Long lasting liquid lipstick trend

Why not continue with lip products this week, I tried so many recently that I think it’s time to reveal their deal.

There’s been always an attempt to create perfect long-lasting lipsticks, I remember 15 years ago it was for example Max Factor (and Cover Girl) and I see, now again, new liquid longwearing lipsticks releases. I’m a drugstore girl when it comes to lip products so of course I bought few new to test. Let me throw the spoiler in right now – I’m not happy what so ever.

I bought Matte style lip lacquer by Astor, Provocalips by Rimmel and Infallible 24h lip colour by L’Oreal.

Matte style lip lacquer by Astor

Price: Astor lacquer costs 9,49€, Provocalips by Rimmel 11,99€ and Infallible lip colour 17,49€ (L’Oreal either change your pricing or get out of drugstore! To pay 17€ for a drugstore lipstick that’s just too much!).

Colours: Astor offers 5 colours, mine is 215 Just so Stylish, Rimmel 10 shades, mine in colour 110 Dare to Pink and finally L’Oreal 14 shades in Europe, I stupidly bought two colours, 111 Permanent Blush and 121 Flawless Fuchsia.

Scent: all three lipsticks have paint-like scent, balms have sweet scent.

Matte style lip lacquer in colour 215 Just so Stylish by Astor

Texture:

Astor: it has light creamy non sticky texture. It glides very easily on the lips which, if you don’t pay attention, can lead to crossing lip line and to creating little bit of mess. It is not drying at the application but after few hours you can definitely feel that you are wearing something.

Provocalips by Rimmel

Rimmel: it has also creamy texture, but it is so sticky that I had hard time opening my mouth after the application. If you want to try to apply it, do not close and rub your lips, wait till it’s dry and apply the balm that comes with it (it has thick creamy glossy texture). To get even colour you have to reapply few layers which becomes difficult with that terrible glue-like texture. It feels dry after short time and you have to reapply the balm to survive all that stickiness and dryness on the lips.

Provocalips in colour 110 Dare to Pink by Rimmel

L’Oreal: light creamy non sticky texture at first but once it dries it becomes sticky (but not even close to stickiness of Rimmel one) and you have to immediately apply a balm that comes with it (it’s a creamy balm stick). If you reapply the balm very often you may decrease the dryness of the lips but I don’t think this is an everyday lipstick. What is nice about this one is that once it’s sealed by the balm it doesn’t transfer.

Infallible 24h lip colour lipsticks by L'Oreal

Longevity: this is where the problem gets worse. These liquid lipsticks last quite a long time but if you eat they don’t fade out completely (like for example Master drama pencil by Maybelline that I like) but they leave behind bright reddish colour at the outer part of the lips. You cannot get rid of that colorful ring, it’s glued like nothing I’ve seen before, it feels tacky, it accentuates all the lines and if you add more to even out the colour it becomes a lot worse looking and feeling.

Infallible 24h lip colour lipsticks in 111 Permanent Blush and 121Flawless Fuchsia by L'Oreal

Final verdict: As you can see these lipsticks are not my cup of tea, they don’t feel good on my lips. They look awful once you have eaten and adding more colour on the top just makes the lips look and feel worse. The worst out of bunch is Rimmel, absolute horror, which I couldn’t stand wearing more than one full day, for the testing purposes, and I don’t think that I would even pass it to somebody as I don’t want anybody else to suffer. The best out of these three is L’Oreal, at least it doesn’t transfer and doesn’t look as bad as other two although still drying and still patchy. I’m quite mad at myself that I bought 2 colours (considering their price). When Sephora offers 20% off I can actually get for almost the same price Smashbox or Makeup Forever long-lasting liquid lipsticks which may be better quality than these drugstore ones.

Color Elixir Lip Lacquer by Maybelline vs Colorstay Moisture stain by Revlon

I went to London last January and bought some lippies. The Maybelline Lip Lacquers looked similar to Revlon’s Moisture stain so I decided to try them and compare.

Price: 6,99£ for Lip Lacquer by Maybelline, 5£ on sale (otherwise 7,99£) for Moisture stain by Revlon.

Color Elixir lip lacquer by Maybelline

Texture and scent: 

Maybelline: The lacquers smell very sweet (maybe vanilla). They have creamy, non-sticky texture. They feel moisturizing; they look very shiny and smooth lips nicely. When they dry they feel very light weight and confortable.

