Brand Focus #2: The Best of NYX Cosmetics

Hi there, and welcome to my blog! This evening I thought I would do another post dedicated to a particular makeup brand, NYX Cosmetics. NYX is another one of my all time favorite drugstore brands, and I've recently been rekindling my love for them. NYX is extremely affordable and cruelty free, and make some really special products. I usually purchase NYX from Ulta or directly from their website.

First, I want to talk about the NYX Xtreme Lip Creams. Dare I say these might be my favorite lip products... ever? They are really incredible though; smooth, pigmented, long-wearing, and a great color selection. The only negative thing I can possibly say about these is in regards to the smell. Other lip products from NYX that I own have very nice smells to them, but these really kind of smell like rotting fruit. I feel like I just insulted a good friend saying that, but it's the truth. However, the smell is not noticeable at all once I've applied these to my lips, so it isn't a huge issue for me.

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz, Bonfire, and Buttery Nude

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Buttery Nude, Nude Peach Fuzz, and Bonfire

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Buttery Nude, Nude Peach Fuzz, and Bonfire

Here, my friends, is the lovely Infinite Shadow Stick in Flushed by NYX. I did not include a swatch of this product simply because the swatches I attempted to take did not do this gorgeous color justice. This is the most stunning rose gold color I have ever seen! Ironically enough, there's actually another shade of this product named "Rose Gold", but I find that one to be less rosy and more of a plain gold / slight coppery shade. This applies very nicely without tugging or pulling on the eyelid. While I prefer to layer this underneath shadows, it could also be worn on its own. It also has amazing staying power; once it sets, it dries down very quickly and won't budge!

NYX Infinite Shadow Stick in Flushed

One of my favorite setting powders of all time is the Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation in Ivory. I wouldn't really call this a foundation, as it has a very sheer amount of coverage. For someone who already has nice skin and just wants a product for oil control, this would serve that purpose well. For me, this works best when I use it around my T-zone and as an on-the-go touch-up powder. It has a very smooth texture and also slightly blurs the appearance of the pores around my nose.

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation in Ivory

The NYX Powder Blushes are my favorites from the drugstore. Two shades I purchased recently are Amber and Taupe, both of which I have been loving! Taupe is a particularly interesting shade in that it doesn't look like your typical blush. This is a sort of matte brown shade with a neutral undertone - perfect for contouring! As of late, this is all I have been using for that purpose. Amber is a bright rosy coral shade that is also shimmer-free. These colors are both super build-able, which means women with deeper skin tones should be able to get a good amount of color payoff. If you're extremely pale like me, these can be used with a light hand and blended out.

NYX Powder Blushes in Taupe and Amber

Bottom: Taupe, Top: Amber

Left: Taupe, Right: Amber

One of the best go-to lip liners for me is the Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink by NYX. I've never been someone who feels the need to use lip liner, so I purchased this on a whim. It doesn't appear very nude in the swatches below, but comes out to be a "your lips but better" kind of color. I think this would work more so as a nude for women with deeper skin tones. The fact that it's retractable makes it very easy to use, and the product itself has a smooth, creamy formula. I may have to go pick this up in a few more colors soon... 

NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink

NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink

And that wraps up this post! If you have any questions about any of these products, don't be shy! Thanks for reading. :)

Real Techniques Brush Review

I'm sure just about everyone who is into makeup has heard of Real Techniques, but I still thought I would share my take on a variety of brushes I own by them. Real Techniques is a brand of high quality makeup brushes and tools that can be found at the drugstore (I usually purchase mine from Ulta) for a very reasonable price. While I certainly don't own all of the brushes from their line, I would consider Real Techniques my favorite line of makeup brushes on the market. Not only are they easy to use and incredibly soft, but the prices are excellent and they're very easy to find!

The Real Techniques "Core Collection" features four brushes for the face; the Buffing Brush, the Contour Brush, the Pointed Foundation Brush, and the Detailer Brush.

My favorite of these four is the Buffing Brush. This is the brush that ignited my love for Real Techniques and made me decide to purchase more! This brush is fantastic for applying cream and powder foundations, as the bristles are packed super dense which gives even coverage. The Contour Brush is great for - you guessed it - contouring! This has been my go-to brush for contouring ever since I bought it. The Pointed Foundation Brush is probably my least used Real Techniques brush, as I find this leaves a streaky appearance when used with liquid products. This is decent for applying thicker, creamier concealers in larger areas of the face. The Detailer Brush is great for covering blemishes here and there.

The Real Techniques "Starter Kit" features five brushes for the eyes; the Deluxe Crease Brush, the Base Shadow Brush, the Brow Brush, the Accent Brush, and the Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush.

I honestly love all five of these brushes! The Deluxe Crease Brush is not only great to use in the crease, but it's also the perfect size and density to apply concealers. I use the Base Shadow Brush almost every single time I apply eye shadow of any kind. The Brow Brush is undoubtedly the best thing I've found for filling in brows with powder. Both the Accent and Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brushes are great for applying gel eyeliner or smudging eye shadow along the upper and lower lash lines for a "smoky" kind of look.

The Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection features three brushes; the Duo-Fiber Eye Brush, the Duo-Fiber Face Brush, and the Duo-Fiber Contour Brush. 

The purpose of duo fiber brushes is to soften any harsh lines or edges that result during makeup application. One of the most important things when doing your makeup is to take the time to blend. These brushes are perfect for that; you can never have too much blending! I often use the Duo-Fiber Eye Brush in my crease to apply a light wash of color. The Duo-Fiber Face Brush is great for applying a light-weight powder to set your face makeup, without adding more coverage. And lastly, the Duo-Fiber Contour Brush is excellent for blending out your contour and also for highlighting on top of the cheekbones. As the name suggests, this brush trio is limited edition, but it's currently still available on Ulta's website!

Finally we come to the brushes that I have purchased individually. These are the Blush Brush, the Setting Brush, the Stippling Brush, and the Expert Face Brush. 

The Blush Brush is particularly great because of it's large size and tapered edges. This allows for a natural sweep of color across the cheeks, using either blush or bronzer. The Setting Brush is the only thing I will use to set concealer under my eyes because it's the perfect size and it's so soft! The Stippling Brush is great for applying cream blushes to the cheeks. The Expert Face Brush gives a similar effect as the Buffing Brush from the "Core Collection", however it is smaller in size and slightly denser. This makes it ideal for applying any thinner liquid foundations.

So, I think that just about wraps it up! The quality of these brushes as I mentioned is just fantastic, and I believe these would be useful for both beginners and pros with makeup.

Let me know what your favorite Real Techniques brushes are, and if there are any others I should try! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day. :)

Brand Focus: My Top 5 items from Maybelline

Today I will be dedicating this post to one of my favorite drugstore brands; Maybelline. While there are many drugstore brands I have come to love, Maybelline was one of the first. Out of the numerous products I have tried from them over the years, these five products have remained tried and true favorites.

First up, the Maybelline Fit Me Concealers. This is probably the best multi-purpose concealer I've ever tried; I can use this around my nose to conceal redness, under my eyes to hide the darkness, and over blemishes. I've heard this concealer being compared to the NARS Creamy Concealer several times, so if you're looking to save some money, this could be a great option to try. My tube has lasted me forever!

 

Fit Me Concealer in the shade Fair

Next, one of Maybelline's many mascaras, The Rocket. It seems as if Maybelline is coming out with a new mascara every five seconds, but this one has definitely caught the attention of many. The first time I tried this, it didn't strike me as anything new or different, but the more I've used it, the more I've liked it! I usually end up hating the hard rubber mascara wands, as I always get mascara on my eyelid or poke my eye with it. There's something special about this one... I'm not sure if it's the formula that I'm loving so much, or maybe the rubber bristles are somehow different?

