Check Hourglass’s new Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss.

Possibly the only gloss that can be described as sexy, this hot little number is the latest from a brand where style and substance always coexist. In your palm it feels weightless – like a tiny remote clicker or a key fob, and on your lips it feels silky and smooth.

But let’s forget about the chic, sleek packaging for a minute because like your mother always told you, it’s what’s inside that really matters, and that does not disappoint either. The paraben-sulfate-phthalate-fragrance free formula is packed with hydrating Vitamin E, brilliant shine, and superior color. The smaller applicator felt a bit awkward and uneven on The Beauty Bug’s full lips, but the awkwardness quickly faded after the first couple applications. Available in six water-resistant shades, these flat-tubed fancies are both functional and sophisticated…and The Beauty Bug needs one in every color!

The only con about the gloss? Unless you’re using it, it lies hidden in your purse or pocket where no one can see.  What a shame.

Hourglass Prodigy Hydrating Lip Glosses are currently available at Barney’s and will be available at Sephora on February 18th for $26.

Disclosure: A press sample was provided to The Beauty Bug.

From MAC’s Colour Craft collection, Crazy Haute is the pink lip gloss for the girls that don’t wear pink.  It’s not a dainty pink . It’s not a baby pink, or a pale pink, or a soft pink.  It’s a cool, medium,  pink-with-a-punch gloss. With just a hint of shimmer and hues of magenta, peppermint pink and violet/lavender pink – it’s a glamorous, alluring, smoky pink.

Crazy Haute is undoubtedly…hot.

Crazy Haute is available on at MAC counters eveywhere, and on their website for $18.00.

A few Fridays ago, The Beauty Bug was waiting for some friends at a bar. Just as they began to arrive, She went to greet one of them. Instead of the normal “hi, how are you”, The Beauty Bug got a different welcoming.

“Your lip gloss is mesmerizing,” Her friend blurted, as she continued to stare at it.

(Nice to see you too).

Mesmerizing. The Beauty Bug had never heard that one before. Shiny, shimmery, sparkly, a compliment to Her pale skin, yes – heard all those. But never mesmerizing. The Beauty Bug quickly reached into Her bag, furiously searching for this enthralling gloss, checking to make sure that it hadn’t disappeared in the black hole of glosses at the bottom on her purse. She found it and clutched it.

The mesmerizing gloss? CARGO’s Classic Lip Gloss with Timesetrip Technology in Luxor. Having never used CARGO gloss before that night, The Beauty Bug snuck off to the bathroom to get another look at the gloss that received this ultimate compliment.  Luxor, described as a spiced cinnamon latte color, is a golden caramel gloss with a slight shimmer, that’s not too heavy or sticky, and ultra-smooth and shiny (shiny enough to be seen in a semi-dark bar). It’s a natural warm color that’s so wearable and versatile.  The award-winning formula is vitamin-enriched, and paraben-free.  Mesmerized yet?

Now to the Timestrip Technology, which is mesmerizing for different reasons. Each gloss comes with a timestrip, a small label that’s inserted into the cap once the gloss is opened. The small strip begins to turn red as time passes. When nine months have elapsed and the entire window is red, the gloss has “expired” and should be disgarded.  No more guessing when it comes to the freshness of your glosses.

CARGO Classic Lip Glosses with Timestrip Technology are available at Sephora and sephora.com for $22.

Want to add a bit more color to the gloss? The Beauty Bug recommends lining lips with either MAC’s Spice Lip Liner or Estee Lauder’s Lip Shaping Gloss Pencil in Sheer Tearose. The MAC pencil will bring out the mauve in the gloss, while the Estee Lauder pencil will bring out the rosy color.

Fishnets are now for the timid and innocent, as well as the daring and sexy….

Will you be unleashing your inner Lady Marmalade and purchasing this gloss?

Lancome’s Rosy Fishnet is available at Sephora.com for $18.

Well…if that’s true, then DazzleGlass, meet Lipnotic Gem Gloss.

If the expression rings true then DazzleGlass should be blushing from the compliments.

Let us look at the facts – DazzleGlass hit MAC counters first, and it really was the first product of its kind. Beauty addicts everywhere, including The Beauty Bug, could hardly wait to get their hands on the shiny tubes of gloss that promised glitter AND glamor – often a tough combination to pull off. Offered in 16 colors, these babies warned wearers to “smile with caution.” And then, just like all of the other sought after limited edition MAC products, DazzleGlass was sold out in the blink of an eye, and MAC evangelists scooped up as many tubes as possible, before mourning the loss of a never to be forgotten gloss.

Sally Hansen’s Lipnotic Gem Gloss is new to drugstore shelves this month and has been introduced as the clear, yet sparkley, underdog. And by clear, the Beauty Bug means both evident, AND see-thru. Available in 10 shades, it too promises multi-dimensional shine. The language surrounding the product is the same, (“gleaming”, “semi-precious shine”) the tube is nearly identical, and the feel of the products in your hands is the same – but unfortunately, that’s as far as the similarities go.

The Beauty Bug has worn each one of the five Lipnotic Gem Glosses that She’s received – Lavish, Bling Bling, Bejeweled, Treasure, and Pleasure – and was unable to distinguish which color was which once She applied them to Her lips. Each wore like a clear, sparkley gloss with little to no pigment or color. She even tried applying several coats, hoping to achieve the vibrant color that DazzleGlass offers, but it just wasn’t happening. The consistency wasn’t as big of a miss as the color was – Lipnotic is just a little less thick and a little less sticky.

