Nyx Lipstick Swatch Fest

I have WAY too many Nyx lipsticks and I haven’t touched most of them in a while. Since many of them are pretty old and likely unhygienic, I decided to swatch all of them before tossing anything. I wish I had done this in previous purges, but hindsight is 20/20. So here we go! All swatches are of Nyx Round Case Lipstick ($3.99) unless otherwise indicated.

Stone, Hera, Expresso, Hot Fudge, Hot Cocoa, Decadent

Brown Sugar, Walnut, Gaea, Calisto, Pecan, Raisin

Taupe, Rapture, Bruised, Almost Black, Poseidon, Pinto Bean

Darling, Chambord, Creon, Cinnamon Sugar, Peony, Kona Coffee

Champagne, Castle, Mute, Opal, Violet Ray

Alabama (Nyx Matte Lipstick $5.99), Chic Red, Hero

Spell Bound, Celebrate, Pink Lyric, Audrey (Nyx Matte Lipstick $5.99), Candy Land (Nyx Xtreme Lip Cream $5.99)

Daytime 60’s Winged Liner

This look is from Sunday, when I wore what I thought was a pretty wearable, everyday version of some heavy duty winged 60’s eyeliner.  Maybe it’s not for everyone, but I thought the warm, neutral eyeshadow helped to keep it less costumey than usual.

Very few products here, just a couple light brown eyeshadow shades from my BH Cosmetics 28  Neutral Color Palette  ($14-$18.95 depending on the day), winged liner courtesy of  NYX Collection Noir Black Liquid Liner ($5.99), Maybelline Volum’ Express The Mega Plush Waterproof Mascara inVery Black ($6.99) on lashes and  NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($5.99) on lips.

Here I’ve overlayed some Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose ($22.50) over the lip cream, which makes it a little more fuchsia and glossy.  Compare that with the plain, matte version below.

Hot Pink Matte Lipstick

Today I went for a light, fun look primarily using NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa ($5.99), a super bright fuchsia color, on my lips.

I left everything else super simple, all I’m wearing on my eyes is Tequila, and Downtown from the Kat Von D True Romance Palette in Ludwig ($34) plus Orbi from the same palette patted into the lashline as an eyeliner.  I’m also wearing my standard  Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20) and  NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic ($6.99) on apples of cheeks.

Kat Von D champagne shimmer eye.

One thing that’s cool about the Matte Lip Cream is that it can go from matte to creamy looking just by adding lip balm.  The cream is extremely long wearing and the balm actually extends the life of the lipcolor.  The closeups below show the difference in finish with the balm or with the product alone on lips.  I really like it in either finish. More on the lip cream here.

I really love this color, super fun!

Oxblood Lips Two Ways

Today I was playing around with dark red lipstick (you may remember my quest to find it last year) and did a couple of eye looks to match my now-trendy oxblood lipstick.

The lips and cheeks are the same in both looks, the lipstick is a mix of NYX Round Lipstick ($2.99) in Decadent and Raisin and I’m wearing NYX Powder Blush in Desert Rose ($5.99) along the outer cheek and temple and TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer ($24) both as a facial highlighter and as an eyeshadow in the inner corners of the eye.

The first look is more day-appropriate and accessible.  I patted Bare Escentuals Eyeshadow ($14) in Mai Tai (discontinued, but The 70’s is a close match) all over and lined the outer half of the upper and lower lashline with the plummy shade of NYX’s Trio Eyeshadow in Lake Moss ($7) and added a coat of Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20).

The second version is much gothier.  I patted Bare Escentuals Eyeshadow ($14) in cupcake and did a swoopy double-winged liner with Bare Escentuals Liner Shadow ($14) in Minx (Humor is a dupe).

Look how angsty I am!

I drew a short line of  Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Gunmetal ($19) between the upper and lower line to smoke out the two-line look, although you could add any color for contrast (or leave the space empty).

90’s Matte Wine Red Lips

I’ve been really obsessing over all things 90’s this year (remember my ultra matte skin and goth eyes from February?).  The nostalgia has been overwhelming and I’m thinking it may have to do with the 10 year high school reunion I recently attended and reflections on my fading youth.  Whatever the cause, I was delighted to find that I’m not alone in this, if my favorite fashion blog is any indication (SEE?).  Lately too many No Doubt music videos (I didn’t really like them when they were popular!  Why do I love them so much now?) has set me on the path to finding the perfect mid-90’s shade of dark red lipstick.  I’ve been into red lipstick a lot in the past few months that I haven’t been posting, but I’m surprised by how difficult this shade is to come by.  I have a few colors that are close, but today I decided to make my own.

 

I used the bright red Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo ($6.00) as a base and layered a light coat of dark burgundy Nyx Round Lipstick in Pluto ($4.00) to get a shade that’s somewhere in between.  The matte Lip Cream is awesome, it’s sort of like a whipped mousse gloss, although it feels kind of dry once it sets.  It’s super long lasting, though, and layering a more moisturizing product over it made it feel a lot more comfortable without affecting the wearability.  Since the 90’s were all about stark contrasts and matte finishes, I swiped on a greyish-plum shade and a ever-so-slightly shimmery cream shade from my BH Cosmetics 28  Neutral Color Palette  ($14-$18.95 depending on the frequent sales) and a coat of Smasbox Hyperlash Mascara ($22).  I skipped the eyeliner for an authentic 90’s look and used a rose shade from the BH palette as a blush.  I skipped the heavy powder this time, although that would definitely fit the era.

So simple and surprisingly wearable.  I hope this retro thing  stays hip for a little while because I’m really having fun doing my makeup this way.  All I need is a Delia’s catalog and it’s like being in middle/high school all over again!