Product Revisit, Review, & Comparison: NYX Blush Brush VS Shu Uemura Blush Brush

***This is a really old post that has been sitting in my queue for a long time, just thought I'd publish it now XD***

Product Revisit:
SHU UEMURA BLUSH BRUSH

If you read my Shu Uemura mini brush set review, you'll know that I was really disappointed with the Blush Brush because it was not at all as soft as I expected it to be. Thus, I haven't been using it... my heart is taken by the amazingly luxuriously soft EcoTools Blush brush.

However, on a whim, I decided to wash the Shu Blush Brush to see if that would make it a little softer. I wash my brushes with Method Kid Squeaky Green Body wash because it's gentle, 99% natural, and smells like apples.

And lo and behold, washing the brush made it A LOT softer! Not nearly as scratchy as before! BUT.... Now, it STINKS. LIKE HELL. Like seriously, it smells so bad. Is it because the bristles are animal hair? Cause it smells like an animal now. I mean, the smell lightened up after a few days but it still smells pretty bad. When I use this shampoo on my other brushes, it makes them smell like apples! (but those are synthetic bristles).

Overall, I would be a lot happier with this brush if it didn't smell so bad (I think I'll try washing it again, maybe?) but washing it did make it a lot softer. It still picks up powder well and works great for a light dusting of powder.

Product Review:
NYX BLUSH BRUSH

Next I wanted to do a full review on the NYX Blush Brush that I got from the $1 NYX sale. If you read the quick blurb I wrote about that brush, I said it reminded me of the Shu blush brush but was more prickly.


Price: reg. $10, I got it for $1.

What they say: Angled to the apple of your cheek to sweep powder blush just where you need it. For perfect application and contouring.

The good stuff:

• Okay ONLY IF it costs $1
• Compact size
• Sleek design
• Picks up and deposits powder well

The low-down:

• Prickly!!! Not soft at all!!!
• Feels so scratchy on cheeks.
• NOT WORTH $10.

My take: I like that this brush is small. The brush head is fluffly and does a good job at picking up and depositing powder. However, it is so scratchy! It is not soft at all, now that I compare it with the Shu brush. Since I only paid $1 for it, I don't mind it that much, but in my opinion, it is NOT worth $10. This is the second NYX brush I've tried and been totally disappointed with (the other one being their small concealer brush - $5) and their brushes are not exactly "cheap," taking the size and quality into consideration. ELF, for example, makes WAY better brushes in their Studio line, for a fraction of the price.

Would I repurchase/recommend?: No, I will not repurchase this brush, and I don't think I will buy any of NYX's brushes for that matter. They make great makeup, but I feel the brushes are lacking in quality. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either, especially when you can get the amazing EcoTools Blush Brush for ~$6-8!

Product Comparison:

Lastly, I wanted to make a quick comparison between the Shu blush brush and the NYX blush brush.

• They are around the same size.
• They both have sleek designs.
• The brush head is full and fluffy.
• They both pick up and deposit powder well.
• However, they both are not very soft and prickly on skin.

That just goes to show that sometimes, pricier is not always better! : )

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 :)

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer Review + Comparison to NYX Concealer in a jar

Hello loves & new followers!

This is a review & comparison between the concealer I have been using lately, Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer, and the concealer I usually use, NYX Concealer in a jar. After an excellent review by Kalmo of Cambo Soup, I decided that I wanted to try out the Maybelline concealer!

Left: NYX Concealer in a jar (beige)
Right: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (medium)

This is the Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer.
The jar is bigger than the NYX, but there is a lot less product.

It's in a chubby little glass jar.

This is what it looks like. Looks really dark!


Compare it to NYX Concealer in a jar (beige)... this looks a bit lighter.
You get more product, but the jar is plastic.

Comparison swatches:
The NYX is considerably lighter. Both are yellow-based but NYX is cooler and lighter.
Maybelline goes on dark and NYX goes on light.

However, both blend in rather well. But you can still tell that NYX is slightly lighter and Maybelline is slightly darker. Both are still a good match for my skin tone though.

And here's some super EWW no concealer pictures... for the sake of being thorough and detailed... :( Gross makeup too. Sorry!

So yep, that's what my eyes look like with no concealer.Severe discoloration dark circles and bags/puffiness and fine lines.

My dark circles are really bad because since I was a kid, I would always rub my eyes! Allll the time for really long periods of time. All the time spent crying and losing sleep over stupid boys during my inter-HS days did not help either! :P So now my under eye area is permanently like this.


And here is my eye with the Maybelline concealer.

Overall, it covers really well with just one layer (still buildable though) and matches my skin tone. I swear it's not this cakey looking in real life! I think I over-sharpened this picture :P

Here is my eye with the NYX concealer.

It has sheerer coverage, but it is still buildable... needs several layers for the best coverage. It also shows up slightly lighter.


Here is another disgusting eye pic. Sorry!
Comparison:


As you can see, both end up settling into my fine lines after awhile, but that is inevitable for me, as my fine lines are pretty darn bad. Also, you can tell that the NYX is lighter and the Maybelline is a closer match for my skintone.

