Shakeup Your Makeup

Laura Geller has some of my all-time favorite blushes, so when I saw her "Colors of Love" collection being presented on QVC a few weeks ago, I had to pick this one up.  

The set consists of a baked blush/highlighter and a lip crayon.  As I have recently fallen in love with lip crayons, thanks to the likes of Revlon, I was anxious to try one of Laura's as well.  

First up, the blush.  Look at how absolutely gorgeous this is.  The color is called "Pink Valentine", and is a coral base with golden shimmer.  The heart highlighter is a shimmery champagne shade, similar (if not identical) to Portofino.  This blush is like Nars Orgasm, only brighter. 

The lip crayon, Lychee Glace, is a bright coral, without shimmer.  This goes on very pigmented, with a nice shine.  The crayon itself is adjusted from the base, like other crayons are.  A nice, thick crayon, it is hefty enough of a product to apply easily, and doesn't feather into your lines.  It is sticky enough to last a majority of the day without a need to reapply, but doesn't dry out your lips like a lot of lasting lip colors are known to do.  

Swatches side-by-side of all three shades below.  When you swirl the blush together, there is just the added depth of the highlighter, although if you have a small enough blush-brush, you can reach for it alone to highlight your cheek bones.  These are some gorgeous shades, for sure!  Definitely a nice step up from your average box of chocolates on Valentines Day....go ahead, treat yourself!

Standout is a bright, neutral, red.  On my skin tone, it appears a bit cooler, but I think overall this is mostly on the neutral spectrum.  Sultry is a deep mauve shade. Both are matte, and have a smooth, almost velvety texture when applied.  

I have found over time, that a lot of the matte lip colors out there are either drying or cakey.  These most definitely are not.  The Revlon ColorBurst apply so smoothly, evenly, and with precision on the lip.  Pigmentation is stellar - comparable to a lipstick - not translucent or waxy like a lot of the crayons on the market right now.  Truly a great product, I would certainly suggest you grab one for your purse in a color that you wear the most.  If you are looking for a good, go-to red, pick up Standout.  It is quite honestly the most perfect red I have in my bag right now.  

Below is a FOTD using the Sultry.  Love it.  

 

A few days ago I posted a picture from the Walmart checkout line with some new, seasonal flavors of Chapstick.  Well, I went back and picked them up - the Apple Cider and the Candy Cane.  I'm a total sucker for anything peppermint in the winter, and the cider had me intrigued so I grabbed it too.

 

Both are your typical chapstick consistency and color.  The cider is a hint darker (this could be because I had applied it on top of my lips and I was wearing a red that day).  The fragrances are wonderful too.  The Candy Cane is just that - a soft and subtle peppermint.  Not a sappy sweet peppermint, and not medicinal either.  Just the smell of a candy cane.  The Apple Cider is a lighter fragrance, with a hint of green apple and subtle mulling spices.  Again, nothing strong enough that I think anyone else is going to smell, but still a nice change from the basics of ChapStick.  I actually really enjoyed both of them - one of my all time favorite ChapStick was the Vanilla Mint which I have the hardest time finding anymore (possibly it's discontinued?), and these have filled the void for me at the moment!

 

Have you seen these yet?  Picked one up?  What did you think?  There still is one more flavor - Chocolate Truffle - but I don't care for chocolate flavored lip products so I passed on that one.

It's the time of year again - little girls will be knocking door to door, while their parents hunt down their friends in the office, all for one thing...Girl Scout Cookies.  Well, if the 6 boxes you ordered from your neighbor doesn't suffice, head on over to your favorite Lip Smacker retailer, or shop online here, and pick out your favorite flavor to smack your lips with. 

I spotted the following display at Meijer.  Cute packaging, although I'm not sure I want to taste a Tagalong all day long.  I'd be willing to try out the Thin Mint or Trefoil, though.  Chocolate mint and sugar cookie sound like they might be ok.

Peach Parfait is a warm peach-pink with a slight golden shimmer.   Honestly, this appears more pink to me, especially when on the lips.  Not that I don't like it because of that, but maybe a strawberry parfait is more appropriate? 

Swatches on - this is a nice and easy "go to" in my bag when I need to refresh throughout the day.  The quality and consistency is just as the other two I reviewed earlier. 

Happy Friday to everyone!  I don't know about you, but I am ready for the weekend!

A brand I haven't seen before, spotted at Walgreens - Simply Shine Lip Shimmers.  These little beauties are 2/$4 and come in three colors.   Simply Lip Shimmers are affordable, organic products made in the good ol' USA. 

From their website:

I finally caved.  Yes, I bought two of the Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters.  I couldn't help it - I've read so many good things about them, it was only time until I snagged one (or two): Cherry Tart and Sugar Plum.

Packaging is similar to the regular ColorBurst line of lipsticks, only the case is semi-clear - kind of like a faceted gemstone.  I think they are really pretty, personally. 

Cherry Tart is a sheer red that can easily become more intense with further application.  Because this is a butter, you don't get a true opaque coverage, ultimately allowing your tones to mold the color.  Truly, this is the neutral girl's red.  Easy to wear, and it feels great too!

Sugar Plum is, as the name suggests, a warmer plum/purple shade.  On my skin swatch below, it almost looks brown, but when applied to the lips it is a beautiful plum to berry shade. 

On the lips below, you can see there is excellent pigmentation to these.  This is two applications, so obviously it's a bit more intense than just one. 

It's official, I love these.  I love the texture - it truly feels like butter, as the name suggests. It melts into my lips, but actually lasts a while once applied.  The color selection is really nice, too.  There are those that are lighter and less pigmented (Cotton Candy and Cupcake, for instance) and those that knock it out of the park...i.e. Cherry Tart.  I will definitely be looking to get a few more of these when the time is right.  These make the perfect addition to your purse or desk drawer in the winter time, when I'm always reaching for my lip balm, but longing for a little bit more... like color!

