You don't have to have a gluten sensitivity to use Red Apple Lipstick products! If you like quality makeup, especially quality makeup without tons of added crap, then you should take a look at Red Apple, because their lipsticks, lip liners, lip glosses and balm are simply awesome. And all of their products are also paraben-free, allergen-free, soy-free, cruelty-free, and vegan!

When founder and president Jay Harper offered to send me a bunch of products to try out, I was excited, but I will admit that I was a little skeptical--that's a lot of things to keep out of the products! will the quality be the same as regular lipstick? will it smell weird? will it feel weird? But the products he sent me blew my mind. Today, we'll look at the lipsticks!

Check out those beauties! The Rallye balm ($19.50, sale price $15.00) is fragrance-free, sheer balm with SPF 8 that moisturizes and protects lips. The three lipsticks are on the right ($17.50 each). Ruby Slippers is a pretty shimmery sheer pinkish red. Not frosty, just pretty! Strawberry Lips is a sheer brick red. Red! is a true blue-based red. It's more pigmented than the other two, and will leave a nice stain on your lips.

I'm not a huge lipstick person, but I really like these. Although applying Red! takes a little precision, the other two shades can easily be applied without a mirror, which makes them just as handy as my usual lip gloss. AND, unlike a lot of lipsticks, they're nicely moisturizing, they're long lasting, and the pigmentation is totally buildable! Although the price is mid-range (comparable to department store products), and the packaging could be a little fancier, I'm super happy with these lipsticks and would definitely consider buying additional shades. And there are frequently deals (discounts for signing up for their newsletter, or for doing their lipstick exchange!)They guarantee 100% satisfaction too :)

Any way you look at it, these lipsticks are FABULOUS for everyone, gluten-intolerant or not. I'll also be reviewing their glosses and lip liners soon :)

Lipgloss+Spandex rating: 

Hey gals--as you know, I've recently tried out Alice Cosmetics (check out my review here), an indie mineral makeup company. They've offered to provide THREE prizes to my followers!

Use the rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway. :) 

Jen Lancaster is my favorite author. She's hilarious without being obscene (that's hard to find these days!). I've read several of her memoirs, and was actually laughing out loud at times. My fiancé thought I was going crazy.

I lent a few friends my copy of Bitter is the New Black, and we've all gotten hooked. Since then, we've bought and traded the rest of her books ad well (and I totally developed a girl crush on her).

We were really excited to hear that Jen would be in the area promoting her newest book, Jeneration X. We hit up happy hour and then staked out sime seats at Barnes and Nobles for the signing. Jen was awesome. She's just as funny in person as she is in her books! And she even humored me and wrote in my book that I'm her new new best friend.

If you haven't read her books, you should. Really.

Who's your favorite author? Have you met them?

All too frequently, cosmetic companies promise unbelievably fabulous results. And I personally feel that major mineral makeup companies do this more than other types of makeup, and have built an empire based on partial truths and dissing traditional makeup. I appreciate that indie mineral makeup companies avoid this, and I REALLY appreciate that Alice Cosmetics actually addresses this issue head on. This is what they have to say:

• We promise not to make exaggerated claims about mineral makeup.
  
• We promise not to confuse cosmetics with a good skin care regimen.
  
• We promise to bring you the best formulations of mineral makeup on the market and the best new ways to apply it.
  
• We promise not to cut corners and compromise quality.
  
• We promise to avoid hype and hyperbole.
  
• We promise not to dazzle you with made-up words like redensify, bioactives, and mattifiers.
  
• And we promise not to overpromise!
  

Additionally, there’s no animal testing and they claim to have feather-light makeup that is water resistant, non-reactive, and safe for sensitive skin. Although sometimes I hesitate to order from online-only sellers, Alice Cosmetics has great customer service and a fantastic return policy. There’s $5.95 flat rate shipping on all orders, and you can return within 5 days for any reason that you’re dissatisfied (customer pays return postage, does not apply to samples). 

I tested out four eye shadow samples, and also a mineral veil sample. All of the samples come in mini sifter jars--I really like that their samples come in practical packaging, and have a good amount of product as well.

Bonus points if you laughed at my Parks and Rec reference!!! :) But really, I need more of this beer as soon as possible. It's Rogue brewery's Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. A little sweet, a little smoky and super delicious. And it comes in an AWESOME pink bottle. *swoon*

Have you tried this yet? Do you want to?