Brand: Revlon
Range: Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
Shades: Romantic, Smitten, Sweetheart, Cherish, Darling
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain’s are a lightweight lipstain with a pigmented flush of colour that’s long lasting and exceptional staining power that lasts for hours and hours.
• No lip balm required beforehand – the smooth gel formula glides on smoothly & softens lips for a supple, conditioned and moistured finish that looks fuller.
• Comes in a retractable chubby crayon applicator – no sharpening required.
• Available in 10 shades – Honey, Darling, Cherish, Lovesick, Sweetheart, Smitten, Charm, Romantic, Precious and Adore.
• Light peppermint fragrance.
• Tip: Make sure your lips are well exfoliated beforehand, otherwise this balm will stain in uneven patches.
• Verdict: As a testament to how amazing the staying power is, I had to photograph the lip swatches over 2 days (well spaced apart) and in a strategic sequence starting with the lightest to the darkest shade to make sure the stains from the previous swatch doesn’t interfere with the next shade.  I’m also amazed by how pigmented & moisturising they are without the need for any lip balm.   If you decide to change your lip colour just as soon as you applied it, the best makeup remover for taking off this stain is Clinique Take the Day Make Up Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips.

Swatched without any lip balm.
Click below to view enlarged image

Darling & Cherish are better suited to pale lip tones as it contrasts against pigmented lips. That said, I liked the sweet pink stain that Cherish left on my lips as opposed to the red/fuchsia stains from the other shades.

The pink shades may look deceptively similar on my arm, but as you can see they are strikingly different on lips.

RRP: $17.95 AUD

This product was provided for consideration.

It felt like only yesterday that I was amongst the audience at Pro Blogger Event 2012 (held in Melbourne), soaking up 2 days of inspiration about all things blogging from “How to Get Brands Knocking On Your Door“  through to eBook creation & marketing your brand.

When I attended the event last September, I was actually 90% finished with my eBook “Pout Perfect” and it just so happened that I was in the right frame of mind for the eBook sessions as they focused more on creating effective launch & tail marketing campaigns.  When it came to eBook creation, the theme last year was that collaboration was key in fast-tracking the self-publishing process, and people were left feeling that you needed an awesome team of graphic designers and content producers to create an awesome eBook.

It turns out many people who attended wanted to learn more about how to actually self-publish an eBook from scratch, particularly where one doesn’t have the means for a fancy graphic designer or simply want to cut out the middle man when it comes to eBook publishing.

Coincidentally I had already gone through this journey, as I managed the ENTIRE eBook development process myself – editing, photography, graphic design, eBook publishing and marketing – all whilst maintaining a full time job.  There are reasons as to why I went down the path I did, but the main one is that I wanted to keep it simple and focus on delivering a quality product at an affordable price.

I have long wanted to write a series of blog posts to share my journey in self-publishing my eBook, so when the opportunity came up to speak about my experience I couldn’t resist, as I find it so much more rewarding to share stories with people in person as opposed to just blogging about it in my pyjamas in front of a computer screen.

Without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that I’m one of the PB Event speakers for 2013 at Gold Coast!  Still pinching myself at seeing my bio on the PB Event Speakers page.

I do intend to write up a series of blog posts to go with my presentation, which I will be co-presenting with other panel speakers as well who’ve self-published on other platforms (eg. Kindle).

If there’s any questions you have for me about self-publishing eBooks, please leave a comment below!

Tickets are on sale now – visit probloggerevents.com for more details.  Warning: PB Event tickets sell like hot cakes!

Earlier this week, Beauty Swatch was featured on BusinessChic.com.au! Cheryl and I went to uni together and it’s been great to cross paths again through our blogs!

Thank you Cheryl for your gorgeous write-up – possibly the best one I’ve had to date!

Don’t forget to check out Cheryl’s fabulously chic book “Little Black Dress Project” available in print.

THANK YOU to everyone who popped by at Mecca Maxima over the past two days!   I had the best time ever in my 4 years of blogging, and it’s been a truly AMAZING two days meeting so many gorgeous faces and recommending you a lipstick shade.

A huge THANKS to all the wonderful staff at Mecca Maxima and Clinique, in particular -  Ann (my partner in crime), Emma, Lena, Cindy (Mecca Maxima Melbourne Central), Yvonne, Maria and Nicole (Mecca Maxima Highpoint), Courtney & Francis (Clinique)

I met hundreds and hundreds of women over the two days, and whilst there were countless warm fuzzy moments when I saw the look on your faces trying on a lip colour that I recommended, some of the highlights for me were:

• helping a woman with an autumnal colour palette discover she could actually wear coral with Coral Chic  paired with Clinique Quickliner for Lips in Cocoa Peach
• helping 3 teenagers find a lip colour they can wear without getting into trouble with their dad (RSVPink, Coral Crush, Bejeweled Pink)
• helping several women of all ages find their perfect red with Party Red
• helping a new mum feel feminine again with Berry Intense
• seeing mums & their daughters try the same shade of lipstick
• helping two brides find a lipstick for their wedding day
• inspiring so many gorgeous women to try  Spanish Rose – a hot fucshia lip which I wore for the two days
• seeing the look on so many faces when they tried Magenta Rose – it appealed to everyone from young & trendy through to career women of ALL colour.

You have no idea how much I wished to chat more with each and every one of you, but it was CRAZY BUSY with one person lining up after the other & and I nearly lost my voice by the end of it.

Whether you took home a lipstick or simply came along to try something new, I hope you had as much fun as I did at the event!!

Don’t forget to enter the Instagram competition to win a $200 Mecca Voucher! Competition ends midnight tonight & I look forward to picking a winner Monday morning~

Brand: Carmex
Range: Moisture Plus
Shade: Peach Sheer Tint
Swatched by yours truly: Yishan

• Further to my previous review of the Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra in “Clear”, today I have the “Peach Sheer Tint” for you.  It’s also available in a “Pink Sheer Tint”.
• Ultra hydrating with the nourishing properties of the hallmark ingredients of the Carmex Moisture Plus range -  Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Aloe and SPF15.
• Comes in a sleek, slant tipped slim stick that’s easy to pop in your bag & apply on the go.
• Not quite minty, but the menthol and camphor ingredients do give a cooling sensation.
• Leaves lips with a silky peach healthy sheen
• In Australia this is available in clear, sheer pink & sheer peach.
• Verdict: I have a habit of leaving 2 lip products in every handbag – a lip balm & a peachy lip gloss – so I’m never caught without my lip products when switching bags during the weekend.  Peach Sheer Tint is the perfect fusion of both products, giving my lips a dose of moisture & a healthy MLBB flush of colour which means I only need to carry just one product instead of two.  I know people have mixed experiences with Carmex and SPF, but it works well for me as a weekend lip balm that provides a quick dose of moisture on the go.

RRP: $8.99 AUD available at selected pharmacies

This product was sent for consideration.