Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in "Tutti-Frutti": Review and Swatches

I first tried Orange Lip color back in 2013, from my sister's lipstick stash! And I have been in love ever since! Even though some of the orange or coral colors can make teeth look a little yellow, nonetheless I love my Orange/Coral/Peach-y lip shades!

It already feels like summer here and if you are craving for some summery shades but still there is some hesitation, "Tutti Frutti" might be where you want to start! I bought Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in "Audacious" for my sister last year around spring, and I picked this particular lip butter for me. I thought this would be a perfect to take with me during my never ending work tours; just to add some color to my otherwise bare face!

The lip butter is pretty sleek with convenient color coordinated packaging. The actual tube is also thin and sleek. The cap has two quilted side; and it closes nice and tidy enough. I have travelled A LOT with it, and the cap has NEVER betrayed me :-) For a total of 0.09 oz. (2.55 g) it costs around $5.99 to $9.39 depending on the store. These lip butters can be found in almost all drugstores like Walmart, Walgreen, Target, Ulta, CVS, Rite Aid and on the Revlon website. The good thing is that there is always some kind of sale with Revlon products! But I do think that a full price of around $8-9 is a bit steep for colored lip butter. 

These are nicely pigmented; I mean as much as you can expect from lip butter! Revlon website describes the product as "Pamper your lips with a gel formula that provides super-charged hydration and glides on buttery smooth. In fact, 94% of women's lips felt were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated."  I find them easy-to-wear and very smooth on the lips. I actually love the feel and look for the first 2-3 hours. But as time goes by and I don't apply any other lip balm in between, this lip butter makes my lips chapped and dry which is exactly the opposite of what it is meant for. I do like the luscious and yet subtle look it gives me for the first few hours; but I don't think I will be interested in picking up another shade. I love Revlon's lip products, like the matte balms, super lustrous lipstick but this was a mild disappointment. I have very dry skin, so that might be the reason.  

Having said that, I have to be honest and state that, this has been one of the most used lip product in my giant stash, over the past few months. Mostly because I carry it with me for my work tours. It is easy to carry, gives me a little bit of color and I don't have to deal with the fear that I will destroy it while travelling.

Hope you guys had a lovely weekend....!!

Love,

~Arrru

NYX: The Natural Shadow Palette: Review and Swatches!!!

It was my first or second ever trip to Ulta! I needed to to use up a coupon (little did I know that these coupons are so addictive!) I saw this cute little palette from NYX at the end of an aisle. At that point I did not have any high-end palettes with me so I thought this will be my "perfect" little neutral palette!

Ok! So, fast forward 1.5 years and here is my review of this palette for you guys :-)

The Natural Palette has 6 neutral shades mostly leaning to the lighter side, with a total weight of 6 g/0.21 oz. You can find NYX in Ulta, Target, CVS or online at nyxcosmetics.com. NYX almost always has 50% BOGO offer. The regular price is around $ 7.50.

I love the packaging. Tiny, compact and sturdy enough! I dont expect a mirror at this price point. You can also see the smudge applicator which is still in its pristine form. :-) But overall, the packaging really makes it perfect for travel.

I have never tried NYX single eyeshadows but I have heard good things about it. And I have great experiences with their blushes! So, naturally I had high expectations from this too! But unfortunately, it was not at par with other NYX products I have tried.

The color range is kind of odd. I love the coffee color, the coral, as well as the taupe. But the rest looks and appears almost same. I have never tried using them without primer; honestly I don't think its worth trying :-) With MAC paint pot underneath, these shadows have wear time of around 6-7 hrs without a lot of creasing or losing the original intensity. Apart from the deepest shade, the rest of them has weak pigmentation. So it takes a few layers to build up the intensity. 

There are no color names..so I think I will just talk about them one after the other.

1. There is a matte cream/white shade. It appears almost white on my skintone. I use it for highlighting my browbone. I do use it when I am using this palette, so I guess it works fine for me. 

