Kjaer Weis Sweetness Lip Tint

Coral is big this summer, and while I usually eschew trends, I'm embracing this one.  Why?

• Maybe Michael Marcus is right: brownish shades quit working as women get older (I am so over American Beauty Enduring Beauty™ Longwear Lipcolor in Chestnut Rose)
• Coral, like sandals, just seems so right for summer
• It's flattering to my skin tone

I recently purchased Lasting Finish Lipstick in 012 (coral) from Kate Moss's collection for Rimmel London and the red-coral lipstick that Poppy King created for J. Crew.  I like the Kate Moss lipstick better than the Poppy King lipstick because it doesn't spread beyond the lip line.

Here's another coral lip color I'm craving:

Kjaer Weis Lip Tint in Sweetness

Kjaer Weis Lip Tint in Sweetness is described as a "beautiful coral/orange, sheer lip tint."  It would be a nice alternative finish to the Kate Moss and Poppy King lipsticks.  I also like the one-of-a-kind packaging.

I interviewed Kirsten Kjaer Weis in November 2011.  Since then, she's added an online store to the Kjaer Weis web site.

Is Kate Moss still with Rimmel London?

I was a bit confused by this ad featuring Kate Moss for Dior Addict lipstick:

Kate Moss for Dior Addict Lipstick

Doesn't Kate represent Rimmel London?  What about future Kate Moss lipstick collections that Rimmel London promises?  Did Kate jump ship?

Kate Moss for Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick

Check out the similarities between the two ads.  The way Kate is holding her hand is nearly identical in the two ads.

Rimmel London's PR rep assures me that Kate is still with Rimmel London and she will be coming out with more lipstick collections with Rimmel London in upcoming seasons.  That's good news - I like Lasting Finish Lipstick in 012 (coral) from Kate's collection - even better than the coral lipstick that Poppy King created for J. Crew.

(Sometimes I feel so) Uninspired

(Sometimes I feel so) Uninspired was the title of a song by Traffic, a band fronted by Steve Winwood that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  It also reflects how I'm feeling now about blogging.

The process of sitting down to blog is hard for me.  However, I've been very active on Twitter with beauty news.  Twitter is easy, blogging is hard.

I've also been going through a makeup-free period.  After DST, I've had a hard time waking up before dawn  and it's enough for me to throw on clothes and get out of the house to go to work.  Maybe some lip color and Paula's Choice Brow/Hair Tint to cover the gray hairs and groom the brows.  And that's about it.

However, that hasn't stopped me from buying cosmetics!  Recent purchases:

• Laura Mercier Eye Canvas - better than Eye Basics
• Beautyblender - extras for blending cream and liquid blushes (like BECCA Beach Tint)
• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15 with Dermaxyl Complex 1 oz - I ran out and needed more
• Boscia Rose Blotting Linens 100 ea
• Poppy King for J.Crew lipstick
• Boomstick trio from Boom! by Cindy Joseph

G-d willing, I'll get the motivation to sit down and write about them!

Black Lip Color

Soon after I blogged about Obsessive Compulsive's expanded range of coloured lip balms, including its Tarred lip balm, I discovered the Black Tie Optional lipstick and sheer lip gloss from Poppy King's Lipstick Queen.

As with Obsessive Compulsive's Tarred lip balm, this lip color is not intended to be goth: it's intended to deepen your lip color.

Thanks to jamiem from ThisNext for this discovery!

Aaron de Mey is the new Makeup Artistic Director for Lancôme, after the departure of Gucci Westman for Revlon. Picture below is the limited edition lip color set that he created for Lancôme. It features ‘Le Rouge’ Color Fever lipstick in a balanced red and Piha Black Color Fever Gloss. The Piha Black Color Fever Gloss was inspired by the black volcanic sands of Piha Beach in Aaron de Mey's native New Zealand.

Aaron de Mey for Lancôme

For reviews, see We Try It: Black Lip Gloss from the Beauty Counter blog at style.com.

I'm a sinner, I'm a saint ...

Lipstick Queen is a brand founded by Poppy King, who previously had her eponymous line and then, after her Poppy line collapsed, joined Prescriptives as its creative director.


Poppy King

As with her former line Poppy, Lipstick Queen is limited to lip color. Poppy King describes her Sinner lipsticks as "opaque, rich and creamy with a matte yet silky finish" and her Saint lipsticks as "The sheerest, moistest, most serene lipsticks you have ever tried."



I tested lipsticks in both Sinner Rust and Saint Rust at the Soft Surroundings store in St. Louis, after the saleswoman told me that warm tones suited my complexion than cool tones and dissuaded me from wine or berry shades.

Sinner Rust was very matte, but not "creamy" or "silky," as Poppy King described. I found the matte lipsticks very dry. I prefer lipsticks that are between cream and matte, with some luster.

Saint Rust is more a lip stain, and therefore not sheer. It is a little more creamy that other lip stains I've tried (Laura Mercier, Underground by Rimmel).

These lipsticks do not match Poppy King's descriptions. Still, I like the Saint lipstick, but I'd be reluctant to shell out $20. I'd pass on the Sinner lipsticks.

UPDATE: The JC Report interviews Poppy King. She says, in words surprising for a beauty entrepreneur, " Feminine is a construct, whereas female is a fact ... To be in fashion right now means to understand the difference between feminine and female and to get the balance right: too feminine and we are back in the submission of the '50s, too confrontational and it becomes '80s power woman. ... Perhaps if Hillary Clinton had got this sense of female right it may have turned out differently for her."

It is not surprising that Poppy King would comment on politics: in Australia, she was part of the Australian Republican Movement.