NYX Cream Blushes

I am in love with cream blushes lately. They are perfect for springtime. NYX cream blushes are wonderful. They are super creamy, pigmented, easy to blend and very natural looking.

The packaging is pretty basic- black plastic compact case with clear top. But the quality and color of these blushes is great. They are super pigmented so you have to be careful when you apply. Less is more for these blushes. I like using a smaller sized stipple bush for these; you can blend them easily with your fingers too. They stay on pretty much all day for me. I top it with a powder blush for a long lasting stay.

 

(L-R) Glow, Natural, Tea Rose

 Swatches (L-R) Glow, Natural, Tea Rose

I have it in 3 colors: Natural, Glow and Tea Rose. All of the colors I have are neutral/natural colors. These are shimmerless cream blushes however they do provide a nice dewy glow to cheeks. My favorite amongst three is Tea Rose because that looks most flattering on my medium skin tone.

All in all I love them!!! I am getting a good use of these. I am using Tea rose more than a year and the consistency of this product is still great. You can buy NYX products at Ulta or on cherryculture.com. They are $5.99 each, they are made in Taiwan. NYX is cruelty free.

Neutrogena Color Sticks

Like all the other jumbo lip stick type products Neutrogena has come up with these color sticks. I got two of them - “Warm Caramel” and “Soft Raspberry”. I think all of the Neutrogena color sticks have a shimmery/metallic sheen. They have rather soft neutral colors and they don’t look flashing bright on the lips. I like that because that makes them very wearable everyday lip colors. I have a couple of Neutrogena lipsticks and I love them very much but sometime last year they got discontinued and I was super sad. I am glad they came out with these.

 

Warm Caramel

Soft Raspberry

Warm Caramel, Soft Raspberry

Warm Caramel is a neutral brownish shade with golden shimmer. And Soft Raspberry is a dusty rose shade with pearly/metallic sheen. I love them both very much. They feel very soft and moisturizing on the lips, they almost feel like a balm. They do not have much staying power; they do not strain the lips. But they have such a comfortable feel on the lips that I don’t mind reapplying them every couple of hours.

 

My natural lip color

Warm Caramel

Soft Raspberry

Things I Love:

-          Glides on smooth, super soft texture.

-          Feels lightweight on lips and leave lips moisturized (In my opinion)

-          They are shimmery but not glittery

-          I like the smell very much

-          Wearable colors

-          Practical twist up tube packaging

Things that could be better:

-          Limited color selection

-          All the colors are shimmery, some of them can look too frosty on you but you can’t tell from the packaging (before applying).

-          Not true to the tube (packaging) color

-          Most of the colors are sheer

Bottom line, I love these color sticks and the soft glow they provide. Though they are not as pigmented as Revlon Balm stains, I love the consistency and how comfortable they are on the lips. Neutrogena color sticks are more comparable with Revlon lip butters in the consistency and feel. I wish they add more color selection and verity of finishes in the future.

They are definitely a must have for coming summer months. They cost $6.49-$ 8.49 depending on the store. I couldn't find where they are made, it is not mentioned on the packaging. 

Milani Lipsticks

Milani has refreshed their lipstick line this year. The new line is called Color Statement lipsticks and they contain Vitamins A, C, & E to moisturize and nourish lips. They have categorized these lipsticks into four categories: Orange & Reds, Pinks & Corals, Plums & Berries and Naturals & Browns. Milani has offered six finishes in this lipstick collection- Vinyl, Metallic, Cream, Shimmer, Pearl & Matte finish.

I picked up 3 colors in this collection last week but unfortunately all of them have same finish. I really wanted to try Vinyl finish but I didn’t pay attention to that while choosing the colors L On the good note it gives me one more chance to buy a new lipstick in future (Like I need more!!!). I have Naturally Chic, Fruit Punch and Red Label. All three of them are cream finish lipsticks.

Naturally Chic, Fruit Punch, Red Label

 They have fantastic coverage, they glides on smooth, have vivid color and the staying power is exceptional for cream lipsticks. They have a faint smell and taste, but it doesn’t bother me.

Naturally Chic: This is nude color kicked up a notch. It’s a fantastic everyday color. I think this can also work as a cream blush because of its texture. Must have color!!!! Love it!!!

 

Naturally Chic

Fruit Punch: This looks very similar to the signature Nicki Minaj color. I wear it at home when I want to feel glamorous J It’s a bright pink color, not flashy but still bright pink. I like it very much.

 

Fruit Punch

Red Label: Oh my God!! I Love this color. I have soft spot for red lipsticks. The formula of this lipstick is very good. It clings to the lips, lasts for long. I have not had any feathering problems with this. It is a classic red lipstic. This color is a big hit for me J

 

Red Label

They are available in drugstores but not every shade is available in every store. I was surprised that not even a single store has the full collection. You can buy all of them retail but you have hop to many stores to do that.

They come in the gold tube and the color is visible at the bottom. I think they are pretty much true to the color on the packaging at least the colors I have. I have not tried all of them but I am very impressed with Milani color statement lipsticks. I will surely try more colors and finishes in future.

They cost $4.99 - $ 5.99. They are made in USA. 

Benefit High Beam, Sun Beam and Cha Cha tint

These were one of my first high end makeup purchases. I have them in mini travel size portions as I wanted to try them before I spend around $30 each to buy them. High beam and Sunbeam are highlighters while Cha cha tint is a mango tinted lip and cheek stain. All of them have creamy liquid texture and they come in a nail-polish type tube. You get the tiny nail polish type brush as an applicator to dot the product on and then you blend with a brush or fingers.

  

From L to R: High beam, Sun beam, Cha cha tint

High Beam:

High beam is a lilac pink colored highlighter. The color is very pretty with subtle pink. It is lilac but doesn’t look ashy at all. I love the texture of this product but its color is not one of a kind. There are several similar highlighters in the market, the closest dupe I have is elf color stick in persimmon. Hard Candy’s glow is also very similar. High beam, gives you a very pretty, non-glittery highlight which lasts all day. You can apply it on your cheekbones, cupid’s bow area, on the bridge of the nose or wherever you wish to highlight. It doesn’t get oily and blends very smoothly.  I like the product very much but I will not purchase a full size of this as I can buy a very similar highlighter for as low as $1 (elf).

  

persimmon and glow

From L to R: High beam, persimmon, glow

Sun Beam:

Sun beam is a golden bronze highlighter. Again I like it very much but it’s not a one of a kind color. The Benefit website how to apply section they say “Dot on top of cheekbones & blend towards the hairline. Dab under each brow & gently blend.” Sun beam is a nice warm color with yellow undertones. It gives a natural sun kissed look to the skin. You can mix a little sun beam with your foundation for all over radiance and a dewy effect. It blends effortlessly; staying power is very impressive too.

Sun beam and Cha cha tint swatch

Cha Cha tint:

Cha cha tint is mango tinted lip and cheek stain. I love this coral mango color. I am originally from a tropical country so Mangos have special place in my heart. When I heard it’s a mango tinted stain I was super excited to try it. Though I don’t think other than color it has anything to do with mangoes. This is a nice pigmented creamy liquid stain and it doesn’t have any shimmer. It is easy to blend, however, remember to blend it quickly after you dot it on otherwise you will have a blotchy stain. I think this color will look gorgeous on all skin tones. If you are into coral this spring, this is the product for you. Love this product.

I must say all three of them looks very natural on skin. They are very pretty good quality products. They are a bit pricey for my taste but otherwise I like them very much.

Full-size Benefit Sun beam and High beam (0.45 oz) are $26 each and Cha cha tint (0.42 oz) costs $30. Benefit does not test cosmetic products on animals. They are made in France.

Milani Baked Blush Luminoso and Corallina

I think Milani cosmetics is the unsung hero of the drugstore makeup world. They have such awesome long lasting products. After trying Milani Fantastico Muave blush I was much excited to try other blush shades. The only thing trying to stop me was my overflowing makeup drawer L I was trying to resist buying these two colors thinking “I have a lot of peachy golden blushes and I will do a major injustice to them if buy more.” But the Heart Wants What It Wants J Now my makeup collection proudly showcases Milani Luminoso and Milani Corallina as its newly acquired members.

Right- Luminoso, Left- Corallina

Milani Luminoso:

This is a peachy pink blush with golden sheen. It is shimmery but it is very smooth and doesn’t have any apparent glitter (small or large) chunks. It gives a natural glow to the cheeks. This blush works like magic; it illuminates your cheeks and makes you look like a star in an instance. Love love  love this blush.

Right- Luminoso, Left- Corallina

Milani Corallina:

It’s a coral blush. And it is sparkly. Oh yeah!! Coral with silver sparkles. This is a wonderful spring/summer type blush. The color of this blush gravitated more on the orange side but without being intimidating. The silver sparkles in the pan don’t really make your face look like a disco ball but it does look shimmery on the face.

Luminoso is a more everyday, sophisticated professional kind of blush whereas Corallina is a casual, fun blush. Not that you can’t wear either one on any occasion. Both of these blushes are nicely pigmented with great texture. Luminoso is a peach glow and Corallina is an orangy coral color. It is a personal preference which one you like the best but I reach for Luminoso more than Corallina. But I like them both equally.

They have a small compartment for blush brush and attached mirror beneath the blush pan. They cost $6.99-$8.99 each depending on where you buy. They are made in Italy.

Flower Ready Set Glow Blush/Bronzer Duo - Shimmering Goddess

Flower beauty is a new makeup line by Drew Barrymore. Their philosophy is to provide high quality makeup at reasonable price. Flower beauty products are only available in Walmart stores. This brand is on the pricier side of the drugstore products. So far I have just tried their blush and bronzer duo in Shimmering Goddess and I love it.

I have noticed that almost all the flower beauty products have cute but bulkier packaging. The bush/bronzer duo has a flower petal like shape. It has a white and rose gold plastic packaging which looks really cute and high end. The shade I purchased is called Shimmering Goddess but ironically it’s a matte duo J It costs $10 and net wt of product this duo is 8 g. Usually drugstore blushes are 4g net wt so I think size wise its good value for money.

Less is more with this duo as it is insanely pigmented. I love the color too; it has a very pretty pink blush and a nice brown bronzer. Though the blush is in pink category it is not a girly pink color, it is kind of mature women pink color J Both the blush and bronzer are very finely milled so they have a nice soft creamy texture.

I have been looking for this duo for quiet some time but it was sold out in all Walmart stores in my neighborhood (believe me I went looking for them). Also it is difficult to get hold of unopened products in the store as they do not have any safety seal. Walmart has started putting seal tapes on them lately but still people open it!!! So frustrating!! Anyway I have it now and I absolutely love it, so it was worth of all the hunting work.

Bottom line this duo is fantastic. It is super pigmented, matte, smooth and worth the money. It costs $9.98 and it is made in USA. Flower beauty products are not tested on animals. 

Elf 80 piece Day to Night eyeshadow palette (NEW)

I was in Target the other day and I saw a new shelf added in the elf cosmetics section. They have added several new Elf products in Target. They now have baked eyeshadows, jumbo lip gloss sticks, lip exfoliator and a few limited edition palettes. I tried my best to ignore all the new goodies and tried very hard not to get sucked into the temptation of buying them but I saw this Day to Night palette and I had to get it. That’s the only thing I bought that day I swear J

I have Elf’s 32-eyeshadow cool palette and I am not very impressed with it. I mean its good value for $5 but still many of the eyeshadows were too shear and flaky for my taste. Then why buy this right? But I thought that this is a new palette they must have improved the pigmentation and formula. Also this palette looked so much like the BH and Coastal Scents palette. I don’t own any of the BH and Coastal Scents because I don’t really like buying makeup online- sometimes the product is not same, quality sucks, shipping cost, broken things, too many reasons. So I got tempted to buy this one. I feel like I am giving too much explanation about why I bought this palette. But bottom line I bought it. And so far I like it J

