Monday, November 28, 2011

NYX Haul Pics & Swatches

I made an order from cherryculture.com about a month ago when they had their 40% off NYX sale. I honestly haven't been buying much makeup for the last year, but this sale was too good to pass up, especially for false lashes! I got $70 worth of NYX for $40 :D This is what I ordered:


Bronzer & Blusher Combo in Phi Phi Island, NYX Girls Nail polish in Mushroom Glitter and Carnival, Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries, Glitter Cream Palette in Sweet Chocolate Brown, Round Lip gloss in Sorbet & Whipped, Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie, and 8 pairs of false lashes.

Closer pic of the Round Lip gloss in Whipped & Sorbet, Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie, Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries, and Glitter Cream Palette in Sweet Chocolate Brown.


NYX false lashes are some of my favorite falsies to use. They have a huge variety and the lashes are very durable. I like how they lash band is stiff but flexible... makes it so much easier to apply than with a really flimsy band. The style names of the lashes are:

Left column, from top to bottom: Gorgeous, Nirvana, Disco Queen, and Lash implant.
Right column, from top to bottom: Nostalgia, Exclusive, Nostalgia, Exclusive.

I bought 2 pairs of Nostalgia and Exclusive because I LOVE layering those 2 lashes together. And every time I try to buy them here, they're always out of stock! So I figure I might as well stock up :) The Gorgeous and Nirvana lashes are really full and voluminous, I really like them. If you like full, spikey style lashes, I'd recommend those. I was really excited for the Disco Queen ones because I liked how lush they looked. But unfortunately I don't think they look all that great on me :/ Ah, well maybe I'll find a use for them sometime. The Nirvana lashes I just bought on a whim. Usually I'm partial to really long, full, and thick lashes... obviously unnatural, but I love em! However I really like the Nirvana lashes because they're long enough and wispy but have some volume to them and they look rather natural. Good for everyday wear :)


Here's swatches of the Round lip gloss and Lipstick. From left to right:
Round Lip gloss in Whipped, Round Lip gloss in Sorbet, Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie

I love NYX's lippies! I did previous reviews/swatches of their lipstick here, and lip gloss here. I love the round lipgloss because it's cheap but the quality is really nice. It's pretty pigmented and goes on smooth, it's not sticky, has shine, lasts a couple hours, and doesn't dry out my lips. Whipped is one of my favorites for a quick glossy nude lip. I always wanted to try Sorbet as well. It's a cute baby pink with fine shimmer. The lipstick is also very affordable with nice quality and pigmentation. Orange Soda is my favorite nude lip shade, but I really wanted to try Pumpkin Pie. It's a nice light coral/salmon shade.



I love using NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencils as an eyeshadow base or layered over other shades. This is French Fries (which is kind of misleading because this doesn't remind me of french fries at all lol) but it's a rich dark brown/bronze with coppery tones in it. I mainly use brown eyeshadow on the daily, so this'll make a great base!


I had been wanting to try NYX's Glitter Cream Palettes for the longest. Something about the shining allure of glitter was just too tempting! XD Even if I never use it, I'll be happy just looking at it, 'cause the glitter's just so pretty :P I chose Sweet Chocolate Brown because like I mentioned above, I mainly use brown eyeshadow, so this was the most practical choice for me (although I did love the purples and blues they had!) I haven't tried this yet, but it does seem a bit promising. The top layer of the glitter is dry, so you kinda have to rub into it to get the waxy part to pick up. It's smooth and pats on nicely. These swatches are about 2-3 layers built up. It's actually pretty easy to build up the glitter without smearing it all over the place, so I can see it being not much of a problem to add layers of it over eyeshadow. However, it is really really messy to take off!

I love bronzer/blusher combos, so this was something I HAD to get XP It's very reminiscent of my ELF bronzer/blusher duo, which I love (I guess you could also compare those to NARS Laguna/Orgasm, but I don't have it :P). However, it's REALLY sheer, so if you're not one for subtle cheek color that needs to be built up, I wouldn't recommend this. I do like the iridescent sheen that both shades have to them though.

