Review and Swatches - NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Tokyo and Amsterdam

   I'd seen these NYX lip creams over blogger and youtube, they'd had pretty good reviews so I picked a couple up on eBay a week or two ago. They arrived here from the US in good time and at a good price - here's the link to the buyer I purchased from! These lip creams are really like nothing I've tried before, as NYX states on the packaging...

   I chose Tokyo (a barbie pink colour) and Amsterdam (cherryish red). I find that Tokyo is less pigmented than Amsterdam, or at least needs more product, but I do like that it's not overly bright. You can build up the product depending on how bright / deep you want the colour. 

  

   Amsterdam looks quite a deep red as soon as it's put on, but I found that after a couple of minutes it looks more cherry red. It is blue toned though, so a better red for people like me with paler skin, but I can see it looking lovely on all other skin tones too

   Annoyingly, I took photos of both products on my lips but for some reason my camera didn't focus properly! I will be wearing these products a lot though I expect, so you will see them on! For now, here's both swatched on my hand in natural light. Ps. Yay for my DSLR! Although somehow my newer ones broken :( so yay for my older DSLR...!

 

   As for the formula itself, I think it's quite good. I say quite good because I've recently got out of wearing a matte lip, so these are taking a little getting used to! I wouldn't say they're drying, more just an unusual texture on the lips! They're not long lasting, but for me that's fine. Tokyo seems to fade quite quickly, maybe after an hour, whereas Amsterdam lasts a bit longer. I would repurchase them, especially Tokyo as it's not a colour I'd usually wear but I really like it! I think they'll just take a little getting used to following my major love for Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick.

3.4.12

Review and Swatches - NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Tokyo and Amsterdam

New Love for an Old(ish) Purchase... E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

  Thought I would do a beauty post today as it's been a while. About 3 months back I made an order from E.L.F, consisting of a few brushes (angled contour brush, powder brush, total face brush and blusher / bronzing / blending brush) and one of their All Over Colour Sticks in Spotlight (here).

  I've not really used it full stop, as when I'd put it over my foundation as a highlighter it looked claggy and didn't blend well (if you know what I mean?!). I just put this down to the price of the product - you can't expect a brilliant finish from a £1.50 product. A few days ago I found it at the bottom of my makeup bag and decided to give it a go again.

   I tried it out again, this time straight onto the top of my cheekbone, on freshly cleansed and moisturised skin. It glided on smoothly and only a small amount of product was needed to get a lovely, dewy finish. With my fingers I gently patted it onto my skin - it feels slightly sticky. I'm uncomfortable with this feeling as my skin becomes oily in places throughout the day naturally, so this formula isn't ideal for me. But this is how I've found it can work for me! I applied my foundation over the top (Estee Lauder DW), aiding oil absorpstion, and noticed that my cheeks looked really fresh and slightly dewy, but not oily at all. I then neglect my cheeks when I powder.

   I find this technique adds a subtle glow to my skin without making my skin feel too tacky or worsening oiliness. I'm loving this finish at the moment, as my skin can look really dull with just DW on and a matte contouring powder. Try this technique out if, like me, you want to venture outside of the strictly matte skin!

   Unfortunately, my camera hasn't picked up the finish too well, but I'm sure you can imagine the lovely, subtle glimmer it gives my skin. My makeup looks a bit gross as I did it at 7 this morning.

L - Swatched once R - Heavily swatched (you can see you only need a small amount)

Ps. I've hit 150 followers! The giveaway is coming along very soon! I have, so far, a Cath Kidston Hand Cream, No 7 Eyelash Curlers and a Maybelline Extreme Moisture Lipstick in Nude Blush to give away - some of my favourite beauty products (and all are brand new may I add)! I'm going to pick up a couple more bits before I launch the giveaway so please keep your eyes peeled.

14.3.12

New Love for an Old(ish) Purchase... E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

OOTD / FOTD - Burgundy and Black (18/02/12)

  This is what I wore on Saturday for shopping and watching the Ice Hockey with my boyfriend. It was my first time watching Ice Hockey and I couldn't keep up with the puck... but it was still entertaining!

