Maybelline Color Whisper Swatches and Review

Next up in my swatch fest are the Maybelline Color Whispers.  These lipsticks are Maybelline's answer to Revlon's Lip Butters, as they are a sheer, balm-like product.

Cost:  ~$7.50, but I've only ever bought them on sale.

Packaging:  Nothing special, I do like that they're pretty small.

Consistency:  Smooth and Balm-like.  Similar to the Maybelline Baby Lips, which isn't surprising.

Pigmentation:  Sheer to Medium coverage. 

Staying Power:  This product stays on my lips for about 4 hours, which is about the average for drugstore lipsticks.

Shade Range:  10 shades available.  Nothing too unique, but a decent range for just 10 lipsticks.

L to R:  Coral Ambition, Oh La Lilac, Cherry On Top, and Plum Prospect

Coral Ambition

Oh La Lilac

Cherry On Top

Plum Prospect

(35) Coral Ambition is a nice satin-y coral/nude.  It's very easy to wear and not too bright.  The lipstick has a smooth consistency, but can catch on dry patches.

(90) Oh La Lilac is (obviously) a soft lilac color.  I really do like this color and I think that it's unique, but of the four shades I own, this one's the most patchy.  I tend to wear this lipstick as a stain, just by spreading on a small amount of the shade with my finger.

(50) Cherry On Top is actually my favorite shade in this range.  The color is smooth and creamy and incredibly easy to wear.  I shy away from pinks, but this is just subtle enough to not scare me away.  I will say, the name of the product doesn't make total sense.  Cherries are red.

(100) Plum Prospect is just Cherry On Top with a little extrablue mixed in.  A bit of a disappointment really.  I was looking for a purple.  The packaging is purple.  It's pink.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter Review and Swatches

Today, I'll be giving a quick review and showing you some swatches of my Revlon Lip Butters.  At this point, I have 7 of the available 20 shades.

Cost:  On average, I see these lipsticks being sold for ~7 dollars.  In my opinion, this is a bit high for a drugstore lipstick.
Packaging:  These lipsticks look beautiful.  There's no denying that.  The packaging is sleek and sturdy and they have a nice weight to them.  The only downside I've noticed is that after a few weeks of use, the actual tube of product twists a bit and no longer aligns with the package.  This is a little annoying, but not a deal breaker.
Consistency:  The lipstick is VERY soft.  This is a very smooth and conditioning product with a gel-like feel and glossy finish.
Pigmentation:  If you want a bold and pigmented lip color, this probably isn't what you're looking for.  The pay-off isn't terrible, but this is more of a sheer gel formula.
Staying Power:  Because the lipstick is so soft, the color doesn't last very long.  I find myself reapplying pretty often.
Shade Range:  Not incredibly diverse or expansive, but there are some beautiful and unique options.

Here are the shades I own:

L to R: 001 Pink Truffle, 027 Juicy Papaya, 050 Berry Smoothie, 085 Sugar Plum, 070 Cherry Tart, 010 Raspberry Pie, and 040 Red Velvet

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 Pink Truffle

Juicy Papaya

Berry Smoothie

Sugar Plum

Cherry Tart

Rapberry Pie

Red Velvet

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Now for some swatches:

(001) Pink Truffle is a great everyday color.  I'd describe it as a brownish pink.  Very, very subtle shimmer.  I can see this working on a lot of different skin tones.

(027) Juicy Papaya is a nice summer color.  It's one of the sheerer colors I have, but as someone who shies away from orangey shades, I appreciate that.  Just don't think you're getting the bright orange you see in the tube.

(050) Berry Smoothie is the first shade I bought from this range and I found it a bit disappointing.  It's very sheer and has a bit more shimmer to it than I had hoped for.

(085) Sugar Plum would not photograph for me.  I would describe it as a mauve/plum shade and it's just not showing up.  It's a bit softer and creamier in reality and a really lovely shade.