2. The gold flakes on beigey-yellow base is without doubt the worst shade in the pan. Very weak pigmentation and extreme fallout. I never wear it. But for this particular look, I tried using it and my under eye area looked horrible with all the fallout! The color did remain on the lid but there were no traces of the flakes after few hours! Very disappointing!

3. There is a lovely coral shade. Its matte! It's not highly pigmented so I love to use it to slightly warm up my crease.  

4. There is a beige shade with sheen. Not great pigmentation & nothing else to say about it. 

5. There is a very pretty taupe shade with sheen! I use it all over my lid. Not highly pigmented but because of that, I can wear it and still feel a bit pulled-together without looking like I am wearing makeup; even in working in a rugged electric substations!

6. My MOST favorite and MOST USED shade in this palette is a matte deep brown/coffee color and I love it! It has a very good pigmentation. Most of the days I use this to fill up my brows instead of spending my beloved and expensive Anastasia Brevely Hills Browwhiz. The pigmentation is good, yet not overly harsh. I can very easily use this on the outer-v or on the crease to deepen any look, without having to be careful about messing up the look. I get great use out of this shade and for me, because of that only, I think the palette was worth 7$.

NYX is a great brand from drugstore; its CRUELTY FREE, it's affordable and has a huge variety of shades in almost every product. I already have shared a million times that I work in a hardcore field environment and I travel a lot for that. I take this palette with me as there is not much risk or fear of damaging it. Even with low pigmentation for most of the shades, I can use it to lightly color my lids and if needed I can create a dark look too! So, for all these reason I think, even though it is not a GREAT product, for me, this has proven to be a justifiable purchase. If you are looking for similar products or if you are just starting out, this is may be a worth looking into. I will still suggest you to save some bucks and invest in a great high end palettes like Lorac Pro.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend... it will pass in a blink of an eye! :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Formula X for Sephora The Twenty Two ::: Review and Swatches!!!

You may already know that I am a big advocate of value sets and when Sephora dropped the price from original cost of $55 to $22, I knew I had to get it. (Please keep in mind I started this post long back in Fall, '14). Its a total of 22 mini (0.16 fl oz each) Sephora FormulaX nails. So there are a lot of colors to play around and after using it for 8-9 months now, I can confidently say that my $22 was well spent. The color range and finish type are versatile and I like that they are mini size. I have never finished a full size nail polish, have you? :-) On average, the performance was good. Apart from a very few, they were pigmented and easy to apply. They lasted 3-4 days on an average without chipping. A few of them have better staying power though!!

Colors: 6 of the polishes are described as 'color' which I assume are the normal finish for nail polishes. I love each one of these. The pastels are perfect for Spring and I wear the bright colors irrespective of the season. I find this group to perform consistently. All of them are pigmented, easy to apply without any streaks and have good staying power.

Glitters: There are 4 glitters, apart from one, the rest are same design but with different base. I wish they would have included different shapes of speckles into different shades; that would have been fun. Nonetheless, I like them! Its hard for me not to incorporate at least one of these whenever I paint my nails.

Mettalic: Back in the days, when I was not much interested in makeup and hardly had one or two nail polishes in my vanity, these were the type of colors I always picked. Love each one of these!

Neons: I think this group disappointed me. Look at the colors; so vibrant, so fresh and full-of-life but they are not at all pigmented. The energy and the colors in the the bottle do not seem to transform well to the nails; not at all! With the green and the yellow I need coats and coats to make it look neon-y! The purple however does not show up they way I would have wanted even after many coats.

Details

Bionic: It's a neon yellow and black different sizes of confetti on a clear base.
Meteroic: This one has really tiny colorful speckles with same kind of confetti in black and white.
Wham: Pure white with tiny strand and different sizes of confetti in white on a clear base.
Turbulent: Same as Meteroic, but nice sky blue in place of green. I think I love this one the most.
White Matter: Simple opaque white :-)
Dark Matter: Simple black and very clever and crisp nomenclature I must say.

