Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Forever 21 Nail Color: Blue Print

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Forever 21 Nail Color in Blue Print

Forever 21's nail polish in Blue Print is an amazing vibrant cobalt blue creme that I think is so fresh and cool. It is very easy to apply as it glides on evenly with good opacity, and dries down quickly. Sadly, the wear time is terrible. I started getting chips by the second day and had to remove it by the third. I don't mind because the color is so awesome, and it didn't take a lot of work to apply in the first place. Plus, it was very affordable at $2.90 (and there are discounts available all the time)!

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Forever 21 Nail Color in Blue Print (ambient light)

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Forever 21 Nail Color in Blue Print (with flash)

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Kiss Proof Lip Colour: Make Your Move, Heart Breaker

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Rimmel Provocalips Lip Colour

Another recent addition to the drugstore (along with Milani's Fierce Foil Eye Liners and Eye Shines as reviewed here and here) is the Provocalips longwear lip color line from Rimmel that seems to have enjoyed a warm reception amongst beauty enthusiasts. I will admit I was enthralled with quite a few shades from the new collection but I restricted myself to two as there was a BOGO deal going on at the time.

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Rimmel Provocalips double-ended brush for color + balm

I don't ever hear anyone talk about the CoverGirl Outlast Lipcolors but I know I used to use one shade in particular almost every day in high school (which I am shocked to say was a decade ago!). I mention them now because Rimmel's Provocalips are essentially identical in concept; they are liquid lip colors that dry down and set, and come with a clear balm to be applied over top. The only difference is that the CoverGirl Outlast balm comes in a separate stick form, while the Provocalips balm is liquid and comes in adjoined packaging with the lip color portion. Frankly, I feel that the separate balm of CoverGirl's packaging offers greater convenience. If the lip color is supposed to last and should not require reapplication, then why carry it around? Provocalips loses points on this front. Anyway, credit should be given where it's due to the CoverGirl Outlast Lipcolors for being the first (that I know of) of its kind to enter the scene all those years ago. The technology behind the Provocalips line is certainly not new or unique.

Image and video hosting by TinyPicRimmel Provocalips Lip Colour  (top to bottom): Make Your Move, Heart Breaker

The two shades that I tried are Make Your Move, a brown-ey rose that is a deeper version of my natural lip shade, and Heart Breaker, a clay brick sort of shade. I find that Make Your Move and Heart Breaker look identical once they're blended out so there is really no point in having both. There is some shimmer in these formulas but once they dry down, they look matte on the lips. Topping these off with the balm will, as expected, add a glossy finish.

I quite liked these products the first few times I wore them but having tested them out further and studied their wear more closely, my opinion has reversed. Here are my issues:

1. The formula has a nice thick-yet-slippery consistency when you first apply it such that it offers good opacity and blendability. As it dries down, however, it shrivels the lips and exaggerates the lip's lines. Adding the balm over the top helps smooth things over but it still looks unappealingly like thick dried paint that threatens to crack and flake off. I tried applying thinner layers of lip color by blending it out with my fingers. What I got was just a less extreme version of the same dried paint look.

2. The balm smells to me like cheap, public bathroom soap, and the fragrance/taste linger. I do not enjoy putting it on.

3. The balm is not long-wearing. I find that the slippery feel of the balm wears off within 1-2 hours. It is as if my lips drink it up because they're so dried out from the lip color. Once the balm wears off, the product on my lips feels thick and tacky, and I fear chips of lip color flaking off.

4. It is true that this lip color is long-wearing but not in a flattering manner. I find that when I eat, the color wears off from the center of my lips but remains around the perimeter. Again, the color that does remain looks dried on like paint and exaggerates the lip's lines.

My advice is to pass on the Provocalips. I don't know why my experience with these has been so negative when it appears to work so well for others. All I know is that I gave them a good, fair trial and cannot get them to work. If anything, I am now curious to retry the Covergirl Outlast Lipcolors since I don't recall having any issues with those in the past. Perhaps you will find this in a future review!

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Rimmel Provocalips in Make Your Move (sorry photo is blurry)

Image and video hosting by TinyPicRimmel Provocalips in Heart Breaker (note similarity of color to Make Your Move above)