Review and Swatches: Revlon Lip Butters

Revlon released the Lip Butters in Australia this past April. These lip products are marketed as being hydrating, with light to medium coverage. There are 20 shades available in a range of colours, of which I currently have eight.

Red Velvet, Lollipop, Raspberry Pie, Candy Apple, Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Cotton Candy

The four darker shades I own are Red Velvet, Lollipop, Raspberry Pie and Candy Apple. Lollipop is the only colour of these four that has shimmer, with very fine blue/violet glitter. 

I love the fact that the packaging matches the colour of the product. This makes it really easy to find the one you're looking for, and it looks pretty!

The top of the packaging is clear so you can see the colour from above. This would be helpful if you stored these standing up. 

Red Velvet, Lollipop, Raspberry Pie, Candy Apple

The pigmentation of these is really good, especially the darker colours which have coverage comparable to lipstick. 

Red Velvet, Lollipop, Raspberry Pie, Candy Apple

The four lighter shades I have are Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake and Cotton Candy. Cotton Candy has very fine gold glitter.

These feel moisturising on the lips and leave a glossy sheen, so you don't even need lipgloss. I also apply these without lip liner, though you could use it if you prefer. 

The downside to this product is the shorter wear time compared to a lipstick. The lighter, less pigmented shades wear off after about an hour and a half, where as the darker shades (like Red Velvet) have a longer wear time of 2-3 hours.

Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Cotton Candy

In the swatch, Tutti Frutti looks very orange, but on the lips it translates to a lovely sheerer orange coral.  

Tutti Frutti, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Cotton Candy

This photo shows how much each Lip Butter winds up. The Lip Butters have 2.55g of product, which is less than most lipsticks. MAC Lipsticks for example, have 3g of product.

Another downside is the high price in comparison to the US and the UK. These retail for AUD$21.95, but I've seen them for around $18.50 in discount chemists. When they first launched, they were buy one get one free at some retailers. In the US, these retail for USD$7.49 but can be found even cheaper when discounted. In the UK, they retail for UK£7.99 (around AUD$12). 

Despite their annoyingly high Australian price tag, I think these are definitely work checking out. The shorter wear time may not be for some, but due to their moisturising consistency and easy application I don't mind. You don't need a lipliner or lipgloss with these, which may help overcome the price.

Do you own any Revlon Lip Butters? Which is your favourite or most worn? What do you think of the Australian price tag?

Haul: MorrocanOil, Evo, Dermalogica

Here's my latest haul from this month! I'm really happy with all the products I picked up and I can't wait to use them all.

First off, I picked up this MoroccanOil Set. It came with the MoroccanOil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner and a 25mL MoroccanOil Treatment all packed in a nice bag. I was really happy with this purchase as it only cost me $65. The Shampoo and Conditioner retail for $32.95 each and the mini MorrocanOil retails for $26.50, so I really got the MoroccanOil for free! This worked out really well as I've been wanting the small see for travelling but couldn't justify the price as I already own the full-size. I'm finishing off my current shampoo and conditioner but when I try these out I'll let you know how they work! I purchased this online here.

Next up, I purchased a few things off Adore Beauty as I had a $10 voucher. I purchased Evo The Great Hydrator Moisture Mask. I've wanted Evo's The Great Hydrator ever since I tried a sample I received in a Lust Have It box, it worked really well, leaving my hair smooth and hydrated. I received Evo Soap Dodger Body Wash for free as the site was giving it away with any Evo purchase (unfortunately this offer is not on the site anymore). Finally, I purchased Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. This is a terrific cleanser with a really unique formula. It is a powder that you mix with a few drops of water to create a paste and then you apply it to your skin. I also received a sample of this in a previous Lust Have It box and was really impressed with how soft it left my skin feeling.

Evo products have such quirky descriptions that are so fun to read! Here's what was written on The Great Hydrator and Soap Dodger:

My order also included two samples and a little chocolate which was a nice touch. The two samples were Subtle Energies Divine Passion Double Cream and Aesop Purifying Facial Cream Cleanser. I think it's great to receive samples with your order as it's a great way to find new brands and test out different products. 

Nail of the Day: OPI Manicurist of Seville

Today's NOTD is OPI's Manicurist of Seville. This was released in 2009 in the Espana Collection. This polish is a gorgeous deep berry red. The polish is very creamy and applies very nicely, I only needed two coats to create an opaque finish. I used Revitanail Nail Strengthener as a base coat and my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat.

Priceline Skincare Goodie Bag

Priceline has an amazing offer going on right now until the 2nd July. If you spend $50 across these brands: Palmer's, Nivea, Avene, Pure Therapy, Witch, Biore, Innoxa, Neutrogena, Dove, Aptiva, Playboy, Softlips, Skinvitals, U Little Beauty, Yes To, Vaseline, Puretopia, Oxy. You receive a goodie bag valued at $220! 

