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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Wet n Wild Fergie BB Cream: Medium/Deep

Swatches & Review

Since I thought Wet n Wild's Coverall Foundation was a decent drugstore foundation that is super cheap, I decided to try their new BB Cream from the Fergie line. Unlike other BB Creams offered in the US, there are five shades in this line so I was able to find one that would fit my skintone better. I purchased this in Medium/Deep & I am NC 30 - NC 35 in MAC and 123 in MUFE foundations. This is supposed to be a 8 in 1 product, which is supposed to hydrate, brighten, prime, conceal, smooth, oil-control, even tone & have SPF 15.

The packaging of the BB Cream is similar to Wet n Wild's Coverall Foundation, and contains 1 fl. oz. of product.

The tube that dispenses the product is smaller when compared to the Coverall foundation, however, they are not sealed like the foundation is.

You can see that the opening for the BB Cream is smaller than the foundation so it is easier to control the amount of product that comes out.

With my bare face, you can see my uneven skintone because my forehead is darker than the rest of my face and I have uneven rosy cheeks. After applying the BB Cream, it evened out my skintone. The coverage for the BB Cream is light to medium.

Okay so I would like to say that this product smells terrible. The scent was not too strong when I smelled it from the tube and when I smelled it from the product I placed on my hand because it just smelled like foundation, but once applied to my face, the odor was strong and pretty much stayed on my face the whole time I had the product on.

Compared to BB Creams I have tried from Korean brands, this feels more like a tinted moisturizer than a BB Cream, and I'm not surprised since most brands that have "BB Creams" are more like tinted moisturizers. The BB Creams I have (Etude House, Missha, Lioele) all have an SPF of 30 and over and this is only 15. This felt light on the face and the consistency was thin, whereas BB Creams are lightweight, but thick and creamy. Although this "BB Cream" claims to have oil-control, I was pretty shiny after applying this and even after using powder, I quickly became oily again so I would say that there is no oil-control on this at all, and the skin area around my lips dried and were flaky after wearing this, which is weird because this does not usually happen to me and this claimed to be hydrating, which it is also not, so wearing this made my skin greasy and dry at the same time? Sorry Wet n Wild, but I do not like this "BB Cream". I would rather stick to using the Coverall Foundation because it is cheaper, does not have a super strong odor, and it has a bit more coverage. The Wet n Wild Fergie BB Cream retails for $5.62 and can be purchased at Walmart locations that carry Wet n Wild.

What do you think about BB Creams? Have you tried one you really liked?

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IMAN Cosmetics Lip Affair Lip Kit

Swatches & Review

For Fall, IMAN Cosmetics came out with a small lip palette to introduce new shades to their lipstick line coming in 2014. The IMAN Lip Affair Lip Kit is a fun little kit because it has bright, bold colors that will suit many skin-tones instead of a neutral, which is harder to use with different skin-tones.

The Lip Affair Kit is packaged in a small black plastic case. Inside of it, there are five lipstick shades. When I first saw this online, I immediately thought of Inglot's Colour Play lip pans, but these are a lot smaller. There is about 0.03 oz of product in each color. There is a lip brush included in this kit, but mine was very stiff and it smelled really bad so I did not use the lip brush provided.

Kinky Pink: Pink red. This was pretty sheer when I applied it with a lip brush.

Flirtatious: Light fuchsia pink. This was more pigmented when compared to Kinky Pink, but it took a few layers to get it like the shade in the pan.

Taboo: Purple. Although it looks like it has shimmer in the pan, the shimmer is not noticeable at all once it is on the lips. This was pigmented and creamy.

Scandalous: Red. This was one of the most pigmented shade in the palette.

Hot: Orange. This was also pigmented like Scandalous.

Pictures of four of the five shades on me. I tried these on when I did not have makeup on, so excuse the uneven skin-tone on my bare face. When I have foundation on, I am around NC 30 - 35 in MAC and 123 in MUFE if that helps!

Overall, I like that the lip colors in this palette has no scent or taste. I found that these shades apply a lot better when applied with your finger (and it stains your finger too), but I prefer using a lip brush. When using a lip brush, the color applies sheerer than when you would apply it with your fingers so it may require a bit more layers. These feel lightweight and comfortable on the lips. I did not see any feathering around the lips when tested without lip liner however, they do transfer easily since it is more of a glossy finish. Even though it requires more layers when used with a lip brush, this palette retails for $5, yes, FIVE DOLLARS, which is not bad at all if you want to try some bold shades to experiment with them, and there are five of them so you can see which shades you like the most when you are actually ready to buy a full tube of lipstick.

