Golden Gluteus

Update

2008-12-30T19:18:00.003-05:00

Hello all,

I'm just barely recovering from a long miscarriage. As it turned out, the nurse gave me an incomplete report; after "blighted ovum", she forgot to add "or arrested development", which is what it was. I bled for 40 days, no bleeding for a week, then some more bleeding for another week, and very unexpectedly, my body ejected an 11 week old foetus.

It's been 3 months since then, but I'm still emotionally and mentally drained. Our holidays have been blah so far, it didn't help that hubby got hit with a bout of norrovirus, which hit me too consequently, but we're alright now.

Other than that, I hope everyone had and are still having a great holiday. Best wishes for the forthcoming 2009!

The Baby That Never Was....

2008-07-04T22:08:00.016-04:00

First of all before I blog my heart out, I want to thank Toya, Erica and Anu for their kind words. I lost my baby that never was on Canada Day, July 1st 2008. Pregnant at 12 weeks, I was bleeding and waited at the emergency unit for 8 hours with occasional drunkies and victims of drunkies swarming in and out. The next day after running around for a referral (since my doctor was away on vacation) and calling ten places for an ultrasound appointment, we drove to an ultrasound unit an hour away, I found out that conception occurred but the fertilized egg never grew into an embryo and yet my amniotic sac kept growing. So for 3 months, I thought I had a baby growing inside of me when it was just a stunted ball of cells. I think this is nature's sickest joke, it's known as blighted ovum or early pregnancy failure. Apparenly it's common for first pregnancies but I hope that not even my worst enemy, if I have one, goes through this sick joke.

This pregnancy was unplanned and I freaked out when I found out and cried, but then I started feeling warm and fuzzy in a motherish way, did insane research into cloth diapers, chose an indian name and a french name for the baby, made the decision to breastfeed my baby for a year and to have a waterbirth, not to mention that we finalised the purchase of a house. I signed up with babyzone and babycentre and every week, checked to see what my baby looked like at that stage. I guess this pregnancy started with tears and was destined to end in tears, with delusional illusions in between. Hubby says that at least we didn't have to go through the process of seeing a foetus or even an embryo slowly ebb away from my body. I feel like a different person, I don't have that same weird obsession I had with makeup but I still appreciate it. In fact, I don't feel like I have any obsessions at all. I feel almost cold inside like a robot. Hubby is happy to move out of the apartment, I sort of dread moving into the house, because I know that I won't be bending over a playpen in the kitchen, I won't be nursing in the living room or carrying a bag of diapers into the laundry room...well you get my drift. I apologise for being so whiny, to make up it to you, I posted some cutesie pet pics and promise to get back on my beauty-bloghorse, which is after all the whole point of this blog.

What's up with GG?

2008-06-16T11:05:00.002-04:00

I owe an apology to my readers. However, a lot of life changing events have put a halt to my blogging privileges, time-wise. My grandfather passed away two weeks ago, I just graduated from law school a week ago and.... I'm unexpectedly pregnant! I have been hit big time by the LED light (Life, Death, Education) and am still wobbly from the after-shocks. Hubsie and I have also been busy buying a house, courtesy of the impending arrival of the newcomer. As well, from now till the beginning of July, I will be busy with the Professional Skills and Responsibility, a component of the lawyer licensing process. So I will be neglecting my beloved blog quite a bit, at least until July. A gazillion apologies.....

Dupe du jour:Nars Blush in Exhibit A

2008-05-14T14:54:00.012-04:00

Nars Exhibit A [Source:Instyle.com]

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in 'Orange'

To be perfectly honest, I don't own Nars Exhibit A, but before anyone indignantly points a "why..the nerve of it all?" finger at me in protest, may I please underline that I first learnt about the similarity between Nars Exhibit A and NYX Rouge cream blush in 'Orange' through her royal beauty maven-ness, high priestess of Aphrodite, beauty editor, and just as aphrodite-like in her appearance, the boom-chicka-boom-boom, Ms. Tia Williams of Shake Your Beauty blog. Here is the magical excerpt:

" 2.) NARS POWDER CHEEK BLUSHER IN EXHIBIT A ($25): Have I mentioned this before? If I have, it’s for good reason. When my friend, the genius makeup artist Sam Fine, whipped out this Crayola-electric orange-colored blush at my author photo shoot, I immediately worried that he’d lost his mind. But he was like, “Trust me bitch! The brighter the orange, the more natural the flush on brown skin.” Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Really, really true. Just dip a big, fluffy brush into the powder, smile, and swirl over the apples of your cheeks. It’s SHOCKING how radiant your skin becomes. OR TRY: NYX CREAM BLUSH IN ORANGE ($4.99) ."
[Source: http://www.tiawilliams.net/blog/2006/08/my-eye-game-is-soo-tight.html]

