A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I bought 4 more NYX Round Lipsticks to add to my collection…

Tea Rose: Medium/Dark Rosey Pink

Strawberry Milk: As the name suggests, very pale milky pink

Thalia: Medium/Dark Nude

Indian Pink: Medium Pink with Gold flashes

Wear on these aren’t fantastic, they don’t last much after a cup of tea, but they’re so easy to  reapply and very well pigmented for the price.

And finally… Nyx Round Lipgloss in Sorbet. Non-sticky, fairly sheer with a subtle hint of sparkle.

I’m really pleased with the lip products… my favourite is Thalia or Tea Rose.  I adore Indian Pink, it’s so unusual but it’s a little warm toned against my skin.  Strawberry Milk is gorgeous too, but I need to find a way to wear it that doesn’t remind me of Magda from There’s Something About Mary.

What are your favourite NYX Round Lipsticks?

Well, the general consensus from the bods paid to know about these things is that lightning really does strike twice.

With this in mind, after my previous experiences trying to get my hands on some NYX products from across the pond you can imagine my slight hesitation when I heard about a Cherry Culture 20% off code a few weeks ago.

I was obviously mainlining a dose of bravado when, with VISA in hand I started gaily adding items to my virtual basket until I was reminded of a). the import tax threshold and b). my overflowing makeup storage in the spare room.

Reluctantly, I pared down my overenthusiastic initial selection to items that (by this time) I’d decided I couldn’t physically live without.

The NYX prices on Cherry Culture aren’t the cheapest out there – but the 20% code sweetened the deal and I was happy that their stock list appeared to be current and up to date.

Fast forward 2 weeks later and my parcel landed on the doormat with a satisfying heavyweight thud, immediately reassuring me of a job haul well done.

Pulling apart the jiffy bag, I was pleased to see that all my items I’d ordered had been wrapped securely for the long journey across the Atlantic.  No casualties this time.

I ordered:

6 NYX Eyeshadows

1 NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil

4 NYX Round Lipsticks

1 NYX Round Lipgloss

See! I told you I was restrained!  It actually barely qualifies for ‘haul’ status!

I’m happy to recommend Cherry Culture as a distributor of NYX products to the UK.  I haven’t had need to make use of their CS team yet, and for me, this is what makes or breaks a company – but I’m pleased with the service so far!

I didn’t realise that it had been so long since my last FOTD back in the middle of August!

You may be able to tell from today’s look that I’m having a hard time saying goodbye to summer.  I was gonna do an Illamasqua FOTD featuring 2 products from the Dystopia Collection, but with this mini indian summer we’re currently enjoying I’m gonna postpone that for another week or so.  Hopefully by that time I’ll have my Phenomena  Liquid Metal too!

Anyway, back to this Blue and Bronze look…

Products Used:

Face:

Miss Sporty Light Energy Foundation in Shade 01 (This was an emergency purchase whilst on holiday, beware if you put it on even a tiny bit too heavily the texture is revolting and it goes all flaky.  I mix a little in with my moisturiser for this ultra sheer coverage.)
Body Shop Blush Trio in Cool Dusk (I thought I’d like this when I bought it, but I didn’t realise just how perfect a pop of pink this is for my ultra cool, ultra pale skintone.)

Eyes:

UDPP (of course)
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Ocean Blue
Boots 17 Solo Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras lightly applied over the top of the NYX to tone it down a little
Barry M Dazzle Dust in #44 Bronze in crease
MAC Fluidline in Waveline on top lid
L’oreal Voluminous Mascara

Lips:

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose

I’m loving the quality of these NYX lipsticks, and I shall definitely be hauling some more shades soon…

Ceto:

Chaos:

Darling:

Rea:

Hmm… after seeing these, I think I’m prefering the subtlety of Ceto over my original fav Darling.  Share your favourite NYX shades so I can develop some more lemmings!

This is a tiny haul, it was larger but MsCuppyCakes was out of stock on a few items of my order.  How much do I hate it when e-tailers send half an order without giving me the option to adjust/add to my original order in lieu of the out of stock stuff.  I mean, I’m already paying the international shipping, so gimme the god damn option to choose alternative products or simply re-order from fresh if their online merchant service doesn’t allow exchanges.  *and breathe…*

Other than that, I was pleased with the service.  I received my items fairly quickly (within 14 days) and everything arrive in one piece and well packaged.  The value of my order was stated correctly on the customs form and not overinsured (important to avoid unecessary import duty).  I would order again, although I would definitely double check stock levels with a quick email and go to NonPareilBoutique instead if they were unsatisfactory.

Overall, 3/5… definite room for improvement with regards to stock updates and communication.

Anyway, here’s some of the infamous round lipsticks I selected:

From L -> R: Darling, Chaos, Ceto and Rea

and the swatches…

Darling and Ceto are a little too simillar for it to be worth owning them both.  Out of the 2, I prefer the slightly less sheer Darling.  Rea is a nice medium matte nude which isn’t at all drying on the lips like some mattes.

Chaos… beautiful in the tube, I’m really not sure whether I can pull this colour off or not… what do you think?  Yay or Nay?  Be honest now, or I’ll come round your house and pee in your cornflake box.

I also bought some of the NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadows and Nail Polishes, although none of the polishes turned up *sigh*.  First impressions of the Loose Pearl Eyeshadows are positive (for the price).  Can’t stand the little pots they come in so I’ve ordered some pigment pots from eBay to decant them into.  I shall do some swatches of them soon.

I put in an order for some goodies from across the pond.  I’ve been wanting to try NYX Cosmetics for ages, but just haven’t gotten round to it until recently.

I scoured the net to find the best sites to order from (without the extortionate international postage charges) and it was a toss up between MsCuppyCakes & NonPareilBoutique.

After adding the products I wanted to both baskets, MsCuppyCakes had the edge on overall cost thanks to the fantastic shipping charges and current unbeatable offers on the Loose Pearl Eyeshadows.  I also found the website easier to navigate.  To be fair, NonPareilBoutique slightly had the edge on range of products that were instock so I may end up back there to pick up a couple of bits if MsCuppyCakes don’t stock them.

I really, really want to try Milani’s Mineral Blush in Luminous which NonPareilBoutique had listed on the site, but for some reason it wouldn’t let me add it to my basket – gutted about that.

Anyway, I ordered:

5 NYX Round Lipsticks which I’ve heard great things about.  I only own 5 lipsticks, so it’s a great way to try out some new shades.  As you know, I’m fairly neutral inclined – so apart from one, most of these colours are taupey/neutral pinks and nudes.  I got: Chaos, Darling, Ceto, Saturn, Rea

7 Loose Pearl Eyeshadows in shades: Pearl, Sky Pink, Nude, Charcoal, Baby Blue, Ocean Blue & Lime (eek!)

2 Nail Polishes in Jungle (a gorgeous teal/green) & Red Pearl

1 Slim Lip Pencil in shade Plush Red (to go with my Chaos lipstick if the shades match up well enough).

Total inc. shipping came to: $26.15 (how bargainous is that!) which should just about keep me under the Import VAT threshold as long as it doesn’t get overinsured by the seller (one of my pet peeves!).

I’ll be back to let you know how MsCuppyCakes performs as an international distributor for NYX cosmetics!

UPDATE: Read my experience with MsCuppyCakes here

Looking forward to receiving my goodies, I shall do swatches and reviews when the parcel lands on my doormat. ‘Cited!

P.S. – If you have any recs for US online cosmetic boutiques with reasonable international shipping – please let me know about them, I’m always on the hunt!