First Look| Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks in Rose and Primrose

Revlon silently released their Ultra HD lipsticks and lacquers for this fall, and I picked up two from CVS for $10.49 each. You can find them at Target for only $7.99! 

I was curious because there hasn't been a lot of hype surrounding these lipsticks, even though they look like Revlon's infamous lip butters on crack. I used to collect those until I realized they made my lips uncomfortable and dry. 

I'm also not quite sure why these are called Ultra HD lipsticks because they are mostly unflattering in real life and in pictures from my experience. Guess who's going back to CVS to make a return?

I picked up 835 Primrose (a mauve-y nude) and 830 Rose (a cool dusty rose.) I prefer Primrose a lot more and find it to be very MLBB...similar to Too Faced La Creme in Spice Spice Baby. 

Before we even discuss the poor formula, let's take a look at the packaging. Clear for people to see the color of the tube? Sure, that's fine. A bullet that can't be turned down, meaning you get product all over the insides of the clear tube every time you carefully try to recap the lipstick? Ew. Not the mention, the lipstick itself is very soft and creamy...so try on. Recap it flawlessly. I dare you.

A tiny applause for sealed packaging. 

Below are swatches in various lighting. 

And Primrose on the lips (freshly applied.)

Packaging: Like I said, not very pretty or useful. Revlon could have let you swivel product way down, but they decided on an aesthetic reasoning that makes no sense.

Color: They are opaque and only need one swipe for true pigmentation. This is the only pro of the formula. 

Scent: Some people warned that these smell and taste like cherry cough syrup. Personally, they remind me of childhood candies and I enjoy the scent. It's cloying, but doesn't linger.

Formula: The formula itself looks and feels creamy, until you rub your lips together and find a strange....grittiness to the texture. They remind me of Bite Beauty lipsticks in that they're creamy but not actually moisturizing. In fact, the formula went on fine but then quickly sank into my lip lines after a mere hour. Boo. 

Wear: Because they are so creamy, they do bleed outside of lip lines if you don't wear a lipliner underneath. Forget putting a balm on top. The color stains slightly, but the lipstick itself runs off after a sip of tea. 

Because of the poor lasting power, drying formula, and horrid packaging, I will be returning these Ultra HD lipsticks. I'm just not a fan of poorly performing lipsticks when I can get one lipstick from a higher end brand that will be a joy to wear. 

xo Be

First Look| Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks (Lust for Blush, Mesmerizing Magenta, and Divine Wine)

I had a dream about going to Target and buying these newly released Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick ($5.49 at Target). My brain has been possessed...

I was going to pick up the shades Craving Coral and Touch of Spice, but the display had only 2 of each of the 10 shades and it was ravaged. 

I got Lust for Blush, Mesmerizing Magenta, and Divine Wine. 

Packaging: Oh so hideous. 

Scent: Like any other Maybelline lipstick, these smell like Play Doh upon application but kept no scent afterwards. I still think that Maybelline has the least offensive smell in their lipsticks as compared to other drugstore brands.

Pigment: Intense enough for you to only do one coat but can be layered over a lip liner or itself. Lust for Blush is too cool toned for me, but I really like the Magenta and Wine shades. One is perfect for celebrating the end of summer and one is a great transition into fall. I'm not a fan of matte nudes or bright cool reds, so I didn't pick those up.  

Application: Very creamy but sets demi-matte after a minute (not a true drying matte like MAC Ruby Woo or the new KVD Studded Kiss lipsticks *shudder*) These lipsticks can smear out of lip lines if you don't blot away your lip balm, but they do stay within the lines on bare lips and glide on beautifully.

Texture: On the lips, it looks very smooth and doesn't accentuate lip lines. If you have cracked lips (like me...) it doesn't get into EVERY crevice, just the big ones. 

Wear: It does have a slight transfer if you have a drink or snack, but you can easily layer a fresh coat on top. I found them to last for 4-5 hours on their own.

For the price, these really impress me! Maybelline never fails to deliver great lipsticks and these are no exception. If you put the same bullet into a fancy tube and give it a slight scent, most wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and a high end brand. 

I'm purging Lust for Blush to a cooler toned friend (it makes me look like Miami beach bum...in a bad way) and picking up Craving Coral and Touch of Spice in my next trip. The entire shade range is phenomenal, however, and will probably be collected in its entirety. Soon. Soon....

September 12, 2014 UPDATE

So this happened. I have all of the shades except for another cool toned pink and the lightest nude, which is guaranteed to be corpse-like on me.

Here are swatches with 3 passes each in warm indoor lighting and natural outdoor lighting.

And yes, I had to stalk Target every day for a week before finding Touch of Spice (far right) and buying two. One for back up. Just in case. 

xo Be

Review| NYX Butter Lipsticks and Swatches

For six bucks a pop, NYX Butter Lipsticks are really great for what they claim to be. I was intrigued at first because of their possible relation to NYX infamous Butter Glosses, which are super moisturizing and opaque for a gloss. My local beauty supply store had the entire collection, but I decided on these three after having watched several YouTube swatch videos. 

Here are the ingredients if you're interested. I wonder what they make these lipsticks out of to keep the cost so cheap, crayola and wax?

I picked up Juju (a vibrant red), Lollies (a milky peach pink), and Candy Buttons (a medium warm pink.) 

Let's get the main points out of the way before the swatches: 

• The colors are not very opaque unless you swipe four coats on, which I've done in the swatches below.With a single pass there is still color that will show up depending on your lips' natural pigmentation. 
• For me, they are neither drying nor moisturizing. I usually layer them on top of a lip balm just to be sure. The lightest color Lollies emphasized my lip's texture.  
• They last for about 2 hours before you need to touch up. You don't have to be precise and the lighter colors mean you can just slap and dash. 
• They are really smooth like buttah and don't skip or tug on the lips.

Overall, I won't be purchasing any more, but I'm very happy with the ones I have right now. They are fun to play around with and have in my purse. They're also great if your lips are already nice enough to start and you just want a wash of color for spring.

 Here they are swatched with one layer and four layers in indirect indoor lighting. 

Here is another look. 

What do you think? Is it worth it for you to splurge on a lipstick or to save money and use whatever works? I really wish these were more moisturizing and opaque, but their light texture and good pigmentation is fine with me. 

xo Be