The Advice Sisters advicesisters.com monthly “What Works” beauty and fashion reviews were legendary and ran for over a decade. After Google disavowed follow links we were forced by Google to remove all the links or be de-listed on their search engine.
This is a revised version with no-follow links for Spring 2007. Many if not most of these products are still available. We welcome your comments.
Alison Blackman, Editor in Chief, advicesisters.com
Be fashion-forward all the way to Fall, by purchasing a shiny, sheer, Lip Gloss Wand for $16.00 by FACE Stockholm. For extra glam alone or with lipstick, get a Lip Pencil. “Tuja” from the new, Fall, 2005 collection. it’s a rich Fuschia that works beautifully with the Lip Gloss and those sexy, hot-pink lipsticks you’re wearing this summer. These are going to take you places now through the chilliest months!
Bourjois always amazes us with their dazzling array of new color, textures, and styles each season. Their Lovely Rouge Satin Lipstick collection is no exception. Rich, silky, intense color in 18 shades are organized by pinks, oranges, beiges/brown, purples, and reds. These exceptional lipsticks have vitamin E to moisturize, and UVA/UVB filters to protect your lips from the sun’s damaging rays. Reviewers raved about the clever, tiny round mirror on the top of the tube that makes touch-ups easy. Cool and deep complexions will love Our picks? We think “#16 Brique Exclusif,” a rusty, intense red would flatter a tan or make an elegant evening look for palefaces. Play light and soft with “#05 Beige Intime,” a toasty pink.” Poppy-pink #10 Corail Perso” is a cool, bright coral that looks dressy day or evening, especially for cool complexions. Whatever color you choose, you’ll love them all!
Burts Bees makes wonderful lip balms. For summer, they’ve spiffed up their Lip Shimmers with color and pearly shine in seven new shades using all natural ingredients. The slim sticks have a strong, refreshing, pepperminty scent and slide on soothingly smooth. Vitamin E and confrey moisturize, heal and protect your lips. The colors are semi-sheer and very natural. We particularly liked “Watermelon,” a medium sheer pink that flatters everyone.
Pick a shining color from a dozen delicious colors and get soft, moist, glowy lips, too. That’s the idea behind the new, Aquatic Shine Glossy Lipstick by Biotherm. An attractive, slim, bullet-shaped, shiny silver case holds a semi-sheer lipstick with tons of shine that glides even over chapped lips, flawlessly. Moisture beads and Biotherm’s patented mineral-rich concentrate from Thermal Spring Water provides 3 hours of moisturizing color and shine. Choose form three different types: crystallized, syrup shine and holographic shine. We tried two from the crystallized (shimmery) collection: “#505″ is a hot, light pink and #555” is a tangerine (looks more like a warm rose than orange) that looked different, but pretty, on every complexion. If you’re looking for something with sexy shine but a bit more color than a lip gloss, you’ll love this!
When I wear gorgeous, luxe products, I feel beautiful, and empowered and I exude confidence. That’s the look and feel you’ll get when you splurge on a new, Hydrating Long-Lasting Lipstick by Sisley. The tube is a simple, shiny gold with discreet, black gold Sisley crown logo on the very top. Inside, a multi-faceted lipstick slips on your lips like absolute silk, covering them smoothly and perfectly with beautiful color. Botanical extracts such as Vitamin C Palmitate, calendula, and Vitamin E help soften, protect and make your lips feel wonderful. The color is flawless and lasts for hours. This lipstick is pricey, but you get what you pay for here. You will reap dividends in envious looks every time you apply it. “Rosewood” is a soft browned pink that is perfect for pale or warm toned skin. Two brighter pinks — Indian Pink and Pink Grapefruit are gorgeous on deeper and cooler-toned skins.
Colors in Love by Saledo Cosmetics are just the thing to pop in your purse or tote to the beach. They’re cute little clear cubes (4 to a box) secured by a silver heart clasp holding lip gloss duos. Break them in two and enjoy shiny, sheer glosses in 3 different color combos and in sheer, semi-sheer, and shimmery formulas (we tried the orange/apricot combos). These not only look good, they feel incredibly soft on your (sun-parched) lips, too. As a bonus, you get a silvery, mini-lip brush for easy application. Stock up – these will make great stocking stuffers, come holiday time.
