Category Archives: Lip Gloss

E.L.F. Studio Glossy Gloss Review & Swatches

Purchased – No Affiliate Links
ELF Glossy Gloss

ELF Studio Glossy Gloss – Merry Cherry & Dragonfruit

I purchased two of the ELF Studio Glossy Glosses as part of my recent ELF haul, and are another hit! They have a nice level of pigmentation for a gloss – not too sheer, but not completely opaque.  They  are taste-free and I don’t notice a scent. They’re slightly sticky, but I actually like the texture – they’re not sticky enough to bother me, and they stay put quite well.

Visually, I like the square tubes; however, the brush applicator is a problem.  It’s far too stiff and thus sometimes leaves streaks which need to be smoothed out with a finger or softer lip brush. The brush on Merry Cherry is particularly bad, while the one on Dragonfruit is almost useable.

Merry Cherry brush applicator – you can kind of see how stiff the bristles are

ELF Merry Cherry // Dragonfruit Glossy Gloss swatches

Merry Cherry // Dragonfruit

Merry Cherry

Dragonfruit

Despite the brush problem, I have been enjoying these a lot. Recommended for those who don’t mind a little stickiness and using a separate lip brush (or finger).

Maybelline Signature Scarlet & Intoxicating Spice Color Elixir Glosses

Purchased Affiliate Links

One of the products that is getting a lot of buzz right now is Maybelline’s new Color Elixir lip product. I’ve heard some say that it’s meant to be similar to YSL’s Glossy Stains and L’oreal’s Shine Caress Gloss stains – I have a comparison of those two products here – but it’s a very different product.  It’s marketed as delivering “the color of a lipstick, the cushiony care of a balm, and the glass shine of a gloss.” Note that it is not marketed as a stain, and on me, it doesn’t stain more than your typical lipstick.

I  purchased two shades, Intoxicating Spice and Signature Scarlet. The below photo is a little bit washed out (sorry!), but you can get an idea of the color and the texture.

Maybelle Color Elixir swatches - Intoxicating Spice - Signature Scarlet

Intoxicating Spice // Signature Scarlet

And  applied:

no product

Maybelle Color Elixir - Intoxicating Spice - Lip Swatch

Intoxicating Spice

Signature Scarlet

I really like the Color Elixirs, but I don’t think they live up to Maybelline’s claims.  Notably, they are significantly less pigmented than a lipstick, though they are quite reasonably pigmented for a gloss or balm.  I find the promo image especially misleading – there is no way to make Signature Scarlet, worn alone, look like the below photo.

The Colors Elixirs live up to the claim of being balm-like much better, as they do have a cushiony feel and I find them moderately moisturizing.  They’re actually one of the most moisturizing colored lip products I’ve tried, though less moisturizing than some of my non-tinted lip balms.  They have an average amount of shine for a gloss.

Overall, and despite the advertising deception, I do really like the Color Elixir gloss/balm/whatevers.  They’re comfortable to wear, and Intoxicating Spice in particular is a really lovely everyday shade – I’ve been wearing it to work frequently since I purchased it a few weeks ago.   The temporary displays are widely available in drugstores now, and I believe they’ll be up on the Maybelline wall soon. If you can’t find them locally, they’re also available on drugstore.com.

*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post.   This post contains one or more affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

NYC Sweet Splash Gloss Sticks Review & Swatches

Purchased

 As promised, here is my review of NYC’s Sweet Splash Gloss Sticks! These are from the Rooftop Party display and they are a new product.  According to NYC’s facebook page, they are limited edition. They were $3.99 each at my CVS.

Continue reading →

Revlon Berry Allure Super Lustrous Lipgloss – Review & Swatches

Purchased
Revlon Berry Allure Super Lustrous Lipgloss

Revlon Berry Allure Super Lustrous Lipgloss

I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while – I bought this lip gloss a while back (right when I spotted the display, which you can see here).  Revlon seems to have discontinued the older-style Super Lustrous lipglosses in the square tubes – I’ve seen them on clearance at multiple drugstores – and these are the replacement.  This isn’t just a repackaging either – per Nouveau Cheap, it’s a whole new formula.

Continue reading →

Maybelline Coral Heat Peach Glisten ColorSensational Lip Gloss

Maybelline LE Summer 2013 ColorSensational Lip Gloss Review & Swatches

Purchased

Maybelline Coral Heat Peach Glisten ColorSensational Lip Gloss

As regular readers know, I’m more of a lipstick person than a gloss person. So, although I’ve seen Maybelline’s ColorSensational lip glosses around, I hadn’t tried them out for myself until I saw the shades released for their limited edition Summer 2013 collection.  Two shades especially caught my eye – Peach Glisten, a creamy pale nude, and Coral Heat, a pink coral – and of course, I chose shades without any shimmer or sparkle.

Continue reading →

Hard Candy Love Bite All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stain Review & Swatches

Purchased Affiliate Links

Hard Candy All Glossed Up Lip Stain Love Bite

Hard Candy (which is exclusively available in Walmart stores and on -->Walmart.com -->) recently released several new products, including the “ -->All Glossed Up -->” jumbo lip pencil, which is described as a hydrating lip stain. I purchased one in the color “Love Bite” – a pinky-purple.

I always have trouble photographing purples, so this swatch is not as color accurate as I would like; the pencil is actual a bit more purple.  Still, you can see that the pencil has translucent-but-pigmented glossy color.  I found it very comfortable to wear; neither moisturizing nor drying.

The lip swatch photograph is also a touch too pink.  You can see how glossy and smooth my lips look, however! As promised, the pencil left a stain, though the stain was not particularly long-lasting.

I did not notice any smell or taste; unlike the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains, these do not have a peppermint scent, which I was half expecting just because these are similarly packaged.

Overall, I like this product – it is glossy and comfortable to wear, and because of the stain, reasonably long wearing. I do wish that the shade I picked, Love Bite, was more purple and less pink, but it’s still a nice shade (and is more purple than appears in the photos).  For $5, I’d say that it’s worth purchasing one to try out if it looks appealing to you!

*I purchased the product(s) featured in this post.   This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.