A Month in Lipstick #2: Keep or Declutter

Did I put a 'Week in Lipstick' in the last post's title? Ha. HA. I wish. Yeah, it turns out that a MONTH is more along the lines of how much time I need to make up my mind about 5 lip products. At this rate, it will probably take me the rest of the year to go through my entire collection. Oh well.

1. Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème Lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (from Sephora 2016 Birthday Gift). DECLUTTER. Okay, so it's not that I don't like this lipstick - it's beautifully creamy and pigmented, but I do have a shade very, very similar to this (YSL Rouge Pur in Rose Stiletto, here) and I just don't wear colors like that often enough to justify keeping both. On me, this is a medium to deep pink rose shade, and for my current preferences, it's a bit much for casual day wear. I wouldn't be opposed to trying a different shade from this line though - you know, in the hypothetical future where I find myself needing another lipstick. Gah.

2. Red Apple Lipstick Gluten-Free Lipstick in Audrey* (originallly reviewed here). KEEP. I still really like both this formula and the shade - a brightening neutral pink, but I will admit that every time I wear Audrey, I'm bothered by the scent/taste. It's kinda like this soapy, old-school perfumey lipstick smell that doesn't want to go away. I'll hang on to Audrey for now, mostly because I enjoy how glossy and moisturizing the formula is, but I'll see if I get any decent wear out of it this year.

3. Givenchy Le Rouge in Rose Taffetas (reviewed here). KEEP. This isn't a very color-accurate lip swatch - sorry for that - mostly because the day was overcast and I'm also wearing it here just lightly dabbed on the lips, otherwise it's quite a bright peachy pink shade. So while I'm not hugely into bright lips at the moment, I love love love this formula. It's such an incredibly comfortable and line-smoothing satin that I WILL find a way to wear this lipstick.

4. BITE High Pigment Lip Pencil in Winterberry. KEEP. Winterberry strongly reminds me of Revlon Cherries in the Snow, which I was trying to finish in 2015, or that Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58, which was part of my Project Make A Dent in 2016. I still think this deep berry/ reddish pink is very flattering on my fair complexion, but I don't know, I'm a bit burnt out on this kind of shade - could that possibly be related to the fact that I was using it on the regular for two years in the row? Hmmm. Keeping it for the fall/ winter season.

5. Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious (reviewed here). DECLUTTER. I had such a hard time letting go of this one, but the strongest indicator that it belongs in the outgoing pile was the fact that I have kept it in my daily make-up tray for about 2 months and haven't felt inclined to wear it out even once. It's such a fun white-based neon orange shade - one of the very few orangey shades that look good on me - but I find it too difficult to wear. I guess I'm just not that audacious, you know? (Terrible pun - I'm sorry.) Also, when I was lip-swatching it for this post, I just couldn't get it to apply evenly on the lips, which you can kind of see in the close-up photo. Time to say goodbye.

Two more lip products exiting my stash this time round; not too bad, if I dare say so myself. I imagine that from this point onward, it's going to be increasingly difficult to declutter products, because my lip stash is already quite paired down compared to what it was a few years back. We shall see though - I find going through all of my products, rediscovering old favorites and experimenting with mixing shades quite enjoyable anyway. What lip colors have you been wearing recently?

A Week in Lipstick #1: Keep or Declutter

Wait, how could I possibly have more lip products to declutter? Surely I can't have all that much left after taking stock and envisioning what my ideal lipstick collection would be, as discussed in this post. Except that I do; I still seem to have some lip products in my stash that I've never worn - those mostly join the troops via gifts with purchase - or older products I haven't worn in months and need to reassess.

I find that it's a completely different beast to look through your lip stash and decide what you want to part ways with just by what you remember about the products you're looking at, versus actually pulling out those items and wearing them again for a day or two. If you're anything like me, when I look at my lip products all neatly lined up in the acrylic container, I immediately think 'Nooo, there's no way I can declutter any of my pretties!'. However, once these pretty bullets get applied and reapplied to the lips, I often notice that in fact there is a valid reason why I rarely reach for a given product - be it because of the shade, finish, fragrance/ taste or texture.

