BARRY M Lip Paint Haul and Swatches!

Barry M Lip Paints with flash in (L-to-R): 151 Sunset, 147 Peachy Pink, 100 Baby Pink, 62 Vibrant Pink, 52 Shocking Pink

Ahh... my beautiful babies have arrived from the UK. And the first thing I thought once I ripped off the plastic seals and uncapped these was, "Lime Crime!" 


And it's no wonder, as the brand is known for strong colors. Barry Ms come in matte black plastic tubes partially reminiscent of Nars, but not quite as weighty or sturdy in the hands. On first sight in the tubes, I have to say 100 Baby Pink is gorgeous. And 62 Vibrant Pink looks even brighter than the ever-popular 52 Shocking Pink. 


None of them had broken, but these lipsticks will smoosh against the sides on impact, so be careful with them if you hate that as much as me.

Pink-Peach Nudes

(L-to-R) Barry M 147 Peachy Pink, Lime Crime Cosmopop, MAC Creme Cup

In the tube, compared to the other Barry M shades, I'd immediately wanted to compared Peachy Pink with Lime Crime Cosmopop. But once swatched, the difference became apparent. Peachy Pink is a satin finish warm coral nude, and a good deal more matte than the other two swatched here. 

It's warmer and a little easier to wear than Cosmopop, but it's still very nude on the lips. The Lime Crime is more visibly a milky orange due to the high white-pigment content. Creme Cup is similar in depth but more pink, although the swatches look a bit closer in real life, without flash.

I do have to say it's a very pretty peach-nude shade. 

Corals

(L-to-R)  NYX Indie Flick, Barry M 151 Sunset, Revlon Kiss Me Coral , NYX Haute Melon

In real life, Barry M 151 Sunset is deeper in tone than NYX Haute Melon. While it has a lustre-finish, it is a good deal less "slippery" than the NYX, so you will get more even coverage and longer wear. I didn't think this lipstick would be opaque, compared to the other Barry Ms, but as you can see above, it is really intense even when swatched next to NYX's Indie Flick, and has a great lustrous texture without being all slippery and glossy.

Read a more detailed review here!

Baby Pinks

(L-to-R) Barry M 100 Baby Pink, Lime Crime Great Pink Planet, NYX Jupiter

Barry M 100 Baby Pink is pale, pale, pale. The texture was a bit dry initially, and I had to stroke it a few times to get the color going. But it is a beautiful cotton candy pink that can make you look like a Ganguro girl if you are not careful. I think it would look absolutely wicked on uber-pale girls though.

If you're tan, Lime Crime's Great Pink Planet would probably be a better opaque pink for you, as Baby Pink can look a bit chalky on anyone but the very pale. I'll report back after I've worn it on my lips! (Lips are sore and sensitive due to some allergies, so I'm not going to be swatching and removing matte lipsticks repeatedly.)

I also included NYX Jupiter in this swatch comparison as it has the same cotton-candy pink highlights, but its base-tone is a warmer sheer pink with a salmon tone.

 Hot Pinks:

Top (L-to-R) Barry M 62 Vibrant Pink, Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent, MAC Pink Nouveau

Bottom (L-to-R) Barry M 52 Shocking Pink, NYX Shocking Pink (Matte), NYX  Cancun Pink (Black Label)

As usual, my addiction to super-hot pinks seems to have no end, and Barry M 52 Shocking Pink is the body-double to MAC's infamous Candy Yum Yum. It's even more of a dupe than NYX's matte lipstick of the same name; Shocking Pink.


As seen above (sorry for the slightly blurry shot), the NYX is a bit duskier and less opaque than the Barry M. In terms of finish, Barry M 52 Shocking Pink is fully matte, while NYX Shocking Pink is more of a satin. To their right, NYX Cancun Pink is a less opaque gloss finish, but is very similar to the other two in tone though the shadow may make it seem otherwise.


Barry M 62 Vibrant Pink was a bit of a surprise. The website swatches are terrible representations of the actual shades, and I was half expecting this to be a deeper pink. Not so. Shocking Pink is more blue and just a touch deeper. Vibrant Pink is a true hot-pink that leans neither towards red, nor blue.


It is also ever so slightly lighter in tone than Shocking Pink, and less of a true matte finish. I have to say Barry M Vibrant Pink is an almost identical dupe to Lime Crime Countessa Fluorescent aside from the finish (Countessa Fluorescent is like an Amplified lipstick and Vibrant Pink a satin), so if you can't get hold of Lime Crime or just don't like the price range, stick with Barry M.


P.S. MAC Pink Nouveau looks very subdued in comparison to these crazy pinks.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS


Barry M does make great color makeup, and I love that they have such unapologetic colors. I am not generally a loud and boisterous person (except with close friends or colleagues), so I tend to let my lipstick do the talking. 
 

Barry M Lip Paints without flash, in (L-to-R): 151 Sunset, 147 Peachy Pink, 100 Baby Pink, 62 Vibrant Pink, 52 Shocking Pink

I say Barry M gives great value for the quality of its products, but do not expect to compare the textures to your favorite MAC, Nars or even Lime Crime lipsticks. They tend to be dryer than many of the other lipsticks I own, but they're not the driest around (yoohoo, Ruby Woo...). Still, if you have parched lips, I wouldn't recommend these. NYX round and black label lipsticks would be much better for you.

