Review - NYX Soft Matte Lip cream

What do you call a lip product which is neither a lipstick nor a lipgloss. 

What do you call a lip product which is like a lipstick as well as a lip gloss.

NYX has a product which fits into both the above situation. Its called a Matte Lip cream.

Price - $6 each

There are total 11 colors available in Lip creams - Amsterdam, Stockholm, Tokyo, London, Antwerp, Istanbul, Adis ababa, San Paolo, Abu Dhabi, Monte Carlo and Milan

I bought 2 colors to try - namely Antwerp and San Paolo

About the Lip cream:

The formulation of these lip creams are totally different from any product you will find in the market. The moment you apply this you will realize its like melted butter or cream. The pigmentation is great unlike any gloss you can get. In 10 minutes the lip cream sets on your lips in a matte texture and stays put for around 4-5 hours.

Pros:

1. It is quite pigmented.

2. Apt for matte lipstick lovers

3. Does not get transferred easily.

4. It is very light in texture. Doesn't feel as if you wearing anything on your lips

5. Good choice of colors ranging from nudes to bright

6. Affordable price.

Cons:

1. It is not at all moisturizing and can make your lips dry. Best to use a lip balm before using it

2. It doesn't fade out evenly. Leaves a line of dried out product on the inside of the lips.

3. Takes around 10 minutes to set in a matte form.

4. Availability in India might be an issue. I buy my NYX products from ebay from the following seller JOY COSMETICS

I have a love and hate relationship with this product. I love the colors and the fact that it is so light on my lips like butter. But I hate the fact that it makes my lips super dry. I am not a fan of super matte texture that it sets into. I prefer a semi matte texture which doesn't make my lips dry.

Still I am planning to buy the two bright colors in this adis ababa and Monte Carlo.

Recently NYX has come up with similar lip cream but in a glossy form. It is known as Extreme lip cream. I haven't tried these as yet but from the reviews and swatches I don't think I will. I like matte lip cream colors better.

Ratings: ✰✰✰.5

Lip color swatches coming up in the next post! :)

Review - YSL Rouge pur pure lipsticks

I have ben waiting for a long time to write a review on my favorite makeup brand - YSL. No other brand lipsticks, not even Mac are so long lasting as these ones. Out of my whole lipstick collection YSL -Rouge Pur pure are the only lipsticks which lasts the longest without a need to re apply. 

YSL has different collection of lipsticks. I prefer Rouge Pur Pure over Rouge Pur Couture. Rouge pur Couture is a new collection. Though the formula is similar to Rouge Pur Pure, Rouge Pur Couture is glossier than Rouge Pur Pure.

Rouge Pur Pure

Price - 1630/-

L-R : 52, 50, 143, 120

Top - Bottom : 120, 143, 50, 52

YSL Rouge Pur Pure No. 52 (Rouge Rose) - This is a rosy coral color. I use it slightly as a tint on my lips as this looks like a neon coral color.

YSL Rouge Pur Pure No. 50 (Rose Flamboyant) - This is the perfect bright pink color which I have always been looking for. Its my favorite lip color for a night out. 

YSL Rouge Pur Pure No. 143 (Rouge Enflamme) - This was my first ever red lipstick. Its a blazing red color somewhat similar to tomato red.

YSL Rouge Pur Pure No. 120 (Le Rouge) - My second favorite color after No. 50. Its a deep red color.

Pros:

1. The gold casing is beautiful.
2. The lipstick formulations is neither too glossy nor drying. It sits perfectly on your lips like a matte lipstick
3. It is very long lasting. It stays the longest out of all the lipsticks I have tried till date.
4. Does not fade out completely. A strong hint of color is always there till the time you remove it with a makeup remover.

Cons:

1. Its quite expensive. Double the price of Mac. So invest in these intelligently. Only for the colors you would truly love.
2. The casing gets finger prints very easily. So even though its beautiful, its a pain to maintain the casing.
3. It is not moisturising but its not drying as well. 

Ratings: ✰✰✰✰(-1 for being so expensive)

Will I buy this again: I have taken watever colors I liked from this collection. Planning on trying Rouge Pur Couture next. The red in that collection is really pretty! :)

I won!! Shiseido gift pack

However after a long time I indulged in skincare and makeup, that too without spending money! I won a lucky draw by Shiseido at Shoppers Stop. I had  just filled a form at a Shiseido promotion counter and got a call next day about the draw. Who doesn't get excited to get a gift pack full of goodies from a high end skincare range.
Shiseido is a 130 year old Japanese cosmetic and skincare company. It is the fourth largest cosmetic company in the world.

