The Color of my Summer: Hot Pink

Summer 2014: The summer of hot pink, at least for this girl. Last summer I was obsessed with orange toned hues for my lips and cheeks, and I do still love a great orange-red lip, but this summer my favorite tone has been a bright, almost neon, fuschia-pink hybrid. It's brightening, flattering, and always makes me feel a little bit less dead at 7 am when I leave for work. I've found products for my nails, lips, and cheeks in this color and I figured I would share my newest obsession.

First on the docket, one of the only lip glosses I'll use. This is the Revlon Lip Gloss in Pink Pop, and it's actually not a recent purchase. I've re-discovered this beauty from when I picked it up at my homeland of Target a year or so ago. It's glossy, a little sticky, and has a good color payoff, especially for a drugstore gloss. All in all, I would say it's worth a try.

Ahh, the lipstick that sparked the movement, Lorac's Highly Pigmented Cream Lipstick in Vixen. This is a matte, bright fuschia pink that goes on easy and stays on forever. I love this formulation but unfortunately the other colors seem to come off as dull and a little boring. Maybe that's just me though. Overall this is a must have lipstick for me and I've used it a bunch this summer.

Another oldie but goodie, this is Maybelline's Vivid Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash. This color is insanely bright and beautiful. My only problems with it are the smell, that awful Maybelline cheap makeup smell, and also the fact that it's not matte. For brights like this I prefer them to be matte but I usually dab this in after I apply and wear it that way. It gives a nice stain afterwards and I often get compliments on it. If you're looking for a drugstore option, I would give this a try. 

Oh yes, I bought another bright pink lipstick. And this one, is my favorite. Thanks to the beautiful program that is Back2Mac (6 empty products for a lipstick or eyeshadow), I didn't even have to pay for my new favorite lipstick. This is MAC's Pink Pigeon. This was special edition a while ago and I remember being mad that I missed it, but back then I was scared of lipstick and just oogled them from a far. But it was recently re-promoted and released permanently so I'll never be without this gorgeous, matte, bright pink lipstick ever again.

Yes, I did include non-lip products. This is MAC's Beauty Powder Blush in Bred for Beauty. It came out with the Moody Bloom collection so it may be hard to get ahold of, but if you can, do it. It's a bright, reddish pink that comes off on the cheeks as a great natural flush and pairs well with all of the lip products I talked about earlier in the post. I highly recommend it.

My last addition to my bright pink collection is an overpriced but beautiful nail polish by Nails inc. in Sloane Street.It's the same bright pink hue in an acceptable, standard formula. The reason I say it's overpriced is that it does take a few coats and it is a dollar more than an Essie and has less product. However,  when I bought this at Ulta I spent a good 15 minutes taking it around with me and comparing it to all other nail polishes from every brand I could find and I couldn't find another exact dupe. So I bought it, and it's gorgeous.

Here are the lipsticks and blush swatched, starting from left to right it is MAC's blush in Bred for Beauty, the Revlon lipgloss, the Lorac Pro lipstick, the Maybelline Vivid lipstick, and my all time favorite, the MAC lipstick.

What is your favorite color to don this summer? Do you like pink or are you more prone to corals or orange? 

Until next time!

NYX Butter Lipsticks: A Review

Ahh, the sheer lipstick. What a fickle, fickle friend the sheer lipstick is for me. If you read this blog or know me at all you know that I usually love an opaque, matte lipstick. I rarely reach for glosses or even my creamier lipsticks that leave a sheen. I don't know why but it's just what I gravitate away from. Cue the hype surrounding the NYX line of "butter" lip products, specifically the Butter Lipsticks. I was sucked in and I am not afraid to admit it. But, I have three and I didn't return any, so stay tuned to hear words that I didn't think were even possible.

I like these sheer lipsticks. There, I said it. The world didn't end and pigs aren't flying, although that would be completely awesome. These lipsticks are creamy, moisturizing, pigmented, and shiny. They're everything you could ever want in a sheer lipstick. 

Ok, I'm getting way ahead of myself. The colors that I have are "Little Susie",

"Razzle", and "Fun Size" left to right. "Little Susie" is a beautiful strawberry red, a perfect choice for lips that look like you just ate a pound of Bing cherries, (that's a shout out to my fellow Michiganders). "Razzle" is just what its name suggests, it's a fuschia toned bright pink that fits in perfectly with my favorite summer lip color: neon pink. Finally, "Fun Size", which was my first purchase, is a wonderful peachy orange nude that I can apply without even looking in a mirror.

Back to the review. As a whole, these are wonderful and I want more colors. I still find myself reaching for more matte lipsticks but for days that I want to wear less, be more subtle, or if my lips are just dried out from constant matte lip stains and crayon-like lip lipsticks, these are perfect. They are true to the colors that are in the tube just slightly more sheer with a healthy shine, but not a true gloss. Because we all know I am not a huge gloss girl. 

I definitely recommend these, from lipstick addicts like me to beginners there is a shade for anyone and everyone. And for the price, about 5 dollars without the almost regular buy one, get one 50% off deal at Ulta, they are a must buy.

Are you into the sheer lipstick trend? Are you splurging on Chanel or sticking to NYX like me?