Haul: NYX Products

Target's display was a little sparse, not like this! :(

I am excited let you know, Dear Readers, that I've finally had a chance to try NYX brand products. My city carries this brand at Rexall, but I don't live anywhere near a Rexall and ended up indulging in Kiss brand nail art supplies and passing up NYX last time I was there. They opened the first Target in London right near my house, so I decided to check it out while I was waiting to transfer buses. I saw a lot of old familiar brands, and then I noticed NYX! I spent the entire bus ride home talking incessantly to Chad about how I was just dying to try the Jumbo Eye Pencils, especially "Milk."

A few days pass, and NYX products have not slipped my mind. I'm still obsessing. Chad was on his way to my place and called me from the mall, "I have a surprise for you..." I didn't have to guess. I knew. I mean, I thought I knew, and I was kind of right. I expected him to present me with NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk," which he did... Along with the shade Purple Velvet; He said this would match the new purple tips I'd "dip dyed" into my hair. Keen observation, Chad ;) But that's not all... He had more! NYX Studio Liquid Liners in shades Extreme Green and Extreme purple, followed by Liquid Crystal Liner in Crystal Gun Metal. Last but not least, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Plush Red- a beautiful blue based classic pinup red.

I need more time to test these products... Probably about a week. What I can tell you so far is that the lip pencil applied like a cream and could be worn alone as lip colour. In addition to that, "Milk" made for a beautiful base which helped to blend my eyeshadow like never before. I applied the Purple Velvet eye pencil  last night and ended up sleeping in it... All of the makeup around it was smudged or missing, but the pencil hadn't budged. It looked exactly as I did when I applied it! So far I'm quite happy with each product. I still need to see how Extreme Green and Crystal Gun Metal wear. I did try on the Plush Red lip pencil but needed to remove it for bed... So while it applied well and looked great, I'm not sure how it wears or what effect, if any, it may have on the lips. I think this was a good haul to begin with and I'm looking forward to trying more of the Jumbo Eye Pencils especially! Hopefully I'll get my hands on a camera so I can post some swatches and pictures of looks I've created.

-H.Cat

Review: Make Up For Ever - Smoky Lash Mascara

 Allow me to introduce to you, my favorite new mascara! Make Up For Ever never disappoints!

I opened my email a month or two ago to find that Sephora was offering a very cool 500 point reward to their VIBs. I recently cashed in 500 points for the Tarte mini kit that I reviewed right here. The products were hit or miss. Actually, the only thing I really couldn't stand was the eyeliner. Anyhoo, I would give serious consideration to purchasing every single item in this MUFE mini kit. The kit included a primer sample, a mini eyeliner, mini gloss, the mascara this review is based upon, and a finishing powder. The products are packaged in a simple but sophisticated clear zipper case with black piping.

This mascara is so sooo great! I'm kind of at loss for words that accurately describe why I love it so much. It does everything a mascara should do and my lashes have never looked better. They look flawless. Soon I'll have pictures to illustrate this point. It lasts, it "performs," it's not uncomfortable, nor does it have an unpleasant smell.

What does MUFE have to say?

"This ultra-pigmented mascara was specially designed to give the lashes an exceptional volume-enhancing effect with infinite lengthening and immediate curling."

First of all; This mascara is blackest black. We're talking, like, black like my soul before I had children! I don't have any issues with the length or thickness of my lashes (though it would never hurt to be longer!) but this mascara really seemed to fill them in and bring them out. I must admit that this may in part be because it's so freaking black. It lifted my lashes nice and high, where they stayed all day with no smudging or flaking. No raccoon eyes!

The formula applies well but it will start to clump a bit if you overwork it. That said, I was easily able to build it up with multiple coats and did remark to Chad that the mascara made it appear as though I was wearing a gorgeous and dramatic set of false lashes. Something about the formula seems somewhat "drier" than others, and I did notice that my mini-tube dried out pretty quickly, which was disappointing not just because I adored the product, but also because I no longer have the product on hand to finish this review (I began drafting this months ago) and so I'm unable to comment on some of the things I don't quite remember.

The photo above gives you an idea of what the brush looks like. I found it easy to use and comfortable to apply. Despite having a somewhat dry formula, the wand didn't catch or drag on my lashes. I definitely intend to repurchase this mascara just as soon as I can, and when I do I will repost an updated version of this review.

You can find Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara at your local Sephora for around $23.00 or order it online. I would certainly recommend it. It's hands down the first mascara I've used that I truly loved and was excited about.

