A hella pigmented, high-shine glittery gloss for less than eight bucks? Hook it up, Milani!

The new Haute Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Lipglosses cost a mere $7.49 each, and yet they deliver flashy, full-coverage color the likes of pricier department store fare (I’m talkin’ to you, MAC, YSL and Chanel).

Like distant, disco-crazed cousins of the MAC Kissable Lipcolours ($19), these six Haute shades are loaded with pigment, so a little of each goes a long way, and have super skinny tubes and sponge tip applicators, but unlike their Kissable kin, they also glisten with glitter.

Both the Haute Flashes and Kissables start off feeling slick and smooth on my lips, but the Haute shades aren’t content with that. They seem to thicken and get much stickier after the first 15 minutes or so, and just generally, I think they like being babied.

Because they tend to catch on dry flakes and settle into every lip line, if my lips are anything less than perfectly smooth and moisturized, the Haute Flashes can look pretty janky. Exfoliating and prepping my lips with a lip balm beforehand definitely helps them look their best.

And have I mentioned how pigmented these are? I only need to use a minuscule amount, which is neat. Of course, if I happen to apply a tad too much, the Haute Flashes make me pay for it by looking thick and messy.

From the left: Quick Flash, Star Flash, Golden Flash, Flashy, Hot Flash and In A Flash

Quick Flash

Flashy

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Wearing Chanel Roses Ultimes de Chanel Glossimer in Jalousie on my lips

Quick! — what’s the first flower that comes to mind when you think of Coco Chanel? If you said “camellias,” there’s a good reason for that. They were her signature bloom. Now, whenever I see one I think, “How very Chanel!”

This time, however, for Chanel’s latest makeup collection, camellias take a bow, and roses take center stage.

Glossimers and nail colors are blooming in the 10-piece, limited edition Roses Ultimes de Chanel, available now at Chanel counters and online. It features six thick, sticky Glossimers ($29.50 each) and four Les Vernis Nail Colors ($26 each) in springy shades of pink, peach and coral.

For the record, I have a thing for Glossimers. I’ve fallen for many of them before, and like those, these have that same thick, sticky consistency and unscented, unflavored formula that lasts from 3-4 hours.

Lately, I’ve been supervising visits between my lips and four of the six Glossimers from Roses Ultimes de Chanel, and so far everyone’s really getting along.

These vary in coverage, but I like how springy they feel without going down the typical spring pastel route.

For daytime errands, I’ve been grabbing the two lighter shades, creamy, peachy pink Plaisir and creamy coral Voluptè. Both are semi-sheer and oh, so easy to wear.

If you prefer more dramatic Glossimers and don’t mind having to do some light maintenance (may need to use a lip liner and do frequent check-ups), look for shimmery pink Dèsir (has the most prominent glitter of these four, and I can just barely feel it on my lips) and the potently pigmented fuchsia Jalousie. Both seem to take a little more babying than Plaisir and Voluptè, but WOW! — what an impact.

Glossimers from the left: Plaisir, Voluptè, Dèsir and Jalousie

Swatches form the left: Glossimers from the left: Plaisir, Voluptè, Dèsir and Jalousie

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Green lipgloss? Sure, why not?

Part of me wishes that the new limited edition Lancôme Color Fever Gloss in Green Petal ($26) was, well, even greener than it is, but more on that in a few.

One of three Color Fever Glosses in Lancôme’s Roseraie des Delices collection for spring 2012, this sheer, sparkly gloss surprised me. Before I tried it on, I thought, “Really, it’s green. How wearable can it be?”

Quite wearable, it turns out.

Thick, but non-sticky, with a light lavender flavor and scent that I like, it glides across my lips, where it lasts about 90 minutes.

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Next month Bare Escentuals bareMinerals, a line primarily known for their mineral eyeshadows, blushes and foundations in loose form, presses further ahead into the world of pressed makeup within pans and compacts.

It begs the question: are you ready?

Last fall the line leapt into pressed powders, introducing a new family of eyeshadow duos and quads called Ready, and they’re expanding the Ready brood this spring with 13 new blushes and bronzers.

Using only natural colorants and the brand’s proprietary blend of positively-charged sea minerals, antioxidants and other ingredients known to deliver anti-aging benefits for softer, smoother skin, the Ready Blushes ($22 each) and Ready Bronzers ($24 each) might look like a powder, but they feel like a cream.

bareMinerals says they devised a way to press these products into a solid while preserving benefits normally lost through conventional methods. Using cold-pressed carrot oil for the bronzers and cold-pressed camellia flower oil for the blushes, the solids retain their shape, and the process doesn’t require other binders, fillers, parabens or harsh chemicals.

I’ve yet to really explore these new blushes and bronzers, but the blushes are supposed to swirl on softly for a naturally tinted look and build easily into a brighter flush, and the bronzers are supposed to simulate the effortless glow of an afternoon spent soaking up the sun.

Yes, please. I like.

Here’s a brief look at three of the 10 new Ready blushes and two of the three bronzers. Full reviews coming soon.

Ready Blush in The Faux Pas

Ready Blush in The Indecent Proposal

Ready Blush in The Secret’s Out

Ready Bronzer in The High Dive

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Depending on how ravenous I am at any given moment, I’m enjoying this trend of makeup that looks good enough to eat. Like the new L’Oreal Magic Smooth Soufflé Blushes ($12.99 each). If I didn’t know better…I’d think they were dessert!

Available in four potted shades that look like mousse (the kind you order after dinner) in their serving platters/pots, they feel firm and dense when I tap them with a finger, and yet feel smooth, dry and something like silicone when I get them on my cheeks.

I’ve been wearing two of the four shades this week — Celestial, a cool matte pink, and Angelic, a light matte peach — and both produce a faint flush of very natural-looking cheek color, especially in pics.

Celestial (left) and Angelic (right)

Swatches of Angelic (left) and Celestial (right)

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