Review: Flower Cosmetics Lighten Up Brightening Concealer

So you guys know that so far I've tried the Flower Beauty blusher/bronzer duo, two Flower nail polishes, and two of the Flower lip butters and have been pretty happy with all of them.

Well...I hate to break a streak, but I have been trying out the Flower Cosmetics Lighten Up Brightening  Concealer over the past few days, and I'm sorry to say that this one isn't a favorite.

What I look for: In a concealer, I'm looking for pigmentation, blendability, and effectiveness.  I have some pretty blue under eye circles, and I need those to get covered easily and effectively.  I also have some redness around my nose that I conceal daily.

Packaging: This concealer has the twist-up into a brush style packaging.  The brush bristles are long and flexible.  I hate applying concealer with a brush like that (I prefer using a Sigma P80 or P86 brush) so I just use the applicator to get the product onto my skin and work from there.

Color Selection: 4 colors. That's it.  To fit all the range of skin tones that need concealer.  Yeah.  The shade I'm using is BC2, which is the second lightest shade.

Application:  I did not find this to be especially smooth with application.  Check out these swatches.  In the second picture after I had rubbed it into my skin a little bit, you can pretty clear see some little bumps of product.  I've found that lumpy texture to be pretty typical of this product.

Straight out of the brush tip

Blended out with 4-5 swipes back and forth.
Those little lumps are the concealer..not texture on my hand.

Coverage: You won't be able to use this for spots in my opinion unless they are very light.  It just isn't that kind of concealer.  I get the sense that this is meant for under eyes only.  That's fine.  Except that I don't find it does a lot for me for under eyes!  Check out the before and after:

Completely naked skin

No foundation, just the Lighten Up concealer under my eye and
blended out/down. Yes, I did blend the concealer over that freckle
if that gives you an idea of coverage

Did it add some lightness? Absolutely.  Did it cover some? Sure.  But you can still see that I've got some serious blue shadow going on.  For me, this level of coverage doesn't cut it.  Especially when I do not think that the application felt super smooth/even.  If your under eye circles don't have strong blue under tones, this concealer may be enough for you, you lucky girl.

Staying Power: I didn't set it with powder and it did stay at this level of meh-coverage all day, so that's something good.

Bottom Line

For me, this won't cut it.  If you are trying to just brighten up your under eye area and are not looking to counteract blue tones, you may enjoy this.  I think even at the drugstore price point I can find better.  I like Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser (my shade is Medium), for instance.  At Target, you can grab Pixi's salmon toned concealer that is great on under eyes.  I think I can still make this product work by layering it with one of these two, but it won't work on its own for my uses.  Check out my other reviews for Flower stuff though, because like I said, I don't think the whole line is a bust!

Review: Flower Cosmetics Nail Polishes

Next up for review: Flower Beauty nail polish!

Left to Right: Fanatical Blossom, Gorgeous Gerbera

These nail polishes promise "super short dry time, smooth application, [and] premium glossy shine" in two coats.  Sounds good!  I picked up two colors: Gorgeous Gerbera and Fanatical Botanical.  Gorgeous Gerbera is a peachy pink that is very trendy for spring, and Fanatical Botanical is a metallic rose gold.

What I look for: 1) opacity in two coats, 2) shiny finish, 3) good staying power.

Color Selection: I want more! There are 16 shades in the collection right now. There were several reds and lots of light colors, but only 2 dark colors.  This collection right now screams trendy for spring but wearable for everyone.  There were only a couple of colors that I thought would be inappropriate for a professional woman to wear to work (either because they were super bright or super dark).  I was on the edge of grabbing one dark shade called April Showers which was a very dark blue, but I thought it would probably come across as black from far away because of how dark it was.  I was also tempted to grab the mint green, but I already a mint green at home and couldn't justify it.  I definitely want to pick up one of the reds but I couldn't decide on this first trip, plus I didn't know if I'd like them enough to buy more.

Price: These are a great deal at $4.98 a piece.

Formula: A quick note here for someone who took many hours of college chemistry.  The company totes these nail polishes as having a "3 free" formula, and explains that this means that they are free of DBP, toluene, and camphor.  I'm not looking to start a debate, but here are my thoughts on this. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) has, according to Wikipedia, been phased out by all major U.S. nail polish producers since 2006.  So that's not a very special claim, but I suppose it's a good thing. Toluene is sort of like the weak younger brother of benzene, a carcinogen.  Toluene itself has very little carcinogen potential, and only causes significant effects when inhaled in large quantity. Most major nail polishes are also toluene free.  Again, I suppose it's a good thing not to have it, but still not a unique thing.  Finally, camphor. This claim confuses me. We use camphor as a flavoring in food! It's very aromatic.  It's also soothing for inflammation and is in many anti-itch medicines.  Camphor is only toxic in large doses.  So again, I suppose good for them for not including it, but I wouldn't run away from the ingredient in everything.

Application: These applied pretty well.  I found that I needed to put on a thicker first coat with Gorgeous Gerbera than what I would ordinarily use because of some streakiness. But what's weird is that Fanatical Botanical was not streaky at all and I was able to do thin coats! So maybe I got a bad bottle of Gorgeous Gerbera or maybe it just varies from color to color. The consistency is very smooth and the brush size is perfect in my opinion. The second coat went one much nicer than the first with Gorgeous Gerbera, and as you can see below, I was able to get a nice finish.  In the future, I will likely use a base with Gorgeous Gerbera to see if that helps the first coat go on a bit more evenly. I don't think I would do that with Fanatical Botanical, as I was quite happy with that application.

The brush is shaped like a traditional nail polish brush as opposed to the wider brushes that some companies are doing now (like Sally Hansen Complete)  The cap to the polish is quite large, which I don't mind but it could hinder application for some.  The coats dry quickly and are touchable within about 3-5 minutes, even with the thicker coats I was using with Gorgeous Gerbera.

Gorgeous Gerbera: First Coat

Gorgeous Gerbera: Second Coat

Fanatical Botanical First Coat

Fanatical Botanical Second Coat

Final Results: I think that the colors on my nails, for once, looks better than in the bottle.  The colors on the nails really pop! I can't stop looking at them, but in a good way.  Very pretty shades.  You may be able to see some brush strokes when it's all said and done though. Gorgeous Gerbera was truly opaque.  Fanatical Botanical is a little bit more sheer (you can see if you have dirt under your nail).  They dry very shiny on their own.  I did not feel a need to use a top coat.

Gorgeous Gebera (Note to self..Clean up edges before pictures!)

Staying Power:
A picture is worth 1000 words, so here's the time lapse! In the interests of getting this post published sooner rather than later, I am only showing the staying power pictures for Gorgeous Gerbera.  I have thus far not had any early peeling or chipping with Fanatical Blossom.

At the end of Day 1

Late in Day 2

End of Day 3

End of Day 4. One little chip.
I took the polish off after this photo to put on Fanatical Botanical

Bottom Line:  

I think these are good for the price.  The application may vary by color, but the shades are gorgeous and very on trend yet wearable.  I will purchase more of these.  I'm anxious to try one of the red shades.

Review: Flower Cosmetics Blush and Bronzer Duo

Flower Beauty Blush/Bronzer Duo in Gloriously Golden

This compact was the most expensive item I picked up early this week from the Flower Beauty collection by Drew Barrymore, ringing in at $9.98. The color I have is Gloriously Golden. The closest thing I have to this duo in my collection is the Elf Blush/Bronzer Duo.  The Elf duo is very cheap at $3.  I love the bronzer in it, because it is light but very buildable, so I can use it all over for a quick layer of color or I can target it to specific areas for contouring.  The blush in that duo is a disappointment though.  It's very shimmery and very light and doesn't show up on my skin tone at all (I'm around an NC30 in MAC cosmetics for reference).

I picked this up based on a review from that I saw from Emily of Beauty Broadcast where she compared the blush to Wet and Wild blushes.  I love Wet n Wild blushes.  They are super pigmented and super wearable.  Heather Silk has been a staple of mine since I started wearing makeup.  So I was really excited to give this blush a try.

What I look for: 1) pigmentation, 2) blendability, 3) wearability. I went with one of the lighter colored duos because I wanted a bronzer that I could hopefully use for an all over wash of color right now with my paler winter skin, but I also want to be able to build it up to be a contour color for the hollows of my cheeks and around my forehead.  I also don't have a light pink blush like this one, as I tend to gravitate toward darker shades, so I thought this would be a fun duo to try.

Packaging

The packaging is shaped like a flower and has some cute rose gold detailing. Sadly, the thing that I find is most missing from the packaging is a mirror.  I don't normally take blush and bronzer with me in a purse, but if you do, you'll need a separate mirror.  The lid closes with magnets and feels very secure while not being really hard to open (I'm looking at you, Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder!).  This packaging won't mess up your nails trying to get it open.  

Color Selection
There are 4 duos available: Beachy Keen, Gloriously Golden (the one I'm reviewing), Shimmering Goddess (check out emilynoel83's review of that one on youtube; importantly she notes that despite the name, these colors don't have shimmer), and Sunkissed & Single.  This one is the second lightest toned duo available.  I think that from what I saw in the store, there's something for every skin tone.  Really solid color selection for only having 4 duos.

Look and Feel
The colors are shimmer free, which is important to me.  They felt very buttery soft when I used a finger to swatch them.  I've even used the bronzer as an eyeshadow crease color because it's soft enough to be blendable in that small space of the crease.  When you use a brush in the product, you will get a little bit of flaking in the pan, and you'll pick up some excess that needs to be tapped off.  But the flaking is certainly not to the point where you'll be making a mess in the compact.

The blush is a classic pink.  This is Barbie's blush color.  The brown is a warm sable.  From looking at pictures online and having swatched it in stores, it definitely reminds me of Nars Laguna, but I don't own that bronzer so I can't directly compare them.

Swatches
The lighting was terrible on the day I swatched these! It was super cloudy all day, so you'll have to take my word for it that the swatches looked better in person. First I dragged my fingers down the blush and bronzer once.  Then, I rubbed that finger sample on my hand.  I had to switch hands, so yes, that's my left hand in both pictures. I forgot that I needed a clean hand to hold the camera with and I'm right handed..so there's no funny business going on, just me forgetting that I'm right handed!

Application
Light hand, light hand, light hand! I have two blush brushes, one with more dense bristles than the other.  Generally I prefer to use the one with more dense bristles because it picks up more product.  But with this blush, I use the less dense brush and only tap it in the blush once and tap off the excess. Yeah, it's that pigmented.  You really need to be careful, especially if you picked up one of the duos with a darker blush and bronzer.  But the blush blends out very well.  I find that with a light hand and good blending, I get a very natural pink glow that looks like I just came in from a chilly walk.

The bronzer is much the same, although on my skin tone I'm not as careful with this bronzer. It's a bit light for me but it is buildable.  I'm definitely going to pick up a darker duo. I love that it is truly matte.  It's so hard to get a pigmented bronzer without shimmer at the drugstore. But this one is!  Try it, I really don't think you'll be disappointed.

Staying Power
I've worn both the blush and bronzer everyday since I picked them up and I've never had an issue with fading or oxidizing on the skin.  These will stay true to color until you take them off at the end of the day.

Bottom Line

I think it's pretty obvious!  I'll be buying more.  I love the pigment, blendability, and matte finish.  At $10 for the duo, you're getting a lot of product, basically a full sized blush and bronzer for $5 each.  I would put these up against high end blushes and bronzers for sure.

Be sure to check out my review of the Flower Beauty Lip Butters! And don't forget to follow me on Twitter so that you know the minute I post my Flower Nail Polish review!

Review: Flower Cosmetics Lip Butters

The gorgeous Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has launched her own cosmetics line with Walmart called Flower Beauty Cosmetics.  This isn't just a mini launch of a couple eyeshadows and a signature lipgloss.  The collection currently includes mascaras, foundations, nail polishes, lip sticks, lip butters, eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, cream shadows, blush, bronzer, loose powder, pressed power...you name it.  Drew Barrymore has been quoted as saying that she wants this collection to last for years so that her daughter can work on it one day.  She's in it for the long haul!

