Berry Lips on a Budget - A Wallet-friendly List of Vampy Lip Colors!

Berry Lips on a Budget

If you want to experiment with dark, vampy lip colors this Fall and don't want to break the bank, I compiled a small list of some wallet-friendly options for you to give a try.

Speaking for myself, the only lipsticks I ever reach the end of are my every day shades, so when it comes to rocking trendy colors - such as hot pink, red, orange and deep-dark shades, realistically I'll never finish a full tube before they'll eventually get tossed. There's nothing wrong with splurging if you can fit it in your budget, but for something like a statement lip color that you probably won't get much wear from, you might want to look into the less expensive options to really get your money's worth. And, there are so many options at the drugstore!

The term "berry" is so vague as berry can refer to a huge range of shades. The colors I picked are very Fall appropriate wine/plum/berry shades, some of which should work on most skin tones. I apologize in advance that some are very similar.

Revlon Red Velvet Colorburst Lip Butter ($7.49) is a medium-dark, neutral wine-red with a shiny finish. With one layer it gives a sheer, semi-shiny stain. With a few layers, the color is completely opaque. The formula is moisturizing and feels great on the lips. This is one of the few darker shades that I can get away with without using a lip brush. It's one of the easier shades to wear because it's a very balanced red toned wine and doesn't wash out the complexion. I think it's a universally flattering shade.

Revlon Red Velvet

Revlon Bordeaux Colorburst Lipgloss ($7.49) is a rose wine/darkened raspberry with very fine golden shimmer and a glossy finish. It's sheer but buildable to full coverage. The formula is creamy, lightweight and feels comfortable on the lips. It makes my lips look fuller and juicy. This is easily my favorite from the bunch as it has a very "mod" vibe and there's a brightness about it that makes my face look healthy and youthful. 

Revlon Bordeaux

A Few of my Favorite Drugstore Bronzers! NYC Sunny, Rimmel Sun Dance & NYX Sand!

If you're looking for affordable cosmetics, you all know brands like Wet n Wild & NYC are the way to go. NYC has a small variety of bronzers, including their "Sun to Sun" Duo bronzing powder, Color wheel mosaic powder & the much sought after Sunny bronzer.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder #720A Sunny

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder #720A Sunny

Sunny is a great bronzer that is sheer (but buildable), soft & blendable and offers a natural color and finish. The color is a soft bronze with no shimmer, frost or pearl. Because there is no shimmer, it's ideal for contouring & adding warmth to your face without it being very "detectable". I actually prefer this over Benefit Hoola, another popular matte bronzer, because Sunny gives my face more of a bronzed color, whereas Hoola looks a little purple/muddy on my skintone. The best part about the bronzer is, it's only $3. 

(NYC Products can be found at Target & Walmart stores. Check here for your nearest location)

A couple of my other favorite drugstore bronzers are Rimmel Sun Dance (also very affordable) and NYX Sand Blush (not pictured).

Comparison of NYC Sunny & Rimmel Sun Dance

Rimmel is another drugstore brand with very affordable products. It's a little higher in price than Wet n Wild & NYC, but lower in price than brands like Revlon & L'Oreal. Rimmel has a small variety of bronzers, called their "Natural Bronzers". There are four (4) available shades, Sun Light, Sun Dance, Sun Bronze & Sun Glow. I'm not sure if this shade is being discontinued, but it doesn't appear on the website.. although I just recently have seen it in stores. Anyone have any insight about that? That would be a bummer. 

Anyway, of Rimmel's bronzers, Sun Light and Sun Bronze are matte shades and Sun Dance and Sun Glow have slight shimmer. I've only tried Sun Light (which is extremely subtle) and Sun Dance, and I love Sun Dance. It's a sheer, coppery bronze with golden flecks. I wear it often in the summertime on my cheekbones for a healthy glow. It retails for around $4. Walgreens often has sales on Rimmel, otherwise, it's regular price is cheaper at Target or Walmart.