So I've decided to go through my lipstick collection with a fine tooth comb again by wearing everything for a full day and then deciding whether it stays or goes - very much like PetitePearStyle in her Keep or Donate series (here). I slowly go through all of my make-up stash anyway by using a monthly make-up basket, but because I switch out my products quite infrequently, it would take me a long time before I got to every lip product I own - and then I'd probably omit these 'special occasion' shades since my basket (in reality, a drawer in a desk organizer - I'll show it to you some other time) consists of casual everyday wear type of products. Anyway, without further ado, here are swatches of what I wore recently and my final thoughts:

I'm attempting to wear brighter colors for spring 🌈 but when I tried on this @essencemakeup Stay With Me #lipgloss in Candy Bar 🍭this morning, I immediately thought NOPE 👎 . It looks more neon on the lips than in this photo and I almost can't believe I used to love this shade. The gloss is about 2 years old now so I think it's time to part ways 👋 I'm also in the process of going through all my lip products and reevaluating what I want to keep. I gravitate towards more neutral shades these days (with the exception of some reds and berries) and I don't want to have a lot of brights 'just in case'. Let me know if you want to see what I end up #decluttering. #bbloggers #lipswatch #brightlips #wakeupandmakeup #essencecosmetics #drugstoremakeup #springmakeup #ultabeauty #corallips #shopmystash #makeupdeclutter

A post shared by Monika (@rocaillewrites) on Mar 30, 2017 at 10:55am PDT

Essence Stay With Me Long Wearing Lip Gloss in Candy Bar (also swatched here): DECLUTTER.
This is the product that spurred this declutter on, which I also shared on Instagram - and had many of you express interest in seeing the rest of the purging process. Like I said in my IG post, I used to really enjoy wearing this very bright coral shade, but now I find that it's just way too much and I feel overly made-up when I wear it. It's also 3 years old at this point, so I've just decided to toss it.

Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Rose (deluxe sample; I reviewed the Clear shade here): KEEP.
I still really like this gloss formula from Fresh - it feels almost more like a lip oil than an actual gloss, and like the Sugar lip balms, it's very nourishing. Rose is a sheer warm rosy red on me; it's nothing spectacular but it brings some life and definition to my lips. One thing I dislike about these Lip Shine minis is that the stopper pulls too much of the product of the wand, making me dip in at least 5 times to coat my lips, and who has time for that? And once you take the stopper out, the tube usually becomes too messy to carry the product around. Still, I'm keeping it and intend to try and use it up this year; I've just noticed that Sephora now only carries one shade of this product, so it's probably being discontinued :(

LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss in Goddess (deluxe sample from a GWP): DECLUTTER.
Goddess is this super trendy muted cool mauve shade with an almost greyish undertone, and since I really like cool-toned mauves, I was excited to try it. Aaand... big fat NOPE. Unfortunately, this shade makes me look quite ill, and I don't need additional help in that direction with how zombie-like I look nowadays (pale winter skin + lack of sleep). Yes, it could be a statement lip if that's your thing, but for a strange but wonderful purple lip, I'd prefer to wear Pacifica Beach Goth (reviewed here). On the plus side, I found this gloss to have a nice even pigmentation, comfortable texture and pleasant vanilla scent, so I would consider purchasing a different shade. Goddess is going though.

SUQQU Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick in no. 3 Fuyuzakura (reviewed here): KEEP.
I still really enjoy this luxury lipstick, both because of the shade and the onctuous formula that feels nourishing on the lips. I would probably purchase another shade if SUQQU was more easily available to me (and less expensive), but as it is, I'm intending to use Fuyuzakura down to the smallest nub and enjoy it as much as I can in the process.

bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Pink Passion (deluxe sample from a GWP): DECLUTTER.
In fact, the lip swatch you're seeing here is only half Pink Passion and half Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Tulip (reviewed here). You probably were not able to tell right away though because these hot pinks are near exact dupes. However, the textures of these two products are completely different: where the Fresh Sugar is soft and thick, the bareMinerals is thin and waxy. Pink Passion also somehow migrates towards the outside of my lips right after application (which you can somewhat see in the photo). I have no need or want for two hot pink tinted lip balms in my stash, so I'm giving away the formula I like a lot less.

That's it for this round; I've decided to only include five products in this post because truthfully, I usually don't wear make-up every single day of the week, but even if I do, I usually repeat a shade or two at least once. I hope this was interesting to read - I'm getting more and more ruthless in downsizing my make-up collection, you guys. I think once you catch the decluttering bug, it's hard to stop scrutinizing your possessions (unless you did an exceptionally thorough job the first time round and haven't added anything new since). Have you given away or trashed any lip poducts recently?

