Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Winky Lux Besties Nude Lip Set

Today I have the final post from my giant Nordstrom Anniversary sale haul. It took me a bit longer to get through everything (I'd hoped to have all posts live on/before the 20th), but life intervened. I guess that's part of having a full-time job and blogging on the side. Candidly, I also hit some serious writers' block because of the number of nude lips I've been reviewing lately. That makes me sad, because the set I'm about to share with you comes from a brand that excites me and I honestly want to try more products from.

A few days ago, I shared with you the more popular set by the brand Winky Lux that's on offer for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017. It seems that the brand is determined to wiggle into my world; I reviewed the primer a few weeks ago and have their brow pencil from my Boxycharm to review.

The Your Bestie The Nudes Trio retails for $22 and contains three full-size products: Matte Lip Velour in Meow, Glossy Boss in Truffle, and Creamy Dreamies in Leche.

Like the other set, you get an awesome gold bag that's more than generously sized:

Unlike the balm set, this one comes with some added fun inside:

You know, it's the little details of this whimsical brand that just make me want to explore it more!

Here's the contents:

This set has three of what the brand is calling their bestsellers. Spoiler: they're all nudes/naturals.

This set contains the Lip Velour in Meow, Creamy Dreamies in Leche, and Glossy Boss in Truffle.

Let's start with the two lipsticks.

What's the fun of having a new faux fur rug (check my Instagram) if I can't use it when photographing more whimsical products?

A huge caveat: these little guys are hard to photograph because they don't have flat edges. The packaging is adorable but tough to sit still!

Creamy Dreamies lipstick in Leche is described as "brownish nude."

 Each of these lipsticks contain 0.14oz of product, and normally retail for $14. This shade, Creamy Dreamies, is my type of rosy nude.

I find the formula very balm-like and easy to wear. The little pill-like tube also pops into your bag quite nicely and easily.

Let's go to a swatch- these are very balmy, soft lipsticks.

And on my pigmented lips- look just how flattering it is!

I get about 4-5 hours of wear time, unless I'm snacking and drinking. Then again, you wouldn't expect this type of formula to live up to that type of abuse. My lips are rather sensitive as of late, so I enjoyed the hydrating aspect of the formula. I'll check out more shades for sure.

Now, onto the matte formula.

The Lip Velour in Meow is described as "universal pink-toned neutral." Like the other lipstick, you receive 0.14oz for a normal $14.

This little guy wanted to roll away from me, but I think I got a decent shot that showcases the matte aspect of the product:

These are billed as long-lasting; compared to the last one I'd agree. I get a solid 6-7 hours naturally- and it survived very light sipping on water.

Let's go to a lip swatch. Because it's a matte, my texture showed a bit. Don't let that sway you about this formula.

In terms of mattes, this is a very comfortable one. Yes, we're all got so many neutrals, but this is a lovely one.


Now, onto the lone gloss.

In this kit, you'll receive the Glossy Boss in Truffle, described as "tan nude." It's a lovely neutral shade.  You receive 0.25oz of product; these normally retail for $15 each.

When I was doing my research, the brand's claim of including Vitamin E and food-grade vanilla in their formula jumped out at me. Vitamin E is so amazing for the lips, and any brand that cares enough about their customers to use food grade ingredients gets respect from me. The average woman eats several tubes of lip products throughout their lifetime just in normal wear; food-grade ingredients make me feel better.

The packaging itself is very cute- I love that the shade is very visible but the bit of detailing makes it a bit lux.

The wand is small, but I don't mind it. Being able to have more control is a good thing. Let's go to a slightly-blurry swatch:

This is just a good, not-too-sticky neutral gloss that's good to have in your bag.

And yes, it worked well on my pigmented lips.

Finally, let's look at a group swatch of all three products, in the order that I reviewed them:

I've had a good experience with every product I've tried from the brand. They also have fantastic online engagement (sorry, but I get all the feels as a small blogger if the brand likes a post of mine on Instagram!). Overall, this gives me an incredibly positive view of the brand. I think I want to go onto their site (or Nordstrom, for the rewards) and purchase a heap of products to really give you a brand overview because I'm intrigued. Since all of the lip products I've tried have been emollient, it will have to wait until probably September. But I really want to try them!

Bottom Line: I remain really impressed by this brand that I just stumbled upon within the past couple of months. You can barely get a three piece kit at the drugstore for $22, let alone a brand carried by Nordstrom. I haven't had time to extensively test the formulas (more than once each), but these will stay in frequent rotation for awhile. I'm stunned that the kit's still in stock. Go pick it up- you won't be sorry that you did!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2017 Beauty Exclusives: Winky Lux Flower Balm Set

Although it's currently sold out, I wanted to share with you the Winky Lux Flower Balm Set in case it comes back into stock. I've actually got a second post for you today about the other Winky Lux set- which is still available.

