New Revlon Blushes...Hot or Not?

I was at Rite Aid over the weekend and spotted a display of new Revlon blushes. It had the new Insta-Blush sticks as well as the Revlon Powder Blush in "new multifaceted finishes". If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know I wasn't impressed with the Insta-Blush sticks...they barely showed up on my cheeks (I tried three different shades) and when I tried to blend them, they just blended away. Not to mention they were around twelve dollars each so I promptly returned them. 

Are the powder blushes any better? Let's take a look...

Here's the Scoop on the New Revlon PhotoReady Contour & Highlight Duo

A few weeks ago, I spotted the new Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Contour & Highlight Duos at Bed, Bath & Beyond and I had so many questions! 

Is this the same Insta-Fix foundation stick from 2015? 

If so, why are they putting a foundation stick in a box and calling it a contouring product?

I already have the foundation stick, why do I have to buy that again just to get the highlighting stick? 

Not to mention the price...$16.99 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond means that this will likely be a few bucks more at drugstores. I understand that you're getting two products, but I had a hard time spending that amount of money for one product I already had. It felt like paying $17 for a drugstore highlighter. Still, I was so curious about the whole thing, I picked up the lightest shade combination, which is Fair (there are 6 shades total...see my original post here for photos of the display). 

The three lightest shades (Fair, Light, & Light Medium) come with a pearly pink highlighting stick, while the three deeper shades (Medium, Medium Deep, and Deep) come with a bronzy gold highlighter.

Once I opened the package and looked at everything, my questions were (mostly) answered. It turns out that the Insta-Fix foundation stick they included in the Fair duo is actually more of a medium shade...#140 Nude. Here it is next to the original Insta-Fix stick I purchased in the shade #130 Shell (the third lightest shade in the range).

So basically, when you purchase one of these kits, you're going to get a foundation stick that's darker than the shade name on the outside of the kit. That's where the "contouring" aspect comes in. I'm not sure how I feel about it...I'm glad that they included a darker shade to contour with (that makes a lot more sense now), but it's also disappointing that it's not an actual contour stick. It feels kind of like getting jipped that it's just a repackaged Insta-Fix foundation.

Here's what the shades look like on my skin...the foundation stick in Nude #140 is a couple of shades darker than my skin tone and the highlighting stick is pretty, but kind of underwhelming at the same time. I feel like I have a few that are just like this one. It feels creamy and blendable, but again it's a similar formula to others that I already have.

Overall, if you're looking for a drugstore highlighting stick (which is what I was most interested in), there are more affordable options than buying this kit. This particular highlighter isn't unique enough to warrant spending $17 (unless you really want to use both products). 

If you're just looking for a drugstore cream highlighter and don't want to purchase this whole kit, I would recommend picking up the Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Highlighter Stick (there's a pink and a gold shade) or the Flower Glisten Up! Highlighter Chubby (one of my faves!) Or, if you're willing to buy online, the L.A. Girl Velvet Contour Sticks have a few highlighter options that are only $5. 

What are your thoughts? Do you think it was a good idea for Revlon to create these kits?

Revlon Eyes, Cheeks + Lips Palette | Spotted at Bed Bath Beyond

The new Revlon Eyes, Cheeks + Lips palettes have arrived at Bed, Bath and Beyond, after launching at Ulta.com a few weeks ago, so I'm guessing we'll see these in drugstores very soon.

I'm not sure how much they were since there was no price on the display, but they're $17.99 at Ulta (BBB is usually a few dollars cheaper than other stores), which is a little steep for a drugstore palette. I remember how expensive the Not Just Nudes eyeshadow palettes were and I was really disappointed in the lack of pigmentation in those so I decided I won't be buying these unless I see some positive reviews.

Another thing that gives me pause about these palettes is that they've combined powder and cream products together which is one of my biggest makeup pet peeves ever. No one wants crumbly bits of powder in their lip products, but for some reason, companies keep making this type of palette! It's great to have everything all in one, but the only way it works is to have the lip products separate somehow.

Those complaints aside though, these palettes look really pretty. There are three different shade combinations: Romantic Nudes, Seductive Smokies, and Berries in Love.

Here are some close-ups:

What do you think? Will you take the plunge and try one of the new Revlon Eyes, Cheeks + Lips palettes, or will you be passing on them?

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Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Contouring & Highlighting Duo | Spotted!

I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond today and spotted the new Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Contouring & Highlighting Duos ($16.99). The include the Insta-Fix foundation stick (which launched back in 2014) and a brand new Insta-Fix Highlighting Stick.

There are six foundation choices and two different highlighters...a pink one that goes with the three lightest foundation shades, and a bronzy gold highlight that goes with the deeper three shades. I'm not exactly sure why they're called contouring and highlighting duos because the foundation sticks are just the regular existing foundation shades and not deeper contour colors.

The foundation shades that include the pink highlighter are Fair, Light, and Light Medium...

...and the three shades with the golden bronze highlighter are Medium, Medium Deep, and Deep.

Here's a closer look at the Fair shade with the pink highlighter (I bought this one to try):

Here's the Medium shade with the bronzy gold highlighter:

Here are some packaging shots (notice that these say Limited Edition on them)...

My son was busy re-arranging the new Revlon palettes (a post is coming on those too) while I took pictures :) I had to put them all back when I was done but at least it kept him entertained!

Since these duos are Limited Editon, I'm hoping that Revlon comes out with these highlighters by themselves because $16.99 is kind of steep...especially if you don't need both products. I still have some of my Insta-Fix foundation left from before and really didn't need another one. Still, I bought this set because I really wanted to try that highlighter!  I'm guessing Revlon thought a lot of people would feel the same way and this would be a good way to get them to try the Insta-Fix foundation if they haven't done so yet.

I really do like the Insta-Fix foundation so I have high hopes for the highlighter. Thankfully, I was able to use a $5 Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon on this so it brought the price down to $11.99...not too bad for two products!

Are you interested in trying this duo?

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Revlon Colorstay Foundation Now Has a Pump...Hallelujah!

Photo: Budget Beauty Blog Reader Shannon

Thank you so much to reader Shannon for this heads up! She recently noticed that Revlon Colorstay foundation now comes with a pump. I know this used to be a holy grail drugstore foundation for a lot of you and one major complaint I hear is the lack of a pump on the bottle. Also, the formula was changed in 2013 which was also a big disappointment for a lot of people...they removed the SPF, the finish changed and it took on a funky paint-like smell.

Well guess what? Shannon tells me that the old coverage is back, SPF and all! And no more paint smell...yesss!

She sent me a few pictures of the new pump bottle...they're a little taller than the old ones and she said they're mixed in with the old ones at stores in her town (she's in Indiana).

Revlon Colorstay 2-in-1 Compact Makeup & Concealer Review

I recently spotted the new Revlon Colorstay 2-in-1 Compact Makeup & Concealer at Bed, Bath and Beyond and I've been using it for about a week now so I wanted to do a review/first impression for you guys. I'm not usually a fan of compact makeup, as I've found it to feel very thick and mask-like on my face, but I'm happy to report that this isn't like that at all! So keep on reading to find out all the details...

Revlon Not Just Nudes Eyeshadow Palette Review & Swatches

Last week, I spotted the new Revlon Colorstay Not Just Nudes palettes at Walgreens ($14.99 each) and even though I'm not usually a fan of Revlon eyeshadows, I grabbed them both because I knew you guys would probably have questions about these and would be interested to know what they're like. These come in two shades...01 Passionate Nudes, which has warmer tans, browns, gold and bronze and 02 Romantic Nudes, which has cooler browns, pinks, purples and grays. 

In general, drugstore eyeshadow palettes have been largely disappointing for me (although the L'oreal La Palette Nudes were the best of the bunch) so I tend to just bite the bullet and buy more expensive ones, and I also look to drugstore alternative brands like City Color, L.A. Girl and Profusion because they're even less expensive than the drugstore and the quality is top-notch. 

But that doesn't stop me from wishing that the next drugstore palette will be great, because for the sake of convenience, it would be an amazing thing to just walk into Walgreens, CVS or Rite Aid and pick up a great eyeshadow palette. So keep on reading to see if these new palettes finally get it right! 

Spotted: New Revlon Mascara Bar

Today while I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond, I saw a brand new Revlon display with 5 brand new mascaras! When I reviewed the Ultimate All-in-One formula a few weeks ago, I had no idea that there would be 4 more formulas! The original display I saw at Rite Aid only had that one, so it's pretty interesting to see even more showing up in stores.  Let's take a look at what these claim to do, plus I'll show you what these look like on an actual person!

Spotted: NEW Revlon Colorstay 2-in-1 Compact Makeup and Concealer

Happy Halloween, I hope you guys are having a great day! I was at Bed, Bath & Beyond this morning and spotted this new Revlon Colorstay 2-in-1 Compact Makeup & Concealer. I absolutely love Revlon foundations, I've always had good luck with them, especially the Colorstay line, so I have high hopes for this one. Let's take a look...

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipcolor Review & Swatches

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Liquid Lipcolor ($9.49 at Rite Aid) is a brand new release from Revlon that's been showing up in stores the past week or so, and since I've always had good luck with their lip products, I decided to give them a try. I actually got them on sale for $5.69 with my Rite Aid Card, but I feel like the original price is kind of steep for a drugstore lip product, right? I don't know...I just feel like the drugstore brands are starting to creep up into the next price category lately. 

Anyway, you guys probably know how I feel about matte lipcolor...we just don't get along at all. I have naturally dry lips that tend to show lines easily and when you combine that with a drying matte formula, it looks pretty darn terrible...my lips get all prune-y and shriveled looking like I'm 80 years old. But I'm always on the hunt for a more moisturizing matte formula and based on the claims for these, I figured it was worth a shot. Let's take a closer look...

Revlon Ultimate All-in-One Mascara Review

Last week while I was at Rite Aid, I spotted the Revlon Ultimate All-in-One Mascara and since I'm a total mascara junkie, I bought one to review! It was marked at $9.99 but I realized later when I looked at my receipt that it rang up ay $6 and change. I don't remember seeing any sale signs, so I'm not sure what the promotion was, whether it was just on sale or if you had to use your Rite Aid discount card. But anyway, I've had really good luck with Revlon mascaras in the past, so let's see how this one worked out...

Revlon Ultimate All-in-One Mascara

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor Spotted in Stores

The new Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolors are finally hitting drugstores! I've been waiting for these since August when I shared a sneak peek with you guys and they're finally here! I haven't personally seen them yet, but they're popping up in my Instagram feed so I wanted to share some photos with you! 

This first photo is from @huyenmnguyen on Instagram and she spotted them at her local HEB (a Texas chain of grocery stores). 

Next up is a display pic from @drugstoredreamer on Instagram so you'll know what it looks like. There are six shades and the display says that these are a 100% wax-free gel formula. That lines up with what I've been hearing about these, which is that they're not super matte on the drydown...they do have some sheen. Usually matte lippies have that powdery finish, but I can't see a gel formula having that, so it's kind of interesting. I'm actually hopeful that I can wear these because I have a lot of trouble with the powdery matte formulas accentuating dryness in my lips. Fingers crossed that these are more comfortable!

I've also heard that these are at Rite Aid, so I'll be checking there tomorrow. Has anyone out there seen or tried these yet? I'd love to know what you think!

Revlon Fall 2015 The Fiery Temptress Collection Now at Bed, Bath & Beyond

I was in Bed, Bath & Beyond earlier today and spotted the new Revlon Fall 2015 Collection so I wanted to share it with you guys. It's called The Fiery Temptress and features some new shades of existing products (no new products, sadly but it's still pretty exciting). I'm not sure if any of these are limited edition or will be added to the permanent collection, but if you find out, definitely let me know. Let's take a look!

Revlon Photoready Airbrush Effect Foundation Review and Swatches

Revlon Photoready Airbrush Effect Foundation ($10.99 at Target)  is a new release for Spring 2015 and is not to be confused with their Photoready Airbrush Mousse.  This is a new liquid formula that promises complexion perfection.  Let's take a look...

First and foremost, I love that this comes in a pump.  Seriously, all foundations should...it's so much neater and cleaner to use.  Airbrush Effect comes in 9 shades and I chose the third-lightest "Shell" even though I probably should have gone with "Vanilla" which is a shade lighter (but that one looked more yellow and I have pink undertones).

