LA Girl Color Balms

A few weeks ago, I  stumbled across these lip balms in a random display at Rite Aid. LA Girl is a brand that I had never even heard of until I bought these. I'm glad that I found these balms, because they are so hydrating and they give off a beautiful tint to the lips. Yes, I think I have a found a drugstore hidden gem!

I love the packaging on these! They have a cute font on the outside cap, and a little illustration on the inside of the tube, adorable, and they're named after cities! 

The top swatch is Los Angeles, and the bottom is Rome.

Los Angeles is a reddish pink, almost scarlet shade. Rome is a bright cherry red shade. These are one swipe each. 


Claims: "This exciting new line of fun and flirty lip balms are luxuriously smooth and moisturize lips while adding a pop of color that compliments any skin tone. You'll love the smooth, shiny finish and the natural-looking sheer color you get from Color Balm."
Pigmentation: These are nicely pigmented for a balm, I'm very impressed with it! One swipe is all you need, but you can blot if you want something less intense.
Finish/Texture: The finish is shiny and the texture is very smooth and light. These feel comfortable and hydrating on my lips, they aren't slippery or waxy at all.
Lasting Power: They last a few hours on my lips, and they leave behind a light stain. 
Scent: Rome smells exactly like "Cherry Me" Baby Lips Lip Balm. Los Angeles has a sweet fruity scent. It's a bit strong at first, but it fades quickly. These also have a sweet taste.
Packaging: I love the packaging! It's very detailed and cute, however I do wish that the balm would twist down all the way, the tips do poke out a bit. 
Price/Availability: I paid $2 each at Rite Aid


Likes:

• Nice pigmentation for a balm
• Pleasant scent
• Cute packaging
• Inexpensive
• Smooth, light formula
• Hydrates lips
• Stains lips a bit

Dislikes:

• These are hard to find at the drugstore

Overall:
I really wasn't expecting to like these as much as I do. To be honest if the packaging hadn't caught my eye, I would've never gave them a try. Ok, enough rhyming, these are seriously great. They feel hydrating, smooth, and light on the lips. I love the soft stain they leave behind, they smell good, and they are incredibly cheap. I definitely suggest trying these if you're looking for something new in the tinted lip balm department! 



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Revlon Lip Butters: Invite Only and Provocative

I'm sure that most of you have heard of the ever popular Revlon Lip Butters. It seems like almost every beauty addict, including myself, owns a few of these.. or a lot if you're crazy about them like me . At the time, there weren't many products like the lip butters at the drugstore. Now, almost every brand has created a dupe. To me, the Revlon Lip Butters are a classic, and nothing else comes close. 

There are twenty beautiful shades to choose from in the original permanent range, recently four more were added. Now we have Invite Only and Provocative from the limited edition Evening Opulence Collection for Fall/Winter 2013.

Claims: "Provocative and Invite Only: 2 Limited Edition sheer shades that offer a tint of color with subtle shimmer and shine."
Pigmentation: These are clear balms. They aren't pigmented at all, but they do have small pieces of silver, purple, and blue glitter.
Finish/Texture: The finish is glittery, which isn't my favorite. I honestly would've liked these better without the glitter! The texture isn't as smooth or creamy as the original lip butters. They feel a little waxy to me. The formula isn't that same at all, it's a bit harder in texture.
Lasting Power: The glitter and the shine that these give goes away quickly. They didn't really last more than an hour for me. I also didn't feel like these hydrated my lips much either. 
Scent: These have a very faint marshmallow/vanilla scent that's amazing. 
Packaging: The packaging is the same as the originals. It's just a twist up tube that looks like a lipstick. The caps are the same pretty quilted design. 
Price/Availability: I paid $7 for one and $3.50 for the other (BOGO50% Off) at Ulta.

Likes:

• They look nice in the tube
• Subtle vanilla scent

Dislikes:

• These are clear, no pigmentation at all
• Finish is too glittery
• They feel waxy and hard
• The formula isn't the same as an original lip butters
• No hydration

Overall:
I knew beforehand, from reading other reviews, that these lip butters were going to be clear. Still, I was unhappy about the way that the formula didn't feel the same. The formula wasn't creamy, instead it felt like a waxy balm. The glitter is also off-putting to me. I rarely wear glitter on my lips, so I knew I would never use these. 

There's nothing appealing about either of these lip butters. In my opinion, they're very 'blah'. Even though these are limited edition, and I got them on sale, they just have no use for me. These are just waxy, colorless balms with subtle specks of glitter. Nothing more, nothing less. If you love the original Revlon Lip Butters, you will most likely be disappointed in these.


I also wanted quickly say, sorry I've been absent on the blog lately. I have a terrible cold that's lasted for about a week, stuffy nose, sore throat and all. Hopefully I can be up and running at my regular blogging pace soon. Thank you all for being patient! 

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Revlon Colorstay Shadow Links Eyeshadows

When I first saw these shadows, I couldn't believe they were only $2.50 at Bed Bath and Beyond. There were so many different colors and finishes to choose from, that I almost didn't know which ones to get! I was intrigued at the concept of creating my own palette. Yes, these little single shadows interlock, hence the name 'Shadow Links'. 

Of course, I always have to try the newest products, and this concept definitely had me sold. I gave in, unfortunately, these are some of the worst drugstore shadows I have ever used.

If you look closely, the side of each square has an extra piece of plastic. That's the piece that interlocks! The other side of each square has a slot, where the plastic piece locks into. 

Here's what the shadows look like all locked together. I really like this idea, it would have been great if the shadows were good quality. I'll explain more about that in depth now.

Swatches from left to right: Bone, Java, Cocoa, Oyster, and Taupe. 

Bone is a matte ivory. Java is a warm brown with silver glitter. Cocoa is a matte deep brown.Oyster is the most  pigmented, it's a shimmery white. Taupe is a cool dusty brown with silver shimmer. These swatches are three swipes each, no primer. 

Claims: I couldn't find any specific claims on these shadows. When I do I'll update this.

Pigmentation: The pigmentation is poor. I felt like I had to keep layering and layering to get them to even show up on me! 

Finish/Texture: Each shadow has a different finish. The texture on all of these shadows are, dry and powdery. When I tried to blend them out, they just disappeared. I hate the way that these feel, and apply!

Lasting Power: These didn't even last more than an hour on my lids! I have dry skin by the way, there's just not substance to this formula whatsoever. I would highly suggest using primer with these shadows. 

Packaging: The packaging is very interesting. You can mix and match shades, and interlock them to create your own personalized palette. The plastic is sturdy and secure.

Price/Availability: I paid $2.50 each at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Likes:

• Customizable 
• Inexpensive
• Variety of colors and finishes to choose from

Dislikes:

• Poor pigmentation
• Chalky, dry texture
• Terrible Fallout
• No lasting power

Overall: 

I was so disappointed in the terrible quality of these shadows. The idea of having a customized palette is nice, but the product inside is just awful. Yes, they're a good price, and the colors look pretty..but the shadow itself just isn't worth my time.

The texture is so dry and chalky, that when I try to apply the shadow it just crumbles everywhere. The pigmentation is a joke, I had to layer and layer to even get some color payoff. As soon as I put these on my lids, the color faded like an hour later. A primer is a must for these shadows! I'm just the type of person who doesn't like to keep products I don't enjoy using, so these were a complete waste of time for me. I returned them the next day.

I have never really been impressed with Revlon eyeshadows before, but these were honestly the worst ones I've tried yet! 

I also have a full video review on my YouTube channel, with live swatches!

   

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NYX Butter Gloss

I first tried the NYX Butter Gloss when I attended PhameExpo, I received it in a goody bag along with a few other cool NYX products. They gave me a bright orange shade, which I'm not too crazy about, but the formula felt smooth and comfortable on my lips, so I ended up buying three more! To this day, I'm still loving the formula and wanting more shades.  

Here are the NYX BUtter Glosses up close. I love the cute packaging!

Swatches from Top to bottom: Strawberry Parfait, Cherry Cheesecake, Meringue, and Cherry Pie. 

