Nyx Ombre Blush Review: Mauve Me and Strictly Chic

     Today I will be reviewing the Nyx Ombre Blushes. I always wanted to purchase ombre blushes. They just look so pretty. When these came out and I saw how affordable they were, I thought this was a good chance to try it out.

Nyx Ombre Blushes retail at $9.99. This blush is suppose to give your cheeks a three dimensional radiant flush of color.

Nyx Ombre Blush in the Color Mauve Me

The first swatch is the lightest part of the blush. The second swatch is the darkest spot. The third swatch is both colors mixed together. As you can see when the colors are mixed together it has a nice sheen to it.

Nyx Ombre Blush in Strictly Chic

Again, first swatch in the light color of the blush. Second swatch is the darkest part of the blush and the Third swatch is the two colors mixed together. It leaves a nice flush of a coral tone. Perfect blush for the spring and summer months.

Review/Thoughts

Overall, I love the Nyx Ombre Blushes. In my opinion, these are a two in one product. You get a nice pigmented blush and a nice subtle highlight. The colors blend beautifully and wore on my cheeks for eight hours. These blushes are so affordable compared to other high end ombre blushes. I highly recommend the Nyx Ombre Blushes. I plan on picking up more shades. 

You can purchase the Nyx Ombre Blushes at Ulta, Target, and Walmart.

Thank you for stopping by and see you in my next blog post.

Maryam ox :)

****Products purchased by me****

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Rebel Red- Review and Swatches

     Hey everyone! Hope you are all well. It seems to me everyone in the makeup industry are coming out with liquid lipsticks. After the higher end brands debuted the liquid lipstick trend the drugstore brands soon followed along the liquid lipstick craze. Today I will be reviewing the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in Rebel Red.

     The Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick retails at $6.99 $7.99. Product claims to be a mouse like velvety matte texture that delivers high pigmented lips.

Flat doe foot applicator.

Swatch

This is suppose to be Matte, but as you can see it has a little shine to it.

Review/Thoughts

    I do not know how I feel about the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid MatteLiquid Lipstick in a rebel Red. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. When I applied the lipstick it glided it on nicely, but then I noticed as I was applying it it would take out the color. I had to wait a minute and re apply it again. I don't know if it had to do with the fact that I had a little bit of vaseline lip balm and that is why the product might of had a hard time adhering to my lips.

Let's talk about the name. The product is called vivid matte liquid lipstick, but it doesn't seem to be 100 percent matte. The color has a shine to it and it doesn't completely dry. The shine only left when the color was wearing off. I would say the Maybelline Color Sensational is more of a satin finish. 

     If you are looking for a long wearing liquid lipstick then this product isn't for you. Also, if you are looking for a kiss proof liquid lip then this product is not for you. However, if you are looking for a hydrating liquid lip with good pigmentation then this will work for you. You will just have to reapply the product as it is not long wearing. The Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick lasted for about 3-4 hrs then once I ate it was down to a stain on the lips. At that point it looked as though my lips were bleeding. Furthermore, if do do not apply a lipliner first, then the color will bleed and it isn't a nice look. It looked like I over lined my lips. Before applying make sure you hydrate and exfoliate your lips because it will stick to dry patches on your lips.

      Would I purchase again? Maybe only to see how the other colors perform and show on my lips. Am I crazy about the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivd Matte Liquid Lipstick? Not really, But I wouldn't toss it in the garbage. It is a decent liquid lip nothing more nothing less. 

You can find the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivd Matte Liquid Lipstick in Rebel Red at Walmart, Target and your local drugstore.

Do you own the the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Liquid Lipstick? If so what are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by and see you in my next blogpost. 

Maryam ox

*Product was purchased by me* 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette- Review and Swatches

   

     Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well. I am excited to be reviewing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette. This has been one of the most coveted eyeshadows palettes of 2016 and looks like it will be again for 2017. The color scheme of the eyeshadow palette mimics the renaissance period hence the name modern renaissance.

     Anastasia Beverly Hill Modern Renaissance Palette retails for $42.00 contains 14 shades that range from neutral to berry tones colors. These shadows claim to be highly pigmented crease and fade resistant.

     The packaging has a velvety texture. The downside to this is once the cover gets dirty there is no way of cleaning it. Unless you want to wash in the washer machine, but there goes the eyeshadows. lol Be careful when handling the palette if u do not want it to look dirty and stained. The packaging is sleek and light weight perfect for traveling.

Swatches!

                                     Tempera is a beige color with a subtle sheen to it. I use the color for a slight                                                highlight of the brow bone and inner tear duct.

Golden Ochre-is a light brownish beige color. 

Vermeer- is a light rosy color.

Buon Fresco is a dusty rose color.

