Nyx Brights Palette

Nyx Ultimate Shadow Palette in Brights

I recently picked up the Nyx Brights Palette.  This has been on my wishlist on a while, so I’m glad I finally got my hands on it.  I’ve been basically using this palette nonstop since I picked it up. I haven’t gotten to use every single shadow in this palette, but I’ve had nothing but positive experiences so far.

Nyx Brights Eyeshadow Palette

GREEN & YELLOW ROW

This row consists of two green shades and two yellow shades.  The shade on the far left is a dark matte green, the next is a shimmery lime green, a matte mustard yellow, and a more pastel yellow that is shimmery.  These shades all performed well. The only downside is I hardly ever wear yellow or green, so these shadows are wasted on me.

Nyx Brights Eyeshadow Palette

BLUE ROW

This row consists of bluer shades.  There is a true blue shimmer shade, a lighter matte blue, a shimmery teal, and a matte pastel mint shade.  These are my favorite types of colors and as a result this row is also my favorite. The matte shades in this palette have really impressed me, especially the mint shade.  I’ve rarely seen, even more expensive palettes, do pastels this well. All these shades performed very well.

Nyx Brights Eyeshadow Palette

PURPLE ROW

This row is all about the purple, even though a couple of the shades may look more pink when they’re hanging out in the palette.  I found this row hard to swatch, but I haven’t had any problems when using them. The dark purple shade on the far left was definitely the hardest to build up, but that seems like a pattern in these darker purple shades anyway.  The next shade is a beautiful electric violet shade. The third shade is a matte pinkish purple and was a lot more purple than I expected just looking at in the palette. The last shade is a shimmery pastel lilac that can lean pink in certain lights.  The pastel shade didn’t show up well in swatching, but it performed well enough on the lid. It isn’t the most pigmented simply because of the nature of this type of shade.

Nyx Brights Eyeshadow Palette

RED & ORANGE ROW

This row has a red, a pink, and a couple of oranges.  The far left shade is red with flakes of gold glitter.  The glitter is so insubstantial that it barely showed up.  I couldn’t see it in the swatch, but I did notice it in the photo.  The next shade was a hot pink. Then, was a shade that looked surprisingly pink when swatched.  This shade, like the one directly beneath it, didn’t look the same in the palette as it does in the swatch.  The last shade was a darker, more true orange.

Overall, I’ve been satisfied with this palette.  The Nyx products I’ve used in the past haven’t been fantastic, but this impressed me.  I’ve really liked this palette so far and I love the amount of shades. This really gives a wide range of shades in a compact little palette.  I think the only shade that might have disappointed me was the dark purple, but like I said earlier I would have expected it from this type of shade.

Nyx Christmas 2018

For Nyx fans, this is the Christmas to be alive.  Nyx has released a variety of makeup choices to the delight of the world.  Right now their Christmas collection is 30 percent off on their website. The collection is also on sale at places like Ulta.

Nyx Sugar Trip Glitter Vault

If you’re a lip lover, you can pick up special Christmas editions of the lip lingerie, soft matte lip cream, and some glossy lip tints.

Nyx Sugar Trip Squad Shadow Palette

There is a variety of eyeshadow palettes that have been released specially for this Christmas season.  This includes the Sugar Trip Squad Shadow Palette that interests me. This palette includes a rainbow of shades that stretch from a brownish red to a pastel purple.  The palette is on sale for only $11.

Nyx Licorice Lane Shadow Palette

Everything comes in cool special edition packaging that ties into the central theme of sweets.

Nyx Sprinkle Town Cream Glitter Palette in Strawberry Whip

The thing that interested me the most was the glitter palette.  My favorite quad was the Peppermint quad. It was hard to find, but I’m so glad I picked it up.  These quads are currently on sale on the Nyx website for $7. Note: They are sold out of Peppermint.

I was a little hesitant to pick up cream glitter products because I’ve gotten burned in the past.  There was a time when these type of products had no staying power and would end up badly creased in a matter of minutes.  Even one that came highly recommended by a trusted source turned out to be nothing but bad news. This is a new day. There are a great many cream glitter products flooding the market that are truly excellent.