Similar to NYX, there is difference in consistency among products from the same range. I did not get any shimmers, only the cremes, and 4 out of 5 have a satin-to-matte finish, which I happen to like but you should take note of in case you don't.

Barry Ms are more expensive than NYX @ £4.49 each, though I bought mine for £3.74 per tube using a Summer promo code (SUMMER10). I do expect them to be more pigmented and intense, based on their brand caveat and the price difference. 
So far, they have been. 

Detailed Shade-by-shade reviews and comparison swatches below!

  Barry M Baby Pink

 Barry M Sunset

 Barry M Vibrant Pink

Barry M Peachy Pink

Barry M Shocking Pink

NYX Matte Lipsticks: Haul and Review!

It seems everybody is crazy about NYX’s soft matte lip creams, but I couldn’t help feeling there are too few colors, and too little product in each tube. I was, however, extremely curious about NYX’s matte lipstick range, which does not seem to get any press. I couldn’t find ANY reviews on them; not even on Makeupalley. So I decided to do one myself.

UPDATE: (Sorry for not posting this earlier!) I bought all my NYX Mattes from Beautyjoint. (They're my current go-to for NYX products as they always have good prices, process orders fast, and don't overcharge for shipping.)

Colors I got (shown with flash)

Top L-to-R: NYX Matte Lipsticks Hippie Chic, Natural, Shocking Pink, True Red
Bottom L-to-R: NYX Pale Pink, Summer Breeze, Sweet Pink, Indie Flick


General Pros:

• Affordable. Each of these are under US$5 at Beautyjoint.com and Cherryculture.com. This makes it easy to experiment with many different colors to find what suits you.
• Good range of shades. I like how you can find brights, nudes, neutrals, reds, all in one line. The brightest permanent matte/satin at the MAC counters here is Pink Nouveau, which is sad, and our drugstores stock just a pathetic 2-4 shades of Revlon Matte lipsticks in the most “safe”, boring colors. You will not find nudes or brights in most places, and THESE are the colors of the moment when it comes to mattes.
• Not shimmery. There is nothing more potentially disastrous than matte metallics. Unless you’re on an 80s sci-fi film set.
• Generally great quality for the price. 

General Cons:

• Textures are not always consistent. The deeper, brighter shades are generally good, but the pale, nude ones tend to be drier, and go on patchy. They are also hard to remove. 
• Not as opaque as most higher-end lines like MAC or Lime Crime. Which is understandable. 
• Aside from the 2 palest shades (Hippie Chic and Pale Pink), I found NYX Mattes to go on smoother than Revlon’s Mattes. They’re also a lot cheaper.
• Most of the more intense shades stain. And they stain more than Lime Crime lipsticks, even.
• Horrible, chemical “fruit-punch” scent. 

SWATCHES

From L-to-R-to-bottom: NYX Matte Lipstick Hippie Chic, Revlon Colorburst Soft Nude, Lime Crime Cosmopop.
Hippie Chic could be an interesting shade, but it’s very patchy and dry, and almost impossible to even out. Works better with taupe liner to define the lips first. Cosmopop is a much more interesting orange nude and far more comfortable to wear.




From L-to-R-to-bottom: NYX Matte Lipstick Pale Pink, Lime Crime Great Pink Planet, MAC Angel
Better in the tube than on the lips. NYX Pale Pink could be pretty if you are extremely pale. This shade is way too white and chalky to be flattering for most skin tones. It also doesn’t go on smoothly. Expect to highlight every flaw on your lips.





L-to-R: NYX Matte Lipstick Indie Flick, Revlon Kiss Me Coral
Indie Flick is a lovely matte coral. It’s a little brighter, more true-to-red and less brown-based than Revlon Kiss Me Coral.




L-to-R-to-Bottom: NYX Matte Lipstick Natural, MAC Syrup, MAC Pro Longwear Till Tomorrow
Natural is a little deeper than natural, but it is a nice, rosy taupe which would be great for work. This is Syrup in opaque, matte formula.




L-to-R: MAC Russian Red, Revlon Matte Really Red, NYX Matte Lipstick True Red
Everyone should own a matte, fire-engine scarlet. Especially when it’s under $5. NYX’s is smoother than Revlon’s, and easier to apply than Russian Red. But Russian Red lasts the longest.




  L-to-R: NYX Matte Lipstick Summer Breeze, MAC Pink Nouveau
Pink Nouveau’s peachy cousin. The flash makes it look a lot more blue than it actually is in real life. If you’re scared of blue-based shades but want a strong medium pepto bismol pink, Summer Breeze is the perfect one.




L-to-R: NYX Matte Lipstick Shocking Pink, NYX Black Label Hot Pink, NYX Matte Sweet Pink, Sephora Rouge R11
By far my favorite 2 of the bunch, Shocking Pink and Sweet Pink are strong, deep pinks. Shocking Pink is brighter and more blue. If you like Candy Yum Yum, but missed out or can’t afford it, YOU HAVE TO GET THIS NOW.
If you find blue-based pinks and fuchsias a little intimidating, or need something a little more appropriate for work or school, try Sweet Pink, which is deeper but much easier to wear.



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