Review: E.L.F Studio Lip Balms SPF 15!

Color + Moisture!

I recently remembered that I had these E.L.F Studio Lip Balms in my little haul bin and I never used them! That is horrible... haha. But when I order from E.L.F I always order a bunch of things because its so affordable! So some products get used more often than others but whats important is that I finally got around to it! ;-) Lets take these babies out of their packaging!

Alright, that's better! So these come in a total of 5 shades, I passed on the clear one so I have all the ones with a tint to review. They retail for $3 so the price is amazing, specially when they're on sale. I'm liking this packaging, its very sleek but from experience they scratch up easily. I have some of the lipsticks from the studio line that has the same packaging and it looks like it was attacked by a cat! haha but... it's what in the inside that counts. So the actual product is amazing! They have a minty scent which is great because they are very soothing on the lips. Instantly they moisturize your lips but you need to keep reapplying throughout the day to maintain that feeling. I don't mind that, besides... since they are tinted I would be doing so anyways just to keep the color look fresh. The fact that they have SPF is also amazing! This is great for these spring/summer days to keep your lips protected.

I didn't expect these to be super pigmented but I was pleasantly surprised! For being a balm these pack a punch. The colors are gorgeous! Here are the swatches:

*Rose- a beautiful rose-red!

*Nude- a nice nude with brown tones, looks amazing on!

*Pink- a baby pink, perfect for the spring!

*Peach- a peachy coral... my favorite! Love it!

Bottom line: These balms are a must have for this time of year! Even when you're not wearing makeup you can just pop one of these on and protect your lips from the sun. They're really creamy and the shades are super pretty. You can find these on the Eyes Lips Face website or you can checkout your local Walmart & Target! For the price you'll be tempted to pick up every color like I did! ;-)

Review: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette!

Simply Delightful!

I finally got my hands on the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette! Wohoo! (*jumps for joy!*) I was going back and forth about it in my mind but I finally decided to go for it after I found out HSN had a great deal going on! Nouveau Cheap posted the deal on her blog so instead of paying $49 I got it for only $29 + free shipping! I couldn't pass that up and I'm so happy I purchased  it because I love it!

So the box is meant to be the candy bar wrapper and the palette is in the shape of a chocolate bar... how cute is that?! The packaging is gorgeous! As soon as you open the palette you're hit with a sweet cocoa powder scent that's so yummy. There's a total of 16 shadows, a mix of mattes and shimmers that are infused with actual cocoa powder. It has a nice sized mirror too so its a great palette for travel, specially now that the palette is slimmer. This palette is all around unique!  Here's what the shadows look like:

All these shadows are rich in pigment and buttery smooth. I'm amazed at how little product you need to achieve a look! The highlight shades are bigger than the rest which is genius since you tend to use those the most; they double up as an all over the lid color. My favorite thing about this palette is the color selection. It has a great mix of neutrals but also some great plums for a pop of color. Lucky me those colors bring out brown eyes! ;-) I decided to swatch the palette right down the middle so here's the first half:

*Gilded Ganache- a dark brown with olive-gold shimmer.

*White Chocolate- a creamy beige with a matte finish, great highlight shade!

*Salted Caramel- a warm orange toned brown with a matte finish, one of my favorite blending shades of the palette!

*Marzipan- a peachy gold shade with a metallic finish, great inner corner highlight.

*Semi-Sweet- a medium brown with red tones and a matte finish. It's not as pigmented as the rest but still a pretty shade to darken up your eye look.

*Hazelnut- a medium golden brown with a slight sheen, really pretty!

*Crème Brulee- a dark gold with a metallic finish, my favorite to wear all over the lid!

*Haute Chocolate- a bronze brown with a golden sheen, another great shade to darken up your looks!

This side of the palette is more on the neutral side so now lets take a look at the other side that has the pops of colors:

*Milk Chocolate- a medium brown with a matte finish, a great color to wear in your crease or to blend out your shadows!

*Black Forest Truffle- a burgundy brown with a gold and red shimmer, a really gorgeous shade! I would love to do a smokey eye with this one.

*Triple Fudge- a dark brown with a matte finish, it doesn't swatch too dark but its a buildable color when you use it.

*Strawberry Bon Bon- a cool toned light pink with a matte finish, its the curve ball color of the palette in my opinion haha. It's a nice pop of color!

*Candied Violet- a medium violet color with a multi-color shimmer, another unique color that looks awesome paired with the browns!

*Amaretto- a bronze- copper brown with a reddish metallic finish, another one of my favorites to place on the outer third of my lid! This one has awesome color payoff and is silky smooth.

*Cherry Cordial- a red-plum brown matte shade with a multi-color micro glitters, when swatched and on the eyes you don't notice the glitters at all. 

*Champagne Truffle- a creamy white base with pink tones and a golden metallic finish, this color has a lot of dimension and would also make a great highlight!

Here's a look that I came up with:



Bottom line: This palette is a must have! I'm currently rotating this and the Kat Von D Monarch palette, they are both pretty much amazing! Make sure to check out that review if you're interested in that palette. This one is really versatile and even though its a neutral palette it's completely different from the ones that have been out in the market for while. All these colors are all warm... like a cup of hot cocoa! OMG... that chocolate scent got to me! This palette is good enough to eat! haha. I recommend this palette in a heartbeat, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for deal! :-) 

Review: Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains!

Gloss + Stains!

Revlon is my go to brand for lippies from the drugstore so when these new Moisture Stains released I was super excited! I came across the display at CVS and they were $9.99 each... pretty pricey but understandable for a new release. They had many shades to choose from but they all seemed to be in the same color family. You'll find lots of reds, berries and pinks in this line for the most part. I purchased two shades (for now! haha) and here are my thoughts!

First off, the packaging is really different! When I think of these "gloss stains" I think of the Maybelline Elixirs and the L'Oreal Extraordinaire which have a more rounded packaging. These are sleek and squared off which makes it look more expensive than it really is! Here's what the applicator looks like:

The applicator provides a smooth application and some precision too. The formula is more of a pigmented gloss when you first apply it. It takes a few swipes to build up the color and to make sure it looks even but once its on it looks amazing! The glossy finish lasts about 3 hours without eating or drinking. Once the glossy finish diminishes you're left with a nice stain. Now... the stain is not going to be as bright as the tube but its definitely noticeable. Once you start reapplying you'll notice that you end up using less product each time since the stain acts more like a base. I was pleasantly surprised by these and I really like them! Here are the swatches:

*Barcelona Nights- a bright magenta, a gorgeous color!

*Parisian Passion- a deeper berry color. This one would look gorgeous during the fall/winter time. Kinda reminds me of a liquid form of Mac's Rebel!

Here are the lip swatches! This is with just one swipe around the lips so you can tell that it would take a few more swipes to build up the color. The formula is on the thinner side and non sticky so you won't have any issues trying to build up the color.

They are really moisturizing so the name fits them perfectly! Even when the gloss fades the stain doesn't leave my lips feeling dry so overall these are great! I couldn't find any claims on these, Revlon doesn't have any information up on their site yet. So based on my personal experience these are lovely. They kinda feel like a combination of the pigmentation of the L'Oreal Extraordinaires with the hydrating aspects of the Maybelline Elixirs.

 

Bottom line: As far as liquid stains go these are pretty good! I would recommend these if you're looking for a smooth pigmented gloss with decent staining capabilities. The price is kinda high for me though so I won't be purchasing anymore until they're on sale haha. I'm curious to try out some of the lighter shades for the summer time. I'll be keeping an eye on those! ;-)

 

Have you tried these yet? If so, what are your favorite colors? Leave a comment down below to see which one I should try next!