Nyx Cosmetics Haul and Review

Hello Glams and Geeks! It’s time for the much awaited Nyx Haul review! I decided to post this review during the weekend so that I could try on the products during the week and give you guys the most accurate reviews on each and every item. So, this past week, I found out that Ulta was having a 40% off sale on Nyx cosmetics. And of course, I went and picked up some goodies that I’ve been wanting to try for a while. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this brand, Nyx Cosmetics is a cruelty-free brand who offer professional make-up at an affordable price. They have a wide range of products and colors, from neutrals to neon’s. Although they do not have any free-standing stores, they are sold at many locations, most popularly at Ulta and CherryCulture.com.

Today, I will be reviewing the following products:

From Top to Bottom: Purple Rain, Prune, Plum, Orange, Nude Pink, Coral, and Bloom

·         Nyx Slim Lip Liner Pencil in the following shades-

o   Bloom (Matte, Deep Fuchsia-Berry Color)

o   Coral (Warm, Creamy Coral color with minimal frost)

o   Nude Pink (Matte, Cool Rose color)

o   Orange (Matte, Hot Orange color)

o   Plum (Matte, Deep Red-Wine color)

o   Prune (Matte, Deep Purple color)

o   Purple Rain (Bright Magenta color with slight sheen)

From Top to Bottom: Addis Ababa, Bueno Aires, Istanbul, Sydney, Tokyo

·         Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in the following shades-

o   Addis Ababa (Hot Fuchsia-Pink)

o    Buenos Aires (Light, Creamy Orange)

o   Istanbul (Light, Creamy, Salmon-Pink)

o   Sydney (Cool tone Bubble-Gum Pink)

o   Tokyo (Light, Lavender-Pink)

Top: Apple Strudel
Bottom: Eclaire

·         Nyx Butter Gloss in the following shades-

o   Apple Strudel (Coral)

o   Eclaire (Blue-based Pink)

Left: Natural
Right: Rose Petal

Powder Blushes on TopLeft Top Swatch: Summer Peach
Right Top Swatch: Pinched
Rouge Cream Blush Swatches on BottomLeft Bottom Swatch: Rose Petal
Right Bottom Swatch: Natural

·         Nyx Rouge Cream Blush in the following shades-

o   Natural (Dusty-Pink)

o   Rose Petal (Blush-Rose)

Left: Pinched
Right: Summer Peach

·         Nyx Powder Blush in the following shades-

o   Pinched (Rosy-Terracotta with minimal Gold shimmer)

o   Summer Peach (Hot Peach with Gold shimmer)

Wonder Pencil in Medium

·         Nyx Wonder Pencil in Medium (For Olive Skintones)

·         Nyx Illuminator in Narcissistic (Light, iridescent Peachy-Nude with Gold gleam and shimmer)

 

Bloom

Purple Rain

Plum

Prune

Orange

Coral

Nude Pink

Let’s begin with the Nyx Slim Lip Liner Pencils. Upon trying these on, the first thing I noticed is that although they apply very smoothly, they can be a bit drying on the lips, settling into the creases and emphasizing dryness. But, if applied over a moisturizing lip balm, this won’t be too troublesome. What I like is that all of the liners are pretty good quality for such a low price. They last a long time and do not require much reapplication, as I went well over 5-6 hours without touch ups. Also, I love that they don’t feather around the edges of your lips like some liners may do if they are in darker colors. For example, Bloom, a deep fuchsia-berry color, went on smooth and settled onto my lips without budging nor fading. This product retails at $3.50.

Sydney

Addis Ababa

Tokyo

Buenos Aires

Istanbul

Next up, we have the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams. These gorgeous liquid lipsticks are a perfect choice for long periods of time as they are smudge-proof and do not transfer. When applied, they go on like a gloss, but may feel a little drying as they settle into lips with a nice, matte finish. The colors are very opaque and can be worn alone, or paired with a lip liner to make colors pop. Another plus for these lovely lippies is their delicious vanilla scent. It isn’t a strong smell, nor an obnoxious one, as some lip products may be too sweet smelling. It is a nice, faint scent that is only noticeable when the cream is first applied, so it doesn’t linger all day. One point I wanted to make about the darker colors in this line, they could leave a light stain on your lips if not removed properly. I applied Addis Ababa to my lips and wore it for most of the day, and upon taking off my makeup, I found that my lips had a faint pink stain on them. I used a makeup removing towel and that wiped the remaining color off my lips. This product retails at $6.00.

Butter Gloss in Eclaire

Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel

The Nyx Butter Glosses are like little delectable pastries in a tube! These delicious glosses are the perfect choice for those of you with a sweet tooth and a love for gloss. When applied, you can smell the sweet aroma of a buttercream cake upon your lips. The gloss leaves a sweet, sheer color on your lips that is very buildable. It isn’t sticky at all, as some glosses can be. It is very moisturizing and can last a few hours, requiring touchups throughout the day. These are also perfect to pair with your favorite Soft Matte Lip Creams! This product retails at $5.00.

 

Rouge Blush in Natural

Rouge Blush in Rose Petal

This next product is perfect for those of you who love natural, “Barely There” makeup. The Nyx Rogue Cream Blushes are beautiful, creamy blushes that bring a healthy, natural glow to any makeup look. Before applying, keep in mind that these are very pigmented, so use a light hand to apply to cheeks. When applied, you’ll notice that the color is very buildable and it gives your cheeks a flawless, dewy look. This is a great go-to product for anyone is looking to appear fresh-faced after a restless night or for someone looking to try something new. This can be applied with a stippling brush or with your finger-tips. This product retails at $6.00.

