Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters Review

Revlon Lip Butters

These babies are like, the bomb. Im more of a high end fan when it comes to makeup, but unfortunately I have been born with worlds driest lips which means any form of lip colour ends up a dry, peeling mess. I have tried every lip scrub, lip balm, gallons of water but I have resigned myself to living with colourless lips for the rest of my life. 

Revlon Lip Butters, Candy Apple & Sweet Tart

Until now. Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters are a super moisturising, long lasting balm/lipstick hybrid that provide the benefits of a balm combined with the colour of a lipstick. They aren't as pigmented as a lipstick but for someone who does wear a fair bit of eye makeup the pigment on these are perfect. It also means that you can whack them on without really needing a mirror, you can't get it super wrong like you can with a strong lipstick. I find they are perfect for the day, I have the colours Sweet Tart, which is a bright, blue toned pink and Candy Apple which is a muted, warm toned red. At £7.99 from Boots, I am definitely going to pick up a few more! They look great and I find at the end of the day my lips are in a fairly moisturised state, which for me is quite an achievement! Eleven thumbs up!

Laura Mercier: A couple of faves...

Laura Mercier Illuminating Eye Colour and Secret Brightening Powder

Once upon a time during a day out in St Albans, I just so happened to fall (read: directly walk into) into a Space NK. I can wander their isles for days but due to the boyfriend huffing and puffing next to me I focused on one of my fave brands- Laura Mercier. 

I opted for the Secret Brightening Powder, a repurchase for me. Not because I have run out but because I have a separate makeup bag for the gym and can't possibly be without one of my holy grail products. This power is perfect for setting concealer under the eyes, it is entirely translucent so doesn't affect the colour of the concealer. It is very finely milled and you only need a tiny bit on your brush to set your makeup. The girls at Laura Mercier recommend dipping your brush into the lid, so you don't use too much. It has a brightening effect, but doesn't use any glitter or shimmer, therefore its perfect to dust over any brightening concealers to stop them settling into any fine lines or sliding down your face. 

From Top: Secret Brightening Powder,  Eye Colour in Opal Fantasy

The second purchase was a spur of the moment one, and comes from the Laura Mercier White Magic collection. Its the Illuminating Eye Colour in Opal Fantasy. I really like paring a cat eye flick with a pale, shimmery eye colour as I find it makes me look more awake, without looking too done. This is the perfect shade for day time, it has great colour payoff and lasts a good eight hours, without primer. It could also be used for a brow or inner eye highlight. 

You can get the Illuminating Eye colour for £20.00 and the Secret Brightening Powder for £18.50 both from Space NK.

What products do you love from Laura Mercier? 

xxx

Disappointing Products- Xen Tan Fake Tan

I consider myself a bit of a fake tan guru (if I do say so myself- ha!) I have been fake tanning for around ten years and have tried just about every fake tan out there. My holy grail tan is the St Tropez Mousse in Dark which I use every time without fail, but after reading a number of positive reviews on the Xen Tan I thought I would give it a whirl. 

Originally I purchased the Deep Bronze Luxe (RRP£28.99), and subsequently purchased the Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe (RRP£39.99) which is supposed to be darker. Given I usually use the Dark Mousse in the St Tropez range, I expected the darkest range in the Xen Tan to be a similar colour. Unfortunately it was much, much lighter in colour, similar to the original St Tropez colour. The colour itself was lovely, not at all orange but when you are expecting a deep brown tan it was quite disappointing. I didn't find the colour between the two to be different at all, and one is much more expensive than the other! 

The texture of the tan is a thick creamy texture, which did not have much "guide" colour once you started spreading it on. It was difficult to see if you had smoothed it on evenly, although in saying that, it was not patchy at all the next day although I am not sure if thats down to the texture or because I have been tanning for donkeys years! Additionally, I had to use ALOT of product to cover my limbs, I would say double to even triple the amount I would use of the St Tropez. 

The tan took a long time to dry and felt wet and tacky for hours afterwards- I did not want to sit down (even on a towel) for fear of it rubbing off completely. 

I always put fake tan on at night, all tan smells strange and any type of moisture (sweat, rain) will ruin the tan you have put on. However in the name of reviewing I did follow the instructions for this tan, which says it only needs three hours to develop. I left it four hours before washing off and basically the whole tan came off. So disappointing after all that work! 

The one plus I would say is that it makes a fantastic facial tanner. The perfect colour, smoothes on well and doesn't clog pores. I actually find the body version better for your face than the Xen Tan lotion specific for the face!

If you are a first time tanner or not looking to have a great deal of colour then perhaps Xen Tan is for you, but for the tan addicts out there I would say give this one a miss! Sorry Xen Tan! :( 

xxx