Review/Swatches/Video: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms Pt.1

When I find something that I just have to have (limited edition product, new product, must have product, etc.) I will go to extreme lengths to get it.  I think it's my makeup hoarder spirit in me that goes into full effect when I see something and need all of it. When I say need all of it, I want one of every color.  Will I use every color? Most likely no,  but just the sense of having the whole collection   My new obsession are these Revlon Colorburst MATTE Balms, I need them, want them, NOW! When the  Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains first came out I went out on a hunt looking for the colors I wanted all around town.  Now I have a new obsession, the only problem is trying to find these lipies! I spotted them at Bed, Bath and Beyond while I was shopping for cutting boards.  Whoa! Have you been in a remodeled Bed, Bath and Beyond? It's like a Cost Plus World Market, drugstore inside a Bed, Bath And Beyond.  I like the concept and environment that they are creating!

It was love at first sight.... MATTE LIP BALMS?!?! YES PLEASE. But the display was empty .. no mattes.  My determined makeup hoarder in me went into full effect.  I called all the Bed, Bath and Beyonds in my area .. only 2 had the new remodel - the store where I was  and the one closer to my condo.  Hubby and I went home (I have such a supporting husband!) and stopped by the one close to our place.  3 sweet little Revlon Colorbursts were waiting for me! I went home and fell in love .. now this is love.  I wanted all the colors.. not buts or exceptions.  Went back 3 days later and found 2 more still not the neutral pinky shades but who cares.

EDIT: I was hesitant about the Lacquer Balms but I gave in and bought all of them you can check out Pt. 2  by clicking on the picture or click HERE! There is also a video!

Here is the display ... I wish the display would magically restock it's self with all the colors. You take one and another would just pop up to replace it.  Gosh that would be great for all of us crazy makeup enthusiast out there. 

Watch the video for live swatches!

Now time for swatches and my feedback on each one. I decided to go pretty neutral on the eyes while I tried on each color.  The mink lashes that I am wearing are from Flutter Lashes the style is Lindsay. Eyeshadows are from NYX palette Love In Florence Eat, Love Be Fab!

I found the rest of the colors  at RiteAid! Yay! Now my collection is complete.  Sorry my pics don't match I thought I was going to do a separate blog post but I thought it would be better to have them all in 1. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 230 Complex is a true nude beige.  I am a MAC NC40, this color looks like a concealer on me.  If you are looking for a true nude this one is for you.  I would definitely wear a lip liner with this one.  You can see from the picture that my lip just blends in with the rest of my face with no definition.  Also I really had to layer on this color.  I probably applied it 4-5 times before I got a true opaque coverage. The more I applied the more my lips got dry. It could be because this color is very light on me and you could hardly see it.  I am dying to try this lip with an intense smokey eye and dramatic lashes. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 235 Mischievous.  I really like this color - still neutral and soft with a pop of color. I will wear this one on a daily basis.  This is a great color if you are a little scared to venture out to bright colors but really want to try something. I had to apply this color about 3 times just to get the desired coverage with this shade. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 245 Audacious.  This is the shade that is featured on the display.  I have been seeing a lot of orangy lips on editorial pictures and on the runway.  This is a hot color right now. For some reason my camera made the container  lighter than it usually is in person.  The container in real life is actually a deeper reddish/orange. This color is a step up from 235 Mischievous.   Now the brighter you go the better the balm applies (in my opinion). To this this opaque coverage I only had to apply it twice. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 210 Unapologetic.  Ack so pretty! My favorite bright color our of the colors I was able to purchase. Again I only had to apply this twice to get a nice opaque coverage.  Keep in mind the container color is a tad more pinkish/red just like the lip color.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 220 Showy.  This is the last matte finish balm that I was able to get so far.  It's a bluish-pink shade.  From the container I thought it would be a little more berry and perhaps deeper (my camera make the container look brighter/lighter) but it's still a pretty color to wear!  About 2 coats of this color for full opaque coverage.

 Hope I can share the rest of the colors with all of you once I can get my hands on them! :)

 Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 205 Elusive is a soft pretty in pink color.  The pink is not too light and not too bright.  This is a perfect color for those of you who want a natural color for everyday.  

 Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 220 Sultry. One of my favorite colors! This is a medium rose color with just the right amount of color for a natural look.  Would love to use this color for a bridal look. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 240 Striking. I thought this color was going to come out more orange but it turned out to be more of an orange/reddish tone which is still pretty.  

 Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 250 Standout.  Now it's time for a red! From the packaging I thought this would be more of deeper red but when I applied it the color was a pinkish/red.  I still really like it, the color is really pretty. 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm 215 Shameless.  I was really excited about this color and how it would look on me.  I wanted it to be a deeper purple but it turned to be more of a medium toned purple.  Can't wait to create a Makeup of The Day with this shade!

Matte or Lacquer what do you prefer? Also which colors did you get? :D

MOTD: City Color Cosmetics Blue/Purple

Today's MOTD are some of the colors that I have been reviewing this week from City Color Cosmetics.  You can create a beautiful look with an affordable brand!

 To create this look I used the City Color Blue and Purple Multi Shade Eye Shadow Palette with the City Color Eye Shadow Primer to make the colors really vibrant.  A great tip that I like to share when using brighter colors is to pack the color on the lid with a flat brush instead of sweeping it back and forth.  When you do this you layer on more color to build upon each other. On my cheeks is the City Color Cosmetics  Intense Blush Quad Collection 1.  Lips are City Color Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Mauve.  Can't forget my lashes!!! Mink Alter Ego Lashes   in Pixie Dusters, check out the up close picture.

For more information and swatches of these products check out my past posts.
 Review City Color: Multi-Shade Eye Shadow Palette
Review: City Color Intense Blush Quad
Review: City Color Lips

 Also enter promo code 13VT1b15 at checkout to receive 15% off 1 per customer. Ends Nov 30th!

P.S. I used a different setting on my camera  for this look then the rest of my pictures.  Don't know how I feel about the saturation of the colors.  Will need to experiment more.

Review: City Color Cosmetics Matte Lipstick and Dual Lip Wand

Incredible matte lipsticks for $1.99??? Um, YES PLEASE!  I am always on the lookout for matte lipsticks.  It's always hard to find some out there that are not the department store prices.  There are 18 beautiful shades to choose from - the two that I have are Red and Mauve.  The lipsticks do have a fragrance, reminds me of cherry chapstick :) You can tell by the swatches that the color intensity is full impact opaque coverage. Mauve is not as bright as it looks in the swatch but look at the red such a glam color.

Dual Lip Wand

Another product that I wanted to share with all of you is the Dual Lip Wand in Magenta. My makeup bag is filled with lipsticks and lip glosses but now I have a 2-in-1 product a lipstick with the matching lip gloss.  No more loose lipsticks and lip glosses! The lipstick portion is a smooth light gloss finish very similar to a lustre finish from MAC.  It is not as opaque as the Matte Pipsticks but gives good long lasting coverage.  This lipstick, just like the Matte Lipsticks has a Cherry Chapstick fragrance.  The gloss portion is very sheer  and complements the lipstick very well.  You will find 12 different shades to wear with different looks.

Use promo code 13VT1B15 to receive 15% off your purchase on the City Color Cosmetics website.  

1 per customer and the promo expires on Nov. 30th 2013.  Grab your products! 

 Check out City Color Cosmetics on Facebook for special promotions, updated information and new products! 

MOTD: MAC Cosmetics Up The Amp Lipstick

Over the weekend I was cleaning out my lipstick collection and  I found  Up The Amp MAC Lipstick.  I always forget about this color and how beautiful it looks with plum liner. I remember when I use to work for MAC customers won't be so scared to wear this color! Looks fabulous on medium to dark skin tones ( I am a NC40 in MAC foundations). The plum liner complimented the lipstick very well by creating a deeper tone around the lip which created definition.

 For the eyes I Paired it with a smokey brown eye for fall and Faux Lash lashes in Sasha.  Can't forget about my brows.  My ultimate go-to brow products Anastasia Beverly Hills Brows Tinted Brow Gel Espresso and Brow Genius Kit in Brunette. 

I think I need to do more lip makeup of the days ... I have tons of lipsticks. Lol 

MOTD: NYX Love In Rio Love Is A Cha Cha

I haven't posted a MOTD forever!!! Sorry for all of you have been waiting for some new looks with some step by step instructions. 

As you know I am really into purple eye shadows.  There is just something about purple that I love to wear on my eyes.  So here's another purple eye shadow combination that I just couldn't pass up on especically when the trio of shadows are so pigmented.

I love NYX Cosmetics not only for their amazing value but how well their products perform especially their eye products.  The Jumbo Eye Pencils are my favorite go to primer to make eye shadows POP! If you need a recommendation on which one to choose (they have several different colors) MILK is the #1 choice.  It's a matte white that will work with any color combination but I really like to use it for bright colors. 

  Here are the steps to create the look. 
1. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Oyster as your base.  As your highlighter apply NYX Ultra Pearl Nude Loose Eye Shadow.
2. NYX Love In Rio Love Is A Cha Cha lighter color all over the lid
3. Middle color which is a deeper purple all over the crease.  Apply this shade with detailed definer brush and blend out with a blending brush.
4.  Take your detailer brush and apply the darker shade right in the outer corners of the eyes for definition.  For added drama add a matte black eye shadow.
5. Line your eyes top and bottom and give it a little wing.
6.  Lashes used for this look are House Of Lashes Siren.  OMG I am obsessed!!! They remind me of MAC 35 Lash!!!!
7.  Brows are  Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel Espresso and Brow Genius Kit in Brunette.
To make this look complete NYX Strawberry Milk was used on the lips along with NYX Mocha Blush and NYX Narcissistic Illuminator right above it. 
 I used Makeup Addiction Brushes in The Detailer and The Blender

I hope you guys like this look, as it is one of my new favorites.  I will be posting new YouTube tutorials next month.  Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

DIY Lipstick Palette

I am always looking for ways to improve my Pro Kit especially when it comes to organization.  I will definitely give you a tour of my kit so you can see what's all in it along with some of my favorite products that I take with me when I am on location.

