Bold, matte lips on the cheap with Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms

Continuing with my drugstore makeup affair, a couple weeks ago, Revlon’s ColorBurst Matte Balms were on sale for I think about $6 at Shoppers Drug Mart. I had glanced at them before but ultimately decided against them, mostly because I’m a snob like that and not for any good reason. The packaging is fine (plain, but non-offensive to my frivolous heart), and the colour selection is good – and, from reviews it sounds like they’re a pretty decent product. But I have a hard time resisting a good sale when it comes to beauty products, and I’ve been spending considerably less on cosmetics than usual, so I figured what the heck.

I went big and came home with THREE SHADES!

I’m not usually one to buy in ‘bulk’ – I like to have a variety of brands and product types, and rarely buy more than one of anything (MAC products being probably one of the very few exceptions). But after swatching these, I decided to aim for a rounded view of them buy going with three varied shades – a nude (Complex), a bold coral orange (Audacious), and a bright fuchsia (Showy)!

In sunlight, from left to right: Complex, Audacious, and Showy

In shade, from left to right: Complex, Audacious, and Showy

The Matte Balms are a matte (duh) lip colour that has the slip of a balm, but the look of a semi-opaque lipstick. The brighter colours are more pigmented, while Complex (the nude) is a bit more transparent – which I think is a good thing, as an opaque nude can get just plain awful, FAST. While these feel very comfortable on the lips for a matte finish, they do tend to emphasize flakes and dryness if you don’t prep the lips carefully first. I apply a thick balm to the lips for at least 15 minutes before using these, as I almost always have some flakiness to deal with. Having said that, I quite like these (especially the two brighter shades) and I don’t mind the extra steps required in order to wear these well.

Here’s how they look worn:

Complex

Audacious

Showy

Out of the three, Showy is the most unique to my lip ‘wardrobe,’ as I usually opt for deeper fuchsia shades. However, I am sort of in love with how this looks, as its slightly white base makes it really pop against my dark skin tone. These cool pinks just plain WORK (on me)!  Audacious is somewhat similar to Tom Ford’s True Coral lipstick that I have, but it’s sheerer nature makes it a bit more wearable, and I’m digging how it looks kind of tropical! Finally, Complex is a nice enough nude – an OK tone for my skin, but a bit flat and dry-looking if I don’t blend it out a fair bit. I think it’ll look a bit better once I’m not quite as tanned – or perhaps with a touch of lipgloss on top (thus defeating the ‘matte’ idea, but that’s OK – whatever works!).

Audacious matches the colour of my hanging flower basket! Yay for colours found in nature! 😀

I was going to save this post and schedule it to come out later in the week, but I’m sort of excited to show you these swatches – 2 outta 3 ain’t bad, and they’re really perfect for summer! They’ve certainly helped me get my beauty ‘fix’ without breaking the bank (or even totalling altogether how much a department store lipstick would cost!), so I’m pleased about that. Liz @BeautyReductionista sounds like she’s also converted (she also has Audacious) so if that doesn’t compel you to at least check these out, well then…STOP RESISTING.

Have you tried any of the Revlon Matte Balms? Do you buy drugstore products, or stick to department store finds?

A Silver Polish I Actually Like – Revlon’s Sterling

This is going to be a super-quick post (no…really) as apparently this party-girl is still going despite the fact that technically Christmas is over.  Over the past week I’ve been burning the candle at both ends every single night except Christmas night…funny, that.  Anywho, while I wait for my drive to take me to my next party (despite the fact that I work tomorrow, as I did today…ugh), I figured I would post quick pics of a great silver polish I found on the cheap – $2.99CAD on sale at Lawtons drugstore.  Woot!  I am NOT a fan of silver in most forms of cosmetics (on my skintone), but this somehow works.

