NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

Hi everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing to you my review on the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. The official NYX website describes this color as a mid-tone beige pink. I watched a lot of Youtube videos where people were raving about this product so when I was at Ulta doing a NYX Cosmetics mini-haul I decided to try it. Plus the first product I bought from NYX Cosmetics was the NYX Mega Shine lipgloss in Spongecake and I absolutely adored it. I thought their other lip products would give more color and be just as awesome, but sadly, I was surprised at how much I really did not like this lip product. I did not like it because the color was awful. On me it looks fake and somehow off. With the mega shine lipglosses I had an awesome experience and with the matte lip cream I had an awful experience. It was really heartbreaking.

The official NYX Cosmetics website says that the Soft Matte Lip Cream still exists and they still carry it in Stockholm.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 9/10
Pigment: 7/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 10/10
Normal/Dry Lips: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I Repurchase: 3/10
Total rating: 101/120=84.16%=84.2%=B

My personal rating: 7/10=70%=C

Comments:
I bought this lip cream from Ulta for $5.99 which I don't really think is a fair price for this lip cream. I feel like I overpaid. I have no serious issues with the packaging of the product, it is simple. It is a round case in the color of the lip color product. It is a bit small. I do feel that you get a decent amount of product even though it is $6.00 and the packaging was smaller than I was expecting. This lip cream has soft matte pigment to it, but I took a lot of points off because to me it feels like the color is really fake orange looking. To me it does not look natural and definitely not on me. I feel that this lip cream lasts as long as any other lipstick or lipgloss. If you are eating/drinking/licking your lips it will last a shorter time and if you are not doing those things then it lasts a bit longer. It is not advertised to be super long lasting. I think that the application of this lip cream is smooth and even. I think the smell of this lip cream is absolutely delicious. I can't quite figure out what it's supposed to be, but it's very strong and very sweet smelling. The aftertaste of the lip cream does not compare at all to the smell of it. This lip cream has a bit of a weird chemical-like aftertaste. I don't like it. The texture of this lip cream is super creamy and super light. Even though this lip cream is super creamy and smooth, it does feel a bit drying and I would be careful when applying this on dry lips. I think because it is liquid-like that it should apply fairly decently to dry lips, but it doesn't feel moisturizing so it might be drying on dry lips. I would personally not repurchase this product, at least not in this specific color. I might try a more brighter pink instead of a neutral color because it gives off an orange color if I do decided to try it again in the future.

Sincerely,
Marina

NYC (New York Color) Lipstick in #415 Brandy Sparkle

Hey everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing you my review on the NYC (New York Color) Lipstick in #415 Brandy Sparkle. I bought this lipstick about a year ago because I was looking to try some different colors of lipsticks and I was buying up a bunch of inexpensive NYC ones. I bought this specific one because I think before they called it Ultra Last, but it appears they have changed the packaging and the name of this product.

*Fair warning: according to the official New York Color (NYC) cosmetics website the packaging has changed from square to round casing and the collection name appears to have been changed from something along the lines of Ultra Last to Expert Last Lipstick, but the color #415 Brandy Sparkle appears to still be available.*

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 9/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Longevity: 8/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 9/10
Taste: 8/10
Texture: 10/10
Normal/Dry Lips: 8/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I repurchase: 5/10
Total rating: 105/120=87.5%=B

