July 2014 Favorites

      Already August and all I can say is that I am extremely sad that summer is coming to an end so soon, which means goodbye wonderful sunshine, shorts, sandals and longer days. This month, I don't have that many favorites because I have been pretty much using the same things that I have mentioned in last month's favorites, such as the Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume, Clinique Redness Solutions Mineral Pressed Powder, and the Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream.

• Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose w/ SPF 15 --  While I don't like the original Sugar lip product due to its taste, I do actually enjoy this one. I have a deluxe sample size of this one. I like the tint of color that it gives your lip, making it look very natural and like a "my lips but better color." It is also very moisturizing which is just what my very dry lips need.

• Clinique Superpowder Double Face Makeup (01 Matte Ivory) -- I had been gravitating towards this powder by itself recently on those days I go out and want to still look put together but without putting in that much effort. This did the trick for me! I would hide the more persistent, red blemishes with concealer and then pat this powder on with a sponge all over the face, letting it act as a powder foundation. It does a great job at evening out my skin tone and is very matte. I wore this on several extremely hot, sweaty days and it held up really well! I purchased this during my hunt for new foundations and powders that do not break me out and this has passed the test so far. 

• China Glaze Nail Polish (Flip Flop Fantasy) -- I was never a bright polish person but this has become a summer favorite of mine. I wore this color on my toes so many times last year and I finally started using it again last month. I should have started as soon as summer started! Gorgeous, bright, coral pink color, need I say more?!

• L'oreal Nail Polish (The True Diamond) --  I have been using this polish quite frequently for my accent nails, practically every time I do my nails. It adds a nice silvery sheen to your polish, bringing some attention to the nails but not too much. I have mentioned in some posts before which you can check out to see how it looks on the nails (here and here).

June 2014 Favorites

Hello everyone!

      Can you believe it's July already?? I feel like my summer has just started. Today's post will be my first favorites post featuring some some items I have been using for quite awhile now and some newer acquisitons.

Wet n Wild Megalicks Balm Stain in Lady and the Vamp (124)

Back with a lip product review for you guys!

      I picked up this Wet n wild Megalicks Balm Stain in Lady and the Vamp (#124) at Rite Aid during a sale when it was BOGOFREE because with the deal, it was a good time to try something new. The other product I picked up was the Megalast Lipstick in Cherry Bomb. I will be doing a review on that later on so watch out for that! Back to the balm stain. This retails for $2.99 at Rite Aid and contains 0.10 oz of product. It is in the crayon, twist-up form, that is quite popular these days.

Product Empties #2 (Sugar, St. Ives, Batiste, Korres, Lancome, and more!)

Hello again and happy Sunday! What are you guys up to? Sundays are usually lazy sundays for me.

      Today I am back with a product empties post! You can check out my first ever empties here if you're interested. :) This time I've collected quite a lot of empties for you guys and I deemed it necessary to throw out this bagful of empty containers. Don't want to be a hoarder of empty containers now, do I.

L'oreal Extraordinaire by Colour Riche Review - Purple Prelude and PlumAdagio

Hi everyone!

      It's been awhile, but today I'm going to review the new L'oreal Extraordinaire lip products. I loved their Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains that came out awhile ago so I thought I'd give these a try as well. I got them in Purple Prelude (#403) and Plum Adagio (#502). They retail for $9.99 and can be found in all drugstores by now.

Purple Prelude (403)

Plum Adagio (502)

Left to right: Purple Prelude (403), Plum Adagio (502)

Purple Prelude (403)
Top: One coat
Bottom: Two coats

Plum Adagio (502)
Top: One coat
Bottom: Two coats

      This product is a liquid lipstick which is the new "thing" in terms of lipstick formulations and such.
Purple Prelude is a pinkish mauve color. It is a softer color that works for everyday wear and should look flattering on most people. There isn't too much pigmentation with one coat. You need at least two coats for the color to really show.
Plum Adagio is a dark purple color with shimmers if you look closely in the pictures above. It does settle and accentuate lip lines. This color was not flattering against my pale complexion. It was much too vampy of a look and not in a good way.

In general, these liquid lipsticks are:

• Reminiscent of the Maybelline Color Elixirs in terms of the formula. They apply like a gloss with the pigmentation of a lipstick. It leaves a very shiny finish and has a buttery feeling like the Elixirs although not as heavy or thick in comparison.
• Relatively easy to apply and build up the colors.
• The dark purple color did settle into lip lines and accentuate them which is a con.
• The packaging isn't all that impressive. The color that is shown on the packaging is the color that you will actually see inside. However, if the product contains shimmers, you will not be able to tell from the color shown on the outside. I did not know Plum Adagio contained shimmers until I applied it onto my lips.
• The packaging is also a magnet for fingerprints. There is just no getting around it. Touch it and there will be fingerprints everywhere.

      Lastly, the biggest CON for me was the taste and smell of it!! I can't describe the taste or smell of it exactly but it was such a huge turnoff for me. It was unbearable. Even when you remove it, the scent and taste of it still remains. Personally, I was disappointed in this product. I didn't like the packaging and the scent/taste of it was just overwhelming. I would not recommend this product at all for those who are sensitive to smells and such. Between this and the Maybelline Color Elixirs, since they have similar formulations, I would say that the Color Elixirs are worth a try more than these. They also have a wider range of colors to choose from. You can check out my post on the Maybelline Color Elixirs here if you are interested.

