rating: b

NYX Stella Lipstick

NYX Stella Lipstick

NYX Stella Round Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a creamy medium pink with yellow undertones. The finish has a natural sheen to it that gives it a nice luminosity, and the color coverage is mostly opaque. MAC Joie-de-Vivre is slightly yellower. MAC Hot Gossip is darker.

Like Haute Melon, there was a fair amount of slip in the creamy consistency of this particular shade that made it slide around during application. It was also easy to move around the applied product and get lines of color. Again, this shade didn’t wear for long, about three hours, when I typically average four hours of wear on a regular lipstick (not one touted as long-wearing). Mine didn’t have any scent, but other NYX lipsticks I’ve tried have almost been vanilla scented. I’ve had this for some time before opening it, though, so it’s possible the scent faded away over time (a lot of my budget-friendly lipsticks lose their scent very quickly).

Where to Buy: NYX, $4.00

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MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Vera: Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack ($34.00 for 0.42 oz.) has four shades: Butterfly Party (bright lilac), Desert Cloud (deep blue purple), Moss Garden (metallic silver green), and Rain Drop (metallic teal). FYI, none of the stacks from this collection are safe for lip use.

• Butterfly Party is a red-toned violet with a lilac shimmer-sheen. Tarina Tarantino Violet Storm is blue-based. MAC Violet is similar but not quite as red-toned.
• Desert Cloud is a dark blue-based purple with a silver sheen. This one has a slightly grittier texture compared to Butterfly Party. It’s kind of like MAC Parfait Amour with a cool-toned sheen. MAC Imaginary is darker.
• Moss Garden is a dirty green with a bright metallic sheen. It has a yellowy brown base with a cool-toned green-teal color that dominates. MAC Cake Shop is a warmer green. MAC Lady Grey is also a little warmer.
• Rain Drop is a darkened blue-teal with a minted teal shimmer-sheen. It reminded me of Urban Decay Aquarius, which is a bit lighter. theBalm Bossy Bobbi is a bit darker but similar.

These really need to adopt some kind of stopper a la Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense, because it needs to come with some sort of device so you can press and “crush” the pigments here. I tried doing so as I was applying, but it wasn’t working out as well as I’d like.  I usually try to use from the plastic insert when I swatch (because I then throw it away), since the product on it is already fairly loosened and not in a large chunk.  These all have a highly metallic sheen, so if you like your frosts and metallics, you’ll like the finish on these as well.

Because these are a loose formula, they can be used both wet and dry.  When applied dry, it actually tends to apply smoother–at least more easily–as it tends to clump together when it is applied wet.  There’s a fine line where it becomes too wet (which isn’t sopping, by the way, it’s still more damp than it is wet) and leads to clumping.  The metallic sheen will become more pronounced when it is applied damp/wet, though.

Crushed Metallic Pigments are described as having “intense colour payoff” with “medium coverage” and “highly reflective metallic sparkle.” They are “creamy, crease-resistant, [and] long-wearing.”  The wear of the formula is surprisingly good–with as much shimmer, chunkiness, and the like, you would think these wouldn’t hold together on the lid, but they do.

So long as you apply a solid, smooth layer of product (so no clumping!), it wears about the same whether used alone (no primer) as it does with a primer (I typically use MAC’s Mixing Medium, which is an adhesive base).  It’s just vital that you really press and crush those pigments before applying to ensure the best results.  There’s very little fall out after it’s applied; I do tend to get more fall out than normal when initially applying these, because they are a loose formula.  If you have a metal mixing palette, you may want to mix and crush it there before applying, which will minimize application fall out.

Where to Buy: Online at MAC, $34.00

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NYX Haute Melon Lipstick

NYX Haute Melon Lipstick

NYX Haute Melon Round Lipstick ($4.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a creamy semi-opaque coral with a natural shine. It looks more orange in the tube, but over my lips, it looks a bit lighter–almost pinker–due to the natural pinkness of my lips. There’s also a translucency to the color that lets the natural lip color peek through; it’s not really sheer, but it’s not typically opaque. It’s similar to NARS Niagara. Laura Mercier Tangerine is a touch more orange. MAC Crosswires is more orange. Lancome Chris & Tell is lighter. theBalm Strawberry is pinker. Bite Beauty Rose is more intense.

This shade had more slip than other shades I’ve tried within the range, so the color does slide around a bit, which can cause minor unevenness. It’s lightweight even though it’s creamy. I imagine that its shorter wear time of three hours may be due, at least in part, to the same slippery texture that gives it slight application issues. Mine didn’t have any scent, but other NYX lipsticks I’ve tried have almost been vanilla scented. I’ve had this for some time before opening it, though, so it’s possible the scent faded away over time (a lot of my budget-friendly lipsticks lose their scent very quickly).