If you want to be doubly sure, here is a swatch of Exhibit A submitted by member Spectrolite of Specktra, bearing in mind that Exhibit A has been swatched on a skintone of NW 45 while the NYX Orange has been swatched on the underside of my arm, which being lighter than my face, is probably about a NC 30. Since it is a cream blush, it does have a bit more of a glow but don't let the creaminess turn you off for I can vouch for the lasting power. Applying it with fingers will give you a very pigmented look, so err on the safe side by using liquid foundation brush:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r212/black__dahlia/exhibitaswatch.jpg

FOTD:So that's what being a doughnut feels like....

2008-05-14T14:34:00.006-04:00

I'm feeling very frosty and oily in this FOTD, hence the title. I used the following items for this look, in case anyone wants to go for the oily and frosty look:

Face:

EDM concealer in sunlight
EDM foundation in buttered tan (Intensive)
NYX Mosaic highlighter
Annabelle Blush in #51, a beautiful golden pink

Eyes:

UDPP
Mad Minerals colour in 'Coralee'
Annabelle Smoothliner in Gunmetal (tighlined and applied on top lid)
Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara

Lips:

NYX round lipstick in 'Flower'

Mother's Day Special Pics

2008-05-14T13:56:00.012-04:00

For Mother's Day, my mother wished for tulips, so we brought her to the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa. The weather was lovely and the festival had an international Pavillon too which was great. Here are some pics with the family minus Hubby and furbies, who decided to stay back to clean up and catch up with the laundry...zzzz:

Momma strikes a fierce pose.

GG, a very awkward bro and sissi

A super-cute couple we met. Isn't she adorable?

Momma, GG and sissi

GG and sissi

Dupe du jour:Nars Blush in Taj Mahal

2008-05-14T13:26:00.005-04:00

Nars Taj Mahal truly evokes the image of an oriental summer evening, being engulfed by a sky splattered with oranges and gold courtesy of a dipping sunset, slowly bleeding away its rays. Just as the sunset lends its glow to the sky, Nars TM does exactly that to beauties with yellow or red undertones. Yellow undertones will glow with peachy effervescence and dark-skinned beauties will glow like the embers glinting from the eyes of a tigress lurking behind the grassland. Yes, indeed Nars TM has affected me so, that my knees weaken liked molten wax, pulling me down into poetry.
Yet, dark forces work to spoil my relish, my nemesis, BO (not body odour, Bismuth Oxychloride) sticks its ugly head from the list of ingredients and if I'm not careful, I'll have more ugly heads sticking out of my face. BO figures among the last ingredients, so I'm guessing it's not a huge amount, and my skin will tolerate TM if I layer my mineral makeup and my highlighter first, thus not allowing the BO to come into direct contact with my skin and if I position the blush high up on the 'ridge' of my cheekbone. However, it's good to have the fraternal twins of Nars TM handy when I want to have a glowy look from my cheeks. NYX mosaic in 'Love' has been the closest dupe so far, followed by EDM's B&B, the main difference is that Nars TM has a more yellowy tinge to it, Mad Minerals all purpose mineral colour in 'Trust' has more brown in it. I have also read that NYX powder blush is a more bronzy version of Nars TM, ths probably making it more wearable for those that find Nars TM too jaundice-like for their taste.

Well, I hope this will be helpful to anyone looking for cheaper and more wearable versions of Nars Taj Mahal.

GG's Mascara ApplicationTips and Tutorial

2008-05-01T22:15:00.011-04:00

A few key points before I start:

I do the following steps before putting liner on and after putting shadow on. I find that putting liner on first and mascara after takes some of the oomph away from my lashes. When I have my mascara on first, and then line my eyes, my lashes really pop out more. Of course, it's much trickier to line your eyes after having your mascara on but for me personally, the results are worth it.

Also I never use a curler because I am terrified of losing my lashes, I know that we do naturally 'shed' our lashes occasionally but I want to err on the safe side.
As well for some reason, only some mascara agrees with me, for example I don't know why but l'oreal, lakme and revlon mascaras make my lashes fall out whereas mascaras like Maybelline Turbo boost and Clinique don't, so if you find that your lashes are falling out more than usual, it could be the type of mascara you are using.

Occasionally, I'll rub castor oil or almond oil at the base of my lashes with a cotton bud, but not always for too much castor oil no es bueno

Finally: this the method that has best worked for me personally and therefore, this tutorial is strictly TFY (Try For Yourself). Many might find it over the top and/or tedious, that's fine because everyone is busy and time is of the essence; this works for me because I'm so used to applying mascara this way everyday, hence it does not take me very long.

Steps:

Start with clean lashes and work one eye at a time.

Prep your lashes by combing out any stickies or simply run your finger along the tips of your lashes. If you have droopy lashes like me, you might want to push those suckers (the ones at the outer corner) as you prep your lashes.

Get your mojo out and if you find the wand too gloopy, wipe a little bit off gently with a tissue. Don't rub hard because you don't want to have pieces of tissues sticking to it. I only wipe off the wand occasionally, I actually want a bit of the goop to stay on the wand.

Now, hold your mascara in front of your eyes so that the tip of the wand touches the tips of your lashes (WARNING: be careful not to poke yourself in the eye). Lower your lid or simply look down and in a sweeping motion from the corner (tear duct) to the outer tip of lashes, brush just the tip of the wand along the tips of your (upper) lashes, concentrating on those outer tips to give an awake and winged effect.

Next, still with your lid down but not closed, apply mascara to lashes from underneath and as you do so 'walk' your wand from the roots to the tip of lashes and 'hold' it up firmly as you reach the tips.

Having primer-coated your lashes from underneath, keep your lid down and coat the top part of your lashes, if you want to go for that babydoll look. Yes it feels like you are pushing your lashes down and defeating the purpose of the previous step but it won't matter as you will see in the last step. Alternatively you can do this step before the previous one or skip it altogether.

Finally, look up and apply mascara as you normally would, wiggling the mascara from the roots to the lashes, once more concentrating on the outer lashes, don't be afraid to purposefully "clump" two of them for that winged look.

Working quickly, run your baby finger or a cotton bud along the tips of lashes to clean up any goopy points.

Clean up any messes on your skin with a cotton bud very lightly smeared in your favourite, refreshing cream or cleansing milk or moistened with a bit of gentler toner such as rosewater. I find vaseline a bit too greasy for this but will use it if I cannot find anything else.
Rather than wiping the mess away from the skin, dab it gently with the cotton bud until the mess dissappears, that way it won't affect your eyeshadow application and all the work put in applying, blending the different colours won't go down the drain.

There we go, I have bared my soul to you (as they say, 'the eyes are the window to the soul' or something like that). I hope that this will enrich your mascara application experience and whatever you do, don't you poke yourself in the eyes. As Ponctius Pilate said:" I wash my hands of it". Thank you for reading GG's mascara tips and tutorial.

Tag, You're It !

2008-05-01T20:56:00.007-04:00

Oye Vey! I've been tagged by the gorgeous anu of www.indianmakeupdiva.com (I tried to figure out this linking business, I'm not getting it!) to name my six quirky characteristics, I'm also supposed to tag 6 other beauty mavens but most of you popular babes have been tagged already..aarrgh. Anyways here goes:

1. I am a green tea addict, let me translate that for you : at least 5 cups of green tea daily and because I hate getting up ten times to make myself a single cup, I will either make a thermos of hot water or have 3 cups of green tea by me at one go.

2. In the doggie-kitty world, I'm known as the "googoo-gaggler", let me define this term for you: 'someone who goes overboard while baby-talking to their pets and might add the suffix 'boo' or 'choo' after their pets' name' or if you've seen Elmira of Tiny Toons and how all the lil' critters run away from her, you'll understand.

3. I am addicted to checking my appearance constantly in the mirror or by default, anything reflective, I guess you could say I'm narcissistic but not in a 'ooooh I'm all that' way , more like 'am I looking presentable/do I have something hanging off my face?'. Yes, I admit to checking my reflection using my cellphone as a mirror in public while pretending to check for missed calls or text messages.

4. This was a former quirk: I used to have this weird need of going to bed with wet feet, now I've replaced it with the need of wearing fresh, clean and cushy socks before going to bed.

5. Every morning, I have to have the same breakfast of a cup of green tea, a bowl of a biscuit and a half of Weetabix in warm milk and a quarter glass of O.J with my vitamins, calcium, omega-3 and iron capsules. Is this quirky at all??

6. I'm afraid of shaking hands, writing on a paper that I will have to hand in to someone else, running my hands through my hair in public because I suffer from hyperhydrosis.

