Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss Review

When I saw these advertised, I was so excited to try them. I have tried the lip butters from Revlon, L'Oreal and Maybelline and so far, not great. I was really hoping that these really affordable ($6.99 at target!) lip butters would work, and I was so happy to see that the brand sort of assigns colors regarding skin tone which really helped me decide. I ultimately bought two shades: Berry-Light which is for the fairest skin tone, and Red Light-Medium, which is the next skin tone after light.

My first impression was "oh my god, these are so much better than the Revlon ones!" And after a couple weeks of testing them out, they still are so much better than any other lip butter I've tried. They are nicely pigmented, and very easy to apply, and actually feel nice on the lips. I found with the Revlon ones were way too creamy, and the pigment was uneven and with the L'Oreal ones, I found them to be too glossy, and for the Maybelline ones, they were more pigmented than the other two and are the only ones that feel similar to the Almay one, but are more shimmery.

I think these are amazing drugstore lip products and will be trying some new colors soon!


xx : )

January Beauty Favorites

This month, I have been loving only a few products that I have used mainly in the last two weeks of the month, as school just began again on Jan. 19th.

The first product is one that I have loved for a while but I have now just got back to using it and that is Revlon's Colorstay Foundation for Normal/Dry Skin in 150 Buff. It covers my redness really well, and looks amazing on my skin. I find that it lasts all day (8am-9pm) and is the perfect shade for my fair complexion. This foundation is the only foundation I have found in the drugstore that gives full coverage without looking cakey. This is definitely my favorite foundation of all time. (I'm already on my 5th bottle!)

The next product I have been loving this month is The Body Shop's Honey Bronzer in the shade 01. This is the best bronzer for anyone with fair skin. I think this is an amazing bronzer. Its not shimmery whats-so-ever, and can be used as either a bronzer or as a contour, or as both! Its amazing!

Thirdly, I have been loving Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Tropper. Its so easy to apply, does not transfer onto the lid and dries very quickly. Its super black as well. When its time to remove it, I find Neutrogena's makeup wipes work the best. The only thing I don't like about this product is the price: $19 at Sephora. I think that that is jsut a bit too much for this liner, and although I use it everyday, I don't have $19 dollars to spend on an eyeliner that often. Other than that, this liner is amazing!

The next thing I have been loving is Mac's Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara. This is in my top 3 mascaras of all time. It gives me the right amount of length not to hit my glasses and the perfect amount of volume and gives my lashes a sort of fluttery look. I first tried this with a sample I got at the Mac counter in Nordstroms so I recommend asking if they have any samples so you can try it before buying the full size. I now have the full size and have been using it everyday for the past two weeks.

The next thing I have been loving is Almay's Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick in 10 Berry Light. This seems like it would be like Revlon's LipButters but I find this not as creamy, so therefore so much better! Its super pigmented and so easy to apply and feels more like a balm than a lipstick. I went and also picked up the shade 80 Red Light-Medium which a much brighter, red color rather than a bright berry color. The shade range I believe is Light, Light-Medium, and Medium, with I believe four shades each: nude, pink, red, and berry. This is an amazing lip product and very affordable at Target.

The last thing is a nail polish and it is Sonia Kashuk Nail Colour in Naval Academy. Its a gorgeous dark blue color that last about 4 days and is very affordable! I purchased mine at Target.

That is it for my January Beauty favorites : )

Follow me on twitter, tumblr, and instagram  xx