Quickie Review - Sephora's Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid Lip Balm

Hey there!

Radiant Orchid isn't necessarily my favorite lip color. It's purple. I'm not big on purple on lips. I like purple eyes and a soft purple cheek (if done correctly) can be gorgeous and yes, purple nails are great. But I'm a nude brown girl as far as lips are concerned. Very rarely do I stray too far from that range.

That's why I purchased the Pantone Universe Radiant Orchid Lip Balm instead of a lipstick or gloss.

That and the fact that it was 50% off at Sephora. Even so, $7.99 is still a bit steep for a lip balm that there wasn't a tester for (my ladies at Sephora couldn't find the tester, so I had to purchase on faith).

Let's start with the bad. I don't know if mine was just defective but it was suuuuuper soft. I mean in the bad way. I tried to use it as a lipstick and it broke. I tried to chill it and it still broke. So, I have to use it with a lipstick brush or depot it. That means taking it with me might be kinda cumbersome. I haven't seen any other reviews with this problem, so it's probably just the one I purchased.

Now that that's out of the way, let's say it together. A - MAZE - ING!! I love this balm! It gives off just enough color that makes the purple just right. It's not super, duper pigmented but that is ok! It's moisturizing and lasts for several hours. I wore it alone and with my Jordana Silver Lilac lip liner. It was beautiful. It's the perfect amount of color. Did I say that already? Sorry.

I didn't see any left on Spehora.com but seriously, if you see this in your local Sephora, you should really get it. $16 might make you balk but $8 is kinda ok.

Yes, I used a gift card. You know I didn't spend cash!!

My Top Products of 2013

 Happy New Year and happy new makeup products!

I love trying new products and January seems to have an onslaught of new goodies to try. But, before I try the new stuff (and oh trust me and my wallet, I will) let's take a second to sing the praises of the old stuff. You know, the holy grail stuff of 2013 that if stranded on an island...really, how does one get stranded on an island these days? And, shouldn't food and water be more important than makeup?

Anywho, my trusty 2013 products are as follows...

Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I've tried other things from Philosophy and I wasn't 100% impressed but everyone ranted and raved about the Purity Made Simple cleanser so I had to spend $10 for a trial size and see. Can you say in love? It is the best cleanser I've tried this far. It really does "melt" off eye makeup and it doesn't irritate my skin or eyes at all. I fell so hard for this product, I bought two 32oz containers from QVC when it went on sale (with flex pay).

Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki & e.l.f. Angled Blush Brush - Once you've washed your face, you need the right tools to apply your makeup. I have many, many brushes, some high end, lots of mid range, some low end but my two favorite brushes of all time are my Sigma F80 and my e.l.f. angled blush brush. Now, I don't always use my brushes for the intended purposes so in the past I just used the brushes that came with my BareMinerals foundation for everything and they worked fine. Then I purchased my Sigma F80. Shhh! Do you hear the angels singing? I did. That F80 made my foundation glide on like a dream. And the e.l.f. brush? It works perfectly for contouring bronzer.

NYX Eye shadow base, e.l.f. professional mechanical eyelash curler & Jordana Best Lash Extreme volumizing mascara - The eyes have it! I've tried a few eye shadow bases and so far NYX is my go to. I'm hesitant to try out others because my eyes are so delicate. My e.l.f. eyelash curler isn't anything special but it is the one that works best for me. Now, stand back when I talk about mascara. I have fought some battles with mascara this year and Jordana Best Lash Extreme has won the battle. I plan to try the other Jordana mascaras this year but I'm reluctant to try any other brands. I have several mascaras in my drawer now that I am complaining about!

Jordana Easyliner For Lips - I am a lip gloss girl. Lipstick is fine but I like to line my lips with a moisturizing liner and pop on some gloss. Jordana has sealed the deal for me. I only have 3 colors right now but I have several new colors in mind.

Sally Hansen Instra-dry Topcoat - Are those angels still singing? I have purchased 3 of the these for friends. I love nail color but I hated painting my nails before I got this insta-dry top coat. It's magic. You let your color dry for a few minutes, paint this on top and 5 minutes later you have nails that are 90% dry. I paint my nails at night so pulling up covers or turning off the bed lamp can be the kiss of death. Not any more! My nails look amazing the next day! I love this stuff!!

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I have 3 containers of this; one in my purse, one next to my bed and one in my desk at work. It smells good and keeps my cuticles soft. Yes, I have tried the regular cuticle cream and that one went in the trash. It wasn't as soft, it didn't smell nearly as nice and it didn't do the job that my BB Lemon Cuticle Cream did. Stick with what you know.

And there you have it! The best of the best for 2013. Not much variety I know, but I'm a basics girl when it comes to make up. I'm sure 2014 will see me spread my wings a little and we can sit here and try new things together!

(Originally posted on 1/5/2014)