Review and Swatch: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

I had heard many a guru obsess over the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters when they came out, so of course, I had to try one. The color I got was Berry Smoothie, a true berry pink with subtle shimmer. 

As far as pigmentation goes, these are pretty pigmented, more like a lipstick than a tinted lip balm, more creamy than balmy. Then there's the formula. I think this product is way too over-hyped, and definitely not worth it. I found this product to be very gritty, and not very moisturizing, although it's obviously better than nothing. I guess the way it'd been hyped up made me have super high expectations that weren't met. It also tends to stray outside the lip line. The flavor is kind of an artificial vanilla cake, but nothing too bad. The color I picked, which is a very popular one, didn't exactly float the boat either. I also just hate any shimmer on me, so this wasn't all too great. 

The packaging is pretty nice. I like how you can see the color of the product through the tube and on the quilted packaging. However, the problem I have is that the product rubs off on the top of the tube every time the product retracts. Messy and wasteful. Also, this didn't really come with a lot of product. As you can see, I don't have much product left, yet I didn't even use that much. I don't know how I feel about that, especially because this was pretty expensive for a drugstore product.

Here it is on me. Not the best photo/lighting, I know.

What do you think of these lip butters. Worth the hype?

Subscribe to my youtube channel for more beauty tips (and lots of skincare talk)

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet

I'm kind of a nail polish junkie. You know, just a bit. So when I went to CVS one night, I couldn't help getting four (BOGO), one being Mint Sorbet.

Mint Sorbet is a bright mint chocolate-chip ice cream color that I think would be flattering on anyone. I get tons of compliments when I wear it, too, which is always nice. It took me two coats to get full opacity. 

As far as lasting power, it's meh. Nothing to write home about (2-4 days no chips, but then again, I have brittle nails). 

For the color though, this is one of my favorites. Definitely good for Spring and Summer, but I wear any color I want all year-round anyway. 

What's your favorite drugstore polish?

Review and swatches: Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon 8-pan palettes, Brulée and Nutty singles, and Walking on Eggshells trio

I have to admit, I may have gone a little bit crazy with these eyeshadows, especially considering I don't wear these kinds of colors that much, and I already have more eyeshadow than I could ever use. However, the Wet 'n' Wild section at my CVS always just seems to draw me in with their cheap, yet super high quality shadows. I don't find myself regretting buying these because it is nice to have a little color sometimes, and one 8-pan palette is more than three times cheaper than a shadow single from Urban Decay, for example, and the quality is the same, if not better.

Blue Had Me At Hello | Petal Pusher

These are probably the least wearable out of the three 8-pan palettes Wet 'n' Wild has, but the colors were just too pretty, and I do find that I use a few of the shades with other (matte) neutrals to get a very wearable look.  As you can see, the pigmentation of these is just crazy.  I will say though, the glittery definer shades at the bottom right tend to lose the glitter by the time they get on the brush, you've tapped off the brush (these will have a LOT of fallout if you don't do that), and applied. I don't mind that though, because I'm not that much of a glitter girl. The definer at the bottom left of the Blue Had Me At Hello palette isn't as pigmented as my other blacks, but it is still really good, and if you want, just use the other definer in the palette and shake off the glitter.

Right side

Left side

Right

Left

By far my favorite and the most wearable palette, Comfort Zone is a gorgeous collection of neutrals and some greens. I think the only color I wouldn't really wear in this one is the light green on the right, but all the other ones get plenty of use to make up for it. As you can see, I've depotted these. Beware when depotting the Wet 'n' Wild shadows - they break super easily, and the pan isn't magnetic. Make sure you have magnets ready for your magnetic palette, and make sure the glue is hot so you don't put pressure on the shadows. I have definitely had a few of these break on me.

Comfort Zone (left side)

My favorite side, these warm neutrals are great for everyday, and I find I can combine them really easily with the colors from the Blue Had Me At Hello and Petal Pusher palettes to make them more wearable. Again, crazy pigmentation. Just tap off your brush! 

Comfort Zone (right side)

As I said before, the only shadow from this side of Comfort Zone I wouldn't really wear is that green I have on my index finger. The one on my pinky is amazing for all over the lid, and I love the definer and crease shades (index and middle fingers) as eyeliners. The definer from this palette is a pretty good dupe for Mac Club, too, but it does have a bit more of a reddy undertone as opposed to a cooler brown.

