Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A Little Something for the Lips: A Revlon Haul (TONS of swatches!!)

I made my usual trip to Longs (which has recently become CVS) last week. My local Longs (it's so hard to call it CVS) has finally finished their renovation and the inside of the store looks completely different. The light tile floor has been replaced by dark carpeting (it looks slightly depressing) while the register and counter layout has completely changed. Instead of having several aisles (like a grocery store,) there is only one aisle with one register and the rest of the registers are facing you (the customer), kind of like a bank. Everything has also been moved around except for most of the cosmetics portion of the store. Although I'm not impressed by the new interior, I am liking some of the new products CVS has decided to bring in that we never had at Longs such as the Milani brand and some beautiful Duo lashes (we only had the glue before.) Anyways, there was a BOGO sale (buy one, get one.. FREE!) going on for all Revlon cosmetics. Here's what I got:

I've been really into lip products lately. I picked up 7 lipsticks from their "Matte Collection," 4 Colorstay Lipliners, 3 Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipsticks, and 2 Colorstay Mineral Lipglazes. I had a few "$4 off $20 purchase" and "$3 off $15 purchase" coupons (which they print at the end of a receipt -like Safeway) and the nice cashier let me use all of them! So I saved $11 more on top of the BOGO sale. So technically, I got everthing for under half the original price. =)

Pictured above are swatches of the Matte Lipsticks ($7.99 each) I got. From left to right are: 001 Nude Attitude, 002 Pink Pout, 004 Pink About It, 007 In The Red, 008 Cocoa Craving, 009 Fabulous Fig, and 010 Wine Not. (Nude Attitude is very light -just a tad lighter than my skin.)


Above are swatches of the 4 Colorstay Lipliners ($7.99 each) I bought. From left to right are: Rose, Pink, Red, and Wine.


Above are all the glosses I bought. From left to right are: Colorstay Mineral Lipglazes ($8.99 each) in 525 Continuous Pink and 555 Overtime Wine. After those are Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipsticks ($10.99 each) in 060 Stellar Sunrise, 050 Top Tomato, and 040 Brilliant Bordeaux. (525 Continuous Pink is VERY sheer. Sorry if you can barely see it in the picture.)

Now Let's Look at each Product in Detail.......

First off are the Revlon Matte Lipsticks:

My Personal Rating:
-Formula: 7/10 (If it weren't for the dryness of the lighter colors, i'd give it an 8 or 8.5)
-Value: 8/10
-Packaging: 7/10
-Overall: 7.5/10


Here I am wearing 001 Nude Attitude. Of all the matte lipsticks I purchased during this trip, I thought this would be the one I would absolutely love. This is a true nude color so i was pretty excited to give it a try (I'm a huge fan of nude/pale lipsticks.) However, it's like putting some bad concealer on my lips. You can see patches of tan, skin colored lipstick here and there but it makes my lips look very dry. My lips feel dry too. The color does not seem to fully (and evenly) coat my lips no matter how much product I apply. If you want a lipstick that will display every dry crack in your lips, go for this lipstick. If not, you'll be doing yourself a favor avoiding crocodile-skin lips.


Here I am above wearing 002 Pink Pout. This is not as dry as Nude Attitude -but it still is dry. Inside the packaging, I thought this would be a very pale (almost but not quite) salmon color like my favorite LORAC cream lipstick in Baby Doll but it's just a normal light pink. It looks okay, kind of like a lighter version of my natural lip color, but I can't get past the dry, girtty feeling on my lips. It's quite sheer on my lips so I don't see any dry patches (like in Nude Attitude) and it would probably be alright with some clear gloss on top. To me, it's nothing special since I have lots of soft pink (not pale) lipsticks. If you're looking for a natural looking light pink lipstick, this would probably be good for you but I'd recommend conditioning your lips with tons of lip balm beforehand.


Here above is 004 Pink About It. I'm glad I don't have any problems of over the top dryness with this color (I'm guessing just the paler colors in the collection have that "dry" feeling.) It looks almost red in the picture -which it is. It's almost a corally red-pink. It looks scary bright in the tube and swatched on my hand but on my lips, it's perfect. It's not overly dramatic so you'll be fine wearing this in the daytime. It's dramatic sort of in a "soft" way and quite natural at the same time. This is a lip color that can be played up or down depending on your mood.


Above is 007 In The Red. I have a difficult time finding a great red. One that is just a "true red" that isn't too berry or too plummy or too brown and the ones I do find usually look so funky and ridiculous on me. This is The One and I love it. This is one of those very wearable red lipsticks that is universally flattering on people of all skin tones. It's the muted, perfect red -not too dark or too bright. It's subtle while being dramatic. It makes me feel classy.


Up next is 008 Cocoa Craving. This is a lovely, natural color that I can see myself wearing on a daily basis (sadly I can't, I must give my other lipsticks attention too!) It's somewhere inbetween dark peach and light brown with a touch of caramel. It's like a clay color -just as nude but not as dull. I recommend anyone with warm skin tones to go out and purchase this.


Pictured above is 009 Fabulous Fig. This is another beautiful shade from the Revlon's Matte Collection. This neutral shade reminds me of the Fall season coming up in September (that is when Fall starts right?!) The color is a warm brown-red. I'd consider this to be more in the "brown family" than in the "red family." It is definately a darker lipstick but it can be worn on a casual, daily basis.


