50 Days, 50 Lipsticks - Days 21 - 30 - Makeup Monsters, Bare Minerals, Tarte, Collection, Too Faced, NYX and Revolution

OK, going to be honest and say I wasn't sure I would even make it this far however I am so glad I have. Also, in the spirit of being honest, I'm not entirely sure the order I wore these in. I've made a point of collecting my thoughts and also keeping them together so I know what I wore, but I didn't keep track of when. I do know that the Lip Lingerie was day 26, day 20 was a Saturday and I wore it the following Saturday when I went out (didn't do anything on the Sunday so no lipstick required).

(If you've not been following this, or you want a recap, and explication and Days 1 - 10 here, and Days 11 - 20 here),

Day 21: Tarteist Lip Paint in TBT

I don't like this. I don't care if it suites me, I don't care if I got compliments, I don't care if I bought it in the States. I don't like it.

So I got this in the Sephora in Times Square in New York last year. I got it and Hangry (at least I think that was what it was called) and the other one was actually worse. The formula of this is incredibly mousse-like but it also sticks to itself and not your lips. You swipe and it all ends up in one corner of your mouth, so you swipe again and it all slips to the other. I found I had to kind of dab this on with the doe foot to make it stay. Such a pain. 

It didn't set completely (which I didn't hate) but it started to feeling powdery as the day wore on, which was gross, and then it wore off patchily. Yuck and no. Very disappointed. 

It's going in the bin.

Day 22: Collection Field Day Lipstick in 2 Tulip

I got this lipstick for around 50p online in from a clearance website and hadn't worn it before trying it here, so I really didn't expect much at all from it. However I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. 

The colour isn't really me, its a bright pink, and the only pinks I usually wear are either dusky rose type ones or bright but deep magenta type colours. This was a little more orangey-ish but not a coral kind of colour. I don't hate it, I'm just not sure I'll wear it all that often. Formula wise its matte-ish. It's definitely not a standard creamy sating finish but its also not a true matte. Demi-matte, that's the term I'm looking for. It doesn't feel the best though and it did go slightly chunky.

I'm going to put it in the "test it again" pile. I was going to keep it but the more I look at it, the less likely I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of it.

Day 23: Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Dazzler

So I googled this and I'm not actually sure if its part of their standard line of lipglosses or one they made specifically for Christmas Gift Sets. It is available on Amazon and eBay though they're are images online. 

I've made my feeling about lipgloss very clear on more than one occasion. I do not like it. However when I wore this I just needed something quick to bang onto my lips and get out the door and it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

Did I like it? No. Did I hate it as much as I thought I would? Also no. It isn't completely horrible. It smells really nice and I enjoyed the tingly mint feeling on my lips. It also really wasn't that sticky. It's still a lipgloss so it is still sticky, it's just not the worst. I'm going to add this to the one more chance pile too, as it might not be the worst idea to have one sheer and slightly sparkly lipgloss in my collection, but I don't want to keep it if I won't use it. 

Day 24: Revolution Iconic Pro Lipstick in Liberty (Matte)

This lipstick is like a slightly more blue toned version of the NYX Full Throttle Lipstick I wore on day 16. And that kind of purple suits me even less than the slightly more pinky one.

It wore pretty well for cheap lipstick but the formula sadly wasn't as good as Propaganda's (day 17). I know I'm not going to wear this again so I'm just going to get rid of it.

Day 25: NYX Extra Creamy Lipstick in Snow White

This lipstick lived in my work make-up for so long and it only every got used when I was going out after work and wanted to re-vamp my face. That meant it had never really got a good wear test.

I love the colour. It's a really nice dark vampy red, but a slightly brown red and I don't really own anything else like it. Also these lipsticks are like £4 so they're are the cheapest of the cheap and there's like a squillion colours. NYX lipsticks are a really good, affordable option.

Sadly when I wore this for more than a couple of hours, I just really didn't like the way it felt, but that's just me. The lipstick feels like it dries down and kind of locks in place, Which I guess is maybe what you're looking for in a dark, creamy, bullet lipstick. I will say, we're half this now and my lips are probably like "What are you doing to us you crazy witch??" So, this is going to go in the one more chance pile. I'm thinking once I'm done this I might give it a couple of weeks before I go through that and retry all the ones in that pile, after treating my lips to all the sugar scrubs and a full tube of lipbalm.

I feel like this 10 days has been pretty brutal so far, out of the first five there's none that are definitely getting kept.

Why did I decide to swatch this time around?

Day 26: NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in 12 Exotic

Well I know I'm keeping this.

I only own two of these Lip Lingeries, one in Embellishment (which I think is shade 2) and this one. I know it's meant to be a nudier line but I just found the other ten shades in the initial line too nude, too concealer lip-esque, and really boring.  They have just released 12 more shades in the UK and once my local NYX counter gets them I may pick up one of them as there's a darker greige kind of colour that I'm very interested in. The other eleven new ones I'm pretty meh about as well.

It's a shame though because I really like the formula of these. It's really comfortable and applies thick and almost moussey then dries down. If I could get it in a brighter red or like a deep dark magenta I would be all over it. It's probably my favourite NYX Liquid Lip formula. Worth trying if you want something nice for the office but not really fun for the weekend.

Day 27: Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick in Lady Balls

So this lipstick is so popular in the beauty communities I'm part of, but then again so are the Tarte Lip Paints, so I don't think that's a good indicator of anything. They got this right though.

