New NYX Products: Wonder Stick, Correcting and Contour Concealer Palette, and Wicked Lippies!

Tons of brands have been releasing new products because of the change of the season, but NYX always catches my eye because of their generally good quality products and extremely low prices. I know that the Wonder Stick has been out for a while but it took my Ulta months to get it. When I went to pick it up I was immediately drawn in by their new "Wicked Lippies," which are jewel toned lipsticks. Disclaimer: they're not every day wearable lipsticks, but they are a line of crazy metallic colors and I really thought they were beautiful. Now, do I know when I'll actually wear it? No, but I wanted to add something new to my collection. To this day I still haven't heard anyone mention their new "Conceal, Correct, Contour Palette" and since I've now tried a fair share of contour products, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a test run. Each product will be discussed individually below with the link attached in headings :)

NYX Wonder Stick

This was hands down the best product of the bunch. It's that perfect kind of crayon-like shape so it's extremely easy to draw in the exact spaces where you want your contour and your highlight. I do wish they were slightly more pigmented but because they aren't, you can blend it out easily and build up the amount of product as desired. This is definitely and ideal product for beginners who want to start learning the basics of contouring. You could blend it out with your fingers or a sponge, but I preferred my E.L.F. small stipple brush. The price point is a little high in my opinion, not only for the drugstore but for NYX, but if you're okay with $12, they offer four different shades and I feel like the product will not only last a decent time, but it'll be a great self-teaching tool.

NYX 3C Conceal, Correct, Contour Palette

I'm not even going to waste my time going into a lot of detail on this palette. Two words: GLUE. STICK. That's what this feels like! You can even see how thick they are in my swatches! I tried my fingers, brushes, and my beauty blender- nothing blends these sticky concealers out and it will show on your face. They threw the word "contour" in to be on makeup trend, but not much about this palette is good for contouring. They put the basic color correcting concealers in the palette but don't be expect to correct anything on your face as these concealers crease, settle in lines, and are completely un-blendable! $12 could've happily been spent elsewhere; two thumbs WAY down.

NYX Wicked Lippie

On a happier note, this lipstick was pretty good. I'm obsessed with the shade I picked up (Envy) and I think the pigmentation is decent for the price point. It's not as easy to tell on my swatches but it does take several layers to get the full pigmentation of the blue. It has a comfortable glossy finish that is lightweight but can definitely feel a little heavier with the layers. It's not the perfect staining, long-lasting, all-day wear lipstick, but it's a fair quality lipstick if you want to add something fun to your collection!

*This post was not sponsored and all photos are my own

Eye Drops vs. Laura Geller Shadow Shifter

If you're familiar with eyeshadow pigments, you've probably heard about using eye drops to liquify and intensify the pigment you're working with. I've done it many times before in the past but it seems like every Youtuber I watch mentions that you can use eye drops but then they proceed to use some other mixing medium; this always made me wonder if eye drops were really the best thing to use to get the strongest pigmentation. A few months ago I found a duo pack of the Laura Geller Shadow Shifter on clearance at Ulta for about $8 so I decided to get it and try something new. I've been practicing with it for several weeks now and I've included swatches for both high end and drugstore pigments so everyone can see how they compare!

PROS:

These drops definitely work. As you can see, I got a much more pigmented swatch from liquifying the pigment with these drops. Surprisingly, the drugstore pigments were harder to remove with the drops than the MAC ones! I can also completely testify to the fact that this product did not make my shadows crease. I always get nervous putting any wet products on my eyes but this product really did seal everything in. I can't say they were waterproof because I didn't jump in a pool or anything with it on but it did hold up extremely well on my eyes for several hours.

CONS:

Balance. If you don't get the ratio of drops to pigment just right when mixing it, it can be a disaster. You can even see in my Maybelline swatch that the product looked chunky in some parts- I left this in the picture intentionally to show how that can happen. I used the same amounts when mixing all my swatches yet not all of them turned out perfectly smooth; this is a common risk I've found with the product which makes me feel like the turnout will be unpredictable every time. *ALSO* my biggest issue with these had to do with layering. Many people get their brush wet then dip it directly in the pigment and apply it; this was impossible to do as the application was incredibly uneven. I always mix it on the back of my hand first and then apply it to my eyes. Occasionally I would need to go back in and pick up more pigment to get the full intensity on my eyes and THIS is where it can really turn to shit. I did this one of my MAC pigments that isn't featured and the second application of pigment completely chunked up on my eye and then removed it completely! I was not swiping with my brush I was patting it on and I still had this problem- it completely ruined my look that night and I was not happy!

IS IT WORTH IT?

Ahem, do you see the differences between the eye drop swatches and the shadow shifter ones? NO! Almost all the swatches both drugstore and MAC were equally as pigmented with both drops! The only differences I really saw were in the MAC pigments; Kitschmas went on just a little bit smoother with the shadow shifter, and Push the Edge actually went on too dark in my opinion- the eye drops pulled a much more wearable purple and showed off it's slight duo-chrome much better. Bottom line, if you can find them on clearance I would say give them a shot and see if it helps waterproof your makeup (especially in the summer months). If you can't find them on sale, HELL NO! These retail for $17-$20 and there's no way I would EVER advise anyone to spend that kind of money on these. Eye drops are like $4 so I'd go that direction. Also note that I included the swatches after two swipes of a makeup wipe below and the eye drops held up pretty much as well as the shadow shifter drops!

*this post was not sponsored and all photos are my own*

Buxom Full Bodied Lipsticks

Buxom as a brand seems to be greatly underrated. I myself am guilty of often passing the isle in Sephora and heading for the big brands I'm familiar with. While I still haven't tested many of their products, I have been playing with a few lipsticks and they may be one of my favorite formulas to date! The first one I tried was the shade Exhibitionist, which is what sparked my love affair. The color wore for several hours without fading and was so comfortable I forgot I had it on. Buxom came out with a mini set for the holidays at Sephora and it recently went on sale (click here). I've had the set for a few weeks now so I felt like after testing several shades I had a final opinion.

There are a ton of reasons why the formula for these lipsticks are amazing; to start, they feel SO good on! The lipstick is super hydrating and helps make it wear comfortably on my lips. I also get a great amount of wear time before I need to reapply it. Even the application is easy- I didn't feel like I absolutely needed a lip-liner and I barely even needed a mirror! You get so much pigmentation that you really only need one swipe of the lipstick for it to look awesome.

Nudist: Nudist unfortunately was not my favorite. It is a pretty peachy-nude color, but it almost seems to go on much more sheer than other shades. I had to put on several swipes to get the color to show up.

Exhibitionist: I don't have it anymore but I'll be getting a new tube soon FOR SURE! It's hard to explain because the bright fuchsia color looks pretty basic, but I swear it's the first one I've worn and felt like it was completely flattering on me. I definitely think it would look great on all skin tones!

Dolly: Dolly was one of the colors I owned before getting the mini set and I truly love it. It's a deep mauvey-pink and it's a really great color to wear when a nude is too light and a dark color is too dramatic.

Provocateur: I LOVE this red! It's a true blue-based red and I feel like it's really flattering for my skin tone and girls who usually have a hard time finding the right red.

The only downside I've found about these lipsticks is the price point. It's $21 a lipstick, but I honestly feel like the little bit you need per use will help it last extremely long. Also, I don't believe this line has a shade without a glossy finish but Buxom carries other products and matte formulas.

*this post was not sponsored and all photos are my own*

ColourPop Haul and Review!

I don't know if it's addiction, obsession, or maybe a little bit of both, but I know I reached a new level when I swatched everything in this haul and was immediately tempted to get online and place another order. Many people haven't heard of ColourPop, and until recently, I hadn't either. As a part-time beauty Instagram stalker, I started noticing there were tons of pictures of their products and soon after that, one of my favorite Youtuber's, LustreLux, started incorporating some of the shadows into her looks and a favorite's video. After all the hype and talk about how odd the texture of their eye-shadows are, I decided to place an order.

Here's some background info about ColourPop:

• Website: www.colourpop.com
• They sell eye-shadow singles. They don't make palettes because the texture of the shadow will dry out if it's de-potted. For you Z-Palette girls, sorry bout it.
• Almost every shadow you order will be glittery UNLESS you order from their recently launched matte collection.
• They also sell lipstick and lip-liner, or as they call it "lippie stix" and pencils. Every shade of lipstick has a corresponding pencil!
• EVERY INDIVIDUAL PRODUCT IS $5. Do you hear the choir singing?
• You only need a $30 minimum for free shipping and if you sign up for the newsletter you get $5 off... aka a free product, so do dis.

To get a well-rounded idea of ColourPop I ordered five eye-shadows and two lippie stix; here's how it went.

Okay can I just say I immediately fell in love with ColourPop before I even opened my products? Do you see that note in the top left corner? That is a handwritten thank you note from ColourPop. Like what? I so appreciate the care and personalization they took from both a business and a consumer standpoint. Those other two cards are details about some of their ingredients. finishes, tips for application, and upkeep of the products. Again, I love them so much for this!!!

SUPER SHOCK SHADOWS:
The biggest hype and reputation for these shadows is the texture; I've heard everything from creamy feeling, to foam, to satiny velvet. My interpretation is that they feel sort of like a cream but almost oilier. I don't want the word "oily" to turn anyone off because they set to a powder and I haven't experienced a creasing problem! Another amazing thing is that despite most of these being intensely glittery, I've experienced NO FALLOUT!

POP ROCKS:

This is the color that inspired my order. I literally checked my shipping confirmation every single day because I couldn't wait to see how this shadow works. They call it a tie-dye shadow because it has several colors speckled together and when you swatch it, they all come together and make a really gorgeous and unique shade. This one has baby pink, blue, lavender, and a ton of glitter. When I swatch it I get this amazing periwinkle sort of duo-chrome looking color that shows all of its depth as you move in different light. It makes me think of the Lizzie McGuire movie when she wears her big custom gown at the end that rips of into pants and crop top. If I had wound up hating every other product in this haul (which I don't) it would have been worth it for this color alone.

KRINKLE:

CALLING ALL MERMAIDS! I'm so happy with this color, it's exactly how I imagined it would be. It can tend to photograph almost like a gunmetal grey but it's actually this beautiful blueish teal duo-chrome glittery color that just makes me think instant mermaid. Easily my second favorite of the bunch.

SLAVE2PINK

No other word to describe this but Barbie. The pictures do no justice. It's a hot pink with undertones of blue and so much glitter that it's hard to think I would buy such a girly color, but it's so BEAUTIFUL! This shade however is where the confusion starts. This one is technically labeled as a pressed pigment; I don't know what the technical difference is but it seems that only the fluorescent shades qualify as pigments. Additionally, in super fine print on the label I noticed that it says "not for eye area" and it's mentioned in the details on the website. What? How do you make a pressed pigment on a site that mainly sells eye-shadows and then they list you shouldn't put it on your eyes? Where am I supposed to put it? They don't include a reason which makes me concerned as to what may happen if I do put it on my eyes, although I seriously doubt it's serious. This color also surprisingly stains! I don't see this negatively, I think it's a perk to its longevity but I wont know until I wear it on my eyes.

SHAMELESS

Unfortunately, Shameless was kind of a bummer for me. Don't get me wrong, it's still a stunning color, but it tends to pull a little different from how it looks in the pot. My camera really struggled to pick this color up accurately, but it's basically a really deep forest green with an almost lime green duo-chrome from the blue and gold glitter that's inside it. What I don't love about it is that I feel like there's almost a black in the background that make this swatch so incredibly dark and make the green aspect almost secondary. I'm going to keep playing with it and see how it looks on a white base but overall, it's not my favorite of the colors.

MEOW

Meow is f***ing right! This was another tie-dye shadow I was stoked to test out. The specks of color include a mix of pinks and greys and when blended together you get an almost indescribable color. It's like a silvery-pinkish-lavendery color. Yeah, fail. But it's beautiful and that's what matters.

At $5 a shadow these really are a steal and a completely unique formula that is worth trying and having in your collection. I've never even been much of a glitter girl and I'm already trying to buy out half of the store! While some of the shadows usually needed about 2 coats to get its full payoff, they are ridiculously pigmented and gorgeous. They have worked best for me as a lid color and I get the strongest effect just using my finger but I plan to try more and more and test out how the blending works. I can't wait to place my next order, ColourPop has a new customer for life.

*OH AND BTW, these are the swatches after three swipes of a makeup wipe!!! UHM, HELLO!!!*

LIPPIE STIX:
I didn't know as much about the lip products before ordering them, which is why I only purchased two. I LOVE that they have a huge range of wearable shades in addition to pastels and crazy colors! I wanted to broaden my collection so I tried something completely different; I got a black, and a purple.

BULLCHIC:

First of all, I love the name. ColourPop has an edgier dialogue and style and I think it's humorous and entertaining! Bullchic is a matte finish black lipstick and I have mixed feelings. I don't own another black lipstick so I don't have much to compare it to but I felt like it could have been a little bit more pigmented. It's still a great color payoff but I need to do about two swipes to get full opaque color. I also don't think this is matte whatsoever. It's not glossy, but it's definitely not matte. Added plus, these lipsticks smell like warm vanilla sugar spray from Bath & Body Works.

GRIND:

I'm really, really pleased with Grind! It's really difficult for me to pull of a purple but it makes me optimistic. I also felt like when I applied it lightly and blotted it, it was a gorgeous violet-magenta and I adored it. However, once again, I don't see how this is a matte. This one applied less shiny than Bullchic but I would say it's a demi-matte at best.

Overall the lip colors are really comfortable and pigmented! I'm SO happy that it's a skinny lipstick, especially since they sell some crazy colors. All the lip crayons and lip markers are on the market and I'm just like, this is why people are intimidated by lip products! Think about it, would you use a paint roller on a coloring book? NO! The skinnier size and the sharp tip make it so easy to apply your lipstick without getting it all over your face or even needing a lip-liner.


*this post was not sponsored (as much as I might wish that it was) and all pictures are my own*

Walmart Beauty Box (Winter)

For those of you who don't know this exists, you need to go get it...like right now. I know many people are familiar with Ipsy, Birchbox, and various other beauty subscription boxes but the Walmart Beauty Box is actually fairly new one on the market.

Let me start with the fact that it's quarterly, so you get a new box for every season. For junkies like myself, I'd prefer more frequent boxes, but that's exactly why this is a perfect box for the non-committal or for those who may want to add it in conjunction to another subscription box. Each box is only $5. Yes, FIVE DOLLARS! I easily got $20 worth of product in my first box which makes this one of the first subscription boxes I can completely vouch for on the value!

Heres's some of the basic background information:

• I can never find the beauty box on Walmart's website. This is because you make a separate account on an entirely different URL: https://beautybox.walmart.com/ 
• They divide the age groups into two and you may receive a different box based on which group you fit in.
• Obviously they only include products that can be found in Walmart, but you also get manufacturer coupons that can be used almost anywhere! 

I received my first box back in August before I had my blog so I don't have all of the pictures for it :/ BUT I am going to list every product I got in my Fall box and the links for each product at the end of this post! Here's the list of what was included in my winter beauty box:

• L'Oreal OleoTherapy Travel-Size Shampoo & Conditioner (retail value is about $2 each) click here

• Maybelline Color Sensational "The Buffs" Lipstick in the shade "Maple Kiss" (retail value is about $5) click here

• Jergens Travel-Size BB Body Lotion (unknown retail value, the full size is about $12) click here

• Olay Fresh Effects Everything Off! Makeup Removing Wipes Sample Size (unknown retail value, the full size is about $4) click here

• Nivea Cocoa Butter Sample Packet with $1 off coupon (full size retail value is about $5) click here

• Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder Sample with $1 off coupon (full size retail value is about $7) click here

I love that this is the second time they've given me full size lip products! This is one of the biggest points that prove the box is worth it for me because most lip products are $5 and up alone and that's the cost of the entire box. Of what I've tried in my box I've loved pretty much everything! My only complaint is the color of the Maybelline lipstick; it's too dark for my skin tone and just doesn't work but I do think it's an excellent match for the Marsala Pantone Color of the Year!

FALL BOX:

• Full size Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant (retail value is around $8) click here 
• Full size Covergirl Glosstini Nail Polish *no longer available in the teal I got but the average retail price was about $2-3) click here 
• Full size L'Oreal Glossy Balm in the shade "Pink Me Up" (retail value is around $7)           click here 
• Dove Oxygen Series Travel-Size Shampoo & Conditioner (retail value for each is about $2 each)  click here 
• Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Travel-Size (unknown retail value, the full size is about $12)         click here 
• Nicki Minaj Pink Friday Perfume Sample (unknown retail value, the full size is about $20) click here 
• L'Oreal Youth Code Pore Vanisher Sample Packet (unknown retail value, the full size is about $20) click here 
• Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup flyer with 8 shades of sample packets and a $2 off coupon (unknown retail value, the full size is about $14) click here

*this post was not sponsored and all pictures are my own*

Flower Brush Up! 4 Piece Brush Set

Whenever I visit a Walmart makeup section, I can't help but get sucked in by all of the good deals! Now that all of the holiday items are being reduced to clearance, I've made no exceptions. I've tested very few items from Drew Barrymore's Flower beauty line, so when I saw all of the holiday sets were 50% off I went straight for the brushes. Three brushes for $10 is a great deal to me, especially when that's roughly what I pay per brush. The set includes a leather brush roll, an eyeshadow brush, a powder brush, and a lip/concealer brush. The brush cost individually is $12.98 for the powder brush, $7.98 for the eyeshadow brush, and $6.98 for the lip/concealer brush.

PROS:
Price point. As I said, $10 for three brushes is amazing. The set was originally $19.99 which isn't bad at all! It also covers all the bases by including a face, eye, and lip brush, which makes it really awesome for gifting or just adding variety to your collection.

Powder Brush: The brush is really soft and comfortable; it's not scratchy like most cheap drugstore brushes. I also really like its design because it doesn't look cheap and its really sturdy. The brush isn't very dense so it worked the best for brushing away eyeshadow fallout on my face.

Eyeshadow Brush: This brush is really soft, really dense, and really large. It can pack on a lot of concentrated color and it covers a lot of space so it's ideal for all over the lid color or quick one shadow looks.

Lip & Concealer Brush: I LOVE this brush! It's really stiff and really pointed which is EXACTLY what I want in my lip brushes. I have others that are way to thick or flimsy and it makes me wonder who even decided that was right for a lip brush! By having a stiff and pointed brush it makes it 1,000 times easier to stay within the lines of your lips with very minimal risk for mistakes. If you think about why people use lip brushes it's almost always for red lipstick or for bright colors and hard to apply lip products; this is why I need brushes that help me with a clean application and the one in this set is perfect!

CONS:
If I had bought this at full price I probably would've returned it. I know $19.99 isn't a lot of money but there are so many other options out there that are way more worth the cost.

Powder Brush:
I love how soft this brush is but it's way too flimsy and the handle is heavier than most. It's not at all dense enough to pick up enough product or apply enough coverage. When I used it with my Makeup Forever HD powder it just flicked a big cloud of powder all over the place and I felt like I wasted more product than I applied.

Eyeshadow Brush: This brush is HUGE. Seriously, if you have small eyes I don't know if you could use it. I've been using it to apply skin-toned shadows all over my eye when I start neutral looks but other than that its use is very limited. You can't get a precise application with it and since I basically have found only one use for it, the cost is again, questionable.

Lip & Concealer Brush: As much as I loved this brush, I have very minor problems with it. As you can probably see in my close up picture, some of the product settled at the base and it's been hard to clean out. Not a huge deal, just noteworthy. Also, even though I love that it's so stiff, this is also partially a con. The stiffness can cause some unevenness in spreading on your lip products so you have to make sure you apply another layer to even out the color.

IS IT WORTH IT?: 
It depends. If you're a beginner or you need a good gift to give someone then yes. Overall the value is great when you buy them in this set at 50% off instead of buying them individually. Were the brushes awful? Not at all! But they aren't amazing and I really prefer Real Techniques brushes if I'm looking for something wallet-friendly. They also marketed this as a 4-piece set by including the leather brush roll as a piece, and I wound up hating the brush roll. It only holds the three brushes in the set and it barely rolls up or ties with the cheap strings you're provided. I definitely wouldn't pay the cost of these brushes individually but if you can find the set on sale it may be worth a try.

*This post wasn't sponsored and pictures are my own*