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
I bought this lipstick from Walmart for $1.72 which is actually not that bad of a price for a lipstick. I think the price is fair. The packaging is simple, but cute. The packaging is a square tube with a black bottom and a clear cap so you can see the lipstick color inside. I do think that it is a bit cheaply made because sometimes when you try to twist the lipstick up and down it kind of sticks. I definitely think that you get a decent amount of product for the price. The pigment on this lipstick is perfect. I can definitely see the color and it is pretty. It is supposed to be pigmented and it does have decent pigment. The New York Color official website advertised this lipstick as Ultra last, but it doesn't appear to be a long lasting lipstick. I feel that the product rubs off easily and the only reason why it has some longevity is because it is super pigmented and I put on a couple of layers so it takes a little bit to cut through the pigment and layers. This lipstick is not staining or anything. I'm pretty sure this lipstick was advertised as long lasting of 8 plus hours, but I noticed when they changed the collection name they advertise now as it lasts for 6 hours. I still don't feel like this product lasts anywhere near 6-8+ hours, unless you count the ring around the lip line as lasting. It reminds me of when you drink milk or something that has food coloring and you get a mustache, but at least this stays around lip line. Surprisingly, the application of this lipstick is actually quite smooth and even. I do not have any complaints. The smell of this lipstick is a very slight chemical-like smell, but it is not overpowering at all and once applied to the lips you can't smell it. This lipstick does have a bit of a chemical-like aftertaste when you lick your lips and get some product in your mouth. This lipstick does not feel heavy or weighted down on the lips. It is surprisingly light weight on the lips. It doesn't feel sticky or drying out the lips. I would probably not use this lipstick with dry lips because even though it's not super drying like some lipsticks I have tried before, it does seem to need some moisturize on the lips to lay down the color for it to lasts somewhat. I would repurchase this product if I could for the price, but I may or may not repurchase this color because I'm not sure it looks good on me. I love the color in the packaging, but personally on me, I'm just not sure.

Sincerely,
Marina

NYC (New York Color) Ultra Moist Lipwear in #301 Cafe

Hey everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing to you another NYC (New York Color) Ultra Moist Lipwear in #301 Cafe. I was going through my makeup that I still need to review and I found this lipstick. This review was supposed to go along with the two other NYC Ultra Moist Lipwear lipsticks. I thought I got all of them, but I guess I missed one. Oh well, I guess it gets it's own review.

According to the official NYC cosmetics website they still currently carry the Ultra Moist Lipwear line and they still carry this lipstick in the color Cafe.

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 9/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Smell: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 10/10
Application:10/10
Normal/Dry lips: 10/10
Overall rating: 8/10
Would I repurchase: 5/10
Total rating: 106/120=88.33%=88.3%=B

My personal rating: 8/10=80%=B

Comments:
I bought this lipstick at Walmart for $0.93 (yes, 93 cents). I think the price is unbeatable. It's even a bit cheaper than E.L.F.  The packaging is simple, but cute. It is a round lipstick case with black on the bottom and a clear cap where you can see the product through it. I do think the packaging is extremely cheap because when you try to twist it to get the product up and down it does stick a bit. I think that you get a decent amount of lipstick product, especially for the price. I think that this lipstick has a decent amount of pigment, especially since this is a lighter color. I have not had any issues with the pigment not showing up. The longevity depends on whether you are drinking/eating/licking your lips or not. If you are it lasts a bit less and if you don't then it lasts a few hours. This lipstick has a very strong artificially sweet chemical smell to it. The aftertaste of this lipstick is a very strong chemical like taste to it. I really don't like it. The texture of this lipstick is that it feels smooth and feels light weight while on the lips. It does not feel sticky or anything. The application of this lipstick is that it goes on smoothly and applies evenly on the lip. I think that this lipstick would go well with dry, normal or oily lips. It does seem to have a moisturizing creamy aspect to it. Overall, for the price and the pigment this lipstick is good to have on hand for everyday use. There are a few things I would change about it like the smell and aftertaste, but otherwise, it's actually not a bad lipstick. I would definitely repurchase the lipstick, but I would probably stay away from this specific color because I do not feel that it looks good on me.

Sincerely,
Marina

MAC Matte Face Primer

Hey everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing to you another one of my absolute favorite MAC products that MAC no longer carries and that is the MAC Matte Face Primer. It is a clear gel like primer that I use for special occasions where I need to rely on this primer to last and look good on me. I am so sad to see that they got rid of this product.