Behold Revlon’s Top Speed Nail Enamel in Sterling:

Artificial light

With flash

With flash

It’s kinda of blinding, no?  Quite eye-catching without being gaudy, and even though it’s more of a blue-based silver than I normally go for, I think it looks quite nice on me.  Maybe my issue is that I’ve been choosing the wrong silver tones all this time!  I’m finding more and more that shades I had once written off actually aren’t so bad.  I’m starting to think that for some colors, wearing clashing tones (as in, if your skin leans warm, wear cooler shades and vice versa), actually looks better.  The verdict is still out on whether or not my skin is cool or warm (some days I suspect I am just plain neutral) – I always thought I was a warmer skintone, but there are a lot of indications that point to that assumption being incorrect.  I tend to favor silver jewelry over gold, for example.  In any case…I’m starting to ramble and not make sense.  THIS is what happens when you write a post under an uber-short timeframe!

To the point.  This is a great silver that looks good on me (I think?  Thoughts?) and it applied very easily without any trouble (this is two coats).  I had previously forgone any more Revlon polishes but I think the fast-dry versions are much better than their regular counterparts.  And perhaps the new Revlon polishes are just fine.  Ahh, rambling again!  All I want to say is – if you see this around, give it a look.  Even at full price, which is something like $6CAD, it’s worth a shot and a great shade to wear for the holidays/New Years Eve!

Do you wear shades that ‘clash’ with your skintone?  Do you know if you’re warm or cool?  What was the determining factor?

Beauty Challenge

This past week, I’ve been thinking of ways to streamline my makeup stash, keeping only products I love and learning to loosen my death grip on those products that don’t work for me. I don’t know why it’s so hard to let go of items that just aren’t really well-loved like they should be – I guess my thinking is that if I spent the money on them, if they’re quality products that have nothing ~wrong~ with them, that I should hang on to them because I have no good reason not to. But the fact of the matter is, that some items in my collection just don’t have a use for me – the shade is wrong, the formulation isn’t suited to my skin type, or the actual product just doesn’t fit my needs/style. I want to release my hold on these items so that someone else may get pleasure from them, and (mainly) so I can make way for new products with a clean(er) conscience.  So, here’s the outline of the challenge I’m posing for myself in the next month or so (because if I tell you about it, I’ll have to be held more accountable):

TASK: Wear daily at least one makeup item that generally goes unused.
GOAL: Figure out which items to keep and what to swap/toss.
NOTE: Product must be tried 3 times before making final decision, to give it a fair shot.

Here are the first 5 products up on the chopping block:

1) MAC Madly Magenta Cream Color Base – previously discussed here, I picked this up earlier this year while I was looking for a bright pink blush.  Unfortunately, I think this shade is too cool for my skin tone, which I noticed so much more after buying Illamasqua’s Tweak, which is much warmer and better suited for me.  However, my skin tone is fairly neutral and doesn’t lean too warm or cool, so I might be able to make this work with a little experimentation.

2) MAC Bing Mattene lipstick – purchased 2 Fall seasons ago, this is an intensely deep, dark burgundy that came out when the whole ‘gothic lips’ look came into fashion.  While I still love this look, I think it works better on fair skin tones where the contrast is strikingly beautiful.  However, recently I came across an advertisement of model Yasmin Warsame with a super-dark lip color and I think she looks fabulous (I can’t find this online anywhere, but when I do I’ll post the pic so I found one of Rihanna which looks pretty hot – see below).  So, I’m going to figure out how to make this work if it kills me! (Note: The photo below is much more purple than this shade is in real life!)

                  

3) Urban Decay BoS III – I got this early last year, and while I love a lot of the shades in it, I don’t wear a lot of them.  There are a few shades in particular that deserve more love than they’re getting (like Bordello, a shimmering pale mauve-pink, and Last Call, a metallic burgundy-plum), so I gotta start using them on a more regular basis because there really is NO good reason why I’m not.

4) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Haute – almost an exact dupe of MAC’s Up the Amp, in which I’ve seen great lip looks online on darker skintones.  However, I have to keep in mind that skin darker than mine can often run quite cool, so it might be why this just doesn’t seem to work for me.  The situation is very similar to my Madly Magenta problem.  I’ll try a few more trick, but if I can’t make it work, off it goes.  Too bad as it’s a lovely shade!

