Eyes Lips Face (ELF): Moisturizing Lipstick in Wink Pink, Party in the Buff, & Rosy-Go-Round

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog, I really appreciate it! Today's post is a review of the Eyes Lips Face (ELF) Moisturizing Lipsticks in the shades Wink Pink, Party in the Buff, & Rosy-Go-Round. These lipsticks retail for $3 from ELF website and there are 16 shades in the product line, ranging from nudes all the way to a black shade and covering everything in between. ELF describes these lipsticks as "The velvety, satin texture glides on lips with vibrant color and luminous shine. Enriched with Shea and Vitamins A, C, & E to nourish and hydrate the lips. The rich, creamy formula seals in moisture for long-lasting wear and comfort."

The packaging of the lipsticks is simple and sleek. It's a solid black tube with the color of the lipstick visible on the bottom.

I really enjoyed the pigmentation and ease of applying Wink Pink and Rosy-Go-Round. I did not like Party in the Buff because it was very patchy and hard to apply an even coat to the lips, as you can see below. Of the three, Rosy-Go-Round is my favorite in terms of formula and Wink Pink is my favorite in terms of lipstick color.

As claimed, I found these lipsticks to be very moisturizing and they provided a nice sheen to the lips. In my opinion, they sort of felt more like a lip balm than a traditional lipstick. They have a lot of slip and as a result can be a little messy. I did not apply these lipsticks with a lip liner, but that might be an option to consider if you want to use one of the more bold colors but don't want to worry about it falling outside your lip line or getting messy. I also found that the color pigmentation of Rosy-Go-Round lasted much longer on my lips than the other two shades which I found I had to reapply fairly often to maintain the color.

Final Verdict

Overall, I think the quality of the lipstick formula varies greatly between shades. I really like and recommend the shades Wink Pink and Rosy-Go-Round, but Party in the Buff was definitely a miss in my opinion because it applied very patchy to the lips. For $3, these lipsticks are definitely a steal, but make sure you do your research on which shades are great and which you should pass by.

Have you tried any of the ELF Moisturizing Lipsticks? Which shades are your favorites? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading!

-Meg

Lush: Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of the Mint Julips Lip Scrub by Lush. This product retails for $9.95 through the Lush website and contains 0.9oz of product. Lush describes this product as, "Just like the scrumptious cocktail served in hot southern summers, Mint Julips is packed full of fresh peppermint and sweet castor sugar. Peppermint is responsible for that ‘tingly feeling’ you get after brushing your teeth or using lip balm, so we thought it would make a perfect addition to our lip scrub! Plus, it makes Mint Julips tastes like a big, creamy bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream."

This is a sugar scrub and Lush uses Fair Trade sugar as the base of their lip scrubs which makes for an effective exfoliant. Lush recommends how to use this product as "Scrub your lips with our sugary Lip Scrubs to make them smooth and tempting. Take a pea-sized amount and scrub your lips soft, then lick off the excess!"

I've long been a fan of the ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator (retails for $3 full-price for 0.16 oz of product) and decided to try this Lush product to see how it would compare. While I like that the ELF product comes in a lipstick-style tube for convenience, I find that the actual scrub of the Lush product is much better. It's a finely milled sugar scrub that doesn't hurt when applied to even the most sensitive of lips.  I find that once you get to the bottom of the ELF Lip Exfoliator the product becomes quite hard and is painful to apply onto your lips. With the Lush scrub, when you move your lips back and forth the product scrubs your lips but it doesn't hurt at all. I actually find that I have to stop myself after about 30 seconds so that I don't overexfoliate my lips because you can't tell until after you wipe off the product if you've over exfoliated since it's doesn't ever hurt your lips. After using the scrub, I highly recommend applying your favorite lip balm to help renourish your lips. Personally, I love using the EOS Visibly Soft lip balms - see my review here. Additionally, I also like that Lush uses natural ingredients in their products so I don't have to worry about accidentally swallowing the product. In fact, Lush even recommend licking off the excess product on your lips. I find the flavor of this scrub to be very pleasant as it's minty fresh with some notes of cocoa. It truly tastes like a mint julip!