I wish to tag Virtuous Blue, Tiny Toya, the cute Connie of Skindeco.blogspot.com and boohoo I think everyone else has already been tagged. I don't want to boggle people down with tags, is there a tagetiquette code?

Of Ocean Spring and Peaches

2008-05-01T13:04:00.010-04:00

On a more cheery note, I'm posting a FOTD to make up for being "bad" at my blogging duties. It's another sort of impromptu look when I just sat at my makeup table and started playing with my favourite colours. This look was inspired by a fantasy of me sitting by a spring lake in rustic Italy or France, sinking my teeth into ripe juicy, peaches or nectarines and dipping my toes in the cool, cool water... ah vacation, vacation:

[ MEET CYCLOPS ;D ]

Eyes:

Inner corner:Milani Carribbean sea

Middle: Annabelle loose powder shadow in cool mint

Crease: MAC pigment in emerald

General Highlight: Indelible creme shadow in nude

Browbone highlight: MAC metal-X cream shadow in Fusion Gold

Eyeliner: Indelible gel liner in Scuba Dive

Mascara: Maybelline Turbo Boost Volume Express in black

Blush: NYX Mosaic in 'Love'

Lips:

Primed with NYX Lipspa in Hush

NYX round lipstick in Sierra

Happy Times, Sad Times

2008-04-30T12:11:00.004-04:00

I am both happy and sad today. I'm happy to be done with my exams and paper (thank you Christiana and Anu for your encouragement) but I'm sad for sis Nessa, who just lost her bugsie bunny. The wee little thing was just precious and passed away suddenly. As a lifelong pet owner, I have witnessed quite a few pet losses and every single time, it felt like my heart would just explode from all the sadness. I can only imagine what Nessa and Jon (her boyfriend) must be going through, specially when I saw how they were bottle feeding the little darling. I can only hope that they come through this difficult period and reach some sort of closure: what time creates, time will heal. Rest in Peace, lil' bunny and know that you were and will always be cherished.

Mercy and Understanding...

2008-04-15T11:03:00.003-04:00

As much as I am itching to go on a blogging rampage, I am sorry to say that due to exams and a pesky paper, I will have to restrain myself. I am aiming at finishing the paper ASAP and then in between exam reviews, one can always blog for a break ;) . Here a few things to look forward to:

-Try For Yourself (TFY) : GG's mascara tutorial
-Dupe du jour: Nars Taj Mahal and Exhibit A

-Also I am very pleased to announce that I will be taking part in a series of interview conducted by the fan-toya-bulous blogger " The Life of a Ladybug". I learnt about this great initiative through my very cute redheaded friend, Mischobeauty, www.mischobeauty.com. If you are a person of colour and in love with colour and want to share that love, I strongly suggest you email her at lifeofaladybug@gmail.com . I believe the process has been initiated, and her blog is already displaying great interviews :http://lifeofaladybug.typepad.com/. However there is no deadline, so RUN to your email and spread the love and know-how!

Dupe du jour:In case you missed C-shock...

2008-04-13T16:35:00.006-04:00

If like me, you missed M.A.C's C-shock collection and regret it, regrets begone! Ben Nye' s Lumiere Grande eye shadows are bang on replicas of those scrumptious, candy-colored goodies.

Here is a cross-reference list:

M.A.C's C-shock = Ben Nye's Lumiere Grande shadows
Going Bananas = Sun Yellow
Fab and Flashy = Tangerine
Bang on Blue = Cosmic blue
Wondergrass = Chartreuse
Big T = Mermaid green/Jade
Romping = Cosmic Violet

To compare for yourself, Temptalia.com has great C-shock swatches whereas Pursebuzz.com has the Ben Nye swatches. The BNLG shadows are available as part of a pallette on ebay for about US$35 for the 6 colour pallette and US$65 for the 12 colour pallette or for canadian shoppers, I know that Malabar.net sells them individually for CDN13.50 each

Everyday Minerals specials

2008-04-12T13:41:00.002-04:00

Enter discount code W8gbZm in your cart to get 10% off your order before April 15th! And all orders over $32 (after discount and minus shipping) receive sample sizes of their new Siesta-inspired blush Summer Stroll , and also a beautiful new pink with berry accents shade, like a cousin to their Chit Chat, called Walkee Talkee (preview colors).

SALE ALERT:MAD MINERALS

2008-04-12T12:57:00.004-04:00

The shopping cart will automatically take 20% OFF all orders over $20.00. including items currently on sale, bargain bin items, everything!Sale Ends Monday April 14 th!

