Revo Lip Balm Summer 2015 Collection

*PRESS SAMPLES AND GIFTS*

Hi friends! Today I'd like to share my thoughts on the Revo Lip Balm Summer 2015 collection. Of course, as always, I'll jump right to the pics!

Here they are! From red to light pink they are Cherry Cola, Orange Mango, Pina Colada, Pink Lemonade and Cotton Candy

Here is a shot of the goodness inside.

It's awesome that Revo puts the flavor names on the outer seal but once you've removed the plastic wrap, the flavor is a mystery, right?  WRONG!  Don't say I never did anything for ya!

These labels, available at pretty much any office supply store as well as Walmart, Target, etc. solve your problem.  They fit perfectly on the bottoms of the balms!

Now, let's get to each flavor specifically, shall we? I'll start with Cherry Cola. I am very into soda-flavored things, even though I'm really trying to cut back on my actual soda consumption. With the exception of the occasional root beer float (are you listening, Revo? Wouldn't that be an amazing flavor to add to your line, along with cream soda? You're welcome), I rarely drink "real" soda anymore. Now, my next trick will be giving up the diet stuff. But, I digress. In a pinch, this wonderful Cherry Cola balm helps satisfy my soda cravings in a way that is calorie free, score! I think Revo captures the essence of Cherry Cola very well in both scent and flavor.

Orange Mango was an ambitious idea. While I LOVE the scent and flavor, I get very strong mango and very little orange. Not a bad thing, it's great. I guess it is just hard to capture both flavors equally. Still, I really love the mango-ness (not a word but I'm making it one) of this balm.

Do you like Pina Coladas? (C'mon, I had to!) I love them. And I love this balm. Unfortunately, not quite enough scent or flavor for me. Is it accurate? Yes. Is it strong enough? Not quite, for me. As always, just my opinions here, please judge for yourselves.

Pink Lemonade is next. Let me say this right off the bat...I...LOVE...Pink...Lemonade (the beverage). Few things are more thirst-quenching and delicious, especially on a hot summer day. As for the Revo version...I...LOVE...Pink...Lemonade. I think they did a fabulous job in capturing the scent and flavor of this tasty treat.

Lastly, Cotton Candy. Yum. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the deliciousness that is cotton candy? I'll wait.........okay.  Revo's cotton candy balm smells just like the real thing. However, I was slightly disappointed in the taste. While it does have a very subtle cotton candy flavor, I wanted a bit more *punch*, if you get my drift. This is not a girl who does subtle. Still, I love the formula (as I do for all Revos), the pale pink packaging and the fabulous fragrance. So, still a winner.

Overall, I'm super-happy with this collection. For some reason, where I live (Long Island, NY), is is extremely difficult to find the Revo limited edition collections like this one. Once in a rare while, I'll find one or two, but never the complete collection, and I HUNT. Seriously. Like seven Walgreens locations. Therefore, I'm extremely grateful that the kind folks at Revo sent me a few of these to review and that my dear friend, Christine, who lives in another state, was kind enough to send me the rest. Otherwise, you'd probably still here Kari crying wherever you are. As I kinda sorta implied, you can find this limited edition collection at your local Walgreens. I hope. If you don't live on Long Island. If you pick up any or all of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time, stay beautiful, butterflies!

xo,
Kari

*As stated, some of the products mentioned in this post were sent to me for review purposes. The remaining products were either gifts from a friend (the remaining lip balms) or purchased by me (the labels). As always, all opinions expressed are completely my own.

This Butterfly is Undergoing a Metamorphosis...Please Stand By

Hello, friends! I have decided that this blog is evolving once more. While I will continue to post about beauty products (especially nail polish and lip balm), I want this blog to be more about fun/whimsy/snark/joy in general, too. Therefore, I will be posting random bits, from time to time, including hauls, fun finds, goodies I get in the mail (and think you might enjoy as well), etc. So, it will be everything you like about Butterfly's Landing PLUS more. Sound good? Great! Off we go!
xo,
Kari

Press Release - Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear

GIVE YOUR MANICURE FESTIVAL FLARE WITH SALLY HANSEN®’S

NEW HARD AS NAILS® XTREME WEAR® COLLECTION

This season is all about vibrant prints and casually cool colors that reigned on the runway. Taking its hue cues from the embellished fabrics and folkloric prints of the American west, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear’s new nail color collection combines beautifully boho shades with rich pigment pay-off and intense shine. The collection includes eight new stylish offerings that are perfect for free-spirits who play by their own rules.  

The collection includes:

 Femme Feather: Deck your digits with this season’s indie-inspired shade of blush

 Heritage Red: This bright, creamy red invokes a modern slant on the most classic manicure

 Out for Oxblood: A dangerously dusky deep maroon, this rich shade compliments heavier fall fabrics

 Fall Flare: Celebrate cooler climates with a glossy coat punched up with a fuchsia glitter fiesta

 Strike Gold: Live it up — this leafy, glitter-infused shade takes gold to a new level of luxury

 Hard Cider: Paint on this electric poppy polish to amp up your festival-fierce look

 Boho Blue: Temper the Mojavi heat with a Pacific-Oceanesque cobalt blue

 Gypsy Jade: This warm, deep sea-glass tone is a total gem

Here are some better shots of all the colors!  I'm excited for these.  I love the formulas and brushes on almost all Sally Hansens.  

Femme Feather

Heritage Red

Out for Oxblood

Fall Flare

Strike Gold

Hard Cider

Boho Blue

Gypsy Jade

Press Release: Redbook Contest! Name a New Zoya Color

               

Have you ever dreamed of naming a Zoya Color? This is your big chance to join in on the color naming fun... Zoya Creative Director, Rebecca Isa has created 3 gorgeous, new colors for Redbook and the magazine is running a naming contest for them in the September 15 Issue (page 60).

·         Creamy Cherry Red

·         Metallic Plum

·         Sheer Sparkly Gold

As you may know, Zoya names all of our colors after women - so submit your Mom or Bestie or Idol or even your own name to maybe become the next new Zoya!

ENTRY FORM: http://redbook.hearstmobile.com/sweepstakes/31602

CONTEST RULES: http://www.redbookmag.com/sweepstakes/rules/a39228/september-2015-contest-official-rules-5-beauty-tricks-i-just-learned-zoya-contest/

OR USE THE QR CODE PROVIDED HERE FOR DIRECT ACCESS.

After the winning names are selected by the Redbook team, the colors will be available through December on Zoya.com as a full size (0.5 oz) trio - $27 (US).

And as individual colors in salons and ULTA stores - $9 ea. (US).

FingerPaints Once in a Wild Collection

*PRESS SAMPLES*

Hi friends! Today I have a new collection from FingerPaints for you. It is called Once in a Wild and is comprised of six polishes in different finishes. Let me start with the pics.

From thumb to pinky: FingerPaints Vermillion $ Painting, Exotic Emerald, Amazon Sky, Amethyst Accent and Titian Tint (two coats each)

From thumb to pinky: FingerPaints Vermillion $ Painting, Exotic Emerald, Amazon Sky, Amethyst Accent and Once in a Wild (two coats each)

If you're a longtime reader of this blog, you'll know that I tend to be partial to blues and greens. Therefore, you may be surprised to learn that those were actually my least favorites (along with Once in a Wild) in this collection. The formula on these was challenging to work with, very thick and kind of clumpy, and you can probably see in the pics that they did not dry smoothly. I was bummed about that. Vermillion and Amethyst had similar formulas, much smoother, and I preferred those two by a mile. However, the BIGGEST surprise of all, at least to me, was how much I loved Titian Tint. Based on the bottles alone, I had the lowest expectations for this shade but on the nail, wow. It's a gorgeous copper-y color that complimented my pale cool skin tone surprisingly well. Great formula on this one and it could even be a one-coater, epic win! It is, by far, my favorite in the collection. I would love to see FingerPaints make another polish in this formula with a bit more pink to it, like a rose gold. That would be GORGEOUS. (And feel free to incorporate "Kari" into the name. You're welcome.)  ;)

*The polishes used in this post were provided for my honest review and consideration. As always, all opinions are completely my own.

SinfulColors - A Class Act

*PRESS SAMPLES*

Today I have some cool new shades for you from SinfulColors for back to school 2015. They are part of a new limited edition line called Demi-Matte. I have seven colors from this line to share with you (and one that is not part of the Demi-Mattes but is part of the new collection). Pics to follow:

Two coats each from thumb to pinky: RAD-ient, Chalk It Up, Summer S-cool, Hazed, Truth or Lavendare

Two coats each from thumb to pinky: Pink Break, Chalk It Up, Blackboard, Whiteboard, Truth or Lavendare

Re-reading my notes made me aware that Summer S-cool is NOT, in fact, part of the Demi-Matte collection (as I initially thought when I swatched it) which explains its shiny finish. However, the remaining seven shades are (which is why I'm puzzled that Pink Break did not dry matte. Perhaps I got a wonky bottle?) But, I digress.

I found that despite being part of the same collection, these polishes had varying formulas. RAD-ient and Hazed were quite sheer. The others were similar in formula with the exception of the aforementioned Summer S-cool and Pink Break. But wow, this Pink Break thing really has me confused as it dried super-shiny, not matte at all. I liked the "demi-matte" finish on the others and if I had been wanting a shiny pink, Pink Break would have been the jam. Will have to see if others have the same experience with it that I did. Overall, pretty colors with varying success in my book.  If you try Pink Break for yourself, please let me know how it goes for you. I really wish mine had been demi-matte as promised.  

You can check out SinfulColors on all sorts of social media at the links below:

W: SinfulColors.com                                                                                                   

F: facebook.com/sinfulcolors

T: twitter.com/SinfulColors_NP

I:  instagram.com/sinfulcolors_official

*The products featured in this post were provided for my honest review and consideration. As always, all opinions are completely my own.

Sally Hansen Insta-Ombre

*PRESS SAMPLE*

Hi friends! Today, I have two more Sally Hansens for you. These are from a new line called Insta-Ombre and the colors I have to show you are Grey-diant and Cobalt Coat. As always, let's get right to the pic!

Sally Hansen Grey-diant and Cobalt Coat (on alternating fingers) - applied as directed

These polishes are designed to give an ombre effect. Sadly, I didn't really see it. The instructions say to apply one coat to the entire nail, wait a minute, apply a second coat to part of the nail, wait a minute and finally apply a third coat to just the tips. I did as instructed but don't see anything ombre about this mani. I do, however, think these glitters will be nice as general top coats. The glitter is fine and plentiful, both wonderful qualities in my book. So, for an ombre look, no go for me, but as a glitter top coat, they're a win.

*The polishes used in this post were provided to me for my honest review and consideration. As always, all opinions expressed are completely my own.