*Fair warning: according to the official MAC website this product no longer exists in the packaging and name as it appears in this blog. I don't know if they completely discontinued this product or if they changed the packaging and/or the name.*

 

Rating:

Price: 7/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 9/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 10/10
texture: 10/10
Covers redness: 8/10
Covers large pores: 10/10
Different skin types: 10/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I repurchase: 5/10
Total rating: 108/120=90%=A

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
I do not remember how much I paid for this MAC matte face primer, but I know it had to have been some where around $20.00 for this. I want to say somewhere between $18.00 and $21.00 for this. For a primer that is crazy expensive. For the price it is not super outstanding or anything. I just personally liked it. The packaging is very simple, but cute. The product came in a clear plastic triangular shaped round tube. It reminds me of packaging used for lipglosses rather than primer. I have not experienced any product leakage with this packaging. I think that you got a decent amount of product, but for the price it should have been a bit more. I think that because this face primer has a little bit of thickness to it, that does give it a bit more longevity to it. The application of this product is that it goes on smoothly and evenly all over the face. Surprisingly this primer has a very neutral smell. It is either so slight that I can't smell it or it doesn't have a smell. Even though this primer has a slight thickness to it, once applied to the face the product blends into the skin well that you almost can't tell that you are wearing it. The texture is very smooth and lightweight. This primer doesn't cover redness because it is clear so you can see through it, but because it has a bit of thickness to it, I feel like it does kind of cover redness due to that slight thickness. The thickness blends it in a bit more than most primers. I feel that this primer does fill in large pores and small lines because of the bit of thickness. I feel like I can confidently say that this product could be used with dry to normal to oily skin without any major issues. Overall, this was a very nice primer to have and I am going to miss it tons. It wasn't anything spectacular, but I feel like it really worked for me. I would definitely repurchase it if I could, but I can't because it is no longer available.

Sincerely,
Marina

Almay Smart Shade Perfect and Correct Primer

Hi everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing to you the Almay Smart Shade Perfect and Correct Primer that has green and lavender primer combined into one container and comes out kind of separately, but out of the same pump. The packaging looks and functions pretty cool and I don't know how they did it, but I'd like to. Almay claims in their description of the product that you can wear this primer alone or under foundation. I would just like it to be known that I suffer from redness to my skin which I work super hard to try to eliminate and I personally would not wear this primer alone without foundation and concealer and finishing powder and everything else. I took pictures of my normal bare skin. Then I put this product on my face and retook the picture. I honestly did not see an ounce of difference. You could still see my redness and my face did not look or feel hydrated. I will admit that I'm not entirely sure how to wear this product because if I blend it into my skin then I can still see the redness. If I leave the green goop on my skin by lightly blending it in, then it does work on covering majority of the redness, but then you have green all over your face. I also would not recommend putting this primer on with any other primer because then it balls up into rubber balls and that is not fun. I would definitely not recommend wearing this without some kind of foundation over it. It does a decent job if you do cover it with foundation.

I bought this about a year or so ago and according to the official Almay website they still sell this product line and this specific primer with the green and lavender, they call them "ribbons", in the bottle that come out of the same pump together, but separate.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 8/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 7/10
Covers redness: 6/10
Covers large pores: 10/10
Website description: 6/10
Different skin types: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I repurchase: 6/10
Total rating: 96/120=80%=B