I did a full-review of the NYX Concealer in a jar here.
And here are my thoughts on the Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer:
Price: $6.97 from Walmart

What they say: Dream Mousse™ Concealer conceals with an amazing air-soft feel. Air-whipped mousse texture feels lightweight on skin and builds opacity for settle-free coverage. Completely covers dark circles, imperfections and redness. Blends and smoothes away imperfections instantly. Oil-Free, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist tested, safe for sensitive skin.

What to do: Dot small amount of coverage onto flaw or imperfection or under eye. Pat with finger to blend.

What's in it: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Isododecane, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipac Acid/Isononanoic Acid Copolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Tribehenin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Methylmethacrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Phenoxyethanol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Methylparaben, BHT, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, May Contain (+/-):, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491/Iron Oxides (Iron Oxides), CI 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride)

COMPARISON TO NYX CONCEALER IN A JAR:

Maybelline Concealer The good stuff: • Relatively inexpensive • A little goes a long way • Lightweight, very comfy air-whipped texture • Easy to smooth on... I use my fingers • Buildable coverage • Nice and blendable, natural-looking • Relatively long-lasting... 5+ hours • Sturdy glass jar • Does not look cakey if you set with powder • Conceals my dark circles, redness and pimples very well The low-down: • Only 3 grams of product • Only 5 shades to choose from (3 light shades, 1 medium, 1 dark) • Gets cakey if you apply too much • Doesn't last on me by the end of the day • Settles into my fine lines after awhile

NYX Concealer The good stuff: • Relatively inexpensive • A little goes a long way • Creamy texture, not sticky or uncomfortable • Easy to apply... I use my ELF concealer brush • Buildable coverage • Nice and blendable, natural-looking • Relatively long-lasting... 5+ hours • 12 shades to choose from • 7 grams of product • Sturdy plastic jar • Does not look cakey if you set with powder • Conceals my dark circles, redness and pimples very well The low-down: • Contains mineral oil • Doesn't last on me by the end of the day • A little less coverage than the Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer • Somtimes you might need to warm it up before use • Settles into my fine lines after awhile

My take: Overall, I really like this cocnealer! I have been using it for about 2 weeks now (I still use the NYX concealer too though). I really like the light, whipped texture. It smooths on like silk and has great pigmentation that covers my redness and dark circles. Still, I like to layer it to get the desired coverage. Too many layers makes it look cakey though. I usually do 2, and then set it with powder. It is seemingly a better match for my skintone than the NYX one but I THINK I could still go one shade lighter. I kind of would rather have a lightened effect, but still, it matches my skintone once blended in. The coverage lasts pretty long but as with any concealer, it is pretty much gone by the end of the day. It also settles into my fine lines but like I mentioned, this is inevtiable for me. The little glass jar is very sturdy but deceiving. There is only 3 grams of product in the jar, even though it is bigger than the NYX one, which contains 7 grams of product. Overall though, for the price, this is a great concealer!

Would I repurchase/recommend?Yes, I would repurchase, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants an inexpensive, effective concealer to try! It probably will be better and more natural for those with minimal dark circles/blemishes, but it also proves that it can do a good job concealing even dark circles like mine! It also has not broken me out or otherwise irritated my skin.

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NOTD + Review: NYX South Sea glitter gradient nails w/ NYX Glitter on the Go "Las Vegas"

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Hello loves & new followers!
Btw, when the eff did I get 372 followers?! I also made it to 5,000 profile views.
Thank you all so much! (:

A few days ago I decided to do my nails with NYX Nail polish in "South Sea." It is a gorgeous bright metallic blue shade ♥ It's very sheer, so I did 3 coats. Then I decided I might as well try out my NYX Glitter on the Go from my last NYX haul!

Price: $4.00 for 2g from NYX (I got it during the $1 sale)

What they say: Loose glitter packaged in a cute case with a knockout punch! Perfect to apply to hair, face and body, NYX offers 24 sparkling shades of Glitter on the Go. Safe to use and non-irritating.

The good stuff:

• I guess it's inexpensive... I still wouldn't pay $4 for it though.
• 24 shades to choose from
• Very fine, shimmery, and sparkly glitter

The low-down:

• No staying power on its own
• Needs multiple layers to build it up

My take: "Las Vegas" looks black but it has so many beautiful multi-colored glitters in it! Lots of blues, greens, and teals. I read here that it is NOT eye safe, but I decided I would give it a try anyway. I have used this glitter 3 times when doing my eyemakeup and have had not any adverse effects with it. While I agree that it does not have much staying power on its own, it did not fall into my eyes and it did not itch or scratch. Buut I'm sure it'll be different for everyone... so use at your own discretion!

Would I repurchase/recommend?
No, I don't think I will be repurchasing anytime soon, as I don't use glitter very often. While all the other shades are alluring and although it's only $4, it's just glitter... I wouldn't pay that much for it because I don't use it very often. As for recommend, I'd say it's worth a shot if you like adding sparkle to your look!