The price of this product might seem a little pricey, but truly, a little bit goes a LONG way. I've had mine for several months and I still have more than half of it left. I tend to use it about once a week so as to not over exfoliate my lips.

Final Verdict:

I really like this lip scrub! I think Lush did a great job of making a product that works for people with very sensitive lips and the flavor of this scrub is very minty fresh with hints of chocolate. I think for the price, this is a great item to try, especially with the winter months coming up which means lots of chapped, dry lips. If you like the ELF lip exfoliator definitely give this product a try, I highly recommend trying it!

What are your favorite Lush products? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

-Meg

Maybelline: Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks

Hi everyone,

Today's post is on Maybelline's Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks. These lipsticks retail for $7.99 at Ulta, $8.29 at CVS, $7.29 at Walgreens, and $5.49 at Target, and each contains 0.15 oz of product. Maybelline describes this product as "The Creamy Mattes by Color Sensational deliver a burst of bold lip color and a surge of creamy texture in make-a-statement shades, for mattes your lips will love to wear!"

There are currently 10 shades in the line and I own and will be reviewing four of them:
          - Daringly Nude (#655)
          - Lust for Blush (#665)
          - Touch of Spice (#660)
          - Mesmerizing Magenta (#680)

The packaging of these lipsticks is very simple and sleek for a drugstore lipstick. I really like the silver packaging with the semi-transparent purple casing. The packaging is sturdy enough that you can through the lipstick in your purse and not worry about it getting crushed or anything.

Overall, I absolutely love these lipsticks!! They are a long-lasting, very comfortable to wear matte lipstick that's so affordable! I was really surprised when applying these lipsticks by how creamy they are for a matte lipstick. They do seem to dry down to a little after a couple of minutes to application, but they are still very comfortable to wear and they do last for hours. These lipsticks are also very opaque and pigmented, especially for a drugstore lipstick.

Now here are some additional photos and swatches of each of the shades!

Daringly Nude

Lust for Blush

Touch of Spice

Mesmerizing Magenta

Final Verdict:
This is a matte lipstick that you have to have!! I absolutely adore the shade Daringly Nude and highly recommend it to nude lipstick lovers. These lipsticks are so affordable and they are so comfortable to wear while looking gorgeous! I'm definitely tempted to buy some more shades in the line!

Which shades of the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks are your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Revlon: ColorBurst Matte Balms

After hearing many rave reviews of the Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms I have finally purchased a bunch of them in a recent beauty haul. Recently I've been loving crayon-type lip products, so I knew that I had to give these a try. Revlon advertises this product as: "Vibrant colors infused with a Triple Butter Complex give you a bold, beautiful lip. It’s a burst of matte color with a balm-like feel. Go bold and get moisturized in 10 craveable, collectible shades." This lip crayon contains 0.09 oz of product and retails for $7.19 at DrugStores.com, $6.99 at Target, $9.49 at CVS, and is on sale for $5.69 at Ulta. Look around though, this product has now been out for a while so you should be able to get a good deal on them. Don't forget to use your $3.50 off of $10 Ulta coupon and check for drugstore buy one get one 50% off sales on all Revlon purchases.

I went ahead and purchased 8 of the 10 different shades which I will be reviewing in this post. 
The shades I will be reviewing are:

• Elusive (#205) - cool-toned light rose pink
• Sultry (#225) - brown-pink mauve
• Standout (#250) - deep berry/cranberry red
• Striking (#240) - tomato red
• Unapologetic (#210) - bright reddish pink
• Audacious (#245) - bright orange with a bit of coral
• Mischievous (#235) - subdued peach/coral/orange shade
• Showy (#220) - bright bubblegum pink with a blue undertone

The two colors I do not have and won't be reviewing are: Shameless (#215) and Complex (#230). I felt that shameless was too bold for me as it's purple and complex was too neutral and would wash out my face.

