Cheap Drugstore Nude Lipsticks For The Melanin Deficient

I know, I know, I've been MIA for awhile. But I have a few blog posts I'm excited about coming up soon. For now I have a few nude lipsticks that I can actually wear. Being so pale I'm practically transparent this is quite a feat! I put this together for a Facebook group I'm in and I thought I might share.

These lipsticks are very affordable and pretty easy to find!

Rimmel Airy Fairy- $5 to $6
Essence Creamy Nude- $2.99
NYX Pumpkin Pie- $4

Sorry my lips are so damn dry! The change in the weather this time of year does it every time!

Here is the swatch picture in a bigger size.

From left- Rimmel Airy Fairy, Essence Creamy Nude, and NYX Pumpkin Pie

FOTD: Binging on Purple Poppies

Ugh, I'm terrible with naming things! One time I had a Siberian Dwarf Hamster named Leonard Nimoy, but that's only because my boyfriend named him. So, when all else fails for FOTD post names, I just do a play on the names of the products I used. Urban Decay eyeliner in Binge and Kiss My Sass eyeshadow in Purple Poppy makes "Binging on Purple Poppies"! I used several eyeshadows, so I could have easily went with "Blizzard on a Victorian Night", but I'm a sucker for alliteration. My angst-y teenage poetry was pure alliteration.  It was terrible (Here is a sample I remember- "Shadows slide and slither across a dust-laden shrine.."), but with alliteration you can fool people into thinking you know what you're doing. Isn't that how to get ahead in life? Not actually being competent, but just fooling people into believing you are? Politicians build their whole lives around it! But, I digress. I'm not sure how I went from poppies to politicians (alliteration!) but I sure can ramble can't I? Ramble on! (Anything for a Led Zep reference!)

Eyes:

• Evil Shades eyeshadow in Victorian Nights on inner third of lid
• Detrivore eyeshadow in Saprophyte on out third of lid
• Kiss My Sass eyeshadow in Purple Poppies in crease and below lower lash line
• Detrivore eyeshadow in Blzzard to highlight and in inner corners of eyes
• Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Binge on water line and upper lash line
• A mix of CoverGirl Lashblast mascara and Wet n Wild MegaLash Clinical Mascara on lashes
• Physician's Formula Canyon Classic quad matte eyeshadow in brows (darkest shade)

Face:

• Physician's Formula CircleRx concealer in Fair Light under eyes
• CoverGirl Simply Ageless Eye Concealer in 205 also under eyes
• Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light

Cheeks

• Detrivore blush in Concubine

Lips

• NYX Round lipstick in Spellbound
• Darling Girl lipgloss in So Sakura 

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Silver Foiled Eyes and the Lips of an African Queen

So I'm feeling better today! I've decided that I can't let the way other people act influence how I feel about my life! Haha, it's one thing to decide it, another to remember and actually do it. But I do feel better. I got some of exam grades back and I did pretty badass, thank you very much! Haha. On one I made a 94 (made a few silly mistakes, boo!) and in the class really care about (Biological Evolution) I made a 104! I was a little in shock as I was expecting that grade. The professor did curve the grades 7 points because he said most people did terribly, so I should have made a 97. This is the first professor I've had curve grades since high school, but hey, I'll take a 104.
Hmm, what else? Oh! I'm terrible for not mentioning this before, but I'm participating in a blogging project to raise money and awareness for breast cancer called Project Pink Eye. Every Friday in October different blogs will showcase pink looks and many are hosting giveaways also. To enter the giveaways you just have to donate a minimum of $5 to support breast cancer research and comment on the blogs who have giveaways you want to enter. For a better explanation on the project and to check out the blogs involved, click here.

The other day I was feeling more bold than usual so I busted out the metallic eye shadow and went with a darker lip than normal. The "African Queen" part of the title refers to the name of the NYX lipgloss.

Eyes:

•  MAC Surf the Ocean Crushed Metallic Pigments Silver on lid
• MAC Surf the Ocean Crushed Metallic Pigments in crease
• Urban Decay Zero on upper lash line
• A mix of CoverGirl Lashblast mascara and Wet n Wild MegaLash Clinical Mascara on lashes
• Physician's Formula Canyon Classic quad matte eyeshadow in brows (darkest shade)

Face:

• Physician's Formula CircleRx concealer in Fair Light under eyes
• Maybelline SuperStay concealer in Ivory also under eyes
• Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light

Cheeks

• Revlon Barely Blushing Creme Blush in Precious Coral

Lips

• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in African Queen

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Lip Layering Swatch Spam!

I've posted a lot of lip swatches lately, so I hope you guys don't mind. I'm not sure why, but lip swatches are my favorite to do. In reality I mostly wear just a quick slick of lip gloss, so doing swatching gives me chance to play with lip products I don't normally use. I have quite a few lipsticks that I know I will rarely or never wear so it's fun to pull them out and play from time to time.

