*REVIEW* NYX Blush in Natural

Hi!

Quite a while ago I made a purchase from the NYX website (www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/) and I only just realised that I never actually reviewed this item! If you'd like to see that haul you can view it HERE and as far as I can tell I think I've done reviews for all the other items I purchased. :)

 

This costs £6 from the website and they have 25 shades!

 I chose the shade Natural because having blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin its harder for me to get away with strong blush colours and so I generally tend to stick to a rather muted blush look if at all.

 

 

 

 

The shade is a light baby pink with a slight bit of shimmer in it - it's looking a lot brighter in the photo than in real life!

The packaging is also nice and sturdy and the shape makes it easy when it comes to saving space in your makeup collection. :)

 

 

 

Here's a swatch:

 

 

Obviously I wouldn't apply the blush this heavily! :P

 

Generally I think this is a really pretty colour especially for those with fair skin.
As you can see its very well pigmented but not so pigmented that it makes it difficult to wear...I personally don't like hyper-pigmented blushes as I'd never wear colour on my cheeks that strongly!

 

I usually just tap my brush into this and then tap off the excess and apply it. The colour this way is very buildable and it's hard to over apply.

 

I'm really happy with this blush -especially for the price! I've been reaching for it quite often recently and it gives a lovely flushed appearance to the cheeks.

 

Thanks for reading!
Have you tried the NYX blushes yet?

Libby x

 

*REVIEW* NYX Single Shadows (Asphalt, Fahrenheit & Eucalyptus)

Hi!

 

Today I thought I'd do a review of the new NYX shadows I got in a recent haul.

 

I got 3 new colours this time but I also have 3 other shadows which you can see HERE in another review if you're interested.

 

I tried to get colours that I don't normally get and ones that I didn't have dupes of already in my collection..hence why this seems to be a slightly random collection of shades!

I'll have swatches at the end of this post.

 

1) Fahrenheit

 

 

This is one of my favourites.

This is a deep shimmery pink colour that would almost be a wine red if it was a little deeper.

This is quite soft and is pigmented but you have to be a bit careful of fallout.

There is a little shimmer but not a huge amount which makes it a good shade to wear in the crease for an everyday look instead of using neutrals.

I think this is very close to MAC's Expensive Pink colour. I don't have that colour myself but I thought of it immediately when I swatched this and I've seen online several people have been comparing it so I think this is a good dupe for that and a lot cheaper!

 

2) Eucalyptus

 

 

This is an unsual colour...It's almost a grey colour but with some shimmer.

I've found this very useful for blending purposes (for example softening black shades) but not so useful on it's own. It's a little too dirty to use as a highlight for me.

Probably the least useful colour I got however the colour payoff is good.

This seems slightly harder in texture.

 

 

3) Asphalt

 

 

 

This is a really interesting colour and my other favourite.

It's coming across more brown on camera but it's almost orange in person with little specs of gold sparkle in it.

This is a really pretty colour for making blue eyes pop and works well worked in with other bronzes and golds.

Again, the colour payoff is great.

 

 

The top is Eucalyptus, the second down is Asphalt and the bottom is Fahrenheit.

 

Generally I'm really happy with these colours! Eucalyptus is the only colour that maybe isn't so useful to have but it would still work out great for a smokey eye.

I'm really happy again with the quality from NYX and all these shadows are only about £4.50 each which is great.

 

Thanks so much for reading!

Libby x

NYX Cosmetics Haul!

Hi!

A couple of days ago I ordered a couple of things from the NYX UK website (www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/) and I thought I'd show them to you in a haul post!

 

 

 

I love the NYX tape around this little package...is it just me or is it REALLY exciting getting a packaging in the mail? Even though I know what is in it I still find it so fun opening packages!

 

 

I got 4 eyeshadows, 1 lipgloss and 1 blush.

 

Here's a closer look! :)

 

 

 

This is a lip gloss I got called True Star. I tried it on today and it looks a little frosty on the lips to begin with but after it's been on the lips a while it looks really nice and it smells nice too! :)

 

 

I got a blush in Natural as I saw this and just KNEW it was my kind of colour for a blush. I have very pale skin and this kind of baby doll pink colour works so well for me generally.

 

 

This eyeshadow is in the shade Asphalt - it's a very interesting copper colour with some gold specks in it! :)

 

 

This shade is called Fahrenheit and its a lovely pink shade...when I saw it I was immediately reminded of MAC's colour Expensive Pink and I think this would be a pretty close dupe but I can't swatch them side by side because I don't actually HAVE the colour Expensive Pink...

Nevertheless this is a very pretty colour!

 

 

Last but not least this is the shade Eucalyptus...it looks a lot more grey on the camera than in real life!

This is a shimmery light taupe colour which does have done grey tones.

I've used it a couple of times and it works well on the inner corner and also for blending purposes :)

 

 

So there you have it!

There's my NYX cosmetics haul, I'm so excited to try everything out more and reviews will be coming soon!

 

Thanks so much for reading!

Libby x

 

My Holiday Makeup Essentials!

Hi!

 

As I'm going away with friends for a few days soon I thought I'd do a post on the makeup I'm taking - in short, the makeup I consider to be my absolute essentials!

 

I may also do a post on things like face & hair products too :)

 

I'm going camping so I'm not going to be taking a tonne of makeup because I simply won't be using it, but I am going to be taking things that can cover all bases just in case I get there and suddenly realise I can't live without something I thought I could!

 

So lets start with the face products first!

 

 

1)

 For a primer if I need one I'll be taking my 17 Photo Flawless face primer - nice and small packaging and smooths out the skin & makes makeup last longer. This also needs using up so I thought I'd take it along.

 

2)

E.L.F Tinted Moisturiser - I won't be taking any foundation of any sort so I prefer something light like a tinted moisturiser and so I'll be using this if I feel my skin tone just needs evening out.

 

3)

 In case I need any powder I'll be taking my Miss Sporty So Clear Pressed Powder as it's inexpensive and it comes with a powder puff which will do for a few days instead of a powder brush which would take up lots of space!

 

4)

 MAC Studio Finish Concealer - this is just an emergency product in case I get any spots or anything that really bothers me!

 

5)

 I'm just taking my trusty Vaseline just for my lips as I don't tend to use many products on my lips.

This should keep them hydrated!

 

6)

 I'm bringing my favourite Rimmel London Match Perfection concealer to cover up any dark circles! :)

 

Now onto the eyes!

 

 

7)

Instead of an eye primer I'm taking my NYX Eyeshadow Base in White just to give shadow something to cling to. I doubt I'll be wearing eyeshadow at all but I may if we go out for a meal.

 

8)

 To save space I'm bringing this very useful Accessorize Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Thalia as a neutral colours go with everything and I've got a light shade there too for highlighting!

 

9)

 Stila Waterproof Smudge Stick Eyeliner in Peacock - one of my favourite eyeliners ever! I've talked about this at length before and it's so great and long lasting!

 

10)

 Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Liner - I need to use this up so I thought I'd take this along as just a basic black eyeliner.

 

11)

 The Borjois Paris Khol & Contour Eyeliner is my favourite eyeliner for the waterlines so I thought I'd bring this too because it's so useful for an everyday look.

 

12) 

 For my mascara I'm taking my Stila Fibre Optics mascara as I'm trying to use it up and I'm very fond of this mascara!

 

 

I'm trying to keep the brushes to a minimum so I've just got 3!

 

 

All of these are from Fraulein so I've got the foundation brush and two eye shadow brushes, one for a darker colour and one for a lighter colour.

 

So that's it! I don't usually wear a lot of makeup on holiday so I thought I'd just stick to the essentials and also a few things that aren't totally necessary like different eye liners, but its nice to have different choices!

 

What are your holiday makeup essentials?

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

*REVIEW* NYX Single Eyeshadows (Antique Gold, Aloha & Midnight)

Hi!

 

My review today is for a few single eyeshadows from NYX that I bought a while ago online and since I've used them quite a bit so I decided it was time for a review!

 

 

 

 

I have three of these shadows at the moment, although I plan to buy more!

These cost £5 in the UK each from www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk/ although looking online if you're up for a bit of hunting you can find them for slightly cheaper.

 

At the moment I've never seen NYX sold in stores which is a shame although it does crop up every now and then in Tk Maxx in various kits although you don't see the single shadows :(

 

I have three colours...

 

Aloha:

 

 

Antique Gold:

 

 

Midnight:

 

 

 

 

Here are some swatches of the shadows...these are swatched over the NYX Eyeshadow Base in White which I find works so well with shadows, especially these:

 

 

Midnight is a black base (or dark charcoal coloured base) with some golden flecks in it and sometimes I also see hints of green...

It makes a nice change from a plain matte black but it does tend to "blend away" if you blend it too much and you loose the colour payoff so I think this shadow works best packed on the lid over  a sticky primer like the NYX shadow base.

 

Aloha is my favourite of the three and my most used...it is a lovely pink/pearl/champagne colour which reminds me in colour of Benefit's High Beam highlighter.

It is quite crumbly in texture which again is why it works best over a sticky base, but it makes a beautiful light eye look and is great for a one-shadow look.

 

Antique Gold is what I refer to as a "dirty" gold colour or an "old" gold. In some lights you see hints of almost olive and sometimes it looks almost like a mustard shade but it isn't a very "yellow" based gold.

It looks great on the lid but for some reason this is my least used shadow out of these...I guess just because the shadow isn't as useful as a light highlight colour (Aloha) or a black colour (Midnight).

 

 

 

All three shadows have really good pigmentation as you can see from the swatch and they also have good staying power!

 

 

I really love these shadows and plan to buy more soon...I also love the packaging, it's so cute and these are great for saving space in your makeup collection.

 

Have you tried the NYX shadows yet?

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

Top 5 Products For £5 Or Under!

Hi!

 

I thought today I'd show you my top five products that are all either £5 or under... sometimes you don't have to spend a ridiculous amount of money when there are gems hidden in the drugstore! :)

 

 

 

1) E.L.F All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight

 

This retails for £1.50 on the E.L.F website (www.eyeslipsface.com) and I love this!

I have another one of these in Lilac Petal but this one is my favourite.

Dabbed on the tops of the cheekbones and blended it makes a beautiful highlight colour!

Just subtle enough yet still noticeable.

And you can't argue with the price! :)

I have a review HERE.

 

2) MUA Pearl Eyeshadow in Shade 12

 

I have a lot of these (actually...about 7...) but this one is my favourite I think.

Shade 12 is a lovely brown base with a blue reflect duo chrome and it is just beautiful!

It's pigmented, easy to blend (you can even blend it in the crease to give the impression of 2 different shadows when you've only used 1!) and the best bit, these shadows only cost £1!

 

I have reviews and swatches of all of these shadows HERE.

 

 

3) NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

 

I have 3 of these sticks from NYX and I absolutely love them!

This is my favourite one as the clean, matte white colour means it's great for dotting on the inner tear duct to brighten the eye and sometimes blend below the brow bone.

I've gotten SO much use out of this and this pencil is so much shorter than my others...will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out!

This retails for £5 on the NYX website but shopping around on the internet you can sometimes get them for less....I think I got mine for around £3.85.

 

Once again...I have a review & swatches HERE if you're interested.

 

 

4) Rimmel London Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting Concealer

 

I think I've mentioned this before...it's such a staple product for me!

I'm on my second tube of this and nearly running out so I definitely need to pick up another!
This is a very lightweight concealer that still as pretty good coverage and just does wonders in terms of brightening everything up under the eye.

Mine is in shade 010 Ivory and I got mine for £5.

This is one of the few products here that I actually haven't got a review on...but I'll do one if anyone wants it!

I basically love this product and I'm about to repurchase it for the 3rd time!

 

 

5) Collection Super Size Fat Lash Mascara

 

I got this fairly recently and have actually really enjoyed it!

I find that this separates my lashes really well ad builds a nice amount of volume too which I really like for the price!

I actually cant look up the price at the moment because there was a power cut and subsequently we have no internet.....Its strange how everyone freaks out when the power goes. Everyone freezes and thinks that the apocalypse is coming.

Anyway, hello again internet. The price for this is £2.99!

 

And yes...I've reviewed this HERE if you're interested!

 

 

 

Anyway, those are my favourite products for £5 or less!

Thanks for reading!

Libby x

Makeup Look: Bright Blue Pop

Hi!

I was playing around with different shadows yesterday and thought I'd share the results with you! :)

 

 

 

Products used:

 

MUA Eye Shadow in Shade 12

NYX Eye Shadow Base in White

E.L.F Pigment Eyeshadow in Golden Goddess

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

Soap & Glory Super Cat Liquid Liner

Stila Fibre Optics Mascara

Fraulein 38 120 Pro Palette

 

 

 

 

First I applied the NYX Shadow Base, then the MUA Shadow to the outer half of the lid and the E.L.F Pigment to the inner half. I then blended the two out.

