Revlon Colorstay Soft and Smooth Lipcolor

Whenever a lip product is marketed as "long-wearing," I always mentally file it in the "too good to be true" category. I have never had good luck with so-called long- wearing lip color. Either the product doesn't really stay on, or it gets that rough, crumbly texture or wears off to just a ring around the lips. Plus, the whole top-coat thing is just too much for me--why not just reapply lipstick then?

But when Revlon Colorstay Soft and Smooth Lipcolor first came out a few years ago, I had to try it (already having fallen in love with the the Soft Flex foundation).

It's a creamy, one step long-wearing lip color that feels moist and comfortable on the lips. Like the foundation, this lipstick also is formulated with Soft Flex; those two words are music to my ears.

I have shades in both the Sheer and Full-Coverage formula. Both formulas deliver color that is vibrant, doesn't dry out the lips and stays put through drinking and light eating.

How long a lipstick will stay on seems to vary quite a bit from person to person depending on that person's habits. So, for a frame of reference, in situations where my lipstick would be gone, this product is still going strong.

While I do think this lipstick has the potential to stay on perfectly for hours on end, I always seem to be enjoying a beverage or a snack, in which case it will need a touch-up. But still, it is the best performing, longest-wearing lipcolor I have discovered to date.

Revlon Brow Fantasy

I live and die by my simple eyebrow mantra: Defined at all times. Why? Because it can take your look from pretty girl to spellbinding beauty in an instant.

Revlon aims to bring perfectly groomed brows to the masses with their Brow Fantasy, a duo with a brow pencil on one end and a tinted gel on the other.

At first I loved this product--my brows looked defined, but natural, the color was a good match (available in 4 shades, mine's dark brown) and the gel kept any unruly hairs in check. But after a few weeks of testing it, the performance was inconsistent. Sometimes the gel takes on a dull, greyish color. Also, the pencil is so soft and chubby that it can be difficult to make tiny, hairlike strokes.

This product is alright but it won't replace my own eyebrow combo: MAC Mystery eyeshadow applied with a MAC 208 angled brush and topped off with my beloved MAC Brow Finisher--a tinted wax stick. The wax stays soft (so you never get that dull, harded-glue look), holds the brows and power in place, and gives just a hint of extra color. Once you go with wax, you'll never go back!

Revlon ColorStay Makeup with Soft-Flex

When it comes to drugstore brands, Revlon is definitely at the top of the game (I'm writing off 3-D Extreme Mascara as fluke).

Their ColorStay Makeup with Soft-Flex can hang with the best of 'em--from drugstore to designer foundations, this is a great foundation. I have the formula for Combination/Oily Skin (it also comes in a Normal/Dry Skin formula), and it really does control oil! True to its name, it does stay on all day looking freshly applied. Even with medium, buildable coverage, the texture doesn't feel heavy or look like a mask. I've used this foundation on-and-off for a few years now, and it's never made me break out or clogged my pores.

This stand-out budget beauty item comes in 20 shades and has an SPF of 6.

Revlon Skinlights

Ok readers, here is one of biggest beauty secrets ever: It’s Revlon Skinlights instant skin brightener, my secret weapon. Without fail, every time I wear it people compliment my skin. Random strangers even make remarks! It comes in 5 different shades, but I’ve always stuck with Bare Light, a luminous neutral tone. This looks amazing under Bare Minerals, and because it does such an amazing job of evening skin tone, you could skip foundation all together or just dust some sheer powder on top. As an added bonus, this product is oil-free and has SPF 15! It also contains vitamins A, C and E, and to tell you the truth, sometimes I skip my moisturizer and just put this on instead.

Such an amazing product sounds too good to be true, and it is--almost. My worst nightmare came true when Revlon discontinued it, but fortunately I have this product stockpiled. Don’t worry; you can still get your hands on it too, because it’s available at amazon.com. Now if I could just track down some bottles of Revlon’s Outrageous shampoo...