NYX Haul!

When I saw that they were having a sale on NYX products on Cherryculture, I jumped at the chance to pick up a few things that I’d been wanting for a while.

The first thing I had to get was some of the Single Eye shadows. The colours (from left to right) are: Luxor, Purple, Golden, Hawaiian Coffee, Silver, Golden Dune and Greyish Brown.

With Flash

Without Flash

I’ve never used the single eye shadows before, so the first thing I did was swatch them – without a base of course!

Left to right: Luxor, Purple, Golden, Hawaiian Coffee
Silver, Golden Dune, Greyish Brown

Wow. The colour payoff is amazing on all of them except for the Purple. Purple, you’re really letting the team down!

I would have to say that Golden Dune and Hawaiian Coffee are my favourites so far. Golden Dune really reminds me of the MAC Pigment in Blonde’s Gold. Beautiful!

I am a sucker for eye shadow palettes, so next I chose The Runway Collection in Caviar & Bubbles:

Swatches: (again, without a base!)

With Flash

Without Flash

The lighter colours don’t show up so well in photos, but they are really nicely pigmented! Even though the Black is a little chalky – this is a really nice palette and would be absolutely perfect for travel! 

Lastly I decided to grab a couple of Butter Lip Glosses. The colours I got are Peaches And Cream and Vanilla Cream Pie

Swatches:

Left to right: Peaches And Cream, Vanilla Creampie

They smell so damn good, and that is coming from someone who hates anything that smells sweet – but for some reason, I love the smell of these! Shaaanxo said they remind her of the Bavarian crème donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts, and I totally agree. Delicious!

They actually have pretty decent colour payoff for a lip gloss, and don’t feel too sticky and gross either which is really nice!

Once again I am impressed by NYX products, they really are a brand worth checking out.

Thanks for viewing!

oxo

Swatch Watch: Yaby World Of Pearl Paints Palette

Yaby Cosmetics. By now, you've probably heard of them and like me, have drooled over all their beautifully pigmented products.
You may have already seen my review on the Yaby Dramatically Neutral palette and know that I am a huge fan of their eyeshadows - but the World of Pearl Paints palette is even more amazing than I expected.

The colours are intensely bright and the formula is to die for. They feel more like a cream but in powder form. They blend effortlessly and once again I'm shocked at how little you actually need to use! Would you also believe that they're waterproof? What more could you want?!

I decided to swatch the whole palette for you to see, beware, after this you'll be dying to get your hands on it!

Sooo pretty!
If you'd like to get your hands on one of these amazing palettes, head on over to Yaby Cosmetics.
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Swatch Watch: OPI Pirates of the Caribbean - Mermaid's Tears

I’m going to be honest here, I think OPI nail polishes are a huge rip off. I’m not sure how much they are overseas, but here in New Zealand, they retail for around $26NZD. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a nail polish?! Ugh, apparently I would.

The OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection appealed to me because I don’t actually own any pastel nail polishes, I do have to admit that the fact they thought pastel colours are pirate-y is ridiculously strange to me. But they’re beautiful pastels nonetheless.

I bought two colours from the collection, one of which was Mermaid’s Tears.

This is two coats, and I can honestly say I am not impressed. The colour itself is beautiful, but the application was horrible! I can’t believe I spent $26NZD on it, when the quality is of something that should cost $2NZD. Disappointing. The colour really is gorgeous though, and I have to keep telling myself that to justify how much I spent on it. Hahaha.

Because I’m on such a konad high, I of course had to stamp something over it, just to see how it looked. The result? Freakin’ amazing.

I had SO many compliments on this design. Everyone seemed to adore it, and I have to admit that it’s definitely one of my favourite combinations to date.

So all in all, I really don’t think OPI nail polishes are all that wonderful. If you shop around you can find cheaper nail polishes that are far superior in quality. What do you think??

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Swatch Watch: Urban Decay Naked Palette

Swatch watch. Good luck saying that 10 times in a row. Hahahaa. This is another new (well it has a new name anyway) series on my blog - yay!

First of all, thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaway, and to those who haven't already - enter now!

I have an obsession with Urban Decay, I'm not gonna lie. When I discovered the Primer Potion, I was in love and I still use it every single day without fail. Their Skyscraper mascara was amazing and if I could buy it here, I probably wouldn't ever use another mascara.
Everything they come out with immediately goes on my makeup wishlist - I'm so annoyed that we don't have it in New Zealand!

I turned to ebay when I heard about the Naked palette, I knew it was the only way I could get my hands on this little gem - sure it was ridiculously overpriced and close to half my week's wages went on it, but I was sure it'd be worth it.
I'm happy to say that my assumption was right, this palette was worth every cent! The colours are gorgeous and I can confidently say that they would suit everyone, no matter what eye colour or skin tone they have.