So, I hope you enjoy my lip layering spam; it was fun to do. Even though my lips hurt now, haha.

This is Essence Creamy Nude lipstick under Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in Crystal Lilac.

This is Wet n Wild 516C lipstick under Buxom Tara lip gloss.

This is Rimmel En Vogue lipstick under Essence Bubble Babe lip gloss.

This is elf Studio Matte Coral lipstick under Kiss My Sass Caribbean Escape lip gloss.

This is NYX Rosebud lipstick under Kiss My Sass Summer Lovin' lip gloss.

This is Wet n Wild 509A lipstick under NYX African Queen lip gloss.

So that is it for today- just some swatch spam!

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Lip Layering Experiments

So, I should be studying for my test right now. But I'm writing this blog post instead. I'll just compromise and make it a QUICK blog post.  The worst thing for me about being busy all the time (besides not getting to sleep as much as I want) is that I don't have time to play video games anymore. I can't just play a game for an hour; it isn't satisfying for me. I have to set aside huge blocks of time to play games. And I don't HAVE huge blocks of time. Luckily summer is a bit slow on good game releases so I'm not missing much. But fall and winter are going to be crazy and I don't know how I'll be able to keep up with all the games. Here are some of the games I'm looking forward to- Gears of War 3, Dead Island, Elder Scroll IV: Skyrim (!!!!), Saint's Row: The Third, Mass Effect III, and probably more that I can't think of right now. I STILL need to finish Red Dead Redemption, and I want to play the Mass Effect games again before part 3 comes out in March. Oh, and I still play WoW (World of Warcraft) about once a week, mostly to PvP (arenas) with my boyfriend. I've been playing WoW off and on for over 6 years, so I am more than just a bit bored with it.  What games do you guys play? And no, Farmville doesn't count! Just kidding, I used to play Farmville, too. :)

Anywaaaaay, on to the good stuff. Here are just a few random lip layering thingamajigs I had laying around in my "to post" folder.

This is Wet n Wild's 525D lipstick under Wet n Wild This Too Shall Glass lipgloss.

This is a mix of Wet n Wild 520E and 511B lipsticks with Hard Candy Gorgeous lipgloss over it.

This is NYX Pumpkin Pie lipstick and NYX girls Peach gloss.


Thank you for reding and have a great day/night/whatever!

FOTD: Nekkid Eyes

Every now and then a I get overcome by an odd feeling- the urge to wear neutral eyeshadow. Every thing else I wear is bland, boring, and dull. Colorful eyeshadow is my one "non-boring" aspect of my appearance. Seriously, I wear jeans, a t shirt, and Converse everyday. I either put my hair in a ponytail or wear it down and straighten it. I don't wear any jewelry or accessories ever.  See what I mean? Boring. I have 4 pairs of shoes- 2 Converse, 1 pair of tennis shoes, and 1 pair of flip flops (chanclas!) and three pair of jeans. I'm happy with this. It's simple and it works for me.

But put me in neutral eyeshadows and I feel naked.  After buying the Naked palette I'm starting to appreciate neutrals more, but I still feel more comfortable in hot pink eyeshadow than taupe.  So it was a little weird when I had the urge to do this look. I also wanted to practice my winged liner skills, but it's pretty obvious I need some more practice!

Eyes:

• Urban Decay Sin on lid
• Urban Decay Sidecar in crease
• Urban Decay Virgin in inner corner of eyes and to highlight
• Physician's Formula black gel liner above lash line and on water line
• A combination of Cover Girl Lash Blast and Wet N Wild MegaLash Clinical Mascara on lashes

Face:

• Physician's Formula CircleRx concealer in Fair Light
• Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light

Cheeks

• NYX Cream Blush in Orange

Lips

• Benefit Benetint Lip Balm SPF 15

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Lip Swatch Spam with NYX Round Lipsticks

Disclaimer: As you are probably aware, there was a big incident involving NYX Cosmetics.  Due to their lack of customer service and questionable business practices I cannot recommend buying directly from them.  If you wish to purchase NYX products I would recommend Cherry Culture, Beauty Joint, or Ulta.

I bought this lipsticks (and a ton more NYX makeup) before the big incident. I struggled with showing it or not on my blog for awhile, but I figured all of you are big girls (and guys!) and can make your own decisions on what companies you want to buy from.  I spent good money on these things and I'll be damned if I'm not, at the very least, gonna use 'em.

Now enough with the drama, and on to the lippies.  At $4 each, and frequently on sale at Cherry Culture, I think these lipsticks are a good deal.  They are really creamy and glossy, but still manage to stay pigmented unlike some glossy lipsticks.  You know with some lipsticks the color really clings to your lips and almost seems to become a part of them?  Well, these are not really like that.  I think because of how creamy they are some of them seem to sit on top of the lips and don't really sink in.  Due to the glossiness/creaminess they aren't really the longest wearing lipsticks, but like with most, the darker and bolder colors will give you a longer wear time.  It sounds like I have a lot of complaints about them, but I actually really do like them.  I really like the colors I have and I think they look great layered with lipgloss.  For example, I don't really care for Pumpkin Pie on it's own, but it looks amazing with a peachy coral lipgloss on top.

