NYX's Soft Matte lip cream vs. Essence's Stay Matt lip cream

Hi guys!!

I find that a matte finish on the lips is getting more popular!

Tonight I'm reviewing two comparable drugstore matte lippies; one from NYX and one from Essence, and then telling you guys which I think performs better and fits the matte trend better! To make the comparison fair I chose a medium pink shade from each line so that it's not like I am comparing a deep berry to a pale nude (darks tend to stain, etc.) so it's sort of the control variable here. I also used the Eos in "Sweet Mint" as my balm beneath these products as a primer type product.

Here's a picture of both products:

The Essence lip cream is in "Velvet Rose" while the NYX lip cream is in "Instanbul".

I wore these on two separate days and took notes on application, wear, look, and feel.. let's start with the Essence one ($2.99).

Application: creamy, but not full opaque color, not streaky, easy to apply and keep in lip lines

Look: emphasizes fine lines, color is neutral and pretty, it was a little glossy and never dried to a nice matte finish

Feel: not super moisturizing but its thickness gives a little moisture

Wear: by 2.5 hours it wore off on the edges of my lips but stained the remaining area of my lips with a pinky nude color.

Now for NYX ($5.99)

Application: smooth, not streaky, semi-opaque to opaque color

Look: Dried matte but not too quick to the point where I wouldn't be able to build the color before it drying, pretty & fresh color!!, emphasized lines slightly

Feel: not moisturizing or drying!

Wear: lasted 4 hours! Wore off after I ate my Easter dinner.

Which do I prefer?/Final Thoughts:

I really am impressed by the NYX lip cream. It is one of my first matte lip experiences and the color itself makes my lips look so fresh. It also lasted substantially longer than the Essence one. The NYX one also did not make my lips look old and emphasize my lip lines as much as the Essence one did and I don't have chapped lips at all (thanks to my religious lip care routine). The Essence one was more of a pigmented gloss to me where as the NYX cream really performed its duty and was a comfortable matte.

I keep referencing the colors of these so here are swatches!!!

 

 

LtoR: Essence, NYX

 

Update: I'm on a makeup no-buy until the middle of May! Planning on doing an empties post then, and a little drugstore haul (I've been eyeing a few WetnWild things!)

 

 

 

IMATS Haul!!

Hi everyone!! I went to NY IMATS on the Sunday with general admission as a birthday gift from my dad!! I wanted to share with you guys what I had picked up!! :)

I got a lot from NYX because I saw how long the LimeCrime line was and decided to ditch that and go to NYX.. NYX has to be my favorite drugstore brand; let's start with NYX!!

The Stay Matte but Not Flat liquid foundation I chose shade "Ivory"

This has medium coverage and does not last as long as Revlon ColorStay but I mixed this with my Rimmel Stay Matte mousse and enjoyed it! I also picked up 3 of the Stay Matte powder foundations because they're my HG powders I got 2 in "Ivory" and 1 in "Nude".. they prompted me to buy this!!

HD concealer in "Fair"

This concealer is okay. I like the thin consistency for making a V-shape to highlight my under eye with. It has medium buildable coverage.

Powder blush in "Taupe"

I only bought this to experiment with contouring my cheeks with it! It is a nice cooler shade that really does mimic a shadow under your cheekbones. The pigmentation is not wild which I like in blushes so that they are buildable and do not look crazy and clown like.

Powder shadow in "Over the Taupe Taupe"

I bought this as a nice subtle crease shade that would add depth!

 

 Felt Tip Liner in "Jet Black"

I recently ran out of my e.l.f liquid eyeliner that I had been using since Christmas so I decided to pick this up and I realized how accustomed to liquid liner I had become!! It's so hard to change formats of liner after being so used to one don't you think??

 

 MegaShine gloss in "Miami Babe"

I wanted to get one of these after hearing a lot of rave over all the beautiful shades on YouTube. I liked this one because I feel like I will get a lot of use out of it and it smells like cherry lollipops!!

Dark Circle Concealer in "Light"

I am always on the hunt for a concealer that will COVER my dark circles. This is not as creamy as I had hoped but I like to use this and then go over with my Maybelline Dream Lumi.