(070) Cherry Tart is a perfect "starter red."  If you're looking to start wearing red, but are new to lipstick or just new to brighter shades, try this color out!  It's subtle and wearable and a really nice true-red.

(010) Raspberry Pie is my kind of pink.  It's a glossy, dark, blue-based pink and is incredibly flattering and soft.

(040) Red Velvet is what I'd call a muted 90's red.  It's a nice warm brown-red with a light gloss.  This color would be perfect for the fall.

Basic Neutral Eye Look

I'm going to take a little break from posting my lipstick collection to give a brief eye shadow tutorial.  When you wear bold lip colors, it can be pretty difficult deciding what to do with the rest of your makeup.  For me, I choose to pair it with either a slight wing (hey, if it's not broken...) or this look.  This is an easy way to look polished and to avoid looking costume-y.  

For this look I use three brushes, one palette and a little mascara.  That's it.  Very simple, very subtle.

These are the three brushes I used for this look, please excuse their dirtiness.

 (1) This brush came with Urban Decay's original Book of Shadows and I love it.  I'm not sure what a similar brush might be, but look for a very small width (ferrel) blending brush with longer bristles.

(2) This brush was a free gift with purchase from Estee Lauder about 10 years ago.  Yes, I know I'm not really being helpful here.  You can replace this brush with any basic blending brush.

(3) This is a Crown C433 Pro Blending Fluff.  Anything like the MAC 217 would work here.

The palette I used to achieve this look is the Naked Basics Palette by Urban Decay.  This is a great palette for basic eye looks and is very travel friendly.  I used all of the shades except for Crave, the matte black shadow. 

Start with a primed eyelid.  I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion in its original formula.

This step is optional, but I usually add a white cream shadow to the lid, just to subtly lighten the area and provide a blank slate for the shadows.  I know a lot of people that use NYX's Jumbo Shadow Pencil in Milk for this, but I use that horrible white stick concealer from Maybelline.  It's drier and, for me, doesn't crease.  As a concealer, I don't understand it, but I definitely recommend it as an eyeshadow base.

Apply W.O.S. to the full lid.

With brush (1), apply Faint along the crease.  You don't have to be precious with blending at this shade.  What you want is basically a line at just above the eye lid.

With brush (2), use Naked 2 to blend the crease out.  Go right into the shade and just continue blending upward until you have a nice fade.  Tiny windshield wiper movements, guys.  Don't rush it.

At this point, I like to soften the top of the crease shadow with a mixture of Foxy and W.O.S.  Use brush (3) to apply these shadows at the brow and slightly below.  This should just take a couple of seconds and you might not even feel that it's necessary, I just think it softens the look.

Highlight!  This is also not a necessary step, but I have trouble saying no to a little shimmer.  Using brush (3), I apply a little bit of Venus just below the brow, at the center of the lid and in the corner of the eye.  It just brighten and opens up the eye a bit.

At this stage, you can put on a little bit of eyeliner, but I just added some mascara.  Here, I used one layer of Clump Crusher and one layer of Benefit's They're Real.

Hello.

NYX Butter Lipstick Review and Swatches

The final group of NYX lip products that I will be reviewing for now are the Butter Lipsticks.  These lipsticks are a relatively recent addition to the range and follow NYX Butter Glosses and Butter Lip Balms.  NYX released this product in 22 different shades, so obviously, I'm slacking a bit here.  I think the reason that I've only picked up three colors so far is that the shades offered are, sadly, not very exciting.  Lots of pinks, nudes and peaches.  I might go and try out Licorice, but I'm not really in a hurry.

This is what the packaging for the product looks like:

The tubes are a similar weight and feel to the Macaron Lippies, just a standard plastic tube.  The lettering on the tubes lasted maybe 3 days in my purse before it all disappeared, which is annoying.

