theBalm Cosmetics: Smoke Balm Smokey Eye Palette

Swatches & Review

After seeing theBalm's new eyeshadow palettes on Kohls online, I waited for them to show up at the retail locations so that I can see them in person. My local Kohls was able to get them in this week so I went to Kohls as soon as I could. I do not know when the official release of these are supposed to be or if it is exclusive to Kohls because I have not seen it on theBalm's website. The Smoke Balm has two separate palettes, but they are only named by "Set One" & "Set Two". The one with the grey packaging is Set One, and the one with the green is Set Two. Each palette has three eyeshadow shades.

As always, the packaging for theBalm is super cute. In Set One, it says, "Warning: Men may stop drop and roll" & in Set Two, it says, "Warning: May cause shortness of breath in men." Totally theBalm-like. This is also packaged in cardboard packaging with the design on the sleeve exactly like the design on the product itself.

Set One: These were swatched with my fingers, but I will also have swatches with a brush later on as well.
Blaze: Black with silver glitter
Spark: Matte grey-taupe
Flame: Shimmery pearl

Set Two: These were also swatched with my fingers.
Kindle: Shimmery blackened-green
Glow: Matte light brown
Combust: Shimmery beige

Set One & Set Two applied with a brush with two swipes, except Flame & Combust, which only required one swipe.

When swatched using my fingers, both of the first two shades in each palette apply a bit patchy. The third shade in both palettes, the shimmery pearl & beige were very pigmented and a little goes a long way. However, the eyeshadows itself felt like most of theBalm's eyeshadows I have tried, which are smooth and buttery.

When swatched using a brush, the eyeshadows applied better, which was not as patchy as when I applied it with my fingers. The eyeshadows are very smooth, so it did kick up a bit of powder, which may lead to some fall-out, so tapping the brushes used with these are definitely recommended.

Overall, I feel like both of these are pretty similar to actually purchase both. These are perfect for a simple little palette for a smokey eye and each eyeshadow contains 0.12 oz of product, which is like twice the size of a full-size Urban Decay eyeshadow. I also like how it has different finishes in the three eyeshadows provided in each palette because there's a glittery one, a matte one, and a shimmery one. These retail for $12 and can be purchased online at Kohls(link)--non-affiliated & at Kohls with an extended beauty department.

What do you think about these Smoke Balm palettes? Do you prefer Set One, or Set Two?

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Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Intense Colour Balm: Viva Violet (300)

Swatches & Review

Other than Lady Marmalade, which I have reviewed yesterday, another shade I have picked up from Rimmel London's Color Rush Intense Colour Balm is Viva Violet. Like Lady Marmalade, I believe that this shade is also exclusive to the US as of now because I have not seen this shade on Rimmel's UK website.

The name of the product is labeled right under the "Colour Rush" part of the lip crayon itself.

For a product with the name "Violet" on it, it looks a lot more like a magenta to me.

When applied, it is not very violet-like, but magenta, which is similar to how it looks in the tube. Although the tube does show the color a bit darker, it applied lighter. Viva Violet applied very smoothly and evenly, and it did not emphasize the dry spots on my lips at all, which is different than Lady Marmalade. I also feel like Viva Violet is more pigmented than Lady Marmalade because it was not as translucent as it when applied. Because of the finish, it does transfer, however, I did not experience any bleeding from the times that I was trying it. Viva Violet was lightweight and moisturizing, which is nice because this felt like a balm consistency, but with a bunch of color. After a while of wearing it, I ate a huge bowl of Pho and even though the color itself did not look like it did when I first applied it, the color was still intense on my lips, but without the shiny finish. It left a even-looking stain on the lips, which was nice and I had to remove it with my Bobbi Brown eye & lip remover to get the product off. Like the previous review, this also has a vanilla scent to it. Overall, I definitely liked the formula on Viva Violet because it did not emphasize the dry spots on my lips and felt very comfortable, however, I do wish the color was more like the name.

What do you think about Viva Violet? Is it a shade you would wear?

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Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Intense Colour Balm: Lady Marmalade (620)

Swatches & Review

It's been a while, but Rimmel London has finally brought their line of Colour Rush Colour Balms to the United States! The Colour Rush balms are Rimmel's version of lip crayons. It totally seems like this is the year for lip crayons since many brands have them out for Spring, such as the ones from NYC & Wet n Wild. When I heard of its release of these in the US a week and a half ago, I went crazy looking everywhere for it pretty much every single day & I finally found them yesterday. It also seems like Rimmel London has also added some shades to the Colour Rush Intense Colour Balm line for stores in the US. One of the shades that I picked up is Lady Marmalade, which I believe is only released in the US for now.

