Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Bare It All 902C

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Bare It All is a peachy-brown nude.  If you want to try a nude, but are worried about choosing a shade that is too light, I think this one is a good one to start with.  It stays brown enough to feel like a more traditional "color", but is skintoned enough to give you a feel of what nudes will look like on you.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Now, a thin layer, applied by gently patting the color to my lip, straight from the tube.  This color is very opaque, but a thin layer is not going to be enough to block out all of your natural lip tone.  However, a thin layer does look pretty, just not "full on nude lip".  I'm sure you can tell, but yes, I left half of my lips bare for comparison.

Next is another layer, applied straight from the tube, with the lipline cleaned up with my lipbrush.  It's important to completely fill in your lips when using a nude color.:

Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and it only needed one coat.  I cleaned up the lip line with my lip brush.  The one thing I don't like about this, and every other nude, is that there is a clear point where the lipstick ends and my natural lipcolor begins.  It ends up looking kind of streaky.  But, I'm going on the assumption that not many people are going to be close enough to my lips to see it, so I try to not let it bother me.  Be aware that photos are easy to criticize, so keep that in mind if you will be photographed wearing a nude lip.

I don't blot my lips, otherwise my natural lip color will start to show through.  Of course, you can put down a layer of your regular foundation before putting on this color, and that will help eliminate your natural liptone.  I just choose not to.

Here is a full-face shot, to give you a better idea of how it works with skin tone.
First, no lipstick:

Now with full strength:

And one more full strength:

Like the other Megalast colors, this formula is very nice. The color will stick around for hours.  I have found that adding a gloss on top doesn't seem to affect the wear time.

Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Wine Room 906D

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Wine Room is a purple-red, as the name suggests.  It does tend to visually diminish lip size, as most dark lip colors do.  This color does lightly stain the lip, so as it fades it usually remains even-toned.  This is a color that I tend to "re-discover" in my lipstick collection.  I'll wear it quite a bit, then get distracted by something else, then find this again, and wear it a lot, repeat, repeat, repeat.  It is fairly bold, but if you aren't used to wearing bold lipcolors, it is not the boldest wine shade out there, so it may be a good way for you to test the waters.  If you are used to and prefer bold colors, this might be too tame for you.  I like it for office-wear, because it seems to stand above the crowd without being obvious.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Now, a thin layer, applied straight from the tube with a patting motion.  This color is very opaque, so even a light patting lays down the color you see in the tube.  Now I blend with a lip brush.  For the lip line, I apply directly from the tube, using the edge of the lipstick.  Then I run over it with the lip brush.

Next is another layer, applied straight from the tube, in a swipe.  I don't see the point in applying thin layers if I am going to do more than one layer, because this color goes on so opaquely for me.  I blended with a lip brush.

Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and built it up to match the other side.  I did not blot, but I did mash my lips together. 

I usually don't blot this color after application.

Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Just Peachy 903C

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Just Peachy is a peach nude.  It is very opaque, and I find that I have to take special measures to make it look right.  On me, EVERY pale nude I have tried has gathered in my lip creases, looked splotchy, or tried to whisk me away to Jersey Shore.  I don't like any of those things.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Here is the first special step... Let that Lansinoh soak in for a while.  I put it on before I put on any other makeup, and then I do my lips last.  That will give it plenty of time to hydrate your lips, and now they are ready to be exfoliated!  To exfoliate, I just rub them with an unscented, sensitive-skin baby wipe.  Rub, rub, rub, rub, rub.  Now, add another thin application of Lansinoh, and rub it in really well.  All the way.  If you leave too much on the surface of your lips, the lipstick is going to crease and clump and look really weird.  So make sure you've rubbed your balm in as much as you can, and don't leave excess on there.  So again, the bare lips after all of that:

Yep, it looks the same.  But believe me, it's not the same.  I know it's not the same because I tried to start after my usual first prep of Lansinoh, and had to wipe it all off an exfoliate the living heck out of my lips.  Almost everything that could be exfoliated is now off, so the lipstick will have a very smooth surface to hang out on.  I say almost, because later on I had a few spots that still grabbed too much color. 

Now, a thin layer, applied straight from the tube with a patting motion.  If I apply this lipstick with a swipe, it doesn't apply evenly and looks clumpy.  Do not blend with a lip brush.  Just mash your lips together.  It is not completely opaque yet, so my natural lip color is making it pull more purple. 

Next is another layer, lightly applied straight from the tube, in the same manner as above:

Even after all that exfoliating, you can see those lighter spots where the lipstick grabs on more and "clumps".  Nude lips can take some work.


Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and built it up to match the other side.  I did not blot, but I did mash my lips together.

Here is a full-face shot, to give you a better idea of how it works with skin tone.
First, no lipstick:

 Now with full strength:

And here, it is blotted:

I usually pair this color with a very dark smoky eye.  It takes quite a bit of prep for me to wear it, so I usually avoid this color.  It is a true peach, not leaning too pink or too orange.  Because it is a true peach, and is unlike any other color I have, I think it is a good color to have, even if I don't wear it very often.

Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Rose Bud 904B

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Rose Bud is nearly imperceptible on my lip in light layers.  Even a full strength application looks incredibly natural.  For me, this is a great color to grab without thinking about how it will go with the rest of my makeup or outfit, because it just looks a lot like my lips, but better.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Now, a thin layer, applied straight from the tube with a very light touch.  Then I blended it well with my lip brush.  It is not completely opaque yet, so my natural lip color is making it pull more purple.  It's almost difficult to see which half of my lip I left bare!

 Next is one layer, lightly applied straight from the tube, and blended with my lipbrush:

Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and it only needed one coat.  I cleaned up the lip line with my lip brush.  I did not blot, but I did mash my lips together.  That seemed to tone down the shininess it had picked up from the Lansinoh.

Here is a full-face shot, to give you a better idea of how it works with skin tone.
First, no lipstick:

Then, just because a makeup reviewer has to accept that sometimes we are going to look silly, here is full face from the first application, with the single light coat:

Now with full strength:

And now some more pics that I took, mostly because I like how my eyeshadow looks today.  It's an iridescent green!

I like how this color is a departure from the "skintone nudes" and instead is a "liptone nude".  It makes it easy to wear, and it doesn't look silly as it wears off.  In fact, when it starts to wear off, I just top it with a berry color lip gloss.  It doesn't get flaky or clumpy, and it doesn't mind being mashed up with lipgloss after being on the lip for several hours.

Like the other Megalast colors, this formula is very nice. The color will stick around for hours.  Using a balm underneath it makes its lasting power decline.  I have found that adding a gloss on top doesn't seem to affect the wear time.

Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Red Velvet 910D

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Red Velvet is my favorite red to wear.  It is unique in that it is a yellow-red that actually pulls true red on my lips.  One would think that a yellow-red would make orange, but this one doesn't.  It's a bright red, but it doesn't turn vampy, and it doesn't turn clownish, and it doesn't turn little-girl-who-got-into-mama's-makeup.  Red Velvet is said to be a dupe for MAC's Ruby Woo, but I don't own Ruby Woo, so I can't speak to that from personal experience.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Now, a thin layer, applied by gently patting the color to my lip, straight from the tube.  This color is so opaque that even using a lip brush to apply a thin layer gets it pretty deep.  The result is a light, bright pinky-red.  It is not completely opaque yet, so my natural lip color is making it pull more purple.  I'm sure you can tell, but yes, I left half of my lips bare for comparison.

Next is one layer, lightly applied straight from the tube, with the lipline cleaned up with my lipbrush:

Holy smoking tamales!  That deepened quickly, didn't it?  Now you can see the yellow-red tones.


Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and it only needed one coat.  I cleaned up the lip line with my lip brush.

Finally, I blotted once with a tissue, then I mashed my lips together:

Here is a full-face shot, to give you a better idea of how it works with skin tone.
First, no lipstick:

Then, just because a makeup reviewer has to accept that sometimes we are going to look silly, here is full face from the first application, where I lightly patted it on:

Now with full strength:

Now blotted:

Like the other Megalast colors, this formula is very nice. The color will stick around for hours.  Using a balm underneath it makes its lasting power decline, but also allows you to effectively blot it to a more work-friendly daytime look.  I have found that adding a gloss on top doesn't seem to affect the wear time.

Lip Swatch! - Wet n Wild Megalast Matte Lipstick - Smokin' Hot Pink 905D

One of my most viewed posts is the swatch extravaganza here.   This post is part of my expansion of that post, in which I swatch each color on my lips!

Smokin' Hot Pink is a very interesting shade, and quite frankly, it looks boring in the tube.  However, a light application (pat it gently on the lip) gives that shade of flushed pink that one might get after a good smooching.  A heavier application slowly builds to a raspberry (purple-red) pink.  This is a cool pink, and it doesn't pull yellow or orange tones on me.  I think it looks garish on me when I wear it full strength, but I like how it looks after blotting with a tissue.

First, bare lips.  I prepped them with a thin application of Lansinoh:

Now, a thin layer, applied with a lip brush.  I'm sure you can tell, but yes, I left half of my lips bare for comparison.

Next is one more thin layer:

Notice that, aside from my light dimming in the second photo so there is less shine, you can't really tell a difference between the two.  This color goes on opaque very quickly.

Next is full lip.  I applied directly from the tube to the bare side, and it only needed one coat.  I cleaned up the lip line with my lip brush.  Because this color is so pigmented, I recommend treating it like you would a red lipstick application, and take care to not let it get sloppy.  If you look closely, you can see where I lost a bit of control on my lower lip.  Is it obvious in person?  No.  But photos are pretty easy to criticize, so keep that in mind if you think you'll be photographed while wearing this.

Finally, I blotted once with a tissue, then I mashed my lips together:

Here is a full-face shot, to give you a better idea of how it works with skin tone.
First, no lipstick:

Now with full strength:

Now blotted:

Like the other Megalast colors, this formula is very nice. The color will stick around for hours.  Using a balm underneath it makes its lasting power decline, but also allows you to effectively blot it to a more work-friendly daytime look.  I have found that adding a gloss on top doesn't seem to affect the wear time.

