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!

Review: Benefit's Cha Cha Tint

Love stains? Then you'll love this review!

The packaging: This comes in a coral-tinted box and the bottle is a small cylindrical tube with a white top that has the applicator attached. It's a bit bulky to be lugging around in a purse (especially a small clutch), so it's not very convenient to carry around. 

The scent: There is a bit of a plastic-like scent to this, but once applied, it goes away. 

The product: You will need to prep your lips beforehand because this will settle into lines. I usually just buff my lips with a lip scrub, apply chapstick, and wait a few minutes before applying this. The product is very liquid. It goes on very slippery, so be careful not to get outside the lines of your lips. The applicator doesn't really provide any steadiness, so it'll take some practice to put this on. Also, this stains very quickly. I did a swatch on my arm, took a picture, and then wiped it off and it had already left a stain. These last a little over 4 hours, and it's a beautiful coral shade. I think this probably works best on people with yellow undertones.
 

The stain left behind after 3 minutes

Favorites: I have tried both the original Benetint and this Cha Cha tint, and I think this one wears the best. Benetint definitely settled in the lines of my lips even when I would prep my lips. 

Cost: $30 - I don't think the cost lives up to this product, especially since I don't think you get enough for $30. I know Sephora sells a trio of mini-sized tints for $17 (includes Posietint, Sunbeam, and Cha Cha tint), so if you want to try this, buy the mini trio for a better deal. Here's the link to that deal: Sephora's Gettin' Cheeky deal 

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!

Review: YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine

So the last post was on YSL's glossy balms, and today's will be on my other YSL love - the Rouge Volupté Shine line!

The packaging: Just like the glossy balms, these come in a reflective gold box and the tube is reflective gold. Again, these tubes have a very dense, heavy feel that invoke an old-school glamour. 

The scent: Again, if you have a sensitive nose, the mango scent of these will bother you because the smell does last. 

The product: These glide on smoothly, and no lip prep is necessary. The darker shades in this line are very pigmented, and you only need one swipe for full coverage. 

The first shade I chose was 09 - Nude in Private. It's a warm beige color, and a perfect nude shade. It lasted a couple hours on me, and was easy to apply without a mirror.

The second shade I chose was 04 - Rouge in Danger. This is a deep strawberry red, and it is very pigmented. I love this shade because if you're timid about going full-on red, this will help ease you there. It lasted about 4 hours on me without needing to reapply. This shade also leaves a beautiful stain after it wears off. 

The third shade I chose was 18 - Prune in Fire. It is a deep raspberry shade. It's almost the  color of crushed blueberries or blackberries on my lips. This is a great shade for fall. This one didn't evenly coat my lips, but I didn't prep my lips before applying. This lasted about 4 hours on me as well, and left a beautiful stain afterwards.

Favorites: Without a doubt, Rouge in Danger (04) would have to be my favorite because it packs the most punch in terms of pigmentation, and I wear it the most when I want a brighter shade than usual.

Cost: $34 - again, YSL's lip products are pricey but they're worth it. If you want to start off with just one, I would go with Nude in Private (09) which is the most wearable day-to-day shade out of this bunch. 

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!

Review: YSL's Volupté Sheer Candy (Glossy Balms)

Today's review will be on my favorite line of lip products. Honestly, you cannot go wrong with Yves Saint Laurent! I'll do a separate post on YSL's Rouge Volupté Shine, but for now, we'll focus on the Glossy balms.

The packaging: These come in a reflective gold box and the tube for the glossy balms is a reflective silver tube. I love, love, LOVE the feel of these. They invoke a very old-Hollywood glamour feel and the heaviness of the tube adds to this rich feeling. You'll just feel classy holding this in your hand.

The scent: Bad news for sensitive noses - this has a very distinctive mango smell. If smells bother you, there's no getting away from this. You'll smell it putting it on, you'll smell it when it's on, and it'll linger for awhile. I don't mind smells, and actually I love the smell of these.

The product: Every shade of these glossy balms glides on effortlessly. They don't tug or pull on your lips, you don't have to prep your lips beforehand, and you don't need a mirror for the lighter shades. When applied, the colors are true to what you see in the tube. 

The first shade I chose was 02 - Dewy Papaya. It's a very sheer, peachy tinted balm. It has a small amount of sparkle to it, but it's not too noticeable. This lasted about an hour or so on me. It's so sheer that after about an hour, I reapplied to get more color. However, if you like a very sheer shade that just adds a tiny bit of color to your lips, this is the shade you should start off with.

The second shade I chose was 04 - Succulent Pomegranate. I am in love with this shade - it's a very bright pink. I love this shade because at times when I feel like wearing hot pink on my lips, but don't want it to stand out too much (such as matte lipsticks or stains), this sheer wash of hot pink is perfect. This lasted longer than the first shade - a little over 2 hours (but during that time, I ate and drank). It's easy to reapply though - one swipe should give you a nice sheer wash of color while two swipes will give you a brighter, shinier pink.

The third shade I chose was 05 - Mouthwatering Berry. I was actually shopping for a thank you gift and chose this for the recipient...and ending up getting one for myself (this happens more frequently than it should)! This is a sheer reddish berry shade. The shade is similar to what you would look like after eating a bowl of blackberries. I like wearing this on nights when I know I'll be drinking red wine because if I have any wine stains on my lips, I can cover it up by using this! If you've always wanted to try a bit of a deeper berry shade, but feel nervous about going straight into lipsticks, try this first. It's sheer so you can build it up the saturation level to whatever makes you comfortable. This lasted about 2 hours as well.

Favorites: It's hard to choose because I love them all, but the one I wear most is Succulent Pomegranate (04). The shade of pink just makes me happier when I swipe it on, and I feel like it wakes my face up whenever I'm looking especially tired. 

Cost: $32 - very pricey. BUT I use at least one of these every day. Very worth it in my opinion, but choose your first shade wisely, so you'll get the most out of your money!

Natural lips

02 Dewy Papaya

04 Succulent Pomegranate

05 Mouthwatering Berry

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think!