Pop Rose: Pink Makeup with Metallic Stacked Liner

We don't often wear pinks on the eyes, lips, nails AND cheeks all at the same time, but I thought the Summer Season might be a good time to give it a go.

The trick is NOT to try and match all the pinks. I used a mauve (pink-purple) shadow, with a magenta toned liner, and a bright pink lipstick. For the nails, I used a hot Barbie pink.

On the lids, I also reined it in and used warm/neutral shades for highlights and contour, instead of more gradations of pink.

Step 1: Apply a soft mauve shadow on the lids. This can be matte or slightly satin-y, but should not be full-on metallic if you can help it. I used a limited edition shade from Urban Decay, but if you don't own the 15 Anniversary palette, you can use one of the lighter shades from the Wet n Wild Petal Pusher palette.

Step 2: Use a pale gold on the inner corners of the eyes (I also used Urban Decay's limited edition color but it's an exact dupe of MAC Vanilla pigment and Coastal Scent's Elven Gold Hot Pot which is super-cheap.)

Step 3: I don't own any metallic pink liners, so I used a pigment mixed with a drop or two of liner sealant. You can use eye drops with MAC Fuchsia Pigment or any electric pink pencil to get a similar effect.

Make sure the flick is parallel to the outer corners of your lower lash line (see dotted line).

Step 4: Probably the most tricky part. Trace over your lash line with a black liquid liner. This is what will pull the whole look together without letting the pink overpower everything. If you don't have a steady hand, use a felt tip liner for more control.

Step 5: Finish off with black mascara.

Step 6: For the cheeks, I just used a very matte pink blush, and then applied Pink Nouveau (my absolute favorite summer pink) lipstick from MAC. Barry M and Wet n Wild have some really good bright pinks as well if you're on a budget.

Lip Mix: Getting Revlon Stormy Pink and Peach Petal to Work!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Peach Petal (left), Revlon Matte Lipstick in Stormy Pink (right)

Anyone would tell you these look like 2 of the most gorgeous shades in existence. Peach Petal has been likened to MAC's Underage and Florabundance Lipglass, and Stormy Pink to Pink Nouveau.

But after I picked these up, I found the textures to be really hard to work with. 

Peach Petal tends to settle into every single groove and line on your lip, where they show up as ghastly lines of milky beige. Stormy Pink is so low in pigmentation and opacity that you need to layer several times for the color to build up to any sort of intensity. And by then, it's become cakey and uneven. 

So it suddenly struck me that I should try layering them together. 

It's still not 100% foolproof (it still sinks into lines just a smidgen), but you get a nice semi-sheer candy pink which is just a tad less blue toned and more creamy than Stormy Pink, and more even and wearable than either shade.
It even reminds me a bit of a deeper and glossier version of MAC's Viva Glam Gaga.

Sea Storm Eyes with Pink lips and cheeks

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This is a look featuring Sephora’s Colorful Palette #13 Jungle Chic, and NYX's Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze (slightly warmer dupe for MAC's Pink Nouveau).
I find the grey-green and khaki colors more reminiscent of a sea-storm than a jungle, but I’d say this is a nice palette to get, as the shades are quite lovely.

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View the step-by-step tutorial on Makeupbox!

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.



Read the rest of the post on my TUMBLR!