Friday, April 13, 2012

Covergirl Flashy Blastflipstick Blendable Lip Duo Review, Photos and Swatches!

Covergirl Flashy Blastflipstick Blendable Lip Duo

Have you spotted the Covergirl Blast Flipsticks on the racks yet at your local drugstore? Covergirl launched these lip duos at the start of the year, and to be honest, I dismissed them after spotting them at Walmart back in January because A) I didn't spot any barbie pink, and B) I wasn't too fond of the packaging. How shallow I must have been!

Well, I recently got the chance to try one of them, so I can share my thoughts with you all!

If these tubes look familiar to you, it's because the packagaing has a striking resemblance to the Covergirl Smokey Shadow Blasts I reviewed a couple years ago (Which I thought were pretty cool but gave my eyes an allergic reaction. My eyes were waterworks every time I wore them!). It's basically a double ended lipstick wand, with a darker cream shade on one end, and a lighter, shimmery shade on the other. Both colors can be worn separately, or you can layer the lighter shade over the darker one.

There are thirteen (13) shades in total: Whisper, Pucker, Glimmer, Flashy, Vixen, Perky, Tease, Cheeky, Stunner, Snap, Smooch, Minx and Intense.

I own the shade Flashy, a deep purple with a blue duo-chrome, and a light, shimmery magenta. This wouldn't have been my shade of choice, but it's a fab combination for deep to dark skintones!


Covergirl Flashy Blastflipstick Blendable Lip Duo

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Dolce and Gabbana Shimmer Illuminator Review, Photos and Swatches!

Dolce and Gabbana The Illuminator Powder in Shimmer

I picked up this powder recently through a blog sale as it was a great deal, and I was curious to step into the world of Dolce and Gabbana cosmetics. It's not a D&G product you hear much about, nevertheless I still wanted to write a review for it, because there isn't much info online about the product, and I figure it may help someone sooner or later.

Dolce and Gabbana Illuminator is described as a "lightweight powder highlighter offering effortless radiance. An enviable natural glow is created as every area of the face is brightened by the exquisite blend of pearlescent tones."

The Illuminator is available in two shades: Eva and Shimmer.

For a product that is labeled as a highlighter, Shimmer is not one to follow the crowd. In fact, Shimmer, isn't very shimmery at all. I'd say that Eva (light, golden-beige) is more of a traditional highlighter.

Shimmer is a soft, mauved-taupe with a sprinkle of ultra-fine shimmer. So sparse that it's barely there.

It actually doesn't work as a highlighter for me, and I can't really see this working as a highlighter for anyone - rather, a shade to add warmth and depth to the skin. For myself, it works great as a natural contour through the hollows of my cheekbones, or as a nude blush (ya know, the kind of blushes that are a cross between a bronzer).

In some ways, it reminds me a bit of MAC Taupe Blush (Pro shade) but more sheer with an added hint of rosy mauve, whereas Taupe is purely a pale, neutral brown that pulls slightly plummy on my cheeks.


Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters Review, Photos and Swatches!

revlon lip butters

Revlon Lip Butters

I'm so excited to finally review these lip butters for you all. After seeing them featured on just about every blog known to man, I figured you all would be bored of seeing them, and neglected purchasing any. But, after finally trying them, I'm totally head-first on the lip butter bandwagon. I want more - heck, I want them all.

Revlon Lip Butters are a hybrid of a creamy lip balm and a lipstick. They are super "buttery" smooth, pigmented, hydrating and pack lots of shine. Whats more to want? And you wonder why they have everyone going nuts. Plus, the packaging is pretty cute and they're affordable at around $6.

These Lip Butters are available in twenty (20) shades: Pink Truffle, Sugar Frosting, Raspberry Pie, Tutti Frutti, Brown Sugar, Peach Parfait, Candy Apple, Red Velvet, Cotton Candy, Berry Smoothie, Cupcake, Gumdrop, Creamsicle, Cherry Tart, Lollipop, Strawberry Shortcake, Sugar Plum, Sweet Tart, Creme Brulee and Fig Jam.

I own three - Strawberry Shortcake, a natural pink, Sweet Tart, a vibrant, watermelon pink and Red Velvet, a deep, vampy red.

Revlon Lip Butters from left to right: Strawberry Shortcake, Sweet Tart and Red Velvet.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Lip Balm Review, Photos and Swatches!

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Lip Balm

I was recently chosen to be a Ladies Home Journal Beauty Ambassador for their first-ever reader beauty awards! I'm so honored and excited to be apart of their program, and in the meantime, I have a bunch of lip products to share with you (courtesy of Ladies Home Journal) that I'll be posting about throughout the week. The first lip product I'll be talking about is Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer Lip Balms is a product I've always noticed, but never purchased. I always figured they are a little expensive for a lip balm, and would end up going to the dollar rack and picking up a tube of strawberry Carmex. It's funny how certain products that get no hype in the beauty blogosphere get neglected on the racks, because had I known sooner, I would have picked up a couple a while back. Formulated with moisturizing ingredients such as: Coconut and sunflower oil, Vitamin E, Beeswax and Shea Butter, these lip shimmers are 100% natural. 

These lip balms are flavored with Peppermint, so they give your lips a nice, cooling sensation and slight tingle that sticks around for a bit. That may or may not be your cup-of-tea, but I love lip products that provide a small burst of refreshment to my lips.

Lip Shimmers are available in twelve (12) shades: Cherry, Plum, Strawberry, Caramel, Champagne, Fig, Guava, Peony, Radiance, Raisin, Rhubarb and Watermelon.

I own five, three of them being newly released shades - Cherry, Plum, Strawberry, and two shades that have been around - Caramel and Rhubarb.

Strawberry is a soft, natural pink, Caramel is a sheer, bronzed tan, Plum is a deep raisin, Cherry is a sheer, warm red and rhubarb is a cool-rosy red. For those of you freaked out by shimmer, don't fear because these little tubes are incredibly subtle. Caramel is the only shade that's noticeably frosty, but it's not overwhelming. (See swatches at the end of this post)

My favorite color from the bunch is of course Strawberry, as I'm a lover of easily wearable light pinks.

From left to right: Strawberry, Caramel, Plum, Cherry and Rhubarb.

From left to right: Strawberry, Caramel, Plum, Cherry and Rhubarb.