One of the biggest problems when it comes to lip color is actually getting it to stay on. Eating, drinking, and even just normal talking will remove or considerably fade any lip product - no matter how expensive it is. It's just a fact of life, unless you get a lip tattoo!

This is why a lot of people became curious about Revlon's latest lip makeup called the Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm. Aside from the promise of lasting power because of the stain formula, the product is a novelty because of the felt-tip applicator and lip balm at the other end of the tube. So, I'm sure you want to know: does it deliver?

What I love about the product

• Intensely pigmented. A couple of layers topped with the moisturizing and slightly glossy lip balm will give you the effect of a lipstick! It certainly won't make your lips look "just bitten", which, in my book, is perfectly alright.
• I really like the lip balm included. It reminds me of my HG lip balm, Aquafina, but without the minty feel. I like the slight sheen it gives on the lips. 

• Pretty good staying power. I give it around 4 hours, even with eating. The first couple of times I used this the color faded rather quickly, but I discovered a trick to it

I love that Revlon always has something new every other month or so. I believe that they're trying to revamp their old image as makeup for older women into makeup that caters to a younger market's pressing needs. I feel that it's working! I like what Revlon has come up with in the last few months - Luxurious Color eyeshadows: Satin and Perle, Grow Luscious by Fabulash,  PhotoReady Powder, and my favorite, the Colorburst lipsticks. I'm very excited about the goodies they'll be releasing next year!

For now, Revlon's newest products are the PhotoReady Compact and Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm.

The Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm (P595) is a collection of lip stains that do NOT give a "just bitten" effect! Well maybe if you were kissing a hungry vampire...lol. The lip stains look like highly pigmented lipsticks when applied. If you don't like lip stains because of the drying effect, Revlon has thoughtfully added a lip balm on the other end of the tube. I love the lip balm actually - the feel is reminiscent of my HG lip balm, Aquafina, but without the minty sting.

Yes Virginia, it's a felt tip marker!

The PhotoReady Compact Makeup (P995) is the answer to the prayers of fans of the PhotoReady Liquid Makeup.

There is nothing like cheap lipstick to lift a dour mood. It's the easiest, fastest way to change up your look and it doesn't even have to cost much to look good! Now, something I recently bought is the Fashion 21 Aqualicious lipstick in Little Mermaid. I read about it in a local beauty blog some weeks back and found it interesting. It was only P150 so I grabbed it when I got the chance.

What I love about the product

• Little Mermaid is a gorgeous pink coral shade that instantly brightens my skin.
• Vibrant, opaque, and pigmented. One sweep is enough to get a good color pay-off.
• Creamy and moisturizing, although I would still suggest a balm underneath.

I have amassed quite a number of lipsticks these past few months. While I like all of them, there are a few that stand out - a few that's on top of my mind when I'm hurrying out. One brand that I keep using is the Estee Lauder Pure Color. I have two variants: the Long Lasting Lipstick and Crystal Lipstick.

I first encountered Pure Color lipsticks a few months ago when Liz of Estee Lauder Philippines gave me a tube. I loved it, so when I got the chance to purchase a makeup set from the brand, I went for it. There were four Pure Color lipsticks included!

This is what Pure Color lipsticks look like, but since I got mine from a set, they were in plain gold tubes like this:

What I love about the product

• Lasting power is better than most. It doesn't fade for at least four to five hours. The Long Lasting variant lasts longer than the Crystal one, of course. They're reminiscent of MAC satin finish lippies, but without the dry texture.

Lip balm is one of the most fundamental things every girl needs to have about her person - forever! So when you find a lip balm that works for you, never let go. Hoard. Put one tube in all your bags and jeans pockets. I found THE lip balm that I plan to use for the rest of my life: Aquafina Lip Balms.

I got these from my swap with Anne last September. It wasn't part of the list we agreed on, so I was touched by the freebie she gave me! I didn't plan to use them actually, but I got curious so I tried the blue one first. It was love at first swipe, swear. I never suffered from dry or chapping lips ever since these babies fell into my hands.

Why this is awesome

• Very moisturizing. Some Western ladies at Makeupalley find the formula a bit drying, but since the Philippines is humid, the formula addresses my concerns perfectly. My lips feel more supple, smooth, and peeling skin (which is normal) go off evenly. Note though that I don't have particularly dry lips to begin with.
• Perfect texture and feel. The balm feels just like water on my lips but just a teensy bit thicker. The texture is fine and not waxy at all! This is the most comfortable lip balm I ever used - and I have tried quite a number from different drugstore brands. You will instantly forget you have this balm on.
• Serves as the perfect base for lipsticks and gloss. You lip color won't slide on this, nor would it feel heavy when you layer it on top of this balm. 