 

Volum'Express The Rocket Mascara

The Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo cream eye shadows are another favorite of mine. The staying power is excellent on me, and I love that I can wear these over a thin layer of standard eye primer or layer them underneath my powder eye shadows. The texture of these is very smooth and blendable, and can be applied using a brush or your finger. Two of my favorite shades are Bad To The Bronze and Tough As Taupe - great neutral colors! This line also has some vibrant, more colorful shades as well.  

 

Left/Right: Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze

Next up are the Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whisper Lip colors. While these lipsticks claim to give a light wash of color to the lips, they're actually extremely pigmented! Along with the impressive pigmentation these give, they also have a very nice creamy texture on the lips. They glide on like butter, and leave a healthy look to the lips without being overly shiny. These aren't particularly moisturizing on me, but they're definitely not drying. I would of course recommend applying a good lip balm before using these.

 

Color Whisper Lip Color in Lust For Blush



Color Whisper Lip Color in Berry Ready

Lastly are the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes. The texture of these is so incredibly bizarre, honestly like nothing else I've ever used. That being said, I'm not usually a big fan of cream blushes, so there may be similar products out there that I've never tried. It really does feel almost "bouncy" when you touch it. This blush is fantastic for a nice pop of color around the Spring and Summer time, without looking too bright or over-the-top. These apply very smoothly and leave a natural, light wash of color on the skin.

 

Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal

 

Overall, I must say that Maybelline is one of my favorite brands out there. These are only a few examples of the lovely products they have to offer! Maybelline products can be found at Ulta, Walgreens, and pretty much any other drugstore.

 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know what you think of these products and if you have any further questions or comments! :)

Review: Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers

Hey everyone! This is my very first blog post, and I'm very excited to share my makeup musts with you! Today I'll be reviewing the Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers, also known as the Rimmel London Apocalips in the United Kingdom. Personally, I've heard a lot of hype going around about these in the past several months, and couldn't wait to get my hands on them! I have 7 shades I'll be reviewing, all of which I've owned and used for a good two months now.

There are currently 14 shades available in the U.S. There are a wide variety of shades; from nudes to reds and shimmer to matte. I personally do not own any of the shimmer shades, as it's not really my style and I doubt I would get wear out of them. The ones I will feature below all go on as a gloss but dry semi-matte and have a finish more similar to a lipstick.

 From left to right, the colors shown above are Luna, Celestial, Nova, Aurora, Stellar, Apocaliptic, and Big Bang.

A quick description of each:
Luna is a light peach shade with a subtle pink tone.
Celestial is a true pink with subtle mauve tones.
Nova is a lighter Barbie pink shade.
Aurora is a peachy-pink shade that leans more towards the pink side.
Stellar is a vibrant coral shade.
Apocaliptic is a true hot pink with cool tones.
Big Bang is an orange-toned bright red.

I'd have to say that Aurora is my favorite color out of the bunch - it's the perfect combination of wearable pink, peach, and red shades and would be suitable for any skin tone, in my opinion. It doesn't lean too far into any color range, which has made it very versatile for me.   

Overall, I really do like these lacquers, and you can't beat the price! They are very long wearing and surprisingly conditioning and comfortable to wear. The pigmentation is also very impressive, especially for a drugstore product. Every shade I have shown has equally good pigmentation. They do have a fruity smell to them which may bother some people, but it fades very quickly and doesn't have a taste to it. Here in the U.S. they are currently exclusively sold at Walgreens for $4.99 each. Hopefully they'll be expanding to other drugstores so that more people have easy access to try them! 

I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking to try a new drugstore lip product, and I'd give them a rating of 4.5/5 stars. The only reason they didn't get five stars is because the vast majority of the shades have warm peachy undertones, and I'd like to see more with cooler tones to them as well. 

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this review! Feel free to leave questions, suggestions, and requests below!