Revlon Super Lustrous "Shine" Lipsticks - Berry Couture, Fuchsia Shock, Plum Velour, Honey Bare, & Pink Cognito

A Lip Product Review!

Today I am sharing my review of the new addition of lipsticks to the Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick collection. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick line includes two formulas: creme and pearl. In India, I found a velvet-matte formula as well. Recently, a new formula/finish was added to this range of lipsticks: shine. I have spotted the Revlon Super Lustrous Shine lipsticks in several stores - Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and ULTA. I noticed that the price of these lipsticks varies from one store to another. At Target, these lipsticks are sold for $5.99 (minus tax). On the other hand, Walmart is selling the lipsticks for $4.94 (tax). At Walgreens and ULTA, these lipsticks are priced at $7.99. Walgreens and ULTA has had a "buy one, get one half off" deal on these lipsticks since their release in late May. I would highly recommend shopping for drug-store makeup at ULTA. ULTA always has weekly or monthly deals running on certain drug-store brands like Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Rimmel, and NYX. On top of that you can often use a coupon or earn points through the ULTA rewards program. In absence of these deals and promos, Walmart and Target is always the safe bet. 

I really enjoyed writing a review on the Rimmel London Show Off Lacquers. I even got a little too creative with my pictures for demonstrating the different colors. Sadly, I am not feeling a pinch of enthusiasm for the Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks. I was seriously disappointed by this lip product. 

Let me start off with my one and only positive note regarding this lip product: it's affordability. Drug-store makeup is becoming expensive day by day, but thankfully this lipstick can be purchased for less than $5 or about the same price as a Starbucks frappe grande. 

The Revlon Super Lustrous Shine color range is mediocre. The collection includes light, bright, and deep shades. I purchased colors across the range. Berry Couture and Fuchsia Shock are very similar. Both are medium blue toned pinks, but Fuchsia Shock has a blue sheen, while Berry Couture only has a blue undertone. Some of these shine lipsticks have an apparent sheen while other colors look creamy. Plum Velour looks like a deep grape wine color in dim light. In day light, Plum Velour looks like a sheer wash of blackened berry pink. Honey Bare and Pink Cognito are also similar shades. On my lips, Pink Cognito did not show up at all. It just added a slight sheen to my lips. I would not even compare it to the amount of sheen a lip balm would provide. When I wore Honey Bare, my Honey Bear told me that this shade made me look pale and sick. Apparently, my pink blush and this whitish caramel lip color created an oxymoron look. 

I saved my receipt and returned Fuchsia Shock, Honey Bare, and Pink Cognito. I decided to keep Berry Couture and Plum Velour because I do like these two shades a lot. The pigmentation of these lipsticks is decent with the exception of Honey Bare and Pink Cognito of course. I did not expect full opacity because these are "shine"finish lipsticks. 

What about the formula and application? Do you like dry lips? Do you? Well, here is your lucky day! These lipsticks glide on like a lightweight oil-based balm. I like the moisturizing "feeling" these provide when initially worn. However, within a couple of hours, my lips begin to look and feel dry. 

What about the staying power? Uh, what staying power? Well, Berry Couture and Plum Velour both fade into subtle stains over three or fours hours as long as I don't eat a proper meal. These lipsticks are easy to reapply as they are lightweight and "feel" emollient. 

There is no harm in purchasing one of these lip colors. I would definitely not recommend trying Honey Bare or Pink Cognito. The price point is reasonable. Berry Couture seems like a cute blue-toned medium pink lip colors for  the summer-time and a warm tanned face. Perhaps I am terribly disappointed by these lipsticks because my bar of expectation was pretty high. I was under the impression that these lipsticks might possibly be an affordable version of high end buttery lipsticks like MAC's Creme Sheen or Sheen Supreme. 

~ Packaging ~

~ Label ~

~ Colors ~

*** Berry Couture *** 

*** Fuchsia Shock *** 

*** Plum Velour *** 

*** Honey Bare ***

*** Pink Cognito *** 

The End... 

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OPI Nail Lacquers: You're Such a Buda-Pest and Koala Berry

Hello Ladies, Hello Gents! 

Today's guests of honor are OPI's You're Such a Budapest and OPI's Koala Berry. 

I must commend OPI for the most adorable names for its polishes. The names are catchy phrases, which makes it so easy to remember the shades by their names. 

Is it blue? Is it purple? What is it? It is a blue-purple! 

And the award for the best periwinkle nail color goes to... drumroll please... 

* OPI You're Such a Budapest *

I purchased OPI's You're Such a Budapest a couple of weeks ago. While browsing through my local ULTA, I noticed that OPI polishes were on sale (two for $15). I purchased six polishes, three for my friend and three for myself. I selected You're Such a Budapest, Lucky Lucky Lavender, and Koala Berry for my friend as well as for myself. I feel like OPI polishes are unconscionably overpriced. Two for $15 pre-tax and almost $18 with tax does not feel like a good deal, but I absolutely loved the colors I selected and found that they would be unique additions to my collection. 