Outfit

Top - Primark

Skirt - WoowNow

Belt - Primark

Tights - Henry Holland

Leather Jacket - River Island

Necklace - ebay

Ring - H&M

Face

Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru

Eyebrows - Sleek Eyebrow Kit in Light

Eyes - MUA Eyeshadow in Shade 12 blended with Famous (by Sue Moxley) Matt Eyeshadow in Shade 12

Nails

Beauty UK Lilac Nail Varnish

Northern Lights Holographic Top Coat in Silver

21.2.12

OOTD / FOTD - Burgundy and Black (18/02/12)

OOTD - Simply Styled Leather Leggings

 Top - Primark £4    PU Panel Leggings - Internacionale £8 (sale)   Boots - Topshop £36 (pre - sale £80)   Cross Bracelet - Miss Selfridge  £4 (with student discount)

Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru     Eyebrows - see everyday routine     Blush - see everyday routine    Highlighter - E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight     Mascara / liner - everyday routine    Eyeshadow - MUA shade 12 and MUA Heaven and Earth Palette    Lips - Barry M Lip Paint in 12, Rimmel Lipstick in 008 Pink Corset and Dirty Works Lip Plumper (phew!!)

Trying out Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru today! Will do a post about all 3 of my foundation samples in a few days after giving them all a go! 

Off for a Pizza Hut soon (the Happy Hour deal is amazing!)

2.2.12

OOTD - Simply Styled Leather Leggings

Haul!

   After uni today I ventured into Nottingham with the intention of picking up some foundation samples, a belt, some gloves and a skirt (I had a very particular one in mind.. black chiffon, pleated, high waisted, just above the knee - surely I'm not asking for too much?!). Here is what I brought back with me.

Belt - Primark £2.50    Top - Primark £4   Tights - New Look £5 (eee!!)    Bracelet - Miss Selfridge £4 (£5 w/o student discount - 20% off at the moment!)    Little jar (!?) sample - Estee Lauder Doublewear in Ecru    Mac samples - both NC15 Prolongwear and Studio Sculpt

   I did actually get some gloves from Primark too, but forgot to include them in the photo - just really bog standard black gloves, 2 pairs for £1, can't go wrong! It's so cold here at the moment and I've lost my mittens!

   I'm sure I'll do a post soon showing the belt / skirt / top in an outfit. Was actually hoping to find some jewelry in Primark, but was a bit let down by their current stock. Loving the tops Primark have in at the moment though, as well as the shoes, but I really don't need any more shoes (must get round to selling the many unused pairs I own on eBay!). 

  I rarely wear silver jewelry, but I was really taken by the bracelet - also Miss Selfridge currently has 20% off for students. Pretty sure this applies to their sale too (which is literally the whole of the upstairs in Nottingham, so tempting to pick a few bits up, but I resisted!). I saw Chloe's post (hello plum) where she was wearing a more or less identical bracelet from Topshop and loved it, so it's handy that Miss Selfridge had this one as I didn't visit Topshop today!

   I LOVE Henry Holland tights! I nipped into New Look to look for a skirt but came out with these beauties! I must admit - I haven't really taken a liking to the most recent collection, but I always seem to come across them in the sale and they're always the last pair! These were £5, reduced from £15, unopened- as I'm weirdly fussy about that! I have about 4 pairs of tights from various HH collections already, just because I love wearing them. Will see if the bones tights grown on me...

   As for the samples, I'll blog about these in detail another day.

1.2.12

Haul!

Everyday make-up routine

   Everyone has their favourite products, I certainly have mine! These products are ones I use on a daily basis:

MAC - Studio Fix Fluid in NC15

Natural Collection - Loose Powder in Cool Translucent

Natural Collection - Blushed Cheeks in Pink Cloud

MUA - Bronzer in Shade 3

Collection 2000 - Lasting Concealer in Fair (1)

Sleek - Brow Kit in Light

17 - Lash and Brow Mascara

Rimmel - Liquid Eyeliner in Black Glamour

W7 - Massive Lashes Mascara in Black

Collection 2000 - Super Size Fat Lash Mascara in Brown / Black

Vaseline (old trusty lipbalm!)

