New Product Review: NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick

I FINALLY got them, Glammies!  It seems like the new NYX Liquid Suede lippies have been actively avoiding me since they launched in late July.  It's mostly my fault - I totally blanked on the release date and of course they were all sold out by the time I remembered about them a week later.  It's all good though!  They recently released on Ulta.com and are still available for purchase.  So, for a little bit of background on the product, I'm going to let NYX tell y'all all about them:

Doll up your lips in plush and vibrant color! Our Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick glides on and sets into a striking matte finish. Velvety soft and waterproof, this long-lasting lippie creates a positively polished look with every swipe.

I'm in!  It's no secret that I'm in love with liquid lipsticks and I have been ever since the old school CoverGirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor that came out in high school.  If you're a makeup junkie like me, you'll already know that NYX already has an incredibly line of matte liquid lipsticks called the Soft Matte Lip Creams, so what's the difference?  Well, the formula for these are more like the classic liquid lipsticks, in that they are supposed to be waterproof and long lasting, which the Soft Matte Lip Creams are not.  They come in 12 shades:

• Stone Fox;
• Life's A Beach;
• Cherry Skies;
• Soft-Spoken;
• Orange County;
• Sway;
• Sandstorm;
• Pink Lust;
• Tea & Cookies;
• Amethyst;
• Kitten Heels, and finally;
• Vintage

At $7 a pop, the price is certainly great, especially if you compare them to similar and very popular liquid lipsticks from Anastasia Beverly Hills or Kat Von D ($20.00 each).  I bought 9 of the 12 colors so that I could get a good sense of the color payoff and wear, and swatched them down below.

Overall, I would say that I like these lippies.  I'm in love with a couple of them (I'll expand on that later), but I don't feel like the entire line is a must-have.  

Let's talk about the formula first.  I did find it to be a lot more long-wearing than the Soft Matte Lip Creams, but they're still a lot more comfortable to wear than most liquid lipsticks.  Now, keep in mind that with something this long-wearing, the dry feeling on your lips is unavoidable.  With that being said, my lips didn't feel nearly as dry with these as they do with other liquid lippies, so there's a positive right there.  These did take a while to dry fully though, with some of them taking up to 5 minutes!  That's entirely too long for me to wait for my lips to set, and when they finally did, they weren't a completely matte finish.  The finish isn't a negative thing per se, but NYX did market them as so, so I was expecting a matte finish and not a satin one.  

Before I get into each individual color, I do want to put up a disclaimer: Although they are a liquid formula and thus more opaque than regular lipsticks, skin tone does need to be taken into account when looking at the color payoff.  I have a dark medium complexion with olive undertones (Mac NC35-40 depending on how tan I am), so please keep in mind that some colors may look a bit different on other people.  By the way, I didn't use a lipliner in any of these pictures, so y'all can get a sense of the true color of the lippies.

Love it or Leave it

Life's A Beach 

Life's A Beach is a true coral color.  I really didn't like the color because I felt like it looked almost neon against my skin, but it would look great on people much fairer than I am.  I found it to be really streaky in application, and I had to put on several coats to get some even color payoff.  After it set, I saw that it settled into the fine lines and was starting to patch.  LEAVE IT

Cherry Skies

This is a dark, wine red that I absolutely loved! I tend to gravitate towards these kinds of colors, so I knew that this one was a must have for me.  I didn't find it to be nearly as streaky as some others, but I did have to apply 2 coats to make the color even and opaque.  It's a great, vampy color for fall! LOVE IT

Soft-Spoken

This is a dusty pinkish brown color.  I was most excited for this particular lippie, because I felt like it would be the perfect pinky-nude color for me.  I was right!  It's hands-down my favorite out of the entire line.  I didn't have any trouble whatsoever with the application, and I was more than happy with the opaqueness and color payoff with just 1 coat.  LOVE IT

Sandstorm

Sandstorm is a true nude-brown that I had very high hopes for.  Unfortunately, the color was a little too cool and too close to my skin color for my liking.  However, I think it would be a gorgeous nude lippie for someone that's lighter than me, (I'm looking at you, Bex!)  I didn't have any problems with streakiness, but I did feel like it wasn't as opaque as Soft-Spoken.  This one is definitely a 2 coater. LOVE IT (just not on me.)

Pink Lust

Helloooo Barbie pink!  Although I wouldn't wear it on a regulr basis, this one is such a fun color, and incredibly bright.  Bright and opaque from the first swipe, you only need one coat for this lippie.  I did 2 for this picture because I wanted it to be hot, hot pink.  LOVE IT

Tea & Cookies

This was another disappointing one for me.  It's a light blush, baby pink color (it's advertised as pinky-nude but definitely not for my skin.)  This was another one that was incredibly patchy and streaky.  It had all the problems that I had with Life's A Beach, plus I couldn't get it to be opaque enough.  No matter how many coats I put on, I couldn't hide my natural lip color from peeking through.  LEAVE IT

Amethyst

This one is a true royal purple with a blue undertone.  Like Pink Lust, I wasn't expecting to be able to wear this color on a daily basis, but I feel like it's a fun color for those bold enough to wear purple lips.  Unlike Pink Lust, however, this one was surprisingly streaky even when I didn't apply too much pressure on the wand.  I had to put on 3 coats to even the color out.  LEAVE IT

Kitten Heels

Kitten Heels is a true, bright red with a blue undertone.  This one surprised me the most!  I don't usually like bright reds, because they tend to look orange on me, but I feel like this one stayed true to color.  It definitely had the best coverage out of the bunch and was perfectly opaque and smooth with just one application.  I'm a bright red lippie convert!  LOVE IT

Vintage

Vintage is a dark burgundy, almost plum color.  I know I'll be wearing this one quite a bit in the fall months because it has just enough brown undertone to make it bold but wearable.  This one was interesting in application though... I found this one to be streaky as well.  Luckily, it's such a dark color that it can hide all manner of sins, so it's not as obvious.  The streakiness threw me off a bit, but the color is so beautiful that I LOVE IT

Overview

Well there you have it!  Overall, I like these new NYX lippies... I just would leave some of the lighter ones on the shelf.  Do y'all have any of these?  How did y'all like them?  Let me know in the comments!

Glammie love!

~Jaz

Air Travel Essentials - Part 1 of 3

I like to joke around with everyone that I've spent half of my life in the clouds.  I grew up in an expat family, so that meant that we moved every couple of years, which is something that I wouldn't trade for the world.  I've seen many places, experienced many cultures, met many people... and sat in many airplanes.  Luckily, my husband shares my passion for travel, so my travel experiences haven't stopped with marriage, and in fact, I'd actually venture to say that they have only increased.

Anyhow, seeing as how I've traveled pretty extensively, I'd like to think that I'm decently knowledgeable when it comes to air travel.  I'm not talking about actually flying a plane of course, or the physics allowing a 5 ton hunk of metal to soar through the air without crashing, but the art of sitting on an airplane for hours on end without going insane.  My biggest goal when I was younger was to make sure that I didn't get bored in the air; now, my biggest goal is to not get sick and to keep my body from turning on itself.

Everyone knows that being on an airplane is not a healthy environment.  The high altitude, coupled with the low humidity and the recycled air, can wreak havoc on your body - especially on your skin.  Luckily, through some trial and error, I think I've perfected a beauty regime for flying.  This will be a three part blog series: Pre-Flight, In-Flight and Post-Flight.

Pre-Flight: Prepare Yourself

Step 1: Cleanse Your Skin

I have very temperamental skin.  My face tends to break out at the slightest bit of change in my routine, whether it be in my diet, my hormones or my environment.  When I know that I'm about to get on an airplane, especially if it's a long-haul flight, I try to prep my skin as best as I can.  This means that I try to extract all the bacteria and gunk out of my pores before it gets further irritated by my surroundings while in-flight.  I have a few favorite masks for this:

From Left to Right: GlamGlow Powermud, Proactiv Skin Purifying Mask,
GlamGlow Supermud and Proactiv Refining Mask

GlamGlow's POWERMUD Dual-Cleanse Treatment is my absolute favorite mask to use on a weekly basis.  It acts like a regular mud mask and is super deep cleansing, but it turns into an oil after you rinse it off to moisturize your face.  Basically, it leaves your skin super clean and feeling velvety smooth.  You can pick it up here or here.

Proactiv's Skin Purifying Mask is also a great medicated clay mask for use on acne-prone skin.  I do, however, prefer to use it as an overnight spot treatment as I don't like the tightening effect that it has on my face.  When I dab it on a problem area at night, I wake up the next day, and it's gone... miracle!  Buy it here.

GlamGlow's SUPERMUD Clearing Treatment is multiple award-winning and by far the most intense mud mask I've ever used.  I can actually see the gunk coming out of my pores (so gross!).  The only problem is that it's pretty drying, so I only use this one when my skin is behaving especially badly.  Grab it here or here.

Proactiv's Refining Mask works a lot like their skin purifying mask, but I feel like it's a bit more potent.  The only problem is that the sulfur smell is also more potent, so for those who don't mind the smell, this one works amazingly well.  Otherwise, I would refer you to the SUPERMUD.  Anyhow, you can try it out for yourself here!

Step 2: Moisturize

After I thoroughly cleanse my skin, I make sure that I completely moisturize my skin to prepare my face for the climate of the plane.  Seeing as though I usually use masks at night, I prefer to use a face oil afterwards.  I feel like my skin absorbs it better and more quickly than a lotion, so it ends up on my skin, as opposed to my pillow.  I only need 3 or 4 drops of this stuff for my face to feel completely nourished!

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil: My favorite face oil ever!  You can buy it here!

Step 3: Boost Your Immune System

I'm not really a germaphobe per se, but when I'm flying, I do want to do my part to ensure that I don't get sick from all the germs in the air.  Usually, an adventure is waiting for me at the other end of my plane ride, and adventure isn't as fun when you're sick.  Enter my favorite germ-fighting duo: Vitamin C and hand sanitizer (I haven't added a picture of these since I'm not really partial to any one particular brand.)  I also take a vitamin before I head out to the airport and make sure to keep my hand sanitizer handy (pun intended) in my purse or carry-on at all times.

Now that you're cleansed, moisturized and boosted, you're ready to board!  Look out for Part 2 in this series tomorrow: In-Flight Essentials.

Glammie Love!

~Jaz

September Makeup Haul Part III

For the last part of the September Makeup Haul Part III

All the glory will go to:
RIMMEL LONDON ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner - Nude, $9.20 on Amazon

I recently have been searching to find a product to give me that soft glam look, and I came across some inspiration from instagrammer jasmine_hakobyan.

(Maybe should I say former instagrammer? I was unsuccessful in finding her profile again. Good thing I took a screenshot! Always take a screen shot when you see something inspirational!!!)

I usually use my white eyeliner by MAC  (Fascinating Eye Kohl, $16) for my waterline, in order to give me that fierce wide awake look, but I noticed that nude eyeliner also looks very natural and creates a softer glow.

Here is the swatch on my skin

and now on my face

Left: Nude          Right: White

Now with this Soft Glam Eyeliner, I see many Brunch Makeup Looks in my future! And yes, I will have a mimosa with this glam!


I can't wait to start creating all these new looks for the fall season, and stay tuned next month for the next haul!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Glammie Love,

Bex

September Makeup Haul Part II

Part II of the Haul consisted of buying some basic makeup products:
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils 601 Black Bean and 604 Milk, $4.50 each on their website
NYX Sharpener sold for $4.50 on their website and $4.00 on Amazon

The sharpener has 2 slots, one that can sharpen the jumbo eye pencils and the other slot for regular eyeliners or lip liners. If you use your jumbo eye pencils as a base coat and notice the tip is getting dull and that it's time to sharpen it, BEWARE...you may actually make it worse. Here's a nifty trick to make sure your jumbo pencils stay sharp.

This is a lovely 1:46 video by Youtuber Kendall Rae, showing the best way to sharpen these jumbo bad boys.





And here's the reason to get these NYX jumbo eye pencils pronto... 

THE RICH HUES

Let's start by looking at the bottom half of the swatches.  First, you see a normal eyeshadow swatch with no black base.  Above that, the next swatch is the rich black base by itself, and then above that, you can see the gorgeous royal purple hue it creates when combined together.

Now for the top half, you first see the copper-ish eyeshadow swatch with no white base.  Above that, we have the white base, and then at the very top, we have the eyeshadow and white base combined to make this amazing metallic rust color.

Now, if you're like me, you will wonder, with the same eyeshadow color, what color will come out when you use the black base and what color will come out when you use the white base. Well, see for yourself below.

Left: The Same Shadow with the Black Base        

Right: The Same Shadow with the White Base

If you don't have these 2 jumbo eyeliner pencils, I recommend you buy them A.S.A.P. and start having fun swatching your eyeshadow with them!

Please look out for the final part of the September Makeup Haul (Part III )to feature
Rimmel London ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner- Nude


Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Glammie Love,

Bex

September Makeup Haul Part I

The best part of internet shopping is that it feels like its Christmas time, no matter the season! You eagerly track your products to see when the goodies will be delivered to you door. Then, it happens... The sheer joy you receive when you see the cardboard box arrive and you rip it open to see all the cosmetics and brushes spill out onto your lap.

