NYX

The $9.99 NYX Lid Lingerie Makes It Perfectly Acceptable to Wear Lingerie in Public

July 19th, 2017 by Karen 10 Comments

Is this the best drugstore palette out there right meow?

If the $9.99 NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette were a bra, it would be one that you wouldn’t normally pick out for yourself, but, because it was, like, on super deep discount, you buy it anyway, and even though it doesn’t fit as well as your go-to favorite bra, you come to realize, after wearing it a few times, that you love it more, the more you wear it.

Yup, that about summarizes this six-pan palette of neutral powder shadows, in a nutshell.

nyx lid lingerie swatches — Look at my lingerie!

A more affordable alternative to the Viseart Neutral Palette

Lid Lingerie, which is available now at Ulta and other drugstores, has been out a while, but it only recently caught my eye, and I think it did because of how much I’ve been thinking about my beloved Viseart Neutral Matte Palette.

I love that thing, but damn! — it’s so freaking expensive. So I’ve been looking for a drugstore option, and I think Lid Lingerie is it.

nyx lid lingerie swatches k2 — FYI (TMI?), I’m wearing my most comfortable bra in this pic. Oh, and Lid Lingerie is on my lids.

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NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter Makes It Easier for Makeup Lovers to Get Their Affordable Glow On

July 18th, 2017 by Karen 11 Comments

nyx away we glow swatches final — And Awaaaaay We Glow! The NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighters from the top in Moonbeam, Daytime Halo and Gold Rush.

~~Calgon~~ NYX, take me away! Take me to that place where highlighters don’t have to be so totally in your face, and where folks cherish a subtle pearly glow.

Oh, my goodness! The NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighters are so, so good! I was expecting a chunky, obvious “hello from the outer reaches of the universe” type of highlight from these liquid highlighters, but they aren’t like that at all. I’ve tried three of the nine shades, all of which are available in the permanent line, and they’re gloriously subtle. They have more of a pearly sheen than an in-your-face frost, and I think they look just like the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfectors (but at a fraction of the cost).

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Drugstore Needs and Nopes, Vol. 1

May 4th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

I don’t go to regular drugstores as much as I used to, mostly because of Ulta and Target, which is basically a drugstore, only a million times bigger, but ever since I was a kid cruising the makeup aisles at Thrifty (of course, I had to get a Thrifty ice cream cone while I did this), I’ve been a drugstore beauty addict.

And over the past few years, drugstore makeup has gotten MUCH better — like next level sh*t. You can be a woman of color now and find a foundation that actually matches your skin tone, and within those foundation families, you’ve got dewy finishes, matte finishes and satins. Nowadays you can also find good drugstore cream shadows, where once you could only get those at department stores.

As for drugstores colors, you aren’t just limited to a narrow neutral range anymore. Now you can find all sorts of drugstore color craziness. It’s an exciting time for affordable makeup! That’s for sure.

Here are five drugstore products I tried this week, and whether I think they’re “needs” or “nopes.”

1. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue

maybelline great lash royal blue — Maybelline Great Lash in Royal Blue

If you were a fan of Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue back in the day, it’s back for a limited time exclusively at Walmart for $6.40. It had been discontinued some time ago.

Honestly, I’ve never quite understood the Great Lash Mascara love out there. For me…it’s just OK. Decent lift and separation, but with regard to Royal Blue, I can barely see the blue color on my lashes. I have to pile it on and look in a magnifying mirror.

If you have lighter lashes than I do, I’m sure the blue will pop more.

THE VERDICT: Nope! For me, this is a nope, but I know there are lots of Great Lash fans out there.

maybelline great lash royal blue ingredients — Maybelline Great Lash Royal Blue ingredients

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These NYX Faux Whites White Eyeliners Have a Hint of Exquisite Color

April 12th, 2017 by Karen 6 Comments

White eyeliner is not your foe; it’s your friend!

Well…in the case of NYX’s Faux Whites tinted eyeliners, it is your faux, but it’s spelled f-a-u-x, not f-o-e, as in your sworn mortal mean girl enemy.

Semantics. 🙂

These soft $7.99 pencil liners are available now in eight lightly tinted pastel shades made for brightening your eyes. You can line your lids with them, or wear them along your lower water line or in the inner corners (or all three ways if you’re feeling sassy).

nyx faux whites swatches — From the top: Mintcream, Vanilla and Honeydew

The colors aren’t incredibly distinct, and they aren’t immediately easy to tell apart. Like, I can’t even tell if I’m wearing the mint, baby blue or the yellow liner unless I look very closely, but the hint of tint does make them a little little less stark than a pure white liner.

And their primary purpose, after all, is brightening, not adding color.

Ingredients
(Linen)

Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyethylene, Synthetic Wax, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Silica, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Alumina, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate / Polyhydroxystearate / Sebacate. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Chromium Oxide Greens (CI 77288), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140)

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Music Festival Inspired Makeup Tutorial With a Pop of Blue

April 27th, 2016 by Jen Clark 26 Comments

Warm bronze eye shadow with a pop of blue

My social media feeds have been blowing up with cute photos and snapchats of really cool, trendy people at music festivals, so I decided I would (try to) channel my inner cool person and came up with this makeup look I’d wear if I were to go to said festivals.

I love this look so much! I can’t wait to wear it this summer. I think it makes a huge impact, but it’s totally easy to do. And you can customize it if you want to. You could switch out the bronze-y shades for taupes and the blues for some lavender.

Mmm, that would be gorgeous!

I’m using the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette and the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream.

Yes, I know the Too Faced Palette has a blue shade in it, but I’ve been dying to try out the Pixi palette. The colors make my heart pitter patter.

The Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette, $49

Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Aquamarine Dream, $12

I wanted a really warm crease, so I put “peanut butter” (an almost orange matte brown) from the Too Faced palette in the crease and just above it. By using a really soft, fluffy brush and taking your sweet time blending, you’ll get that diffused look we all aim for.

Too Faced "peanut butter" in the crease — Too Faced “peanut butter” in the crease

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The 5 Lip Liners You Need in Your Makeup Stash

April 21st, 2016 by Adia Goss 18 Comments

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of lip liners… I don’t use them on most days because it feels like an unnecessary step, but that being said, there are a few shades that I DO wear every so often and think are absolute necessities.

Here are my five favorite must-have lip liners. What are yours?

MAC Boldly Bare. I think everyone should have a peachy-nude lip liner. We all know that nude lipstick can be tough to pull off sometimes, so having a liner that can be a nice base, or help shape the lips, is major. I like Boldly Bare because it warms up nudes that are too cool (avoiding the dreaded dead lips look). Plus, it looks really good under a sheer gloss. It’s available at MAC Cosmeticsfor $16.50 .
NYX Chocolate. This Chocolate shade is very close to my natural lip color, so I like to wear it under more pigmented glosses to make them last longer. It also works under darker lipsticks when I want to make sure the outline of my lips is neat and clean, and it’s only $3.50 at Ulta!
MAC Cork. This is like in the brown skin girl’s makeup hall of fame! I swear, every MAC makeup artist has tried to sell this to me (and I’ve caved and bought it more than once!). But, it’s popular because it just works. A darker brown liner, it’s perfect for deepening other lip colors without drastically changing their hue. It’s also perfect for the ’90s brown lip trend! It’s available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50.
MAC Lasting Sensation. This is sort of a wildcard because it’s a bright coral color, but I actually love it as a matte lipstick. Since it’s a lip pencil, it’s easier to get a neat and precise application. And I love that it lasts all day. It’s def a summer staple for me (I featured it in my Beach Inspired Makeup Post). It’s also available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50 .
Boots No. 7 Precision Lip Pencil in Red. Red lips are gorgeous, but for me they’re kind of tricky. I almost always use a red lip liner when I’m wearing red lipstick because it helps keep the lipstick on my lips and not all over my face. Bonus points for this being a twist-up pencil that doesn’t need a sharpener (because I can NEVER find one when I need it). You can find it at Target for $9. And for help finding something to wear it with, here are my favorite red lipsticks.

* Honorable Mention: MAC Nightmoth. Just like with red lipstick, deep vampy colors are high maintenance. This is my go-to for when I want dark and dramatic lips. Another MAC classic.

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The 5 Lip Colors I’ll Be Wearing This Spring

April 20th, 2016 by Jen Clark 32 Comments

Once springtime rolls around, I get this crazy bug where all I want to do is change up my lip color. Not gonna lie, things get pretty boring for my lips once the weather gets gloomy… So, now that the windows are open and the sandals are out, so are my spring lip colors.

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Lace Detail

What’s been living on my lips lately and making appearances in too many of my Instagrams and blog posts? NYX Lingerie liquid lipstick in Lace Detail. It is the best nude I have ever owned in my whole life.

Yes, that is a bold statement, but I am sticking to it.

It’s right on trend, too, with its slightly deeper shade, right between a pink and brown. And, it’s matte. You can’t forget about the matte finish.

Yes, it is drying and slightly uncomfortable…but I don’t care! It just looks so good!

NYX Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in Lace Detail

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes

If you’re one of those gals who just can’t stand a drying liquid lipstick, no matter how hard you try, let me show you this one. It’s the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes. It’s a matte, but it doesn’t feel like one. It’s more like a mousse-y texture, and I find it oh, so delightful.

Not to mention, it smells like delicious vanilla. It’s like my spring version of a wintery maroon shade — a little bit deep, but it still feels like it’s meant for warmer weather.

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5 Great Gothy Glam Lipsticks for Fall

November 2nd, 2015 by Karen 34 Comments

5 gothy glam lipsticks — You can’t go wrong with one of these gorgeously gothy glam lipsticks this fall

“Luke, I am your father!”

Wha!? Who you talkin’ to? Ain’t no Luke here, buddy. My name is Karen, and this is my cat Tabs.

“JOIN THE DARK SIDE, LUKE!”

Man, you are cray, but OK. Sure, I’ll join the dark side…of lipstick! BOOM! What!? Surprise attack! Get him, Tabs! Attack his ankles!!

–END–

Yes, fellow fierce force users, dark, vampy plums and wines are giving me So. Much. Life. There are so many great gothy glam lip colors out there, and here are five fabulous ones for fall.

1. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Liv ($22)

Oh! I love Liv’s deep, satiny aubergine finish and rich, creamy formula. It livs (get it?) online and at NARS counters, where you can find it now for $22.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Matte Lipstick in Dolce Inferno ($37)

dolce gabbana dolce inferno — Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Inferno

I am burning up with love for $37 Dolce Inferno. It’s hands down one of my favorite deep, dark lippies around. A moody matte plum, it has the faintest essence of pearl that gives it a little kick.

For a dark lipstick, it’s also easy to apply. The smooth, opaque formula feels fairly thick, and it doesn’t slip and slide all over my lips when I apply it, which I do with a lip brush. You’ll find this hot ticket heating up Dolce & Gabbana counters now.

3. MAC Satin Lipstick in Cyber ($17)

My dry lips love MAC Cyber’s comfy, creamy formula. This dark, satiny plum is so creamy that it tends to scoot beyond my natural lip line, so I like to wear it with MAC Cyber World Lip Liner, because 1) the two products are like peas in a pod (the colors match very closely), and 2) the liner totally keeps Cyber under control.

Skynet approved! Look for it passing Turing tests now at MAC counters and online.
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