I got this in an mini pack at Christmas along with two of the Melted Lipsticks and one of the Melted Chocolate ones, and I'd tried all of them (Chihuahua and Chocolate Honey have been regular work shades for a while now) except this one. I need to be in the right place to want a red before I'll play with them, or at least I did before I started this madness.

This lipstick is so nice though. It lasted really well, not so well it didn't need touched up, but it was just a touch up after food and nothing major. Also I didn't need to wipe red lipstick off my chin. Does that happen to anyone else? Like f you eat something big you have to bite off, like a baguette, you end up with lipstick all over your chin? Let me know about that, for science.

Also, going off on a tangent here, don't ever let packaging fool you, The Lip Lingerie packaging is nearly twice the size, but that thing actually contains 0.4ml less (allegedly, the fl. oz. conversion is wrong and doesn't make a lot of sense). What I'm trying to say is don't be fooled by huge packaging, it could just be huge packaging.

Day 28: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 27 Madrid

So I have a real love hate relationship with these creams. Some of them look great and last forever, some of them apply streaky, smudge on everything, look gross and stain your lips.

This was one of the good ones, at least this time. It applied and wore fairly well, and was the most stunning red colour. All of these lip creams seem to dissolve in water so if you drink a lot of tea like I do then it will need reapplied regularly. Overall it's not bad though, and I am going to keep it. For now at least.

Day 29: NYX Intense Butter Gloss in 03 Toasted Marshmallow

I think I bought three of these Glosses because YouTube told me they we we're good and picked the shades based on how much I liked the name. I was promised all kind of things and every time I've worn them I've just felt really let down.

There's a lot of pigment but it wears off fast and leaves me with a weird line of glossy purple round the edge of my lips, can look streaky and is sticky. Also when I was wearing this I checked it in the mirror at the start of lunch (before I ate anything) and was like  "What a mess!". I know its only a gloss but I'm way to busy to have to re-apply every 25 minutes.

I'm only keeping this so I can finally finish the review of these I've been working on, then it's going in the bin. We'll consider it gone now though, as it won't be going back into my makeup collection.

Day 30: Makeup Monsters Liquid Lipstick in Rebound

Makeup Monsters are my favourite indie brand and they make the best magenta lipstick I've every seen (I've not worn it during this challenge yet, I've been saving it in case there was a special occasion or something). This orange is equally as nice, and once I'm done with this I can see me getting a lot of use out of it.

I'm not going to do a dedicated review as I think this colour is discontinued but once the UK supplier gets re-stocked with the new shades (there's a gorgeous dusky rose one I need) I'm going to pick up some more and will include it when I review them.

If you want a wee taster though, the formula is really thin, and takes a minute or two to dry down completely, but once it does, its totally matte. It lasts a really long time, minor touch ups after lunch and dinner, and because the formula is really thin it doesn't seem to go weird and chunky if you have to touch up and accidentally go over some of the product thats still on your face.

Running total

Days: 30

Lipsticks Worn: 32

Lipsticks being binned: 6 (+ 6 maybes)

Top 3

1. (Joint) Too Faced Melted Matte in Lady Balls/ Makeup Monsters Liquid Lipstick in Rebound

3. (Joint) NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Madrid/NYX Lip Lingerie in Exotic

Bottom 3

1. Tartist Lip Paint in TBT

2. Revelution Iconic Pro Lipstick in Liberty

3. NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Toasted Marshmallow

xoxo Scruffy

50 Days, 50 Lipsticks - Days 11 - 20 - Sleek, Revolution, Kat Von D, NYX, Lime Crime, Kiko Milano

So if you're wondering what this 50 days, 50 Lipsticks thing is all about you can check out my intro and first ten days post here.

Day 11: NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops/Root Beer Float

So if you've read anything I've written about this lipstick, ever, you'll know I love it and it usually lives in my makeup bag. I was reluctant to wear it before the half way point in case I needed it for something work based, but then I remembered I still hadn't worn any of my Too Faced lipsticks yet (Chihuahua, Chocolate Honey and Queen B are usual weekly wears to work) and I still had the NYX Matte lipstick in Eurotrash to wear as well, so it was far from the last nude in my collection.

These lipsticks have a gorgeous buttery (har har) formula, they're comfortable, glossy but not sticky and pretty opaque. Only think is they transfer a lot and don't last the longest time. 

Today was a really, really busy day in the office and I didn't get a chance to reapply this at all. Luckily, as its a nice nude, that didn't matter. If I'd worn anything else I would have looked straight up odd from 11am onwards. 

Day 12: Lime Crimes Velvetine in Teddy Bear

I have this feeling everyone has this one item of makeup in their collection that they always think is a good idea in theory and it never is in practice. They may own other colours from the same line that work fine, they may own other formulas in the same colour that are lovely, but something about that colour and formula mix is a disaster. That is Teddy Bear for me.

Spurred on by the success of revisiting Cashmere, I decided to pull out some other Velvetines from the back of the drawer and have a play. Teddy Bear was a colour I always loved, its described as a Lilac Brown on the official website and its just lovely. Dark enough not to highlight how red I am, light enough not to make me look washed out and brown enough not to highlight that purple looks hideous on me. 

This wore the same as Cashmere, great. But by the time I went to touch up after lunch (and it barely needed a touch up) I remembered why I never wear it. For some reason, I don't know if its bleed or fade, but this one Velvetine seems to separate on my lip line and I get left with this weird bright pink ring around my lips. It looks like I've lined my lips, badly and with the wrong colour, rather than my usual "not used a lipliner at all and improvised with the applicator/edge of the lipstick" look, and at least the latter is actually accurate. 