I used the black from the 120 palette to deepen the crease.

I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil on the inner corner and used the silver from the 120 palette over this and also blended below the brow bone.

I lined my top lash line with the Soap & Glory liner.

I then used a trick which I learnt from Meredith Jessica, an amazing youtuber, I thoroughly recommend you check out her videos!

I used a small detail brush to carefully put some of the NYX shadow base on the bottom water line, and then topped it with the beautiful blue shade in the 120 palette. This takes a bit of concentration and a steady hand  but lasts ages on the water line and the colours show up so vibrant! Just be careful you don't get shadow in your eye like I did!

I then just added mascara!

 

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed the finished look!

 

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Libby x

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils VS Barry M Super Soft Eye Crayons

Hi!

The NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils are already pretty well known throughout the makeup world but long before I discovered them I was using the Super Soft Eye Crayons from Barry M....I thought I'd write this post to see how they compare to each other.

Both are marketed as large, creamy liners and so it only seems natural to make a comparison!

 

I have 3 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in the shades (left to right)

Pots & Pans

Milk

Black Bean

 

 

I then have 2 Barry M Super Soft Eye Crayons in (again left to right)

No. 5

No. 1

 

 

NYX says: "A radiant eye liner that also doubles as an eye shadow. Made with a blend of mineral oil and powder, our creamy Jumbo Eye Pencils glide on effortlessly no pulling, tugging or fading and come in a rainbow of vivid hues. Some call her chubby. We say voluptuous. Available in 28 shades."

 

Barry M says:  "Jumbo sized pencils with an extra soft formulation and a thicker application in a variety of shimmering and matt colours."

 

 

Here are some swatches of them all. From the top they are:

 

NYX Black Bean

NYX Pots & Pans

NYX Milk

Barry M No. 1

Barry M No. 5

 

As I have black shades from both brands I also thought I'd show  them side by side for a more direct comparison:

 

 

The top is the NYX the bottom is the Barry M.

Here are some similarities and differences between the brands:

 

Similarities:

 

• Both brands are budget brands or drugstore brands.
• Both liners are very soft and creamy
• They are both thick formulas
• They can both be used as bases
• They both come in shimmer & matte
• Both are very large pencils (roughly the same size)

 

Differences:

 

• The Barry M is cheaper at £3.99 compared to £4.50 for NYX.
• Barry M is much easier to get hold of if you're in the UK as its found in drugstores over here; NYX is probably easier to get hold of in the US.
• NYX comes in 28 shades...from the Barry M website there are only 5 shades available. I have seen more than five in actual drugstores but I'm fairly certain there are not as many as 28.
• In terms of texture, the NYX is creamier and "wetter". You can see this in the swatch of the two black shades, the NYX is on the top and you can clearly see the "shine" on it.
• Barry M is more of a "crayon" texture (as the name would suggest...)
• I feel that the NYX is slightly more pigmented as it takes less strokes to make it completely opaque.
• The Barry M could probably be used on it's own and it wouldn't be SO essential to set it with a shadow. I'd still recommend you do this, but its not 100% essential as it's a drier formula. The NYX is far too creamy to be left on it's own.
• I would say that the NYX works marginally better as a base because its creamier and stickier, but it is also harder to use because of this. It can get slightly messy.

 

 

Overall...these are both really good products and I'm not for a second going to say that I don't like either of them.

I think most of it depends on where you live...if you're in the US the NYX is going to be much easier to find and if you're in the UK the Barry M is going to be easier to find.

Generally..i think I do prefer the NYX simply because it is creamier and so clings to shadows better when you're using it as a base.

I also find that the colours I have for the NYX pencils are more useful. The Milk shade that I have gets used so much its now very short. While the black shade in Barry M is very useful the lilac shade isn't as versatile so I just don't get as much use out of it.

I do generally use the NYX pencils more although if I was in a rush I would definitely "trust" the Barry M more, because as its drier there is less chance of making a mess.

They are both very pigmented and have some great colours although NYX does have more.

 

Personally, I'd buy more of either brand! Maybe I'll get another Barry M pencil in a white shade, as it would be slightly harder for me to repurchase my NYX pencil in Milk if and when it runs out!

They are both really great products in their own right though!

 

Thank you for reading! Have you tried either of these products?

Libby x