ColourPop Hutch x Notion Swatches & Mini Review

ColourPop is definitely not something new. I’ve previously reviewed their ultra matte lips and highlighter (check it out here and here if you missed it) so this is going to be a quick review. Since breaking the internet when they released their ultra matte lips, they’ve had other releases, including their ultra satin lips. Weirdly enough I’ve never tried the satin lips til now. I recently picked up one of their fall releases and one ultra satin lip. L- ultra satin in Hutch                                   R- ultra matte in NotionL- Hutch                                                             R- Notion 

I’m pretty sure ColourPop reformulated their ultra mattes because this definitely feels a lot different from the ones I have previously. It’s extremely lightweight and very comfortable on the lips. It dries down pretty fast, and it’s not in the least bit drying. It lasts much longer than it used to, too. I’ve worn Notion longer than 12 hours, with the lipstick only fading a little from the middle of my lips. Transfer is minimal, too. All in all, I have to say that I absolutely love the new formulation. 

Hutch, unlike Notion does not completely dry down which is to be expected of a satin lipstick. It transfers but nothing crazy. After the end of my day, I still have a lot of the lipstick left. I don’t find Hutch to be as lightweight as Notion is which surprises me because I expected a satin to be more comfortable than a matte.  

Both colours are very pigmented, and I can cover my lips in one swipe. Notion reminds me of Lena Lashes more matte than matte in the shade Lucious (which is my absolute favourite lipstick everrrrrrrr) Lucious is about half a shade darker, but they’re very similar. My favourite of the two shades I got is Notion. I like Hutch too but I’m not exactly crazy about the formula of the satin lips. I don’t know if that formula is consistent throughout but I’m not crazy about the formula on Hutch. Notion is such a beautiful colour and I love love it. 

If you’ve tried any of ColourPop’s ultra matte or ultra satin lipsticks, let me know how you got on with it!

Thanks for reading xx

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NYX Micro Brow Pencil: Revolutionary or Just Meh?

Hey guys! Can you believe the month is almost over?  

The Micro Brow Pencil is one of the NYX’s most popular products and of course I had to try it out to see what the fuss is all about. It’s said to be a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz but of course I haven’t tried the Brow Wiz because it is insanely expensive for a brow product. The product is double ended with the pencil on side and a spoolie on the other which is pretty convenient because you don’t have to get a separate spoolie and you can continue to use it when the product has run out. This is what the brand has to say about their product: 

Build full, beautiful brows with our ultra-thin Micro Brow Pencil. So precise it coats even the finest hairs with color for a natural-looking finish

It comes in 8 shades and I picked it up in Espresso, which is the darkest shade. Lately brows are all the rage and I can definitely see why because brows can make or break your look. I have pretty full eyebrows naturally and I don’t really need to fill them in but I like the look of a chiseled brow so I fill them in every time I wear makeup and it definitely makes my look more put together. The small tip makes for precise application and the small size makes it easy to grip. I fill in my brows with hair like strokes.Here I compared the micro brow in Espresso to a regular dark brown pencil that I’ve been using for a while. On top is the regular pencil and on the bottom is the micro brow pencil. The shades are pretty identical but I feel like the micro brow pencil is a little more cool – toned than the pencil I’ve been using but you don’t really notice that when I use them. The pencil is hard. I kind of expected it to be creamier, but it works. I do feel like it doesn’t show up much so I have to keep building up on it to get it to show up on my darker brows. Bare brows, no product.After filling it in with the NYX micro brow pencil. (I cleaned it up a little with concealer) my eyebrows look natural, but you can still build up til you have a more chiseled brow, if that’s what you want. Here my eyebrows look more chiseled, and I used the same pencil to achieve this look. 

I really like the spoolie on the micro brow. It’s soft but very firm. Now that I’ve started to use the spoolie on the micro brow I find my regular spoolie to be a lot more abrasive and harsh. 

My one gripe is the teeny amount of product you get. It’ll probably run out after about a month of daily use. 

I would recommend this if you have sparse brow hairs because the outcome is always natural, and you can still carve out “instagram brows” if you wish. It’s pretty expensive, but I would definitely repurchase. In conclusion I would say the NYX micro brow pencil is revolutionary!! 

Get it here: Rouge Cosmetics

Thanks for reading! 

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2016 Favourites!

Hey guys! Happy New year in advance! Here’s to hoping that 2017 will be much greater. This year I’ve used and loved a lot of products and narrowing it down was not easy but here I am with my favourites for this year. Let’s get to it!

This year I finally found my holy grail primer. I’m pretty sure you know what it is but if you don’t, it’s the Becca ever matte poreless priming perfector This primer about changed my life. I know it sounds poetic but it’s true. If you need hardcore oil control, this primer has you covered. It’s pretty expensive but if you can afford it, definitely get it because this primer is the biznez. 

