Maybelline Vivids Lipstick- Electric Orange | Swatches & Review

I recently attained one of the Maybelline Vivid collection lipsticks in the colour Electric Orange, which is a screamingly bright orange. At first, I was a bit intimidated by the brightness of this lip colour, but as I tried it, it grew on me. To me, this seems more daring than wearing a bright pink or even a red lipstick because it is just … so.. ORANGE!

Electric Orange is a red toned orange, typical of the orange crayon would always see as a child. The packaging of the product is also very bright with a highlighter bright orange cap and a silver tube. The packaging feels a bit bulky compared to other lipsticks that I own, but it is definitely unique for the colour. I love that the cap matches back to the lipstick because it helps a lot in storage. Mind you, this lipstick is highly pigmented !

The smell of this lipstick is somewhat candy-like, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Reminds me of Sweet tarts or something along those lines. The formula felt moisturising when I tried it and for the short length of time that it was swatched, it stained my hand, so that must speak something of the staying power. The lipstick also leaves a glossy finish, which is not sticky.

A tip for if you choose to wear this lipstick, is to exfoliate your lips. It will look 10 times better. My lips needed a little more exfoliation when I took these shots, but eventually the lipstick settled and it did not look as bad as when I first applied it. But it will kick up all the little dryness on first application.

Enough chit chat, let’s get to the swatches!

Disclaimer: This product was given to me as a gift from a family member. Opinions are my own.

Spring Make up look & Announcement

Hey all! Today I have a make up look I recreated from Maya Mia (Instagram). I haven’t done full out make up in so long, please excuse my mistakes. As usual, my lashes are a bit wonky, but I hope you enjoy the look.

On the note of make up, I was to publish a post about my YouTube hiatus/break, but I kept putting it off until I could make a video. Sadly, time has passed me by and I haven’t. I will not be making video tutorials or beauty videos until about August or September. Hopefully I’d be able to start back earlier than that, because I really miss making them and replying to comments and doing tags. Anyway, you can leave requests for videos on my channel, blog, or Facebook and at least I’d have a bunch of videos to do by the time I get back.

Products Used:
Face:

• Maybelline Fit Me Foundation- 350 Caramel
• Coastal Scents Foundation powder- #3
• Coastal Scents Camouflage concealer palette
• Coastal Scents 10Blush palette – Peachy pink

Eyes:

• Sleek Make up “Oh So Special” Palette – Pamper (matte light peach), Organza (shimmery peach), The Mail (matte beige), Boxed (matte dark brown), Noir (matte black), Glitz (metallic grey)
• Coastal Scents eyeshadow – S23 (not sure of the new name) shimmery blue
• Coastal Scents liquid liner – Jet
• Models21 Eyelashes – 2T
• CoverGirl LashBlast Volume- Very black

Lips

• Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick- Royal Red E190 (discontinued)

MAC Daddy’s Little Girl lipstick Comparisons (bonus gloss)

I’ve make mention of this lipstick quite often since I got it and that’s because I have nothing like it in my collection. I love how bright and fun it is and it is blue toned too, meaning that it should make my teeth look whiter.
This is not a dupe list as I do not have that many lip products that I could find a dupe, but I just thought it would be interesting to show you how different it is from other pinks and purples that I have. (Btw Candy Yum Yum is in a whole other category by it’s self, that is just a bright electric neon pink, so it wasn’t included.)

I recently acquired the Maybelline lip gloss in Raspberry Reflections that compliments this lip colour so well! I will be giving a full review on that very soon, but until then here are some swatches of it over DLG.

DLG without gloss for reference (Note: picture is a bit dark)

M.A.C. Daddy’s Little Girl (swatches and mini review)

Sorry about the lateness of this post, this was intended to be up yesterday, but I forgot to write the post on it, then my internet went wonkers. Anyway I blogged about attending the Barbados launch of the M.A.C. Archie Girls collection and I picked up this lipstick while I was there. The name just seems so fitting of me, as I am a big daddy’s girl haha.

M.A.C. Daddy’s Little Girl is a bright blue-toned pink lipstick which is a satin formula, meaning there is a touch of sheen to it. This lipstick is bordering a magenta depending on the lighting (which you will see in the swatches). It is unlike any of pink lip products that I have so I feel very proud of that. Even compared to some of my mauve or purple shades, it’s still very different.

As with most M.A.C. lipsticks, this has the typical vanilla scent but the packaging is white with Veronica on it, as this is one of the products from her side of the collection. This lipstick is full of colour and one swipe will leave your lips brightly coloured. I also wore this for just 15mins and it stained my lips for the rest of the day. When it is not wiped off immediately, it can last up to 6 hours, as I found out one college day, and even then the stain still lingers. It takes a makeup remover wipe or exfoliation to get rid of it.

I am in love with this lipstick, but this is not something that you can wear to college everyday or even work because it’s very bold and people WILL stare. Alone this lipstick can have a somewhat chalky appearance on women of colour, but as the lipstick settles in and wears, it’s not as bad. I’ve actually just found a solution to the bit of chalkiness, a coordinating Maybelline lip gloss. It was quite a coincidence that my aunt gave me it, because it goes so perfectly with this lipstick. Also you may want to wear this lipstick with a lip liner to prevent feathering and to ensure that you keep this bright colour in check.

I will do another post with comparisons and how I wear this lipstick very soon.  Until then, enjoy the swatches!



Pictured in direct sunlight

Disclaimer: This product was bought with my own money. Opinions are my own.

Blue Winged liner FOTD

Hey everyone,  just popping in to show you my face of the day.  I hadn’t intented to get such a dramatic cat-eye,  but sometimes you just have to roll with it.  I used an Avon glimmersticks pencil liner in Starry night (a navy blue with a hint of shimmer)  and to set it,  I used a blue Coastal Scents eyeshadow.  Other than that I just groomed my eyebrows as usual and applied a light coat of M.A.C. Daddy’s Little Girl lipstick.  I wil be doing swatches and a review of this lipstick very soon. 

How’s your week going so far? Hopefully all is well.

Xoxo

Burts Bees Honey Lip Balm | Review

Hi guys, I have a really brief review of the Burt’s Bees Honey Lip balm with Vitamin E. FYI for this post, I’m not a natural/organic product advocate nor do I believe in only natural products working for me, but I was very impressed by this product. I bought the Burt’s Bees Honey lip balm at Collins Pharmacy for about $6 and I must say that it is very easy to wear and use. It’s not too slippery or glossy, but it does feel like it nourishes my lips fully. I think this product would be best under a lip liner or a matte lipstick as it has a very good staying power, but isn’t so moisturising that everything you apply over it slips off.

There’s hardly any scent to irritate my nose or even stop me from wanting to eat, as I have experienced with other lip balms over the years. I had heard that this was a good lip balm, but it wasn’t until I tried it that I knew this would be something that I would want to repurchase. I still really like my Maybelline Baby lips though. I don’t think this could replace it, but until Collins has more stock so I can get a few spares, I’ll be using this.

The Honey Lip balm is a colourless formula, and there are also other formulas with colour and shimmer in them, but I wasn’t too interested in those as I already have a number of lip sticks and glosses. But they would probably be good for children or persons who want to branch out into colourful lips. I’m yet to see the pigmentation on those however.

The Verdict:
Pros:

• Affordable
• Lots of product
• A little goes a long way
• Moisturising formula
• 100% Natural
• Great for layering under lipstick

Cons:

• Can feel a bit waxy at first and needs warming up on lips

The Raw Sugar:
I really like this product and I keep it close-by for when my lips are feeling chapped. I love that it isn’t the same glossy (or greasy) appearance that I got from the Maybelline Baby Lips. I heard there’s also a medicated or mint flavoured one from Burts Bees, I want to try that one as well.

Where you can find it: Collins Pharmacy (Barbados), Drug stores USA

Disclaimer: This product was bought with my own money and opinions are my own.

MAC Archie Girl’s Collection

Hey all! I know I haven’t been blogging in two weeks, I’ve been busy as I said in my last Aspiration Diaries post. But I do have something fun to show you! I don’t know if it’ll make up for my absence, but I really think it was a great opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

Last month for North America at least, MAC Cosmetics launched their well awaited Archie Girls’ collection. This March, the 14th to be exact, MAC had a special launch for the event, and I was  lucky enough to be an invitee!  After rushing home from classes, I tried to put myself together quickly, but still look nice, as it was my first event of this type. I went for a pretty relaxed look and wore a white linen pants, a mint green cami and my DIY denim vest. I also kept my make up simple, just an easy winged liner look, some N.Y.C. bronzer, blush and the Revlon “raspberry pie” lip butter. Sadly I forgot to take more pictures of my outfit and make up.


Yes, I got myself in this love triangle.. or is it a square now…

 

Onto the actual event.. The atmosphere was quite nice and reminiscent of what you would expect if the comic were to come to life, old school jukebox music, mini hotdog and “burgers” as well as the cutest drinks I’ve ever seen! Sadly I didn’t get one, or take a picture but they were in short wide glasses with striped straws. I’m sure like in the comics I saw some persons drinking ice cream floats. And of course, Archie had to be there with Veronica and Betty fighting over him, as usual haha. I had mixed feelings about Betty and Veronica in my younger days when I read more comics, but collection and outfit-wise, I was loving Veronica more.

 

First out, let me say that for darker skin tones, the Veronica side of the collection is a lot better suited to us. I had seen some swatches of the collection from Necessarymakeup’s Instagram and even seeing them in person, I really couldn’t choose between 3 products that I really wanted. Her pictures couldn’t do enough justice to the Pearl Glide Intense Eyeliners, especially “Designer Purple” which is this fabulous violet with a purple pearl finish. I almost got that, but considering how often I wear eyeliner, I opted out. I may still consider it later though…

The next thing that intrigued me was Prom Princess satin-finish blush, however, I feel that this is dupable and it was really the packaging that drew me in haha. (probably for the whole collection really, I love the white packaging!)

 

 

 

What I finally chose was a bright satin lipstick which practically embodies my relationship with my dad, “Daddy’s Little Girl”. I just had to.. it was so cute and the packaging to die for! A bit pricey, but you have to splurge on yourself at some point right? A full review will be coming on this lippy soon. (FYI: this is technically not the MAC product I’ve used or encountered, but it is the first that I’ve bought for myself).

All in all, the collection is very nice, the packaging was well thought out and a nice refresh from the typical black, but unless you’re a collector or a fan of Archie you could probably skip it out as many of the lip colours and blushes have been done already. The only thing I would really go back for would be the Pearl Glide eyeliners, those were very pigmented, especially “Designer Purple” which was very different from what I typically see. 

 

Each of the attendees received a collectors tin filled with heart-shaped cinnamints. I have them on my dresser to sneak a few when I’m feeling peckish. Also there were a few giveaways of products from the line.

I really enjoyed the event and I would like to say thank you to Tyrell my bf, for encouraging me speak up and take the initiative and thank you so much to Tennille at the MAC counter, who was really helpful! As well as my sister, Erica who tagged along to the event with me.

Mad for Lavender-MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2

Since last Spring or maybe the spring before that I had fallen in love with lavender lip products.  Although they may not be the most typical and wearable of lip products,  the novelty of a purple lipstick just teases me.  So when MAC released their second Viva Glam lipstick with Nicki Minaj in February,  I was excited to see that it was pastey lilac.  The first Nicki Viva Glam was a bright coral pink colour,  which to me was something I could achieve by mixing a few colours.  But lilac is unique.
 

Lately I’ve been seeing many purple,  or at least purple-toned lip products and I have read that purple is a hot colour for Spring.  Revlon also makes a lilac shade for their lip butters as well as the balm stains and previously had a Super Lustrous lipgloss in a very cute lavender.
 

According to the swatches that I’ve seen of Nicki 2, as well as the MAC product description,  this is an opaque amplified finish lipstick,  meaning the it is loaded with pigment.  I appreciate this because there have been times where I see lilac lipsticks and there is hardly any pigment to them.  However as it would be obvious,  this colour is not for every skintone.  Definitely not darker ones,  unless you make some changes or you are extremely bold.  I like how blogger Cheryl from Makeup by Cheryl H warms up the cool tone of this pastey lilac lippy by using a deeper lip pencil.  Also for us darker in complexion, Ayesha from Simple Beauty Blog, show some great options to make this a more wearable colour.

 

  

 

Would you try the trend of lavender lips? Have you already bought Viva Glam Nicki 2?

Temptalia Review of Viva Glam Nicki 2

 

Disclaimer: Images are not my own.

EOS Lip balm-Smooth Sphere | Review

IThis product has been raved about all over YouTube and the blog-o-sphere, and now I finally have tried it. But is it worth the hype?

EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth and is the company has some very innovative packaging. When I take this out of my bag (as I can’t keep it in my pocket), people usually stare and wonder what it is. A classmate of mine actually stared at me like I was nuts, it was hilarious. Anyway, I definitely give them huge thumbs up for the cute packaging and the way you can apply the balm, that is with your mouth closed instead of that weird open mouth thing us ladies do.

The lip balm that I have is a part of the limited edition Alice in wonderland collaboration with Disney, and is the flavour “Blueberry Potion”. I love the scent and taste of this lip product and apparently, the ingredients are natural and organic (i.e. good for you and none of the commercial nasties), not that it makes a huge difference to me, I’m studying Science and exposed to chemicals on a weekly basis.

It’s a colourless fomula that leaves a slight gloss on the lips and it feels very lightweight. On first application, it takes quite a bit of rubbing to warm up the product, but it smooths on very easily after the initial uses. It is a moisturing lip balm, but it’s just not as good as my Maybelline Baby lips, nor as long lasting, but the sweet taste does linger. However, the scent dissipates pretty fast. Maybe it doesn’t last as long because the Baby Lips is thicker though.

My lips are smooth, but not as smooth as I would like. I still am experincing some dryness around the corners, which makes me go back to my favourite, the Baby Lips. I think I wuld have liked this more, if I hadn’t tried the Maybelline first, but alas Maybelline has stolen my love.

Also I realised since there is no SPF in this one, that my lips have been looking quite dark and dismal.. 😦

The Verdict:
Pros:

• Good amount of product
• Moisture in one or two swipes
• Tastes yummy
• Gives a bit of sheen
• Lips are relatively smooth
• Cute, innovative packaging
• Twist-off lid
• Ingredients are 95% organic and 100% natural

Cons:

• Packaging though bright and fun may not suit all ages
• Bulky for stroage (too big for pockets)
• Not the most moisturising lip balm there is
• Not available in Barbados
• Limited Edition flavour

The Raw Sugar:
I would repurchase this simply for the novelty of the packaging and the taste. It’s not the most moisturising lip balm, but it is fun. Not worth the all hype about being the best, just is cute and “organic”. I love my Baby Lips more, but maybe the other lip balms they have are better, since some are medicated, others had sunscreen, etc.

Where you can find it: EOS website
Drugstores (USA)

Revlon Lip Butter in Raspberry Pie

You probably have seen in one on the hauls on my YouTube last year, that I got a Revlon lip butter in “Candy Apple”, which is a gorgeus warm-toned red. Recently I’ve acqured another from a giveaway I won, in Raspberry Pie, which looks as yummy and pretty as it sounds.

The packaging on these lip products are very sleek and they do not look at all cheap. I also love the viewing window for the colour and how the lid is a similar colour to the lip product. Sadly, being the clutz that I am, I had the hardest time opening it at first and got lip butter all over the cover haha.

The formula is very good, a nice smooth even colour when you’re applying it to your lips. No patchiness, and very moisturising for a lip colour. As the name suggests, it’s like butter, but beware in tropical, warm places this can melt in storage. I have found my older one melted a bit in my cosmetics bag.

The colour is a cool-toned pink with makes my teeth look whiter than they really are. They chose the best name for this shade, as it does remind me of a raspberry. This lip product leaves a nice sheen to the lips, and isn’t sticky, but is a tad heavy. You can defintely tell that you are wearing it on your lips. I wouldn’t add a gloss over it, it’s great as is, and the colour pay-off is surprising. You only need to do one swipe to get medium coverage and it is buildable.

 

After eating, drinking and talking (a lot), the sheen obviously doesn’t not stay, but the colour stains your lips. I wore this on the first day of the Girlfriend’s Expo this year and it lasted for about 6 hours, that is with me reapplying just lip balm to me lips occasionally because my lips tend to dry out once exposed. I was very impressed!

The Verdict:Pros:

• Great colour pay-off
• Good amount of product
• Gives a nice sheen to lips
• Lasts about 6 hours (on me)
• Stains lips (this colour)
• Moisturising for a lip colour (still not as moisturising as a lip balm, obviously)
• Chic packaging

Cons:

• Hard to open on first use (or maybe that was just me)
• Pricey in Barbados ($20BDS+) and never on special 😦

The Raw Sugar:
I love the the lip butters, especially this colour. I want to try the lilac one next, if not Creme Brulee that I have seen tons rave about. OR the Relvon Lip Balm Stains. However those as like $25BDS….and on a student budget, I can’t see myself getting that anytime soon. But this product is definitely worth purchasing if you want to tip toe into wearing lipstick, or just moving away from nude lips as you can build the colour intensity and it feels a bit like lip balm.

Where you can find it: Cave Shepherd (Barbados)
Drugstores (USA)