Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

The products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

So one interesting thing I've noticed since I started getting into nail polish is that I've gradually become more interested in other kinds of makeup too. I used to only wear makeup (other than foundation etc.) on special occasions. Then I started expanding my eyeshadow collection and learning how you're actually supposed to apply it (I'm still working on that one!). Now I'm starting to experiment more with lip color. It took me a long time to feel comfortable wearing colors other than nude!

So all that is to introduce the fact that I recently bought a set of five NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams for 50% off from Ipsy. Matte lip products (or highly pigmented lipstick of any kind) are pretty far out of my comfort zone, and these looked really pretty, so I went for it.

The five I got are all on the lighter end of the color spectrum. Since the formula on all was the same, I'll describe it here. As the name suggests, these products have a creamy consistency--more liquid than a lipstick (they apply with a doe-foot applicator) but more solid than a lip gloss. They are nicely pigmented and don't feel too dry, although they don't feel moisturizing like their site claims.

The lip creams do tend to settle into the lines on your lips. I'm not sure if they'd still do this over a lip primer, as I don't own one (shocking!!). As for durability, I'd give them an average rating. You can lick your lips or take a drink without really fading the color, but they also wipe off pretty easily and don't leave any sort of stain behind. So be prepared to reapply if you're planning to wear one of these for a long time.

OK, on to the colors!

From left to right (the descriptions come from the NYX website):

• Sydney: soft lavender
• Istanbul: clean pink
• Milan: mid-tone blue-toned pink
• Antwerp: mid-tone yellow-toned pink
• Stockholm: mid-tone beige pink

While these are all pretty, I think Stockholm was my surprise favorite. At first glance I thought it would look too brown, but it doesn't stand out as much as I expected and actually makes for a nice alternative to nude. I really like Istanbul too. I think Sydney is the only one I wouldn't really wear--it's so pale, and I'm already pale enough! It would look great on someone with darker skin.


The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are available at the NYX website for $6 each!

The products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Today's mani: cappuccino watercolor gradient

Happy Monday! Today I decided to try out a new-to-me nail art technique. I was inspired by the Nailasaurus mani that I featured in my Museum-Worthy manis post for September. She did a beautiful gradient using a nail art brush instead of a sponge, which makes it look more rustic and artsy than a traditional gradient. (There's a tutorial in her post if you want to see how it's done!)

I decided to do an all-brown gradient. The end result looks like a cappuccino to me!

The polishes I used were, from dark to light: Revlon Stormy Night, Julep Annemarie, Julep Otte, and OPI You're So Vain-illa.

I actually did this mani twice. The first time I put too much polish on the brush and lost the brush-strokey look I was going for. You almost want to do a dry-brush technique, and don't forget that you can go over the same place again if the color is too sparse.

Have a great week!

September's Museum-Worthy Manis!

It may be October, but I'm still thinking about my favorite nail art from September! These are my top five from my Pinterest Awesome Nail Art board. Make sure to click through to the original artists' posts and give them props!

1. Fireflies in the Field at Sunset by Chalkboard Nails

One thing I love about Chalkboard Nails' nail art is that a lot of it is both stunning and yet simple enough that we nail art amateurs can still give it a try. This is a perfect example--it's beautiful and evocative while still being just a gradient with some dots and a few brush swipes. It's amazing what she can accomplish with such simple techniques!

2. Monochromatic for 31DC 2.0 by Will Paint Nails for Food

OK, I don't understand how Meghan can do such fine linework by hand. Sometimes it's hard to remember when you're looking at a zoomed-in picture of nail art that the canvasses are the size of a freaking fingernail! Seriously, go look at her original photos. Just unbelievable.

3. Aboriginal Artwork Inspired Nail Art by Wondrously Polished

There are dotticures and then there are dotticures. This is the sort of thing I aspire to do. What I love most is actually the fact that the dots aren't perfectly uniform. That gives the art a natural pebbly kind of look. Love the color scheme too.

4. Four Seasons by PiggieLuv

No edition of Museum-Worthy Manis would be complete without one of Narmai's ultra-detailed art recreations! This mani took her two hours per nail. I can't imagine squinting down at my nails for that long. Probably a good thing, since I would never have the heart to remove a mani like this.

5. Gradient Artwork by The Nailasaurus

I can always count on The Nailasaurus to teach me new techniques to try, and I think the watercolor gradient is at the top of my list. This really does look like a painting. Much more texture and interest than your standard gradient. Plus I am seriously into this berry/nude color scheme.