Soft Matte Lip Cream in "Instanbul"

First off, THIS SMELLS JUST LIKE CAKE BATTER.. yum! It's a nice and pigmented medium pink. I am doing a comparison of this and Essence's Stay Matt lip cream later this week!

 

A Multi-Purpose face brush

This brush really is not that great of quality.. It sheds and when I washed it some of the black from the bristles washed away with the makeup that was on it and it smelled like tar.. I am keeping it as a backup for when my other powder brush from Real Techniques is wet and I need to use one.

Swatches!!

LtoR: blush, shadow, liner, gloss, lip cream!!

Thanks to the sales at IMATS all this was just under $60 including the Stay Matte powders which weren't pictured (sorry about that, can't find the picture on my laptop :( ).

 

On to Stila! I picked up 2 things.

The Convertible Color in "Lillium"

I like things that are dual purpose; and this is a lip/cheek cream. It's not overly pigmented and looks nice on the lips and cheeks which is nice because some things are marketed for both purposes but are sometimes more drying on the lips or too dewy for the cheeks.

Stay All Day liquid liner in "Snow"

I really like doing bold liner. I do wings daily and like to add pops of color and different things so I picked this up! I posted a picture of a look I did on my Instagram with it (@makeupbyemilyy). I just wish it was a little more intense and pigmented!

 

 Swatches!!

TtoB: liner, cream

 

Next is a brand called "Clean Apothecary". They were selling brush cleaner in all sorts of fresh scents and some lip balms!!

I got there brush shampoo in "Grapefruit".

I haven't tried this yet but it has no bad chemicals and very natural ingredients so I'm excited to give my brushes a little detox :)

 

Lipbalms!! In "Coconut Lemongrass" and "Tahitian Vanilla"

I bought 3 of these but realized I bought two of the "Coconut Lemongrass" one! Oh well, but I am a lip balm ADDICT. I love them so much! These are just some clear balms. :)

 

Next, I got a BeautyBlender!!

I am going to continue to try this but for now I'm not really seeing all the hype about this sponge.. hope I will start loving it!

 

I got an eye blending brush from random brand.. the name isn'ton the brush anywhere but I want to say it was something like CiCi? Anyways it's just a fluffy blending brush!

I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture but.. guys.. it's shedding :(

I'm not really used to shedding because I'm spoiled with Real Techniques and the e.l.f brushes from their studio line.. I still like this because surprisingly I do not have a fluffy brish like this yet but I hate the shedding!!

 

That's my entire haul! I did not get anything from LimeCrime (2 hour line!! I am not about that..) or Sigma (same reason). I might just order some stuff online from them in the future.

 

 

 

Spring lip products and blushes I'm breaking out!

Hi guys!! Since it's finally sort of warming up in MA, I'm starting to bust out my bright lip products and blushes! Here are the things I've set aside in my collection:

We'll start with the lip products:

Maybelline's "Shocking Coral" from The Vivids collection

Tarte LipSurgence Matte lip tint in "Glee"

Tart LipSurgence Matte lip tint in "Cheerful"

Revlon Colorburst lip butter in "Juicy Papaya"

Bite  Beauty lipgloss in "Garnet" (Bite has the best lip products!!)

 

Swatches:

 

Left to right:

The Bite gloss in "Garnet", Revlon's "Juicy Papaya", Tarte's "Cheerful", Tarte's "Glee", and Maybelline's "Shocking Coral"

As you can see, these are all fresh and colorful and I'm so happy to break them out!! (The picture doesn't do the Maybelline lipstick a justice in its brightness... it's beautiful!)

 

Blush time!!

The Balm's "Hot Mama" (rose-gold blush yay!!):

 

 Benefit's "Bella Bamba":

City Color Be Matte Blush in "Fresh Melon":



 

 

 Swatches:

 

 

Top to bottom: City Color's "Fresh Melon", Benefit's "Bella Bamba", and The Balm's Hot Mama.. I did all these swatches as a one time pass so they blushes can be built up and they all look so pretty.. I like using the Hot Mama when I do an eye look with warmer toned shadows and it's so pretty!!

Anyways, these are some products I'm breaking out this spring!! I go even brighter with my makeup when it's summer!! :)



A shadow trio, quad, and palette that I think get the job done all by themselves!

