NYX Lip Lingerie

NYX Lip Lingerie | £6.50

In my last post I hauled my first NYX purchases and I can honestly see the products becoming firm favourites. I'm so impressed by the quality of every product I've tried that I'm busting to add even more items to my make up collection. Apologies bank account...

In the meantime let me rave about the products I have bought, starting with the Lip Lingerie liquid lipsticks! 

The Lip Lingerie colour range literally covers the entire nude spectrum but I chose two that were close to my own lip colour. Corset is muted beige with underlying grey tones and Lace Details lays errs on the side of pink but with a hint of lilacy-grey running through it.

The applicator is unlike the doe foots I've become accustomed to. It's longer and flat, curved to mimic the shape of your lip. It does  pick up more product but manages to keep it easy to control.

When both of these lipsticks applied streaky I could've cried. However, when I rubbed my lips together everything seemed to meld together leaving an even, soft colour. *Phew!* The formula is slightly tacky at first but this does dry after a minute or so.

Generally, I found they lasted well. I did reapply after eating and Corset settled on my dry patches after a few hours but it was easy to remove for reapplication. 

I will be buying other colours on my next visit to the NYX stand - I already have my eye on Beauty Mark (a true brown shade) for some serious 90's vibes!

NYX haul

When an email telling me NYX was hitting my local Boots landed in my inbox, I almost did an excited wee. For months I've been lusting over Instagram feeds and blogs waiting for this very moment.

The stand itself was a dream. Rows and rows full to burst with products begging to be bought. I swatched so much my hand looked like a contender for the Turner prize. Half an hour and a very bored boyfriend later, I'd whittled it down to just six products... I still want it all.

Perhaps my most eagerly anticipated purchase was the Lip Lingerie liquid lipstick. I bought two fairly 'everyday' shades; Lace Detail (a pinky 'your-lips-but-better shade) and Corset (a grey/brown toned beige nude). 

The HD concealer pops up on every 'My Top Five.. ' concealer post I've ever read so my hand was practically forced. Right?! I got this in the shade Fair to highlight my under eyes however I think this product has such a full coverage that I won't need to conceal beforehand! 

As we get into warmer weather I like to switch the dark smoky eyes for a contoured and defined look. It's so hard to find a completely matte shadow from an affordable range so imagine my delight when I found an entire matte range. Better still, I found my perfect contour shade - Get Naked. 

Highlight that could blind someone? Hello NYX Illuminator in Ritualistic. The highlighter looks pearly in the pan but when applied it's leaves a  beautiful champagne toned glow.

Finally, something to keep my beautifully blended eyeshadows in place in our ridiculously hot English summer (optimistic, I know), the Proof It waterproof eye primer. I hope this can battle the oil slick that seems to occur in warmer weather!

Even though I only completed my first purchase around 48 hours ago I'm so impressed I'm scouring reviews to create a shopping list for my next visit! I'd love to read some recommendations if you have any...

Primark Matte Lip Crayon in Nude

Matte Lip Crayon - Nude

I have to admit Primark isn't the first brand you think of when you think of make up but it might fall on to the radar after using this little lip crayon. 

The crayon itself has something quite MAC-esque about it, with the coloured end on black pencil. If I was going to be picky, I think it's a pain to have to sharpen lip colour in this day and age; I prefer retractable but for £2, I'll have to swallow my laziness.

The colour is called Nude - it's a your-lips-but-better shade. Very daytime, very wearable. The product is very creamy and surprisingly pigmented. The colour stays well but the pigment you get on first application fades a bit so you would need to reapply throughout the day.

All in all a very lovely product, I'll definitely keep an eye out for other colours!

**Hint: Look by the tills, this was hiding there** 

Flawless Foundation with Revlon Colourstay

Colorstay has always and will always be my favourite foundation. It's full coverage and blends well, as well as being perfectly formulated for oily skin.

This foundation is the bigger, better looking sister of Photoready, which I also love.

Teeny tiny criticism; it has no pump. This peeves me so much! To dispense the product you have to tap the bottle onto the back of your hand, which can take a while considering it's thick compared to other foundations. Other than the lack of pump, I like the heavy, glass bottle which makes it feel more expensive than it's £12.99 price tag. 

I always find the colour range on Revlon particularly good for more yellow based skin tones such as mine - Natural Beige is my shade of choice. The foundation is, as I said, very thick but a little goes a long way. I roughly apply it with a foundation brush and then blend with a damp beauty blender.

There are two variations of this product; Normal/Combination & Combination/Oily - I use the oily version and I can hand on heart say, it lasts all day even without primer or powder. Add those in and you could near on get 24 hours out of it. 

Taupe Lip Dreams

In the spirit of Valentines day, I'm sharing my new love, this Maybelline 24hr Superstay Lip Colour in Soft Taupe (615).

I wanted a darker neutral - something to give me that 90's-esque lip. I picked this up in the expectation that it would give me my desired effect along with the promise of being super long-lasting... I was not disappointed.

So, the way this works is you apply the colour first, just like a lipgloss. Leave it to dry for a couple of minutes then swipe the balm over the top to moisturise.

I really like the colour. It's like a dark beige that's almost slightly grey in some lights. I think it's perfect for a very monotone look with a taupe eye.

Let's talk about staying power. For want of a better analogy, this sticks like shit and truly does last for 24 hours. I would however top up every few hours, just to keep it looking fresh.

There's lots of pretty colours in the range, and I'm definitely going back for more! 

Happy Valentines! 

A Dark Berry Lip

This pretty little lippy is Va Va Violet from Revlon. Perfect for when your make up needs that hit of vamp.

This product has a beautiful formula, giving you a semi-matte, berry-plum pout. Pair with a smoked out golden eye for the perfect combo!

Soap and Glory Instant Retouch Powder

Instant Retouch Powder || £12.99 || Boots 

I was always hesitant to use Soap & Glory's make up because it wasn't primarily a make up brand. This was purely an impulse buy but probably one of the best purchases I ever did make!

The packaging is very 'high street' but it's kitsch and fun - isn't that what make up is all about anyway though?  It's a translucent setting powder with blur technology. It brightens and locks in your face all day. I cannot praise this powder enough - absolute game changer. Go and get it now!