Burberry Liquid Lip Velvets | Review + Swatches

I haven't tried much from Burberry Beauty so far, but what I have tried has been beautiful. So when an email from Influenster popped into my inbox a couple weeks ago saying I'd be receiving the Burberry VoxBox showcasing the new Liquid Lip Velvets, I was over the moon and anxiously awaited its arrival. The box came with two additional Burberry products, but this review will focus on the Lip Velvets.

I was sent the Liquid Lip Velvets* in the shades Fawn No. 5, a rosy brown, and Bright Plum No. 49, a lovely plum/berry shade. The Lip Velvets are meant to be a whipped, creamy formula that promises to be both bold and comfortable. Whoever came up with the name "Lip Velvet" was certainly right - these literally feel like velvet gliding on your lips. It's a mousse-y texture that's a far cry from drying, runny liquid lipsticks. The "drier" texture makes them so much easier to work with and control. One of the other products included in the box was a lip liner to match Bright Plum, but these are so easy to apply that I don't even feel like I need the liner. Liquid lipsticks that have this "mousse" formula tend to be my favorites (like Ofra and Jouer), so I knew instantly I'd love these. 

Fawn is just the perfect everyday shade. It's just a touch darker and slightly more brown than my natural lip color, so it makes for a subtle color that's still noticeable. Bright Plum is just beautiful, too - at first I thought it was a little too out of my comfort zone, but the plum shade has the perfect balance of depth and brightness to it. It looks stunning with glowy skin and minimal eye makeup (my favorite look to pair with a bold lip). 

Usually a liquid lipstick formula as comfortable as this spells disaster for its longevity, but these still have an impressive weartime. I can get about five hours of wear before I notice them fading, and I need to reapply after eating. They fade evenly and don't get crusty or crumbly like some formulas do. And because these are so lightweight, they're easy to reapply and don't crack or flake off. I've definitely found another favorite formula, and while I was thinking I was over matte lips, these might have just changed my mind. I'm definitely going to need to add Dark Rosewood No. 17 and Black Cherry No. 57 to my collection.

Have you tried the Lip Velvets yet?

*Products have been sent to me by Influenster for review, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

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Hourglass First Impressions | Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette & GIRL Lip Stylos

I always forget what a stunning brand Hourglass is. I've only tried a few products from the range so far, but I've fallen head over heels for all of them. The release of the new GIRL Lip Stylos really caught my eye, being a lip product junkie and all that, so it inspired me to pick a couple new things from the brand to try. In the end I came away with two shades of the Lip Stylos and the newest blush palette.

Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush Palette | Hourglass blushes are some of my favorites - I have the full size of Mood Exposure and wear it almost every time I go for a powder blush, and I used to have the first blush palette as well. When I saw the new blush palette, I knew I needed it - all three shades appealed to me. There's Incandescent Electra, a brightening coral shade that's in the permanent collection, Brilliant Nude, a warm nude shade that adds a lot of life to the face, and Euphoric Fusion, a stunning subtle purple shade that adds a lovely flush. The palette has the same beautiful formula as the full-size blushes, being super soft to the touch and finely-milled. These blushes are swirled together with the Strobe Lighting Powders, making these a little bit more glowy than the original blushes. They're not glittery at all though and really bring life to the skin. So far I'm loving the palette, though I'd suggest checking the marbling before buying - I wish my Brilliant Nude pan had more of the blush shade and less of the highlight shade.

T-B | Incandescent Electra, Brilliant Nude, Euphoric Fusion, Activist, Liberator

GIRL Lip Stylo | I'm pretty much over the matte lip trend at the moment and have been gravitating towards more creamy, comfortable lipsticks. The GIRL Lip Stylos really caught my eye because of the promise to be as intense as a lipstick but still be soft and hydrating on the lips. I absolutely love the positivity of the shade names, too. I first went for Activist, a lovely rose shade (it would have worked nicely in my Valentine's Day Lipstick Edit), and I immediately fell in love with the formula. I went right back to Sephora that day to pick another shade. I'll segue here into the fact that every single shade in the line is beautiful - The Beauty Look Book and Makeup Sessions have the full line swatched on their blogs. It was so hard to pick a second shade, but in the end and after much swatching and asking my fiancee's opinion (thank you, Brett), I came away with Liberator, a super pretty berry shade. The formula is super pigmented and creamy, and yet they last a good amount of time on the lips - about four hours without eating. They fade evenly as well, and they do not dry out the lips. Because of their creamy texture, they're also easy to sheer out, making them even more versatile - I love wearing Liberator as a more sheer stain. I pretty much have every single shade on my wishlist now, and they're my favorite lip products at the moment.

Have you tried either of these new Hourglass products?

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The Beauty Crop GRLPWR Liquid Lipsticks | Review + Giveaway

I'm a sucker for new lip products. I fell for The Beauty Crop's PBJ Smoothie Sticks a couple months ago (review here), so it's no surprise that their new line of GRLPWR Liquid Lipsticks have become fast favorites, too. The lovely people at The Beauty Crop sent me a Girl Gang Liquid Lipstick Set to review and will also be giving away a set to one of my readers! Details will be at the end of the post. The new line of GRLPWR Liquid Lipsticks is meant to celebrate female empowerment and individuality, a movement very close to my heart. I 100% would call myself a feminist, and The Beauty Crop's mission to create a network of friendship and support among women just seems like an awesome cause.

R-L | Imma Bawse, Date Night, Che Guava, Greige Expectations, Peach Please

The liquid lipstick trend is still sticking around, it seems. When I want a pack of pigment, I always head straight for a liquid-matte option that will stick around for hours. The Beauty Crop's new line is meant to be highly pigmented, long-lasting, as well as smooth and creamy, containing Vitamin E and Shea Butter to combat the dryness usually associated with liquid lipsticks. They're also vegan and cruelty-free.

The Girl Gang Set comes with five shades: Peach Please, a bright warm peach, Greige Expectations, a cool-toned mauve brown, Che Guava, a dusty cool pink, Date Night, a raisin brown, and Imma Bawse, a deep vampy red. It's the perfect starter set of colors, in my opinion. My personal favorites are Greige Expectations and Date Night - I'm a sucker for neutrals. 

When I was first swatching these on my arm, the formula felt like a thin liquid, like the Colourpop or Kat Von D liquid lipsticks. But when I put them on my lips, they were actually a super thin, lightweight, mousse-y texture - I was so surprised. They literally feel like nothing on the lips, and they dried down super quickly. This means you do have to work quickly to make the darkest shade, Imma Bawse, look even, but it's still do-able. I'm currently sitting with one on my lips now and I just keep touching my lips because I can't believe I have a product on them. And the formula isn't transferring to my fingers either. They last a few hours before fading evenly, but they will wear away in the middle first from eating. Because they're so lightweight and airy though, reapplying is a breeze, and it doesn't make them flake or crack.

To enter the giveaway, please see below! This giveaway is US-only and will be open until 2/21/17 11:59 PM. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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