The philosophy of the line is one I think we can all get behind: the products are made in the USA, not tested on animals (though of course this doesn't mean certain ingredients weren't tested on animals because as far as I know the brand has not been labelled as completely cruelty-free), and she aims to price them so that every woman can get high end products at a low end price.

What is this collection missing? A kitchen sink. They could call it "Blossom Basin"

This was one of the displays at my Walmart.  I didn't realize until my fiancé was ready to drag me out of the store that there was also an end-cap display with more items, so I didn't snap a picture of that.  But check all around your makeup area, as there might be more stuff away from the main display.

First up for review are two lip butters that I picked up.  In the next week, I'll have a review for a blush/bronzer compact and two nail polishes, so keep an eye out for those!


These were $6.98 a piece. The closest thing that I have in my collection to compare these to are the Revlon lip butters, which in my Walmart were $6.48.

What I look for: 1) comfortable on the lips, 2) moisturizing, and 3) pigmented, 4) not so pigmented that if I take one sip of water I need to reapply because it looks uneven.  I like color without the effort of constantly checking on coverage when it comes to lip products, so I always have high hopes for lip butters.

Left to right: Flower Beauty Lip Butter (Princess and the Peony), Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Truffle)

Packaging: The packaging feels very solid, but it's also pretty bulky.  Above is a shot showing a Flower lip butter next to a Revlon lip butter.  The Flower packaging is obviously bulkier, but I still think that they would fit nicely into a small purse or clutch without trouble.  These won't fit in your pocket though. One problem I have with the packaging is that it's sort of tricky to tell what shade you're going to get when you're in the store because of the tinted cap. You have to sort of guess that you'll like the color based on the cap.  Another issue is that once you take off the label that seals the lip butter in store, you have no way of knowing what color you have because there's no marking on the packaging to tell you.  I took a sharpie and marked the bottom of mine so that I could keep them straight.  Not exactly the classiest of moves, but hey, it works.

Color Selection: There are nine shades in the lip butter line.  They all seemed to be pretty wearable, so I went with some that I felt would be a close match to my natural lip color so that I could find an everyday shade for myself.  I have pigmented lips, so this meant I ended up grabbing Haute Honeysuckle and Princess and the Peony.  Haute Honeysuckle is a peachy, "your lips but better" pink with shimmer.  Princess and the Peony is a deeper, berry toned pink with shimmer.

Haute Honeysuckle

Princess and the Peony

Scent and Taste: These both have the same floral scent.  Go figure, with their names and the fact that they are from a cosmetic company called Flower, they smell floral.  I do not taste anything when I lick my lips.

Swatches:

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken in artificial light

Left to right: Haute Honeysuckle, Princess and the Peony. Taken by sunny window

Application: These go on with a bit more of a grainy texture than Revlon lip butters, but I do not find this to be a bad thing.  It's very easy to get an even layer of color with these despite the little bit of grittiness.  The size of the stick is just right for giving you adequate control over where you're placing the color.

Look and Feel: I think these are perfectly pigmented for lip butters.  I find that it only takes one or two swipes over my lips to get a nice, even representation of the color.  The shimmer is not noticeable on the lips thank goodness.  They have a shinier finish than the Revlon lip butters.  They feel comfortable on the lips.  If traditional lip sticks are jeans, these are sweatpants.  They have no appreciable stickiness to them.

Staying Power: These do not transfer anywhere near as badly as my Revlon lip butters.  I can take a drink of my soda after applying and only see a faint ghost of color.  With my Revlon lip butters, I leave a noticeable mark every time.  The darker color (Princess and the Peony) transfers more than Haute Honeysuckle, but that's to be expected.  I find that they wear well throughout the day and don't become uneven.  The color just sort of fades across your lips for several hours until you are ready to reapply.  

Bottom Line: 

I think these are fantastic.  They wear well, they are pigmented, they feel comfortable on my lips despite some initial grittiness to the application, and the colors are all pretty wearable.  I would recommend picking up one of these the next time you're in Walmart.  My biggest complaints are about the packaging.  If the tube was a little slimmer, left the name of the color on there somewhere, and if you could accurately see the color in the store, these would be home runs!