Category Archives: Almay

Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm Review & Swatches

Purchased & Press Sample – Affiliate Links

Almay has generally been a brand I’ve overlooked – they just didn’t have many products that intrigued me. In the last year or so, they’ve been coming out with some interesting new items. I was very intrigued by the Shadow Softies, though unfortunately they didn’t work for me. Quite a while back, I received one of Almay’s Color + Care Liquid Lip Balms ($4.99 at Target.com), and I liked it enough to purchase two more shades.

The Almay Liquid Lip Balms are really a moisturizing gloss. Texturewise, they remind me of Maybelline’s Color Elixir glosses (reviews) and the L’oreal Extraordinare glosses (review), but they are much less pigmented than either of those two products. The Almay glosses range from quite sheer to moderately pigmented.  And – yay! – they not overly scented like the Color Elixirs or Extraordinares. They have a faint sweet scent and no taste.

Pink Pout

Pink Pout is quite sheer and a little bit milky. I don’t like this shade very much.

Apple A Day

Apple A Day is a gorgeous warm red. Definitely my favorite!

Just Plum

Just Plum is a lovely purple-berry. I really like this one too.

Have you tried these glosses? And is there anything else from Almay that I am overlooking and should try out?

*I received the Apple balm as a Klout Perk. I purchased the other two shades featured in this post. This post contains one or more affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Reviews Revisited: Volume IV

It’s time for Reviews Revisited, Volume IV, where I discuss products I previously reviewed. Past volumes are here. Today, I’m going to talk about some products that never got a full review – items that I just swatched and wrote up some initial thoughts.

I’ll start with one of the new (and permanent) Wet n Wild Five Pan Palettes – I initially posted them only a month ago, but I brought the neutral palette, The Naked Truth, with me on my trip so I’ve used it quite a lot over the past few weeks. I didn’t like it very much initially – the shadows are on the sheer and dry side – but it’s grown on me. The matte shades – base and definer – are definitely dryer than I prefer, but still work for (respectively) blending out and as a liner.  The eyelid shade is really quite lovely; the texture isn’t perfect, but it applies well and the color and finish are just gorgeous. I don’t have high hopes for the other palettes, but now that this one has grown on me, I’ll give them a shot.

Another more recent quick review was of Almay’s Shadow Softie in Smoke (review here // available here). My thoughts on the shade Smoke haven’t changed much – gorgeous shade, creases on me no matter what – but I also picked up a second shade, the matte purple Vintage Grape, which I do not recommend – it’s very, very sheer and not buildable at all. I would definitely return it if I hadn’t lost the receipt! I would consider buying another  Shadow Softie, but only on sale or clearance, and only one of the sparkling shades.

Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes brush

Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes:
upper lashes brush // upper lashes brush from a different angle // lower lashes brush

And finally, from last May, Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes.  I’ve been using it on an off since I bought it – which means that I really need to throw it away approximately yesterday (I didn’t realize it was that old unless I looked up the date of my post!) – and it’s a good mascara, a nice brush, and utterly unremarkable. There’s nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either.

Almay Shadow Softie in Smoke – Swatches & Quick Review

Purchased – No Links
Almay Shadow Softies display

Almay Shadow Softies display at Target

It’s the time of year when the drugstores are full of new products, both limited-edition holiday collections and new permanent items. I’ve been trying to buy less lately, but I have purchased some of the new offerings – most recently, one of Almay’s new (& permanent) Shadow Softie cream eyeshadows.  Note that the Target display above does not have all of the available colors; Nouveau Cheap posted a picture of a different display that states the collection has twelve colors.

When I first saw the display, I wasn’t sure if these were powder or cream shadows – “whipped” certainly implies cream, but before you touch them, they very much look like powders.  I bought one shade, Smoke, to test out.

Almay Shadow Softies - Smoke

The texture of this eyeshadow is really interesting – it’s very different from any eyeshadow I’ve tried before. When I first touched it, I couldn’t tell if it was a very silky powder or a dryish cream; it sort of feels like a hybrid cream/powder. Continue reading →