Mini Review: Revlon ColorStay Moisture Balm in London Posh

TL;DR: I like the shimmery beige-peach color, but the texture is a bit heavier and slightly stickier than Japanese products like Coffret D'Or Bright Up Rouge or Shiseido Lacquer Rouge.

Revlon ColorStay Moisture Balm (color: London Posh)

Still, it's much cheaper than those options. I probably won't re-purchase or try other colors unless the texture grows on me; I will say they do have many pretty options in this line. However, I prefer lipsticks these days anyway, so this isn't a type of product that I need.

Swatches: left: Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick (color: Naughty Nude); right: Revlon ColorStay Moisture Balm (color: London Posh)

Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick in 700 Naughty Nude

TL;DR: thumbs up if you find a color that you like, and don't mind layering up with balm.

Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick (color: Naughty Nude)

I like the soft floral scent; it fades after a while. The lipstick is easy to apply and feels nice, but after a few minutes it starts feeling dry. I can see why people like applying a balm first. The plastic packaging feels nice and solid. Not cheap like the Revlon Lip Butters.

Swatches: Left: Rimmel The Only 1 Lipstick (color: Naughty Nude); right: Revlon ColorStay Moisture Balm (color: London Posh)

I'd like to try some paler shades, as this one turns a strong rose on my pigmented lips, but it doesn't look like they have any paler options in the U.S. market. As I already have enough bright lipsticks, I guess this is my one foray into the line for now. Maybe when I use up one of my red lippies. That's unlikely to happen for years, sadly.

Mini Review: Badger Sport Broad Spectrum SPF 35 Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Cream

This sunscreen has 22.5% non-nano un-coated zinc oxide.

Sadly, while this is effective protection and is supposedly ocean-friendly, the super thick texture - thicker than Neutrogena's popular Drytouch sunscreen - makes it a pain to apply. I'll be happy when I finally use up this tube.

Mini Review: Kai 119 metal nail file and Ducato ceramic nail file

Thumbs up on the Kai 119 nail file - it's quite strong and makes it very fast to file my nails.

Thumbs down on the Ducato ceramic nail file - it has gotten quite dull with regular use and is no use anymore; I think I'll have to toss it.

Really enjoying JoJo's new song "F*** Apologies"

Mini Review: FRESH Tinted Lip Balm: Fig

Love the color! A plummy brown color with silver shimmer.
There is a slight scratchiness to the formula - probably because of the shimmer. The scratchiness does get annoying after a while, even though the formula is still nicely emollient. I will enjoy using this mini size up but the next time I purchase I'll try the Berry shade for color and less scratchiness.
Packaging is great but you're paying for that with this pricy product.

Mini Review: Lafco New York bar soap in Chamomile Lavender

Lafco New York bar soap in Chamomile Lavender smells amazing, but I find Pre de Provence soaps and Portuguese soaps like Castelbel more moisturizing and far better value for the money. I won't be repurchasing this soap, despite the wonderful scent.

Mini Review: Puma Socks, Santigold - Chasing Shadows

I got some low profile black Puma socks, but they slide off my heels. The Nike socks fit better, although they pill and fade after a while.

Santigold - Chasing Shadows:

Integrate Snipe Gel Liner Mini Review

Shiseido INTEGRATE Snipe Gel Liner
I'm a fan of the Kira Wink Liner also from INTEGRATE, but this Snipe Liner is not as smooth and easy to blend - maybe because it's waterproof.  The color is pretty but I find it hard to use - I hate the little bits of liner that don't stick to my skin and are really hard to clean up.

Mini Review: Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen Black Noir

While I like the other pixi pencils, this one never fails to smudge on my monolids.  Ugh, cannot use.

Mini Review: BareMinerals Lash Domination

Love the brush!  It coats lashes and separates them nicely.  But what's the point of a formula that smears?  Is there a waterproof version of this?

