Delicious Macaron Lippies form NYX!

I have always loved fun lip colors; however it wasn't until recently that I began to divulge in the idea of having bright and fun lip colors for myself. Being the incredibly fair-skinned redhead that I am, I often stuck myself in the box of only being able to use soft pinks and neutrals, telling myself "I could never pull that off." Well you know what? Screw that mindset. ANYONE can pull off ANYTHING they want if they do it right and wear it with confidence. (Side note: this theory can also be applied to dietary restrictions, fashion styles, Iron Man phone case purchases, you know- things that happen in your daily life)

I own several different bright reds, nude pinks, corals, berries, etc. now, and just a few weeks ago I decided to take it to the next step: blues, purples, oranges, anything and everything. Why not, right? So when I saw NYX released a line of "Macaron Lippies", twelve brightly-colored opaque lipsticks, I just had to try some.  My box just came in the mail yesterday form Ulta (my favorite makeup store at the moment!), and I have been dying to try these four out! The shades I decided to try first are shown below.

From left-right: Blue Velvet, Lavender, Coconut, Chambord

NYX Macaron Lippies swatched

First off, let me just say I really enjoy NYX cosmetics, and it was an amazing coincidence/miracle that their Macaron Lippies came out around the same time I wanted to try bright lipsticks, because it's better quality than drugstore makeup (in my opinion), but around the same price. It's a perfect brand to play around with if you're unsure of something. That way, at least if you don't like what you bought, you're not out an arm and a leg for it. These lipsticks are about $6 both in store and online, and Ulta sometimes has a BOGO 1/2 off deal for NYX cosmetics, so it makes it even better– and even harder to pass up! I started with these four because I know for a fact I have nothing else like these four colors, and before I splurged on a high-end lipstick in any of these hues I wanted to make sure I liked the color itself on my lips.

Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet
To be honest, shortly after I purchased this lot of lipsticks, I wished that I had bought NYX's "Earl Grey" in the stead of this one, because it's a lighter blue-grey and it appealed to me a bit more, but I wasn't rueful enough to cancel my purchase and do it all over again. So I did my best to keep an open mind. Putting it on was certainly shocking for me, but the more I looked at my lips the more Blue Velvet began to grow on me. Not my favorite of the four, but definitely a good thing to have if you enjoy doing crazy lip art.

Lavender

Lavender

I was super excited to get this one, because I have been dying to try a purple to clash with my ginger locks. This looks like the perfect pastel purple, as far as lip colors go; though I will admit, when I swatched in on the back of my palm, it seemed a bit more sheer than I had hoped, as you can see on the second picture to the top. However, once I tried it out on my lips, the color was as opaque as I originally thought! Really love the softness of the color; so much so that I could actually see myself wearing this one for a fun night out.

Coconut

Coconut
This one was a big risk for me. Seeing as though it's probably closer to my skin tone than a normal human being's nude lipstick (ba-dum tsss), I wasn't sure if I should go for it. Then I realized I was putting myself into that 'no fun' box once again, and so I shook my head, flipped my hair and added it to my cart. This one, although probably my least favorite of the pack for my own personal style, was still really good! I had to put on a few layers just so it looked completely opaque, but after that it was shockingly white and very interesting. Same thing for Blue Velvet: not a favorite, but definitely good for some crazy lip art down the road (I have some ideas in store that both this one and Blue Velvet will come in handy for).

Chambord

Chambord

Not going to lie, this and Lavender were the two main reasons I decided to go onto Ulta's website. Black is definitely back, and I think it's safe to say we've finally gotten past the whole "any black means goth" phase. I, for one, adore wearing black. Wearing all black is its own style, in my mind, and I love it, live it, encourage it, etc. So this was the first one in my shopping cart– actually, if we're being honest, it collected dust in my shopping cart while I deliberated on what other three to get. Lavender joined it in the cart not too long after, however. The moment I put this one on, my eyes widened with delight. I love it! It's the perfect black, it applies a lot better than I imagined, you don't need too much for it to look good, and frankly it's just really cool and intense. Against my pale skin and red hair, it's definitely a statement to wear such a color, and I adored it. Not something I would wear to a family event, if we're being honest, but I cannot wait to wear this one out for a night with the girls. I am wearing Chambord as I type this out, actually, because I want to see how long this will last before I need to blot, take off, redo, etc. So far I'm three hours in and we're good!

All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised with this line of brightly-colored lipsticks, all of which applied very smoothly and have a nice satin finish. My favorites are (clearly) Chambord and Lavender by a long shot, though I will be using Coconut and Blue Velvet for lip art sooner or later. I can't wait to get my hands on a few more from this line (the next on my list for the Macaron Lippes are 'Pistachio' and 'Earl Grey'!), as well as trying other brand's bright colors.

