Swatch: NEW! Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart on Right
Maybelline ColorSensational PopStick in Citrus Slice on Left for Comparison Only

I think there should be a warning on all things hot pink. Something along the lines of "Caution: May cause racing heartbeat, impaired judgment and/or impulse purchases."  

But the new Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart is so much more than just a hot pink beauty. It's  a magical combination of lipstick, lip gloss and lip balm and the way it applies reminds me of the smooth application of the Dior Addict Lipsticks. I love these!!- and for someone who rarely wears lipsticks that's saying a lot :)

The top is clear so you can take a look at the actual color- big improvement from the original Colorburst lipstick packaging which doesn't have this nifty little window. The packaging also corresponds with the shade so each shade has a different color tube. Sweet Tart is a nice fruit punch type pink color (no shimmer) that is surprisingly wearable- and it's one of those colors that brightens up your face giving you a youthful look. The Lip Butters have a subtle sweet scent- barely noticeable unless you're really trying to sniff it out.

I picked out a couple I thought would compare for the swatch shot but they ended up being all very different. As you can see the Fresh Lip Treatment (one of my favorites) is more sheer and glossy- you can't really build the color up on this- it's meant to give your lips more of a slight tint rather than a full-on lipstick look. The Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm is sheer but less glossy. I actually dislike this formula as it dries out my lips even though it's a lip balm. The Colorburst Lip Butter is not as glossy as the Fresh Lip Treatment but has more of a smooth texture (something between the Dior Addict Lipsticks and the buttery YSL Rouge Voluptes) and can be sheerly applied or built up for bolder look. I also like the fact that my lips don't feel like they have lipstick on. I love these!


* Purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond. A shout out to BentleyBlonde who gave us the heads up to be on the lookout for these!

** Update: Just picked up the Lip Butter in Candy Apple too so I'll be doing a swatch and review of that soon :)

Haul: Benefit: cha cha tint & b.right! skincare

I just got back from my mailbox and discovered my benefit haul had been delivered! It took a while to get here- but I'm just happy that it found me safe and sound, albeit slightly squashed.  

I open up the slightly squashed box and there's fab Gabbi looking back at me (or so I think- I can't tell exactly under her chic vintage sunglasses) and pretty coral on white tissue paper wrapped around my goodies. 

Inside were: A summer 2011 benefit catalog, a sample of Girl meets Pearl, a sample of Pore.fessional and the two things I had purchased:

1. the b.right! radiant skincare 6 piece intro kit

2. cha cha tint (benefit's new mango tinted lip cheek stain)

ah! I'm super excited to try everything!

From what I've seen this particular 6 piece b.right! intro kit is only available @benefitcosmetics.com which is why I ordered directly from them rather than from Sephora which I normally would have done. This kit comes in a convenient travel-size plastic pouch and contains 6 of the total 8 total b.right! skincare products currently available. (It doesn't have the mist and the makeup remover.) They're a little smaller than I anticipated but I appreciate how benefit didn't skimp on the packaging and kept them looking like perfect miniatures of the full-sized products (just minus the cork material). I've always been rather fond of benefit skincare products (eyecon, firmology, dear john etc.) even though they get less attention than their makeup counterparts (coralista, hoola, benetint etc.) so I'm super excited to try these out!

Next up: the much awaited cha-cha tint! Youngest sister to passionate Benetint and sweet PosieTint, cha-cha is sweet and passionate! Here are some swatches of cha-cha with PosieTint. The photo seems to have intensified cha-cha a bit more than the color in actuality- it's a bit softer in real life. I love that it doesn't have any shimmer and that it has the more milky consistency of PosieTint rather than the watery formula of Benetint. I'm confident cha-cha will help me glide through the heat and sweat of summer with perfectly tinted coral lips! 

A First Look: The Glossimers of Chanel Summer 2011

I was in NY two weekends ago and much to my delight, found the Chanel Summer 2011 out and about early at the Chanel boutique. The bronzers and the eyeshadows did not interest me (sorry.. this means I did not swatch them) but I kinda have to say: I am quite smitten with the Glossimer colors in this collection!

Pink Peony, Pensee, Aurore

Especially Pensee, a beautiful coral and Aurore, a light peachy pink with iridescent shimmer are must-haves. I was surprised that I loved Aurore so much since I'm not easily swayed by pale pinks but it was stunning the way this shade changed color depending on the angle. It's so unique (even if it doesn't seem like it at first sight) and pretty.

I hadn't realized I had taken such a shoddy swatch photo..! Oh well.. That's Pink Peony, Pensee and Aurore from top to bottom.

So that's that. Do you plan to pick up anything from the collection?

I picked up just the le vernis in Morning Rose (a beautiful candy pink with quiet gold shimmers) on this particular trip but I think I may go back for the Glossimers. I wanted to love Mimosa (the much-talked-about Yellow one) but after swatching it I decided to pass.

New: Chantecaille Les Macarons Face Palette

From left to right: Cassis (e/s), Caramel (e/s), Raspberry (blush), Rose (highlight), Strawberry (l/g)

This isn't really new new as I have seen it being sold on the Chantecaille website at least a week before this post but I know it's a limited edition palette for the 2010 holidays so let's just call it new so I can post this picture of it and look longingly at the beautiful colors :)

photo from chantecaille.com

L'occitane Peony Lip Colour in Marie Riviere

A closer look at the L'occitane lipgloss (actual name: Liquid Shine Lip Colour) in Marie Riviere.

There are so many things to love about concept behind the Peony lipgloss and the L'occitane Peony Collection in general and yet I can't say I'm in love with the product itself. (At least for now.) Here's why I love it and don't love it at the same time.

