Review: NYX Butter Lip Balm

I purchased the NYX butter lip balms a few months ago. I didn't look too much into them before purchasing them off of the website - I decided I would take a leap of faith and hope that they would be worth the money. I've been using them regularly for a while now, and have decided to write a small review about them. A lot of my friends and family know this, but I have something I must admit. My name is Elise, and I am addicted to chapstick. I have one stashed in every room of the house and I have at least three floating around my purse and backpack at all times. I have five on my vanity alone. I have at least ten unopened packages stored in one of my drawers. I'm very picky about my chapstick and lip balms, and so I thought that this would be a suitable post for me. Let's jump right into it then!

Pigmentation
These lip balms come in eight different colors: Parfait, Mauve, Red Velvet, Macaron, Marshmallow, Biscotti, Panna Cotta, and Brownie. They are on the NYX website for four dollars each. A bit pricey for a chapstick/lip balm in my opinion, but I suppose the pigmentation adds to the cost. I purchased two different colors: Parfait and Red Velvet.

These are only lip balms, and therefore the color pigmentation is very faint, but still enough for it to be noticeable. It's nothing close to a lipstick and slightly less noticeable than a lip gloss because it has more of a matte finish, so there's no shine to bring it attention. It has a slight shine in pictures and upon first application, but it dries to a velvety/semi-matte finish to make it look really natural.

Parfait: On the website, it is described as "fuchsia with blue undertones." I would say that this description is spot on.

This color is definitely my favorite of the two. I think that cool undertones look better with my skin color. It's not super noticeable and I feel like it mostly just enhances the natural color of my lips.

Red Velvet: On the website, it is described as "pure red." When I purchased this, I had very high expectations and I have to admit that I was slightly let down.

After initial application, it looks fine. But I feel like the color doesn't last on this one. It fades in the middle and makes it look like I'm wearing a faded, red lip liner. Someone on the website described it as looking like you just ate a popsicle, and it does look like that. Maybe a two year old that ate a popsicle. I just think the red color does not look good on me after a little bit of wear. I still use it, but usually before I am going to apply a red lipstick or lip gloss, just to moisturize my lips and add to the color I am going to be applying.

Moisturizing Qualities
Just to let you know where I stand with chapstick, I'll tell you the kind that I prefer. My holy grail of chapsticks is definitely my original Burt's Bees chapstick. That is my favorite because I can feel it moisturizing my lips. I do not like baby lips at all, as most people do. I feel like it only coats the surface and slides right off after after I rub my lips together a couple of times. I like chapstick that sinks into my lips and stays put for a long time. So, now that you know what I look for, on to the NYX butter lip balm analysis.

This lip balm really is buttery, without the slippery, greasy feeling, of course. It goes on so smooth and rubs in so nicely. It's not slick or slimy and feels amazing on my lips. I love rubbing my lips together when I am wearing it because it just feels so smooth and, I don't know, nourishing, I guess.

It does last for a significant amount of time. It can last me three hours just fine, even with sips of water here and there. After eating, though, I definitely need to reapply. My lips get chapped and dry very easily and for this to last three hours is great to me. Most of my chapsticks don't last me that long. My Burt's Bees can last me four to five hours and baby lips lasts me thirty minutes, at most. I usually reapply my chapstick every couple of hours just to avoid ever having my lips go dry on me, but sometimes at school and work, I don't get the chance to reapply as much as I would like to. Plus, with wearing a lip balm with pigmentation, in order to keep the color fresh you need to reapply every couple of hours, maybe even every other hour. But that's only if you don't want the color to fade.

Overall, these lip balms feel great on my lips. In fact, I just put some on and I can't stop rubbing my lips together as I type this. The lasting power is great for me, even when drinking, but not after eating.

Final Verdict
I would say that she lip balms are adorable, smell delicious, feel great, and are very much well worth the money. I plan on purchasing the color Biscotti next and possibly even Panna Cotta.

Let me know if you give these a try and what colors your decide to try! If you have any further questions please feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for reading!

Jessup Brushes Review

I found these brushes on eBay a few months ago for a steal! I think I only spent around fourteen dollars on eBay for this set of brushes. I looked them up a bit and it turns out a few instagram makeup artists have tried them out as well. Many people have claimed that these Jessup Brushes are a dupe for some of Sigma's brushes. (If you don't know what a dupe is, click here to read my post about what a dupe is in makeup terms.) I needed to test these out and see if they were really as great as people were saying. I have been using these brushes daily for the last seven to eight months and finally feel that I know them well enough to write an accurate post on these Sigma dupes.

Here is the link to the eBay search for these brushes. I couldn't find my exact seller, but these search results are exact to the ones I had when I looked them up.

Appearance
I don't care what you say, appearance does matter! After all, we are going to be rubbing these things all over our faces to try and make us look pretty - I think our utensils should at least be appealing. These brushes come in several different color options for both the wooden handles and the metal. The wood is available in pink, white, black, and I think some sellers might have it in blue as well. The metal part is available in either gold or silver. I decided to just keep it simple and went with black and gold (although I do with I would have gotten the pink handles!). The bristles of the brushes are a dark brown color with white/gray tips. And then there's the brand name, Jessup, written in gold on the handles. These brushes do not have names or numbers in order to classify them since they are a cheaper brand, but that doesn't bother me. I don't really pay attention to the names of brushes, anyway.

Here's a closer look at the color of the tips since my brushes in the above picture are slightly messy from use.

Application & Use
These brushes are made of synthetic hair which means the hair is fake. And although I'm not completely educated on the difference between synthetic and real hair, I have heard that synthetic hair helps in the application process because less product is absorbed onto the brush, and more is actually being applied to your face. I have also noticed that these brushes do not get as oily as some other ones that I have used in the past and that is because with real hair brushes, the oils stick to the hair (think of the hair on your head and how it holds oils in). Because of this, the application is smoother and the product glides right onto my face. It also helps to get more coverage since more product is going on your face.

I have really sensitive skin and I have found that these brushes are so soft and gentle on my face and I really think that has helped with lessening any breakouts I get. I feel like because the brushes are synthetic and less oils are absorbed into them, that they stay a bit cleaner. It's still essential to clean your makeup brushes for sanitary reasons, but these brushes do just feel cleaner on my face and I think that really helps with the cleanliness of my skin since the brushes aren't distributing that many old oils or old product back onto my face with each use.

Here are the brushes and the breakdown of how I use them all:

1. At first I didn't know what to use this brush for, but I've been using it for my bronzer/contouring lately and I really like it. It has a bit of a point on the end so it makes it easier to contour fine line and then the sides are great for blending it out.

2. I use this brush very rarely. It's a foundation brush that is curved over the top. I use it for buffing out and caked up areas on my face and I sometimes use it to buff out highlights and concealer. It's kind of my odd-jobs face brush.

3. This brush kind of does the same thing as the number 2 brush. Just odd-jobs here and there.

4. This a flat-top, angled foundation brush and I use it for my cream contouring. Since it's angled it really helps to blend out the lines of the dark foundation that I use for contouring.

5. This is my foundation brush that I use for my initial application of my foundation. It's a flat-top brush and works perfectly for buffing out my foundation. It's my favorite brush that I have ever used for my foundation.

6. I use this to line out my areas that I highlight (under my eyes, my cupid's bow, the center of my forehead, and my chin).

7. This brush is great for going in with some more cream contour for a darker application.

8. This brush is my concealer brush. I use it to stipple on any concealer over blemishes or red patches.

9. I use this brush for blending out my eyeshadow. This is the only brush out of this set that I don't use for foundations or concealers.

10. This is my odd-jobs brush. I use it to blend random things out that might be cakey-looking or to just smooth out any lines/creases in my foundation that I get under my eye while I'm applying.

Durability
These brushes did not feel very sturdy when I purchased them, but I continued to use them as I would with any other brush. After a couple months of use, my contouring brush (brush number 4) broke!

