Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Review

This is going to be a happy post (shock horror) because I absolutely LOVE this product. It's sitting cosily in my "everyday favourites box" now being all happy.
I bought this for £5.99 at Boots (usual price £7.99 but it's nice to have 2 quid off), and was tempted to buy more colours but... money is an issue, even with such inexpensive gems!

I bought the colour 020 Lovesick because I luuuurve fuchsia lip colours - they're so lush and bold, without being too over-the-top. I am a little tired of understated lip colours (nude? why would you choose to look like you haven't got anything on!?) as well as heavy forumals (cough cough MAC) so I went for this.

First, the staying power of this is magical. It's a stain after all, and I am being honest here when I thought it wouldn't live up to the hype - it really did. My biggest nemesis is the two silly lines around your lips where the colour stayed and the inner side is flesh coloured - looks very 80's drag

There are no such lines with this stain - the colour stays on while eating, drinking and a lot of kissing (boyfriend was pleased). The colour is very vibrant and not drying at all because of the balm-y quality. I like to blot my lips with a tissue if I want the sheen of the balm to go and make most of the stain look.

Natural light - 1 coat

Flash - 1 coat (my lower lip resembles Sylvester Stallone's here...)

Hand swatch

The jumpo pencil-like tube is a godsend - it is so easy to apply it in a hurry and with great precision. If you want a dollop of colour, use the flat side of the "crayon" and the tip for outlining.

Natural light

Flash

All in all, I thoroughly recommend this product, even a cynic like me couldn't find a single flaw in it!

:)
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Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Review

Heard lots of good thing about this concealer so I don't really know why I postponed buying it for so long... Collection 2000 (they renamed it 'Collection' but I will stick the 2000 on the end forever!) had a "everything under £4" promotion, but I didn't have much money with me so I didn't go all out (thank god).  My shade is #1 Fair.

Where to start..... I absolutely love this. This is now on top of my everyday makeup routine, it's a staple item  and I regret not buying it earlier. Now for more detail:

Consistency: Definitely on the thicker side. It is best to apply this one spot at a time: apply, blend, apply, blend. I tried dotting my whole face and then blending, but it became difficult, as it is actually quite thick and dries swiftly.

Coverage: Medium-Full. I say this based on my medium-full coverage MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, and this does almost the same if not better job. Extremely useful to hide redness (which I have a lot of), less so on spots and blemishes, though still a very good job.

Packaging:  I think it's perfect. I am always a fan of a sleek tube with an applicator over a 'tub', even though fingers get dirty anyway (I don't really feel like investing in a concealer brush... I value my products too much). The sponge applicator wand is very helpful, and excess can always be returned to the tube.

Aesthetics: by this I mean smell, but I don't think that should have its own section... but I digress. I absolutely love that this is 100% odourless. No sickly chemical smell, or even worse - heavily perfumed paste. Eww.

Price: Need I explain? 130% value for money!

my bare skin...ewww.

Verdict: a definite drugstore gem, and something you should definitely invest in. Only downside is that people with certain skintones won't find their matches (hooray for always being the palest shade of any brand!) as there are only 4 colours and they're all for white skin.
  
:)
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Lancome Haul!

Yesterday was amazing, my mum agreed to buy me 2 Lancome products so I could get the 'free' gift that came with it - a bag full of goodies! I was super excited.

Originally I came to buy the Bi-Facil full sized makeup remover (see my other post for review), but then saw the promotion and whined to my mum to get me a second product to get the goodie bag. Thing is, I coulnd't really get something 'cheap-ish' because the cheapest thing was a Juicy Tube and that is a whopping £15.50 (totally not worth it, IMO). We were just about to leave when mum finally agreed to buy me anything I wanted (well, needed) so somehow I ended up with a £27.00 Teint Idole Ultra 24H foundation in my bag - I thought I was going to faint.

It looks so expensive $_$

   Above are all the products that I got that day (some in original packaging).