 

Note: I don't tend to wear blusher and bronzer at the same time - just because unless I have fake tanned, I am extremely pale so I find this is a bit OTT for my complexion!

   I first used MAC Studio Fix Fluid about a year ago and have never turned back since. Foundation, to me, is one of those products that you shouldn't skimp on. Having realised how sensitive my skin is the past couple of years, Studio Fix Fluid seems pretty skin-friendly to me (being oil free obviously helps)! The coverage is just right and provides a relatively matte finish. It stays in place for a good 5 hours or so on my skin, it needs powdering throughout the day, but this is probably just due to my combination skin (I'll explain my skin situation in more detail in a later post!). 

   Despite my loyalty to this product I am tempted to try NARS Sheer Matte Foundation - it has had brilliant reviews and has the benefit of being dermatologically tested and non-comedogenic (easily swayed..). The only thing preventing me from purchasing is the price, it's £10 more than MAC SFF, but I guess the price may be warranted!

   I purchased Collection 2000 Lasting Concealer as it is constantly raved about by UK beauty bloggers. This concealer is the best I have ever used! It blends in so well with a small brush and is better for my skin than a lot of creamier formulas. AND it is only about £4!

   Clearly I have a soft spot for cheap products!! But they still have to be products that perform.  Natural Collection Blusher in Pink Cloud is exemplifies this perfectly. It retails at around £2 (from what I can remember) in Boots stores - but it is highly pigmented and really blendable. I've also come across reviews comparing it to a MAC blush (although I can't remember which one, it seems comparable to Well Dressed) which is definitely a plus, as MAC blush retails at £17.50. The Natural Collection powder is really nothing to shout about, but again, I have had issues with powders being overly drying or not absorbent enough, but this seems to be a relatively good balance between the two. Anyone have any suggestions of really good powders for sensitive skin?

   MUA have come out with some outstanding products in their line. Most products retail at £1 - or only slightly more (I think they have bumped some of the prices up slightly from what I can remember?). Shade 3 Bronzer looks brilliant on when I have tanned, when I haven't I find it can be a little muddy looking on my skin (believe it or not in these photos I tanned 2 days ago...). Despite this, it is pretty decent for the price and has no shimmer - one thing that I cannot stand in blushers / bronzers for some reason, although most budget brands in the UK seems to add some glitter in to EVERY product somehow!

   As for my eye make-up routine, I have stuck to the same look now for about 4 years or more! I rarely go out of the house without winged liner - to me it is way less hassle than eyeshadow, but it looks like you've made more of an effort compared to just a sweep of mascara! I have always used the same liquid eyeliner from Rimmel - whenever I have tried anything different (usually when I have had liquid liner as a gift) it just crumbles after a couple of hours, looks weirdly shiny or the applicator is really difficult  / scratchy. This is quick and simple to apply and lasts all day. The product lasts for ages too - I probably only have to replace it twice a year and I use it every day!

   Mascara is one thing I never settle on, I can never find anything that blows me away. I have bought so many mascaras before, only to be hugely disappointed by the results. For now I use W7 and Collection 2000 (first I apply W7 as it's a very light formula, then followed by Collection 2000, which covers the lashes well, then follow with a final coat to even out my lashes with W7 again - don't ask.. it just works well for me!). I  have long lashes but not a lot of them! Anyone recommend any particular mascaras?

   I love my Sleek brow kit! It's such a handy size and I love the box it comes in! Although I do find that the colour is perhaps a little dark / slightly too warm for my complexion and hair colour. I wish Sleek made a more ashy toned / lighter one - but for now (until I can get my hands on e.l.f's lightest eyebrow kit, which I'm dying to try!) I'll be sticking to this one.

   Finally, Vaseline. In winter it is inevitable that your lips are going to get dry and possibly crack! And lipbalms / glosses / sticks just worsen that situation -they sit in the dry parts and avoid the normal parts, (what's with that?!?)! Vaseline helps my lips out so much in winter! This is a staple product, I know, but couldn't miss it out! I never leave the house without it!

27.1.12

Everyday make-up routine