Who wouldn’t love a beautiful payoff? One that’s easy to get is with M·A·C Cosmetics Pro-Longwear Lipstick in a frosty bronze with a hint of gold pearl called “Payoff” (pun intended).It’s the perfect color to enhance a tan, or make you feel sun-kissed even if you’re not. For the record, we’ve reviewed quite a few lipsticks that are supposed to be long-lasting, but this one really is! Slick on a coat of rich color base, then use the other side of the dual-wand to apply a clear, super-shiny (and moisturizing) top coat. Even though the colors are bright and rich, you will find that you can really eat, kiss, and drink without it budging for hours. For a gloss that can be worn sheer, or layered for more substantial color and a glass-like finish (and it also has jojoba oil to soften and moisturize lips), try one of M·A·C’s popular Tinted Lipglass colors. I liked coral-colored “Beauté,” that subtly shimmers in the light and can be worn alone or over another color (and looks universally flattering). My personal favorite Lip product from M·A·C has got to be the Tinted Lip Conditioner. Pots of sheer, shiny color (there are only 6 but I keep hoping for more) not only protect lips from the sun’s damaging rays, but soften, soothe and heal with the silkiest, more sumptuous gloss, ever. If that isn’t enough, they also flavor this one (lightly) with vanilla! Sheer, bright, super-shiny “Petting Pink” is a medium pink that is neither too yellow or too blue to flatter palefaces and sun goddesses, alike.
Goldie is an exciting, new addition to our review. Hard Candy creator Dineh Mohajer and Jeanne Chavez have created a new makeup line that blends preppie and punk. There are several cute kits, but ours was the Goldie Lip Kit In “Pinke” (there’a also “Luxe”). Open the shiny, mirrored top to find a sheer, ruby-red lipstain and a super-shimmery, rose gloss. The lip colors are soft and long-lasting! On the other side there are small pots of lip plump and lip balm which work very, very well. Flip the wide, rectangular, compact over and open the silvery lid with “Goldie” logo. You’ll see a sheer, berry lip stain and shimmery pink lip gloss. On the other side there’s a large, oval pot of exfoliator (rub on lips, tissue off for a smoother smooch). We can’t wait to review more of this line with it’s cute packaging, modern colors, and sassy edge.
L’Oreal Paris endless Kissable Lipcolour Zero-Transfer & Extreme Wear may have one of the longest lipstick nameS in our column, but it lasts for up to 8 hours, too. While our reviewers had fun testing the zero transfer claim (it won’t smear off while kissing), what we found was that this is a smooth, natural looking lipstick in a dozen, beautiful creme and perle colors that has Vitamin E for softness and a moist, attractive finish that is neither garish nor overly-shiny. This is a perfect choice for the office and other times when you’re not into re-applying, often. It’s color that looks great and stays put (kisses or not). “#410 Lovers Coral” is a medium pink with just a hint of coral perfect for Summer! Get at least one!
Maybelline’s Wet Shine Diamonds Liquid Lip Gloss has become one of our favorites over the years. It’s super-shiny, feels like silk on lips, lasts a long time and has the gorgeous flecks of glimmer that make lips look full, fresh and sexy. For Summer there are several new and glorious glosses to try: “gold Gleams, Solar Kiss, Moonlit Pucker and Moons Rays.” Even the names sound glamorous and if you use them, your lips will look that way, too!
Lolishine Reflects by Shu Uemura are really little wonders. They’re super-sheer, shiny glosses that are also super-moist lip-savers for even the most parched lips. They also sparkle with light-reflecting glimmer. The heat from lips activates the gloss, and a process called ‘Aqua-Lock” keeps the silky moisturizing properties of this lip gloss going all day . There are literally dozens of colors, but they’re so sheer that anyone can wear every one. They just feel so luxe and look so sexy–even on sunburned or chapped lips and I loved the subtle hint of green tea when you apply. The brighter colors still go on so sheer you might as well have fun and try some of those. I particularly liked the glorious yellow “”#002″ that adds just a touch of golden glow and sexy, sparkling shine. Other fun, new shades to try for Summer are “000” a neon pink, “001” a neon orange, “331” a deep rose, “#923,” a shimmery browned rose, and “523,” a light pink. Treat yourself to at least one and you’ll find yourself reaching for it over and over again, all day and evening-long!