Antiqued Bronze is a brown bronze color.

Love Letter - is a magenta red shade.

Cyprus Umber is a chocolate brown.

Raw Sienna- is a light yellow brown color.

Burnt Orange- is a light orangey brown shade.

Primavera- is a champagne gold color.

Red Ochre- is a orange red shade. Such a a gorgeous color .

Venetian Red- is a muted red shade.

Warm Taupe is a taupe brown.

Real Gear is a orange clay color.

Thoughts/Review

     I have never loved a palette as much as I do the Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Palette. If I have to give eyeshadow palette of the year award for 2016 it would be this one. I have no complaints whatsoever. The pigmentation is amaaaazing! The colors are so rich and velvety soft and blend like a dream. I wore the eyeshadows for 7-8 hours and the pigmentation was still going strong and there were no signs of fading or creasing. Be careful when dipping your brush  and make sure you go in with a light hand. The eyeshadows are so soft that it can kick up product. A little goes a long way with these amazing eyeshadows. Anastasia and Norvina did a fantastic job with the Modern Renaissance Palette. I am so happy this palette is permanent and if one day they decide to discontinue, I will buy some back ups. I seriously recommend this palette to everyone!

Hope you found this review helpful. Do you own the Modern Renaissance Palette? If so, what are your thoughts? Leave a comment down below. 

Thanks for stopping by and see you in my next blog post! :)

You can find the Anastasia Beverly Hill Modern Renaissance Palette at the Anastasia Beverly Hills Website and Sephora.

Maryam ox

My Top Ten Neutral Eyeshadows and Swatches

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well. In the beauty world there a ton of different neutral eyeshadow palettes and neutral eyeshadow singles that seem to be a long lasting trend. With so many neutral  color options it can be overwhelming choosing which one you like. Today I want to share my top ten neutral eyeshadows that I often use not only for the color and pigmentation, but how well they blend and their staying power. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite neutral eyeshadows. It was hard to choose. ;) Let get started!

In no particular order we have...

Makeup Geek Cosmetics Vanilla Bean

You might be wondering it is a pretty sheer cream shade. At least that is what I thought when I first purchased and swatched it. When I used it as a highlight for my brow bone it added just enough highlight with out it being stark white. Sometimes a little goes a long way and as you can see this color is well loved. 

Urban Decay Basic Eyeshadow Palette- Skimp

Here is another highlight shade great for the brow bone. Unlike the first highlight shade, this one is more opaque and has a bit of a sheen to it which catches and reflect light adding shimmer and a nice subtle glow to your brow bone. 

Makeup Geek Cosmetics-Latte

This color is a light brown color perfect as a transition shade. I love this color because it is soft and really brings a neutral look together helping blending out harsh lines adding a soft look to your neutral makeup. This color is buttery and blend well.

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow - #738 

This is not really a shadow but a blush . Most people use it as a shadow and so do I. This color has excellent pigmentation and staying power. I love rusty colored browns to create a warm neutral look. Great color to create a sunset or rusty eye which is what I love and wear the most.  

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette-Milk Chocolate

Name of the color is accurate. This color reminds of a milk chocolate bar. Another wonderful transition shade to tie a neutral look together. The eyeshadow is buttery and has great pigmentation. It also smells like chocolate!

Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette-Succumbus

I love burnt brown colors and this one is a nice one to add to any neutral look with out creating an overly warm look. This color is gorgeous! The texture is so velvety and blends well. 

Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette-Sytry

     When It comes to a neutral look it is nice to have mid tone brown to darken things up a bit. You can add this on the outer v area of the eye to add depth to your look. Nice pigmentation and staying power. 

Anastasia Beverly Hill Self Made Palette- Hot Chocolate

This color is a perfect chocolate color. I do not own a brown like this. Such a gorgeous color to own and I have been using this color often. Perfect mid tone brown color that has excellent pigmentation, smooth texture and lasts for most of the day. 

Lorac Pro Eyeshadow Palette- Espresso

This color is perfect for smoking out a brown eye. A little goes a long way when using this eyeshadow. Very pigmented and blends well.

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow- M600

     Last and certainly not least is this Make Up For Ever Artist Eyeshadow #M600. It is a nice earthy brown great for the lid and crease. It has great pigmentation and blends well. At times I just apply this color to my lid and blend it up to the crease for a simple neutral look.

   Here is what the swatches look like all together. You must of been thinking while scrolling through the swatches that a lot of the brown shades look the same. They are all very different from each other and are my favorite colors to use when doing a neutral makeup look. If I would have to choose one shade that is my absolute fav that would be  Succumbus from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette. It is not too orangey or burnt toned which is great to use to add subtle warmth to your neutral makeup.

