Review: Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Rouge Jet Set (13) and New Effet 3D Lipgloss in Fuchsia Excentric (57)

This and the following post are products I should have reviewed in June, but I kept forgetting to do so. However, the good news is that I have tested these out for almost 3 months, so there's that at least! My best friend S picked up these Bourjois products for me when she was in Paris since they're considerably cheaper there. I had never tried any Bourjois products before, so I was pleasantly surprised by these. I'll review the Bourjois lipstick first, and then the gloss.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Rouge Jet Set (13)

The packaging: Since this is a drugstore brand, there is nothing fancy about the packaging. This comes in a standard lipstick tube. The bottom is clear so you can see the color of the product. The cap does tend to be harder to pull off than other tubes, but this is a very minor complaint.
 

(L to R): Rouge Edition in Jet Set and New Effet 3D Lipgloss in Fuchsia Excentric

The scent: Very faint floral scent, but undetectable on lips.

The product: Rouge Jet Set is a bright red with slight orange undertones. It is quite creamy and glides on smoothly without tugging. 2-3 swipes gave me full opacity. This shade tends to feather, but can be fixed by lining the lips beforehand (I favor clear lip liners). This product lasted about 4-5 hours on me, but did transfer a lot during eating and drinking. 

Cost: $20 in the US (Urban Outfitters carries the Bourjois line)

Bourjois New Effet 3D Lip Gloss in Fuchsia Excentric (57)

The packaging: This comes in a standard lip gloss tube. The applicator is a brush applicator. The cap is silver while the tube is clear so that you can see the color of the product. 
 

(L to R) Rouge Edition in Jet Set and New Effet 3D Lipgloss in Fuchsia Excentric

The scent: Very perfume-y scent. It tends to linger for awhile on lips. I'm not sensitive to smells, but this gave me a headache the first time I wore it. 

The product: Fuchsia Excentric is a bright fuchsia that leans heavily on the pink side. This gloss went on with almost a thin buttery consistency. It wasn't sticky at all throughout the entire time I wore it, which was a huge surprise. My natural lip color tended to peek through here and there since this is semi-transparent, but it wasn't unflattering. This lasted about 2-3 hours on me, but reapplying was simple. 

Cost: $16.99 in the US (Walgreens carries this). This is definitely a lip gloss I would recommend!

Questions? Comments? Let me know!

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Adorned

Excited for summer? This review is for you and your lips then.

The packaging: This lip gloss comes in a standard lip gloss clear tube with a black cap. The applicator is a doe-footed applicator. Nothing too special here.

The scent: No scent detected.

The product: Adorned is an in-your-face blazing, hot pink. One swipe gave me full-on hot pink lips. This gloss was neither hydrating nor drying, and it felt pretty comfortable on. It lasted for about 3 hours on me before it started to feel tacky. This color is definitely not for the wallflowers because it will get people to stare at you, so wear it at your own discretion!

The cost: $7.59, but I'm sure you can get it for cheaper with deals/coupons. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know! 

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: 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! 

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: Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Embellished

I was walking through a Kroger a couple weeks ago picking up some groceries, when I found myself in the makeup aisle. Revlon has a little set-up for their new Evening Opulence collection, and I saw this lip gloss and though..."why not?"

The packaging: Just a clear tube with a black quilted cap. The clear tube allows the shade to show through, and the applicator is a doe foot applicator. 

The scent: No detectable scent here!

The product: I have yet to find a lip gloss that I can't live without...and the search continues sadly. I purchased this product in Embellished which is a deep burgundy with purple glitter flecks in the tube - but it didn't translate to my lips. On my lips, it went on smoothly, but as a red-brown tint. It also went on unevenly and settled into some of my lip lines. It also felt a bit sticky, and I ended up wiping it off within the hour. 
 

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Embellished

Favorites: This is the only shade I've purchased in this line, but I've heard great things about Adorned (a hot pink shade) in this collection.

Cost: Around $7.59, but I'm sure you can find it for cheaper or get some coupons for this. I wasn't very impressed with this product, so I wouldn't recommend buying this.

Questions? Comments? Let me know!