Review - NYX Black Label Lipstick with swatches

In light of the Cherry Culture sale going on now, I decided to review my favorite lippies from the NYX Collection - the Black Label Lipsticks!

The Round lipsticks are probably the most well known of the NYX brand, but I definitely prefer the Black Label lipsticks - both provide excellent coverage and color, but the BLL offers higher quality, more product, and most importantly (to me at least) - Moisture! ♥

The Black label lipsticks come prepackaged in thin paper boxes - the lipstick itself is housed in a shiny square plastic tube.

The lipsticks swiveled up with and without flash

♥ *Swatches* ♥



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The lipstick feels very slippery and smooth and glides on the lips with ease - the lipstick tastes like grapes which I found rather pleasant.

*Nude*
An opaque nude that provides excellent coverage - this particular nude leans a tiny bit towards the pink side



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*India*
An orange-y opaque nude



*Girly Pink*
A shimmery baby pink



*Diva*
Easily my favorite of the bunch, and definitely the most wearable. A very pretty mauvey-pink



The downside of the packaging is the base of lipstick is not labeled - if you misplace the cap, there's no way of identifying the lipstick by name!

I actually love these lipsticks more than MAC since they don't dry me out and they feel oh-so good on the lips! They offer a large array of colors in varying finishes and are under $10. (If you purchase during a Cherry Culture sale, they should be around $4.80 USD a pop!)

Pros

♥ Price - nab em' when they go on sale!
♥ Great Quality
♥ Moisturizing
♥ Mild and pleasant taste
♥ Wide variety of colors and finishes
♥ Most colors have excellent coverage (one swipe!)
♥ Sturdy packaging
♥ No animal testing


Cons

X Limited availability
X Can't really think of anything else

I don't understand why these aren't more wildly popular! I can't rave enough!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (5/5)


FYI, the CherryCulture Sale is 20% off the entire site with code VDS20
**Sale ends tomorrow, Feb 1st!**

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Today was another 'late' day at work. I'm getting home an hour+ later than normal and it's throwing me off! To keep my energy (and spirts up) I need to continue my dedication to power-walking with my favorite Liz!

In random news...

Super cute sleep shorts from Juicy Couture

My JILL STUART package arrived!!! I am HEAD OVER HEELS in love. Will post swatches soon! :)

Take care and drive safe out there if you are in the colder parts of the world - it's supposed to go from the 60s to near freezing tomorrow here in Texas. Brrrrr....

Review - Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in peach pink with swatches

Hey Lovelies!

I hope everybody has been having a great new year so far! It tends to be relatively busy during the first month of the year at work, so I have been putting in extra hours every week to keep afloat. -_-

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That being said, I am glad to be back with reviews aplenty! Today, I'll be reviewing Kose's Cosmagic Sweet Deco Cheek in 02 or pink peach.

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Backside:

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The packaging is super cute as expected - just check out the built-in adorable plastic jeweled heart!

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The lid is cut like a giant diamond and screws off easily. So princess-y!!!

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The set contains a minuscule blush brush which feels soft but doesn't serve any real purpose. Perhaps it might be good for contouring? There really is no place in the blush packaging itself that holds the brush securely so I stuffed it into my knick-knacks box where it will probably remain.

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...Finally, a big dandelion-like puffball on a stick...

...Much like the Puffy bird on my windowsill :) ...

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If you open up the inner insert, there are some instructions on how to use the blush to achieve different looks...

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The blush itself in different lighting. The heart-shaped area is a shimmery coral cream blush, and the lower two compartments house a peachy-pink blush with golden shimmer and a lighter pink highlighter.

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*Swatches* With an without flash

The cream blush reminds me a lot of NARS "Torrid" while the darker blush shade reminds me of a pinkier NARS "Orgasm"! Needless to say, very pretty colors and universally flattering IMO! I was surprised that the blush wasn't super shimmery and if used with a light hand, you could wear this to work on a Summer's day.

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The other color is perhaps the more popular blush of the two - 01 in Strawberry pink. I can see the strawberry color looking great on fair-skinned beauties, but I am willing to give it a a whirl in the future sometime!

Price is $145 HK dollars or around $18.61 USD at Adambeauty.com
(Both colors are in-stock)

Overall

Pros
♥ Pigmented and pretty color
♥ Lovely packaging
♥ 3-in-1 blush - versatile!
♥ Extras = 2 freebie brushes
♥ Universally flattering colors

Cons

♥ Must be used with a light hand otherwise can be too shimmery/bright
♥ Hard to find - overseas orders or e-bay


Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ (4.5/5)

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My LOTD

...Some randomness from this past week...

Wore my H&M sweater dress with leggings and F21 "Love" necklace





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I wanted to share the beautiful Hello Kitty purse from Loungefly that I won as a giveaway prize from the ever-sweet RINA!

Super cute dustbag



The pattern is crazy kawaii with bows & hello kitty's face printed all over



The details on the purse are amazing! Even the hardware is Hello-Kittied out!



Delicious hot-pink lining



Thank you so much Rina! Your gift really made my month! :)




Giveaway, reviews and more coming soon!

♥ Irene

Jill Stuart Spring 2011 Cosmetics Collection

Jill Stuart's Spring 2011 Collection - Innocent Sexy

Jill Stuart sure knows how to make super girly, sweet, and princess-y products - This upcoming Spring, she's rolling out a line that is lovely & elegant with colors that are feminine and delicate.

♥ New Blush Blossom duo* - Blush Blossom in Little Anemone ♥
(Anemone is a type of flower as well as the type you find underwater :D)

Image from http://www.fiftyflowers.com

I absolutely ♥ the ornate detailing on the compact casing and the included goat-hair brush with the PINK Swarovski crystal and little bow charm!

It comes as a loose powder that can be swirled together or used separately to create depth

This color is described as a "cute foggy pink combined with a girly anemone pink"

"Like the gentle blossoming of a wreath of pink flowers.
Loose powder cheek color that brings both innocence and luster to your cheeks"

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♥ New Mix blush in Milky Strawberry ♥

"Quad powder blush with pure luster. Blends smoothly and adds a touch of soft color to your cheeks"

I'm excited to try this - I have actually heard that Jill Stuart blushes are very subtle with buildable color - I'm trying to prep myself for initial shock as I know they are not nearly as pigmented as MAC or NARS. If this one works out, I think I may try the Baby blush (01) and Fresh Apricot (06)

Top two colors look like a pinky highlighter & bottom two are a warm pinky-peach

Described as a "sweet and fluffy milky pink, reminiscent of strawberry milk"
(I like that...fluffy pink!)

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♥ New Lip Jewel in ???* 12 New Colors! ♥

"For full and pure lips, as though decorated with the glittering dust of gems.
A liquid rouge for fresh and clear color"



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♥ New Jewel Crystal Eyes Palette in Angelic Topaz and Sweet Amethyst ♥

"Genuine jewel-like shine...
Eye color palette that enables eyes with deep lustrous colors and glorious shine"




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♥ New Nail Laquer colors include Dolly Bloom, Marshmallow Bonbon and Petal Shower ♥

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Oooooh I wish I could be back in Hong Kong! If you spend over $5000 HK you get a free gift. ($5000 HK Dollars = $643.31 USD and $639.06 Canadian) ;_;

It reminds me of a fancy tea set of sorts. What a perfect (and Princess-y) way to display your makeup collection!



・Tray（W:31.9cm D:13.8cm H:2.1cm）
・Cotton box（W:10cm D:10cm H:8.7cm）
・Cosmetic item holder （Φ:8cm H:8.5cm）
・Petit tray（W:10.6cm D:10.6cm H:4.5cm）

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I found a lot of these blogs helpful when looking for swatches/reviews of various products:

• Magical Complexion's blog has someswatches up from the Spring Collection!
• Eki of A Little bit of Eki also has a lot of Jill Stuart looks, hauls & reviews!
• Lisa of Makeupandlife.com has a ton of swatches and reviews of Jill Stuart products on her blog
• MusingsofaMuse has a great blog including a ton of Jill Stuart love!
• Cosmetic Candy is also a good place to find reviews & swatches
• Tummycake has a good video review and also some honest reviews/swatches
• Autumn Masquerade - *update*A GREAT blog - just found! Has side-by-side comparisons and descriptions of Jill Stuart products
  
• Lotus Palace always has a ton of Japanese makeup reviews, including Jill Stuart

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It's hard (if not impossible) to find Jill Stuart cosmetics in the States but relatively easy to find online...a few retailers:

iMomoko
Yesstyle
Ebay
Gooddealer

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I'm so excited for my first Jill Stuart Experience! I will be doing some reviews/swatches once I receive my order. (I picked up the blushes!) :)

In Hong Kong, the line will officially launch on January 10th, 2011

Are you planning on picking up anything from the Spring Collection?