Hope you enjoyed my top ten neutral eyeshadows. It was definitely hard to choose, but these are what I reach for the most and have awesome texture and blend well.

What are your go to neutral eyeshadow shades? Leave a comment below.

See you in my next blog post!

Maryam ox

ColourPop X Kathleen Lights Where The Night Is Collection: Review and Swatches

       Hey guys! I am excited about this review because I love ColourPop and their amazing shadows and lipsticks. When I heard that youtuber Kathleen Lights was doing a collab with colourpop I was so excited and knew that I had to buy her collection. I know she came out with a previous collection, but I was more excited for this one because the colors were more my style.  The Kathleen Lights Where The Night Is consist of 4 super shock shadows. Kathleen Light also came out with two lippie pencils and two lippie sticks. If you would like to know more and see swatches and review please scroll down. :)

The Colourpop X Kathleen Lights Where the Night Is Eye Shadow Collection retails at $20.00. Her lip products that go with her collection are sold separately. The lippie stix and lippie pencil retail at $5.00 each. 

I love coloupop's packaging. It is nice and simple.

Look how gorgeous these colors are!! These colors are truly pigmented.

Swatches!

This picture of swatches do not do the colors justice. They are much much much more beautiful in person. 

Telepathy (ultra metallic)- Is a true bright gold. I do not own a color like this in my collection. This color is absolutely gorgeous. It is much more vibrant in person.

Midnight(metallic)- Is a dark olive color. Perfect for smoking up a look by adding it to the outer corners of the eye.

Porter(metallic)- is a burgundy color. 

Weenie(Pearlized) -Is a rose gold color. This color is my favorite in the entire collection. If you love rose gold and are looking a rose gold shadow this is the one to get. I would buy another one of these because it is such a gorgeous color and I do not own a color like this in my collection.

Taurus Lippie Stix and Lip Pencil (matte)- is a true red brown color. I do not own a color like this in my collection. This color is so beautiful. Perfect brown lipstick.

Aquarius Lippie Stix and Lip Pencil(Cream)-  is a light brown nude shade. Depending on your skin tone if you have light complexion it will look more pinky nude and if you have olive and darker complexion it will be more on the light nude side.

These lip products have wonderful pigmentation and go on so smooth. The matte lippie stix in Taurus is not drying at all. Wonderful formula for a matte lipstick.

           As you can tell I love the Kathleen Lights Where the Night Is Collection along with her lippie stix and pencils. She did a wonderful job selecting the colors on everything. The colourpop eyeshadows have amazing pigmentation and stay put all day long with no signs of creasing. When applying the shadows make sure you use a synthetic brush because it picks up the color well. Using your fingers to apply shadow on the lid give greater color payoff . What I do is I apply the color first with a synthetic brush to my lids then apply another coat of eyeshadow with my fingers. As for the lipsticks and pencils they have wonderful color payoff and go on so smoothly onto the lips. I absolutely love colourpop lippie stix. They have wonderful formula and are so affordable. If you do not own any coloupop eyeshadows or lip products the Colourpop X Kathleen Lights Where The Night is Eyeshadow Collection along with her lip products is a good collection to start with. Trust me you will not be disappointed. :) If you do not want to purchase the full collection you can buy the eyeshadows individually.

                                 You can find The Kathleen Lights Where The Night Is Collection here

                    Kathleen Lights Taurus lippie stix and pencil here

                         Kathleen Lights Aquarius lippie stix and pencil  here.

Hope you Enjoyed this review and found it helpful :)

Do you own the Kathleen Lights Where The Night Is Collection? Do you own any ColourPop eyeshadows or lip products? Leave a comment below!

I will have a makeup pictorial using these shadows in my upcoming blog post so keep a look out. :)

See you guys in my next blog post!

Hope everyone who is on the east coast stay safe during the winter storm!

Maryam ox

*Product purchased by me*

Kat Von D Shade And Light Eye Contour Palette- Review And Swatches

       Kat Von D not only made a name for herself in her tattoo designs, but also in the beauty industry as well. The quality in her makeup has improved and she has one of the best formulas when it comes to her eyeshadows. The Kat Von D Shade And Light Eye Contour is no exception. It is the perfect neutral palette. If you love neutrals and are looking for an every day neutral palette as well as one that you can create night time looks then this lovely palette is the one to own. I also created a brown black smokey eye using this palette which you can checkout here.

The Kat Von D Shade And Light Eye Contour Palette retails at $ 46.00 and comes with 12 shades that are arranged in quads to help you create a look.

   The names are printed in the back of the palette but to me this is confusing. It would have been nice to have the names printed underneath each color. The eyeshadow is sleek enough to take it with you when traveling.

