NOTD/Swatches: NYX Carnival & Milani Gems - Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday Dupes

I don't have Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday myself to compare, but here's some swatches of Milani Gems and NYX Carnival! They look almost identical to me, although it seems like Milani Gems has more small blue and silver glitters. Also it dries to a glossier finish while NYX Carnival is slightly duller.

Overall, I love both of these polishes!

Review & Swatches: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Creamsicle & Strawberry Shortcake

I had been hearing so much about these lately that I just had to jump on the bandwagon and try them out for myself ;P Walmart was pretty much wiped out, but Target had all of them in stock :D I opted for a nude and a pink, since that's pretty much the only shades I wear :P

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Creamsicle and Strawberry Shortcake

Price: $6.49 from Target

What they say:
- Buttery Balm + Shiny Color
- Buttery balm with beautiful shiny color to give you baby soft, healthy glowing lips
- 94% of women felt lips were softer, smoother, and instantly hydrated.
- Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%
- Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth
- Sheer to medium colour with buttery shine
- Available in 20 luscious shades

What to do: Starting with clean, dry lips apply your favorite shade of Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter onto lips. Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter can be worn with or without Lipliner. Reapply as often as desired for softer, smoother and instantly hydrated lips!

Left to right: Creamsicle, Strawberry Shortcake

Creamsicle is a sheer but buildable pale nudey peach shade.
It's PERFECT as an everyday nude lip for me :3

Strawberry Shortcake is like a bubblegum pink. Although it's bright pink and has a pop to it, it worked really nicely with my skin tone so it actually is a nice everyday pink lip for me.. I was pleasantly surprised with this shade :D

The good stuff:

• Lots of shades to choose from
• Great pigmentation / color is buildable
  
• Has moisturizing properties
• Doesn't overly dry out my lips
• Glossy balm sheen
• Decent lasting time
  
• No weird smell/taste
  
• Super cute packaging corresponds to color
  

The low-down:

• Wasn't all that moisturizing for me
• Application "drags" a bit on me
• Not as smooth or lightweight as I'd imagine when I think of "lip butter"

My take: While I really love the shades I got, I was a little disappointed in the texture and feel of these "lip butters." I expected them to be a lot more "buttery" and slick to smooth on with a lightweight feel. They're more like a thick balm -- practically like a lipstick. In all fairness though, I do have dry flaky lips and the weather has been rather cold lately. So before I apply these, I have to buff my lips and apply a clear balm in order for the lip butters to apply smoothly. I'm thinking it's because it's been chilly lately, the lip butters are a bit "stiff" -- They dragged on my lips when I tried to apply them without a base, resulting in patchy color settling into lip lines galore :/ I suppose if the weather was warmer, these lip butters would soften up and apply more smoothly, but we'll have to see... the weather here is so fickle. I was also under the impression that these would be more on the sheer side so that I could apply them alone as a tinted balm, but because of the pigmentation, like I mentioned, they're actually more like a lipstick in my opinion.

Other than that, once I prep my lips w/ buffing & clear balm, these apply a lot smoother and have a great glossy sheen to them. They do feel somewhat conditioning because of the thick balm texture. I'd say lasting power is about 3 hours, which is average for me. It doesn't end up overly drying out my lips, it just kind of absorbs into my lips like most other lipsticks/balms do on me and leaves them feeling dry, but smooth. I definitely can't say I agree with their claims that it boosts lip moisture by 156% though :/

Creamsicle is currently my go-to nude lippie. It's quite sheer but on my lips, it is buildable to a nice subtle nude -- also great for mixing with other lippies to soften up the color. I was also really happy with Strawberry Shortcake! Usually I'm a bit wary to venture into brighter pink shades, so this was a stretch for me. But I actually love it! It's also sheer but not as sheer as Creamsicle. About 2 swipes gets you good pigmentation. It's such a flattering pink shade that I've worn it every day since I bought it! It just has a way of melding with my lip color into a lovely MLBB pink. Love it!

Would I repurchase/recommend?: I could see myself repurchasing these shades because I'm happy with them, but I would like to try some of the other shades of Lip Butters as well. I would recommend these to anyone who wants a sheer to buildable pigmented lip color that has moisturizing properties. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has really dry/flaky lips... or I would suggest that you prep your lips really well before applying.

The Rundown:

Packaging: 5/5
Super cute & colorful packaging, corresponds to shade.

Product: 4/5
Great pigmentation, but not as moisturizing as I'd like.

Price: 5/5
Affordable.

Overall:

[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

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 :)

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal

This is another one of those products that I'd been hearing so much about, so I just had to try it out for myself! Unfortunately I was rather disappointed in my purchase, read on for why...

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal

Sorry, this picture is after I mushed it around a bit :x

Price: $6.99 from Target

From Maybelline's website:

Why You'll Love It

Freshest flush ever:
• Revolutionary gel formula provides a new bouncy texture.
• Lightweight like a powder, yet melts seamlessly into skin like a cream
• Natural sheer wash of color that is buildable for greater color intensity
• Dermatologist tested, Allergy tested
• Non comedogenic

For Best Results

With your fingertips, blend a small amount of blush onto the apples of your cheeks, applying from your cheekbones to your temples. To build color intensity, apply more blush.
Ingredients: Talc, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated C6-14 Olefin Polymers, Diisostearyl Malate, Paraffinum Liquidum / Mineral Oil / Huile Minerale, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hexyl Laurate, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Phenoxyethanol,Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Tin Oxide. May Contain: Mica, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, CI 77007 / Ultramarines, CI 15850 / Red 7, CI 19140 / Yellow 5 Lake, CI 15850 / Red 6, CI 45410 / Red 28 Lake, CI 77120 / Barium Sulfate, CI 73360 / Red 30, CI 15850 / Red 7 Lake, CI 15985 / Yellow 6 Lake]

The good stuff:

• Interesting texture
• Easy to smooth on and blend

The low-down:

• This shade in particular is REALLY lacking in pigmentation
• Lasting power is less than spectacular
• Very tiny! Too pricey imo for the size

My take: The main reason I was disappointed in this blush is because this shade, Rose Petal, barely shows up on me at all! I was expecting it to be a nice flush of, well... ROSE PETAL color!!! Unfortunately, it's an extremely soft shade of pink that melds into my skintone, appearing as a VERY VERY light pink. On cheeks, it gives the SUBTLEST glow... but just barely. Even after piling on the color, it remains quite lackluster in appearance.

On the upside, I really like the idea behind this blush. The texture is a bit like "clay" -- soft, squishy, kinda springy to the touch. It's easy to smooth on and blend into cheeks using fingers, but I found I got a tad more color out of it using a stippling brush. It's actually more fun to mush around that to actually use... LOL :P Once applied, I wouldn't say it sticks around on me for longer than 2 hours. In this sense, I think it would work better as a base for powder blush.

Would I repurchase/recommend?: I would definitely not repurchase this shade or recommend it to anyone with a similar skin tone. I really would like to try some of the other shades though. The deeper, more vibrant shades seem a lot more promising than this one!

The Rundown:

Packaging: 4/5
A standard compact. Really small though!

Product: 2/5
It feels really interesting, definitely a novel concept. However this shade in particular really lacked in pigmentation and lasting power.

Price: 3/5
A bit pricey for the small size!

Overall:

[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

My Fav Lippies ...w/ Swatches!

Hello loves! This post was requested by the lovely and extremely talented Claudia of Lemon Pie! I don't think I've ever done a post about my favorite lippies, so here goes! I'm pretty boring and conservative when it comes to lippies (even though I used to be addicted to buying them)... I basically stick to safe, nude shades and soft pinks. I do want to venture into more peach/coral shades though ;)

So here's my most used, favorite lipsticks & glosses!

(the order is from left to right)

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lipstick - Pink Suga
Ironically, a little more orange on me than NYX Orange Soda; still a great nude. VERY pigmented, smooth, and semi-matte. (review here)

NYX Round Lipstick - Orange Soda
My all-time favorite nude shade. Slightly peachy and works well with my skintone. Super creamy and opaque. Pairs great with a sheer gloss. (lip swatches here)

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick - Pink Please
The perfect baby pink that shows up well on my medium-pigmented lips. Smooth and sheer but buildable. (overview here)

Wet N Wild Mega Last Lipstick - Just Peachy
A slightly brighter pink than Pink Please. A tad peachy, but still more pink. VERY pigmented, smooth, and semi-matte. (review here)

NYC Ultra Last Lipwear - Rose Gold
A gorgeous soft rosy pink with gold shimmer. Color shows up better on my lips when layered over concealer + gloss. (review here)

Yves Saint Laurent Gloss Pur - Pure Rose
The perfect milky baby pink. High gloss shine, starts out sheer but is buildable. Slightly sticky, but not too bad. (review here)

NYX Lips Lipstick - Peach Love
Even though the other lippies from my last NYX haul were a frosty mess, I still like this particular shade. Over concealed lips and layered with a gloss, it shows up a nice, soft peachy coral. (overview here)

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick - Ravishing
A gorgeous "clean light peachy coral." Super creamy and pigmented. (overview here)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss - Life's a PeachI love the formulation of this lipgloss. It is the perfect texture, smell, and lasting power. Very glossy, non-sticky, smooth, sheery-buildable, nudey peach. (overview here)

LE Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited - Jupiter Brown
I am not much of a bold-lip wearer, but I do like this shade. Looks pink in the picture but it's actually a rosy-brown type of shade that shows up "reddish" on me. But I like it a lot. Very smooth, sheer but buildable. (review here)

Swatches
(click to view larger)

These swatches are pretty color-accurate, except for Ravishing, which is lighter, brighter coral and Jupiter Brown; which for some reason looks red-violet (to me at least) but is actually lighter rose-brown shade. Dunno why they look so dark in the pics.

Hope this post was helpful! : )
What are YOUR fav lippies?

Review + Swatches: ELF Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils

Price: $1 each from eyeslipsface.com

What they say:(click to view larger)


What's in it:(click to view larger)

From left to right:
Twinkle Teal, Gunmetal, Iconic Ivory, Plum Passion, Boldly Bronzed, Grassy Green

The good stuff:

• Only $1!
• Handy sharpener built into the cap
• Smooth, creamy texture
• Does not pull or tug
• Bold, pigmented colors with metallic shimmer
• Long lasting as an eyeshadow
• Works great as an eyeshadow base

The low-down:

• Almost TOO soft, tip is easy to smash
• Sharpener works well but takes a lot of product off with it
• Does not work very well as an eyeliner on waterline
• A bit smudgy

My take: I had originally said I wanted to wait on trying out these eyeliners because I wanted to see if other beauty bloggers would review it first... I mean, come on! It's $1 and usually, $1 eyeliners flat-out SUCK. I've had bad experiences with ELF's Brightening eyeliner AND Studio Eyeliner & Shadow Stick (can you say SMUDGE CITY?!), so I wasn't too keen on trying these liners just yet. But inevitably, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to be the guinea pig. And I'm glad I did!

For $1, these liners are super smooth and pigmented. The colors are just wonderful and metallic and bold. Let the swatches do the talking:

From left to right:
Twinkle Teal, Gunmetal, Iconic Ivory, Plum Passion, Boldly Bronzed, Grassy Green

Pretty gorgeous, right? And pretty accurate to ELF's swatches (for once :P). The only shade that wasn't what I expected was "Grassy Green," which is depicted as a bright, kelly green on ELF's website, but turned out to be more of a dark, forest green. It is still nice though.

Despite all of their uber-pigmented, colorful goodness, these "liners" do not actually function very well as liners (or for me, at least). On my waterline, they don't last over an hour and end up smudging and migrating. However, I do think they work well to add a pop of color below the lower lashline.

Their redeeming factor is that they are FABULOUS as eyeshadows and/or eyeshadow bases. They are easy to apply, no pulling or tugging. The texture is very creamy and smooth. It stays a bit tacky on lids for a few minutes after application, so eyeshadow adheres to it VERY well. I use Boldly Bronzed daily under powder eyeshadow (since my everyday look is consists of browns) and it helps to intensify the color and keeps the shadow down pat, all day :)

Another great thing is that there is a sharpener built right into the cap:

And this ain't no cheapie sharpener. It works really well. The only thing is that it might work too well -- it shaves off a lot of product along with the wood shavings. Probably also because the pencil is SO soft. The tip can easily break or be smashed if you're not careful. The softness is good because it makes application a breeze, but just be careful when you're putting the cap back on!

The Rundown:
Packaging: 5/5
Handy sharpener built into the cap.

Product: 4/5
Not that great as a liner and is very soft, but works wonderfully as an eyeshadow/eyeshadow base!

Price: 5/5
Completely wallet-friendly!

Overall:
[ click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]