Flashy: Bright true warm red. I can see an orange warm undertone to it. Its a very bold color.
Indelible: I love this shade of mid-tone purple. A very appropriate "Spring" shade. It goes on very smooth too!

Eureka: Very bright fuchsia color. I never liked pink girl-y colors before, but I am slowly becoming a fan. Equally nice for fingers and toes.

Omny: Very bright "true blue" color. Love it. Does not suit my tan hands that much but I still adore it.

Extraordinary: This is one of the nude shades. Very pastel-y kind of light grey shade. Love it. It will be perfect if your work in a very formal environment.

Unmistakable: Very pastel-y sea-foam green color. Goes on very very smooth.

Brazen: Baby pink color, goes on smooth and opaque. But it is too "barbie" for me, my hands ends up looking much more tan than it actually is.

Infatuated: This one and "Unmistakable" look a bit similar. But this one is true "baby blue" color. Very pastel-y and spring-y.

Thrilling: I love this color. Its not always easy to find a "true nude" nail polish for tan skin tone. I think this is the best I could find till now. Smooth as well.

Radioactive: Neon Lime Green. It's very thin in terms of consistency. I love the color during winter. But pigment-wise, I am very disappoint in it.

Haphazard: Very deep vibrant shade of purple. I had high hopes for this shade, but this is actually very sheer. I need at least 3-4 coats for the color to show up even and opaque. Most disappointing!!

Zap: Another non-performing in the bunch. It's neon yellow. I have heard that this color is very hard to manufacture. 

Vroom: This is my kind of color. :-) It's a taupe bronzy kind of color which makes my hand look very pretty. LOVE it.

Rocket Fuel: It looks like a duo chrome. I can see silver and pale emerald color. I have grown a fondness very this.

Racy: This might be my most favorite color. Its a light purple and metallic; right up my alley! :-) And it goes very smooth, among the metallic colors, this is the most hassle-free to use.

Need for Speed: Its a silver-y rosy gold color. But it looks a little more silver-y on my nails. Also very streaky when applied. It did not impressed me at all.

Like I said, the kit was released in early summer of last year. I know I am unforgivably late in reviewing it, but better late than never right? I am not sure if it is still available but if they release it again, and if you want to build up your nail inventory than this might be a good option. And if they offer sale price, than I would say go for it. :-) Plus, a lot of these colors are in their permanent line. Overall, FormulaX nail polishes are really nice :-)

Love
~Arrru

#redmylips

Supporting because the issue is important and is close to my heart. Growing up in a controlled orthodox type of environment, discussion about anything that involves "sex" was and may still be "taboo"! But, it is high time that we, as a society accept that sexual violence is a "Human Issue" and we need to be aware about it.

I am especially concerned about the safety of our child; the younger generation. By the time, they become victims of sexual violence or abuse; they might not be able to able to realize what exactly is happening. We need to educate them. If you are a parent be alert, be aware of whom you children mingle with! If you are a big sister or brother, be vigilant! Sexual abuse at an early age may have very detrimental effect on young minds. It is especially difficult to be vocal about sexual violence in our society. But I truly believe it is now all the more important to stop treating this as a taboo...and stop victim-blaming!

Read more about it here http://redmylips.org/.

In love with "Caudalie Favorites Kit: 2014"

All of my latest reviews have been mostly skincare! I have not been playing with makeup a lot recently ;-) If you have spent a little time “Discovering Me”, you know that I am a huge fan of value kits; both in makeup and skincare! But I still have to agree that there is a 80% chance that one or more products from these sets may not appeal to me. This set however has pleasantly surprised me!  I have been hearing a lot about Caudalie Skincare and when I saw this set in Sephora for $32 with 5 decent size products, sometime last year, I thought it will be an excellent opportunity to test the brand.

