Review : Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry

A few years ago I fell in love with the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I collected about 7 shades that I really liked and left it at that. Fast forward to the release of their matte balms. I was in love - AGAIN! I made a mental note of all the shades I wanted to hoard but then life got in the way. I got caught up with my previous job, my baking, my family life and everything in between that I totally forgot all about these matte balms till I stumbled upon a Revlon counter at KCC Mall de Zamboanga... I wasn't sure if I really wanted one of these babies but after a couple of minutes of swatching I knew I'd regret not getting at least one... I ended up picking SULTRY.


Product Claims: Velvety Matte Look. Moisture Rich Balm.
A Matte finish that’s beyond plush. Balm that’s beyond comforting.
Our Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Coconut and Mango butters nourishes lips.
In 10 collectible, crave-able colors.
Review : 
Packaging: The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm comes in a twist up crayon-like stick packaging. The tube is in the same shade as that of the product which makes it a lot easier to pick it out from the other shades. The shade name and code is mentioned at the bottom of the tube on a sticker so you won't ever forget when somebody asks you what shade you have on! *teehee*
Price: At P575, I'm not really complaining. A little goes a long way and it beats me ordering online then having to pay an additional shipping fee that would bring the total price to over P600 bucks!
Shade: Sultry is a pink-brown. I think "dusty rose" is a more sosyal word to describe it. It goes lovely with my medium light to medium skin tone. I can totally see lighter and darker skin tones pulling this off. It can be a bit "mature" at first but it will grow on you and you'll definitely file this under the "my lips but better" category.
Scent: A lovely sweet mint that I love!
Pigmentation: This particular shade has a great color payoff. Two swipes and I'm good to go!
Texture: This matte balm has a very soft & creamy texture to it that it glides effortlessly onto my lips. It feels buttery but not greasy, if that makes any sense. It feels very light on the lips even if you'd accidentally pack it on. It doesn't set to a complete matte until a few hours later but I'm fine with that.

Longevity: I get about 5 hours of wear with this matte balm. I've been wearing this often and it withstands even my constant water-drinking habit (as of late). It does fade slightly after a greasy meal (like when I had pizza and mojos the other day!) but it's nothing too bad.

Swatches coming right up!

So that's it for this particular shade. I want to get SHAMELESS next, which is a crazy purple color! Have any of you tried the Revlon Matte Balms yet? What shade/s did you get? Tell me in the comments below!

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L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss : Review & Swatches

It's been a long time since I posted anything beauty related on this blog and I've put this off long enough. I'm going to be talking about a well hyped product on this blog post and it's none other than the L.A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses.
2015 seemed to be the year for everything matte and at the top of that list of matte products are matte lipsticks and lip "glosses". It's kinda funny that they still call it gloss when it's not glossy at all! Anyway, going back to the product... Like I said, there was quite the hype for this product. This made it difficult to get a hold of and had online shops jacking up its price!
I searched high and low for this product. I didn't really want to get them online because I was being a cheapskate and wasn't willing to pay extra for shipping. Lucky for me my friend Dana H. had them in stock by December 2015. Yes, I was only able to get my chubby fingers on these by the end of last year! I got this at P350 a pop. 

Left to Right : Fleur, Dreamy, Bazaar, Timeless, Rebel, Frisky, Secret
To be honest, I had such a difficult time picking out what shade I wanted to purchase. This line has a total of 16 shades and I really wanted to try each one but I know that it would be a waste of my money to get a shade I wouldn't really reach for often. In the end I settled for these 7 shades that I think really complement my medium skin tone...

I'm going to try to keep my review short & simple...
Packaging : I love the black + transparent look of the tubes. The cap's material is also more dirt resistant than those of the NYX soft matte lip creams (if you guys know what I mean!). It's well made and seems tough enough to withstand accidental dropping (yes, I've dropped them!).
Applicator : It's flat paddle-like applicator needs a bit of getting used to but it picks up just enough product for both your upper and lower lip. It tapers towards the end so it's easy to get into all the nooks and crannies of your lips.
Pigmentation : Off the charts! One swipe is all you really need to get an opaque look with the darker shades... Definitely a 2 thumbs up in this category.
Scent : No scent at all, which is how I like my lip products.
Longevity : WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!~ Well, it does slightly wear off in contact with oily food or anything oil based BUT apart from that, this will last you all day. 
Dry/Flaky/Sticky : Okay, so here's the tough part. After all the positives, I do need to say that there are some shades that I had problems with in regards to stickiness and dryness... I noticed that the lighter shades seemed to be a bit more tacky and flaky on me compared to the darker shades. Fleur & Dreamy always seem to give me a tough time! *lol*

Swatches! Take note that I snapped this photo before the swatches fully dried hence they look glossy but in real life they dry completely matte! I didn't have the patience this time to do lip swatches BUT I promise to do so when I review a new product soon... Cross my heart!
Bottom to Top : Fleur, Dreamy, Bazaar, Timeless, Rebel, Frisky, Secret
Fleur : Nude with a slight terra cotta tint. To be honest, doesn't really sit well on my skin tone. Dreamy : Pinky brown nude. Definitely a must have. Bazaar : Deep rose shade that wears beautifully on medium skin tones. Timeless : It looks bright in the swatch but this is actually a deep fuchsia shade. Rebel : A deep plum. Frisky : Pin up red all the way!  Secret : A deeper and classier red, best worn at night...
Well, this is all for now... Watch out for my next review coming soon!

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10 Things I've Learned This 2015

I've been through a lot this 2015. It's really been an eye opening year for me because 2015's the year I made so many life changing decisions. My biggest realization this year is the fact that being an adult is tough! *chuckles* I won't make this intro too long, let's get the drum roll started, shall we because I've just realized that I'm almost halfway through the first month of 2016 and this is my first post!!!
1. Not everyone is going to like me, and I can live with it. A younger version of myself would have gotten depressed over the fact that there are people in this world that don't like me but my 24 year old self has accepted that sometimes people just don't jive well together and that it's perfectly normal. I'd rather not force myself upon anyone who doesn't like me because this does more harm than good.
2. Think before you speak. There were a lot of times this year where I wished I could take back something that I had said but it was always too late. It may be an awful comment about someone or a judgmental remark or something like a racist joke... Whatever it was, it made me feel really bad for saying it. More often than not it happens when I'm in a bad mood too and I end up hurting other as well. So I've learned (the hard way) to always THINK before saying something because the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me" isn't always the case.
3. You can fight peer pressure. When I don't want to do something, I don't do it. Even if it means losing a few "friends" in the process because real friends will respect your life choices. This is usually something as simple as going out for a few drinks or something more serious like experimenting with drugs. I've learned to say NO to peer pressure, which also leads to my next life lesson...
4. Choose your friends wisely. Ever heard of the saying "tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are"? Well this 2015 I've made changes to my social circles. I've tried my best to be with people who respect me for me, who have similar interests to mine, who appreciate my weirdness, who are into having good clean fun - sans alcohol or other "bad" stuff.
5. Know your alcohol limit and stick to it. 2015 is the year that I explored a bit with drinks. When I turned 18 a few years ago, I found out that I have a bit of an allergy situation going on with alcohol so I take it easy with the drinks. This year I learned that my limit is 3 bottles of the old standby - beer, or 2 glasses of red wine, or 2 glasses of cuba libre (rum coke). I pretty much still stick to my standard ice tea order though.
6. It's okay to let loose and not be so uptight. I'm always the uptight one among my group of friends. Last year I promised myself that I'd be more chill and try to "go with the flow". I made more friends this way and had a lot more fun during hangouts.
7. Life is about taking risks. I took the biggest risk this year by resigning from my hospital job. I only had a few months to go before I'd FINALLY become a full pledged staff nurse but I wasn't happy. I talked more about this decision on an earlier post. Now I'm continuing the risk by embarking on my new journey as a full time home based baker. Do me a favor and check out my work at Sugar Works! :)
8. Don't lie. I don't even have to really expound on this.
9. Save for a rainy day. This 2015 was a year that I saved my first 50 thousand and spent my first 50 thousand as well (all for my business and a couple of "personal" shopping sprees) but I've realized that nothing beats having a savings account with actual savings because you never know when you need the cash and have no one to run to but yourself.
10. Let go. Let go of the hurt, the pain, the anger. It will make you a better person... It's difficult. It's 2016 and I've yet to master the art of letting go, but I'm getting there...
That's all for now... How about you guys? What did YOU learn in 2015?

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