This year I also found my holy grail drugstore foundation. I’ve talked a lot about this foundation, because it’s awesome It’s too bad the shade range sucks because this is the absolute best drugstore foundation I’ve ever tried. It dries matte and it lasts and lasts. If you’re oily and on a budget, Maybelline Superstay is your gal. 

Next product I’ve been loving is another foundation but this is on the higher end of the spectrum It’s the NARS all day luminous weightless foundation. This foundation got a lot of mixed reviews but I love it. It comes in a wide range of shades and the shade I have, New Orleans, is spot on. I also use a squirt of it to make light coverage foundations fuller and to bring back the warmth to my Becca ever matte foundation, which leans more cool so is ashy on me. 

This year ColourPop went viral and for good reason Their liquid lipsticks are one of the best I’ve ever tried and their highlighter is brown girl friendly. And did I mention that it’s very affordable? No product is more than $8 which for the quality is very impressive. 

Finally the last product that I loved this year is the Coloured Raine matte lip paint and lip lacquer 

I didn’t like the colour I got in the lip paint but the formula is just amazing. It’s lightweight and long lasting and very pigmented. The lip lacquer, however, was my jam. It is pigmented, long lasting and extremely comfortable. 

This is my last post for the year and in a few hours, we begin another year. To all those that took time to read and comment on my posts, thank you so much. I’ll try to come up with a regular posting schedule next year and more quality content. Thank you all for your support ❤ 

Happy New Year! 🎉

Three Lip Combos I’ve Been Loving (ft ColourPop LAX)

Oh LAX. Where have you been all my life? Sigh. This lipstick is perfection in a tube. Seriously. I wear it practically everyday, and I haven’t touched most of my other lipsticks that I used to love since I got this. See how banged up my tube is? That’s because it’s been handled and thrown into my bag countless of times cos that’s how much I love it 

First up is of course LAX and another ColourPop lipstick, More Better. This combo, omg!!! It’s so beautiful 😍

This beautiful colour. Perfect for adding a bit of glam to any outfit. 

Next combo is LAX and Jordana Modern Matte in Style. For this, I start by applying Style to my whole lip, then line my lips with LAX  after. Then I blend once again with my finger and viola! You end up with this. The last combo is features LAX and Black Radiance lipstick in Pink Dahlia.Pink Dahlia is otherwise very loud and I would not necessarily wear it on its own. But combining it with LAX makes it a very wearable pink for women of colour. I start by lining my lips with LAX, then I apply Pink Dahlia to the center of my lips.I love how versatile LAX is, and this is just three of the many combos it can be used to create. 

What is your favourite lip combo? Share it with me! 

ColourPop x KaePop Super Shock Cheek: Glo’ing Up!

Hi guys! Long time no blog. It’s been a rough few days for me and my family. We had to say goodbye to my aunt over the weekend and we’re still trying to get over the loss.

So this is the final installment of my ColourPop haul, and the one I’m most excited to bring to you — the ColourPop Super Shock Cheek in Glo Up.

Glo Up is described by ColourPop as a rich gold with flashes of golden copper in a Pearlized Finish. It is a beautiful, beautiful shade with tiny shimmery flecks that are not too OTT for daytime use.

The packaging of the highlighter is chic, although it could potentially be a fingerprint magnet and retain every stain that gets on it. The highlighter is of a squishy, bouncy consistency. I love love love how it feels! I would play with it all day long if I could. That’s not the case cos ColourPop advises that you keep it tightly closed, and not leave the lid off for too long or it loses some of its “magic”

It’s very pigmented, so it’s best to apply with a light hand and build up as you go. I apply with my fingertips as recommended by the brand, but you can also use synthetic brushes. Make sure your fingers are clean! First time I used this, I applied to my cupid’s bow, bridge of my nose, tops of my cheekbones, inner corner of my eyes and under my brow bone, when I was stepping out and lawd you shudda seen how I was glowing! I got beat by the rain (the weather has been PMS-ing majorly lately smh), running up and down running errands and 6 hours later, I get home and what do you know,  highlight still on fleek! I was definitely impressed by this. And most importantly, it was not at all ashy, there was no fallout and it stayed where it was put. I like how you can build up to a more dramatic highlight, if that’s your cup of tea. If you’re dark like me, or even darker, I definitely recommend this highlighter. And you get a lot of product too, (1.5oz) so I don’t see it running out anytime soon.

ColourPop products in general aren’t exactly accessible in Ghana, unless you’re willing to pay top dollar for them, which of course I wasn’t (yes I’m cheap okay?😂) but I got lucky and got this for 30 cedis from Nalex Cosmetics on Instagram, which is a very good deal, because it usually goes for around 45 – 70 cedis. Unfortunately it’s not 30 cedis anymore, but you can hook up with her, she’s got really great prices!

I am definitely looking forward to trying other ColourPop highlighters!

If you have tried this or any ColourPop highlighter, do tell your experience with them!