 This 80-eyeshadow Day to Night palette is a new spring 2013 limited edition palette. It has two trays with 40 eyeshadow in each tray. The packaging is decent, sturdy plastic black case with two eyeshadow trays and a humongous mirror. The packaging doesn’t specify which tray is for day or night; it just says this: “The interchangeable compact includes 80 must-have eyeshadow shades that are perfect for creating both day and night looks. The sleek palette design is great for travel or on-the-go beauty touch-ups. Includes 2 palettes with 40 eyeshadows each (80 total colors) and a compact case.”

Some random swatches from Day to Night palette

It has wide variety of color selection from neutral colors like peach, browns, grays to fun colors orange, pinks, greens, purples. The eyeshadow texture seems to be softer and creamy than the 32-eyeshadow palette. Pigmentation is improved too. These are not the best pigmented eyeshadows available but they are pretty good. Of course like every palette this one also has some misses but all in all I like it and for $10 I think this is a great palette.

I bought it from Target for $10. This is also available on http://www.eyeslipsface.com/ for $15 and currently they have ½ off sale on spring 2013 items so this is a good time to get it if you what. Elf does not test on animals.

Thanks for stopping by,

-Snehal

Wet ‘n’ Wild Color Icon Blusher

Oh my god. These are the most pigmented blushes ever. They come in four colors: Pearlescent pink, Heather silk, Mellow wine and Berry shimmer.

Don’t be fooled by the mediocre packaging these are wonderful blushes with great color pay off. I cant talk enough about how richly pigmented these are :D  All you need is a light tap with your brush to add nice flush of color to your cheeks, no swirling/sweeping action required J

From Left to Right: Berry Shimmer, Mellow Wine, Heather Silk, Pearlwscent Pink

 These blushes are very soft, they blend effortlessly and they give a nice pop of color. All of these colors are wearable but you can also build them up without looking cakey if you are into dramatic mood.

From Left to Right: Berry Shimmer, Mellow Wine, Heather Silk, Pearlwscent Pink

 Berry Shimmer : This is a deep berry plumy color with red undertone. It is the darkest shade in all four. It has a subtle simmer so your face doesn’t look like a disco ball.

Mellow Wine :  Mellow wine is a beautiful rosy color. It is not too pink, not too brown, just perfect rosy shade with very little red in it. You will notice some silver shimmer in the pan but it doesn’t really transfer on the cheeks.

Heather Silk : This is the only matte color between all the four shades. This shade is gorgeous deep mauve pink. This is universally flattering color.

Pearlescent Pink : This is light peachy pink color with golden shimmer.

One flaw in these blushes is they are powdery and have fallout. But with the great color payoff these are good value for your money. I am a big fan of these blushes.

They cost $2.99 each and they are made in China. Wet n Wild is a cruelty free brand.

L’Oreal Colour Riche Eye Shadow quad in What Happens in Vegas

L’Oreal has some new eyeshadow quads in stores now. I was instantly drawn to the “What happens in Vegas” quad for 2 reasons. First it has nice peachy, orange colors which are hard to find in drugstores and second I LOVE Vegas J

 Quality and Color:

I am not very impressed with the quality or color of this quad. I was expecting the soft buttery texture like Maybelline quads but this has much harder texture. The colors look pretty, swatch pretty, but when you put it on your eyes they looks sheer. Pigmentation of this quad is average; color is hard to show up. You definitely need some cream base for this eyeshadow. Also they have powdery texture. They go all over the place after you dip your brush in it.

First color in the quad is a peach. It is very unique and pretty but you need to have some base on for it to show up. The second color is a highlight pearly off white color. Third one is a muted orange color which is intended to be used in the crease. In my opinion this color is not pigmented enough to become a contour color. And the forth one is a brown shade with glitter. This is supposed to be a definer color. This is an absolutely useless shade - rough, flaky, chunky, glittery, in short very disappointing.

