Loving Your Unloved v3: Revlon Colorbust Lip Butters in Raspberry Pie, Creamsicle, Sweet Tart & Candy Apple

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

If you were reading beauty blogs when the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters were first released in 2011, you know the sensation they created.  And for good reason, as the formula is quite nice at a reasonable price point.  I've collected a dozen+ of them now, and yet only one is even close to being finished.

So, I've pulled four of the colors that have seen minimal usage and will be focusing on them for the month of July.  Since I shudder at the thought of being restricted to just one shade and the goal of this series is not to punish myself, but rather to rediscover my love for languishing products, my Lip Butter choices for July are:

• Raspberry Pie:  medium-dark raspberry pink 
• Creamsicle (discontinued):  creamy vanilla peach
• Sweet Tart:  bubblegum pink
• Candy Apple:  orange red

When looking through my Colorburst Lip Butter collection, it was immediately obvious that Peach Parfait has received lots of love and is the closest to being finished.  I was tempted to include it just to finish it off, but considering the series focuses on the unloved, it doesn't really fit.

I'm looking forward to seeing the progress I make with these neglected Lip Butters!

Rose Quartz Ultra HD Lip Lacquer by Revlon

Rose Quartz is the second of the new Revlon HD Lip Lacquers that I picked up, and my favorite of the two (you can see my other choice here).  I find it to be a very wearable  medium rosy pink shimmer that is understated enough to almost work as a neutral.

I'm not the biggest fan of the brush applicator, but it worked better for me with Rose Quartz than with Sunstone, and here's why:  Sunstone was almost neon at opaque color and thus I felt the need to sheer it out with my finger, making the thicker application the brush provided less practical.  Rose Quartz, however, needed no sheering out to make it a workable color for me, so I'm less anti-brush.

The formula is indeed a more opaque lip lacquer as opposed to a lip gloss, giving it a thicker texture with some tackiness.  Nothing off putting, however, and I found them comfortable with about a 3 hour wear time. 

The Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquers are $9-$10 depending on location and come in 15 different colors.  I'm still liking as opposed to loving the two I got, but Rose Quartz did up my affection level a bit :-)

Revlon Sunstone Ultra HD Lip Lacquer

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Warm weather is coming, warm weather is coming  By this time of year, that refrain is usually starting to get more insistent in my brain.  I can only imagine what the harder hit parts of the country are experiencing with their weather wows, but in this part of the world it's cold and wet.  Whines this thin-blooded Gulf Coast resident.

So, bright coral hues are starting to be worn, just to reinforce that warm weather is coming.  Sunstone Ultra HD Lip Lacquer (~$9), a newish formula by Revlon, fits the bill with it's coral leaning orange color.  I get why this is called a lip lacquer as opposed to a lip gloss, as you can easily get opaque color with this baby.  I actually prefer it sheered out, as it's a bit too neon for me worn opaque.

It's a thicker formula with a fair amount of stickiness/tack.  I do NOT like the lip brush, and end up using it to put some on the middle of my lip and then spread it out with my fingers.  Warning:  I've had some of the lip lacquer land elsewhere when removing the brush, as while it's thick it is also bit stringy, resulting in that mishap.  Notice the fancy fake gem on top of the tube - didn't Too Faced have a gem topped gloss?  I believe I had a Too Face gloss for several years before ever noticing that detail, I'm oblivious like that sometimes.

Sunstone applied sheerly

Sunstone has a fine and pretty shimmer to it, and if you enlarge the swatch picture you can see some gold and pink in the mix.  The shimmer is not as evidence when worn sheer.  I found this comfortable on the lips and it wore well for about 3 hours on me.  

I like Sunstone for it's color, but I don't love the formula or the brush.  It's not bad, just not a favorite.

Atomic Nucleaire Smoky Shadow Stick by Revlon

The Smoky Shadow Sticks by Revlon were all marked 75% off at my Rite Aid, so I picked Atomic Nucleaire to try out.  Some things are totally impulse purchases, especially when they are deeply discounted, as the risk is minimal.  I've also occasionally discovered some items I really like!  Was Atomic Nucleaire one of them?

Yes, I think so!  These dual ended shadow sticks are supposed to be smudge, fade, and crease proof for up to 12 hours, plus give you an easy way to create a smoky eye.  Smoky eye looks are not my forte, but I can say that I found both shades easy to apply and smudge out with a stiff brush, and they wore well. 

The lighter shade base shade has a rounded end and is a golden apricot shimmer.  The darker loden green side has a more defined tip that allows for lining, but it also as a wider flat side that made it easy to fill in color.  Both colors are really lovely and are shades I enjoy combining together.

These start off as more of a sheer wash of color, although intensity can be built up.  As I like combining cream and powder shadows, I used the pencil as base shades and then did a very light dusting of powder shadows on top, using Solar and Levity from the Le Métier de Beauté shadow kaleidoscope Gravité. 

I'm not sure if these are being discontinued, although the deep discount may be an indication that they are.  The Smoky Shadow Sticks are regularly $8.99 and have five different color variations. At 75% off they are $2.25, so you might want to pick one up at that price :-)

Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Coral Reef

When I first saw Revlon's Coral Reef cream blush, I was attracted to the color but thought it was too dark for my complexion.  However, during a recent 40% off sale on Revlon products at Ulta, I decided it was time to give it a try.  I'm glad I did, it's lovely!

Applied lightly

Don't let the vibrancy of the color in the pan fool you into thinking it looks garish on, as Coral Reef can be a soft wash of color or you can built it up to a darker stain.  The finish is a smooth cream to powder and I had no issues with it settling into my pores or looking patchy. 

Two layers of Coral Reef

Coral Reef, one of three cream blush colors created by Revlon's artistic director Gucci Westman for the 2012 Spring collection, was inspired by the glowing skin of a beach beauty.  I actually broke it out on the first fall like day Mobile has experienced this year, one of those gorgeous low humidity, cool and sunny days that make you happy to be alive:-)

You are getting a hefty .44 oz for the almost $13 Coral Reef costs (I paid $7.94 with the discount).   There are two other Photoready cream blush colors available - the bold hot pink Flushed and the soft apricot Pinched - which I'll probably pick up when another good sale roles around. 

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup in Warm Golden

I've not worn drugstore brand foundation in ages, but I've found one that works for me!  It's Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup in Warm Golden, which I had heard a good review of on The Beauty Professor's blog (you can see it here).  Now, she's somewhat of a foundation expert, so if she found it noteworthy, I thought it would be worth checking out.

My biggest conundrum was deciding on what color, as there were not many swatches online to compare, and it was next to impossible to tell from looking at the jar.  The Beauty Professor did have some swatches which helped me to decide to go with Warm Golden, which has turned out to be a great match for my fair but warm toned skin. 

Packaged in a glass jar with considerable heft, here is my major drawback and workaround:  the open jar design means you have dip out the makeup with your fingers or stick your applicator of choice in, risking potential contamination.  What I've done is use Q-tips to pick up the foundation, which I dab on my face and then use my foundation brush to blend. 

I've got oily skin, and the formula of the Colorstay Whipped is working very well on my skin for 2 months now.  I like that the coverage is buildable and the finish is a semi-matte but not mask like.  The labels says this will wear for 24 hours (come on, really?), and while that's a stretch, I do get a good 8-9 hours wear before my super oily skin does it's damage.  That's pretty good for me.

Outside

Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup is about $14, but I waited for a sale and got mine for about $8 at Drugstore.com.  Edit:  Rite Aid has all Revlon products on sale for 40% off this week, which makes the foundation $8.39.  I just picked up another one :-)  Well worth it at the higher price (or more), and this has become a staple in my foundation rotation, which consists of Clinique's Pore Refining Solutions Instant Perfecting Makeup in Neutral, a BB cream plus a mineral powder on top, and now the Colorstay Whipped Creme.

