Maybelline Color Elixir - Captivating Carnation & Hibiscus Haven

Good morning friends! I know I'm quite late to the party, but a lip product I've been absolutely loving lately has been the Maybelline Color Elixirs. I own the product in two shades, Captivating Carnation (left), and Hibiscus Haven (right).

The texture of these is heavenly. Not too thick or thin, it smoothes on beautifully on the lips, and last for about 4 hours. While the texture is thin and non-sticky, it does sort of leave a film on the lips. I don't mind this as I'm pretty sure it's what makes this product longer lasting than the average lip gloss. The product does have a smell and taste which I don't love. It's not terrible, but I could do without. 

One thing that stands out to me with these product is that I don't find them drying on my lips. In fact, if anything, they feel moisturizing to me. With drugstore products, I almost always find products drying on my lips, so I'm very happy (and surprised!) that these are so comfortable to wear. 

Captivating Carnation and Hibiscus Haven

I'm in LOVE with Captivating Carnation as a shade. It is the most beautiful natural rose shade and goes perfectly with any eye makeup. I've used this one a ton. Hibiscus Haven is a lot brighter and I find it hard to wear it with very little makeup on the rest of my face. I love the bright shade but it feels a bit out of place on my minimal everyday makeup face. Also, Hibiscus Haven, compared to Captivating Carnation, is a lot patchier on application. It takes a few swipes to get it right but I have not had this issue with Captivating Carnation.

Overall, for a drugstore product, I'm really happy. Other than the scent, it hits all the right marks: color payoff, excellent wear time, and good moisturizing properties. I'm a fan! I can't wait for a good sale on these to pick up more shades!

Maybelline's ColorSensational Vivid in Vivid Mandarin

I've been obsessed with orange this spring. Blazers, shoes, lips, blush, nails - I'm loving the bright and cheerful color! So it felt natural picking up Maybelline's Vivid Mandarin lipstick to update my makeup wardrobe for spring!

Fair warning: this baby is BRIGHT.

The Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids has been causing quite a stir among us beauty lovers. They promise to deliver intense color, while still nourishing your lips with honey nectar.

Swatched on my hand.

I like this lipstick! For the price, you really cannot find anything like it. However, I do find the lipstick a bit drying. Perhaps it was only because my lips were dry when I wore it, butI found the lipstick to wear well, yet suck the moisture out of my lips. It was very creamy upon application though!

Even if it's a bit drying, I definitely recommend Vivid Mandarin, especially if you're, like me, looking to update your makeup bag for spring on the cheap. I haven't tried the other colors from the new Maybelline Vivid line, but if orange isn't your thing, you might want to try any of the other amazing looking shades!

July favorites!

My July favorites are all over the place. I've been loving being more minimalistic with my makeup, usually leaving the house for work with a light base, brows done, blush, mascara and a balm. What has happened to me? Well, in short, the heat. Minimum effort has been my motto, but I've embraced it!

I've been using my Nuxe 24H Moisturizing Body Lotion a lot on my legs. I love that it sinks in immediately and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I also love that it has an easy to use pump, and it smells amazing. The smell is quite strong though, so I'm not wearing this to work. But this is another Nuxe winner for me!

I've been using MAC's Cremeblend blush in Posey a lot this past month, simply because I find it lasts longer on my skin than powder products, and its peachyness warms up my complexion. It is incredibly easy to use (I use a stippling brush) and doesn't slip off like some of my MAC powder blushes.

Not too sure why but I've been really enjoying my face brushes! Those include the Quo Bronzing Powder Brush, the Real Techniques Powder brush, and the MAC 129 blush brush. They are all incredibly soft, easy to clean, and do not shed. Well, let's be fair, the 129 does shed a bit, but I can live with it since it applies blush beautifully!

I've also been using my Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector pretty much every day this month. Because my dark circles aren't extremely pronounced, this has been great at illuminating my under eye area, especially when I'm only wearing mascara. I've also been using my Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 4E as a quick base under a lighter eye shadow, and my Maybelline Eye-Studio Master Precise Pen Eyeliner for a quick cat eye flick. I'm especially impressed with the Maybelline Eyeliner Pen for its durability on the eye during hot and humid weather and how easy it is to use. I'm definitely not buying the MAC version again - I prefer the Maybelline version by far.

For a refresher and as a toner, I've been using the Caudalie Eau de Beauté pretty much every day. I don't want to give away too much because I will be posting a review on this shortly, but it has been very good to my skin!

And lastly, for lips, I've been using L'Oreal's Color Riche Balm in Pink Satin. While this isn't pigmented at all, it was quite moisturizing and gave a hint of shimmer on the lips, perfect for home/beach uses. Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey has been an often used quick option for when I'm stepping out the door and need a quick wash of color on my lips.

Ouuffff... that's a lot more favorites than I thought I had! What's been on heavy rotation for you this month?

Maybelline Color Show: Green With Envy

Maybelline Color Show nail polishes are quite new on the scene. When I saw these were on sale at Walmart for a jolly $3, I decided to give them a go. The thing is, I really really wasn't moved by any of their colors. Most of them were colors I either already had, or was uninterested in. How many pinks and reds can a girl have?! Green With Envy struck me as a cute color for spring (summer!!) however, and it was my one and only pick.

The formula of the polish was quite opaque. I probably could have pulled off one carefully applied coat but I did two thin coats. It wasn't a seamless application though because the formula was thick and dried quickly. Plus, one of the bristles was all wonky and was sticking out, painting my cuticles while I painted my nails. I had to redip the brush a lot to get it to behave. Super annoying, but I also probably just got a bad bottle.

