Revlon Colorburst Matte and Lacquer Balms

I'm sure by now most of you have seen the new Revlon Colorburst Matte and Lacquer balms. When I saw these I knew I had to try them because there is nothing I love more than a good lip crayon. I'm not a big lip gloss fan (too sticky!) and I'm not always wanting to wear lipstick so I love having the lip crayon/balm stick option. It's like wearing a lipstick that feels like a balm and that is always an awesome thing. I picked up 2 Matte balms and 2 Lacquer balms to try out. I've heard that a lot of people don't like the Lacquer balms as much as the Matte balms because of the shimmer in the Lacquer balms. It could just be the colors I got but in the Lacquer balms I bought the shimmer is almost completely unnoticeable. I can see the shimmer (and I would definitely say it's just shimmer, not glitter) in the product when I look at it but once I put it on my lips, I don't see or feel the shimmer at all.

I like the packaging on these as it makes it easy to see which are matte and which are shiny at a glance (matte packaging versus shiny packaging). I realized afterwards that I didn't really branch out color wise but you can never have enough berry/red shades for Fall and Winter, right?

Top to Bottom: Sultry (Matte), Provocateur (Lacquer), Enticing (Lacquer), Standout (Matte)
Left to Right: Sultry, Provocateur, Enticing, Standout
Sultry is my most worn shade of all of the Colorburst Balms I have. It's the perfect dark berry shade and goes with everything! I usually keep this one in my purse since the color is so versatile.

Provocateur was my most daring pick. I know there are colors MUCH more daring than this one in the collection but I figured this is one I may be able to pull off. This shade is a beautiful bright pinky-red and I think it will be a fun Spring/Summer color.

Enticing is more of a mauvey red shade than the container lets on. It's not as dark as I was hoping it would be so I was a little disappointed by the coloring. It's still a beautiful color but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Standout is AMAZING! I don't even think I could tell you how much I love this color. It is truly the perfect red. It goes well with my skin tone and when I wear it I don't feel like I have bright red lips. That probably sounds weird (because obviously I do have bright red lips) but when I wear bright lip colors, sometimes I'm extremely aware of it and I feel like I can't stop checking it to make sure I look okay. Standout is definitely a bright red but I think since I like the color on me I don't feel so self conscious about it.

I really like these balms so far and have my eye on a couple other colors. I've worn Sultry out multiple times and although I definitely needed some touch ups, I felt like it lasted quite a while. I don't really look at these balms as long wearing, I think of them more as a balm that needs to be applied as needed so I'm not disappointed by the fact that they don't stain my lips or last all night.

Did you pick up any of the Matte or Lacquer balms and if so, what colors? What did you think of them?

Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara Review

I picked up Maybelline's The Rocket mascara quite a while ago but didn't open up the package until last week when my regular mascara ran out (can you believe I didn't see that coming?!). As I've mentioned before, I pretty much only wear waterproof mascara so that is what I had purchased.

The brush is on the larger side and I personally really like the style of it. It's similar to my regular mascara (Covergirl Lashblast) but is a little longer. The plastic brush definitely makes it easy for me to grab my lashes and create extra volume. I also find my mascara is less clumpy when I use plastic brushes.

I found the formula of the mascara to be more on the 'wet' side so it didn't dry out fast and I was able to sweep multiple coats onto my lashes without causing any clumps. The Rocket definitely gave me a lot of volume but I didn't seem to get as much fullness as I'm used to with my regular mascara. I tend to want a lot of thickness/fullness when it comes to my eyelashes so I was slightly disappointed that I didn't get as much. I have worn this a few times when I'm just running errands or going out during the daytime and it lasts all day without dropping my curl or smudging on my face. It gives me very natural looking lashes which makes it a perfect every day choice. I'd even wear this mascara on a night out if I layered it with a mascara that gave me a bit more fullness.

Overall, I'd repurchase this mascara to have it on hand. I don't love it enough to replace my regular mascara but I'll keep it in my beauty arsenal for sure.

Have you tried The Rocket mascara? What did you think of it?

November Favorites

December is here and I am so excited! I've already decorated my apartment for the holidays and put up the tree and I'm about to start in on my huge list of Christmas movies. Before I move on to December though, I want to share my favorite beauty items from November (and a few random favorites too!).

Makeup:

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation- I had purchased this foundation for my best friend's wedding in October after reading amazing reviews online about its staying power. I tested it out the night before her wedding and really liked it but the day of the wedding, I noticed patches of skin where the foundation wasn't covering. I put it aside after the wedding and went back to my regular foundation. In November though, I finally decided to give it another chance. I changed up my application technique (see below) and ended up falling in love with this foundation. It stays put all day and looks and feels like you aren't wearing any makeup. I wear the color #825 Buff Beige.
Ulta Super Blender Sponge- I bought this application sponge a couple years back at Ulta. It is similar to the Beauty Blender although most of the reviews for this product say there is no comparison and that the Ulta brand sponge is too hard. I stumbled upon the sponge again last month when going through my makeup collection and decided to give it a try. I am SO glad I did because I've used it over my regular foundation brush throughout the entire month of November. I just pump a small amount of foundation on to the bottom of the sponge and dab it all over my face to blend the product. It gives my skin a flawless finish and makes it easy for me to build up coverage on parts of my face that need it. I also use the smaller tip of the sponge to blend my concealer under my eyes.

Benefit Dallas Blush- I've had this blush for years! So long in fact, they have redone the packaging on this product. I used to use it as a bronzer but have recently started using it as a blush. It's a gorgeous dark pinkish brown color and I think it will be perfect for Winter time. I've loved all of the Benefit boxed blushes I've tried and they last forever!

