Reviews Nobody Paid Me to Write
That’s right, I am entirely NOT compensated for these reviews. This is all stuff I bought on my own. Suck it, blogging disclosure rules!
MAC Lipstick: Viva Glam Gaga (Lustre): Oh. My. God. This is my new favorite lipstick. I love it. LOVE IT. So much that I just ordered a second tube, so that I can have one at home AND one in my desk at work. OK, this color is not for everyone. It is very much a light, cotton-candy pink, the kind of shade you picture a teenager working at Dairy Queen circa 1982 wearing. Also, though it is a “lustre,” which gives it some creaminess, it dries down to a fairly matte finish, and the end result can be a bit chalky. That said, I find it very versatile. Sometimes I want that mod, matte, pale pink look. You can also wear it with different shades of lip liner in order to deepen the color, and various shades of lip gloss can be layered over it for different effects. While it does dry matte, it doesn’t seem to be drying (at least to my lips), and it lasts a long time. Plus, come on – LADY GAGA!
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick: In the drugstore division, we have this new lipstick line from Revlon. I like it very much. The colors are bright, vivid, and long-lasting; the texture is creamy and non-drying; and there is no flowery, offensive fragrance like you get with some drugstore lipsticks (L’Oreal, I’m looking at you). I’d even call this the drugstore version of my new favorite Viva Glam Gaga, especially in the Baby Pink shade. The only drawback at this point is the relative lack of shades, especially compared to Revlon’s other lipstick lines, where there seem to be millions. Another problem: since there aren’t testers in drugstores, and the cover of this lipstick is completely opaque, it’s really hard to tell what shade you’re getting without just buying the thing. The little colored tops on the tubes are only remotely related to the actual color inside, and I have been burned once – I bought a shade called “Mauve,” thinking it would mauve (duh!) and instead got more of a plum. Buyer beware.
VitaFusion Multi Vites Gummy Vitamins: Did you know it’s a good idea to take vitamins every day? OK, OK, I have tried to take vitamins regularly in the past. But damn, they’re so gross! They are GIGANTIC and tend to make me feel kind of ill. Enter these gummy vitamins for adults. Yes, for adults! Just like the gummy bear vitamins for kids, except potent enough for adults! These are a lifesaver and now I take two every day. They taste fine, are easier to consume than the giant horsepills that pass for most vitamins, and actually don’t make me nauseated. Too bad I didn’t find these when I was in my 30s, but better late than never, right?
Special K Protein Shake, Milk Chocolate: Surely you’ve seen the commercial for this new product, right? I sure did, and since eating breakfast every day is my new thing, I had to try them. Since I eat breakfast at my desk five days a week, this shake seemed more convenient than cereal and milk, so I gave it a try. Well, I wish I could say it was fabulous, filling, and satisfying – but it wasn’t. It wasn’t awful, it just wasn’t that great. The nutritional stats are pretty good, about what you’d get from a good protein bar – that is, less than 200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. But I think if you could find a protein bar with those stats that tasted good, it would be more satisfying. I really noticed the slight “artificial sweetener” taste in the Special K shake. And also, it’s not really a “shake,” except that you have to shake it before you drink it. No, it’s more like chocolate milk. Slightly grainy, artificial tasting, not terribly satisfying chocolate milk.
Now, get out there and shop!