Springing Spring: Pink Lipsticks

I have somehow, in the last couple months, managed to acquire three cool pink lipsticks. That's not a color family that I tend to gravitate towards, preferring warmer pinks or deeper plums, but a confluence of factors (one I won in a giveaway, one was a free gift with purchase, and one caught my eye in Rite Aid) led to this point, so...whatever. Here's my thoughts!

Tarte LipSurgence SkinTuitive Lip Tint in Energy*

This is one of those "pH matching" products, which is complete baloney, but it came free from Ulta when I ordered my mother's mascara, and even if the marketing is a bunch of hooey, that doesn't mean it's not still a pretty pink. And it is, though it's not without its issues. It applies clear, and like all Tarte LipSurgence products, it smells and tastes like mint and tingles a bit upon application. After a minute or two, it's turned into a sheer medium pink (thanks to the Red #27 in it). It's mildly moisturizing, in spite of the peppermint, but I don't get very long wear and need to reapply roughly every hour. It does lightly stain, but only the inside of my lips; for it to wear completely evenly, I need to exfoliate my lips ahead of time, and that's more than I can usually remember to do. Still, it was free, and it's pretty on, so I'll probably use up the sample! $24 for 0.1 oz, available from Sephora, among others
*free gift with purchase

Manicure Monday

These reviews are all super wordy, so I'll skip the introduction.

Revlon Wintermint
This is one of the new scented polishes released by Revlon (they're permanent, no worries). I picked it up because I was just dying of curiosity as to whether it would be a dupe for my beloved Mermaid's Dream. It's not. In fact, I kind of hate Wintermint, even though they are really similar.

2 coats Wintermint on all except
pinky, which has 2 coats Mermaid's
Dream. All with 2 (or 3? damnit)
layers of top coat

Here's the deal: Wintermint's base is much thicker and more opaque than Mermaid's Dream, so it covers up the blue big glitters and gold little glitters in the base much more than in MD, and since there are less glitters to begin with in Wintermint, the end result is much more muted and less sparkletastic. And where MD dries uniformly bumpy, allowing all sorts of different layers of glitter to sparkle (and giving it a cool fish-scale effect, without the 3 coats of topcoat necessary to smooth it), Wintermint is lumpy and uneven from where the larger blue glitter pokes up.

Manicure Monday

Whee, another week's worth of manis!

Zoya Avril (3 coats) with Revlon Girly (1 coat)

Avril is a pretty color, but I'm not in love with it––partly because it's not self-leveling, so I find that it builds up in some places while being sheer in others, even after 3 coats, and partly because it's a creme, and I find creme finish polishes to be generally super boring. I did like the accent nail, though! Girly is really sheer on its own, though it can be built up in 3 coats, but I liked how it looked over Avril (and, as a bonus, I only had to do 2 coats of Avril on my accent nails). I'll be holding on to both of these to use in the future! An unstoppable combo, in spite of it being pink ;)

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti Review and Swatches

Another Lip Butter! This one I got because I felt I should have an orange lippie, even though I tend to look atrocious in orange, and even though the whole tangerine craze is rather done now. I'm rather behind the times––though I will say I was wearing leggings as pants when I was only 6 years old. (That doesn't mean I approve of the practice nowadays.)

One swipe Tutti Frutti

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup in 110 Ivory Review and Swatches

Thanks to a sale and coupon combo, I was recently able to snag the new Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme foundation for a mere $5.39. Since my normal liquid Colorstay is almost out, I of course took the opportunity to pick it up. So what's the verdict?

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Crème Makeup in Ivory 110, sitting atop a pile of papers I had to grade because I was too lazy to clean off my desk before taking pictures...

Lips and Tips

The lovely Larie inspired me to try matching my nail polish to my lipstick, so here's the combo I came up with!

There is no way to get nails and lips together in a photo without it looking ridiculous.

I wanted to wear the gorgeous Wet N Wild Waves of Enchantment (which according to the internet is very similar to Zoya Rica, which unlike WoE is not limited edition), and it then occurred to me that I could probably construct a lip that was similar! I first applied Guerlain Chamade, then topped it with Revlon Sweet Tart and blended them together. I finished off with a layer of Clarins Coral Pink, which gave my lips a similar golden sheen as my nails.

Trust me, I tried. (Out of focus to show the lip shimmers)

The lips were definitely less blingy than the polish, but the color scheme ended up being very similar! They're more alike in the sun than the shade, though, as the polish tends to be very orange-gold in the shade and loses the pinkness. All told, I quite liked it! And I wore it with Bella Bamba on my cheeks, which is a blush that seems to be closely related as well. Oh, coral-pink-gold, you are so summery.

Ahaha, stock photo of girl holding hand up and laughing at nothing? I don't even know.

