Showing posts with label hydrating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hydrating. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2016

First Impressions : Drugstore Matte Lip Stains

2015 was the year of Matte liquid lip stains! Everyone from Anastasia Of Beverly Hills, Stila, and Kat Von D came out with new formulations and colours of their already cult favourite matte liquid lip stains. The youngest of the Kardashian Klan(lol), Kylie Jenner jumped on the bandwagon and brought along with her a new younger crowd of matte liquid lip stain lovers. In 2016 this trend is still going strong and I couldn't be happier as I'm a huge fan of matte lipsticks/stains. I would change my outfit to match my lipstick colour...no joke...the struggle is real people. Pure Hollywood from Anastasia of Beverly hills was my first matte liquid lip stain purchase. I was so impressed by the long lasting formula. I loved it so much that I used up the .11oz tube very quickly. What does a girl do when she doesn't want to spend another $26 on a .11 oz tube of beautiful smooth, long lasting matte lip stain ? Look for equally impressive drug store options, right! I picked up a few options in the hopes of finding my drugstore holy grail liquid lip stain.




NYX brand is vastly becoming a house hold name, if not so already. I blog about NYX products all the time as I love the higher end quality of their products. I was so eager to try out the Liquid Suede that as soon as I paid for the products,I got in my car and applied liquid suede, Pink Lust right away. The formula is very creamy and feels nice when applied. The applicator is easy to use but doesn't pick up a lot of  product at first so you need to dip back in a few times. The formula doesn't have any scent to it, bonus!. I had to reapply the lip stain a few times through out the day as it transferred onto cups easily.3 hours after my initial application I still didn't feel that it dried into a true matte formula. It applied creamy and settled into more of a silky look. Overall I like this product but I felt it wasn't a true matte finish and not something I would purchase if I was looking for a matte finish.

 As of today, Revlon has 8 shades in this line of matte lip colour. I bought HD Temptation. The tube is rounded flat and resembles the hourglass liquid lipstick. The applicator is shorter than the NYX liquid suede so it allows for more control in the application. As soon as I applied the lipstick I was hit with a sweet smell. I don't mind the smell but I know many people prefer to not smell and taste their makeup. It wasn't a showstopper for me, but I could do without it. Once applied the lip stain felt very creamy and I noticed it instantly hydrated my dry lips. As with the NYX liquid suede, I can't say it dried to a true matte stain but it definitely dried to a semi-matte. It still felt great on even after a few hours of wear. I didn't find it transferred colour easily, which is great! I only had to reapply, lightly, once through out the day. This formula is definitely a hybrid of a lip balm/gloss/lipstick because it's moisturising, semi-glossy and long wearing. I would definitely purchase this product again. I think REVLON is re branding themselves with fresh new products and I love the direction they're taking. 


Have you ever bought a product and you thought to yourself, what did I use before this ? This is how I feel about the L'oreal Infallible Matte  " Gloss". To be honest, I didn't have high expectants for this gloss because the packaging didnt excite me very much. Yes, I'm one of those people that enjoys good packaging, I'll admit it! I like to display my makeup on my vanity as I find it adds a bit of glamour. Ok, let's get back on track now :) This product comes in 12 shades and I bought Forbidden Kiss. Love the name! I thourghly enjoyed using this product. The applicator itself is short so precise application is made easier. I love that the sponge tip is heart shaped(at least to me that's what it loos like).It actually allows me to lightly line my lips with the tip because of its unique shape. You have to apply this procdut with precision because it dries FAST! You better have a Q-Tip handy to wipe away any mistakes quickly! There was no transfer of product onto my coffee cup at 2pm (applied it at 9:30 am). At 4 pm the colour was still going strong with a bit of bleeding int he middle, but nothing a small touch up can't' fix. L'Oreal markets this product as a matte gloss and they I think it's true matte lipstick. I didn't find it was very hydrating to the lips and it definitely didn't give off any
 "gloss" resemblance.  In my opinion this product is the truest matte liquid lip stain that I've tried so far.I've been wearing it almost everyday now and went back to purchase Sunset and Barely Nude. A great drugstore alternative to the brand named liquid stains.

It's no surprise that Maybelline is one of my favourite drugstore brands. I blog about them often and NO, I am not sponsored by them!I just love that they make well formulated products that work for the masses. When I heard they came out with a new lip stain, I ran, no joke, to Shoppers and picked up heir latest product. Vivid Matte liquid comes in 10 high pigmented shades. I picked up Nude Thrill, Rebel Red and Pink Charge. The.26 oz tube is rectangular shaped and there's nothing to exciting about it. The formula itself is very creamy and has a sweet rose smell to it.It's not an overbearing smell but it's noticeable. The formula itself is creamy and long lasting. It doesn't dry to a true matte finish, but borderline semi matte. It definitely will hydrate your lips and there is some colour transfer of the product. I didn't have to reapply the product more than once through out the day. Even though this wasn't a true matte lip stain product, I would repurchase as the colours are very pigmented and hydrated my lips very well.

essence liquid lipstick was the most budget friendly product of the bunch. At $3.99 a tube, it's very affordable. The product comes in 6 shades and I purchased Make a Statement and Colour Party. The shades aren't too pigmented. They come in baby pinks, nudes and plum. The.13oz tube is transparent and short. The applicator is also very short making application, in my opinion, easier. The formula is creamy and not very long lasting. I believe essence should be marketing these products as lipgloss and not lipsticks. I wasn't too excited about this product, even though I do enjoy a lot of other essence products. This one just didn't excite me. I won't be repurchasing this product. Due to the sheer colour of these lipsticks,I ended up giving them to my daughter as they really are more of a gloss based product. 

