My Bright Summer Pink Lip of the Moment: NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in 01 Dolly Girl

Last year, Soft Matte Lip Creams were all the rage in the NYX line. I do like matte finishes, but sometimes there's nothing like a creamy texture to bring out all the ripe, glossy glory of a bright, hot, shade.

For me, NYX Xtreme Lip Creams go on thick and opaque like liquid lipsticks and are not sticky the way lip glosses are, but don't expect them to be super long-wearing. The finish is good though (in my opinion); like a very creamy and opaque lipstick that you apply with a doe-foot applicator.

Since the Summer fashion season for me usually means a return to stronger, brighter lips, I feel a need to highlight the shade 01 Dolly Girl. It's bright and very blue-based but deep enough to be flattering on many skin tones and to not look neon.

NYX Xtreme Lip Creams are cruelty-free and available for about $6 (or under) depending where you purchase them from.

Meet the Purrr-fect Barbie Pink Lip Pencil

My beloved MAC Pink Nouveau stub.

 You guys know I love my hot pinks and bright pinks. But just awhile back, it suddenly hit me that I couldn't find a good strong, bright medium pink liner to match these lipsticks.

Most pink lip liners on the market are either too pale, too nude, too beige, too red, too coral, or too deep.

MAC Pink Nouveau swatched beside liners (R-to-L): NYX Dolly Pink (pale blue-pink), Rimmel 018 Addiction (nude-pink),  Rimmel 005 Pure (coral), NYX Fuchsia (blue-based magenta), MAC Chromagraphic in Process Magenta (true fuchsia)

To illustrate it, I lined up the pink pencils I own and swatched them all beside Pink Nouveau. No go.

After searching high and low through high- and low-end brands, I was amazed that all these companies (MAC, Make Up Store, NYX, etc,) with huge color ranges didn't cater for this particular color tone when it was so popular.

And then I found it.

Barry M has a lip pencil called #12 Fuchsia, which I had dismissed time and time again because the color representation online was totally inaccurate, and because I associate the word "Fuchsia" with a much deeper pink.

Shown here: Barry M #12 Fuchsia Lip Pencil (and China Glaze Sea Spray Nail Polish)

Now let me tell you, this is not a perfect match. But it is the closest to perfect that I have EVER found.

Lip match: MAC Pink Nouveau lipstick swatched with Barry M #12 Fuchsia Lip Pencil

If you own Pink Nouveau, you will know it's a bright pink, but it's not quite neon. The real perfect matches with Barry M #12 Fuchsia Lip Pencil are the more fluorescent pinks such as Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent and Barry M 62 Vibrant Pink. If you're wearing it with a slightly softer shade like Pink Nouveau or Dolly Pink, make sure to fill in your lips rather than just outlining them, as you don't want it to catch the light when a camera flashes and give you a neon ring around your mouth (tried and tested by yours truly).

Texture wise, it's smooth and pigmented to apply, and when you color in your lip with it, the color is not streaky or clumpy. It's also vegan-friendly, and costs a very fabulous £2.99. I totally stocked up on it.

The Weekend Face: Barry M 146 Dolly Pink Lip Paint

If you've ever wondered about the fate of that gorgeous tube of bright, candy pink lipstick, you'll be glad to know it's been well-loved. It's no longer summer, but I still can't help whipping it out from time to time. There's nothing like a standout lipstick for looking "done" without spending a whole lot of time on your face.

Barry M 146 Dolly Pink Lip Paint

Dressed-up Face in 5 Minutes:

• Dior Nude Foundation #21
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC25 + NC30
• Make Up For Ever HD Powder 
• MAC Well Dressed blush
• Wet n Wild Greed Palette: peach-gold shimmer shade on lids, black along lash line
• Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

Black Comet: Smoky Eye with Candy-pink Lips (MAC Lustreleaf and Lime Crime Great Pink Planet)

Black smoky eye with Lime Crime Great Pink Planet on the lips and Barry M Baby Pink Lip Paint worn as blush.

I had to name this the "comet" eye, because I was inspired by how a comet starts at a hard intense point, and then trails out to a smoky soft finish. This look is the reverse of most shaded eye looks, in that the hardest and darkest point is the inner corner of the eye rather, and then shades out and softens to another color at the outer ends.

Step 1: Using a flat, firm brush for precision, apply a matte black shadow to the inner 3/4 of the eye. With what remains on the brush, sweep along the outer 3/4 of the lower lash line as well.

Step 2: With a soft, shimmery silver-green (MAC Lustreleaf)extend the shape from the outer corner outwards in a winged shape, blending and smoking out.

Step 3: Return with the matte black using the flat brush, and extend the black outwards along the contour. Then gently smoke the line upwards under the brow bone to remove the harshness of the line.

Step 4: At the outermost ends, smoke the green and black together for a smoky wing. Then apply black mascara to finish.

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For the cheeks and lips, I wanted to keep things colorful, so I dabbed Barry M Lip Paint in Baby Pink (100) onto the apples of my cheeks, and Lime Crime Great Pink Planet on the lips for a really bright candy-pink touch.

Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent Dupe: Barry M Vibrant Pink Review and Swatches!

 Barry M Lip Paint 62 Vibrant Pink

I've always considered Lime Crime's Countessa Fluorescent the Queen of Barbie Pinks. It's different from hot electric pinks and fuchsias like MAC's Candy Yum Yum in that it is a truer pink (as opposed to blue-based), not as deep, and almost highlighter-bright on the lips. 


Imagine my delight when my Barry M package included one that was extremely similar in shade. 

 Meet Barry M Vibrant Pink (left) and Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent (right).

Barry M Vibrant Pink is something of a satin finish (similar to MAC Pink Nouveau), which means it is opaque and tacky, with a muted sheen - which I love. This is my favorite texture of all MAC lipsticks because it imparts great color, lasts really long, but doesn't feel as dry as a full matte lipstick.

Swatch comparison; Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent (left) and Barry M 62 Vibrant Pink (right)

The right side of my hand is a little more shaded, or the two swatches would look even more similar. I was quite surprised to realize the Barry M was actually more opaque and intense than the Lime Crime, which is more of a creamy Amplified finish. If you like demi-matte finishes that last a long while, get Barry M Vibrant Pink. If you want a bit more moisture, get Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent.


The other difference is also that if you want to be really picky about it, the Barry M is just a hint deeper and more cool-toned. But just worn on the lips individually, the difference is not visible at all.

Barbie Pink vs Hot Pink: Barry M Lip Paints in 62 Vibrant Pink (left) and 52 Shocking Pink (right).

Just for purposes of comparison, here is Barry M's Vibrant Pink swatched against Barry M  Shocking Pink, the widely-acknowledged Candy Yum Yum dupe. As you can see, Vibrant Pink is more lustrous and reflective, whereas Shocking Pink is a deeper, cooler-based, more intense matte-pink. 


Do note that all the neon pinks do stain the lips, without exception. (If you've found any of these neon pinks that don't stain, let me know!) I believe it's the nature of the liquid dyes needed to get that intense highlighter-pink effect, as more subdued pinks I own, like MAC Pink Nouveau, do not do this.


The main drawback for this lip shade? It can make teeth look dull and yellow, so watch out there!

Barry M Vibrant Pink can be purchased internationally on Barrym.com for £4.49 each.