Here's how all the colors swatch on my arm in natural light and when using a flash.

In terms of packaging, I love that the tubes of this product match the color inside - although they aren't an exact match, but they give you a general idea. I also like that the tube has a matte finish so if you have some of the other ColorBurst products (like the lacquer balm and balm stain) you can easily differentiate between them. They also twist up and down so you don't need a sharpener which makes it very user friendly and convenient. I will say, I wish these lip crayons had a more precise point because you really want a smooth line, especially with the darker colors, and that can be a bit tricky as you wear down the point of the crayon.

The formula of this product is terrific - super smooth and creamy. They apply so evenly and effortlessly on the lips, they literally glide on! All the shades of this product are very pigmented, from the lightest to the darkest. Generally I'm disappointed in the pigmentation of lip crayons as they are usually very light - even the darkest shade, which made this product amazing in my opinion. In terms of how matte these lip crayons are, I find that they aren't the most matte product I've ever tried. I think you can tell from the photos below, these lip crayons definitely lean in the matte direction, but they don't have the intense drying nature of most matte lip products so they appear to have a little more shine than most matte lip products. I actually really like the finish of this lip crayon - it's on the matte side, but more natural looking than most matte lip products. In terms of hydration, these are very moisturizing lip products, especially in comparison to most matte lip products. 

I also love how long these lip crayons stay on! This product doesn't claim to be long lasting, but in comparison with other lip crayons, the Revlon Matte Balms definitely stay on much longer. They by no means last through eating or drinking, but if you don't do either of those, they will stay on strong for several hours without needing to reapply.

My favorite shades in this line are definitely #205 - Elusive, #225 - Sultry, #210 - Unapologetic, and #235 - Mischievous. My #1 must have color is definitely #235 - Mischievous, it's the perfect orangish coral color! I absolutely love it! For fall, I definitely think I'll be loving #225 - Sultry, #250 - Standout, and #240 - Striking.

Below are some additional photos and swatches of each of the 8 shades.

Just for reference, these are my natural lips before any of the products are applied.

#205 - Elusive

#225 - Sultry

#250 - Standout

#240 - Striking

#210 - Unapologetic

#245 - Audacious

#235 - Mischievous
(The natural light photo looks a little patchy, but once it sits for a minute it fills in & it's not patchy at all)

#220 - Showy

All in all, this is probably my favorite lip crayon that I've ever tried. It's incredibly smooth and moisturizing, yet has amazing pigmentation and opacity. This far outshines any other lip crayon that I've ever tried. It literally does everything I want a matte lip crayon to do! I highly recommend picking up this item because you won't regret it! I hope that it's not a limited edition product, it truly is a 5-star drugstore product.

Have you tried any of the Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms yet? Which colors are your favorite or are you most excited to try? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

NYX Cosmetics: Soft Matte Lip Creams

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog, I really appreciate it! Today's post is a review of NYX Cosmetic's Soft Matte Lip Creams. Prior to trying this product, I tried out a couple shades of the Butter Glosses by NYX and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. I liked the color pigmentation of them, but felt that they were very heavy and sticky so I was surprised with how many rave reviews I was seeing on them. If you would like me to do a review of the butter glosses that I have please leave a comment below and I am more than happy to share my thoughts and swatches with you. Anyway, after my disappointment with the butter glosses, I was a little hesitant to try another "cult favorite" product by NYX, but I have to say, I'm so glad I did because I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this lip product. I now have this product in six shades, a true testament to how much I like it!

Some background on this product, it retails for $5.99 at Target (only a few of the shades are available), CVS, Ulta, and $6.00 on NYX's website. Make sure you buy your NYX products from an authorized vendor, as there are lots of fakes out there these days - check out this article for more information on you to distinguish between genuine and fake NYX soft matte lip creams. Back on topic, each soft matte lip cream tube contains 0.23 oz of product which is a decent size for a drugstore lip product. 

