Rose Buds or Thorns: New at the Drugstore!
This time on Rose Buds or Thorns, we’re going to be looking at a few new products at the drugstore. If you’re anything like me, the endcaps of aisles in places like Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS, and Target suck you in almost like you’re magnetized to the area. All the shiny new displaced with their (mostly) untouched products call to me unlike any other. I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed, but a lot of drugstores like the Rite Aids and Walgreens of the world are now supplying customers with a tester that allows you to test the product before committing to the purchase. For sanitary reasons, never put these on your face, but go crazy with swatching your hand or your wrist to see how they’d work for you. Over the past two weeks, I’ve accumulated an unnecessary amount of new stuff that I can’t wait to talk about with you guys! This week’s spotlight is on Revlon’s Photoready SkinLights, e.l.f’s Studio HD Blush, and a surprise appearance by Maybelline’s new Color Elixir balm gloss.
Revlon’s PhotoReady Skinlights Face Illuminator boasts that it can help you achieve a healthy glow in any light. Available in Bare Light, Pink Light, Peach Light, and Bronze Light, the Skinlights are not intended to be used as a foundation, but can be used as a highlighter or, as I did in my case, a mix in with my current foundation (Covergirl 3-in-1 in Classic Ivory). I purchased the Bare Light, and as you can see, even bare is much different from my natural skin tone. It is slick to the touch and not at all the same consistency as my foundation.
Here it is mixed in with my regular foundation. It’s easy to see the difference between the Skinlights and my foundation, but when I mixed them, I barely could notice a change in the actual color. Revlon says this should “banish dullness and even out skintone.”
As you can see, it definitely did even out my skin tone and it’s a perfect match for my face and neck. Do I think that it gave me a glow that would compare to a particular kind of light? No. I think they’re going in the direction of Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Power, but the execution is different and the result cannot be compared. It is nice, but I will most likely not purchase for the $12.99 price tag.
elf HD Studio Blush is not necessarily new to the drugstore, but it’s a product that I wanted to include because there was a lot of buzz around it and the color I was looking was in stock. The website explains that, “Rich and creamy HD Blush naturally sculpts and highlights the cheekbones for a soft-focus effect that is great for everyday use. The Vitamin E enriched formula conditions and hydrates the skin for a healthy, radiant glow. Velvety soft, lightweight and highly pigmented color creates a long-lasting result for all day wear.”
I put THE smallest amount on my hand. Not even a pea’s size, and the pigmentation is incredible. I could easily blend that out to cover my entire hand if I chose to do so. Unsure how to apply this type of blush, I took a stippling brush, feathered some out that was on my hand, and applied to my cheeks.
WOW. I am SO impressed. I love that the pink is the perfect shade for my fair skin, that it doesn’t look clownish, AND it blends BEAUTIFULLY. I used the amount on my hand for both cheeks, and still had some to spare. For $3 dollars on the eyeslipsface website, this is a HUGE Rose Bud. This product is not available in stores YET, but get your hands on it if you can. Amazing.
As I finished putting on my makeup, I realized that I had a lipcolor from the drugstore that I had yet to try out and was sitting in my “box o’ things to review” so I figured I would use that opportunity now!
The Maybelline Color Elixirs are a lipgloss that has balm-like properties. The tube itself looks like a lipstick, and the upside of this is that it allows you to see the color for what it is and not the stickers or caps that are the “almost” color. On my hand, it went on very smoothly with a doefoot applicator. I loved the color, but the true test is the lips!
Wow! I like it a lot. It is the color that appears in the tube, as it should be. I will say that this is not necessarily long wearing. I was gone for about an hour and the color began to fade from the pinky mauve you see to a more “my lips but better” color although the gloss stayed in tact. I found that to be very strange, but overall, the color is moisturizing and not heavy or tacky on the lips. Retailing for around $7-8 dollars, I think it’s worth the buy if you’re looking for an alternative to lipgloss. I am, however, a little disappointed in the color range. This was the only shade that really appealed to me.
Tada! There’s the finish look. I’m already around 7 hours in and the luminizer, eyeliner, and blush have all held up the test of the Pittsburgh winter. I have had to reapply the Maybelline Color Elixir, but that’s to be suspected. In the end, I would repurchase the blush and the lipgloss, but skip on the luminizer and the eyeliner if it came down to repurchasing. What’s your favorite new product available at the drugstore? What would you like to see reviewed? Let me know in the comments!