Thumb: Brulée | Index: Nutty | Top, Middle, and Bottom shades from Walking on Eggshells (respectively)

Wet 'n' Wild also makes amazing shadow singles and trios for dirt cheap. In the singles department, I have Brulée, an amazingly pigmented, matte cream color that's great as a highlight or all over the lid, and Nutty, a gorgeous multidimensional  brown that is one of those shadows that you don't need any others to complete the look. Of the trios, I have Walking on Eggshells, which has three Mac dupes in it (Shroom, Naked Lunch, and Cork) and the middle shade, the Naked Lunch dupe, is super close to Stila Kitten, maybe with less of the super silvery sheen. I love this trio, and I find I wear it all the time.

On the whole, these shadows are FANTASTIC.  They are so pigmented, soft, and blendable, and the lasting power is surprisingly really good. I can use these without a primer and have them last until I take off my makeup, and my eyelids get really oily. Also, pretty much everyone of these shadows is a dupe for a high end brand shadow, which is why I hardly ever waste money on high end ones.

There are some downsides to these, though. Some of the shades aren't as pigmented as the others (like the highlight shades and some definers), but I find that for their function, I don't want/need them to be that pigmented anyway. The fallout these have is also pretty ridiculous. Whenever I use these, I make sure I tap the hell out of my brush to get rid of the excess, and I press the color on the lid. However, since they're so cheap, I don't care if this wastes product doing that, and I just build up. They're also very fragile, and I would be careful when traveling with these. I also just wish Wet 'n' Wild offered more matte colors and neutral palettes. That would be amazing. 

Have you tried these yet? What's your favorite Wet 'n' Wild shadow?
Subscribe to my youtube channel for more beauty tips (and lots of skincare talk)

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoos with Swatches

I saw so many rave reviews of these on YouTube, and quite honestly, I don't know if some of these live up to them. I got these on BOGO at CVS and have four shades; Bold Gold, Bad to the Bronze, Audacious Asphalt, and Tough as Taupe. 

 Of course, we have to talk about packaging. These are super similar in appearance to some higher end cream shadows, such as Mac and Benefit, with the sturdy glass jar (but really bad product/packaging ratio). I store these upside down so I can see the color and prevent them from drying out (although Bold Gold is already drying out on me. Weird). 

All four shades I have also swatch beautifully, as you can see. They're very highly pigmented, opaque colors, and they can be blended out fairly well. 

I almost kind of regret getting Audacious Asphalt because I feel like I won't be able to wear it much. However, it is super pretty, and I like to use it with an angled brush as a liner. It feels more gel-like than the other formulas, and has slightly chunkier shimmer. Watch out though, because for some reason, this has a bit of fall-out. It's really nothing Scotch tape won't fix.

Tough as Taupe is probably one of the most wearable shades in the whole permanent collection. It's this gorgeous greyish-brown (taupe) shade (that's not shimmery, just creamy-matte), but when blended out, it kind of looks slightly purple. I'll wear this all over the lid blended into the crease and on the lower lash-line, and that will be my whole look. It's just super multi-dimensional and beautiful. The fact that I can use just my fingers is definitely a bonus. My only complaint is that this does crease throughout the day (give or take six hours), unlike Bad to the Bronze, which will go almost all day. 

Bold Gold is beautiful, but for some reason, we don't get along as well. It's lovely, super shimmery (maybe a bit chunky), and looks great under other warm metallics. However, as far as lasting power goes, this is the one that has the least. The texture is also weird compared to the other ones. I think I just got a dud though, because the product is already shrinking away from the edges of the jar. 

Bad to the Bronze is by far my favorite and most used Color Tattoo. I have no complaints. The color is so wearable (on its own or layered under pretty much any eyeshadow), blends beautifully (it's also one of those multi-dimensional this-is-all-you-need-for-your-look shadows), and lasts until I take my makeup off at the end of the day. If you have to get one, just get this. 

On the whole, the Color Tattoo Range is just okay. I don't think it lives up to the rave reviews it gets (except for Bad to the Bronze, as only one of the (wearable) colors I've tried is that perfect cream shadow. But for the price, why not? If you're looking for a perfect everyday color/base, just go for Bad to the Bronze. You won't be disappointed.

Nail of the day: Quick cosmic nails

Just trying out a new nail combo. I wanted these to look galaxy-esque, so I layered a coat of Knackered, my favorite nail polish (with lavender/green duochrome and holographic glitter), over a really dark, shimmery blue (I would have used black and other techniques/polishes for a more cosmic design, but my black takes forever to dry, and I wanted something quick).

Base Coat | One coat dark blue/green metallic UO nail polish (discontinued) | One coat Knackered | Top Coat

Yellow light

Indoor light

Hope you liked it and will maybe try this out!

What's your favorite nail combo?