NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipstick in Licorice Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

I feel like everyone in the beauty community has heard about these butter lipsticks from NYX Cosmetics and since I heard so much hype, I thought I'd pick up just one of the colors to try out. Do these live up to the hype? They totally do in my opinion.

Where to Purchase: Ulta stores, NYX Cosmetics
Price: $5.99 for 4.5 grams of product. 
Do they test on animals?: The company does not nor do they sell in countries that require animal testing.
Packaging: The lipsticks come in a plastic tube with a clear window in the middle for you to see the lipstick inside. I've read that the tubes have a tendency to twist up so you may need to be careful about it.

Swatch

The lipstick was applied from the tube in two layers. The photos were taken in natural daylight with no flash. This was a difficult color to capture, the actual color is slightly more purple. 

NYX is taking the smart route by providing testers for the Butter Lipsticks at Ulta and it's necessary to test the shades out as they apply slightly lighter than they appear in the tube. Licorice looks especially dark but applies like a deep burgundy red and a bit less purple than it appears in the tube. Licorice is nearly opaque straight from the tube. 

Formula

There wasn't any bleeding or feathering into the lip lines from the lipstick. This actually feels like I'm wearing Aquaphor on my lips, it's got that lip balm-y quality to it though it still manages to feel lightweight. I do find it to be moisturizing on my lips but your mileage may vary. You will need to exfoliate your lips prior to wearing because the color tends to darken on any imperfections on the lips.

Wear time was about four to five hours; considering the creamy formula, I wasn't expecting it to last that long. 

The lipstick does have a slight scent to it but I couldn't detect a taste. This may sound weird but the scent really reminds me of the pear tarte from Trader Joe's, it's got that baked quality to it with a hint of fruit (but not so much that it's overwhelming).

In conclusion, I like it and it's worth trying at least one. 

Purchase if:
a) You want a moisturizing lipstick 
b) You want a lipstick that doesn't bleed or feather
c) Apparently it's a nice dupe for Revlon's Black Cherry but with a better formula so if you like Black Cherry but hate the formula, this is worth a try
d) You want an inexpensive lipstick

Don't purchase if:
a) You have especially flaky lips, you'll need to exfoliate first
b) You might not like the lipstick scent

Disclaimer: I purchased the lipstick myself. All opinions are my own. I wasn't compensated for this post.

Keira Knightley-Inspired Red Carpet Orange Lip Look

I Purchased It Press Sample

Queen Lisa Eldridge recently posted pictures of this makeup that she did on Keira Knightley for her press tour for Jack Ryan: Shadow Pursuit and I wanted to do a quick recreation. If you'd like to get the look yourself, feel free to check out her blog post for the product list. I'm also loving that in spite of Valentine's Day coming up, there's been a shift from doing a typical red or pink lips to orange or purple lips.

(Forgive the iPhone picture, my camera battery was charging and I wanted to get a picture of this up!)

Product List
MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC 30
Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish Powder
OCC Radiate Lip Tar

If you're interested in replicating this look, feel free to follow this tutorial by the lovely Sona of MakeupbySona (in collaboration with L'oreal Paris). I'm not being paid anything for featuring this video tutorial, I just thought it might be handy for some of you to watch and to see how drugstore products can be used.



If you like anything that Sona is using, the video is actually interactive so wherever you see the True Match Makeup button, you can click it to purchase the item on Target.com. I don't make any money if you do choose to purchase anything so don't feel like I'm profiting from any of this! 

OCC Cosmetic Colour Pencil Swatches, Comparison, and Review *Revised*

Press Sample Affiliate Link

Along with the lip tars from the Spring 2014 Plastic Passion Collection, I was gifted the set of Cosmetic Colour Pencils (CCP). I'm going to swatch, review, and provide comparison swatches between the original lip tar and the counterpart cosmetic colour pencil.  I don't own all the lip tars but I do have five that I can compare the pencil versions to. Along with that, I will show the lip looks you can get by layering the lip tars with the counterpart pencils! I will not be reviewing the Anti-Feathered Cosmetic Colour Pencil in this post, instead I'll be testing it separately to see how well it performs at preventing feathering.