Jane Concealer- I picked up the Jane concealer in Light back in October for my best friend's wedding. I heard rave reviews about it from multiple people and since it was so inexpensive, I picked it up to give it a try. This was another product that I didn't like the first time I used it. I also thought the color was too dark for being a 'light' shade. Once I started using the sponge applicator to apply it, I found that it actually blended very well and didn't settle into the lines under my eyes. Definitely a keeper!

Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara- This is a product I bought a while back and finally decided to open it up when my go-to mascara ran out. I love the formula of this mascara and the brush is very similar to my usual mascara. This mascara went on like a dream and there wasn't a single clump to be found! It also held the curl in my lashes all day. Of course, I tend to only buy waterproof mascara as I find it holds the curl in my lashes way better than regular mascara anyways. Regardless, this mascara is a great every day mascara and I would definitely repurchase it.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry- I was so excited when Revlon came out with their new matte and lacquer balms and was lucky to pick up the colors I wanted before they flew off the shelves! I will actually be sharing a full review on these soon but I have found myself wearing the matte balm in Sultry a lot. I've been gravitating to dark lips the last month and Sultry is the perfect shade for Fall/Winter.

Essie Nail Polish in Smokin' Hot and Cashmere Bathrobe- My most worn nail polishes last month would have to be Smokin' Hot by Essie for my nails and Cashmere Bathrobe by Essie for my toes. The photos do not do these colors justice at all. Smokin' Hot is this deep smoky plum color (they advertise it as gray though?) and it's absolutely gorgeous. Cashmere Bathrobe is a dark gray with tiny iridescent sparkles. At first I thought the sparkles were just silver but after looking closer, I realized the sparkles are actually purple, pink and green depending on how you move.

Skin Care:

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Eye Cream- I have been noticing that my under eyes have been super dark lately and I am getting little creasy wrinkles as well. I did some research to see what I could get at the drugstore to help the problem and found that Burt's Bees products have excellent reviews. I got the Intense Hydration cream and have been using it for the last few weeks and am already seeing an improvement! I apply the eye cream in the morning and also before I go to bed at night. My dark circles have diminished and the lines under my eyes are slowly disappearing. I am super impressed with this product and the fact that it is under $20.

Hair Care:

Organix Renewing Argan Oil Weightless Healing Dry Oil- I have super fine, thin hair that is always frizzy. I tried this oil because it claimed to be a dry oil. I use it every time I curl/flat iron my hair as a heat protectant and I love that it doesn't make my hair greasy. It is also great for spraying on your hair later in the day to tame that frizz!

Fashion:

Socks- My fashion favorite for the month of November is fun socks! The weather has been colder and I have been loving layering my knee high socks over tights and wearing fun socks with my boots. I have a whole drawer full of socks and most of them are from Target because not only are they so inexpensive but they are so cute!

Random:

Book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- I started reading The Night Circus in November and have almost completed it. I use a library app on my phone to check out and read books so I have a deadline that I need to finish it by. So far, I highly recommend it because it is so well written and so interesting that I find myself squeezing in a chapter whenever I can, while I cook, while brushing my teeth, etc. If you are looking for a book to pick up, you will not be disappointed by this one!

TV Show: Reign- Oh. My. Gosh. I am obsessed. I started watching Reign on a whim one day and now I am completely hooked. It's a little bit history and a lotta bit drama and all around perfection. Also, I look forward to reading these AMAZING and hilarious recaps after each episode.

What were some of your favorite things during the month of November?

Current Nail Color: Revlon Color Stay Nail Enamel in Jungle

When it comes to my nail polish collection, I find that it is predominately made up of Essie colors. Somehow each time Essie comes out with a new collection I can't help myself and I have to have them all! I do have a few other brands thrown in the mix and Revlon is starting to climb my list of favorite polishes. Not only is their new nail enamel collection 'Evening Opulence' amazing (seriously, I love all of those shades!) but I love the formula of their polishes.

I was browsing Ulta one day, looking for a deep green nail polish for Fall when I stumbled across Revlon's Colorstay collection. There were a few greens to choose from but when I saw the color 225 'Jungle' I knew it was the Fall green I had been looking for. The Colorstay polishes claim to be long-wearing which I appreciate as I HATE chipped nails. It drives me insane and I have to either remove my polish or touch it up as soon as possible. Revlon was also having a sale going on so into my basket this gorgeous green nail polish went.

This polish ended up quite dark on my nails, darker than the bottle for sure. It looks to be almost black but with a bit of green tint to it. This was not a problem for me as I was looking for a very dark green in the first place. I painted 2 coats and I probably could have gone for 3 but it tends to feel like my nails will never dry if I add more than 2 coats.

The brush for the Revlon Colorstay polishes is quite nice. I liked that the brush was fairly small and made it easy to get close to the sides of my nails without getting color all over my skin (not that it's ever possible for me to not get it everywhere but I feel like for those of you who are better at painting your nails, this is important). The color went on very smooth and looked amazing when it dried. I'm usually the girl with the marks and lines in her polish because who has time to wait for nails to dry?! With this polish there wasn't a single mark or line on my nails when they finished drying which is truly amazing. As far as shine goes, I put a top coat on immediately after so I'm not sure if the shine I have is caused by the polish, the top coat or a combination of both. I will say that my nails do seem extra shiny so I'm going to assume it's a combination of both.

It's been a few days since I painted my nails and the color is still going strong with NO CHIPS!!! I am seriously impressed with this line of polishes and plan on picking up a few more soon. I currently have my eye on 'Fall Mood' (obviously!) and 'Midnight'.

Have you ever used Revlon's Colorstay polishes? Which colors are your favorite?