Most Affordable Liquid Lipsticks in India- Miss Claire Soft Matte Lip Creams Shades 15A,17A, 08 Review & Swatches

For the whole of 2015 I wanted to get my paws on the Miss Claire Soft Matte Lip Creams as they are dupes for the NYX SMLCs, but I didn’t know where to get them. I was wary of ordering them online (through Instagram) because they were overpriced there! Finally I got them, basically, they are available in every beauty shop in Mumbai & I was totally unaware of that.

Review n Swatches - Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gradation Mauve1

If there’s one brand that keeps coming out with new collections that are super affordable, its Maybelline. Right after they launched the Fit Me! collection in India, we were rewarded with Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gradations (also known as Color Blur in US).

MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Brick-O-La

Confusion, thy name is Brick-O-La…Have you ever met a shade that you couldn’t put into any single color category? Described by MAC as a mid-tone berry, in my eyes, the color couldn’t be farther away from berry.

Review & Swatches ~ Lakmé Absolute Sculpt Hi-Definition Matte Lipstick in Mauve Fix

Lakmé Absolute Sculpt Studio Hi-Definition Matte Lipsticks launched last year and because they were priced quite reasonable I immediately picked up a shade to try out. The collection doesn’t have a good variety of shades if you’re medium-dusky skin toned and are into nudes and rosy pinks. The only shade that I was drawn to was Mauve Fix.

BRIGHT PINK LIPS ft. Revlon Vivacious Colorburst Lacquer Balm

I have reviewed the shade Tease from the Revlon Lacquer balm range earlier and today I’m going to talk about another shade I have from the range. I love the shade Tease very much... Vivacious on the other hand wasn’t a love-at-first sight color...

Pretty Color - Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bouquet Lipstick in REB07

When the Maybelline Color Sensational Rebel Bouquet Lipsticks range came out, I wasn’t interested in it at all. Firstly, I do not like the Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks; they have a very creamy formula that’s a fuss to wear. 

Purple Lipstick from the drugstore : Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Shameless

I was looking through my YouTube feed and all YouTube-gurus had come up with Valentine's day looks revolving around pink – pink eye shadow, pink blush, pink lipstick. I was like, what ? No ! How boring, uninspiring & un-original. Are you really gonna be wearing pink eye shadow and pink lipstick ?!? And why is there this pressure for Valentine ’s Day to be about wearing pink? Last I checked, the universal color for love is RED. Anyways, this trend compelled me to bring something unique to your feed– A purple lipstick.

Review : The New L'Oreal Paris Infallible Lipsticks in Tender Berry (519) and Rambling Rose (212)

Product Claims (from website):

Infallible Lip Colour is a luxurious, comfortable and long lasting lip colour. The new range has with a broad spectrum of 15 gorgeous shades, from subdued neutrals to lively, vibrant shades. It offers 24 hours of vivid, high definition colour. Colour bond technology and combination of silicon micro spheres, captures colour on the lips for upto 10 hours for the ultimate beauty experience. Vitamin E keeps your lips moist, relaxed and hydrated. The creamy, conditioning base: Allows even application without flaking or fading.

I can't believe it has taken me this long to review this range of lipsticks I've been loving since months. When the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Lipsticks launched earlier this year, I rolled my eyes at their ridiculous price...and then I grabbed one during the sale... And one more during another sale. So much for being money minded. 

L'Oreal Paris Moist Matte Lipstick in LINCOLN ROSE (R516)

Today I will be talking about one pesky lipstick. It comes in a gorgeous, metallic taupish-bronze tube that’s super shiny & reflective. The packaging alone can be enough to convince you to buy it in bulk. BUT there’s a deal breaker (sort of), read ahead to know what it is !