From top to bottom: Anti-Feathered, Feathered, Anime*, Sybil, Pennyroyal, Trick*, Tarred, Black Dahlia*, Hoochie*, NSFW*, Pool Boy, Grandma*

*Indicates that these are only lip and body safe. The rest of the shades (Feathered, Sybil, Pennyroyal, Tarred, and Pool Boy) are eye, lip, and body-safe.

I have quite a bit to say so I'll be putting the rest of the post under a cut!

OCC Plastic Passion Spring 2014 Lip Tar Swatches and Full Face Photos

Press Sample

While I was at IMATS Pro Night last Friday, I was very kindly gifted the lip tars from the upcoming Spring 2014 Plastic Passion Collection. There are also six nail polishes coming out in the collection. There were also accompanying loose color concentrates in the display but I don't believe they are part of the Plastic Passion Collection. Today I'll be swatching the lip tars that come in the collection.



I've got a lot of pictures so I'll be putting the information under a cut. Feel free to click to see all the information!

Darling Girl Cosmetics Black Friday Eyeshadow Haul and Swatches

I Purchased This

For Black Friday I bought myself a few Darling Girl Cosmetics Eyeshadows. I had been wanting some of these shades for quite some time and although two of the colors I'm swatching may not be available anymore (one was an old GWP and the other a Black Friday color), I thought I would swatch it anyway for reference's sake (and in case you want the GWP to become permanent!)

Where to Purchase: 
Price: $2.50 for 1/4 tsp or $5.90 for a full size jar containing 3/4 tsp.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not nor do they sell in countries that require animal testing.
Packaging: The petit size comes in a 3 gram jar and the full size comes in a 5 gram jar with a sifter.

Swatches:


The eyeshadows were applied dry over Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The pictures were taken in natural daylight.

Black Moon: "Sooty green base with orange red flash and a shift to a golden green" In my swatch you primarily see the green base but on the left side of the swatch you can see the orange red and the right side of the swatch shows the golden green.

Eclipse: "Blackened red with undertones of coppery gold and a sprinkling of copper sparkle" This is a black with a red sheen and golden sparkle.  You may find that using a base or a glitter adhesive will enhance the sheen and sparkles.

Just Harried: "Champagne with subtle blue sparkles" This is a part of the upcoming My Three Witches (themed after the tv series Charmed!) collection. I did think this was a little sheerer than the other shimmery shades but is still beautiful.

Mistle Taupe* LE GWP: "Silvery brown with gold undertones, gold iridescence and copper sparkle". I actually think this is more like a dove grey with a gold/copper sparkle. It isn't available anymore but I've heard people say they wish it was permanent so maybe it will become permanent.

Tank Taupe: "Light matte taupe brown" On me, it does pull a little cooler than the website swatch. I haven't tried many loose matte eyeshadows but I do think this works best over a white eyeshadow base like NYX Milk. I thought it was a little sheer over a primer and had to be built up.

Who Cares, It's on Sale!* Black Friday Exclusive: "Grey brown with aqua sparkles" Again this was limited edition but for reference's sake I thought I'd still post it.

I hope you enjoyed this swatch post! 

Disclaimer: I purchased these eyeshadows myself. All opinions are my own. I wasn't being compensated for this post.

Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish Powder Review

Press Sample

Every makeup trade show since 2011 or 2012 has seen me scoping out Purely Cosmetics and their Diamond Perfect Finish Powder but circumstances always arose where I ended up without said diamonds. Robyn found out and quickly rectified the issue and she gifted me with the magical face powder. I wanted to get this review up before IMATS LA because they'll be selling their diamond perfect finish powder at Booth 813 with Embryolisse. 

