NYX Cosmetics’ Epic Wear Liner Stick in Turquoise Storm

This isn’t a metallic full shimmer - it’s more of a “scattered aqua microglitter sparkle” on top of a rich royal-azure blue that has enough depth not to look like it came from the 1970s. If you have cool coloring and almost any eye color, this will accentuate it very nicely. The shimmer is light, and not prone to fallout. The liner stays blendable for a minute or two after application, then firms down and stays put for...

Polish Me Silly’s Sunset Beach

A solid, near-primary pair of colors. The polish shift is not soft or infinitesimal, though it is more visible on longer nails when the bed stays yellow and the tip turns orange. The yellow is even, eventually, fairly well behaved: it took me three coats, but the yellow actually gave me even coverage that was…well, if not opaque, it was not patchy. The polish also has a faint pink interference effect.

NYX Cosmetics’ Dazed and Diffused Blurring Lip Stick collection

Twelve firmer lipsticks in wood cores, with a wide flat brush at the end. These are similar to the Buxom Plumplines - but they come in a wider range of colors. (For instance, if a blue ever shows up in the Plumpline collection, I’ll be VERY surprised!) These are firmer than traditional lipsticks and wider than most lip liners, so it’s easier to apply them with a solid edge. The wide brush is good for evening out the...

Aromaleigh v2.1’s Leviticus

This color is almost autumnal - but almost not. To me, it’s a little brighter than more brown-toned, genuine “rust orange” shades. This could almost be a winter-holiday accent. At any rate, aside from the shade: this color applies well either wet or dry, and has a metallic finish either way. This is a warmer shade, but is almost neutral enough that folks with cool undertones can wear this if they wear it with other neutrals or so-called “grungy”...

Covergirl’s Exhibitionist Lash Primer

When I first opened this, I thought I’d gotten a bad tube. I went to the store and bought another one, specifically checking the date on the package…and lo and behold, when I got home, the stuff this tube was the same yellow-brown-white color. It’s got a slightly unnerving smell, too. It’s strong, a bit chemical-y, kind of sharp. (I truly thought that it had gone bad. Some Googling disabused me of that notion, but…yaag,...

Colourpop’s Blush Stix in Cool It

This is a very soft, cool pink with neutral tones. I have trouble getting it to show up on my skin. It is a perfect “first blush” shade for fair and light skintones - soft enough that it’s difficult to overapply, but with a soft bloom of color so that people can wear blush. The upside is, this makes a great “intro” cool pink blush color for folks whose undertones are more neutral than cool. The downside is, for...

Milani Cosmetics’ Color Statement Matte Lipstick in Matte Drama

I am not personally fond of brighter red lipsticks. I like how I look in deeper reds. This one - a cool-toned red with a velvety finish - is very much Dramatic Me. It’s hard to get a sharp smooth line, so I need to find a liner in this shade; but it goes on very nicely and, while it does fade and need reapplication after a few hours, it does stain my lips a bit so the fading...

Zoya’s Brighton

Color Club’s You Had Me At Aloha

A very bright red with no softness to it. This thing glows, no matter what lighting it’s in. Two coats gave me full opacity and smooth coverage. There’s a shine to the finished manicure even without a specifically shiny or glossy top coat. This polish isn’t quite thick enough to be a really good stamping polish, but it would make amazing high-contrast freehand nail art.

Girly Bits Cosmetics’ My Nink and Drails

I liked the look of this one in photos - the midtone purple, the metallic flakies, the internal luminosity of the finished manicure. I kind of wish that the flakies had been larger, but the distribution was good. There are enough to add a good amount of visual appeal without being overwhelming, or having that “shattered-glass” look that can happen when there are a whole lot more flakies in a polish. This was one of two polishes that I got...