The first color I purchased was Antwerp, a gorgeous bright coral color, and since I loved it so much I went back to Ulta and purchased five more! The shades I now own are: 
     - Prague (#18): deep berry with a slight hint of fuchsia
     - Cannes (#19): muted mauve/dusty rose, great everyday shade!
     - San Paulo (#8): bright strawberry pink
     - Antwerp (#5): bright rose pink with a hint of coral
     - Ibiza (#17): bright deep rose pink with hints of coral
     - Amsterdam (#1): true red, great for all skin tones!

So to start generally, this is a really interesting product as NYX claims that it "straddles the line between lipstick and gloss," similar in my mind to Too Faced's Melted Lipsticks, except without the promise of a staining power. This lip product is a highly pigmented, creamy, lightweight matte lip cream that applies smoothly and lasts for hours! The product applies as a cream and dries to a matte finish. I have found that some of the darker shades, like Amsterdam, do have a bit of a staining power, even though NYX doesn't mention anything about that.

The texture of this lip product is so creamy that it's super easy to apply evenly over the lips without getting messy. The formula is lightweight and non-sticky. I love that you can apply these products lightly or build them up for a more intense look depending on your mood. This is a matte product, which matte products are notorious for being very drying on the lips, but I find it to be the least drying matte product that I've ever used. I do find that the product goes on best when you exfoliate first since it is matte and tends to show any imperfections you might have, but if you don't it's not the end of the world and the product will still look very nice.

The colors in this product line vary from the most neutral everyday look to intense vampy dark lips. I love that all the shades are highly pigmented and are true to the color on the outside of the tube. Of the six colors I currently have, you can tell that I've been leaning toward the brighter shades in the line. I love how vibrant the bright colors are - they have been perfect for the summer and will continue to be great as we transition into fall. I love dark lips for fall but I also love nude lips so I will probably be buying some of the nude and more neutral shades next. If you are interested in a review of any shades in particular please let me know in the comments section below.

One of the things I like most about this product is that it lasts forever on your lips! Seriously, it's crazy how long this product lasts, almost all day without reapplication - even through eating and drinking. When they say it's a long-lasting formula, they aren't kidding! The product also doesn't budge or move into your fine lines or off your lips during the day which is great since you don't have to worry about constantly checking to see if it's running all over your face. It's a stress-free product! 

Oh and I also love the smell of this product, it smells like cupcake frosting, so delicious! I will say, if you are sensitive to product scents, this one is intense and will linger throughout the day so take that into account if you think that might be a problem for you.

All in all, when I'm in the mood for a matte look, this is hands down the one I reach for first. It's so easy to apply and honestly feels like I'm not wearing anything on my lips - I actually forget I'm wearing a lip product! It's by far the most comfortable matte lipstick that I own.

Below are some additional photos of each color and some lip swatches to give you a better idea of what the color looks like in real life.

Prague (#18): 
Deep berry with a slight hint of fuchsia

Cannes (#19): 
Muted mauve/dusty rose, great everyday shade!

San Paulo (#8): 
Bright strawberry pink

Antwerp (#5): 
Bright rose pink with a hint of coral

Ibiza (#17): 
Bright deep rose pink with hints of coral

Amsterdam (#1): 
True red, great for all skin tones!

All in all, this is a matte lipstick that you must try! After being hesitant to first try it out since I didn't like the NYX butter glosses, I'm so happy that I gave this product a try as it is now a staple in my beauty collection. This product is so comfortable to wear and so affordable that I think everyone should own at least one, and honestly, once you have one you'll want them all! I will definitely be purchasing some more of these lip products in the near future, and I'm really excited to try out some of the more neutral and mauve shades.