Review: Pure Luxe Soothing Calamine Facial bar

2008-04-10T23:54:00.005-04:00

I was very excited to use this soap and had high hopes for it. Having read some positive reviews from people who had sensitive skin, I assumed this soap would be very gentle, inspite of being made of calamine powder. Unfortunately, this soap was too drying for me, in fact it was so drying that my skin was getting to be itchy and stretchy and if you know me, when my facial skin feels irritated, I just cannot help but pick and scratch at it; a BIG beauty NO-NO. However, I believe it's still a great soap and gentle alternative for those who have oily skin and/or acne and what could be better than a handmade all-natural soap? I found the calamine-soapy smell to be really overpowering too, so that was another issue for me.

It could also be that the Canadian winter is one reason due to which my skin isn't fully appreciating this soap. Ever since hitting 24, my skin has been getting dryer and dryer, and therefore I have zero tolerance for anything that turns it into the Gobi desert. I stopped using it, thinking I would reserve it for special occasions, but hubsie bubsie made the decision for me to give it up altogether when unknownst to me, he used the soap on his umentionable parts while showering..LOL. I still haven't given up on Pure Luxe and have decided that maybe soap just isn't for me (so far the only sudsy cleanser working for me is Marcelle's (another Canadian brand) age defying shea-butter based foaming cleanser, even that's with occasional use), hence I ordered their oil cleanser which just sounds yummy as it contains lemon oil..hmmm. I can already smell the fresh, lemony scent. Let's wait and see.

M.A.C Free Shipping Code

2008-04-10T11:57:00.002-04:00

US and Canadian Shoppers, take advantage of M.A.C's current free shipping code: Spring8; Valid till April 13th 2008.

First FOTD

2008-04-10T11:47:00.016-04:00

Hello beauties! I did this FOTD sort of impromptu, so by virtue of being untweezed, unthreaded and unprimed, I might seem...for lack of a better word...icky and hairy. Just for the fun of it, I used 9 colours for this look. I apologize if the colour payoff is not the best on photo as I'm still learning to use the camera optimally based on sis Nessa and sis Temptalia's guidelines, so if anyone has more advice, that would be great. I have listed the products in the order used:

FACE:

Mac studiofix concealer NC 35

EDM buttered tan [semi matte and original glo]

NYX highlighter mosaic

Milani Mai tai

EYES:

Urban Decay Potion Primer (UDPP)

Mad Minerals Creme Shadow nude frost (Highlighted browbone)

Vasanti Tinseltown pallette in the reflective gold (first third of eye near duct)

L.A Colors in Serenade : 2nd lightest pink (second third of eye)

NYX Ocean (Outer third of eye)

NYX Casablanca (placed right next to Ocean and dragged along upper lid)
NYX Lanikai (only near tearduct)

Vasanti Tinseltown in the dark purple (outer V)

NYX Red Bean Pie (final outer contour)

Annabelle gleam (once again on highlighted area)

Annabelle eye pencil in Curacao, only from outer bottom lid to middle of lid

Lakme liquid eyeliner (top lid)
Maybelline mascara

LIPS:

NYX Lipspa in Hush (I LOVE this product, it's the best for priming your lips mosture-wise, specially before wearing frosty colours, it truly, truly makes those pesky lines dissappear)

NYX Lipstick in Rosebud (a very frosty colour, but the lipgloss obviously 'killed' the frost)

NYX Lipgloss Megashine in Tea rose

Beauty North Flash:Vasanti Cosmetics - Cream Eyeliner Quads

2008-04-09T10:51:00.005-04:00

(Pictures courtesy of http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/)

Vasanti Cosmetics is another beauty brand, of which Canucks ought to be proud. Its motto being "I love my colour", mirrors the multicultural (and intercultural) beauties that grace the Canadian land. The line is a little pricy for my taste but I also believe that all the work put into creating it, both in terms of form and substance, justifies the numbers. Vasanti products are just as rich in pigmentation and quality just as they are sleek and classy in their packaging, not to mention all the thought put into producing the website in order to build a certain brand image. So far, the only product from Vasanti is the Tinseltown eye pallette, a very 'bollywoody'/arabian nights-like colour combo (swatches coming soon). Their newest release consists of two cream liner quads, priced at $25 CDN, with starry names (Description taken from http://www.vasanticosmetics.ca/):

Midnight Sun Cream Eyeliner Quad: The perfect palette of monochromatic shades to acheive a variety of sultry looks!

