Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine

What’s a Chanel lip gloss lover to do when she still feels a throbbing hole in her heart where the Aqualumiere Glosses once lived?

The lightweight, shiny Aqualumieres have been gone for years, and yet I still shed sparkly tears whenever I think about them…

Oh, the sweet, sweet misery!

R.I.P., Candy Glow. *sniffs*

Next time I get all emo for an Aqualumiere and feel the urge to pour a 40 on the ground (or in my case 6 ounces of chai latte), I’ll just grab one of these new splurge-worthy Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shines from Guerlain.

For a polished chrome shine a mirror would envy, just whip out the flat flocked applicator (ergonomically shaped for easier application), and slick your lips with one of 20 available shades, which vary from shy girl quiet sheerness to HAAAY BOO! — we’re going full-on drag-caliber opacity tonight.

What’s more, these glosses look and feel exactly like the Aqualumieres!

Well, darned near. Same crystal ball-like finish, same smooth, non-sticky texture, lightweight formula and two-hour wear time.

Heck, they could almost pass for identical makeup twins.

Almost.

Guerlain’s Maxi Shines do have a rosy scent and flavor the Aqualumieres didn’t have, but I like it. It’s not overpowering. I think it’s quite elegant, in fact.

Top row: 400 Gold Tchlack, 460 Rose Splatch, 402 Browny Clap, 463 La Petite Robe Noir and 468 Candy Stripe; bottom row: 467 Cherry Swing, 471 Prune Zip, 420 Rouge Schebam, 441 Tangerine Vlam and 421 Red Pow

Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 421 Red Pow

Guerlain Gloss D’Enfer Maxi Shine in 471 Prune Zip

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick in Exhibitionist ($21)

I’ve been glued to glosses for at least the past decade (give or take a year or two). Yup, I’m a gloss girl — the gal in the group who’ll whip out her makeup bag to touch up after lunch at the table, and then spend five minutes sifting through handfuls of tubes to find the perfect shiny shade while everyone else sips coffee.

What can I say? I like gloss. I think it makes my lips look fuller, and I even feel a little younger when I wear it, too.

Ah, but Buxom’s new line of unscented, unflavored Full-Bodied Lipsticks is currently threatening to turn me into a full-time lipstick lady. When I wear one of these 10 creamy, satin-finish shades, each one of them loaded with hydrating hyaluronic spheres, my pout does appear a little plumper (no sting or tingling sensation, though) — like I’ve been locking lips with someone at work in the supply closet — and it stays that way from 4-5 hours (or until my next meal).

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick swatches from the left: Exhibitionist, Hooligan, Menace, Nudist, Rouge, Scoundrel and Two-Timer

Buxom Full-Bodied Lipstick in Exhibitionist

Affordable and stylish spring and summer beauty from Sonia K.

Kitty overlord got a taste for the finer things? Is he/she hooked on products with high-end prices?

With Tabs, been there, done that.

But ya know what? This spring and summer, refreshing your makeup bag (or your feline employer’s) doesn’t have to empty your Kate Spade wallet.

Not with my girl, Sonia Kashuk, swooping in to save the day.

Whether you’re saving up for a toy or trip, or just tightening up your beauty budget, get haute couture for less with Sonia Kashuk’s new spring and summer 2013 makeup.

With a packaging revamp across her permanent line, there’s excitement in the air! Say so long (at least for now) to Sonia’s signature white and silver compacts, because they’ve been replaced by new black and white cases.

Of course, you’ll still be able to find your favorite product shades, as well as some new ones, too.

On the limited-edition side, we head to Morocco!

Or rather, Sonia did, and it influenced her spring and summer makeup, bags and tools.

It’s a HUGE collection this year (available now at Target, in stores and online), and here are some of the pieces that have caught my eye…

Sonia Kashuk State of the Art Nail Set ($12.99)

Sonia Kashuk State of the Art Nail Set ($12.99)

Sonia Kashuk Nail Colours from the left: Sitting Pretty, Queen of Hearts and Fever Pitch ($4.79 each)

Wearing the new NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Floralies ($25), a light apricot, one of 13 shades from the new Satin Lip Pencil line coming March 15 to NARS counters and available now online

You know what I realized this afternoon while coloring in my lips with the new NARS Satin Lip Pencils?

I have no idea what happened to my coloring books…

I used to have a ton of them as a kid. Stacks of coloring books, but somewhere along the way, they disappeared, probably into the same vortex that sucked up my red Hello Kitty lunchbox (she growled, shaking her fist!).