With this palette you can create day and night time looks. This a neutral lovers dream eyeshadow palette. I love the burnt brown color. It is amazing and a little goes a long way.

Swatches

Review

I do not know what formula Kat Von D uses in her eyeshadows palettes, but they are amazing! The Kat Von D Shade And Light Eye Contour Palette is fantastic. The pigmentation is wonderful and the colors are creamy and blend so well together. I wore these eyeshadows for 8 hours and they were still going strong with no signs of creasing. This is one my of favorite neutral palettes that I own and I am so happy I added this to my collection. If you love neutral colors you will not be disappointed with this gem. I highly recommend the Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye Contour Palette.

You can purchase this at:

Sephora

Hope you found this review helpful and see you guys in my next blog post!

Maryam ox

*Product purchased by me*

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourshing Primer: Review

     Finding the right primer can be tricky if you do not know what you are looking for.  A tip for selecting the right primer is knowing what your skin needs. For example, if you buy a nourishing primer and you have oily skin it will make your makeup look extra dewy. If you buy a primer that gives your skin a matte finish and you have dry skin, then your foundation will look cakey. Not only do primers perfect our skin, but it also helps the makeup adhere to it making it last all day. I have tried many wrong primers because I was not paying attention to the needs of my skin. Once I understood that, I realized that since I have dry skin I needed a hydrating primer. At last I found a primer that I will probably for ever buy and that is the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourishing Primer. What I love about the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primer line is they have a primer for all skin needs whether you have oily skin, redness, dry, large pores and more. 

The Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourishing Primer retails at $36.00 (1.0 oz). This primer nourishes dry skin.

The nozzle is thin and squeezes out the product a little at a time which I love instead of accidentally squeezing too much product out.

The texture is creamy and has a nice light scent.

     Over All, I am absolutely in love with the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourishing Primer. I have used this primer with different foundations, even ones that were not meant for my skin and the primer still made my make up look amazing and at the same time giving my skin a nice dewy appearance. Some people may find that the price range is a bit expensive and so did I until I took advantage of the  sephora vib sale late last year and purchased it. It was worth every penny. If this primer were to run out I would still buy it at full price. It gave my dry skin the moisture it needed and made my makeup and skin look flawless, hydrated and fresh. It also made my foundation last all day which is also a plus. For those who are suffering from dry skin the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourishing Primer is a must have. 

You can purchase the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Nourishing Primer at :

Sephora

Hope You enjoyed this review and found it helpful!

See you guys in my next blog post!

Maryam ox



*Product Purchased by me*

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette- Review and Swatches

     Hey Guys! Today I am reviewing the most wanted eyeshadow palette of the year and that is the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. I remember when the news hit everyone was so excited to get their hands on it. At first I was on the fence as to whether I should purchase it because of many mixed reviews. Most people said it wasn't exciting and expected the palette to be more colorful instead of mostly neutral. Gwen Stefani's style as far as her makeup goes is very simple so it makes sense that she chose the colors she wears on a daily basis. After much consideration, I decided to purchase the Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. One because it is Gwen Stefani and two because the packaging is lovely and the colors as well. Hope you enjoy my review!

The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette retails at $58.00 and contains 15 eyeshadows (12 are new) containing mostly neutral shades with a few pops of color.

I really love the packaging. I love the gold and white cut out detail in the middle overlaying the black giving it a 3D effect. It has a little weight to it and it's smaller than the vice palettes, but has similar packaging and a magnetic closure.

The Palette also comes with Gwen Stefani Lipstick samples. The lipsticks will release in Spring 2016.

Look at how beautiful these colors are. The color Danger is gorgeous!

My Fav Shades:

Steady

Serious

Baby

Pop

Zone

Danger

Least Favorite:

Pop

Repeat Shades:

Skimp

Stark

Blackout

Over All,  I am happy that I purchased the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. I was afraid I might return it because of the many neutral shades that are dupable, but the pigmentation of  most of the eyeshadows especially the matte shades won me over. The matte shades are very smooth and buttery and blend very well as well as the shimmer shades with the exception of the color Pop. That color is terrible. There is no base color. It is like a sheer glittery shade that has a lot of fall out. The pigmentation is very poor. I would replace this shade with a nice purple shade since there are already a few shades in the same color family. A purple shade would have been awesome in this palette. Other wise great pigmentation and they blend very well. The eyeshadows lasted for 7 hours and still were going strong and they didn't crease. I was also afraid some of the shades would not show up on my skin, but surprisingly they do and I am quite pleased. If you do not own any Urban Decay Naked palettes then the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette would be great to own. 

You can purchase The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Eyeshadow Palette at :

Sephora

Ulta

Hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful!

Stay safe everyone!

Maryam ox

*Products purchased by me*