Have you ever matched your lips and nails? What's your favorite combination?

30 Days: Day 11

Hey, y'all! I'm writing this (note; the post itself was written awhile ago) from Bandon on the Oregon coast, a lovely little town. My mother and I came for a few days for a much-needed vacation, and so far it has been lovely. I've taken lots of pictures, but unfortunately forgot to bring my camera cord, so a full post will have to wait until I get home, at which point I will also catch up on comments and other blogs. Until then, though, have another 30 Days!

Show us your lippie collection! (Where "lippie" includes anything tinted you wear on lips, because I forgot to include lip balm and am too lazy to take more pictures.)

Full-coverage lipsticks: L'Oréal Infallible Le Rouge in Bold Bordeaux, Sephora Rouge Cream in Sexy Game, Clinique High Impact Lip Color in After Party

I rarely wear any of these, because I tend to not go for opaque lipstick, since I find it to be much less forgiving. I absolutely loathe the L'Oréal lipstick, and will post my scathing review once I take some more swatch pictures (the ones I have right now are after I fiddled with it for awhile to try and make it work, which is not as accurate a portrayal as I would like). The Sephora lipstick is a pretty color, it's just, again, really opaque, and I may throw it out. The Clinique is also very dark and vampy, but I find I can apply it sheerly when I want, and it was my first department store beauty purchase, so I'll hold onto it for sentimentality's sake if nothing else!

30 Days: Day 10

Yep, another 30 Days! Look at me go...

What's your favorite drugstore brand?
I really have two:

Wet N Wild wins for nail polish and eyeshadow, and for being so cheap.

Revlon wins for foundation and lip products; their lip butters are great, I don't mind their Colorburst lip gloss (which is high praise, coming from me), and their Ivory 110 foundation is light enough for me in the winter! They also have some great nail polish colors, but they're more expensive than WNW.

Honorable mentions: Maybelline for cream eyeshadow (Color Tattoo), CoverGirl for powder blush (Cheekers), L'Oreal for eyeshadow (Infallible, which have truly gorgeous colors, though they don't wear as well on me as they do on others), Prestige for eyeliner (Total Intensity ftw!), and Physicians Formula for bronzers and highlighters (though they don't come cheap).

What are your favorite drugstore brands?

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart Review and Swatches

Happy Monday of finals week, everybody! (Okay, everybody at the UO and/or other universities on a quarter system.) Only 1 week until I am done with all responsibilities for the term (only 4 days until my own work has to be done, OH GOD), 8 days until I leave for vacation with my mother, and 11 days until I can give the blog the attention it deserves! Until then, I have some brief review-y posts scheduled. I'll see y'all on the other side...

I've been wanting a pretty warm pink lippie for the summer, and had initially thought that Chamade would fill that hole, but that ended up being more tangerine than I was expecting (not that this is a bad thing!). Luckily, along came a 40% off sale on Revlon, and I picked up yet another lip butter, this time in Sweet Tart, a lovely warm pink cream.

Revlon Sweet Tart (yes, I used it before I photographed it, I'm sorry!)

More Random Polish Spam

I am just about drowning in work right now, so I'm doing a cop-out post: Nail polishes that I'm too lazy to write individual reviews of! With my thoughts, if you can call them that...

China Glaze Grape Juice

Pretty purple foil. It's much warmer than it looks here, but purples make my camera freak out. I think this was 2 coats? Might have been 3, but the formula was good. Good wear, too. I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would, because the foil is mostly silver with less pink than I was hoping for, but it's still a very pretty color.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Strawberry Review and Swatches

Hey, y'all! Today's the last day to enter the giveaway, if you haven't already! Also, you may have noticed I changed the look of the blog. It was done as a procrastinatory measure, but also because it's approaching summer now and I felt like a change (summer 'round these parts is GREEN, hence the color scheme). Let me know what you think/if there's anything you'd like to see different!

For anyone who's not read the blog before: I tend to hate lip gloss. It's sticky and messy and glops up all weirdly (though see Fraise Crème and pH Matchmaker for success stories). And yet, sometimes the hype is enough for me to be willing to try one, and when you combine that with a 40% off sale, you get the perfect gloss storm. Sometimes, though, the risk pays off, and such is the case with Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Strawberry (though let me just say, no natural strawberry has ever been this color––not that it's a bad thing, just a slightly misleading name!).

Prettyyyyy

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush Review and Swatches

I already have, like, way too many lip products, but when I saw a full display of the new Balm Stains from Revlon at Rite Aid during the Revlon 40% off sale, I couldn't resist picking one up.

Oh fer pretty!

I love balms, and stains, and though I already have several lippies in this style, I wanted to see how this compares.

Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush

More Product Mini Reviews

Hey hey, it's time for another post of mini-reviews! I got to try a lot of products during my New York visit, thanks to L's impressive collection, and will remark on them in a succincter-than-usual fashion. I've decided to post this rather than a monthly favorites/empties (or Skincare Saturday, for that matter, though there are several skincare products here), mostly because I'm sick and don't have the energy to write a new post. Here they are, in no particular order:

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

$25 for 8 oz, available from Sephora

This is a very nice, gentle exfoliator. I only used it the one time, since I spent 4 out of 6 of my nights at Z's, but I found it to do its job without unnecessary irritation. I'm not sure I'd want to spend that much myself, especially since I have my Clarisonic which takes care of my physical exfoliation needs, but if you don't have a Clarisonic and want something mild to exfoliate, Microdelivery is definitely worth checking out!

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 110 Ivory Review and Swatches

I reviewed this way back in one of my first posts, but I recently picked up a new jar and thought it appropriate to re-review it and actually include some swatch pictures (though no before and after shots, sorry! my skin decided it didn't want to play nice with my birth control, so it's not looking great, boo).

Revlon ColorStay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in 110 Ivory

Revlon Colorstay is the (based on my unreliable sampling methods) most-recommended drugstore foundation by beauty bloggers. L'Oreal True Match always wins the magazine awards, but ColorStay is beloved by internet beauty aficionados, so it's the one I tried several years ago. I never felt the need to try the L'Oreal, so that should tell you something about how I like it!

Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet Review and Swatches

Happy Valentine's Day! I am a firm believer that even those of us not in relationships should take the chance to drink some wine, eat some chocolate, and be grateful for our loved ones. Also, that if there's any day it's appropriate to wear red lips, it's today! I'm rocking Chanel Dragon, but I also have a cheaper, more wearable choice to share with you today: Revlon Red Velvet.

Revlon Red Velvet

30 Days Makeup Challenge: Day 3

For an overview of this series, see here!

Favorite everyday lip?
I've long had an obsession with finding my perfect MLBB shade (see entries under "HG Lip Search" for examples...), so I have several options for nice everyday lip color.

Left to right, one swipe each: Tarte Dazzled LipSurgence pencil, Jordana Sweet Strawberry Easyshine, Essence Fairytale lipstick, Revlon Sugar Plum Lip Butter, Revlon Berry Smoothie Lip Butter

My current favorite is Revlon Sugar Plum Lip Butter (second from right in picture above), as I find it gives me a really natural, subtle lip with plenty of moisture that I don't have to reapply every 30 minutes, but I also really like the others, too!

What about you?

UPDATED with new colors: Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Cherry Tart, and Sugar Plum Review and Swatches

So, I should be working on my 17-page paper that's due Thursday at 5. Instead, I'm writing about lip butter (which has kind of already been done by, like, every other blog ever), because I'm a mature and responsible student. Or, y'know, not. This is just so much more fun than writing about Turkish speech production (though, I'm not going to lie, that doesn't suck, either...nerd, party of one). Anyways. Enough rambling!

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie (top) and Berry Smoothie (bottom)

Revlon recently(ish) introduced a new product, lip butters. They come in a staggering 20 color array, and are touted as being moisturizing tinted balms. I kept holding out for them to be on major sale (say, 40% off), but a couple of days ago I caved and bought two at Rite Aid for BOGO1/2. All told, they cost me $5.63 each, and honestly, I don't even feel that bad about it. Paying more than $5 for a drugstore product usually breaks me out in hives, but I really, really like these, so I'm glad I finally took the plunge and bought them!

Revlon Nail Enamel in 675 All Fired Up Review and Swatches

I've been buying a lot of nail polish lately, because a) it's cheap, b) it's cute, and c) there are so many colors to procure!  Even though I'm absolutely terrible at painting my nails, I still enjoy the ritual, and besides, it's so fun to have pretty colors waving at you on your fingers!  I was having a serious lemming for a red nail polish, so when I was at Target I picked up one by Revlon (for $3.99, because I was too impatient to wait for a sale).  It's called All Fired Up, and it is seriously red.

Revlon All Fired Up

Revlon Carbonite LE Nail Polish Review and Swatches

Chanel came out with a trio of polishes this summer, including a sparkling gunmetal-gold called Graphite (and a truly lovely green duochrome, Peridot), that was very popular.  Of course, at $25/bottle, it's way out of my price range.  Revlon came out with a "dupe" a couple months later, Carbonite (clever, guys), which I happened to recently see on clearance at Rite Aid, so I picked it up so I could see what the hype was all about (you can see Cafe Makeup's comparison of the two here and here).  For me: major letdown.

Revlon Carbonite

Revlon ColorStay

For a long time, I used Revlon ColorStay for Oily/Combination skin in Ivory 110.