Honorable mention: Tattered Monochromatic Spray Marble by Chalkboard Nails

September's Gimme That Polish!

Yep, I'm double-posting today! I had to show you my favorite lemmings from my Pinterest wishlist for September! We're rapidly approaching Halloween, so my list is a bit spooky this month. Just hold my hand and you'll be fine! ;-) Don't forget to visit the original blog reviews of these polishes for more details!

1. Dollish Polish - Got Brains?

Mmm, love how murky and creepy this one is! Plus if you check out the rest of the photos, you'll see the awesome color shift! (Dollish Polish shop | swatch by Accio Lacquer)

2. China Glaze - Choo-Choo Choose You

Yes, another dark and shifty shimmer! They're definitely in season, but I seriously could wear this kind of polish every day of the year. Actually, I kind of need the entire China Glaze All Aboard collection. (China Glaze site | swatch by Lace and Lacquers)

3. Philly Loves Lacquer - Bats Are the Chicken of the Cave

Ahhh I just love full-coverage microglitter! This one looks like TV static. Plus it's holographic!! Just love everything about this. (Philly Loves Lacquer shop | swatch by Accio Lacquer)

4. Cadillacquer - The Rest is Silence

Let's interrupt the parade of moody polish with an in-your-face aqua! Holos with contrasting shimmer are my new favorite thing. The whole Sons of Anarchy collection is amazing like this. (Cadillacquer shop | swatch by Fashion Polish)

5. Glam Polish - Wicca

I saved the most amazing thing for last. PURPLE and HOLO and HOLO GLITTER?? I kinda want to eat this picture. (Glam Polish shop |  swatch by Lacquerstyle)



Honorable mention: Elevation Polish - Devil's Cauldron

ALIQUID Lacquer Puppy Love LE for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

Hi folks! That's right, I've got some more new ALIQUID Lacquer for ya!

This time it's a very special limited edition that will only be for sale during October. It celebrates Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, which of course Trudy and I are big supporters of! Right, Trudy?

I'll take that as a yes.


So, the polish! It's called Puppy Love and has a bright teal base with pink and gold flecks and a holo sparkle!

The polish sells for $11, and $5 from each purchase will go to the ASPCA. Donations to the ASPCA help with a lot of great causes, including:

• Grants to shelters nationwide
• Spay/neuter and microchipping programs
• Adoption, fostering and relocation programs
• Investigation and seizure of abused animals
• Lobbying for anti-cruelty legislation

Did you know that 3.9 million dogs enter shelters in the U.S. every year, and about a third of them are euthanized? There's a belief out there that shelter dogs will always have some sort of behavioral problem that makes them an undesirable pet, but that just isn't true. NO dog is perfect, and EVERY dog can improve! Plus, if you adopt an adult dog you know exactly what you're getting!

When we adopted Trudy, we loved her right from the start. She is so cuddly and affectionate, not to mention really smart! (Bad at playing catch though.) She loves to run and play, but is also great at power napping if we're busy. As a pit bull mix, she didn't have a great chance at being adopted because of the stigma against pit bulls in this country. At least 800,000 pit-bull-type dogs are euthanized every year in the U.S. Luckily we haven't had to overcome too much prejudice; the only difficulty was finding an insurance company that will insure an apartment with a pit bull (go State Farm!).

In terms of behavior, Trudy does show signs of dog aggression, which was a bred-for trait in pit bulls originally (they were, and sadly still are, fighting dogs!). But she has never shown any signs of aggression toward people, even in scary situations like the vet or groomer. She will bark at people if she's afraid, but generally a calm demeanor (and maybe a treat!) will relax her pretty quickly. We have no idea what her life was like before we adopted her, only that she was left to wander around on the street with no ID. I like to think that she's much happier now!

It's important to remember once again that every dog has its good points and bad points--just like people!--and to learn how to deal with them. If you're interested in adopting a dog, you can start reading here. Just be sure that you can afford the time, money, and emotional investment to care for it for the rest of its life! If you're not sure you can, consider volunteering at a shelter or as a foster owner instead. And don't forget to spay/neuter! Puppies are awesome, but more puppies = more dogs in shelters. :-(

Thanks for reading my spiel! I'm aiming to sell at least 50 bottles of Puppy Love this month--that's $250 for the ASPCA! It would be awesome if you could help out!

Today's mani: golden green gradient with A England

Hey there! Hope you had a great weekend! (Have you entered my giveaway yet?)