Gaging from the fact that I am displaying twice as many pictures of You're Such a Budapest than Koala Berry, we all can tell that I am completely awed by this shade. I think it is a special, unique shade. There are so many periwinkle shades in the market, but none have caught my eye quite like this one has. My extreme liking for this shade could also be a result of the fact that this shade suits me so well in comparison to other periwinkle shades, which I felt made my hands appear dull. 

When you first apply You're Such a Budapest, the polish appears very sheer and you will notice subtle rainbow shimmer. However, by the second coat it will look opaque and creamy. The formula is not too thick and applies with ease. I have three coats on in the pictures, but it did not feel heavy or streaky or uneven to have three coats on. 

This shade changes with different lighting. Sometimes the blue tone dominates and the shade will look like a dusty robin's egg blue and other times the bluish lilac shade appears with the purple tone dominating.  

Lastly, I would like to add that this is my favorite must have blue nail color. In my previous post, I expressed that I have been unable to find a blue that I absolutely love and would reapply repeatedly. In fact, I liked this shade so much that I bought two jackets similar in color to this nail color during the Victoria Secret Semi-Annual sale. 

* Koala Berry *

I am not a big fan of fuchsia, magenta, or berry pinks, but I have a select few that I do enjoy wearing once in a while. Koala Berry is a fuchsia pink that looks amazing and bright on deeper skin tones. My friend has a deeper skin tone and this shade really suited her. 

The features that I appreciate the most about this polish is its formula and application. This polish is extremely pigmented and the ideal thickness. It appears opaque and evened out on the nail in a single coat. In the pictures, I am wearing two coats, not that it was needed. 

Just as a side note for U.S. residents, the Victoria Secret Semi Annual Sale for Summer 2013 is going on right now in stores and online. ULTA still has OPI on sale for two for $15. Happy shopping y'all! 

The End... 

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Revlon Nail Polish "Urban"

Navy blue is one of my favorite colors. Specifically, I like the nautical theme a lot, ranging from clothing to home decor. I find bright red lips, winged liner, wavy hair pulled half up and bumped with side-swept bangs, a navy and white striped fitted peplum dress, red pointy stilettos, and Audrey Hepburn style sunglasses one of the hottest outfits in this world. 

With that said, for some reason I don't like navy blue, or any blue shade for that matter, on my nails. I first heard about Revlon's "Urban" while watching a video posted by a Youtube beauty channel I have subscribed to. This person was wearing the color on her nails and indeed this shade looked amazing.  Nonetheless, I wasn't thinking about adding it to my collection because I am not a fan of such shades on my nails. I have tried navy blue or vampy blue shades on my nails in the past and feel that these shades have made my hands look stark and gray. 

Ultimately, as you can tell by the pictures, I decided to purchase the shade while my local drugstore was having a sale on Revlon. I suppose I gave into my curiosity (or greed) for all the nail colors and lip colors in the world because something stood out to me about this color. I swatched it on my nail and for some reason it appeared a little unique from all of the other dark vampy blue shades that I have tried in the past. 

I like "Urban" because it is a blackened navy blue. It doesn't have purple undertones. It's not even too blue... hmm! What I mean to say is that it doesn't feel like denim blue on your nails! Holy! It is difficult to describe colors. "Urban" is a nice medium-thickness creme formula. It was easy to apply and opaque in one to two coats. I added Essie's Good to Go top coat for some shine because "Urban" did not look very glossy on its own. In the bottle it appears glossy, not completely a matte-creme, but on the nails it did not look glossy. In regards to longevity, I wore this polish for my usual four days and it did not chip. I would trade off longevity for workable formula and easy application any day. However, it is awesome when you find great color, application, formula, and longevity all in one magical bottle. 

~ Price: about $3.99 ~

The End... 

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Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers - 600 Nude Eclipse, 101 Celestial, 200 Comet, 102 Nova, 400 Big Bang

Rimmel London "Apocalips" Lip Lacquers have finally arrived in the U.S. I have keenly awaited the arrival of these lip products. Rimmel released these in other parts of the world before bringing them to the U.S. In the U.S. these lip lacquers are called "Show Off" rather than "Apocalips."  I am not sure why they changed the name, but I am not too fond of the new name. 

I was definitely looking forward to trying these lip lacquers, however, my expectations were neutral. I did not do any research prior to purchasing these because wanted to develop an impression of my own. I did, however, hear a few positive remarks about these in some Youtube videos. 

What are Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers? 

A lip lacquer can be described as a liquid lipstick or a lipstick and gloss two-in-one product. Some of these lipsticks are creme shades, while others have a subtle shimmer. I am not sure how the shimmery lip lacquers look once worn on the lips because I only purchased the creme ones. I liked the color selection because it seems like the range includes a color for a variety of tastes. The color range includes bright shades as well as neutral shades.  

~ Packaging ~

The packaging may not be very classy, but then again we must consider that we can purchase about seven of these for the price of one Chanel or YSL lipstick. I think the packaging is cute and lightweight. I like that I can easily see the colors of the lip lacquers, which makes them easily identifiable. I do not have to bother with shade names or numbers. The lip lacquers have a little seal, which can be easily broken once you twist the tube. You can check to see whether the product has been tampered with by the way the product releases (or has already released) into this clear plastic area right under the opening. I have demonstrated this in the pictures below. Note the different between Nude Eclipse and the other shades. Nude Eclipse was the first one I opened completely and swatched the color, while others I had only slightly opened. 

