Review: Benefit Cosmetics BeneBalm and BeneTint

A lot of makeup brands have taken to releasing balms this summer, and I'm all for it! Anything sheer that can be applied on the go without a mirror is my best friend!

I bought Benefit's Benebalm, ChaCha balm, and Benetint all in one scoop, so I'll review Benebalm and Benetint first, and ChaCha balm with ChaCha tint second. 

Benefit Cosmetic's Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in BeneBalm

The packaging: This came in its own little box. The tube is the cutest thing ever because it's a shiny red tube covered in light pink polka dots. The tube makes me smile just by looking at it. 
 

(L to R): BeneBalm, ChaCha Balm, Benetint in natural light

The scent: There is a slight floral/rose scent to this balm, but it doesn't linger after applied.
 

Wearing only Bene balm

The product: BeneBalm is a very sheer rosy red shade. It is incredibly sheer and leaves a very sheer rosy tint to lips. It is super hydrating and applies smoothly. It wore for less than 2 hours on my lips, but it was so easy to reapply. If you want color pay-off, skip these balms. I think the real magic happens when you apply these on top of the lip tints! 

Cost: $18

Benefit Cosmetic's BeneTint

The packaging: This came in its own box. The cap has the applicator brush attached, but this brush is completely inconvenient for me. Using this brush to apply this tint has resulted in me getting it outside my lip lines, so I use single-use doe-footed applicators that I bought off of Amazon to apply this. 
 

(L to R): BeneBalm, ChaCha Balm, Benetint in sunlight

The scent: There is a slight floral scent to this tint, but it doesn't linger.
 

Wearing only Bene Tint

The product: Benetint is a reddish rose tint. This product is a liquid lip stain, so it goes on very wet and dries down to a great natural red flush. It wore for 4+ hours on my lips alone. This product tended to dry out my lips after a couple of hours...BUT this is where the BeneBalm came in. Applying Benebalm on top of this gives it a completely natural, just-ate-a-red-popsicle look and your lips feel hydrated. 
 

Wearing Bene Balm layered on top of Bene Tint

Cost: $30

Benefit Cosmetic's Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm in ChaCha Balm

The packaging: Same as Benebalm, except the tube is a golden coral shade with pink wave accents. 
 

Wearing only ChaCha Balm

The scent: Same as Benebalm.
 

Wearing ChaCha Balm layered on top of ChaCha Tint

The product: Same as Benebalm, but ChaCha Balm is a very sheer mango-peach shade. ChaCha Balm, just like Benebalm, looks great layered over Benefit's ChaCha Tint. It provides a whole other dimension to ChaCha Tint, and keeps lips hydrated. 

To see my review on ChaCha tint, click here!

Cost: $18
  
I don't think I could buy either of these products separately after trying them together. The Benebalm alone is too sheer, and the Benetint alone is too drying. This is the same with the ChaCha balm and ChaCha tint. So if you want to try either out, just buy both. You'll love it!

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

Review: Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tint in Cherry

Anything that touts itself as a balm but with color pay-off is a must-have in my book! 

The packaging: This comes in a standard lipstick tube, but runs a bit bigger. 

The scent: A slight soapy scent, but not discernible on lips.

The product: Cherry is a bright, soft red shade. This product comes with the color around a white center. The center contains resveratrol, which is an antioxidant. This is a balm, so it applies smoothly and is hydrating. It lasted a shocking 4+ hours on me, but I'm wondering if it's because I got a brighter shade. This is perfect for those who don't want to wear a fully opaque red lip, but still want to venture into the realm of red lips. You can dab it on lightly for an even more muted red lip effect or apply it straight from the bullet for a bright red lip. 

Cost: $24 for 0.13oz

Questions? Comments? Let me know!
 

Review: TONYMOLY Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in Apple

I was Sunday shopping post-brunch with my girlfriends (a Sunday ritual) and stumbled into Urban Outfitters. Now, I'm at an age where I think I've mostly outgrown what Urban Outfitters has to offer. I can't really pull off graphic tees (especially ones with clever sayings) and I'm in no need of flasks or any other of-the-moment hipster products they're peddling. However, every now and then, I do stumble upon something in UO and it's usually in the beauty department. 

UO has been making me very happy lately because they're starting to carry more and more Korean beauty lines - especially online! You can shop products from 3CE (3 Concept Eyes), TONYMOLY, and SkinFood. I wish more Korean brands would open actual storefronts in the US, but for now...this is it.

So, while browsing in UO, I saw these very cute TONYMOLY gloss bars. My friend C told me she had bought this in Peach and liked it, so I picked up one in Apple. 

