FINDING THE PERFECT LIPSTICK FOR YOUR SKIN TONE.

Skin tone generally forms the basis of most of our makeup troubles when it comes to finding the right shade for us. There's firstly undertones to consider; are we cool, warm or neutral? And what the hell is the difference between them anyway?!

When you feel like a particular lip colour or blush shade just doesn't look right on you, it's probably down to it not quite being the most flattering for your skin tone. Though I certainly believe there are no strict rules in makeup and you should wear whatever you want, I think it's always helpful to have a basis from which to begin with and work from. In this post therefore, I thought I'd look at lip colours and and how to find the shades that are the most flattering for your skin tone. I hope this comes in handy in some way and that of course, you enjoy!

First Things First: Undertone:

We of course have a fair idea of what our skin tone is but in the world of makeup and colour matching, it's not quite as simple as that. More than just knowing your skin colour, the undertones of it are often what dictates what colours are really going to suit you. There are generally 3 kinds of undertones that you may fall under and they are: warm, cool and neutral.

** TIP TO FINDING YOUR UNDERTONE EASILY **

Look at the veins on your wrist:

PHOTO CREDIT: www.kisscosmetics.co.uk 

1. If your veins look blue, you have COOL,  PINK undertones.

2. If you veins look green, you have WARM, YELLOW undertones.

3. If you have a mixture of both coloured veins, you have NEUTRAL undertones.

Finding the Perfect Lip Colour:

So, now you know how to find your undertone, you have the perfect basis for finding a flattering lipstick colour.
Generally, a good rule to stick to is to look for a lipstick colour that matches your skins undertone - so, for yellow undertones you want lipsticks that are on the warmer side and are pink or orange based. For pink undertones, go for cooler shades that are blue or purple based! And for neutral, you can pretty much wear any shade!

RED:

FROM L to R:
COOL: Mac's Ruby Woo
WARM: Mac's Lady Danger

PINK:

FROM L to R:
COOL: Revlon's Pink Pout
WARM: Mac's Modesty 

NUDE:

Choosing a nude lip has more factors than simply finding your undertone. For something to look "nude" on your, your generally want a colour 2-3 shades darker than your own skin tone so that is the most important factor here. As always, if you have cool, neutral or warm undertones, consider this and you find that perfect nude as well!

And there you have it, those are the basic tips I have for finding the most flattering lipsticks shades for you. Hopefully, you found this helpful and interesting in some way - happy lipstick shopping!

Face of the Day: Summer Edition

Hey everyone! I'm bringing you a face of the day post and this time, I was going for a very neutral, toned down look. It's super hot here in the UK and so for me, that means more minimal makeup - particular on the eyes and face.

Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation in Vanilla | £8.99 Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Light | £6.99 Urban Decay Naked Palette | £38.00 Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara in Black | £6.99 MAC Blush in Dollymix | £18.50 Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Medium Brown | £17.00 Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown | £4.99 Nyx Butter Gloss in Strawberry Parfait | £7.69

Mary Lou-Manizer Highlighting Powder | £17.50

REVIEW: Revlon Powder Blushes

Hey! In this post, I have a review for you on the Revlon Powder Blushes. I have two that I'll be reviewing for you, letting you know what I think of their packaging, pigment and application!

 Enjoy.

Packaging:

So, the packaging on these blushes are in my opinion really sleek looking. I feel that the design is simple yet sophisticated, giving it that higher end kind of look. 

I do however, feel like the packaging is a little deceiving as it does make it seem like you get more product than you actually do. This is because the bottom half of the packaging actually contains a small brush for application - though of course this is still quite a handy addition. 

Along with the brush, there is also a built in mirror inside the packaging which makes this blush great for travel as well as on the go touch ups!

Colour and Pigmentation:

Revlon has a good range of shades available in this blush collection ranging from rosy pinks to delicate peaches. The collection also has a great brown called 'Bronzilla' which I think is brilliant for warming up the skin as as well for a contour shade.

The colours that I have are Haute Pink - which is a beautiful, true pink shade and Racy Rose - which is a little more on the peachier side.

Both colours are nicely pigmented with good colour payoff on the skin. I think this range has a lot of shades for every skin tone - shades that are versatile and perfect for everyday wear. 

Application and Wear:

This blush applies nicely to the skin and blends well. It applies smoothy and cleanly and as I said earlier, has a really good colour payoff which is buildable, too. It has a satin finish and gives the cheeks a natural, flattering flush of colour, lasting well throughout the day.