Review! - Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Vital Cream (Orange)

The Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Vital Cream (Orange) was part of my Pretty and Cute haul.  I've been enjoying the Skin79 masks (here and here) so much that I was actually delaying the start of the Skin79 BB Cream reviews, because I thought they would blow the other creams completely out of the running.

The Skin79 website says:
Upgraded Sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection SPF50. Strengthen's skin NMF and maintain balanced skin condition. Osmopur-N and Vital-V Complex soothe and protect skin from harmful environments for a moisturized, healthy skin. 

This was the first test I've done where I gave up on a product before the testing period was over.  After finishing the second packet of this BB Cream, I contacted a friend of mine to see if she wanted to give it a try.  It just wasn't working for me at all, but rather than throw away an unopened packet, I thought maybe it would work for her.  She has promised a review after she tries it out, so look for her guest post soon!

The pictures from the last two weeks of posts were all wearing this cream, and I think that, despite how awful it looked by the middle of the day in person, it looked fine in photographs right after application.  Here are my notes from the trial (note that I don't wear makeup every day, so even though the trial was about calendar 10 days, I only wore makeup for 7 of those days):

Day 1 - medium coverage, too light for skintone if applied heavily.  I used too much, but wiped off excess and it looked nice.  Very moisturizing, felt very nice going on.  Has a satin finish.  Doesn't feel oily.  Feels light on but I can still tell I'm wearing it.

Day 2 - Applied with fingers.  Established First Rule of BB Creams = DO NOT APPLY BB CREAM WITH FINGERS.  It has never looked good with any cream tried so far, so quit wasting product.  Too heavy, blotchy, uneven wear, weird settling into pores.  Awful.  Had to wash face.

Day 3 through 5 - Good wear, but when it dies, it dies a screaming death, settling into pores and then completely fading around the pores.  Looks terrible.  Minimal improvement to bare skin.  I still like the fragrance.  Not the best match for my skintone, it's too cool-toned for me.  Can fix that with setting powder, but that turns the finish from satin to matte.

Day 6 - Does not diminish appearance of pores.  Mixed with Garnier BB cream and got a perfect match for my skintone.  I don't like diluting the product, though, especially because Garnier is just a thick tinted moisturizer, and I end up feeling like I'm hindering and complexion improvements the Skin79 may be giving.  Although, since I haven't seen complexion improvement in 6 days (I thought I'd at least see a more even skin tone/whitening), that may be a mute point.

Day 7 - Finished second sample packet (each sample packet has enough for 3-4 uses). Used full strength, and it settled into pores again.  It looks horrible.  Washed my face and went bare-skined for the day.

FINAL VERDICT - I will not re-purchase this cream.  It did not work for me.  I look for a BB cream to even out my skin tone, diminish pores, prevent and diminish wrinkles, and have a dewy finish.  This one felt moisturizing and had a dewy finish, but the wear was awful on me.  It settled into pores, and then faded from the skin around them, so I looked like I had ivory polka-dots all over my face.  It was terrible!

Because products often work differently for different people, I sent my remaining packet to a friend who has been interested in trying out a BB Cream.  She will be writing a guest post about her experience with it, so keep an eye out for her perspective! UPDATE - READ HER GUEST POST HERE!

Review! - Rimmel Extra Wow Lash Mascara

As part of my recent Ulta haul, I picked up a tube of Rimmel Extra Wow Lash Mascara.

The Rimmel website says:
Extra WOW Lash mascara, the new volume and lash building mascara with a 50% larger brush for WOW volume.  The supersized brush makes it easy to build soft to dramatic look with visible progressive volume up to 12X.  Lash building formula for highly defined lashes. No clumping.

Briefly, I was not impressed.  The wand was a bristle version of the Glam'Eyes brush.  Initially, that left me quite excited.  The excitement quickly faded when I started applying the product.  One coat will give you a very natural look.  Which is fine... if you aren't looking for that "extra wow" the name promises.  Two coats builds the look up a bit, but if you want to go beyond that (remember, we aren't in "wow" territory yet, let alone "extra wow"), be aware that clumps lie ahead.  Everywhere.  Oh, and it starts to get flaky tendencies with more than two coats.  I usually put on 5-6 coats to get close to my "is she or isn't she wearing falsies" look that I prefer.  Even then, it still isn't what I would call "extra wow", and with how many coats I had to apply, and how long it took to get it on there while avoiding clumps and stuck-together lashes... well, even the "wow" is gone.


Let's see some pictures...
Before, bare lashes, the tips of my lashes are too light to see without mascara on them:

Now, for the after picture, on YOUR left is Rimmel Scandaleyes.  On YOUR right is Rimmel Extra Wow Lash.  Both are in the shade of Extreme Black.  Scandaleyes is about 3-4 coats, and Extra Wow Lash is about 6-7 coats.

I used the two different formulas so you could see that it takes more effort to get the same look with the Extra Wow Lash as it does with the Scandaleyes.

I'm not disappointed enough to throw the tube in the trash, but it is going to be tossed in the drawer of makeup I keep on hand for emergencies.  It just takes too much time and effort to get it to look as dramatic as I like.

Full face!