Lips

Worth it? Glamglow Poutmud

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Glamglow seems to be continually expanding their line of luxury skincare products. Frankly, I’ve lost track of the entirety of their line, but came across the new Glamglow Poutmud during some Sephora.com browsing.

Glamglow PoutmudGlamglow Poutmud

Like all their other products, the packaging is appealing – bright colors, clean lines, very sleek. But packaging isn’t enough – I’ve waxed disappointed about the Thirstymud mask (it breaks me out) already, and I can’t imagine paying full price for Thirstymud ($69). Really, I’d be hard-pressed to pay even half price for it. My skin’s reaction aside, it isn’t that impressive a product.

Glamglow Poutmud, as I’m sure you may have guessed, is a lip treatment; supposedly a, “powerful duo to gently exfoliate, nourish, and treat lips.” Poutmud, which retails for $39, features two hocus-pocus containing 0.88 oz spheres – one is an exfoliant, the other a balm. But really, the ingredients aren’t anything special. A bunch of oils and butters, fruit extracts, some sugars and salts. It really isn’t ground-breaking, and it damn sure is not worth $39. Plus, being in little pots means they’re less sanitary than, say, dispensing from a tube.

Of course the hype machine has people convinced that everything Glamglow is selling is so amazing (and I haven’t tried their other facial masks) but almost forty bucks for not even an ounce of each a salt and sugar scrub and then a lip balm in cute chrome spheres? Seriously? One reviewer on Sephora’s site says of Glamglow Poutmud,

“Once again, Glamglow made an amazing product. I don’t know how else to describe this, but AMAZING.”

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NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

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While matte lips aren’t usually my thing, they’re fun sometimes. My first matte lip products (and my first nontraditional lipstick) were the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams.

For around $6 a piece and frequently on sale at Ulta, they’re an easy way to try the trend without investing a ludicrous amount of money into something you aren’t familiar with and aren’t sure if you’d like.

NYX Soft Matte Lip CreamsNYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Swatches
Amsterdam, Antwerp, Stockholm

I own three of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream colors – Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Stockholm. The above picture shows them just swiped-on; the mousse-like cream (which, texture-wise is similar to Stila’s Stay All Day lipsticks) looks wet at first but does dry down to a matte finish. They have a unique smell to them – I have great difficulty describing it, so I’m just going to hope you’ve either smelled them or the Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipsticks.

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MAC Creme in Your Coffee Swatches

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I’ll never have too many MLBB colors. I only have one at the moment, really…but I won’t be able to have too many, either.

Think about it – you look polished, but it is subtle and not terribly obvious that you’re made up. As they wear away you have a little more grace when it comes to touching up than you would with say, a magenta or red.

But really, now that my tube of MAC Cosmo has been decommissioned, since I’m still not purchasing Revlon (they still haven’t addressed the shady safety issues, let alone the hateful remarks), and the smell of Rimmel’s Apocalips annoys me, I’m actually down three MLBB shades! Woe betide me. That means I had, well, one. Two if you count balm. Sky, falling, etc.

The same nice person who gifted me MAC Flamingo also gifted me MAC Creme in Your Coffee.

MAC Creme in Your CoffeeMAC Creme in your Coffee

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TonyMoly at Sephora

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It’s pretty cool to see unadulterated (well, I think they’re unadulterated – I haven’t tried them and compared them to ones from import retailers) Korean beauty products in the western market. Sure, there are weird things like snail emulsions (though not from TonyMoly as far as I know), but they have a lot of effective skincare, and perhaps even more adorable beauty products.

TonyMoly Logo

I gushed when I first learned some TonyMoly was popping up at Sephora. Now, they have a few more products in addition to the Bbo Bbo lip balms – moisture sprays, hand creams, facial sticks whose purpose I’m not entirely sure of…

TonyMoly Products at Sephora
TonyMoly Pocket Bunny Moist Mist, Peach Hand Cream, Bbo Bbo Balm

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MAC Flamingo Swatches

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Can we talk about this color?