I have already reviewed the Revlon Corlorburst lipsticks (which I love) so I'll only be sharing some product photos, swatches, and notes on a particular shade in the line. Soft Nude is a light beige with a hint of pink. It's a tricky color to wear if you skin is anywhere from medium to dark; I can barely pull it off myself! However, this would be perfect for light to fair skinned girls.

Some notes 

• Soft Nude is not as opaque as the other Colorburst colors I've tried. I need to layer a bit to get it to cover my pigmented lips.
• I recommend this for light-skinned women since this can easily make morenas look zombie-like. Lol. Wear this shade with dark eye color and chiseled cheeks to prevent your face from looking washed out.

Estee Lauder is an old skincare brand from way back in 1946. The icon, Audrey Hepburn, once said in 1992 when asked what her beauty secrets are: "...health, lots of sleep, lots of fresh air, and a lot of help from Estee Lauder". That's perhaps part of the reason why it's a name associated with elegant, mature women who like to splurge on beauty goodies. However, with its latest products, I think that I can safely say that Estee Lauder is now also catering to a younger (albeit more refined) market. Their latest releases illustrate as much.

I visited their counter in Rustan's Makati to see first hand just what's up with the brand. First off, let's check out the eyeshadows designed by their creative director, Tom Pecheux: the Pure Color Eyeshadow.

The packaging for these eyeshadows is extremely luxe, done in faux gold casing with the logo embossed on the top and side of the case. There's a bit of heft to it.

You know what I love about blogging? Aside from getting to share my finds and thoughts on beauty and fashion, I get to meet a lot of new people - some of them I consider my friends! One of the people I met through this blog is Anne. She works in Canada and loves makeup as much as I do. So, when she offered to swap products with me, I was more than happy to oblige! We met up yesterday at the Mall of Asia (picture to follow).

I swapped out some of my favorite stuff, plus an Ukay Manila dress I personally picked for her. Here's what she gave me!

Lately I'm going for darker, smokier eyeshadows. It could be the rain, I don't know. That's how I noticed that I don't have a kickass nude lipstick! Striking eyes should always be matched with lighter lips to avoid overdoing the look. Easy enough to say, but I know that Pinays find it difficult to wear a nude lippie that doesn't wash us out. Sure we have fab smokey cat-lined eyes but our tacky nude lips can make it all look like a great Halloween idea!

Enter Wet n Wild's Bare It All.

I am absolutely in love with the shade. It's a light brown-pink color that's just right for my light/medium skin. It's only P299 too!

What I love about it 

• Creamy texture, semi-matte finish. 
• Wet n Wild promises that this should last for four hours. It will, provided you don't eat. Drinking is okay. If you eat though most of it will go, just leaving a slight stain.
• Pigmented and opaque.
• Generous amount of product.

Wet n Wild is now in Beauty by SM! I read the news in Phoebe's post. I admit, I was a bit lukewarm to the brand - I thought it was just another so-so drugstore business. But hey, never say never! When I got the chance to drop by SM Makati, I immediately honed in to the Wet n Wild stall.

photo grabbed from Phoebe

I swatched almost everything they had, except the foundations. First impression? They're good! The eyeshadows, pencils, and lipsticks were very pigmented. I love the prices too since there was nothing above P500.

I prefer lipsticks when it comes to lip color, but I like me some good, pigmented lip glosses too! I love the high-impact shine and how they draw light to my face. 

The Revlon Creme Gloss has been around for some time now, but it was only lately that I got to try it. They're basic, solid lip glosses that are pigmented and could pass off as lipsticks. 

What I like about the product

• Pigmented. A few swipes should be enough to get a good color pay-off.
• More sanitary than lipsticks, balms, and glosses with doe-foot applicators where you have to expose all of the product to air and bacteria. Simply clean the attached brush after usage!
• Doesn't transfer on glass and cups as much as similar products do. You can drink with confidence when you have this on. 

Something called "Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact" can really set high expectations. The promise of Avon is that this line of lipsticks can give our lips high-def drama, with pinks pinker and reds redder compared to their other lipstick lines. Well, that's a fair enough claim, but I would have loved to get my hands on their older collections to see if there really is a difference. 

L-R: Pink Pop, Fuchsia Fun, Kicked Up Coral, Really Rosy, Brilliant Berry, Rockin' Red

In any case, I've been using these lippies for a week now and found them really good. However, they are not as pigmented as their name would suggest. I initially thought they'd be similar to Revlon Colorburst, NYX Round Lipsticks, and NYX Lips. No, this particular line may have meant differently when they went under the name "ultra color rich" and "mega impact".

These lipsticks have a brilliant, glossy finish that I haven't come across yet. I think they're on a class of their own - the finish isn't satiny, plasticky like lip gloss, or creamy. I'd call it lustrous. There are 11 shades available in the Philippines, from nude to daring red.

