NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy Review, Photos and Swatches

To think that about a year ago, I'd never tried any NYX products and now I use them nearly every day!

Cream blush. My goodness, I love a cream blush. As my skin ages, I find I like using cream blushes much more than powders. They give a softer effect, and don't catch on the fine hairs on my cheeks like powders do. Plus they give a soft and natural flush to the skin.

I especially love them in the summer, when my battle with the oily bits of my face is at its fruitless peak. My cheeks are normal in the summer, not oily and not dry, so when the rest of my face looks like a oil slick due to sweat and oil, powder blush looks especially incongruous on my oil-free cheeks. I tend to go lighter with my makeup in the summer, and cream blush looks very natural and light.

This post looks at one of NYX's Stick Blushes - Pink Poppy, a neutral pink. It reads on the cool side, and definitely works for my cool-toned skin but I could see it working well on warmer skintones as well.

The Stick Blushes are 6.2 g each, and cost $6 each. Here's what the NYX website has to say about them:

Add a touch of color with our creamy and extremely pigmented Stick Blush! Available in eight rich shades! Apply and receive the perfect glow every day!

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy - ingredients

The Stick Blushes come in a stubby little twist-up tube, and the size and application-ease make it very easy to carry them with you.

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy

There's not a tonne of product in these little tubes (6.2 g), but I really don't need to wear much of Pink Poppy to get the effect I want. I am fair-skinned so a little colour goes a long way, for the most part.

In the photo above you can see a teeny bit of gold sparkle. That's accurate, though I don't find that the sparkle reads on my cheeks at all. 

Here it is swatched on the back of my hand (NW15 skintone). All you do is twist up the tube a little and swipe it on. Below there is one swipe of Pink Poppy. 

NYX Stick Blush in Pink Poppy - swatched

The texture is smooth and a little tacky. Sort of gel-like. It is very easy to blend and the more moisture on your skin, the easier the blending. It dries as it sets but never looks artificial. You could use a brush or a sponge to apply and blend this, but I typically use my fingers. The warmth of my skin helps to soften and blend this into my cheeks.

See? Here it is on my face. It looks incredibly natural. The gold sparkle doesn't look artificial, and isn't really noticeable at all, but perhaps is adding to the skin-like smoothness in effect. I love how natural this looks on me.

In terms of longevity, it doesn't last as long as a powder blush, but I don't see much fading at all. Perhaps because my cheeks don't get oily, I don't look in the mirror at the end of the workday and see a tired complexion. If your skin is oily on your cheeks, I'd recommend topping the Stick Blushes with a powder blush. It'll help it to last longer. I do this sometimes too, if I want a more dramatic effect. 

Well done, NYX! I love Pink Poppy!

Grade: A

NARS Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Review and Swatches

NARS has a great line of lip pencils that come in three finishes: Satin (soft sheen), Velvet Matte (velvet finish) and Velvet Gloss (glossy shine). They're fantastic products and you feel like you're colouring using them. It's fun. 

Here's a review I did of NARS Dragon Girl, one of the Velvet Matte lip pencils, from ages ago. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

In this post we look at the NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose, which is a colour I've been eyeing for a while. Mexican Rose is a bright pink, perfect for spring and summer. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

The pencil packaging means that they're easy to use and very portable. Just toss into your handbag and go! There's no need for brushes with this (if you keep the pencil sharpened). 

Speaking of sharpening, you'll need a jumbo pencil sharpener for this. The pencil is coated but inside it's some sort of wood or wood-like product so it's easy to sharpen. Since the gloss itself is so soft though, you're not looking for a lead pencil tip. Something like how it is in the photo below is what you want to aim for. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss is interesting in that it can start fairly sheer but it seems to itensify on its own after a little while. Of course, you can layer it to get a punch of colour, but even when you apply it very lightly, it goes on one way and itensifies.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose - swatched (NW15 skintone)

The texture of Mexican Rose is smooth and light-weight but slightly sticky. Once it's on, you feel confident that it's not going to move. And move it does not. This is a long-lasting lip gloss. Its finish makes your lips look almost wet. Eventually the sheen wears off, but the colour is left behind in a stain meaning there's no immediate need to reapply. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose - swatched (NW15 skintone)

Colour-wise, it's a beautiful, bright, blue-toned pink. Oh, and NARS Velvet Glosses are moisturizing, so it's not going to feel drying like many glosses can after wearing them for awhile.

Here it is on my face! I'm not sure what blush I'm wearing in this photo, but it goes really nicely with Mexican Gloss, no? I'll have to figure out which one it is!

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Mexican Rose

I love wearing Mexican Rose. It's such an easy colour and product to just keep in my handbag and apply on a whim. Especially suited for warmer months of the year, it's also great for adding a pop of colour to the face in the colder months.

