Maychiri's Thoughts: January 2023

NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation [CSWSF04 - Light Ivory] Review

January 29, 2023

And the last item, but certainly not the least good! This is the Can't Stop Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation, shade CSWSF04/Light Ivory.

You cannot imagine how excited I was when I opened the mystery bag and saw that there is a foundation that is light enough for my skin inside! It’s always such a gamble when you get foundations as gifts, especially when you are as pale as me! I always need the lightest shade, and even then it’s often not light enough. But this one seemed like it might match my skin; I couldn’t wait to try it!

Packaging: this is a very elegant, tall, rectangular bottle. It’s a very expensive-looking glass bottle that is also quite heavy! It really feels like a high-end, luxurious foundation! The cap is clear plastic and closes pretty tightly, though it could be more tight, for sure. The pump is black and has this very sleek stacked design; so modern! Speaking of which, the pump is of very high quality: one pump dispenses a generous amount of foundation and it doesn’t clog easily. And you can precisely apply exactly the amount of foundation you want. It's just a great pump!

Ingredients: vitamin E for nourishment. No parabens. So many dimethicones (silicones, basically) in the ingredient list yet it’s non-comedogenic? Hmm. Magnesium, aluminium hydroxide and perlite (!?) help control excess shine. I mean, perlite does do an excellent job absorbing excess water in soil, so I guess it can also absorb excess sebum... still, it’s kinda weird to see it. Though it does explain why this foundation is so good at keeping your face matte throughout the day, but more on that in a bit. The scent is not too intense and it smells like sunscreen usually does, like, that creamy, slightly chemical type of scent. It definitely does not smell like it has gone bad, which it might or might not have, because it’s about 4 and a half years old. Seriously; I checked the batch code! I know that mystery bags often contain old items, but this is pushing it for a foundation. I don’t feel safe putting it on my face if it’s this old, especially because of how sensitive my skin is. I will try it a few times, though, just to thoroughly review it. The expiration date is 12 months after opening. At least, it is if it’s a fresh one.

Left: Before; Right After, applied with Ebelin Präzisionsschwämmchen 8 St

Left: Before; Right: After, applied with Freedom Pro Foundation Brush

Pigmentation is hella intense, even when applied with a sponge! The coverage is definitely full, even when you use a sponge to apply it; it’s naturally slightly higher coverage when applied with brushes. It hides acne completely; of course, you can see the acne bump, but any redness is completely concealed. Two slightly lighter layers with a sponge is all I needed to get full coverage. Or one moderately thick layer with a foundation brush. This is a mattifying foundation, that offers a naturally, silky matte finish. Indeed, that’s exactly what it looks like: my skin is totally matte, but it still looks lively, not at all flat or cakey. It’s like a healthy matte effect! I am so in love with this finish! The colour is very light nude; light ivory is a very light creamy colour with pinkish undertones. That is exactly why it is a slight mismatch to my skin; I have neutral/yellowish undertones, so this one ends up looking a bit too pink. This shade is perhaps one shade too dark for me, but it is totally wearable and not noticeable if you use a sponge to apply it. It blends with my skin so naturally and perfectly, though, again, there is that slight pinkish tone... If it were just slightly lighter and with more yellowish undertones it might just be the perfect foundation.

The formula is creamy and super soft. I love how it feels more like a luxurious tinted cream than foundation! It’s not at all runny. It is extremely easy to apply; be it with a brush or a sponge, it glides across skin without any tugging and it is extremely easy to make it look even. It sets very quickly, but there is more than enough time to fix any mistakes and blend it perfectly.

(Right upper: Before & after applied with Ebelin Präzisionsschwämmchen 8 St; Right lower: Before & after applied with Freedom Pro Foundation Brush)

This foundation smoothens out my skin, evening out pores and filling in any fine lines. It gives a super natural finish, not at all textured, since it blends into my skin perfectly. I did notice some light pilling but I am pretty sure that’s because of the eye cream and face serum I am currently using, since it wasn’t present all over my face, only in very specific areas. Even my undereye area isn’t too textured, and I have loads of fine lines there! It also doesn’t crease at all! It’s just super smooth and natural-looking! This foundation is also super lightweight, I literally forget I am even wearing it!

(Left upper: Before & after applied with Ebelin Präzisionsschwämmchen 8 St; Left lower: Before & after applied with Freedom Pro Foundation Brush)

As for its performance, it is phenomenal! Though some sebum does break through after a few hours, it is really just a very small amount!

(Left: Applied with Freedom Pro Foundation Brush)

My skin still looks very matte, healthy matte, with just a bit of natural shine! There isn’t any fading throughout the day and it doesn’t look at all cakey at the end of the day. This foundation does feel a tiny bit drying at first, but then it blends into the skin and stops feeling dry. Which means that, though my skin is mattified, it is not dried out. It really does control shine all-day long, like NYX promise!

(Right: Applied with Ebelin Präzisionsschwämmchen 8 St)

Since I have oily, acne-prone skin, I have to be careful to pick non-comedogenic foundations; this one definitely feels like it allows my pores to breathe and doesn’t clog them up one bit. It is supposed to be suitable for oily and sensitive skin, after all! Also, one other benefit: it is waterproof! Having a shower didn’t lead to any changes whatsoever in the foundation! Fantastic!

Removing this foundation was as easy as can be! It is easily removed using nothing more than micellar water. But if you really want to make it super easy, use an oil-based or gel cleanser! I removed it with the Nivea Rose Touch Micellar Wash Gel, and it took barely more than a minute. No leftover tacky feeling, no stains, nothing! Just clear skin! I did notice a few bumps form after removing the foundation, though. They quickly went away, thankfully. I don’t know what exactly made them appear...

All in all, this is a brilliant foundation! The formula is wonderfully creamy and easy to apply. It looks super natural, and it blends with the skin marvellously! The finish is totally matte, but it doesn’t look cakey one bit, like ultra-matte foundations/concealers sometimes do. It’s a naturally, healthy matte look, and it keeps your skin from becoming too oily throughout the day. After 8 hours my skin is a bit more shiny, but it’s nowhere near as shiny as it usually is with other foundations! It still looks fairly matte, which is a miracle with my oily skin. It’s very easy to blend, be it with a sponge or a brush. The coverage is full, even when you apply it with a sponge! Blemishes are totally concealed; I didn’t even need to use concealer, it’s that good! This foundation also doesn’t crease! And it is extremely long-lasting and pretty waterproof! It still looks great 8 hours later, not at all cakey or pilled or faded. It’s also amazing how lightweight and comfortable this foundation is, like, I forgot I was even wearing it during testing! After those 8 hours it was time to remove it; I used a gel cleanser and it was gone in an instant! No need to rub vigorously, even with micellar water. After I removed the foundation, I noticed a few small bumps forming. Whether that’s due to the cleanser or the foundation itself, I am not sure. Now, given what I said about it, you’ll be surprised to hear that the foundation I got is 4.5 years old! So, if it performs so excellently even after so many years, imagine how good it is when it’s fresh! The bumps might be due to this, too... And this is, sadly, the reason why I won’t continue using it a lot, I don’t want to risk any skin infections or adverse effects. To be fair, the shade is a tiny bit too dark and a bit too pink; it’s got cool, pink undertones, while my skin has neutral, yellowish undertones. So I need a lighter shade anyways! I recommend it wholeheartedly, even if I don’t know whether or not it’s gone bad. Freshly opened, it should be phenomenal!

Rating: 8.5/10 (objectively, if I ignore that it has possibly gone bad)

Would buy again? NO (at least not this shade, I have since then bought a lighter shade)

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Blue

NYX Pigments [PIG08 - Constellation] Review

January 29, 2023

Now something practical: a multi-purpose pigment! The NYX Pigments, shade PIG08/Constellation!

Such a magnificent colour! When I saw this little pot, I was blown away by the colour, but then I started thinking: “What am I going to use this for?” So it’s taken me a very long time to actually open it and try it out. Now that I have a couple of ideas, let’s see what this pigment pot is like!

Packaging: just a tiny clear pot, plastic, of course. I like that it’s clear, it gives you a clear view of the pigment inside. The sieve is plastic and has only three small holes. The holes are big enough to dispense a good amount but still small enough not to make a mess. The white text is a nice contrast against the blue background. The cap closes very tightly, which is very important, as this thing is extremely pigmented and you don't want it getting everywhere!

Ingredients: nothing nourishing nor any parabens. The scent is either extremely subtle or it’s actually unscented. I lean more towards the latter. The expiration date is 6 months after opening, but would you look at this! Batch code says this particular pigment is 6.5 years old! That can’t be good for its performance.

Colour: a beautiful, rich, intense blue that looks like Prussian blue inside the pot. Not only is this a beautiful, futuristic blue, it’s also finely shimmery. The shimmer is so fine that it enhances how futuristic this pigment looks! Like, it’s really like a constellation! I love it!

I decided to use this pigment as an eyeliner and as an eyeshadow. Pretty basic, but it will know everything I need to know about this pigment by using it like this. You can of course also use it creatively, as body paint, as nail polish if you apply a clear polish over it... the possibilities are endless! There is a catch, though! I got this as a gift, but I am missing the mixing medium. This pigment should be mixed with NYX’s Multitasker Mixing Medium prior to applying it! That might explain a few things...

It’s a fair bit less intense on skin and nails than in the pot, even after multiple layers. With enough layers you can get it to look mostly like in the pot. I was hoping I would be able to make a stunning shimmery prussian blue eyeliner look with it, but it ends up being more pale bluish. It’s also very uneven and it’s extremely hard to actually make it even. Even if you use a thick eyeliner/eyeshadow brush (such as a smudger brush) it’s very difficult to make it even. And it’s not easier with fingers if you thought that would be the better way.

It’s not too bad if you use it as a graphic eyeliner, but the uneven pigmentation is super visible if you use the pigment as an eyeshadow.

I think this pigment looks great as an eyeliner, but it does also look good as an eyeshadow. It doesn’t really look too good as a nail polish.

The texture is super finely shimmery, so fine that it looks almost matte until you shine a light at it and then see the little sparkles. If you want great pigmentation you will need a ton of layers. Also, there is an extreme amount of fall-out, which makes applying a sharp line with a brush quite hard! There is even more fall-out if you are applying it with your fingers. Perhaps the mixing medium might have been helpful with this...

In terms of longevity, it’s very good. As long as we are talking about how intensely pigmented it stays for hours. But it does crease like a bastard, and it starts to crease within half an hour. Absolutely use an eyeshadow primer under this primer! This pigment didn’t cause any irritations on my eyes, despite using it right near the waterline.

It is quite easy to remove with micellar water, so any oil-based or gel cleansers shouldn’t have any problems removing it. The shimmer doesn’t explode across face. I didn’t have any irritations from using it, despite using it as an eyeliner. But you know what’s bad? It stains the skin blue, and that stain is much more difficult to remove on nails than anywhere else. The stain is surprisingly easily removed with micellar water and hand soap. I thought it would stay blue, but there you go! Just use whatever you usually use to remove makeup.

All in all, an alright pigment. I love the colour, but everything else is not too good. It’s terribly uneven and the intensity of colour is not even near what it’s like in the pot. It’s more like a pale, tealish colour rather than the galaxy blue that it should be. You can get somewhat close with enough layers, but it’s going to take a huge number of layers. It creases extremely after half an hour, so it’s not very long-lasting, though it doesn’t smudge or fade throughout the day. At least it is really easy to remove, and the resulting stain cam easily be removed with micellar water. But! It seems that this pigment is supposed to be used with NYX’s mixing medium. And I didn’t get that... so, perhaps that explains why it’s performing kinda poorly. Or it’s the fact that it’s more than 6.5 years old! In any case, I cannot recommend it like this!

Rating: 4.5/10 (even if it wasn't this old)

Would buy again? NO

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Lipstick

NYX Matte Lipstick [MLS30 - Aria] Review

January 29, 2023

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Dark red

NYX Slide On Lip Pencil [SLLP01 - Dark Soul] Review

January 29, 2023

Alright, let’s start!

The first item from the NYX gift bag is the Slide On Lip Pencil, in the shade SLLP01/Dark Soul.

I already have one Slide On Lip Pencil, though in a much brighter shade! That one disappointed me, but that’s not going to affect my opinion of this liner, I promise! I was a bit miffed to see this liner in the bag, but the colour looked amazingly vampy and dark, so I thought I would like it. Let’s see how it compares to the other Slide On Pencil, and whether the advertising is true: “Slide on, glide on & definitely a turn on waterproof, extreme color lip liner (this lip liner is so good, the name had to be this long!)™”!

Packaging: this is a gel lip liner that looks like a normal pencil. The colour of the packaging matches the colour of the pencil itself. I like how the wood isn’t natural coloured but black, that’s so cool! And it goes so well with this shade, it looks goth!

The text is white so that it stands out against the dark background. Good choice! The cap is black and closes so extremely tightly that I often struggle to open it, like, sometimes I can barely open it how tightly it is closed!

Source: nyxcosmetics.com

Ingredients: jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) seed oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, vitamin E for nourishment. No parabens. It’s also got rosin, which is relatively bad as it's not really used anymore (asthma & allergy risk). You’d think those oils would help make this lip pencil hydrating, or at least prevent it from drying out lips, but, as you will see, that’s not the case. The scent is relatively subtle, but it is kinda unpleasant. It smells waxy and plasticy, almost like it has gone bad; it’s definitely not the typical wooden smell that pencils usually have, even gel pencils. Indeed, it most likely has gone bad a long time ago; checking its batch code I found out it was manufactured roughly 6 and a half years ago! I mean, I know that these mystery bags are usually filled with old products with an ancient manufacture date, but this is just taking the piss! 6 and a half years! The expiration date is 24 months after opening, which is moot when you get a product that is more than 6 years old; it’s not like it’s gonna last 24 months when it is already that old.