Strawberry Parfait is a bright hot pink. Cherry Cheesecake is a bright true orange. Meringue is cool baby pink. Cherry Pie is a blue red. These swatches are two swipes each. They may appear more or less sheer on the lips, depending on how pigmented your lips are.

Claims: "Add a little more sweetness to your lips with a touch of the Butter Lip Gloss available in 12 scrumptious colors! Get creamy sheer to medium coverage on your lips without that sticky sensation."
Pigmentation: These are very pigmented for a sheer to medium gloss! I was surprised at how great these really showed up on the lips. The more you layer it, the more opaque it gets.
Finish/Texture: The finish on all of these shades is creamy, and they have high shine. The texture is extremely smooth, kind of like butter! 
Lasting Power: I only had an hour of wear before the color completely faded. 
Scent: These do have a strong sweet vanilla scent. It doesn't bother me at all, it reminds me of a vanilla cupcake! It fades quickly, after a few minutes.
Packaging: I like how the packaging matches the color of the gloss inside. The applicator is doefoot and the tube is made of plastic. They contain 0.23 oz (6.5 g) of product. 
Price/Availability: I paid $5 each at Ulta.

Likes:

• There's a variety of shades to choose from, 12 total
• Great pigmentation for a sheer-medium gloss
• Smooth, buttery formula
• Leaves lips feeling hydrated
• Inexpensive
• Nice scent
• Cute packaging

Dislikes:

• These only last about 1 hour on my lips before completely fading

Overall:
I really wasn't expecting to love these as much as I do! There are so many different pretty shades to choose from, they smell delicious, and the packaging is adorable. The formula is very smooth, and buttery, just as the name suggests. They aren't long wearing, but I don't mind having to reapply. They are often on sale at Ulta, and on the NYX website. 

I highly suggest trying these if you're a non-sticky gloss lover like me!

Have you tried any of the NYX Butter Glosses yet? 

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Lip Balm Haul and Review!

I don't know how this happened.. but I accidentally bought five lip balms at once. It happens to you too, right? Well, I guess I am a bit obsessed with lip balms. . Today I'm going to share my thoughts on my latest lip balm purchases, and review each one! 

Lypsyl Intense Protection HoneyBerry- The original Lypsyl Lip Balm is my all time favorite. HoneyBerry sounded like a great flavor, but it  had a  Febreeze smell that I didn't like. The formula was great, it gives intense hydration that soaks into the lips, All in all you might like this one, but I just can't stand the smell of it.

Walgreens Watermelon Lip Balm- I had to try this ever since I heard EmilyNoel83 talk about it! It smells like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, and it looks like an EOS dupe. The formula isn't bad, it is on the thin side. It doesn't feel like EOS, but it's decent.

Chapstick Mixstix- The idea of this Chapstick is that you get two flavors in one, and mix them together. This one is green apple and caramel flavored, and they both really smell and taste that way! I was impressed at how spot on the flavor is, but when you mix them together, it just smells like green apple. So the whole mix idea is fun, but I like to use each side individually. The hydration is good, but it isn't anything I would use on chapped lips.

Lypsyl Intense Protection Vanilla Plum- Like I said, I love Lypsyl lip balm! I had to get this one too, because it's a new flavor. It actually smells and tastes a lot more like honey than vanilla or plum, which threw me off a bit. The formula is the same greatness that Lypsyl offers. I still think the original Lyspyl is so much better! 

Rite Aid Strawberry Sorbet Lip Balm- I had to try this one, since I bought the Walgreens one! I've never even seen or heard about this before, but I'm so happy that I got it! It smells like strawberry mochi ice cream, amazing! It's not an EOS dupe, but the formula is decent. I'm honestly keeping it because it smells so good. I think that this one and the Walgreens one are manufactured by the same company, because they are very similar.


I didn't discover anything groundbreaking here, but it was fun to expand my lip balm horizon. I'm always looking for new things to try, especially with lip balms! 

My all time favorite is still the original Lypsyl Lip Balm! What is your favorite lip balm?

If you would like to watch my lip balm haul video please check out my YouTube channel.

  

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