Where to purchase: Purely Cosmetics
Price: There are three sizes available, a sample, regular, and pro size. The sample size is $5.00 for a 5 gram sample jar (not sure of the amount), the regular size is $20 for 6 grams net weight, and the pro size is $35 for 12 grams net weight.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The sample jar comes in a 5 gram jar but the regular and pro size come in a large jar with a rotating sifter. You can rotate it to shake out product then rotate it back to ensure that no product comes out.

Ingredients:

Formula:

Purely Cosmetics says "Your face will have an airbrushed look. The appearance of shadows, wrinkles, pigmentations, and discolorations are diminished. The diamond powder bends and refracts light to reduce the visibility of those imperfections. It does not give off a shimmer."

It looks super stark white in the jar but it was transparent and colorless on my skin. However for darker skin tones, you want to be sure to buff it in well in order to prevent any issues on your skin. Unlike silica-based HD powders (which were always meant for HD video work as opposed to photography), this DOES NOT flashback or leave those awkward white streaks on your face. (I've got Dustin Hunter's review to back me up!)

This powder helps increase the longevity of my foundation, especially when worn as a primer and finishing powder. When worn as a primer, I honestly think it does a better job at diffusing my scars. While it does help minimize oil on my t-zone, I wouldn't recommend it solely for oil control purposes (I find I still have to blot after a few hours); I think there are better oil absorbing powders (in fact, Purely Cosmetics makes an oil absorb powder) out there. I like it much better on my less oily cheeks where I have more acne scars.

As a finishing powder, it's tops and does a great job of diffusing my pores and acne scarring on my face. I would recommend this for normal skin types or only slightly oily skin types. I think the powder may not be so great for any dry skin tones. For oily skin types, I think you'll find that alone, it's not strong enough for oil control but will be great if paired with a primer. 

If you're not sure, you can definitely get yourself a nice sample jar. 

Disclaimer: I received this as a gift from Purely Cosmetics. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review. 

Winged Liner Dreams EOTD

Have I said how much I'm vibing doing a winged liner? Because I really really am.

Products Used

Darling Girl Cosmetics Primped and Primed Eyelid Primer

Darling Girl Cosmetics Jeweled Taupe on the lid

Saucebox Cosmetics Siren in the crease

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in Dark Brown

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara
Buxom Hold the Line Waterproof Eyeliner in Here's My Number on the lower lashline

Anastasia Brow Powder in Medium Brown and Dark Brown for the brows

I'm super stoked because IMATS is this weekend but it's mildly tempered by school starting next Tuesday. My excitement shoots back up again when I attend ISSE Long Beach. Busy busy two weeks!

Saucebox Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatches, Review, and EOTD

Press Sample

I've held off on posting about these eyeshadows for a few different reasons, mainly that these shades were trade-show exclusives and I didn't want to be posting about something that you wouldn't be able to get readily. Thankfully though, the shades I got have finally been made available online so I'm stoked to be reviewing them! (Sorry Alla for the belated review -__-) They'll be attending IMATS LA if you happen to be going so if you like the looks of these shadows and you happen to be going, it's worth a scoping.

I received three shades in Modern, Psychic, and Siren and the order in the photograph is actually Psychic, Modern, and Siren!

Where to Purchase: Saucebox Cosmetics
Price: $9.00 for 5 grams of product. (Currently Modern and Psychic are on sale for $6.75!)
Do they test on animals?: The company does not nor do they sell in countries that require animal testing.
Packaging: Personally, I'm not a fan of the packaging. The eyeshadows come in a cardboard pot with a paper lid but my problem is that the lid never seems to want to stay closed for some of the pots. The packaging does make it easier if you ever want to depot the eyeshadows however!

Swatches

Swatches were taken in natural daylight with no flash. The eyeshadows were applied dry with a brush over Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

From left to right: Modern, Psychic, and Siren.

Modern is a bright orange juice orange, Psychic is a light coral orange, and Siren is a matte light brown. Siren is a little difficult to see since it's similar to my skintone but with a hint of grey.