Inside

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

NOTD: Blue Mosaic by Revlon

I've probably had Blue Mosaic for 2 years now, and this is my first time wearing it.   It was originally part of the Expressionists Collection released in Fall/Winter 2011, but Revlon later re-released it in 2012 as Radiant.  I'm not sure why I haven't worn it til now - as I love the color combo and different sizes of glitter in the mix.  Maybe because it's a bold polish that makes a disco ball statement, and I have to be in the right mood for that :-)

When I wore Blu by Zoya last week, I made a mental note to layer Blue Mosaic over it after a few days.  I like how it turned out - apart from messing up my ring finger, which must not have been completely dry when I went to bed.

As a total aside, my car's color is called Aquarius Blue, and I went to graduate school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, whose colors are light blue and white.  So I definitely have a fondness for these shades of blue!

I used two coats of Blue Mosaic over Blu, followed by one coat of Gelous and one of Julep's fast dry top coat.  I probably could have used another layer of topcoat, as there is still a bit of texture.  This is definitely a glitter that is meant to be layered over other colors, as it would probable take a good 3-4 layers to achieve opacity on it's own. The combo of Blue Mosaic over Zoya's Blu is wearing like iron, as I've got minimal tip wear after 6 days,  Makes me a bit worried about getting this off.

Without a doubt, this baby is bright and blingy, and from a distance it looks like solid metallic turquoise! 

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

The Nail Files weekly linkup:

NOTD: Gold Coin by Revlon

 It's the beginning of Mardi Gras here in Mobile, which helps to lend some festivity to an otherwise gray and chilly time of the year.  The colors of Mardi Gras are purple (justice), gold (power), and green (faith), and today I have a power gold polish that fits in perfectly!

Gold Coin by Revlon is a cooler toned gold with a shiny metallic or foil finish.  Coins are items that frequently get thrown from Mardi Gras floats, so even the name is perfect.  Granted, they are plastic coins commemorating the events, but still.  Two coats were plenty and I found the formula to be easy to work with.  I used Seche Vite for both the base and top coats.

Gold Coin really does glow and has been a great pick me up during this stretch of gray, damp, and cold weather we've been having.  It inspired me to attempt a matching gold eye look, which I think turned out pretty nicely!

Products used for this look (links lead to past reviews):

• Tarte Waterproof Cream Shadow in Shimmering Golden Beige as base from lash line to crease
• Bare Escentuals Extravagance from The Star Treatment READY 8.0 palette from lash line to crease
• Lancome's Delicate Lace on brow and inner eye
• Carte Blanche from The Star Treatment on inner eye and lower inner lash line
• BFTE's If I Only Had a Brain in crease  and Buttercup below crease to tone done the shimmer
• Tarte SmoulderEYES pencil in Gold on upper and lower lashline

Dislaimer:  I purchased this.

The Nail Files weekly linkup:

NOTD: Midnight Affair by Revlon and Jordan by Julep

Growing up, my favorite colored Crayola crayon was Midnight Blue.  When I saw Midnight Affair recently at Rite Aid, that's what popped into my mind, so I popped it into my cart.  My luck with Revlon polishes is hit or miss, but it was also marked 75% off, so I figured it was a small gamble.

Source:  What a Day to Be Alive

Sadly, I don't have a bottle shot to show you, as it's been a cold, rainy mess the past few days.  I've seen some comments lamenting that the shimmer in Midnight Blue is more evident in the bottle than on your nails, but I still like it.  The formula flummoxed me a bit, as it seemed sheer and runny at times yet covered completely in 2 coats.  The wear time for Midnight Affair has been really good, with minor tip wear and no chipping after 4 days. 

Midnight Affair with Jordan

After 2 days I decided I needed a little bling and added Julep's Jordan to the mix.  Jordan is turning out the be a versatile glitter top coat for me, as it's more of a gunmetal than straight up silver, and the slight blue tint to it makes it a bit more unique to my collection.  Adding the glitter made Midnight Affair look more black than blue, I think.

What is your favorite Crayola crayon color, and does it have a polish counterpart?

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

TheNail Files weekly link up: