NYX Matte Lipsticks - Collection/Review

(From L to R - Butter, Tea Rose, Whipped Caviar, Euro Trash, Strawberry Daiquiri & Sierra).

I remember picking up my first NYX product. It was when I worked at Next, and NYX occupied a very small space in the stores for a short time. I spent a lot of time gazing over the products, and eventually decided on picking up the matte lipstick in 'Tea Rose', a gorgeous delicate 'everyday' pink. After the disappearance of all things NYX in the UK, I gave up on trying to get a hold of more products, until they came back with a vengeance and can now be found in Boots stores, Selfridges, and online websites such as Feel Unique & ASOS. 

It's only recently I added an additional five shades to my collection, and that's down to the arrival of the NYX counter in my local Selfridges. (Honestly, I could browse that counter for hours!).

As you can see, there's a bit of a colour theme.. What can I say, I'm consistent!

I've been a big fan of the brown-y pink tones for a while now, but it's only somewhat recently that I've added muted/burnt oranges to my ever-growing collection. I'd say since the release of Kat Von D 'Lolita II', and Ofra x Kathleen Lights 'Miami Fever', I'm hooked on the shade!

'Tea Rose' and 'Whipped Caviar' are fairly similar, (not to a lipstick junkie, but you get what I'm saying). Both are clearly pink shades, however 'Whipped Caviar' has the slightest brown undertone, making it the more 'trendy' shade of the two. 

'Euro Trash' is my absolute favourite of the bunch. It's a shade I've never managed to find in lipstick form, don't get me wrong, I have about million liquid lipsticks in this shade, but I do love having a classic lipstick bullet!

'Butter' is probably one of the most sought after shades at the moment, not necessarily this lipstick, but the 'greige' shade is massively on trend, and doesn't seem to be leaving any time soon! This isn't particularly a colour I generally get on with as it can wash me out, and this is no exception, but I can't resist having them in my collection! It's definitely more wearable for me mixed with a lip liner or another lipstick.

'Strawberry Daiquiri' and 'Sierra' are both of the burnt orange variety. They look a lot more vibrant in the pictures, but on my actual lips, they're exactly what I'm looking for. I'd wanted 'Strawberry Daiquiri' for a while, but 'Sierra' was definitely an impulse purchase, no regrets though! I wore it on Saturday night for an evening of dinner and cocktails and only re-applied once I believe!

The formula is super creamy and pigmented, it doesn't dry down completely matte, so if you're looking for that super flat, dry finish, then I'd probably suggest an actual liquid lipstick, however don't let that put you off these lipsticks! For only £6.50 each, I think they're great to add to your collection, and to even experiment with colours! 

You can purchase them here, here, here & here! 

Which shades do you own if you have any? Which shades are you after? Comment below and give me suggestions too!

Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

I'm quite surprised to be writing about this highly coveted product so soon, given the evident struggle to get a hold of it in the US. I was browsing the counters in Debenhams in the Trafford Centre when I spotted that unmissable bright peach packaging. I'll be honest, I nearly had a heart attack. Dramatic, I know.. but seriously! THE Too Faced Sweet Peach palette!! After resuscitating myself, I grabbed the palette and immediately hit the tills.. (well, after a lengthy discussion about makeup with a fellow beauty junkie!!).

Anyway, enough drama.. on to the palette!

The palette is built up of 18 stunning peachy and purple-y tones, a variety of mattes and shimmers. Oh, and by the way, it smells like the sweetest peach lemonade. It's so fragrant that it fills my room with that juicy scent. I'm not sure how long that'll last, but my Chocolate bar palettes are still going strong, so fingers crossed!

(Top row, from L to R).

(Second row, from L to R).

(Bottom row, from L to R).

As you can see from the swatches, they're super pigmented, some more than others however. I will forever compare eyeshadow performance to my Makeup Geek eyeshadows, and nothing has quite yet lived up to those expectations. I do highly rate Too Faced eyeshadows though!

A couple of the matte shades were a little patchy to build up a good swatch with, where some were full coverage in one swipe. It's not particularly consistent with quality, yet I still find the shadows a dream to use regardless. 

My favourite shades are of course the warm peachy shades, 'Candied Peach' and 'Summer Yum' are a great crease combo! I love how there's deeper plum shades incorporated into this palette too, making it versatile from day to night. 

Overall, I highly recommend picking up this palette. It's such a wonderful addition to my collection. I'm a lot more picky now with what palettes I add to my ridiculously large collection, so you can guarantee whichever ones make the cut are going to be damn good! 

I can't find a link to it as of yet as it seems to be exclusive to the store I visited, but keep checking out the Debenhams website, or your local store for the palette!

Benefit Cheekathon Palette

I'm sure you're all very familiar with the Benefit 'Box o Powder' Blushers, and the famous Hoola bronzer. I still remember rushing into Boots as a young teenager with my mum, gazing at the array of pretty boxed blushers on the Benefit counter, and finally convincing her to pick up the peachy 'Georgia' blusher for us to 'share'.. (sorry mum!). Now, unfortunately like many other boxed blushers, Georgia is now a discontinued shade, luckily for us, they still have a stunning range of staple blushers that pull together any look.

As much as I adore these powders, the steep price tag of £23.50 makes it difficult to rush out and purchase every shade, so when I spotted that Benefit was releasing a palette with five full-size powders, I completely lost it. Especially when I realised the price was only £44.50!! An absolute steal in my opinion.

From L to R - Dandelion, Hoola, Rockateur, Dallas & Coralista.
You get a perfect selection of shades, ranging from peaches, to dusty roses to classic pinks, and of course, Hoola!  While the palette isn't exactly 'tiny', (I mean, it has to house 5 full size products after all!), I still find it the perfect travel palette since it also includes a pretty sizeable mirror. You do also get the classic 'box o powder' brush, but I tend to use my own brushes for these products.

So what do you think? Will you be picking up this palette? They seem to be flying out of stock, and I'm pretty sure it's limited edition, so grab it whilst you can! You can purchase it here!

Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Highlighters

I recently 'over-indulged', and purchased the majority of the new Urban Decay Summer collection, including all three of the new highlighters! As a self-confessed highlighter junkie, and an Urban Decay fanatic, I obviously had to purchase all three shades. 

First up is 'Sin'. A golden, champagne shade. I believe this is everybody's favourite so far, I guess since it's a classic highlighter shade, it's the easiest to wear. I feel like I can never have 'too many' champagne highlighters.. Anybody else feel the same?? The consistency is super buttery, and quite thick, (if that makes any sense??). I find this to be very long lasting, something which I generally struggle with, with highlighters. 

Next up is 'Aura', a frosty pink shade. Although I don't wear them as frequently as I do other shades, I do love pink toned highlighters, particularly with cool-toned makeup. Like 'Sin', the consistency is a dream. I don't mind wearing very frosty highlighters, even though they may not necessarily flatter my skin-tone, but this would be even more perfect for fair-skinned ladies and gentlemen. I'd say this is slightly more glittery than other highlighters I own, but realistically, who doesn't want to be drenched in glitter??

I actually never intended on purchasing 'Fireball', as it looked a little too unwearable for me, however, after trying it on my skin, I fell in love with it! It's gets better every time I put it on, and it also looks incredible dusted over the top of your blusher too! This one is definitely more of 'glow' finish than the other two. It has a unique blue shift in the light, which would normally not be something I'd want on my cheekbones, but somehow, it works!! (At least in my opinion..).

 

(From L to R - Sin, Aura & Fireball)

You can purchase these highlighters at www.debenhams.com.