REVIEW: Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks...

Maybelline, you've done it again! In my opinion, MNY are the #1 drugstore brand for the most consistently fabulous lip products - these Vivid Matte Liquids are exceptionally good, and by far the most comfortable liquid lippies of all the ones I've tried of late. Flat matte lip products are all the rage, but I struggle with the inevitable drying effects, usually within half an hour of application. Some are tolerable if re-applied, but others need to be removed completely to avoid streaking and clumping, and that's a pain for me when I'm at work. This range is NOT matte (yay!) - more like a satin with a slight gloss, although they do dull down once they dry. But I'm so enamoured with both the formula and colour range, I bought the whole set ♥...

Not just moisturising, they're also creamy and light yet dense enough to cover the (in some places deep brown) freckle pigmentation that I have, on both the fleshy part of my lips as well as the outline. All but the two nudes leave behind a generous stain after a meal (although they do transfer), and the hues are stunning - from nude through pink to hot pink, orange, plum and an absolutely sensational red! I could rave on all day, but I'll let the swatches do the talking ♥...

This first one is Plum Possessed - such a pretty plum with quite a bit of brown content - I'll be putting this away till Autumn. The one on the right is Nude Flush, the most gorgeous nudey pink in my kit, I absolutely adore it ♥...

One the left is Nude Thrill - another fabulous nude with a hint of orange, just to make it interesting. And that flaming fruit sensation next to it is Orange Shot - a stunner for the brave, and one I'll be wearing over and over again throughout the Summer...

And here we have what I reckon is the cream of the crop - Rebel Red. SO bright, SO bold and SO vibrant. On the right is Fuchsia Ecstasy - a sassy pink that's has so much red in it, it's almost a red...

These pinks look very similar, and they are, but not quite as much as my shonky camera portrays them. The first one, Berry Boost, is deeper and has a drop or two of blue in it, whereas Electric Pink on the right is considerably brighter and definitely high voltage...

The applicator is the traditional does foot spongey kind with a slight curve - super easy to apply, and the cap locks in place with a few twists...

L to R: Posessed Plum, Nude Flush, Nude Thrill, Orange Shot, Rebel Red, Fuchsia Ecstasy, Berry Boost, Electric Pink

I'm plum loco about them all! Not exactly cheap at $17.95 a pop, but I managed to pick up most of them for half price at Chemist Warehouse - they're pretty much out of stock now as their sale has been going on for a while, but you might be lucky. Yet another triumph Maybelline - keep 'em coming ♥♥♥...

Have you tried any of these liquid lippies? Which shade do you think would suit you best?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. You'll find this post and many more over at Ingrid's Monday Madness Link Up Party ♥...

REVIEW: Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour...

Super excited to get my hands on these new Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolours, and even more excited to pick them up at the Priceline Pink Dot Sale for half price ($11.97). The icing on the cake is that they are absolutely fabulous! Highly pigmented, dense, velvety soft, very comfortable to wear, and there's a wide range of colours to choose from, although only eight appear to have been released in Oz. I'm guessing that the nude one (Seduction) is the hottie of the bunch as it was out of stock during both my visits. As expected during a sale, the cupboard was pretty bare initially - I bought one (aptly named Addiction) and fell immediately in love, and fortunately the shelves had been restocked by the time I returned..

Super cute presentation - it's a flattened matte plastic capsule with the usual does foot applicator, although the shape of the tip is kind of concave in the middle on each side. They are fragranced (supposedly with mango & vanilla), but it's not overly strong, and shouldn't be a problem. They aren't really all that matte (thankfully), don't suck the moisture out of my lips, and are surprisingly long lasting - I wore the hot pink one today and most of it survived lunch ♥

Below are the shades I bought - Passion, Flirtation, Devotion, Obsession & Addiction...

So let's move onto the swatches. I did all of these consecutively and on the same day so that there would be (for once) some consistency with my skin tone (although I look pretty washed out for some reason), and the camera's representation of the colours. I've tried these babies with and without a lipliner - although the wand provides pretty good definition by itself, they have a tendency to feather ever so slightly, especially on my wrinkly lips, so for me lining is essential. And the only one that goes on a bit streaky is Flirtation (the orangey one, no surprises there), but reapplying or layering is no problem because of the high moisture content of the formula...

One complaint - the shade name is only on the sticker. If you peel it off (so the tube looks nice), you may struggle when it comes to buying a replacement, well I sure will anyways. Not good Revlon - I can appreciate that the package design is not conducive to labelling on the base, but I would expect no permanent identification from a $5 lip product, NOT one that retails for $23+...

That little beef aside, I ADORE them - Revlon does really quite sensational lip products that never disappoint this little black duck. These are all beautiful shades, but at this stage, I'm obsessed with Obsession lol. Which one is your fave?

Take care of you,
kats xxx

P.S. I'm linking to Ingrid's awesomely interesting Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party - wouldn't miss it for all the tea in China ♥♥♥

REVIEW: Maybelline COLORblur Cream Matte Pencils...

Being a lipstick loony, it's difficult to contain my excitement when a new pout product comes out, especially when it's by Maybelline - they seem to have their finger on the pulse of what I'm after in the area of everyday, affordable and accessible makeup, and their formulas invariably suit me to a T. I fell instantly in love with their COLORdrama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils when first released, and I have an equally all-consuming passion for their new COLORblur Cream Matte Pencils...

Matte lip products and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship. So many of the truly matte lippies are simply not comfortable for me to wear - they're way too drying (can't bear it when my lips feel tight), and they usually make my pucker look like a dried up prune. But these COLORblur crayons have a slight sheen, the formula is amazingly softening and hydrating, they glide on with no tugging, and so far they've even survived a meal! The pigments are bold and sassy, and while there's a limited colour range, I've bought five of the eight shades available in Oz, and adore every single one of them...

The smudger point on the other end is an interesting inclusion - it feels like it's made of the same plastic as a standard pencil eraser, yet it doesn't lift off the product. I haven't experimented with using it to create the recommended blurred look, and I won't as it's just not going to work for me (you apply the product to the centre of the lips and then smudge it outwards). My natural lip outline disappeared long ago, so I'll be giving this technique a miss...

For scent sensitive gals, there's no discernible fragrance or taste, and while they're almost double the price of the Velvet pencils, they're still a great buy for RRP $17.95, and of course I've already found them on special in a few outlets. There's no sharpening either - you simply twist the smudger end to wind up the lipstick. But enough of the specs, let's get onto the swatches!

Just for the record, I've taken all of these pics in the same location and lighting conditions, and yet my skin tone looks different in all of them. Annoyingly my camera seems to react to whatever colour clothing I'm wearing, but the product colours below are close to spot on. I'm thinking I may have to take future photos in the nude in order to get some complexion consistency lol...

So here's the very first one I tried - Berry Misbehaved. A gorgeously rich pink that's exceptionally versatile ♥...

And this is Plum Please - will be totally rocking this once Autumn arrives ♥...

Next we have Partner in Crimson - a deep and muted red that's sure to enhance my Winter outfits. Loving the cute as names too ♥...

And here's Orange Ya Glad - super excited about this one as I seem to have so much trouble with orange lippies turning out patchy and streaky, but not this stunner, it's as smooth as silk ♥...

And my most recent purchase (yesterday!) - Cherry Cherry Bang Bang. Soft and yet dripping with juicy fruit vibrancy ♥...

There are three other pinks in the range - I Like To Mauve It, Pink Insanity & Fast & Fuchsia. The mauve one is too pale for me, but the last two are lovely vibrant shades - sadly they've been out of stock in my usual haunts, but I'm hoping that the demand will slow down a little in the coming weeks so I can get my hands on them...

In one word, fabulous. Here's another word - amazing! My favourite (so far) is Berry Misbehaved - what's yours?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S.Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party starts at 6:30am every Monday ♥...