MUA Overview & Possible Urban Decay and MAC Dupes

MUA i.e. Make Up Academy is a very affordable UK based brand. But unless you live in UK, MUA products can only be bought from their online store. Few months ago, I bought 8 items and the shipping cost was £7.50 (fixed rate) to Canada. But recently, I have noticed that they often provide free shipping worldwide with some minimum purchase. 

I came to know about this brand because of numerous comparison posts of the UD Naked palette with their Undressed eye shadow palette. 

MUA Undressed: At the time I bought it, I had the UD Naked palette so I can say that they are definitely very similar but not the same because there has to be some difference in the quality since the naked palette is $60 and this one is just $6.45. 

 But still, with the exception of a few (e.g. gold shade in the picture), most of the shadows are soft and bendable. So, I feel it is a good option for the students, beginners and bargain hunters. 

Left: Shade 1; Right: Shade 3

MUA Blusher: These retail for $1.61 but I honestly do not like these because they are quite chalky. Also, they hardly stay on for an hour or two on my dry skin. So, I would not recommend these. 

Shade 1: Bright candy pink with noticeable golden shimmer.

Shade 3: Peachy melon shade with golden shimmer but looks more brownish in the pan. 

MUA Trio in Innocence

 MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Innocence: This is a beautiful trio of baked eye shadows that can be used wet or dry and retails for $4.03. I really like the color combination as there is a light creamy shade, an olive green and a duo chrome reddish brown with hints of bluish green tones making it somewhat similar to MAC Club. All three shades have some shimmer which simply adds up to their beauty. So, if you want to try one trio out of all then I would definitely recommend this one. 

MUA Trio in Pink Sorbet

MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Pink Sorbet: I do not like this trio because firstly the mid-toned pink is very chalky and frosty looking. Secondly, the light pink shade (which appears white in the picture) disappears into nothing on blending. So, at least for me, this trio isn't good enough to be used on its own because otherwise the end result is a frosty mess.  

Left: MUA Single Pearl Shadow in Shade 12; Middle: Darkesst shade from MUA Trio Innocence; Right: Bottom right corner shade from WnW Comfort Zone

MUA Single Pearl Shadow in Shade 12:  This shadow is absolutely amazing. It is super pigmented, smooth as butter and costs only $1.61. On top of that, it is probably a dupe or a more saturated version of MAC Club eye shadow. So, I highly recommend it to everyone. The only issue I have with MUA is they have numbers instead of names for their products.

MUA Lipstick in Shade 11

MUA Lipstick in Shade 11: This shade looks different under different lights. It is described as a brown on the website but it sometimes appears nude with reddish undertones and sometimes more of a peachy coral. But nonetheless, it is a great everyday color. The formula is very smooth and moisturizing so can be used on days when you forget to apply the balm or are in a hurry. Also, it retails for just $1.61. 

The bottom of the tube screws open to reveal extra product. And it was only after getting this lipstick that I realized NYX tubes also open in a similar way. 

MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette

MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette: This is a true dark chocolate brown shade which is very smooth and creamy. However, the downfall of extra creaminess is that it instantly starts smearing and does not even last for an hour. The picture above was taken immediately after swatching it and you can see how the product has already smudged. 

However, I do like the brush end of the pencil. Usually brow pencils come with a spooly or a plastic brush, but this one has a proper bristle brush. This product also retails for $1.61 but I would not recommend it. 

There are definitely some hits and misses with this brand just like with all others. But overall, I really like some of the products like the undressed palette, lipstick, single eye shadow and the innocence trio. 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Have you tried this brand? What are some of your favorites?

Sephora Favorites: Give Me More Lip

Each year Sephora comes out with these amazing Favorites kits that include all different brands. These kits are not only a great way to try out a variety of products but are also quite affordable. A while ago I bought the mini version called Sephora Favorites: Give Me Some Lip and loved it so much that I couldn't hold myself from buying this one. 

The kit comes with 16 lip products that are divided into four color categories: Red, Pink, Nude and Mauve; and retails for $71 + taxes. 

Some of the products are repeats from the Give Me Some Lip kit but in different colors. The swatches below are in the following order: Pink, Mauve, Nude and Red. 

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never; Too Faced La Creme in Marshmallow Bunny; Smashbox Lip Gloss in Pout; Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Backstage Bambi

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never (0.12 oz): Gorgeous bright magenta pink shade. I believe this color is exclusive to the kit as I didn't find it in the regular line. This is one of my favorite products from this kit as everything about it is commendable, be it the sleek clickable packaging, pigmentation, color or smoothness. On top of all that, it is FULL SIZE and retails for $23. 

Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lip Cream in Marshmallow Bunny (0.11 oz): Very pale marshmallow pink color that hardly shows up on my dark pigmented lips. This is one of the lipstick that I was really excited to try but unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations. It reminds me of YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks in terms of smoothness and the slip, which I personally don't like because it affects the longevity of the product. Nonetheless, it is FULL SIZE and retails for $25. 

Smashbox Lip Gloss in Pout (0.14 oz): Sheer pastel pink shade which is quite creamy and has decent pigmentation for being a lip gloss. The scent isn't very pleasant but doesn't really bother me. Also, the size is pretty good as compared to the original 0.2 oz, which retails for $22. 

Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Backstage Bambi (0.03 oz): Bright fuchsia shade, which is described as vivid hot pink on Sephora's website. It looks glossy when applied but dries up to a matte finish. It is really long lasting and leaves a stain behind even after being washed with soap and water. The full sized product is 0.18 oz and retails for $23. 

Tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Inspired; Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar in Strumpet; Buxom Full Bodies Lipstick in Menace; Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Sonya

Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Inspired (0.009 oz): Beautiful dusty rose shade which goes on very smoothly and has good pigmentation. However, the number of zeroes in the description probably gave you an idea about how small this sample is as compared to the full sized product of 0.07 oz, which retails for $34. 

Tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Inspired

I can still understand the reason behind the miniature size of the product but not the humongous size of the outer tube. 

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Strumpet (0.33 oz): This seedless grape red shade (as described on Sephora website) is from the matte collection. I am so glad that they have chose this particular shade because it will look good on a wide range of skin tones. Also, this is one product that I would have never picked up on its own regardless of the millions of rave reviews because of the nature of the product. However, now that I have used it I totally understand all the buzz. In addition, it comes with a tiny brush to facilitate the application and is a FULL SIZE product that retails for $22 on its own. 

Buxom Full Bodied Lipstick in Menace (0.4 oz): Gorgeous rich wine shade that requires a light touch to transfer the color on lips. The swatch in the picture is one swipe. It is very soft but can get clumpy at times. The full sized product is 0.13 oz and retails for $26. 

Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Sonya (0.03 oz): A sheer dusty wine shade that requires a couple of swipes to look close to the actual product. It is a minty scent and feel to it, which I really like. However, I am not too fond of the packaging because a major part of the balm is above the rim so each time I open the lid (which is quite tight) it damages the product. 

Stila Color Balm Llipstick in Sonya

Also, I am kind of confused about the name. I understand the balm part because it is quite sheer but I don't get the lipstick part of it. The full sized product is 0.12 oz and retails for $29. 

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude; Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Naked; Buxom Full On Lip Creme in White Russian; Stila Liquid Lip Color in Dolce

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude (0.1 oz): A true peachy nude shade which goes on very smoothly but is too light for my skin tone. However, I really like the formula and the consistency of the product so I would definitely try out some other shades. It is another FULL SIZE product that retails for $23. 

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Bare Naked (0.01 oz): It is a beige shade with golden sheen in it, thus making it a beige champagne (according to Sephora). It goes on nicely and has a vanilla scent to it. The Give Me Some Lip kit also had one of these in the color Naked Pink. The full size 0.15 oz and retails for $26. 

Buxon Full On Lip Creme in White Russian (0.07 oz): This nudey pink shade is one of the most popular and raved about shades from this line. It smells very similar to the Laura Mercier Lip Glace. It has decent pigmentation and is good for toning down dark lipsticks because it doesn't show up on my lips on its own. The full size is 0.14 oz and retails for $23. 

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lip Color in Dolce (0.03 oz): This is described as nude cinnamon sheen and is one of the only nude shades that shows up on my lips. Just like the Kat Von D Liquid lipstick, it dries up matte but doesn't dry off the lips and feels very comfortable. Also, it has pretty decent lasting power and can easily go through a few snacks. However, I don't like the scent of this product but I can definitely look over it. The full size is 0.10 oz and retails for $29.

Kat Von D Foiled Lipstick in Adora; Hourglass Liquid Lipstick in Icon; MUFE Rouge Artist Natural N45; Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate

Kat Von D Foiled Love Lipstick in Adora (0.042 oz): It is described as a shimmering candy apple red shade and even though I didn't like it in the packaging but it looks really pretty on because the shimmer makes it look very different from the regular red shades. Also, it is quite long lasting and stains the lips. The full sized product is 0.11 oz and retails for $23. 

Hourglass Cosmetics Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Icon (0.03 oz): This is a blue based red shade which has decent lasting power. However, I don't like the applicator because it gives an uneven application. Other than that, I like the packaging and the concept of the product. The full size is 0.10 oz and retails for $33. 

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N45 (0.05 oz): A straight up sheer red shade. I believe the sheerness is due to the fact that it belongs to the Natural line, but still it feels more like a balm than a lipstick. I couldn't find the full size of Natural type but the Intense are 0.12 oz and retail for $23. 

Left: MUFE lipstick - 100 point perk; Middle: MUFE lipstick - Lip kit; Right: Kat Von D Foiled Lipstick

I am even more disappointed with this product because it is the exact same size and shade that the Sephora gave out as 100 points perk a while ago. 

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate (0.05 oz): A beautiful rich red shade which is super pigmented and smooth as butter. If you read my last post about the lip kit then you probably know how much I love this line so I won't say anything else. The full size is 0.09 oz and retails for $28. 

Overall, I absolutely love this kit. There are a total of 16 lip products and four of them are full sized ($93 + taxes). Therefore, I would highly recommend this kit to everyone. Especially as the holiday season is coming up, it would make a great gift for makeup lovers. 

Have you tried any of these lip products? Do you have any recommendations?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Stila Eyeshadow Trios

I bought these trios a while ago but never gave much thought to the differences between them. But recently, I noticed that for some reason whenever I use these I always skip one particular trio. Therefore, after swatching all of them together I have come to the conclusion that the formula and the pigmentation is not consistent. However, all three of them come in similar coppery metallic packaging which is really nice and sturdy. The lid comes right off which may bother some people but I like it. Also, they are really easy to depot as they have a similar system as the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes in the sense that, there is a little hole at the bottom from where the eye shadow can be popped out using a pointed tool. 

Clockwise from bottom: Bronze Glow, Champagne Glow/ Rose Gold, Gold Glow

 

The first trio that I bought was champagne glow, and I was so impressed with the overall product that I bought the other two on my next trip to Sephora.

Champange Glow/ Rose Gold: This is hands down my favorite trio out of the three. It has taupe, burgundy brown and champagne shade. The three shades go very well together and are perfect for a regular day time look.  Also, the colors are really pigmented and smooth, they go on very nicely in just one swipe. If anyone wants to pick just one of these then I would highly recommend picking up this shade. However, I am really confused about its name because the one I have is labelled as Champagne Glow (which I bought from the Sephora store) while on the Sephora website, it is called Rose Gold. Did they change the name for some reason? If they did, then it doesn't really suit because there isn't a rose gold shade in it.

Gold Glow: This is my second favorite and contains gold, bronze and ivory shade. All three shades are quite shimmery with very smooth formula. The pigmentation and consistency is also really nice. This trio reminds me of holiday season and that is when I am going to use it the most. The gold shade is very similar to the UD Half Baked, if not an exact dupe. I find the Stila shade to be more of a true gold than UD. I also compared it with Gold from Lorac Pro Palette, which looks a lot more pinkish copper in front of the gold from this trio. I did take the comparison picture but accidentally deleted it, but will upload another one soon.

Bronze Glow: This is one of my least favorite in terms of both the consistency and the colors. It has rose, gold bronze and ivory shade. And I think this one should be called Rose Gold instead of the Champagne Glow. The texture of this trio is just not the same as the other two. The shadows need multiple swipes to attain the shown swatches. The first shade has a lot of fallout, the second one lacks appropriate pigmentation but is  much better than the lightest shade which is nothing more than splotchy chunky shimmer. Therefore, out of the three, this is the one trio that I would not recommend. 

  

Have you tried these trios? Which one is you favorite? Do you have any similar product recommendations?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Jordana Overview & Revlon Balm Stain Honey Dupe

Jordana products have been in the market for a while but recently I have noticed a lot more buzz about them. It is a super inexpensive brand with some great products. Jordana is actually a family owned business based in Los Angeles, California. The only downfall is that I haven't been able to find Jordana items in any of the local Canadian stores so far. However, since I do a lot of online shopping so I am okay with it. In order to get a fair idea I picked up products from three main makeup categories i.e. eyes, lips and face. 

P.S. I apologize for the splotchy pictures, the actual copies are perfectly clear. I am not sure what went wrong with the uploading. I even tried to remove and upload again a couple of times but nothing worked. So really sorry about it. 

I bought all the stuff from the BeautyJoint website. When they first started the business their prices were relatively lower than any other online store, but now their isn't any noticeable difference. 

Above: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey; Below: Jordana Twist & Shine in Honey Love

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in Honey Love: As the name suggests, the product comes in a twist up tube and provides moisture along with shine. Not just the packaging but the formula and the actual product is very reminiscent of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. However, I didn't know that even the colors that I own are same until I swatched them side to side for this post. 

Left: Jordana in Honey Love; Right: Revlon in Honey

The only difference I noticed is that the Revlon one takes a couple of strikes to attain the same color as Jordana. Other than that, it is very difficult to tell them apart. May be I am wrong  but I don't think that such similarity in the names (Jordana Honey Love and Revlon Honey) is any coincidence.  

Left Stain: Jordana; Right Stain: Revlon

As you can see the above picture, both of them leave a stain behind and surprisingly the intensity of the stain is also same. However, the Revlon Balm Stain retails for around $8.99 while Jordana retails for $3.49 for the same amount of product. If I am not wrong then Revlon Balm Stain comes in 12 different shades while Jordana has only 8 shades so far. 

Brown/Eye Shadow Powder in Brown: I really wanted to try their eye shadow but it was really difficult to pick one online due to the lack of swatches so I went with a very safe brown shade. The one I got is from their brow/eyeshadow line which retails for $1.99 and has 6 shades. I absolutely love this product and have been  using it since the day I received it in the mail. It is very pigmented cool toned true brown shade, so a little bit with a flat liner brush is enough to give a groomed look to the eyebrows. And for me, it is one of the must  have items from Jordana. 

Above: Covergirl Smoochies Lip Balm in Luv U; Below: Jordana  

Jordana Easy Shine Glossy Lip Color in Raspberry: This is a pigmented and moisturizing cool toned true pink color. It has a very strong fruity smell, which isn't bothersome to me. When I bought it, I thought it will be somewhat similar to the new Covergirl Smoochies (because of the similar packaging), but it isn't as it is a lot more pigmented than the smoochies. However, it should be noted that the Covergirl Smoochies is marketed as a lip balm so they are more comparable to Maybelline Baby Lips. And now when I am thinking about it I should have compared it to the pink baby lips instead of Covergirl Smoochies. 

Left: Jordana Easy Shine in Raspberry; Right: Covergirl Smoochies in Luv U

The easy shine costs $2.09 (1.9g) while smoochies is around $4.99 or above (4g) and both come in 12 different shades.

Jordana Fabuliner in Brown

Jordana Fabuliner in Brown: I also had this liner in Black but I threw it away because I didn't like it. Even the brown shade looks like black and I feel it should be named Black Brown instead of just Brown. I agree that it is super inexpensive ($2.99) with great pigmentation but it lacks severely on the lasting power. At least in my case, it didn't last through the day. I found that on humid days it creased and traveled all over and under my eyes while on dry and cold days it flaked resulting in missing patches. So, for me it is only good for short grocery trips. 