When I started researching the brand in support of my primer post, this product jumped out at me. Multiple large media organizations have featured the Winky Lux Flower Balms, a US-based version of the popular flower-in-lipstick that originated in China.

Normally, these retail for $14 each and come in five different shades.  For $22, this kit contains three of the brand's Flower Balms.

One of the things I already appreciate from the brand is that instead of a cardboard box, you get your kit in a reusable cosmetic bag.

And it's cute to boot! Seriously, this brand is really calling out to me. OK, let's get into the kit.

This kit comes with three of the balms, all of which are pH-reactive and turn pink. They're similar to Dior Addict balm and a plethora of others. Each balm has one real flower inside of it and contains 0.13oz of product.

I struggled with photographing their lip products- they're like a little pill and wander off.

They're gorgeous, right? Imagine pulling one of these out in public.

I don't have a lot to talk about because these are pH-reactive balms. All 3 are the same color, and make my lips a pretty pink:

In comparison to the Dior Addict Lip Glow, the Winky Lux Flower Balm makes my lips darker and warmer.

It's hard to really do an in-depth review of this type of product, so I'm just going to shower you with flower pictures.

Pink:

Purple:

Blue:

Overall, I think these are fun. I probably should split up the set so that they all get used before the product turns. I like these pH balms; they're comfortable and quirky.

I'm happy to have the kit, and if it comes back in stock, nab it! They're not ultra-longwearing but they are balms. My lips love these. I know this isn't a real review per se, but since they're sold out and this is such an Insta-famous product... not something I want to go too far in depth with.

I'll be posting a review later today on the other Winky Lux item. Stay tuned!

Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer

After shooting photos for more than 70 posts (luckily, some of these are permanent collection items and I don't need to worry about posting them immediately), one might wonder why it is that I decided to start with this one instead of some of the posts I've been teasing on Instagram. It's because this caught my eye, ok?

Let me be honest about how my purchase of this product went down. I was scrolling through Nordstrom.com's New Arrivals in the beauty section and scrunched my face in confusion when I found this listing. I'd never heard of this brand, and any primer claiming to be whipped cream is a product I'm game to try.

At just $20 for 13g/0.46oz for a cruelty-free, paraben free, and gluten free product made here in the USA, it was a relatively affordable gamble. (Note: This is the Nordstrom price; it's cheaper on their website by $1.)

A little bit of internet research later, I was left feeling a little behind on my makeup game. This brand has been around for a minute, and already had ASOS and Forever 21 as distributors. It seems that their take on the "Flower Lipstick" (originally from Korea) was what popularized the brand. I thought about purchasing that, but it would've melted because Nordstrom uses USPS 50% of the time for my shipments, and products melt in a metal mailbox.

Back to the Whipped Cream Primer. When it arrived, I was a little surprised at just how small it was. I placed it next to the L'Oreal primer and felt better.

Let's look at the claims.

This whipped, silky skin primer blurs pores and prolongs makeup wear. Apply in a circular motion with fingertips and wear alone, or under foundation for a flawless look and baby feel every day. For best results, pair with Winky Lux Diamond Complexion powder.

Now, onto the ingredient list:

Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Silica, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Acrylates Copolymer, [+/- (May Contain): Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 6 (CI 15850)].

OK, so we've got a silicone primer claiming to blur pores. Got it. And that also makes me feel a lot better about the size of the primer.

Here's a shot of the primer so you can see the texture:

It's more of a "dry" whipped cream, as you can tell. That said, I see where it got it name from.

I've grabbed a bit here on my hand so you can see the "body" of this primer- it stands on its own.

There are some thicker silicone primers, and there are some fluid ones. Clearly, this is the former. I'm not mad at it.

So, I didn't bother to shoot the wear of my foundation on the three times I tried it out, but had a similar result each time. In the AC, it's awesome and does blur my pores visibly like it claims to do so. Once I went outside in a humid environment with a heat index pushing 100, it was too much for a primer like this. It didn't help my foundation stay any longer, but I wouldn't expect a primer like this to do that.

Bottom line: it's a nice silicone primer. I didn't notice any breakouts, and I liked the way my foundation looked. It's not right for the summer climate around here, but I'll be pulling it out this fall to enjoy. This is a new brand to Nordstrom, which meant it was new to me. I'm looking forward to testing more from the brand in the future.