The Colour Rush Colour Balms are packaged in the color that the lip color itself is supposed to be. The name of the product is right in the middle of the packaging, which I was not used to since it took me a while to find where the shade name was.

Lady Marmalade's color is exactly what it sounds like in the tube, which is a orange.

When applied, it looks more like a orange coral. I feel like this applied sheer, and even after a few swipes, it is still a bit translucent. This emphasized every bit of dry spot that I had on my lips so you would definitely need to exfoliate before applying Lady Marmalade. Although it emphasized dry spots, the product itself did not feel very drying on the lips. It feel creamy and lightweight on the lips, which made it comfortable, but since it has a shiny finish, it does transfer. There is a vanilla scent to the Colour Rush Balms, which smells like MAC lipsticks. I like it better than the Kate Moss and Show Off's line because I did not like the artificial fruity scent in those products. After wearing it for a few hours, it leaves a slight stain behind. Overall, I liked the feeling of the product on my lips since it was lightweight, but I wish it was a bit more opaque and did not emphasize the dry spots on my lips too much.

Since lip crayons are my weakness, products like these have been taking over for the new year & it is SO bad since I said I would spend less, but it was a major fail! Anyway, what do you think about the Colour Rush Colour Balms? Have you tried them yet? Are there shades that might interest you from this line?

I purchased mine from Walmart for $4.98 and it contains 0.095 oz of product.

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Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Color: Punta Cana

Swatches & Review

A few months ago, Cargo Cosmetics released a new line of lipsticks called the Essential Lip Color. There are twelve shades in this line and most of them are named after vacation spots, such as Punta Cana, Paris, Las Vegas, Napa, etc. One of the shades I purchased is Punta Cana because last summer, I was on a pink-lip craze.

The Essential Lip Colors packaging is really similar to Urban Decay's Revolution lipsticks, but it is all grey instead of gunmetal & purple. It is very slim and does not attract much fingerprints, so I like it.

Punta Cana is a hot pink/fuchsia, and it definitely packs a bunch of color when applied.

Punta Cana applied very smoothly and evenly. It was very pigmented because it only needed on swipe across the lips for it to be opaque. It was also very creamy, but it did not make the color uneven whenever the lips are pressed together. Because it is creamy, it did not emphasize much on dry patches on the lips, and was not very drying on the lips. Although it was very rich in color, it felt light on the lips. I did not experience any feathering with the product, but it did transfer because it has a shiny finish to it. After the shine wears off from eating/drinking, the color itself still stays on the lips. After about 6 hours to wear, I noticed that the color on my bottom lip faded a bit more than my upper lip, but the color was still very bright. To remove it, you would need a remover because it stains the lips if you just try wiping it off with a tissue. There is no scent or taste to the lipstick, which is good because I know many people do not like scents in their lipsticks. Overall, the formula for this was fantastic because it was lightweight without being sheer, and it applied very nicely and was pretty long-lasting to me.

The Cargo Cosmetics Essential Lip Colors retail for $22 and can be purchased at Ulta, Cargo Cosmetics Online, Kohls Beauty & Dermstore.

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NYC City Proof Twistable: Gramercy Park Plum (031)

Swatches & Review

For 2014, NYC has a new collection of lip products called the City Proof Twistables. I was super excited because I love lip products that come like a chubby stick/lip crayon. When I first saw the display, I grabbed a bunch, but I ended up only purchasing two of them since they are supposed to be permanent so I am in no rush to get it. One of the colors I purchased was Gramercy Park Plum.

The plastic packaging of these have colors that coordinate with the shade itself. Like the name of this, these are twistable so no sharpening is required.

The product itself is shrink-wrapped, so you would definitely be able to tell if the item has been opened or not before buying it.

When applied, the color is pretty true to color to how it looks like in the tube. After I purchased this, I realized it was a bit brighter than when I saw it in the store because of the lighting, but it is a nice pink berry, but not very plum-my to me. This was very pigmented & applied smoothly and evenly. It is kind of glossy, so the product does transfer. I also noticed that there was slight feathering around my lips after a few hours of wearing it, so I would recommend using a clear liner with it. There is also a sweet scent with this, which really reminds me of Rimmel London's Kate Moss lipsticks that come int he black tubes. I'm not really a fan of the scent, but it does fade away after applying. This wore for about four hours on me and it faded into a slight even stain on my lips. I still have one more to try that I haven't yet, but I do like how pigmented these are.