My personal rating: 7/10=70%=C

Comments:
I don't remember exactly how much I paid for this product, but I do remember I bought it from Walmart and I remember being surprised that this product was $10.00 plus so I am going to say I paid somewhere between $9.99 and $11.99 for this product. I think that for an Almay brand at Walmart that is a bit expensive. But they are not as bad as the MAC ones that are $20.00 plus, but MAC is a brand where you would expect that, where as with Almay you really don't. As I mentioned above that I love the packaging because it is super cool looking and the way the green and the lavender come out of the same pump at the same time, but don't mix together is awesome. I have not had any problems with this product packaging leaking which makes me happy. I think that this product lasts as long as most primers. I think the longevity of this primer depends on the quality of the foundation product you are wearing over it. I think if you have dry skin this might last a bit longer and with oily skin it might break down or be too slick so it might slide off easier. The actual application of the product is smooth and fairly even. I just would not recommend putting any kind of primer over it and it should be good. This product kind of smells like an old rubber shoe, but it's a light smell and not overpowering so it's kind of tolerable. Once applied to the face I can't smell it at all. This primer tries really hard to cover redness, but either I'm not doing it right or it doesn't work like it's supposed to. When I rub it into the skin then you can still see the redness through it. If you lightly rub it into the skin then you have green all over your face, but it does 'cover' redness. I would say it does, but not the way I would necessarily prefer it to. I do think that this primer does a very good job of filling in/covering large pores and small fine lines. I think it's because this primer is so liquid-like that the skin absorbs it into the pores and small lines. I really appreciate that this product does that. With the official Almay website description I do agree that this product smooths the skin and I half agree when it says that imperfections are diffused because it does a wonderful job on filling in/diffusing my large pores and small lines. I don't necessarily agree that this product does what it claims as it pertains to green 'ribbons' neutralizing redness or the lavender 'ribbons' creating hydration and brightening of my skin tone, I do not personally feel this primer hydrates my skin by 265%, and I would definitely not recommend wearing this without medium to full coverage foundation. You might be able to get away with a light coverage foundation. I think this primer is good for dry to normal skin, but I would be careful with it being too slippery for oily skin, especially super oily skin. Overall, this primer is good for filling in large pores and small fine lines and creating a smooth even surface for makeup. I would not recommend wearing this product alone, I feel that at first this product hydrates, but then kind of dries out, and it does not do what it's supposed to which is neutralize redness or give brightness to the face. I might repurchase this, but for $10.00-$12.00 I would definitely look else where first before returning to purchase this product.

Sincerely,
Marina

MAC Lustreglass in Sinnamon

Hi everyone!

In today's blog I am bringing to you my review on the MAC Lustreglass in Sinnamon. When I went to my local MAC counter almost two years ago I stumbled upon the MAC's nautical theme that they were having during that time and they called it, "Hey, Sailor!" I absolutely loved the lipstick that they had in that collection so I had to buy it even though I can't personally wear the color because it's a bit too frosty for my taste and honestly it doesn't look very good on me. Anyway, while I was there the MAC sales lady asked if I wanted a lipgloss and I am a sucker for lipgloss so of course I said yes. So she matched the Lipstick color fairly closely to the MAC Lustreglass in Sinnamon. I thought the two colors were so beautiful that I decided to buy them. Hindsight is 20/20 because the lipstick honestly is so frosty it does not need lipgloss. That is how I ended up with this product. I really like it.

According to the official MAC website they still carry the lustreglass and they still carry this specific color in Sinnamon. I think the name is super cute even though I am actually not a big fan of cinnamon.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Pigment: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Smell: 8/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 8/10
Normal/dry lips: 9/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Would I repurchase: 10/10
Total rating: 110/120=91.66%=91.7%=A

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments:
I don't remember exactly how much I paid for this lip product, but I definitely know it was somewhere around $15.00 and that is the price it is currently going for. I am not a big fan of the price because I feel that it is a bit too much for a lipgloss. The packaging is simple, but cute. I have not had any issues with the product leaking out. I like this lipgloss because this lipgloss has a brush applicator instead of the regular doe foot applicator that usual lipglosses come with. I really like the idea of the brush and I really like this lip brush. I do think that you get a decent amount of product, even for the price. There is some pigment to this lipgloss, but it is mostly known for being super shiny/glossy and I feel that it definitely delivers a lot of shine with a decent amount of pigment. I think if this lipgloss color had pigment, it would have more pigment than most lipglosses, but not quite like a lipstick or super pigmented lipglosses. I feel that this lipgloss lasts as long as any other lipgloss, maybe a little bit more so because it is a bit on the thick side. But it does depending on what you are doing such as eating/drinking/licking your lips depends on the longevity of this lipgloss. The application is very smooth and I really like the small lip brush for this product because I feel that it makes it easier to apply. This lipgloss doesn't really have a smell, but it is leaning more so towards chemical like. The aftertaste of this lipgloss is not as horrible as some of the ones I have experienced, but it does not taste good either. I would say once again it is more of a neutral aftertaste leaning towards a chemical like. The smell is not very strong, but the aftertaste is definitely stronger. The texture of this lipgloss I would say is a bit on the thicker/heavier side, but it is not sticky. This lipgloss does feel a bit thick and heavy on the lips though. I think that because this lipgloss is so thick that it can be used with many different lip types. I think that you get a smooth even application of this lipgloss even on dry lips. It doesn't feel like the product is drying on the lips. Overall, I love the color and I love that it comes with a lip brush instead of a doe foot applicator. I like glosses of all kind so I am very happy with this product. I would definitely repurchase this lipgloss and definitely in this color! I would not use this lipgloss on top of a frosty lipstick because frost and super shine would not go very good together.

