Glossy Burgundy Lids with Neon Magenta Lips (NYX Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink)

One more look I posted on Instagram (makeup_box) a couple of days ago. This is a very simple look to recreate. The only thing about it that is different from a regular look is just the gloss on the lids and a neon pink lip.

I used

• a plum colored metallic pencil from Bourjois (Khol & Contour 07 Praline Inventif - any one you can find would do.)
• a deep cool brown shadow (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Southern Wood)
• a soft medium-light taupe (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Goldmine - MAC Patina would be a prettier alternative)
• Any clear gloss and a bit of pale purple micro-glitter (optional)
• soft pink blush (any of your choice; I used my Bourjois Little Round Pot shadow #15)
• Bright magenta-pink lipstick that is deeper than a neon fuchsia (NYX Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink)

Step 1: Begin by shading in your lids, then lining both the upper and lower lash line.  Then use your finger to gently blend out the edges so there are no hard lines, and then touch up the pencil

Step 2: With the deep smoky brown, lightly run along the lid near the lash line and gently extend your brush past the outer corners into a slight wing. This sets the color around the lash line. If you want to, you can skip this step, but I like a bit more dimension and depth I get by layering the shadows.

Step 3: Apply a soft taupe brown to the upper portions of the lids, leaving just a small margin of skin above the lash line. If you want 

Step 4: Go back over your upper lash line with the plum pencil.

IMPORTANT: Curl your lashes now because you'll be applying clear gloss next. You can't curl your lashes once you coat your lids as you'll smear everything off.

Step 5: With a flat brush, mix a little violet glitter (this is optional; it's only visible when someone is quite close to you and looking directly at your eyes) into a dab of clear gloss, and then gently PAT that onto your lids. If you stroke your brush back and forth, you will end up smearing the shadow beneath.

Step 6: Finish by applying black mascara. IF you are using false lashes instead, then you will need to apply them BEFORE you apply the gloss. Otherwise, the latex will have problem sticking to your skin if there is any gloss there.

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

Burnished Bronze Smoky Eye

This is a look that uses two bronze/grey shades over a dark base, shaped into a soft cat eye. It plays on two neutral two-toned shades applied over a black base for a smoky effect.

Step 1: Apply a black base to the lids. I used a black khol pencil over the lids and spread it out with a flat synthetic brush. Make sure to extend at the outer corners and fade out into a faint wing.

Step 2: Apply a soft silver-grey with gold sheen over the inner half of the lids. I like the silver shade in Wet n Wild Coloricon in Greed.

Step 3: Then using a soft taupe-bronze shadow, apply to the outer half of the lids and wing out slightly.

Step 4: Using a firm smudger brush, pack the matte black shade in the Coloricon palette along the upper lash line, thicker at the outer corners. Then smudge the remaining shadow along the lower lash line as well.

Step 5: Apply black liquid liner very close to the upper lashes and then apply black mascara to top and bottom lashes to finish the look.

Eye Products:

• Super Quick EX Liner (any black matte pencil or base will do)
• Wet n Wild Coloricon in Greed (grey and matte black shadows)
• MAC Patina shadow
• Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner
• L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

Face Products:

• MAC Face and Body Foundation
• KATE Brow Pencil BR-3

For the Lips: You can try the standard nude or soft creme shade, but why not splash out with a super-hot pink?

• NYX Matte Lipstick in 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.



Read the rest of the post on my TUMBLR!