Drugstore Back-to-School Lip Products for Middle School, High School, and College

It's that time of year again - school is almost back in session! Parents everywhere are rejoicing, while kids are savoring their last day or two of summer. You may have already stocked up on the coolest notebooks, pencils, and folders - but don't forget the lip products! Here are some of my back-to-school favorites, from moisturizing to colorful, so you can find the right lip product for you and your grade level! I've picked out 3 lip products each for middle school, high school, and college - and the best thing is that they're all from the drugstore!

Middle School:
If you're in middle school, you may have started wearing light makeup already, or you may be rocking the natural, bare-faced look. Either way, I'd recommend keeping the lip products light. Not only will products like balms and glosses look more natural, but they are also easier to apply and require less precision, which means you won't be stuck in the bathroom trying to apply perfect lipstick!

SoftLips Tinted Lip Conditioner - Rose: This lip balm is probably a little too frosty for most adults, but for younger girls it's lovely! I've always found SoftLips balms to be extremely moisturizing, and the SPF 15 will help protect lips from damaging sun rays.
Bath & Body Works Liplicious Gloss: The particular shade that I'm wearing isn't being sold in Bath & Body Works stores anymore, but you can still find similar clear and lightly tinted glosses - and the best part is that they come in a bunch of fun flavors! These glosses add just a hint of shine and shimmer, and the tube packaging makes it super easy to swipe them on in between classes.
Maybelline Baby Lips Balm - Pink Punch: The most pigmented lip product in the bunch, this balm gives a beautiful pink tint to the lips, feels smooth and moisturizing, and has SPF 20! If the pink is too bright for you, these balms come in a variety of other tints, and there are several clear options as well!

High School:
Whether you've started wearing a fuller face of makeup and want the perfect lip product to compliment the rest of your look, or you want to keep the face natural and just accentuate your lips, these lip products range from glossy to matte and from bright to subtle. They all look great alone, so no need to pack a ton of lip products to take to school!

e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Color - Tea Rose: This lip color is extremely matte, so it may not work if you have dry or chapped lips. But if you keep your lips moisturized and smooth, this lip color is a beautiful pale shade with a bit of a purple undertone. Since it's matte, it won't move around on your lips throughout the day, and it won't compete with your eye makeup!
CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm - Ballet Twist (205): This jumbo lip pencil is a pale peachy shade with a touch of shimmer. It goes on very sheer, but you can also build up the pigment by applying a few layers. It's really easy to apply without a mirror, and feels very lightweight on the lips!
NYX Butter Gloss - Peaches and Cream: This has been one of my favorite summer glosses, and I definitely plan on wearing it into the fall as well! It's a gorgeous peachy pink color, and true to the name, it's extremely smooth and buttery on the lips! It gives the lips exactly the right touch of color.

College:
Let's be real - anything goes in college! For these lip products, I picked out something nude, something bright, and something with super versatile packaging, for those busy days where you're going from the dining hall to class to practice to clubs and finally, to the library for an all-nighter!

Revlon Lip Butter - Peach Parfait: This shade is the perfect peachy-nude color with a bit of shimmer and a TON of shine! One of my favorite things about the Revlon Lip Butters is that I never feel like I need a gloss with them, because they're incredibly shiny already!
Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer - Stellar: In reality, this shade is a bit more pink than it looks in my selfies, but either way - this one is bright! Since this product stains my lips, I don't have to worry about reapplying it right away when I feel it wearing off! (Note: I purchased mine in England where they're called "Apocalips," thus the different name on the packaging.)
Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker Gloss - Pink: I've never found these pH products to really change color on anyone, but I can't dispute the fact that this gloss is a gorgeous, vibrant pink shade that gives a ton of color just by itself! The packaging on this gloss is also so cool - there's a mirror on the tube and the wand lights up, so you can reapply in any situation and don't need to carry a separate mirror with you all day!


And....that's it! Hopefully you'll get some back-to-school inspiration from these lip products, and find one that's perfect for you! And of course, to everyone who's starting school again - lots of luck! <3

XOXO,
Ally

Jordana Cosmetics - Cyber Monday Haul

What constitutes a haul, anyway? I only ordered four items, and that seems rather small for a "haul," but I guess technically it still is, right?

Anyway...regardless of what it's called, I got my order from Jordana Cosmetics today! I've actually never tried any of their products before, but when I saw that they were having a 25% off plus free shipping sale (on their already very reasonably-priced products) for Cyber Monday, I figured now was the best time to give them a try!

From bottom-top: Easy Shine Glossy Lip Color in Raspberry, Easy Shine Glossy Lip Color in Sweet Strawberry, Lip Out Loud Gloss in E-123, Lip Gloss in Cotton Candy

I ordered two of their Easy Shine Glossy Lip Colors in Raspberry and Sweet Strawberry, the Lip Out Loud Lip Gloss in E-123, and their plain old lip gloss in Cotton Candy, which was apparently a cult favorite that they brought back. Each lip product retails for $1.99, except for the lip gloss in Cotton Candy, which is $1.49. I'm really excited to try everything and review/swatch them for you guys!

XOXO, Ally

Hard Candy Glossaholic Lip Gloss - Review and Swatches

I saw these two glosses on the Hard Candy website a little while ago, and knew I had to have them. Not only did the glitter in them look fantastic, but they each claimed to have a different mood-altering property - and I'll admit it right now, I'm a huge sucker for gimmicks.

So the next time I was doing an Easy-Mac-and-ramen run at Walmart, I snagged these two suckers. Chill Out is the vanilla-scented one that claims to be relaxing, with purple, orange, and green flecks of glitter. Rise & Shine is coffee scented and claims to be energizing, and contains flecks of yellow, orange, and green glitter.

Obviously the biggest selling point for these is their mood-altering properties, and I pretty much got what I expected - nothing. Just because I love a good gimmick doesn't mean I believe any of them are true! That being, said, I still absolutely love this gloss. The vanilla scent/taste is delicious and smells just like cupcakes, but the coffee one is actually pretty disappointing - it smelled faintly sweet, but then there was a bitterness to the scent which I assume was the coffee part of it ... and trust me, coming from an absolute coffee addict, it smelled nothing like the coffee that I drink. I was definitely let down by that scent, but I do have to admit that being a coffee lover, I was probably expecting a bit too much from it.

In terms of formula, the gloss is pretty thick and has an average wear time. The real reason why I love these babies is because of the stunning glitter - the flakes look so unique on my lips, and even after the gloss wears off some of the glitter stays behind. The applicator is large and the tube is massive, making it harder to apply this gloss precisely, but I appreciate the fact that I can load up my lips with a single swipe. Other than that, I adore the packaging, from the fonts used to the cute coordinating purple and pink caps.

(Also, you should note in the swatches of the gloss on my lips, the glitter is much more apparent in real life, I promise!)

Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: Since this gloss doesn't actually live up to its mood-altering claims, I can't give it a higher score - but I can promise that these are the perfect combination of wacky and subdued. If you like glitter but don't want to feel like you're swimming in it, definitely check out these glosses.

XOXO, Ally