Sincerely,
Marina

Wet and Wild (WNW) Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil in #131 Electro

Hi everyone!

In today's blog I am going to be reviewing the Wet and Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil in #131 Electro. I was at Walgreens just looking around at the makeup section just browsing for nothing in particular. Walgreens was having a sale on Wet and Wild cosmetics. I have never really been that much into pencil products and definitely not eye shadow, but I saw this product on sale, loved the color, and decided to try it. I was experimenting with different makeup products that I had never used or thought I would use before. I figured why not try it. As soon as I saw the creme part I should have known to stay away because creme products do not work well, especially in or near my eyes. My oily lids slide creme based products right off and into my eyes which causes irritation. It turns into a huge mess. As you can tell, this product was not a success for me.

According to the official Wet and Wild website they still carry this product line and currently have the creme shadow pencil in #131 Electro.

Rating:

Price: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Amount of product: 10/10
Longevity: 3/10
Pigment on fingers/hand: 10/10
Pigment on eye lids: 10/10
Application: 10/10
Blendability: 8/10
On normal/dry/oily lids: 6/10
Sharpening: 10/10
Overall rating: 7/10
Would I repurchase: 3/10
Total rating: 97/120=80.83%=80.8%=B

My personal rating: 6/10=60%=D

Comments:
I don't remember exactly how much I paid for this product, but I know it was some where between $0.97 and $0.99 (97 and 99 cents). It was about a $1.00 for it. I think that is a great price. The packaging is cute. The pencil is on the thick side with the entire pencil being the color of the product with a dark gray end and on the other end there is a clear plastic cap. I definitely think that you get a decent amount of product, especially for the price. This product is described as long-lasting on the official Wet and Wild website, but I do not agree with that. On my oily lids with a decent primer this product lasted only a couple of hours before it started getting into my eyes. I would not consider that long-lasting. It does depend on the primer that you use with a good quality primer it lasts okay, but I would not recommend this product for oily lids like mine no matter how good of a primer you use. The pigment on the hand is super bright and dark. I think that the pigment translates very well on to the eye lids also. This creme shadow pencil is a very smooth formula that makes it easy to apply without tugging on the eye lids. The blendability of this product is good, but because it is a creme shadow, when you try to blend it out this product doesn't really blend out. I feel that it more so wipes it away as you try to blend it out and you lose a lot of the pigment. As I stated above I would not recommend this creme shadow eye shadow for oily lids. I think it would be really good on normal to dry eye lids. I will be honest and say that I have not personally tried to sharpen this eye pencil because it is so thick and I cannot find my sharpener that could fit it, but to me it doesn't appear that you can sharpen it. I think it's supposed to look and feel like it, but I think the product is inside of the pencil casing and it comes out. Or maybe once the product runs out it runs out. I will update if I find out anything different. Overall, this is not a product for me because oily eye lids and creme based eye shadows do not go well together. I love the color and I think it's super cute, but it's not waterproof so I cannot enjoy this product. I personally would not repurchase this creme eye shadow pencil because of my oily eye lids. 

Sincerely,
Marina