COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lip Color in Tantalize (Bombshell Collection)

Hey y'all!  Spring is "officially" here!  Of course for those of us who live in extreme cold weather conditions, Spring might sneak in for a day or two, and then in the blink of an eye its Summer.  Weather, like other aspects of life, is not as clear cut as we plan it to be in our calendars. 

Today, I would like to share with y'all a beautiful lip color for this Spring.  I have already featured this lipstick in my Radiant Orchid: Pantone Color of the Year post.  

A few weeks ago, I reviewed another Cover Girl Lip Perfection lipstick in the shade called Delicious.  Although many other beauty bloggers loved this shade, it was a disappointment for me.  The color did not suit my skin-tone.  The formula and scent of the product made it all the more disappointing.  Some of my readers commented on that review that such a shade has been a challenge for them to wear as well. 

Well, in addition to Tantalize, I have found a range of lipsticks by other brands (PurMinerals, Chanel, Milani, and Rimmel) that might serve as a suitable alternative to Delicious. 

Tantalize is a bright lavender pink with purple-red undertones. Fortunately, this shade lacks the gray, yellow, and white undertones that are typical of lavender pink shades. This was my issue with Delicious. 

Given that Tantalize is a richly pigmented and bright shade, it applies non-streaky and opaque in one or two swipes.  The formula is creamy, which makes the application feel smooth.  However, after trying four Lip Perfection lipsticks about two years ago and three in the recent past few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that the formula can be hit or miss depending on the shade you select and overall just does not feel emollient.  

As for reference, my lips are generally in normal condition.  I do experience slight dryness at times. The only lip balm that works for me and I am not allergic to is the Fresh Sugar lip balm.  My lips have a lot of natural lip lines, so it is difficult for me to wear light, nude, and milky shades.  The lines have been there since I was a baby and there is nothing "natural" I can do to change it.  I just hope it does not get problematic with age or wearing lip products. 

This lipstick feels smooth when you initially apply it, but over the duration of the wear my lips look matte. I prefer to describe the appearance as "matte" rather than "dry" because I don't want to mislead anyone into assuming that this lipstick is drying.  It is not drying per se, but it definitely does not make your lips look moisturized.  The formula of these Lip Perfection lipsticks remind me of MAC's satin formula.  In a nutshell, I would not recommend this formula to those who have dry and chapped lips.  At the same time, I do not want to deter those of you who do not have lip lines and/or dry or chapped lips from trying some beautiful shades that the Cover Girl Lip Perfection line has to offer (i.e., Ravish). 

I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Come back soon. Thanks!

Special Announcements!!!

1. I am definitely planning on having a blog sale in May.  I am graduating this May from law school and moving, so I should probably downsize my makeup collection.  Some of the items I am planning to sell include Tarte blushes in Natural Beauty and Exposed, Milani blush in Delicioso Pink, The Balm In-stain blush in Houndstooth, YSL lipsticks, Chanel lipsticks, and Too Faced lipsticks. What are your thoughts? Please feel free to email me if you are interested and share this with your friends. I have not decided on the prices yet as I am very new to this whole idea, which a friend suggested. I was explaining to her that I really enjoy reviewing products, but sometimes it gets expensive when you are student and a work-in-progress. 

2. Because I am graduating this May, I may take the month of April off from blogging or post minimally.  I have several projects due in April prior to final exams. Following exams, I will have to start packing, etc.

3. I have a lot of interesting products lined up for review: Milani Power Lips, YSL Baby Doll Lip and Cheek, Sonia Kashuk Spring Collection, Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lipsticks, and more. So, stay tuned! I probably will not be able to resist writing reviews till May. Please follow me on Instagram for previews of whatever is to come up on my blog, sneak-peak swatches, and brief reviews. 

Please support StrawberryHeartsChocolateDarts @

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

BLOGLOVIN'

GOOGLE+

SHESAIDBEAUTY

COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lip Color in Delicious (Pastelicious Collection)

Hey y'all!!! Today, I am reviewing Cover Girl's Lip Perfection Lip Color in Delicious. 