Part I of this Makeup haul will feature:
Sigma Tapered Highlighter Brush F35 sold for $24.00 on their website and $24.00 on Amazon
Anastasia Beverly Hills Build Your  Own: Contour Palette, $14.00 for individual pans, but highly recommended to bundle 6 pans for $40.00

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Build Your Own: Contour Palette + Sigma F35

Out of all my makeup haul goodies, these 2 products are what I was most excited about.

Back in August, I bought Becca: Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed- Moonstone, $38.00 as my new highlighter, since I wanted to try a powder highlighter to replace my highlighting creams, which I had been using. However, I was struggling to determine the best brush to use for my new powder highlighter. Borrowing my glam partner Jaz's Sigma Tapered  Highlighter F35 Brush cued a lightbulb going on and "angelic realization music" in my head (if you cant imagine it, listen to the first 4 seconds of The Simpsons Opening Scene). I mean, after all, Sigma is a name brand and used by professional makeup artists everywhere, so if you can't afford to buy the entire set, know which brush to splurge for, and this brush is definitely it! But if you're going to have a nice brush, you have to have options, and that is when I decided it was time for a customized contour palette.

The great thing is, if you're the type to feel overwhelmed by so many options, Anastasia makes preselected contour kits. On the other hand. if you're like me and you want to study your options and do some research, then this is an idea on how to go about doing it. I do not live anywhere near an Anastasia Beverly Hills Salon, so it took research and a leap of faith to select the right 6 pans.

Step 1: Find inspiration on Instagram, preferably with someone that appears to have similar skin tones, and of course take a screen shot! 

Thanks to Jayrozze24, this picture alone has made it so much easier for me to select the right pans: Champagne, Banana, Peaches & Cream, and Camel!  These checked off 4 out of the 6 shades I needed.

I still, however, had 2 more spots to fill. This involved more digging, since I was not one of the lucky people to have the contour book at my disposal.

Step 2: Google Search

Nothing like a quick Google search to answer your questions, or in this case feed my makeup addiction. One of the top few links took me to
http://www.lindastephanie.com/anastasia-contour-book-contour-kit-refills/

And here we can see has the picture of the pan, the pan name, and the description...PERFECT!
If you cannot read the print, I urge you to visit the site for an easier read.

                                         

After going back and forth for 30 minutes, and coming close to pulling out my hair (just kidding, I don't do that, its not good for your hair), I was able to pick out 2 more colors: Golden Peach and Clay. I wanted to have a shade that was for light to medium and another shade for medium to tan. I did this because, like most people, I know I get quite a bit darker in the summer and fall, and then I will get lighter during the winter and spring. 

Top Left to Right: Champagne, Banana, Golden Peach

Bottom Left to Right: Peaches & Cream, Camel, Clay

Swatches

Champagne is a highlighter, and if you would want more depth to it, I recommend putting champagne over Banana. As you can see, I have a huge chunk of Peaches & Cream on my arm, but it was because, when the flash was not on, it appeared to be identical to my skin, making it hard to see where I put the original swatch mark. This means that, when I start getting a bit paler, it will be a great skin tone color to set any creams I may be wearing. The same is true for Banana, which will be a lovely shade to set my concealer under my eyes. As for Camel, I love how it is a light contour. I will probably use this to enhance my nose. It will not be too abrasive like some makeup fails where your nose looks like a rectangle has been outlined on the middle of your face. Lastly, Clay will be perfect since it's dark enough to help enhance my cheeks. Deep colors and shades are definitely in style for fall!  

Stay Tuned for Part II and Part III of the September Makeup Haul.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Glammie Love,

Bex

One Palette, Five Looks with Urban Decay's Vice 3

Two weeks ago, we were just browsing our Instagram (follow us here!), and one of our favorite makeup brands teased a photo of their new palette: Urban Decay's Vice 3.  We instantly fell in love and began the countdown until it would be in our hands.  Well, the time has finally come... It's here!

Isn't it beautiful?!?

I would try to describe the palette for you, but why would I when the geniuses over at Urban Decay can do it so much better?

"With so many different finishes—matte, satin, sparkle and even metallic (to echo the iced-out metallic look of the palette itself), this palette is made for experimentation. The shades are arranged in columns: neutrals on the left, jewel tones in the middle and smoky shades on the right. Pair up the vertically color-coordinated quads or go wild and mix them up. Our Pigment Infusion System™ gives each shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability."

Since you can use the palette in quads, I decided to not only swatch each color, but to create a look only using each quad.  So without further ado, here's One Palette, Five Looks! (I'm sorry about the lighting.  I'm still trying to figure out where I need to put myself when I take makeup selfies.)