The suggested retail price of this is $2.99, but this retails for $3.99 at all locations for me and has 0.07 oz of product. I purchased mine at K-Mart, but these can also be found at CVS and Rite Aid locations.

What do you think about jumbo lip pencils/chubby sticks? Which is your favorite brand for lip crayons like these?

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Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain Lip Colour: Lady and the Vamp (124), Red-Dy or Not (125), Rico Mauve (126)

Swatches & Review

It's 2014!!! I hope everyone had an amazing ending to 2013, and a fabulous start to 2014! :)

For Spring 2014, Wet n Wild have a new line added to their lip products called the Megaslicks Balm Stain Moisturizing Lip Colour. There are six shades in this line, but I have purchased three to test out. The Megaslicks Balm Stain are basically like Revlon's Balm Stains or Clinique's Chubby Sticks, where the product twists up and down with no sharpening needed.

From left to right: Rico Mauve, Red-Dy or Not, Lady and the Vamp

Like almost all Wet n Wild lip products, these are shrink-wrapped so you would be able to tell if it has been opened in the stores or not. The shrink wrap was actually really hard for me to take off, so maybe it will prevent some people from trying to open them without purchasing.

Rico Mauve: Pink-ish mauve. This was pigmented, applied smoothly & evenly. It left a nice pink stain behind.

Red-Dy Or Not: Bright classic red. This also applied smoothly & evently. This left a nice light red stain behind.

Lady and the Vamp: Brownish-berry. It was a bit sheer so I had to build the color up and applied kind of streaky. This also settled into lip lines, but it is not very noticeable unless it is upclose. This left a bright pink stain behind.

When I first smelled it, I didn't smell any scent, but if you really sniff it, you will smell a very very faint minty scent. It tingles a bit on the lips, nothing major, and it was comfortable to wear because it really felt like a balm. They all had a glossy finish, but it did not bleed/feather. However, it does transfer since it is glossy. They wore for about three hours and once the product itself is off the lips, an even colored stain is left behind so it looks like there's still lip color on the lips. For $2.99, these were actually really good. I'm definitely hoping that Wet n Wild will come out with more colors for this line!

These retail for $2.99 and contains 0.10 oz of product. Each of them had a $1 peel off sticker, which made them $1.99 when I purchased it.

What do you think about these Wet n Wild Balm Stains? Have you tried any of them yet?

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Maybelline ColorSensational The Buffs: Maple Kiss (925)

Swatches & Review

Maple Kiss is one of the ten shades from Maybelline's new ColorSensational The Buffs collection. Maple Kiss is supposed to be one of the lighter shades, but it has more color than the usual "nude" lipstick, which makes it very wearable to many skintones.

From the tube, the lipstick looks like it has a shimmer in it. The color from the tube really makes me think of maple syrup!

When swatched on my lips, it looks kind of like a copper shade, which I actually like. The shimmer does not show up once applied either.

Like the last shade I reviewed, Maple Kiss applied evenly & smooth. The formula of this was not very slippery, so I did not see any unevenness on my lips. Since the finish of these are kind of glossy, this does transfer, but it does last a while on the lips. Like all of the Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks, this has a sweet honey scent to it, but the scent fades quickly after applying. I would not really call this a "nude", but it definitely is a lip color that is easy to wear.

What do you think about Maple Kiss? Which color from the three that I have reviewed do you prefer?

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Maybelline ColorSensational The Buffs: Touchable Taupe (940)

Swatches & Review

The other day, I reviewed Untainted Spice from Maybelline's ColorSensational The Buffs collection and today, I have Touchable Taupe for you! Touchable Taupe is one of the lightest shades from the four that I purchased, but there are definitely ones lighter from the display that I did not purchase.

Like the name, this applied like a taupe, but not one that is too light for me. It ended up being a nude that I can wear that is not too light or too dark for me.

Touchable Taupe applied very creamy & evenly. I did not see my natural lip color with two swipes and that's pretty good since nudes sometimes end up applying unevenly, which normally does not look too natural for me. Before trying it, I was kind of worried that Touchable Taupe might be a bit light for me, but it turned out to me my favorite so far, and it might be one of the favorite nudes that I own. Like all of the Maybelline ColorSensational lipsticks, this has a sweet honey scent to it, but the scent fades quickly after applying. I felt like this was moisturizing, but after about three hours, it started fading, but I'm not surprised since it was so creamy and it is a nude, so you would need to re-apply it after eating or drinking. I would actually buy a back-up of this because I feel like this would be a nice everyday color for me and it is not often that I am able to find a nude that works for me.

