MAC Nymphette vs. NARS Orgasm {Dupe!}

If you've read my blog before you know I love the color gold.  Love.  And another one of my favorite colors is peach, so put the two together and naturally you will create the most beautiful shade of lip gloss ever.  Since I love these colors so much I sometimes find that I have very similar products in my collection...

Nymphette was the first gloss I ever bought from MAC and it's still one of my favorites.  Its the perfect top over almost any pinky/ nude lipstick and yet beautiful on its own as well.  

NARS Orgasm blush is a cult favorite.  So much so they extended their Orgasm line to include an illuminator, lip gloss, nail polish, and one of their famous multiples.  When they reformulated their lipglosses and Sephora offered a deluxe sample of their Orgasm gloss as a Beauty Insider 100 Point Perk, so naturally I snatched it up.  Once I brought it home, swatched it next to Nymphette and found their almost exact dupes for each other.  If you own one you probably don't need the other.  

Direct Comparisons

	MAC Nymphette	NARS Orgasm
Color	Nymphette is a true peach color with finely milled gold micro glitter running through it.	Orgasm is more of a pinky- coral (so a tad brighter) with the same gold micro glitter.
Texture	Like most MAC glosses Nymphette is quite sticky, but the stickier the gloss the longer the wear time.	Orgasm has a much smoother and silkier texture.
Scent	That delicious MAC vanilla smell but a more muted glossy version.	I can’t really place the scent here.  It smells to me like that generic lip gloss scent.
Price	$18 CDN	$29 CDN
Availability	MAC counters, stores, and online	NARS counters, Sephora, and online

MAC Nymphette, NARS Orgasm

MAC Nymphette, NARS Orgasm

What do you think?  Dupe or not?  Have you tried either of these glosses?

| Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin |

xoxo

The Lip Product Addict {Tag}

Happy National Lipstick Day! 

I was recently tagged to do this Lip Product addict tag from the beautiful MJ from MJ in the Sky with Glitter and I thought no better way to celebrate today than with a lipstick related tag; that and a bold lip of course!

1. Favourite Balm / Treatment?

Oh, Burts Bees.  I love their Grapefruit "Refreshing" balm and am nearing the end of my third tube!  One treatment that I'm interested in trying is the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Champagne... It's rose gold, need I say more?

2. Best Eye-Catching Red?

I love reds.  But I have to say my most eye-catching would be Viva Glam Rihanna, I talk a little more about it here but the frosted finish is stunning.  Paired with the Viva Glam Riri Lipglass and were talking ruby-red perfection.  

3. Best Luxury & Best Drugstore?

When I think "luxury" cosmetics I think Chanel, I think Tom Ford, Dior and YSL.  None of which I own... So as for my most expensive lipsticks (which also happens to be one of my favorites) I have Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Bumbleberry.  It's formula is incredibly buttery and moisturizing and fades of evenly and naturally.  Bumbleberry is a deep "my lips but better" shade that I love for everyday.  Not to mention the sleek gold packaging feels very luxurious.  

Too Faced Bumbleberry

Best of the drugstore is easy!  Revlon Matte Balms have one of my favorite formulas; matte but not drying and extremelyyyyy pigmented.  Plus a lot of the colors in the Matte Balm line are dupes for popular MAC mattes as well.

Revlon Matte Balms (L) swatched next to popular MAC mattes.  More information here. 

4. Best MAC Lipstick?

Fabby is my most used color.  It's a mauve pink with pink frost- and a little transformer.  Put a nude colored gloss on it and it's the most beautiful neutral.  Put a pink toned gloss on it and you have a wearable light(ish) pink lip.  If you love the look of light pinks on others but aren't exactly comfortable wearing them yourself Fabby is definitely a shade you should look in to.  Perfect to live in your purse. 

Fabby swatched next to, then layered with Revlon Colorburst in Crystal Violet, taken from my Lip Duo Tag

5. The Most Disappointing?

For this category MJ chose the EOS lip balms, and I think I have to agree.  They're so cute and my favorite scents (Honey Dew and Sweet Mint) are always on my bedside table and in my bathroom but they aren't nearly as moisturizing as they could/ should be.  

6. Liner - Yes or No?

I love liner, but is it ideal for everyday? Probably not.  So as a general rule if I'm wearing a bold red, or deep berry color I will always have liner because it makes it more low maintenance and prevents the color from bleeding.  For more natural colors I usually skip the liner but do have a fav nude for those days when I want to take the extra step.  

7. Best gloss?

Yummmm, NYX Butterglosses, everybody's favorite gloss.  My favorite shade is Tiramisu (especially over Fabby)  I don't think theres anything I can say that hasn't already been said; they're buttery, soft, non-sticky, and affordable.  