I was always coloring something… Books, folders, pictures of people.

I did that last one a lot, too. I loved coloring in the lips of people in pictures (a harbinger of my lipstick addiction, perhaps?).

Today, as I lined and filled in my pout with the Satin Lip Pencils — creamy, potently pigmented lipsticks with a soft sheen finish — I felt like I was lying on the living room floor with Karrie, my childhood buddy, coloring and watching cartoons.

Lightweight, non-sticky, smooth and moisturizing, they’re like lip pencils and lipsticks rolled into one. Just line and fill in your lips, and you’re good for 5-6 hours (keep ‘em handy, though, if you plan to eat or drink, as they do fade a bit after either).

NARS included some interesting ingredients in the formula — things like pomegranate and yeast extracts, hyaluronic acid, collagen prepeptides and vitamin E to moisturize, soothe and create fuller-looking lips.

Oh…but which color to start with among the 13 shades, which range from nuanced nudes to arresting pinks and reds?

I say go with Floralies if you’re into nudes, Lodhi if you’re a fiend for corals, and Yu or Jardin Des Plantes if you’re all about brights.

NARS Satin Lip Pencils from the left: Floralies, Isola Bella, Biscayne Park, Lodhi, Het Loo, Rikugien, Golshan, Palais Royal, Majella, Hyde Park, Luxembourg, Jardin Des Plantes and Yu

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Isola Bella, a peach beige

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Biscayne Park, a pink guava

Wearing the new eight-piece Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid collection for spring 2013 on my eyes, cheeks and lips, available now at Whole Foods and Pharmaca stores, and online

Calling all mermaids and beach babes! The Oceanid collection by Gabriel Cosmetics ZuZu Luxe may tempt you to take the plunge into this indie line of all-natural, gluten-free and vegan makeup.

Made without synthetic chemicals or animal by-products, the line is pretty new to me, but being a water baby and all, the teals and blues caught my eye.

I also liked how Gabriel Cosmetics sprinkled in cool-toned shades for the eyes and lips — something kinda different from the warm bronzes and golds that typically come with beach-themed collections.

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Calypso Eye Shadow ($15.25 for a 0.07-ounce pan), a bright blue matte with cool undertones

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Breeze Eye Shadow ($15.25 for a 0.07-ounce pan), a shimmery warm golden teal

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Platinum Eye Shadow ($15.25 for a 0.07-ounce pan), a shimmery cool pink

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Sunset Blush ($21.50 for a 0.10-ounce pan, a shimmery, warm golden apricot

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Crystal Lip Gloss ($13.80 for a 0.17-ounce tube), a clear gloss

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Crystal Lip Gloss

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Navy Mascara ($16.70 for a 0.25-ounce tube, a matte navy

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Navy Mascara brush

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Fresh Lip Liner ($13.80 for a 0.04-ounce pencil), a matte cool pink

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Fresh Lip Liner

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection Liquid Eyeliner in Taureg ($14.85 for a 0.10 ounce bottle), a matte cool brown

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection packaging

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection swatches from the left: Breeze, Calypso and Platinum Eye Shadows; Sunset Blush

Gabriel Cosmetics Oceanid Collection swatches from the left: Navy Mascara, Fresh Lip Liner and Crystal Lip Gloss

HAAAY, GURL! I’m wearing Taureg Liquid Eyeliner, Navy Mascara and Calypso, Breeze and Platinum Eye Shadows on my eyes; Sunset Blush on my cheeks and Crystal Lip Gloss with Fresh Lip Liner on my lips

The stand outs? The eye shadows. They boast mad pigment, refuse to fall out and blend like buttah. I think they could easily hold their own with the MAC, NARS and Urban Decay eye shadows in my makeup bag.

Quick takes on the rest of the collection:

• Sunset Blush: A super-saturated apricot with fine powder grains; love it
• Navy Mascara: A little hard to see the blue; better at lengthening than thickening
• Taureg Liquid Eyeliner: Loaded with pigment, but the stiff brush makes it hard for me to get sharp lines
• Fresh Lip Liner: A matte cool pinkish beige that feels comfy and smooth
• Crystal Lip Gloss: A non-sticky, unscented clear gloss with a very faint sugar flavor

Overall, I like this collection, especially the eye shadows and the blush, and I think the cool-toned elements add a fresh twist.

PRICE: $13.80-$21.50)
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Whole Foods, Pharmaca and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen