Beauty Review: Almay liquid lip balm + MAC waterproof mascara

Hey Lovelies!
How's your week been so far?

I'm excited to share a review with you of a couple make-up items I recently bought and tried and am currently using.

The first being Almay's new color + care liquid lip balm in apricot pucker.

I wasn't sure how pigmented the color was going to be and so I was pleasantly surprised that it's not completely sheer. I think the color looks ok by itself on my lips, but I like the color better when applied on top of a light layer of pinkish lipstick.

See my dimensional lips here:

I swatched this lipgloss on the back of my arm for you to see:

I do like that this lip balm/gloss is not sticky like some lip products can be. When wearing this product, I felt like it did moisturize my lips since it did not dry them out. The applicator is somewhat spongey and soft and picks up enough color. On a scale of 5 stars I give it a 3.45.

The next item I purchased a couple weeks ago is from MAC.  I took advantage of MAC Cosmetics's free shipping online (which I believe is free shipping through the rest of August) and bought a couple items, one being a gift for one of my besties! The other item was for me, which was the Splashproof Lash Mascara in Blacksplash. It's a waterproof mascara.

The first day or two that I wore this mascara, I LOVED it! It didn't smudge on my lower lash line where I tend to have raccoon eyes within 3 hours of applying other mascara/s. I typically only add eyeliner and mascara on my upper lash line and lashes. It also didn't flake either. It was tougher to get off at night when i washed my face, but I don't mind using a cleansing cloth to remove the mascara.

The size of the wand is not huge and just the right size to me, making it easier for me to apply as I wiggle the wand across and up, really creating volume to my lashes.

not the best picture :/

 Now while the first couple days I LOVED this product, a couple days this week, i did notice some flaking below my eyes. Disappointing fact! :( I don't know if that's because of this specific type of waterproof formula, but problem can be solved with a light swipe of a q-tip or tissue. Because of the non-smudging factor, I rate this product a little high at 3.98 out 5 stars.

Have you tried either of these products? What is your favorite mascara? Do you have oily skin too, thus, having problems with mascara or eyeliner smudging under your eyes?