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms (Coquette and Enticing)

Hey everyone!

      I finally picked up the new Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms at CVS. I chose 150 Enticing and 110 Coquette. They retail around $9.49 - $10.49 in drugstores from what I saw. I have never tried a crayon- like lip balm so this was new and interesting to me.

110 Coquette and 150 Enticing

amount of product, 2.7 g weight

Left: Enticing, Right: Coquette

Top: Coquette
Bottom: Enticing

Coquette is a soft, baby pink that should look flattering on most people. It is not too bright or overwhelming. I was a little weary that it might be too blue-toned but it surprisingly was not. It had a minty feeling when I first put it on that gave my lips a cooling sensation. Is this how lip plumpers feel like? It contains sparkles which you can see in the second picture above.

Enticing is a slightly deep, candy apple red. It's not too bright but very pigmented. I was worried that it would be too bright of a red but it wasn't and is a very flattering color. This also contains sparkles but they aren't very apparent on the lips. It appears a little more pigmented and darker on the lips than as shown in the picture above.

Pros:

• Moisturizing, not drying, not sticky
• Creamy and pigmented
• Nice, shiny packaging; easy to twist up and down
• No bleeding
• Easy to apply 
• Product

Cons:

• Not that great for dry lips, especially the lighter colors
• Staying power isn't very long, especially the lighter colors

They both do have a minty taste/ feeling to them, the Coquette one more so than Enticing for some reason. This could be a con for some people.

Overall, I was pleased with them. I think they're interesting products to try if you've never tried crayon lip products before. The formula and pigmentation exceeded expectations. Considering it is a balm and not a stain, the lasting power is about what you would expect of a lip balm. For the price though, I'd say wait for a sale or see if there is someplace that sells them for a little cheaper. So these are my thoughts, have a great day everyone!

Maybelline Color Elixir by Colorsensational Lip Products

Hello!

      I recently purchased these products at Rite Aid (retails: $8.99 ea.) and I thought I'd share my thoughts on these color balms. I have also spotted them at Harmon's for around $7 each. They should be in all or most drugstores by now. According to the Maybelline website, these lip products "deliver the color of a lipstick, the cushiony care of a balm, and the glass shine of a gloss." Do I agree with this? Let's see! The four shades I picked up were 005 Breathtaking Apricot, 045 Amethyst Potion, 080 Captivating Carnation, 090 Rose Redefined. Here are some pictures and swatches first. (Note: I tried to capture the colors on camera as close to true as possible.)

(Left to right) 005 Breathtaking Apricot, 045 Amethyst Potion, 080 Captivating Carnation, 090 Rose Redefined

(Clockwise starting from the top left): Breathtaking Apricot, Amethyst Potion, Captivating Carnation, Rose Redefined

Order of colors same as above. One coat.

Top row: Breathtaking Apricot, Rose Redefined
Bottom row: Captivating Carnation, Amethyst Potion
All with 2 coats.

      The packaging of this product is quite different from other products out there with its bullet shaped lipstick inside the clear container with a nice silver toned cap that makes it look chic and new. It has an angora brush unlike others with the doe shaped applicator.

Colors:
     To begin with, I found that Captivating Carnation and Rose Redefined were quite similar on the lips. Captivating Carnation is a little more muted and is like a "better than your normal lip color" kind of color. It is a very wearable, everyday color. Rose Redefined is a tad pinker in color than Captivating Carnation. It is also a very wearable shade.
     Breathtaking Apricot in the bottle looks like a pink-tangerine color with shimmer. On the lips, it is more of a brighter pink that makes me think of a "Barbie pink." It is a very nice color, however it seems to accentuate lines on the lips, which I find to be true of many of the lighter lip color shades in general, is it just me?
     Amethyst Potion is a nice berry color that is perfect for fall and winter. Color seems to settle a bit into lines over time. The use of a lip liner or lipstick base color underneath may help with this problem.


Overall Comments:

• Application is very nice and smooth. They are easy to apply and there is no bleeding. 
• Two coats will usually give full opacity. 
• They are very pigmented and color is buildable.
• They are definitely very shiny, so if you are not into the shiny look then this product is definitely not for you!
• They feel thick on the lips but are not sticky. They have a creamy, butter-like feeling on the lips.
• Feels moisturizing and color doesn't move around which is very important!
• They have a minty taste/smell to them? If you are very sensitive to taste, then this product may not be for you. I am very sensitive and picky in regards to the taste of products, but I find this product's minty taste tolerable.
• Has a tingly feeling on the lips, which makes me think of lip plumping products.

So I have to say I do agree with Maybelline's description of the Color Elixir's description: "color of a lipstick, the cushiony care of a balm, and the glass shine of a gloss." I was pleasantly surprised by the color payoff and how smooth the gloss feels on the lips. If you are looking for a product fulfilling those three descriptions, then these products are worth a try! There are 20 shades in the collection, so plenty of options to choose from, ranging from nudes to purples and reds. :)