Retail is $7.99-$8.99, depending on where you shop. 

It's that time again - time for dry, chapped lips and brisk winter chills.  I always have my tube of chapstick in my purse.  It's my go to.  Actually, I have one on my bedside table, one in my office desk, one downstairs in the "junk" drawer, and one in my purse.  Well, what about those times when you want a little color and the benefits of a chapstick? 

Enter Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm.  Made with Vitamin E, Aloe and SPF15, not only does this nourish and moisturize, it protects.  Also, it is available in numerous shades, including two new ones:  Sheer Berry and Sheer Plum.

I tend to lean towards warmer berry and plum shades in the fall and winter, so I purchased Sheer Plum to try out.  The pictures below actually brighten the color in the tube a bit more than Sheer Plum is in reality, but you get the gist of the color.  This is a deep plum, almost warm chocolate shade in the tube.  Once applied, as you will see in swatches below, the berry colors really shine through.

The product itself is a thin, non sticky formula.  It smells a bit less like menthol and a bit more minty than the original Carmex in the pot, therefore it's not quite as medicinal smelling.  Once applied, there is a cooling sensation familiar with Carmex.  The product wears nicely and didn't feather after application. 

Above is two swipes on the skin for a swatch.  Below is two swipes on the lip.  See, a nice color, but not overwhelming.  The berry color really comes through upon application as well.  

Final verdict: Why not?  For $2.59 a tube you don't have to give up the benefits of Carmex for a little color.  My lips feel soft afterwards, and the color payoff is nice and lasting.  There are several colors to choose from, although I think a lot of people would like to see more of a red and less of a berry available.  Maybe in the future!

Have you tried this yet?  What did you think?

Looks like it's a lipstick week for me!  Here are two more lippies I bought recently that are just little beauties.  This time around it's Cover Girl NatureLuxe Gloss Balms in Pinot and Muscat.  Being the pretend "wine-o" that I am, I had to purchase these two colors simply because of the name.

These are part of the new collection that Taylor Swift is behind.  From the Cover Girl website:

Pinot is a very raspberry shade with a hint of pink shimmer.  Although there is shimmer in the balm, I barely saw it translate on the lips.  Instead the color is a sheer, but deep, berry on the lips. 

Up next is Muscat, which is a warmer, almost (but not quite), red.  Again, the color is rich, but sheer as well.  I would say that Muscat is a bit brighter than Pinot, but both are gorgeous in their own right. 



I really like the consistency of these.  Like a stain, you get a translucent color on the lips, but unlike a stain, these are moisturizing and don't make my lips peel, flake, or dry out.  Also, unlike a lot of balms out there, you have quite the selection of colors and tones to choose from.  This isn't your mama's Lip Smackers, that's for sure!

The NatureLuxe Balms retail for approximately $6 at drugstores, but with all the coupons and BOGO50's that happen, I'm sure you can get it for less than that. 

Have you tried these balms?  What did you think?

This is a long-time overdue post.  I just realized this weekend how backlogged I am on posts and pictures, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up a little bit here!

At the beginning of the year, Burt's Bees came out with a line of tinted lip balms, so I decided to try Red Dahlia, one of the darkest shades in the set.   There are six, total shades available, seen below:

I like to have a lip balm available in my purse at all times.  Although I do have my medicated Chapstick, I find it nice to have something with a hint of color.  Seeing as I washed my Dr. Pepper LipSmackers in the laundry, I thought this might be a nice opportunity for me to get a "grown up" version for my bag!



The product comes in a typical chapstick tube, but the outer packaging is a thicker cardboard tube with the color of the tinted balm on the inner sleeve. 

The Red Dahlia tinted lip balm is a deep warm berry in the tube.  There is no shimmer or frost.  The main ingredient in these lip balms is shea butter, which helps to soften your lips, as well as protect from drying out.  I can't emphasize the moisture these lip balms provide!  I have found historically that tinted colors tend to dry my lips out, but this one does not.  There is also a nice shine to the hint of color, so this is a nice everyday shade to have in the bag. 

You can barely see the color above.  This is one swipe, so if you want a little added color, just swipe again.  Of course, this would be nice over a lip stain because of the shine - and it can help prevent those lips from drying out from the stain. 

Have you tried these yet?  What do you think?  These balms retail for $6.99, which is a bit spendy for a balm, but I am very happy with it overall.

For those of you EOS lovers (me included - I have the Lemon and Spring Fruit and can't live without it!), there is a set for spring including two new flavors: Strawberry Sorbet and Passion Fruit! 

I have to admit, I am very excited about these!  I love the packaging - it reminds me of a tiny egg.  Not only is it large enough that it doesn't get lost in your bag, it's not so overwhelming that it takes up too much space.  There is a very generous amount of product.  It appears that it's much more than a typical chapstick, but that may just be the packaging.  The balm itself is very smooth and light, but it still manages to supplement the lips with tons of moisture that lasts for hours.  The fragrance of this particular flavor, Summer Fruit, is entoxicating.  It actually smells like fresh melon with a hint of berry and maybe sweet floral notes.  My cousin received the Sweet Mint, which was exactly that.  It smelled wonderful as well. 

I did notice online that there is a new flavor, Lemon Drop with SPF15, and I have to find this!  Lemon is my favorite flavor, and actually one of my favorite fragrances!  Do you remember Loves Fresh Lemon?  This was my all-time favorite body spray as a kid growing up, and honestly is to this day!

The details from the e.o.s. website are great - they sum up this product perfectly!  The product retails for anywhere between $3.29 and $3.99, or you can order them online from their website.

I would love to know if you have tried these and what your thoughts are!