Black & Gold: Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Liner in Golden Black no. 7

Believe it or not, but for a while this year, I didn't have a single black eyeliner pencil in my stash. While I used to consider black an absolute essential, I actually don't find a huge difference on the eyes between black or any other darker eyeliner shade, be it navy, plum or deep green. However, when I found these Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liners ($15 for ) on a deep discount at a sample sale, I couldn't resist picking up the shade Golden Black no. 7, a creamy black shot through with black microglitters.

Clio's Gelpresso Liners are close to cult classic status for many K-beauty lovers, so I was curious to see how they compared to my favorite Pixi Endless Silky Eyeliner Pens (reviewed here) or even Urban Decay eyeliners. The first major difference is the packaging: Clio's pencils are retractable and come with a built-in sharpener at the end. In theory, I'd consider this to be an improvement (because uhm, LAZY), but in practice, I kinda miss that freshly sharpened tip to my pencil liner; yes, you can make the tip a bit finer by using the provided sharpener, but it's not as precise.

I believe there are multiple shades in this range, including neutral and bold shades, in both cream and shimmer/ microglitter finishes. The black base of the shade Golden Black isn't quite as deep and inky as my Marc Jacobs Highliner in Blacquer, especially when smudged or blended out, but I don't really mind that.

In terms of texture and wear, after about a month of use, I have to say this Gelpresso Liner hasn't surpassed the Pixi liners or Marc Jacobs Blacquer for me. For whatever reason, it's just not as smooth and creamy as the other two formulas; it drags and skips just a little bit on the lashline. On my upper lashline, it wears well throughout the day, but for tightlining, it transfers down and smudges at the outer corners within a couple hours (which the Pixi and MJ do as well, but at least feel softer to line with).

I've also tested how well the Gelpresso in Golden Black could withstand vigorous removal with a cotton square soaked in micellar water, and as you can see below, it faded A LOT more compared to the Marc Jacobs Blacquer. It also seems to wear off more when rubbed with a finger, so that's something to consider if you tend to rub your eyes accidentally throughout the day.

For me, while I do find the quality of the Clio Gelpresso in Golden Black to be quite decent, it's definitely not my favorite gel eyeliner pencil I've ever tried. If you like the convenience of a retractable pencil and you can find these on sale somewhere, I think they're a nice option, but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek them out in the future. I would also be interested to see whether the cream (no shimmer or glitter) finish pencils in this range perhaps feel a bit creamier and smoother; in my experience, pencils with microglitter tend to have a somewhat drier texture. Have you tried any of the Clio Gelpressos? What is your favorite black eyeliner pencil?

Aveda Fall 2016 Fōklôr Make-up Collection: Single Eye Colors* and Eye Definers* Review & Swatches

Even though I haven't been wearing a lot of eye make-up lately, I was instantly inspired by the eyeshadows in the Aveda's Fall/ Winter 2016 Foklor Make-up Collection to try some new color combinations on my eyes. The Fōklôr Collection was designed with two eye looks in mind: Sage Smoke, using the Petal Essence Single Eye Colors* in 981 Balsam and 980 Dusted Sage, and Risør Rose with Eye Colors in 982 Chia and 983 Rose Quartz ($15 for a single pan).

I've actually never tried any make-up products from Aveda or even heard much about them in the blogosphere, so I was even more interested to test out the contents of the PR package I was sent. First of all, I was plesantly surprised to see that Aveda's Single Eye Colors are available in pan form - I pretty much depot all of my singles into a free form palette anyway, so to me, single pans without a compact are the most convenient.

Let's start with the Risør Rose color scheme. Chia no. 982 is a very dark brown aubergine shade with a matte finish. In the pan, it looks more like a satin, but it applied matte both in my arm swatch and on the eyes. Out of the four eyeshadows I tested, I was the least impressed with the formula of Chia. The texture is quite stiff and dry and overall, I find this shadow poorly pigmented. I couldn't achieve any depth of color on the eyes even despite multiple layers, and I felt like what I did manage to apply faded significantly throughout the day (tested on top of Too Faced Shadow Insurance).

Rose Quartz no. 983 fared a bit better, although I would also classify it as a rather lightly pigmented shadow. It's a warm rose shade with gold and orange shimmer/ microglitter particles, which gives it somewhat of a rose gold feel on the eyes. Again, the texture wasn't very creamy and I had to press my brush quite hard into the pan to get enough powder on the bristles.

I had much better experience with the two eyeshadows from the Sage Smoke colorway. Balsam no. 981 is a cool-toned dark emerald green with a matte finish. In my heavy arm swatch (applied with a finger), this shadow looks very uneven and patchy, but I found that it applied quite well on the eyes, although again, it's not the darkest, most pigmented green out there. The formula is still quite dry but softer and easier to pick up from the pan.

I was possibly the most excited to try Dusted Sage no. 980. The name of this shadow is spot-on: it is indeed a muted, silvery light sage with a satin or a lightly pearlized finish. However, I was a bit underwhelmed with this eyeshadow's performance: again, it's very lightly pigmented and also quite hard and dry in the pan, which makes it difficult to build it up on the eyes. On my cool-toned skin, it also surprisingly turned a bit more warm than I expected; I couldn't see much of that silvery sheen.

I also received two shades of Petal Essence Eye Definers* ($17 each for 0.04 oz/1.14 g) included in the Fōklôr Collection: Gypsum Gold no. 981 and Slate Shimmer no. 980. Gypsum Gold is a warm gold (pearl/ metallic finish), while Slate Shimmer is a deep charcoal with silver shimmer. In terms of formula, Aveda's Eye Definers seem to be the more standard khol formula for an eye pencil; they're quite firm and don't glide on nearly as easily as the gel-like formulas (e.g. Urban Decay or Pixi) I usually go for. This formula also doesn't really set, although I didn't have issues with either Gypsum Gold or Slate Shimmer migrating throughout the day.

Again, I wish both of these eye pencils were a bit more pigmented; I had to go over my lines several times for the colors to show up properly. I used Gypsum Gold to brighten inner corners of my eyes in combination with the two shadows from the Risor Rose look; however, the overall effect was so sheer and subtle that it didn't even register properly on my camera. I had better luck with Slate Shimmer, which I used in my interpretation of the Sage Smoke look below; I applied a very fine line along my upper lashline and to tightline. I don't think you can really see the silver shimmer all that much but I used it very sparingly - it would show up if I drew a thicker line or blended it out with a brush.

I had a lot of fun playing with eye products included in Aveda's Fall/ Winter 2016 collection, but I have to say I wasn't overly impressed with their performance. I understand that not all eyeshadows have to be deeply pigmented and a lot of make-up wearers prefer sheerer washes of color, but even so I found the dry and hard texture quite difficult to work with. I also prefer the newer gel-like eyeliner pencils to the khol formula, although if you like khols, I think these are a nice option and I love the subtle silver sparkle in the Slate Shimmer shade.

In the photo above, I'm wearing Dusted Sage all over the mobile lid with Balsam in the outer corner; I blended out the crease with Velvet Revolver from Too Faced for a more seamless transition. Like I mentioned earlier, I applied the Eye Definer in Slate Shimmer in a fine line along my upper lashline. On the rest of my face, I'm wearing Clinique Cheek Pop in Heather Pop on the cheeks and Aveda's Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Pink Lupine* on the lips together with NYX Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes. For the base, I used Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream set with bareMinerals Mineral Veil, and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under the eyes, and defined my brows with Shu Uemura Hard Pencil in Seal Brown.

What eyeshadow shades have been inspiring you lately? Are you all about the warm neutral trend, or do you wear bolder color accents?

Disclaimer: Products featured in this post are press samples I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! 

Cheap Thrills: Essence Lipliner in Satin Mauve

When was the last time you bought a make-up product at the drugstore for less than $2? I feel like the days of finding awesome deals at the drugstore are coming to an end, and there's just a few brands left that offer truly inexpensive products that work well. Fortunately, one of these brands is Essence, and when I felt the itch to experiment with lining my lips again, I decided to take my two bucks and invest in their Lipliner in Satin Mauve ($1.99 for 0.035 oz, I bought mine at Ulta).

