Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams & NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipsticks

After seeing these lip products being raved about online, I decided to order some of them and see what all the hype was about. I currently have 4 of the soft matte lip creams and 2 of the Liquid Suede lipsticks and I can't wait to get some more because I love them! I have included some swatches of the products along with some high end and drugstore dupes.

NYX - Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in 'Soft Spoken'

The Liquid Suede formula is my favourite compared to the soft matte lip cremes. They are much more pigmented and don't come out patchy at all on the lips. They also dry to a matte finish but don't make my lips feel dry in the slightest. This shade is called 'Soft Spoken' and is my favourite out of the two I have tried. Below I have included some swatches of similar shades of lip products that I have in my makeup collection.

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From Left to Right:
NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in 'Soft Spoken'
Nars - Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Bahama' (Click here to see a full review on this product)
Mac - Lip Pencil in 'Soar'
Mac - Lipstick in 'Twig'

NYX - Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in 'Sandstorm'

This is a much more browny nude and no way near as berry toned as the other lipstick. Below I have included some swatches of a couple of similar shades of lipsticks that are from Mac.



From Left to Right:
NYX Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in 'Sandstorm'
Mac - Lipstick in 'Honeylove'
Mac - Lipstick in 'Half N Half'

NYX - Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Cannes'

'Cannes' is a much brighter colour than the others I have. It's very similar to the shade 'Mehr' from Mac. However, I don't have many other lip products to compare it to because I don't tend to wear this colour lip very much.



From Left to Right:
NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Cannes'
Mac - Lipstick in 'Mehr'

NYX - Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Rome'

This shade is a much darker and deeper colour than the others I have. Unfortunately I do not have any lipsticks that are similar to this colour because it is definately not a lip colour I would normally wear. However, saying that I actually really like this colour, I think I will get more wear out of it in the Autumn/Winter months.



NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Rome'

NYX - Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Abu Dhabi' and 'London'

The first soft matte lip creme that I ever got was in the shade 'London' which is a really pretty nude. However, I wasn't the biggest fan when I wore it because it is slightly orange toned and made my teeth look more yellow. I then picked up the shade 'Abu Dhabi' and they are very similar. However, Abu Dhabi is slightly darker and had fewer orange tones in it. Therefore I prefer it much more. Abu Dhabi is definately my favourite shade out of all of the Soft Matte Lip Cremes that I have. I have included some swatches of similar lipstick shades that I have in my collection.



From Left to Right:
NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'Abu Dhabi'
NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in 'London'
Mac - Lipstick in 'Honeylove'
Mac - Retro Matte Lipcolour in 'Lady Be Good'
Estée Lauder - Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Lipstick in 'Insatiable Ivory'
Primark - Velvet Matte Lipstick Crayon
Maybelline Colour Drama Lipstick in 'Nude Perfection'

Let me know if you have tried any different shades and if you think I would like them!

Thanks for reading,

ffy x

Chocolate Brownie Recipe

The other day I fancied baking something and as usual I decided to bake my favourite sweet treat - chocolate brownies. Today I have a post on what recipe I use so you can bake them too if you wish!

The recipe that I like to use is from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. This book is super cute and contains so many lovely cake recipes and I can't wait to try baking some more!

Ingredients:

200g - Dark Chocolate

175g - Unsalted Butter

325g - Caster Sugar

130g - Plain Flour

3 Eggs

Icing Sugar to decorate
a 33 x 23 x 5cm baking tray lined with greaseproof paper

Makes about 12 Portions

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF) Gas 3.
2. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Leave them until they have melted together and are smooth in consistency.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat. Add the sugar and stir it in until it is fully incorporated.
4. Add the flour and stir it in until it is fully mixed together.
5. Stir in the eggs and mix until thick and smooth.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until flaky on top but still soft in the centre. (I only baked it for about 25 minutes and it was just right). Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy.
7. Leave it to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar to decorate.

I absolutely loved this recipe, the brownies were so tasty. I would seriously recommend getting this book if you love baking, its so good!

Thanks for reading,

ffy x

May Favourites

Hello lovelies, today I would love to share with you the products I have been obsessing over throughout the month of May. If you would like to know what my favourites are and why I am loving them, please keep reading!

