Olivia Frescura

los angeles beauty & lifestyle blog

NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan (Review & Swatches)

NYX Cosmetics Milan Soft Matte Lip Cream Review
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan

Lately I’ve been trying to wear lip products that have been neglected in my collection. I picked up NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan a couple of years ago and became really fond of their texture. They are not quite lipstick, not quite gloss. They have a very silicone-y texture that applies smoothly on the lips and dries to a matte finish. It lasts a lot longer than a lipstick- it’s a great product at only $6.

NYX Cosmetics Milan Soft Matte Lip Cream Review Swatch
Milan Soft Matte Lip Cream swatch

It is a very pretty pink on the lips- and as you can see, very matte! It wears very well, but you need to make sure of a few things: no chapstick before or after- it needs to stay very dry…same for lip gloss! After a few hours it flakes off a bit, but instead of re-applying on top, remove it completely and re-apply for the best finish.  I have a few more shades of these, so I’ll be wearing them and reviewing them in the future!

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ISSE 2013: Skincare & Makeup (Dinair, BonBliss, G Body Art & More!)

A smaller section of ISSE was devoted to wellness and spa-like booths where I found many of the things I will be talking about in this posts! There aren’t many makeup brands at ISSE compared to hair or nails, but it was still nice.  If you’re looking for makeup…head on over to IMATS or The Makeup Show!

I got to see BonBliss, who make solid body scrubs that I have reviewed before. They just came out with a new size for professionals, scoopables. I think that this product would be great for manicurists because it isn’t nearly as messy as traditional body scrubs!

ISSE 2013 BonBliss
BonBliss body scrubs

G Body Art Professional have very unique stencils for their glitter tattoos. If you saw in my intro post, I told you to guess which one I got…an orange kiss! Remind you of anything? These glitter tattoos are great, but not too long lasting. As soon as I got it into warm water, it was easily rubbed off. It lasted 2 days, though!

I’ve seen Dinair at pretty much every single trade show I’ve been to in the past 5 years. I got to check out their newly redesigned airbrush compressor, and was even given my own system that I’m VERY excited about! It’s purple, as you can see from my haul!

A few other makeup brands there were Cailyn Cosmetics, IPKYN, and Michael Marcus Cosmetics. I haven’t tried any of these brands but they all look pretty cool! NYX was also there but their booth was too crazy to even photograph! They were very popular.

As far as skincare goes, most of the products available were for professionals only. I stocked up on tons of face masks! I love collagen face masks, which are similar to Bel Mondo Beauty’s that I’ve reviewed before. At the show, I got mine 10 packs of 2 for $50 from Martinni Beauty! Another mask I love is the Grand Central Beauty face mask, and I found a similar idea from Banzai Living. KollagenX has all 24 carat gold products including a collagen face mask, skincare, and a lipgloss. Everything felt really nice on my skin from what I tested at the show!

And that pretty much concludes all of my ISSE coverage. I hope you guys liked it! I had a great time and hope to go next year as well!

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December Ipsy Glam Bag Review

December Ipsy Glam Bag- Mai Couture, NYX, Urban Decay, Mirabella, Be a Bombshell

This month I decided to start doing blog reviews for each bag/box I get each month to go along with the video that I post monthly on YouTube! So, let’s get started with Ipsy’s December bag. The bag itself was a slate gray with an Ipsy print liner on the inside, which was a cool touch! I think that added a lot of value to the bag compared to others. This bag came with 3 full sized products and 2 samples. Some Ipsy subscribers also received an Urban Decay Naked Beauty Balm sample that I’m super jealous of. Now, onto my reviews!

Be a Bombshell Hot Mess Lip Gloss– I didn’t use this product because I am not a huge lip gloss user and am so over receiving them in Ipsy’s bags! This was a bright red color.

Mirabella Eye and Face Primer– This primer is a clear silicone formula that can be used on face and eyes. I think it’s a decent primer for the face, but on my oily eyes it’s far too greasy and my eye makeup gets ridiculously creased. I’m not sure how it would work for those with dry eyelids, so keep me posted in the comments if you tried it!

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Loose Pigment– I decided to toss this in my giveaway pile because I have a lot of eye shadows and this wasn’t a color I’d reach for frequently. NYX is a great brand, though!

Mai Couture Highlighter Papier– I like the idea of these a lot, and they’re a great size. The color is a medium toned highlighter, so on my light skin I can use it more as a blush. I would love it a lot more if it was a light champagne shade, because that’s what I like to highlight with! I do like this product, and I found that I can use the back side as an oil blotting paper, since that is how these are formulated. The only downside is that they leave a lot of excess product on my fingers so I have to wash my hands before moving on.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero– I love UD’s liners, and have had quite a few Zero’s pass through my hands and I loved it! It’s very black and stays on well. I haven’t been wearing much black liner lately, but if I do, I reach for this one frequently.

 

What did you think of the December glam bag?

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