Berry Colored Lips!

One is a dark, proper berry, while the other is a bright pop of shimmering pink. Both are gorgeous.

NYC Berry Rich is a deep hued berry lipstick that gives lips that "I just ate a bunch of blackberries" stain. It isn't super pigmented, and the finish is a dull satin, but a nice slick of the product across the lips leaves just a hint of the luscious berry color. It's a very wearable color (safe even for daytime) and it's currently my go-to lipstick for the holiday season.

Downside to this lipstick? Well, it's cheap. It cost me $2.00. And, well, the quality shows.

One night living in my purse's makeup bag, and BOOM! Toast. 

Yeah. I said it was cheap.

Next up is one of the famed Revlon Lip Butters in Berry Smoothie. These babies have been all over the Internet for months. Initial demand for these lipsticks was insane, so they were really tough to find for a long time. I finally found a kiosk in my local CVS and pounced on it. The colored tube seemed a lot brighter than I might normally gravitate to, but I loved the bright, rich pink in the tube.

Not even Kitty is immune to the charm of the lip butter!

The formula is very slick, and leaves the lips feeling like they're wearing balm. I didn't expect the color to be as saturated as it turned out to be, but once on, the color is simply gorgeous! Young and fun and very eye-catching!

I love this color, but the formula's longevity leaves something to be desired in my opinion. I feel like I need to reapply it almost every hour. The slick, chap-sticky formula fades pretty quickly and leaves my lips feeling a tad bit sticky. Not enough for me to stop using it, but enough that I notice it and find it slightly annoying.

Have you tried the Revlon Lip Butters? Do you have a favorite shade? Share your favorites in the comments! :)

Review: Revlon Sterling Rose CS e/s

I'd like to start this post by pointing out that I spent a grand total of $.13 on this eyeshadow palette. Yeah, you read that right. $.13. I am officially the makeup bargain queen.

If you're not familiar with this line, I should offer a bit of background info before I get into this review. Revlon's ColorStay 12 Hour Eyeshadow quads have long had a reputation for being being long-lasting, well-pigmented, easy to blend, and just really workable shadows in general, especially for a drugstore brand palette. I used the Berry Bloom palette in college and remember loving the bright, vibrant pinks and purples in that quad. My love for that palette, combined with the positive experiences I've had with the ColorStay line since (the foundation and liner pencils), really influenced this newest purchase.

What I really enjoy about this line is that the ColorStay shadow quads come in a wide variety of colors. Depending on your personal preferences, you can choose a subtle color set or something more bold. Normally, I find that drugstore palettes tend to be a hodgepodge of colors that on their own might be pretty, but somehow just don't work well together (I'm looking at you, CG!). However, the Revlon shadow palettes actually seem like they could be interchangeable, so you can mix and match which shadows you pair together.

I was immediately drawn to the Sterling Rose quad because the colors just looked so classic. It reminds me of Chanel's Enigma quad, which is one of my favorite shadow combos of all time. There's a delicate champagne shadow that works fantastically as a  highlighter, and a great pale rosey pink that has the slightest undertones of gold and bronze to it. There are also two darker shades as well, namely a silvery lilac that works wonderfully in the crease (or as a lid color, if you want), and a darker charcoal-brown that makes for an amazing liner. What's also interesting to note about this palette is that the colors are actually really neutral once they're on the eye, despite the varied undertones in each shadow.

                                                  

How cute is the embossing on the shadow? Damn packaging. Gets me every time.

I love the texture of these shadows. They're powdery, to be sure, but they're also really smooth and silky, and they blend beautifully. There's no real filler in this formula so you're not going to end up with large amount of fallout or random particles on application. 

I swatched each shadow so you can get a good idea of how they look if you were to use them as dry or wet shadows. I also didn't use a primer, so these colors are exactly what you'd get if you just applied them on their own.

                                           

                                                                                Dry swatch

Wet swatch

What I love best about these colors is that they are just so blendable, you can wear a subtle smokey eye during the day because the colors aren't too overpowering.                                           

Look at how wonderfully the shadows blend together! *Love*

So suitable for work.

And it doesn't take much to transition these shadows into a night time look, either. Build up the lightest shades, use a fluffy brush to blend, then just add a touch more of the darkest shade as a winged out liner, and there you go; a sexy smokey eye using rather neutral shades. If you're into major drama with your makeup, you could draw that winged V further out and create a really interesting cut crease (not necessarily my thing, but more power to you if it is).