Color Elixir lip lacquer by Maybelline

Revlon: Moisture stain lipstick doesn’t have any scent. It has creamy, non-sticky texture comparable to Maybelline’s lacquer and it feels moisturizing just like other ones. It gives less shine compared to Maybelline’s lacquer (right after the application) but at the end, when they dry, they look quite similar. For both of them the shine wears off after some time and you get semi matt look. I had little bit of problem with the Revlon’s application; it took some layers to even out the colour on my lips.

Color Elixir lip lacquer in colour 105 Petal Blush and 120 Fuchsia Flouris by Maybelline

Colours: 

Maybelline: 11 shades are offered in the UK. I bought 105 Petal Blush (light warm pink) and 120 Fuchsia Flouris (bright fuchsia).

Revlon: 8 shades are offered in the UK. I bought 001 India Intrigue (berry colour).

Colorstay Moisture stain by Maybelline

Longevity: 

In case of Maybelline I tested the darker colour, 120 Fuchsia Flouris, as it was easier to detect flaws (for ex. bleeding). It lasted long time, left behind little bit of stain so I didn’t have to reapply it unless I ate. It didn’t bleed and looked ok even though less shiny after a while.

Colorstay Moisture stain by Maybelline

Revlon: It worked similarly to Maybelline, it left little bit of stain behind and I didn’t have to reapply unless I ate. It didn’t bleed and looked nice as well.

Colorstay Moisture stain in colour 001 India Intrigue by Revlon

Final verdict: both products are quite nice but there has to be only one winner. I like Maybelline lacquers slightly more since they apply easier, they are shinier right after the application and the price is better too (unless you get Revlon on sale like me). Anyway they are very similar and I think the final choice at the end will depend on the shades the brands offer and shades you like.

Longlasting waterproof eye pencils by Catrice

I already wrote about Made to stay pencil by Catrice in February and that I was very pleased by its staying power in my waterline. Today I bring you review of its “relatives”, longlasting eye pencils in colour Black, Brown and Blue.

Price: 2,45€ in Austrian and 2,39€ in Slovakian DM drugstore.

Longlasting waterproof eye pencil by Catrice

Texture: all three pencils have very creamy texture to the point that if you press too hard the tip will break off. You have to be very careful when applying it otherwise you will unnecessarily quickly use it up. I recommend applying them with small angle brush especially when creating a wing. Although there is a sharpener at one end of the pencil I didn’t like using it, it was changing pencil’s shape in a bad way (due to its softness). If you want to smudge them, you can, you have some short time to do that before they set.

Longlasting waterproof eye pencil by Catrice in colours: 050 Brown town Girl, 110 Rendez-blue and 010 New Kids on the black

Colours: all three shades are very pigmented. The shades’ names were on their transparent packaging that I wisely threw away so I’m just guessing according to Catrice website that the colours are 010 New Kids on the black, 050 Brown town Girl and 110 Rendez-blue. Black colour is very intense which is important, blue is very vibrant which I don’t like using on its own, but painted over black liner it looks amazing: darker but still vibrant. Brown is nice alternative to black colour if it’s too intense for you, it has rather warmer undertone.

Longevity: once they set they last very long time. They stay well in waterline just like the Made to stay highlighter pencil that I mentioned previously.

Final verdict: for the price, pigmentation and longevity I think they are definitely a drugstore winner in pencil eyeliner department. Just be careful when applying them so you don’t waste too much...

Restructuring foundation by Peggy Sage

It may be too late to post this review since we are approaching warm weather but for those who constantly battle dry skin here is the foundation for you.

Price: 21,80€ in Hairdis store in Brussels, Belgium, according to Peggy Sage website the brand sells also in France and Switzerland.

Scent: it smells little bit like Nivea, it has this scent of basic creams. I don’t mind it at all.

Restructuring foundation by Peggy Sage

Texture and finish: it has creamy thick texture, similar to Nivea in white pot. It is ideal for dry skin, while regular foundations exaggerate dry spots this one actually gives the skin some relief and makes the dry looking complexion nicer. It has semi matt finish so it is not extremely glowy as one would think.

Colour: only 7 shades on offer. I had hard time finding my winter shade and ended up with Beige Noisette which is darker and more neutral tone than my skin.

Coverage: medium coverage, this foundation covers skin discoloration and some small imperfections.

Restructuring foundation by Peggy Sage in colour BEige Noisette

Longevity: on my dry skin it lasted all day long (and I didn’t powder). This foundation is great for mature skin as well as it gives healthy look to the skin. I think normal skin girls can use it too together with powder, for oily girls this foundation would be too greasy and heavy.