Nyx Sprinkle Town Cream Glitter Palette in Peppermint

The Peppermint palette features four beautiful shades that include an iridescent white glitter, a teal, a navy, and a steely gray.  According the back, no shade is approved for lip use and the gray isn’t approved for eye use. I don’t know if it’s truly unsafe or if this is just an FDA guideline.  The products all contain the same ingredients, though the gray shade has slightly different amounts. I’ve used them all on my eyes and will continue to do so... I guess I’m a rebel like that.

Nyx Sprinkle Town Cream Glitter Palette in Peppermint

I really do like these glitters.  The only downside is that I seem to have to use a lot of product to cover the surface of my eye.  It seems very wasteful and I hate that. I’ve only used the quad about three times, but it looks like I’ve used it a lot more than that.  The product also has a shelf life of 6 months. Overall, I really like this product and think that it’s worth it.

Lime Crime, Too Faced, and Kat Von D: Problems with Cosmetic Companies

For a long time now people have been hesitant to buy from Lime Crime.  There is a long list of shady things the founder of Lime Crime has gotten involved in.  There have been allegations of awful stuff tarnishing the name of Lime Crime. I’m not here to talk about the past, so I’m not rehashing old information.

The way people regard Lime Crime, as a scummy makeup company, is how I think of Too Faced.  For years I’ve refused to give Too Faced any of my money. I saw an interview several years ago with the founder of Too Faced.  The interview involved him insulting anyone who would dare to buy things from him. Lately, he’s drummed up some scandal.

I’m kind of over it though.  I’m done with trying to keep up with which makeup companies are good vs. bad in the court of public opinion.  I’ve decided that going forward, I want to try and judge companies on the merit of their products and not trying to make sure the CEO’s check all the right boxes.

If you’re wondering what’s changed my mind, it’s the fact that there has been a change at both Too Faced and Lime Crime.  It’s also that they’ve released products that I’m extremely interested in. Too Faced with their Life’s a Festival collection.  Lime Crime with their glittery lips and eyes. I love color and glitter, so these products are right up my alley.

I think it’s important to remember that there has been a regime change at both of these companies.  I think their founders are both still involved with these companies, but they no longer command the ship.  I hope this means that people will be more willing to give Lime Crime a chance. I hope they are able to put their previous devious behavior behind them for good.  I hope both companies live up to the chance I’m willing to give them.

I say this because I’ve already written about Too Faced this year and I’m about to talk about Lime Crime’s Diamond Crushers.  Please stay tuned for that.

However, there is one beauty company I’m not planning on buying from and that’s Kat Von D.  Kat Von D has an amazing eyeshadow formula, the best liquid eyeliner I’ve ever tried and she has some lipsticks that are... okay.  I don’t like that she’s jumped on the anti-vaccine train. This is a dangerous philosophy to have. This puts people at risk and I just can’t be okay with that.

I hate this because Kat Von D has my favorite eyeshadows.  They are so creamy, buttery, and beautiful. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love the Tattoo Liner.  I’ve heard that Stila has a fantastic liquid liner, so I plan on switching to that. As for the lipsticks, I can totally live without them.  I honestly don’t think her lipsticks are worth the high end price that people have to pay. You can buy just about any other lipstick on the market (Except Covergirl!!!  Whatever you do in life don’t buy Covergirl lipstick.) and it will be so much better.

New Drugstore Makeup

Maybelline, Covergirl, and Revlon

So lately, I've been really good.  I haven't been spending huge amounts of money to buy way too much makeup, but I was in the mood to treat myself to something new.  The Lash Stiletto is an old favorite of mine.  I bought it because I needed a new one.  Each item was around $10.

Covergirl Peach Punch Highlighter Palette

Covergirl Peach Punch Highlighter Palette

Covergirl has a lot of new things to choose from.  They've recently come out with new face and eye products, including some chocolate and peach themed makeup.  I believe this palette is supposed to be peach scented, but I haven't really noticed any special smell.  This just smells like makeup to me.  This palette really reminds me of Neapolitan ice cream.  The highlighter is quite pretty and pigmented, it has a golden/pink shift.  I think it would work better for me as an eyeshadow.  The other two shades seem to have a slight shimmer to them.

Covergirl Peach Punch Highlighter Palette

Revlon Kiss Cushion Lip Tint (Pink IRL)

 My extreme love of lip products cannot be denied.  I can't buy makeup without getting some new lip products.  Pink IRL is a beautiful, slightly sheer lip color.

As for the plumping lip gloss, I haven't had one of these since high school.  I've never really noticed lip plumpers actually doing anything for my lips, but I used to wear them anyway.  This shade really makes me think of pink lemonade.

Revlon Kiss Cushion Lip Tint in Pink IRL (left)
Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme in Fresh Petal (right)

I picked up the Maybelline Master Blur Stick too.  I haven't been able to find my Baby Skin or my Benefit Porefessional.  So, I decided to get this.  I haven't tried this yet, so stay tuned for my review.

I also picked the Maybelline SuperStay Multi-Use Foundation Stick in Porcelain.  I really want to find a stick foundation that I really like.  Again stay tuned for my review.

FX Glitter Drops Review

It’s beautiful.  It’s sparkly. I loved all the swatches.  The social media photographs of it stole my heart.  So, I bought it. Then, I returned it.

I bought the FX Glitter Drops in Lunar.  When I swatched it in stores it had this beautiful multi-colored glitter.  When I used it in real life, I was very disappointed. The only thing I really noticed in real life was a blue cast with none of the other colors picking up.

I used the drops as a highlighter, a lip topper, and an eyeshadow topper.

AS A HIGHLIGHTER

A little bit on the top of the cheekbone is beautiful.  I really liked this product as a highlighter. It was beautiful.  It worked well with my skin tone and gave a wonderful amount of sparkle.  I definitely recommend it as a highlighter.

AS A LIP TOPPER

I really wanted to like this as a lip topper.  When I bought this, I envisioned using this as a lip topper above anything else.  It looked beautiful on the lips, but it was so sticky. I just can’t stand sticky lips.  The fact that it was sticky was a huge negative to me. Also, I felt like I had other (non-sticky) things that would give me a similar look.  (See Too Faced Unicorn Tears.)

AS AN EYESHADOW TOPPER

This works alright as an eyeshadow topper.  I actually wish I had more time to test this product as an eyeshadow topper.  It gives you a beautiful bit of shine. However, the product doesn’t seem to fully set.  If you give it a moment to dry a bit (it doesn’t seem to dry down completely), you will have a much more enjoyable experience with it.

Overall, I thought this product was best used as a highlighter.  It didn’t really work as a lip topper and it only kind of worked as an eyeshadow topper.  I bought it to be a multi-use product. After taxes, I spent around $50 on this thing. Ultimately, I decided I wasn’t going to get $50 of use out of the product so I returned it.

I already own a lot of highlighters that I really like.  I’m not going to throw money away on a $50 highlighter when I already have a collection of beautiful highlighters to turn to.

NOTE:  I took several photos of the product in use when I owned it, but I’m not sure where those photos are now.  I will attach the swatches to this post if I’m able to figure out what I did with them.

Colorful Eyeshadow Palettes

Do you ever get tired of all the brown eyeshadow?  Do you ever wonder where you can go to get some color added into your looks?  Well, here’s a rundown on some colorful eyeshadow palettes that are currently available.

Huda Electric Palette

Huda Electric Palette ($27)

This palette has a full color rainbow.  When I look at it, I think 80s Barbie which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The great thing about this palette is it’s somewhat affordable at $27 which I don’t think is terrible considering the rave reviews Huda has been getting and the fact you get nine shadows.

Juvia's Place Zulu Palette

Juvia’s Place Zulu Palette ($21.50)

Juvia seems to be a brand that’s flying under the radar.  I found out about them from a European Youtuber I enjoy watching.  They have great color payoff and are even more affordable than Hoda and you still get nine, fairly large, eyeshadows.

Juvia's Place Magic Palette

Juvia’s Place Magic Palette ($28)

This palette has sixteen eyeshadows for $28 which isn’t bad.  With this palette you can go for more neutral or toned down looks, but you also get a chance to play with color.  You really get a nice variety.

