Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss Review

Nivea came out with a lip balm called a lip butter not too long ago (maybe 6 months or so) and it sounded like they were quite popular.  I always apply lip balm before bed, so I decided I wanted to try this one. I like fruity scented lip products better than vanilla or sweet scents, and unscented seems so boring, so I bought Raspberry Rose Kiss.  

It comes in a thin little tin that is rather cute.  It is a very pale pink in the tin, and it swatches and applies a little pink, but it seems to become clear when I rub my lips together.  

 

It has a fruity berry scent (very much like raspberries) but no flavor, it is smooth without being too slick and isn't at all sticky, and it is slightly glossy.  I think the name "lip butter" is a good description. 

I find it to be quite hydrating and it seems to be keeping my lips very smooth.  I like it so much that I've been applying it a few times a day (often after my gloss wears off, or before I wear lipstick) as well as at bedtime.  

This balm comes in four scents:  Smooth Kiss (unscented), Raspberry Rose Kiss, Caramel Cream Kiss, Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss

I bought mine at CVS for $3.99.

I love this balm!

Milani Limited Edition Coming Up Roses Blush in Flora Passion Swatches and Review

Milani is one of my favorite drugstore brands, and I'm a sucker for any good flower-related packaging, so when I saw these blushes at Meijers, I knew I had to have one.

I chose Flora Passion which is a warm pink that has a little coral to it.  It is also completely matte.

The blush is housed in a compact with Milani written in gold on the clear lid, and the bottom of the compact is gold.  It does not come with a brush.  It is also a very large blush (0.60 oz versus 0.21 oz for a MAC blush), so you are getting lots of blush for your money.

The blush itself is the shape of a multi-petaled rose.

The blush is very finely milled and easy to blend, and it is nicely pigmented.  I find I don't need much on my brush to get a good dose of color.

Milani Limited Edition Coming Up Roses Blush in Flora Passion Swatches:

indoor light

flash

natural light

This comes in four colors : Romantic Rose (mauve pink), Flora Passion (warm pink), Warm Petals (nude pink), Bella Rosa (cool pink) and are $6.49.

This is an absolutely lovely blush!

Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Color in Currant Affair Review and Swatches

I am rarely disappointed by beauty products.  I try to do my homework and read all the beauty bloggers reviews and such before I buy anything, but sometimes I get sucked in by the advertising for the product anyway.  Unfortunately, the Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Color seemed to be one of those for me.

This is a cream eyeshadow that claims to be long-lasting, cooling, and nourishing.

Clinique says:
Creamy, crease-resistant eye colour wears for 8 hours. Instantly cools thanks to a unique applicator. Nourishing ingredients coax fine lid lines into a blanket of smoothness. Antioxidants help protect eye-area skin.

Squeeze tube gently to release a small amount of colour. Use the cooling metal applicator to apply product directly onto lids. Quickly blend with fingertips before formula sets. Tip: A little goes a long way—start with a small amount and build with additional colour as desired.


The metal applicator tip is interesting looking and it does feel cool on the skin.  I like that it contains some beneficial antioxidants.

The problems I have is with  1) how sheer this shadow is, 2) how quickly it creases, and 3) the color itself.

Swatching it on the hand it looks totally different than on the eyelid.  A swatch makes it look kind of thick and quite metallic.

natural light

indoor light

flash

blended with ring finger

On the lid, the color is kind of difficult to build, and it seems like the more you apply the more quickly it creases without giving more color payoff.  I have applied this the way Clinique recommends (apply with tip, blend with fingers) and I just sheers it out way to much for my liking.  Applying it with a brush improves color performance, but it is still quite sheer.

This shadow also creases quite quickly on me, even though it claims to be crease resistant for 8 hours.  Primer doesn't seem to make a difference either.  After about 3 hours the shadow has started to move and is quite creasy after 4.  It is possible to re-blend the shadow with fingers, but that can sheer out the color even more.

Now maybe these are problems with the color I chose, which is also something I don't like.  Currant Affair looks like it would be a dark color, sort of a silvery plum.  It reads lighter on the eyes I think because of the silver shimmer, and it doesn't look plum or purple to me.  It has much more grey in it than I was expecting.  I was hoping for more purple since it swatches more plum than the other colors.  I wish I had tried it on my eyes to see what it really looks like rather than just swatching it.  I feel like this is not a particularly flattering color on me and just makes my eyes look tired.

I have a feeling this formula is better for a sheer wash of light color from the lashline to the brow, and the lighter colors seem like they would be appropriate for that kind of look.  Currant Affair is too dark to wear in that manner, but too light to give much impact.

I don't like doing reviews for products that I think are not so great, (especially for one like this that may have other colors that perform or look better (they have several that are light, shimmery colors that would brighten the eyes I think).) but I think honest reviews are important.

Have you tried any of the Clinique Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colors?  What was your experience with them?

Nail Art With L'Oreal Nail Lingerie nail stickers

I tried my hand at some nail art today.  I'm not one for nail art on my own nails because I don't think my hands are quite steady enough to use 2 or 3 different polishes in various designs and make it look good.  However, I love the way it looks and have been wanting to try to do some.  Then I spotted these L'Oreal Color Riche Nail Lingerie nail stickers in a display with the L'Oreal "Color Me Pink" summer trend collection.  The gold swirly designs were just what I wanted to try over a bright pink polish.  They also had the same design in white swirls and silver swirls.  The name of this set is Versailles Romance and it is limited edition.

I used the stickers, which lay down nicely, over Maybelline's Color Show Nail Lacquer in Pinkalicious, which is a juicy hot pink.  You file off the excess part of the sticker with an emory board so the sticker is the same length as your nail.  These apply just like the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips.  I like how those work too, but you can't combine them with your favorite nail colors because they are opaque, so you are kind of stuck with the colors they offer.

I like how well the gold shows up against the hot pink.  I think I want to try some more nail stickers with other designs over some of my other favorite nail colors.  I think the white set of this design would look cool over a really dark color for a really graphic look or a really light color for something subtle.

These seem like one of the easiest ways to incorporate your favorite nail polishes with a little nail art.

Have a beautiful day!

Recent Favorites

I've been using a few things a whole lot lately.

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss--smells amazing and really hydrates the lips without feeling heavy

Sephora Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow in Orange Facets (limited edition from last year)--a fantastic shimmery orange that can be worn alone to that seems to make my eyes look bluer or paired with a navy blue to create a Detroit Tigers colors look (yep, I'm obsessed with them)

Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara--I seem to come back to this one often.  It leaves my lashes looking fluttery and soft, and it doesn't clump or flake.

Real Techniques Blush Brush--I've been using this one for bronzer.  It is so soft and fluffy (and it needs washing...)!

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Gloss in Coral Kiss--this is a wonderful gloss that smells like vanilla and is shiny, smooth, not at all sticky, and has a ton of pigment (I hope to have a review up soon)

From left:  Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss, Sephora Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow in Orange Facets, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Gloss in Coral Kiss

Love all of these!

Garden Time: Lilies Edition! (and Happy Belated 4th of July)

A bunch of my lilies popped recently!

Inwood Daylily

Bela Lugosi Daylily 

orange Asiatic Lily

Inwood Daylily (with Coral Bells in the background)

orange Daylily

I do wish the blooms of the daylilies would last longer than one day--especially the Bela Lugosi and Inwood, but I guess that is how they got their name!

I neglected to do a 4th of July post since I got busy last week and time sort of got away from me (I should have written one ahead of time, but I like to post on the day I write something).  So, Happy Belated Independence Day!

Sephora Wish List

Here's what has caught my eye recently at Sephora.  I didn't pick up the Ariel Palette when it was available to Beauty Insiders, and I'm kind of regretting it.  Those colors are perfect for this time of year, and I want to wear them right now!  I hope it is in stock soon...

Disney Collection Storylook Eyeshadow Palette Volume 3

SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE Light Storm Liquid Shadow in Smokey Grape

JOSIE MARAN Coconut Water Cheek Gelee in Poppy Paradise

Guerlain Color Lacquer in Jardins de Bagatelle

LORAC PRO To Go Eye/Cheek Palette

I am really interested in the Josie Maran cheek gelee blush because I love all her products, and I've read nothing but good things about it.

The Sephora + Pantone Universe liquid eyeshadow looks so cool, both color-wise and formula-wise.

The LORAC palette looks like a great all in one set with matte and shimmer eyeshadows and both warm and cool blush colors and a bronzer.

And the Guerlain nail lacquer just looks so pretty, feminine, and elegant.

What's on your wish list right now?