Look 1: Everyday Neutral

I love a neutral eye for during the day.  Whether I'm going to work, meeting with a friend for lunch, shopping or even just running errands, this eye is my go-to when I want to look put together, but still natural.  The first four shades (Truth, Undone, Downfall and DTF) are perfect for any of these outings.  They were effortless to blend and not chalky at all, which can be a problem with matte shades.  They actually reminded me of the Naked Basics palette and that in itself is a huge compliment.

Truth on the lid and browbone, Undone as a transitional shade, Downfall as the crease color and DTF on the outer V

Look completed with Kat Von D Everlasting
Love Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

From left to right: Truth, Undone, Downfall, DTF

Look 2: Bright and Tropical

This look, which featured Dragon, Freeze, Heroine and Brokedown, was a little unconventional for me since I rarely work with greens and blues.  However, in the interest of using every shade in the palette, I sucked it up and went for it, and I'm glad I did.  Since I decided to use only one quad per look, I didn't end up using a transitional shade, but I think my eye may have benefited from using one.  Thankfully, any of the browns used in Look One would've made a perfect transition.  As beautiful and pigmented as these colors were, they all had at least a slight shimmer, so I wouldn't normally use any for my crease, although I did in this case.  Brokedown was my absolute favorite out of the four... it's a little bit of gold, a little bit of khaki, a little bit of brown and a whole lot of awesome!

Brokedown on the lid, Freeze in the crease, Heroine in the outer V and Dragon on the lower lashline

From left to right: Dragon, Freeze, Heroine
and Brokedown

Look completed with Smashbox Be Legendary
Long Wear Lip Laquer in Off Duty

Look 3: Fall Fabulous

Of all of the looks that I created, I think this one was my favorite.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that the thought of fall makes me giddy!  I feel like this quad (Vanity, Lucky, Reign and Bobby Dazzle) has everything that I want in a fall eye look: a great brown shade, a shimmery copper, an awesome highlight and a pop of color.  What else does a girl need?  

Lucky all over the lid, Reign in the outer crease, Bobby Dazzle on the browbone and inner corner and Vanity on the lower lashline

From left to right: Vanity, Lucky, Reign,
Bobby Dazzle

Look completed with Gerard Cosmetics lipgloss in
Cocoa Bean

Look 4: Jewel Tone Goddess

I'm going to preface this by saying that this was my least favorite of all the looks that I created. These four colors (Alien, Alchemy, Bondage and Sonic) were automatically my favorites when I swatched them, but something got lost in translation when I put them on.  I'm mentioning this just because I don't want the look to shortchange these colors, which I think are absolutely gorgeous. Anyway, these beautiful jewel-toned reds, pinks and plums would be perfect for a fall-inspired nighttime look.  Despite the fact that I wasn't crazy about this particular look, Sonic is literally my favorite color in the entire palette.

Alchemy all over the lid, Alien in the inner corner, Bondage on the outer crease and Sonic on the lower lashline

Left to right: Alien, Alchemy, Bondage, Sonic

Look completed with Dior Addict Fluid Stick in
Trompre L'Oeil

Look 5: Club Glam

The last look used Last Sin, Angel, Defy and Revoler and is a blown-out smokey eye perfect for bringing a little bit of glam to a night out.  I loved the sparkle in Last Sin and Angel, but I wouldn't have complained if Revolver had been a bit darker.  I think it may have brought the smokiness to another level and made the look a little more dramatic.  Having said that, I still think that the look and the colors were beautiful.

Last Sin all over the lid, Angel in the upper crease, Defy in the lower crease and, to smoke out the lower lashline, Revolver on the outer lid and on the lashline

Left to right: Last Sin, Angel, Defy, Revolver

Look completed with Sephora Luster
Matte Long-Wear Lip Color in Deep Plum

Overall, I think that this is one of those palettes that can create any look you want, whether it be subtle and sweet or bold and daring.  It's a must-have for me!

I hope you enjoyed my take on the Vice 3 Palette!  How would you use it?

~Jaz

Pick up your own Vice 3 from Urban Decay or from Sephora.

All of the looks from this post were created with the following products:

• Cover FX Mattifying Primer With Anti-Acne Treatment
• Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation in Toffee
• MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Dark Brown
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Ebony
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
• Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Deep
• Makeup Forever Sculpting Kit in Shade 4
• BH Cosmetics 10 Color Professional Blush Palette
• Bobbi Brown Beige Shimmer Brick
• Ardell Demi Wispies in Black