Tag: Cynthia Rowley

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | Swatches & Review

Happy Monday! Today I am excited to share with you swatches and a review of the Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio. I purchased this trio directly from Birchbox’s website back in October (see that haul HERE). I had tried one of the shades through the Birchbox sample subscription in the past, and really enjoyed it. I decided to try out some other shades as well, and figured this trio would be perfect. Let me show you the Creamy Lip Stains in this trio, and share my thoughts on them.

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | Swatches & Review

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | Swatches & ReviewHere is a look at the three tiny bottles in the trio. They come with a traditional doe foot applicator, which I don’t mind when it comes to liquid lip products. I love the black and gold accents on the caps as well.Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | Swatches & ReviewI wanted to share with you a one coat swatch of each product on my arm because I wear 2-3 coats on my lips. From left to right is: Sugar, Heartthrob, and Dahlia. You can see that Sugar is the most pigmented and creamy, and Dahlia is the least pigmented. I’ll talk about each formula more in the individualized swatches below, but I do want to point out that although these are all from the same makeup line, the formulas vary a lot. There is no consistency here unfortunately.

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | SugarThe first shade in the trio is Sugar. This is the shade that I owned as a sample previously and really loved. It is a beautiful mauve pink that is a ‘my lips but better’ color for me. I applied two coats of Sugar and allowed the first layer to dry before adding a second. I love how opaque and pigmented this lip stain is. It feels nice on the lips, and I know I’ll be wearing it often!

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | HearttrobNext up is Heartthrob, a bright red shade. I immediately noticed a difference in Heartthrob’s formula in comparison to Sugar. It is quite liquidy, and I found it really difficult to apply. As you can see from my swatch, clean-up was hard, too. Because these are lip stains, they stain the skin upon application. I’m not a fan of Heartthrob because if a lip product is hard for me to apply and makes a mess, it’s one I’m going to avoid!

Cynthia Rowley Mini Creamy Lip Stain Trio | DahliaLast but not least is Dahlia, a dark berry purple shade. I also had issues with Dahlia’s formula. It was very sheer and took about three coats before I got a full coverage look. It also applied very patchy – you know that creepy ring around the lips look? Yeah, I had a lot of trouble avoiding it! While the end result is quite pretty, I’d rather find a different product that is the same shade with a better formula.

All in all, I’m a bit disappointed with the Cynthia Rowley Mini Lip Stain Trio. I still love Sugar, but Heartthrob and Dahlia didn’t work for me. I recommend picking up a full size of Sugar instead of the trio. The full size is $20, but I stand by its formula and beautiful color. You can purchase it on Birchbox’s website HERE. I’m glad I tried out this trio so you don’t have to waste your money on it!

Birchbox Haul | Hair Care & Makeup

Happy Friday! It’s the last day of Haul Week here on the blog! Today I have a small haul from Birchbox. Although I am no longer subscribed to the Birchbox subscription program, I had saved up $10 worth of points that were expiring this month. I decided to use my points and pick up a hair care favorite, plus a few other goodies. Let me show you what I got – all for $25!

Birchbox Haul Hair Care & MakeupPerhaps you didn’t know that in addition to its subscription program, Birchbox has an amazing online store! It’s a bit like Sephora, but there are often sales and coupons, and even freebies! There is a rewards system as well called Birchbox Points. While subscribers earn points very frequently, anyone can earn points just by shopping online. Each dollar spent is one point earned, and 100 points equals $10. I always save my points, but because they expire in a year’s time, I needed to use them right away!

Birchbox Haul | Hair Care & MakeupFirst, let me share the products I purchased. I had to grab my holy grail dry shampoo from Klorane. No matter how many dry shampoos I try, this one is still a favorite. Unfortunately, it costs $20, so I only pick it up when there is a deal. I also decided to purchase a trio of mini lip glosses from Cythnia Rowley. I received one of these glosses in a Birchbox last year and really loved it, so I grabbed it for $15. I am a little disappointed with how tiny these glosses are, but I’m still happy with them. I’ll have a full blog post showing them off soon!

Birchbox Haul | Hair Care & MakeupThe rest of the items in this haul were freebies! I got an email from Birchbox with a coupon code for this travel size dry shampoo from Living Proof along with the L. Erickson headband. I’ve been doing PiYo for over a month now, so this headband really comes in handy for my short hair. Plus, I am always up for drying out another dry shampoo. Maybe this one will beat out Klorane!

Birchbox Haul | Hair Care & MakeupFinally, Birchbox has a Bonus Shop that lets you add additional freebies to your order depending on what you buy. I always go for the Mystery Sample Pack. If you spend $35 or more, you can add this pack to your order for free. It contains two deluxe samples, but you don’t know what they are. This time I got the Templespa In Good Condition Hair Conditioner and Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Blue Lagoon. These are great products, but I think I’ll be passing them on this time.

All in all, I’m really happy with this Birchbox purchase! I do miss the subscription program, but still recommend it for those of you who have an extra $10 to spend each month. You can subscribe using my referral link HERE if you’re interested.

What is your favorite hair care product at the moment? Let me know in the comments!

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