Review/Comparison :: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick vs. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

NYX $5.99

Stila $22.00 full size (I just have a sample size)

Color:

NYX has a tiny bit more pink to it and it overall a lighter red, whereas Stila is a darker true red.  Stila also has much more pigmentation (as you can see in the side-by-side swatch picture).  The Stila one is a true matte lipstick product, no shine whatsoever, whereas the NYX one takes awhile to set and will have a bit of shine until that point.  The swatch on my lips is right after application, so you can tell that it still has a bi of shine and moisture in it.

Wear Time:

NYX will last you about 3 hours before you will need a touch-up, while Stila will do just fine for 6-8 and it really only starts to fade on the inner parts of the lip and it's not super noticeable because it can leave a stain behind too. The Stila product is a truly a long-wearing lip product and once it has set on your lips for awhile, it's pretty transfer resistant.  The NYX one continues to transfer even after it has set for a long time.  The NYX isn't necessarily advertised as being long-wearing so it doesn't last much longer than any other lipstick.

Feeling on the lips:

I can't stand the Stila one for more than 3 hours on the lips without wanting to take it off, apply some lip balm, let my lips relax, then reapply it.  NYX also becomes drying if you just directly reapply it on top of the worn lip cream, but neither of them get chunky, goopy, or strange if you just directly reapply them on top of the worn product.  However, I don't find NYX to be as drying feeling, like the Stila one.  The NYX product is a creamy consistency, which I believe helps it feel more comfortable on the lips, with a slight bit more moisture.  The Stila one dries down to be a long-wearing lipstick product, so it will of course have less moisture in there.  Keep in mind however, I am a lip balm addict, I always want moisture on my lips, so you may or may not feel the same way about these matte lip products as I do. 

Overall, Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is a great long-wearing lip product if you can deal with its lack of moisture.  I wouldn't consider NYX's Soft Matte Lip Creams to be a dupe because they really don't have the pigmentation or wear-time Stila features.  They are still both really nice red lip options, but it just depends on your budget and what you really need out of your red lip product.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Maybelline Color Elixir vs. Loreal Color Riche Extraordinaire Lip Gloss Lacquer Review

While at the drugstore, I noticed a lot of brands have come out with new glosses, so even though I am not typically a big fan of lipgloss, I figured I would give them a go.



Maybelline

The color I picked up was Raspberry Rhapsody, which looks like a medium-dark purple color in the package, but actually doesn't show up too dark on the lips, which is good for me. :)

It has a creamy finish, no shimmer.

The glossy feel of this lasts for about 3 hours, but also at the 3 hour mark, it starts to feel uncomfortable on the lips.  I felt like my lips were sticking together and almost like the gloss was becoming goopy, but when I looked in the mirror, they didn't visibly look sticky or bad.

The color will stick around for about 4-5 hours and does leave behind a slight stain after wiping the gloss off.  Upon initial application, the Maybelline felt more slick and looked wetter than the Loreal.

The color does feather slightly outside the lip line when used on its own, but with a lipliner or lipstick, it behaves well.  Also upon first application, I liked the feel of this product better than the Loreal.  I has a really slick, wet feeling, not at all sticky.  However, as time rolls on, it seemed to gain more stickiness.

Loreal

The color I picked up was Rose Symphony which looks like a pretty medium coral by the packaging, but is in fact a lighter coral with shimmers.

Both the color and glossiness started to fade on me around the 2 hour mark.

This product also feathered outside the lip line like the Maybelline.  But when it started to fade off, it did not become uncomfortable, sticky, or goopy feeling like the Maybelline did.

 There was a slight stain on my lips after wiping it off.  The shimmer did not fade strangely.  I have noticed in some shimmery lip products, the glitter will stay behind longer than the color, creating a weird look on the lips, but this one did not do anything strange while fading away.  Initially, the Loreal feels stickier than the Maybelline, but not to the point where it bothered me.



The applicators on both are very similar, but I must say I enjoy the curve of the Maybelline one better, I find that the Loreal product's applicator is too straight and for some reason, that bugs me.

They also both sink into lip lines, but not to the extent where it's super noticeable.  On top of another lip product, as I believe most glosses are meant to be used, they behave well.

Overall, they each have their own pros and cons, but I did enjoy them and would recommend them if you are a lipgloss lover.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Pixi Natural Brow Duo Eyebrow Pencil + Gel - Medium Brown

As you may know, I have been on the hunt for the perfect brow products.  I find them so freaking difficult to find!  So while at Target a few weeks ago, I came across this little guy and said "hey, why not..."

It was $16 and at first I was like, holy cow, I can't believe I'm about to pay $16 for a brow product and I vowed to definitely return it if I was not happy with it.

This is the Pixi Natural Brow Duo in Medium Brown.  I like that the pencil is retractable, making it super convenient.  I also enjoy the fact that the pencil is angled, making application easy.  It's also cool that it comes with both the pencil and brow gel in the same little package, which is super convenient.