5) Lise Watier Folie Pomme loose eyeshadow – first of all, I’ve had this shade forever, and that alone means that might might be time to go.  However, it still seems OK, and it’s a really pretty shade of shimmering golden green that reminds me a lot of MAC’s Lucky Green which I know is a very popular shade.  However, I just never seem to reach for it for whatever reason, and it doesn’t wear all that well either so….I’ll give it a fair chance over the next little while, but I think this is definitely one that’s going to be leaving my life very soon.

So there’s the little project I’m undertaking over the next month or so – it’s been something long coming but in the spirit of the new year ahead, I figured it was time to finally get on the ball.  We can call it a beauty resolution for 2012 (one of many I’ll be making!).  I’ll keep you updated on my progress, wish me luck!!

Have a great weekend everyone, I’m here relaxing in Ottawa today – we’re headed out to do a mild version of Amazing Race soon (so I can see more of the city), should be fun!!

An Inside Look: My Eyeliner Collection

Since I’m on somewhat of a purchasing slow-down during the holidays, and due to the fact that I’ve shown you all my skincare products, most of my nail polishes, my top faves, and my NARS collection…I’m sort of running out of new material here! LOL  No, not really, but without any new products, I have to go ‘back to the beginning’ so to speak – this time around, I’m going to show you all the eyeliners I have in my stash.

I think that as far as liners go, I have quite a few.  They’re all different colors for the most part, but it just seems like I have a larger collection than is probably necessary, especially since I don’t even wear eyeliner every day!  Still, eyeliner is a quick way to look polished without much effort, so I like to have options on hand.  I didn’t purchase many of these –  most I amassed through swaps, or they came with other products in a value set.  Let’s take a gander, shall we?

First, we have all my Urban Decay 24/7 liners – from left to right: Zero, Oil Slick, Crash, Bourbon, Lucky, and Covet.  I purchased Covet, but the rest were through swaps or came with the BoS III palette I got last year (so, yeah, I guess I purchased that too :P).  These liners are some of my faves, though I have to be very careful with them around my lower lash line, because aside from Zero they’re all sparkly and can cause some irritation.  Excellent wear though, with a creamy, easy gliding formulation and awesome colors.  These retail for $22CAD.

My three liquid liners – MUFE Aqua Liner #5, #14, and Illamasqua Havoc (left to right).  Odd that I don’t even have a plain black eh?  I’ll have to remedy that.  I really like wearing a crisp liner with a flick at the end – not just because that’s the trend now, it’s always been a ‘thing’ of mine.  I’ve reviewed all three of these previously (here, here and here).  All around stellar liners that I would repurchase in a heartbeat.

My two MAC liners – Pearlglide in Petrol Blue, and Chromagraphic in NC25/NW30.  I rarely wear the blue, but it’s really very pretty – especially on the lower lash liner.  On my upper lashes, it kind of just looks like it’s trying to be black but isn’t.  It looks better smoked out.  The Chromographic pencil I picked up to use under my lash liner or on my waterline.  It’s less stark than white and really brightens the eye area.  Both are creamy and do not tug at the lashes, but not the greatest staying power.  Pearlglides are LE – I think around $17CAD – and the Chromographics are $15CAD.

My Clinique pencils.  Obviously didn’t pay for these 🙂  First on the left is a Cream Shaper in Egyptian – such a pretty. shimmering dark khaki shade that works on all skintones.  Very creamy and easy to blend, but is water resistant and will stay put until you wash it off.  The one on the right is a Kohl Shaper, and its a bit harder to draw with, but smokes out beautifully.  This shade is Blackened Coffee – a medium brown.  The Kohl’s come with a sharpener in the cap, which is a great feature.  Generally these pencils run $17 and $17.50CAD, respectively.

The only cream liners I own.  I want to change this big time as I love the application and formula of cream liners.  The first on the left is Smashbox Cream Eyeliner in ……  ($27CAD). Very similar to Clinique’s Egyptian above.  I will likely put this up for swap soon, I really don’t need both.  The second is a Stila Smudge Pot in Black ($26CAD), a charcoal black.  I got this in a Christmas gift about two or three years ago.  It’s drying out a bit now and doesn’t work as well.  When I first got it, it was amazing for creating a defined cat eye.  I don’t use it much now because it’s really only good for smudging out.  Still, a very nice product at one time.

