I went to Walgreens the other day and saw the Revlon Midnight Swirl lipgloss in Lick-orice on sale. The cheesy name didn't make me giggle or turn away and I figured for $2 why not. I've been seeing these lipglosses everywhere and wasn't really excited by them. A make-up sale changed that but I still didn't expect to love it this much.


Lick-orice looks like a very dark, slightly reddish plum with some funky greenish glitters swirled about. The way it looks in the tube is deceptive and on the lips it is a beautiful, sheer (but not the kind where you curse the heavens in anger realizing you might as well have worn vaseline instead), warm red brown colour. It's a very wearable licorice colour (the marketing geniuses at Revlon knew this I suppose) with a wonderfully plush texture that cushions my lips. It is fairly thick but it's not as sticky as MAC lipglasses. At first there is a hint of a scent but it is very light, pleasant, and vanishes quickly.

The reason I say this is a must have is because it is so versatile. Worn sheerly, it enhances the natural lipcolour. You can also layer it to get a more intense licorice shade. The best thing is how it transforms my lipsticks. It deepens any lipstick beautifully, adding a warm plummy brown touch to them. This is a shade that I think many skintones could wear. I think this would look incredibly flattering on a wide range of skintones. However, I'd really recommend it for us darker ladies (ranging from medium to dark, about NC40 and higher).

I know Revlon is trying to get these out of the stores so they can sell their next collection, so now with the price cut I would run to get this lipgloss.

I contacted Vipul Bhagat a while back and he was incredibly nice and helpful. He has over 14 years of experience in the industry and has a large celebrity following, among which are Svetha Jaishankar, Malaika Arora, and Madhu Sapre. Here are a few pics from his portfolio: pic 1, pic 2, pic 3, pic 4, pic 5.

Me: Are there any products that always feature in your kit?
Vipul Bhagat: MAC and Kryolan products.

Me: What brands do you rely on for foundation? Which brands do you prefer for darker skin tones and which would you prefer for lighter skin tones?
Vipul Bhagat: MAC for lighter skin tones, Bobbi Brown and Kryolan for darker skin tones. I don’t like MAC foundations too much for darker skin tones because they can go on a bit grey on the skin.

Me: For a professional look for work, what are the products and what kind of a look do you recommend?
Vipul Bhagat: I would do a beauty-shot type look where the skin is central. Or western dark eyes and pale lips.
Note: I’m guessing he means a smokey eye. Just making sure make-up jargon is universal.

Me: For weddings, what are some products you feel a bride should look into?
Vipul Bhagat: For weddings mainly the foundation, lipstick and kajal pencil are important. If you can, try to make all these things waterproof as Indian brides tend to cry after their wedding they become emotional. MAC Blot Powder is also good to keep your skin matte and looking good in photos.

Me: What are some mistakes you see women making with regards to make-up and what would you suggest as opposed to what they currently do?
Vipul Bhagat: They don’t cover their dark circles, they use kaajal pencil which at the end of the day is spread all over the eye region and looks like dark circles, and always carry a chapstick and then their lips become very dry and cracked.
Note: I am so guilty of doing the last thing.

Me: What are some of your favourite MAC products that you use often.
Vipul Bhagat: Stripdown and especially Spice lip liners. For lipglosses I like Lust, Love Child, and Chai. Blushes like Pink Swoon and Peaches are wonderful.

Me: Are there any specific creams you like using to prep skin for make-up?
Vipul Bhagat: I use MAC Studio Mositure Fix. I use other creams from the Body Shop and MAC

Me: And last but not least, can you name any of the products you used on Shveta Jaishanker for her wedding?
Note: If you have no clue who she is (which I didn’t, I had to Google her), she is a former Miss India and is a model.

Vipul Bhagat: I used Kryolan foundation. Then, I used Spice lip liner to outline and then filled it in with Cosmo lipstick. I lined her eyes with Smolder eye kohl and finished with a L’Oreal mascara. For blusher, I used Pink Swoon.
Note: except the foundation, they’re all MAC products in case you were feeling lost. Also, this is my personal recommendation since he doesn’t specify the exact mascara, try voluminous. It is my all time favourite mascara.

Khamila sent me a very sweet email of her favourite products which I will post in a bit. Her email got my few remaining braincells spinning (my textbooks aren't just mind numbing, they're quite lethal to gray matter it seems) because I do a lot of make-up for darker skinned African American women an desi women. So here's my post on some of my favourite products for darker skintones, by which I mean ranging from my skintone, nc45, to nw55. Feel free to suggest shades and combinations.

La Roche Posay Biomedic Vitamin C Powder
I've been raving about this all over the place for the past few weeks now. I find that darker skintones have hyperpigmentation issues when we encounter pimples (I'm looking in the mirror and giving my skin a deathly look right now). I hate the length of time it takes for any discolouration to fade on my skin. This product speeds up the healing time for blemishes and reduces any discolouration greatly. I mix 2 spoonfuls (you get the tiny spoon in the box) with my moisturizer, mix, and then apply. This way it doesn't degrade in sunlight, the product is always fresh and effective, and it boosts the effectiveness of your sunscreen. Yes it tingles a bit but you can build up to the 2 spoonfuls. And did I also mention that it is much more affordable than many of the other serums out there.

I also liked this better than vitamin c serums because the sunlight can cause some of the vitamin c to degrade during the mailing process. The serums also caused me to break out, while with this you are only mixing it with your trusted moisturizer. I know skincare is very subjective but this has helped my skin so much and so I just had to rave about it. One little bottle will also last a very long while. Also, you can get it at 20% at www.skincarerx.com with the discount code MUA20.

Nars Exhibit A
I really couldn't leave this one out now could I? It is a screaming tomato red in the pan, but when worn it is possibly the most gorgeous blush on every skin tone. Be warned, it is very pigmented and a little will take you a very long way (think marathon). On my skin, it is a natural reddish flush that looks very girly and natural. It works great on such a huge variety of skintones, but I especially love how it brings out darker skintones.

MAC Teddy Eye Kohl
I know this is an eye kohl, but it is incredible on really dark skin tones as a lip liner. I like to balance it out with a lighter gloss, like maybe MAC Viva Glam V, or intensify the colour with a deep red. Either way, the smudgey texture and the softness of the eye kohl make it a great multi-dimensional lip liner. I don't like to use it alone but it is great to help intensify and dramatise colours.

Milani Antique Gold
I have a hard time convincing darker skinned women to go for colours other than golds and rich browns. However, I love dirty khakhi greens with gold in them to highlight brown eyes. The texture of the shadows is great and I have a bunch. The only problem is that I haven't seen them around my CVS for a long while. The Milani website still has them up so they should be available. I know I'm out of the loop on this one but I got backups the moment they were on clearance at CVS. I'm desperate like that but I digress. I love pairing it up with MAC Handwritten or Milani Java Bean in the crease, a thick swash of eyeliner, and some serious mascara for an easy dramatic look.

image sources: www.skincarerx.com, www.maccosmetics.com, www.instyle.com, www.americanrx.com