Isn't it so much easier to use shadows that are already grouped together in a trio or palette instead of having to dig through your entire collection? I know it sure is easier for me, I tend to reach for my Naked 2 palette so much more than trying to hassle with a ton of single shadows to create a look. I pulled out 3 shadow products that can be used alone to create looks!

 

Up first is this trio from NYX's Love in Rio line in "Cabana Boy"

I designate this trio for being a neutral warm look.

I usually put the gold on the inner half od my lids and the lighter brown on the outer half, then I blend the deeper brown in the crease. For more of a natural look I use the lighter brown on my lids and blend the deeper brown in my crease.



This next quad is by Physician's Formula in "Classic Nudes":

The first swatch on the left is a little hard to see because I have a pale skintone but it is a cream color. These shadows seem to have a warmer undertone, especially the 3rd shade/swatch. These look so on beautiful and SMOOTH on the eyes!! So natural giving you the "contours you wish you had"..I use this quad when I'm trying to downplay my shadow because of a bolder lipcolor or a bright eyeliner!!

 

This small palette was a limited edition by Smashbox in "Sparks" and came with a liner and mascara:

 

I use these when I'm going for a nice bronzed look. The peach shades really help blend and get a nice soft focus effect!! These shadows are beyond buttery and I love them!!

 

Thinking of doing a "How to wear bright eyeliner" post next.. and stay tuned for an IMATS haul next weekend!!!

Everyday Makeup Items

For just one person, I have a pretty large makeup collection so it really says something if I use a product every single day; here are my daily makeup items:

For during the week at school, I prefer fuller coverage and I use my Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour foundation ($38 for 1.7 oz.- great size; the standard foundation is only 1 oz.):

I've already have done a full review on this foundation and I love it! Great staying power and coverage, and it does NOT oxidize.

 

For my concealing step, I use one for the face and undereye, for the undereye I use Maybelline's DreamLumi concealer in Radiant, and for the face I use Covergirl+Olay's concealer balm:

I love the Maybelline one for day to day use for its brightening purposes because of its salmon color for dark circles, and it's priced reasonably (wanting to try a higher end one though!!). The Covergirl balm matches my face really well which is why I use it for blemishes. Also, it has a very smooth and thin texture while having good coverage on the redness that blemishes always come with.

 

For contouring I like to use NYX's Matte Bronzer in Light:

I like to use this to contour mainly because it is matte and not too muddy (it does have a little orange to it though), and it blends well.

 

Covergirl and Olay Simply Ageless eye corrector in 230:

I love using this for concealing redness before foundation and for blending out the Maybelline concealer with into my natural skintone because it is salmon. I like the thin consistency of this product! I got this on clearance at Target a while back for $3 so I'm not sure if it has been discontinued or not.

 

Brightening the waterline: Benefit's EyeBright and Chella's Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil:

I love using a nude colored liner in the waterline!!! It opens the eye and makes them look so much bigger! I apply the Eyebright first because it has a slightly drier consistency than the Chella pencil which I think helps it adhere to the waterline rather than a creamier pencil. I then top it off with the Chella pencil because it is creamier and more of a natural color than the pink-toned EyeBright. Loooove this combo.

 

For mascara I usually use drugstore although I have quite a few high-end ones waiting to be used after these two dry up!! These are the Covergirl Lashblast Volume and Maybelline's The Rocket mascara

These two mascaras give the best volume and length! I use them together daily and my lashes look long and thick.. love love loooove.

To set my foundation and concealer I use NYX's Stay Matte But Not Flat powder foundation:

I don't have a single bad thing to say about this powder. I like setting my foundation with this because it has great coverage; of course when I use it to set my makeup I use a fluffy brush (Real Techniques Powder Brush) but I can still tell the boost of coverage with this. It really gives the undereye a perfected matte finish yet not cakey and gross. This powder does keep you matte but not a cakey finish it is beautiful and truly unique and I have tried a ton of powders! I cannot wait to go to IMATS on the 13th to stock up on this stuff I've hit major pan on this stuff!!!

My finishing step is Make Up For Ever HD Powder:



I use this sparingly and dust it very lightly (using my elf blush brush; this helps the powder not fly everywhere considering the price of this stuff haha) and it gives such an airbrushed and perfected finish! I got this as a 100 point perk from Sephora over a year ago and still have this little size!