Thursday, October 20, 2016

Revisited Step: NYX Slide On Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes

Remember when I said lip liners were entirely superfluous products in my make-up bag? Yeah, that was 2.5 years ago now, and nearly all of the lip liners shown in that post have since been decluttered. Until a few weeks ago, my lip liner stash consisted of a red and a universal transparent liner, and I found myself hankering after something else - a neutral nude shade to define the contours of my lips for a more perfected everyday look.
What I've been noticing more lately about my lips is that my natural lip line is not very well defined; the pigment of my lips gets sort of fainter and uneven towards the contours of my lips, and on top of that, I have freckles exactly on my lip line (especially top lip) which make it look even more messy. I don't mind it most of the time, especially when I'm wearing a sheer lip (either a gloss or tinted balm) - but when I opt for a more pigmented lipstick in a shade deeper than a very pale nude, the haziness of my lip line becomes very obvious and the overall look is sort of unfinished. I sometimes use concealer around my lips to help with that, but I thought lip liner could be a quicker option with the benefit of prolonging the wear on my lip products and preventing them from bleeding outside my lips.
To cut my long story short, I decided to pull the trigger on NYX Slide On Glide On Waterproof Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes ($7.99 for 0.04 oz) after hearing it recommended numerous times by Emily Noel on YouTube. I liked my NYX Slide On eyeliner pencils in the past (reviewed here - those two dried out though and had to be thrown out!), so I thought this product was worth trying out, even though the price is quite up there compared to other drugstore lip liner options.
The NYX Slide On Lip Liner is a simple non retractable pencil that easily sharpens with my Urban Decay Grindhouse. The formula is similar to that of the eye Slide-ons, meaning gel-like, very soft, creamy, smooth and highly pigmented. It's one of those newer generation lip pencils that glide on the lips without tugging, and are easy to blend out before they set. The finish is completely matte, no shimmer whatsoever, and I can't detect any scent to the product. On my lips, it doesn't feel too too drying, but I'd also say it's not entirely budge-proof: it will partially come off on cups or during a meal, but it certainly enhances the wear time of more emollient or glossy products layered over the top.
L-R: NYX Nude Suede Shoes, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, Ilia Beauty Lipstick in The Brides, Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sable
Now, is the shade Nude Suede Shoes my perfect natural nude? Uhm, not really - but it's still a lot better than other 'nude' lip liners I've had in the past. On me, it pulls a beigy brown shade that sits somewhere between darker nude and a My Lips But Better in terms of depth. I believe that on people with warmer (and deeper) skintones, it would be that ideal muted pink nude for everyday. As you may be able to tell, with my coloring, NYX Nude Suede Shoes is more of that trendy Kylie Jenner lip - I don't necessarily hate it but it's slightly out of my comfort zone. Compared to my favorite darker nude lipsticks, Nude Suede Shoes is definitely warmer and more brown.
NYX Slide On Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes worn all over bare lips on NW15 skintone.
That doesn't disqualify it though as a layering option. Sure, it doesn't pair well with very cool/ mauve nudes and MLBBs in my stash, but it does work with the two lipsticks from the right side of my swatch (ILIA The Brides - sneaky peaky of their Fall 2016 release - and a now completely used up Bite Sable High Pigment Lip Pencil), and a lot of my sheer nude options, especially when used with a lighter hand and softly blended in. It's also a lip liner you could absolutely wear on its own, but as you may be able to see in the mug shot, currently my poor dry lips can't take that matte finish without something creamier/ more emollient layered over the top.

I've also realized why I really have such a love/ hate relationship with lip liners. When I give myself a more defined and filled in lip contour (I'm not talking about over lining here! Just evening out my natural lip line), my lips instantly look A LOT bigger. And I'm not used to seeing myself with such full lips - even without lining they're kinda on the big side, and with the liner, I feel like my face is dominated by those fat pouty lips. I'm guessing you guys are probably rolling your eyes at me right now, but for whatever reason, I haven't been able to fully embrace that look on me (also, some people have commented my lips have gotten even bigger/ more swollen in pregnancy). I don't know though - maybe it's time to just go with it and experiment with playing up my lips instead of the eyes? We shall see.

Back to the NYX Nude Suede Shoes, I think it's a really good drugstore lip liner and I would safely recommend it - just be aware that if your coloring is similar to mine, it's not going to be a real nude on you. I actually picked up another drugstore lip liner in the same order that's a lot more of a cool mauve shade, so I shall experiment (and review) that one next. Do you guys wear lip liners? Is it an indispensible part of your make-up routine or something you only pull out for special occasions?

7 comments:

  1. I also think lip liners make my lip shape look a bit unnatural, but I have to remind myself that no one else is used to looking closely at my lips every day (at least, I hope not...). I recently bought the NYX lip liner in Cabaret to use with my mini Kat Von D Studded Kiss in Mercy, a sparkly berry that looks sloppy around the edges without liner. And I've actually been using it with some of my other berry and plum lipsticks! Who am I? Cabaret is one of the OG NYX liners, but now I'm tempted to look for the Slide On ones.

    I do own a nude lip liner by Milani, but I have yet to find a good use for it. Part of the problem is that, like Nude Suede Shoes, it's too dark and warm to be a true nude on me.

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    1. I've heard really good things about the older formula of NYX lip liners, and it also helps they're about $3-4 a pop versus the rather high price tag of these Slide On ones. I like using a liner with darker and vampier shades as well, it makes me feel more comfortable knowing the lipstick is more contained on my lips :)

      We really need more brands to start making true nude lip liner shades for fair and cool skintones!

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  2. i have to admit, I rolled my yes - a little bit! you look amazing, people would pay (and do pay) for those lips!
    http://ahhhsoneo.com

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    1. Lol, I think it's just all down to comfort level - and maybe no one would pay for such dry wrinkly lips as mine were in the photo ;)

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  3. I have the same issue with an ill-defined lip line as well, and I find it makes it hard for me to apply lipstick neatly. In the past 6 months or so I've taken to defining it with concealer, which helps a lot, but I'm always looking out for a lip liner the same colour as my own lips which I can pair with anything. Sadly, I've had the same issue as you - I find most "nude" lip liners too dark and too brown for my lips.

    I have a few lip liners but use them sparingly. Generally I line my lips before I use a red lipstick, and I have a few lipsticks that bleed a bit, so I tend to pair them with liners. But I think I only own 5 or 6 lip liners and use them maybe once every 10 days or so. I just don't want to spend that much money on something that's only necessary some of the time, which is why I'd love to find that one very versatile option.

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    1. You're right, using concealer is a great option as well! I find that it requires a lot of precision though, and sometimes I don't have the patience.

      Same here, I don't use lip liners every day so I went the drugstore route to see if I could find anything promising. One other lip liner on my list is the Rimmel East End Snob, that one seems to look very pink on almost everyone so I'm hoping it would be more of a nude on me :) If I pull the trigger on it in the end I'll be sure to review it on the blog as well!

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  4. Nice natural colour!

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