Banned!

Good Day Everyone,

As we’ve come to the end of March, I'm now half way through my six month makeup purchasing ban and so I thought I’d let you know how I’ve got on thus far. I had several reasons for imposing this ban on myself. Firstly, I’ve probably bought more makeup in this last year than in the last decade. The main reason for this is now that I am no longer working I have a lot more time on my hands to explore and play around with products. As I had a few special occasions last year that I decided to do my own makeup for, I went on a bit of spending splurge to update (or rather create) my makeup collection. This ignited some kind of suppressed passion for makeup, especially eye shadows and products that make my skin glow. When I had my career I didn’t work a nine to five job. I worked pretty long hours with a fair bit of overseas travel and whilst airport duty free might seem like an ideal place to indulge, I was usually sat in some coffee shop tapping away on my laptop trying to finish a presentation and never had the time to indulge.

Birthday makeup

Secondly, makeup isn’t (always) cheap and as we have a few big expenses this year I wanted to try and save our pennies by spending less. It’s a little ironic that when we had a higher disposable income I was too busy with my career to have time to enjoy makeup and now that I have the time we obviously don’t have the same kind of disposable income with me not working. 

Thirdly, the thing with makeup is that I rarely finish it. My collection only ever grows because most makeup products are rarely completely used up, and the more I have the less likely I am to finish something. Therefore I wanted to try and use up what I have.

Fourthly, I was getting to a stage where I would sometimes forget about a makeup product that I really loved until I accidentally came across it again. I think that’s more likely to happen when I have more and so I really wanted to take time out from buying new products and simply appreciate the ones that I have.

Also, a girlie chat with my best friend back in December scared me a little... in that I had a realisation. I was talking to her about the Revlon Lip Butters (reviewed here and here) that I’d bought at Singapore airport and how I loved the three colours I’d picked up, but now being in England I’d seen a couple more shades in Boots that I really wanted, but had to stop myself as I already have five Lip Butters. My friend looked a little aghast and asked how many different colours of lip products could I actually want / wear as she just has two – a pink and a red. When I sat there with her and easily recalled twenty different colours just of the top of my head and explained that I had a makeup bag full of just lip products she asked whether I have some sort of makeup addiction. I explained I don’t, just a passion for pretty colours. My friend laughed and said that I could try and justify it however I wanted but seriously what I had could easily last me for several years. Of course I knew she was right and so the seeds of a makeup ban were sown into my subconscious… thanks Lucy!

So those were the main reasons for my self-imposed makeup purchasing ban. Within a few weeks of the ban I noticed that Sephora in Singapore started to stock Tarte products and there was a blush that had my name on it... literally...glisten, which clearly is meant for me but I have stuck to my ban and resisted. I also recently discovered theBalm cosmetics in Singapore for the first time and they had 20% off but again I stuck to my guns. I think one of the reasons I’ve managed to stick to the ban is because my husband is convinced that I will cave in at some point. Now I see that as a challenge and I like to rise to a challenge... or he might just be being clever and using reverse psychology to get me to not buy anymore makeup ;o).

In all seriousness though, I have really enjoyed just using the makeup that I have. I recently reorganised the way I stored my makeup and in the process had a bit of a clear out and got rid of things that I’d had for way too long. Just that process of having a tidy up gave me a better handle on what I actually have in my collection. I now have things organised in a much better way and have pulled out some products that are close to finishing that I am focusing on using up. 

I had noticed that I was falling into a bit of makeup rut where I would use the same products again and again and so with my recent tidy up I now also have a bit of a rotation system going with some of my products just so that I get to appreciate a little bit of everything that I have in my collection. 

Finally I guess another factor that has made this little makeup ban more bearable is that fact that I’ve had my birthday since the new year and obviously got makeup as presents, including my first ever Dior lip product (review) as well as the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. So I guess I’ve not really gone cold turkey as such, although with no special occasions coming up in the next three months, plus the fact that I’m going to be transiting through several duty free airports, now is when my will power really will get put to the test. Let’s see if I continue to rise to the challenge!

Have you ever imposed a makeup or other kind of purchasing ban on yourself? How did you get on?

