Review: Revlon Color Stay Shadow Palette in Inspire

Yet another of my spontaneous purchases, I got this on Clearance at my local drugstore. I love blues and greens, so I jumped on the chance to pick this up for a measly $2.

I’m glad that I got it so cheap, though!

 At first glance, the colors are great. Upon swatching, however, the colors are pretty washed out. In fact, I didn’t even bother with a first picture because it was hard to tell there was even anything on my arm. The colors were pale and barely there, which is a shame.

However, and that is a big however, with a primer, these colors suddenly come to life. After applying my base, everything was much more noticeable. The blue was blue, the green was green. The shimmer showed up nicely.

These are nice colors for  starting a collection, I have to say. The colors really pop once there is a base of primer, and they blend really easily.

Wear time on these is pretty standard for a shadow. About ¾ of the way through my day, I had the urge to reapply. By the time I got home, the colors were a little muddied and little wan. Still there, just not as poppy. But after a day of working around hot steam and coffee, that’s pretty good. I’m sure without the primer, I would have gotten zilch for wear time.

These colors look funky together, though, I have to say. I attempted the look on the back of the palette and I looked like I was trying too hard to be from the 80s. They are great when mixed with other palettes, though, and used as accents to darker blues and blacks.

The highlight color is nice, though. It almost perfectly matches the color of my the skin just under my brow bone. It adds a touch of shimmer and smoothes out the primer.

Not a bad deal for $2. I would have paid a little more for it, just for the versatility. By itself, though, it has a little lacking. Especially without a solid foundation.

By all means, snag his palette if you have others that you want to use with it. It’s going to get use from me just on that factor alone.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple and Juicy Papaya

I’ve been hearing about Lip Butters for a while now. Supposedly, they’re rich colors AND hydration. The best of both worlds! A lot of brands have been coming out with their own versions, like Baby Lips and Burt’s Bees. But in the end, I went with Revlon.

Why? Their color selection was much better than any other brand I’ve seen thus far. They may all be along the lines of pinks and reds, but I would rather have that than have to choose between one pink and one purple. Baby Lips, I’m lookin’ at you!

When I dropped by my local Target to pick up some goodies, I saw these bad boys and couldn’t turn them down. I went from zero lipsticks to 7 within a week. When you want it, you want it.

 First up is Candy Apple, an appropriately named…candy apple red. It’s rich and bright and sexy, which is awesome. It’s pretty pigmented for a balm, although it’s still technically on the sheerer side.

Then I grabbed Juicy Papaya, which is a smooth, barely there peach shade. It’s very natural looking on my skin tone. It looks like I just have healthy, beautiful lips. This picture makes it a touch more orangey than it actually is. 

Both shades are extremely flattering.

The hydration is amazing, though. The softness of this product easily rivals some of my most expensive lip balms, like Savannah Bee Company and Burt’s Bees. The hydration easily lasts several hours without reapplication, as well. I was super impressed. Normally, I have the urge to reapply every hour or so. But with this, I could rub my lips together frequently and still feel the slip and slide that the Revlon was still working.

I did have a slight issue with the pigment working its way into some nooks and crannies of my lips at first, but that went away after several minutes, once the softening began. Then it smoothed out.

I’m so happy with this product. It is easily worth more than the drug store price tag, and I just know that I will be buying them again and again. Not to mention these have turned into my go-to lip color. A swipe in the morning, one after lunch, and I'm good for the day. Super simple for when I'm on the clock!

Thanks for reading!

Review: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow

**This product was provided to me by someone on reddit. My review is unaffected.**

First off, I think I’m noticing a trend. All of my favorite lip colors are Revlon. Hmmm…

As for this one, I’m so in love!

This buttery smooth lipstick is a rich red. Super flattering, even on someone with my skin tone. It’s sexy and sultry, but mature about it. Like a perfectly fitted red dress on a bombshell drinking the best tasting red wine at the bar.

There are slightly blue/purple undertones in the lipstick that help bring it down to earth, to keep it grown up. Like fresh picked bing cherries.

I love love love this lipstick. The staying power is pretty typical for Revlon, lasting about two hours and a meal, as long as I’m careful.

I can’t wait to wear this lipstick on a date night.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in WomensWear

Isn't that a weird name for a lipstick? WomensWear?

Regardless, the product was given to me by a wonderful redditor when she discovered that I didn't own any lipsticks.

First and foremost, this isn't a color I would have picked for myself off the bat. I never know what colors are going to look good on me, hence the lack of lipsticks. But this color is super flattering. Bright and pretty and begging to be worn all spring and summer.

It also goes on crazy smooth! I was worried, when using a lipstick with suede in the name, that it would be drying. Or that it would be matte. That is not the case with this formula. It's buttery smooth and relatively hydrating. It doesn't make my lips sticky, like some of the lipsticks I've tried in the past.

The pigmentation is also pretty stellar. I know they're not supposed to be super intense, but closer to the sheer side. And they do the sheer-ish nicely. It covered everything in a delicate, shiny pink that lasted for a good long time before finally wearing off into a tinted pink hue. I would say it lasted about 2 hours on me, which is nice considering I have a bad habit of licking my lips.

I can totally see these replacing some of my lip balms, especially when I am at work and want something with more pop than just some good ol' Burt's Bees. It also makes me super eager to try the Revlon Lip Butters, since those are supposed to be also awesome.

I'll be swatching more lipsticks provided to me in the days to come, so keep an eye out! You know it's always fun watching a newbie apply a bright, rich red.

Thanks for reading!

A to Z: R is for Revlon Customeyes

This is a review of a Revlon eye shadow palette.

When I was first getting into makeup, nail polish was my starting point.

But eye shadow was a major stepping stone.

Why? Because in the end, it made a huge difference. It took me from "oh, pretty" to "oh, damn." Now I was (and still am) scared of anything other than neutrals, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a nice, complimentary brown that makes my blue eyes pop.

I started with some nice and simple and cheap from the local drug store: A Revlon Custom Eyes palette, of the Naturally Glamorous variety.

One of the main reasons I purchased it is because of that diagram on the back. I have no idea how to give myself a normal eye, let alone a smokey one. I was lost and confused and didn't know where to start. And it was at that point that I spotted one of these upside down in the makeup section. 

I like the colors on this palette: simple, smokey, natural. It looks excellent with my blue eyes. And it was easy to apply. 

Also, the wear on this is pretty good. It fades a little by the end of the day, but with a little primer, it can last through a whole work day without the need to reapply. 

Here is the (amateurish) application by yours truly.

That's with no eye liner, no mascara, and no primer. Just straight up, rapidly applied eye shadow. 

This really is a palette for beginners, which is awesome. Because the mass amount of options for eye shadow is super intimidating. It's nice to have something simple to start with, or something subtle fall back on. 

Thanks for reading!