The packaging: This product comes in stick form with the cap shaped like a bunny's head. The cap is incredibly cute and makes me smile every time I look at it. Each stick is colored in the shade the product is, and you twist up the bottom to push more product out. The product itself is not shaped in the usual pencil-point. It's actually flat. I found that I like this shape more because it's easier to apply on my lips, and since this is more like a gloss-balm, I don't need to necessarily worry about going outside my lip lines. The great thing about this product and its packaging is that you can stash it into your pockets, your purse, anywhere. And if it peeks out, it's even cuter because you get to show off its little ears!

The scent: There is a slight fruity scent (melon?), but it's very faint. It's almost like it's there...and then it's not. I couldn't smell it once applied to my lips, and I couldn't smell it very well even when I stuck my nose right up to it and kept inhaling! 

The product: Apple is a bright, translucent pink shade. With one swipe, you'll get the faintest hint of color. With two or three, you'll see more of the pink shade. It does let my natural lip color come through though, but that's not a bad thing. It makes my lips look incredibly healthy and rosy due in part to the gloss part providing shine and the balm part providing a full, healthy look to my lips. It kept my lips fairly hydrated, but the product only lasted a couple hours on my lips. No lip prep is required because it is a balm, so that's a plus.

Favorites: Don't know yet - will go back and grab another shade to test!

Cost: $8. It is a high mark-up when compared to the actual price in Korea, but it's just so darn cute. Definitely something you could buy as a little gift for your little sister, little niece...maybe even your sophisticated girlfriends who are still young at heart (like all of mine!). 

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

You might notice the watermarks on all my photos. To prevent people from using my photos as their own (especially on Instagram), I'm trying to make it a point to make sure each of my photos has this. The downside of the blogosphere... :(

Review: Lipstick Queen in Medieval Tinted Treatment

After running errands this morning, I found myself at Ulta. I tend to always find myself popping into Ulta, Sephora, Nordstrom, or Neiman Marcus's beauty counters when I have free time nowadays. Since I couldn't let myself leave empty handed, I grabbed another Lipstick Queen product off the shelf. 

Since I haven't found a Lipstick Queen product I really like but hear great things from other bloggers about this brand, I've been determined to find something I really truly like. And I think I found it today in this tinted treatment. 

The packaging: This comes in a box with Lipstick Queen labeled on one of the sides, Medieval labeled on the other, and Medieval artwork of a woman on another side. The tube itself is brushed plum with lettering done in a lighter mustard yellow. I absolutely do not like this tube. When I tried to recap the tube, I couldn't get the cap back on. It was so stiff, and I ended up having to jam it back on. I haven't had this trouble with the cap and tube for Hello Sailor or Stoked, but those tubes both felt like they were made of better quality.

The scent: No scent detected.
 

Lipstick Queen in Medieval (one swipe)

The product: This tinted treatment is very sheer, rosy red. It went on smoothly like a balm and kept my lips hydrated and soft. It's packed with all sorts of great things like Vitamin E, mango butter, and shea butter, so it's definitely comfortable on lips. I loved this color! It looked like I had been sitting around pinching my lips. It's definitely a color that could work on anyone. It was easy to apply without a mirror too. I put it on at 11am this morning right after purchasing it and it's still on my lips and going strong at 4pm right now!

Favorites: Well, I have a new Lipstick Queen favorite and this is it! If you love red like me, but don't want to rock a full, bold red lip on your off days, this is the product for you.

Cost: A bit on the pricey side at $22, but this tube seems like it'll last forever.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Giorgio Armani #400 in Rouge Ecstasy, #400 in Flash Lacquer, #400 in Lip Maestro

If there are any lip products that I would beg my friends to buy, it's actually ALL THREE of these. Actually, the last dinner I had with a couple of my girlfriends, I had to stop the conversation to rave about the lipstick I was wearing - that's how great these all are!

This started off innocently enough. I bought the Lip Maestro in #201 (a beautiful deep deep burgundy which I'll have to review later) and thought that the formula was the best thing I'd ever used. So then, I looked up what other shades were popular within this line and discovered the best red ever - the four hundred. 

It is Armani's signature red. It's a blue-based red, and I don't know who wouldn't look good in this shade. I found out that the #400 comes in every line of lip products and so the obsession was born. 

The first week, I went and bought Lip Maestro in #400 for its 12+ hour wear promise and the matte look of it. The next week, I went and bought Rouge Ecstasy in #400 as its considered the first CC lipstick (care & color) and wanted to see what the hype was about. The third week, I went and tried to buy the Flash Lacquer in #400 to find out that it was sold out, so I had to order it online and wait another week. But now, they're all here, and I've been trying out all three all throughout this past week...and I'm completely in love. 