Final verdict: I absolutely love this foundation, especially for winter month. It hides my dry patches and makes my skin look nice. It’s a pity that the colour doesn’t match me right because this foundation doesn’t like to be mixed with other foundations. I will try to go back to the shop and see if they have any new lighter shades.

Makeup sponge by Ebelin, dupe for Beauty Blender?

There’s been lot of Beauty Blender dupes released past 3 years and all I’ve tried so far haven’t even come close to Beauty Blender. I stumbled across yet another dupe in DM drugstore, this time by Ebelin, so let’s see if it’s any good.

Price: you can buy Beauty Blender (BB) for 16,90€ from French Sephora, with 20% off seasonal sale, you can buy it for 13,52€. Makeup sponge by Ebelin costs 2,25€ in Austrian DM drugstore (in Slovakia the price is probably similar).

Makeup sponge by Ebelin and Beauty Blender

How it’s used: before the application you wet the sponge and squeeze extra water. The fact that it’s wet helps to keep the product you are applying on the sponge and not soaking in. The BB allows flawless application of any cream products such as primer, foundation, concealer, cream bronzer, blush or highlighter. Recently I’ve seen makeup artists using it with under eye powder as well, I tried it and it works nice. You can watch the instructional videos on the Beauty Blender website.

Texture:

Beauty blender: has unique texture, it is very soft sponge that doubles in size when wet. When used, it beautifully applies the product and softly bounces off your skin.

Makeup sponge by Ebelin: it has rather rubbery texture that is not soft to the touch as the BB. You cannot squeeze it completely to the point that you would feel your fingers through the material as it is in case of BB. When it’s wet it doubles its size just like BB but it doesn’t bounce softly so the experience is not as nice as with the BB.

Makeup sponge by Ebelin (right) and Beauty Blender (left) : both dry

Skin look after using each sponge:

Beauty blender: I use it for foundation and under eye concealer; it allows flawless application, taking away extra cream product if I apply too much of it. I also use it for under eye powder and it cancels powder-like look immediately.

Makeup sponge by Ebelin: surprisingly it works quite well; it gives flawless look to my foundation too. On the other hand since it is not possible to squeeze it very well, it is hard to use it for under eye concealer and powder.

Makeup sponge be Ebelin (right) and Beauty Blender (left) : both wet

Final verdict: this is probably the closest dupe to Beauty Blender if I’m not counting sponge by Real Techniques (it doesn’t try to be a BB dupe, but everybody compares it to it anyway). For the price and relatively good job, I think the sponge by Ebelin is a good alternative to expensive BB sponge. I will definitely use it but then I’ll go back to Beauty Blender. It is the best makeup sponge in the world.

Velvet Matt eyeshadows by Catrice

Almost all drugstore brands are releasing new eyeshadows and I was especially curious about Catrice ones. They have matt finish and you know how hard it is to find good matt eyeshadows in drugstore…So of course I bought them immediately for testing.

Velvet Matt eyeshadows by Catrice

Price: 3,95€ which is very good price for single eyeshadow.

Texture: they are very very smooth just like high end eyeshadows. I was surprised how smooth and velvet they are! They blend like a dream and look very nice on eyes. They are very pigmented so you just need to touch them lightly before applying. The only downside to them is that they are not very well pressed in the pan so if you dropped them they immediately shatter. I don’t recommend traveling with them. You can see on the picture that the brown eyeshadow didn’t even make it to the “photo shoot”.

Velvet Matt eyeshadows by Catrice

Colours: I bought 4 colours, 010 Vanillaty Fair ( butter colour), 020 Pink-up Girls (light baby pink), 030 Jump Up and Brown (darker cool tone brown) and my personal favourite 040 Al Burgundy (burgundy with black base).

Velvet Matt eyeshadows by Catrice: 010 Vanillaty Fair, 020 Pink-up Girls, 030 Jump Up and Brown and 040 Al Burgundy

Longevity: without an eyeshadow primer (or with bad eyeshadow primer) they don’t last long and they crease (on the first picture here under). If you use good eyeshadow primer they last all day.

Two different looks:

Final verdict: Apart from being badly pressed in the pan and the questionable longevity without primer they are very nice eyeshadows. I always use good eyeshadow primer so I don’t have any problems with creasing. They look good on my eyes and blend like no other eyeshadows in drugstore. If I see any new interesting colours I will buy them for sure.

