Black Radiance Perfect Tone Lipstick in Reggae Red and Purple Passion

Black Radiance is a drugstore brand that I've only recently discovered! In my area, Black Radiance makeup is always out of stock, so I hardly get to try anything. After seeing the beautiful Perfect Tone Lipsticks on display, I had to give them a try! 

As you can see the packaging is very cheap. The lipstick bullet doesn't retract into the tube all the way (I HATE that). My other gripe is that the name of the shade isn't labelled on the bottom of the lipstick, is only on the shrinkwrap. Oh, and when you twist the lipstick up/down it scratches the actual bullet. There are definitely packaging issues! 

I chose the brightest shades that I saw in the display Purple Passion (left) and Reggae Red (right). 

Purple Passion (top) and Reggae Red (bottom)

Only one swipe was needed to get full opacity. Both colors are extremely bright and vivid! Purple Passion is a cool toned pink-purple. Reggae Red is a cool toned blue-red. I absolutely love both of these shades, and I think they would look great on anyone.

Claims:"Provides full coverage and sufficient shine in one. This beautiful collection of lip colors is designed to complement a vast array of skin tones. Plus, Its deep moisturizing color lasts for hours."

Pigmentation: The pigmentation is amazing, only one swipe is needed for full color!

Finish/Texture:The finish is creamy with a subtle bit of shine. The texture is smooth and silky.

Lasting Power: These lasted about five hours on my lips, which is amazing considering how hydrating these lipsticks are. I'm definitely impressed! 

Scent: These are unscented.

Packaging: The packaging is very cheap. The bullets don't retract all the way, the shade names aren't labelled on the bottom, and the tube scratches the lipstick bullets.

Price/Availability: I paid $2 each at Rite Aid

Likes:

• Great pigmentation
• Beautiful finish
• Smooth texture
• Inexpensive, $2
• Hydrates lips
• Long lasting
• Lives up to claims

Dislikes:

• Lipstick bullet doesn't retract all the way in
• Color isn't labelled on the bottom
• The tube digs into the lipstick when twisting up and down

Overall:
I would've loved these lipsticks even more if it weren't for the major packaging issues. They are super pigmented, the formula is smooth, and they are only two dollars! I just can't get past the fact that the lipstick bullets are getting scratched every time I use them. Overtime, this causes the lipstick bullet to fall off, I've experienced this before. The other thing I don't like is that the bullet doesn't retract all of the way, and I'm that person who will ding it up so many times if I'm not careful. All in all, this formula is wonderful-looks and feels high end.

I'm going to repurchase these and see if the scratching problem was just a defect with the tubes I bought. Hopefully it was, these lipsticks are great and I really want to be able to use them with ease!

Update:
So I've repurchased a few shades, and the packaging wasn't as bad this time around. The bullets didn't dig into the sticks as bad, but I think that over time, it will. Either way, this lipstick is still worth it! The formula is amazing.

NYX Parisian Chic Love in Paris Eyeshadow Palette

I recently hauled a bunch of things from my local Target to satisfy my NYX craving!  I posted a picture on Instagram (@hollieforrest) about it here. NYX Cosmetics is a drugstore brand that I've been wanting to explore in depth. I have tons of round lipsticks, a few single eyeshadows, and eyeliners but other than that I haven't tried anything else! Now that they have a huge range of products, I figured it's about time I take a closer look!

Love in Paris is a new line of palettes that were recently released for Spring 2013. There are twelve different palette shades to choose from, and I went with the neutral Parisian Chic.

 I absolutely love the convenient travel-friendly design of this palette. The thick plastic case is very sturdy and snaps shut easily. The packaging couldn't be any better!

Parisian Chic contains nine eyeshadows and a double ended sponge tip applicator. There are three different finishes in this palette:  The top row are satin, the middle are matte, and the bottom are shimmer. 

I swatched each row from top, middle, to bottom. Each shadow was incredibly chalky and dry. Barely any of them had good pigmentation, with the exception of the shimmery bronze. I had to use multiple swipes to get these swatches to show up. Primer is definitely needed here!


Claims: "Use this adorable travel friendly kit with the included applicator through every voyage and adventure for creating captivating looks and touch ups."
Pigmentation There isn't any pigmentation here! An eyeshadow primer would be a must.
Finish/Texture: There are various finishes as I explained above satin, matte, and shimmer. The texture of each shadow is dry and chalky. Some shades have lots of fallout too.
Lasting Power: I can't imagine these lasting long on the eyes at all. I didn't bother wearing them because of the poor pigmentation. 
Packaging: The packaging is travel-friendly and has a sturdy design. The design is the best aspect of this palette! The cheap applicator doesn't have any use for me though.
Price Availability: I paid $10 at Target

Likes:

• Sturdy, convenient packaging
• Wide color selection
• Nice idea to have varying finishes/neutrals

Dislikes:

• Poor pigmentation
• Tons of fallout
• Dry/chalky texture
• Primer is a must

Overall: 
I felt like this palette was just a waste. These shadows are so dry, difficult to work with, and have tons of fallout. The pigmentation is so poor, that a primer is a must. I prefer to buy and use eyeshadows that are already good quality on their own. I also wanted to mention that these smelled really odd, like chicken soup. I have no idea why they smell that way, but it grossed me out! The quality in the NYX single eyeshadows are a million times better than this palette.

When primer is a must, I'm less likely to wear an eyeshadow in general, so I personally would never use this palette. I returned it right after swatching! 

ELF Matte Lip Color in Rich Red

My local Target recently started to carry Elf items that were previously only available online. I went crazy and bought a whole haul of things to test and review, but this Matte Lip Color pencil is my favorite item from my haul by far! It's quickly becoming one of my favorite drugstore lip products because of the creamy formula, long lasting color, and affordability.

Elf Matte Lip Color is packaged in a sleek, twist-up pencil applicator, and has a coordinating color swatch on the bottom, which is also a sharpener! The small pencil-like tip gives a precise application, which eliminates the need for a lip brush! 

Rich Red is a bright, blue based matte red. I think that this shade can suit anyone, which is another reason I love it. This swatch is one swipe, the pigmentation is amazing! 

Here's Rich Red on my lips. The finish doesn't look as matte as most matte lipsticks, but I would still consider this matte. It didn't emphasize any lines on my lips, and it feels hydrating! 

Claims: "This convenient jumbo sized lip pencil creates exact color application with twist up ease so you never have to sharpen. The pigment rich color glides on effortlessly and easily to provide long lasting matte color. The enriched Vitamin A, C & E formula moisturizes and hydrates lips for beautiful healthy looking lips."
Pigmentation: This lip pencil is seriously bright and pigmented! I was pleasantly surprised that only one swipe is needed to get full color and opacity. 
Finish/Texture: The finish is matte, but not as matte, for example as MAC Rubywoo. The texture is smooth and creamy. It also felt hydrating on my lips, unlike most mattes which feel dry.
Lasting Power: I had about 4-5 hours of wear with this lip product. 
Scent: This product is unscented.
Packaging: The small lip pencil tip is great for getting a precise application. I was so happy that the bottom includes a sharpener, I can take this everywhere and use it on the go! 
Price/Availability: I paid $3 at Target

Likes:

• Great pigmentation
• Hydrates lips/doesn't feel drying
• Creamy formula
• Inexpensive, only $3 
• Easy to use
• Sleek packaging/comes with built-in sharpener
• Long lasting

Dislikes:

• This matte isn't a traditional matte finish (not as matte looking, but doesn't bother me)
• The tip will need to be sharpened eventually

Overall:
I can't rave enough about this lip pencil! I've been wearing it non stop lately. I even brought it with me on vacation right now! Rich Red is a universally flattering shade that has excellent pigmentation, and a hydrating formula that leaves lips feeling smooth. The packaging is sleek, comes with a sharpener, and has a small tip that allows for easy application. It doesn't have that traditional matte-dry feeling that I'm used to, which is the reason why I love wearing it. The lasting power is just as long as most of my matte finish lipsticks, but it feels like I'm wearing something light and creamy.


This is one of the best e.l.f. products I've ever tried, and it's definitely worth the $3 price tag. I already want to go back and get some of the other colors! 

Revlon Colorstay Creme Gel Liner in White Mist

White Mist was released in the new Revlon Pacific Coast Collection by Gucci Westman, alongside the new Baby Sticks and Lip Butters. I've never seen a white gel liner at the drugstore before, and of course I had to test it out! 

White mist comes in a small plastic box (which was difficult to open), packaged in a glass jar with a long plastic cap. I'm  unsure why the liner is describes as both a 'creme' and a gel.

The cap pops off, revealing a small flat liner brush. The brush hairs are flimsy and scratchy, making it completely useless to me. The concept is a good idea though! 

