Review: MAC Dazzleglass in Steppin' Out and MAC Lipstick in Lustering

I have to admit - I rarely shop at Mac for lip products. I'll go in, get my usually eyeshadow in Brun, and walk out. I just haven't really found a formula that I love there, and the lip products tend to be very drying on my lips. However, a friend gave me two Mac products for my birthday, so I decided to give them another go and see. 

The first product I'll review is MAC Dazzleglass in Steppin' Out. 

The packaging: It's the standard MAC packaging for lip glosses. It comes in a clear, elongated tube with a black cap. The applicator is a brush instead of the usual doe-footed applicator we see with other glosses. I liked the idea of a brush applicator, but with this formula, it seemed to harm more than help.
 

Lustering on left, Steppin' Out on right (taken in indoor light)

The scent: The standard vanilla scent of all MAC products.

The product: Okay, I've already stated numerous times that I'm not a lip gloss fan, so my review may be bias. The top reason I stay away from MAC lip products is because I absolutely dislike the stickiness of their lip glosses. It feels like I'm smearing thick glue on my lips, and it just...I can't. It dries out my lips like no other product also. Steppin' Out is a pretty color though. It's a bright baby pink with TONS of gold/pink/silver micro shimmer in it. I couldn't get over just how much shimmer was on my lips after one swipe. I don't like a huge amount of shimmer in my lip products, so this was a bit of an overkill for me. It lasted about 2 hours - it could have lasted longer, but I ended up just wiping it off out of frustration because my hair kept sticking to it. 

Cost: $20. By all means, if you're a MAC fangirl and a lover of lip gloss, this is your product. I will be skipping it though.


The second product I'll review is MAC Lipstick in Lustering.

The packaging: Standard bullet-shaped MAC lipstick tube. It's all black with a silver rim in the center. It's lightweight, but sturdy. 

Lustering on left, Steppin' Out on right (taken in sunlight)

The scent: Same vanilla scent, but very light compared to the lip glosses.

The product: After the horrid review on the lip gloss, I was surprised by this lipstick. Lustering is a bright pink lipstick, but with subtle red tones in it. It goes on with a bit of a shine to it. It glided on fairly smoothly with some slight tugging on my lips, but applied evenly for the most part. It wasn't completely hydrating, but it didn't completely dry out my lips either. It wore well for 4 hours, but after that, I did have to apply some lip balm to rehydrate my lips. When I first saw it in the tube, it looked like a color reminiscent of the 80s, but it actually looks great on. 

Cost: $16. This is one lip product I would recommend from MAC, so yes, buy it!

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Marc Jacobs Lip Lock Moisture Balm in Makeout

My obsession with all lip products has no bounds as evidenced by this purchase. When I showed this to my brother, he could not believe how someone could pay $24 for a lip balm. He pointed me in the direction of a CVS where he told me I could buy lip balm for 99 cents, and called me all sorts of names. But the joke's on him! I have all the drugstore lip balms, so............I win? Right? Anyway.

The packaging: Well, since we are paying $24 for a balm, the packaging is very posh. The tube is a screw-on, screw-off (heehee) tube, and it feels nice and heavy in my hands. The brand's name is splashed on the side of the tube. 

The scent: It has a great minty scent. Some mint-scented products can be overwhelming on my nose and make me sneeze, but this scent just makes me feel energized. It lingers, so if you are sensitive, make sure to sniff it before buying.

The product: This goes on very heavy. It really feels like I'm applying a thin layer of butter on to my lips. It is very hydrating and lasts...forever. I usually apply this before I go to bed, and when I wake up, it's still on my lips. It is not sticky at all either. The only problem I have with this product is that it is very soft. When I'm applying it, I'm always worried that it's going to come apart in the tube. Other than that, this product has been a lifesaver during this weird freezing weather we've been having this year. 

Cost: $24. This has been my go-to lip balm this year, so yes, it's worth it.

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 
 

Review: It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain in Pretty Woman

So, one of my best friends got me this for my birthday a couple months ago, and I've been testing it out now for a couple months. I had not found many reviews on this product, and so I didn't really know what to expect out of this lipstick. Basically, this product states that it's 4-in-1 properties are supposed to replace your lipstick, your lipbalm, your lip gloss, and your lipstain. So instead of toting around four different products in your make-up bag, you can just carry around one. Did it pass that test? Y-E-S. Thank you, C for delivering this miraculous little product into my life. 

The packaging: It comes in a silver tube with half of the tube being pink. The words inscribed on the pink part are "Live Love Laugh with Vitality." The tube is sturdy, and the product has a very sharply, sculpted point at its highest end (great for lining lips before filling them in). 

The scent: It has that classic lipstick scent - almost soapy, almost synthetic. It goes away after applying though, so it shouldn't be a problem.

The product: The particular shade my friend C got me is Pretty Woman. It's a berry shade, and it actually looks like I had been chomping on blackberries. I know this is touted as a flush, but I found this to be incredibly buildable. It went on smoothly, and while it wasn't hydrating, it didn't dry my lips out either. It lasted for well over 6 hours, and it did leave a stain behind. I almost love the stain it leaves behind more than the actual color. I've worn this in a couple different ways and loved the way the product performs in each way. Try patting it on lips using your fingers for a very natural flush during the day, and then apply it directly from the tube for full-coverage at night. 

The one major thing to remember is to exfoliate before applying this product. In my photo, I rushed and didn't exfoliate, so you can see how the color settled into my lip lines. 

Cost: $20, but it's SO WORTH IT. This is definitely going to be part of my permanent rotation. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in A-Lister, Fauxmance, Kiss You, Lollibop, Poutrageous, and Icebreaker

This review, like most of mine, is very overdue. I picked up this 6-pack gift set after the holidays, and forgot to review these. 

The packaging: These glosses come in a standard lip gloss tube (much like Lancome's Juicy Tubes) with a white cap. I like glosses that come with an applicator, so that was the only thing I disliked about the packaging.

The scent: These all had a fruity, mango-ish scent to them. The scent wore off quickly, so it wasn't a problem.

The product: Oh god. I love these. They definitely live up to their name of "ultra plush." These glosses hug your lips and feel so good on. It actually felt like my lips turned into two very soft pillows. They are not sticky at all and are hydrating. I usually avoid lip glosses because I hate how most are sticky, so these definitely proved me wrong. The downside to these are that they don't last long on lips, so you're frequently reapplying. Also, there is very little color pay-off with these. These are sheer to basically transparent. 

A-Lister is a light, milky peach color. This was my least favorite because it literally looked like I had peach-colored milk on my lips. With my coloring, this shade looked horrible.

Fauxmance is a berry, almost-mauve color. This seems like it's a MLBB shade.

Kiss You is a purplish-pink color, and is actually a great way to wear this year's color of the year, Radiant Orchid. It delivers a very sheer wash of this color on lips.

Lollibop is a bright, hot pink. If you want to test out hot pink on your lips, but are timid, try this sheer gloss.

Poutrageous is a coral color.

Icebreaker (no photo) is clear. 

Favorites: The two I would re-purchase are Kiss You and Icebreaker, but I'm fairly certain it would be easy to find cheaper dupes of these.

Cost: Individually these glosses are $16 each. Is it worth it? If you're a huge fan of lip gloss, then yes, RUN to purchase these! 

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Technical Difficulties

Hey all!

I've been busy to say the least, but I'm back with lots of reviews ahead! 
I was aware that the photos on this blog were not working, but couldn't figure out why...and for once, Google failed me. BUT, after twiddling around with things, I've managed to get them back up. Hopefully it won't happen again!

Thanks for sticking around, and let's get on to the reviews!