I won a bag which included the following:
1. Ultimate Cleansing Oil- full size bottle
2. Shower and Bath Gel - 30 ml travel pack
3. White Lucent Brightening Refining Softner - 30 ml travel pack
4. White Lucent Brightening Cleansing Foam - 7 ml sample pack
5. White Lucent Brightening Protective Lotion - 7 ml sample pack
6. Extra smooth sun protection lotion 34 spf - 7 ml sample pack
7. Perfect Rouge lipstick in shade BE208 - 2.5gm travel pack
8. The Makeup- lasting lift mascara in black noir - sample pack

I wanted to try out the White Lucent range for a long time now but I already had my skincare and didn't wanna spend on more. Though the sample sizes are small but they still enough to know if they suit me. The lipstick shade is a very pale pink. Pale shades seems to wash me out but somehow i like this shade on me. I can use it for everyday wear. Also the texture is light and creamy and not glossy. I don't like very glossy lipsticks. I was specially very happy with the transparent and the golden bag I got. I was looking out for something similar as my travel bag for my cosmetics.

I will be using these products and will soon post reviews and my feedback. Let me know if anyone has used Shiseido products and how was the experience. Do you have any favorites in Shiseido range of cosmetics and skincare.

Swatch - Nyx Megashine lipgloss

Sorry if the pics are not that clear. Waiting to buy a new camera. Will replace the swatch pics with better ones once I get the camera

Top-Bottom : Beige, Smokey look, Dolly pink, Perfect Red, Plush Red, Garnet

Review - NYX Megashine Lip Gloss

I don't like lip glosses which are very glossy and sheer. I prefer using Mac's Cremesheen gloss over their other lipglosses as cremesheen is more creamy, pigmented and not as sticky as the other lipglosses by Mac. 

Recently I found a replacement for Mac's Cremesheen gloss - NYX Megashine Lipgloss. Infact I love them more than Mac ones. They have a huge color selection as compared to Mac. They come in pretty good packaging with a cute bow on top of the cap. Their applicator is way better (Doe applicator for easy application) than any other drugstore brand lipgloss. And most important of all they are just one fourth the price of Mac Lipglasses.

Price - 6$ for 15 ml / .53 oz

Pros of NYX Megashine gloss:

• Huge range of color selection.
• Good quantity of product. Will last for a long time.
• Non sticky and moisturising.
• Very pigmented. Finish is quite creamy and opaque. Its not OTT glossy.
• Good staying power (4 hrs) without eating and drinking. Leaves a stain of color when it fades.
• Good packaging.
• Good applicator.
• Fruity smell.

Cons:

• Availability in India. I order my Nyx products online from HERE on ebay

L-R : Garnet, Plush Red, Perfect Red, Dolly Pink, Beige, Smokey Look

I picked up six colours ranging from light to bright and dark.

Smokey Look

This was the most natural looking color. Out of all the lipcolors I picked this is the only one which has a slight shimmer. The shimmer is not at all visible once u apply it on the lips. This is my "every day use" color.

Beige

This color ranks the last in my list. The color looks more of pale pink than beige. Though I had read lots of good reviews about this color but somehow it looks washed out on me. I have very pigmented lips so bright colors look better.

Dolly Pink

This one is a nice bright fuschia pink without shimmer. This can be toned down to a nice stained lip look or can be built up to have a nice bright fuschia color. I love pink so definately this is one of my favourites.

Perfect Red

Another one of my favourites of the lot. I love pinks, reds and orange/corals. There can be so many different shades of red and choosing the right one takes lot of experimentation. This one is true tomato red color without shimmer.

Plush Red

According to me this is one of the must have red color. It goes on very opaque and is more towards deep red / blue based red. At times I feel it gives a dark pink shade. It also leaves behind a very nice stained color.

Garnet

I just took a risk in ordering this color as this looked quite dark and scary in the tube. But it didnt dissappoint me. Though I see myself using this color less than the others but still im sure I will get a chance to wear this. It can be worn as a stain which actually has a lovely berry color. 

Ratings: ✰✰✰✰ +0.5 (-0.5 for availability)

Will I buy this again: Yes, but these glosses are going to last me for a long time now.


I have also been asked to post swatches of the lip colors I own. I will soon post swatches of these NYX megashine glosses followed by the others.


