Product Review: NYX Tinted Lip Spa
Being in an air conditioned environment for most of the hours in a day, my lips have been starting to become really chapped. However, I really disliked the “sticky” feeling I got from most lip balms… until I chanced upon NYX’s Tinted Lip Spa series :)
Gorgeous Lip Spa treatment with just a hint of colour so it will give you natural, luscious & oh so kissable lips
True to the product description, the Tinted Lip Spa works really great with moisturizing, without any sticky feeling. Unfortunately, one might need quite a few touch-ups throughout the day, because this doesn’t exactly last on the lips. What I love most about it though, is that the sheer colours are really pretty on the lips! After looking at swatches online, I decided to purchase TLS01 Copacabana (the palest) and TLS10 Juicy (the reddest).
The final verdict?
Well the TLS is now my favourite go-to lip care treatment for daily use, I only wish it’ll last longer. It’s perfect for everyday wear because the colour payoff is subtle yet pleasant, so for those who’ve been looking for subtle lip colours, TLS is the way to go! & yes my lips are no longer chapped as before :)
3 shades of rouge
Following up on my post on the 3 different shades of foundation I have, well here’s 3 different shades of rouge I have to match! :D If you think about it, just like how models/actresses put makeup on to suit their clothes & respective roles, makeup serves to accentuate and complement your overall look :)
I’ve tried tons of blushes in my time, from elf to bodyshop to estee lauder, but nyx blushes remain my favourite because they’re inexpensive, have a beautiful range of shades and great pigmentation. Like Carol, I prefer to splurge on skincare products & whatever directly touches my skin (e.g. foundation/makeup base) than on makeup.
so from left to right: PB 12 Terra Cotta, PB 13 Mauve, PB06 Peach
PB 12 Terra Cotta was the first NYX blush I tried, & as you can tell, very well loved by me. I love love love this shade, though it isn’t a typical “blush” shade. I use this with my soft bronze/tan foundation & it gives a hint of golden brown to my cheeks. Perfect when I’m going for a more natural look, where rosier cheeks might look overdone :)
Next up, PB 13 Mauve is a coral pink (which is actually what I would expect from a colour called peach, not mauve). The unfortunate thing about nyx products is that the swatches online tend to be very different from the products in real life. *sigh*. That said, it’s a very easy colour to wear & it’s now my de facto blush on a daily basis.
PB06 Peach replaced my Benefit Thrrob blush as the new pinky girly blush in my makeup stash. Benefit’s thrrob was pink. very very pink to the point that it was pretty much unwearable. This pink is much more toned down and whilst it looks very “bold” in the picture above, it actually swatches to be quite sheer. So opacity of the blush can be built up, depending on what look you’re going for.
what’s YOUR blush? :)
-images above from tumblr.com-
if you’re interested to have a look at the wide variety of shades that nyx has, here are the official swatches from cherryculture.com, though like I said, do google around for real-life swatches because these aren’t exactly 100% accurate.
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Makeup: June/July Favourites
It’s been awhile since I did a makeup post and I figured that it’s about time that I did an update on some products that I’ve been using quite regularly. It’s alittle hard to narrow it down to just five, but here goes…
I know Clinique’s All about eyes cream isn’t exactly a beauty product but I felt that it should be included in my June Favs nonetheless. Since I’ve been spending so much sleepless nights burning the midnight oil, I’ve developed puffy panda eyes. This product helps to hydrate the eye area thereby reducing fine lines as well as to depuff so I actually look like a normal person the next morning. I wouldn’t say that it does miracles, but for the price ($25 I think?) it’s a pretty decent eye cream.
If I could only choose one makeup product to use for the rest of my life, it has got to be Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Eye Brightener. I’m using the one in Porcelain Peach and it’s an exact match to my skintone. Works wonders just concealing dark eye circles and any blemish and imperfection and it has this really natural finish so it doesn’t look fake at all. I also like the consistency and liquid-y formula. My number one favourite product without a doubt!
