Review & Swatches: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Creamsicle & Strawberry Shortcake

I had been hearing so much about these lately that I just had to jump on the bandwagon and try them out for myself ;P Walmart was pretty much wiped out, but Target had all of them in stock :D I opted for a nude and a pink, since that's pretty much the only shades I wear :P

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Creamsicle and Strawberry Shortcake

Price: $6.49 from Target

What they say:
- Buttery Balm + Shiny Color
- Buttery balm with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips
- 94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated.
- Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%
- Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth
- Sheer to medium colour with buttery shine
- Available in 20 luscious shades

What to do: Starting with clean, dry lips apply your favorite shade of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter onto lips. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter can be worn with or without Lipliner. Reapply as often as desired for softer, smoother and instantly hydrated lips!

Left to right: Creamsicle, Strawberry Shortcake

Creamsicle is a sheer but buildable pale nudey peach shade.
It's PERFECT as an everyday nude lip for me :3

Strawberry Shortcake is like a bubblegum pink. Although it's bright pink and has a pop to it, it worked really nicely with my skin tone so it actually is a nice everyday pink lip for me.. I was pleasantly surprised with this shade :D

The good stuff:

• Lots of shades to choose from
• Great pigmentation / color is buildable
  
• Has moisturizing properties
• Doesn't overly dry out my lips
• Glossy balm sheen
• Decent lasting time
  
• No weird smell/taste
  
• Super cute packaging corresponds to color
  

The low-down:

• Wasn't all that moisturizing for me
• Application "drags" a bit on me
• Not as smooth or lightweight as I'd imagine when I think of "lip butter"

My take: While I really love the shades I got, I was a little disappointed in the texture and feel of these "lip butters." I expected them to be a lot more "buttery" and slick to smooth on with a lightweight feel. They're more like a thick balm -- practically like a lipstick. In all fairness though, I do have dry flaky lips and the weather has been rather cold lately. So before I apply these, I have to buff my lips and apply a clear balm in order for the lip butters to apply smoothly. I'm thinking it's because it's been chilly lately, the lip butters are a bit "stiff" -- They dragged on my lips when I tried to apply them without a base, resulting in patchy color settling into lip lines galore :/ I suppose if the weather was warmer, these lip butters would soften up and apply more smoothly, but we'll have to see... the weather here is so fickle. I was also under the impression that these would be more on the sheer side so that I could apply them alone as a tinted balm, but because of the pigmentation, like I mentioned, they're actually more like a lipstick in my opinion.

Other than that, once I prep my lips w/ buffing & clear balm, these apply a lot smoother and have a great glossy sheen to them. They do feel somewhat conditioning because of the thick balm texture. I'd say lasting power is about 3 hours, which is average for me. It doesn't end up overly drying out my lips, it just kind of absorbs into my lips like most other lipsticks/balms do on me and leaves them feeling dry, but smooth. I definitely can't say I agree with their claims that it boosts lip moisture by 156% though :/

Creamsicle is currently my go-to nude lippie. It's quite sheer but on my lips, it is buildable to a nice subtle nude -- also great for mixing with other lippies to soften up the color. I was also really happy with Strawberry Shortcake! Usually I'm a bit wary to venture into brighter pink shades, so this was a stretch for me. But I actually love it! It's also sheer but not as sheer as Creamsicle. About 2 swipes gets you good pigmentation. It's such a flattering pink shade that I've worn it every day since I bought it! It just has a way of melding with my lip color into a lovely MLBB pink. Love it!

Would I repurchase/recommend?: I could see myself repurchasing these shades because I'm happy with them, but I would like to try some of the other shades of Lip Butters as well. I would recommend these to anyone who wants a sheer to buildable pigmented lip color that has moisturizing properties. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has really dry/flaky lips... or I would suggest that you prep your lips really well before applying.

The Rundown:

Packaging: 5/5
Super cute & colorful packaging, corresponds to shade.

Product: 4/5
Great pigmentation, but not as moisturizing as I'd like.

Price: 5/5
Affordable.

Overall:

[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

Product Revisit, Review, & Comparison: NYX Blush Brush VS Shu Uemura Blush Brush

***This is a really old post that has been sitting in my queue for a long time, just thought I'd publish it now XD***

Product Revisit:
SHU UEMURA BLUSH BRUSH

If you read my Shu Uemura mini brush set review, you'll know that I was really disappointed with the Blush Brush because it was not at all as soft as I expected it to be. Thus, I haven't been using it... my heart is taken by the amazingly luxuriously soft EcoTools Blush brush.

However, on a whim, I decided to wash the Shu Blush Brush to see if that would make it a little softer. I wash my brushes with Method Kid Squeaky Green Body wash because it's gentle, 99% natural, and smells like apples.

And lo and behold, washing the brush made it A LOT softer! Not nearly as scratchy as before! BUT.... Now, it STINKS. LIKE HELL. Like seriously, it smells so bad. Is it because the bristles are animal hair? Cause it smells like an animal now. I mean, the smell lightened up after a few days but it still smells pretty bad. When I use this shampoo on my other brushes, it makes them smell like apples! (but those are synthetic bristles).

Overall, I would be a lot happier with this brush if it didn't smell so bad (I think I'll try washing it again, maybe?) but washing it did make it a lot softer. It still picks up powder well and works great for a light dusting of powder.

Product Review:
NYX BLUSH BRUSH

Next I wanted to do a full review on the NYX Blush Brush that I got from the $1 NYX sale. If you read the quick blurb I wrote about that brush, I said it reminded me of the Shu blush brush but was more prickly.


Price: reg. $10, I got it for $1.

What they say: Angled to the apple of your cheek to sweep powder blush just where you need it. For perfect application and contouring.

The good stuff:

• Okay ONLY IF it costs $1
• Compact size
• Sleek design
• Picks up and deposits powder well

The low-down:

• Prickly!!! Not soft at all!!!
• Feels so scratchy on cheeks.
• NOT WORTH $10.

My take: I like that this brush is small. The brush head is fluffly and does a good job at picking up and depositing powder. However, it is so scratchy! It is not soft at all, now that I compare it with the Shu brush. Since I only paid $1 for it, I don't mind it that much, but in my opinion, it is NOT worth $10. This is the second NYX brush I've tried and been totally disappointed with (the other one being their small concealer brush - $5) and their brushes are not exactly "cheap," taking the size and quality into consideration. ELF, for example, makes WAY better brushes in their Studio line, for a fraction of the price.

Would I repurchase/recommend?: No, I will not repurchase this brush, and I don't think I will buy any of NYX's brushes for that matter. They make great makeup, but I feel the brushes are lacking in quality. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either, especially when you can get the amazing EcoTools Blush Brush for ~$6-8!

Product Comparison:

Lastly, I wanted to make a quick comparison between the Shu blush brush and the NYX blush brush.

• They are around the same size.
• They both have sleek designs.
• The brush head is full and fluffy.
• They both pick up and deposit powder well.
• However, they both are not very soft and prickly on skin.

That just goes to show that sometimes, pricier is not always better! : )