Sun Shells Lip Gloss by Mark comes in a cool, clear, lucite cube the size of a small ice cube. Inside, two shell-shaped wells hold smooth, full coverage, shiny lip color in five great shades. Our top choices are “Bikini,” a coral/poppy glaze perfect for everyone’s complexion and “Surf,” a glorious copper that goes on like rich cream and stays put! Another bonus is that these smell divine–just like a fruit smoothie. They’ll be cute as can be in your pocket, purse or tote!
Apt. 5 Lip Gels are attractive squares of shiny, clear lip gloss infused with the merest hint of color and tons of tiny bits of glitter in silver (“White”), gold (“Yellow”), peach (“Orange”), sea green (“Green”) and turquoise (“Blue”). They resemble colorful, pop-art squares In their clear, slim, plastic compacts. On your lips, the vanilla-scented gloss feels soft, silky and moisturizing, and has just the tiniest glint in the sun. These are inexpensive, pretty to look at (so colorful strewn on a dressing table or in a basket), and great fun to use!
The limited edition Mini Lipgloss Trio by Zhen comes in a cute, clear, denim-trimmed zippered pouch perfect for beach, gym or purse. The silky, semi-shiny glosses with a hint of fruity scent come in “Vintage Rose,”(berried rose) “Vintage Pink,” (soft rose) and Plumberry (browned plum). This is a $40.00 value that would make a nice gift for a happy hostess, too.
Givenchy Pop Gloss Syrup is a limited edition gloss just for now. We tried “#410 Cool Rose” which is primarily clear pink but with a hint of warm/melon undertone. The color is just perfect for a tan! This gloss is sheer but you can layer a few times for more color. Mostly what you get is sheer color and shine. What I really like about this one is the super-moist, silky, long-lasting but never sticky consistency that actually made my lips look smooth and full.
We haven’t done a lot of lip liners this column, but one that is worthy of note is the Lip Liner by Dianne Brill, that comes in a re-useable, sexy, girly-pink metal “cigar” tube. One side has a superb lip brush, the other, a liner that is soft enough to work as it’s own, lip color or to line summer lips, naturally. Five colors, mostly earth-tones, go from a soft cinnamon to a bright, clear red. These liners really stay put – even serious rubbing didn’t motivate them to leave our lips! “Naked Mesh,” a soft chestnut, would be sexy au natural with a slick of clear gloss to go with your new tan!
He says: “Honey? can I borrow your lip balm?” You say: “Sure” only to realize that yours has shine or color and he won’t use it. Get that special man his own lip balm. The Molton Brown Vitamin Lipsaver is a lip balm made just for men! This soft, clear gel in a tube is not overly shiny and totally clear. Better yet, it feels so soothing on chapped or parched lips, and it is enriched with natural vitamin E, honey and beeswax. The matte, pewter tube with white band looks masculine so he’ll it’s great to guard against sun, wind, air conditioning whether you’re skiing, sailing, hiking, or just traveling!
We also like the Bigelow Lip Formula SPF 15, a fragrance-free tube (with slanted applicator top) of clear gel with sweet almond oil, cottonseed oil, aloe leaf jojoba and a sun protector SPF15 to soothe, heal and protect lips–which it does –beautifully! It’s also fragrance free and has a slightly sweet vanilla scent and taste, with no color or high-shine. The entire family will love it.
Another notable Moisture balm that can be used for lips, face, elbows – anywhere extra moisture and protection is needed –is the Luxe Moisture Balm by Trish McEvoy. It’s more than a moisturizing balm, however. It has SPF 15 to protect as well as moisturize and the mini deodorant-style, wide and flat applicator, makes it easy to apply to larger areas as well as smaller ones, in just one stroke. The entire family will feel good using it, so you won’t have to lug an arsenal of products anymore.
Sue Devitt Studio Starbrights Lip and Cheek arrive in new, round, silvery, mirrored compacts. Inside, two lip colors and a cheek gel slide on super-sheer, but with build-able color. “Rana” is a trio of perfect peaches that give a natural, sheer glow to cheeks and lips. The cheek gloss and the deeper peach lip gloss have a hint of gold shimmer, while the second lip gloss (very light peach) has a hint of pearl. These give a subtle look perfect for the more casual days ahead. They can be layered for more color, or used over your bronzer, powder, or lip colors to add shine and shimmer. “Lyra,” a combo of a gold-glinted rose cheek volot, coupled with light pink lip glosses, will add a subtle glow to a tan, and still look pretty on a pale complexion.