• I got a full sized Tonique Douceur which, if I'm being honest, isn't anything great. My Neautrogena face tonic is way better and albeit this smells nice and feels luxurious, it's cleaning properties (or any others it may have) aren't really up to scratch. 
• A sample sized Bi-Facil - always a pleasant treat! 
• 2 Sample-sized creams - Hydra Zen Neurocalm / Hydra Zen Nuit Neurocalm. These smell absolutely gorgeous and feel very nice on the skin - they're very hydrating and I love them, but not their sample size OR price. They're definitely overpriced - but to be honest, all Lancome creams are.
• Visionnaire [LR 2412 4%] Corrector - this I have nothing to say about, even if I did try it out. All these science-y names are only there to make you feel like some magic compound is in there. Being someone who knows her chemistry, I can tell you it doesn't do any miracles, and for the price they drive it at, you might as well use Vaseline. The sample tube is tiny so I'll probably only use it when I'm going out. 
• Another tiny sample sized product: Génifique Concentrated Youth Activator. The name is hilarious - clearly we all have youth 'locked up' inside us that needs to be activated with this......not. A standard cream for a very big price - again, stick to Vaseline. 
• Finally, something I'm really happy is the mini Juicy Tubes in Marshmallow Electro. There was a choice between this and a bright red lipstick, but luckily I got this - I don't suit red aaaaat all. This is a neutral, sparkly colour which I have been looking for for a while but never buying because to be honest, I really don't like lip gloss, though I do need it over some dryer lipsticks. Be warned, it IS sticky so if you can't handle it, don't bother. :)
• A sample of 'La vie est belle' perfume which, if you ask me, smells pretty similar to their Hypnose perfume (looks identical colourwise as well). It's a very nice smell, very Lancome, nothing too extravagant though.  
• Last 'freebie' is Hypnose Mascara, which I already own and which isn't really that brilliant with my stumpy little excuses for lashes.  

Foundation and samples unboxed

So all in all, as I review this I realise that it wasn't really worth the money as such... but then I realise that I have the Teint Idole foundation and am back to being a very happy bunny. I will review it in another post, but from I tried so far - I am absolutely in love!  

:)
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ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour - Review

I've owned the three original shades for quite a long time now, actually, but never really got my hands on the keyboard to review them because... well you'll find out why.

I own three shades - Tea Rose, Coral and Natural. I took a hand swatch but lost it and have no energy to take another one at the moment, so I hope lip swatches will suffice.

Tea Rose - a purple-pink sort of shade, looks darker on lips that in the swatches below. Quite a nice colour if you know how to work it, and works best with a gloss.

Tea Rose - no gloss

Tea Rose with clear gloss - magically becomes more pink

Natural - in the pictures below it looks really similar to Tea Rose... it really isn't. Tea Rose's purple sheen is difficult to capture on camera, and you should be aware of it if you are to purchase it.

Natural - no gloss

Natural - gloss

Notice how after gloss is applied the colour becomes leaky and broken.

Coral - my definite favourite of the three, colour-wise

Coral - no gloss

It upsets me greately that such a great colour is of such a bad quality. This is what stopped me from a. wearing and b. posting about these matte lip colours because due to their dryness and low-ish quality they are just not wearable!
The colour 'cracks' near the moist area of the lip (whats the right term for that effect anyway?) and the colour is flaky if the lips are not in top condition. They are matte, yes, but that takes away all the moisture from the lips, so you have to top with a gloss or balm, which ruins the matte idea anyway?! 
Even with top ups of colour, it doesn't last at all and the dry flakiness is unavoidable - even if you are willing to sacrifice not looking perfectly-sculpted.

Thus, I don't think I would recommend these products, especially to those with dry lips. If you are not really fussy about the dry look around the inner edges of the mouth (beware, they're very noticeable when you talk!) then go ahead and try this - I got mine on sale for £1.50 each, so not a terrible loss. It's such a shame though, because I absolutely love the colours. I might even attempt to wear Coral out, but I'd have to be feeling pretty adventerous. 

:) 
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