I'm not sure if I maybe have a bad one. I don't think I've even owned this 6 months and it still smells completely fine but I asked in a beauty group I'm a member of and no one else had the same issue with it. 

I'll give it one more go after I'm done this challenge, and I'll line my lips with something before I apply it to see if that makes a difference and report back. I don't own another colour quite like it and its really pretty when its not making me look like a crazy person so I want to salvage it if I can.

Day 13: Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in Shabby-Chic

So a while ago I did a review of three colours from this range (here) and Shabby-Chic was my overall favourite, so when I say it sitting in my lipstick drawer, I was like "Yassssssss". I really wanted a good lipstick day seeing as I'd spent the second half of yesterday looking like I got ready in the dark.

Sadly, this did a reverse Cashmere and felt worse this time around. I used to love this as well. So after lunch I re-applied it and it just started to feel cakey, chunky and weird. I don't know why as that hasn't happened before. I ended up having to rub the MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalm in Dusky Rose (which they've either renamed or no longer make) over it. This is usually what I do when I want to take a liquid lipstick off (lipbalm, rub lips together and then wipe, far more effective and less harsh than scrubbing) but when I rubbed my lips together it didn't look awful and was a bit more comfortable.

I'm not sure what's happened with this, maybe I'm just getting more picky with that I'll wear and won't wear. I don't think its gone bad, the tube says it lasts for 36 months (which is a scary long time for a liquid product). Like Teddy Bear I'll give it one more but it might be an item I de-clutter.

Day 14: NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 12 Dirty Talk

So I mentioned two of these lipsticks in the Days 1-10. One I love, one I did not. This one I was OK. I really, really love the colour. My other half actually commented he'd never seen me in such a dark lipstick. It's too dark for work but for a Saturday night meal and a couple of drinks.

It was a bit tricky to apply as it's just a small round stick with a slanted top and no point or angle but once I've worn it a couple of times I'll shape it into something I can use.

It lasted fairly well for a dark colour. These lipsticks don't really seem to come off when you drink, I noticed that with Flutter Kiss, and it survived two pinks intact. I did need to re-apply after my (veggie) burger and chips as its had worn down a lot, but it wasn't completely gone.

Definitely keeping this.

Day 15: NYX Matte Lipstick in 19 Eurotrash

Dam I own a lot of NYX lipsticks, some of them are great, some of them are not, some of them like Pops and this were specifically bought for work.

This is pretty much the exact same colour as Pops but in a Matte formula. and if you change glossy to matte in the above review of Pops, you have my review of this.

Day 16: NYX Full Throttle Lipstick in 10 Locked

So this lipstick is nice if you only wear it for a couple of hours, but after wearing it for nearly 12 hours, I've now decided I'm getting rid.

It's a nice dark pinky purple colour, that I want to love, I'm just not sure it suits me that much. I wore it fairly intensely for several hours and had to touch up a couple of times and it went chalky and powdery on my lips. I also got the line of doom on the inner rim of my mouth and it was like it wore away on the inner edges of the bigger creases in my lips and looked really odd.

I must have looked crazy on the bus home.

Day 17: Revolution Iconic Pro Lipstick in Propaganda (Matte)

So I bought this in my June 2016 haul from Revolution and I honestly don't think I'd ever worn it until now, many months later (see this is why I need this project). Why hadn't I worn this until now? Oh yeah because I own like a bijillion matte red liquid lipsticks and I always thought it would be crap. Could you be more wrong about something Kirstie?

This lipstick really surprised me, it was comfortable, it lasted really well, there was no bleeding or fading. It was amazing to wear all day. This is being upgraded from an "eh, maybe" lipstick at the back of the lipstick drawer of doom (its a dark scary place and I don't know whats in there) to living in my everyday lipstick bundle once this project is over.

Two comments/minor criticisms. The packaging feels really cheap, it cost me £2 so its not an issue, it just a fact. Cheap lipsticks tend to have cheap packaging. And as touched on in the haul post it has a slightly weird almost edible smell. Its almost like vanilla sponge, but with something not quite right about it. Or like sweet play-dough. Its not bad and I didn't notice once it was on my face, but its maybe something to watch out for.

Day 18: Kiko Milano Unlimited Stylo Lipstick in 17 Tulip Red

Riding high on the success of yesterdays red lip look, I thought I'd crack this guy out and give him a go.

So everything that Propaganda lacks in awesome packaging this guy makes up for. Although we've already establishes I love Kikos' packaging (currently lusting after but managing to resist there Spring/Summer ones for this year, I know they have the magnetic closure though and its so difficult).  Its cold, hard metal, with a clasp closure and just feels so nice and solid, it can't be stood on its end though so that's slightly annoying.

I don't like the colour as much as the one I wore the previous day though, it's a slightly lighter and far brighter red and although its still blue toned, it does look slightly more orange on my skin. Also it is another one of these lipsticks with a flat, round top and unlike the High Voltage ones from NYX, the actual stick of lipstick is full width, making it so difficult to apply precisely.

Did I like it? Yeah. Did I get paid a compliment by a co-worked that is well aware of this project? Yeah. Do I need this and Propaganda (and also Duel, which I bought in the same Revolution Haul)? Probably not. I'll cross that bridge when I get to Duel though. For the time being, it stays.