So, imitation? No, not really. But it was a good, solid try. If you’re looking for a new gloss with a hint of sparkle and a half a hint of color, Lipnotic is an affordable choice. It does deliver on the shine factor, but not the make-your-lips-twinkle-like-stars-factor, like DazzleGlass does – that indescribable oomph, that certain je ne sais quoi. As of now, DazzleGlass remains untouched.

Salley Hansen Lipnotic Gem Gloss is available at drugstores for $6.95.

MAC Dazzle Glass is currently sold out.

This morning was a typical morning in The Beauty Bug household, that is until The Beauty Bug went to kiss The Beauty Bug Fiance goodbye before She left for work. She hadn’t followed her typical routine; usually She purposely kisses Him goodbye before She puts on the lip product of Her choosing, but today was different. As She got closer to Him, He shied away a bit because He knows kisses are pretty much off-limits when She has gloss on, but The Beauty Bug surprised him. What was the reason for this you ask? Stila’s latest must-have, Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain.

The Beauty Bug prefers to use this strictly on Her lips for the simple reason of when it dries, it dries and stays put – She prefers something a bit blendable for Her cheeks. That being said, the stain on lips is marv! It contains cherry and pomegranate extracts, and Vitamins A, C & E to keep lips healthy, protected and cherrylicious.

To get your perfect shade of cherry red, apply a small amount, let it dry for a few seconds, and then blot soon after if necessary. If you’re happy with the color, you’re good to go for quite sometime…The Beauty Bug applied at about 8:45AM and it was still giving Her that bitten look by the time lunchtime hit. If you want a more intense red, click that red pen until your heart and lips are content…and red!

File this under products that go the distance…

Stila’s Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain is available at Sephora and Sephora.com for $24.

But on to the more important part – The Beauty Bug is not a fan of the coveted NARS Orgasm gloss. She just doesn’t understand what all the hype is about. Why you ask? The Beauty Bug has prepared a tidy bulleted list…

Consistency and texture

• Very thick, sticky, and a bit tacky in texture
• Dry – This surprised The Beauty Bug because one of Her favorite glosses is NARS Rose Birman gloss, which is neither dry nor thick.

Color

• Strong orange undertones that in some lighting overshadows the pink/peach
• Very iridescent and opalescent – The Beauty Bug almost felt like she was channeling the 80′s or Her grandmother in Boca (or Magda from Something About Mary) when She had it on…

Finish

• Little to no shine

So, in short, The Beauty Bug’s world wasn’t turned upside down by this product. Don’t believe what you hear – this isn’t one of those universal colors that looks good on everyone. Then again, this isn’t the first time The Beauty Bug hasn’t shared popular opinion, and She knows that it won’t be the last.

Despite the number of awards and recognition that this product has received, The Beauty Bug will reluctantly add this to Her list of over-hyped products, and it will be in good company alongside Maybelline’s Great Lash.

What are your thoughts on this love-it or hate-it gloss?

The Beauty Bug entered the MAC store, and made a beeline for the Dazzleglass. She was a Beauty Bug on a mission. She went straight for Bare Necessity, a caramel apricot color with hints of red and gold pearl. While it was a bit more pink than She had hoped, the shade nonetheless wowed Her with it’s powerful spark and shine. MAC Dazzleglass is one of the only glitter glosses that is sexy and sophisticated -it’s not your typical 13 year olds glitter gloss. She happily purchased Her gloss, and left the MAC store; Her now more profound, sparkling lips leading the way.

At any mirror She could stop at, She would just to have a look at Her blinding lips. She took Her time cutting through the multi-level department store pausing occasionally to admire the new gloss that on a sunny day, one might need sunglasses to look at it head on.

The Beauty Bug will leave you with a few lines from one of Her most favorite plays and movies, CHICAGO. “Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle, razzle dazzle ‘em. Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate.” This gloss razzles and dazzles….

MAC Dazzleglass is available on MacCosmetics.com for $16.50.

Shu’s newest products to hit shelves are the Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine, a lipstick that contains a blend of light-reflective pearls that provide lips with a luminous sheen. It’s the perfect in-between product – it’s not thick like lipsticks can be, and it’s not sticky like glosses can be. The formula is light and is comprised of water-capturing molecules that help retain natural moisture. Coverage can be controlled – for a heavier shine, apply the product with a brush. The brush picks up more product and blends it evenly. For more of a stained look, apply directly from the tube.

One applied, the product can barely be felt on your lips. The shine it provides is really exquisite – it doesn’t have a high-glossy finish, but a beautiful pearlized luster mixed with a hint of sheer shine that catches the light nicely. Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine comes in 17 colors all of which are housed in a very chic, cool, modern capsule-like case that’s unique to Shu.

The Beauty Bug’s favorite, must-have color is BG 950S, pictured to the left. It’s a versatile color that goes with anything – wear it to compliment a smoky eye, or let it brighten a bare face.

Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine is $22 and is available in Shu Uemura boutiques in San Francisco, Boston and Costa Mesa; select Neiman Marcus stores; select Saks Firth Avenue stores and Barney’s New York, Chicago and Beverly Hills, ShuUemura.com.

After returning from dinner and settling down with the Her new April Allure, The Beauty Bug was surprised to see a short blurb on page 80 reporting that coral gloss is the “color of the moment” for the spring. Allure consulted with celebrity makeup artist Diane Kendal who said the color “gives lips a full, lustrous look.” For fair skin, Allure recommends pink-based corals like Avon Glazewear Liquid Lipcolor in Punch which is currently on sale for $2.99, and Clinique’s Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Cabana Crush. The Beauty Bug of course recommends MAC’s Sock Hop from the new Heatherette collection and NARS Sandpiper, a shimmering amber coral. For darker complexions, Allure recommends orangey-red colors such as Cover Girl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor in Coral.

Photo courtesy of Specktra Beauty.