First, I love the meticulous details that give homage to the Peony Collection's inspiration, such as the seed packet packaging (although slightly flimsy), shades named after different types of peonies (Marie Riviere for instance was inspired by the Mme Benoit Riviere, a peony with a delicate salmon pink color) and the inclusion of peony extract in the products. I also love the flower printed on the top of the packaging and the fact that the material is paper.

But its this odd feeling of overall flimsy-ness that I can't get over. The doe foot applicator is strangely scraggly (I want to believe its biodegradable or something like that), the plastic tube is not shiny enough, it has a funky floral scent (it's very subtle but I'm just not a floral scent type of gal) and the color is neither here nor there. To be honest I don't really know how to feel about it. L'occitane asserts it "coats the lips with a tender pink with subtle gold shimmering sheen, like a fresh petal covered with morning dew." Not completely inaccurate but I don't feel the 'fresh petal covered with morning dew' part...  Am I being crazy? Don't answer that.

It definitely has a natural look thing going on so that's good (and that's probably what L'occitane was shooting for anyways). Have you tried anything from the Peony Collection? What did you think?

Paul & Joe Lip Lacquer in Riviera, Eye Gloss in Murmur

This one should be called: The Beauty Look Book made me do it. Not that I'm complaining! Her praise of Paul & Joe got me thinking why I hadn't attempted to get a hold of the products in this line sooner when I had always wanted to try them out. I assume its because I have to order Paul & Joe online and I wasn't sure where exactly.

I finally decided to take the plunge and ordered a Lip Lacquer in 05 Riviera and the Eye Gloss in 05 Murmur. If any of you are interested I purchased these @ Dermstore.com. It was my first time ordering from them but their free shipping policy rocks.

                       

And while it's premature for a review- I'm just gonna go ahead and say it- I love these already!

The Eye Gloss in particular reminds me of a beloved discontinued product from Fresh. See, once upon a time Fresh had something called the Eye Lusters. They were basically liquid-type eyeshadows that smoothed out and dried on your lids. They lasted all day and they did not smudge. In fact, the Eye Lusters were some of my very first eyeshadows and so I never understood the concept of 'creasing' or 'smudging' at all until I started trying powder eyeshadows. Much to my dismay (and horror!), the Eye Lusters were discontinued. Thereafter I tried to find something comparable to replace them but nothing was to compare to the smooth light yet lasting-all-day glory that were those Eye Lusters.

Hence, I was super-excited to find the Eye Gloss. 05 Murmur is basically a brown with a frosty sheen to it plus a tiny bit of purple (when seen in light). The frosty sheen is not obnoxious, in fact the frost becomes more of a shimmer on the lids. It just looks smooth and nice, but adds a bit of natural depth to your eyes. 

On the eyes- subtle but noticeable still

I am liking the Lip Lacquer too. It has a pleasant subtle fruity scent. The formula is on the sticky side but because it is so, it lasts a long time on the lips. I looked at THIS photo array before choosing which one to get. Riviera has sparse bits of glitter in it but for the most part is a creamy coral pink. I absolutely love this type of pink (like Stila Lip Glaze in Gumdrop, Candy, MAC Cremesheen Melt in Your Mouth, Benefit's PosieTint etc.) It's a bit more sheer than the swatch makes it look but that's the way I like it :)

I'm definitely glad I gave these a go- I see more Paul & Joe in my future!

Le swatches: The gloss has a bit more coral in real life. The eyeshadow looks less frosty in real life.

Pretty and detailed .. chrysanthemums- I think.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Pink Pop & Coral Reef (Chanel Sirop)

Coral Reef is lighter in real life

Finding a drugstore lipgloss without glitter, or even shimmer is darn-near impossible, so when a nice creamy lipgloss is introduced I am immediately intrigued. Case in point: Revlon Super Lustrous in Pink Pop and Coral Reef. These were released with three other colors in the "collection," a lilac, peach and a red one which you probably may have seen photos of.

Overall, I like these even though they didn't exactly meet my expectations.

Expectation #1: I thought these would be more sheer. I was sort of hoping for a MAC Cremesheen type of consistency. Nice, soft and light on the lips. These are much more opaque and thicker in consistency. (This may actually be a good thing for most people)

Expectation #2: I expected the colors to look more natural on me. Now that's a very personal expectation but usually coral and bright pinks suit me nicely so I thought these would be more wearable. I'm sad to say that Pop Pink makes me look a little fake. I like Coral Reef better but it does end up on my lips looking borderline red than the pretty coral I was expecting from the tube. I'm still trying to make it work  it's just not the coral I was looking for.

Another swatch: Left: Coral Reef/ Right: Pop Pink

Doe foot/sponge tip applicators

Reason I still like these #1. They are good versions of what they are- An budget-friendly easily-accessible drugstore lipgloss without any shimmer but full of color. No they aren't sheer but they never advertised themselves to be sheer- that was just a personal expectation (and preference!). And the colors are still quite pretty.

Reason I still like these #2. External stuff like the scent which to me smells like a mix between creme brulee+ orange creamsicle+ cotton candy+ bubblegum. Yum... I think. (There is no flavor) I also like the packaging: A shorter stouter cousin of the Chanel Glossimers if you will. 

That reminds me- I initially thought Coral Reef looked similar in the tube to my beloved Chanel Sirop, now discontinued (WHY!!) so I took a couple of pictures and swatched them only to find that both the consistency and colors were very different. Bummer.

I didn't include any swatch comparison photos with Sirop because it didn't show up accurately.

Sirop is more pink-coral and lighter in texture

*Update 10/26/10: See Coral Reef with other coral swatches