I highly recommend checking out Mexican Rose or any of the other Velvet Glosses if you're looking for an easy-to-apply, long-lasting, moisturizing, pigmented gloss. 

$26 US

In Canada, NARS is readily available at Sephora stores, The Bay stores and Murale stores.

Grade: A

Bobbi Brown Telluride Collection Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink Review, Photos and Swatches

For summer 2015 Bobbi Brown wants to take us on vacation to Telluride, Colorado. I have to admit  when I think of summer vacation I don't necessarily think of heading to the mountains (probably because for the majority of my life they have a mere 45 minute drive away), but sure Bobbi - let's do this alpine thing.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink

Inspired by the warm tawny glow of the late afternoon sun in the mountains, the collection focuses around warm, shimmery neutrals. Today I have the Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink for review ($54.00 CA, LE.)

Sunset Pink is medium peachy-pink highlighter with red undertones and gold shimmer. It has medium to high pigmentation and like all Shimmer Bricks it has a strong metallic finish. Light application for a natural finish is a must with this product! Photos in natural light on NC40 skin.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Sunset Pink

You can't tell from the swatch photo, but this Shimmer Brick packs a punch of metallic shimmer. It has a very strong luminous finish that can easily become overly frosty if application is even remotely heavy. It gives my golden skin tone a peachy sun kissed look that leans on the flushed side. Due to it's fairly strong pigmentation, I would predict this will work better as a luminizing blush for light skintones.

I have a large Shimmer Brick collection, so I pulled a few old releases to see if anything was a dupe for Sunset Pink. Based on how the Shimmer Bricks looked in the pan alone I chose Bronze, Tawny and Brownie for comparison.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Sunset Pink, Bronze, Tawny and Brownie.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Sunset Pink, Bronze, Tawny and Brownie.

I was convinced that Bronze would be close dupe because the individual strip colours look very similar. Much to my surprize out of the three this was the least similar! Here are some observations based on my swatches:

1. Bronze (P): Much more golden with no pink or peach undertones.  When compared side-by-side with Sunset Pink, Bronze is cooler and ashier.

2. Tawny (LE): Fairly similar in terms of pigmentation with the same medium dark pink tone but lacks any peachiness.The other major difference is Tawny has a silver shimmer.

3. Brownie (LE): A deep plummy rose-brown which runs darker than Sunset Pink and has silver rather than gold shimmer.

Sunset Pink lasts all day on my combination skin with slight fading by the end of the day. My big tip for using any of the Shimmer Bricks is to finish the face with MAC Fix+ or any other makeup finishing mist. I find this extra step helps the shimmer particles mesh with the skin so they look more luminous and less glittery/frosty.

Overall a nice product which certainly recalls the type of healthy flush you might have at the end of a long sunny day of hiking.

Grade: A

J

NYX Blush in Mauve Review, Photos and Swatches

I picked up a bunch of NYX products recently because it was about time that I checked out this brand. It's a drugstore brand that has products that can rival higher-end products, so check it out!

NYX is known for their blushes and it's a good place to start if you're a newbie to the brand, like me. I recently picked up two NYX powder blushes - Mauve and Apricot. In this post we'll look at Mauve, a matte light mauve. NYX powder blushes deliver silky sheer colour that glides on easily, blends beautifully and creates a natural glow.

Mauve is a beautiful, soft, very wearable shade. It's one of those shades that you can wear and look like you've got almost nothing on. It's very natural, and would go well with a stronger eye or lip look, as well as with more natural looks.

Let's take a closer look.

All of the NYX powder blushes have this gem-like pattern pressed into them, which gives them a higher end feel. The packaging is black plastic with a clear window. Not sure if it's due to being a drugstore product and displayed in a those display units with plastic rows and the spring foot pushing the products forward, or the way it's shipped to stores, or from being handled, or the quality of it, but the packaging when I bought it was scuffed and scratched. 

Still, what's inside isn't damaged and looks beautiful. Check out the texture in the photo below (click on the image to enlarge it). 

On my skin, Mauve actually looks like a soft, cool pink. The texture is very smooth and it applies sheer. The best blushes are sheer because blush needs to look natural, like it's your skin, not sitting heavily on top. Sheer allows your skin to show through. Even when you apply layers of Mauve, it's still sheer but the colour increases. Mauve is matte, but it's not a completely flat shade. There's a hint of glow to it, but no shimmer at all. 

Mauve is quite a soft shade, so on my skintone (NW15) it shows up pretty quickly and easily, but on deeper skin tones it may need a few layers to have much effect. 

I think Mauve is a fantastic basic blush shade for lighter skintones. It looks natural and is easy to wear with a light application or a heavier application. It would work with heavier eye or lip looks or with something natural, such as how I'm wearing it in the photos above. 

Stay tuned for more NYX reviews, including of the NYX Apricot blush. 

Grade: A

C.

NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Rum Punch Review, Photos and Swatches

I'm a terrible beauty blogger as I've only recently tried NYX products for the first time. It's not terribly easy to find in-store in Toronto. Rexall drugstores carry the brand but not all stores do, and those that do tend to be poorly stocked, I've found. 

I've bought two lip products, two blushes and an undereye concealer stick so far and I've got my eyes on their lip primer and their yellow colour corrector for undereyes. I haven't been able to track them down.

This post will look at the NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Rum Punch. The Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie is a sheer, tinted, lightweight lip balm that leaves a satiny, sheer wash of hydrating colour on the lips. You can wear it on bare lips or over lip pencil for more pigmentation.

Rum Punch is described as a light plum but I think it reads more cherry-red both in the pencil, in swatches and once on my lips.

It cost me $8.99 CDN.

The pencil is pointed and doesn't come with a built-in sharpener, but it does have a twist-up end. The tip will likely wear down to a rounded tip with time.

It is so easy to apply, creamy and smooth. I absolutely love this product, and it's the only lip colour I can wear right now since my lips are so dry. This does not hang on the dry bits like lipstick does and it doesn't dry my lips out while it's on, like lipstick does. 

It can be applied lightly for a tinted lip balm effect or applied more heavily. I like feeling like there's something on my lips, especially since they're so dry all the time these days and this feels like a lip balm but looks like a lipstick. I just love it right now.

It's got very good pigmentation, it's very hydrating and it's got good gloss and staying power (when you're not eating and drinking). 

I want more of these to get me through the winter! If you're looking for a lip product that acts like a lip balm yet gives you some colour, track down some Chunky Dunk!

So far I'm very impressed with NYX - stay tuned for my other reviews!

Grade: A

C.

MAC Heirloom Mix Sweet Sentiment Mineralize Blush Review, Swatches and Photos

The last two weeks have been a blur of researching, planning, listing, debating, swatching, attempted purchasing and (FINALLY) purchasing a mega haul of products from Sephora's VIB/VIB Rouge sale. Because of the engrossing nature of this sale and it's accompanying problems (re: the website crashing and burning mere hours into the sale then remaining inoperable for days), the MAC Heirloom Mix holiday collection completely slipped by under my radar.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Sweet Sentiment

I only picked up one thing from Heirloom Mix, the Mineralize blush in Sweet Sentiment (LE $35.00 CA, $30.00 US). Sweet Sentiment is described as a "rosy pink", it's a finely milled, medium cool pink with lilac overtones. It has a natural sheen, with no glitter or shimmer and good pigmentation.

Like most Mineralize blushes, Sweet Sentiment kicks up quite a bit of product when you run your brush over it, so I suggest patting your brush on this product as opposed to swiping it. Because it has good pigmentation, you won't need a lot of this blush to get good color payoff. Photos in natural light, swatches on NC 35/40 skin.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Sweet Sentiment

Like all the other Heirloom Mix offerings, Sweet Sentiment comes in special black and silver glitter packaging, which pushes the normal Mineralize blush price up to $35.00 CA from $32.00 CA. Interestingly, the holiday blushes are packaged in the old, smaller blush compacts, not the new larger ones. Sweet Sentiment is blendable with buildable color and wears well throughout a regular 8 hour day.

At the time of writing this post, Sweet Sentiment is still available online at MAC.

Grade: A-

Guerlain KissKiss Lipsticks in Baby Rose, Sexy Coral and Rouge Kiss Review, Swatches and Photos

I have some samples of three of the newly revamped Guerlain's KissKiss Lipstick collection - Baby Rose, Rouge Kiss and Sexy Coral - to show you today. The KissKiss Lipstick collection has 25 shades in total. From what I can tell, the revamp is specifically to the packaging (by jewellery designer Hervé Van der Straeten), which since I only have samples, I don't have to show you here. But you can see it online here. 

Guerlain's KissKiss lipsticks have been around for 20 years, and evidently this latest revamp has increased the formula of the pigmentation. I have admittedly never tried Guerlain KissKiss lipstick before, nor any Guerlain Beauty products. The KissKiss lipsticks retail for about $41 CDN and to me, $40 seems pretty high for a lipstick. But perhaps these samples might change my mind? The NARS Audacious lipsticks ($37 CDN) have swayed me...

From the Guerlain website:

KissKiss surprises us once again by slipping into a precious and graceful little black dress. Its understated case shows off infinitely elegant curves. A tube transformed into a work of art, a sculptural jewel developed like three sleek cubes. Simply chic!