Pinched

Summer Peach

Another awesome product is the lovely Nyx Powder Blushes. These blushes will definitely give you your money’s worth with their long-lasting quality and their great pigmentation. These blushes go on pretty smooth and a little goes a very long way! They aren’t chalky or ashy like some powder blushes may appear. With one swipe, you can see a nice, healthy color on your cheeks, and can be built to the opacity you desire. One thing I wanted to mention is that of the two blushes I purchased, one contained tiny flecks of glitter, which may fall or transfer as they are loose. This was not a problem for me as these blushes are so pretty and the glitter just enhances the color. This product retails at $5.00.

 

Before applying Wonder Pencil

After applying Wonder Pencil

This next product is my personal favorite and now is part of my everyday makeup look, the Nyx Wonder Pencil in Medium. I absolutely love this pencil as it is great for multiple uses. I am someone who, like many, can sleep 8 hours or more and still have dark circles and tired eyes. Apply this pencil to your waterline and see your face brighten instantly! This pencil can be used to brighten your eyes, hide blemishes on your face, line the outer part of your lips to prevent lipstick from feathering, and as a highlight under your brow bone to emphasize your brow shape. Its formula is very creamy and lasts a little while without creasing or smudging. Reapplication to waterline may be required throughout the day. It also comes in two other shades: Light and Dark. This product retails at $4.50. 

Last but not least, the Nyx Illuminator in Narcissistic. This is a little piece of magic in a compact! This is great for emphasizing your cheek bones, highlighting your nose and your cupid’s bow above your lip, giving you a gorgeous, luminous glow. It is a light, iridescent peachy-nude with gold sheen and shimmer. I love that when applied over blush and on the highlight points of your face, you immediately look vibrant and refreshed. It is perfect for anyone trying to obtain a lit-from-within glow. This product retails at $9.00. Swatch available abov

As always, I thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed my review. I do hope you all check out the products from this post and let me know what you think. You can find these at any retailer that carries the brand, or at NyxCosmetics.com.

Ardell's Disney Villains Lash Set Fall 2013!

Hello Glams and Geeks! I’m super excited to share with you my product review for the new Disney Villains Lash Set by Ardell! As most of you may know, this is the second season that these villainous women join Walgreens for the Halloween season. Last year, E.L.F Cosmetics created 3 custom villain palettes consisting of Maleficent, Cruella De Ville, and The Evil Queen. This year, E.L.F Cosmetics, Ardell, Scunci, Kiss Nails, and SOHO teamed up to bring us an entire collection of these wicked women, now including the terrifying Ursula. The collection contains make-up palettes, hair-ties, lashes, cosmetic bags, and nail art kits. Each set retails at a different, but very affordable price. As for the lashes, they retail at $7.99 and are only available at select Walgreens locations, along with the rest of this collection.  What I think is super fun about this concept is that I, like many Disney fans, grew up watching the Disney fairytales. So to see the villains that we feared as young children, be the face of such awesome cosmetic products, makes being a fan so much more fun! Now, let’s take a look at these lashes!

Out of the four lash sets available, I chose the Ursula set. Each set contains three pairs of lashes, and an Ardell lash adhesive. Now, let me mention, although the packaging is limited edition, the pairs of lashes that each set comes with are from Ardell’s permanent line. For example, my set came with the pairs #204, #105, and #134. So if you could not get your hands on a set, no worries. You can always pick up the individual pairs wherever Ardell lashes are sold. All of the lashes are black, synthetic hair and need to be trimmed to size.

The 204’s are gorgeous, full-haired, vampy lashes. They are part of the Double-Up line from Ardell. I love that when applied, your eyes automatically look more mysterious, even sultry, which is why I call them my “vampy” lashes. I also like that they don’t feel heavy on the eyes, as some pairs of thick lashes do. They are perfect for the Halloween season, or to add a dramatic edge to a simple look. I personally love to pair these along with a dark lipstick for an edgy look.

 The 105’s are beautiful, natural-looking lashes that are great for adding some extra length to your real lashes. To me, the 105’s look like they could be a single layer from the double-up pair, 204. They fan out nicely around the eyes, giving somewhat of a cat-eye look. I love how sweet and flirty my eye’s look when they are on. I think these lashes are great for any look, both natural and dramatic, and could be your go-to pair for everyday lashes.

Last but not least, the 134’s! These super fun, dramatic lashes are great for the Halloween season! They are a mix between long and short hairs, and have a spider-like look to them because of their variation of lengths along the lash-line. For me, these are very much Halloween appropriate lashes and I probably wouldn’t use these any other time of the year, but for others, these may be just what you’re looking for to add some oomph to your look. As you can see, I paired these creepy-crawlies with a lilac lip for some added fun to my look!

*Quick Note on the adhesive: The Ardell adhesive that comes with this pack of lashes is the one I used to apply them. It was my first time using it, so I just wanted to give you guys my perspective on this product. I do like that upon applying it to the lash strip then placing it along my lash-line, it dried fairly quickly. I’d say under 20 seconds or so. I don’t like that when removing them, the lash glue may feel very sticky along the lid, making it a little difficult to remove. I recommend using a good liquid makeup remover and soaking a Q-tip in it to remove any excess glue. Other than that, it’s pretty good if you want to ensure that your lashes stay in place for as long as you’re wearing them.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed my review. Be sure to take a look at the new Disney Villains collection at a Walgreens near you. It is super fun and very cute and as I mentioned before, very affordable! If you pick anything up, please share your thoughts on the collection!