PROJECT 20 PAN vol.2

As promised here is a short list of products I’m going to try to use up by the end of June. 6 are from previous project pan and 14 are new. There are lot of challenging items I must say but if I didn’t have the project pan I’m sure I would neglect them so I say let’s use them up!

1. SuperShock eyeshadow base pot by Avon (still 1/3 left)
2. Brow gel by Anastasia (deluxe sample)
3. Eyeshadow pencil in colour Champagne Toast by Milani (still 1/2 left)
4. Eye pencil in colour Bronze by Bourjois (2/3 left, that will be a challenge)
5. Lip pencil in colour Nude by NYX (1/2 left, that may be easy)
6. Prep & prime face primer by MAC (little bit left, probably 2 weeks of use)
7. Airbrush concealer by Clinique (1/2 left)
8. Lumi Magique foundation by L’Oreal (1/2 left)
9. 4 eyeprimer samples by Urban Decay 
10. Mascara by Makeup Atelier Paris (full size)
11. Lipstick in Lush for blast by Color whispers Maybelline (1/3 left)
12. Prep & prime face powder by MAC (little bit left, probably 2 weeks of use)
13. BB cream Sublimist by L’Oreal (1/2 left)
14. Eyeliner pen in colour Brown by Miss Sporty (1 month of use left)
15. Eyeliner pen in colour Black by Miss Sporty (1 month of use left)
16. Eyeliner pen in colour Blue by ARTDECO (1 month of use left)
17. Lipstick n.02 by Dermacol (1/3 left)
18. Lipgloss n.020 by Catrice (1/2 left)
19. The Porefessional face primer by Benefit (1/2 left)
20. Eyebrow highlighting pen by KIKO (full size)

As you can see quite a good mix of products here and I wonder what will be used up and what not at the end (I hope at least products from previous project pan will be gone because I’m slowly getting fed up with them). Let me know if you are also doing your project pan challenge and what products do you want to use up. Courage!

First PROJECT 20 PAN finished!

I started my first Project pan in January including 20 products that I wanted to finish by 1st of April. Usually you don’t pick more than 10 products but I was very courageous and here is what got actually used up:

1. The Multitasker face powder by Milani - DONE
2. Prep & prime face primer by MAC – almost, going into the basket for next Project pan
3. Shadow insurance Eye shadow primer by Too Faced - DONE
4. Pro Longwear concealer by MAC – I haven’t used it up because it went bad, so it’s going into trash (well, to MAC under “Back to MAC programme”)
5. Double wear stay in place concealer by Estee Lauder - DONE
6. Outlast stay fabulous foundation by CoverGirl - DONE
7. Face & Body foundation by MAC - I haven’t used it up because it went bad, so it’s going into trash (well, to MAC under “Back to MAC programme”)
8. Fix plus by MAC - DONE
9. BB cream Skin miracle by Garnier - DONE
10. SuperShock eyeshadow base pot by Avon – not yet, going into the basket for next Project pan
11. Brow gel by Anastasia - not yet, going into the basket for next Project pan
12. 2 in 1 eye boosting eyeliner by Physician Formula - DONE
13. Eyeshadow pencil in colour Champagne Toast by Milani - not yet, going into the basket for next Project pan 
14. Eyeshadow pencil in champagne by WJ cosmetics – no, going back to my stash, I’ll come back to it later, maybe
15. Eye pencil in colour Bronze by Bourjois - not yet, going into the basket for next Project pan
16. Lash exact mascara by CoverGirl - DONE
17. 2000 calories mascara by Max Factor - DONE
18. Volume mascara by Essence - DONE
19. Lipstick in colour Angel by MAC - DONE
20. Lip pencil in colour Nude by NYX - not yet, going into the basket for next Project pan

All together I used 11 products, 2 went bad, 1 back to my stash and the rest, 6 products, are going into the next Project pan. Apart from products in this challenge, I also used up another 6 items:

1. Lipbalm by Plante System
2. Hypnose Drama mascara by Lancome (it dried out after 1 month and half!)
3. Brow pencil in Taupe by Peggy Sage
4. Balance n Brighten powder by Laura Geller (finally after 3 years!)
5. Deluxe size highlighter in Angelic by Tarte
6. Speed dry top coat nail polish by Nutra Nail

All in all, I used up 17 products! I’m quite happy although I realized that using up products in pencil format will be a major challenge this year:(. I’m already preparing next project pan (although quite late) so stay tuned!