Jordana Blush in Touch of Pink

Jordana Powder Blush in Touch of Pink: Recently, everyone and their mother is raving about these blushes, so I thought of giving them a try. I wanted to order more but I ended up with just one. These blushes come in a lot of different shades so there is something for everyone. Also, they retail for just $2.49 for 2.2g. The powder is nice and soft with great pigmentation. However, since the blush is really soft so there is some fall out. 

I heard a lot of people saying that the packaging is very unique, however, that's not true since La Femme blushes have exact same screw cap packaging. However, La Femme's cap is all plastic so mine has already cracked but Jordana has used nicer material so it is quite sturdy. 

Left: Jordana Touch of Pink; Right: Mac Pinch O'Peach

For the color, Touch of Pink is a true peach with a very slight hint of pink. The name of this blush reminded me of Mac Pinch O'Peach. Just like Jordana is called Touch of Pink but is actually a Peach with very little pink, Mac Pinch O'Peach is a Pink with very little peach.  I know this comparison was irrelevant but I just found it very interesting. 

Left: Jordana Touch of Pink; Right: Mac Pinch O'Peach

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara: This mascara is one of the most raved about products from this line. However, I can't say much about it yet because I haven't tried it as I am working on the ones that are already open. But I'll post an update after I have formed an opinion about it. 

Jordana Color Extend Lip Liner: Last but not least, I also bought some lip liners which I completely forgot about and that is why they are not in the first shot. These liners are marketed as all day wear and waterproof. And they are not kidding, these are seriously waterproof. After I swatched them, even rigorous rubbing wasn't able to budge them. It took me some effort to take them off with soap and water. So these are super long lasting. However, I can't find them on the website anymore so I am not sure if they are discontinued or just not available on this particular website. 

Keep on Violet: A very dark plumy purple. 

Espresso Delay: A very soft brown. 

Reach for Java: A true dark chocolate brown, which looks more like an eye liner than a lip liner. 

I bought these for $0.79 each, however, I am not so fond of the colors. Especially the dark chocolate brown isn't my style. If I had seen the shades in person I probably wouldn't have bought the browns. 

Have you tried any Jordana Products? Which ones are your favorite? Where do you usually buy them?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

New Product Alert: Super Inexpensive Nail Polishes

I went to the Walmart today and was browsing through the aisles casually and came across a hidden display of nail polishes.  At first I thought these are the nail art type with pointed brushes because of the bottle design and the overall display,  but since there were a lot of glitter options so I checked one out and found them to be regular polishes. The brand is called Fingrs Heart 2 Art, and they carry standard polishes with cream, shimmer and glitter formulas along with  a lot of other nail art accessories and kits. Even though they do not have a lot of unique colors but I found the collection to be pretty decent with a lot of neutrals and mid-toned shades and some bright colors. After pure ice, I feel that this nail polish has the most attractive price point of $1.98 and that is what made me pick up so many shades at once.

New Nail Polish Brand at Walmart: Fingrs Heart 2 Art

I usually do not buy multiples at once, especially from a new brand but this time I did because the formula seemed pretty nice and the shades were also very wearable. 

From Taupe to Bottom - 2 coats 

This polish passed the test when I swatched the lightest shade as lighter shades are usually streaky. However, this one went on very nicely without streaks in just two coats. 

Left: Julep (8ml); Right: Fingrs Heart 2 Art (8.8ml)

The bottle is very similar to the Julep, except the shape of the cap. Julep has a rectangular cap while this one has round cap. However, the main difference is that Julep polishes retail for $14 (8ml) while Fingrs is just $1.98 (8.8ml). I find this brand to be pretty generic, just like any other nail polish brand. The brush is just like Julep or any other typical nail polish brush. The only thing with cheaper polishes is the strong scent. I felt the scent was really strong and chemically when I had a whiff at the store, however, now that I tried smelling the other polishes for comparison, it seems fine to me. 

I can't really comment about the lasting power because I just bought it, but I am planning to do NOTD's with these shades so will let you know about their wear time in those posts. However, it is definitely not one of the quick drying nail polishes and it does take a while to dry off without a top coat. 

The colors that I picked up are as follows (in the order shown in the picture):

From Taupe to Bottom: This is a gorgeous sandy beige shade with a hint of taupe. To me, it looks very similar to Essie Sand Tropez, may be a bit lighter. 

Mauve It or Lose It: This is a mid-toned mauvy neutral shade. It is basically the above mentioned shade with mauve tint to it, but a very beautiful work appropriate neutral color. 

You Pinky Swear?: This is a nicely pigmented standard baby pink, which goes on without any streaks. 

Peri-Wink, Wink: As the same suggests, this is a periwinkle shade with a tinge of purple and goes on very nicely. 

Catch Some Grays: This is a grey shade with a slight taupey tint to it. In the store I thought it is similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe but it is not. It looks taupey grey on its own but more like a standard cement grey in front of the color tattoo which pulls more purple near it. 

V.I.Purple: This is a shimmery duo chrome bluish purple shade. When you look directly at the bottle it looks like a deep blue, but when the light hits at an angle, the beautiful purple shows up. 

Red You Loud And Clear: This is a true velvety red shade which reminds me of holiday season and Christmas. The shimmer in this polish is so finely milled that it just takes this color up a notch. 

Even though I bought these polishes today but I already love them because it doesn't take too long to test the quality of nail polishes. Especially because the wear time is not an issue for me as I change my polish every other day. Also, I give this brand props for giving a thought to the names like the OPI does. So overall, I love the packaging, the shades, the formula, the pigmentation, the names and off course the price. 

Have you seen these polishes at Walmart stores near you? Have you tried them? Or do you plan to try them in future?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

ELF: Amazing Matte Lip Forumula & A Possible Mac Dupe

ELF. is know for its inexpensive and great quality products. I have several of their products and I like most of them if not all, and most of my favorites are from the studio line. Their Matte Lip colors are my favorite matte formulas I own. A lot of people love the Revlon Matte lipsticks, but I found them very drying and uncomfortable, and never wore them without a gloss. However, these ELF lip colors are very smooth, comfortable and not drying at all. They are matte but definitely have a natural sheen to them. They have average lasting power, just like other normal lipsticks. Also, there is a possible Mac dupe in this line. I do not own the Mac shade but I have seen some comparisons. 

ELF Matte Lip Color

Along with the formula, the packaging of these lip colors is also very nice and sleek. They have a twist up tube and a sharper at the other end, which I forgot to show in the pictures. 

Indoor Lighting - Coral, Nearly Nude, Natural, Tea Rose, Praline & Rich Red

Coral: I won't call it coral, but more of a light peach shade. It is beautiful, goes on nicely and looks really good with smokey eyes. 

Nearly Nude: It is a very light, somewhat baby pink nude. I am not a fan of very light nude shades so I don't wear it much. Also, I have found that the formula of this particular shade is a little bit different. Even though it is not drying or clingy, but it does settle into the lines and crevices of the lips. And oddly enough, this is the only color from the line that does this. 

Natural: It is a beautiful everyday nudey pink color, which goes on nicely and looks good with everything. Is is no brainier kind of color, that can be used with or without other face makeup.  

Natural Lighting - Coral, Nearly Nude, Natural, Tea Rose, Praline & Rich Red

Tea Rose: This is one of my first purchases from this line and I absolutely love it. It is a purple toned mauve, which is not too overpowering and definitely appropriate for everyday looks. 

Praline: This is a true chocolate brown shade. I am personally not a fan of this color in general, whether in clothes, nail polish or anything so I don't wear it much. But it goes on nicely and feels good on the lips. 

Rich Red: This is a true red color. I do not have the Mac Ruby Woo but this is a possible dupe for that color. I haven't seen both of them together personally, but I have seen some comparison pictures and videos. So, if you have both, then please let me know if it is actually a dupe or if there is some difference between the two. 

Overall, I really enjoy the formula of this line. The only issue that I have is they do not have enough color choice. There are only six shades and I own them all and if they ever come out with new shades I would definitely get all of them. 

Thank you for taking time to ready this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day! 

NYX Glosses: Amazing & Affordable

NYX is a great affordable brand with amazing quality products. Their lip products are no less, especially lip glosses. I have few shades from all different categories available in the market, however, I can't find the where I placed my NYX Xtreme lip gloss so that is not included in the swatches. 

