NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Tiara

 Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

NYX's High Voltage lipsticks are described as "a creamy, shiny and extremely pigmented lipstick", and given their generally favorable reviews, I decided to pick up one.  I gravitated towards Tiara, a peachy coral shade that says "spring" to me. 

Tiara is indeed nicely pigmented, smooth, and with more of a shine as opposed to high shine on the lips.  It wears comfortably for about 3 hours, which is about average for me.

At about $6 each and will 22 different shades, these are a nice budget lipstick!  I've been disappointed with some of the higher end lipsticks I've tried this year, so it's always nice to find inexpensive options that work for me.

Shopping my Stash for Beige Blush

Sometimes I restrain myself from purchasing a new cosmetic item by shopping my own stash.  I did this recently when contemplating getting one of the new Clinique Pop blushes during the recent Sephora VIB sale.  I already own 2 of the orignial 4 colors - Peach and Plum Pop - and while I like them, I don't love them.  But the lure of the new, you know how it is.

But the thing is, I've already got a ridiculous number of blushes.  Ridiculous.  So I perused my collection and decided to pull out all the ones that fall into the beige/tan category.  I love a good neutral blush color, and these definitely fall into that category, with some working equally well as bronzers for fair skin. 

Estee Lauder Lover's Blush, Tarte Stellar

First up is Estee Lauder's Lover's Blush (links are to full reviews).  I was surprised at how rosy it turned when heavily swatched.  Using a brush resulted in a more sheer, shimmery tan, whereas swatching with my finger brought out the underlying rose tone. 

Stellar by Tarte was from the 2013 holiday Fantastic Foursome blush set, and I believe it was intended as more of a bronzer/contour shade.  It seems like the Amazonian Clay blush formula varies from release to release :-/  Tarte just hasn't done it for me in a while, for some reason.

Ignore the pink in the upper left corner, and next I'll show you two discontinued blushes and an Australian brand that's available at Ulta.

Clockwise from upper right:  Tralee, 957, Blushing Beige

We'll start with Sue Devitt's discontinued Tralee Silky Blush, the light pink/beige on the top right corner.  You can still find this blush at various outlets that are selling off existing Sue Devitt stock at heavily discounted prices (I got mine at allcosmesticswholesale.com for about $6).  Figures I'd develop a greater appreciation for Sue Devitt now that the brand has folded, but it was never a very accessible brand.  Tralee is a mauve beige with a subtle silver glow and is really lovely.  Worth tracking down if this kind of color appeals to you.

Below Tralee is Australian organic brand Nvey Eco 957, and it's fairly close in color to Tralee.  This blush has a great talc free formula and includes a blend of corn silk, chamomile and jojoba oil, along with Vitamins A, C, E to help protect skin from free radicals. 

Rounding out this trio is a longtime favorite of mine from a brand that has gone through several morphs and is now known as True Isaac Mizrahi.  You may have noticed True Cosmetics recently on Hautelook, as they are selling off their old stock now that Isaac Mizrahi has acquired them for his own cosmetic line.  Blushing Beige has long been discontinued (I've had mine may 6-7 years?), but the formula is great.  Hopefully they are maintaining the formula in this new iteration, as it features white and green tea extracts and performs really well. 

Next is the one cream blush I have that could be classified as a tan/beige shade and a close dupe for the discontinued Blushing Beige.  Both are tried and true favorites.

Tenne and Starina

Le Metier de Beaute has a great cream blush formula, and Tenne is a unique to my collection mauve tan.  The blush was melting in the sun so I ended up applying more than I normally would, but it gives you an idea of it's true color and how it can be built up.

Starina by Rouge Bunny Rouge is a golden tan and can easily be used a bronzer for the fair complected.  I love the formula and want to acquire some more blushes from this line, crossing my fingers that they show up on Hautelook at some point.

Last up is Clarin's limited edition face powder/blush Graphic Expression and my all time favorite blush, Estee Lauder's Sensuous Rose.

Graphic Expression and Sensuous Rose

Graphic Expression can be used a face powder or a blush, depending on what parts of the palette used.  Swirling all the colors together captures the pink bars and produces a peachy beige color.

Estee Lauder's Sensuous Rose is the blush that sets the bar for me when it comes to other blushes.  It started me on my quest to collect other Esee Lauder blush colors, as I love the formula, but it remains my favorite to date.  Just lovely.

A final look at my beige/tan blushes, which I hope you have enjoyed.  It's definitely helped bring some of my favorites back to my attention, as well as curbed my desire to acquire more blushes that are not needed.  How often do you shop your stash?

Gilt Eye Tint by BECCA

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Gilt Eye Tint is one of BECCA's water-resistant cream eye colors, and as the name implies, it's a bronze with gold microglitter.  The glitter is small enough that it's not super obvious but does indeed give a bit of glint. 

The eye tints can be worn sheer or built up in intensity for more opaque color.  I had no issues with glitter migration, and wear time over primer was about 7-8 hours before I noticed settling into creases.

Gilt, Romanticism

Of the two eye tints that I have, Romanticism is probably my favorite (full review here).  I like the soft taupe wash it provides and that it has an almost wet look on.  I think the microglitter in Gilt makes the finish look a bit 'dirty' on my lids, at least in close up shots like this.

The Eye Tints are $24 each, which is a bit pricey IMO, but I was fortunate to get both eye tints and two cheek tints as a set from Sephora a while back, making them much more reasonable.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Rich Nude Lip Gloss

Disclaimer:  I received this as compensation for a survey.

Rich Nude is not a color I would normally purchase, as brown lip shades have never really appealed to me.  However, I received this as compensation for participating in a L'Oreal consumer survey, and I've surprised myself by really liking it!

There is actually pink shimmer in the brown gloss, which gives it's a little 'oomph'.  Worn on it's own it provides semi-sheer color that is quite natural looking.  Worn over a lip pencil, I get a more dramatic, intense color that delivers more of the brown in the gloss.

Rich Nude over Urban Decay's Naked lip pencil

The fragrance free formula is nicely hydrating, featuring Omega 3 and Vitamin E, with high shine and a comfortable wear time of about 3 hours. 

Rich Nude over bare lips

The Colour Riche glosses are about $8-9 depending upon location and Rich Nude is a nice surprise!

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Haul Part 2

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

Yesterday I talked about the satin/matte ColourPop shadows Smash, Cheeky, and Girl Crush.  Today I've got On the Rocks, Friskie, and So Quiche to show you in all their sparkly glory.

Friskie, So Quiche, On the Rocks

So Quiche features a dirty olive base shade with fuschia and gold microglitter.  The microglitter gives it a duochrome effect that is quite fetching.  So Quiche applied smoothly and I had no issues with sparkle fallout. 

Friskie has a deep charcoal base with silver microglitter.  I found ColourPop's description amusing, si here it is:  "Rich black doused with high levels of silver glitter and hints of pink glitter. Smoky, mysterious, sultry with a handful of F*** You. Shy need not apply."  ColourPop seems to enjoy using f*** in some form in their shadow descriptions, as it showed up in So Quiche's as well.  Friskie had the most obvious sparkle when I wore it, which was sparingly along my upper lash line.  It's probably more appropriate for night time wear.

My favorite of these three is On the Rocks, a bronze with gold and violet microglitter.  It pairs particularly well with Smash, my favorite of the satin/matte finish colors.  Just sooooo pretty together.

All of the PopColour Super Shock shadows that I tried wore well for me over primer, with some fading after about 8 hours.  I found them easy to work with, with Cheeky from yesterday's review being the poorest performer (but still not that bad) of the six I purchased.   The glitter shades can be worn sheered out or fully opaque.  Per my usual preference, I went for more sheered out application.

Smash + On the Rocks

Girl Crush + Frisky

So Quiche

It's a bit easier to tell the duotone shimmer in the outside pictures.  As an aside, Rouge Bunny Rouge's Olive Violetear is the perfect crease shade for So Quiche, especially if you don't want to carry the glitter up that high.  I did have some glitter fallout during application, so used a setting spray to hopefully circumvent any more glitter spread.  Fortunately, the glitter is so fine that it's not super obvious anyhow.  Loving these!

 ColourPop Super Shock eyeshadows are $5, and I see more in my future.