Pictured above is 010 Wine Not. This is so sooo SO embarassing. I didn't realize that the lipstick applied on my cupid's bow was not even at all. But in my defense, I was in a rush. Back to the lipstick.. This is obviously a darker lipstick. I myself wouldn't wear this on a daily basis (maybe for a special lunch of dinner) because I'm more of a neutral color lipstick wearer. Like its name, this is definitely a wine color. The lipstick reminds me of a matte version of MAC's Dark Side -which I recently purchased in an order from http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com/. It's a very deep, plummy, burgundy, red color that almost crosses over to being "Goth-like" (not a bad thing.) I would love to see someone very pale and cool toned give this a shot for a Dita Von Teese look.


Now for the Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglazes:

My Personal Rating:
-Formula: 5/10
-Value: 6/10
-Packaging: 8/10
-Overall: 6/10


Pictured above is 525 Continuous Pink. I appreciate the doe foot applicator and pretty hourglass shaped tube but this gloss spells disgusting! It smells like rubber. IAfter applying some to my lips, I thought the smell would go away after awhile but it doesn't. The taste isn't much better either. I don't exactly lean towards rubber smelling and tasting lipglosses. It's kind of like Revlon attempted to add a sweet smell to the glosses but it just went wrong somewhere during production. Otherwise, the gloss itself is slightly gloopy and a tad sticky. It's a standard light pink gloss with shimmer that pratically looks clear on the lips. I really don't see anything special or "different" about this gloss. It's pricey for the product (that's why I rated it a 6/10.) You're getting no "deal" or "value" from this sucker if this is the formula their selling you. If you want a horrible smelling lipgloss, invest in a few tubes of this stuff. There are others like it that don't smell bad, are cheaper, and give off the same color.


Above is 555 Overtime Wine. I actually like this color. Aside from the terrible smell, the gloss actually gives lips a berry-rose, almost "wine" color. However, the formula in this color is gloopy and sticky like Coninuous Pink. I don't think I'll be wearing it though because of the terrible smell. I just can't get past it.



Last but not least, Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipsticks:

My Personal Rating:
-Formula: 7.5/10 (UPDATE: I took 1 more point off the formula because some colors seem to be very drying)-Value: 8/10
-Packaging: 8/10
-Overall: 8/10


Above is 060 Stellar Sunrise. I've decided that these "liquid lipsticks".. (what do I call them??) are more like a stain than anything. It comes with a handy doe foot applicator. It's kind of gloopy when taking the applicator out of the tube. The texture is like Jello that hasn't fully become solid yet (lmushy.) When applying the product, it comes onto my lips and appears to be a gloss. But once I've evenly coated my lips with the product and press my lips together, the glossy effect disappears and it looks very much like a stain. It's sticky when I press my lips together but afterwards, the stickiness goes away. It feels like a stain and stay on like a stain. I really love the formula and the outcome. Stellar Sunrise is a natural,rosy, medium, pink color that can be worn for all occasions (work, dinner, party, etc..) There is some very slight shimmer in the formula and it looks nice on the lips (no chunkly glitter here.) This stuff is easy to apply and doesn't require lipliner. It's a fuss-free product. I rated this an 8/10 for value because it's a tad pricey for a drugstore product.



Above is 050 Top Tomato. The color is a perfect primary red (like I'd find on a basic primary color wheel.) The color is a little bright but it doesn't look clownish because it has the look of a stain instead of a lipstick. There is also a touch of shimmer in the formula and when I say "a touch," I mean it. You can barely see it unless you look really close. This makes wearing red "lipstick" easier and not as scary.


Pictured above is 040 Brilliant Bordeaux. This looks like a plummy, dark, dark red when I put it on but once it's settled into my lips, it's more of of a raisin, wine red. I wouldn't wear this on a regular basis -maybe somewhere where I'd have to be a little more dressed up though.

OK. Finally done! By the way, I didn't write about the Revlon Colorstay Lipliners because they're pretty basic. They're long lasting and give off full color. I like them. Enjoy the swatches of all the products. Are you a fan of Revlon? What are your favorite Revlon products? I'm loving the liquid lipsticks and mattes.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Beginning..


Does anyone remember this picture? I first saw this back in the 6th or 7th grade and was always so intrigued by the candy inspired beauty products. This "Sweet as Candy" review was printed years ago in YM Magazine. Sadly, the magazine ceased publication 5 years ago in 2004. Anyways, I know this little page I ripped out of one of the issues is super old and I can't believe I've held onto it all these years. This page reminds me of when I first fell in love with makeup. Then, I was only about 12 years old and could barely afford makeup. Buying a Maybelline eye shadow single or a new CoverGirl lipsick was a big deal to me. I couldn't even wear makeup at the time but it didn't stop me from experimenting with it at home (or sometimes sneaking it in before school started in the girl's bathroom.) Since then, I've built up a nice makeup drawer (or drawers) but those $2 Wet 'N Wild products will always be my "beginning" or introduction to my love for makeup.
I've never had a blog before so this is all new to me. Bear with me, this blog may not have a cool layout or flashy images but in time, I will learn. The idea for this blog is basically all things beauty (mainly cosmetics products and skincare) on which I will do reviews and swatches. In this blog, I will also from time to time include my other various interests whether it be my favorite activites or what's currently recording on my TiVo. There may be lots of randomness thrown in but my main topic will always steer back to beauty -at least most of the time (or anything semi-related to the subject.) I love writing about my favorite products and giving suggestions and advice to people so this is what my blog's about! I am by no means a pro but I love makeup and trying new products and creating different looks. I'm the type of person who buys a ton of cosmetics for the thrill (it's addicting!) but rarely uses it. I have a bad habit of buying the stuff, bringing it home, getting overly excited, swatching, and putting it away in the make up drawer and then forgetting all about it. =) Feel free to leave comments or email me (themakeupdrawer@gmail.com) and I will do my best to answer any questions regarding beauty or anything else in life.
-kali