Just for the sake of comparison, at the same time I also ordered the NYX Slide On Lip Pencil, which costs $7.99. Eight dollars for a drugstore lip liner is getting up there, am I right? Anyway, back to the Essence Satin Mauve. This pencil looks like the most classic, old-school lip liner in the world - it has the standard wood casing (don't you just love the smell of these?) and it's definitely NOT one of the newer generation 'gel' pencil formulas; just your typical firm pencil that takes a bit more work to apply to the lips.

In terms of texture and pigmentation, it's not as good as the NYX Slide On, especially when you're swatching one next to the other on the back of your hand. The Essence Lip Liner is not as smooth or creamy and it doesn't just glide on the lips with the slightest pressure. HOWEVER. In terms of actual performance and feel on the lips, I really like it. While it may look a bit patchy in the heavy arm swatch, I find it applies evenly on the lips, and feels a lot thinner and more lightweight than the NYX; in fact, I can't even tell I have it on. The finish is completely matte so yes, it will exaggerate all your vertical lip lines, but I don't think it's uncomfortable or drying in itself. In terms of wear, I also feel like it transfers less and lasts better than the NYX.

L-R: Essence Lipliner in Satin Mauve, NYX Slide On in Nude Suede Shoes, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, BITE High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb

In terms of the shade, Satin Mauve is - finally! - a true mauve shade on my fair skintone with cool undertones. There's a lot of purple to this shade and it even pulls a little grey, which seems to be right in line with the current lip color trends. I was hoping it would be a bit lighter in depth but on me, it's more of a My Lips But Better (Darker) than a nude shade. When I use it to lightly line the lips, it works well even when paired with a lighter nude lipstick, as long as it's more of a cool undertone as well.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this extremely inexpensive find - I mean seriously, it was two bucks. It actually makes me wish I bought two of the Essence Lipliners instead of that $8 NYX one. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a cheap lip liner to play with, and the shade Satin Mauve would be a great way to try out that 'purpley mauve with a hint of grey' lip trend without spending $20 for a liquid lipstick. What is your favorite inexpensive product at the drugstore - do you usually go for Wet n'Wild or something from Essence and/or Catrice?

Fall Eyeshadow Update: NYX Hot Singles in Heat and Nude Matte in Dance The Tides

While I may have sworn off buying eyeshadow palettes ever again (here), it doesn't mean I haven't been eyeing any new eyeshadow singles to add to my collection. That's right - even me, a sworn cool undertone lover, have been bitten by the warm eyeshadow bug. And because I've traditionally always gravitated towards silvery taupes and cool browns, I couldn't actually shop my stash to find exactly the shades I had in mind. One sneaky order from Ulta later and I'm a happy owner of two new eyeshadows from NYX: the Hot Singles Shadow in Heat ($4.49 for 0.06 oz) and the Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides ($4.99 for 0.05 oz).

I've only ever owned one other eyeshadow from NYX and that was eons ago when they still came in square packaging (anyone else used White Pearl for a face highlighter before highlighting was such a huge trend?). I actually quite like the updated versions - my plan is to depot these two babies and pop them in my old MAC palette. Interestingly, the Hot Singles have the cute bow detail on the lid, but not the Nude Mattes.

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe all the shades in the Hot Singles range have varying amounts of shimmer - from satins through pearl to even more metallic shades (although not as reflective as the brand's Prismatic Eyeshadows, which give a foiled effect). All of the Nude Mattes are obviously matte finish, but unfortunately the range is limited to very neutral shades of ivory, beige, brown etc. - I really wish the color selection was wider there because I'm currently on the lookout for a killer matte plum shade.

Starting with Heat, the shade I had in mind when I placed that order was a shimmery red berry shade. And in the pan, Heat looks very red, with a slightly more pink berry shimmer shift - this is actually not a very sparkly shade, I would say applied to the eyes the finish is somewhat more satin. The texture of this shadow is quite firmly pressed in the pan but easy enough to pick up on the brush with little to none powder kick-up. I'd say the pigmentation is medium - I definitely own shadows that are a lot more pigmented than this - but it's smooth, easy to blend out or layer for more opacity. I mean, for under $5 at the drugstore, I'm actually rather impressed.

I do wish though that this shade appeared more berry pink on my fair cool skintone; as you can hopefully see in my arm swatch, unfortunately Heat pulls more of a rusty red shade on me. It's obviously darker and a lot more red than my copper shade from Wet n'Wild or a rosy brown Push Up from Too Faced, but it's certainly not a berry. Le sigh.

L-R: NYX Hot Singles in Heat, Wet n'Wild Eyelid shade from Dancing In the Clouds trio, Too Faced Push Up

As for the Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides, I was looking for a very warm chestnut/ cognac brown I could use to slightly deepen the outer corners of my eyes but also in the crease paired with other warm shimmery shades on the lid. I was a little concerned Dance The Tides would end up being a dupe for something I already owned in my stash, but luckily it isn't - it's definitely the most orangey brown I own, and from looking at swatches of the NYX Nude Matte range online, it's the warmest brown in the brand's line-up.

As you can see, on my cool skin it pulls rather orange - even compared to my other two warm matte browns, the Balm's Sultry (depotted from the Nude'Tude palette) and Inglot no. 337. Sultry is more of a yellow camel brown, Inglot 337 is more peachy - both are also lighter in depth. The formula of NYX Dance The Tides is also quite impressive: smooth, creamy, pigmented and blendable, although there is quite a bit of powder kick-up when you press your brush into the pan - although not as much as with my Inglot matte shades. I find it easy to work with and it doesn't fade or get patchy throughout the day (tested on top of eyeshadow primer, as always).

L-R: NYX Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides, theBalm Sultry, Inglot Matte no. 337

Here's a simple look with Heat in the outer corner and Dance The Tides in the crease; I used a metallic copper and gold on the lid from my Makeup Revolution I Heart Chocolate palette. There appears to be a blank spot on one of my eyelids but I think that may have been my fault when I was fixing a mascara smudge with a q-tip. My blush is KIKO Shade Fusion Trio in Natural Rose (here) while the lips are the recently reviewed Ilia Beauty Lipstick in Madam Mina.

I would definitely look into purchasing more shades from the NYX eyeshadow singles range in the future; unfortunately I don't have an Ulta close to where I live and ordering online is always a bit of a gamble. What is your go-to brand for eyeshadow singles? I've been very faithful to Inglot in the past but again, I always prefer to swatch in person before purchasing and getting to a counter is currently a bit tricky...

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?

New Staple: Kat Von D Lock-it Concealer Crème* & Edge Concealer Brush* Review

It's been so nice this month to have a few brand new products to play with in my everyday make-up routine, especially after reaching for the same old, same old from my 4 months-long Project Pan. While making a concentrated effort to use up older concealers in my stash, I came to the conclusion that I was no longer happy with how they were performing on my skin and I was more than ready to find a new staple for my daily make-up bag. Lo and behold, my wishes have been answered when I was selected to review the new Kat Von D Beauty Lock-it Concealer Crème* in the shades L3 Warm and L5 Neutral ($26 for 0.22 oz, available at Sephora and katvondbeauty.com), together with the brand's Edge Concealer Brush* ($24 each).

You may find this hard to believe but these are my first products I've ever tried from Kat Von D Beauty. I was strongly tempted by a few other items in the past (in fact, I gifted my BFF her Shade & Light Eye Palette for Christmas and she really loves it!) but never actually pulled the trigger. The brand has been generating a lot of buzz for the past few years and it's easy to see why: great shade range and broad availability, staying on top of the trends and building customer loyalty through consistently high quality products (ekhm - maybe with the exception of those now discontinued blush duos). So yeah, I don't really know why I never purchased anything from the brand, especially that it has a major plus for me personally - it caters to a wide range of skintones including very, very fair, and I mean even fairer than me in the middle of the winter.

In the past I wasn't feeling very inspired by KVD's design aesthetic but I have to say that once I unpacked my new goodies, I found myself really drawn to the look of these products. I like the black and silver color scheme, the Gothic lettering, the wax seals for the logo on the boxes and the ink drop on the actual concealer tubes (all of those things combined remind me of the World of Darkness role-playing games I used to play, especially Vampire: The Masquerade).

But the designs are also practical; the concealers have labels on the bottom indicating the shades, and most of the tube's been kept clear to allow you to see the shade inside at a glance. Moreover, these Lock-it Concealer Crèmes have very good stoppers that dispense just the right amount of product onto the applicator and prevent any messes or spilling at the neck of the bottle. I'm also quite fond of the shape of the doe foot itself: it tapers down towards the tip, allowing for a more precise application.