Which shade of the NYX soft matte lip creams is your favorite? Please leave a comment I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

Eyes Lips Face (ELF): Lip Exfoliator

So to kick things off today, I will be reviewing one of my all time favorite skincare products for you - ELF's Lip Exfoliator! This is the first skincare product I'm reviewing on my blog and I figured there was no better one to start with than one of my all time personal favorites.

I first learned about this product a while back from some youtube videos I watched by Emily from Beauty Broadcast who absolutely adores and swears by this product and consistently ranks among her top drugstore makeup finds. I was a little skeptical when I first got this product thinking oh I don't need this because my lips aren't super chapped or dry, but BOY WAS I WRONG!!! My lips have never been smoother than when I use this product. My lipsticks and lip glosses glide onto my lips so much better and visibly look smuch smoother and more flawless.

For only $3 this is such an affordable and wonderful product. You can buy ELF products from their website and they also sell some of their products at Target and other retailers (I've seen them at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, etc.). I haven't seen this product at my local Target yet, so I purchased it off their website. Also, ELF somewhat often has half-off sales on their products so I like to try and wait for those before I make my purchases. I know that this isn't an expensive brand so it may seem silly to wait for the items to be half priced, but I figure I can try twice as many new products if I wait for the sale and who doesn't love a deal and saving money?!?

Stock photo courtesy of ELF

The product itself comes in a square tube reminiscent of a lipstick tube. In fact, this product is shaped like a lipstick and upon first glance you could definitely confuse it for one. However, this isn't a lipstick it's a lip exfoliator! I think it's absolutely perfect that it's in a lipstick form as it makes it super easy to apply. The formula of the product is like a brown sugary-sweet scrub with a gritty texture that is intended to exfoliate and remove the dry, dead skin from your lips so that they are oh so smooth. 

I tend to apply this product at night when I'm also exfoliating my face just since that's easiest for me (and because it's a little messy now that I'm toward the end of the tube), but you could definitely use this product before you put on your makeup in the morning. I apply it on my lips for about 30 seconds or so in a circular motion and then just wipe off the product with a makeup wipe. I think it's critical that you apply a really hydrating and moisturizing lip balm or chapstick to your after applying so that you renew the moisture back to your lips so they become incredibly soft. ELF claims that this product is moisturizing but that's definitely not true so you will need to do that yourself after you use this product. Lately I've been using my EOS Visibly Soft lip balm (which I previously did a review of here) and I absolutely adore it. It's probably the most hydrating lip balm I've used in a while and it's SO affordable, so if you're debating whether or not to get it, I definitely recommend it.

This product does become increasingly more gritty as you use it so if you aren't loving it right away keep with it and I promise it will get better. I find that upon first use the product in the tube doesn't seem very powerful and I caught myself wondering if it was actually going to do anything to my lips. There's almost a thin layer on the top outside of the tube that you need to get past and once you do it will become a very intense lip scrub. I've had my tube for a while now and you can see how gritty the texture has become. I will say, if you have very sensitive lips this product may be a little too harsh for you as you get toward the end of the tube. Personally, I love a rough exfoliator because I love how smooth my skin feels afterwards, but it is a little harsh and abrasive so be forewarned.

I will say, one negative I have about this product is that when you get toward the end of the tube the product starts crumbling. In fact, mine has even removed itself from being attached at the bottom and now is on an angle like the Leaning Tower of Pisa - a little unideal. However, because I love this product so much (and it is so affordable!) I am able to look past this flaw.

All in all, I love this product (if you can't tell by now) and highly recommend it! For only $3 it's such a bargain and it makes such a difference with the application and appearance of my lipsticks and lip glosses. Honestly, even if it was more expensive, like $15 or $20, I would probably still love it just as much and I would pay that amount for it because I've never seen a product like this and it works phenomenally well. Definitely give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed! I'm waiting for the next ELF 50% off sale so I can buy another one. If you're waiting for that too, please leave a comment below and I will make sure to create a blog post when it starts so you don't miss out on it.