Box of Crayons Palette

Box Of Crayons Palette (who cares?)

I was super excited about this palette and this brand.  I’m super obsessed with Crayola and I love the fact they have a palette that’s ‘modelled’ after them.  However, I’ve recently been made aware of some shady things going on with the company. It’s enough that I’ve unofficially removed them from this list pending further review.

Life's a Festival Palette

Life’s a Festival Palette ($42)

Too Faced has been sold to a new owner, which officially means they can now find themselves on my blog.  I’ve been loving this collection from them with it’s fun unicorns and rainbows. I’m still on the fence about purchasing this palette.  It’s got a full rainbow of eyeshadows and some of them are duochrome, what’s not to love? I want it, but I already own more eyeshadow than I could ever use and $42 is a lot of money.

Lorac Pro 4 Palette

Lorac Pro 4 ($59)

With this Lorac palette, you get 32 shadows.  I believe it’s the most expensive palette on this list, and possibly the least colorful.  It is beautiful though and while the colors are muted, you do get a large selection of colors.  There’s pink, greens, blues, purples, and browns. And a lot of these looks will be fairly natural, if that’s your thing.

Tarte Be a Mermaid Palette

Tarte Be A Mermaid Palette ($42)

This palette of shimmery shadows features far too many browns to be on my radar, but there are some pretty pops of color in there too.  And I really do love the packaging on this one.

Natasha Denona Tropic Eyeshadow Palette

Natasha Denona Tropic Eyeshadow Palette ($129)

I’ve heard nothing but great things about her eyeshadow, even if I can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money on something I’m not sure I would use that often.  This palette has far too many browns for my taste, but the colorful shadows sure do look pretty and I hear they perform well too.

Storybook Cosmetics Burn Book Palette

Storybook Cosmetics Burn Book ($55)

This colorful palette has a lot of warm tones going on.  Out of the twelve shadows, there’s three pinks and two oranges.  It isn’t my thing, but I’m sure there’s someone out there who will love this thing.

Maybelline Urban Lights Palette

Maybelline Urban Lights Palette ($9.98)

I wanted to include something that was super affordable.  This palette has some warm toned shadows and cooler toned shadows.  It really is quite a beautiful selection, especially for such an excellent price point.

Battle of the Rainbow Highlighters: WetnWild Unicorn Glow vs. Maybelline Fairy Highlight

Maybelline Master Fairy Highlight and WetnWild Rainbow Highlighter in Unicorn Glow

I just got the WetnWild Rainbow Highlighter in Unicorn Glow and I just have one word to describe it, WOW.

Maybelline Master Fairy Highlight

I already had the Master Fairy Highlight from Maybelline and I’ve written about it on this blog.  I decided to compare the two highlighters to see how they worked.
See review: http://beautybyivie.blogspot.com/2017/07/maybelline-master-fairy-highlighter.html

WetnWild Rainbow Highlighter in Unicorn Glow

These two highlighters are actually quite different.  Which one you want to get will depend on what you want.

Top: Maybelline Master Fairy Highlight
Bottom: WetnWild Unicorn Glow Rainbow Highlighter

If you want to wear a rainbow on your check than either one will work.  The WetnWild one is less expensive (basically half the price) and more pigmented.  The Maybelline one is more subtle but is still a beautiful rainbow.

Top: Maybelline Master Fairy Highlight
Bottom: WetnWild Unicorn Glow Rainbow Highlighter

The WetnWild one has more of a shimmer while the Maybelline one has more of a shine.  There is more glitter in the WetnWild highlighter.  In the Maybelline one, the glitter is more fine and not as noticeable.

If you’re wanting to swirl the colors together into one solid color, you have to get the Maybelline one.  The Maybelline one will swirl together into one color, but the WetnWild one won’t.  If you try to swirl the WetnWild one together, is like trying to force magnets together.  I know that’s a bit of an odd analogy when applied to makeup, but the WetnWild one just won’t mix together.  I found that very odd.

Trying to mix the WetnWild together just gives you a patchy glittery mess in a golden color.  Again this thing works great as a rainbow highlighter, but it does not want to mix together.