Overall, I'm impressed with these Revlon blushes. At a more of a higher end price tag for a drugstore product at £7.99 a piece, they are definitely more expensive. However, they are still nonetheless a fraction of the price of blushes from brands such as MAC and Benefit and I think that they apply and look just as nice as they do. 

I'd definitely recommend these blushes - particularly if you're looking for a natural, everyday kind of blush for your makeup collection. You can purchase these blushes from any Revlon stockists such as Boots or Superdrug in the UK!

My Current Top 5 Foundations for Dry Skin

Having dry and sensitive skin sucks. Being a girl that enjoys wearing makeup with this skin type sucks even more because that can sometimes prove difficult with certain products. 

For a while now, I've been on the hunt for the perfect foundation that won't emphasise dryness but will also be gentle on my skin and help to conceal redness and blemishes like a foundation should. In this post, I'm gonna share with you my top 5... enjoy!

From L to R:
Mac Studio Fix Fluid, Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour,
Revlon ColourStay, Bourjois Healthy Mix,
Rimmel Wake Me up

1. MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC20 - £21.50

This for me is a pretty full coverage foundation and it can be quite oily in finish. So, it's definitely not one for acne prone skin, but for my dry skin - I love it. I think that it covers blemishes really well and for me, it lasts the whole day. You definitely have to blot and powder once or twice but other than that, I really like this foundation. There's a not an amazing colour range in MAC foundations for those of us with paler skin but this is a decent match for me (I'm an NC20).

2. Rimmel Last Finish 25 Hours in Soft Beige - £7.99

This is a foundation that I have only recently come to try but have heard a lot about. It's a full coverage foundation and though the shade I bought is a little too dark, it oxidises on the skin over time and doesn't look that obvious. It blends nicely and covers blemishes and uneven skin well. Though 25 hours is probably a bit of a push, from wearing it during full days of Uni, I can certify that it does last well. It's great for my dry skin and it doesn't cling to problem areas which I like.

3. Revlon Colour Stay in Buff - £12.49

This was a saviour for my skin when it was at its worst - it covers redness incredibly well for a drug store foundation providing you with a buildable full coverage that doesn't feel heavy. It blends well and lasts for a long time on the skin. It also comes in different formulas depending on your skin type so this is one that anyone can use.

4. Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52, Vanilla - £10.99

You've probably heard a lot about this one, particularly because it's supposed to be a brilliant dupe to Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. Whilst I've not tried the Chanel version, I really love this foundation and have done for quite a few years now. It feels so light on the skin and it gives a finish that actually looks like skin, too. It's not cakey and blends like a dream whilst still covering uneven skin tones and redness well. A great Summer foundation.

5. Rimmel Wake Me Up  in Ivory -  £8.99

This foundation provides me with about a medium coverage yet it stills feels really nice and light on the skin. It has this lovely sort of shimmer within it with gives the face a fresh, dewy glow. Now when I say shimmer, I definitely don't mean glitter so don't worry, I just mean well, glowy. This range has a nice choice of colours for the paler girl and it also has a good staying power, too. This has been my go-to foundation lately and I can definitely see it staying in my collection.

And that's it for my top 5, what would be your picks?

Face of the Day #17

Hey everyone! It's a #motd post for you all today. I kept it pretty simple today as I was really only going out for about an hour of University. You have no idea how tempted I was to not bother getting out of bed...

Products Used:

L'Oreal CC Nude Magique Blur Cream in 'Light' | £9.99

Bourjous Healthy Mix Foundation in '52 / Vanilla' | £9.99

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in '15' | £5.99

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder | £8.99

Anastasia Beverley Hills DipBrow in 'Chocolate' | £15.00

Revlon Bronzer in 'Bronzilla' | £7.99

MAC Blush in 'Dollymix' | £18.00

Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' | £4.99

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder | £3.00

Collection Cream Puff Lip Creams in 'Fairy Cake' | £2.99

Makeup of the Day: Keep it Simple

Hey guys! Today I have a makeup look for you all today. I kept it really simple in this look and it's one of those makeup looks that really doesn't take a long time at all. What I like about this - especially with the eye makeup and brows is that you can really style it up with a bold lip if you want something a little more.

Products used:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 'Ivory' | £6.29

Maybelline The Eraser Concealer in 'Light' | £7.99

Anastasia Beverley Hills DipBrow in 'Chocolate' | £15.00

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Shade(s) 'Naked' | £38.00

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara | £19.50

Revlon ColourBurst Balm Stain in 'Cherish' | £7.99

Milani Blush in 'Luminoso' | £9.43

Benefit Hoola Bronzer | £23.50

A Small Beauty Haul.

Hey everyone! I recently did a little bit of shopping on Fragrance Direct as well as picking up a lipstick from Boots. Fragrance Direct are awesome for highly discounted beauty products - I'm definitely going to try and shop on there more often and you should too! I also picked up the Kate Red Lipstick from Rimmel in the limited edition Red Nose Day packaging - this is really beautiful, classic true red and I've been wanting it for a while now! 

Products:

Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Quads in 'Precocious' and 'Brazen' - £2.50 (RRP £7.99)

Rimmel Bronzer in Sun Light - £2.99 (RRP £5.99)

Rimmel Kate Lipstick in Red Nose Red - £5.49

Thanks for reading this post!

Face of the day #10: Purple Power.

Hey! It's a Face of the Day in this post and this week I've been embracing my love of purple. This look communicates that pretty well as I'm rocking a purple lip and liner! I really want to try out some more colourful liners - do any of you guys have any recommendations for me? It's always so hard to find ones that are pigmented! Anyway, let's get into the look and what I used:

Products Used:

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in 'Buff' - £12.49

Pixi Peach Correction Concealer - £10.34

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Light' - £4.19

Urban Decay's Naked Palette - £33.50

Barry M Bold Liner in 'bwe5' - £3.99

Benefit's Hoola Bronzer - £23.50

Sleek's Face Form Palette in 'Fair' - £9.99

MAC Lipstick in 'Heroine' - £15.00

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Transluscent' - £3.99

Face of the Day #9: Sparklebaby

Hey guys! I bring to you today a 'Face of the Day' post! Today's look is a bit of a sparkly one using my latest palette from Sugarpill! Enjoy!

Products Used:

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in 'Ceylan' | £31.00

L'oreal Nude Magique CC Blur Cream in 'Light to Medium' | £9.99

Collection Last Perfection Concealer in 'Light' | £4.19

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow in Chocolate | £15.00

Sugarpill Sparklebaby Palette | £24.95

Urban Decay's Naked Palette | £33.50

Sleek Face Form Palette in 'Fair' | £9.99

Seventeen HD Falsifeye Masacara in 'Brown/Black' | £6.99

Revlon Lipstick in 'Pink Pout' | £7.49

NARS 'Angelica' Lip Gloss (Similar alternative) | £19.50

No. 7 Creme Touch Powder in 'Transluscent' | £8.50

Face of the Day #8: Utopia

Wow, 2 posts in one day - I'm a roll! Ha, anyway in this post I'm going to be doing a 'face of the day' which will feature my newest lip product: the Lime Crime Velvetine in the shade Utopia - a gorgeous purple-pink liquid lipstick. If it takes your fancy, you can also read my review of the product here as well!

Products Used:

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer - £7.99

Revlon ColorStay Foundation in Buff - £12.49

MUA Concealer Palette in Porcelain - £3.50

Pixi Correction Concentrate Concealer - £12.00

Naked 1 Palette from Urban Decay - £37.00

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder in Vanille - £8.99

L'Oreal Telescopic in Black - £10.99

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso - £4.49

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - £23.50
Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow in Chocolate - £15.00

Lime Crime Velvetine in Utopia - £13.50

Face of the Day #7: Colourful Liner

Hey guys! Today I'm coming at you with a makeup of the day post. This look was one I kind of wanted to play around with. I went for a bright liner (something I never do) and a bright lip combo.

Products Used:

Revlon ColorStay Foundation (Normal - Dry Skin) in 'Buff' - £12.49

Revlon ColorStay Concealer in 'Light' - £6.99

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99

Milani 'Luminoso' Blush - £4.49 

MUA 'Marshmallow' Blush - £1.00

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in 'Black' - £10.99

Rimmel Brow Pencil in 'Hazel' - £2.99

Milani Colour Statement Lipstick in 'Rose Hip' - £3.69

Barry M Bold Liner in BWE5 - £3.99

Review: Revlon Color Stay Foundation.

Hey! Today I'm coming at you with a beauty review - to be specific, it's going to be on the highly coveted Revlon Color Stay Foundation! Although this product has been popular for a long time, it's only been for the past few weeks that I've actually decided to purchase it and fully give it a go. In this post, I'll share my thoughts and let you know how I got on with the product.