Lastly, NYX has a fantastic variety of blushes and bronzers. NYX Sand, isn't technically one of their bronzers, it is a blush, but the color is a shimmery golden bronze, so I would put it in the bronzer category. It may not be a great all-over bronzer because of the shimmer, but it's a beautiful bronze color for the cheeks. NYX Sand has the most shimmer of the three bronzers mentioned, and those that don't like shimmer, may not like this one. I find Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips to be too shimmery/frosty for my cheeks, but I don't find NYX Sand to be too frosty. I love the rich golden sheen it gives my cheeks. (I didn't photograph it because it's shattered - you can view it in a past haul here) NYX Blushes retail for around $6 at ULTA.

And, swatches!

Swatches from Left to Right: NYC Sunny, Rimmel Sun Dance, NYX Sand

Swatches from Left to Right: NYC Sunny, Rimmel Sun Dance, NYX Sand

Whats your favorite drugstore bronzer?

Review: N.Y.C Blushable Creme Sticks in the shades Urban Spice & South St. Seashell! + Photos & Swatch!

Product Description: "This lightweight formula blends effortlessly to provide sheer, all-over color as well as subtle, shimmering accents, contours and dynamic highlights to your cheeks."

Benefits: Sheer crè blusher dries down to a silky powder finish, Soft and creamy formula blends easily with fingertips to desired intensity and coverage, Convenient twist up stick for quick application & Non-drying, oil-free.

Application Tips: *Twist blush up and apply to the apples of your cheeks and glide across your cheekbone, blend with fingertips or sponge in a soft circular motion for a sheer flush of color. To build a deeper flush repeat this step again.

*For a contouring effect use darker shade such as South Street Seashell right below cheek bone and blend outward toward hairline, then use a highlighting shade like Plaza Pink to apply onto the apples of your cheeks and blend outward.

 (Source: newyorkcolor.com)

  N.Y.C. Blushable Creme Sticks are available in 6 different shades. Plaza Pink - 644, Big Apple Blush - 645, Urban Spice - 646, South Street Seashell - 647, Mauvin' Uptown - 648 & Berry New Yorker - 649. Click here to be redirected to the product page on N.Y.C's website.

(Shade swatches from newyorkcolor.com)

Review: I was intersted in trying these blushes just recently when I saw them being raved about by a fellow beauty blogger. Once I checked out the reviews and saw how positive they were (Rated 4.5/5 with a 88% Repurchase rate).. I knew I had to give them a try. Soon after, I saw all of N.Y.C Cosmetics on clearance at my local ULTA (I went to another ULTA a couple of days ago and their N.Y.C was not on clearance) and the creme blushsticks were priced at half off ($1.99, typically $3.99). Once I got in my car and went over my receipt.. I right away regretted purchasing these. I guess I just doubted the quality because of the reasonable price. I'm very happy to say now that I'm not at all regretting purchasing these. I was very happy when i first swatched the colors.. that the consistency is very soft, and satiny smooth. They are not at all thick, dry or greasy. The formula is very lightweight, non-sticky and easy to blend. I was a little worried at first that If I apply my foundation and then run this over my cheeks straight from the tube that it will mess up and cake my foundation.. but It doesn't at all. It's very nice that these are oil free.. these haven't seemed to bother my skin at all. The blushes have pretty good color payoff and add a really nice, natural sheen to the cheeks. For the past couple of days, I've been using Urban Spice as a contour and up my temples/around my hairline and it adds such a light, natural glow to my face. I think these are perfect for those of you that are interested in trying creme blushes and don't want to dish out a lot of money for a high end brand. The colors are very pretty & natural and are super easy to blend. Also, these can be sheered out and used as a base for your powder blush. A very versatile product.

Available at: Wal-mart, Target, Rite-Aid, CVS Pharmacy, Meijer, ULTA, Superdrug & More. Click here to view the retailers. These typically sell from around $3-$5 each.

Have you tried N.Y.C Blushable Creme Sticks or anything similar? Recommendations? Comment below and tell us your thoughts!