I was pretty upset at first, but I decided to take matters into my own hands. I used some of my Gorilla Super Glue (I love this stuff) and put the glue on the inside of the top half, and around the unpainted wood of the handle. I squeezed them together and held it in place for a minute and then let it dry overnight. Good as new! - Actually, better than new. It's really sturdy and I haven't had any problems with it since. One of my other brushes is loose now and I have my Gorilla Glue on standby for when it finally comes apart. It's not a major issue, but it does kind of suck. I'm just glad it was such an easy fix.

Overall Rating

The only con that I have encountered with these brushes was the durability, but even then, it could be easily fixed. And I think that price alone definitely outweighs that single con. These brushes are great for any level: whether you're new to makeup or a professional makeup artist. I would recommend these brushes to everybody. They feel great on my face and like I said, they're so cheap! If you really want to dish out the money for the higher-end makeup brushes, by all means, go right ahead; however, I don't feel the need to purchase something so expensive when these brushes work perfectly fine for me.

If you're looking for new foundation brushes or just looking to bulk up your brushes collection, I highly suggest purchasing these. I will continue to use these brushes until they fall apart and then once that happens, I will repurchase them.

I hope this review has helped you in some way. Let me know if you have any questions about them and also let me know what you think of these brushes if you have tried them out, too.

Photos by Jacob Medeiros

Review: Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur Body Mist

I purchased this item on a whim while at WalMart. I had a little extra money and found myself browsing the perfume aisle. I was first attracted to the bottle that it was in, and then I saw Rihanna's name and figured, 'hey, Rihanna probably smells nice, I wouldn't mind smelling like her.' So I bought the body mist, but the only thing is that I didn't realize it was a body mist and not a perfume (which explains a lot). I should have realized that from the price, though. But either way, the money has been spent and I have been using this body spray for about a month now and figured I'd share my experience with it.

Body Mist vs. Perfume

Before I start the actual review, I think it is necessary to describe the difference between a body mist and a perfume. I didn't know the difference until just recently, and it really is great information to have when looking at fragrances to purchase. A perfume has a stronger scent that lasts for long periods at a time. The formula has more oils and less water, making the scent more prominent. Now, a body mist is basically a watered down version of a perfume. It only lasts for about an hour at a time and the scent is a lot more subtle upon application.

Packaging

Since this is just a body mist, it does not come in any sort of box or fancy bottle. The bottle is plastic, and the decoration on the outside it just a sticker. It still looks elegant and appealing when sitting on my dresser, though. I purchased it with the sticker coming undone just a bit in the back, but when I display the bottle with the verbage facing forward, you can't even see it. Overall, it is a sturdy and cute bottle - it looks much more expensive than it is.

The Smell

When testing this in the store, the smell immediately drew me in. I usually am able to classify the different types of perfumes/body mists on a scale of fruity to spicy. This perfume is definitely on the spicy side - it has a punch to it that not everybody is fond of, but when applied, the smell is pleasant to all noses. My mother hates the spicier scents, but she complimented me before heading out one night and told me that I smelled nice.

Now, when this is actually applied, I feel like the smell just vanishes in the air and doesn't even stick to my body. As soon as I leave my room, the smell feels like it's gone. Usually when I wear a perfume, I can catch a whiff of it every now and then - my perfumes usually stick to my hair, so if my hair moves a certain way, I can smell it. With this one, the smell is gone the second I spray it.

I'd say that body mists last for about an hour on average. It is definitely a product that you'd need to keep on applying if you plan on having a long day. However, this body mist seems to last me about twenty minutes, even when I'm not sweating up a storm or on the run. It just doesn't stick - the smell vanishes so quickly and because the bottle is so clunky, it'd be too awkward to carry in my purse for reapplication.

Overall, I'd say that this body mist isn't even worth the $7.98 I spent on it. I honestly think that purchasing a body mist is a complete waste of money unless it's for a younger girl to play with. It could be a nice refresher after PE or working out just to help mask any sweaty or musky smell you might have, but even then it'll only help for a short period of time. I think that anybody would be better off just forking out the extra money to get a perfume, not a body mist.