I've always wanted to make a lipstick palette with magnetizable pans to condense my lipsticks since it's so hard to carry 30+ lipsticks with you.  I had some extra empty eye shadow pans that I use to press loose pigments so I decided to melt all my popular bridal lipsticks down into the pans and then placing them in  see-thru palettes (very similar to the Z-palettes) that I have been making (more about this later in a later post). 

Materials you will need

• lipsticks - any brand, texture or finish will work
• empty aluminum or tin pans - Personally I like to use tin because you don't need a magnet if you are using a magnetized palette.  I get all my pans at TKB TRADING you can get the traditional 26mm circle pan or other sizes and shapes they offer. 
• palette knife 
• labels - you can cut labels to fit the bottom of your pan or purchase pre sized labels
• hair straightener - I purchased a cheap hair straightener just to use for projects such as eye shadow depotting and for melting. 
• empty eye shadow palettes - many brands carry empty palettes from ELF to MAC which has dividers or Z-Palette.  I make my own, it's so fun to make! 

First take your lipstick and cut about 1/4 -1/2 of the stick to melt.   A palette knife or even a regular butter knife would work as well. The color that is shown is Wet N Wild Matte Lipstick 901B.  Swatches of my Wet N Wild Matte Lipsticks coming soon!

 Now smash the lipstick until you fill up the whole pan.  The palette knife helps smash and spread the product nicely.

 Place your pan on your hair straightener and watch it melt to a liquid constancy.  I keep the heat level on the lowest setting.  If you straightener does not give you option to change the heat levels just watch it carefully so it does not burn.  The pan will not harm your hair straightener just wipe it down before you use it on your hair. 

 

Naturally, you will see bubbles appearing, do not worry this is easy to solve.  Just take something sharp and pop them. Or move the bubbles to side and scoop them away. 

Once you feel the lipstick has melted, carefully remove the pan from the straightener.  The lipsticks is in liquid form, try to have a steady hand when doing this.  It is also very hot! Pretend the lipstick is a pizza and you are taking it out of the brick oven! A steady hand will do the trick.  You see there's a air bubble that I couldn't remove, once I took the pan away from the heat source it went away.  I spilled a little too. lol

 While you are waiting for your lipstick pan to dry, prepare your label.  Just found these labels at Office Depot.  You can even use a label maker such as a P-Touch, whatever you can find around the house will do. 

Once the  pan solidifies just add your label to the bottom.  Yay! You just created your own lipstick pan.  Be creative and create your own custom colors.  No more loose lipstick cases everywhere.  

 It's an addicting process, you literally want to melt down all your lipsticks you have into pans.  I have a ton of lipsticks but I really just wanted to have a set with all my bridal colors that I use regularly.

The completed project.  I know a lot of you are going to ask how I made the knock off Zpalette.. I will save this for a later post. :)

Have fun melting away!!!

Review/ Swatches: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Swatches

I have found my newest obsession! I classify obsession as buying 4 or more of the colors in a collection.  Earlier this year it was the Revlon Lip Butters now it's the new Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. It is a lightweight lip stain in a moisturized lip balm.  I first spotted these balm stains at my local Target, I was intrigued a balm that is a stain? Interesting.  At that point the whole display was full, so I only bought 2 thinking I'll come back to purchase the rest if I like it.  I went home, tried it, LOVE IT! What sold me was the smoothness of the product.  My lips are very dry ALL THE TIME, it bugs me. When I applied this product my lips didn't feel dry and the color was just the right amount for me since I don't like to wear a lot of color on my lips.  I would describe the color payoff as soft some give a little more color than the rest and some are very very sheer (you will see what I am referring to when you look at the swatches below).   It's a great little lip product for the fast, on the go product where you just need a little bit of color, great to be paired with a smokey eye.

Over the weekend I spent half of my Saturday afternoon running around town looking for the colors that I wanted which at the moment is  9 out of the 12 colors (I passed on the reds and am waiting for Sweetheart to come in the mail). Found all the colors at Rite Aid and what made it even better they were 40%!  YESS!


Here are the colors I picked up along with the corresponding swatch of color.  As you can see the colors are very sheer and soft.  I did not add flash so you can see what the colors look like in natural daylight. Ps. My skintone is a MAC NC40 - NC42 depending on the season... similar to Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Crush 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Lovesick

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Darling

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Cherish

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Honey

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Charm

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Rendezvous

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Precious

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Sweetheart

So, you are probably wondering which ones are my favorite?
Lovesick (light fuchsia), Cherish (soft subtle pink), Honey (natural nude pink), Rendezvous (light orange tangerine). 

Here is a picture of me wearing Cherish outside in natural daylight.

For the summer I like a coral/orange lip, Rendezvous is perfect for that. This shot was taken indoors with a daylight bulb.

Have fun shopping for these!!! I will add more pictures of me wearing the colors during the next few days!