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 Lipstick Set III

Today I have the final LORAC Mod Goddess Lipstick set to share with you. I still owe two of the gloss sets, but they will be coming shortly. Unlike other posts, there won't be lip shots for these on account of the current state of my face!

Mod Goddess Lipstick Set III retails for $29 and I picked mine up at my local Kohl's.

Like Set II, this features five satin lipsticks.

I really like the range in this set.

Sphynx is the lightest shade in this set.

The brand calls this "medium nude." I think it's a lightweight, camel-toned nude.

It's beautiful, but the emollient formula requires a bit of help (namely a lipliner and/or base to cancel my natural pigment) to get this to work well on my lips.

Next up, Granny.

The brand calls this "dusty peach." It's an apricot in my book, but deepens on the lips to be beautiful with the matching gloss.

It reads deeper with my pigmented lips than the swatch would indicate; it's one of my favorite new discoveries.

Next up is Heroine, one of the other standouts for me in this set.

According to the brand, this is "pink mauve." Other than stunning, I think it's a mid-toned, warm pink with some shimmer. I think it's my lip pigment that pulls it so warm though.

This is the type of shade I had to stop myself from purchasing in every single line.

Next up, beautiful Calypso.

This is a lovely berry. According to the brand, this is "berry violet."

It's a very warm violet.

Finally we arrive at my favorite shade in the set, Hipster.

According to the brand, this is "deep brick."

It's honestly one of my favorite shades of the season- and it's part of the permanent line. It's been so lovely this fall.

I think Set III is one of the most balanced of the three, and this has the most shades that I want to reach for on a daily basis. I'm so happy that I'll be replacing a lot of my older lipsticks with the lipsticks from this line.

This set is well-worth the investment for any beauty lover, or as a gift. Consider this QBB-approved!

MAC Lipstick in Dare You

Time again for another one of my quick hit posts where I talk about a single permanent collection item.

Today I'd like to share with you MAC Lipstick in Dare You.

Let's be honest. Due to the sheer size of MAC's permanent collection, quite a few shades tend to get lost. There's visual overload by visiting a MAC counter, so I'm still learning about different shades.

Dare You was an impulse purchase after reading a Racked article entitled 13 Easy Ways to Look Like You Have Your Shit Together. Sold.

Dare You, a Cremesheen lipstick, weighs in at 3g for $17.50 after the latest MAC price hike (wow). According to MAC, Dare You is a "deep brown red."

I think it's glorious for fall/winter.


I'll readily admit to being hesitant to embrace the brown lipstick trend again, but shades like this have me all-in. I'm also one of the few cremesheen fans because of their balmy texture. I'll happily reapply time after time if my sensitive lips don't get dried out.

Let's go to the swatch.

Dare You also hits the metallic/pearlized trend just a bit. It just screams fall/winter to me, to be honest. This has been in hot and heavy rotation ever since I purchased it in late September.

Yeah, that's the type of shade that makes the wearer look like they have their shit together. Nicely called, Racked.

Do you have any lipsticks that are a go-to like that? Or have you discovered a new permanent MAC lipstick lately?

Dose of Colors Lip It Up in Brulee

I have a quick post today to share with you- an offering from one of my favorite indie brands.

I was lucky enough to literally run into this at a local Ulta; I wasn't sure what color to purchase when perusing online.

Say hello to Dose of Colors Lip It Up Satin Lipstick in Brulee.

According to the brand, the Lip It Up formula is a satin lipstick. For $17, you receive 0.11 oz. Brulee is classified as a pinkish beige.

These are in lovely rose gold, thin and elongated tubes. The most interesting part is the design of the lipstick itself.

Yes, it's square and angular. It allows for a more precise line, especially given the formula. Overall, I find this formula to be on the stiffer side in terms of traditional lipsticks. I'm eager to try Dose of Colors' regular lipsticks so I can compare formulas.

Brulee is the most wearable, everyday shade in the range (IMO).

It pulls a lot lighter on my lips due to pigmentation.

I like it, but it's not something I find myself reaching for out of habit. I prefer a more emollient lipstick formula. Still, I'm so happy to have ran into it so I could try it for myself.

Wear time is what you'd assume for a standard lipstick.

If you get a chance to see these in person or fall in love with a color, I recommend checking out the line. It's not my favorite, but I need to make myself use it more.