As someone who lives in a world filled with MLBBs and neutral lips, this is such a fun step outside of my usual. I was wanting to give MAC Flamingo a shot for awhile and was lucky enough to receive it from a recent gift exchange held by a makeup community I am involved in (thank you again, R!)

I love it.

MAC Flamingo - BulletMAC Flamingo

MAC Flamingo is one of MAC’s lustre finish lipsticks – which is surprising when you see the single-swipe swatch below. The coral-ish pink is on the lighter side, but I do not believe it is light enough to wash anyone out, regardless of skintone. MAC Flamingo is a really nice spring-and-summer color, very nice for everyday wear.

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Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked

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Last Friday I launched a giveaway for an Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Liner and Revolution Lipstick in Naked. If you haven’t entered, yet, go do so – entries close April 3!

The Ultimate Pair - Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and 24/7 Lip Liner in Naked

I mentioned in my February Favorites that I was really loving the Revolution Lipstick in Naked – so when I was planning the Vernal Equinox Giveaway, I decided to pick up one of the sets for myself. Exclusive to Ulta, the Ultimate Pair set from Urban Decay features a 24/7 Lip Liner Pencil and a Revolution Lipstick in Naked. They also offer a red version with shades 69 and F-Bomb, respectively.

The Ultimate Pair - Revolution Lipstick in Naked

The value of this set is unbelievable – $26 for both the full-sized lipstick (regularly $22) and lip liner (regularly $19). I was originally planning on a self-imposed no-buy for myself for March, but this was too good of a deal on something I already really wanted, having the wee version of it.

The Ultimate Pair - Lipstick in Naked

I own wee versions of the Revolution Lipstick in Naked and, courtesy a friend, Catfight. Given that, I already knew the formula was nothing short of amazing. Being simultaneously creamy and long-lasting is no small feat, but these lipsticks feel great and don’t need to be reapplied frequently – and it isn’t just because this is a, “user-friendly,” whose wear is naturally less noticeable; hot-pink Catfight holds its weight in the longevity arena without looking prematurely worn.

Revolution Lipstick in NakedUrban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked

Packaging

The Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked is the first full-sized tube I have from the line. When I unboxed it, I was pleasantly surprised at the weight of the tube – to me, heavier-weight packaging feels sturdier and slightly more luxe. I’ve talked about packaging before – heavier, sturdier package make me feel like my product is safer.

Color & Finish

This warm-ish mid-tone pink that has a creamy, almost-but-not-quite glossy finish. It catches light nicely without looking wet. I find it very flattering on my light, neutral-to-warm skin (NC15-NC20ish in MAC at the moment). It gives you a pretty, polished look without screaming for attention. It’s pretty much appropriate for anything life might throw at you…with the exception, perhaps, of a Rocky Horror reenactment.

Wear & Longevity

On me, applied after I’ve fiendishly consumed my morning coffee or tea, I find that Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked wears for about 3-4 hours before needing to be touched up, persisting even through drinking water. Wear is described without the 24/7 liner that came in the set. I’m not crazy about liner for lighter, neutral lipsticks like this, so I’m still trying to figure out how I like it best.

The Bottom Line

From the two shades I’ve tried the formula seems consistent in terms of application and feel once its on. From reading, I discovered that longevity wasn’t quite the same throughout, but you’ll have that with different levels of pigmentation. The quality, overall, is absolutely there and if you’re in the market for a fantastic lipstick, I recommend (any) of these. Personally, I still struggle with the idea of paying $22 for a single lipstick – MAC at $16 is the high end of, “I’m OK with this,” for me but this lipstick is really good. Since I was able to get it and the liner for $26 as part of The Ultimate Pair set, it was easier to deal with. I would still hesitate to pay full price for another lipstick by itself even though they are crazy good… Instead, I’d opt to wait for a 20% at UrbanDecay.com, or using Ulta points for a discount, or the semi-annual VIB sale at Sephora.