In perfect harmony with feminine curves, lips immediately regain their fullness and softness thanks to a formula enriched with plumping hyaluronic acid spheres. In parallel, Commiphora oil helps smooth the lip surface. 

The elegance of a timeless essential.

You can find KissKiss Lipsticks at The Bay stores and thebay.com, as well as at Sephora, in store and online. 

The sample I received is pretty substantial, a large black cardboard "brochure"with a very glamourous photo of model Natalia Vodianova wearing a beautiful red lipstick (Rouge Kiss, I believe). 

The back of the brochure lists the lipsticks inside and their ingredients.

Check out the inside! I've never seen a sample look quite like this. This is indeed, a luxury brand sample. Look, it even comes with a tiny lip brush for application. 

OK, enough about the packaging, let's look at these lipsticks. Spoiler: they're pretty gorgeous.

Swatched on NW15 skintone.
L-R: Baby Rose, Sexy Coral and Rouge Kiss

All of these lipsticks have a similar, glossy sheen to them and good pigmentation. They're fragranced with a violet aroma, which is one of those scents I don't usually love. But really, it's not that noticeable unless you're waving the lipstick under your nose trying to smell it. You really can't notice it after wearing it for a few minutes. 

First up is Baby Rose: a cool mid-tone rose shade with gold glitter.

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Baby Rose

This looks like a very wearable shade, the type of rose pink that many, many skintones could wear. It also swatches a lot glossier than I expected. Actually all three of these did. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Baby Rose

See how glossy? Almost gloss-like in glossiness. But it's not sticky like a gloss. Not at all. The texture is smooth and light. The pigment is strong and the glitter is visible but not all that dramatic, the sheen and glossiness of the formula incorporates it well.

Swatched on NW15 skintone.
Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Baby Rose

Here it is on. I used the tiny lip brush provided to apply all of these lipsticks. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Baby Rose

Lovely colour, right? And it's not glittery at all. But. BUT. When I rub my lips together I can feel the glitter. My lips feel a bit gritty. It's not such a nice feeling. But it's a beautiful looking and feeling lipstick to wear otherwise. It feels moisturizing, applies smoothly and forgivingly and softens any lines and dryness on your lips. Barring the gritty feeling, it's a lovely lipstick and a lovely shade. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Baby Rose

Here's my favourite of the three shades: Sexy Coral, a juicy soft orange-pink shade. Anyone who loves coral lip colours will want to check this one out. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Sexy Coral

This looks almost neon in the sample, and on my finger below, but it swatches and applies less so. It's got a smooth, glossy texture and no shimmer at all. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Sexy Coral 

Sexy Coral is such a beautiful, fun shade. It makes me think of the flesh of a grapefruit. It makes me think of spring and summer, but trust me, I'll be wearing this one year round. It's just too pretty not to. 

Swatched on NW15 skintone.
Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Sexy Coral 

It's bold without being overpowering and it's very, very flattering. The glossiness of it draws light to it making lips look luscious. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Sexy Coral 

The texture of Sexy Coral is very much like the texture of Baby Rose, but without the grittiness. It doesn't feel heavy and it applies very smoothly and evenly. It didn't feel dry or enhance any of the lines or dryness of my lips. I didn't want to take it off. I think I might have to buy a full tube of it!

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Sexy Coral 

Finally, here is Rouge Kiss, the shade that Natalia Vodianova is wearing in the ads for the collection. It's a pretty universally flattering neutral red, neither warm or cool-toned and it's got plenty of gloss like Baby Rose and Sexy Coral. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rouge Kiss

It's red. Very red. Proceed with caution. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rouge Kiss

Rouge Kiss is glossy, just like Baby Rose and Sexy Coral, so it's going to be easier to wear for most of you than a drier-textured red lipstick. The gloss of it will also bring down some of the drama of the shade. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rouge Kiss

Like Baby Rose and Sexy Coral, Rouge Kiss has a very smooth, glossy texture and it's opaque and pigmented but with a touch of translucency at the same time. There is definitely no shortage of colour either. It reminds me of cranberry juice. 

So do I look like Natalia Vodianova? Yeah, I didn't think so. 


But this is one gorgeous red lippy. 

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rouge Kiss

Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick in Rouge Kiss

So there you have it, three of the newly revamped Guerlain KissKiss Lipsticks. Overall, I was impressed by them. These are very easy to wear lipsticks (Baby Rose only if you're OK with some grittiness) since they're so glossy and lightweight. From the looks of the rest of the shades, there are colours that should suit everyone from nudes to naturals to brights to reds, all with a glossy finish, but some that are more sheer, and some more opaque, some with shimmer/glitter, some without. 

Baby Rose

Grade: B

Sexy Coral

Grade: A

Rouge Kiss

Grade: A

C.