I’ve reviewed these both here and here – MUFE’s Aqua Eyes #0L (a mat black – though it looks kinda brown here, doesn’t it??), and Khol #4K (a forest green).  They don’t look like anything special, but the wear on these is excellent, and the Khol is great for the waterline.  $20 and $19CAD.

Sorry for the majorly wobbly swatches here, these pencils were itty bitty and I could hardly get a grip on them!  They’re all Revlon – one is a Luxurious Color liner in Blackened Sapphire, the other two are from the same pencil – a Streetwear one!!!!!!!  If you remember Streetwear, then you’ll remember they had these neat double-ended pencils – I bought this white one (one end matte, one end shimmery) for the same reason I bought the MAC Chromographic – to line the water line.  However, I realized when I started this post that these have gotta go.  The Luxurious Color was a few years old and down to the nub, and Streetwear was a 90’s collection – I shouldn’t be using anything that old around my eyes!!  Yikes!!  Off to the empties pile they go!

I received Laura Mercier’s Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Violet in a swap earlier in the year.  While I love the deep black-plum shade, it tends to migrate during the day, so I haven’t worn it much for this reason.  Strange, as this is designed to be worn “inside the eyelid, at the base of the lashes.”  A shame really, because otherwise this is a nice pencil.  $25CAD.

My Chanel baby 🙂  As previously noted, Khaki Platine is relatively innocuous – it doesn’t look like much, but I really find myself reaching for this pencil at least half the time.  It brightens my eye area so easily with such little effort – and it never, ever irritates my eyes, which is becoming a really important feature of any eye product I use now.  At $27CAD it’s expensive as all Chanel products are, but I don’t care: me like-y!

I bought this Lise Watier Eye Shine in Gold ages ago, and rarely wear it.  I was experimenting with it last week though, and my interest was renewed – it looked pretty great alone on my top and bottom lashes with a good coating of black mascara!  Normally I just use it to emphasize the inner corners of the eye.  Lise Watier pencils are similar to UD’s pencils, without the glitter.  I think these are around $17CAD.

My one glitter eyeliner, also from Lise Watier, that I may have worn once ever.  Just not my thing, but they look so pretty in the containers and in swatches!  I never realized that this particular liner has gold and silver glitter amongst the prevalent aqua blue.  Quite pretty, and hasn’t evaporated terribly like some glitter liners (UD’s especially).  Kind of going to waste in my stash, though.  I’m not sure how much these retail for.

Well, that’s another collection down!!  I hope these posts aren’t terribly dull –  I always find it interesting to see what’s in other people’s makeup stash, but my collections are not as large and diverse as some.  In any case, I like to have the swatches on hand because it helps remind me what shades to revisit – or if I give some away, and then pine for them later, I can take a look at these photos and remember exactly why I let them go.  Documentation, you see 🙂

I’m headed to T.O. in a few days for a work forum, as I’m co-chair of our Atlantic youth network.  I’m going to get to visit Liz from Beauty Reductionista again – yay!!  I can’t wait 🙂  Again, no shopping trips in our future, but I know one day we’ll get our chance.  And at this time of year, it’s probably a good thing eh?

Happy Hump Day everyone!

New Post Series: Summer Polish Color Combos

I don’t know about you, but it takes me a LONG time to figure out what polish to wear these days.  When I’m just applying it to my fingernails, it takes a little thought, but I can generally pick a shade with relative ease (using the weather/season/my mood/event as a guide).  However, when the weather gets warmer and calls for bared toenails, attempting to pick a color combo that I’m pleased with is an entirely different challenge.  This morning I spent the better part of an hour trying to decide.  That is just not on.  So, in case anyone else has been suffering the same problem, I would like to introduce a weekly series on color combinations I’ve come up with – hopefully I can help inspire some ideas, as well as get feedback on the choices I’ve made.