Formula

The matte eyeshadows are incredibly pigmented and the colors blend beautifully on my skin though I do think Modern is a tad powdery. Be sure not too pick up too much or else there will be fallout. I do think Modern edges on looking chalky although it actually isn't chalky. Siren is great for me as a transition color and it's got a hint of grey to it that helps emulate the natural shadows of your eye.

In conclusion, this is a great set of matte eyeshadows to try out. In the age where we're inundated with shimmery and sparkly eyeshadows, it's nice to find a set of great mattes.

EOTD

Here's a quick EOTD I did using all three shadows. Siren was applied in the crease, Psychic all over the eye, and Modern in the center of the eye. Eyeliner was Wet n Wild's Mega Liner in Dark Brown and I used a Pixi Eyeliner in Oyster Glow on the lower lashline.

Purchase if:
a) You want to expand your collection of matte eyeshadows
b) You don't mind the cardboard pots (Beautiful but they're not as compact as other brands!)
c) You want to try an indie company
d) You want a ton of eyeshadow for less than $10

Don't Purchase if:
a) You don't like the cardboard packaging

Disclaimer: I received all three eyeshadows courtesy of the brand. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

Golden Bronze and Teal EOTD

I Purchased This Press Sample

When I posted my review of the Darling Girl Burnished Watercolor Paint Pot, Phyrra suggested pairing Darling Girl's Burnished Watercolor Paint Pot with a teal blue and after much playing with liquid eyeliner this came out of it. However the combination of my hooded eyelid with the slighty tacky eyeliner met some gold eyeshadow ended up transferring onto the eyeliner. Curse you hooded lids! Either way, I gotta get myself wearing winged eyeliner more because the look is always brilliant.



Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Darling Girl Burnished Watercolor Paint Pot
Sugarpill Goldilux Chromalust over Burnished 
Tarte Azurite Green Skinny SmolderEyes 
Sugarpill Darling Chromalust over Azurite Green
Wet n Wild Mega Liner in 868 (Love the brush, hate how it totally melts in contact with water)
Stila Koi Smudgestick Liner
Anastasia Brow Powder in Medium Brown

IMATS LA is coming up in less than two weeks, then I'll be attending ISSE LB after that, and finally start school on the 22nd. I hope everyone in the wintery areas stays safe, I know it's been extremely cold out!

Disclaimer: I purchased everything but the Anastasia Brow Powder which I received as a Press Sample.

Darling Girl Cosmetics Burnished Watercolor Paint Pot Swatch and Review

I Purchased This

As part of my Black Friday Haul, I purchased a Watercolor Paint Pot (WPP) from Darling Girl Cosmetics. I quite like cream eyeshadows and they're not often done by indie cosmetics so I was enthusiastic about trying it out. I went back and forth about which color to get and decided on Burnished, a beautiful metallic bronze. 

Just looking at it in the pot looks entrancing (to me at least). 

Where to purchase:
Price: $6.50 but currently on sale at $5.25 for 5 grams of product by volume.
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The watercolor paint pot comes in a dual walled plastic container with a white plastic cover to ensure the product does not dry out. Do not throw away the plastic disk! It is also recommended that you store the product in the ziploc bag it comes in to prevent it drying out quickly.

If you own an e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner, you may recognize the packaging. The general shape and lid is the same but the Darling Girl WPP comes with the plastic disk on top to prevent it from drying out.

Swatch

The WPP was applied with my MAC 242, a flat shader brush. The picture was taken in natural daylight with no flash.

Burnished is a really beautiful metallic bronze with a gold flash to it. When the light hits it, that gold flash really stands out.

Formula:

Darling Girl Cosmetics describes the WPP as having a "soft creamy consistency, almost like a mousse; they are not water proof but once set they are pretty smudge proof. They have almost a cream-to-powder effect. WPP can be used as a stand alone color or as a base to enhance whatever color you layer over it".

These do have a soft, slightly squidgy texture. Very very creamy.