Beverly xx

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip – Part II

Hi guys. This is the second installment of my review of the ColourPop ultra mattes. I previously reviewed 3 shades, Guess, Rooch and More Better, which you can check out here. Today I’m gonna be talking about 2 more, Be-Dazzled and LAX.

Since I already talked about the formula and such in the last post, I’m not going to go into that much here.

Be-Dazzled is described as a deep true purple. It is a bright, bright purple with deep blue undertones that can be worn straight out of the tube if you like your brights or with a lip liner to tone it down if you’re not so keen on rocking super bright lips.

LAX is described as a vampy blackened red. It’s a deep burgundy with strong brown undertones. It looks almost brown on me depending on how you look at it.

They are both super pigmented in one swipe, but you can layer for intensity. However you have to do that fast cos these dry down matte pretty quick and crumble and flake if you layer too thickly. Both shades are brown – girl friendly and are extremely flattering on every skin tone.

Comparison between ColourPop ultra mattes Rooch and LAX. They look pretty similar wet but the difference is a little more apparent when they dry down.

As with all mattes, exfoliation is key before application, else they cling to dry patches and emphasize them. They wear for hours until you eat something oily then they start to break down, and you’ll have to remove and reapply. If you try to apply a new layer onto what’s already on your lips, it’ll flake and look a hot mess so please don’t try that at home.

Overview of all the shades:

My favourites are Guess, Be-Dazzled and LAX. Guess is pretty unusual and I have nothing like that in my stash. I absolutely love it. Now y’all know I love me a purple lip so it should come as no surprise that I love Be-Dazzled too. However it’s nothing like anything I have so it’s a very welcome addition.

It took a while for More Better to grow on me, because I’m not a fan of fuchsia or pink lipsticks, but with some manipulation and liner action, I manage to make it work for me now. Rooch, I surprisingly do not like as much as I thought I would. Maybe with time it’ll grow on me like More Better did. I will try to do FOTDs with these in separate posts to come.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my reviews of the Ultra Matte Lips. Which is your favorite?

Thanks for reading ❤

Beverly xx

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip Part 1

ColourPop came out of nowhere and suddenly they have exploded and taken over the whole internet. So naturally as a product junkie, I have been coveting literally everything they carry, but prices are so high here that I wasn’t really motivated to buy anything. Until I discovered a little secret which I’ll share later. But yes! Finally I have in my possession, a few Colourpop products!

ColourPop ultra matte lip Be-Dazzled, LAX, Guess, More Better, Rooch; ColourPop x KaePop Super Shock Cheek Glo Up

To make it a not so long review, I’m going to divide it into 3 parts, I’ll talk about three Ultra Mattes in this post, and the next two and a summary and tell you my favourites in another post, then review the highlighter in a separate post. Got it? Let’s go!

These were my first foray into the world of liquid lipsticks. I’ve tried one Chinese brand that’s readily available here and super cheap though but I found that so dry I could literally feel my lips cracking and begging for moisture after about 5 minutes so I tossed it.

Today I’m gonna be talking about Guess, More Better and Rooch.

Because Rooch is a collaboration between ColourPop and Karrueche Tran, it has gold accents while the others have silver accents. I think the packaging is pretty cute and I really love the holographic lettering. 

According to ColourPop: This thin and lightweight formula glides onto the lips smoothly and leaves SUPER intense pigment-rich colour with a bold, ultra matte look. It’s very long wearing and completely kiss proof! We suggest storing these babies upright and shaking before application!

They dry fairly quickly but with enough time to make adjustments.

It comes with a standard doe foot applicator. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done. The formula is pretty runny, but not so runny that it drips all over the place.

Guess is described as a dark blackened violet and that’s exactly what it is. It’s a beautiful vampy colour which looks amazing on dark skin. It is pigmented enough for only one swipe but I prefer two swipes to make the colour pop a lot more.

More Better is described as a deep violet wine. This is definitely not violet or wine. On me it pulls more fuchsia than wine. They’re supposed to be kiss and transfer proof but More Better definitely transfers, which I find surprising because it dries down completely matte. Pigmented in one swipe.

Rooch is described as a deepened russet wine. Honestly I don’t see the russet or wine when I wear this. It pulls more brown with wine undertones on me, which a vinyl-like finish. It is opaque in one swipe. It’s the only one that I noticed has a tendency to settle into lip lines.

I love a matte lip as much as the next person but not traipsing – through – the – Sahara dry, and from reading reviews, I was expecting these to be very dry but they are surprisingly lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear. I kid you not. However they are impossible to get off, and I feel like I’m taking off one layer of my lips when I try to scrub these off haha. Exfoliation is key before application. They are intensely pigmented and glide on with ease.

Part two of my ColourPop haul coming pretty soon. Have you tried any of the ultra mattes? What was your experience with them?

Beverly xx