Mac - Lipstick - 'Velvet Teddy'

There has been a lot of hype around this lipstick and for a while now I had convinced myself that this lip colour would be too dark for me and wouldn't suit my skin tone. Oh wow, could I have been more wrong. I have been obsessed with this colour and have worn it pretty much every single day since getting it. It is a matte formula which I find to be great because the product lasts a really long time on the lips, unlike other mac formulas that wear off really quickly. (e.g. cremesheen) Although it is a matte formula I don't find it to be drying at all, unlike other matte lipsticks I have tried. This is such a bonus because it doesn't give that cracked lip effect which no-one wants!

Illamasqua - Precision Gel Liner

This month I have discovered a new eyeliner that I have fallen in love with. I used to swear by my L'Oreal SuperLiner but I found that after a little while it would start to dry up, wouldn't come out as black and was hard to get such a sharp and precise line. However, with a gel eyeliner I have found that my eyeliner game has changed completely. I apply it with a Zoeva 317 'Wing Liner' brush and it makes my eyeliner look so much better and lasts all day long.

YSL - Touche Eclat Foundation

I recently purchased this foundation after hearing a load of people on youtube rave about it and I can see why. It has such a lovely finish and makes your skin look flawless because it has just the right amount of coverage. It is also very long wearing and I don't find it to sink into my pores (which is often a problem I have with foundation). It has a dewy finish to it if you don't set it with powder. However, being an oily skinned gal I always have to set my foundation with powder anyway. I'm not quite sure if I prefer it to my Nars Sheer Glow but it is most certainly up there with my favourite foundations!



Too Faced - Sweet Peach Palette

Too Faced eyeshadow palettes never fail to disappoint. Not only do they come in the cutest packaging ever and have lovely sweet scents, but the quality of the actual eyeshadows is also amazing. They are so highly pigmented and easy to blend that they just work like a dream. My favourite shadows to wear from this palette are White Peach, Luscious, Puree, Summer Yum and Charmed, I'm Sure.

The look I have been wearing most consists of me applying an eyeshadow primer and then adding 'White Peach' all over my eyelid and up to my brow bone. This sets the primer into place and makes it much easier to blend out the other shadows. I then take the shade 'Charmed, I'm sure' and blend this in my crease, focusing more on the outer part of my eye. Then to add a bit of shimmer to the look I apply the shade 'Luscious' to the inner first half of my eye and blend out the edges. If I want to make it more intense I will apply it with a it of mac fix+ to make it have a better colour pay off.

Unfortunately this palette is out of stock at the moment because its a limited edition palette, so if you want to get hold of it I would advice you to follow the Debenhams Beauty Instagram page where they will post an update as to when it is back in stock!





Mac - Extra Dimension Eyeshadow - 'Sweet Heat'

If I haven't been wearing the shade 'Luscious' from the sweet peach palette then chances are I will have been using this eyeshadow. This in an individual shadow from mac, which is slightly more expensive than the regular mac eyeshadows because its a much better formula. I wear this shadow all over my lid with a darker matte brown through the crease of my eye. It is such a long wearing eyeshadow and is super pigmented. I love the colour of this shadow on my eyes because it really makes them stand out. If you have blue eyes too i'm pretty sure you will also love this!


Mac Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation

This has pretty much been the only powder that I have been using this month. My skin is super oily and I find this powder so perfect for keeping my oils under control and not looking a sweaty mess. I used the shade NC15 which is a perfect colour match for me. As long as you apply the right amount, it doesn't look overly heavy on the skin which is a bonus for me because I tend to top up my powder throughout the day. However, you have to be careful not to apply too much powder otherwise you will end up looking a bit cakey.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick - 'Pink Quartz'

I first saw Lucy and Lydia from youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/LucyAndLydia) raving about how good this highlighter is and I trust their opinion when it comes to makeup so I knew I would love this. It is such a natural looking shimmery highlight. It's not as intense as Becca's shimmering skin perfecter in 'Moonstone' or The Balm's 'Mary Lou' but it still has a really pretty effect. I like to wear this on days where i'm not wearing too much makeup but I still want a pretty glow on my cheekbones. It doesn't come out overly pink in the slightest (which I'm glad about because I hate pink toned highlighters. However, it still is a really shimmery formula that looks so beautiful when it catches the light.

Thanks for reading,

ffy x