Today I’m bringing you a mixed haul of cosmetic products from both high end and drug store brands. I’ve recently found several affordable items that I’ve become really attached to and have been stocking up on the different colors and products that are new and/or new to me as well as trying out some different products that I’ve never used before. Keep reading to see what I recently purchased and for swatches of the makeup.
The first two products I’ll be discussing are hair products. The first product is the NuMe Hydro Punch Oil, which can be used as a leave-in conditioner or an after styling serum. It is meant to provide extreme hydration to parched or color-treated hair. I had previously loved the Intense Renewal Mask that I got in my Ipsy bag several months ago but it has been sold out on the NuMe website for months, so I still have not gotten the opportunity to repurchase that. I had a code “numelove” for $50 off a purchase so I decided to use it on this instead since the price was $49.99. All I paid was the shipping charge of $12.99. The code is still good, btw so feel free to use it for yourself! The best thing about NuMe hair care is the fragrance. This product, as well as the other two products I’ve smelled/used have all smelled like lilacs. It’s such a fresh, clean, natural smell that is not perfume-like at all. I have tried this oil twice now on humid days and I really like that it has the ability to gloss and calm my hair. It is a very thick, heavy oil so I may wish to use it more often on cold/dry and humid days to really nourish and control my hair.
I purchased the TIGI S-Factor Smoothing Lusterizer because I’ve been loving the Smoothing shampoo and conditioner. All three products are very nourishing. I never get any build-up with the shampoo and conditioner but I do use a different kind about every three washes to keep my hair from getting weighed down. The Lusterizer is just ok for daily use and not any better than others I’ve tried. I like it but there are cheaper alternatives that can do just as good of a job for day to day maintenence. However, there is no other product I’ve tried that can tame frizz on humid days like this one can. If you need a very heavy frizz tamer or if you have curly hair, this lusterizer would probably be great for you. The smell of strawberries makes it pleasant to use, even though I think the shampoo and conditioner smell more like apples. The shampoo and conditioner are a staple for me now, I love them and will continue to repurchase those. I would probably repurchase the Lusterizer as well if I ever run out. I have only been using it on rainy days so it’s going to last me a long time. I do not like the shape of the bottle though, when you squeeze it, way too much product comes out. A tube would be much easier to use. The Lusterizer costs around $32.
Next are several lip products, swatched in order, starting with the Cover Girl Smoochies OXXO. Although this is labeled as lipstick, it is the tinted balm I have been looking for my whole life. This literally does what all the others only claim to do. This is my third purchase of this, all in the color #luv u. It is incredibly moisturizing and easy to apply without a mirror while giving the prettiest rosy berry color that looks great with everything. I can use it all day to keep my lips feeling and looking good.
The next two items are Baby Lips. I have no idea why I keep hoping these will work for me…they dry my lips out so bad but everyone loves them so I feel like I must be missing something. I just keep trying. These will be the last time I buy any, as they aren’t any better for me than the very first one I purchased when this line was introduced. I got the colors Peach Kiss and Dr. Rescue Coral Crave. I use them along with lipstick to alter the color slightly but I don’t feel that I get any real health benefits for my lips from them.
The next two items are NYX Butter Gloss and NYX Butter Lipstick. I am a huge fan of the NYX Creamy Round Lipstick and can never get enough in my collection. I swear, they are just like MAC but don’t parch my lips like MAC does! The Butter Gloss I got is in the color Apple Strudel and the Butter Lipstick is in the color Candy Buttons. The gloss is so creamy and soft, it really does feel like butter on my lips. It does lay down a decent amount of color. This is my first Butter Gloss purchase and I plan to purchase more. It tastes/smells like marshmallows and it has double the amount of product as my high end products while being of the same quality. The Butter Lipstick seems very similar to the Creamy Round Lipstick, so I feel these two products are interchangeable. The butter version is slightly more expensive but the colors are more summer appropriate, while the creamy version is slightly cheaper and has a wider variety of colors.
These lipsticks are all the NYX Creamy Round lipsticks (original review here), swatched in order in the colors Gala, Pure Nude, Strawberry Milk, Stella and Jupiter (my fave).
These glosses are all the Maybelline Color Elixers in the colors 65-Caramel Infusion, 100-Petal Plush, 95-Blush Essence, 5-Breathtaking Apricot, 35-Dashing Orchid, 70-Intoxicating Spice, 45-Amethyst Potion. You can read my original review of these here.
The next products are new to me. They looked really cute in the store so I thought I’d give them a try. The first item is by Hard Candy and it is called Fox in a Box (how could I resist!) blush in the color Hot & Spicy. I really like it, it lasts all day and is easy to blend, but is on the bright side for me right now. I tend to go for more pale pinks and corals for summer blush but they were sold out of those. I don’t think I’d repurchase this color but would like to try some of the ones they were sold out of. It was only $6. The top horizontal swatch shows this color.
The Physician’s Formula Powder Palette Pearls in Classic Pink is just about the best summer highlighter ever. I was hooked on this the first time I used it. It lasts all day and doesn’t flake off. Some of you may not like the shimmery finish, but I personally love that for summer and if I ever use this all up, I would repurchase it. It does come with a brush as well, which is pretty decent, but is shaped more as a contouring brush, so I don’t use it. This costs around $12. The second horizontal swatch shows this color.
The last item is the Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips in the color Warm Nude. Let me just say, this is just as good as a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick. The only complaint I have about this is that some of the strips are so narrow that it is difficult to get just that color onto my brush without picking up some of the neighboring colors, but it’s do-able. They do have a square version of this also that has bigger sections of each color, but the overall amount of product is the same and the cost is $3 more. Also, it is just my personal preference, but I would really like to see these colors sold individually. There are three colors that I would continue to purchase, while the other colors are very similar to each other and I don’t really seem to reach for those as much. I prefer the first dark brown color, the middle pinkish color and the off-white near the other end. I do think I will repurchase this just for the three colors that I love so much. This was just under $10. The bottom vertical row of swatches shows some of my favorite colors.
I hope you enjoyed the first part of my spring beauty haul! Part two is on the way so let me know if there is anything out there I need to try!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Here is part two of my spring beauty haul! More NYX stuff (love my NYX) and some random items I found while browsing at Ulta.
I had no business getting a third body scrub right now, but this smelled so amazing, I just couldn’t pass it up. The Original scent smelled really great too, sort of like a nutty, buttery, shea butter smell, but I went with this one since it had a touch of tropical to it. At under $8 it was a steal. My other body scrubs cost twice that for half the amount of product, so if I like this, I plan to rotate between this fragrance and the original one. They had many others as well but those were the two I loved.
This is a face brush from UBU, which is a Tweezerman company. They had one of these on display and it felt amazing so I had to get it, it was only $10 and was actually something I needed, plus, it’s pink! It does an amazing job and is so soft on my face. It was a bargain and well worth more than what I paid.
I picked up two more NYX Creamy Round Lipsticks (original review here) in the colors Margarita, shown above, and Fig.
Also picked up two more NYX Butter Glosses (original review here) in Merenge, shown above, and Strawberries and Cream.
I added two more NYX Eye Pencils to my collection in the colors Teal and Baby Blue. I have been using the black and white versions a lot more lately and have really grown to love them. Initially I wasn’t that impressed because the color is very soft, so it’s not going to give a precise, crisp looking color, but I love them to accent my lower lashes. I do that a lot in the summer since I’m wearing less makeup. 
Swatches shown above are the NYX products: eye liners in Teal and Baby Blue, Creamy Round Lipsticks in Fig and Margarita, Butter Glosses in Merenge and Strawberries and Cream.
Maybelline Color Elixer is supposed to produce a rich, saturated color while leaving lips soft and cushiony. I believe this comes in 20 shades, each place I’ve looked has had just a sampling of them, but I know there are at least 20.