I always want to be transparent with my readers so I will tell you that I have gone back and repurchased Anastasia Beverly Hill, Pure Hollywood and Stila, Stay All Day liquid Lipstick in Caramel. I think these brands make the best higher end liquid lip stains. I thoroughly enjoy these lip stains and will be doing a review on them shortly.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

REVIEW - M.A.C STUDIO WATERWEIGHT SPF 30 FOUNDATION







Last month I was searching for a light to medium coverage foundation that can be worn everyday. I don't usually wear foundation everyday but when I decide to its the MAC Pro LongWear. Lately I'm finding it too heavy and the effort it takes to properly blend this foundation out is too much work for a busy woman on the go,go,go,....you get the idea! I popped into a MAC store one afternoon and the MAC girl raved about the Studio Waterweight foundation.I had never heard of it before so I was curious to try it out and see for myself what the hype was about.I purchased it in the shades NC40 and NC42, just in case.I've been wearing it for 3 weeks (almost) everyday now and I've fallen in love with this foundation.

The foundation is encapsulated in a glass bottle with a dropper to easily dispense the right amount of product right onto my Sigma flat kabuki brush. Genius! It has an ultra-fluid, thin, serum-like consistency. Upon application it felt very silky on my face, not cakey at all. I noticed right away that it blurred out my "freckles" ( OK sunspots) on my temple. This impressed me as I was really considering getting these spots lasered off! The finish is neither matte nor dewy. After one application it has a very natural finish, almost satin/sheen like. At two applications it's a full medium coverage foundation. I've only been applying one even coat and I'm really happy with the amount of coverage I'm getting. As I've mentioned before, I have very dry skin in the winter and I felt this foundation didn't dry up my skin.I can't say it hydrated it either, but it does a good job of not drying it up further.I love the idea that the watertight foundation has SPF 30 in the formula. As well the MAC girl gushed over the fact that it's full of antioxidants(to help repair damaged skin). This can be used on all skin types including acne prone skin. It's water based and should not cause irritation to the skin. 

Overall, I'm giving the Studio Waterweight foundation a thumbs up. If you're in the market for a light - medium foundation, definitely try it out and let me know what you think :)









Sunday, January 3, 2016

ESSENTIAL DAY+ NIGHT LIP CARE

 
(Source Google Image)
We have a hair care routine, feet care routine, and skin care routine (day+night) but how many of us have a lip care routine? In the Winter months your lips will take a lot of abuse because they lack natural protection. Your lips don't have any oils for sweat glands needed for protection from the cold and wind.They can become chapped, blistered, and sometimes even bleed from wind burn, Ouch! Let's show our lips some TLC this winter by following this routine. 

Start off by exfoliating your lips to get rid of all the dry skin that builds up over time. As you know I'm a DIY beauty concoction enthusiast( does that even make sense?) so of course I have a basic but effective lip scrub recipe to share with you:

LIP EXFOLIATING SCRUB

2 TBS Brown or White Sugar
1 TBS Organic Coconut or Almond Oil (I prefer Coconut)
1 TBS Organic Honey or Maple Syrup

Mix the sugar and coconut oil in a small bowl. Ensure they are mixed well as this will become the base of the scrub.Combine the honey or maple syrup to the bowl and mix well. Transfer the scrub into a small jar( a baby food jar will do). The lip scrub can be used 2-3 times a week and should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

After all the dead skin cells have been scrubbed off, you need to add some hydration back to your lips as they may feel a bit "parched". In the daytime you should use a lip balm that has at least SPF 20. I recently started to use Jack Black intense therapy lip balm with SPF 25 and I really like it. Maybelline Baby lips SPF 20 is also a really good product to use. 

In the night time I HIGHLY recommend using a product that will help your lips heal from the day's stress. I just started to incorporate a lip balm into my night time routine (by now my night time routine ends as the sun is rising...beauty is work!). On a recommendation from a dermatologist I started using Sally Hansen overnight lip recovery balm. The company states that " this product will revitalise and repair your lips as you sleep". It helps combat night time water loss so your lips stay super hydrated and plumped in the morning. I have to say I'm really happy with the Sally Hansen lip balm. It has surpassed my expectations as my lips in the morning not only feel super hydrated and smooth, but I noticed my lips are a brighter pink than usual. This may be because they are really hydrated. I love it and I'll definitely continue to add this balm into my routine.

If you wear lipstick during the day, you can still ensure your lips stay hydrated and smooth by using a moisturizing lipstick. A drugstore brand I really like is Rimmel London Moisture renew  is Estèe Lauder long lasting lipstick.

I hope you take my advice and add a day+night lip care routine, your lips will thank you in the morning :)


Maha 
xoxo



 
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