Essie "Mojito Madness" Swatch + Review

two coats, natural light

 

Another NOTD! But summer is the time when I love taking the time to paint my nails all sorts of bright, fun colors. It really is the most relaxing thing to do. Normally I'm not a big fan of green nail polish and other than OPI "Jade is the New Black" and Julep "Courteney", this is my only green shade. But as soon as I saw this color sitting on the stand at Target with all the other colors from the new Essie summer collection I was imediately drawn to it.
    

It is a bright, not-quite-lime color. The only way I know how to describe it is like...a summer version of "Jade is the New Black". It is much lighter and it has a slightly blue undertone to it. Don't get me wrong--this color is very green color and I can't imagine wearing it in the winter months--but there is something so carefree and young about this color that I absolutely love it. I was pleasantly surprised by how opaque the color actually was. I probably could have gotten away with just one coat but I felt better adding a second--just to be sure. The second my sister saw this on my nails she painted hers to match. Twins!

    

Random sidenote: I just went to the Essie website to double check that I spelt "mojito" correctly. Good thing too because for some reason I thought that it was spelled "moquito". But in my defense I'm still two years away from being legally able to drink. So maybe it's not a bad thing that I would come in last place in a spelling bee featuring alcoholic beverages? Probably. What are some other summer polishes that you are LOVING this time of the year?

Revlon "Romantic" Just Bitten Balm Stain Swatch + Review

I am so happy with this product. It is like the Revlon Just Bitten lip stain and the Revlon LipButters combined into one super cool, super neat product. I love it! It is moisturizing and easy to apply. It has really good lasting power throughout the day and while it doesn't stay as on as bold and as bright as the product appears when you first apply it, it does fade into a pretty softer shade. It does smell quite minty--similar to the Tarte lip tints. But it isn't really that overwhelming and I didn't even notice it the first couple times I used it.
  

Here is a closer look at the tip of the product. I've heard people say that it is very similar [especially packaging-wise] to Clinique's Chubby Stick. Now I've never owned one of those so I can't make any comparisons. But I can say with certainty that is also very similar to the Tarte Lipsurgence lip stains--except those are much, much more moisturizing. These are moisturizing but not nearly as close to those--but then again, they're a quarter of the price so I'm not complaining.

 

Having said that, I think this is an excellent product. I've only tried two so far and this is by far my favorite. The product looks darker in the tube and quite frankly it can look a little intimidating, but it goes on the skin in a very beautiful candy apple red color. At first, it gives a nice subtle sheen to the lips but that will disappear within an hour or so. This is not the product if you want a bold, bright stain that won't budge for hours. But it is the product for anyone looking for a subtle long lasting lip color that is super moisturizing.

 

If you are trying to decide between buying a LipButter, a balm stain, or a lip stain, I would chose the lip balms. They are the best of both words. There are about twelve shades available currently in the line and I can't wait to get my hands on more. They are a bit pricey for the drugstre [somewhere around eight  plus dollars] but I think they are well worth the price.