Update : You can check out the gloss swatches HERE

Review - Lush - It started with a kiss Lip Tint

I like the idea of lip stains and lip tints as they are long lasting and give a beautiful natural " I'm born with it " pretty pink/red lips. But the only downside is that they are very drying on your lips. I love the Body shop lip and cheek stain but I use it only as a cheek stain.

Recently Lush released their first lip tints here in India. Apparantly there are three shades in UK whereas just two of those have been released here in India.

These two shades are

Left to Right : Double Choc and It started with a kiss

Double Choc -  A brown chocolate colored lip tint - 710/ for 10 gms.
Hazelnut and brazil nut oils moisturise and protect the lips, while icing sugar and black treacle give it a sweet, creamy texture. This balm has a little colour, too, to tint your lips with creamy chocolate.

It started with a kiss - A reddish pink colored lip tint - 710/- for 10 gms.
It Started With a Kiss lip tint is a tinted balm that makes your lips an enticing crimson red, sure to lure your prince (or princess) charming from the path they had mistakenly wandered off on! Our red apple, cinnamon and white chocolate flavour is delicious. It's a perfect blend of spice and sweetness, and it makes you think of candy apples.

As soon as I tried their liptints, I fell in love with "It started with a kiss". It looks quite scary red color in the pan but it is quite true to its function of a lip tint. It goes on matte on your lips and adds a reddish pink tint to it. Though its bit brighter than the natural pink color that your lips should be, it does tend to get light as soon as it settles. It is also not as drying as the other lip stains or tints due to the presence of coconut oil and shea butter in it but it is also not as moisturising as a lip balm or a lip treatment. Still it ranks way above in my list of lip tints.

Its my favourite product to use during monsoons and when the weather is really humid ( Monsoons were never so much issue in Delhi but in Mumbai you have to completely change your skincare and lipcare routine during monsoon ). If your lips are dry and flaky then I would recommend scrubbing your lips before using this product as it might enhance imperfections. I use Lush Mint Juleps (A lip scrub) for my lips before using the liptint. and sometimes use a light gloss or a lipbalm to add a sheen and moisturise the lips.

Pros of Lush lip tints:

• Lip tint containing Coconut oil and shea butter which doesnt dry out the lips.
• Stays on for a long time 4-5 hours though I still prefer to re-apply as i love the bright color it initially leaves on ur lips.
• It smells quite delicious (Cinnamon-apple fragrance) I love the fragrance of all Lush products.
• Can be used under lipsticks or gloss to make the lipcolor stay longer.
• Easy to carry around.
• Can be used as a cheek tint as well.
• A little goes a long way. Just a small amount of product needed as it is quite pigmented.

Cons of Lush lip tints:

• I dont like the concept of a lipbalm or a lip color in a pot. I find it quite unhygienic to use and leads to waste of product. Also as it is a tint, it leaves the tip of the fingers stained with the product.

Ratings: ✰✰✰✰ (would have given a five star if it was in a stick form)

Review - Mac Tinted Moisturiser

As I was never fond of using a foundation, I had to find an alternative for my wedding makeup which would be light on my skin. Therefore when I asked the Mac SA for something light she recommended Mac Studio Moisture Tint. 

What Mac Says about the product:
"A light, tinted moisturizer with SPF 15 and other skin-nourishing ingredients. An easy one one-step finish specially suited for the season, this sheer tint provides just enough coverage to even out the skintone while creating a flawless protected, softly moisturized finish. Suitable for all skintones"


I really like this product as it is quite sheer and evens out my skin tone. It gives a very natural look. It also has spf 15 in it and this makes it a perfect product to use during day/afternoon. I have a combination skin type therefore with most of the products my skin tends to get oily. But Mac studio Tint gives my skin a dewy look without making it oily. It has the most matte finish out of all the tinted moisturisers I have used.  It ranks number one in my choice of tinted moisturisers.


Price - 1650/- INR or $29.50 for 40ml


There are total 5 shades available in Mac Studio Tint:

Light, Medium, Medium Dark, Dark, Deep Dark

Pros of Mac Studio tint:

• It is not too heavy
• It is sheer and gives a natural dewy look
• Is quite light and doesnt give a cakey look like a foundation.
• Does not make skin oily
• Doesnt clog the pores of the skin
• even though there are 5 shades but they match with most of the skin tones.

Cons of Mac Studio tint:

• Cant think of any except that some people may find it expensive. But as I use it only for some special occassion it will last me for more than a year.

Ratings: ✰✰✰✰✰ 

Will I buy this again: Yes as it is my HG product now!

Color of 2011 - ORANGE

Sport the hottest color of 2011Spring  - ORANGE!! 

We girls usually tend to wear pinks and reds if we feel like wearing something bright. Its time to break out from our regular color trends and sport one of the bright colors which can take you away from your gloomy mood to your happy sunny side. I personally love the dark and bright orange shade which has been a big trend in fashion weeks this year. Specially with color blocking being a huge success this season, orange has been the favourite pick among all the colors.

Another thing in my wishlist is the Orange blazer. It can be teamed up with a dress, a trouser or even with tights and looks fab...

Orange accessories can add up a touch of colour to a nude outfit or an outfit with basic colors. 

                                                            

                                                            Orange handbag:

If you think you are not bold enough to sport an orange colored outfit then you can always play it safe by accessorising it with an orange handbag.

Orange is the new Red in the makeup section. Orange nails and orange lips are the boldest trend of 2011 spring makeup. 

An orange colored lips can brighten up a nude face. Do keep in mind to keep rest of your makeup minimal with the orange lip color.

MAC Morange - My fav orange lipstick which is always out of stock!

What are Tinted Moisturisers?

I am not at all a foundation lover. Though I do keep one in my closet, I prefer using a tinted moisturiser. In Indian market after a lot of search I have found tinted moisturiser are only available with Oriflame, Ponds and Biotique (will be doing a review on each of these soon). Every drugstore makeup counter I have been to and asked the sales assistant for a tinted moisturiser, they were clueless. This lack of availability of tinted moisturisers as a product with Drugstore brands in India is the main cause of most of the girls being unaware of something known as "tinted moisturiser".


What is a tinted Moisturiser?
A tinted moisturiser is a combination of skincare moisturiser with a light foundation. It gives a very natural, lumnious complexion. It does not give a heavy cakey look, instead it just adds a slight tint to the skintone which gives a very natural, glowy look. It is the best product for daylight makeup.



Pros of Tinted moisturisers:

• Combination of moisturiser and makeup in one
• Provides light coverage and does not look cakey
• Most of Tinted moisturisers contains spf which is not found in most of the foundations.
• Less expensive as compared to applying moisturiser, sunblock and foundation seperately.
• Its very easy and quick application unlike that of a foundation
• Different shades to match your skintone.
• More long lasting.

Cons of tinted moisturiser:

• The only con is for women who want more coverage and are used to using foundation for their skin. This product will turn out to be light for their use.

Tinted moisturisers that I have tried and will be reviewing (in order of most favourites to the least) in my next post :

1. Mac - Studio tint with spf 15

Read the review of this product HERE

2. Oriflame peach me perfect cream

3. Pond's antiageing tinted moisturiser with spf 15

4. Biotique tinted moisturiser.

Tinted moisturisers can be found in high end brands like chanel, clarins, estee lauder etc. Most of these are available at shoppers stop in India and at Chanel boutique stores for Chanel products.

Review - Mac Kissable lipcolor

So I finally bought something from the peacocky collection that I liked. The texture of these lip colors is amazing. It is exactly like a gloss without the sticky feeling of a gloss. Though its not as shiny as a gloss, the  application is exactly the same and the color payoff is wonderful. Also its stays on longer as compared to mac lipglasses and cremesheen gloss. You do have to reapply after two hours or so (atleast for me coz I tend to bite my lips) but it feels really light on the lips as if you havnt applied anything. The color becomes lighter after sometime so do not worry if it looks bright in the tube. I have bought the color Exx-Hibitionist. It is the prettiest coral lipcolor I own as of now. I even wanted Scan-de-licious which is a hot pink color. But as the collection was launched one week back here in India, half of the colors were already out of stock. 

Below are the 12 Lip colors in this Collection:

• Enchantée: A Pink with blue undertone
• Exxxhibitionist: A coral color
• Temper Tantra: A Brown with Red undertone
• Love Peck: A Dark Red Color
• Peacocky: A Blue color (I wonder why this color) 
• Flaunting It: A dark mauve Color

• So Vain: A light coral color with Pink undertone
• Scandelicious: A Fushia pink with Red undertone
• Super: A Brown Nude color
• Strut Your Stuff: A true Red color
• Vanity Fair: A Pink color with Blue undertone
• Woo Me: A Pink Nude color

Price : 1150/- INR

Pros: 

• Pigmented colors
• Light texture
• More staying power than a gloss
• Does not bleed/feather
• Is not sticky like a gloss

Cons:

• Limited edition.
• Pricy compared to Mac lipglass and Mac Cremesheen

Mac Peacocky Collection

Mac is finally launching the Peacocky collection next week in India. This collection has already been launched in the U.S. in Jan,2011. As the name suggests this collection has been inspired by the colors of  Peacock.

