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. 

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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. 

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BEAUTY HAUL! ULTA! (Birthday Edition + Brief Reviews)

Hey y'all!!! 

I have not posted a beauty "haul" in a long while. Honestly, I feel a little awkward just showing y'all products I have gotten without a review or swatches. Product reviews are the main reason I have a blog. 

However, I do enjoy and look forward to haul videos on Youtube. It is a nice way of discovering new things or similar to friends sharing what all they bought at the end of a shopping trip. Moreover, I always receive positive feedback when I post a haul, so maybe it is interesting. 

My Beau took me shopping recently for my birthday and gifted the items I have shown below. I am truly lucky to have a best friend and partner like him. I don't say this because he bought me makeup, but because he is always so patient with me and on my special day he was extra-patient and involved. He gave me his opinion about what colors looked suitable on me, what did not, and what I should try out for my blog, etc. For the one hour we spent in ULTA, his company was priceless. For someone who is a complete "dude" being patient with a full on "girly girl" makes me one lucky duck! 

I plan to review most of these items in the following weeks. Please comment below to let me know if y'all have any special review requests and I will do my best to fulfill it.

Coupon-ing! It will drive you crazy! ULTA recently emailed a Friends and Family 20% off coupon with very limited exclusions to anyone who signed up for the coupon on their website. This coupon was for one-time use and applied to the entire purchase.  I received my very first 20% off (no exclusion, entire purchase) coupon last year in late March. I received it again in October of last year. The F&F coupon was similar in that it could be used on most high-end brands, but some items, like UD Naked 1, 2, and 3 palettes, were excluded. I recently received yet another 20% off (entire purchase, including prestige brands) coupon in my email with different limited exclusions, such as fragrances. I like that ULTA sends out these coupons once in a while, like once every season, not only because I get a discount, but also discipline myself. It is also something to look forward to, like a gift. I am a ULTA platinum rewards member, so I received a free CK One mascara and $10 off anything (including prestige) coupon.

Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture (3.4 fl. oz. $90) is my signature scent. I hope it never gets discontinued or retired because never have I ever liked a perfume as much as I adore this one. This is the fragrance I imagine I will wear as a bride. I received 20% off on this and paid nothing for it in actual money. Why? I have been saving my reward points for months and finally had enough to cover the price of this perfume. ULTA had a different reward program before the current one and even then I accumulated my points and got this same fragrance. This was my first luxe fragrance. Although I did use it sparingly, my first bottle lasted me quite a few years.
Viva La Juicy is not a musky-mature or a heavily sweet scent. It is a light (but not faint) floral scent with a subtle hint of fruitiness. It reminds me of a garden. I like to describe scents by what I am reminded of. This fragrance is not rosy. It is not herbal (lavender) or too citrusy. It is definitely not sweet like a bakery or fruity candy.

Clarisonic Cashmere Luxe Brush ($30) feels nothing like I had imagined it would. I definitely underestimated it. The first brush I tried was the one for acne-combination skin. The second brush I tried was for pores and it was so rough. I did not use it consistently because it really irritated my skin. It continued the "purging" even after the initial two-week purge that the brand claims will happen when you first use the system or change to a new brush. I never had any reaction to the acne brush though, so I returned the one for pores because I had bought a two-pack. It was expensive and I didn't want to waste my money. I purchased the Cashmere Luxe brush instead. This one is the most expensive. It feels  like the bristles are made from butter! Yes, butter! So far my skin has not become irritated, but it does not feel as squeaky clean as it did with the acne brush. This difference could also be attributed to the fact that I am using a different cleanser now.

Essie Good to Go Top Coat ($10) is much better (out of this world better) than Seche Vite or OPI. I would highly recommend this top-coat. I have been using this one for a couple of years now. I cannot sit still and wait too long for my nails to dry. I always seem to paint my nails on the go and in a rush or while I am doing something else. This allows my polish to dry within seconds, almost immediately.

Carol's Daughter Macadamia Oil Heat-Protectant Serum ($20) is an amazing styling product. I only like to use oils to style my hair. I don't like to use hair sprays, creams, mousse, or gels because those products make my hair feel stiff, tacky, and dry. I want to be able to run my fingers through my hair. This product feels lighter than oil, but conceals my split ends and makes my hair look set-in-place and silky smooth. I get a keratin treatment done once or twice in a year, so I don't fuss much with my hair otherwise. I don't use any heating/styling tools. Lastly, this serum smells like baked, warm, nutty, sweet dessert.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush ($8.99) 

Laura Geller Color Drenched Lip Gloss in Raspberry Roast ($19) 

*New* Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Pink Chocolate ($22) 

*New* Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipsticks in Tulip and Plummy Rose ($16 each)

Benefit Cosmetics Cheek Powder in Dallas ($28)

Victoria Secret Matte Eyeshadow ($3 / Semi-annual clearance)

*New* Cover Girl Lip Perfection in Delicious ($6.99 / Limited Edition Spring 2014 "Pastelicious"Collection) 

Free! Free! Free! The following items are birthday gifts from ULTA, SEPHORA, and Bare Minerals. This year ULTA is giving out a free CK One mascara during your birthday month. This promotion might be limited to platinum reward members only, but I am not sure. I believe this year SEPHORA is giving out free Make Up For Ever Mascara-Lipstick-Eyeliner birthday gift-set to its VIB members. Bare Minerals sent me an email notification for a free eyeshadow. I am not a fan of mineral shadows, so I am going to save it for my aunt. 

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