Today I wanted to do some sort of nail art, since I've gotten out of the habit recently. I realized that 1) I hadn't used my bottle of A England Dragon yet (a travesty!) and 2) I hadn't done a gradient in a long time. So I decided to do a triple gradient with all A England polishes.

The top color is Beauty Never Fails, the middle is Dragon, and the tips are Princess Sabra (which I swatched here). I think these polishes go perfectly together because they all have tones of gold and green, but they're different enough to make a nice gradient!

My only regret with Dragon is that the pretty orange shimmer you see in the bottle didn't really show up strongly on the nail. It is still amazing though!

ALIQUID Lacquer Angel in Hell collection and GIVEAWAY!

Hello gentle readers! I've just released a brand new ALIQUID Lacquer collection that's perfect for Halloween! Bear with me while I talk about it, because there's a giveaway at the bottom of the post. (Or I guess you can just scroll down there immediately.)


The Phantom of the Opera has been my favorite musical for around 20 years, and the 1911 novel is one of my favorites too (I even wrote about it on this very blog). So it was the natural choice for me to base a Halloween collection on!

Rather than just naming polishes after songs in the musical (somewhat sketchy from a copyright point of view), I decided to make shades that emphasize the gothic/romantic themes in the story, as well as the contrasts between beauty/ugliness and light/dark. Take a look and tell me if I succeeded. :-)

Corpse de Ballet is a terrible pun and was inspired by the ballet girls, of course. In the book they are constantly scaring each other by spreading stories about Opera Ghost sightings. I was particularly thinking of the scene from the musical where Joseph Buquet is hanged directly above the ballerinas in the middle of a performance.

Forever and a Day represents the spiritual hold the Phantom has over Christine. I took the name from this passage in the book, where Christine passes through the mirror:

"And nothing could describe the passion with which the voice sang:

'Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!'

...Christine walked towards her image in the glass and the image came towards her. The two Christines - the real one and the reflection - ended by touching; and Raoul put out his arms to clasp the two in one embrace. But, by a sort of dazzling miracle that sent him staggering, Raoul was suddenly flung back, while an icy blast swept across his face; he saw not two, but four, eight, twenty Christines spinning round him, laughing at him and fleeing so swiftly that he could not touch one of them. At last, everything stood still again; and he saw himself in the glass. But Christine had disappeared.

He rushed up to the glass. He struck at the walls. Nobody! And meanwhile the room still echoed with a distant passionate singing:

'Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!'"

This is Maze of Mirrors. Mirrors are of course a major motif in the story and are linked to the theme of inner vs. outer beauty. In the book, the Phantom builds an elaborate torture chamber using mirrors to make Raoul and the Persian believe they're in the middle of a desert. They didn't include this in the musical, but the movie version does have a nod to it:

I had to make a polish called Red Death because, seriously, check out the Phantom's amazing outfit! I drew this probably 100 times as a kid.

 
This one is The Skeleton's Ring. In the musical, we don't learn the Phantom's ultimate fate, but in the book we are told explicitly that he died of a broken heart. This passage is from the last page of the book (the narrator is a journalist investigating the Phantom story):


"Yes, I am certain, quite certain that I prayed beside his body, the other day, when they took it from the spot where they were burying the phonographic records. It was Erik's skeleton. I did not recognize it by the ugliness of the head, for all men are ugly when they have been dead as long as that, but by the plain gold ring which he wore and which Christine Daae must have slipped on his finger, when she came to bury him in accordance with her promise.

The skeleton was lying near the little well, in the place where the Angel of Music first held Christine Daae fainting in his trembling arms, on the night when he carried her down to the cellars of the Opera-house."

Finally, here is Unending Night. Night and darkness in Phantom are moral as well as physical; the Phantom chooses to live in darkness because he's been rejected by the "normal" world of daylight.

If you're interested in picking any of these up, they're on sale for the next week at my shop! I also have a new pumpkin cheesecake lip balm scent and nail polish magnets!

OK, now on to the giveaway!!

I'm giving away the entire Angel in Hell collection to one lucky US resident! Here are the rules!

• Winner must be over 18 and be able to provide a US shipping address.
• The only mandatory entry is to provide your email address. All other entries are optional but increase your chance of winning!
• Winning entries will be verified, so no cheating!
• The giveaway will run until 11:59 PM EST on October 9, 2014.
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!


  a Rafflecopter giveaway