Where to Buy: NYX, $4.00

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Dior Garden Roses Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Garden Roses Eyeshadow Palette

Dior Garden Roses Eyeshadow Palette ($59.00 for 0.16 oz.) is a limited edition palette for spring that features five shades of pink, purple, and gray.  The new palettes for spring are slightly lighter (0.16 oz. vs. 0.21 oz.) compared to other five-pan palettes, though everything looks to be about the same visually.  The texture of the eyeshadows from spring have a drier feel to them, which might be an explanation for the discrepancy in quantity.  When I trialed these eyeshadows on the eye (without primer), I managed eight hours with slight fading but no creasing.

The first shade is a soft, frosted pink with gold shimmer. It’s a yellow-based pink with decent to good color payoff but does have some underlying sheerness and a drier texture. It’s similar to MAC Taupeless. Inglot #431 is a bit lighter, no golden shimmer. Make Up For Ever #303 is also a few steps lighter.

The second shade, which is on the top right, is a pale pink-tinted white with a golden-white frosted finish. The color payoff with this shade was good, and it applied very smoothly. It’s whiter than Tarina Tarantino Diamond Dusk. It has more of a frosted finish compared to Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse. It’s similar to MAC Defiance.

In the middle, there is a red-toned medium-dark purple with a satiny sheen. It has good color payoff and a soft, smooth consistency. Estee Lauder Cyber Lilac is several shades darker. Guerlain Boulevard du Montparnasse is less metallic. MAC Plush is more vibrant. theBalm Kissy Kissy is less red-toned. Bare Escentuals Encore is very similar.

The fourth shade, on the bottom left, is a golden pewter–a little silver, gray, and gold all mixed together–with a frosted, metallic sheen. Inglot #431 and Make Up For Ever #303 are a bit more yellow-toned.

The last shade, on the bottom right, is a pink lilac with a metallic shimmer-sheen. It has decent to good color payoff but seems a bit sheer. It’s similar to MAC Palladium. Giorgio Armani #19 is more golden, lighter. Wet ‘n’ Wild Dancing in the Clouds is more golden.

Where to Buy: Nordstrom, $59

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Guerlain Rose Barbare Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Rose Barbare Rouge G Lipstick

Guerlain Rose Barbare Rouge G Lipstick ($48.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a soft, strawberry pink with subtle shimmer and a glossed finish. The color coverage is semi-opaque, delivering some color but not enough to cover my lip freckle. Chanel Charme is lighter and frostier. MAC Cheers All Around is more opaque but similar. Rimmel Dizzy is brighter and more opaque.

This has a really creamy consistency that’s translucent and lightweight; it feels like a cross between the Rouge G and Rouge G de Brilliant formulas, rather than a Rouge G. I find Rouge Gs to have a creamier feel that’s more opaque and has less slip. This shade looks a bit wet on, which is a nice effect. It’s a moisturizing formula, but unlike a lot of other Rouge Gs, it only wears for three hours before fading away. I think the sheerness of the shade has made it less long-wearing compared to other shades.

Where to Buy: Nordstrom, $48.

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Milani Photo Flash Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Photo Flash Lip Flash Gloss Pencil

Milani Photo Flash Lip Flash Gloss Pencil ($6.49 for 0.10 oz.) is described as a “fuchsia with gold and fuchsia shimmer.” I wouldn’t really describe it as fuchsia; it’s more of a pink-tinged red with fuchsia and red micro-glitter. When applied, the color coverage is mostly opaque, and it looks like a really juicy red with just enough translucency to give it that pinky-red coloring. The formula is supposed to be highly pigmented, extra glossy, and contain “moisture-rich” ingredients. It’s not supposed to feather or feel sticky either.

Like Flashy, it yields great color payoff but doesn’t look as glossy as a lipgloss. It looks more like a shiny lipstick to me than a lipgloss, and it feels that way, too. This particular shade wore for just over five hours, but I did notice the grit of the glitter after an hour or so of wear.

This shade also has a very similar Urban Decay Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color dupe in Adrenaline. The two formulas feel very, very similar; I doubt I could point out the differences in a blind test. Some other similar shades include Guerlain L’Heure Bleue (redder) and Dior Technicolor (less pink).

Even though I love the way they look and how much color they deliver, I don’t love that noticeable grittiness after an hour of wear. Luckily, the glitter doesn’t travel! You may want to freeze these pencils before sharpening, as their soft, creamy consistency make them harder to sharpen and messier to deal with. You should also expect some waste during the sharpening process if they are at room temperature.

Where to Buy: Drugstore.com, $6.49

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