The packaging: These all come in a black package with the Armani label in silver. Flash Lacquer is housed in a clear tube that shows the product inside and its capped with a black cap. The Armani logo is attached to the cap, and when you screw the cap back on, it gives a satisfying click when it's fully twisted on. The applicator is a doe foot applicator. Rouge Ecstasy is housed in an all red tube. The tube is magnetic, so you never have to worry if you've put the cap back on tightly enough. The lipstick itself has the Armani logo branded on the side. Lip Maestro is a clear tube that shows the product inside and its capped with Armani's signature red cap. It's similar to the Flash Lacquer except that the cap is red.
 

Rouge Ecstasy in #400

Flash Lacquer in #400

Lip Maestro in #400

The scent: Flash Lacquer and Lip Maestro have no scent. Rouge Ecstasy has a very distinct "lipstick" smell that lingered for awhile. It didn't bother me, but it was very noticeable. 
 

L to R: Rouge Ecstasy, Flash Lacquer, Lip Maestro

In natural light - all shown in ONE swipe

The product: Flash Lacquer is a very high shine lip gloss. #400 in this product isn't as pigmented because it is a lip gloss. It went on as a rosy red on me, but the color was still gorgeous. The product went on smoothly and evenly. Even after eating and drinking, the color remained and even a bit of the shine stayed. It lasted about 6 hours on me. 

Rouge Ecstasy is the first CC (care and color) lipstick created. It definitely lived up to both C's. It goes on like a balm (very slick, very smooth) and feels so comfortable. I kept forgetting I had anything on my lips - that's how great it feels on! The color was heavily pigmented - a gorgeous blue-red that made my teeth look whiter. It lasted over 10 hours through eating, drinking, talking, etc.  

Lip Maestro is a matte lacquer. I applied it with a lip brush instead of the doe foot applicator because I feel like the applicator holds too much product. With Lip Maestro, you need only ONE swipe for full coverage and you only need to use a very tiny amount of product to cover your lips. This #400 shade is gorgeous - a very in-your-face red. It goes on smoothly, but definitely prep your lips before applying. Once on my lips, it stayed and didn't budge for 12+ hours. It was almost scary how well it stayed put. 

Favorites: Again, I absolutely fell in love with each of these, but if I had to choose, I would definitely pick #400 in Rouge Ecstasy. The double whammy of both care and color in one tube sold me. This is the one product I cannot stop raving about and I almost wish it didn't last so long, so I could keep popping out this tube and reapplying this GORGEOUS color! Get it, get it, get it!

Cost: Ouch - these are pricey! Flash Lacquer is $29, Rouge Ecstasy is $34, Lip Maestro is $32. BUT, I promise you - you'll fall in love! If you can splurge on one, get Rouge Ecstasy!

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Lipstick Queen's Endless Summer in Stoked

Hey all! I'm back from a long couple weeks filled with finals and prepping for my boards. I took my boards last Friday and YES - I passed! It's surreal to actually have my nursing license, and I've taken the last week just letting it soak in. Also, I've been doing absolutely nothing - after an eternity of studying and doing clinicals, I just wanted a week to do absolutely nothing. 

Anyway, I have a bunch of reviews lined up, so let's start with the first one. I bought this at the tail-end of summer, but never got around to posting a review on it until now. 

The packaging: This comes in its own little box with a sun-and-surf motif on one of its sides. The tube itself is a brushed golden yellow-orange shade, and the product itself is a bright coral color. I really do like Lipstick Queen's packaging - I find it to be really (for a lack of a better word) happy. The color of the tube really did invoke summer. It's the shade you would see when the sun is setting, so they did a great job with this shade.

The scent: No scent!

The product: The product goes on smoothly, but my lips did feel dry within an hour. Also, I had to put about 3 swipes of this on to really get the color built up. One swipe was very sheer on me. The color itself is gorgeous - a bright, beautiful coral. It lasted about 2 hours on me, so it wears off quickly. This is definitely a shade I would wear during the day during the summer because it is so bright and sheer. 
 

Lipstick Queen Endless Summer in Stoked

Favorites: Out of Hello Sailor and Stoked, I would choose Stoked in a heartbeat. One swipe for a sheer coral wash on my lips, and I would be out the door to go lie on the beach!

Cost: $22. I think this is pretty pricey, and feel that you could find better corals at this price range.

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!

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!