Day 19: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bow 'n' Arrow

So I really, really wanted to wear Stone Fox from NYX today, and I I had it on my face and chickened out at the last minute. Might have been good thing though as I'm not sure how the people I work with would have reacted to that.

As for Bow 'n' Arrow, its a Kat Von D lipstick and I've already talked about these loads. I like them, they wear well, I'm keeping it.

Day 20: NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in 01 Stone Fox

Yeah that's right. I actually wore this. On a Saturday, outside the house, and people saw me. I felt so brave.

Stone Fox actually really really surprised me. It was nothing like Tea and Cookies from my previous post, and although it didn't dry down completely, it did dry down far more. It also transferred far less, like I had three or four pints and it didn't get on the glass for any of them, right till the end. I actually really liked it. Would recommend 100% for anyone else that likes weird. grey lipsticks.  It actually makes me wonder if my Tea and Cookies maybe came from a bad batch, but not enough to spend my money on another one to check.

Running total

Days: 20

Lipsticks Worn: 12

Lipsticks being binned: 3 (+ three maybes)

Top 3

1. NYX Liquid Suede Lip Creme in Stone Fox

2. Revolution Iconic Pro Lipstick in Propaganda (Matte)

3. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 12 Dirty Talk

Bottom 3

1. Lime Crimes Velvetine in Teddy Bear

2. Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream in Shabby-Chic

3. NYX Full Throttle Lipstick in 10 Locked

xoxo Scruffy 

50 Days, 50 Lipsticks - Days 1 to 10 - Kat Von D, Lime Crime, NYX, Milani, Kiko Milano

I own to much lipstick. I own waaayyy to much lipstick. And I hate some of it.

So this idea came to me a couple of weeks ago, the day before (or maybe two days before) day one. And its simple, for the next fifty makeup days I will wear a different lipstick, report on my findings and hopefully chuck some at the end of it. I don't wear makeup ever single day and I'm not putting on makeup for the sake of it, because that's craziness, so this will take more than 50 calendar days. I'll post updates every ten lipstick days (which I'm guessing will be roughly 12-14 days) and if anyone wants to join in, please feel free and tag me in a link so I can read about what you're loving and loathing.

This makeup bag... Sometimes I love the H&M sale

Day 1: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Mother

Since I moved Kat Von D is one of the few brands of liquid lipstick I've been wearing a lot, mostly in Lolita and Double Dare though. I found Mother when I was shopping my stash and decided I had to get some more use out of it. 

It's a gorgeous, dusky pink kind of colour and the thin, long wearing Kat Von D formula is one of my favourites. so I was hoping for a good lipstick day.

Overall it wore well. Have I done a review of all the Kat Von D lipsticks? I might need to do that. It did need touched up after lunch and again on the bus home but I am incredibly hard on my lipstick. I talk a lot at work (for work, as in part of my job is talking) and drink about a billion mugs of tea, so my lips are constantly getting wet and then moving. 

Its nice. I like it. I'm almost sad I wore it first though as now I can't wear it again for at least fifty days.

Day 2: Kiko Milano Matte Heart Shaped Lipstick in 01

Kiko Milanos limited edition lipstick packaging (OK, limited edition lipstick packaging and blush products) make me happy. They always look so classy and the lipsticks always have some component that just speaks to me. The other lipsticks I have are magnetic and ping and stay beautifully. This has a solid, brushed metal kind of look with a spiral of writing up it, the cap unscrews rather than pops and the actual lipstick is heart shaped. 

It looks so cute, but its a pain in the butt to apply. The top of the lipstick is slanted to make application easier, however the top part of the heart (two rounded bits) are the highest point meaning there's not a straight edge or point like on a standard lipstick for precise application. This makes trying to get any kind of shape nearly impossible. I'm hoping once I wear it down a bit this will become more usable.

Formula wise, this lipstick isn't bad. I really like the pinky, mauvey colour and the matte formula it fairly good for a bullet lipstick. It does chunk up a little in the inner rim of my mouth but nothing I can't handle. I look forward to playing with this more in the future.

Day 3: Lime Crime Velvetine in Cashmere

It had been a long time since I last wore a Velvetine and in my head I'd somehow turned them into this horrendous, flakey, dry mess, so I was a little skeptical about using one for work. I was, however, really surprised and enjoyed this a lot. Cashmere was always one of my favourite shades and by the end of the day I was annoyed at myself for not wearing it more often. Yeah it was a little dry, but not much more than the Kat Von D formula, and it certainly didn't flake anywhere. Touching up was fine and it didn't get to chunky or bunch up on the inner rim of my mouth. It also coped far better with the oily sun-dried tomatoes in my lunch that the Kiko Milano lipstick from the day before.

Overall, it wore well and looked good but you get very little lipstick for your money and the coconut type smell reminded me of the gorse bushes that used to grow along the road next to my house. (Large spikey weeds with vibrant, yellow, coconut scented flower. The reason the highlands of Scotland smell of coconuts, because everyone comes to my blog for the geographical education).

Day 4.1 NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 15 Tan-gerine.

Way too light and not even remotely Tangerine coloured. Looked hideous, like I'd mixed stick concealer with Vaseline and rubbed it on my lips, on so it's in the bin and didn't even make it out the house on my face.

Note to self, do not buy lipstick online again. It will disappoint you. Do not trust the swatch photos. They can be highly inaccurate. Oh and remember your lips are about 3x more pink than most people's so 80% of lipsticks look hideous on you. Sincerely, the me that

Day 4.2  Kiko Milano Temptress Lipstick in 01

So I have no idea why this lipstick range was called temptress as this colour and formula would be far more suited to a name like "boring office worker lipstick" or "I wanted something that wouldn't look like shite if I couldn't be arsed lining my lips, lipstick".

