Review: BA STAR Holiday Red Lip Pencil

 

 OVERALL RATING:  9.5/10

PROS:  Incredibly easy to apply, beautiful bright red color, silky matte finish, EXTREMELY long-wearing, feels like nothing's there!

CONS:  Color will transfer slightly to other objects (e.g. cups, skin, clothing), but this will not reduce the color intensity on the lips themselves

WHERE TO BUY: BA STAR  (use code BBLIPS for a special 50% discount!)


Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to my new go-to red for the stage.

As an actor, there is almost nothing that can be more frustrating than stage makeup.  If you don't get it exactly right, it won't look good under the lights, will come off when you sweat, will break out your skin, etc.  Lip color is especially hard.  With so much talking onstage and water breaks backstage, I have never found a lip color that lasts.  I've been through drugstore brands, high end brands, and brands made specifically for the stage (I'm looking at you, Ben Nye), and no lip color has worked... Until now.

BA STAR is a brand that was created specifically for dancers, cheerleaders, and performers.  Their colors are bright and bold and sure to last, and this Holiday Red lip pencil is no exception!  It is a beautiful true red with slightly blue undertones, making it perfect for many skin tones.  The best thing about this lip pencil, though, is that it isn't just for the stage... It looks beautiful on, and you can guarantee that I'll be wearing it out!

Here's what makes this lip product so unique.  The application is precise and easy due to its pencil shape, and you can line and fill in your lips with the same product.  The real treat, however, comes in this lip pencil's sheer staying power.  While wearing this product, I ate, drank, took a nap, talked on the phone, and more.  The color didn't budge during any of these activities.  It was still just as bright and vibrant after having dinner and a glass of water as it was when I put it on.   The lip color is also tasteless, unlike some of those other icky lipsticks that taste waxy or fake.  I k
now this because in an attempt to prove that NO lip color could possibly last this long, I licked my lips furiously.  The results:  no taste, no reduction in color.  This stuff has some serious staying power.  Plus, it has a nice matte finish that you can shine up easily with a little lip gloss if you'd like, or leave as is.  You can't even feel it on your lips and will forget it's there... But other people certainly won't!

The BA STAR pencil is incredible, and I highly recommend it if you are an actor, dancer, cheerleader, other type of performer, or just someone who is sick of lip color that doesn't last.   You can usually buy this pencil for $8.75 at bastar.com, but BA STAR is giving out a special discount for beauty bloggers and their readers for 50% off!  Use the code BBLIPS to get your lip pencil today!  This one's a MUST HAVE!

Have any of you ever used BA STAR cosmetics before?  Do you plan to?  Let me know in the comments!

Note:  This post was powered by BrandBacker.  For more information, go to www.brandbacker.com

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

PROS: Great color selection, smooth application, feels good on lips, nourishes lips, very long-lasting

CONS: Packaging feels very cheap, many layers are required for full-impact color


After recently being required to purchase a rather expensive stage makeup kit for an upcoming show, I was sure that I would have all of the makeup I would need for my future performances in Real Women Have Curves.  However, as much as I love Ben Nye stage makeup, I quickly discovered a major flaw in this particular kit--the only included lip color was a muted neutral; which, for a play set in the 80's, was just simply not going to do. With our second dress rehearsal approaching quickly, I found myself in dire need of a great, bright red lip color that would last easily through an entire performance.

Naturally, I trucked over to the campus area CVS and started browsing.  The display for the Revlon Lip Butters caught my eye immediately.  It was bright and inviting, with plenty of pretty little tubes in a wide array of colors.  Recently in the beauty blogging world, the Revlon Lip Butters have been generating a lot of buzz, so I figured that I'd pick up the brightest red I could find in the collection and pray that it would live up to the hype.

Not only will the Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple work beautifully for stage makeup, but I have a feeling I'll be wearing it offstage as well.

I have to start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of the packaging of this product.  The design is nice;  the cap of the tube has a pretty quilted pattern, and the tube itself looks very sleek and elegant.  However, the whole thing feels very cheap and plastic-y.  I'm a little worried about the durability of the packaging, since it feels that the whole thing could very easily be crushed or cracked.

Revlon definitely makes up for the lack of packaging quality when it comes to the quality of the product itself.  Applying the Lip Butter feels just like putting on my favorite lip balm, and it definitely has the same smooth and soft feel on my lips.

The color itself is beautiful on, but I did have to apply several layers to get a high-impact color payoff.  In my opinion, this isn't that much of a problem, because it means that the color is buildable and you can adjust the saturation/intensity to fit your needs.  For example, when I'm wearing this color on stage, I'll be able to layer it enough that it reads as a nice, bright red from a distance, and when I wear it for every-day purposes, I can create a softer, prettier look by applying less.

I wore the Lip Butter today, and it stayed put and kept its color intensity for a full six hours with no problems.  When I ate, however, the color definitely started to come off.  This just means that you'll have to reapply the color after eating or drinking, but this is the same as most other lip colors, so I'm not counting it as a negative aspect of the product.

After the Lip Butter wore off (and a little bit was taken off with makeup remover), my lips definitely felt softer than they did before I had applied the product.  The Lip Butter certainly nourishes the lips like it claims to!

As someone who doesn't enjoy lipstick at all, I find this to be a great alternative.  It feels much more like a lip balm than a lipstick, while still providing beautiful color.  I'm glad I picked this up... both my character and I will be using it frequently!

Have you tried any of the Revlon Lip Butters?  Which shades are your favorite?  Let me know in the comments!