Now, here are my limited swatches:

1. Hunk is described as a "blue violet."  The tube is purple.  I was expecting a purple lipstick.  I got a pink.  The color is pretty, so it's not a total loss, but I was definitely disappointed.  In terms of texture, this color was also the least "buttery" of the three.  It feels a bit slippery and has a more noticeable gloss than the others.  If you're looking for a pink-leaning plum, then you might be interested in this color, otherwise, I'd say to skip it.
2.  Little Susie is described as "a deep pink with (a) yellow undertone." When these lipsticks were first announced, there was a swatch of Little Susie that made the color look rich and sophisticated.  Almost like it had a little nude to it.  The color I got certainly was not what I expected, but it has its place in my collection.  It's a much brighter color than I would usually choose, but it's pretty wearable.  It has a very slight yellow undertone, just enough to make it look a bit brighter and warmer.  I think that I'll be wearing this a bit more in the Springtime.
3.  Pops is described as a "mauve."  I'm not sure that I'd call this a mauve at all.  I sometimes wonder if cosmetics companies even know what mauve is.  It's not brown, guys.  It's a muted purple. Putting our color defining differences aside, this lipstick really is beautiful.  Of the three shades I own, Pops is definitely my favorite.  This color would be the perfect MLBB for a good range of skin tones.  It's brown, but not too brown and it's pink, but it's not bubble-gum pink.  It also has a cool undertone, which I find much easier to wear.  It's very sophisticated and rich and the texture is creamy and soft.

NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipstick Reviews and Swatches

Today I'll be going over my collection of NYX Extra Creamy Round Lipsticks.  In this formula alone, NYX currently offers 108 shade options.  That's a lot of lipstick.  I know that I'll be grabbing a fair few more, but I definitely don't feel guilty.  You want to know why?  They only cost 4 dollars.  And considering the fact that they're often BOGO Half-Off, I can get 11 for less than the price of the average "high end" lipstick.  This comforts me.

Here's the tube:

Pretty standard, but relatively sleek for a drugstore lipstick.  Just an FYI though, the letters start to peel off of the tube in a matter of minutes.

1.  Milan is described as a "dark pink-brown."  I definitely wouldn't describe it as dark, I actually find it to be very soft.  Nudes really aren't my thing, I'd rather opt for a brown-based neutral, and Milan is great for that.

2. Lala is described as a "mauve plum."  At first glance, this color doesn't look very wild, but it always makes me feel like a bad-ass when I wear it.  Most of the swatches I found before buying this shade were against dark skin and the color looked closer to a MLBB shade.  On pale skin, it's much bolder, but still very pretty.

3.  B52 is described as a "soft-mauve pink."  I wear this color a lot.  I found it on my quest for the perfect brown and, while this wasn't exactly what I was looking for, I really like it.  It looks like what you would get if you mixed Milan and Cocoa.

4. Cocoa is described as a "rich mauve."  Cocoa was my second purchase in the brown quest and is much closer to what I'd envisioned.  I really love this shade.  Like with Lala, this shade makes me feel cooler than I actually am.  Like a grown-up goth or a really sophisticated witch.  I'm still looking for a good "milk chocolate" shade, so if you have any suggestions... ?

5.  Castle is described as a "shimmery soft plum."  Listen.  I am not regularly a fan of a pearl or shimmer finish.  I think they look very dated and not very flattering.  That said, I absolutely love Castle.  For some reason, my rules with shimmer don't seem to apply with purple, because this shade looks so cool.  Very cyber-punk.

6 & 7.  Margarita is described as a "shimmery coral" and Shiva is described as a "blue toned fuchsia."  I got them both in beauty boxes from Hautelook and I hate them.  They're very shimmery in real life and super dated.  The opacity and texture is great, but the shades are not my style.

Every single one of these lipsticks is creamy and smooth and has a fantastic opacity.  Because of their consistency, these colors are also very easily sheered out by just using a small amount and spreading it out.  They're kind of your standard tube lipstick.  No cutesy packaging, no weird scents, just a great shade range and solid formula.  It's taking all of my willpower to not go and order even more.  I'm a danger to myself and others.