Lipstick Mania

I never used to like lipstick, before I got into lip gloss I tried it just because I was a kid and I didn't know what else was out there. I could never get the kind of finish I wanted (high shine) and it was like it sucked the moisture right out of my lips. Well, fast forward years later and here I am just discovering the wonders of lipstick thanks to that Ulta 40% off sale that I partook in on Friday. I wouldn't have picked up Revlon Temptress otherwise because of my old dislike of lipstick. But it was cheap and it was a nice color that goes with a nail polish I already have so I decided to just give it a chance.

I'm really glad I got that particular lipstick too because from what I'd heard afterwards Revlon is pretty much the best drugstore lipstick you can get. If I'd gotten a lipstick and it had issues it would have just proved me right and I'd never get lipstick again probably. I wouldn't call the formula on these moisturizing but they certainly aren't drying which is fine by me. If my lips are too dry I just put something over it, no harm done! I really want to get more lipstick (since I just have to hoard anything I like) but I am not sure what other shades to get as I think I got a good mix already. A plum, a darkish pink and a wine red...I could always get shades in the middle I suppose.

I know that I'd like to try some other ranges of Revlon lipstick, and I'd like to see if I can find a truly moisturizing lipstick as well, that would be ideal. I think though that the next step is probably for me to get a high-end brand. Oh and it has to have cute packaging. I noticed most of the other drugstore brands have some pretty clunky looking packaging on their lipstick....

L-R: Iced Amethyst, Temptress, Wine With Everything.

Revlon Lipstick + Maybelline Mousse Blush

Here are a couple of pictures of me wearing the blush and lipstick I got at Ulta the other night. The shimmer on the blush isn't showing up too well in this picture, but it's subtler than I first thought, definitely very wearable for me since I loooove golden shimmery blush and although I have a couple that aren't like that I mostly reach for that. I used Physicians Formula Happy Booster Translucent Powder to seal it, since I'd heard that the wear isn't as good if you don't...so it's even MORE shimmery haha. Love it.

The lipstick is very nicely pigmented, the shimmer doesn't show up so much on the lips but that's ok. It's a deeper pink, the coverage is very good and it's not very drying at all! I think I might try some other Revlon lipsticks in the future, maybe a plum shade since I think that's the most flattering on me (I do love my pinks though). Maybe next time CVS has a good deal on Revlon, like buy one get one half off or something.

Ulta 40% Off Sale Haul

After hearing about the 40% off sale on a few brands (NYX, Maybelleine, Revlon, Almay) I headed off to Ulta earlier tonight!

I always use those Almay eye makeup remover pads, so I figured I might as well get the big one on sale....usually I don't get useful things when there are fancy sales, but I'm glad I did!

I'd been wanting to get Revlon Cloud for a while, it's a very very light lavender polish, I like it a lot but I definitely still want a darker one. I also got Ocean which is a shimmery teal, not too unusual but it's super shimmery! They also had a scented one called Ocean Breeze but I am so sensitive to smells sometimes I thought it'd be better to not get it...I am still curious what it's supposed to smell like though.

I don't usually care for lipstick and 99.9% of the time stick to gloss, but I have kind of been thinking lately about starting to get lipstick, but I don't have any idea what's a good one to get that isn't too drying which is in general my issue with lipstick. Anyways, I got Revlon Temptress, lipstick version since I have the matching nail polish (both from the Fire and Ice collection). I love retro so I figured I couldn't go wrong. The color seems very pretty, pink with shimmer, much like it's matching nail polish. I haven't used it on my lips yet but I have swatched it on my arm (below).

Last but not least I got Maybelline's mousse blush in Pink Frosting. From what I can tell by swatching on my arm (below) it's a very cute/barbie pink with a bunch of golden shimmer, almost glittery in a way. I think it's really cute but I think the real test is when I wear it during the day. I love pink and gold blush so I am sure I will like it, but usually the shimmer is a bit more subtle so we'll see. I think I can get away with it though since I'm 25...somebody who is a bit older may want to see if they can get a less sparkly color. For some reason I was shocked by how the consistency was actually that of a mousse, very airy! I wonder how it will go down the road, like for instance how long will this pot of product last me? If it doesn't last very long at all I probably won't repurchase, if I like it a lot I may get it in a more natural color down the line (I'd prefer on sale but I am not going back to Ulta before Saturday and I need to cool it a bit)!

Lighter swatch = blush, darker = lipstick. Click to see a bigger picture.

Essie French Affair Accent Nail Fix

So I ended up painting over the pink on the accent nail last night with Essie French Affair like I was thinking about. It looks much better now even though it's twice as thick, but I just didn't feel like removing the polish before fixing it so meh, next time I'll just plan out what color I want to use a little better ahead of time... I kinda want to do pastel "skittles" but I don't have a lavender or a light blue (both of which I REALLY want right now) and it'd be nice if I had a yellow (well I do have one yellow, but it's not pastel at all).

Also, I don't know if it's Poshe or what, but even after going to bed like 3 hours later I woke up with dents from my pillow/blanket...wtf? I did 3 coats, yes they were a bit thick but what's the point of a quick dry top coat that doesn't help hours later? Once I am done with this bottle of Poshe I am going back to Seche Vite for sure, and getting some Restore as well...but I will probably pour it into the Poshe bottle since it's a lot better.

NOTD: Revlon Minted + Revlon Temptress

I was actually originally going to use $OPI Mash Up last night, but it kept messing up because I had to do like a million layers it was so sheer, even after 3 there was still VNL...dunno if I'll be using it again, kind of wish I got the Katy Perry version, since Mash Up wasn't even that duochrome.

So I decided to go another direction completely and do pastels! I forgot how dark of a pink Temptress is though, although I like the shimmer. I am thinking maybe I should do some Essie French Affair instead maybe? Still thinking about it... Anyways, Revlon's formula was a little watery and took 3 coats to get opaque but wasn't too bad. Their brush is a bit thin with stiff bristles but wasn't the worst ever. I could have also had trouble since it was like 1am when I did my nails though (also pardon the messy job I did, I had no patience for it at all by that point).

As for the colors I really love Revlon Minted, it's a really nice mint green. Temptress I only really got because I wanted the retro bottle/color from the Fire and Ice collection. It's not a bad color just a bit intense. I really love the slight shimmer to it, makes it a little more interesting than a creme, but still mostly creme-y.

What do you think, keep the pink or change it to a more pastel shade?