8. Something extra!

Not everyday, not every week, but every so long my lips desperately need a good scrub!  I did invest in the Fresh Cosmetics sugar lip scrub but then did a little DIY science experiment and found that I could make a great one in my own kitchen.  So although I won't be repurchasing the Fresh one, I do enjoy using it in the meantime.  

Scrubbing and exfoliating your lips will remove any dead skin from the surface of your lips which will allow them to absorb moisture better, your lipstick to apply smoother and improve the overall condition of your lips.  Which we all need every once in a while!  If you're interested in my DIY pursuit you can read it here.  

Aaaand that's all I have to say! Thank you for reading, hopefully you learned something or discovered a great new product that you're curious to try now! Remember to bust out a bright pink or red lip this afternoon and celebrate National Lipstick day with a fun color choice!

If you're interested in doing this tag, please do so! I tag the following ladies and all of you as well:

Karen (KP Says)

Krystal (Little Beauty Bug)

Jasmine (Jasmine McRae)

| Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin |

xoxo

Younique 3D Fiber Mascara

Younique is a cosmetic company based almost entirely online with individual presenters selling products through various social media outlets.  Their collection ranges from highlight and contour products, lip glosses, pigments, the most talked about 3D Fiber Mascara, and so much more. 

Recently Kristin from www.ineedlashtherapy.com was kind enough to send me a package of Younique products to test and try out.  I was sent a monthly promotional package that included (of course) the Moonstruck Fiber mascara, Lucrative Lipgloss in the shade Luxe, and Moonstruck Pigments in both Angelic and Confidence.

Left to right: Angelic wet, Angelic dry, Confidence wet, Confidence dry

Moonstruck Minerals Pigment Powder: These loose pigments ended up being my favorite products in the bundle!  Their main ingredient is Mica, which is a mineral that gives them their shimmer.  They're extremely buttery and easy to blend into other shadows.  Angelic (left) is a creamy butter yellow color, whereas Confidence (right) reminds me of a duo chrome; brown in some lights but also reflecting gold in others. They apply like a dream when used dry but mixed with a little Fix+ become even more intensely pigmented.  

What's most impressive about these pigments is their longevity, after a six hour restaurant shift my eye makeup looked as it did when I had began.  I'm excited to play around a little more with them and maybe try applying Confidence wet (with a small liner brush) to create a wearable day time wing. Retail: $10.00 each

Luxe

Lucrative Lipgloss:  If you aren't a fan of sticky glosses then you will love the formula of these lip glosses; they're soft and comfortable on the lips (they're chalk full of moisturizing/ softening ingredients!)  I found on it's own the gloss lasted about an hour before I wanted to reapply.  My only complaint about the lip gloss is actually the packaging.  I love that it has a mirror, similar to the Whitening Lightening glosses but the plastic is so lightweight it's almost nothing and the material of the actual applicator has a stiff fuzzy texture that feels funny on the lips.  Retail: $15.00

3D Fiber Mascara

Moonstruck 3D Fiber Lashes:  Finally, the most anticipated fiber mascara.  It comes packaged in a beautiful black case with two tubes, one of "Transplating Gel" and the other of "Natural 3D Fibers" which are made from green tea!  Application instructions say to first apply one coat of your favorite mascara (it's recommended you use a lengthening one), then gel, fiber, gel, repeat, until you reach your desired look. However, with Kristin's advice I skipped the first coat of mascara and went immediately in with the transplanting gel.  She also recommended I do one eye at a time which I found made application a lot easier and prevented the gel from drying before you can adhere the fibers.

I won't lie to you, it takes a minute to get the hang of application as it can get messy! But this is the mascara I now reach for when I'm going out and want to fake a false lash look.  It gives big, thick, long lashes that are way easier to apply than falsies!  The best part is that if you seal the fibers properly with a good coat of the transplanting gel they will not budge; not a flake, even if you're out dancing and sweaty (I don't lie to you here- this is real life stuff!)  You can build the fibers on top of each other until you reach the thickness and length you're going for (I used two coats).  And finally, if you aren't a fan of thicker "clumpy" lashes, go in immediately with a  lash comb when the gel is still damp and comb them out. Retail: $29.00

Have you heard of these Younique products?  Are they something you're interested in trying?

Thank you so much to Kristin for giving me the opportunity to try and review these products!

