holy grail lip product: maybelline moisture extreme lipstick in "rum raisin"

i mentioned this lipstick in my new faves post last week. i seriously can't rave enough about it. i bought it on a 40% maybelline sale at rite aid (i think in november??), mostly just on a whim. But at first swipe, I knew it was a keeper. It's somehow everything I want in one package- sheer to medium color that can be applied without a mirror, feels like a balm, goes with any eye makeup look, and brightens my face up instantly. see for yourself:

so easy, and yet so pretty! you can tell more in the second picture that it's not an opaque, creamy finish. it's more gel/balm-like, which is awesome. it somehow makes my cheeks look flushed and my eyes sparkle. that should really be the test of a fabulous lipstick-

1. does it make your cheeks look flushed?

2. does it make your eyes bright and sparkly?

3. can you apply it with ease?

4. do you have 4+ back-ups of it in various purses, drawers, or places around your house?

then it's a holy grail lipstick :). no but seriously, i do have several back-ups.... i spotted these moisture extreme lipsticks on clearance at walgreens around thanksgiving time, and had a panic attack, thinking that they were being discontinued. so i bought like 3 tubes for myself (they were between 2 and 3 dollars, but still....). oh, and also a couple for my mom.... and my sister.... and my cousin :S. and you know what?? they all love it too! of course it helps that we all have the exact same coloring, but still. it's fabulous!

 

maybelline used to have a huge color selection of these lipsticks, but they've discontinued all but about 10. the amazing "rum raisin" is among them. although i think walgreens is phasing them out to make room for new products this january, they're still sold at target and walmart (and online, of course!). so for now, i'm safe!

no more holy grail foundation....??

i can't believe it. my favorite foundation is no more. how did this happen?

when i browse the drugstore makeup aisles, i keep looking for a good deal on my foundation (i'm down to my last bottle now. i usually buy them BOGO so i always have an extra). but everywhere i go, i can only find 4 crappy shades. i just thought that since it's not a new foundation, the stores had pared down their selection to make room for newer products. but noooooo. i checked the revlon website last night, and they only carry those 4 shades!! who ever heard of a foundation line with only 4 shades? preposterous! the lightest shade is "buff". i'm almost 100% sure it's too dark for me.


you know what this is, don't you? discrimination on my pale skin. just kidding (but seriously).


ok, so now the question is, what do i use now? i'm leaning towards the regular revlon colorstay for normal/dry skin. any thoughts/reviews/opinions? they still have ivory shades for us pasty people. i'm hoping it's similar....?

found: holy grail lipstick!!

revlon colorburst lipstick in soft rose!

i've suspiciously eyed this lipstick many a time in the drugstore aisles but never convinced myself to spend $8 on it. but THEN....

i found a $3 coupon! go to revlon.com, and all you have to do is register your e-mail address to print out a $3 off coupon for any colorburst lipstick. woot!

what i love about this lipstick is it's exactly the same shade as covergirl's now defunct blushberry shine. PLUS everything they've said about this lipstick is true. it feels very light and luscious, but is highly pigmented. it's not as sheer as blushberry shine, but i'm ok with that. that means it actually stays put on my lips! after the creamy feeling kind of fades and you think your lipstick has all worn off, it leaves behind a super pretty vintage-doll-looking stain! even after eating a meal, which means it's perfect for dates!

also, you can get different effects with it. in the picture above, i just applied one very light layer. it just kind of brightens up your face and looks natural. but if you apply more, it's a more classic, sophisticated look. the shade is neutral enough to go with practically anything. i've worn it with cool eyeshadows and warm eyeshadows. oh, it's definitely never leaving my purse.

i think i will cry if they ever discontinue it, which means they will, just because i love it.

Why I will wear Great Lash until I die

Or until it's discontinued, in which case I'll die. So it all ends up the same way anyway.

Photo: RealSimple Magazine

The reason I'm defending Maybelline's Great Lash now (as opposed to like 20 years ago), is because of all the hate it gets on the internet. I was reading glamour.com's reader's favorite beauty products, and Great Lash won in the best drugstore mascara department. Is anyone really surprised? Not me. The people who like Great Lash are cultic followers (as am I), and the people who dislike it violently dislike it (you can read all of the nasty comments on the glamour post). I'm not sure why women hate it so much, except for maybe just as a stubborn rebellion of its cultic following. But here's why I love it:

(No, I'm not going to write "Because it's cheap" first. That's a silly reason to like anything, especially if that's your only reason.)

1. The brush is the perfect size for getting all of your lashes, even the little lower ones. A lot of mascaras these days have GIMONDO brushes, which I think are hard to maneuver.
2. You can get it in "Blackest Black" (my favorite), which is really inky and makes your lashes glossy, not dry-looking.
3. My eyelashes never feel hard or crunchy after applying it, just soft.
4. I never have to use an eyelash curler. I know Great Lash doesn't claim to curl your lashes, but it does for me! I used to have to curl my lashes when I used Maybelline Lash Stylist, XXL, and
Define-a-lash. (And when I lived in Japan and used a bunch of Japanese mascaras that you've never even heard of, so why would I tell you what they're called?)
5. It's versatile. You can apply one quick coat and have dark enough lashes for daytime (which is what my mom does), or you can apply several and get a dramatic look (which is what I do). The trick is to apply several coats all at once, before the mascara dries. Otherwise, you'll get clumpy stuff going on, which is what the haters complain about.
6. It's fairly smudge-proof. Unless you start crying, then it will definitely streak. But if you plan on crying a lot, buy the waterproof. It works just as well.

The point is, I am a life-long fan of Great Lash, and not because I've been using it for 20 years (nope, just 2 years) or because it's cheap. I would still use it if it were $10 a tube.

Lipgloss holy grail

Ok, I cheated on my plan to not buy a lip product until I completely ran out... which would take me about 12 years I think, give or take. But I found the perfect color of lipgloss yesterday! It's Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine for Lips in Peony. See how pretty that is? It's the perfect pinky-peach that most drugstore lipglosses just don't carry. I'm ecstatic about this. It smells really good, like some sort of exotic fruit that I can't put my finger on. And it's super shiny (hence the Lacquer in the name) and iridescent. It's a little sticky, but I don't mind my lipgloss somewhat sticky. I hate those glosses that are so watery that I'm afraid they'll just slide off my lips. Oh, and it has a little brush applicator, not a sponge! Perfect.

The only problem? I think it's being discontinued.... I didn't find it on the Sally Hansen website.... Yikes.