NYX Matte Lipsticks in Tea Rose and Eurotrash Review and Lip Swatches - Cruelty Free Makeup

NYX are a fairly new brand to come to the UK, however over the past 6 months they started to take over my makeup collection, especially in the lip category. 

One of the first products I bought was the matte lipstick in Tea Rose. A gorgeous soft dusky pink shade. I really liked it but it got overshadowed in my collection by the many other matte lip products I own, and to be honest I totally forgot about it. 

Then, a few weeks ago, I was in my local Boots and decided to peruse the NYX counter (still not an experience I enjoy, the standards haven't really improved since my last rant post). I've already got all the shades of Lip Suede, Lip Cream, Lip Lingerie and almost all Butter Lipsticks I could want, so I found myself browsing the other lipstick lines and that's when I noticed Eurotrash and remembered about Tea Rose.

Top Eurotrash and bottom Tea Rose

So there they are. Packaging wise these lipsticks are very similar to the Butter lipsticks, the only difference being the ends of the bullet are all matte black and not coloured plastic that matches the colour of the product. I like this style of packaging, simple and effective. I also think the window is a nice touch as it means you can tell which lipstick is which without having to check the bottom or opening them. On a tangent, I've noticed NYX also print the name of the product down the body of the product as well, which I like too as it saves squinting at the bottom.

And here are the swatches. As you can see Eurotrash is very nude whereas Tea Rose is far more pink. They are both however, very nice wearable everyday colours.

Lip Swatch : Eurotrash

Lip Swatch: Tea Rose

Formula wise these lipsticks are really nice. They're soft and easy to apply with a good pigment pay off. And although they are maybe not truly matte in the same way a liquid lipstick would be, they are far more matte than a standard lipstick and far more comfortable than any liquid lipstick I have tried, even the really comfortable ones.

They don't last a really long time, however they wear off evenly and don't smudge that much when you kiss. They also feel really moisturising and leave my lips feeling in great condition. I've placed these two in my work makeup bag as they're lovely, wearable, "office appropriate" colours (although that never stopped me wearing dark purple). Ideal for applying after lunch when other products have worn off or started to flake and I need something for the afternoon.

I'd be really interested in trying more colours from this range as there are some gorgeous burnt oranges and dark reds. I'm just a bit worried they may suffer from the same formula inconsistancies that other NYX lines do, like the Full Throttle lipsticks where some are lovely and others are waxy and stiff. These two are absolutely lovely regardless.

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Too Faced Love at First Kiss Delux Mini Review with Swatches - Cruelty Free Deluxe Mini Blush and Lipstick

A while ago (maybe early October) I placed a large order from Debenhams Beauty. In amongst the Kat Von D and Urban Decay, I picked up this lil guy. Too Faced aren't a brand that I'm super familiar with and all I had from them was a couple of mini bronzers I picked up in the States. 

I'd heard good things about the blushes and was interested in trying them, however at £25 they seemed excessively expensive for a product I've never given a huge amount of thought to. I tend to focus on my eyes or lips and use the same NYX HD blush day in, day out (in the colour Amber). I've never heard anyone talk about the lipsticks but I thought they'd be worth a try too. 

This is the box and its kinda cutesy and tacky but not too much. Recently Too Faced relaunched the Sweet Peach palette and that was wayyyyyyy to much. OK the gold lips aren't to my taste but I don't hate it and can see where they were going,  It fits with them.

These mini's are the ittiest bittiest things ever. The lipstick is the same length as my super stubby lil' thumb. I actually think they're really really cute, and I'm not the most  girly of people. It reminds me of the makeup I would have gotten with my dollies as a child, but on a very classy level. From watching older reviews of Too Faced on Youtube it seems to be this kind of that people used to really love about them, classy, cute but with kind of a risque, burlesque twist. Its also something that seems to have been lost recently with the constant re-releasing of "limited edition" palettes and marketing that seems to be aimed at younger and younger children. 

This was one review I managed to loose all the images of in the great laptop crap out of earlier this year. I had to retake them and that's why both products look a little used. 

So I guess I should talk about what you actually get in the pack. You get a mini of the Love Flush Blush in Love Hangover and a mini La Creme Colour Drench Lipstick in Naked Dolly.  You get 2 grams of blush and 1.5 grams of Lipstick, so not a huge amount but more than enough for you to work out if you like the product. 

I've got to say I really like the blush. I swatched it pretty heavily in the photo so you got a good idea of the colour but it blends out to a very nice shear wash of colour. It also seems to last all day, which is always a bonus.

The lipstick on the other hand, I don't love. It's nothing to do with the formula, which seems really nice and moisturising. Its just the colour. Super, skin tone based nudes just aren't my thing. I would be really interested in trying some darker shades in this formula and seeing if I like them more.

Overall I think this little set is great and would be an ideal stocking stuffer for anyone interested in makeup or that just likes cute mini objects. 

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Review and Lips Swatches: Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream - Cruelty Free

When I thought about writing this post I was like, "Sleek, there's a brand I don't own a lot of stuff by". Then I thought about it and realised I own enough that I could probably give a fairly decent assessment of the brand (these lipsticks, a Primer, 2 Eyeshadow Palettes, a Cheek and Eye Palette and the Solstice Highlighter palette that's super famous).

Top to Bottom: Petal, Shabby Chic and Velvet Slipper

I'm always a little hesitant when it comes to square tubes, as if the caps don't line back up right it just bugs me. These have been designed to only do one complete turn so if you put the Sleek logo to the front and then put it on it ends up right where it should be. Its so satisfying.

Other than that, the packaging is very nice. I feel like the Primark ones might have based their packaging on these (full review of the Primark Liquid Lipsticks here). Its really sturdy and unlike the Primark ones the plastic is thick and heavy enough to stop it feeling cheap.

Top to Bottom: Petal, Shabby Chic and Velvet Slipper.

So I own three of these. Petal and Shabby Chic which I have had for a very long time, and Velvet Slipper, which I got more recently. In the top picture of the tubes Petal and Shabby Chic look very similar however once you have them out and swatch them you can how different they are. Petal is a very pale pinky colour and Shabby Chic is more of a grey-tone mauve colour.

Lip Swatches

Petal

Petal is a gorgeous soft pink. This ones doe-foot applicator is different to the others. Its longer and skinnier which makes the colour harder to apply. Also as this formula is the lightest and the thinnest out of the three it needs two coats. The doe-foot being weird makes it harder to apply and it can look a  little streaky. Once its on it lasts a really long time though so its worth the extra effort.

Shabby-Chic

If I had to compile a list of my five all time favourite lipsticks, Shabby-Chic would feature in there somewhere. This one has a regular doe-foot and probably the best formula out of all three. It only needs one coat and the grey-mauve colour is surprisingly wearable. If I had to recommend any of these shades it would be this one.

Velvet Slippers   

So Velvet Slipper looks like a soft reddy-purple in the tube but once I put it on and built it up, so it wasn't patchy, it turns out super dark. As you can see from the arm swatch, one coat leaves it super patchy.  Once its built up it does feel a little thick and chunky, but no worse than one coat of some LA Splash shades I own. 

I decided to wear test this shade as it as the most noticeable, so any changes or rubbing would be more apparent than the others.

Look at my shiny, shiny nose...

So here's an update photo four hours, two cups of tea, some biscuits and a plate of pasta later. As you can see there is some wear and tear around the inside of my lips, but considering I ate a whole plate of pasta and cheese sauce, I'm really impressed. That level of sauce and oil would strip a Kat Von D or an LA Splash clean off my face. These are under half the price of both those brands so for it to have broken down this little is amazing.

So, to summarise, I think these lipstick are really good value and although the formula and applicator vary from colour to colour they all still perform really well. If I had to recommend one it would be Shabby Chic which I think is the best overall. I'd be interested to try more of them, however I have so many matte lipsticks, I'd probably just try them a couple of times then they're sit at the back of my lipstick drawer.

xoxo Scruffy 

M&S Limited Collection Lipsticks & Lip Lacquers - With Swatches

So right before my holiday I was in the beauty section of Marks and Spencers "testing" expensive handcream and perfume when I came across these multipacks. I'd just gotten paid and decided that I would give them a go.  They were a gamble though as there was no way for me to swatch them in store and as they were cheap, they could be nasty.

Limited Collection Shades of Plum Lipstick Collection 3 Pack £12

 These packs come in three different sets, Shades of Red, Shades of Pink and Shades of Plum. I got the plum ones as they were the most different from anything I owned. That way, if they were decent and usuable I wouldnt have too much cross over.

Left to right: Plum, Mallow and Grape

I'm not sure if I love or hate the packaging. It feels very cheap and bulky, and with the cap on it looks like the cheap makeup you get on the dimly shelves next to the proper makeup displays in shops like Savers. When the caps off though, I dont hate it. If it was all silver with a clear cap it might have looked better. I'm not sure.

Left to right: Plum, Mallow and Grape

And look at these swatches.  I was so disappointed. The colours look so nice in the tubes but there is next to no pigmentation there. I had to actually try and build Plum up so you could see it more. They perform even worse on the lips, I've tried both Mallow and Grape and I had to re-apply every time I drank or ate anything. Every single time. And sometimes in between. 

They also have that weird cheap lipstick smell, not the watermelon one, the fake vanilla frosting one. Its just yuck.  I expected more from Marks & Spencers. I recently got given a Barry M lipstick that had amazing pigmentation, staying power and no nasty fake smell. I personally consider Barry M a cheap and fairly nasty brand, so for me to say I their lipstick is far better these should tell you everything you need to know. 

Limited Collection Pastel Pop Lip Lacquer 3 Pack £8

This was the only colour this set came in. I think these colours are really cute, so I would have picked them. The colours aren't named so I think I'll call them the pink one, the nude one and the orange one.

I actually really like the packaging. The squeezy tubes are a nice change to the standard clearly plastic viles liquid lipsticks usually come in and the gold caps are just enough to make them look chic without being over the top. The doe-foot applicators are really nice as well. The stick isn't too long (like the Kat Von D ones) and the doe foot isn't too big (like the NYX Liquid Suede ones) or weirdly bendy.

After the disappointment of the other lip products I really wasn't expecting much however these are really nice. Look at those colours. Especially that orange.  Love orange lip products.

So these are a bit weird. The apply really nicely, like a lip cream. The don't matte down and dry like most liquid lipsticks but aren't shiny and glossy. They also aren't sticky like a gloss. Its doesn't smell bad, I actually dont think it smells of much, although it does have a slight smell.

The only downside is that because it doesn't fully dry down, it can be quite smudgy. I loose half of it to my mug every time I have a cup of tea. I have worn it out and if you're out and about (cough*at the pub*cough) and drinking through a straw, it does last far better than any other liquid in its price range.

Also check how good the orange looks with my sunglasses. 

xoxo Scruffy