So what do you get? 12 gorgeous neutral eyeshadows and a double ended 24/7 eyeliner in Whiskey/Zero (yeah I have the original one, the new one comes with an eyeshadow brush) AND a nifty little travel size Primer Potion - so cute!

Lets get our swatch on!

With Flash:

Without Flash:

From left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck and Half Baked.

With Flash:

Without Flash:

From left to right: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal.

Whiskey and Zero:

All swatches were applied without a base, so you can see that these eyeshadows are really pigmented! Honestly one to two light swipes is all I need to cover my eyelids, I'm not even kidding. I've used it so much since I got it and I've hardly made a dent in it at all!
The double ended eyeliner was actually an unexpected love for me, it's so creamy yet seems to stay put. What else could you possibly wish for?

If you don't have this palette, then seriously go out and get it. You won't be disappointed!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Fyrinnae: What I ordered

Fyrinnae cosmetics are a vegan cosmetic company who have a wide range of pretty unique colours. I had been wanting to try Fyrinnae eyeshadows for quite some time so finally bit the bullet and placed an order! Along with the 6 eyeshadow samples I ordered, I also ordered a full size foundation (they don’t offer samples of this) and a small lip lustre. They also included a free sample of eyeshadow, yay for freebies! :D

First: OMGWTF Eyeshadow Sample

This is a bright, shimmery chartruese colour. Love the colour but do wish it was slightly more pigmented.

Next: Dragonskin Eyeshadow Sample

Dragonskin is a deep, vibrant, shimmery grass green colour with a hint of yellow. Really nice, I love it.

Next: Aztec Gold Eyeshadow Sample

Antique gold colour, that can look quite green in different lighting. Might end up buying the full size of this!

Next: Fujiro Free Sample

This is like a medium blue-violet colour with silver sparkles. It has a lavendar highlight. It doesn’t seem very pigmented to me, which is a shame because it’s quite a nice colour.

Next: Parental Advisory Sample

This is a shimmery royal purple. Really nice but I do wish it was a little brighter.

Next: Wicked Sample

This is a deep, dark purple that has a turquoise shimmer. I heard this makes a stunning eyeliner so I’m looking forward to using it as that. Such a gorgeous colour..

And the final eyeshadow: Lust Bunnies Sample

This is a vivid sparkling copper with silver glitter. Very pretty!

Now onto the foundation: Moonstone Mica-free Foundation - 6gram Size

I still have not tried this yet. It is for very fair skin and I’m thinking it could possibly be a bit too light. But we shall see!

And lastly, the lip lustre: Ryunome

This is A LOT brighter than it appears in this photo. It’s a gorgeous vibrant, shimmering turquoise. How cool is this? It’s actually the small, 3.5ml size which Fyrinnae no longer offer.. So if you want this you’ll have to buy the larger size!

Swatches time!

Top row, L-R: OMGWTF, Dragonskin, Aztec Gold, Fujiro
Bottom row, L-R: Parental Advisory, Wicked, Lust Bunnies

Ryunome:

Thanks for viewing! Keep a lookout for upcoming FOTDs using these products!

oxo

Urban Decay Primer Potion and Eyeshadow Review

Urban Decay products aren’t available in New Zealand, but I was lucky enough to have an aunty who went to Hawaii last year and picked me up some from Sephora! This is what she got me:

XL Primer Potion

XL Primer Potion is 60% larger than the regular sized Primer Potion and is meant to last months!
Primer Potion provides a smooth magnet-like base for eyeshadows to adhere to. This prevents eyeshadow from creasing and intensifies the colour. You only need to apply a small amount to your eyelids which dries instantly and invisibly. Apply your eyeshadow overtop and prepare to have your eyeshadow last for hours on end!

I love Primer Potion, the results are amazing. There is a huge downside to this though and that is the packaging. Sure it looks great, but it is very poorly designed. The wand cannot reach all the product, and in my experience only reaches about a quarter of it. To get the rest of the product (and your money’s worth!) you have to cut open the tube and scoop the remains into an air tight container. You have to make sure you sanitise everything while doing this or you will contaminate the product.

Overall I would recommend this product if you want to intensify your eyeshadows and make them last without creasing. But if like me, you find it a huge hassle to have to cut open the tube to get all the product out, I would recommend that you find something else.

Now onto the two eyeshadows:
Midnight Cowboy

 
Midnight cowboy is a pink-champagne colour with A LOT of silver glitter. And the glitter gets EVERYWHERE when you use it. Even though this is probably the messiest eyeshadow I own, I really do like the colour. And the glitter would be gorgeous if it didn’t get everywhere.

I wouldn’t buy another one and wouldn’t really recommend it either. The glitter is just way too annoying.