Mini Review: The Little Book of Perfumes

The Little Book of Perfumes by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez is a subset of their opus PERFUMES The A–Z Guide, and a very entertaining book that will make you want to go out and sniff all of the perfumes they talk about.

Dangerous, dangerous book.  A handy size, easily digestible; it would make a nice gift for the budding perfume fan.

Mini Review: LeSportSac Miranda bag

Last year I bought a Miranda-style bag from LeSportSac.  It's a nice bag with some convenient pockets, but I find that it's not deep enough for my purposes.  It's always overflowing, and as it only has a snap closure, I am often liable to lose something.  Also, it has snaps for narrowing the sides a bit, but the snaps are a tad loose, so they unsnap quite easily.  Perhaps my penchant for carrying a bottle of water is not suited?

Conclusion: I really need purses that zip close.

Watsons Green Tea moist towelettes

Smell amazing!  Buy them if you see them (China, Taiwan...)!  I bought a bunch but since I don't have a Watsons locally, I have a bad habit of hoarding them...

Disclaimer: I adore tea scents.  Black tea, green tea, white tea, etc.

Kuumba International Green Tea Incense

The green tea incense by Kuumba International (A division of Traveling Book Nook) smells amazing in the stick, but when burning it's not quite as nice.  Such a pity.
I like the Aomori Hiba Incense 青森ひば線香 much better, and it's a much better value (you can also find it on Amazon).

Steam Cream

Steam Cream has a light, lovely texture that seems to absorb well, and I enjoy the lavender scent.
I'm not sure it's worth 1600 yen though - it's lovely to receive as a gift but I'm not sure it's affordable as a body cream that I'd purchase for myself.  This was a gift from a lovely friend.

Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain - Crush

Have to say, I really enjoy the minty scent to these Balm Stains, and Crush is a lovely wine color on me!  It's definitely a bit more flattering than Rendezvous - which is a fun bright orange.

Next, I want Romantic.  Probably a more sensible formula for me than the Colorstay Moisture Stains which require a little more care to apply.  Anyway, I'll wear this for a while and see.  I am supposed to be on a no-buy...

Update: okay, so Crush leans a bit too purple-y for my taste - it's more of a bright color than a refined wine.  Still, I enjoy the minty formula, so I'll probably give Romantic and maybe Adore a try?  I have a feeling Adore will be too strong for me, and since I already have a lot of good reds, I should lay off it.  I do like brick red colors though!

No-buy?  What no-buy? *shifty eyes*

wishlist

My current wishlist:

• Laura Mercier Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour Quartet $38.00
• CLINIQUE Airbrush Concealer Illuminates, Perfects $20.00

I've read good things about both products.  However, considering the amount of makeup I currently have, and the things I've already bought this year, I will wait till next year, when I might be able to justify the purchases a bit better (hopefully).

In some mini-reviews:

• Gud Softening Conditioner in Red Ruby Groovy by Burt's Bees: meh.  I don't find it particularly conditioning, and the scent gets old pretty quickly.
• Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Mint Body Scrub: meh.  It is emollient, but that renders the scrubby bits rather ineffective - especially on wet skin.  It smells nice, but I basically use it as an emollient body wash.

Won't repurchase either product.

mini review: Heroine Make Mascara Volume & Curl

The big brush is a bit unwieldy, I find it difficult to apply without clumping.  It certainly holds a curl though.  Heroine Make mascaras are popular, but they just don't seem to work to my taste.  I suppose I prefer formulas that are less clumpy.

mini-review: Natina light B.B Cream

Natina BB cream by Hangangsoo - a bit too pale for me to wear easily, although the texture is easy to spread.  Not much coverage either.

mini review: Freshel W Cream UV

Freshel White C W Cream UV SPF 32 PA++ has a nice texture.  No coverage, and it seems to emphasize any dry spots that I have, despite the nice light cream texture.  I should try to use this up during the summer when my skin is a lot more oily.  Right now, it takes too much effort to use.