If you have any suggestions as to what beauty items I should try out next, feel free to comment below!

Stay Resplendent!

Naked 2 Palette vs. Lorac Pro Palette 1

Before I start things off, let me just put this disclaimer her for all to see: This post, as well as any and all future posts, are strictly my opinion, and I am not going to state one being better than the other. I love BOTH brands so much. This is merely for those who don't really know what they're getting into when it comes to these palettes.
And with that, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE (no? okay.)

IN THIS CORNER: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Naked 2 Palette casing

Shades (from left-right): Foxy, Half Baked, Booty Call, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite,
Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

WHAT I LOVE: To start off with the visuals, I love Naked's packaging for their second palette. The hard metal case with the snap-shut lid wins me over every time I need to throw it into an overnight bag and head out the door. I like knowing that there's hardly any chance it can come open and spill inside my Kate Spade, thus causing me to have a meltdown. Bonus points for their shadow names, too. There's a small smile that always shows up on my face every time I tell people I'm wearing "Bootycall" and "YDK" (two of my favorites in this palette). The colors themselves are very well-pigmented for shimmery colors. It was a pleasant surprise to not need a bunch of layers of each hue. Pretty sure that this palette will last me about two years at least, which is awesome– especially for the price! The black eye shadow in this palette, named very accurately "Blackout", is the best black shadow I've had in a long time. It's faintly shimmery, but not too much; I use it as a liner sometimes and always love the results. I also adore the "Good Karma" Shadow/Crease Brush that it came with, and I will admit that it's my go-to brush at the moment for any shadows, not just the Naked 2 Palette exclusively. It's super soft, which is so important for my tender skin and pickiness.

WHAT I NOT-SO-LOVE: I do wish there were more than just two matte colors, because Urban Decay does a great job at having well-pigmented shades that work any skin tone, so it'd be great to have more options. To add onto that, "Tease" which is a mauve brown and one of their two matte shades, can be a bit tricky to work with, which is a shame because it's a great color that I like to wear on my down days. It's worth it, in my opinion, to try and work with "Tease" and blend it a lot to get my desired look, but it had to be said.

AND IN THIS CORNER: Lorac Pro Palette 1

Lorac Pro Palette 1 casing

Shades (from left-right) Top- Matte Colors: White, Cream Taupe, Lt, Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black
Bottom- Shimmer Colors: Nude, Champagne, Gold, Lt. Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate

WHAT I LOVE: Again, I'll begin with how this palette looks. It's more than half the width of the Naked palette, which is a double-edged sword in my opinion. I'll stick to the positives on this portion and move to the not-so-positives in the next. I like that it's lightweight and the case is soft to touch– not that it really matters, but now it's out there so you can't un-know that. Shadow-wise, I love that there are so many options. Half matte, half shimmer is definitely something that I adored with this palette. I can do anything I want, achieve any sort of look, whether it be getting all dolled up for a night out or just a calm look for a relaxing day. The combinations are endless with the eighteen shadows, and there are even a few pops of color, which is a nice surprise. And, speaking of colors, I am head over heels for Champagne and Light Pink, both of which are exactly what you'd expect with their names. The Light Pink is actually what made me decide to get this one over a different palette while at the store. I don't have any other shade in that color that's as good a quality.

WHAT I NOT-SO-LOVE: Back to the casing of the Lorac Pro Palette. While on the one hand it's width makes it lighter and easier to pack, it also implies less of the shadows– although I totally understand that part of the reason why Naked 2 is so thick is due to it's metal casing. But still, it at least gives you the illusion that there's more for you; an illusion I am perfectly content with. Another thing that I don't love is how soft the magnetic flap (is that the right word? Is there a better term I could use? Whoops) is. This could be because I'm so used to the secure Naked palette case, and it's not that I've ever had any trouble with it staying shut. I'm just saying that there is no way that thing will be entering my Kate Spade unless in a ziplock baggy or a sturdy makeup pouch. It's a risk I am not willing to take.


So, there you have it! My personal pros & cons for two very good palettes. Like I said in the beginning, this is not about which one I favor more, but more of a review on two very popular products in one post. Hopefully, if you read all of my rambling, you now have a better idea on the two products for future reference, should you ever decide to splurge for them. Both were great purchases that I do not regret at all (hopefully I'll be getting Naked 3 palette and Lorac Pro Palette 2 soon!).

Stay Resplendent!