 I love the brow gel on this thing!  It doesn't really have much color payoff, but it keeps your brows in place soooo well.  They will absolutely not budge all day after application.  One downside that may bug some, is that you can definitely feel the brow gel in your brows.  Like if you wrinkle your brows or forehead, you can feel that they are stiff.  This does not bother me, it reassures me that my brows are behaving themselves!  The brow gel is definitely what saved me from returning this little guy.  As for the pencil, I'm somewhat on the fence about it.

The one thing I seem to always hate about drugstore brow pencils is that they all have too much of a red undertone! I just hate it.  I have brown hair, relatively medium brown.  Yes, I realize there is a red undertone to my own hair, but my natural brows do not have red in them and I find a red-brown brow pencil looks soooo unnatural!  Others may think I'm being too picky or that I am crazy, but I'm just saying...

This brow pencil still has a reddish undertone, but it is so much better than pretty much any other drugstore brow pencil I have come across.  It's also a little light for my liking.  I tend to like my brows to be on the darker side, darker than my hair color.  I think this would be a good match for those with really light brown hair, but not medium, as the product claims.

  So far in my brow experiments, I find that powders and eyeshadows always seem to give me the best results, however, the thing I dislike about them is that they are not quick.  Using powders, it takes me 10 minutes to get my brows just right, but once they are done, they sure look good.  That's why I wish I could find a brow pencil that would make them look great, and take a fraction of the time to apply.

I do still use this pencil, it's not like I'm only using the gel side.  I use it on days I have to work early, you know, those days when you set your alarm to get up with plenty of time, but end up hitting snooze until like 30 minutes before it's time to go.  I work at Ulta and we are required to wear some sort of makeup and of all the steps of the makeup process, brows are most important!  Especially in my case because my silly little brows are just puny.

I reviewed this Flower Beauty Brow Pencil awhile back and the one thing I loved about it was that it DID NOT have a red undertone, at all, whatsoever.  However, it was almost too ashy-gray on the other hand.  Why can I not find a happy medium?  Please please please, if you understand my concern with brow pencils and you have found one that is the perfect match, let me know in the comments below!  I will love you forever. :-P

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Olay Pro X Cleansing Brush Review + bonus Fekkai Hair Products

As promised, after 1 month+ of use, I have a review here for you guys on the Olay ProX cleansing system.

Exfoliating Cleanser:

This does not make my skin feel tight or "squeaky clean" afterwards, but you can definitely tell your face is clean.  I have learned to hate cleansers that make my skin feel that way, so this one wins on that front.  It is also an excellent daily exfoliator, I never had any issues with it irritating my skin or feeling too harsh, it's super gentle.

Age Repair Lotion:

In all of the anti-aging moisturizers I have used, they always give warnings that you may experience slight irritation when applied directly onto super clean, freshly washed skin.  They recommend to wait 20 minutes or so after cleansing to reduce this irritation.  I must say, you definitely need to do the same with this lotion.  It definitely makes my skin feel super sensitive when I use this directly after washing my face.  I thought at first that it was the entire system that was making my face feel this way, but once I cut out this moisturizer and started using regular ones, the sensitivity was gone.  It has SPF in it which is great for daily wear, but I also find it to be thick and moisturizing, so great for nighttime too.

The Cleansing Brush:

I must say that on any days where I happened to skip using this brush, I would get a zit the next day.  I usually only have about one pimple a month and only rarely is it a really bad one.  I would feel one coming on after skipping using this for a day, then once I went back to using it again, the zits would fade away.  My pores have definitely shrunk!  I have looked for cleansers and moisturizers that would shrink them down, but was never satisfied with any products I tried.  The thing here though it, I'm not sure which step in this kit has made that transformation for me, or if it is just a combination of all the products used together.  I truly feel like this has helped my skin in the acne department, not that I have severe acne problems though.  I used the cleanser and lotion that came with it for the first 2 1/2 weeks and when I switched to using another exfoliating cleanser, I did not feel that my skin worsened or got any better.  I believe this device will work great with whatever other products you would like to use it with. I just can't say if I'm totally in love with this little system or not.  Yes, it helped my breakouts, but those little "under the skin baby pimples" did not disappear or diminish at all. (Lush's Angels on Bare Skin has been the only product I've tried that has reduced those little pimples)

PROS

- reduced pore size

- reduced breakouts

CONS

- did not reduce "under the skin baby pimple/bumps"

Overall, I will continue to use this little kit and will keep you updated if anything happens to change.  For $20 on clearance after Christmas, I believe this was a good little investment.  I don't own any other cleansing brushes, such as the Clarisonic, so I don't have much to compare this to.  Still I hope this was somewhat helpful.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Alaina

Bonus Fekkai Review:

I love these products!  They definitely leave my hair shiny and silky.  However, the only downside is that I would not recommend you using them every single time you wash your hair, I felt that all of the oils that left my hair shiny and pretty also weighed down my hair after using them three times in a row or so.  Used all together, they give a beautiful result, but even when I just used my normal shampoos and conditioners, then topped off my clean hair with the Glossing Cream, my hair still looked super shiny and pretty.  It was definitely an awesome added bonus to get these products here in this little kit.  I believe I paid $20 for this on clearance right after Christmas, so it was a great deal!