If anyone has any additional questions or is interested in purchasing any of the products 

mentioned above you can contact Kristin at ineedlashtherapy@gmail.com or 

visit her website at www.ineedlashtherapy.com

Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own and have not influenced in

 any way by any third party advertisers or individuals.

| Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin |

xoxo

Color Your Smile Lipgloss Bouquet {Review}

Recently Jaclyn Hill teamed up with cosmetic company Whitening Lightening to create the "perfect rose gloss" which she appropriately named Rose Hill. When she announced that it was available online, I had another fan girl moment (much like when I ordered her Sigma brush kit) where I paused the video, and instantly placed an order.

You can order Jaclyn's gloss on it's own, or order a bundle for a discounted price.  I chose the "lip gloss bouquet" which features Rose Hill along with three other of Jaclyn's favorite lipglosses from the Color Your Smile line.  It was only $11 more to get the four gloss bundle than it would be for me to order just Rose Hill and Nude (another gloss I was interested in).    

Left to right: Pink Tiara, Nude, Coral Craze, Rose Hill

Jaclyn Hill Lip Gloss Bouquet:
Rose Hill: "Jaclyn’s perfect rose gloss"
This is definitely one of my favorites in the bouquet.  It's the perfect balance between warm pink and red.  I like to wear it when I'm out and about because it gives a nice flush of color without being too much of a bold red for day time.    

Pink Tiara: "a sophisticated and sultry baby pink"
Pink Tiara is the only gloss in the collection I'm a little unsure about.  It's a very pale, blue based pink which I usually steer far away from.  This being said, since it's a gloss it seems to be more wearable than an opaque lipstick.  Karen, from KPsays, describes it as a "pepto bismol pink" which is a spot on color description, but hopefully I will find a way to make it work this summer!

Coral Craze: "a sun-drenched peachy nude"
I'm so excited to wear this over my favorite "Coral Bliss" lipstick from MAC.  It's one of those beautiful peachy pink corals that is perfect for this time of year.  I find with my warm complexion that corals suit me better than most pinks.  This gloss was a definite win.

Nude: "a timeless and flawless nude that is a must in every collection."

I've wanted to order this color for a long time so I was excited that it was included in this package.  This nude gloss is talked about so much on YouTube and I now know why.  It's so versatile and wears well on its own, or over almost any lipstick. I also like to wear this layered with Rose Hill for more of a muted rosey lip.

Claims:

"Our fresh and fun lighted lip gloss has created quite the buzz. COLOR YOUR SMILE Gloss is a highly-pigmented velvety smooth formulation that contains collagen peptides to boost moisture and fullness for the perfect pout. Infused with anti-aging ingredients, this innovation is a luxurious lip product that will make its way into your everyday makeup routine."

Formula/ Pigmentation:

The formula of these glosses is so creamy.  It's comfortable and moisturizing which makes them easy to wear for long periods of time. The pigmentation of these glosses is unreal too.  Each swatch below was completely opaque after just two swipes of the applicator.

Left to right: Rose Hill, Pink Tiara, Coral Craze, Nude

Lasting Power:

The longevity of these glosses is another thing I was really impressed with.  I find they last on my lips for around 2 hours before I need to retouch them.

Scent:

They have a weird "unscented" scent.  They definitely don't smell good, but they don't exactly smell bad... if you know what I mean.

Packaging:

You either love it, or you hate it.  I personally think it's a bit gimmicky. Each gloss has an LED light that turns on every time open it, and a mirror on the side of the square tube.  I will admit, the mirror is handy but I find the light makes it hard to see how much product you're applying.  They say  "our LED light and mirror make it the perfect purse companion for touch ups on an evening out."  However, on the average afternoon out, I really don't have a need for an light up LED lipgloss.  

Price/Availability:     

Online each gloss retails for $24.00, or you can purchase bundles.  Mine was the Jaclyn Hill lipgloss bouquet which cost $59 for four glosses.  But there are a few other bundles also available on the website.  Whitening Lightening constantly has coupon codes offering site wide discounts on their products, so make sure if you place an order you don't pay full price!  If you follow them on Instagram they are always sharing their latest coupon codes that give you discounts ranging from 10-25% off so make sure you take advantage of them!

Likes:

• Creamy comfortable formula
• Excellent pigmentation
• Cute mirror
• Staying power

Dislikes:

• I really wish the LED light had the option to turn off 
• Despite my 25% off discount code, these glosses turned out to be more expensive than I expected.  Shipping to Canada was $9.50, and then I also had to pay custom charges when I received my package (another $15.75) 

Overall: ★★★★

What I love most about all of these glosses is the quality of the formula.  Between the texture, pigmentation, and longevity you seriously can't go wrong.  However, the light does bug me (I think it's a little tacky) and when I had to pay an additional $15 when I received my package you could say I was a little less than excited.  This is why I probably won't be purchase anything from the Whitening Lightening site in the near future, but overall I am very happy with my lip gloss bouquet.

