First Impression / Review Nyx HD Concealer/ Nyx #NoFilter Baked Finishing Powder

Hey Cupcakes!

Sorry for my Hiatus over the Holidays but things got a little Hectic and time slipping away from me. I do hope you will forgive me. Here we are at the start of 2018 and I have been using some of my new products for nearly a month now and feel like I can do some factual first impressions and reviews of said products!

Today I will be giving you my honest opinion on a few products from Nyx. Nyx is a fabulous affordable makeup brand that offers literally anything you would be looking for at super great prices. I'm a huge fan already. While my first order from Nyx consisted of more than two items, in this post I will just be reviewing the Nyx HD Concealer, and the Nyx #Nofilter Finishing Powder.

 So I was running out of my regular Drugstore Concealer, and Finishing Powder and wanted to try something new. There were a few other items that I had been wanting to test out from Nyx so I figured I would also try out a Concealer and Finishing Powder from them while I was at it. While the Nyx website offered many options in both the concealer and finishing powder categories I went with the best reviewed products which were the Nyx HD Liquid Concealer (I purchased shade Fair for highlighting) and the Nyx #NoFilter Finishing Powder (I purchased shade Alabaster). I normally use a cream concealer but have been wanting to try a liquid concealer and at Nyx prices the timing seemed perfect.

Alright let's get into the Concealer first. I love this product. I have officially finished my first tube. While yes it did go quickly as the tube isn't exactly large at 3g but at a price of $8.00 CAD you can't really go wrong. This product made me really regretful that it has taken me this long to try liquid concealers. I used the HD Concealer for highlighting under my eyes, my forehead, chin, and to help conceal any redness and I have zero negative words for this product. It didn't dry down too fast, it blended out effortlessly (even when I just concealed my under eyes with no foundation for a quick trip to town) It blends so naturally into your skin and doesn't settle into your lines or smudge around your face- I just can't say enough good things about it especially at it's price point. As I said I chose shade fair as I wanted to use it for a Highlighting shade but there are 23 shades to choose from and while that range definitely could be flushed out more for ladies with different tones there is quite a good range already including some color correcting shades (green, purple, yellow). If you are looking for a concealer I high recommend you give this little guy a try.

On to the #NoFilter Finishing Powder. This is a pretty generous product weighing in at 9 grams for $13.00 CAD. I have been using this product for almost a month and it barely looks like I've used it so I think it will go a long way. This is a very economical product and I love how it helps take away any shine when you know you are going to be in photos. I was satisfied with this finishing powder but not wowed. I prefer to use it when I am also going to be using a setting spray to help everything sink in smoothly as when you use it on it's own sometimes it can be a bit drying. All in all for it's price I'm not complaining it does it's job and looks great on film but in real life if you are having a dry skin day you might want to go sparingly with this powder. I purchased shade alabaster and it was a good match for my skin. If you have more oily skin this would probably be better for you and would not seem drying at all. I would recommend this also for the summer time when things are a little warmer and more dewy.

Well there you have it guys I hope you enjoyed this review and that it is helpful to you if you are in the market for a new Concealer or Finishing Powder. Thanks for joining me again today Cupcakes and I can't wait to get back on track after the Holidays. 2018 here we come! See you next time Cupcakes!!

Xx Jenn

First Impression / Review L'oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara ( Better than Sex Dupe?!?)

Hey Cupcakes!

Back at you with another first impression / review for you lovely Cupcakes!

So you might not know me like this yet, but I'm a sucker for a good Mascara. I love to try new Mascaras, sometimes this leads to new favorites and sometimes this leads to discovering complete Mascara duds, but alas today we are here to talk about the New Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara from L'oreal. This Mascara is widely known on the internet as the dupe for, and in the opinion of some the improved version of Toofaced Cosmetics Better Than Sex Mascara. I am a LONG time fan of the Better Than Sex Mascara so when I heard that this was supposed to be a dupe or better at half the price, I made it my business to give it a go as soon as possible.

I purchased this little beauty for $13.99 CAD at the Walmart in the next town since my small Ass town didn't have it stocked in the Grocery stores Cosmetics department and I could not be bothered to wait to receive it through the mail so to Walmart I went. The mascara that this is supposed to be a dupe of retails for $30.00 CAD at Sephora for price differential reference.

I have been using this mascara since a few weeks before Christmas now and I think that I have been using it on the daily long enough to officially say that I also believe it to be a dupe or even a better than version of the Toofaced Better than Sex Mascara. The thing that makes this mascara so awesome is the shape of it's brush. The brush is in a subtle hourglass shape tapering in at the middle and out on both ends. This brush shape grabs your lashes as they are naturally shaped and fans them out as you move down the lash. At first when I took the wand out of the mascara  there was a bit much product on the applicator but a few quick swipes against the tube head (which is perfectly ok Wayne Goss even says so) fixed that problem. You want to clear off that extra product so that your eyelashes get coated with product but not soaked in product. If there is too much on the wand your lashes will clump all up and not be nice and fanned out. No body wants spider lashes, not even Witches. Once the Mascara wasn't brand new anymore and there was a little more room in the tube this extra product problem wasn't really a problem anymore.

I just love how long, beautiful, and fanned out my lashes look when I use this Mascara. I even caught my mom staring at me and when I asked her what she was like...are those fake lashes? They were not haha it was just 2 coats of this Mascara! I also didn't experience any flaking onto my under eye throughout the day which is a definite plus because who wants little black makeup dots on their face? No one that's who. This mascara is also formulated to be Waterproof so hey that's perfect for the Canadian Winter! It's not a pain in the ass to get off though. I remove it with Vaselline or another oil cleanser relatively easily each night with relative ease.

What can I say you guys I think this ones a definite winner. I suggest the next time you pick up a Mascara at the drug store you give this baby a go I definitely think it's worth it and is super budget friendly with a gorgeous result. I might add that 2 separate people asked if my lashes were real or fake while wearing this Mascara on my natural lashes.

Thanks for stopping by again today Cupcakes! I hope you enjoyed this review and that it helps you when purchasing your next Mascara! If you like what I do please don't forget to like and share. Comment and let me know your favorite mascara or what you think of this mascara if you have tried it! Don't forget to check out my Facebook page and follow me there to :) I'll catch you next time Cupcakes!

Xx Jenn