NYX Girls Gloss; NYX Mega Gloss; NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme; NYX Butter Gloss

 

All of them have nice and sleek packaging. The new releases, namely lip cremes and butter gloss come on stout tubes as compared to the traditional glosses. 

NYX Girls Gloss: The one shown in pictures is in the color Peach. The name defines the color perfectly and it is a true peach shade. It has a very subtle sweet scent and contains some glitter. Even though there is noticeable shimmer in it, I don't feel it to be gritty or bothersome. It has decent pigmentation and goes on smoothly.

Natural Light - Same order as above

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss: I don't even need to say anything about this gloss because it is a cult favorite of the beauty community. The shade in the pictures is Beige, which is actually more pink than beige. The consistency is nice and smooth, however, it is a bit thicker than regular glosses but has good pigmentation. The only thing that can bother some people is the strong scent like licorice. I am not too sensitive to the scents so it is okay for me. 

Flash Light - Same order as above

NYX Soft Matte & Xtreme Lip Cream: The shade in the pictures is Antwerp, which is a matte corally peach color and have a sweet smell. Even though these are matte, but they are very smooth and does not feel drying at all. Also, these are pretty long lasting just like the Xtreme lip cremes. I find Soft Matte and Xtreme lip creme to be quite similar in the consistency and pigmentation except Xtreme lip creams are little bit glossy like regular lipsticks. 

 NYX Butter Gloss: These are the newest addition to the NYX gloss family and are a new obsession of the beauty community. The shade in the pictures is Strawberry Parfait, which is a bright blue toned pink. The pigmentation is nice and the gloss smells like bakery products to me. However, one thing that I can't stand about this gloss is the consistency. It is even more thicker than the Mega Gloss, which I find quite uncomfortable.  Also, it is a little sticky much like Mac glosses. So, personally this type is my least favorite, but that is just my personal preference. 

Have you tried any of the NYX glosses? If yes, which ones are your favorite? If no, which ones do you want to try?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Real Techniques Brush Alternatives NOT Dupes: Even More Affordable

Brushes are a necessity for some people and I am definitely one of them. But finding good quality affordable brushes is a challenge even though some companies are getting into the race. However, problems arises due to the lack of convenient locations or high shipping costs.  Real Technique brushes are one of the affordable and good quality brushes available in the market and recently Walmart has started carrying them. But I have found even more affordable alternatives. 

If you look at the picture above, all the brushes look similar except the color of the barrels, but the difference is that the first four are a different brand from the rest, which are Real Techniques brushes. I found these brushes on ebay for just $2.60 - $3.05 while Real Techniques brushes are above $10 for the individual ones. I bought them a few months ago so the prices may have increased or decreased. 

Round Brush

I have never seen this brand before, but as you can see in the picture it is either called Joursna or Joursno Professional brush. On ebay, there were two colors, pink and baby blue. But I went for pink because they look similar to Real Techniques line. 

Angled Brush - Sorry it looks dirty because I used it for Powder Foundation  

Tapered Brush

Stippling Brush

I checked several sellers and all have the same five styles, flat top, angled, rounded, stippling and tapered. I bought all except the flat top because I already have enough of those. As far as the quality is concerned, they are really soft, dense and synthetic. I have washed them several times and they have noticed no shedding at all whatsoever. Also, the bristles for the angled brush seem yellow, and it is because I have used it with powder foundation, so I am sorry about its color in the picture. 

Left: Round Brush; Right: Sigma F82

In the above picture, you can see the comparison between the round brush and Sigma F82. The only difference I feel is Sigma one is more dense and tight. Also, I feel that this round brush is more comparable to Real Techniques Buffing brush in terms of density. But they are not flimsy at all whatsoever. In addition, they clean up really easily and do not take too long to dry. I have been using them for over 6-7 months are they are holding up great so I would definitely recommend you to check these out as they are super inexpensive. If you want these brushes, it would be best you can search them as "Professional Powder Blush Brush Cosmetic Stipple Foundation Brush Makeup Tool" or some of these words and go for the cheapest option available.

Have you tried these brushes? If yes, do you like them? If no, are you going to try them?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!