LINCOLN ROSE ~ It is a gorgeous red with pink undertones, it looks pink-red sometimes and when I’m out in the sun it looks orangey-red. Very confusing color I tell you! Obviously this shade is famous because of Aishwariya wearing it at Cannes last year(talk about a perennial fashion icon!) When I saw her lipstick, I’d never felt more attracted to a red color, I don’t gravitate towards reds for lips because I feel they can make me look more mature then I’d like, but due to Lincoln Rose’s pink undertones, I could tell it’s a fun red that anyone can carry off with ease. And it didn’t disappoint :)   

Pouting with the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Mad About Mauve : Musings & Swatches

Company Claims ~

For seven decades, women everywhere have indulged in the bold, luxurious shades of our most iconic lipstick. Super Lustrous™ creates unforgettably seductive lip color in four finishes — crème, matte, pearl, and shine.

My experience with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Mad About Mauve

Colorbar Matte Touch Lipsticks in Pink Romance, Feelings // The First Lipstick I Ever Purchased (Now Discontinued ??)

Sometimes we do hoard makeup and forget about the ones that are already part of our collection. One such item from my makeup vanity is the Colorbar Matte Touch lipsticks, mainly the shade Pink Romance, which is the first lipstick I ever purchased as an adult. I bought this two years ago (in May). Until then I relied on tinted lipbalms & lip glosses. Obviously, I never got around to reviewing it till today. Do you want to know the story of how I came about to purchasing it?

It was a day before my internship would begin in some large IT company. I was roaming in a mall with my sister & I was telling her how I wanted to buy a lipstick to wear to work. I was also quite nervous about the commencement of my internship so this was a way to lighten up my spirits. We both walked into the standalone Colorbar store & I told the SA that I wanted the shade ‘Bare’ from the Velvet Matte range. The SA told us that range had been discontinued & was reformulated to this range – Matte Touch. However, all the names were completely different. The SA had a sheet with her which mapped the shade names from the Velvet Matte(VM) range to the Matte Touch(MT) range & that’s how I ended up trying Pink Romance.

When I tried it at the store the SA said that it looked like a perfect MLBB on me & my sister liked it too so we decided to purchase it. I was nervous about how it would look in natural light coz the lights in the Colorbar store are all white so most shades end up suiting your skintone as it appears 3-4 shades lighter. My sister also made a purchase, she bought the lovely Rose Quartz lipstick from the Soft Touch range. My sis wanted a coral shade too and I asked the SA to map the shade ‘Peach Crush’ from the VM range to the MT range and the shade we got was none other than – Feelings. My sister tried it on & loved it, but I really didn’t like it on her so I dissuaded her from buying it; I could see that the shade wouldn’t suit her in different lighting. However, my sis went back a week later and bought the shade Feelings anyways…and she ended up disliking it so she gave it to me. Btw, I got to know the shades ‘bare’ & ‘peach crush’ from all the lovely indian beauty bloggers, so I was able to purchase & recommend them ease :)

Pink Romance has some sentimental value because it’s the first shade I purchased and it was perfect for my skintone, I was so happy it didn’t wash me out. A lot of things can go wrong when you’re buying lipsticks so make sure you check online for recommendations suiting your skin type & then only try some shades at the store. If you want to save on money, try the colors at the store & buy the ones that suit you online. This is something I’ve resorted to doing because the prices of drugstore lipsticks in India are going through the roof nowdays.

PACKAGING ~ When I sat down to write this post (initially planned as a review & not this chat/rant) I realized that the packaging of the Matte Touch range has been changed, my lipsticks have a body that’s half pink & half steel colored, whereas the new range is completely steel colored like the Soft Touch range. The older packaging is so much cuter in my opinion. I guess the lipsticks might have been reformulated too.  These two shades are still listed on the site, here and here, but I don’t know if they’ll be the same colors. I’m gonna have to visit Colorbar & compare my shades with the new Matte Touch range. The tubes have a mirror finish & can easily get dirty due to fingerprints. As you can see from the pics, the tube of Pink Romance is dirtier because I'm always popping it in my carry bag. 

PINK ROMANCE ~ The perfect MLBB shade for my skintone (NC42 in MAC). This shade is a muted pink-brown. The brown undertones don’t always show up on me. The color varies, it looks like  light pink / pink brown/ peach on me in different lights. From the lip swatches you can see how it looks on me in natural light.  It looks like a nude color, but its not a nude on me, might be so on deeper skintones.

FEELINGS ~ It’s a gorgeous reddish coral shade. In some of the swatches of it, I could see hints of pink too, but they don’t show up on me. This is one of the colors that will perk up your face. It will wash out beauties who have deeper skintones though. It suits my NC42 skintone, doesn’t wash me out.

TEXTURE ~ These Matte Touch lipsticks aren’t really ‘matte’ when applied. They look satiny, and I need to use my fingers to blot them to a matte finish. These tend to settle in lip lines :/ Pink Romance needs 1-2 swipes to become fully opaque on my pigmented lips, Feelings gives opaque finish in a single swipe. They are actually pretty comfortable on my lips, unless I’m in office AC environment, they don’t feel dry for at least 3 hours.  AC in office is more concentrated than AC in malls. Over the course of wear, they do dry out my lips. They don’t look patchy, which is a huge plus.

FRAGRANCE ~ They have a strong fragrance that lingers for sometime after applying the lipstick

WEARTIME ~ Pink Romance lasts for 3-4 hours till I need touch up & Feelings is good for 5 hrs. Pink Romance doesn’t survive meals well whereas Feelings being a brighter color manages to survive meals, the color fades just from the centre of my bottom lip. They are not transfer proof.

Pink Romance (click to zoom) 

Pink Romance swatch

Pink Romance lip swatches

Pink Romance lip swatches

Feelings (click to zoom)

Feelings swatch

Feelings lip swatches

Feelings lip swatches

PRODUCT VS PRICE ~ 

Price : Rs. 475 / $7

Qty : 4.2g /0.14 oz

Shelf Life : 3 yrs.

So the quantity you get is more than other lipsticks currently in the market. When I purchased these, they costed Rs. 500, I’m surprised that the price has reduced (instead of going up) in 2 years.

Overall Verdict: 3.9 / 5

The Colorbar Matte Touch Lipsticks are good quality lipsticks are quite budget friendly considering the prices of drugstore lipsticks currently. They need to be blotted to a matte finish, but they are not patchy & they wear well over time. The packaging is quite chic too! Pink Romance has a special place in my heart, the shade is easily dupeable though.

Let me know your first lipstick purchase & experience in the comments!

Kryolan Lipstick in LC153 Review - Paging all orange lovers!

When was the last time an inexpensive lipstick was launched in India ? The New Lakme Enrich Satin lipsticks you say, what if told you there already is an excellent range of lipsticks available for less ? Meet the Kryolan Lipstick in LC153 –a happy orange

PACKAGING ~ It comes in a boring silver bullet case with the shade number written below. If you own multiple of these lipsticks, you’ll have to spend some time searching for the one you want.

COLOR vs. SKIN TONE  ~ LC153 is a bright, bang on orange color. It will suit all skintones & covers up lip pigmentation. Since it is not a coral-orange, it will suit all Indian skin tones very well.

APPLICATION & AFTER ~ LC153 gives full color in one swipe so ladies with pigmented lips (like me) will enjoy this! The tube looks & feels dry, even while applying the lipstick feels dry but its actually a creamy formula after application. It is comfortable on the lips- that dry matte feeling is not there. The finish is lightweight. It has a creamy matte texture & look, but I blot it out by pressing my lips together to make it semi matte.

COLOR vs. STYLE ~ Since it’s a bright orange color, I can’t wear it to work. Occasions like brunch or some other outing is a good time to wear this color. It looks better outside so I’d suggest wearing it if you’re going on the beach or something similar.

PRODUCT vs. DURABILITY ~ I press my lips together after applying LC153 to blot it, still it transfers a little. I was happy to see that most of it was still there on my lips after a meal! There was no feathering which again, I’m thrilled about, coz its so embarrassing when your lipstick ends up around your mouth! I suggest exfoliating lips well before use because it will cling to dry bits & settle into lines (not visible until upclose) . It can be retouched with ease. It wore well for 5-6 hours with lunch in between, I had to remove it after that. It was comfortable to wear & did not dry my lips in this period.

PRODUCT vs. PRICE ~ Rs.250/ $4 for 4gm. Amazing value.

REMOVAL ~ Requires a makeup remover.

Overall Verdict: 4.5/5

I think that the Kryolan in LC153 is a wonderful lipstick – affordable, pigmented, long lasting & comfortable to wear. Kryolan is not easily available in all cities in India unfortunately, but if you have a Kryolan store in your city, do try this out. Recommended!

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm Tease (130) Review, Swatch

I never would have pegged myself for indulging in the Lacquer Balm range of Revlon, but the impressive performance of the Matte Balm Range (I got 3 shades) combined with the amazing online offers, I decided to try out the Lacquer range as well. Sadly, Revlon seems to be discontinuing the JBKBS range in India, and well before I could get  a chance to try it out!

Company Claims:

All new Revlon ColorBurst Crayon Lacquer Balms are bold shiny lip balms in eight exotic shades. These uber chic lacquer balms are enriched with large particle shimmer in order to reflect and refract the light.

• The shimmmer particles create a brilliant crystal like shine on the lips.
• Just like all the Revlon crayon lipshades and balms these Lacquer balms are enriched with triple butter complex of mango, shea and coconut butters for balm-like moisture.
• These lip lacquer balms have a pleasant peppermint fragrance.
• It comes in a hand bag friendly pen like shape with twist-up packaging.
• Available in 8 vibrant shades:
  Vivacious (215), Whimsical (115), Coquette (110), Tease (130), 125 Flirtatious (125), Enticing (150), Ingenue (145), Coy (140).

Price: Rs.800 / ~$13

Qty: 2.7g / 0.09oz

Availability: Jabong | Amazon | Flipkart | Nykaa

Street Wear Color Rich Ultramoist Lipstick in Spell Bound (27) and Ruby Riddle (9) Review, Swatches, Photos

Street Wear recently revamped its collection and made it a lot more attractive!! Even then, I wasn’t tempted to purchase anything from them, because I felt that at the prices they are sold at, the quality would definitely leave something to be desired. However, when I casually strolled towards the Revlon counter to check out the new collection, I couldn’t resist taking a peak at the new Street Wear collection. One thing lead to another and soon I was swatching one lipstick after another, searching for some shade that I didn’t already have and finally I brought two shades. You should have seen my hand!! I had a hard time getting the colors off, the SAs don’t even have a good makeup remover. The lipstick range is called ‘Color Rich Ultramoist Lipstick’.If you’re wondering where to find this collection, I found one Street Wear counter at Lifestyle, it was a part of the Revlon counter.  The reason why I picked up these colors, inspite of my apprehensions, is that I was looking for two colors- a peach for my skintone and an everyday pink, and after swatching two shades, I felt that I’d hit jackpot, cause I certainly couldn’t find these colors in any other drugstore brand!

left: Spell Bound, right: Ruby Riddle

Cost: Rs.180 each / $3 (!!!!)

Qty: Not mentioned :(
Available at: Purplle | Nykaa | Amazon | Jabong 

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry (225) - Review, Swatches!

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to talk about a product that has received lot of love from me of late and that is the Revlon Matte Balm in the shade Sultry. When Revlon Matte Balms first launched, I was turned off by their high price. But after swatching Sultry at the counter I couldn’t resist buying it. See swatches and description of all matte balms here. When I first tried it on, I didn’t know what to expect, and the lip swatches were taken then itself. I didn’t know that I had to prep my lips, but lesson learned, it’s a matte lipstick after all. Always exfoliate before you wear a matte lipstick. Keep in mind that the lip swatches are very zoomed in, and unless a person is just an inch away from your lips, she won’t notice that much detail.

What is matte balm? From my experience after trying Sultry, I can say that it’s a non drying matte lipstick.

PACKAGING ~ It’s a chubby pencil with the body having the same color as the color of the lipstick, so if you’re planning to build a collection you can spot any shade easily. I like that the packaging is matte, it gives a more sophisticated feel.

COLOR vs. SKIN TONE  ~ Sultry is a nice dusky pink color, under some types of lighting, it looks like a bright pink on my lips. Its very flattering on my skin tone, it’s like a ‘pick-me-up’ lippie for me. The color has a bit of mauve to it.  It will suit fair to medium skin tones. I have medium skintone and this color suits me perfectly. It doesn’t flatter my sister who is 2 shades darker to me, almost washes her out.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm Swatches and Description of All Shades-Elusive, Unapologetic, Shameless, Sultry, Mischievous, Striking, Audacious, Standout

Revlon Matte Balms and Lacquer Balms released a while ago in India, and I only just got a chance to check them out. In case you’ve missed them too or they aren’t available in your locality, you can check out all the shades in this post before you think of placing an order online.

The Revlon Matte Balms come in eight shades in India which are:

• Elusive (205)
• Unapologetic (210)
• Shameless (215)
• Sultry (225)
• Mischievous (235)
• Striking (240)
• Audacious (245)
• Standout (250)

As you can see, they have naughtier names than the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains :P

(l-r) Unapologetic,Audacious,Striking,Mischievous,Standout,Elusive,Shameless,Sultry

They are priced at INR800 for 2.7gm. Its definitely on the pricier side, but then, isn’t everything in the Indian “drugstore” beauty counter overpriced?

Also these smell minty, like Wriggley's bubblegum.

Now onto the swatches:

(l-r) Unapologetic,Audacious,Striking,Mischievous,Standout,Elusive,Shameless,Sultry

Unapologetic (210) - A neon coral pink. Said to be a dupe of MAC Party Parrot & Impassioned. Looks patchy after application. It’s a very bright in-your-face kind of color. 

Audacious (245) – A creamy orange. This applied smoothly, it looks uneven in the swatch though. I think this one will suit just fair skin tones.

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Tint + Balm in 130 Don't Stop Blushing - Review, Swatches, Photos

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

Are you ready for the first review of 2014? 

I thought I’d start the makeup reviews by reviewing of one of the most popular styles of lipstick last year, aka the crayon style. While this lipstick isn’t a crayon, it’s unique in itself too. It’s a felt tip style, I’ve seen a similar product in Maxfactor, but nowhere else. I think its quite novel but of course, such a product has a fair share of drawbacks too. The product I’m talking about today is the Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 Kisses Transferproof Lip Tint + Balm. I have the shade 130 Don’t Stop Blushing. So sit back and relax, and let this review help you decide if you need such a lipstick in your vanity.. or not.

Cost: Rs.555.

Qty: 2.3gm.

Shelf Life: 12 months.

Buy online from Nykaa

See my shopping experience with Nykaa HERE 

Instructions(printed on the crayon/pen):

Step 1:Apply the color on clean bare lips for all day color

Step 2: Apply balm to add moisture and shine once the color is dry.

Usage advice: If the tip does not work correctly, wipe with a clean dry tissue.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

My take on the product:

PACKAGING ~  You know what this reminds me of? A marker. The kind my school and high school teachers used, to write on a whiteboard. It has a felt tip which releases the product on your lips, you know, like the felt tip in markers. On one side you have the felt tip which releases color and on the other side you have a balm. 

The cap of the balm side is tricky, you can easily break off the entire balm while pulling off the cap, which is why I’ve used the balm only once. The balm has shimmer in it. None of the testers at the Rimmel counter had the balm part and my guess is because of the tricky cap, if not the cap, its because the balm itself can easily break, like any normal lip balm stick.