This my NYX Haul from Cherry Culture that I mentioned a few days ago (fast shipping as usual)! I'll be reviewing the Beauty Blender after I get to use it more. My first impression is...geez, it's really small. But we shall see how it works. My favorite part of this batch was definitely the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. Everything else was kind of meh - mostly because of my shitty color selections (as you will soon see ~_~).
NYX Single Eyeshadows - $3.99
My last sample of NYX eyeshadows was pretty positive but I clearly forgot I have a weakness for greens and blues because...look what happened!! They're all practically (fraternal ^_~) twins! Blue Marine is from my last NYX haul but I included it in the pics so I can do a compare and contrast.
Shimmer: Sparkly eye shadow with soft glittery effect.
Matte: Flat color with NO shimmer or frost.
Sheer: Hint of opalescent color.
Glitter: Eye shadow with glitter to create bold sparkles.
Frosty: Shimmery eye shadow without glittery effect.
Metallic: Bold colors with intense shimmer.
A matte deep navy blue, a little streaky with some fallout but not too bad really. There are a few silver specks in swatches. Overall, application is pretty smooth.
Atlantic - Matte
I got this b/c of rave reviews about this color and it is indeed quite unique. It's a darkish blue with light purple undertones...so indigo? Sort of like a dark lavender mixed with a hint of navy blue. Matte, no sparkles, some fallout. Similar in application and consistency as Blue Marine. Important thing is that it's definitely a different color from Blue Marine when swatched.
A slightly frosty yellow-green, more on the green side. Faint golden sparkle, very smooth application, very little (almost no) fallout. Not at all powdery and had the smoothest application of these four.
A sheer sparkly light green-gray with a frosty gray-silver finish. Has visible silver flecks in it. Very pretty but rather powdery on application (see swatches). You need to blend this out to almost sheer to avoid a powdery finish. Some fallout. NYX doesn't designate this as a Sheer color but it definitely is after you blend it out. Other than the silver flecks I feel like Wildfire could be blended to mimic this color pretty well.
Overall, I'm kind of disappointed with the colors I picked :P I feel that Wildfire and Atlantic are very unique colors but I have so many blue eyeshadows, I know I could've lived without the latter. Seafoam Green is also very pretty but a little on the useless side I think. It blends pretty sheer so the faint green tinge is inconsequential. Also per my suspicions, the non-matte shadows err on the (very) slightly powder-y side with some fallout. I would only recommend Atlantic and Wildfire from this batch.
Btw, as you can see - the eyeshadow sample pictures are pretty darn accurate to the actual product :)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils - $3.50
I got Blackbean and Milk just for filling in cat eyes/highlighting and to use as an eyeshadow base. I picked up Orange and Yellow because they are the sort of colors I'd like to have on hand for fun looks but don't want to own full e/s of because I'd never use it for a daily look.
I read a number of reviews that say these are best as a base b/c they crease like none other but are otherwise, very pigmented and useful. I would agree with those reviews. All these colors are very pigmented, apply on like silk and definitely will not last on oily upper lids without major creasing. I can see these being used for waterlines though. Overall, these are wonderfully creamy, smooth and live up to the hype - certainly well worth $3.50 apiece. The color selection is also quite good. These pencils are probably my favorite things from this haul and I don't regret purchasing a single one!
I also just noticed everything together makes a Candy Corn ^_^
Blackbean - matte black
Orange - a matte rich pumpkin orange
Yellow - a fairly opaque matte yellow
Milk - a matte white
NYX Round Lipsticks - $2.50
It still baffles me how these lipsticks are sold for $2.50....such a steal. Anyway, I only picked up two lipsticks this time. Indian Pink I got from the recommendation of Rainy Days & Lattes and I picked up Pumpkin Pie because what I really wanted - Orange Soda - was (and still is) out of stock. I've had a hankering for an orange-tinted lipstick these days, lord knows why because it's one of those colors that comes and goes in fashion....but yeah. As usual, both lipsticks are very moisturizing, silky smooth and pigmented (as light colors go).
Indian Pink - a beautiful light pink with a golden sheen. Has a slightly frosty gold finish. I think the Flash picture of the tube (above left) is quite accurate.
Pumpkin Pie - a subtle orange-pink, very creamy. I thought it would be more orange but this is really more of a light pink color with a faint orange sheen. Has a cream finish with a smooth, chaste gleam.
I really liked both when I swatched in on my arm. Indian Pink has more shimmer to it and Pumpkin Pie looked promising as an orange-tinged nude lip color. But as usual, the natural color of my lips popped that bubble....
Indian Pink looks very nice in pictures indeed - it has an exquisite golden flash. I actually prefer it in pictures because it real life it's a little more yellow tinged rather than gold. Overall, it's still lovely and I like it a lot. Definitely a very wearable pink color, it's like "my lips but better." It's the perfect blend of creaminess and moisturizing - it makes my lips look plump and kissable ;) It does seem to sink into lines a little bit but it's not noticeable in real life (I dunno why my upper lip looks so wrinkly here :\). It has a cool undertone/blue flash so I think this would be very good for cool-toned peeps (maybe that's why I see so many Asian chicks loving this color ahaha). The only downside is that I think it's fairly dupable.
Pumpkin Pie was a disappointment to me. It looks alright in Flash/High light settings but it looks muddy in low light settings. Overall, you can barely tell I'm wearing anything :P so it's basically a tinted chapstick. It's also very creamy so it doesn't last on my lips :\ I think this color is right on the border of being cool and warm toned, which leads me to say this is probably best on those of neutral-warm toned peeps.
The soapy taste was was really distinct in Pumpkin Pie - perhaps b/c of the creaminess? It's not terrible but it was a little off-putting. Also the faint soapy-waxy scent was present but like I said in my previous review, it's really almost indescribable unless you're sniffing for it.
EDIT 11/8/2010
Ok, I lied. I like Pumpkin Pie. A lot. I like layering it over Indian Pink to give my lips a creamy finish and it's just beautiful :D! More info + pics at the bottom of this post.Overall
Ughh, terrible color picks - did not like Seafoam Green and was not crazy about Atlantic. Wildfire I don't regret only because it's such an unusual color. Indian Pink is very wearable but I didn't really "need" another wearable pink. But I can always use a color like this - it's a staple color really - so I don't regret it. Loved the Jumbo Eye Pencils since they should be quite useful for random fun looks.