The glass jar contains .08 ounces of product for $10.80, MAC Fluidline contains 1 ounce for $16 to put it in perspective. For the drugstore, it's a bit expensive for such a little amount.

As you can see, White Mist is a very shimmery, sheer white. The line is one swipe, while the other swatch is multiple layers. The color didn't build easily, and the liner smudged easily.  It definitely isn't an opaque white, which was what I was expecting it to be!


Claims: "Easily glides to create delicate to dramatic lines. Lasts 24 Hours. Waterproof." 
Pigmentation: This eyeliner is very sheer. The pigmentation is barely there.
Finish/Texture: The finish is extremely shimmery, almost pearlescent. The texture of the liner is creamy, but I found that it was difficult to apply because of that. 
Lasting Power: Ok, this liner will not last 24 hours! It faded shortly after I applied it, I couldn't even get an hour worth of wear. 
Price/Availability: I paid $10.80 at CVS, this is limited edition

Likes:

• Concept of packaging is different

Dislikes:

• Brush is cheap quality
• Small amount of product for $10.80/Expensive for drugstore
• The liner was sheer & shimmery/not what I expected
• Liner smudged almost insantly after application
• Doesn't live up to claims
• Also, this product claims to do different things on the packaging then it says on Revlon's website.. seems a bit odd to me, check out site claims here.

Overall:

On the packaging and on the website, this gel liner appears to be an opaque white. Of course I was disappointed when I found it to be a shimmery wash of barely there white. The concept of the mini brush is a good idea in theory, but the cheap quality of brush steers me away from using it. The creaminess of the liner seems nice at first, but it slides right off my eyeliner brush very time. The formula almost feels like it has been mixed with water, which I've never experienced with a gel formula before. Although the formula claims to be waterproof and have 24 hour wear, it melted off within minutes of application. This was my first time trying a Revlon Colorstay gel liner, and it's honestly one of the worst gel liners I've ever tried. 

Hopefully I will be able to find a better white gel liner at the drugstore soon! If you know of any good ones, please tell me about it in the comments. 

Flower Beauty Lip Butter in Cherry Chiffon

If you have been keeping up with my reviews, you know that my past experiences with Flower Beauty left me disappointed. This time around, I was actually surprised that this product was better than the rest, but it still didn't perform as well as I thought it would. 

 I'm definitely not a fan of the bulky packaging of the lip butter tube.

Flower Beauty Lip Service Lip Butter in Cherry Chiffon

Cherry Chiffon is a bright tomato red that leans towards the warm side. In certain lighting, this color can look a bit more orange than red, which I don't like personally. The finish is very shiny, and the texture is a bit slippery. This is a lip product that needs babysitting.

Claims: "Buttery-like texture glides on easily, leaving lips looking smooth and full, Rich texture provides an optical plumping effect, High percentage of emollient oil for a super-smooth, shiny finish, Non-Tacky Superior Shine"
Pigmentation: The pigmentation is great. The color is semi-transparent, but the color is still full and super vibrant! The pigmentation is the best thing about Cherry Chiffon.
Finish/Texture: The finish is very shiny, but it wears off after about an hour. The stick itself is a bit stiff, unlike any other lip butters I have tried. It didn't hydrate my lips, or make them feel smooth at all. The texture was thin, slippery, and a bit greasy to me. 
Lasting Power: The shine and color only lasted about an hour on me.
Scent: There was no scent that I could detect.
Packaging: The packaging is very bulky and impractical, but it's durable! 
Price/Availability: I paid $7 at Walmart

Likes:

• Great pigmentation
• Unscented

Dislikes:

• Bulky packaging
• Color/Shine fades quickly
• Texture feels greasy/thin
• Bleeds throughout the day
• Doesn't live up to claims

Overall:
Although this is one of the better lip products in the Flower Beauty line, it still didn't impress me. Cherry Chiffon is a pretty color with great pigmentation, but it doesn't live up to its claims. 
This lip butter had a greasy texture that sat on top of my lips and feathered considerably. It didn't hydrate them, make them look fuller, or smoother. It was odd that the stick actually felt a bit stiff, even though the color easily swiped onto my lips. The bulky packaging and short lasting power are also other factors that turned me off on this lip butter. For the same price, I would much rather purchase a Revlon lip butter, which I know and love! 

If you're interested in my other Flower Beauty reviews, please click here to view them.

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