Monday, November 28, 2011

Review: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

I mentioned I picked up a set at TJmaxx of the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream a few (ok more than a few) months ago. I didn't try this till I finished up the Lancome Nutrix Soothing Treatment Cream which I happen to love - er loved past tense since I have since used it up and have not yet re-bought. As you can see by the pan up above, I do really like the 8 Hour Cream. I use it as a night cream when my skin is feeling particularly parched and does a great job of giving it more moisture.

I also find that it doesn't leave my skin as greasy the next morning as the Lancome which I honestly didn't mind as usually I'm super dry and flaky so the grease was a pleasant change!

The texture is a bit strange and the smell is rather odd. It's not bad enough for me to not use the product but it's not a nice smell by any means. Simple yet somehow cute and retro packaging and a lower price tag than the Lancome makes me happy I found this stuff. I haven't used it as a lip moisturizer as I'm not sure I can handle the smell that close to my nose but as a night treatment, it's great.

Worth the hype but I wish they would do something about the smell.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Vacation What I Brought vs What I Used

I'm a chronic over packer. What can I say? I like to be prepared! For this trip, we were traveling by car so there was no need to worry about airplane regulations and I didn't have to decant all my liquids. Instead of going through all the products I brought, I'm going to do a post of the items that I brought that I actually used! I didn't wear a full face of makeup most days so I didn't pack copious amounts of makeup. What I haven't included is the only lipstick I wore the whole trip, Revlon Pink Truffle which usually lives in my hand bag anyway. Other things you won't see that I packed and used are my deodorant, my toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and a pair of tweezers.

Hair
Probably the only category I didn't over pack was hair. I only straighten my hair occasionally so I only brought products I use when I wash it. I didn't use a hair oil sample that I brought though.

* Bumble & Bumble BB Tonic Shampoo
* Wen Winter Vanilla Mint Cleansing Conditioner - this came in my first test tube
* Madre Labs Leave-In Conditioner - win this!

Makeup
I brought so many lip products and the only thing I actually wore was the Revlon Pink Truffle. No lipgloss, no other lipstick, nada. I also brought another liquid foundation-type thing: Missha BB Cream that I didn't touch. I guess I figured that I may use up the Becca? Obviously I need to rethink my packing habits!

* Becca Luminous Skin Color in Sand
* Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Original in Fair
* Cargo Blush in Molokai
* Pixi Eye Bright Primer sample - not bad!
* Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Almost Famous
* MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Gilded White - great for the waterline
* Revlon 3D Extreme Waterproof mascara
* Stila Naturaleyes Palette
* Geo Girl Pressed Mineral Shadow in See Shells - I bought this on the trip and this is a great all over base color!

Tools
I think the only other product I brought with me and didn't use was a big powder brush. Otherwise it all got used!

* Brush Off Makeup Brush Cleanser
* The Body Shop nail file
* Mally Blush Brush
* Amazing Concealer Eyeshadow Brush
* Sephora Professional Round Crease Brush
* ELF Eye Shadow Brush
* ULTA Retractable Kabuki
* Missha Blending Brush
* Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Body
I brought a Viktor & Rolf mini that I didn't touch, another The Body Shop body butter and the Mango Mend which I didn't use as I was worried about messing up sheets.

* Victoria's Secret Comfort Body Mist
* La Rocca Champagne & Acai Body Polish - I finished this early on in the trip.
* Philosophy Snow Angel Body Wash - This was in my test tube and I swear it smells exactly like Bath & Body Works Pearberry!
* True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere Hand Cream
* The Body Shop Cranberry Joy Body Butter 

Skincare

I didn't do too badly when it came to facial skincare, though I wasn't sure how much face wash I would use so I brought another sample size that I didn't use. Also Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. Otherwise, not too shabby.

* Nuance Facial Cleansing & Toning Towelettes
* Ahava Cleansing Cream
* Sircuit Skin Fixzit
* On10 Club Soda lipbalm
* Makeup Forever Sens'Eyes Cleanser
* Bare Escentuals Rare Minerals Moisturizer
* H2O Sea Pure Eye Cream

At least now I'll know what I actually need to bring and what's excess! Are you also a serial over-packer? What I used to transport everything was a Missoni for Target travel bag that I managed to find 50% off a week or so before my trip. Score!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday Promos

The internet has been a bit reluctant to work out here in the country side (but boy is it beautiful and peaceful) so I haven't been so successful with posting, but I thought I'd check in nonetheless. The household has gone to bed leaving me in post turkey nap alertness alone - well unless you count a orange kitty fuzzball to my left. Somehow the multitude of e-mailing regarding Black Friday sales have continued to come in even though other websites refuse to load so I'm going to share some.
Bloom (perhaps one of my favorite websites ever) isn't having a sale per say, but they are offering 40% back in Bloomdollars (regularly 10%) with every purchase now through Monday, November 28th. I may have already put in an order which says a lot consider the slow state of the internet and my utter lack of patience.
The Body Shop is also having a great Black Friday offer. Not only are they offering practically the entire store at 3 for $30 (including things like fragrance and skincare lines) but with a $30 or more purchase, you can buy the "mistletote" for $25 which contains quite a few additional full sized products. Use code FREEJOY for free shipping on your order if you have a Love Your Body card (you'll save $5.50 which will put you just under the free shipping mark). There's also JOY10 for 10% off your order, but I didn't use that one so I'm not certain it works. Now is definitely a time to try some of the more spendy skincare items or a fragrance or two which will normally set you back $24 or more dollars and rarely get that discounted otherwise.
Missha is offering 40% site wide as well as their infamous Perfect Cover BB Cream at a very sweet price of $8.99.
asos is offering an 20% off everything (including sale items) through Monday, November 28th with code HAPPYBLACKFRIDAY. I highly recommend you check out the beauty sale section here.
TheBalm is offering 40% everything on their site with code BLACKFRIDAY. This particular sale is only for 1 day and ends at 11:59 pm EST on the 25th.
INGLOT is offering 15% off online as well as free shipping. There doesn't appear to be a code and it should be good through Monday.

For even more options, Nouveau Cheap and Temptalia both have super comprehensive lists. Happy shopping!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Beauty Bloggers Charity Auction 2011

Last year I took part in a great event started by Karla Sugar, the Beauty Bloggers Charity Auction. I'm happy to say that this year's event is bigger and better than the last, showcasing some of the hottest items from this year's holiday collections and some limited edition treasures.
I have donated a very special item and the post on Jeweled Thumb that continues to get the most hits, a new tube of MAC Jazzed lipstick. I'd love to see some of you bid on this and some other fantastic items (including the Laura Mercier highlighter I just mentioned)! Even though you technically can't start bidding until Cyber Monday, I would recommend that you go to the site and create an account as you will be able to bookmark the items that interest you in preparation for the event.

The event will kick off Cyber Monday (Monday, November 28th) and run till December 12th. All winning bidders will make their "purchases" directly through the Doctors Without Borders secure site.

If you have any questions about the event, I'll answer them the best I can but I also recommend checking out the FAQ for the Beauty Bloggers website.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Geo Girl Cosmetics

I was in a Walmart in the middle of nowhere and convinced DH to follow me into the cosmetic section where I happened upon this brand I had never heard of before. Geo Girl cosmetics is obviously targeted towards a younger market; however, the eco-inspired packaging caught my eye as well as the very reasonable price tag ($3.98 for the lipshine and eyeshadow, $5.98 for the moisturetint). Though I haven't fully worn the items, I'm impressed so far. The lipshine is a tinted lipbalm which comes in several different fruit-flavored shades, all of which smell like their namesakes. I picked up Raspberry which is a sheer pink with very subtle shimmer and quite nice. The Pressed Mineral eyeshadow I've tried is buttery smooth and highly pigmented. I picked up the most neutral and wearable shade: See Shells. I also got the Moisture Tint (ie. tinted moisturizer in the shade Light but I haven't even swatched that yet). I'm kind of regretting not picking up another lipshine in case this is a regional thing. I've never seen this line at my local Walmart!

You can also purchase Geo Girl on drugstore.com. I found this article about the somewhat controversial line here. Whatever their target age range, I think the line is suitable for all ages.

As a side note, catering towards younger girls is nothing new. I started wearing a bit of makeup when I was 12 and Walmart carried the Mary Kate & Ashley line which was also marketed to the tween market about 5 years ago.

Have you seen or tried this brand before? I obviously missed the drama back when it launched earlier this year!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Travels

It's been about a year and a half since my last real vacation and tomorrow my husband and I are taking part road-trip vacation, part spend time with family (which is surprisingly relaxing itself - I have awesome in-laws - yes I'm very lucky) for about a week. We're taking the round about way down to Georgia where his folks live and going through Tennessee (DH's old stomping grounds). Anyway, there will be posts while I'm gone from Jeweled Thumb HQ but there might only be a couple during the week and I might not be "around" as far as comments and twitter are concerned. I'm definitely planning a 'what's in my makeup bag' type of post though so stay tuned. I figure I'll need some distractions from my final exam that I have to do!

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Laura Mercier Face Illuminator

Even though I hastily made my purchase of the Laura Mercier Face Illuminator, I wasn't absolutely certain it would work on my skin tone. It looked awfully dark and quite gold. I am happy to report that the powder blends out beautifully and now I'm going to show you pretty pictures because I took about 20 right after opening the box. Basically, this post is to show you how gorgeous the powder and also to show you that it definitely works for pale girls!
Really, could it be anymore stunning? It has a rosy glow in certain lighting and I love how the texture looks, you can see that it's going to take quite a few uses for the pattern to wear away.
The full on swatch made me a little nervous, but you can see it applied more lightly to the right.
The right side of my hand has the illuminator and the left is bare skin. It definitely gives a goldy glow but it's not over the top or too yellow or metallic in my opinion.
Again in slightly different lighting.

So if you are pasty and were feeling unsure about the illuminator, I'd definitely recommend it if you're applying the powder in moderation. This is highly pigmented so if you're fair you'll need to be a bit careful but it blends beautifully and is far from chunky or glittery.

Not really a review as I haven't worn it yet but I hope this at least helps some of you!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

QVC Bare Escentuals TSV Set In Advance

I was really excited when I got the e-mail from QVC for the Bare Luxury 8-pc Collection in advance. Reason being is they finally put some of the pressed shadows in a kit. They aren't crazy expensive normally but the kits are always a great value and this is no exception.

In the kit comes:
*The Phenomenon eye shadow duo, 0.05 each of Golden Iris, a prismatic lavender and Azure Iris, an illuminating amber
*0.044-oz Round the Clock Eyeliner in 10pm, a burnished mocha
*0.044-oz Round the Clock Eyeliner in Noon, a deep navy
*0.15-fl-oz Lip Gloss in Wild One, a peach sheen
*0.15-fl-oz Lip Gloss in Daredevil, a berry sorbet
*0.03-oz All-Over Face Color in Radiant Rose Gold, a lustrous rose
*Full, tapered shadow brush
*Flawless face brush
*Cosmetics bag
All for $49.98 plus shipping

That's pretty darn awesome.

For advanced ordering use the links below (they won't work if you simply put the item number into the search on the qvc website)

One time order
Auto-delivery

Don't forget Ebates (3.5%) or Mr. Rebates (4%).

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Technical Difficulties

I had scheduled the Madre Labs Review & Giveaway post last night and this morning when the post went live, everything was fine but somehow over the course of the day, Rafflecopter decided to put the giveaway for My Favorite Things in the Madre Labs post, which means a lot of you entered the My Favorite Things Giveaway when you wanted and should have entered the Madre Labs Giveaway!

Whew, that makes sense right?

Either way, I've gone ahead and re-pasted the script for the Madre Labs Giveaway into the Madre Labs Review post. I hope this works. If you were trying to enter the Madre Labs Giveaway, please enter again.

I apologize for the inconvenience and believe me, this was not intentional!

If you've used rafflecopter before and this has happened to you, please let me know. I'm positively baffled.

Links:
Madre Labs Review & Giveaway
My Favorite Things Birthday Giveaway

Review: Madre Labs Body and Hair Care Line + Giveaway

I was recently contacted by a representative of iHerb regarding the Madre Labs line of Body & Hair products. iHerb is an established retailer of natural products based out of California. As someone who appreciates the benefits of natural products without tons of preservatives or fillers, I was happy to see that the Madre Labs brand features the "No No-Nos" Seal which means the products are free of sulfates, parabens, dyes, animal ingredients and animal testing. The products are meant to be gentle and the packaging is biodegradable. I know lots of people in the beauty community have made an effort to be more green and while I'm not there quite yet, good affordable products make it that much easier.

I've been testing the products for a number of weeks now and I thought I would share my thoughts and I have very exciting news as well. One lucky reader of Jeweled Thumb will win the complete set of Hair and Body products from the Madre Labs line. Simply scroll down to the rafflecopter widget, wait for it to load and enter to your heart's content!

And if you can't wait to find out if you've won and need one of the products right away (hint leave-in conditioner) you can use the code WOW123 to get $5 off your first order if you're a first time iHerb customer!

Onto the review:

Body care
Moisturizing Body Wash, Rosemary Mint, 12.5 fl oz $12.95
Hand & Body Lotion, Unscented, 12.85 fl oz $10.95
Hand Cream with Argan Nut Oil, Unscented, 2.5 oz $8.95


As many of you probably know, I have very dry and sensitive skin so I was happy to see the majority of the body care range is unscented. I found the moisturizing body wash refreshing without being stripping though as some of you may know, mints are not my favorite in the shower. Both the hand and body lotion and the hand cream are moisturizing without being overly greasy; however, the one negative is while the hand and body lotion is definitely scent free, one of the ingredients in the hand cream give it a bit of an earthy scent. I believe it may be the olive fruit oil - it smells a bit like olives. It didn't bother me but I prefer the hand and body lotion as it is fully unscented.

Haircare
Moisturizing Shampoo, Strawberry Oasis, 12.5 fl oz $13.95
Moisturizing Conditioner, Strawberry Oasis, 12.5 fl oz $10.95
Leave-In Conditioner, Tangerine Melody, 8.7 fl oz $7.95

I'm going to review the Moisturizing Line (& the leave-in) as that's what I used extensively.

While I enjoyed the bath and body range, I was most impressed with the hair range. The moisturizing shampoo and conditioner smell like strawberry bubble yum and are hydrating without wearing hair down. The leave-in spray reminds me of the one I reviewed and loved from Goldwell though instead of a creamsicle scent, the Tangerine Melody is a bit more tart. My hair routine involves shampooing every other time with the moisturizing shampoo in the line and using the conditioner every wash and then spritzing the leave-in generously while my hair is still a bit damp, throwing it up in my microfiber towel and leaving it for the night. By the morning, my hair is soft, bouncy and has formed nice ringlets. My frizz has significantly lessened as well. If you are going to try only one item from the line, I'd definitely order yourself a bottle of the leave-in spray and at $7.95 (it's actually on sale right now for $5.96) it definitely doesn't break the bank!

The two other items in the hair care line are below for your reference:
Balancing Shampoo, Pomegranate & Mellow Mint, For Normal Hair, 12.5 fl oz $12.95
Balancing Conditioner, Pomegranate & Mellow Mint, 12.5 fl oz $9.95

And now for the giveaway!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Review: LaRocca Champagne and Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish

I know I literally just got this in my November Birchbox but I thought I'd share my first impressions which I imagine will be my long-term impressions of the product as I only have another use out of the sample pot. I'm referring to the LaRocca Skincare Champagne & Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish.

I'm a bit conflicted about this product. First of all, it is super expensive, clocking in at $37.50 for 6.76 ounces. Second, the consistency is quite weird. It's almost like you whipped up some egg whites made meringue and then made it look like it was jelly. Third, it leave a bit of a residue, but not nearly as bad as some of The Body Shop scrubs or at least the last time I tried them. However, after showering and cleansing my body with body wash, my skin was super soft. So soft I didn't feel compelled to slather moisturizer on which is a feat with my dry skin. So, I've got to say it works. I found that this didn't have enough sugar crystals to my liking and they evaporated rather quickly (so I had to use a lot of the scrub) but that simply means it's more gentle. I don't know. If I magically came into a full size jar, I would definitely use it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this. I prefer the Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrub just because it's so convenient and is the ultimate in scrubbiness.

If you also received this in your November Birchbox, I'd love to hear your thoughts! 


Ingredients: Organic Sucrose, Cocoas Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, 24K Gold, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Fragrance.
Not tested on animals, paraben free.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

On The Way

The new Laura Mercier Face Illuminator is on its way to me right now and I have to say, I'm really excited. Sorry for the slightly random post. I'm a bit excited and my brain is fried after trying to do things like ANOVA (if you don't know what I'm talking about, thank your lucky stars).

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Makeup Rant: Sample Skincare Packets

I decided I was going to be good and not save some sample packets "for travel" as I rarely do anything more than my commute. After dispensing enough eye cream (er gel) to do both my eyes, I realized that the sample packet was still most of the way full. Of course, as I had ripped it to open it, there was no way to re-adhere it and it was starting to goop out the top either way. So I did what any sane person would do (or maybe not) and applied it all over my face. Speaking of which, there was enough in the little packet to do so. They do say that eye cream is just glorified face cream anyway!

I wasn't going to leave it open and let it expose the product inside to air. And it made me think how annoying those sample packets are. Had the company invested a couple more cents, they could have put the product in a little tube, or maybe a pot and then I could have used it for more than a day. As it stands, I won't really know how it performs and feel no great pull to buy it since you can't tell if something works if you only use it for a night.

Also, it was the the Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel which from briefly looking at the ingredient list seemed to be overpriced aloe vera gel with a couple additives and is insanely sticky. It was even very pale translucent green like aloe vera. Not impressed just in case you were wondering. Although... now I'm thinking of using aloe vera gel as eye cream, much cheaper than any alternatives! Take that Ole Henriksen!

Right. Do foil sample packets annoy you too or am I just being grouchy that I have yet more statistics homework to do tomorrow?

Friday, November 11, 2011

November Birchbox

I want to first apologize for my semi-absence. I've been stressing over grad school. You see, it's heading towards the end of the semester and I recently had a paper due in my statistics class worth 30% of my grade. The day after the paper was due, the professor decided to tell us what he wanted on the paper and as he was going through each item, I mentally went over how I failed to do each step he actually wanted. Anyway, he posted my grade on Wednesday, and I passed, but just barely. So, I'm feeling a little more calm and was pleased to see my Birchbox arrived in the mail. Just so you know, I have 2 reviews + giveaways to post about in the upcoming days (and do some more pesky homework). Anyway, onward.

I cheated and looked at videos and blog posts of the November Birchbox and I was feeling a little bummed, so when I opened this month's box, I was pleasantly surprised!
Inside was the following:
Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover with Cornflower .8floz (full size 3.4oz|$9)
LaRocca Skincare Champagne & Shimmer Body Polish .05oz  (full size 6.76oz|$35)
Oscar Blandi Jasmine Protein Mist 2oz (full size 250ml|$18)(travel size 2oz|$5)
Zoya Nail Polish in Noel .25oz (full size .5floz|$8)
treat Chuao Chocolatier Firecracker Chocopod
extra Bauble Bar Black Wood Pop Bracelet ($20)

So first of all, I love me a good scrub so I'm excited to try the LaRocca. Second, the Oscar Blandi is an actual retail size (I linked the Sephora listing for it - it's $5), third the Bauble Bar Bracelet has a retail value of $20 (and I'll admit it's pretty adorable)!!? So, I'm pretty happy with this month's box. Every other post I saw had completely different items in it. I hope some of you got mine cause it rocks.
I love the little bit of bling.

I did receive my QVC New Beauty Test Tube and eventually I'm going to do a comparison post between that and Birchbox. Honestly, I'm feeling Birchbox a little more. It might be because this month's box rocked but we'll see.

*edit*
Apparently, the Bauble Bar bracelet was a prize for reviewing products on their site. It wasn't part of the November box. The first 10,000 subscribers to gather points in September and October had the chance to get this bracelet. Still, pretty nifty I actually was one of them! I always review the products on Birchbox.com because you can rack up points to buy full sized products.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Review: Twistband Hair Ties

Don't laugh. I know everyone did a double take when they received one of the Twistband Hair Ties in their August Birchboxes. First of all, the price made me roll my eyes, I'll admit! My second thought was how are these any better than Goody or Scunci or any other hair tie on the market?

Well, I'll tell you why. I've been wearing the same exact one since August every day for months now and it hasn't snapped in half. That is more than I can say for every other hair tie I've ever worn. As you may know by now, I have thick hair. My hair has snapped its fair share of hair ties. In fact, when hair ties go on sale, I stock up because they tend to last about a week, sometimes two before snapping. I haven't had to buy more of these since it hasn't snapped! Granted, it's stretched out a bit but the elastic still works just fine. Just in case, I've gone ahead and bought the Sephora brand equivalents to see if they are similarly awesome (those are 8 for $8 so a tiny bit cheaper). 

I'm converted.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Birthday Giveaway: My Favorite Things!


“raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens…brown paper packages tied up with string…these are a few of my favorite things.”

November is my birthday month and I plan on celebrating (the date is the 22nd for those wondering)! I thought the best way of sharing with you was to share (giveaway) some of my favorite things. Most of these items are ones I consider my holy grails (if not the specific item, then the brand). I'm fairly certain I've featured all of these items at least once on my blog.

I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time ever so I hope it makes it easier for everyone to enter. As the rules specify, this is open worldwide*.

The prize pack includes:
The Original Turbie Twist Hair Towel 
Epielle Cucumber Cleansing Tisses 
The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo 8.4oz
Jane Iredale Lip Drink
Sircuit Cosmeceuticals Fixzit Blemish Drying Serum
Stila The It Girl Palette
Yves Rocher Watercolor Effect Blush in Poppy 
Makeup Forever Sens'Eyes 25ml





* I am not responsible for customs nor for lost packages, though if someone in the US wins, it will be shipped with delivery confirmation. =)

Good luck everyone!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Review: Blinc Kiss Me Tubing Mascara

The Blinc Kiss Me Tubing mascara came in a Birchbox a couple months ago and I hate having two mascaras open at once, so I didn't open my sample till I finished the MUFE one. This mascara has been around for a good decade in the US (and longer overseas) but for some reason, I've never tried it.

As some of you may know, I have fairly long lashes, but they are stick straight. I'll get right to the point. I curled my lashes, applied this mascara and my lashes started to droop. Granted, once the formula dried (it takes awhile, and it will smear prior to drying fully) they stayed where they had drooped to, but I was not happy that it basically uncurled my lashes.

I liked the brush as it was very defining but otherwise, a big skip for me.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NARS Duos $10 at Sephora!

Sephora seems to be repeating themselves with their holiday deals. Last year we had a NARS single deal and a NARS duo deal and history repeats itself in 2011!
Get your NARS duos here while they last!

Don't forget Friends & Family ends tonight. And there's a new VIB code starting the 10th (code VIBDREAM).

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Review: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle

The blogosphere has been a-buzz regarding these new Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters and for good reason! With sleek packaging, an array of colors, a moisturizing formula and a nice price tag, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. I picked up a few last week when Revlon products were about 40% off after Extrabucks and the Lip Butters were already reduced from the $8 or so retail price to $6.99. Pink Truffle is the first one I tried and I am in love!
Pink Truffle is a slightly browned pink. It is pretty neutral and is the perfect "my lips but better" shade for girls with some pigment to their lips. This color gives a brightening effect to the face but not in a "woah I'm wearing bright lips" sort of way.
 What I really love is the formula. I have dry lips. Whether I drink liters of water a day or drink nothing, my lips are usually dry. I found the Maybelline Baby Lips to be reasonable to wear, but I wouldn't find them moisturizing, in fact, after using them for a few weeks, I'd dare to say they are a bit drying. This on the other hand, actually moisturizes my lips while I'm wearing it with the color that I'd get from a sheer lipstick!

I find this comparable to the Clinique Buttershines and the discontinued Stila High Shines - though the price tag on the Revlon Butter Shines is much better!

Definitely pick these up at your local drugstore if you manage to find them. The good news is I've heard they will be permanent to the Color Burst line in January 2012!