The set contains:

- 1 oz. Beauty Elixir 
- 0.33 oz. Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet 
- 1 oz. Hand and Nail Cream 
- 0.15 oz. Lip Conditioner 
- 1.69 oz. Make Up Remover Cleansing Water 
- Travel case

As you can see, the products are travel-friendly which is what I exactly need. It makes my life so much easier :-)

Lip Conditioner: I can happily say that this is the BEST lip balm that I have ever tried till now. It is a wonderful balm. Velvetty smooth to apply and keeps my lips moisturized for hours, even during the harsh Chicago weather! I also love the smell. Very light fragrance which I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is!

It got finished way too soon though, in just two months or may be less than that! My other trusted lip-balm from Nivea lasts me far more than that. The regular size lip conditioner retails at 12$; quite costly for a lip balm. For these two reasons, I probably would not buy a full size product at regular price. :-) But, but if I can score a value kit with this in it, I will be all over it. ;-) I really LOVE this.

Beauty Elixir: This is a product from Caudalie that is so well loved in the beauty community. And it should be!  It has a strong but very refreshing smell. I really LOVE the smell. I generally apply it right after shower and before I use my moisturizer. I don’t use it on an everyday basis though, it is a costly product and I don’t want to get addicted to it :-) This bottle costs 18$ separately and I believe I would be ok spending that much. It makes me feel very fancy… and sometimes we deserve to feel fancy. :-)

I also love the packaging, it’s very slim and stylish….I have finished the product but I am not yet ready to throw away the bottle; it’s so pretty!! :-) The spritzer is also very nice as in it sprays the product evenly.

Hand and Nail Cream: This is definitely another favorite from the set. My nails are not generally very fragile. In the event of continuous nail-polish wear, I use this cream and it heals my slightly yellow-ish nails :-) It’s moisturizing too as hand cream. I apply it before going to bed at night, it feels so luxurious! I am in love with the smell. It’s very citrusy, very fresh (I think I should take a crash course on understanding and describing fragrance note :-)) I have never fallen in love with a cosmetic fragrance as I have with this. :-)

Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet: It was a tiny tube and I finished it in 3 to 4 weeks. It is a light moisturizer with a very nice fragrance, the texture looks a little bit gritty but it’s a smooth moisturizer. It’s very weightless on the skin. It absorbs quickly and is good under makeup too. I have not been wearing a ton makeup these few days, but it did perform well for the days I did wear makeup. It performed extremely well in the hot humid Florida as I have been living here for work last few weeks; it might not be thick enough for cold drying climate. After I finish up the all the moisturizer I have been hoarding, I might be picking up the full size version of it.

Makeup Remover Cleansing Water: Like all the other products in the set this one also had a very mild fragrance. It is however a very simple and light makeup remover; certainly not for heavy duty makeup. This is the only product that I have not been using much, rest of the product I have already finished already. I don’t have a lot of complaints, but performance wise this is the only product in the bunch that I would have liked to perform better.

As I have already mentioned, I already have finished three of these products. I loved the kit so much that I went on a mission to get a backup. It was sold out in Sephora; so I bought the second set from Caudalie USA website. I got a free lip conditioner as this was my first purchase from them. I really want to appreciate Meagan from Caudalie Customer Care. She and other members of their online team were very helpful and communicative during my purchase (there were a few problems, and they really helped me out). Good customer care is something I always look for when I am trying out a new skincare brand. I love the story behind the brand too; you can read more about it here. I have become a fan of the brand and I would definitely be experimenting more. Do you have any suggestions?

Also, this is a limited-edition set that was curated for 2014. But it might still be available in Caudalie USA website. Also, right now Sephora has Caudalie favorite set for 2015 which almost has the same product except for the Gentle Cleansing Milk. I say pick it up, you will not regret it :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Naked Bee Moisturizer : Surprize Find!!

Travelling for job is often hectic; more so if it includes 100% travel. But I have to agree that there are a few advantages as well :-) If and when I get any chance I like to roam around in the small travel shops or boutiques and in that process I sometimes stumble upon collectible goodies or  relatively new skincare/cosmetics brands. That is how I discovered "Naked Bee" brand while roaming around in a small boutique in Branson, Missouri back in the Summer of 2013.

And I have completely fallen in love with this moisturizer since then. It's not too thick or thin; absorbs quickly and is really "really" moisturizing. Given that my skin is dangerously dry (my regular reader must be sick of hearing this again and again) and parched during the rough winter months here in the Windy City, I need to use my beloved Neutrogena Body Oil in coordination with this. But this is the right amount of moisturization I need for summer. Also it is 70% organic product without parabens, mineral oil, any dye or pigment. Read more about it here. It is also cruelty free which is a always major plus in my book.

There are different types of fragrances in this line including one fragrance-free. Among those I have tried "Orange Blosson Honey", "Lavender and Beeswax Absolute" and I simply LOVE both. I have mentioned before that I don't like strong overwhelming scent in my skincare products but these lotions are so mildly and pleasantly fragranced that I have grown fond of the smell. I have given these as gifts to my parents and sister and they ALL love it!

For the 6.7 oz Hand and Body cream the price fluctuates depending on where you get it from. It ranges from 12 to 16$. For the body lotion with 8 oz. of product the price varies from 16-20$. I believe it is still not available in any convenient stores. I have seen them in 2-3 boutiques near tourist spots in Michigan and Missouri (I travel a lot ;-)) I bought two tubes when I saw it in that above mentioned store for the first time but I placed my second orders from tartburners.com. I am almost in need of new tubes, so if you see it somewhere in stores please let me know. I am eager to try 'sandelwood' next!

Pro:

Organic; no harmful product.

Good moisturizer with pleasant smell.

Cruelty free product.

Con:

Not easily available in stores.

I am definitely repurchasing this at some point of time and I really hope that they start to distribute these in some drugstore. Thank you so much for staying with me till now, have any of you tried these?

Love

~Arrru

How I survived 6 weeks on the road: Makeup wise!

First of all, sorry for a dramatic title but I am feeling happy and a little playful today and hence the name!

A few of you may already know that I travel for my work on a continuous basis. My projects take me anywhere throughout USA; from remote towns to big cities! Duration of the work also varies from 2-3 days to few months. (Trust me travel job may sound glamorous, but it actually is NOT!) I hardly carry makeup items if it is a short trip but if it is for a few weeks, I need to have a few cosmetics products with me. My field of work is dominated with male colleagues and it is often in field environment which is not really suited for recognizable/prominent makeup looks. Also, I am almost always the single woman in the team which makes me noticeable and hence I usually shy away from any type of obvious makeup looks when I am working. But, if possible I love to explore the place during weekends and that's when I crave for some color in my otherwise no-makeup face. So keeping all these in mind, I brought this with me during my last project.

BareMinerals Original Foundation in : This is not my everyday foundation. But I love it because it gives me a refreshing look with a sheer natural-looking coverage. Plus I have it in travel size which saves me some space.

BareMinerals First Resort Bronzing Kit: This bronzing palette has a matte warm tone mid-brown (with a VERY little sheen), a highlighter shade and a golden shimmery shade which is my most favorite. It looks a little bit too shimmery on the pan but when applied it gives a BEAUTIFUL healthy-glow without the shimmer showing up much. This is one of my MUST-HAVE product. I often use it without any base as well.

Maybelline 24 hr Stay Concealer: Who does not need a concealer, right? This is the only one I use. :-) It really good in hiding acne scars :-)

MAC Paint Pot in "Layin' Low": I absolutely love this thing. It works equally with all my eye shadows from different brands. A must have for me! Read my previous review here.

NYX Natural Eyeshadow Palette: This is not much of a favorite. And let's be honest, when I start for work at 6 am, I hardly get time for indulging in any elaborate eye makeup ;-) But I like to carry this around with me when I am travelling for work mainly because

   a)  the dark brown shade is amazing, I also use it to fill up my brows.

   b)  very compact palette, perfect for frequent traveler.