Today, I really wanted to wear Essie’s ‘Meet Me at Sunset’ which I picked up in PEI this weekend, but I also have been eager to feature some shades I have yet to show you on the blog, and all the pairings I made with MMAS were with shades you’ve already seen, so I’m putting that one off until the weekend.  I managed to come up with two colors that I haven’t shown you, and that I think compliment each other relatively well.

One of these shades I know many of you are intimately familiar with – last year’s hit shade (which spawned countless dupes) ‘Catch Me in Your Net’ by OPI:

Above, natural light

Below, both in indoor lighting

I joined the bandwagon late on this shade, and only managed to pick up a mini-size by the time I came around.  Again, it’s one of those shimmering shades with I’m just not really into right now, and even though I’m a sucker for blue shades, aqua on the other hand doesn’t always hook me – as I’ve said before, I’m not sure it’s flattering on my skin tone.  However, one I put this shade on my toes, I was fairly pleased.  It’s a fun color and the depth of the sparkle is alluring.  I still prefer more feminine shades on my toes, like pinks/reds/purples, but this is OK.  I’m not upset that I only managed to get a mini size, as I think it’ll just be enough for the amount of times I’ll wear this.

The second shade, my mani color, is a pale yellow from Revlon called ‘Sunshine Sparkle.’  Earlier in the season I was craving a pretty yellow shade to satisfy me enough to avoid picking up Chanel’s ‘Mimosa.’  In past years I was seriously adverse to yellow polish, as it made me think of jaundice, but after seeing Mimosa, my mind was changed.  Since I had heard it had application issues (which has since been rebuked by Eugenia at ommorphia beauty bar), I felt it was a better idea anyway to grab a cheaper version.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going with Revlon as the replacement brand – I have yet to have good luck with any of the polishes I’ve gotten from them and I swear after this to not return.  This is not to say that the shade isn’t pretty:

Natural light

Indoor lighting

The second swatch is the most accurate – the color is indeed more lemony than the first picture shows, which makes it look very pale.

My issue with this shade is this:  what you see here is three coats, and there is still slight VNL and patchiness.  Yuk.  Just overall I don’t like Revlon polishes so I could be biased, but I’m not too pleased.  The color is nice, with a touch of shimmer to spice it up a bit, and neutral enough so it’s not too aggressive for the office, but it’s no Mimosa.   Oh well!

So, how do the two look together you ask?  Here are a few shots – tell me what you think!

Natural light

Indoor lighting

I don’t think it’s too shabby.  I’m sure I can come up with something that has a little more pizzazz, but I feel they at least don’t clash!  And it’s two shades off my list of must-swatch colors.

Opinions, please!  And does anyone else have a dislike for Revlon polishes like I do, or am I being ridiculous?

Happy Monday, and thanks for reading!!

My Top Five Drugstore Finds

I’ve become somewhat of a snob when it comes to cosmetics – I think partially because I have so much stuff,  that buying more expensive items keeps the amount of products amassed in check.  Also, because once you get a taste of luxury, well…you’re totally screwed.

Anyway, I still spend a fair bit of time in Shoppers Drug Mart perusing the aisles, and buying basics such as moisturizer or conditioner that require regular replenishment (and therefore shouldn’t be breaking the bank!).  Particularly, there are a few products that I’ve picked up over the last year or so from the drugstore that have been quite impressive and deserve a good mention.