True to the name, these shadows do last a long time and unless you're intentionally darkening the colors, you don't need to reapply like you might with other drugstore products. They don't crease, they don't streak, they don't budge. Period.

The one flaw I have found with this product so far is the actual package the product comes in. The plastic container feels super flimsy and I'm worried it could crack if I don't baby it.

All in all, I highly recommend checking the ColorStay shadow quads out if you're so inclined. The price is great ($5-$8, depending on individual drugstore pricing), and the color payoff is really fantastic when you consider how much you can play around with the shadows during application.

Grade: A. 

Top 5 drugstore products and 1 splurge!

1. Revlon ColorStay foundation in 110 Ivory:

This is, hands down, the nicest drugstore foundation I have ever purchased. I've used MAC Pro Longwear foundations before, and this is hands down the best drugstore dupe out there (it's half the price, too!). 

It's branded as a lightweight coverage foundation, despite having a rather thicker consistency. Don't let that scare you off though, because this is a very buildable, very natural looking foundation. I tend to have uneven skin tone but this stuff gives great coverages and evens me out really well. It also has Soft-Flex SPF 15 in the formula, which is great, because you want to make sure you're wearing makeup that protects your skin (duh), especially in the summer. This foundation wears well for hours and through cold or hot weather, so it gets a thumbs up for looking fresh all day; there's no creases, no streaking, no caking. Once it sets on the skin, it has a matte finish with the tiniest hint of shimmer in direct light. I like mixing this with Physician's Formula tinted moisturizer to give my skin a nice, dewey finish.

2. Milani Mineral blush in Luminous and Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush in Rose (it's a tie!):

If you're up on the current makeup dupe list, then you already know why I'm including Luminous in this list. This is an exact duplicate of Nars Orgasm, the best selling blush in the world (and for good reason). Orgasm is a gorgeous pinky-peach, with tons of golden shimmer. It is the quintessential summer cheek color. However, if you're like me and can't just dump $27 on a blush, Milani's Luminous is your next best bet at only $7. 

Read a great review comparing the two (with swatches) here.

The colors between the two blushes are exactly the same, though Luminous lacks the intense golden shimmer that Orgasm is known for. Luminous has sheen, but it's subtle, which I personally find more wearable for the daytime hours. I find Luminous to be slightly less pigmented than Orgasm, so it requires a gradual buildup, depending on skin color. I'm fair, so I find I don't need much. A quick sweep across the apples of my cheeks, and I look like I just got back from the beach. However, if my skin were darker, I'd imagine the best color payoff would come with several applications of Luminous.

I've already documented my love for PF Happy Booster here. Click the link for my review.

3. Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion in Very Black:

Despite being a teacher, and loving my cardigans and pearls, I really consider myself a punk at heart; I love my rock music, I've rocked a mohawk AND a mullet (no pictures; sorry), and I love a good black eye. No, not that kind of a black eye! I mean black eyeliner and mascara.

Prior to discovering Lash Blast Fusion, my go to mascaras L'Oreal Voluminous and Clinique's High Impact. However, this stuff is so good, I don't know that I'll ever go back to the others. It combines what I love most about lashes (length and definition) into one stellar product.

The bristles are small and really great at working in between and individually coating each lash. You get an even application of product and holy smokes does it make eyes pop! The formula is thick but workable; you're not going to get spider eyes with this mascara unless you deliberately want them (which I usually do, so hurrah!). It's my holy grail mascara (and at $10 a pop, who can complain?).

This is without a doubt CG's best product!

4. Revlon ColorStay eyeliner in Black:

This is were I get snooty and swear that MAC's Technakohl liner is the best eye liner out there (it totally is). But in a pinch, this stuff is a pretty good substitution. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, actually. But like I said, I'm snooty with my liners ;)

That said, it's a member of the ColorStay product line, and in reading this list you'll see I tend to favor that line pretty heavily. I find that with a lot of Revlon's eye products, the 'oomph' just isn't there. But the ColorStay line is actually quite good. The formulas are nice, the colors are really pretty, and the pigmentation is pro-quality. This liner lasts forever and it doesn't smudge, meaning I can tightline my eyes and not worry about reapplying every half hour. It also comes with a handy-dandy little pencil sharpener, which, for a crayon freak like myself, is pretty convenient. I wish MAC would follow suit in that regard, so one up for Revlon in that department.

5. Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Sterling Rose:

The ColorStay line of shadows is straight up GORGEOUS. The quads are available in a wide range of colors, and make the perfect travel shadow kit when you're on the go. This quad in particular, is fantastic for an on-the-go smokey eye palette. You can guarantee this baby is going to be in my makeup bag when I go to Vegas next month! I intend to review this palette in an upcoming blog post, so for now I'll just say that there are many reasons why this palette belongs on this list.

6. Honorable mention: Rimmel Moisture Renew and N.Y.C. lipglosses.

These two glosses are the perfect washes of peach and pink. The N.Y.C. liquid lip shine is thick and creamy and gives a delicate hint of golden peach, which I think tends to really warm skin tone up. The Rimmel product is very sheer, though it's a high shine gloss that's pretty pigmented, in my opinion. 

I tend to keep both of these in my handbag at any given time, because I don't have to worry about these glosses overpowering any other makeup I'm wearing, unlike a lipstick.

And finally, the splurge:

Man, do I love MAC shadows. I will happily spend any amount of money on a quality eyeshadow, because I think my eyes are my best feature, and when you're making up a feature you love, you really want to do a bag up job, am I right? For me, that means using great products and having fun!

Top row (left to right): Idol Eyes, Crystal, Shroom, Rice Paper, Banshee, Honey Lust

bottom row (left to right): Shale, Scene, Patina, Satin Taupe, Quarry, Haux

Of all these shadows, I think Patina is the best shade. It's an antique, browny gold with a satin finish. I find it brings out the blue undertones of my green eyes, which I love!

Now, when you buy a MAC shadow, you're going to pay approximately $15, which I don't think is terrible for the amount of product you get, and for how little you actually need to use when applying your makeup. One of these pots can last you a long, long time. 

However, MAC makes it really easy to depot these shadows and build your own quad palette (bigger palettes are also available), meaning you can mix and match which shades you group together. These little quad palettes are $4 apiece, and the great thing about going to route of the quad, is that the eyeshadows instantly become cheaper. Instead of buying the potted shadow, you just buy the shadow pan. This way, the shadow goes from $15 to $11, or even $7 if you go on one of MAC's promotional sales days.

Also, once you depot your shadows, MAC offers a great recycling program called 'Back to MAC.' Just bring in six of your empty packages and MAC will give you your choice of shadow or lipgloss as a thank you. Not a bad deal, if you ask me!

EOTD Using Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips

I broke out my newly acquired Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips shadow palette for the first time today.  I was initially pretty meh on the nude and pinks shadows, but I had high hopes for the rest of the palette. Out of curiosity to really put the bronze shades to work, I got a little heavy handed and had some fun!

I quickly discovered there's more to this palette than meets the eye (get it?).

The colors don't look like much when the eye is open, but once they're closed (or drifted, as it were)...

Nothin' but shimmer and sparkle, and bronzey delicious shadow!

Unfortunately the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips don't photograph especially well and as a result the look in the picture is a little purple overall. But in person, I have that just-spent-the-day-at-the-beach sort of glow. Love it.

Considering it's the middle of winter and my skin is about smooth as a brillo pad (quit slacking, Dove, and do your job!), these shadows went on like silk and blended gorgeously. They've also lasted quite a while without any obnoxious creasing.

Well worth that $4.

Product Review: Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips e/s for Hazel Eyes

Because I'm one of those esteemed "CVS card holders" (i.e., I buy a lot of crap from CVS), I frequently get coupons for all sorts of things. Last week I managed to get one of those elusive but oh-so-nice "$7 off the price of any makeup product" coupons and decided I'd check out the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips eyeshadow and liners.

Like the heavily marketed Almay and Cover Girl eye enhancing products, these shadows are designed to bring out your natural eye color. They come in shades designed to compliment blue, brown, green, and hazel eyes (sorry, Liz Taylor; those violet peepers are shit outta luck here).

Now, I have green eyes, but I personally found the green eyes palette to be pretty heinous (turquoise? teal? really?). But I jumped for the Hazel eye shadow grouping for a few reasons.

1. Dusty pinks, shimmery nudes, and deep bronzes: Hazel eyes, schmazel eyes. These colors work fabulously with green eyes. Truthfully, I think they're usually more flattering than the typically recommended purple.

2. This palette reminds me of Clinique's Pink Chocolate quad, another product I used on my wedding day and a definite staple in my makeup stash. However, at $26 a pop, the Clinique shadows are definitely a luxury item, and so I try to keep my eyes open for similar, more budget-friendly products, which I refer to as "dupes."

3. The price: with the $7-off coupon, this palette only cost me $4. At that price, even if these shadows proved to be less than stellar quality, I couldn't be too mad at myself for the purchase. No buyer's remorse allowed here.