It's not as green as its name would make you believe. It's more of a soft turquoise with a bit more green than usual. Comparing this and my bottle of China Glaze For Audrey, Green with Envy is MUCH greener. It's really quite a nice color and the green didn't seem to accentuate the redness in my hands too much. A+ on that!

Another thing to note about this is that the polish started peeling off on me after a hot shower, the day after application. Granted, I was picking at my teeth (ewww alert!) but the polish was all "soft" and easily peeled off. Not kewl. I'm not sure if it's simply a bad combination of sweat from boxing gloves (see below!), steaming hot water, and thick polish + Seche Vite.

Either way, this is a great color option for spring/summer. It might also kill anyone's lemming for Essie's Mint Candy Apple. It seems similar to me but I do not own it to compare.

I've been having issues with my camera, hence the slow posting. But I think she will be back on track after a quick cleaning. She's getting dusty!

Also, boxing is cool. I went to the gym (!!) for my first real workout ever tonight (!!) and I must say, I'm really proud of myself for going through with it! I'm usually a runner - when I want to get in shape, I get my iPod, and run the trails by the side of the river, full speed, until I feel like throwing up. And repeat once every two weeks. Oh, if you can't tell, I'm not really one for working out too much. But I thought it would be cool to try boxing! It was really fun but typing is painful right now ha ha ha!! Therefore, I will try to sleep this one off - I'm wondering how much pain the morning will bring! Yay!

Cheers peeps and until next time! :)

Baby Lips Love

One product that has completely surprised me in the past couple weeks is Maybelline's Baby Lips balms. I heard so much rave about this I was getting kind of curious! Everywhere I read about these, bloggers were saying they were actually moisturizing. Now, when someone says something is moisturizing, I don't usually take that seriously. My lips can't even be moisturized and repaired Blistex, so I was definitely skeptical that Maybelline's Baby Lips would be anything but drying on me.

Well, let me tell you, these are actually moisturizing, Annick certified.

I really like this product. They are a smooth balm, quite thick in consistency, and they smell amazing. What I like most about them is that they actually have a tint of color! Some lip balm will claim they are tinted but they usually barely show. These are actually tinted - well the ones I picked anyway.

Left to right: Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, Cherry Me.

I'm particularity happy with Pink Punch as it almost has the effect of a light pink lipstick on me. Peach Kiss is especially nice with you want a hint of nude shimmer with a smokey eye. Cherry Me surprised me because I was expecting a cherry tint like color - it's very pink and sheer.

What I like most about these is that they offer some color on my lips when my lips are too dry to handle lipstick. They're also perfect to keep in a bag for when your lipstick is starting to fade out - this helps blend your lipstick and add a bit of color back to it. They do not wear long, but they are a balm so I didn't expect them to. Like I said before, they are in fact moisturizing but I wouldn't use this to repair my lips over my regular lip treatments. They do not crack or dry out my lips and that's a HUGE plus. I do wish the packaging was a bit less "flashy" but everyone has their tastes - I'm sure some of you will love it.

I definitely recommend these, especially Peach Kiss and Pink Punch. If you're not a very "pink" lip person, I'd think twice before getting Pink Punch though because it is quite potent. Cherry Me might be a better option. 

Lippies in a bath!

I must say, I expected nothing special out of these but I have pleasantly been put in my place. I will definitely repurchase these once I run out of them - they are THAT good.

Have you been surprised by any hyped up products lately?  Does hype influence you in your beauty purchases?

Maybelline true love part II ?

What's up with Maybelline doing decent things as of late? 

The Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows have been extremely popular in the blogosphere. And I can't say I blame this popularity. I picked out Tough as Taupe and I quite like it.

The color comes out to be quite a neutral/leaning towards cool toned taupe. I don't know that I would say I prefer this formula to MAC's Paint Pot. Yes, as most bloggers have mentioned, they are creamier than the MAC Paint Pots but I find they do not last as long on the lid. Perhaps it is only a problem with Tough as Taupe but I found that all my Paint Pots lasted longer. Tough as Taupe, however, has excellent color payoff though and looks great as a base for a smokey eye. I'd definitely recommend this product if you do no have extremely oily eyelids. 

 

Maybelline true love

Never thought I'd say this of Maybelline because I barely ever use their products but I LOVE this polish. I think all I've ever used from Maybelline has been mascara... and it wasn't really good enough to repurchase. But this... this is a gem. If you can get your hands on this polish do so right away. Cool Couture stumbled into my life as a fluke - I saw it from the corner of my eye standing in line at the grocery store. It was totally worth losing my spot over this.

Cool Couture is a murky grey/teal color with a flash of teal/blue micro sparkles in it.

 I find it to be quite a strange polish because it can seem gray in some lights and teal in others.

The polish dries incredibly fast. They're not kidding about the 50 seconds. This made me super happy because I truly hate to wait for polish to dry. However, the fact that the formula is so thin and runny makes it a bit harder to apply and doesn't give you the smooth finish a higher end polish might. This was easily solve for me by using my trusty Seche Vite. Turned my mani into a boss!

 

I believe this polish cost me $5 at Superstore. I haven't seen these in Shoppers or Lawtons in Canada but we may just be late in receiving them. 

Well done Maybelline - you have created a unique and afforable, quality product. Kudos! I shall be keeping you on my radar!