-H.Cat

Review: Revlon Moon Candy in Orbit (280)

I have returned from my hiatus and I've got a ton of product reviews just waiting to be written. Apparently I have a half finished draft of a mascara review that's been waiting to be polished and published for a few months. Coming shortly! Next on the docket is a special haul. My first chance to try NYX products! Are you as excited as I am? Probably not... ;)

Orbit’s base coat is a cream finish which applies well and is opaque in just one coat. The formula is thin but not watery or runny, and it spreads well across the nail for a flawlessly smooth finish. The base coat has your typical polish smell, and slightly perfumed. The odor is relatively faint.

The brush pleased me.… I noted that it appeared somewhat small, without being too small, and was not at all tedious to work with. The bristles were laid in such a way that you could paint a thin line with the “edge” of the brush, or quickly coat your nails with the wider, flatter side. The bristles struck me as being somewhat shorter than those included in some other bottles, which allowed for good control. While there’s really nothing special about the brush itself, it performs well, and I appreciate that!

Immediately as I painted the first streak onto my nail, the words “richly pigmented” came to mind. This base coat seemed to be dry to the touch in a short amount of time. I did read that the top coat tends to “eat” or melt the base coat if not completely dry, leaving unsightly bald spots. I took this into consideration while electing to lay down only one coat of base colour. After the application, I attempted to let the base coat dry thoroughly. This is damn near impossible for me. I’m impatient with my nails and for that reason; I cannot live without Seche Vite.

The base colour itself is a blackened plumy purple. My crappy cell phone camera does this polish no justice so I've "borrowed" pictures from a blog I've linked below. Imagine! A beauty blogger without a digital camera… Call me a starving artist; I sold my camera for groceries months ago. I must make it a priority to purchase one soon. Anyway! The base colour is something I would consider wearing on its own without the flakie top coat. (Keep reading to understand why I may skip the top coat!) In store, the top coat is what caught my eye; It seemed to be glowing! It really stood out under those bright white lights. Well played, Target, well played…

I ended up distracting myself with The Following and Bates Motel (Monday night TV kind of rocks) so I managed to leave the base coat to dry on my nails for about an hour and twenty minutes; A record for me. As far as I could tell, it was completely dry… Then I attempted to apply the top coat. Like most glittery things, this flakie coat had a stronger odor than the base coat  It was thick and gloopy. I tried to apply thin layers with precision but it did indeed melt the base coat and cause some balding/streaking. To make the most of this polish (and it’s really the only option I can see that wouldn't destroy the base coat  I had to gather a thick bead of top coat onto the tip of the brush and quickly slick it across my nail in just one or two strokes. The flakie application was uneven and because the pieces are jagged, some of the edges stick up and are impossible to lay flat... Unruly little devils. It was definitely not a smooth application. Some gurus have used a product called “Gelous” over top of this and a coat or two of Seche Vite to make it smooth. This gives the look a beautiful glassy finish. I am not fortunate enough to have a bottle of Gelous, but if anyone knows where I might be able to purchase it, please leave a comment.


To get a stronger flakie effect I applied two coats of the top coat, which was thick and sticky, somewhat difficult to work with. I finished it off with a generous coat of Seche Vite. I think if I’d been prepared for an application that requires patience, I could have pulled this off a little better. It’s a bit tricky in the application, given the sticky-uppy flakie edges and unevenness that the top coat causes to the base coat. If you didn't have a product to accelerate drying time, I imagine it would take forever with the thickness required to get a good effect from the top coat. The two thick coats of top coat used in this one manicure left a noticeable dent in the bottle. By this, I mean, it used up a lot of the product. I’d guess that you could get about 7-8 decent manicures with this top coat, and then you’d have some of the base left over. Despite all of this, the end result is beautiful, if not a bit lumpy! I didn't have the skills or product required to get an application quite as striking as the picture below. For the most part it looks the same, but mine is nowhere close to smooth.

Narcissistic Nails has applied Orbit beautifully

The price was about $12 CAD when I purchased this at our new Target store. (I was so excited to see NYX in Target! I picked up a few things I hope to review.) I wish the top coat had performed a little better for the money I spent on it, but that’s a standard price where I live. I’m seriously jealous of American cosmetic prices. American ladies can pick up products for just a few dollars, which we Canadians often have to pay three times as much, at least! I definitely do intend to purchase most of the other colours in this line. I’m somewhat infatuated. I’m dying to get my hands on that brick red with gold flakies!

Because my cell phone camera pictures were virtually useless, I had to do a Google Image Search to find suitable pictures for this blog entry. I made sure to find pictures that were appropriately watermarked with the source and in no way take credit for these. Do yourself a favor and check out Narcissistic Nails. :D

(I will add an update about any troubles I may encounter while removing this polish, as it is a flakie and most glittery polishes tend to require foiling or some serious elbow grease.)

-H.Cat