So, first things first this foundation is made specifically for certain skin types and it therefore has formula variations depending on the type of skin you have. Personally, I love this fact about the foundation and it's something I don't think I've ever seen before from any other brands. It's nice to know that you can use a product without having to worry about your skin type because they're already done that for you. The foundation comes in formulas for Normal to Dry Skin and Oily / Combination Skin.

Now, I originally purchase this product a few months ago but ignorant old me didn't actually check the formulation and I ended up getting the one for Oily / Combination skin types. As a girl with skin on the dry side, it's safe to say the foundation and I didn't really get along too well. Naturally, I felt it very drying and hated the way it looked on my skin. Finally, I paid attention this time and I recently purchase the one actually for my skin type. As you can imagine, the foundation for normal to dry skin has more of a dewy finish and vice versa for the oily to combo one. This is ideal for me because dewy foundations help to diminish signs of dryness on my face.

In terms of shade range, I do feel that you get a decent colour selection with varying undertones. I got my foundation in 'Buff' which I think is more or less a good match for my skin colour, if not perhaps a little more on the pale side - which I don't actually mind too much. The consistency of the foundation is surprisingly thinner than I expected because it's widely thought to be a fuller coverage foundation. This and the fact there is no pump on the bottle can make trying to get product out a little bit messy which can be kind of annoying but I suppose you can always just buy a pump (though I'd much rather Revlon just put them on). 

Coverage wise, I'm really impressed with this foundation. When my skin and I are not getting along, I tend to get a lot of redness and this foundation really helps with that. You can barely see any redness showing through so for that reason I'd think that this foundation would be good for anyone suffering with acne or rosacea or really any skin condition causing discolouration / redness. 

The foundation feels light and it blends like a dream on the skin. I'm left with a beautiful, glow and a lovely dewy finish to my skin which is exactly what I like to go for. I like to apply my foundation with a buffing brush which I feel really helps me achieve a more flawless finish and for those days where I don't want so much coverage, I'll go over this with a damp beauty sponge. The foundation is also very long wearing and is therefore ideal for longer days.

Overall, I don't really have a bad thing to say about this foundation. Ideally, I'd like it to come with a pump but this is definitely a factor I can overlook. For a drugstore foundation, it is on the pricer side but for me, I do think it's worth it and that you are indeed getting very good quality for your money. If you are looking for a nice, lightweight but full coverage foundation - I'd give this a go for sure. This is now my go to foundation and I can see it being a favourite of mine for quite a while.

You can purchase Revlon ColorStay foundation at your local Boots for £12.49.

Face of the Day #5!

Hey! I'm back today with a face of the day post. This look was a smokey eye with cat flick liner and a deep, purple lip!

Products Used:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC20 | £21.50

Benefit Erase Paste in Light | £20.50

Maybelline Great Lash in Very Black | £4.99

Urban Decay Naked Palette | £37.00

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Black | £7.99

Nars Orgasm Blush | £21.50

Benefit Hoola Bronzer  | £23.50

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow in Chocolate | £15.00

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Shameless | £7.99

Maybelline The Matte Maker Powder | £3.99

Building Your Makeup Kit / Collection #1 - Foundation.

Just like building up or renewing a wardrobe, building a makeup collection can sometimes be a little confusing. With that in mind, I thought it would be good to start another little series going through my recommended basic makeup products to start with when building up your makeup collection. I consider these all products that make a good foundation (get it?!) to start any collection (big or small) from!
I'll talk about all the things I think it's important to consider when looking for certain products as well as giving product examples I've tried and tested to!
 Okay, so after that rather lengthy introduction, let's get started with our first basic makeup product; foundation...

1. Coverage / Formula:

One of the main things to consider when purchasing a foundation is the kind of coverage you are going for. Many women prefer a thicker coverage in Winter months and something a little more lightweight in the Summer.  Medium-full coverage foundations are often a lot thicker in formula and consistency whereas lighter foundations tend to be more watery. Recently, products like BB and CC creams have become popular as alternatives to light coverage foundations for a more natural looking finish. A lot of them either have colour correcting properties with minimal coverage or give something very light along the lines of a tinted moisturiser. 

The coverage you want may also depend on the condition of your skin, you may desire more coverage if you have problem, blemish prone skin whereas you could want something lighter if your skin is fairly clear and problem-free. It's ultimately up to you and what you prefer the look of.

Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream is
one of my favourite BB creams. It has a really nice light
coverage but it still evens it out your skin tone nicely.
Buy at Boots for £7.99
(Photo credit: Google images)

REVLON Colorstay is a full coverage,
matte finish foundation that is long
 lasting and comes in formulas for
 various skin types.
Buy at Boots for £12.49.
(Photo credit: Google images)

2. Skin Type, Priming & Foundation Finish:

Skin type is something important to consider when purchasing any face product. This is especially the case if you have sensitive skin like me. If possible, opting for a foundation that is specifically for your own skin type is always helpful as it's going to look the best for you. As well as sensitive skin, common skin types are combination, oily and dry. Those of use with dry skin tend to stay away from foundations that provide matte finishes because this can emphasise the already dry skin. Vice versa, those with oily skin will want to stay away from anything that gives a very dewy finish so as not to look even more oily. Of course though, this doesn't mean you can't have a fresh dewy look with oily skin or a more matte look with dryer skin - it's more about using a product like powder or a highlighter in specific ways to get the look you want without emphasising your problem areas!

It's also worth doing research and reading reviews on certain foundations especially if makeup in general tends to break you out and / or you have acne prone skin. Priming before foundation application can be a great way to help prevent breakouts and pore blockage AND it helps to make makeup last for longer. Always make sure that you also have a super clean face before ever applying any makeup product to your face as that as well as not properly removing makeup can be a common factor in breakouts.

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation is a great, light to medium coverage
 foundation that provides your skin with a nice, natural glow.
Buy at Boots for £8.99.
(Photo credit: Google images)

MAC's Studio Fix Fluid is a medium-buildable coverage
foundation that gives the skin a nice, natural matte finish.
Be warned though, it can break some people out though
I've never had that problem as of yet!
Buy at Debenhams for £21.50
(Photo credit: Google images)

3. Finding Your Shade! (Surface tones and Undertones):

This is probably one of the trickiest things about finding the right foundation. We all find this difficult because there are just so many shades of foundation and our skin shades can sometimes be confusing to figure out. The main thing you'll want to do is firstly figure out your skin's undertone. The undertone is the skin's colour underneath the surface. Finding this out will not only help with choosing the right foundation but also with anything you wear - you'll know what colours flatter you the most whether that be in a lipstick or a dress. There are 3 types of undertone:

• Cool - pink, red or blush undertones
• Warm - yellow, golden and peach undertones
• Neutral - a general mix of both warm and cool undertones

> Not all foundations have shades for different undertones, but companies are definitely making sure considering this more.

As well as your undertone, you'll of course want to figure out your skins surface tone. Are you ivory, light, medium, tan? I think the best way to figure this one out is to go and swatch, swatch, swatch! Swatch the foundation testers on your arm and hand and simply see what matches. If it's still a tricky task don't be afraid to ask for help - a lot of places will offer a free colour matching service so you can find your perfect shade.

MAC are a great example of a company
that offer various foundation shades in different undertones.
(Photo credit: MAC Website)

** It might also be worth noting that if you self tan, or if you're in a place that has equally large periods of cold and sunny weather, you might need two shades of foundation - one for when you're paler and when you've darkened from tanning or the sun.**

4. Powder:

Not everyone uses powder, it's something I myself sometimes skip depending on how long I'll be wearing makeup. Regardless, it's still something I'd consider a staple when wearing foundation because it helps to last that much longer as well as helps it to set. It can also be great for on the go if you're losing a bit of coverage in your foundation or if you're looking a little oily throughout the day. You can also purchase actual powder foundations or mineral based foundations if that is something you'd prefer rather than a liquid or cream foundation.
You can also opt for a coloured powder to set your foundation to add that little bit more coverage if you so wish or simply choose translucent if you just want to matte out certain areas of your face.

Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder is one
of my favourite setting powder for
liquid foundation!
Buy at Boots for £3.99
(Photo credit: Google images)

So, I think that pretty much covers it for foundations and that the recommendations that I'd make for it. Let me know what you think of this series and if you like the idea of it - I'd really love to know your thoughts! Stay tuned for the next post in this series as well! 

Thank you all for reading!

Boots & Superdrug Haul!

Hey there! Recently I did just a teeny bit of shopping (ok, maybe more than a teeny bit but still!) and I thought I'd show what you I got. It's all beauty and skincare - most of the things I picked up I have never tried before either which is always interesting, hopefully I'm going to love them!

