First Impression #6 — E.L.F. Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks

E.L.F. is another brand that’s jumped on the lip crayon bandwagon and I can say that I am impressed. E.L.F.  offers 8 shades of their Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick. I snagged two colors, ‘Movie Star’ and ‘Pink Umbrellas’ from my local Target at $2 each. I really love the amount of product that you get with each stick.

The colors are very nice and pretty much match up to that of what the packaging indicates. My favorite of the two is definitely ‘Movie Star,’ but ‘Pink Umbrellas’ does remind me of the Revlon Colorburst Lipstick, ‘Peach.’

I love the consistency and they’re more moisturizing then I thought they would be. I do semi-moisturize my lips prior to application. Other colors I would love to try out are: ‘Flirty & Girly,’ ‘Sangria Starters,’ and ‘Summer Nights,’ at $2 a stick it’s not that bad and for the amount of product you’re getting $2 is a steal. One thing I love about E.L.F. lip products is that they’re inexpensive, nice quality, great color option, and the amount of product that you get is WORTHWHILE! Very impressed and would recommend.

First Impression #4: Jordana Twist & Shine

Out of all the lip crayons I have purchased and tested out these are by far my favorite. I love the pigmentation and I can kick myself for only purchasing two. At the time I was more set on seeing what the rave was about the Wet n Wild Balm Stains. I love the pigmentation. I love the texture. They are not as slippery as the Wet n Wild Ones making them easier to build upon. The swatches really do the pigmentation no justice but here it is:

Out of the two my favorite is ‘Rock n Rouge.’ I can’t get over how great these feel on my lips and that it’s moisturizing but the texture does not seem slippery. There is a shine to these hence the name ‘Twist and Shine.’ Similar to that of the Wet n Wild’s, ‘Lady and the Vamp’ / ‘Red-dy Or Not,’ Jordana’s ‘Cranberry Crush’ is not as pigmented as I thought it would be, but I do think I could build it up more than ‘Lady and the Vamp.’ ‘Rock n Rouge’ is just the perfect red and you can easily build it up or keep it simple with one or two coats.

I definitely need to go back and collect all the colors. I’m in love with the pigmentation, the texture, and the price. I have yet to snag and try out Revlon’s Balm Stains, but once I do I’d be able to do a thorough review of which ones are necessities in a collection. These are winners and out of the ones I’ve tried, my fav balm stains so far.

Have you tried Jordana’s Twist and Shine Balm Stains? If so, what’s your fav?

First Impression #3: Wet n Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain

The Wet n Wild Balm Statins were ones that I have been on the hunt for since their release. I had been to countless Walgreens but could not find them. I came across Jordana’s balm stains and on my way to check out I spotted Wet n Wild’s and snagged 3. On top of that I had a $1 off each balm stain bringing the price from each down from $2.99 to $1.99. Upon doing a swatch I realized that I had to press down more on the product to really get the true color pigmentation.

‘A Stiff Pink’ was the color I thought I’d like least being that some pinks on my skin tone are not the most  complimenting and can look tacky. The packaging makes it look more of a hot pink but upon application it’s more of a deeper pink. ‘Lady And the Vamp’ did not seem as pigmented on my lips as I thought it would be. There’s pigmentation, I was just expecting the color to be deeper. It’s a nice color for the daytime. Lastly, ‘Red-dy Or Not,’ is faint similar to that of ‘Lady And The Vamp.’

Overall I absolutely love the texture of the balm stains upon applying. The application was easy, not messy which is a plus. My personal favorite out of the three I purchased is, ‘A Stiff Pink.’ I’m not accustomed to wearing pink on my lips, but the color was perfect on me. I’m more accustomed to deeper colors which is why I picked the purple and the red, but they did not give me the pigmentation I expected. I would recommend buying if  you want to try them out being that they are moisturizing. I will not be going back to hunt down anymore colors being that they did not interest me.

Have you tried any of the Wet n Wild Balm Stains? What’s your favorite?

First Impression #2: Stila Color Me Glossy

Read more for my first impression & swatches.

First Impression #1: NYC Expert Last & City Proof Twistable

I came across this line as I walked in Rite Aide to pick up something OTHER than makeup. I’ve been wanting to try out the lip crayons from different brands so I decided to pick up two that caught my eye. I also picked up 2 of the lipsticks.

I have recently become a fan of NYC products. I have two palettes in my makeup collection along with 5 of their 99 cent lipsticks and I wanted to try out their other products. I know that there’s better stuff out there, but I think that for the price it’s worth a try.

Let’s start out with the Expert Last Lip Color.

The lipsticks are very creamy and easy to put on. In a way they’re a little too slick for me as in they’re a bit messy to put on. I will say that the colors are very pigmented.

Moving on to the lip crayons:

I was a little disappointed in the pigmentation of these. Based of what the packaging says, ‘Intense Lip Color,’ I do not think they are as INTENSE as they claim to be. I wished ‘Gramercy Park Plum’ has more color. The colors are a bit faded for me, but they glide on very nicely. I love the consistency of them; very moisturizing. When further looking at the swatches ‘South Berry Ferry’ was very similar, if not identical to that of the lipstick, ‘Traffic Jam.’

Worth buying? If you are interested in trying out some cheaper than Revlon lip crayons then I would recommend. Despite the colors not being as intense as suggested the color selection is nice and the texture of the product is amazing. They retail for $2.99. As for the lipsticks, the constancy is very similar to that of the lip crayons and I guess it all depends on what you want. They retail for $1.99. The color selection is not all that great, it’s pretty decent (pink, purple, nude). For a second purchase I would go back for the lip crayons.