Once I got home, I immediately played with my itsy-bitsy haul. The verdict? It's just ok.

The breakdown:

 The texture at a glance

The nude and pink shadow shades are very sheer. With these shadows, you aren't going to get a defined wash of color, which depending on your personal preference is either great or terrible. I personally prefer my lighter shadows to be sheer, so I don't really mind how transparent these colors are. When I go for lighter colors, it's with the intention of keeping my look natural anyway. I do feel these colors are buildable, but that would require really packing the colors on the lid and I fear the end result would be a chalky mess. The white and vanilla shades in particular are heavily speckled with shimmer, so beware of fallout.

Dry swatches

Basically, the nudes and pinks would make excellent highlighters, but as stand alone shades, you can find better.

Wet swatches

The bronze shades, though, are quite lovely. The pigmentation is fantastic and you don't need a lot of the product in order to achieve a gorgeous wash on the lid. They look amazing wet or dry, and they're very smooth and blend easily. I'd go so far as to say some of these shades remind me of the UD Naked Palette, with similar quality. Thumbs up! I'm looking forward to creating a lovely bronze smokey eye with these colors sometime soon.

The packaging is fine enough; a fairly durable clear plastic box with a flip lid. The included brush is a total P.O.S., though. I'd recommend tossing that.

Putting three notches in my lipstick case

In general, I don't wear lipstick. Typically, I'd slick on some gloss and go about my business. However, my love for that delicately thin smear of shine is never enough to distract me from the things I also hate about lip gloss: the tacky feeling when the gloss wears off, the subtle flavor of plastic, and the hair that inevitably sticks, well, EVERYWHERE the second it comes into contact with the goopy stuff.

So in embracing my inner glamor girl, I slowly but surely began segueing into lipsticks. In my mind, I picture myself all Rita Hayworth-like: full, pouting red lips, with a cocky little smile that you just know is hiding lots of naughty secrets. The reality, however, is not so close to the dream.

There is a catch, though. Lipsticks can be risky. Far riskier than a lip gloss. With gloss, the small wash of color usually tells you what you're going to get, but with lipstick, all bets are off. What looks one way in the tube might be completely different from what ends up on your mouth.

 Left to right: L'Oreal's Gilded Pink, Revlon's Cherries In The Snow, Cover Girl's Baby's Got Lips

Case in point: Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherries In The Snow.

I wanted to try this color after reading rave reviews from www.makeupalley.com. Lollipop26 also had a great write up about it. So one quick drugstore trip, and voila! One tube of Cherries In The Snow to go, please.

In the tube, this is a lovely ruby red shade with fuschia undertones. One the mouth, this baby is bright pink. We're talking borderline neon. This is a mouth that will get you noticed, if that's exactly what you're going for. Mark my words, there is zero subtlety to this lipstick. I want to love this color, but frankly I'm not sure that I'm sold on it.

Pow! Right in the kisser!

The formula is lovely. It glides on smoothly, wears for quite a long time, and doesn't have that icky lipstick smell. It's just a bright-enough-to-give-me-a-headache color.

To be fair, though, I've also acquired some lipsticks that don't go all chameleon on me.

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Gilded Pink:

This is more my speed. This is what I refer to as, "my lips, but better." Gilded Pink is a beautiful nude-pink with a slight gold shimmer. I'd say this is a highlighter for your lips, and not a straight-up lipstick. It isn't going to make a drastic change, but it will certainly give what you already have a little boost.

Nothing great about the formula. It isn't super smooth, but it doesn't dry out easily, either. Terrible smell though, but truly, I think the smell is just the staple of any L'Oreal product.

The last lipstick up for review is Cover girl's Incredifull lipstick in Baby's Got Lips.

I wore this lipstick on my wedding day, and I loved it. It leant itself beautifully to photos and didn't require constant re-application. Baby's Got Lips is a gorgeous lavender-pink-chocolate hybrid with tons of glitz. The glitz can mean that the initial texture is grainy and at times dry, but the formula takes well to warm lips and smooths itself out quickly enough. Bear in mind, white teeth are essential to the wearing of this shade. It can highlight the yellow undertones of teeth, which as we all know is super attractive, amiright?

Unfortunately, Cover Girl no longer manufactures the Incredifull line, but determined beauty hounds can easily sniff out a tube on Ebay or Amazon.

I've already got my little green eyes on a few other colors, some neutral, some obnoxious, but all girlishly exciting.