So, first of all I popped into Boots and got some beauty bits. They currently have a 2 for £10 deal on ALL Revlon cosmetics (check it out if you haven't already) and so I took advantage of this and got 2 lipsticks from their Super Lustrous range. The first I picked up in the shade 002 Pink Pout and the second was in the shade 663 Va Va Violet which I am particularly excited to try.

I also headed over to the Maybelline stand and they had a buy 1 get 1 half price deal - you see, it's really the shop's fault that I spend so much... Anyway, from there I got their new 'Matte Maker' face powder. They didn't appear to have much of a shade range, nor did they have a translucent as far as I could see so I just got the lightest shade. 

From Maybelline, I got their Brow Drama brow mascara as well - I've tried clear brow gels but nothing like this and so I was quite intrigued about this product. I got this in the shade Dark Brown.

From the Soap and Glory stand I picked up one of their makeup products. I've never really delved into what S & G have to offer in terms of cosmetics and I was particularly interested in an eyeliner products. And so with that, I picked up their super cat eyeliner which is a liquid liner in a felt tip form.

Lastly from Boots, I picked up this Charles Worthington hair mask. My hair has been feeling kind of dry lately and so I wanted something to bring some more moisture and softness into it. I have actually see blogger and Youtuber MissBudgetBeauty talk about this product a lot and so I thought I'd give it a go.

Now, onto Superdrug! I firstly picked up some mattifying sheets - perfect for this hot, sunny weather when you want to remove some of that nasty oil build up on your face. 

I then got some coconut oil - this I have tried before but it was in a different form. I have tried the organic coconut oil which you'd predominantly find in supermarkets because you can cook with it. This is hydrogenated and lightly fragranced but so far it still has the cosmetic qualities that I got it for and it is gentle on my very sensitive skin. It's a natural, multi-purpose product and if you haven't already, I would definitely try it out for yourself. 

Finally, I got some eye care products from Simple. I really love Simple because all of their products have gentle formulations that are perfect for even sensitive skin and not to mention, their products are super cheap. I picked up an eye roll on and an eye balm - looking after the area around your eyes is very important - it's going to help to eliminate signs of aging but to also care for them as they are very sensitive.

And that's my haul complete! I hope you liked this post and maybe found some products you might want to try for yourself. 

REVIEW: Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms.

Hey guys. Today I'm going to be doing a makeup product review on the Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balms. There are other products in the ColourBurst balm range such as a balm stain and a lacquer but today i'm just going to be looking at the matte balm. So, the ColourBurst Matte Balms are a lip product in the style of a chubby crayon / pencil - a popular trend that a lot of varying products now come in the form of.

I have two of the matte balms; one in the shade Shameless and the other in Elusive. Shameless is a lovely, deep shade of purple - it's very buildable and you can make it really intense if you want to. Elusive on the other hand is a much more natural, dusty rose kind of colour and it's perfect for an every day look. One of the main things I love about the product is the fact that it comes in twist-up form. This means you get quite a lot of product for your money and there's no messy sharpening required. The packaging itself is simple and sleek - something I always love to see.

The main thing that really stood out to me about these balms and the factor that makes me want to definitely go out and buy more, is the creamy consistency. Yes, the balms are matte and do not dry to any type of glossy finish, but they are still so creamy! And it stays looking that way on the lips - your lips don't look dry or chapped as some matte lip products can make them. They look and feel really soft - maintaining the matte effect you want without emphasising any dry areas or lines in your lips. As someone who is recently really enjoying matte lip products - this is something I am really impressed and happy with. They also have this minty fragrance to them - something I personally quite like, but it might not be to everyones tastes. 

Shameless.

Elusive.

In terms of the lasting power, the creaminess of the formula does result in easy wear if eating or drinking is involved. However, they will last a few hours if you are not doing either of those things. If you are, you should expect to need to re-apply. Yes, that's a little annoying but it doesn't really put me off that much because I think the finish is worth it. They don't wear in too much of an obvious way either - so if you rub your lips together you can still have an even coverage but you will lose pigment. The 2 that I have are very nicely pigmented and blendable. The crayon shape also makes for easy and fairly precise application. 

Overall, I really love this lip product. Finding a good matte lipstick without that nasty dry look has proved a difficult task for me and this product is a saviour that I'm really glad I found. I adore the lovely creamy finish they give and the shade range is really nice - there's a shade for every one and every occasion. I'm definitely going to be buying some more in the future as there are some shades I have my eye on...

Have you tried these yet? What are your thoughts?