Little tremors of excitement for thisisfeb12!

Hey all! 

Still studying like crazy for my boards, so I don't have time to write a review today, but I did want to write a little entry to tide my restless blogger fingers over. 

I've been getting more and more excited because little things have started happening due to this blog and the corresponding Instagram account (thisisfeb12). It's nothing compared to bigger and better bloggers, but it's still cool to me!

My photos have been getting noticed (liked and commented!) by Fresh, Lipstick Queen, Boscia, and Vaseline, and Vaseline even went a step further and reposted my photo on their Instagram page!
 

Wahoo! My photo on Vaseline's page!

As for this blog, I'm getting more and more page views every day, and that makes my little heart sing! 

So thank you to all of you that stumble upon this page, and I promise to keep writing reviews on all lips products that come my way...even though my wallet hates me for it!
 

Review: Lipstick Queen Hello Sailor Lipstick

Blue lipstick? Yes. Lipstick Queen promises that this product will transform to a berry color when applied to lips. Does it deliver? Somewhat.

The packaging: This comes in a cute box with the words "Hello Sailor" and "Lipstick Queen" on the side in a blue and white scheme. The tube inside is brushed deep blue color, and the product itself is a beautiful deep ocean blue shade. The novelty factor of this product is what really made me stop and do a double take...and eventually purchase it. Also, It is pretty interesting to see people's reaction when you pull this out and apply it.

The scent: No detectable scent noted, so...whew.

The product: So it does not go on blue when applied, but leaves a very faint blue - almost purple - sheen on your lips. After several minutes, it transformed to a sheer berry color on my lips. I wasn't impressed by the tint it left because I felt like I could achieve the same tint by buying a tinted balm by any drugstore brand. Also, it wore off quickly meaning it didn't even hit the 2 hour mark. However, there are good points to this product. It is hydrating and moisturizing since it contains Vitamin E, and I think this could be layered on top of other lipsticks to turn any shade into a deeper berry. 

Favorite: So far, I haven't really been impressed with any Lipstick Queen products. I just don't think they work well on my lips. Am I the only one who isn't in love with this brand?

Cost: $25. I think this is ridiculously overpriced, and again feel like you could find a better product at drugstores for a much cheaper price.

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Lancome Gloss in Love in Scarlett Starlette

I'm not a huge fan of glosses because I've never found one that feels good on my lips. I have a huge problem with my lips getting dry easily and glosses usually just sit on my lips and get sticky. Because of these issues, I usually don't buy lip glosses, but this one was actually a little gift from my mom, so I decided to give it a try.

The package: This comes packaged in a silver box and the tube itself is transparent so that you can see the color of the product and it's capped off with a silver cap. The really cool thing about this tube is that instead of unscrewing the cap to get the applicator out, you push the little button on the side and the applicator pops out. This saves a lot of time and it's satisfying to push the button to pop it out and hear an audible "click" when you push the applicator back in. 

The scent: There's a faint cotton candy scent to this, but it goes away once you apply it. It's not strong at all, so it shouldn't bother sensitive noses. 

The product: This gloss goes on smoothly and it's really thanks to the applicator. The applicator is curved in a "U" shape to match the contour of your lips, so it makes applying really simple. The color I got (#162 Scarlett Starlette) is a medium pink. It has shimmer in it, so when the light catches, there's a very pretty glitter effect you get. This shade isn't too pigmented - it just gives a nice rosy pink tint to your lips. I was really surprised because this gloss wasn't sticky at all and felt like it really sunk in to my lips. The staying power wasn't too great - it stayed on for about 2 hours. 

Favorite: This is the only shade I've tried in this line, so I'll update once I go back and try others. 

Cost: $27 for 0.20 oz. If you really like lip glosses, I'd say to purchase this line of glosses. Would I go get another on? Probably not because again, I'm not really into lip glosses.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Laura Mercier Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colour in Mod & Sexy

I never really liked any Laura Mercier products that I had tried in the past. The lipsticks weren't amazing, and I always found better lip products in the same price range. But with this new line of Rouge Nouveau Weightless Lip Colours, I have changed my mind. These are fantastic, really really fantastic.

The packaging: Each tube comes in its own box, and the tube is a slim, deep plum colored tube (Laura Mercier's signature packaging color). The product feels good in my hands and is easy to hold while applying.

The scent: I couldn't detect any scent worth noting with these lipsticks.

The product: It has "weightless" in the product name for a reason. These are truly weightless. You won't be able to feel them on your lips at all. They go on smoothly. These aren't hydrating or moisturizing, so at times, I felt like my lips were pretty dry. These both wore for about 4 hours with eating and drinking.

This line is divided into 3 categories - creme, matte, and sheer coverage. The line of creme colors all start with the letter "C." The matte colors all begin with "M." The sheer colors begin with the letter "S." I have a lot of creme lip products, so I chose a color from the matte line and the sheer line.
 
Mod is a matte coral red (yes, I am truly obsessed with coral this year). It went on smoothly and very pigmented in one swipe. After about 3 hours or so, I had a fairly light stain left from this lipstick. 
 

Mod - matte

Sexy is a sheer red. If you're timid about wearing red lipstick, start with something like this. You can build up the product to a more noticeable red, or you can just put one swipe on and have the sheerest tint of red on your lips. It looks like you've been pinching your lips. The color looks beautiful and this shade would suit anyone. In my photo, I built up the color more to show the shade of red this product can become.
 

Sexy - sheer

 Favorites: Sexy is definitely the winner because it's such a pretty sheer shade of red. 

Cost: $24 for 0.06 oz product. If you've been looking for a product that looks very natural, I would go buy Sexy - it's definitely worth it.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!
 

Review: Maybelline Color Whisper in Berry Ready & A Plum Prospect

So I'm late to the game on picking up and trying Maybelline's Color Whisper line, but better late than never! The two shades I chose were #85 Berry Ready and #100 A Plum Prospect. 

Drugstore lip products are getting better and better nowadays, and we're all the better for it. In the last 5 years, drugstore brands have really upped their game and it's getting easier to find dupes of brand name products. Maybelline's Color Whisper line makes me think of YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine products...and they cost way less.

The packaging: This product comes in a silver tube with a cap that matches the shade of product inside. I like the slimmer design of this product. It's easy to slip into even the smallest of clutches. I wouldn't choose one of these based on the color-coded cap though. The color inside is not very similar to the cap - I learned this the hard way with these two shades.

The scent: If you sniff hard enough, it smells like...lipstick. The scent isn't noticeable though, so no worries here.

The product: These went on very well. You get a lot of pigmentation with one swipe and it's very moisturizing. These both lasted about 4 hours on me and left a nice sheer stain behind. I don't know if the lighter shades would leave a stain, but these two darker shades did. 

A Plum Prospect is a brighter raspberry shade - I honestly thought it was going to be deeper or darker due to both the name and the color-coded tube, but it was a lot brighter and lighter than I originally thought. It's more of a magenta color that I would want to wear in the summer than the Fall.
 

A Plum Prospect

Berry Ready is a deeper raspberry shade. Again, based on the tube, I thought this would be redder, but it turned out to be darker and more of a bright plum (if that makes sense). This color could be worn in the Fall to brighten up a dark outfit. 
 

Berry Ready

 In both photos, I only applied one swipe to get this amount of pigmentation on my lips.

Favorites: Out of these two, I prefer A Plum Prospect more because I tend to lean more towards brighter shades. 

Cost: $7.49, but there's always sales going on! I got these at Ulta in a buy 1, get 50% off the other deal. Definitely worth it, because you're paying 1/5 of the price for a brand name version of this.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Too Faced La Créme in Coral Fire

I've reviewed another Too Faced La Créme lipstick and loved the product so much, I went back and bought another color - Coral Fire!

The packaging: Again, this product comes in a box and the tube itself is a brushed gold. The tube is slim and feels good in my hand, but it feels like it could be bent out of shape easily - either by dropping the product or holding the product too tightly.

The scent: There is a scent, but it's so minimal that you won't be able to notice it. 

The product: I love these lipsticks! They go on so smoothly, hydrate and moisturize, and feel so weightless when they're on. The color of the lipstick is exactly the color it'll be on your lips. This particular shade is a deeper coral with red undertones. I had first picked up Juicy Melons which is a pinker coral, but felt like up-ing the "wow" factor and going with a brighter and redder coral. I've been really drawn to corals this year, and this shade looked amazing. These lipsticks last about 2 hours with eating and drinking.