1) Milani Sunset Duos Blush & Bronzer in Sunset Beach – Milani cosmetics are sold at Lawtons Drugstores and while I’ve not tried any other of their products, this blush/bronzer combo is really beautiful.  The blush is a plummy shade with a touch of shimmer, and the bronzing shade is more brown than orange, and matte.  It garners high marks on MUA, and rightly so: the two swirled together and applied to cheekbones, temples and a swipe down the nose look exceptional. It gives my skin some color without looking obvious – more like a bronzer, enhanced, than blush.  I use this if I’m going to do a more dramatic lip so that it balances my skin but doesn’t compete.  I’ve had bronzers in the past, but they never make my skin look as good as this product does.  Well done, Milani!2) Aveeno Nourish + Condition Leave-In Treatment – I’ve been trying out a bunch of different leave-ins (Infusium23, Nexxus, eg.), but they just didn’t give my hair the hydration and slip I was looking for.  As my hair is so curly, I really need something that will allow me to detangle easily while minimizing breakage, and this product does the trick.  And I does seem to improve the health of my hair over time as well.  The one downside is that because of the way it sprays out, I find the bottle only lasts a couple months – but as it’s under $10, it’s not a huge problem.3) Sally Hansen Age Correct No Chip Base + Top Coat – I’ve been using this exclusively as my base coat for about two years now, with continuous success.  I usually grab one when it goes on sale, for around $5, though it’s only $8.99 regular price I think.  On MUA it says its discontinued, but I have been able to get it at Shoppers consistently without issue.  It easily compares to CND’s ‘Stickey’ base coat, or Orly Bonder, and performs just as well (actually, I like it better than ‘Stickey’).  And it doesn’t get goopy until you’ve got about a third of the bottle left, which is pretty good considering some other formulas!  Used as a top coat, it is damn near impenetrable – which I actually find as a downside because it makes removal so much harder!!  But at least it’s doing a good job 🙂  I will still stick with my S.Vite though – I’m addicted to how fast it dries! 4) Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream – This was my first foray into retinol-based products, and I’m completely sold on the effectiveness.  Even thought this is OTC (over-the-counter), it still works great, for a fraction of the price of other Retinol/Retin-A products.  For a newbie to retinol, it’s a great option as it’s not too harsh but you get good results – smooth, even skin with breakouts minimized.  I have eczema and have had no irritation or issues with this product at all.  For $22, it’s a great anti-aging product for almost anyone!5) Revlon Lipsticks – I rarely buy lipstick, as I don’t wear it all that often, but when I do buy one I usually go drugstore because of the infrequency of use (although, for classic shades like red, I like MAC…and mmm that creme brule-vanilla scent is yummy).  I have found that Revlon consistently makes a good lipstick, with a large range of shades and textures, and good wear time.  I have one from the Super Lustrous line – which is creamy, easy to apply and has a TON of shades (mine is actually a ‘Up the Amp’ dupe called Haute Berry) – and one of the Color Burst shades, in Mauve, which has dense pigmentation and is also very creamy.  Neither are drying at all and just feel great on the lips.  For a relatively inexpensive product (around $9), I’ll be coming back for more shades in the future, without a doubt.So there you have it.  Many of these products I picked up because of great reviews, as no matter how much or little a product costs, I still rely of other cosmetic junkie’s opinions 🙂 So I ask you – what are your own personal drugstore favorites that are standouts to you?  What items should I be giving a second look?  Suggestions, please!

*Aside from Milani Cosmetics, which are sold at Lawtons Drugs, all other products can be found at both Lawtons or Shoppers Drug Mart.

Spammy Spam Spam

I just went through some of my photos and realized there are quite a few polish swatches I haven’t posted yet.  Several of these are what I would call ‘Fall/Winter shades,’ and since we’re on the tail-end of Winter I better get them out there before they become irrelevant (for the time being).

Without further ado, here they are:

Revlon Steel Her Heart.  I got this quite a while ago, and never wear it – it’s just kinda plain in my eyes, nothing special.  But it’s a decent polish, with little to no brushstrokes – this is two coats, indoor lighting.

OPI Bring on the Bling.  Natural Light.  Three coats.  More of an ‘occasion’ polish for me 🙂

China Glaze Ingrid.  Indoor light.  Two coats.  Not necessarily a ‘seasonal’ polish!

OPI Merry Midnight.  I happened upon this at Lawtons this Christmas and was so happy!  Natural light, three coats.

OPI DS Extravagance.  I love this polish, definitely in my top five (!).  It looks so beautiful on!  This is indoor lighting, two coats.  The shimmer isn’t being represented well in these photos, it’s so much more in person!  The holo isn’t too serious but you can still see it at the right angles/lighting.

What do you think of these?  Any that you’ve tried/been interested in?

Thanks for looking! 🙂