Glitter Gradient Nails

Okay, I'm sure theres 5416716358 ways to do this, but this is how I did mine, it was super easy and I liked the way it turned out (:

Step 1 - Three coats of NYX "South Sea"

Step 2 - After the third coat, when it is still wet, add a light coat of glitter. I used an eyeshadow brush to do this (gasp?!). What I did was load a little glitter onto the brush, and then held the brush head over my nail and tap-tapped it to shake some of the glitter off, onto my entire nail. Just a light dusting. Do this quickly, you want the polish to still be tacky while you do step 3 and 4.

Step 3 - Heavy coat of glitter. If you're afraid to fudge up your eyeshadow brush doing this, then maybe you should use a crappy one... or a paintbrush. But I still used an eyeshadow brush. I loaded a lot of glitter onto the tip of the brush head. Then I lightly pressed it to just the tips of my nails (think French Tip). Since I loaded a lot of glitter, only the glitter gets deposited onto my nails, and thus the brush bristles don't touch the nail polish. I repeated this several times to get an even layer of glitter on the tips of my nails.

Step 4 - Repeat step 2, but concentrate the glitter closer to the bottom of the glitter tips you just made, around the middle of your nail. So there should be the most glitter at the tips of your nails, and then it should fade out to less glitter towards the bottom of your nails.

Step 5 - Wait for it to dry, then add a topcoat! I use Nailene Acrylic Strong topcoat.

The end result:

A super easy way to spice up your nails (:
Reminds me a bit of OPI's Absolutely Alice!
(If I added more glitter)


Image credit: here

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NYX $1 "Sale" haul Swatches + Overviews

Here is my haul from the NYX $1 "Sale"
It took several weeks to come in, and I got no shipping info.

Liquid Makeup

Got this because I've been wanting to try NYX liquid foundation for awhile now... I thought if I got these 2 shades, I could mix them into a decent shade for my skintone...

Ivory is really pale but slightly ashy and Caramel is really... brown. So even when trying different mixtures, I still end up with an ashy-toned shade that doesn't match my skin very well. Oh well. Maybe I will have to keep trying. If not I can still use it as highlight/contour.

The pump bottle is very nice though, although it is a bit difficult at first to control the amount of product you want to come out. The texture/consistency is light and not too liquidy. Feels similar to Etude House BB Magic Balm. Coverage is quite buildable but too much ends up looking cakey.

Black Label Powder

Comes in a cute lace bag. The compact itself is really nice and sleek. I think it would look better without all the wording on the cover... but that's just me. The mirror swivels! Seems pointless but it looks cool :P

I thought the shade Buff would be WAAYY too light for me, but upon first inspection, it seems comparable to the EDM pressed powder I normally use in Fairly Light Golden. BUT it is actually lighter when applied. Still a bit too light for me and doesn't blend into my skin like the EDM does. I gave it to my mom because it's a better shade for her.


The powder itself is smooth and nice. Not powdery or chalky. It nicely evens out and smooths the appearance of my skin to a matte finish. I still wouldn't pay $25 for it though.

Blush Brush


Since it was only $1, I'm satisfied with it. It reminds me of my Shu Uemura blush brush from the compact brush set, except it is SLIGHTLY more prickly and doesn't feel soft to the touch or on my face. Good for $1 though.

Eye Pencil

I got this in "Extreme black." It's smooth & very pigmented. Haven't tried it on my eyes yet, but I like it so far.

Glitter on the go

"Las Vegas"


It's real pretty! There are so many multi-colored glitters. It looks fucking gorgeous over the liner. But apparently, it is not eye safe. Fuck. I guess I will use this on my nails then.

NYX Lips lipstick

Here's the lipsticks I got. This is mainly what my haul was for. Sadly, I'm pretty disappointed with all these shades. Does anyone know what is the difference between the NYX lips and the NYX Round lipsticks? Despite the different packaging, some shades are the same names. But these (the NYX Lips) seem a lot smoother and more moisturizing than the NYX Round lipsticks IMO.

Unfortunately, while all the shades are very pretty on my arm, they don't look nearly as nice on my lips. Thalia, Sierra, and Shakira are matte shades. The rest (Indian pink, Sky pink, Peach love, Baby) all have a frosty sheen and the color doesn't show up very well... it's kinda confusing to explain but most of these shades make my lips look rather dark AND/OR frosty at the same time.

I apologize for the crappy-ness of the "no flash" pictures... I usually end up taking my pictures at night in bad lighting :( BUT it does do a pretty accurate job of showing how frosty and/or dark the shades appear on my lips.

I broke the Peach Love! :( I forgot I had twisted it up so far, and then I swatched it and it broke at the base. Boo. So I fixed it using the flame-melting method.... it looks like shit but still usable :/ I suppose these would make nice bases for layering over with gloss but I wouldn't wear them by themselves, because they just don't work with my lip pigmentation and skintone. I really like the texture though.

Overall, this order was mostly a bust for me. Atleast with shipping it was like I only paid $2 for each item. But still. I don't think I'll be ordering from NYX again anytime soon.

Did you order anything from this "sale"?
Were you happy with what you ordered?

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