The list of liquid lipsticks on the market right now is, overwhelming, to say the least. From mainstream brands to indie companies, it seems like everyone's jumping on the (not so) new trend. At this point, I've figured out which lipsticks work for me but I was still pretty excited when I received Marc Jacobs Le Marc Liquid Lip Crème in "Hot Cocoa" along with Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in "Nude(ist)" to try out.

Product details:  lip crème available in six shades on Sephora.com and MarcJacobsBeauty.com
lip liner available on Sephora.com (seven shades), NeimanMarcus.com (three shades), and MarcJacobs.com (three shades).


List price: $28.00 (lip crème) and $24.00 (lip liner)

Claims: Full coverage nude shades that allow for long-wear (approximately eight hours) without drying out lips. The lip liner is a gel-based liner that also allows for long-lasting wear and prevents bleeding or feathering.  The shades for the liner complement the lip crème color range.

Use: I very rarely wear lipstick for eight hours continuously so I decided to test this the next best way - at a desi party with greasy food I couldn't really eat with a fork/spoon.


Thoughts:
I was pretty hesitant about the color when I received it because it looked like a very dark brown on all the advertising I had seen.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that that was incorrect, because the lip crème was actually more of a orange-ish brown (I'm not sure who thought that it looked like "hot cocoa" but...).  Regardless, I thought the color was pretty universally flattering and a good choice for Fall/Winter.


The lip liner was also significantly lighter on my lips than the swatches online showed.  It was so light that I had a hard time visualizing where I had applied it.

Both the lipstick and lip liner feel very comfortable on the lips; given that it's currently winter, I didn't have to deal with flaking or drying out. I definitely do not agree with the "eight hour wear" claim. Though some was still left, most of the lipstick came off by the time I finished my meal.

On the other hand, there was no feathering, which is something that I struggle with when I use liquid lipsticks. And layering more coats of the lipstick also was not an issue, unlike some other liquid lipstick formulas.

Repurchase?
Though I loved the packaging (sleek and simple) and the formula was extremely comfortable, I don't think I would repurchase this.  The formula isn't as long-lasting as I desire and the lip liner is far more than I spend on similar products.  If you don't mind reapplying lipstick (or only need it to last for a short period of time) and struggle with finding liquid lipstick that doesn't dry your lips out, this is a good option to consider.

I dread taking off my makeup at the end of the day. Most of the makeup I use is water-proof and long-lasting because of my tendency to constantly touch my face and rub my eyes so my night-time routine generally involves me scrubbing the heck out of my face until its red.

Over the years I've tried numerous makeup removing products: wipes, oils, etc, but everything either left a significant amount of residual makeup on my face and/or caused my skin to break out so I found myself switching things up constantly.  My most recent routine has comprised of using Philosophy - Purity Made Simple Cleanser (on sale here) followed by The Original MakeUp Eraser® Makeup Remover Cloth which I purchased from Sephora (also on sale right now here!).  The combination of products has been fine (no breakouts) and though I don't have to scrub quite as hard with the makeup remover cloth, I still feel like my makeup isn't being completely removed, especially my mascara and eyeliner (shout-out to Make Up For Ever's Smoky Extravagant Mascara and Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in "Trooper" for being truly long-lasting/being so difficult to remove).

I stumbled upon this whole micellar cleansing water frenzy and was curious as to whether all the comments about it were actually true (feels like water?! I don't need to wash my face after because there's no gross residue?! Affordable?) I was curious so I went out and purchased one to try it out.


Product: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (There are two types: a "regular" one with a pink top and one for waterproof makeup that has a blue top. I purchased the latter).

List price: $6.29-875

Where to purchase: Any drugstore or Ulta (where both types are on sale currently)

Claims: The concept behind these and other "cleansing waters" is that water that contains micelles (collection of molecules that surround the makeup/dirt) allows you to easily and effectively remove makeup and other products without harsh rubbing and scrubbing. Because it's mostly water, you don't have to deal with the oily feeling other makeup removers leave you with so there's no need to wash your face after using this.  The end result should be clean and hydrated skin with no residual products left.

Use:
I decided to test this out after a dinner party when I had on heavier makeup than usual. For my eyes, I used a small amount on a cotton pad that I applied to each eyelid for a few seconds then gently rubbed.  The result is shown below.


For my face, I used another cotton pad and wiped my face until I felt like most of the product had been removed.

Thoughts:

As you can see, the cotton pad had a significant amount of eye makeup and mascara on it and it had done a fairly good job of removing most of it from my eyes.  So it definitely works.

However, despite repeatedly running the pad over my eyes and face, there was a little bit of mascara and eyeliner that refused to come off.  It wasn't until I used my usual cleanser and wiped my face with the makeup remover cloth that my face was truly makeup-free.

Speaking of washing my face, I definitely do not think I would have been able to get away with just using the micellar water to cleanse my face.  I agree that it isn't quite as oily as other makeup removers, but I still felt like I had a film of something that wasn't water on my face.

Although I don't think I'd ever use this in place of water to clean my face, I really liked adding this to my current routine.  While it doesn't take off everything on its own, I found that when I used this with my usual cleansing routine, my face felt a lot cleaner and less dried out.

Repurchase?
Given the price, I don't see why not.  Though it wasn't a miracle by any means, I did feel like it improved my current routine.