The product claims for the Lock-it Concealer Crème include 24-hour wear, instant full coverage, smooth, even finish, and a crease-proof but hydrating formula (it does contain glycerin and hyaluronic acid). It is meant to be used for all areas of the face (and body): under the eyes, on blemishes and discoloration, and even to contour and bake (huh?!). These sound like rather lofty goals to me, so obviously I was very curious to see if the concealer actually performs to such a high standard.

After 3 weeks of testing this concealer in different conditions, I now feel I have a pretty good grasp of how it works on my skin and for my individual needs. I have worn it under the eyes, on blemishes and hyperpigmented/ red areas of the face, alone and layered with other concealers, on top of two different eye creams, on its own as well as set with powder. The final verdict is that I really like it, although it's not my Holy Grail (still remains to be found). My review is pretty much a comparison to my previous staple, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which is also a high coverage cream concealer with a doe foot that can be used for under the eyes as well as spot concealing.

Between the NARS RCC and the Lock-It, I do prefer the Kat Von D. It has a slightly thinner texture with maybe a touch less coverage that I personally find much more flattering on the skin. With the NARS concealer, I had to be very mindful of the amount I was using because anything more than a tiny dot would result in a cakey, dry, aged-looking under eye area, and it would also crease and gather in my fine lines quite a bit by the end of the day. I liked the NARS a lot more on hyperpigmented spots and blemishes, but again had to be careful because it had a tendency to look heavy and textured. The Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème looks a lot more natural and seamless on my skin and I do find my under eyes look more rested & hydrated after application than with the NARS. However, it performs slightly worse on blemishes than the NARS RCC; it seems a little too emollient and can slide off the area if not applied properly; I like best to quickly dot it around my problem spots, wait for a few minutes, and then come back and blend it into my foundation. The Concealer Crème also definitely benefits from setting with powder (I've tested it with both MAC Blotting Powder and the Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder*, review coming soon), both on the face and under the eyes, where it unfortunately still creases for me - but I have yet to find an under eye concealer that doesn't crease.

L-R: KVD Lock-It Concealer in L5 Neutral, KVD Lock-It Concealer in L3 Warm, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Surratt Beauty Concealer in no.2

As for the shade match, both Light 3 Warm and Light 5 Neutral are currently great matches for my very slightly darker summer skin tone. In theory, depending on your undertones, one shade should work better for the under eyes and the other for elsewhere on the face, but in practice, I have found very little difference in how L3 Warm and L5 Neutral look once blended in. As you can see from my arm swatch, both are definitely darker than my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (but both of them are the same depth, regardless of the L-number); if you're looking for something truly fair, KVD also offers the shade Light 1 (Neutral) as well as a pure white shade (White Out).

I have also been very pleasantly surprised by the KVD Edge Concealer Brush*, and it has quickly become my favorite tool to blend out concealer on larger areas of the face (under the eyes, around the nose).

It's a dense duo-fiber synthetic brush with a pinched ferrule but a cut tapered edge; hopefully you can see what I mean in the close-up photo. When I first saw the shape, I thought it was a little gimmicky - I remember when Sigma first came out with their 3DHD brushes, which for the most part weren't reviewed very favorably. However, in the case of the KVD Edge Concealer Brush, I do think this design works very well - the sharper edge allows you to get very close to the contours of your eye/ nose without sacrificing softness or blendability.

I also enjoy the larger size of this concealer brush; compared to my other concealer blending brushes, you can see that the head of the KVD one is much wider, which allows it to cover a larger area quickly. The bristles are not as dense as to drag the product around (as is the case with my Zoeva Concealer Buffer) and the brush can be used both with a stippling and a buffing motion. Overall, I find the quality of this brush to be very good - I've washed it several times since receiving it and there's been no shedding nor any other issues. One thing that takes some getting used to is the length of the handle - most brushes I own are much shorter so I sometimes find myself hitting my mirror with the brush's end. But the elongated, narrowing shape certainly looks very cool... or even slightly lethal :)

I hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy review of these new products from Kat Von D; I realize they're gathering a lot of interest at the moment so I wanted to cover most potential questions. If there's anything else you'd like to know about these, please ask in the comments, and stay tuned for my review of the Lock-it Setting Powder* and Lock-it Setting Powder Brush*. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received for free from Influenster for testing purposes. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!