Have you tried out the ELF Lip Exfoliator yet? What are some of your favorite ELF products. I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading!

Ulta: Lipstick (Matte, Cream, Shimmer)

Today's review is of four of Ulta's collection of lipsticks. I have 2 cream, 1 shimmer, and 1 matte shade of these lipsticks. I tried to get a variety of colors and finishes to give you guys a good idea of what the product is like in all its forms. All of the lipsticks retail for $8 for 0.12 oz of product, but you can often find them on sale for 50% off or buy one get one free (which is really the same thing in the end). In general, my Ulta store seems to always be sold out of the more popular colors so I usually buy these online.

 The four colors I picked up are:
     - Wicked (#253 Matte)
     - Think Pink (#235 Shimmer)
     - Bit of Berry (#246 Cream)
     - Perfect Nude (#226 Cream)
In terms of packaging, this lipstick is very sleek and classy for a relatively inexpensive product. It comes in a long gunmetal silver tube with a clear see thru top so you can see the color easily from above.

Here are some hand swatches of the four different shades. 
From left to right: Perfect Nude (cream), Wicked Red (matte), Think Pink (shimmer), Bit of Berry (cream).

Overall, I found that the formula of these lipsticks varies a lot between the different types. 

I absolutely LOVE the cream lipsticks - they are smooth and oh so creamy! They glide on the lips so nice and effortlessly, and look so natural. The cream lipsticks are also pretty moisturizing and don't dry out the lips. I will absolutely be buying more of them in the near future. 

My next favorite was the matte lipstick, but I have to warn you, it was VERY matte! Unlike some matte lipsticks which say they're matte but aren't actually matte, this lipstick was very matte. It went on smoothly but it was definitely a bit drying on the lips (which is common for many matte lipsticks). The color payoff and opacity of the matte lipstick was absolutely phenomenal though! What you see in the tube is what you'll see on your lips. I just wish that there were more color options for the matte lipsticks as Ulta only has 6 shade options. I am considering purchasing the Basically Berry or Sweet Caramel colors in the future though as I do love matte lipsticks. 

My least favorite formula, and one I definitely wouldn't be purchasing again, is the shimmer lipsticks. I find that this formula has very poor color pigmentation and the glittery pieces are too large so you can very easily see them on your lips which I don't like. In the tube, the color I bought looked incredibly bright, almost neon, but when swatched on the hand or the lips it appeared very subdued and required multiple coats to achieve a color that was visible. In general I don't usually like shimmer lipsticks (I think I bought this one accidentally in stores where they don't distinguish between the cream, sheer, and shimmer lipsticks) and I really don't like this one. For a shimmer lipstick to look good in my opinion, the shimmer needs to be very fine so it doesn't stand out which unfortunately isn't the case with this lipstick. I would advise not purchasing the shimmer lipsticks and instead go for the matte or cream lipsticks.

Below are some lip swatches and additional photos and information on each of the four colors I purchased.

Perfect Nude (#226 Cream)
I absolutely adore this color, it's absolutely gorgeous! Nudes can sometimes be difficult to wear, but this one leans more pink than brown which makes it totally wearable and perfect for everyday!


Wicked Red (#253 Matte)
This is your quintessential red matte lip! I love it!

Think Pink (#235 Shimmer) 
As I said above, I absolutely hate how large the shimmer in this lipstick is, as well as, how translucent and no opaque it is. The color in the tube looks vibrant and bright, but on the lips it's very subdued.

Bit of Berry (#246 Cream)
I love this color - it's going to be perfect for fall! It does look a tad bit more intense in the tube than it does on the lips.

All in all, I highly recommend trying out the cream and matte Ulta Collection lipsticks and passing on the shimmer lipsticks. I think you'll enjoy them a lot and get lots of use out of them!

Have you tried any of the Ulta Collection Lipsticks? What are your favorite shades and formulas? I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!