This is available now, but it is currently out of stock. However, it does pop in and out of stock on target.com once in a while, but drugstore.com has taken down its listing for it. From what I have heard, this palette should be released around November in stores such as Walgreens and Target locations who carry IMAN Cosmetics.

What do you think about this palette? Would you be picking it up for $5 if you are able to find it in your area?

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Maybelline Dr. Rescue Baby Lips: Berry Soft

Swatches & Review


When NouveauCheap mentioned the new Maybelline Dr. Rescue Baby Lips a few months ago, I was on the lookout for them. About a week and a half ago, my boyfriend found them & helped me pick some up. One of the shades he picked up was Berry Soft, which is the first shade I tried out of the two he picked out. These are different from the regular line of baby lips because these are supposed to be medicated with eucalyptus, menthol, & alcohol.

The Dr. Rescue baby lips are all packaged in white with different word colorings depending on the shade, but the "Baby Lips" is not labeled right onto the tube like their regular ones because it actually peels out for ingredients. It makes it feel kind of cheap &it feels like it would be ugly if it just came off.

From the tube, the color looks like a pink berry.

For the top picture, I am wearing Berry Soft on the top lip and just regular lip balm on the bottom lip to show pigmentation. The bottom picture with Berry Soft on both my lips. The color shows up a bit & is noticeable, but is pretty sheer.

Although it looked more pink from the tube, it looks like a pink-lavender to me when swatched.

What I first noticed from the Dr. Rescue baby lips is that they do not smell sweet like the regular ones. They have a very faint minty smell, but it also smells kind of bitter, which was not nice at all. It had a slight tingly feeling & a cooling sensation, which I liked because I like it whenever I wear lip balms & they are cooling (like Carmex). However, when I tried it on, I did not like the way it sat on my lips because it just felt greasy whenever I rubbed my lips against each other. After wearing it for about an hour, it did not feel moisturizing at all. Instead of moisturizing, it felt like something on my lips that was just sitting there waiting for me to wipe it off, kind of like the feeling after eating some chow mien from Panda Express on the lips just waiting to be wiped off with a napkin. Once I wiped it off, it was fully gone. No stain left behind & no moisturizing feeling at all! I was super disappointed with this because I was hoping it would be more moisturizing than the regular ones since they are supposedly "medicated". I would not recommend these & I am thinking about having my boyfriend return the other one he purchased for me because for about $3.50, I would rather buy 2 Carmex lip balms instead of having these do nothing for my lips. Skip!

Have you tried the new Dr. Rescue Baby Lips? What are your thoughts?

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Wet n Wild Beauty Army: Enlisting for Beauty Palette

Swatches & Review

Wet n Wild's newest release is their Fall Beauty Army collection. The collection consists of four packs of their Coloricon Eyeshadow Trios along with their Mega Protein Mascara. Although there were four different palettes to purchase, I only purchased the trio with all brown eyeshadows called Enlisting for Beauty.

The trios are in the same format as the ones from the permanent line with the browbone color on top, crease in the middle, and eyelid on the bottom.

All of the eyeshadows have been swatched on top of Too Faced's Shadow Insurance
Browbone: Matte creamy light brown. This was kind of chalky, but the pigmentation is build-able.
Crease: Dark brown with subtle shimmer. The shimmer is not too noticeable so the crease color looks kind of matte. This was smooth and very pigmented. Because it is smooth, there is slight fall out with this.
Eyelid: Shimmery taupe. This was also smooth and pigmented, but with a bit of fall out.

After trying their Pop Art Craze trios, I was kind of underwhelmed because I felt that the shades from the Pop Art Craze collection were not as good as how they are normally, but after trying this, I am definitely loving Wet n Wild again. The eyeshadows in these were a lot better than the ones I have tried from Pop Art Craze because they are not sheer and super chalky. This palette is a good palette for everyday use because the colors go together very nicely. Although the browbone shade is kind of chalky, it is still better than others that I have tried from them before.

I purchased this at K-mart for $2.99 & I hear NouveauCheap is going to put up a sightings map for these so keep a lookout on her blog!

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Milani Cosmetics Coming Up Roses Blush: Romantic Rose

Swatches & Review

Milani's Coming Up Roses Powder Blush in Romantic Rose is the last one that I have purchased from this collection because I did not buy Warm Petals. Like all the blushes in this collection, Romantic Rose is shaped like a rose.

I feel like when I place this blush with the other two (on my instagram), it looks like it is more mauve-y, but when it is on its own, it looks like a rose-y pink.

Like Flora Passion, I feel like this applied way better than Bella Rosa did. Romantic Rose is smooth & not dry, but I feel like when using a brush, it required a bit more layers than Flora Passion. On my swatch, I used two swipes with my finger and about four swipes with my blush brush. On my arms, it looks like a dusty rose pink with a matte finish.

