NYX Lippie Countdown Advent Calendar 2017

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I'm happy to be sharing another of my advent calendars for Holiday 2017. Let's go drugstore with this one- this year's advent calendar from NYX Cosmetics.

Last year's calendar was also 24 days but was 12 eyeshadows and 12 lipsticks. I honestly didn't get much use out of any of it- but I was ready to try this year's version.

Welcome to the NYX Lippie Countdown, which originally retailed for $65- but was again an Ulta Black Friday deal for $29.99. NYX's lip line is so diverse that it was awesome to sample a bit of all of them.


Here's the contents of the calendar:

Now, here's a closer look at them, by day:

Day One: Matte Lipstick in Eden
Day Two: Liquid Suede in Soft Spoken
Day Three: Simply Vamp Lip Creme in She Devil
Day Four: Lip Lingerie in Push Up
Day Five: Soft Matte Lip Cream in Paris
Day Six: Butter Lipstick in Seashell
Day Seven: Intense Butter Gloss in Berry Strudel
Day Eight: Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee
Day Nine: Matte Lipstick in Up the Bass
Day Ten: Lip Lingerie in Corset
Day Eleven: Soft Matte Lip Cream in Sao Paolo
Day Twelve: Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick
Day Thirteen: Liquid Suede in Vintage
Day Fourteen: Butter Lipstick in Root Beer Float
Day Fifteen: Butter Gloss in Raspberry Tart
Day Sixteen: Lip Lingerie in Embellishment
Day Seventeen: Simply Red Lip Cream in Russian Roulette
Day Eighteen: Liquid Suede in Stone Fox
Day Nineteen: Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen
Day Twenty: Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink
Day Twenty-One: Lip Lingerie in Exotic
Day Twenty-Two: Intense Butter Gloss in Tres Leches
Day Twenty-Three: Butter Gloss in Sugar Cookie
Day Twenty-Four: Butter Lipstick in Ripe Berry


Now, let's look at the contents a bit closer.

There are four matte lipsticks:

I've tried two of these so far- Eden and Up the Bass. Believe it or not, I've never tried the formula before.

The three Butter Lipsticks are a bit more mellow- and more my speed.

I keep reaching for Root Beer Float over and over- I have a feeling I'll be purchasing a full size before the year's up!

There are three Butter Glosses. I already love this formula.

Creme Brulee is my favorite by far.

The two Intense Butter Glosses couldn't be more different.

I think you all know which one I favor.

I wasn't impressed by these Lip Lingeries. Look how they swatch.

The Soft Matte Lip Creams were uneven as well.

Two of the three perform well.

Luckily my full size Paris performs better than this- and I didn't own the others before now.

The Liquid Suedes performed better.... but these aren't my colors.

Although the formula worked better, these are unique shades.

Lastly, there were two stick lipsticks.

They're nice, but they do move around.

Pros: Unlike last year, these are all lip products- and these are all generously sized.
Cons: Box spoils the surprise on the back (they're in order) and on the panels- you know the color family and finish just by looking at that day's door; I found the liquid lips to be really hard to swatch.

Would I buy this at full price ($69)? Nope. But did I find it a value at $29.99? Yes, unequivocally so.

I've already worn a number of the items in this set and look forward to pulling them into my lip wardrobe in 2018. I've counted at least five I'm pretty sure I can use to completion.

LORAC Mod Goddess Lip Gloss Set III

Ugh, we've finally made it to the end with these LORAC Mod Goddess lip kits. I don't know what I was thinking, buying and reviewing all six. That's 33 new lip products (31 if you count the doubles). No wonder these posts have been something admittedly I haven't looked forward to. It's not the products, it's the amount of time and effort to test.

Although I don't have a lot of notes, believe me that I've tried every product before featuring it here.

Set III has a nice variety, and let's just jump on in.

Socialite is the first and lightest shade in this set. The brand calls it "nude." Thanks for that description.

This is a shade that I either sheer out on my lips for a no makeup look or lightly accent my lips with due to pigmentation.

It Girl is next up. It's described as "coral pink" by the brand. This is the type of warm pink that I used to grab for on a daily basis. There's no discernible shimmer.

This is a fresh shade that works well with my pigmented lips without assistance.

Damsel is described as "dark mauve." It's got a lovely tone to it that plays nicely alone with my lips.

The cool-toned base of this shade really works well for me. It's one I've been reaching for frequently.

Entrepreneur is up next- we covered this earlier today. It's a nude rose shade that is also featured in Kit II.

Just as a reminder, this is what the shade looks like:

It's a pretty brown-toned shade.

Aphrodite is up next- a "deep rose brown" according to the brand.

It's a great fall shade.

Selene is the final shade in this kit- a " rose red."

I have found myself reaching for this warm shade time after time.

Lip Gloss Set III is a bit darker than Set II that we also covered today. I do recommend all of these either as gifts or as a way to supplement your collection (you get six for less than the cost of two shades).

I don't think I'll be buying and reviewing any more sets like this for quite awhile, to be honest.

LORAC Mod Goddess Lip Gloss Set II

Today I'll be wrapping up my overviews of all of the six LORAC Mod Goddess lip sets offered for Holiday 2017. We've already talked about all of the lipsticks, but I've got twelve new lip glosses (ok, ten because there's a double and I already owned one of them and am passing it along for Christmas) to talk about.

This is really pale, nude set overall.

Let's dive in.

First up, Sex Symbol.

According to the brand, this is "pink nude."

It's a pinky nude, but most of these don't make a big difference on my lips to be honest.


Second, Trophy Wife.

This is described by the brand as "flamingo."

Naturally, it's a light pink that's divine when mixed and matched, or as a subtle accent on its own.

Third is Granny.

Like the lipstick, the brand calls it "dusty peach."

I personally think it's more of a spicy shade myself and really enjoy it.

Fourth is Barista.

This is the only shade in all of the sets that I owned before- it was originally released this Spring with the Beauties that Brunch collection.

It's a very light nude that I have to be really careful with on my lips.

Fifth is the shade Mademoiselle.

According to the brand, this is "peachy nude."

Finally, let's talk about Entrepreneur.

This is the only repeat shade among any of the kits. I gifted my double of this and of Barista for Christmas. Entrepreneur is "rose brown."

It's a really neutral gloss that goes well on a daily basis.

As I mentioned, this is a really light, nude set.

Here's the set, swatched.

This is the most neutral set of the bunch and a great addition to my collection.