~ Applicator ~

These lip products have a sponge tip applicator with an egg shaped dip on the slanted side. I believe this helps scoop out the product because I do not find the need to put the applicator back in and out for more product. I like sponge tip applicators more than brush till applicators, however, my experience with brush tip applicators has been dicey at times. Sometimes the sponge does not grab enough or soaks up the liquid, however, this particular sponge applicator grabs more than enough product in a single go. The slanted and flexible sponge tip applicator allows you to outline your lips and glides easily along the shape of your lips.  

~ Colors ~ 

(T to B) 600 Nude Eclipse, 101 Celestial, 200 Comet, 102 Nova, 400 Big Bang 

(L to R) 400 Big Bang, 102 Nova, 101 Comet, 101 Celestial, 600 Nude Eclipse

(L to R) 400 Big Bang, 102 Nova, 101 Comet, 101 Celestial, 600 Nude Eclipse 

My favorite, Big Bang!!! 

I would describe Big Bang as a vibrant bright red lipstick. It is the first bright red I have found that does not have any influencing undertones, like brown or orange or blue. I believe this is a warm toned red. So, I would encourage olive, deep beige, tan, and yellow skin-toned ladies, who struggle with finding a suitable bright red, to give this shade a try. This shade may look obnoxious at first, but once it sets in, you will begin to like it. This shade gave me a pep in my step when I wore it for the first time yesterday. I felt confident and seductive. I realized it may draw a lot of attention, especially on a casual day, but that did not stop me from wearing this. Of course I would not feel comfortable wearing this to law school or work, but I think it is alright otherwise. I don't think I need a fancy occasion to wear this beautiful blazing summery red. This shade wears off into a subtle apple red and makes your lips look bitten. After I wore Big Bang I began singing, "but rumor has it he's the love I'm leaving you for..." 

Nova!

Nova is a bright, almost neon, blue-toned hot pink. Do not be fooled by these images because this is definitely a trendy and unconventional pink shade. I think this type of a shade is an acquired taste, but some fashionistas may disagree with me. I don't know how else to describe the intensity of this shade, except that it appears like paint or hot pink white out as you apply it to your lips. It appears less paint like once the liquid sets onto your lips. After I wore this I began singing, "I am a barbie girl, in a barbie world..." 

My other favorite, Comet! 

Comet is a deep pinkish brown. This is a "my lips but better" shade. It is slightly deeper than my natural lip color. Comet is a conservative shade, suitable for the professional environment. I would recommend this for those who like wearing warm neutral lip colors. This shade definitely makes you look mature. I sang a melancholic Indian (hindi) song after wearing this one, "yeh kasoor mera hai ki yakeen kiya hai, dil teri hi khatir rakh chod diya hai..." (I apologize to the non-Hindi speaking folks who will not understand the lyrics.) 

Celestial!

A bright, yellow-toned, light to medium pink. This shade, like Nova, appears like paint or colored white out when first applied on the lips. After pressing your lips together a few times and once the colors sets onto your lips, the paint-like appearance is subdued. This shade is outside of my comfort zone, but I do like it anyway because it makes you look cute and playful. After I wore this shade I began singing, "I am a jeanie in a bottle baby..." 

Hmm, was this a mistake? Perhaps intended to be a brightening concealer? Last and most certainly the least appreciated shade, Nude Eclipse. This one does not get an exclamation; it gets a question mark. This shade didn't remind me of a song, but it reminded me of Kim Kardasian or Lady Gaga. 

~ Show off, much? ~

PROS

1. Amazing pigmentation, one swipe across your lips is more than enough!

2. A unique sponge tip, slanted with egg shaped indentation, which makes it feasible to grab more than enough product at one time. 

3. A lipstick and gloss two-in-one product. The opacity of a lipstick mixed with the shine of a gloss. However, lacks the dryness of a lipstick and the sticky, heavy feeling of a gloss. I like that these lip lacquers settle into your lips. I do not mean to imply that it settles into your lip lines and accentuates them, rather it absorbs or sets in on your lips, thus not looking unnatural or paint-like. 

4. Effortless! You do not feel like you have two products on your lips (i.e, lipstick + gloss).

5. Affordable! I purchased these for $4.99 each at Walgreens. 

CONS

1. I detect an artificial candy scent while I am applying this lip product. However, it does not bother me, especially because I do not realize it or taste anything unusual once I have the lipstick on my lips. 

2. All of you lip stain lovers may not appreciate the longevity (or lack of) of this product. This lip product stays in place on my lips as long as I don't eat anything, but it wears off into a stain once I do; drinking is not an issue. 

***Overall***

Love 'em! Love 'em! Love 'em! 

I contemplated buying a back up of Big Bang and Comet. I don't wear makeup on a regular basis and am a little flighty with my taste in beauty products, so back ups for me would be a waste of money. So, wanting back ups of Big Bang and Comet says a lot about my fondness of these lip lacquers. 

The End... 

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