super shine and loaded with natural Goji Berry extract; one of the most powerful antioxidants found in nature! So protect and nourish your lips with the glassiest gloss this side of the Magic Mirror."

Review (5 highest, 1 lowest):
Packaging: 3 out of 5
Price: 4 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5

My Verdict: I LOVE lip gloss... I can't get enough of them, I probably buy at least one every month from CVS/Sephora/etc. So with that in mind - this was perfect for me. Even though the packaging was nothing too special and nothing too bad, and the price is a bit hefty for just one lip gloss, the lip gloss 1. tastes & smells good (that probably doesn't matter to many people but trust when I say there are some that are unbearable!). You can actually taste sugar on this (might be one of the reasons why mine ran out so quickly). 2. No matter what anyone says - all lip glosses have to be a certain level of sticky simply b/c of what kind of product it is. This was the least amount of sticky - almost like butter on your lips (in a good way - I need to find better similes hehe) 3. This has the most amount of shine with the least obnoxiousness.

I suggest y'all ALL go get one lol.