What I love about this product

• The texture is very creamy, which means that it glides on easily. It's very moisturizing - I don't even use balm underneath.
• I would agree that the colors are high-impact in the sense that they do stand out when they're worn. They tend to draw in light to my face!
• Wears comfortably. It doesn't feel heavy on the lips.

There are brands that stick with us in our lifetime. Avon is definitely one that is closely intertwined with mine. My first ever makeup (it was a Simply Pretty blush), my first bra (a beige plain one, because my mom thought colored bras were scandalous) - they're from Avon. I'll probably patronize that 123-year old brand until I die! My Lola and my mom are also avid Avon fans.

That's why I like attending Avon events. I like being among the first to know about their products, as well as having first dibs on them. So what's new?

Avon launched three new beauty products last Thursday, July 15, at the Blue Leaf Pavillon. The very gwapo and debonair DJ Eri Neeman hosted the event. 

DJ Eri Neeman

Avon Philippines' President and General Manager Mr. Mike Gudgin welcoming the guests

Three new products were introduced: the Anew 360° White Intensive Correcting Serum, Skin So Soft Radiant Glow Whitening Hand and Body Lotion, and Avon Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick.

Perhaps the most common complaint about NYX Round Lipsticks is their lack of staying power. NYX attempts to solve that problem by providing a slightly more expensive line called NYX Lips.

So how different is Lips from the Round lipsticks? For one, it feels smoother, creamier, and thicker. It is also more opaque and pigmented, and that's saying a lot since RLs are already pigmented as they come. 

Black Cherry and Love Angel

The staying power of this line is definitely better than the RLs. The RLs tend to fade and get wiped out as soon as you eat or drink, but Lips keep their color for at least four hours. Eating and drinking will remove them, but there will be a stain left. In the case of Black Cherry, a very, very strong stain.

I've been checking out Youngblood, a mineral makeup brand, at Beauty Bar for a few years now. However, I never got around to buying anything because their stuff are too expensive! Think about it, ~P2,500 for foundation? That's a no deal for me. Sure, the products are high quality, but I still can't bring myself to spend when there are better and cheaper alternatives out there.

Just imagine my shock when last Tuesday, upon visiting Beauty Bar at the Podium, I saw a Youngblood makeup palette that only costs P995!

Whoaaa

I stilled my heart for a couple of minutes as I calmly swatched each of the two blushes, three eyeshadows, and three lip glosses. It was LOVE at first swatch. I immediately bought the palette without batting another eyelash.

Yesterday I went to do groceries at Market! Market! Very mundane I know, but to shake things up I wore bright, almost frightening, fuchsia lipstick. My face was bare except for the the Dr. Jart Gold Label BB cream (for the SPF45). As for clothes, I just had a plain white t-shirt and bleached shorts on. 

It's shallow, but I felt good. I felt powerful. I had enough confidence to wear a lipstick very few would dare to touch. Lol!

Lipsticks are powerful tools that have existed for hundreds of centuries. I love my lipsticks because they allow me to easily express myself even if I'm just wearing a bare face and boring clothes. Pinks and nudes are fine, but loud lip color is the easiest way to make a statement! Anyway, that fuchsia lip is brought to you by Revlon.

Will review the eyeshadows soon!

Revlon has just released a new line of lipsticks aptly called Colorburst. It's their answer to the popular Maybelline ColorSensational line of lipsticks. They're more expensive at almost twice the price of Maybelline - P575 per tube - so I'm sure you'd like to know. Are they better?

It's funny how the products that actually make it into your daily routine are the products that you forget about. Case in point, my Nivea Angel Star Lip Balm! I haven't taken a photo of it, so you just have to spot it here:

It's the small pink tube on the right side!

This Nivea Angel Star line is targeted towards tweens who are just starting to become self-conscious about their appearance and body. One of the products released is a lip balm that has a slight pinkish tint with a frosty-gloss finish.

Why I like it:

• My lips are evened out by a light, pinkish tint. The finish is frosty, with a hint of gloss. I don't need a mirror to use this so it's very convenient.
• Moisturizing! It really helps my chapped lips in this heat.
• Non-sticky and feels light on the lips.

When you Google for NYX Round Lipsticks you will find that two of the most popular shades are Thalia and Tea Rose. Every makeup enthusiast worth her salt has these shades in her arsenal! They're cheap, plus they're extremely flattering on most skin tones. The swatches were very tempting so I decided to snag these lipsticks when Carefree Shopper's next shipment came in.

Thalia and Tea Rose. They look the same in the picture, but Tea Rose looks a lot pinker in person. Swatches up ahead!