Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Pencils

So when I first saw the ad for these Revlon jumbo lip pencils online I about freaked out. I love the concept of jumbo lip pencils. Tarte and Clinique both make a higher end alternative and I was so happy when I found out that Revlon was coming out with a cheaper alternative. When I went into CVS one day I unexpectedly ran into the display that held these lip pencils. They were around $9, but they were on a BOGO 50% sale. I then had a $3 off a $10 beauty purchase from my CVS Extra Care program so I ended up paying around $13 for both.

Once I purchased them I immediately wanted to try them out. I was extremely disappointed when there was no color payoff. I thought maybe I got a faulty one, so I swatched it on my hand and the color showed up, shiny and glossy. So I reapplied it, and again nothing came off until I rubbed it consistently over my lips. These pencils claim to be moisturizing, smooth, and glossy. I found they were everything but that. I was so disappointed in this product. They dried my lips out, and took way too much effort to apply, and they didn't last that long. The only thing about these that I liked was the retractable pencil, and the minty feeling it leaves on your lips.

 

I will not be buying any more of these and I will probably end up giving these away to someone else to see if they like them better.

Have any of you tried these? Did you like them?

-A

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

For so long I had resisted the urge and the hype of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. I didn't see the point of paying $22 for a chapstick that would be gone in a few months. I thought what could be so great about this product? What sets it apart from the other millions lip treatments out there?

Then, my birthday rolled around and Sephora's birthday gift for Beauty Insiders was a Fresh sugar lip treatment duo in the mini size. I was so excited that I finally got to try this product out without shelling out the $22. I opened the tube and went to apply it and the smell caught my attention first. It was a sweet, lemony, sugary smell. It smelled so fresh, ironically. Then I applied the balm, it was so smooth and it effortlessly glided across my lips. I could not get enough. After wearing the lip treatment for a few hours, it did not make my lips chapped as most lip balms do. I was impressed. I started using this lip treatment as a primer to apply before I put lipstick or lip gloss on. I will apply a thin layer of this lip treatment then apply my lipstick or lipgloss and I notice how much longer my lipstick will wear and how my lips do not get chapped at all. I could not believe how much I loved this product. When I ran out of the mini size, I was at a huge crossroads. Do I actually spend the $22 for what is essentially a chapstick?

I waged the pros and the cons in my head and I found significantly more pros and I found myself in Sephora paying $22 for the full size lip treatment. It was the best decision I made. I never regretted purchasing this product for one second. Currently, I have about 1/4 of the product left and I am again at the dilemma of deciding between repurchasing this treatment or trying to find something better? I am leaning towards repurchasing since I cannot imagine not having this in my handbag.

Have you tried any of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments? Which ones and what did you like about it?

-A

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

Today I am writing to you all about my favorite hand cream. I stumbled upon this hand cream back in December, and I wanted to make sure I truly liked it before I wrote a blog post about it. I bought this on a whim at Nordstrom during the height of the winter months. My skin is not dry, but my hands can start to feel tight and slightly dried out with the wind and colder air. The combination of washing my hands periodically throughout the day and the cold winter air, they were destined to get dry. Since I was in desperation, I decided to purchase the 1oz tube for $10. 

Once I opened the tube and applied it to my hands, the first thing I noticed was how thick the cream was. I only needed a pea size amount that would sufficiently moisturize my hands. The second thing I noticed was after I rubbed in the cream, there was no trace of stickiness, slipperiness, or greasiness. One of my biggest pet peeves about hand cream is not being able to open doors or touch anything with the fear of getting hand cream all over the place. The L'Occitane hand cream absorbed so quickly, I was really impressed. It left my hands feeling soft and supple for hours after application. 

If you haven't tried this hand cream out, I highly recommend it. 

What are some of your go-to hand creams? What do you like or dislike about hand cream in general?

-A

NARS Ophelia Lipgloss

The blog post I have for you today is a newfound favorite of mine, NARS Ophelia lipgloss. When I first heard about the NARS lip glosses, all I heard was how bad they smelled, like plastic. I decided to try them out for myself since the shades were neutral and offered my kind of colors, neutral pinks. I decided to try Ophelia and I immediately fell in love. The lipgloss was not sticky at all, it was lightweight, thin, and didn't have a fragrance that I could recall.

I found myself wearing this lipgloss every day, and I would re-apply it throughout the day because I loved the way it made my lips feel. As time went on I started to notice the "stale" plastic smell that I heard people talk about. The smell wasn't unbearable, but it definitely did smell like stale plastic. Once I noticed the smell, I kept using the lipgloss and once it was applied, I could not smell it on my lips. The lipgloss had too many things I liked about it to let the smell in the tube affect my use of this product.

To date, this still remains one of my favorite lip glosses. I have Ophelia and Angelika, and I think its the color of Ophelia that does it for me; it is sheer, neutral and it goes with everything. It is perfect for the office and it doesn't dry my lips out. Angelika, is the bright pop of pink that brightens your whole face up. It is the kind of color to wear during the summer with a natural eye look. It is very opaque and I find that you get the desired color in one application.

Since I am almost out of Ophelia, I thought i would go ahead and try Chihuahua. It is the perfect color for everyday. It is definitely a "my lips, but better" color that I feel any skin tone could pull off.

Have any of you tried the NARS lip glosses? What did you like or dislike about them?

-A