I adore lilac, lavender, and mauve shades. Although these shades look very flattering as nail colors my hands, I have not had the best luck finding one that suits me in the form of a lip color. 

It's sort of ironic how trends change. I remember when matching lips and nails or cheeks and lips was a fashion no no, but I am under the impression that it is quite trendy at present. Boy o boy! I would be ever so ecstatic if I found the ideal lilac, lavender, or mauve shades for me to pair up with the overwhelming number of nail polishes I have in these particular shades. 

When I saw the display of the Pastelicious collection at my Walgreens, I was thrilled over the moon about it. Walgreens had marked down the Cover Girl lipsticks to $6.99 about a month ago. My Beau bought it as part of my birthday makeup shopping escapade. 

I had seen a couple of swatches, but not many, and no reviews at all. Inferring from the few swatches I saw online and the colored cube at the bottom of the lipstick tube, I assumed Delicious was a deep mauve-pink shade. It definitely looks like that  swatched on my arm, right? I shrieked with joy when I swatched it on my arm. 

However, once I brought it up to my face to apply it on the lips, I got a whiff of the lipstick and it was not pleasant. I recently reviewed a Cover Girl lipstick from the Bombshell Collection, which also had a strong scent, but it was not unpleasant or unbearable as this one. I would describe the scent as a strong plastic smell, not medicinal, but rather unnatural and obviously not pleasant, like fruity or floral or sweet  scents. 

Lastly, after finally applying it on my lips, I did not like the color at all. I removed it right away. I tried it once more and applied a pink gloss on top, but it did not look good on me. I felt clownish wearing this shade because it turned into a bright, pastel, milky lavender shade on my lips. 

Ugh! At this point I am utterly confused. I think I need to read a book about undertones - warm, cool, neutral, blue, yellow. Some blue-reds, not all, definitely suit me, but blue-toned pinks don't suit me. It is as if these shades transform from blue to yellow toned on me and make my teeth looks yellower than Shrek's (slight exaggeration). Yes, my teeth are not pearly white, but they are a natural white, and pretty decent given that I am an avid coffee drinker. I need someone to explain this trick on the eyes, please! I think that warmer mauve lip colors that one would associate with the Fall/Autumn season look nice on me, but the lighter, more Springy shades do not. So, unfortunately, Orchid is definitely not my lip color of the year. I stay far away from blue-purple toned pinks and yellow, orange, and brown toned reds. The boring warm and neutral tones keep me good company. 

This is a creme formulation and it feels creamy. This shade applies smoothly and appears opaque in one to two swipes. Generally, I find that the Lip Perfection formula is drying. Now, I don't want to mislead y'all with this statement. It makes my lips look dry and feel dry, while I am wearing it, but it does not suck the moisture out of my lips like Stila Stay All Day liquid lipsticks or any true matte, highly pigmented, staining lipsticks. The deeper shade (Ravish from the Bombshell) collection, which I reviewed a few posts ago, did not look as drying as this one. I attribute that to Delicious being a lighter and pastel shade, while Ravish was a deeper reddish-pink shade. 

Overall, I would only recommend this lipstick to those who are not sensitive to the strong, cosmetic-plastic, scent and like such shades. Before purchasing this lipstick, the swatches I found were on fairer skin-tones. This shade looks much brighter and pastel-like on my beige skin-tone, while it looked like a subtle mauve-pink on them. 

Please support StrawberryHeartsChocolateDarts @

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

BLOGLOVIN'

GOOGLE+
INSTAGRAM

SHESAIDBEAUTY

Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Thanks!

COVERGIRL Lip Perfection Lip Color in Ravish (Bombshell Collection)

Hey y'all!!! 

Today, I am sharing with y'all a new Lip Perfection Lip Color from the COVERGIRL Bombshell Collection. The collection comes with four new shades. So far I purchased the shade Ravish and plan to get Tantalize as well. 

The only reason I have not picked up Tantalize yet is because when I looked at the bottom colored demo part of the packaging, I saw shimmer and am assumed that the shade will have shimmer and not be a pure creme. I have been searching endlessly for swatches on these new Bombshell lip colors, but have found none for Ravish or Tantalize. I was not drawn by the two other shades: Seduce (red) and Bombshell (hot fuchsia pink). 

Some beauty bloggers have implied (unknowingly) that Delicious, Honeyed, and Creme lip colors are also from this Bombshell collection, but they are instead from a second new collection for Spring 2014 called Pastelicious. The displays are different for the two collections. I have also heard that these shades will become permanent as some found them displayed along with other permanent lipsticks, so don't fret if some of you have not come across the Bombshell or Pastelicious displays. 

I will be posting a review on Delicious soon as well! 

Availability / Price 

I purchased Ravish at Target for $5.69. It was marked down from $5.99. I have spotted the Bombshell displays at most stores by now: Walmart, Meijer, ULTA, and Walgreens. However, I haven't seen it at my local CVS yet. 

Packaging 

The packaging is decent. I do like the squared shape more than the rounded shape because the lipstick can stand or sit properly without rolling away. I may have mentioned in the past that I like rounded lipstick tubes more than squared. I would like either as long as the tube is slender, lightweight, stable, finger-print resistant (hmm... tech-y I know!), and a fun color or with a festive design. 

I think I really like the rosy chrome packaging with the color demo bottom. I might like this packaging more than any other drugstore lipstick (considering only lipstick, not liquid lipsticks / glosses) packaging with the exception of the Maybelline "Buffs" Color Sensational lipsticks. 

Color

Based on the arm swatch, I would describe this shade as a medium raspberry reddish pink. On my lips it does not look as red toned. I am loving this color. It is another unique addition to my collection. I own a lot deep reds, warm neutrals, and pinky-mauves, but nothing like this. I am becoming pretty adventurous with my lip color shades lately. Yay! 

This definitely does not have yellow or warm undertones. This is a neutral to slightly blue toned, but not so blue toned that it is cool toned. I say neutral because it is neither warm nor cool toned in my opinion, meaning I think this shade would look flattering on girls with a variety of complexions from fair to medium to tan. 

Personally, I would not recommend this shade to my friends with deep to dark skin-tones, but it does not matter what I think as long as you feel that it will look nice on you. Fortunately, COVERGIRL carries a wide range of colors, including the Queen collection, which includes a variety of shades for women of color.  One of my best friends has ebony skin-tone and I know she would not like this color for herself. I would recommend a brighter version of this shade for her. I am certainly not a certified makeup artist, so my recommendations are solely based on learning experiences. Once I am done with law school, I would definitely like to take a short course and learn about shades - what works, what does not, and how to make them work. 

Being a beauty blogger forces me to experiment with a wide range of colors and shades. However, certain colors are simply not ideal/flattering for my complexion, skin-tone, and/or natural teeth color. I love bright shades that are so trendy at the moment, but I love them on others, not on me. 

Formula / Texture / Application 

The formula is creme, but I appreciate that the lipstick does not feel thick. The lipstick feels nice when I am applying it. It glides on smoothly and one layer packs on a lot of pigment. Although the lipstick glides on smoothly and feels lightweight, my lips look very slightly dry. So, on my lips this shade look like a semi-creme/semi-matte hybrid. My lips are not chapped or dry, but have natural lip lines and look a bit parched, which water and lip balm takes care of momentarily. 

Longevity 

This lipstick has good staying power. Above I mentioned that the formula of this lipstick is creamy matte, so even if it wears off a bit after I eat, it leaves behind a natural reddish pink tint. Don't worry ladies this one does not completely wear off on the coffee mug or is not entirely consumed with a meal. 

Please support StrawberryHeartsChocolateDarts @

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

BLOGLOVIN'

GOOGLE+

SHESAIDBEAUTY

Your friendly comments are much appreciated. 

Thanks!