I preferred applying the WPP with my MAC 242, a flat shader brush. I tried applying it with a fluffy blending brush (like a MAC 217) but I thought the WPP was too squishy to pick up well and applying with your finger dulled the finish. The WPP dries down as you apply it as it's waterbased so you have about 30 seconds from application before it sets. Even after it is set, you can still blend out the edges to diffuse any harsh lines for a slightly smokey look.

This was fairly smudge proof and has a cream-to-powder effect with no tacky finish. It's suggested that you apply a regular primer first and when worn with a primer, I've gotten 12+ hours of wear with no creasing (way better than the Tarte Smoldereyes I tried out recently and at a fraction of the cost).

Without a primer, I experienced creasing after about 5 hours however I'm not holding it against the product since it suggests you pair it with a primer. If you have less oily lids, you'll probably have a better wear on its own.

You can wear this as an eyeshadow base and I got great wear without a primer when I set it with an eyeshadow. When worn this way, I got about 9 hours of wear before it started creasing. I was worried about experiencing fallout since the WPP isn't especially tacky-feeling but I didn't experience any problems. 

In conclusion, I really this cream eyeshadow. I like that I can apply a tiny amount and smudge it out or wear a thin line as a liner (which I was inspired to do because of this look by Alexis Leigh). I'm hoping there will be an expansion of colors in the line because while there are thirteen shades, the majority are more neutral colors and I'd love to see some brighter colors. The color Wildly Dancing Children looks especially gorgeous!

Purchase if:
a) You want to try an indie cream eyeshadow
b) You have drier lids 
c) You want an eyeshadow that'll give you that faux smoky eye look
d) You have oily lids but don't mind wearing a primer underneath

Don't purchase if:
a) You have oily lids and don't want to wear it with a primer
b) You don't want to be proactive about keeping it airtight and in the ziploc

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money. All opinions are my own and I'm not affiliated or compensated for my review.

City Color Cosmetics Matte Lipstick Swatch and Review

Press Sample

When trying out City Color Cosmetics lip products, the Matte Lipstick is the standout product. I got the Matte Lipstick in the color Berry and fair warning, the lipstick is matte due to the finish as opposed to a lack of sparkle. You can tell that there's a fair bit of frost in the color but the finish is not shiny, it actually reminds me of brushed aluminum. 

Where to purchase: City Color Cosmetics
Price: $2.99 for 2.3 grams, it's on sale for $1.99 now!
Do they test on animals?: The company does not.
Packaging: The matte lipstick comes in an angled twist up tube with a plastic cap. 

The color Berry is a bright fuschia-berry with a pink sparkle and a matte finish. This is somewhat reminiscent of a frost without the shine. 

Swatch

While I'm not entirely fond of the finish on me (it's giving me some 90s frosty vibes), I think some of the other colors in the line would be more flattering.

Formula

The lipstick is a little firm and drags a little on the lips if you're trying to apply it in one pass. It's best to do short passes on your lips because it'll warm up faster and apply easier that way but you can get good coverage on your lips that way. As it is a matte lipstick, be sure to exfoliate your lips before wearing!

The matte lipstick is scented and it reminds me of cherry chapstick. While I don't mind the scent itself, I do think it is a bit strong. I found it to be neither drying or moisturizing and it lasted about four hours on me, which for a $2-3 lipstick, that's quite good. I do think the formula should be a tad bit softer in order to glide on easier but again, it's only $2-3.

In conclusion, while this does drag initially on application I am a fan of the matte finish and the pigmentation and I'd like to try out the rest of the shades. The website swatches for the matte lipsticks are poor so be sure to scope online for better photos!

Purchase if:

a) You want to try a matte lipstick for only $2-3 

b) You won't mind the cherry chapstick scent

c) You don't mind that it'll drag initially on application (it warms up and gets easier to apply!)

Don't purchase if:

a) You are sensitive to scents

b) You prefer softer lipsticks

Disclaimer: I received this product courtesy of the brand. All opinions are my own. I have not been compensated for this post.