Aaaand, I've run out of things to say, so on to the pictures!

NYX Round Lipsticks from left- Paris, Tea Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Louisiana, Fig, Rose Bud, Spell Bound

NYX Round Lipsticks from left- Paris, Tea Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Louisiana, Fig, Rose Bud, Spell Bound

NYX Round Lipsticks from left- Paris, Tea Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Louisiana, Fig, Rose Bud, Spell Bound

NYX Round Lipsticks from left- Paris, Tea Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Louisiana, Fig, Rose Bud, Spell Bound

NYX Round Lipsticks from left- Paris, Tea Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Louisiana, Fig, Rose Bud, Spell Bound

NYX Round Lipstick in Paris

NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose

NYX Round Lipstick in Pumpkin Pie

NYX Round Lipstick in Louisiana

NYX Round Lipstick in Fig

NYX Round Lipstick in Rose Bud

NYX Roound Lipstick in Spell Bound

How about you guys?  Do have any of these lipsticks and how do you like them?

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Week 8: Shopping my Stash for Untried Polish- NYX Girls Collection Noir

Disclaimer: As you are probably aware, there was a big incident involving NYX Cosmetics.  Due to their lack of customer service and questionable business practices I cannot recommend buying directly from them.  If you wish to purchase NYX products I would recommend Cherry Culture, Beauty Joint, or Ulta.

I forgot to bring any untried polishes with me on vacation besides this one. I just got it last week, so it IS an untired, but still sort of cheating for me to use it when I'm trying to go back through all the polishes I've had forever and never used.  See?  I told you guys I buy polishes faster than I can use them.  Next week I'll try and get back on track by showing a polish I've had for at least a year and have never used. I have plenty left. (Look here to see what I've worn previously of my untrieds.)

And look, I chopped off my nails!  I think I have a few more swatch pictures with my longer nails, but they're short now.  And my nails were never super long, but it was getting hard to type with them, so I hacked 'em off.

This was 3 coats of Collection Noir with base and top coat.

NYX Girls Collection Noir in the sun

This a black creme base with primarily gold shimmer, but there is also some green and copper and a few other colors thrown in.

NYX Girls Collection Noir in the shade

My mood has the tendency to change quickly, sometimes instantly after I apply my polish.  This time I put it on and was instantly bored with it.  Sometimes I crave something understated, but now now.  So what did I do?  Why, I slapped some glitter on top of course.

First I use one coat of China Glaze 5 Golden Rings, which is just gold micro glitter in a clear base.  Of course that STILL wasn't blingy enough for me so I used one coat of China Glaze Golden Enchantment, which is a sparse gold holographic micro glitter in a clear base.  Okay, now I'm happy. :)


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

I'm Conflicted...

I'm really conflicted and I'll show you why.

This arrived in the mail yesterday:

I ordered this several weeks when Cherry Culture was having a 50% off sale on NYX.  This was supposed to be an anniversary gift from my boyfriend (hey, the man knows what I like, and it ain't flowers), but now it's tainted. Boo. 

I'm sure everyone knows by now about the NYX sale debacle.  I'm so sick of the situation and disgusted with the company and I don't really feel like going into it right now.  Here are a few articles written about it if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Toxid-Lotus
Fierce Nerditude
Phyrra

There are other great articles written by bloggers, but these were the ones I remembered off the top of my head.

I don't understand why such a fairly large company would treat, and still continue to treat it's customers the way they are.  I understand server issues, it happens, but the way they handled the situation was and is deplorable.  It was super bad luck on my part that I just happened to place this huge order of their products, albeit from a different website, right before this incident. If I ever HAD to have an NYX product in the future, I would NEVER purchase it directly from their company.  I recommend buying from Cherry Culture or Ulta or some other retailer.

So now I have all these products that I'm unsure about.  I can't return them as they were a final sale being 50% off or I probably would have.  I will use them because I paid for them and I actually do like the products.  But, I hate supporting and promoting a company like them. So, I'm conflicted.  I don't know whether I should swatch and review them or even use them in looks for the blog or not. I don't want to tell people what they should and should not buy, but posting about the products on my blog is pretty much supporting the company.  What do you guys think?

Also, the wonderful, fabulous Jasmine of High Voltage Cosmetics was recently trying to get rid of a bunch of her NYX eyeshadows (this was also before The Great NYX Customer Service Fail of 2011) and she offered them for free, just had to pay shipping.  Super nice of her right?  Here they are:

Pretty much over night I have tons of NYX products.  Do you guys think I should review/swatch/use on the blog or not?  Ugh, why did they have to be such buttholes?  Why couldn't NYX just have handled it in decent way so I wouldn't be feeling like this right now.  Ah, the miseries of first world problems, amirite?