And lastly, here's swatches of the nail polish! From left to right: Mushroom Glitter and Carnival. I love how dense the Mushroom glitter is. I can see it being good by itself, or for doing glitter gradient nails. I was also really excited for Carnival, because it reminds me of Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday. Can't wait to try these on my nails :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Review: Maybelline Baby Lips Repairing Lip Balm w/ SPF 20 and Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara

I got a chance to try a few of Maybelline's newest products through BzzAgent recently, so here's a review on their Baby Lips Repairing Lip Balm with SPF 20 and their Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara!

Price:
Baby Lips Lip Balm - $3.99
Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara: $6.40

What they say:
CLICK TO ENLARGE



What's in it:

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara info & ingredients:


CLICK TO ENLARGE
Baby Lips Lip Balm info & ingredients:



Great Lash Lots of Lashes Mascara:


My take: I honestly do not use mascara at all because my lashes are pretty much non-existant :P So I always use false lashes. These lashes (pictured below) were a favorite pair of mine, but they were nearing the end of their usefulness lol... they were getting really sparse and wispy. So on a whim since I wanted to try this mascara out, I decided to put it over the false lashes. And I must say, it does add some nice length and volume, WITHOUT getting clumpy and messy! I was pleasantly surprised. The unique shaped brush with all the little bristles definitely gets the mascara coated on each individual lash, even the little ones. This is with 3 layers:

So even though I don't use mascara personally, I would recommend people to try this mascara! I'll definitely use it to put some life back into my more worn-out pairs of falsies.

Baby Lips Repairing Lip Balm w/ SPF 20:

From left to right:
Peppermint, Cherry Me, Peach Kiss, Quenched, Pink Punch

From left to right:
Pink Punch, Quenched, Peach Kiss, Cherry Me, Peppermint

From left to right:
Pink Punch, Quenched, Peach Kiss, Cherry Me, Peppermint

From top to bottom:
Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, Cherry Me
(Quenched and Peppermint are both clear)

My take: I LOVE THIS LIP BALM. I'm kind of a balmaholic, so it was a dream to get to try 5 of these! What I really love about this balm is that it goes on smooth and silky, not waxy or thick at all. It stays feeling smooth on lips for 4+ hours and doesn't end up drying out my lips afterwards like some other lip balms I've tried that guarantee moisture, but do the opposite. This lip balm really deeply moisturized my lips and after continuous use, I feel like it has improved my lip health. Normally my lips are dry, peeling, and chapped. But after using this lip balm, my lips are softer, smoother, and hydrated. The five different ones I tried all smelled great. The scent is very light and sweet. Everything with a self-explanatory name (Pink Punch, Cherry Me, Peppermint) all smell like what the name implies, except for Peach Kiss -- that one was kinda chalky to me. Quenched is kind of fruity and fresh smelling to me. The taste of all, however, I didn't really care for. They were all a bit artificially sweet and cloying, but it did fade very fast so it wasn't a huge problem. The three tinted balms pictured above all offer just a hint of color while retaining the moisture and shine. I would definitely buy more of these but it seems like they will last a really long time!

Would I repurchase/recommend?: Yes, I definitely would repurchase and recommend the lip balm especially. It has become my new favorite lip balm because it's so moisturizing and comfy on the lips without drying them out after several hours. I would recommend the mascara for anyone who wants added volume and length to their lashes.

The Rundown:

Packaging:
4.5/5
I love the colorful and fun packaging! The lip balm plastic tube does feel a TAD flimsy, but not a huge deal.

Product:
4.5/5
I LOVE the lip balm. It's super moisturizing and long lasting, and the tinted ones offer a nice touch of color. The only thing I didn't like was the taste, but it fades fast. The mascara gives length and volume without getting clumpy.

Price:
5/5
Wallet friendly!

Overall:

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