Love Sheen xxx

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters #2 More Colours

Good Day Everyone,

If you've read my previous post on the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters then you’ll know that I’m not really a lipstick person, in fact I’m a lipstick scary cat if I’m honest, so you’ll never catch me with a bold bright opaque lip, nope, not ever! However, that does not mean that I don’t like a bit of colour on my lips because I do and I absolutely love the Revlon Lip Butters. They’re moisturising, balmy, buildable in colour, have a gloss like shine that’s not sticky, smell nice, and wear off evenly leaving a bit of a stain. To me, they offer the best bits of all the different types of lip products out there!

Wild Watermelon and Berry Smoothie

I already have the colours Peach Parfait, Macaroon and Candy Apple, and recently I picked up Wild Watermelon and Berry Smoothie . And no before you say it, I haven’t broken my buying no makeup for six months ban. I actually picked these up last month. In fact, I bought quite a bit of makeup last year that I’m still working my way through trialling so perhaps this six month ban won’t be as painful as what I initially thought it might be ;o).

Wild Watermelon and Berry Smoothie

Berry Smoothie is a gorgeous warm pink shade with a subtle hint of purple on my lips. It is an ideal fall/autumn winter shade for someone like me who’s not a big fan of the bold berry coloured lips that tend to make an appearance during the colder months. I wore this particular colour quite a bit when I was visiting home last month. Berry Smoothie isn’t completely matte, like Candy Apple. It’s more like Macaroon in that it has some teeny tiny shimmery flecks running through it but they’re not as obvious as the flecks in Peach Parfait which I can actually feel on my lips.

Wild Watermelon sheer then built up. Berry Smoothie built up then sheer

Wild Watermelon is a gorgeous bright pinky red. Whilst in my photos it looks more pinky red, on my lips it is definitely a bit more on the corally side. That difference in colour, between the photo swatches on my forearm and how the colour looks on my lips, will be down to the effect of my lips natural colour. Hence why the same lip colour can look very different on different people as we all have a different natural lip colour that interferes with the lip product’s colour.

Wild Watermelon is like Candy Apple in that it has no shimmer in it what so ever but at the same time I wouldn’t say these two colours are completely matte as they do leave a bit of a sheen on the lips. Wild Watermelon has a similar effect on my complexion as Candy Apple, in that as soon as I apply this colour, it immediately lifts and brightens my face. It makes my brown eyes appear browner and makes my black eyelashes look more intense, almost as if I’m wearing mascara (when I’m not). There’s just something about this shade and Candy Apple that just makes my face come alive - do you get what I mean? Some colours just naturally lift your complexion and for me that’s anything that is a red-y corally colour. When I wear Wild Watermelon I don’t need to wear much else other than a slick of eyeliner and a bit of mascara and I’m good to go.

I've talked about the packaging in my previous post but this time I did twist up the Wild Watermelon Lip Butter all the way to the top just to see exactly how much product you actually get and as you can see from the photo, it's not a lot. However, I personally still think these are good value for money given how much I love the texture, finish, and application. 

I picked up both Berry Smoothie and Wild Watermelon at the airport in Singapore when heading home last month and got both colours for just $18 SGD (approx. £9) which is cheaper than buying them in England. Whilst back home though a few other colours caught my eye, in particular Juicy Papaya but I restrained myself. Five Lip Butters is quite enough for now plus I’m determined to adhere to my six month no makeup purchasing ban… even if it’s just to prove my hubby wrong ;o)

Have you tried any of the Lip Butters? What are your favourite colours?

Love Sheen xxx

My verdict: 5/5

For UK: Website 
For Singapore you can find this product at Watson and Guardian stores

(Note: I bought these products with my own money)

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Good Day Everyone,

When it comes to make up, I believe in selecting one or two features to focus upon, and leaving the rest in the background so to speak. For me personally, I’m lucky enough to be blessed with good skin (thanks mum) and eyebrows, and so my makeup tends to focus on eyes and skin. I don’t believe that my lips are my best feature. Whilst my lips are an average size (not particularly thin or full), I don’t have a well defined cupids bow. The natural outline of my lips is quite blurry/jagged (if that makes any sense) and so I always struggle outlining my lips with a lip liner. Typically, they either end up looking too big, like I've drawn outside of my natural lip line, or if I stay within/on my natural lip line then inevitably I have jagged bits of my natural lip sitting outside of the lip liner. It’s a no win situation :o(

As a result, I've never been a big lipstick wearer. I always tend to opt for lip glosses, tinted lip balms or lip stains. If I ever do where a lipstick, I don’t tend to use a lip liner (due to the aforementioned challenge) and therefore tend to stick to colours similar to my natural lip colour. I tend to avoid wearing bright and opaque lipsticks because of the challenges of defining my lip line and because I have a fear of the colour wearing off from the centre of my lips and leaving me with the dreaded lipstick ring around my mouth. I’m also no good at topping up my lipstick or checking it after meals. Plus I don’t like the heavy (and sometimes drying) feeling of traditional lipsticks. So, in case you hadn't already realised... I am not a lipstick girl... just so we’re all clear ;o)

However, all that changed when I came across the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters – it’s lipstick for lipstick scary cats like me! These lip butters are a-mazing! I absolutely love love love them! They are incredibly moisturising, like a lip balm. They do not dry out my lips, no matter how often I wear them and they feel very light on the lips.

L-R: Candy Apple / Macaroon / Peach Parfait

They have a beautiful gloss like shine to them without being particularly sticky and best of all, I find that the colour wears of pretty evenly, thus avoiding the dreaded lipstick ring. In terms of staying power, I find that they last a good six hours or so, depending upon what I eat/drink etc. Whilst the gloss like shine may fade after a few hours, the colour remains on my lips for quite a while longer. The lip butters are sheer but buildable to some extent and they remind me a lot of the Dior Addict lipsticks (but without the hefty price tag).

L-R: Candy Apple / Macaroon / Peach Parfait

There’s a huge range of colours available so there’s something for everyone and the colours are actually great wearable shades. The lip butters do have scent, a kind of cinema sweet popcorn smell, but it’s not particularly strong and fades quite quickly once you've applied it.

The packaging is super cute with colour co-ordinated plastic lids that are embossed on two sides. The top of the lid is clear so you can see the colour of the lipstick inside. My only gripe with the packaging (and it’s not relevant to most people) is that because the lids are very long, there isn't much of a base for me to hold onto when pulling the lid off, which means it often takes me 2-3 attempts to get the lid off (due my arthritic fingers and problems with grip).

L-R: Candy Apple / Macaroon / Peach Parfait

So far I've bought three colours and love all three of them. The first one I bought was Peach Parfait which isn't particularly peachy in colour, in fact, it’s definitely more pink in colour. On me, it’s very similar to my natural lip colour and so for me it’s a MLBB (my lips but better). Peach Parfait has the most sparkle in it out of the three that I have and I can definitely feel the sparkly bits on my lips but they’re not big glittery bits that irritate me and so being able to feel them doesn't bother me.

L-R: Candy Apple / Macaroon / Peach Parfait

The next one I bought was Macaroon, which I love so much more than Peach Parfait, because to me this is my ‘perfect’ raspberry pink shade. I have been looking for my perfect raspberry pink shade for years and failed to find it... that was until now. I’m really fussy when it comes to my ‘pink’ lip products because I don’t like anything that’s fuchsia, Barbie pink, pinky violet or pink with a blue undertone. I definitely prefer pinks with a brown undertone (if I’m going for a MLBB look) or a red undertone as the colour really lifts my whole face (and makes my teeth look whiter). I absolutely love this colour and hope it never gets discontinued. In fact, when I next go home in a few months, I’ll definitely be popping into Boots to stock up on this colour. Macaroon has teeny tiny flecks of shimmer in it but nowhere near as much as Peach Parfait as I can’t feel it on my lips at all.

My most recent addition to my collection is Candy Apple which has no shimmer in whatsoever. For some reason my photos make this look more sheer than it actually is. On my lips, it is definitely the most opaque of the three when you build the colour up. I love Candy Apple because for someone like me who never really wears a full on red lip, this is a perfect muted kind of red that isn't too bright and scary to pull off. It has an ever so slightly pink (raspberry pink) undertone to it which I really like as again it makes my teeth look that bit whiter. This colour looks great with a neutral eye with lashings of mascara and black eye liner. I think Candy Apple is another one that I may stock up on when I go home.

I twisted my most recently purchased lip butter all the way to the top to see the amount of product there is and to be honest you don’t get a huge amount. Given that some days I do build the colour up, and apply a few layers, I’m not expecting these to last a very long time. However, as these are relatively inexpensive when compared to some of the high end brands that offer something very similar, I don’t mind having to re-purchase as I love these lip butters so much!

Have you tried these Revlon Lip Butters? What did you think? Which is your favourite colour?

Love Sheen xxx
My verdict: 5/5

For UK: Website 
For Singapore you can find this product at Watson and Guardian stores

(Note: I bought these products with my own money)