The colour of this pencil is as beautiful as I was expecting it to be! It’s such a dramatic, vampy, intense dark wine red that looks especially great on pale skin! It’s such a broody, goth colour perfect for winter! It’s way more dark red than dark berry, so I’d say it’s most similar to wine. The name is quite fitting, is it not? Dark, vampy colour for dark souls!

The pigmentation is extremely intense and it is so dark and vampy! Its formula, however, is not comfortable to use, or wear. While it does glide on effortlessly across lips as promised, without any tugging at all, it ends up looking slightly uneven and patchy in certain areas. The pencil is super soft and deposits pigment evenly but it’s like it becomes kind of uneven as it dries. There are also very slight cracks visible if I smile or open my mouth. And it just looks dry on the centre of my lips. Also, the pigment collects on the inner centre on the lips, forming a clear border that is plainly visible when you talk and isn’t appealing at all. No matter how much I fill in that part it always ends up disappearing up to that border. Though there is one positive: despite being so soft, the pencil rarely breaks, even if you press harder with it. The texture is extremely matte. So much that it actually ends up looking more dry than velvety. It seems the advertising is true in this regard: it both glides and slides on, and is most definitely an extremely colour lip pencil.

This pencil isn’t the most comfortable to wear. It feels super, super dry on lips and there is some tackiness which just adds to how uncomfortable it feels. And because it tends to collect on the centre of the lips there’s a noticeably thicker layer of pigment there that just ends up feeling heavy and dry, so much that it starts to crack. I really don’t like this extremely dry formula, it’s just far too uncomfortable and it, as expected, dries out my lips significantly, and they feel slightly chapped after removing the pencil.

I will admit that it has excellent durability! It stays pretty much unchanged even hours after applying it; there isn’t any fading or smudging. The cracks don’t look worse, though they shouldn’t be present in the first place! What this pencil doesn’t like is food; it becomes smudged and it mostly disappears on the centre of lips. It’s not as bad as it gets with some other lip products, but it is bad enough to require fixing it post-eating. It really does not look good, so be sure to fill your lips in with the pencil after eating. Even if the food you were eating wasn’t greasy it still ends up damaging the pencil. Which kind of goes against the whole “stay on” thing they are advertising. Water doesn’t seem to bother it. Good, because it should be waterproof!

I am so glad that this lip pencil is extremely easy to remove. Even if it’s only using micellar water, it comes off super easily, with no rubbing required to completely remove it. Despite being such a vibrant, dark wine colour it doesn’t leave any stains on lips, which was a real surprise! I was totally expecting it to leave stains; it’s great that it doesn’t!

Sharpening: folks, this pencil CAN be sharpened! I have to emphasise it because I have seen far too many reviews complaining that they outlined their lips once, the pencil became dull and then they threw it away, questioning what’s the point if you can’t retract it. This isn’t a retractable pencil, it’s a normal gel lip pencil! Though the outer layer feels like plastic it does not damage sharpeners! However, gel pencils can be tricky to sharpen due to their usually super soft lead. It’s not uncommon for them to start crumbling if you try to sharpen them while they are room temperature. Yes, you read that right, you should refrigerate them prior to sharpening them! The colder they are the easier they are to sharpen, because the lead becomes harder and less prone to crumbling or breaking.

All of that is true for this pencil; since filling in your lips uses up so much pencil that it becomes totally blunt, just plop it into a sharpener and sharpen away! This pencil in particular doesn’t require you to refrigerate it; it is pretty easy to sharpen at room temperature and doesn’t crumble. But keeping it cold does help! I would suggest using NYX’s sharpener, in general, as it’s by far the best one.

All in all, I actually kind of like this lip pencil: the pigmentation is extremely intense, it is extremely long-lasting and super easy to remove! It also glides easily on lips, so it is super simple to perfectly line your lips with it. Bad things: it doesn’t cope with food all that good so you will have to reapply it after eating, it looks dry and cracks slightly soon after applying it and it feels so extremely dry and tacky which makes it uncomfortable to wear, and it dries out my lips. I like how it’s waterproof! And I love that it’s actually easy to sharpen, as gel pencils usually start to crumble if you sharpen them at room temperature, but this one doesn’t! So it is actually better than the previous Slide On Pencil that I have, though both feel bone dry on lips. But, all that I’ve said is moot with this specific pencil that I got. It was manufactured ~6 and a half years ago! And given the waxy, soapy smell, it has most likely gone bad at some point during those 6.5 years. Shame, because I actually kinda like it! But I don’t want to risk any adverse effects with my lips. If it wasn’t spoiled, I would give it a conditional recommendation: only if you don’t suffer from dry lips.

Rating: 6.5/10 (if I am being honest about it and disregard the fact that my specific pencil has probably gone bad)

Would buy again? Maybe YES (it’s uncomfortably dry but the colour is fricking awesome!)