Asphyxia

 
Asphyxia is a beautiful purple eyeshadow with a blue sheen to it. This is probably one of my favourite purple eyeshadows even though the colour pay off is not as good as Midnight Cowboy. This is a really nice shimmer shadow that doesn’t have the crazy glitter that Midnight Cowboy has. And the blue sheen really shows up nicely.

Overall it is a really nice eyeshadow and if I had to buy another one, I would!

Swatches:
I decided to swatch both of these eyeshadows both overtop of the Primer Potion and without so you can see for yourself the difference the Primer Potion makes.
Top row is with Primer Potion and bottom row is without!

 
Sorry the photo isn’t very good, but hopefully you can see the difference!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

M.A.C Pigments – swatches and a review!

Well I’m still sick :(
This is going to be a big post.. with quite a few pictures.. So I hope you enjoy it!

Pigments are highly concentrated loose coloured powders that contain ingredients to help them ‘stick’ to the skin.

They are multipurpose products that can be used in a variety of different ways.
Most commonly they are applied wet or dry as eyeshadows but can be mixed with a mixing medium and applied as a liquid liner or coloured mascara, mixed with lipmix or any lip gloss/balm and applied to the lips, can be applied dry to the cheeks as a blush/highlighter, mixed with strobe cream and applied to the cheeks as a cream blush, mixed with clear nail polish to create new nail colours and the list goes on! 

Pigments are what initially got me interested in MAC, they come in these huge 7.5g jars and are PACKED full of product. The colour is so intense and a little goes a long way. I am a HUGE fan of pigments, they are on the expensive side, but considering that they contain so much product, they are great value for money.

Onto the colours:
Smoke Signal

   
Smoke Signal pigment is a very deep plum burgundy colour. It is a matte pigment which I think is pretty cool. Matte colours are a little harder to use than shimmers though, so keep that in mind before purchasing them. It was released as part of the Smoke Signals Collection in 2007 and is LE, so might be hard to find.

Your Ladyship

Your Ladyship Pigment is a gorgeous creamy white colour with a gold pearl. I only recently bought this off Trademe for $30, it’s a LE colour that was released in the Antiquitease collection in 2007. I’ve used it as a highlight colour on my brow bone almost every single day since I bought it. It is sooooo pretty. If you can find this anywhere, get it.

Swatches, L-R:Smoke Signal and Your Ladyship (hasn’t shown up too well)
 
Melon

Melon is one of my favourite pigments. It is a stunning bright golden peach colour. Looks gorgeous on the eyes, amazing on the cheeks and beautiful on the lips! Suits almost everyone and it’s permanent so it’s not hard to find! :P

Blonde’s Gold

I bought Blonde’s Gold when it was released with the Overrich Collection last year. It’s a MAC Pro colour and is described as a light tan with a white and gold pearl. I really like it and think it’s a great neutral colour to have.

Swatches, L-R: Melon, Blondes Gold

Old Gold

  
This was the first ever pigment I ever bought! I LOVE Old Gold. It is by far my favourite. It is an iridescent gold with green reflects. It is such an amazing colour, you have to see it in person to fully appreciate it. Layered overtop of a black base it goes this brilliant emerald green colour, so gorgeous!

Vintage Gold

 
This is also from the Overrich collection but is a MAC Pro colour. Vintage gold is a tarnished green with a gold pearl. It is soooo pretty. The texture is so smooth and luxurious and it applies like a dream. Really flattering colour on brown eyes.

Swatches, L-R: Old Gold, Vintage Gold

Blue Brown

Blue brown is such a neat colour. I’ve found that if you pack on the pigment when applying this to your eyelids, you get a true representation of the colour, if you use it more sheerly the red really shows through. Applied over a dark base, the blue really shines through and looks gorgeous! You can achieve a lot of different looks with this. It’s a permanent colour so it’s easy to get a hold of which is always a bonus.

Mauvement

Mauvement is this really gorgeous taupe kinda colour with a gold pearl in it. It has a chunky texture which a few people don’t like.. but I think it’s easy to use once you get the hang of how to apply it. It’s a really nice shimmery colour and was also released with the Overrich Collection last year. I think it might be LE, but I’m not sure.

Swatches, L-R: Blue Brown, Mauvement

 
Rose

Rose too is one of the ‘chunky’ pigments, but it’s one of my favourites. It is a rose colour with coppery-gold sparkle and is sooo gorgeous as a lip colour and blush. I also love it on my eyes with melon over top. I think I heard that it’s not safe for the eye area? If that’s the case, it may not be a good idea to use it on your eyes.

Swatch:

I also have three pigment samples of Accent Red, Silver Fog and Dark Soul, if you’d like to see a review of those let me know!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo