nyx – Beyond the Swatch

Perfect Purple for Summer and Fall!

October 2, 2016 No Comments

NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks are AMAZING. This line is hands down one of the most pigmented drug store liquid lipsticks that I’ve come across. Check out all 24 shades here! ($6.99).

The shade that I’m sharing with you all today is this gorgeous one below: Amethyst. Described as “deep neon purple” on NYX’s website and noted as a fan favorite on Ulta’s website!

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Swatches!

This product was highly recommended to me by one of my high school friends (and fellow makeup enthusiasts) and since then I’ve been recommending this shade for anyone who is on the hunt for a true purple lip color! One of my friend’s jaw damn near dropped when I swatched this shade for her for the first time. (You’ll see why in a second!)

Swatched under natural light, in the sun: Sparkly/dewy bright purple with a navy blue undertone.

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Swatched in natural light, in the shade: Dark periwinkle with a blue undertone. (Less bright than how it looks in the sun, but vibrant nonetheless!)

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Swatched indoors, with flash: Deep, vibrant purple with a deep blue undertone. (Deeper and darker compared to the swatches taken in natural light).

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Swatched on 3 different skintones!

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See the differences in the shade when swatched on different skin tones? Me neither! 😉 This shade is so beautifully pigmented that it stays pretty consistent on each skin tone.

Final thoughts:

Overall, if you’re looking for a bright, fun, purple lipstick that stays true to it’s purple-ness, I highly recommend this one. Most purple lipsticks turn into a different shade then expected when mixed with someone’s unique skin tone and natural lip color, but this one stays a true purple like it does in the package. This shade is fun and bright enough for summer and deep enough to carry into fall!

This product comes with a soft bristled triangle shaped brush and applies on easily. I personally feel like this product doesn’t dry your lips out like most liquid lipsticks do. Check out the video below to see this gorgeous shade on @MakeupShayla!

What do you all think? Have you tried this shade before? Send me your swatches!

What are your favorite drugstore lipsticks?

What are you favorite fall shades?

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Swatch Comparison, Swatch with me

NYX Baked Eyeshadow Swatches!

September 25, 2016 2 Comments

Sunday Swatches!

NYX Baked Eyeshadow ($6 each)

I went to a NYX store for the first time the other day and I loved it! I loved being able to swatch the products, get expert advice, and get all the benefits of buying makeup at the counter with a drugstore brand.

Check out my mini haul below! I’ll be swatching the products found on the top of the picture: NYX Baked Eyeshadow!

Picture below: Left: Ambrosia Right: Mademoiselle

both

Swatches!

Today’s swatches will be focused on how a shade changes depending on the application technique. I’ll be discussing how these shades look when applied with a dry eyeshadow brush, with my fingers, and with a damp brush!

A little backstory of my experience with this product: I had very high expectations of these eye shadows, and unfortunately, it took a little more effort for me to make this product work!

I got little to no product when I tried to pick up this shadow with a dry brush. The most successful way I was able to use this product was by applying it using my fingers. I was also able to make this product more pigmented and easier to apply by using a damp eye shadow brush.

As you can see in the quick swatches I did below, the product has a very light color payout. The bottom swatch is 1-2 layers of the shade applied with my finger, and the top shade is 3-4 layers of the product. I skipped showing how the shadows look when applied with a brush because it literally didn’t show up on my skin at all.

quick-swatches

NYX Baked Eye Shadow in Mademoiselle

Impression of the shade in the pan: Plummy, wine shade with a shiny finish and deep burgundy undertone.

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How the shade looks swatched on my wrist:

In order to get this shade to look as pigmented as it does on the swatch on the left, I had to swirl my pointer finger in small circles around the pan 5-6 times and then packed about 5 layers of the on the shade on my wrist.

This shade looks like a wine red with a brown/orange undertone when applied with my finger. When applied with a damp eye shadow brush, the shade turns into a shiny, metallic red wine color. The shade was definitely less plum colored when swatched on my skin tone versus how it looks in the pan.

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NYX Baked Eye shadow in Ambrosia

Impression of this shade in the pan: Bright, light, sparkly gold!

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How the shade looks swatched on my wrist:

When swatched on my wrist, this shade looked like a light and pretty champagney gold shade. It’s a flatter, darker shade of brownish/gold when swatched with my finger. And metallic, shiny, light gold when applied with a damp eye shadow brush. I think this shade would work well as a subtle highlight on your cheekbones or in the corner of your eyes because the shade is so light and luminous.

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Lasting Impression:

Overall, these shades were pretty, but the quality of the product was disappointing. Even after being able to increase the pigmentation of the shadow by applying it with a damp eye shadow brush, I found that the product doesn’t last throughout the day anyway. I used these shades the other day and after checking my eyes after a few hours, the shadow was completely faded. I also found that even though this product was buildable, the more layers you added, the easier those layers wipe or flake off throughout the day. The product was also not easy to blend which made it nearly impossible to work with.

Lesson learned though-always get creative with makeup before completely giving up on it! Try different application techniques, applying various layers of the product, mix different shades together, try different base layers such as moisturizers and primers! Sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome and sometimes not, but at least you gave it your all. 🙂

Now I want to hear from you!

Have you tried this product? What do you think?

What are you favorite NYX products?

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Lists, Shopping

Ulta Window Shopping!

July 28, 2016 No Comments

Hi lovelies!!!

I went to Ulta the other day with a gift card that’s been burning a hole in my wallet for a few months now! As as per usual, I went a little crazypants with the swatches but for the first time that I can remember, I left with absolutely no new makeup purchases. Unheard of!

My head went spinning with all the new makeup possibilities….Should I buy a bunch drugstore products, or splurge on 1-2 higher end items?? Ooo I like this lipstick, no Alyssa you don’t need more lipstick. But I always need more lipstick. I think I have this shade already, wait do I? Ok I have this narrowed down to 15 different choices. Should I restock on my faves or try something new?? Would I ever wear turquoise eyeliner? You never know. Ok I have this narrowed down to 10 different choices…

In the end, my indecisiveness got the best of me and I left empty handed with my arm covered in a collage of swatches of different makeup that I liked, loved, or didn’t care for!

See the damage below 😉

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Here’s a list of the top 10 brands/products that caught my eye during my little trip to Ulta!
This a mix of new and old products/brands, makeup that was featured in the store, and anything else that caught my attention!

Benefit Magically Transforming Brow Collection
There were a couple of end caps and displays featuring these products. The packaging is very interesting….almost intimidating! Looked like a mix of badass weaponry and scary equipment you find at the dentists office. The product line includes brow gel, eyebrow conditioning powder, 2 types of eyebrow pencils, and eyebrow cream all ranging from $24-$28. This is said to make shaping and filling in your brows super easy and “goof proof”!
Lorac Pro Palette 3, $44
I have the Lorac Pro Palette 1 and I love everything about it! The quality is fantastic, the shades are gorgeous, and the color payout is amazing. Hence, I’ve been anxiously wanting to try the new Lorac Pro Palettes, both the #2 and #3!
The Lorac Pro Palette 3 comes with 16 different colors. A majority of them are neutral/nude shades. I was most intrigued about the shades in the bottom row of the palette, specifically Amethyst, Dark Mocha and Truffle.
*Just an FYI that these palettes are also sold at Kohl’s!
Urban Decay Vice
This display is definitely an attention grabber. I dare you to walk by it without stopping and marveling at it’s beauty. It beckons you to want to try all of the different colors, even the ones that are out of your normal make up preferences! I’ve seen a lot of beauty bloggers swatch and rave about this product, and I can see why! The lipsticks are super pigmented and you can trust that the color you see in the tube, is exactly the shade you’re gonna get! Not to mention that there are sooo many shades to try:
Vice Lipstick- 39 shades
Comfort Matte- 21 shades
Metallized- 13 shades
Sheer- 16 shades
Sheer Shimmer- 5 colors
Mega Matte- 6 colors
Too Faced Chocolate Collection
This collection totally won me over because I’m a sucker for cute and creative packaging. So you can imagine how giddy I was over this collection. Look how adorable!! The eyeshadow palettes come with 16 shades (mix of matte and shimmer).
Ulta Brand Eyehadow Palettes $19.99
I’m not sure why I’ve never come across these palettes before! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I swatched these and let me tell you, I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the quality! When I swatched these shades on my arm, they were pigmented, shimmery, and easy to blend! There were 5 palettes available with different combinations of shades: Prismatic, Miss Fabulous, Metals, Rose Gold and Gilded Gold.
NYX Vivid Brights Electro Liner and Liquid Liner
This line was featured on a main endcap display in the drug store section of the store. So many fun and bright colors! Makes me want to break out of my normal black eyeliner routine and try a look completely out of my comfort zone! The liquid liner comes in 9 different shades from green, to purple, to blue to brown! How fun!
Soap and Glory Brand
The last time I saw this brand, it was a lotion brand with adorable pink packaging and witty product names like Hand food and Orangeasm! I was incredibly intrigued and enticed to try this new makeup brand! The packaging is girly and adorable. I wasn’t able to find the cosmetics products on Ulta’s website but check out these products on Soap & Glory’s website! Their lipsticks, cheek sticks and powders are what caught my attention the most!
Honest Beauty
I was excited to try this makeup line because I previously associated the Honest Brand with their baby product line. Hats off to the beautiful Jessica Alba for expanding her brand! I did a quick swatch of some of the products and there were a couple hits and a couple misses! The lip crayons (comes in 12 different shades) were SUPER pigmented. The cream foundation was super hard to spread when I swatched it on my arm, which makes me think that spreading the foundation all over my face would be even more difficult. The eyeshadows were pigmented and the shades were pretty!
Buxom Customizable Palettes
I love the idea of being able to customize an eyeshadow palette. Especially when I typically only use a few different shades in the palettes I own now. You can customize a palette with 6 different shades for $40! There are 40 different shades to choose from.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance PaletteI’ve seen so many bloggers rave about this palette so this was one of the first products I sought out on my Ulta trip. I’ve been huge fan of deep burgundy eyeshadow shades lately and this palette is chalk full of so many that I want to try! The shades that I swatched and love the most were Venetian Red and Lover Letter. This palette will definitely be MINE on my next trip no ifs ands or buts about it. I need this in my collection!

Now I want to hear from you!

Have you tried any of these products/brands? What do you think??

What were your last purchases at Ulta? Share your hauls! 🙂

Do you want me to swatch/review any of the products above?

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Swatch Comparison

Swatch Comparison: Purple Lipsticks!

May 31, 2016 2 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! I had a busy jam packed weekend- filled with friends, family, a graduation, a baseball game, basketball game, and a goodbye dinner! But I still had some time to play around with makeup! 🙂

My go-to makeup look for as long as I remember has always been smokey eye makeup paired with nude lips (inspired by the one and only JLO). It’s only been recently that I’ve branched out from my usual and started experimenting with different shades of lipstick!

A few months ago I was on the hunt for a purple lipstick, and let me tell you, this was no easy feat trying to find a purple shade that worked well with my natural lip color and skin tone.

Most purple lipsticks I would buy would look purple in the package and swatched on my arm but then as soon as I’d apply it to my lips, the shade would magically transform into either a pink, mauve, or burgundy shade, which is great in any other circumstance, but in this case, I had my mind set on having purple lips.

The three lipsticks/glosses that I’ve swatched today are from 3 different brands, price points and all had different results!

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Nyx Butter Gloss in Raspberry Tart ($4.99 at Target):

0530161001 - Edited I love NYX lip products! This was one of my first purple lip gloss purchases that I’ve made and I remember having really high hopes for it. As you can see from the pictures below, the product in the tube looks purple but then looks like a watermelon pink when swatched on my wrist. The shade looked light pink on my lips under natural light, and a darker mauvey pink with a hint of purple tint on my lips in indoor lighting. From purple to 3 different shades of pink! Like magic! 😉

Overall, I like this shade, but it wasn’t what I expected it to be. I would use this particular shade of lip gloss to add a little bit of tint to my natural lip color, but wouldn’t use this if I was trying to achieve a purple lip!

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Sephora Rouge Shine Lipstick in color #47 ($12.50)

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Sephora lipsticks are one of my absolute fave because there are sooo many different shades to choose from.

This lipstick looked like a bright eggplant purple color in the tube and to my surprise, the shade looked purple on my lips under natural light as well (yay!) However, when I’m inside under florescent lights, the lipstick shade changes and looks more pink than it does purple.

The lipstick applies very lightly and is very glossy/shiny. You can apply additional layers as needed to darken the purple shade, but due to it’s light consistency, the darkness of the shade won’t last very long. I’m curious to see how this shade would look on different skin tones seeing as it changes colors so easily on my skin tone!

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Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in shade L.U.V. ($20 at Sephora)

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

This line of matte liquid lipstick is stunning. The pigmentation of all the shades and color pay out will not disappoint. This is by far the best shade that I’ve found that helps me achieve the purple lip shade that I wanted! This lip color looks purple in both natural light and indoor lighting.

This shade is so pigmented that I believe it will transform into a range of beautiful purple shades on any skin tone.

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Final thoughts after my hunt for the perfect purple shade!

-If you have your mind set on a particular make up shade or you’re trying to replicate a specific look, play around with different shades and mix 2 different lipsticks or pair lipstick shades with lip liners to manipulate the color.

For example: If I’m going for a bright purple lip, I’ll mix a hot pink lipstick and layer a thin coat of purple lip gloss on top of it (like the NYX butter gloss shade I talked about in this post).

If I want a vampy dark purple lip shade, I’ll start with a darker, mauve/red lip liner like Mac Nightmoth, and layer a pigmented purple on top of it.

-Make sure you test how a shade looks in natural light and indoor lighting, because more than likely, the shade will change!

-Always good to check how a shade looks on camera, both with flash, no flash, and in outdoor lighting. Especially if you are wearing the shade to an event where pictures will be taken.

-In this case, a matte liquid lipstick was my best bet for achieving a purple lip look. Lip gloss or lip sticks with a glossy finish seemed to just add a tint of purple to my natural lip color, instead of showing up as a completely pigmented purple shade.

Now I want to hear from you!

What are your favorite purple lipstick shades?

Have you had any trouble finding a particular shade to match with your natural lip color or skin tone?

Also, if you have a blog, please leave your URL below so that I can follow you!

Where to find these products:

NYX Butter Gloss:

http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/butter-gloss/NYX_089.html

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod5050009

http://www.target.com/p/nyx-butter-gloss/-/A-14723529

Sephora Rouge Shine Lipstick:

Sephora.com

Kat Von D: