Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Review: Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Color - Nude Flush & Rebel Red

*Disclosure* Products mentioned were provided for review thanks to Influenster. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always! Post contains affiliate links.

Hey guys! I know I promised this post a little while ago, but this pregnancy has sure been kicking my booty. I can feel great for a day or two, then get knocked down again for almost a week. I'm still blessed though, so onto my review of the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Colors in the shades Nude Flush and Rebel Red. Finally!

 A description of these liquid lipsticks from the Maybelline website:

Color Sensational® Vivid Matte Liquid™. Rich, intense lip color that glides on smooth to a matte finish.

The benefits:

Drench your lips in vivid color. Pure pigments collide with a creamy liquid base for a soft, cushiony feel. The result? A high-impact lip that stands out! Available in a collection of intense shades. 

How to use:

Step 1. Apply lip lacquer with the applicator wand in the center of your upper lip and follow along the contours of your mouth. 
Step 2. Glide the lip gloss across the entire bottom lip.  

Nude Flush on my lips is a peachy nude. There is another nude shade in the line called Nude Thrill that seems to have more of a grey tone to it, so I think this particular nude would be better for me. I personally am not the biggest fan of peachy nude shades, I prefer more pinky nudes. 

Rebel red is a gorgeous color! I feel on me it leans more warm, and I know I prefer cool shades. Regardless, you can't deny how beautiful this shade is. 

Now, there has been some mixed reviews on this particular line of liquid lipsticks. The name of the product has 'matte' in it, yet it really isn't once applied. I have read that to get more of a matte look, you can blot with a tissue, but really, who wants to take that extra step? I personally don't mind that these aren't as matte as other brands because they're much less drying. One downside for me was the application. It has a flat doe-foot applicator, which would make it seem like these would be a breeze to apply. For me, not so much. It was pretty messy, and I had to clean up around my lips quite frequently. The end result is fine, but it just takes so much extra time applying and having to fix mistakes. Since I don't mind the formula of Vivid Matte, I would be willing to try out just one other color to see if I can make it work. Over the course of a day, these do dry down to a more matte finish, but it's not uncomfortable at all. These liquid lipsticks are not transfer proof!

The line looks like it comes in 10 shades, and ranges in price from $6 to $8 depending on where you buy it. You can find these at drugstores, Ulta, and Walmart. 

Have you tried these Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Colors? What do you think of them? 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

June 2016 Empties

*Post contains affiliate links*
Hey guys! I usually start off the month with my favorite products of the month prior, but in all honesty, I did absolutely nothing with makeup and hardly took care of my skin. If you've already read this post, then you know that pregnancy has been taking a toll on me. I've been exhausted and sick all the time, and just couldn't be bothered with anything beauty related. As of today, I'm just over 15 weeks along and feel (almost) like a new person! I'm still tired, but I don't feel like I could sleep all day anymore. I somehow did manage to use up a few products, so I wanted to share them with you!

I'll start off with the skincare and one lone makeup product. The When Snow Magic sheet mask was surprisingly pretty good! You all know I don't really care for sheet masks much, but this one surprised me. I actually noticed results right after, and when I woke up in the morning, my skin was so much brighter and softer. 

The Christie Brinkley Close Up Instant Wrinkle Reducer and Treatment was shit. Sorry for the language, but this was such an awful product, I have no idea why it was even made. I used it in the past as a smoother for the fine lines around my eyes and also around my smile lines. I followed directions to a T and I always ended up with flaky, white stuff on my skin. Forget putting makeup on top of this too, it makes you look like your skin is falling off. This was kindly sent to me for review, but it's time to throw it away because I will never use it. 

Next up is the DDF Amplifying Elixir. I used this as a serum underneath my moisturizer in the daytime, and I adored how soft this made my skin feel. It's incredibly liquid-y so a few times, I did squeeze out too much. This deluxe sample lasted me quite a while too. I'm not sure if I would repurchase, but it was nice while it lasted. 

The one time in June I wore makeup, I tried out the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. It was quite dried up, so in the garbage it goes. 

Lastly for skincare, I used up two sample packets of the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. Now I can't use this directly on my skin, otherwise I breakout in tiny red bumps. What I did with these was put them into a clay mask that had dried up a bit to give it some more life, and it worked like a charm! I'm not sure what it is with this particular argan oil that I have such a strange reaction if put directly onto my skin, but mixed into a mask or a drop in my foundation is fine. 

Next up is some random body and hair products. I love Bath & Body Works handsoaps, but they're so darn expensive, even with a sale. Pumpkin Cupcake lived in my bathroom, and the Fresh Lavender stayed on my kitchen sink. Both were lovely and if I can find cheaper handsoaps in yummy scents elsewhere, then I'm abandoning B&BW unfortunately. 

I had gotten a nice PR package from Derma E and it included a deluxe size of their Scalp Relief Conditioner. This was nice, it felt cooling in my hair, but didn't do an amazing job at conditioning. I usually had to use extra leave-in conditioner after using this. 

I also have a deluxe size of the Softsoap Juicy Pomegranate & Mango Infusions Moisturizing Body Wash. The scent of this was pure heaven, and I was so sad when I was finished using it. There is a tiny bit left, but I couldn't get that out no matter how hard I tried. I may have to look for this brand next time I need body wash. 

Last up is some boring stuff, vitamins. Once I found out I was pregnant, I definitely tried my hardest to be good about taking my vitamins. Most times they made me sick, but I still tried my best! I managed to use up the Nature Made Fish Oil as well the Prenatal Multi. I would most definitely repurchase the Fish Oil, but not the Prenatal. I have a condition that I found out about and can't take vitamins containing Folic Acid. I need Folate, the real stuff. Folic Acid is synthetic, and with my condition, my body doesn't process Folic Acid like other people can. Ideally what I need to take is Methylfolate, but it's so hard finding an inexpensive vitamin that contains it. I'm still on the hunt!

Number of products used up: 12
Total for the year: 87

I didn't do too good last month. I mentioned before that my goal was to use up 250 products, and now that it's half way through the year, I don't think I see myself hitting that goal. Unless I use up a bunch of samples and deluxe sized products, it's gonna be tough. I'm still trying my best of course, and I'm making it my mission in July to start taking better care of my skin and wearing makeup more often. 

What did you use up last month?