Packaging:

This has a flimsy plastic golden case. I must say that this packaging is hard to keep clean. It is like a magnet for fingerprints. I kept this in my makeup bag just for a couple of hours and the packaging got smudge marks all over it. I tried to clean it but it became smudgier with finger marks on it. It started looking dirty in no time. I hate the packaging.

Staying Power:

This quad doesn’t have a major staying power on its own. When I put a heavy duty base under it like Too faced shadow insurance or Maybelline color tattoo then it lasted about 6-8 hours for me with some fading.

Overall:

Overall this product is not as good as I was expecting it to be. I love the colors in the pan very much but they don’t look as vibrant when I apply then on my eyes. Texture of this quad is hard, flaky and difficult to work with. Packaging is another problem.

I give 4.5 to this quad on the 1-10 scale.

It costs $6.97-$7.99 depending on the store. They are made in USA.

Physicians Formula Nude palette (New Display, Old nude palette review)

Physicians formula is like a high end brand of the drugstore makeup kingdom. Their prices range from $10-$20. The Physicians formula website claims that their products are dermatologist approved, hypoallergenic and made especially for sensitive skin. I have used bronzers, blushes, shimmer strips sold by Physicians Formula, but I think their “eyeshadow shimmer strips in NUDE“ is the most talked about product.

Last year almost every brand tried to mimic the famous Urban Decay Naked palette, and I suppose this one was one of them. I don’t own the Naked palette so I can’t comment on the similarity between them but by the pictures alone they look similar.

Physicians formula now has a new display at Rite Aid with new shades in the Nude shimmer strips. The new shades on display are Natural nude, Warm nude, Classic nude and Smokey Nude. All of them look almost similar to the old Nude palette with a tiny bit of twist. I don’t own any of the new nude palettes so the description below is just by the looks not experience.

From left to right: Neutral nude, Warm nude, Classic nude, Smokey nude

Natural Nude: The colors are mostly in light to medium neutral brown zone. At least from the packaging and the picture from PF website, most of the medium toned colors look alike.

Warm Nude: This palette has light to dark brown shades. It also has some bronzy shades and one dark brown. First three lighter shades look almost exactly like in the old palette.

Classic Nude: It has some taupe shades, browns, peachy colors. It lacks the black though. This looks most similar to the old Nude palette.

Smokey Nude: This palette is beautiful. I could not find it in the store but they have a picture on their website. It has black, grey, taupe, bronzy shades. This seems to be the most versatile out of all.

Old Nude palette that I have (Its been used several times hence the dents )

I have the old Nude palette from PF and that’s what I am going to review. It has total 9 eyeshadow and you can use them wet for intense looks or dry for softer looks. To use it wet, just wet your brush a little and dip it in the color.

Old Nude palette swatches

At the back of the packaging it divides them in trios in which you can wear them. But of course you can mix it the way you please. The packaging also shows that because you can use them wet or dry you have 18 custom shades, 6 custom looks ( 3 trio x 2 wet/dry ) and 6 custom liners ( 3 dark shades x 2 wet/dry).

Except black all the colors have pearlescent finish. They are nice shimmery colors without any glitter. This is very nice everyday palette.

Things I like about this palette:

-          Pretty colors.

-          Good color pay off when applied wet or with primer.

-          Soft, creamy texture.

-          Super cute lace packaging.

-          Travel friendly - relatively small size palette for 9 shadows.

-          With primer they lasted all day for me without creasing.

-          You can use darker colors as eye liners.

-          They are dermatologist testes, hypoallergenic, made forsensitive eyes so the formula doesn’t irritate eye.

Things I don’t like:

-          Strips are “cut” uneven, darker colors are smaller in width than others.

-          Some strips are very small to use with brush. You need a tiny brush for them.

-          Pigmentation could be better.

-          All colors are shimmery.

-          Lighter colors are hard to show up.

-          Applicator is pointy sponge tip, its not much help for a well blended look.

All in all I like this palette very much. It costs $9-$11 varying on store. This palette is made in Taiwan. Physicians formula is on PETA’s cruelty free brand list.