Lips Galore!!-Product Review by Richmond VA Wedding Makeup Artist Aaron Ellerbrock

I know that I recently did a blog on lip colors that stay on, but this seems to be one of the biggest concerns from the majority of my clients. I often hear "nothing stays on", "I just eat it off", "Color fades away", and a plethora of other comments. So I am tirelessly trying long wear lip colors to see what works and what doesn't so that you don't have to!

First in this round is the Revlon Color Stay Ultimate Suede Lip Color. There are seven colors (I believe) including nude, pink, peache and mauve. The price range is $7 to $8. I give the wearability a 7 out of 10. The reason I give a 7 is because the color I tried, Socialite, looked nice when I first put it on, but then seemed to not stay as "true" over time. It did last. I actually forgot I had it on and went to the gym! Luckily I looked in the mirror and saw it. I tried wiping it off and it wouldn't come off. Luckily I had some sanitizing wipes and I got it off that way. As far as the feel, I did not care for it when it was first on. It felt thick and tacky. Not tacky like a real gooey gloss, but tacky like the corners of my lips seemed to "grab" for a bit. That feeling wore off after about 20 or 30 minutes. I did have a glass of water and nothing came off on the glass. I did not put a gloss on to see if that would help with making the product feel a little more comfortable.

Second we have the Covergirl Outlast All Day Lip Color. First, let me point out there are an amazing 41 colors including neutrals, browns, berries, corals, reds, wines, roses, etc. The price range is $7 to $9. As far as wearability, I give it a 8.5. The color seemed to stay more "true" throughout the time I had it on. I purchased Always Rosy as I thought it was a nice neutral pink that someone could use as an everyday color. The brand touts 16 hours of wear and while I can't attest to that, as I took it off after about 4.5 hours, it still looked good when I did remove it. It did not feel too tacky, but almost gave a little tingle when I put on the color. That quickly went away but it did feel a little dry. That is the case with most long-wear products so that is why Covergirl gives you the moisturizing topcoat to put on. This is both a plus and a minus. It is a plus because once I applied that, my lips felt great. It is also good because you can re-apply the top coat when you want a little more shine. The downside is that it is a separate tube so you have to carry two things. This color does not come off whether you drink, eat, or kiss! It really stays put, but I did want to re-apply the top coat two times to keep my lips feeling soft and moist. Oh...PS, I took a shower and when I got out the color was still there!!

Aaron's over-all rating: Revlon Color Stay = 7.5  Covergirl Outlast = 8.5

What do you think?

Long wear and comfort!!-Richmond VA wedding makeup artist Aaron Ellerbrock

I have to say that I am thrilled with the Sephora brand Cream Lip Stain. First, it is only $12 so you can't beat the price. Second, it is packaged like a lip gloss so you don't need any tools to apply. Third, the pigmentation is amazing!!! You don't need a lot of the product yet you get great pay-off. With a lot of stains, the color is not very vivid and that is not the case here. Finally, it is not too drying. It feels good while it is on and lasts hours and hours. I will say if you are going to wear it on a regular basis, be sure to use an emollient lip moisturizer to replenish and comfort the lips once you take the product off. If I had one negative it would be that I would like to see more variation in the colors. Many of them are similar so be sure to check them out in the store as on-line it is difficult to discern the true color! I give this product an A-. What do you think??

Long wear shadows...really??/review by BRIDEface Richmond makeup artist Aaron

Do They Really Last??

 

 

 

 

Today I thought we would take a look at some of the "drug store" eye makeup out there that claims to be "long wear". I picked up a couple of Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour Eye Shadows as well as the ColorStay Smoky Shadow Sticks. Now as many of you know, it is weird, but I put these on myself so I can review them first hand. This time I happened to do it while visiting my parents in Ohio, Needless to say my dad was kind of confused on what I was doing!!

I tested the Revlon products against some that were a bit more expensive. In this case it was Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Oil Slick and the Buxom Stay-There cream/gel shadows in Schnauzer and Saint Bernard. I basically created a smoky eye on each eye with these brands.

While the Revlon seemed like it was going to work very well, I found there were a couple of issues. First, the longevity was just not there. When I did just the powder shadows, or just the cream sticks, they did not last past a couple of hours. However, when I combined them (using the cream sticks first and then layering on the powder) the longevity was much longer. Another issue I found was that the color did not stay vibrant. I was quite pleased at the look of the pigment when I first applied, but then it just sort of seemed to become dull over the course of the evening. Finally, I was less than thrilled with the fact the product did not blend easily. You really need to work the product in to get a good smooth finish and if you don't it can look very "cakey". Once it dries you can't blend anymore (which is a good thing) but you have to make sure you are happy with the initial application.

The Urban Decay and Buxom products proved to be much better. The color stayed much more vibrant and true. My eye looked like it had true pigment even hours later. Again, the longevity was increased when I layed the products vs. using them individually. And of course they were much easier to blend. I loved the feel of the Buxom shadows. They are very "cushy" and easy to apply. I also liked how I could build the color by letting the creams dry for a minute and then putting another layer on.

My thought is that the Revlon is great for everyday wear. Although I don't think you can get 16 hours, you can certainly get by with these. However, if you are trying to get "fancy" for a dinner or an event, these just won't cut it. I feel you would be much happier pulling out the big dogs (like Schnauzer or Saint Bernard) for such occasions.

The Revlon powder shadows can be found for $6 to $8 and the sticks can be purchased from $7 to $9. However you can often pick up a buy one, get one 50% at Walgreens or CVS. The Urban Decay shadow and Buxom shadows can be picked up for $18 each at Sephora.

Happy Make-up Wearing!!

Anne

Are these the sexiest engagement pics ever? Look how pretty Anne's makeup still looks, even drenched!

Thank you April of Bluebird Photography!

I have been doing Anne's makeup for years now; she used to come down to see me at Saks before school dances and Senior pictures, and her best friend was one of my freelance makeup artists for Laura Mercier.

As my very southern friend Alisha would say, she's "plain old pretty".

And speaking of pretty, if you have never checked out

http://www.stylemepretty.com/

do yourself a favor. Wedding eye candy ! I check in at least twice daily!