From trying the three blushes, I think the only one I would recommend is Flora Passion (if you really want it for the packaging & want to use it once in a while). This is also nice because it will give a nice flush, but I do not like using too many layers of blush on my cheeks because my cheeks end up looking very dry. If you do not mind using more than two layers to build up the color, this would be nice as well, but I feel like this collection isn't something you would really need. I had high hopes for these blushes because I have had many positive experiences with Milani blushes (baked & their discontinued mineral powder blushes), which is mainly why I am disappointed, but if you are not comparing these to their other items, you might end up liking it just because everyone has different preferences.

These are sold out on Milani's website (which retailed for $7.99) & the price may vary depending on location and store. I purchased this for $6.99 at Walgreens, but I have seen others and an empty display at my local CVS selling these for $9.49.

Have you found these blushes in your area yet? Are you planning to buying some to try?

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Milani Cosmetics Coming Up Roses Blush: Flora Passion

Swatches & Review

A few days ago, I have reviewed another blush from the same limited edition collection from Milani Cosmetics called Bella Rosa (link). Today, I will be reviewing the second shade out of the three that I have purchased, which is Flora Passion.

All of the blushes in the Coming Up Roses Powder Blush collection are shaped like a rose, which is super pretty.

Flora Passion is a pinkish-coral shade.

On the right with the black borders, the blush was applied with a brush with two swipes. The left swatch is swatched with a finger with one swipe.

If you have read my review of Bella Rosa, I was super disappointed with that one because it was impossible for it to show up with using a brush and without having to scrap the item off the pan. Flora Passion definitely applied way better than Bella Rosa, but it still is not too pigmented. Flora Passion is a pink-coral with a matte finish. With a brush, the color of the blush shows very lightly, but it is build-able because the brush is able to actually pick up the product with this. I also noticed that it kicked up quite a bit of powder when using a brush, so it is better to tap the brush before applying it.

The color of Flora Passion is very pretty, and subtle enough for everyday wear. I like this better than Bella Rosa, but I wish this was still a bit pigmented. I am very happy that this was smoother than Bella Rosa, which was very dry. If you are looking for a subtle blush for everyday wear, this would be nice, but I prefer my blushes to be a bit more pigmented. I'm not super disappointed in this like the first one I have tried, but I'm still kind of disappointed since I had high hopes for these.

The price may vary depending on location and store. I purchased this for $6.99 at Walgreens, but I have seen others and an empty display at my local CVS selling these for $9.49.

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Milani Cosmetics Coming Up Roses Blush: Bella Rosa

Swatches & Review

Like all limited edition drugstore cosmetics, I always have a hell of a time finding them. I spent hours making calls to all the drugstores within 25 miles of me and they all said they did not have it, or was sold out. Although one of the stores told me they did not carry Milani, I went anyway to purchase another item & what do you know.. I found the new Milani Coming Up Roses Powder Blushes! Luckily, they had one of each left for the ones that I wanted, and three of Warm Petals, which is the only shade I did not get. The first shade I immediately tried after I got home was Bella Rosa.

The limited edition Coming Up Roses blushes are packaged in Milani's regular plastic packaging with some gold on it. These are shrink-wrapped on the side so you would definitely know if someone has previously opened it.

The blush itself is shaped like a rose, which is gorgeous! It definitely looked way too pretty to use, but what is the point of buying something without using it, right? haha.

Bella Rosa is a cool toned pink with a matte finish.

Okay, so lets start off by saying I absolutely hated the color payoff of these. In the borders on the swatch image, I applied the blush using four swipes & it pretty much did not show at all! In person, I was able to see a very very faint hint of pink, but it was basically nothing. For the hard swatch (which was done by finger), it took a while for my finger to get a bit of color onto it to be able to swatch it. I basically had to rub it down super hard and scrape it a bit to get any color off of it because the blush from the pan was so dry. It did not apply that nice because it was not pigmented, and powdery.

I also tried it on my cheeks, which took a lot of effort because no matter what brush I tried, the blush would barely get onto it. I ended up scraping some off the pan, swirling my brush over the powder and applied it. It actually did not come out too bad, but that effort to just get color to show up is definitely not good at all.

Overall, I am pretty disappointed with this blush. Although it looks super pretty in the pan, it is not worth the hassle to get the color to show. It was not pigmented at all, which is a shame because I love Milani's Baked Blushes and a lot of their other products that I have tried from them. I am definitely hoping the other two I purchased would be better than this.

The price may vary depending on location and store. I purchased this for $6.99 at Walgreens, but I have seen others and an empty display at my local CVS selling these for $9.49 (which is way overpriced).

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