Lakme Eyshadow Quad in"Silk Route": I reviewed this here. I take this with me for the vibrant colors. It has a rich fuchsia and dark grey which can be used to create smokey eyes if you happen to be in that mood. :-)

Tarte Amazonian Clay waterproof liner in BRONZE: Without doubt this is my most used makeup product in this trip. It's a gel liner but I mostly use it as a single-lid color. It is a very rich bronze with golden micro-shimmer. I have reviewed it in detail here. It's my wonder product, it takes just a minute to apply; I don't even need to wear eyeliner and it has an amazing staying power. Slap it on and go outta door; FOOLPROOF ;-) ;-) ;-)

Essence Eyeliner in Black: Cost me just a buck or two but what an impressive staying power. Stays all day and easy to use. Only problem is that it is not waterproof.

Wet and Wild Eyeliner in Brown and Ulta Eyeliner in Navy: These are some of the decent and affordable eyeliners from drugstore. They are not exactly the best but they get the job done. And it is always nice to have different color of eyeliners. Plus they don’t take much space ;-)

Lakme Kajol: This is one of my Holy Grail products. There may be better kajol pencils than this, but I have been using it for a long time and I will continue to use it.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Rose Petal": Matches with absolutely everything. Easy to wear and less time consuming while applying. I don’t wear blush every day to work but I reach for this whenever I do. Detailed review can be found here.

TARTE Eyeshadow Quad in "Beauty Resolutions": This was actually not necessary but I was just itching to use this quad again. I have written a details post on it here. I like the pearl like finish of the shadows and the colors are subtle and appropriate to wear in office environment.

Makeup Forever Smokey Extravagant Mascara: This was the birthday gift from Sephora last year. And it has been a favorite for some time now. Reviewed here.

CK One Color Mascara: It was Ulta's Birthday Gift for 2014. While I love the effect it gave me, removing it was quite troublesome. While I really don't need two mascaras I did use it whenever I needed extra wear time.

NYX Jumbo Pencil in "Mocha": I apply it all over my lid at times and recently I have started to wear it on the lower lash line. Love the effect.

Lavanilla Healthy Deodorant: I love this natural cruelty free deodorant. Not really for heavy duty work but it serves my purpose.
Clean Skin Perfume: Got this tiny roller ball with some kit few months back. I love the fresh notes. 
Bath and Body Works Amber Blush Perfume: It was an impulse buy last year. I liked it for a while but it is very warm. I do not like it anymore. :-) I chose these two perfume because they save me so much of space!

LIP PRODUCTS: This is where I like to pack a few varieties. I always wear something on my lips and these are some of my easy-to-wear colors.  

Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in "Romantic": Red is my MOST favorite lip shade. Too bad that I cannot wear it everyday :-) But this is a sheer easy-to-wear shade. No need of a liner as well. It does not stay forever though. Detailed blog post here.

Revlon Lip Butter in "Tutti-Frutti": Pop of color and hydration in one single tube. Even though it was the end of summer when I started this project (It has been a while since I drafted this post :-)), I don't think I will part away with my orange shades, ever!

NYX Round Lipstick in "Doll": This is the “Pink” in the bunch. A very girl-y pink! I try to use it as a stain by blotting it with a paper tissue. It's VERY creamy, so I have to be very careful otherwise it ends up in my teeth.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in "Sultry": My PERFECT everyday color. Looks incredibly flattering on tan skin tone. Easy-to-wear, matte in finish and excellent staying power; what else do you need? Read more about it here.

Lip Glosses: Both of these glosses I took with me mainly because I was testing them. I loved the Marc Jacobs one and the Smashbox one was very pale for me.

So that's a gist of what I generally bring with me when I am travelling for a long term project. I try my best to resist the temptation to bring bag full of my favorite makeup items whenever I travel and for the most part I think I do well. :- ) What are your travelling strategy; makeup wise?

Love,

~Arrru