Almay Ideal Lipcolor
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Amazing Lip Color
I recently stumbled across several shades of Almay Ideal Lipcolor at a discount store for about $2 apiece. Having never tried an Almay lippie but satisfied with the high quality Almay maintains in their other products, I bought "Berry", "Pink" and "Red". These lipsticks come in a round white tube with a see-through top that very much resembles the Revlon tube design. The barrel is a frosted aluminum. The bottom of the tube has a color swatch sticker on it so it's easy to see what is inside no matter what end you glance at. One advantage of having a white case/cap is that the color inside isn't swallowed up in a dark shadow cast by dark plastic. In fact, I see nothing about the package design to complain about. I am of the philosophy that simpler, smaller and sleeker in a lipcolor tube is better. I dislike clunky lippies that don't feel comfortable in the hand and take up too much room in my cosmetic pouch, handbag or train case. This one doesn't. It's a decent quality tube all the way around, most notably the fact that the cap is a secure fit. One thing that makes this formulation unique is the peppermint scent (as described on the back of the package). It is definitely minty, more so in smell than taste, however. Each of these lippies are sheer and a single coat when applied with a light hand is rather subdued. As a result, less or more applications change the look quite dramatically, particularly with respect to the Red shade. Unfortunately, as sheer colors go, none of them wear very long — which is why I am docking the rating. Red, as others have pointed out, contains some gold glitter, which is quite obvious in the tube. The good news is, that does not translate into obnoxious, giant glitter chunks on the lips by any means. That being said, the sparkle does feel slightly gritty, but only upon rubbing my lips together. Otherwise, it is not irritating. (Almay, after all, has traditionally been the go-to drugstore brand for non-irritating cosmetics long before the mineral makeup fad took hold.) In my opinion, Red is not an overly orange hue, either. A single coat is a very subdued pale cherry tone. After building up several coats the best I can describe it is a clear medium-bright red with pink undertones and a modest golden shimmer. I would say this is a fun red color, not an inappropriate or dated looking one. It simply isn't opaque enough to look garish in the way some of the worst reds are. Pink has a tinge of coral that makes it less like cotton candy and more like a nude that will flatter anyone, especially those who dislike cool pinks. It is very natural looking and because it isn't loaded with shimmer it doesn't accentuate lines on the lips the way some lipsticks do. The medium gloss in Almay's Ideal Lip Color is just enough to give a pleasing lip plumping illusion when fresh out of the tube. Pink remains a subdued color that never becomes too bright no matter how many coats are applied. And because it doesn't have any glitter, it is smooth and moisturizing without feeling heavy. I don't need to carry a separate lip gloss or balm in my purse when I have my Pink Almay Ideal Lip Color with me. Perhaps it has something to do with the peppermint? (It somewhat reminds me of a milder smelling version of Burt's Bees.) Berry, like Pink, has a nice medium sheen and goes on without any overt shimmer. It is a neutral berry tone, neither overly warm nor overly cool. Unlike some colors with the word "Berry" in it, this one doesn't take on a wine or purple tone, either. It has some medium pink tones too it, but the overall look isn't too bright. It would be perfectly appropriate for a professional environment. Like the others, however, it doesn't have much of a lipstaining effect. It is necessary to reapply it fairly often to keep the color and moisturizing effects from fading, but in all fairness this appears to go with the territory when using lippies classified as "sheers". Almay's attempt to making these colors flatter shows. It is nice to have a lipstick where it is easy to control the intensity of the color. That's what makes this product unique — or as Almay describes it, "Ideal". I would buy this product again — especially if I could find it in Orange (sheer coral/peach). Like the poster before me, I also picked this up at my Dollar Store! Already content with my Almay Ideal Lip Color in 'Pink', didn't hesitate to pick up 'Red'. I have been looking for a true blue-red, and Almays 'Red' fits the bill. But this particular shade does have some gold shimmer in it, but it all looks good to me. The Ideal Lip Color formulas are incredibly moisturizing and refreshing (peppermint). I apply this, pat excess off with a tissue, and seal with some clear lip gloss. This gives me a simple, red lip that finishes like a stain!!! It is a simple, classic shade that would work well with all skintones, imo... And it won't wear away unevenly like many stains do. Overall, I am very happy with my super-bargain lip color! — 1 year, 3 months agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 0 people said helpful
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old faithful
almay was the first lipstick i ever used, and it is still great — 5 years, 1 month agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 0 people said helpful
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Not Ideal
This lipstick comes in an extremely limited number of shades, claiming that they'll flatter most skin tones. I'm fair, and I usually like neutral shades, but their only neutral options were coffee and bronze - too dark. I opted for Ideal Pink, the lightest shade available. It was still too "blue" (actually, all of the 6 remaining shades had blue undertones), and despite the fact that it's sheer, I thought it just didn't look right on me. It wore off really easily, anyway, because the formula's so thin. It was moisturizing, but I'd say that's it's only bonus. — 4 years, 4 months agoThis review is: Helpful | Not helpful | Inappropriate | 0 of 0 people said helpful
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