Review - NYX Black Label Lipstick with swatches

In light of the Cherry Culture sale going on now, I decided to review my favorite lippies from the NYX Collection - the Black Label Lipsticks!

The Round lipsticks are probably the most well known of the NYX brand, but I definitely prefer the Black Label lipsticks - both provide excellent coverage and color, but the BLL offers higher quality, more product, and most importantly (to me at least) - Moisture! ♥

The Black label lipsticks come prepackaged in thin paper boxes - the lipstick itself is housed in a shiny square plastic tube.

The lipsticks swiveled up with and without flash

♥ *Swatches* ♥



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The lipstick feels very slippery and smooth and glides on the lips with ease - the lipstick tastes like grapes which I found rather pleasant.

*Nude*
An opaque nude that provides excellent coverage - this particular nude leans a tiny bit towards the pink side



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*India*
An orange-y opaque nude



*Girly Pink*
A shimmery baby pink



*Diva*
Easily my favorite of the bunch, and definitely the most wearable. A very pretty mauvey-pink



The downside of the packaging is the base of lipstick is not labeled - if you misplace the cap, there's no way of identifying the lipstick by name!

I actually love these lipsticks more than MAC since they don't dry me out and they feel oh-so good on the lips! They offer a large array of colors in varying finishes and are under $10. (If you purchase during a Cherry Culture sale, they should be around $4.80 USD a pop!)

Pros

♥ Price - nab em' when they go on sale!
♥ Great Quality
♥ Moisturizing
♥ Mild and pleasant taste
♥ Wide variety of colors and finishes
♥ Most colors have excellent coverage (one swipe!)
♥ Sturdy packaging
♥ No animal testing


Cons

X Limited availability
X Can't really think of anything else

I don't understand why these aren't more wildly popular! I can't rave enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5)


FYI, the CherryCulture Sale is 20% off the entire site with code VDS20
**Sale ends tomorrow, Feb 1st!**

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Today was another 'late' day at work. I'm getting home an hour+ later than normal and it's throwing me off! To keep my energy (and spirts up) I need to continue my dedication to power-walking with my favorite Liz!

In random news...

Super cute sleep shorts from Juicy Couture

My JILL STUART package arrived!!! I am HEAD OVER HEELS in love. Will post swatches soon! :)

Take care and drive safe out there if you are in the colder parts of the world - it's supposed to go from the 60s to near freezing tomorrow here in Texas. Brrrrr....

Review: NYX Round Lipgloss Swatches on lips

*Numbers correspond to those in the review below*

♥ *~REVIEW~* ♥

NYX Round Lipgloss

I am a big fan of NYX - loads of color choices, excellent pigmentation, and affordability are just a few reasons why I love these products to pieces. I throw out my glosses after a year or so since they get goopy and also for hygenic purposes - I always feel a huge twinge of sadness when I have to throw out my MAC glosses since they not only cost me a pretty penny, but there is usually about 80%+ of the product left in the tube. *sigh*

No more tears - NYX is a perfect candidate to supply my lipgloss needs!

I will let my lips do the talking for most of the review :)

*Without flash*

♥

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1. Honey

Sparkly flecks of gold - sheer & subtle

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2. Natural

Pretty muted opaque nudey-mauve

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3. Real Nude

A pretty YLBB (Your-lips-but-better!) - the name says it all!

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4. Whipped

A milky pinky-nude, more nude than pink

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5. Sorbet

Another milky pinky-nude that is more pink than nude. Everyday wearable and work appropriate!

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6. Pinky Natural

LOVE this color -sorry for sloppy application ;_; - More subtle than "Pink" - an opaque bright & cheerful pink

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7. Kiss

A shimmery, sparkly mauve - a pretty color for the Fall!

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8. Baby Pink

A glittery porn star pink ~ not for everyday wear. -_-

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9. Ballerina Pink

A girly pink with sparkles

*oops I think the number is actually #36?

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10. Pink #03

A bright opaque poppy barbie pink

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11. Peach

A pretty glimmery peach - subtle & natural

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12. Sparkle #05

A sheer sparkly YLBB (Your Lips But Better!)

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13. Soap Opera Queen

Not as dramatic as I thought -

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Overall

I loved the packaging, the slightly angled sponge-wand applicators, the sorbet flavor and the colors. (My picks are Real Nude, Natural, Pinky Natural, and Sorbet) The staying power is average for a gloss, but for the price you can keep one on your bathroom counter and pack another in your purse for reapplication! Dryness wasn't a real problem, but I always use Aquaphor as a base to keep my lips moist. (especially in the drying winter months...)

Tip: The opaque lipglosses have more coverage/pigmentation than the sparkle/shimmer lipglosses so keep that in mind when purchasing.

Again, no animal testing with any NYX products!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5)

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I cannot rave enough about these lipglosses!

CHERRY CULTURE is having a sale - everything is 20% off!

You can nab these glosses for a little more than $1 a pop!

Code:

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Sneak peak: Dolly Wink Review & Fall/Winter Fashion Update!

♥ Irene!

Kim Kardashian-esque look - light edition

Happy September everybody! The last month or so has been a whirlwind of uncertainty, job changes, and LIFE getting in the way of everything...