I got this in the Kiko sale after Christmas and today was the first time I wore it. It's another pale nude, similar to Tan-gerine but darker, less concealer and vaseline-sequel, and it washed me out way less and looked far better on my pale but also very red face. It also had a really comfortable satin finish and overall it lasted pretty well for a sale bin lipstick.

Is it my favourite lipstick ever? No. Will I wear it out at the weekend? Probably not. Once I get to the end of this will it take up residence as in my makeup bag as my "I was running late so I did my makeup on the bus" lipstick? Yup. So work people's, if you see me wearing this, it's a safe bet I slept in, dry shampooed my hair, washed with three baby wipes and am wearing the first three items of clothing that came to hand. Sorry if I look a bit manic, or have my dress on back to front.

Lipstick scatter...

Day 5.1 Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème in 16 Sweetheart

I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie wooooooorld......

Just not today please.

Another online purchase, formula feels great, the colour isn't as expected but for a bright pink looks surprising alright on. I'll play around with it more once this I've tried most of my stash.

In other news I changed as I had bright blue eyeliner on and when I added this I started to look like a suspiciously old extra from Saved by the Bell.

Day 5.2 Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème in 10 Adorable

Decided to stay on brand today, so I swapped Sweetheart out with Adorable. What colour is Adorable I hear you ask? "Exactly the same as Bow and Arrow from Kat Von D" colour I reply, and under half the price.

I had worn some of these before but not this colour and wasn't sure if I loved the formula or not. Its alright. Well actually its good for the price. And they smell so nice. I did have to watch for wear and tear as it was a far lighter colour than I normally like but its still pretty, and wasn't too much hassle over all.

Day 6: Milani Colour Statement Lipstick in 27 Dulce Caramelo

And the award for "lipstick I spent more than £5 on but stills smells, feels and looks like something from Miss Sporty" goes to... Any of the shimmery lipsticks in this line (I have this one and Cinnamon Spice).

I actually don't mean to hate on this lipstick or come across as harsh as that may have, it's actually not bad and wears pretty well. It just has that fake sour watermelon smell to it much cheaper lipsticks do, which I'm not a huge fan of. It's a shame as Milani's liquid lipsticks smell exactly like a bag of flumps (sweet, sugary marshmallows) and I love that, though it does make me want flumps... *Drools and ruins make-up*.

It's a bit dated and plain Jane but not had. I'd be interested in trying more of these lipsticks (in the plain, non sparkly formula) but clearly buying online isn't my strong point so I might have to do some research on them first.

Day 7: NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in 09 Tea & Cookies

Harsh honesty for a second here, I've been putting off reviewing this line for a while now (I have seven of them) because I'd worn this one a few times and hated the formula. 18 Foul Mouth, one of the newer shades, on the other hand has one of the best formulas ever for a semi-matte lipstick. We'll see if my opinion has changed any by the end of today.

So the first hour or wearing this lipstick was horrible, it doesn't dry down, it smudges on everything and if you live somewhere windy (like the whole of Scotland) and your hair gets blown into your face, it's pretty much guaranteed to feel the same way as when you're hair gets in your lipgloss. It got all over my mug during my first cuppa at work and at this point I felt like giving up on it, but when I went to the loo there was still a surprising amount of it on my lips, and by this point enough had smudged off that it didn't feel sticky or weird any more. I'd say between the hours of 10am and 1pm were the golden hours for this lipstick.

Over lunch it became patchy and when I reapplied the cream it became chunky and odd. Drinking another cup of tea made that worse and by 4.30pm it looked really really bad.

I'm going to hold on to this long enough to do the swatch post and full review with all the other shades I own, then it's going in the bin. It's a shame as the dusky pink colour is really pretty, it's just a shame the formula is less "Tea and Biscuits" and more "Cold Bovril and Soggy Mini Cheddars"

Day 8: NYX Full Throttle Lipstick in 09 Jolt

This is one of my favourite orange lipsticks of all time (see full review here). Bright, comfortable and log wearing, this little guy is a hidden gem in my makeup collection.

Must. Wear. This. More.

Day 9: NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 05 Flutter Kiss

I know further up I had a bit of a disaster with a High Voltage lipstick but I couldn't feel more different about this one. Firstly I need to say a huge thanks to Siena from Tantrums and Tea who sent me this. It's lovely,

Colour wise this is a gorgeous dark nude colour on me, pinky but not overly so. Its an ideal "work to pub" shade. It has a really creamy, soft, lipbalm but thicker formula that doesn't feel drying or uncomfortable. It had a classic, satin finish that I really enjoyed. Everything up until now has been matte or very frosty so change is good. It lasted pretty well and didn't seem to smudge off to much when I was drinking tea. I have a couple more of these lipsticks coming from LuxPlus so I might need to review all the ones I end up with (including the one above that shall not be spoken of).

Day 10: Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Double Dare

I think I've said everything I want to say about this in the Day 1 slot with mother. I was hoping not to double up on products (so no two Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks or Liquid Suedes etc in any ten days) but with some brands (like Too Faced) I mostly own smart, work lipsticks and I'm trying not to exhaust them in the first few days in case I end up running out. 

That being said, this lipstick is what I would call a "work red". Its somewhere between red and brown and just muted enough it doesn't look out of place in the office. The formula is really nice and needed babysat less that Mother, this might have been because it was closer to my lip colour so was less obvious when it wore off. Will definitely be buying a full sized one of these once I'm done with this sample.

Running total

Days: 10

Lipsticks Worn: 12

Lipsticks being binned: 2

Top 3

1. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 05 Flutter Kiss

2. Lime Crime Velvetine in Cashmere

3. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Double Dare

Bottom 3

1. NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in 09 Tea & Cookies

2. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in 15 Tan-Gerine

3. I don't actually have a third choice because I liked everything except these two a fair amount

What's being binned

Catch you next time

XOXO Scruffy

Whats in my Makeup Bag? - Lip product swap out with swatches - Cruelty Free Lipstick and Lipbalm

During this past week I lost an earring in my handbag. As I had some issues with my piercings recently, I knew I needed to find it, clean it and get it back into my ear as soon as possible. Unfortunately my oversized makeup bag was open and I couldn't rule out the earring falling in there so I had to go through that too.  I was a bit embarrassed when I tipped it out at my desk, 4 perfumes, 3 nail files, 3 black eyeliners, 3 other eyeliners and 12 lip products, along with about a squllion hair bobbles, kirby grips and other miscellaneous bits. It was a mess.

So over this weekend I decided to go through it, sort it out and workout what I need day to day. I was hoping to maybe swap for a smaller makeup bag to, but none of my wee ones are as cute as the angry clouds one so I guess that's not happening.

Lip Balms & Tints

So I tried to tile these next to each other but I couldn't keep them this size and have them side by side. 

So I had the Kiko Milano Kiss Balm in Raspberry, the MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalm in Dusky Rose, Burts Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb and an original Burts Bees Lip Balm (the minty one).  I swatched the first three below as they do have some colour to them. 

Ltr: Kiko Milano, MUA and the Burts Bees.

Out of the four I've put the two Burts Bees and the MUA on back in my bag and the Kiko Milano one has gone back into my stash. Its far newer than the other three and I don't ever reach for it. I use the two Burts Bees ones all the time and the MUA one saved my skin recently when I tried a horrible liquid lipstick (which I will review soon) and had to try and take it off in the middle of Silverburn. Its also getting a bit old and I want to try and use it up.

Lipstick & Liquid Lipstick

Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Chihuahua, Melted Matte Lipstick in Queen B and Melted Chocolate Lipstick in Chocolate Honey. 

As you can see these are all really nice, neutral, nude shades that are perfect for work. I would say since Christmas I've worn at least two of these a week, every week. They're comfortable to wear and easy to apply on the bus. I've decided to keep the two minis (Chihuahua and Chocolate Honey) in my handbag and put Queen B back in my stash. I know it wont stay there for long but I might actually remember to use a couple of other colours before I go back to it again.

Since the house move (not sure what I'm talking about, check my latest life update here) most of my makeup has been stored in one big deep drawer. Not ideal for finding things. I tend to store products by brand and once of the few lots I could find was my Kat Von D lipsticks. These were the three I had been using the most even though I own five or six. Left to right there's the limited edition Project Chimps one I picked up in the States, Lolita and a mini of Double Dare (which I will buy a full size of once its done).

For the time being all three of these will go back into my stash. Double Dare will no doubt emerge again very soon as I'm trying to use up most of my smaller products in 2017. 

Makeup Monsters liquid lipstick in Hook, Line and Sinker and Sleek Matte Lipstick in Russian Roulette. 

If you follow me on Instagram then you'll already know Hook, Line and Sinker is maybe my favourite lipstick of all time. It has a very thin formula, is long wearing and very comfortable. However it's not really an everyday colour so back in my stash it goes. As for Russian Roulette, I don't think I've ever actually worn this. I like to keep a good dark red in my makeup bag. I feel like red lipstick can take work makeup to going out makeup and if I've managed to stain my lips with any number of bright and weird products it hides it all. This one isn't that opaque though and feels, looks and smells like a Makeup Revolution lipstick, and I'm not sure how it got switched out with Snow White by NYX, but back in the stash it goes.

What I'm adding to the bag

NYX Butter Lipstick in Root Beer Float aka Pops (NYX website calls it Root Beer Float, the packaging calls it Pops, its the same colour) and NYX Extra Creamy lipstick in Snow White.

Pops is an old favourite of mine, it was what I used to obsess over for work before I got the Too Faced minis. Its lovely, really comfortable on the lips and I haven't worn it in a really long time so it'll be nice to get some more use out of it. Snow White is going back in as I'm not even sure how it got swapped out in the first place. Unlike Russian Roulette it isn't matte, and you can see from the swatches its darker and more opaque, I also know from experience its really easy to work with (which is what I need after work). 

All in all, not a bad job I'd say. Started with twelve lip products, removed seven and added two. How long before my handbag is over-run again remains to be seen.

Whats the one item that seems to multiply in your handbag? 

xoxo Scruffy

More posts about lipstick and lip products

NYX Full Throttle Lipstick Review

Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Collection Review

MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer Review (Zest and Kooky)

M&S Limited Collection Lipstick and Lip Lacquer Review

NYX Full Throttle Lipstick in Jolt, Locked and Loaded. Review, Swatches and Wear Test - Cruelty Free Cosmetics

A while back a colleague mentioned picking up one of these lipsticks in the colour Night Crawler to me. I hadn't even heard of them, I'd focused everywhere else on the NYX but had someone managed to overlook these. Night Crawler wasn't my colour but I picked up shades 09. Jolt, 10. Locked and 11. Loaded. 

LtR. 11. Loaded, 10. Locked and 09. Jolt.

Their packaging is a bit different to the standard stuff. Its weirdly long and thin. You also don't get a lot of product with these, you get 2.4 grams of product and they cost £5.50. The NYX butter lipsticks are also £5.50  and you get 4.5 grams in them. 

So this is what a brand new one looks like. Its really thin and the top has a lot of weird edges. Kind of reminds of the twist up pencil type lipsticks you get but in bullet format.

I've chosen to swatch these in the order above as I thought it made the most sense and would result in the least weird staining. Now lets get looking at my face.

09 Jolt.

11. Loaded

10. Locked.

These lipsticks claim to be waterproof and according to the NYX website "covers your lips with super-saturated matte colour". From playing with these and wearing all of them I've noticed the formula is inconsistent between shades. Jolt and Locked are softer and creamier than Loaded and apply better, even if you heat it up by swatching on your hand first. It also feels very waxy when applied and is patchy if you don't apply a really heavy coat.

 In between photographing them and writing up this post, I actually dropped all of these and Loaded snapped. When I was trying to fix it, it slid out my hand and got smooshed as well. Unlike the Ripe Berry Butter Lipstick that also snapped, I won't be repurchasing this.

As this lipstick claims to be waterproof I decided to test it out the same way I would a liquid lipstick that made similar claims. I was already wearing Locked and its a pretty distinct colour, so I decided to roll with that. 

The rest of my makeup seems to have given up in this photo...yuck.

So I had this on for about six hours and ate a full plate of dinner and there's very little wear and tear. I'm really impressed that a bullet lipstick lasted this well. You can see that it has worn a little thin on my lower lip but its all still there. One small sweep and it would look immaculate again.

Over time, like most lipsticks these will begin to breakdown and transfer. This one was getting to the stage where it was beginning to powdery and if I touched my lips or drank things I'd get colour transfer. This is pretty typical of Jolt as well, I've worn them both a couple more times since photographing. They're great for work though, as they don't breakdown or smudge throughout the morning and still look good after lunch although they are beginning to break down.

Overall I like these. The last a long time and don't dry my lips out at all. They're definitely some of the better long wearing lipstick from the high street, along with the Sleek Matte Me Lipsticks and are are really affordable, even if you don't get tonnes. Plus I'd estimate that with regular eating and drinking I'd need to top up my lipstick three, maybe four times if I was going all day and then to then going out for food and drinks. I would need to top this up twice total, so that's a saving right there. 

XOXO Scruffy

Other NYX lip product reviews 

NYX Lip Lingerie

NYX Matte Lipsticks

Boots Rant - Bad Experiences at the NYX Stand

NYX Cosmetics are a brand that are fairly new to me. I'd heard of them but alas, thought getting them anywhere in the UK other than Boots horrific website was a no go(which I wasn't about to risk my sanity trying to order from there. Trust me, its not good for cosmetics puchases!). So when I wandered into their St Enoch store looking for my lunch one overtime shift at work and was suddenly greated by a huge NYX dislpay I was one happy bunny.

Well I say happy bunny, what I mean is surprised, then happy, then annoyed at having to fight for my lipstick, then annoyed at the queue. Once I got home my anger subsided though as, for being one of the lower end lipsticks you can get in the UK (I think they're £5.50) so similar to Rimmel maybe. I dont know how much brands like Rimmel and Maybeline cost anymore, as they're not cruelty free I tried to avoid buying from them. 

 On my first trip I found two colurs I absolutely loved. Number 11 - Licorice and 17 - Pops.

 Pops was sold out though... Boooo. Hissss.

Next time I was in Boots I decided to check if they had Pops back in. They did. One was snapped in the tube, break clearly visable through the panel, and the other had been opened by someone and rubbed all over god only knows what. Yuck. Use the tester, people!

I did pick up another couple of colours, cute pink shades called Fizzies and Cotton Cady. I was in a very girly mood that day.

Trip three, also called the time I almost lost it at a member of Boots staff.

Nipped into Boots for lunch and a new eyeliner, decide to swatch all the things. You know how it goes. Check up on Pops. I feel like this lipstick is becoming my Moby Dick and I'm wondering why bother, is it really worth it?

I round the corner, I check the display, they have two in stock. I'm reaching for them, they're in my hand....

 I quickly realise that both of them have been torn open, and rubbed all over things, by some discusting human being hellbent on ruining my day. A quick survey of the NYX display tells me that this is not an isolated incident. Pops isn't being  targeted, people are just being shit and ripping things open despite they're being plenty of testers for everything.

As this is my third trip I decide to find a member of staff and ask if they have any more, and also point out the state of the display, cause its disgusting and its right at the front of the store. I'd have got my arse booted if I left a display stand like that when I used to work in retail.

Locating a member of staff takes some time as there is no-one around and I'm beginning to see why the displays look so messy and gross. I eventually find someone and am like "Hey, I want to buy this lipstick but you only have these two ripped up ones out, do you have any more?"

She looks at me like I have about three nipples growing out my face, before telling me they don't. NYX gets stocked daily in the morning but they don't hold anything in reserve in the shop. I then ask what she wants me to do with the ripped up, nasty, open ones.

She tells me to "just put them back on the shelf".

Wait. What? You want me to put unsanitary, broken products you're not allowed to sell for hygeine reasons back in a huge display at the front of the store?