Description:
Look flawless in any light with Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush Effect™ Makeup. The makeup features a light filtering technology that delivers a poreless, airbrushed look. The Soft Focus pigments in the makeup create a flawless and luminous complexion. The Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush Effect™ Makeup protects with SPF 20 and provides Medium to Full Coverage.

Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix Review

Several weeks ago, I posted some photos from Bed, Bath and Beyond of new Revlon products that have just been released for Spring 2015. I haven't seen them in the regular drugstores just yet, but they'll probably be hitting any day now.

One of the first things I spotted that I had to get my hands on was Insta-Fix, a foundation stick from the Photoready line ($11.49).  As a new mom, I don't always have a lot the time to apply foundation at my bathroom vanity with a brush or blending sponge (mainly just on the weekends). More often than not, I'm trying to apply it quickly with my fingers in the car mirror in my driveway as I'm about to go somewhere and I always keep travel sized tubes and bottles in my purse.  That's why a foundation stick is something I can definitely get behind!

The display said that this is "Multi-Use Makeup" and can be used for "all over perfection, concealing flaws, and touch ups on the go." They're formulated with super-refined pigments and unique light- filtering technology to give skin a retouched look with each use. Sounds perfect!  Let's see how it worked for me...

Revlon Photoready Prime + Anti Shine Balm Review

Revlon Photoready Prime + Anti Shine ($11.49 at Bed, Bath & Beyond) is a new balm that sounds like it could possibly be a Mally Poreless Face Defender dupe. Let's take a closer look!

It comes in a slim black case with two compartments inside...the larger one on top holds the balm and the smaller one on the bottom contains a rubber sponge.

At first look, I noticed that this balm looks white in the compact compared to Mally's Poreless Face Defender which is clear, but when I swatched it on my skin, it didn't have a white cast and also went on completely clear.

The packaging says you can use this alone to even out the skin, as a primer under makeup, or patted over makeup to keep your face looking matte and shine-free. 

Spotted! Revlon Photoready Airbrush Effect Makeup

Revlon Airbrush Effect Makeup, $11.49 is the newest addition to their Photoready line and I just spotted the display this morning at Bed Bath & Beyond. 

It claims to deliver a "flawless, luminous finish" with "light-filtering technology" and "soft focus pigments". 

It comes in 11 shades...here they are close-up:

As usual, I was so excited to see what this was like, I tested in on my hand as soon as I got in the car (because I just can't wait 10 minutes until I get home). 

My first impression is that this seems to be medium coverage and has a soft, matte finish that's not dry. That's amazing news for my dry skin! My hands, which are much drier than my face, looked smooth and even with this...it didn't settle into lines or look cakey which is amazing! I did notice some shimmer in the natural daylight though, so if that turns you off, you may not like this! 

What do you think? Will you be trying this?

Spotted! New Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix Foundation Sticks and Prime + Anti-Shine Balm

Today I spotted more new products at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, this time from Revlon! They've released a foundation stick called Insta-Fix and a clear balm called Prime + Anti Shine. Take a look...

Revlon Photoready Kajal Matte Eye Pencil Review

A few weeks ago, I spotted some new Revlon products that had popped up at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (see them here).  One of them was the new PhotoReady Kajal Matte Eye Pencil.  It comes in four shades: Black, Charcoal, Lemon, and Marine.  Since I have a bunch of black eyeliners and can't see myself sporting yellow eyeliner (or turquoise this time of year) I chose the Charcoal one.

This eye pencil comes with a built-in smudger on the other side, and it claims to be "vibrant, matte color that lasts all day".

Revlon Photoready Eye Art Review and Swatches

Revlon Eye Art, $7.99 just popped up at Bed Bath and Beyond last week, and it looked like the perfect way to get a festive holiday makeup look going. It comes in ten shades (here they are in case you missed my post from last week...

Most of the shades are pretty colorful but being the safe and boring person that I am (haha), I purchased the one all the way to the right which seemed to be the most wearable shade. It's called Topaz Twinkle and it has a bronze cream shadow on one end and a golden glitter on the other.
Actually, these might look familiar as Revlon reused the same exact packaging as those double ended  nail polishes that were a train wreck for me (so streaky and patchy!), but I won't hold it against them. ;)