lip products – Karissa Talks Beauty

Hello friends!

I am of the opinion that theBalm is a pretty underrated brand in the beauty sphere! They have their popular products like the Mary-Loumanizer or their eyeshadow palettes, but everything else doesn’t seem to get quite the same hype. Today I’m sharing my review on one of their lip products; their creamy lip stain.

Color: Namaste is a deep, warm pink. It looks slightly more neutral upon application, but wears into a fuchsia throughout the day.

Finish: As the name suggests, this lip stain’s finish is definitely a cream, similar to that of a bullet lipstick but with less opacity. It’s not quite shiny like many glosses, but does hold a similar vibe to one.

Packaging: theBalm is definitely known for their cute, vintage looking packaging featuring various people, and this isn’t an exception. The tube is a matte grey plastic, with a cute sticker in it featuring a red head saying the shade name. Each shade has a different character on it, which is a nice touch.

Applicator: The applicator is your standard doefoot. I didn’t feel like the shape helped or hindered in applying this product.

Application: I found getting an even application with this color to be a bit tricky, as it’s not fully opaque. I had to be careful to not swipe back and forth too much, or I would risk pulling up the product I’d already put on my lips and making it look patchy. One layer was the best bet for getting an even application, however I still wasn’t completely happy with the evenness of it.

I also had a bit of difficulty with getting the edges of my lips, as product would want to bunch up and leave a thick line – with many other products it’s easy to fix, but with this one I had to carefully dab it away or risk a more patchy appearance. I found it easiest to press and rub my lips together to disperse excess product.

Continue reading “theBalm theBalmJour Creamy Lip Stain “Namaste” | Review” →

bullet lipstick, lip products

MAC Electric Wonder Collection Matte Lipstick “Life in Sepia” | Review

April 27, 2020October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello friends!

Last year, MAC came out with arguably the most beautiful collection known to exist, a.k.a the Electric Wonder. With gorgeous packaging and popular, wearable shades this was sure to draw the eyes of anyone interested in traditionally feminine, “instagramable” packaging. I, of course, was no exception!

Color: Life in Sepia is a cool, mid-toned brown. On the lips, it definitely has a grey undertone – this is the kind of color that most people either love or hate. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a vampy color, but it is definitely darker than a traditional nude.

Finish: As the name suggests, this is a matte finish. Even when it goes on there is very little shine, which quickly fades into a flat appearance.

Packaging: Unsurprisingly, the packaging of this lipstick is its selling point. It is a gorgeous pink marble, with veins of metallic gold scattered throughout. The inner portion of the tube is a matte gold, along with the small bit that peeks out and the MAC printed on it. The actual shape of the tube is a traditional MAC bullet lipstick.

Applicator: The shape of the actual lipstick is basic – just like any other lipstick shape with a traditional tear drop shape and a point.

Application: Applying this lipstick was as easy as any other bullet lipstick. Even after wearing it down a bit, I didn’t have problems with getting straight lines. One thing I will point out is that this particular shade is one that shows my natural lip colors on the edges if I don’t cover them completely. That just meant I had to be a little extra careful to make sure I got all the edges otherwise you could see pink, which looked a bit strange.

One other thing that is incredibly important to point out is the strong vanilla scent that MAC lipsticks have. This one is no exception – I could smell it upon application and for about 5 minutes after.

Continue reading “MAC Electric Wonder Collection Matte Lipstick “Life in Sepia” | Review” →

lip gloss, lip products

Ofra Cosmetics x Madison Miller Lip Gloss “Smiley For Ryleigh” | Review

April 20, 2020October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello friends!

I will forever talk about how much I adore Ipsy, and this is part of the reason why! I was able to get this lip gloss as part of my bag – I love being able to try new collections from brands I enjoy!

Color: This is a mostly transparent peach gloss with tons of glitter. There is a hint of peach color in the base, but for the most part it’s clear with shimmer.

Finish: The finish of this is shiny, but more so I’d say this is a glitter finish gloss due to the lack of base pigment.

Packaging: The packaging of this gloss is a beautiful matte white cap with a plain acrylic tube and Ofra written on the cap. The product information is white, printed on the tube, and appears to have Madison Miller’s signature on it.

Applicator: The applicator functions like a basic doefoot, however it does have an interesting curve to it and a bit of a “chair” shape. I’m not sure if that really improves the application, but it is kind of fun.

Application: Application of this gloss is pretty easy. I dipped into the tube twice; once for each lip. Since the base is mostly clear I wasn’t too worried about going outside of the lip lines. One thing I do want to caution is that it can look streaky and clumpy upon initial application until you “blend” with the doefoot – so I’d be careful about applying without a mirror. You could also rub your lips together to distribute the pigment a bit more, but it was something I had noticed. This is me being nit picky!

There is a very sweet vanilla scent that dissipates after application.

Continue reading “Ofra Cosmetics x Madison Miller Lip Gloss “Smiley For Ryleigh” | Review” →

bullet lipstick, lip products

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick “Fire & Ice” | Review

March 30, 2020October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello friends!

One thing I love about really popular, classic brands like Revlon is that they’ve been around long enough to establish cult products. One such product, though less popular than another red of theirs, is Fire & Ice!

I was fortunate enough to find this color on clearance, and knew I needed to snatch it up right away!

Color: Fire & Ice is a warm red that leans a bit coral – there is a strong orange-pink undertone to it.

Finish: This lipstick is a cream finish. I’d say it would lean a bit more towards matte than lustrous like a gloss, but it’s not quite satin. Interestingly, it’s also relatively sheer.

Packaging: The packaging looks incredibly classic. The tube is a glossy black, with a clear window on the top of the cap so you can see the lipstick color when looking down at it. When you pull the lid off it’s a shiny gold with Revlon printed on it.

Applicator: This is a standard cut bullet; there’s nothing special or unique about the shape.

Application: I found application on this lipstick to be as easy as any other traditional bullet lipstick. The point is just sharp enough that you can get a crisp line relatively easily, though I imagine that the more you wear it down the harder it will be to get that even line.

One thing that I struggled with was needing to build up opacity on this particular color. I would typically swipe about three times to get the opacity level I wanted. While it would look opaque from normal talking distance, when looking up close you could definitely see the darkness of my lips poking through still.

Continue reading “Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick “Fire & Ice” | Review” →

lip products, liquid lipstick

BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick “Hemp” | Review

July 12, 2019October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello Friends!

I have a habit of buying lipsticks from Marshall’s on the regular, and I thought that this was a really beautiful color to try! When this formula first launched, I heard a lot of buzz about how nice these were, so I wanted to test it for myself!

Color: Hemp is a pale peachy nude with a pink undertone. In some lighting it looks more nude, and in others it pulled very orange; almost coral. I would still consider this a bright peach nude though!

Finish: After first being applied it has a demi-matte appearance, but it did end up drying down to a very flat matte like a traditional liquid lipstick.

Packaging: I think the packaging of this is really beautiful! It has a black cap and stripe, with a tube that fades from frosted to clear.

Applicator: The applicator of this is a long, flat and rounded tip doefoot that works well to gather enough product for application.

Continue reading “BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick “Hemp” | Review” →

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Where Are They Now? | Makeup I Reviewed Between January and March 2019

May 27, 2019May 19, 2019 Karissa

Hello friends!

One thing I’ve noticed in the beauty community is that oftentimes we will talk about something once, share our thoughts, and then never return to it again. I would have done the exact same thing too had I not heard someone bring up this awesome idea!

Today, I wanted to share where the makeup products I reviewed between January and March have gone. That means if they stayed in my collection, moved elsewhere, or were rehomed.

Continue reading “Where Are They Now? | Makeup I Reviewed Between January and March 2019” →

bullet lipstick, lip products

ColourPop Velvet Blur Lipstick “Lucky Strike” | Review

February 15, 2019October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello friends!

Today I’m reviewing one of the new products I received from the mystery box Colourpop did a few weeks ago. This is one of the newest releases from them, and I was so excited to see it, along with their new mascara! If you’re curious to see what else I got, you can see the other pictures here.

The new Velvet Blur lipstick from Colourpop is described as a “unique matte” that provides a “soft focus, blurring effect”. In essence, it’s a matte lipstick that doesn’t show texture on your lips!

Color: Lucky Strike is a midtone neutral pink, and on me it’s a my lips but better color. The shade has just a touch more pink in it. It’s definitely a stunning color that would flatter a lot of people. Depending on the kind of neutral colors you wear, this might feel like a dark shade, so check the lip swatch to see what you think!

Packaging: Side note: isn’t this packaging absolutely stunning?! Rose gold is my favorite metal, and the stars on it add such a cute touch to it. The word Colourpop is also etched into the lid of the packaging and is the same color as the small stars. The shape of the bullet is very traditional to any other lipstick, but there are stars embossed on it as well!

Continue reading “ColourPop Velvet Blur Lipstick “Lucky Strike” | Review” →

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9 Makeup Brands I Want to Try in 2019

January 28, 2019January 27, 2019 Karissa

Hello friends!

Similarly to my recent post 19 Books I Want to Read in 2019, today I wanted to share the makeup equivalent with some brands that I want to make a point to test this year! The inspiration came from Lauren, who is a blogger/YouTuber that makes unique and amazing quality videos and blog posts! I highly recommend checking her out if you haven’t already.

Continue reading “9 Makeup Brands I Want to Try in 2019” →

lip products, liquid lipstick

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color “Obsession” | Review

January 21, 2019October 20, 2022 Karissa

Hello friends!

Before I get into the review, I’d like to start by saying that it did not go the way I had expected it to. This was one of the first lip product’s I’d purchased for myself when I got into makeup, and I used to just love wearing it. I distinctly remember bringing it to work and reapplying throughout the day multiple times.

Color: Obsession is a beautiful hot pink with blue undertones, which is incredibly flattering on my neutral skin tone.

Applicator: In terms of application, I really enjoyed the applicator’s shape. It has a bit of a triangle shape to it, and the curve fits my lips incredibly well, so I found it very easy to maneuver. It also smells absolutely incredible, like a sweet fruity candy. While I absolutely adore the color and scent, the formula was surprising.

Continue reading “Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color “Obsession” | Review” →

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5 Cult Classic Lipsticks I Haven’t Tried Yet!

November 26, 2018December 5, 2018 Karissa

Hello friends!

Black Friday and all of the other sales going on right now has inspired me to make this post, especially because I was very bad and just spent a lot of money on more makeup that I certainly don’t need (according to everyone else, at least). That means I need to pretty strict in the coming months about using the products I own before going out and purchasing even more!

Still, today I wanted to share five different lipsticks that have been talked about in the beauty community for years that I haven’t owned or tried yet!

Continue reading “5 Cult Classic Lipsticks I Haven’t Tried Yet!” →