 It has a new range of lip color known as kissable lip colors. These lipcolors combine the creamy texture of a lipstick with the application of a gloss. Unlike Mac lipglass which are very sheer in texture these are more pigmented in color.

This collection has 12 Kissable lip colors and 15 Mega metallic eyeshadows
The eyeshadows are bigger than the permanent range of eyeshadows available at Mac (.11 oz as compared to .05 oz) and are also more expensive than the regular range. The lipcolors are nearly the same size as the lipglass but still more expensive.

Price in US $
Kissable Lipcolor - 18.50$
Mega metallic eyeshadows - 19.50$

Will update the prices in Indian rupee once it is launched next week and also the product review if I buy anything!

UPDATE : Kindly find the price and review of Mac Kissable Lip color here

Back to Mac

This post is for all those girls who are Mac addict. Most of you might not know about Mac's "Back to Mac" scheme. Its a recycle program by Mac. Do not throw away your old and empty or expired Mac product containers. Mac cosmetic accepts the old containers and for every 6 empty containers you can take a mac lipstick of your choice for free. I have already reached the count of 5 expired products from mac. Last one to go! 

My First Ebay Purchase- Nyx

I have always bought my makeup, skincare and haircare products after going through a bunch of online reviews. 

I have never seen Nyx brand anywhere in Delhi. It was only when I came to Mumbai that I found a Nyx (a U.S. cosmetic brand) stall at Hypercity. Most of its products are good but their cream blushes are my  favourite.  To my dismay, I found that most of their products are not available in India.  However last month while going through one of the blogs, I found a link to an ebay seller who ships nyx products to India. I was surprised to see the price in US dollars. Apparently it is sold at a higher price in India than in the U.S.  I couldn't resist so I eventually placed an order and it cost me much lesser  (shipping included) than if I had bought it from Hypercity.  The sellers name on ebay is Joy and she has all the Nyx products and every shade available. I ordered my stuff on the 3rd of Feb and I recieved the Package on the 17 of Feb. So if you place your order from India, it should take about two weeks to reach you from Calif., US.

I loved the way Joy had packed the products. They were wrapped in a bubble packing with her store logo sticker on each pack. Her store logo is a very cute cartoon character applying a lipstick. She sent me an Invoice with a sweet message at the end and also gave me 2$ discount on shipping.

I ordered for two cream blushes in Hot pink and Glow, two jumbo eye pencils which are like eyshadows in Pure Gold and Pots and Pans and one Jumbo lip pencil in Deep red.

Left : Hot Pink, Right : Glow

Left to Right, Jumbo Lip Pencil In Deep Red,
Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pure Gold,
Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pots and Pans

These blushes are the best dupes for Mac cream blushes. The shade Glow is the closest match to Mac cream blush in Posey, though Glow is brighter in color than posey. Hot pink is a bright fushia pink /neon pink blush. This is the brightest color of pink i have ever seen in a blush. Though they look scary in pan because of the bright color but when applied properly it turns into a soft pink flush. You have to be very careful while applying specially with Hot pink and have to use a light hand otherwise one can end up looking like a clown :P

Jumbo Lip Pencil is not a lipliner but its a lipstick in a pencil form. It is very soft and creamy. I intend to gift this particular one to my mom as I am not too keen on experimenting with these shades. Nonetheless, I really like this product and I am considering ordering a lighter shade in it next time

The Jumbo eye pencil is a good option for someone like me who is not used to wearing eyeshadows. I am hardly an expert in applying and blending powder eye shadows. These are creamy eyeshadows which are easy to swipe. They are available in a wide range of colors. I ordered for a gold and a silver shade as these are the only two shades which I feel I will use.

Jumbo Eye Pencil Swatch Top to Bottom:
Pots and pans , Pure Gold

Joy also sent me some loose glitters in Pink as a gift which I am not sure how to use. I have seen it on her ebay store in the products list. Anyway it was very thoughtful of her to add something extra to my package.

You can buy Nyx products from stores.ebay.com/joyscosmetics