Favorites: I've only swatched a handful of these lipsticks, but so far Spice, Spice Baby is still my absolute favorite because it's so wearable.

Cost: $21 for 0.11oz tube. Is it worth it? Yes, but I would start off with a more neutral shade that you'll wear every day like Spice, Spice Baby.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!
 

Review: Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip & Cheek Balm

So I haven't been updating as regularly as I planned, but I do have a good excuse. I've been studying for boards and still am, but I thought I'd bang out several reviews that I've been wanting to do during this study break.

The first review is on Givenchy's Hydra Magic Balm. I love products that "magically" transform into customized tints when applied. I really am a sucker for these kinds of products. I have similar products by Smashbox and Dior, but those will be reviewed at another time.

The packaging:  This comes in a square box and the product is packaged in a small circular jar. The jar itself is a transparent ocean blue and the lid is silver. It looks like it would be holding eye cream, not a lip product. It's a good size to throw into a make-up bag.

The scent: It has a faint floral smell to it, but it doesn't linger when applied. You really have to sniff deeply to smell it anyway.

The product: This goes on smoothly and isn't sticky at all. On first application, it leaves a very fair pink tint, but as you let it settle, it does grow into a very rosy tint (at least on my lips). I felt like this was pretty hydrating too. 

Cost: $31 for 0.17oz jar. Is this worth it? No. There are other products that give you a customized tint for way less money. This really seems like you're just paying for the brand name. But if you love Givenchy products and have extra cash lying around, then go for it!

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Nars Satin Lip Pencils

From a bad review in the last post to a good review in this post! Nars hasn't really been a go-to brand of mine, and the products of theirs that I have tried have been good, but not great. These lip pencils though are completely great.

The packaging: These pencils come in their own individual black boxes. The pencils are capped with a black cap and the shade of the product is banded around the bottom. 

The scent:  No scent was detected, so sensitive noses rejoice!

The product: The two shades I bought were Luxembourg and Hyde Park. Luxembourg is a bright, hot watermelon shade. Hyde Park is marketed as a cardinal red, but it was more of a raspberry on my lips. These pencils are HIGHLY pigmented and go on smoothly and evenly. They don't pull or drag on your lips and leave a nice stain behind. They lasts a long time as well - almost 6 hours! They weren't drying either, so there was no need for me to apply balm throughout the day. The only thing I don't like about these pencils is that you have to sharpen them, and that leads to a lot of product loss. Also, you won't be able to line precisely with these pencils because you never get a sharp enough tip even with sharpening.

Favorites: I had also purchased Yu (a very hot pink shade), but returned it for Luxembourg instead. Out of all three that I tried, I think my favorite would have to be Hyde Park because it's much more wearable than the other two. I wear it most days as a stain, but blotted the color on with my fingers. 

Cost: $25. If you want a very pigmented shade that lasts for most of the day, then this is worth it. Otherwise, I would suggest paying $10 more and going with something from YSL's Rouge Volupté line.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Flower's Kiss Stick Velvet Matter Lip Color

I've been having such good luck with all the products I've bought and reviewed...up until now. Today's review will be less than stellar, but I know other bloggers who have liked this product, so maybe it'll work better on you than me. This product is from Drew Barrymore's Flower line.

The packaging: This comes in a white tube with the brand name embossed in rose gold on the side. You can see the color of the product on the bottom of the tube also. It feels pretty sturdy for a drugstore brand, so I was pleased with the packaging. 

The scent: There is a slight "lipstick" scent to this product, but it's barely noticeable. When you apply, you can't even smell anything, so that's a plus for sensitive noses.

The product: The shade I bought is LS7 So Gladiola which is a medium peach, almost coral color. There is no shine, but it's not matte. It wasn't very pigmented and did not apply evenly. The worst part of this product was that it was SUPER drying. Right away, it was pulling at my lips and already drying out my lips. It lasted less than 2 hours, but I was just so uncomfortable with this on my lips. I kept applying lip balm over it to moisturize. 

Favorites: As this is the only one I've tried, I don't have any favorites from this line. Sadly, I would not try this line of lipsticks again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Cost: $6.98, which for the quality of the product is absurd. You can find WAY better drugstore lipsticks from other brands that are of better quality for this price.

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!