Here's the outside of the bag...

And the contents... 

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion Fragrance Free, Puretopia Glowingly Smooth Body Polish, Dove Silky Nourishment Body Cream

Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF30+, Vaseline Aloe Fresh Lotion SPF15

U Little Beauty Hand Cream, Nivea Intensive Nourishing Hand Cream

Avene Thermal Spring Water, Playboy Play it Rock Parfum Deodorant, Innoxa SOS Skin Tissue Oil Aerosol

Biore Clean Things Up Gel Cleanser, Sukin Facial Moisturiser

Skinvitals Hydraflex Face Mask, Apivita Express Beauty Mask with Cereals, Yes to Cucumber Facial Towelettes

Oxy Zit Blitz Gel, Witch Blemish Stick, Pure Therapy Intensive Moisture Repair Gel, Softlips Vanilla SPF20

And here's what I spent $50 on to get the goodie bag. Dove Triple Moisturising Body Wash, Skinvitals Eyelift Cloth Eye Treatment Masks, 2x Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, Swisspers Blot-off Oil Tissues, Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Butter, 2x Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Night Calming 

If you like the look of this goodie bag, hurry into your nearest Priceline before they all run out!

Lust Have It: June 2012

Here is this months Lust Have It box. This time the products came in a little purple cosmetics bag, which is a nice touch, but I don't really have a use for them. The products for June were:

• LonVitalite 24K Active Golden Facial Mask $59/5 pack = $11.80
• LonVitalite 24K Active Gold Full Eye Mask $45/5 pack = $9
• Batiste Blush Dry Shampoo $9.95/150mL = $1.99/30mL
• Bloom Glitter Eyeliner in Lucky Star $14.95/full size
• Mars Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh sample $115/75mL = $1.84/1.2mL
• Mars Jacobs Daisy sample $90/50mL = $2.16/1.2mL 

Total value = $41.74

I'm happy with the facial sheet mask as I really enjoy sheet masks. The card does warn about a tingling sensation and suggest that those with sensitive skin run the pack under warm water. I have sensitive skin and I'm not sure if I'll do this, but hopefully it won't irritate my skin. 

I'm also happy with the eye sheet mask as I've never tried one before. Hopefully it will be nice and relaxing and help with my under eye circles. 

I'm not too impressed with the Batiste dry shampoo. I've used this before and like it, but it's not what I consider a luxury brand, and you can easily pick up the same bottle for a few dollars at the chemist. 

I'm impressed that they included a full size eyeliner, but unfortunately I'm not a fan of glitter liquid liner and can't see myself wearing this. 

I like both the Marc Jacobs fragrances included in this months box and will happily use them. However, you can easily get your hands on these samples at department stores, so it's not much of a luxury sample. 

As much as some of the samples don't seem very luxury to me, I'll happily use all of these items except for the glitter eye liner, so I'm fairly pleased with this months box. 

Are you subscribed to Lust Have It? What did you think of this months products? 

How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

In this post, I will give a step-by step explanation of how to deep clean your makeup brushes. 

To wash my brushes, I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo and MAC Cleanse Off Oil. 

1. Take your dirty brush (this is a MAC 150 if you're curious). 

2. Rinse it under warm running water. 

3. Apply a pea-sized amount of Baby Shampoo to the palm of your hand.

4. Swirl the brush head into the Shampoo, creating a soapy lather. 

5. Rinse your brush under warm running water, squeezing out the soap.

6. Rinse until the water runs clean. You may need to add repeat steps 2-4 if your brush is really dirty. 

7. Shape the brush hairs and place it on a towel to dry. 

For brushes with white hairs, such as the MAC 187 shown here, the Baby Shampoo may not remove all the colour from the white hairs. 

After washing the brush with Baby Shampoo, apply a small amount of MAC Cleanse Off Oil to the palm off your hand.

In the same way as before, swirl the brush in the palm of your hand and rinse it. I then wash it with Baby Shampoo once more, so that none of the Cleanse Off Oil is left behind. 

Your white brush hairs should now appear whiter! 

To dry the brushes, place them on a towel which is folded, allowing them to slope downwards. This will mean that any water left in the brush hairs will be forced down, instead of into the handle of the brush. 

To make sure your brushes retain their shape, you can use Brush Guards. You can purchase Brush Guards here. 

These are a stretchy plastic woven tube which you place over the handle, and then push upwards over the brush hairs.

Leave your brushes to dry overnight, or until the hairs are completely dry. 

It is best to deep clean your brushes once a week, or every fortnight depending on how often you use them. This will ensure that bacteria does not remain, and will help them to last longer. 

IIf you have any tips to share about washing your makeup brushes, feel free to leave them in a comment below!