I couldn't deal with it. I sat them down solemnly on the shelf next to her and walked back to the makeup section to find my eyeliner. I then see her sticking them back in amoungst the lipsticks for sale. Thinking about it makes my brain hurt.

I didnt go in for a while after that as I couldn't cope with the display and the disappointment.

Last Saturday I was in town and between saying goodbye to a friend and meeting more and had to stock up on some bits. So headed to an uncharacteristicly quiet Boots, as I also wanted to grab some food and their sandwiches are (usually) nicer that Superdrugs.

My plan was to ignore all the make up, just get what was on the list and leave. Just keep walking, you don't need it. Just keep walking, just keep walking. You get where I'm going with this.

 Anyway, theres not a route through the store that involves me not going near any of the makeup however I pick the route that goes straight up the centre as then all I have to tempt me is the end displays. In the summer thought they're full of bronzer anyway and thats of about as much interest to me as having e-coli again. And I'm walking, and I'm walking, and its going well. And I walk past the NYX end and... the pull is too strong. I can't beat it. I need to look.

And they have it in stock. Two of them in stock. And neither of them are all funked up. I had to take a moment to catch my breath. What was happening to my life?

I bought that lipstick then and there. Best thing that happened for at least a couple of hours. I then went for a late lunch and drinks with some friends and quickly forgot about my victory against the cosmetic gods.

 

Was it worth that crazy level of effort though for a semi-sheer nude coloured lipstick?

Oh hell yeah it was. I got it three weeks ago today (boyfriend was a Glastonbury festival, only reason I know the dates) and I'd say I've probably worn it between 12 and 14 times, and I dont always do my makeup at the weekend so more than two thirds of the time.  It is my favourite lipstick for work and is really easy to not screw up first thing in the morning. Seeing as for the next few weeks I'll be starting work at 7am is something I need in my life.

The other Butter lipsticks I own are nice. I dont think they wear as well, but that might be because they are more out distinct colours (baby and bright pink, berry and purply brown) so it more obvious when they've rubbed off. Also it might be because I'm more concious of my makeup when I wear them, so naturally I check up more than nude tones, so I dont realise the nudes have worn off so much.

Had a bad NYX stand experience? Let me know in the comments.

xo Scruffy

June 2016 Favourites

Well what a month June was. A lot of work, a lot of makeup and a new blog. A couple of meetups with friends and a lot of quiet nights in. 

This is just a rundown of some of my favourite things from the month. If you follow me on instagram or found this through instagram them you've probably already seen some of these but I'm going to go into some more depth here and explain why I love what I love.

Shearer Candles Tin Candle in Cranachan

OK, I've been in love and working on this candle for a while. I have it in the bathroom and light it when I'm having a proper pamper night. I was going to descibe the smell but Cranachan itself is a Scottish dessert of raspberries, cream, whisky, honey and oats and it smells like if you imagine that being a candle. Love it

 

 

Orange Lipstick

Up until the middle of last year (when I started getting into liquid to matte lipsticks) I only owned 3 lipsticks. There were two nudey pink kind of shades and a red one. I had a couple of lipglosses as well I would sometimes wear, but I really hate lipgloss so those were more if I needed something to finish my face with. Orange is not a colour you would have ever caught me in, and if you askes me if I thought it would look good on me, I would have told you hell no. Now, as much as I wear mostly a nude or a rose pink to work most days, I have a total love for a tangerine lip. And it looks surprisingly good seeing as my hair is an weak reddy brown colour and my face is usually the same colour as a tomato.

The one in the pic is the MUA Luxe velvet laquere in the colour Zest. 

 Superdrug Gentle Creamy Cleanser and Nip+Fab Glycolic Instant Fix Mask

(Please ignore the pore strips, I'm typing this late at night and didn't have the lighting for new pics)

The cleanser is as described. Its gentle, its creamy, it cleanses, it doesn't irrated or sting my skin in any way. Win. My only critisism is that it has "moisturising beads" in it, you know those little ball things that burst when you work them into your skin. I've never been a fan of these, even in my teeange years when I first started using cleansers I didnt see the appeal. I just dont understand why you couldn't just mix some extra moisturiser (or whatever) into the wash itself

The mask was something new to me. Up until earlier this year almost every mask I used was designed to calm down breakouts or unclog pores. Its only since I hit my quarter century I even began to consider maybe my skin needed something else. My focus changed from OMG my pores are blocked to OMG my pores are huge and I realised how dull and dehydrated my skin could look.

Its a little weird to use as its a clear gel, and it doesn't reallydry or set on the skin, so I have to guess when it needs washed off. I've used it three times since I got it and definetely leaves my skin feeling smoother and brighter and my pores looking more refined and reduced. I cant really speak for its wrinke reducing properties as thats not a concern for me...yet.

I'll definetly be looking into more Nip+Fab stuff once I've got my bathroom decluttereds. Look out for a post about that project in the next couple of days.

NYX Butter Lipstick in POPS (BL17)

So this took me way too long to get. It was a whole thing we wont get into right now. All you need to know is I think it took five trips to NYX counter in the St Enoch centre to get one that hadn't been ripped open already by someone else (boke). However it was worth the wait. I've used this almost every day since I got it. Its just a really nice nudey pink colour. Its not drying but I do feel like the formula dries down a little on my lips. It also doesnt seen to transfer nearly as easily as some of the other shades I have in this like Ripe Berry and Fizzies.

And lastly... My New Bedspread

Yeah soak in that tackiness. 

Thats all for now duckies.

xo Scruffy