Despite all the turmoil, it really does feel like God has been watching over me - I feel so blessed & very lucky. It feels like another chapter is opening in my life and I am just brimming with anxiety and excitement!

I am glad to be back - so much to catch up on! I missed the blogging community, but I can't reiterate how difficult it is to jump back into things after a period of (my self-inflicted) blog famine.

*****

After a good week or so of junk television, I have concluded that Kim Kardashian (and by extension, her full-blooded sisters & Mother) wears too much makeup. She looks fabulous - a sex Bob-bomb! but she also looks equally, if not more, gorgeous without.

I decided to do a "lite" version of her look...smoky & smoldering purples, charcoals and pinks with a light lip and false lashes.

I used my favorite NYX Caribbean Collection palette in "I dream of Barbados" - these colors are smooth and pigmented with some gentle non-overpowering shimmer. Also, be pretty with a clean conscience as all NYX products do not test on animals! :)

One of the keys to Kim's look is a strong, sculpted brow. One of my favorite brow pencils is N.Y.C. - the kind you can pick up at just about any drugstore for ~99 cents. They come in tons of shades - I chose a 922A, "Dark Brown"

After the eye makeup, I dusted bronzer on my temples and underneath the cheekbones. (Fresh, here comes the sun palette) A pop of pinky gold blush on the apples of the cheeks and a sweep of highlighter (Tokidoki in Kabuki) later...

Finished with NYX black label lipstick in "Nude". (LOVE these lippies by the way, will have to review soon)

Tip: Don't forget comically large sunglasses & body-hugging ensemble!

Hope everyone had a lovely labor-day weekend! See you soon ~ promise ;)

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**Side note - I swear the wind/rain combo outside is going to bust the windows out my house right now. O_O

Review: NYX Tinted Lip Spa Swatches on lips

Hi guys! My NYX haul from Cherryculture.com arrived a few days ago!!! I'm a newbie to the line - after seeing it everywhere with huge comparisons drawn to MAC (right up to the stylish black packaging)...I couldn't resist!

Again, Summer is here and my lips are in desperate need of some TLC!

♥ *~REVIEW~* ♥

NYX Tinted Lip Spa

The lids are clear so you can see the color right underneath!

Here they are all swiveled up - they look pretty drastically different with/without flash

And swatched on my skin with and without flash

** On the lips **

Spirit - a light pink

Sake - a mauve pink

Jewel - a coral pink

Vintage - a reddish pink

**OMG just noticed the colors almost look exactly alike on the lips! (well on me at least) LOL...well, that's a tinted lip product for you hahaha I promise the colors are actually slightly different though***

Overall

The name itself makes these tinted lip balms seem so luxurious - according the the site, they have been formulated with "Vitamin E and extra moisturizing properties to nourish and condition lips while adding color." They do wrap your lips in a temporary layer of moisture and feel very smooth once applied. There is a strong minty sensation, akin to the feeling you get when you apply a product like "Burt's Bees" lip balm. However, nothing to the point of tingling aka E.L.F. plumping lip glaze. I hate lipstick normally and these were incredibly easy to wear! The only gripe I have with these lip spas is that at the end of the day (with no in-between applications), my lips felt rather dry.

Pros: Affordable ($5.50 a pop on NYX site, $3.75 on cherryculture.com), large selection of pretty colors, feels good on the lips, color noticeable, sturdy & stylish packaging

Cons: Temporary moisturizing effect, may dry out lips if you already are prone to dryness, colors can look similar on lips, Sensitive to heat so don't leave in your car in the middle of the Summer heat!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (3/5)

At first I was tempted to buy the whole set, but now I am CONTROLLING my spending much better. (At least I like to think...) I was upset that CherryCulture was sold out of the Cococabana color at the time, but in the end, I was pleased with my choices. If you are planning on purchasing these, you should wait for a good sale to come along! Sometimes they can be up to 50% off. Also I would recommend you go with a just a few colors as these are tinted lip products and the color payoff is exactly that of a tint so you really don't need the whole set. I think I prefer my Maybelline Moisture Extreme lipstick over the Lip Spas because they provide more moisture for my lips and don't dry them out as much...however, these are still a good option for ladies who might not suffer as much from dryness.

Although the tinted lip spas didn't end up in my HG of lip products, so far, I have really been impressed with NYX. (which btw, means "Goddess of the Night") It's just a shame they don't sell this line at most drugstores. The color selection is amazing, the quality is impressive, and all at an affordable price! After tossing about 5-6 MAC lipglosses that were past their prime (I should really start throwing out my old makeup more often, for hygenic purposes), I wondered why I was blowing all this money on products that I would have to toss in a year or so. NYX just makes cents. (hahaha sorry, couldn't resist... ;D)

I have purchased some of their Black Label Lipsticks, Round lipsticks, Round lipglosses, eyeshadow palettes and pearl pigment powders which I will reviewing/swatching in future posts! ♥

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I am so very lucky to have so many gorgeous and sweet followers...thank you all for your support. I plan on giving back again soon in a fun way! :D

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I hope you ladies had a fabulous week, please go on and enjoy the weekend! :)

♥ Irene