NOTW: Showgirl

To get in the holiday's spirit, I decided to slap on some sparkly red on the nails. A look that you can never go wrong with!

Ciaté - Showgirl

In the picture above I'm wearing Showgirl from Ciaté's Passionista collection.
This is a reddish pink polish with pink and purple micro glitters all over it. If there's one polish I own that screams Christmas it's definitely this one. 

The formula from Ciaté's polishes apply like jelly. I happen to like it, or let me put it this way: I can work with them. Some people I know love Ciaté's colors but dislike the formula.

I've applied 2 coats of Showgirl to make it look flawless, but most Ciaté's need 2 coats in my opinion.

And let us just take a moment of silence to admire the cuteness of the bottle :)
It looks gorgeous, fancy, expensive and cute thanks to the little bow they've put on the front of the polish.

Unfortunately Ciaté isn't easy accessible for those nail polish lovers out there who live in Belgium unless you order them online. I bought mine in a drugstore in the Netherlands.

Next time I'm trying a Ciaté, I'm picking a cream color. I have 2 glitter polishes by this brand and I was wondering whether 1 creamy color will do the job or not.

If you have a cream color by Ciaté, let me know in the comment bar below :) Is t worth the money?

NOTW: Raspberryfields Forever

Well hello!

So, I'm back with another nails of the week. I was wandering around the isles of the drugstore and I happen to came across this beautiful polish:

Catrice: 26 Raspberryfields Forever

If you've been following my NOTW's for a while, you probably know I love my drugstore polishes. Catrice is a wonderful drugstore brand that has a great variety of colors. Raspberryfields Forever is no exception.

It's a creamy polish and 1 coat will do it for a mani. It looks like a pinkish red in the bottle, but it comes out red on the nails. I was looking for a pinkish red, but I guess a girl can never have too many red polishes in their collection :p

I did notice that the Raspberryfields Forever can be a dupe for Essie's She's Pampered: a true red. 
You might say a red is a red, there ain't no difference in them. But there are SO many different kinds of red: orange red, pinkish red, true red, dark red, ...

What do you think of this classic look?

Battle of the red tinted lip balms

Hi girls!
Remember my blog post on 'battle of the eyeliners'? If you haven't seen it yet, give it a reed here :) Well, since I've bought a gazillion tinted lip balms the past couple of months, I thought I'd do a comparison of all the red tinted lip balms I have.

I have 7 contestants who are ready to take on each other. Are y'all ready? GO!
Here's the overview of the lip balms. They're swatched according to the separate reviews down below. Just in case, here's the list with all the brand names:

On the left you'll see the original swatches and on the right they were all put to the test whether they'll last after swiping it away with saliva.

 

 

 

 

* NYC

* HEMA

* Korres

* Bourjois

* Maybelline

* Essence

* Canmake

 

 

 



 

Let's see how they perform: 

I didn't pay a lot for this lip balm, but I can tell you that you're definitely getting your money's worth. The color pay off is quite stunning and has a very sweet scent to it. The packaging is okay, it's clear that this is meant for teenage girls who like cute stuff. When it was it put up to the saliva test this was actually the only lip balm that didn't even smear a little bit. Next to the packaging and the pigmentation, it doesn't dry out the lips after wearing off. Yes, it wears off, after a 4 hours and after having a meal. Nonetheless, for a drugstore lip balm, this is not bad at all. 7,5/10


NYC Applelicious: Big Apple Red

HEMA is a Dutch drugstore and I've seen this lying on the shelves. I thought it was interesting in how the drugstore's version would work. This is a the crayon type of lip balm and I really like these types. It makes the application just that tad more fun. These are not as hydrating as I want them to be, but they'll be okay if you apply a clear lip balm underneath. They do have a some what vanilla scent to them. Unfortunately they do wear off after an hour or so, so don't expect to last for the entire night. Very affordable but worthy a 5/10

HEMA: red

Yes, I already admitted I'm a lip junkie. And no lip balm collection would be complete without ONE high end one. I splurged on a Korres lip balm because I heard such good things on it.
I used to love those little pots where you had to dig in with your finger to get product out. Until I learned about hygiene in the beauty department and I switched to stick forms very quickly. But that doesn't take away my love for those little pots. If the product is good, I'll try it. And man oh man, am I glad I purchased this. This is hydrating, lasts long and gives a great color pay off. They have a slight scent to them, but nothing too much. If only these came out in a stick form. You're probably going to say: Lily, you're not kept up to date well? They do exist. I know! BUT, they don't have the same formula :( They're simply not as good as the pot versions. If this would have some UV protection, this would have been my HG. A well deserved 9/10

Korres lip butter: Pomegranate

You know I love me some drugstore goodies. When the crayons by Bourjois came out, I had no clue how they performed. I got myself one and ended up buying 2 more. That says it all, right? I love the color pay off, they're very well pigmented but they're not lipstick va va voom. They have SPF, wear long on me, has a subtle sweet scent and are surprisingly very hydrating. You see in the saliva test that the Bourjois lip balm actually stained the back of my hand a little bit more than the others. Hands down, my favorite product by Bourjois this year. 9,5/10

 

Bourjois Color Boost: Red Sunrise

For all those Baby Lips fans out there, I got your back! They finally came to Europe and we've waited a long time for them! I do own some Asian Baby Lips as well, but they don't carry the pigmented versions...boo! Luckily Belgium got the opportunity to dispatch them as well and I'm sure a lot of European lips are smiling their teeth off :) These Baby Lips are worth the hype: hydrating, longwearing, good color pay off and are strongly sweet scented. The only thing I wish I could check off as well is a UV-protection. They're very affordable and I have these lying around my bed just in case my lips decide to chap. Good stuff! 9/10

Maybelline Baby Lips: Cherry Me

One of the most affordable lip balms I own are the ones by Essence. But don't judge a book by its cover! This lip balm makes sure your lips stay hydrated with the desired color on them.  No SPF and slightly sweet scented, but worth a 8,5/10

Essence Glow Tinted Lip Balm: 01 Light Up!

And last but not least, the Stay On Balm Rouge by Canmake. This moisturizing lip balm gives your lips the most natural red you have seen. I love color, but I still prefer natural looks over over-the-top looks. This lip balm has a great color pigmentation. As longevity, this actually stayed on my lips after eating. It wasn't until I wiped my lips that the color came off. And another plus? This actually has an SPF protection. So no worries, Canmake to the rescue! 9,5/10

Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge

Drugstore or not, they're all quite good. For those who want to step out of their clear box but are afraid of bold lipsticks, try the tinted lip balms. I like how you can build up the color by applying a light coat or you can go over it 3 to 4 times to make it pop.

Top 3:

3. Korres lip butter
2. Bourjois Color Boost
1. Canmake Stay On Balm Rouge

And Canmake has won the battle! I know I gave both Canmake and Bourjois the same points, but the winner beat at the packaging department. This Korean brand is known for its cute packaging. Bourjois is stepping up their game with their latest beauty goodies, so hopefully they'll keep up the good work. And Korres can join the top 3. This lip butter goes on smoothly, but for hygienic reasons it didn't take the crown.

Hope you all enjoyed this article! But do tell me, what's your favorite tinted lip balm? :)

NOTW: Raspberryfields Forever ft. Showgirl

And the nail of the week is ...

Catrice: Raspberryfields Forever - Ciaté: Showgirl

A while back I purchased a a red drugstore polish called Raspberryfields Forever. It's a plain red that applies opaque after 1 coat. To spice things up I added Ciaté's Showgirl on top of it. This is a beautiful quite sheer red with pink and purple flex to it. This made the look just that little bit fancier.

Catrice:
This polish applies opaque with 1 coat. It's creamy, cheap and gorgeous.

Ciaté:
Because this is abit sheer, I prefer to apply this on top of another color. When I only applied Ciaté to my nails this is pretty as well, but several coats are definitely needed to avoid seeing my nail beds under the polish.
Ciaté's polishes are a little bit more expensive, they're right in the middle between drugstore and high end, to me that is.
Remark: Not all Ciaté's polishes are this sheer, there are other beautiful creamy polishes that apply opaque with just one coat.

I decided to top Ciaté on my Catrice because I wanted to achieve a pinkish red. Mission accomplished :)

NOTW: That's Berry Darling

Yes yes yes, I have another NOTW ready for you readers!

Let me introduce to you a gorgeous polish:

OPI: That's Berry Darling

I don't own a lot of OPI's, but this is one of my favorite polishes from the brand. It has a creamy texture and is opaque with 2 coats. The polish is a dark pink, almost pinkish red.

I'm a huge fan of natural and pastel colors, but every now and then I love to slap me on a sexy color. This is a great transition to a red, of you're not confident enough to wear a bright red.

A great color that has convinced me to step over to the colorful world of OPI :)

Review Bourjois Color Boost

Yes, you're right. I'm back again with another post on lip blabber :)

As you all know I'm always on the hunt for a good lippy, and this month I discovered a Bourjois lip balm, but not just any, no no ... it's a lipstick that comes in one of those crayon forms. You know that a lot of brands have come out with their tinted lip balms such as Clinique's Chubby Sticks and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. Well, Bourjois has come out with their version of it. They're called the Bourjois Color Boost and they've launched 4 colors: 01 Red Sunrise, 02 Fuchsia Libre, 03 Orange Punch and 04 Peach on the Beach.
Red Sunrise is a watermelon color which is a pinkish red. Perfect for those who are afraid of using a bright red on their lips. This is a great color to start your way to a red lipstick.
Fuchsia Libre is a cool toned pink. I don't think this color would suit me since I have a yellow undertone, but I'm sure this color would suit those with a more pinkish undertone.
Orange Punch is a color that appeals to me. Don't let the name fool you, it's not a true orange lipstick, it's more of a peachy pink color.
And then we have Peach on the Beach, a coral color that's very light and wearable. I think this is a great color because it's noticeable that you're wearing color on your lips, but it's not too much color.

Below you'll find 3 of the 4 colors: Red Sunrise, Orange Punch and Peach on the Beach:

Bourjois Color Boost: 01 Red Sunrise, 03 Orange Punch, 04 Peach on the Beach

Top down swatches 01, 03, 04

They're very easy to apply thanks to their creamy texture. It has a good enough pigmentation and it leaves a glossy finish on the lips. A plus? The crayon makes it more fun for you to draw it onto the lips since it's just a big, fat pencil :)

There aren't really downsides, but I do have to contradict what they claim.
It says to stay for 10h. I've eaten and drank with this lip balm and the glossy finish goes away like most lipsticks do. I'd say this will stay on the lips for about 5h.
It also says on the crayon to be a lipstick. I think it's more of a crossing of a lip balm and a lip stain. It applies as smooth as a lip balm and after half a day you can still see a hint of color on your lips.

Honestly I only have good thing to say about this collection:

• they have cute colors
• they're cheap
• they're creamy and don't dry out your lips
• they have SPF 15

The Clinique Chubby sticks are quite expensive, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains aren't easy accessible in Belgium, so I'm a very happy lad to say that these drugstore lippies are one of my favorite products this summer. Great crayons to add to my make up collection I'd say! :)

NOTW: She's Pampered

Here I am with another NOTW!

I'm sure everyone agrees that red is THE holidays' nail polish color. Hence my choice for an Essie's red:

Essie: She's Pampered

She's Pampered is an indulgent (as they say on their website) red and makes part of the 2012 Winter Collection.

This polish is a cool toned pink based red and applies smooth as a baby's but :)
It would be ideal to apply 2 coats, but I only put on 1 coat in the picture above.

I must admit that Essie chips quite easily on me, so it's a bit disappointing that I pay that much money (Essie is in the average price range in Belgium). Nevertheless, I love the cream formula and how opaque Essie colors can be. Not to mention that Essie is known for their DBP, toluene and formaldehyde free formula, yay!

I only buy Essie if I'm totally in love with the color.
And this color is a true holiday color :)

NOTW: Bourjois no16

Hi there!

A bit late with posting my picture up, but here's the color I've been wearing this week.

It's a gorgeous red with gold sparkles in it. It reminds me of Chanel's distraction because of the texture and subtle sparkles in it. This is definitely one of my favorite reds out there!

Here's a picture of the beautiful red by day.

Bourjois no16

And here's on took after wearing this for almost a week, by night.
You can see it has chipped around the cuticles, but overall... not bad at all!

Bourjois no16

The Bourjois polishes are pretty much available everywhere since they're a drugstore brand. Honestly, I've tried high end that can't last longer than this baby!

Without a doubt, for those red polish lovers, give this one a try! :)