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!

EOS: Visibly Soft Lip Balm

This is a review of the new EOS Visibly Soft Lip Balm in the flavor Vanilla Mint. This is a newly released product by EOS and currently comes in two flavors - Vanilla Mint and Coconut Milk. This product retails for $3.29 on the EOS website, but you can also find it at Ulta and other drugstores for $3.49 each. I actually found mine near the checkout of my local Walgreens. They only had the Vanilla Mint left so I was unable to try the Coconut Milk flavor.

The product is 99% natural and is enriched with natural conditioning oils, moisturizing shea butter, and antioxidant vitamins C & E. EOS claims that it provides long-lasting moisture for immediately softer and more beautiful lips. I find this to be SO TRUE! I absolutely adore this product! I have long been a fan of the regular EOS lip balms, but the visibly Soft Lip Balms are even better! When I put it on my lips feel moisturized for hours. If I put it on before I go to bed then in the morning my lips are still moisturized and are so soft! I highly recommend this product if you are debating whether or not to purchase it instead of one of the regular EOS lip balms.

In terms of packaging, this product is the same size and shape as the regular EOS lip balms, but features a swirl design on the exterior. I assume they did this to illustrate that these have a lip moisturizer/conditioner infused into the product that is "swirled" in.

In terms of the actual product inside the container, like the regular EOS lip balms, the Visibly Soft EOS lip balms are clear in color when applied to the lips, even though the product appears to be yellow in the container. The Visibly Soft EOS lip balms apply the same way as the original EOS lip balms, but I do feel as soon as I put it on that my lips are more moisturized than with using one of the original lip balms.

One additional thing that I found interesting was that in the description for the regular EOS lip balms it says that the product is 95% organic and 100% natural. In contrast, the EOS Visibly Soft does not mention being organic, but does say that it is 99% natural. Not sure if this is good or bad, but I found it interesting that there was a difference in how natural the two different kinds of lip balm are.

All in all, I will definitely repurchase the Visibly Soft EOS lip balms first rather than the original EOS lip balms when I run out. They are amazing and are wealth worth a try!

Have you tried out either of the new Visibly Soft EOS lip balms yet? Please leave a comment below on your thoughts. I would love to hear from you!