I feel like there have probably been a lot of these types of posts in the past few weeks since all of the controversy started with Jaclyn Cosmetics and the... dubious condition of a lot of the lipsticks that customers received. Admittedly, I was pretty interested to watch the bonfire myself. But really, the more I thought about it, I really wanted to go into my collection and share some of my personal favorite nude lipsticks on a spectrum from very, very light to deeper and richer. I don't really want to comment on anything to do with the JC launch or any of the issues, but I did want to show you guys some of my absolute favorite nude bullet lipsticks.

Keep reading for more!

If you're like me, you might have a list of products on your Wish List that have been out for a while but you've never gotten around to picking up. The Covergirl TruNaked Eyeshadow Palettes - available in Nudes, Goldens, Roses and, most recently Jewels - have been out for a minute and I've looked at them in stores a lot of times but hadn't ever pulled the trigger on picking them up. In retrospect, I feel like this has is my M.O. when it comes to eyeshadow palettes, because I want them to be tried and true by others before I pick them up. Anyway, I finally decided to go for it and pick up the Goldens Palette, because I've a huge fan of an olive green eye look and I actually felt like I didn't have much in my collection in that tone.

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Thanks to Winners and Marshalls, I've been building a bit of a collection of Cargo palettes for the past couple of years. The first one I ever picked up, the Cargo Vintages Escapes Palette, is still my absolute favorite and one that I actually pull out a lot at this time of year. The two others that I have, the Shanghai Nights and the Summer In The City palettes, never managed to impress me as much as the Vintage Escapes palette, but I do reach for them occasionally. Recently, I saw the Cargo Around The World Palette at my local Winners and I couldn't resist picking it up - even though a Google search while I was holding it in the store didn't turn up much. I decided to review it for that very reason, because I'm sure it'll be popping up on discount and I thought this would be helpful!

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So, even though I wouldn't exactly call myself a Katy Perry fan - not that I dislike her, I just really feel neither here nor there about her in general - I was pretty excited for the release of her new COVERGIRL collaboration, the Kitty Kat Matte lipsticks. I actually really love the shade selection in the line, which includes all of the usual wearable shades as well as the fun brights and deep vampy shades that you would expect from a collab with Ms. Perry. It would have been reason easy to go a little bit mad with power and pick up several shades, but I decided to hold off and see how I liked the formula before I went all in. I'm trying this thing where I don't go mad with excitement before I know if I like something! Anyway, I chose a shade I knew I'd wear, a simple pinky nude called Sphynx.

There are definitely some budget items that really stand out above all of the rest and I'd heard such good things about the e.l.f. Mad For Matte 10 Pan Eyeshadow Palette that I had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be one of those drugstore gems. Of course, it took us a while to get it locally here in Canada, but as soon as I saw it on the shelf recently, I knew I absolutely had to have it. I mean, don't get me wrong... That happens a lot. I'm a complete makeup junkie. But still, this one was in my basket without evening thinking about it.

Keep reading if you're interested in hearing more about this palette!

Because I've had really good luck with the NYC Expert Last Lip Color line in the past, I was really excited when I saw this new formula on the shelf at Walmart and I just had to pick it up. As is standard for me, I chose a pretty mauve shade that borders on nude and a deeper berry shade. I feel like this tends to be the best way to get a feel for the formulas of a lip product line without needing to pick up all of the shades. Anyway, I've been trying these out and I'm definitely ready to let you guys know what I think!

Keep reading to take a closer look!

So clearly, when I first heard about NYX releasing these liquid lipsticks in a range of nude and neutral shades, I was over the moon with excitement. I mean, wasn't everyone? Matte, nude lips have been going strong for the past year and it was a pretty brilliant move on NYX's part to do a whole collection of them with a nude lip for everyone. That really is the great thing about this collection, because there's a wide range of shades in varying depths with varying undertones. I've seen some reviews that have compared them to the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks, which excited me as well since that's one of my favorite formulas! I decided to restrain myself and pick up 2 shades. I chose Push Up because it seemed like it would be a good, true nude shade for my skintone, and I went with Embellishment because... well, how can I be expected to resist a mauve lip shade?

Anyway, keep reading to take a closer look at the shades I chose and find out what I think about them!

There are some brands that I've been dying to try but just haven't gotten around to yet for whatever reason, whether it be local availability, cost or just that I haven't had the chance yet, and for a long time NUDESTIX was one of those brands. Recently, I was able to cash in some of my credit card points (which had been sitting around untouched for ages) for a kit with a good selection of different products from the brand. I decided to review them all in one big round up and let you know my thoughts on each product individually, as well as my overall feelings about the brand.

Keep reading to take a look at the products and find out what I thought of them!

So I have to admit...  I literally just picked up the Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Nude Lip set last night. However, since it completely sold out online in no time at all, I figured I should get this up while it's still in stores. I actually had to ask one of the girls at Sephora if they had this and she had to go out to the back and find one for me, which makes me suspect that these aren't actually on store shelves yet - which is GREAT! That means that after this post, you can head right out to Sephora and pick this set up!

I love Sephora Favorites sets. I feel like they're always a great value and packed with really great products. If I could justify it, I would actually probably buy all of them. This particular set comes with 5 nude lip products of various types, shades, and finishes. There are 2 full size items in this set and 3 deluxe samples - at least I think so, but I'll get into that as we look at the products!

Wanna see what's inside? Keep reading!

I love when Essence releases new products - it's definitely a run out and grab them as soon as they're released kind of a thing. You guys know all about my love for Essence and probably also about my love for all things neutral. For me, these products are pretty much the best of everything - and the products that have been out overseas for a while that I've been dying to get my hands on. In case you were wondering, these are NOT Trend Edition products so you don't have to rush out to try and get your hands on them. Now, even though I wanted to, I didn't grab all of the new releases from this collection, but I did get my hands on a few of the products and I can't wait to tell you guys how they perform!

Keep reading for a closer look!

I had a hard time choosing what I was going to feature as my FFF this week, which probably has more to do with my leaving it to the last minute than to not having a plethora of options. Ultimately, I ended up thinking about the things that I keep in my purse with me and rarely, if ever, take out of my purse. Of all of my lip products (and I assure you, I have a stupid collection that I should probably feel a little bit of shame for... but I don't) this is one that I always gravitate towards and it seemed the natural choice to be featured today. Also, I do like to feature products that are a really affordable price but perform in a way that you can just say that it's great, not that it's great for the price point. So without further adieu...

My preferred lip look is definitely a matte or a creamy semi-matte lip in either a deep, punchy red, berry or wine shade or a soft, subtle nude shade. While I feel like my colouring (pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes) is well suited for a deep, striking lip, it can be a lot harder to find a nude shade that suits my skintone and doesn't wash me out and make me look dead. The curse of a pale woman is the struggle to not look dead, I think. Anyway, I've found that finding a nude, matte shade can be even more difficult because formula tends to be finicky and a nude shade can definitely tend to be more flattering with a little bit of shine. But I refused to give up and then I met this one and it was love at first application. 

 

Anyone who likes to wear a matte lip knows that the formula is the key. No one wants to spend a day wearing a matte lipstick that makes their lips feel uncomfortable tight and dry or one that's going to flake off or apply like a patchy mess. This one definitely checks all the boxes for me. Application is smooth and full colour, speaking to pretty great pigmentation, without any issues of patchiness in the finish. It's not as long wearing as some other matte lipsticks, but I still find it to be quite enduring while still feeling comfortable and non-drying on the lips. I think this might be one of the most comfortable matte lipsticks I've ever worn... and I've worn many.

For me, the best part about this lipstick really is the shade. It's a little bit darker than your typical nude, which means it doesn't get anywhere near looking like concealer, with just enough pink and just enough warmth that there's no risk of looking like you're hypothermic... or the undead. The result on me, I feel, is a lip that doesn't detract from the rest of my makeup or make too much of a statement, but instead brings a look together to look polished and complete in a way that's distinctly flattering. It really might be my absolute perfect nude lip colour. (Although it may be tied with Retsina from BITE, which is more of a cream finish but similar in tone and shade.)

One last thing about this lip colour that I think bears noting is that it does have a flavor on the lips. I can't really place it, it's sort of sweet and fruity like fruity Mentos, and I actually find it kind of pleasant. However, this is definitely not the product for someone who vehemently dislikes a flavor in their lip products.

So there you have it, another FFF in the can! Have a great weekend! XO.

I recently went on a tear of Spring Cleaning. The way I see it, if I can't have the spring weather then I can at least have the spring cleaning. My collection of makeup and nail polish has had the fat trimmed and, while a few things that were either useless, horrible or old went into the garbage, I managed to give most of the stuff that's still good and just not for for away to friends and family. I've tried to resolve not to be a hoarder, but let's be honest...