Shades:

-Black :true rich intense black Silver

-Metallic grey silver: great for all over the lid or on the inner bottom rim of the eyes

-Purple : rich plum that works for all skintones

- Navy Blue :a rich indigo blue that is bright and unique

Lunar Eclipse Eyeliner Quad The perfect palette of warm shades to bring out the natural colour of your eyes:

Shades:

-Brown :perfect rich brown

-Bronze :soft metallic bronze, perfect shade to brighten

-Green: deep forest green

-Teal :the perfect greenish blue that brings out brown and hazel eyes

I have to admit that putting the black and brown liner in separate palletes is a rather clever sales and marketing tactic. I mean, what makeup addict gets the black liner but not the brown one?

Beauty North Flash:Annabelle Spring/Summer Release

2008-04-08T21:36:00.005-04:00

I was at Shoppers' Drug Mart the other day and spotted Annabelle Cosmetics' new Spring/Summer release. The theme was all about a mosaic of colours that catered to looks of 'I ran along the sea shore' pinky cheeks to ' I was lying under the Costa rican sun all day'.I had to really control my urges as I just splurged a bunch on NYX. When Annabelle Cosmetics releases its limited editions, they are only available at Shoppers' Drug Mart and whatever's available will be displayed on a special stand, so if you catch this post in time, I urge you to take a look at this season's Annabelle goodies and give them a try!

I was really tempted to get 'Pink Sync' (the pink blush), because believe it or not I don't own a single pink powder blush. The bronzer in the collection, 'Bronze belle' is also a yummy buttery golden. It's obvious that the blush and bronzer were a great hit, because there were barely any left.
The shadow pallettes are very reminiscent of Lise Watier's eye shadow trios. The trio colours reflected colours that could pass off for both spring and tropical colours such khaki, spring greens,sunny yellows, peachy oranges and azur blues while pushing for a taupy purple smoky spring/summer night look.
The lipglosses were, in the spirit of the theme, ranging from pastel milky pinks, to bronzy browns and peaches.

Swatches: NYX Megashine Lipgloss

2008-04-07T21:28:00.008-04:00

1st row (L-R): Tea rose, Lala, Barbie Pink
2nd row (L-R): Crystal Soda, Candy Shop, Pop(Alert: Pop is very glitter-heavy)

1st row (L-R): Plush red, Nutmeg (not as muddy as it looks, it comes out a beautiful spice [brown with red undertones] colour on the lips)

2nd row (L-R):French Kiss, Smokey Look

Review: NYX Doll Lash Mascara (lengthening)

2008-04-06T20:08:00.013-04:00

Before:Naked lashes After:with NYX doll lash

This mascara is made in Korea, so it's formulated like many of those asian lash-lengthening mascaras and works by adding on tiny fibres to your lashes (see below for ingredients). However, it does not feel heavy but I'll warn you not to be caught wearing this mascara in the rain or while swimming. Due to its formulation, it disintegrates as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, and you'll be left with tiny fibres streaking down your face. On the other hand, it can be safely said that it comes off very easily.The lengthening version works very well, I would say it works too well, since the overall effect was spidery, so next time I'll try the NYX Doll Lash Volumizing version. Still, a beautiful poor man's version of fancy fake lash-effect mascaras!

NYX Lip Spa Swatches & Review

2008-04-06T19:53:00.004-04:00

From left: Jewel, Juicy, Hush

Jewel: a nice coral-pink Juicy: reddish tint Hush: nudey caramel

I've heard that NYX lip spa tends to soften way too much in the heat but I haven't had this problem but then again, it's still cold here in Canada. Just for kicks, I wore the Lip spa as part of my night-time routine and my lips came out super smooth and plump in the morning!

NYX Lipstick swatches

2008-04-06T19:44:00.004-04:00

From top left, clockwise:Indian Pink, Rosebud, Flower

From top left, clockwise: Frappuccino,Pumpkin Pie, Sierra, Goddess

From top left, clockwise:Creamy beige, Honey, Stone, Hermes

Can you say NYX without saying LOVE?

2008-04-04T21:53:00.018-04:00

I finally bought the Canon SD 1000 and I love it!

Here is part of my NYX haul. The lipsticks are smooooth and stay on for quite a while but I do find that they have a funny smell but it's not too noticeable. The colours below correspond to the order of the lipsticks in the picture to the left. Swatches to follow...

From left to right: Creamy beige, Honey, Stone, Hermes

From left to right: Frapuccino, Pumpkin pie, Sierra, Goddess

From left to right: Indian Pink, Rosebud, Flower