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! :)

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)

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