What do you think about Touchable Taupe? Have you seen the shades offered in The Buffs collection? What color do you think will suit you best?

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It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Matte Luxe Eyeshadow Palette

Swatches & Review

Since matte eyeshadows are my favorite finish, I had to purchase It Cosmetic's Matte eyeshadow palette. I purchased this when they had their 25% off friends & family sale and finally got around to trying it. The Naturally Pretty Matte Luxe Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 1 comes with fifteen shades. Fourteen of the shades are supposed to be matte and one of them is a transforming pearl shade, which you can layer over the matte shades for a pearl finish, or used alone.

The palette itself is packaged in a pink soft suede-like cover on the outside, and the inside is a reflective gold, which I actually do not like because the gold looks a bit tacky and the cover would easily get dirty and it would be hard to clean.

The format of it reminds me of LORAC's Pro Palette with 8 eyeshadows on the top, but the bottom of this palette has the Transforming Pearl shade that takes up two eyeshadow spaces.

First Row:

Sheer Joy: Pink-ish white with a slight sheen.
Soft Light: Matte light taupe
Warmth: Matte light/medium warm brown
Soulful: Light copper with a slight sheen
Mocha: Brown with a slight sheen
Violet: Demi-matte lavender
Midnight: Matte navy blue
Noir: Matte black, but chalky

With the Transforming Pearl over the eyeshadows:

Second Row:

Love: Champaign w/ a slight sheen
Sunrise: Copper with a slight sheen
Sunset: Reddish-orange with a slight sheen
All Heart: Pink-ish brown
Java: Matte dark brown. This applied chalky and was a bit dry
Iconic: Matte grey. This was also chalky and a bit dry
Transforming Pearl: Sheer white with a pearl finish

With the Transforming Pearl over the eyeshadows:

Although the matte is supposed to be a matte palette, some shades were not fully matte, but had a slight sheen to them. Most of the shades were buttery and applied smoothly, but I feel like some of the true matte shades applied pretty chalky because they were a bit dry (Noir, Java & Iconic). There is a bit of fall out with the eyeshadows because they were either too soft, or a bit powdery so I would recommend tapping your brush before applying. I just wish all of the shades were really matte instead of having a slight sheen to them.
When layered with the transforming pearl, the colors do lighten a bit, but the concept is pretty nice.

Even though this is not about the palette, I would like to say that they have amazing customer service. When I purchased this, they had a guaranteed delivery within 7 business days. Since I had free shipping, it was supposed to be delivered with standard ground shipping, but because they were backed up in processing, they upgraded my shipping to next-day air so I would get the palette within the time-frame free of charge. They were quick to respond to messages via e-mail and were super helpful, which is definitely a good thing about the company.

This palette retails for $42 and can be purchased from itcosmetics online (non-affiliated link) & Ulta locations that carry the brand.

What do you think about this palette? Do you like matte finish eyeshadows, or do you prefer other finishes?

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EM Cosmetics Creamy Color Matte Lipstick: Passion Berries

Swatches & Review

When EM Cosmetics had a 30% off promotion with Ipsy, I purchased Passion Berries because I have been wanting to try their lip products, but did not want to pay full-price. From the website itself, I purchased it because I thought it would be more of a deep purple berry color, but once it arrived, the shade was definitely lighter than I thought it was.

The lipsticks come in a glossy black & white box.

The lipstick itself is a bit more red than the purple berry color it shows on the website.

Swatched, Passion Berries is a pink-red berry. I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping it would be more of a purple-berry, but the color itself is not too bad. This definitely is not the most unique color though. For a matte lipstick, I found that it was pretty creamy and not too drying, but it definitely does emphasize dry spots on your lips so you would definitely need to exfoliate before using this. Because it is matte, it does not transfer a lot and it stays on the lips for a while. After about four hours of wear, I found that this started bleeding so I would recommend using a lip liner with this also. After removing, the color still stayed on my lip lines and it was super hard to get it off, so it was not very flattering because the stain lasted about a day and it wouldn't even come off when I exfoliated. This was a nice color, but not enough for me to actually want to pay full-price for this.

The EM Cosmetic's lipsticks retail for $16.50 and can be purchased from emcosmetics (non-affiliated link).

What do you think about EM Cosmetic's Michelle Phan's line? Have you tried anything from them? Is there anything you would like to try?

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