Have you tried the Color Your Smile lip glosses or any other Whitening Lightening products? 

I'd love to hear what you think!

xoxo

| Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin |

Lip Duos! {Tag}

 A few weeks ago on Instagram I did my first ever photo challenge! It was created by @ahxo0209 and simply asks you to pick a different pair of lipgloss/ lipsticks everyday for a week! I loved that it challenged me to dig through my lipsticks to find/ rediscover some beautiful combos.

I thought it would be fun to do a recap and include swatches of each of my picks from the week as well as a swatch of them layered together! 

Day One: Nude

In the past I haven't been very comfortable with nude lips- but I finally found something that works with my olive skin tone.  MAC's Naked Bud is a lustre finish neutral that is easy and comfortable to wear.  MAC Nymphette layered on top gives it a pinkier- golden sheen.  Both of these swatches photographed a little oranger than they appear in person.  I consider them to be peach-y. 

Left to right: MAC Naked Bud, MAC Nymphette, both layered

This being said I usually prefer a darker nude! Revlon Sultry is a beautiful rosey- brown "my lips but better" color that when paired with NYX Tiramisu butter gloss (another perfect my lips but better color) creates an amazing day time color suitable for class, work, running errands, and everything else in between.  Tiramisu is one of those glosses that is just an all around star- it pairs well with almost every peach, pink, brown, and nude lip color in my collection.

Revlon Sultry, NYX Tiramisu, both layered

Day Two: Light Pink

Light pink is a little out of my comfort zone but this lip duo is perfection.  MAC Fabby has a frosted finish that the MAC website describes as a mauve. However, I feel like its a true golden- pink.  It's almost Nymphette in lipstick form (although that doesn't really translate in these photos).  I usually layer it with Revlon's Color Stay lipgloss is Crystal Lilac.  This color is so unique- a light pink with tiny purple micro shimmer within it that catches in the light.  

Mac Fabby, Revlon Crystal Lilac, layered

Day Three: Coral/ Orange

MAC Coral Bliss is one of my favorite lipsticks, it's the perfect balance between coral and pink.  For the purposes of my Instagram photos I paired it with my well loved Arbonne lipgloss in Posh, which pulls out the pink undertones.  But after I posted the photo I stumbled across my Maybelline Color Elixir Gloss in Breaktaking Apricot, which looks very pink when swatched alone however when layered with Coral Bliss they create a true coral color.

MAC Coral Bliss, Arbonne Posh, layered, Maybelline Breathtaking Apricot, layered with Coral Bliss

Day Four: Bright Pink

I included a lip swatch of MAC Pink Nouveau on my Instagram so I really felt like this Elizabeth Arden gloss deserved the spot light.  It brightens any lipstick and is gorgeous all on its own (which is not something I say about many glosses).

Elizabeth Arden Pink Pout

Day Five: Red

I talked about these two colors recently in my "Secret to Long Wearing Comfortable Red Lips" post so you won't be surprised about why I chose to include them in this tag. They're my favorites! Both are blue based reds. Rihanna's Viva Glam is frost finish and Viva Glam I is matte. 

MAC Rihanna Viva Glam, MAC Viva Glam I

Day Six: Purple/ Berry

Shameless is perfect on it's own.  It does tend to bleed so I usually line my lips with MAC Currant lipliner.  For the odd time I want to pair it with a gloss I found two options for two different looks.  Revlon's Sugar Violet isn't very pigmented on your lips therefore it gives a beautiful sparkle and shine without altering the color beneath it drastically.  My other gloss is Maybelline's Color Elixir Raspberry Rhapsody which lightens Shameless and pulls out fuchsia tones in the color.  

Revlon Shameless, Revlon Sugar Violet, layered, Maybelline Raspberry Rhapsody, layered with Shameless

Day Seven: Your Most Unique Color

Finally, my most unique color.  I love these matte lip crayons by Bite Beauty (I feel like I've said that about every product I've mentioned).  The shade Grape is a violet shade but in the right light or layered with the right lipstick or gloss is can be such a pretty pinky-purple.  I mentioned on Instagram that I don't usually pair this with a gloss- but if I were going to Sugar Violet plays with the pink undertones in Grape and adds a beautiful sparkle.

Bite Beauty Grape, Revlon Sugar Violet, layered

What are your favorite lip duos? Leave a comment down below or tag me on Instagram!
@theloveoflipstick

xoxo