I’m a huge mascara fan and I’ve tried alot of brands be it Benefit all the way to Covergirl but one of my fond favourites is FairyDrops mascara. I’ve seen it around Watsons alot but decided to try it out in Hong Kong because the Sasa there sold it at $19.80 (not sure if it’s cheaper than SG) and I love it. It is seriously water proof. Even my Cleansing Express makeup remover had problems trying to remove the mascara. Heavy duty for sure. Great curling and volume I feel, and that’s what I’m really looking for. Lengthening not so much. But that’s not my targeted concern so I am very happy with the mascara. Definitely a repurchase is in order!
NYX is awesome when it comes to affordable makeup and this June, I’m finding myself loving the jumbo eyepencil in milk as well as the round lipglosses. For a really inexpensive pricetag, I think the quality is pretty decent. I love to layer the gloss over another lip color for that extra shine and the jumbo eyepencil is super versatile. I use it to highlight my cheekbones, nose bridge, inner corner… line my waterline… it’s really multifunctional.
Last but not least, I am very very afraid of the sun and skin cancer so Kiehl’s Ultra Light Defense with SPF50 PA +++ UVA helps to keep those fears at bay. This is especially so since I’m now in charge of a sports CCA. I apply this religiously every morning and no new pigmentation spots have surfaced! YAY!
As you can see, I spend alot more on skincare than makeup really (unless it’s foundation and concealer and that’s cos it covers a bigger surface area of your face) because I believe that with clean, healthy, hydrated skin, makeup will better be able to enhance your complexion and features. So your skincare regime and the products that you use is really the key.
What are your favourite beauty items for June/July?
NYX triple shadow review
As Ruth mentioned yesterday, we went to recce the Mega Flea Market at Expo and I bought two items: A polka dot dress for $10 (what a steal right?!) and a NYX eyeshadow palette in TS34 Team Spirit ($8).
Swatch courtesy of Shimmerkisser.
I wasn’t exactly looking for an eyeshadow palette but my regular spree organizer, Smoochiezz also has great deals that I can’t resist. She has round lipsticks and lipglosses from NYX ranging from like $3-5 and loads of e.l.f nail polishes, brushes and some other studio line stuff, all around the range of $3-8. And if you are looking for higher end stuff, she has some Mac eyeshadows and blushes too. If you’re interested, her booths at the Mega Flea Mart are I07 H07 I08 and H08. That’s in Expo hall 3B, the event runs from 10am-10pm. It’s only for the 27th-28th though so you better hurry before all the good stuff gets snapped up.
Anyhow I got through her booth pretty much unscathed (phew! didn’t spend as much as the last time), purchasing only this NYX eyeshadow trio. I bought this mostly for the fuschia pink/purple and the gold because I don’t have these colours in my makeup arsenal yet. So what did I think of it?
Well, to be honest, it didn’t wow me. Unlike the swatches, the colour payoff wasn’t that great. You really have to layer on the colour for it to be visible. I got quite frustrated initially because the pink despite numerous layering, was only a light pink at best. It never turned out to be that vibrant fuschia that I wanted. But then again, I didn’t try it with a primer underneath so hopefully the colours will show more and be more long lasting with a good primer on.
You see what I mean? It’s light pink/lavender. Not bright fuschia. Oh well. To comfort myself, I went heavyhanded with the blusher hence that bright pop of pink lol. So if you are thinking of getting this palette to create bright vibrant eyes, then I think you should give it a miss. The colours definitely turned out more pastel on me than I would have liked so I will most likely use this for blending the outer corner, or for days where I want a more neutral eye. Sigh. Quite disappointed actually. Oh well, the quest for that hot pink eyeshadow continues!
On the upside, the dress I bought fitted perfectly. A tad short, but given my height, it’s hard to find a knee length dress anymore.
I really like the ruffles at the sides and the button detail down the front. It’s cinched at the waist as well so it gives off this feminine girly vibe (which I don’t mind wearing on weekends. Weekdays it’s back to shirts and trousers!) and ooh! Its in line with the nautical trend! Haha see… here at Quirkychic, we practice what we preach!
Actually, I think this dress would work better as a romper. Maybe when I have the time, I’ll just stitch up the bottom and turn the skirt into shorts. That way I wouldn’t have to be so self-conscious whenever I have to bend over to pick up something.
All in all, the flea market at Expo was not bad. Ruth bought some rub-ons to decorate her planner and special socks with padding to cushion your feet against blisters (only $3 a pair). There was also a booth that sold My Beauty Diary masks for $10 a box and of course, alot of apparel from blogshops so if you’re free this weekend, do head down to check it out!
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Lipstick Love
I’ve never been a fan of lip gloss. Somehow, the sticky, gooey texture never sat well with me – I would restlessly keep smacking my lips together (quietly) trying to get over the feeling. Lipstick on the other hand, was the horror of my primary school choir days. It tasted icky, made me look like a circus clown, and was generally something we all collectively frightened each other over. SHE’S GONNA PUT MAKE UP ON YOU! THAT SCARY WOMAN IS COMING!! <– our make up artist was a very enthusiastic, rough handed and wrinkled woman who took ultimate glee in bashing our faces with dirty sponges until we were covered in makeup. our instructor even had to tell her to tone it down. that’s how much make up we had on. yucks.
well 15 years or so after that horrific experience, I began to reassess my aversion to lipstick. So I bought one, then another, and another. Fast foward to the present, I have quite a number of lipsticks and though I haven’t tried every single brand out there in the market, I’ve been curious enough to try a number of brands, so I thought I’d put together a full review of my entire stash before it balloons and becomes too large. Lipsticks are reviewed in no particular order:
my lipstick collection, minus the l’oreal/maybelline haul of 15th Nov
(1) Sephora Rouge 0098A Lip Attitude Series $24 SGD (retail store) or $12 USD (online)
The picture on the left shows the lipstick colour as it swatches, with flash, but the pic on the right shows the colour as it actually looks in real life, a deep, dark purple. When I first saw this instore my eyes actually skipped over it, but my friend picked it up and gleefully swatched it on my hand and I was instantly won over. It’s a very pretty, great colour and goes on creamy smooth. Like all Sephora lipsticks it has a very nice perfumed scent, which is not overpowering but very subtle and nice. As it’s an opaque lipstick it covers any lip colour completely so you don’t have to worry about your natural lip colour (which is an issue with other lipsticks). This colour is gorgeous & goes perfectly with black eyeliner and a rock chic look.
(2) Sephora n01 0174A Long Wearing Maniac Lipstick $20 SGD (retail) or $12 USD (online)
This is a very pretty, sweet pink – a colour I’ve been hunting for ages because I’ve always been wanting to try out the “pink lips” look done by many kawaii girls, though not to the extreme. I love the long slim tube of the lipstick, and the colour goes on well, though not as opaque as (1). Unfortunately for me, light pink doesn’t seem to suit me, but I do love its scent and it does feel awesome on the lips. Instead, I tried out layering this with my elf lipstick in barely bitten, previously reviewed here and it turned out great! What I did was put a layer of this lipstick all over the lips, then I dabbed the elf lipstick in the inner middle portion of the lips, before rubbing my lips together slightly. The end result was better than what I hoped for, and I’ll definitely be constantly trying out new combinations pairing up this lipstick with other colours.
(3) and (4) Revlon Shiny Sheer Series in 825 Sheer Glistening Rose and 810 Sheer Afterglow
I bought these lipsticks during the 1 for 1 Revlon sale at Watsons about 2 years back – then I wasn’t too keen on lipsticks but I still liked to have the hint of colour, without the stickiness of gloss. Cue in these lipsticks. They’re great for just a school day as they’re not very obvious and not very shimmery, but can be layered over to give a nice finish for an outing later in the day. My only complaint is that they melt slightly when the weather is hot & will have some difficulties sliding out of the tube. Both lipsticks last about 3 hours each and do not last past a meal.
Here’s a swatch of the lipsticks:
swatches for (1)-(4) as you can see the first two are more opaque – both were swiped on the hand only once each, but (3)-(4) were swatched 2-3 times to get the colour as seen above read more
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Our Quirky Loves
