NYX False Lashes

FALSE LASH EFFECT

I first showed these lashes in my Hautelook NYX haul. I finally decided to try out a pair of the lashes that I got and see for myself how they wore.
 






















First of all, these lashes were too long for my eyes so I had to trim them down a bit. Second of all, they were a bitch to apply. The lash band is very thick and hard to shape to your own eye shape. Once I had the glue on and was trying to position them on my lashes, I had problems with the corners - they wouldn't stay down! I tried 3 times to get the lashes to sit properly on my natural eyelashes and they wouldn't cooperate. This is the best that I got.

From this photo, you can clearly see the lash band. I didn't put any eyeliner over top because I wanted to show you how these wore on their own.

The effect of the actual lashes is very nice. I love the intersecting bits of lashes...it's just creates a really voluminous look.

The lash band is just so annoying! It wouldn't stay down where I wanted it to, and based on that, I don't think these lashes are worth it. The time it takes to get these to look good is ridiculous. I prefer Ardell lashes that can easily be found at any drugstore. They have an invisible band, making them easy to bend to your own eye shape, and also making them easier to camouflage into your own lashes.
Major bummer, because these NYX lashes looked like they could be a great dupe for MAC lashes. No go :(
I'm going to give them another chance, and see if with more practice I can these lashes to cooperate better. We'll see...


xoxoDarlingBuds

NOTD: featuring Butter London

I have heard a lot of people on YouTube constantly talking about how great Butter London is but I never believed the hype. I finally caved a couple weeks ago and bought my first Butter London nail polish. The colour I'm wearing in this post is called "Yummy Mummy" and it's absolutely divine! I now see why everybody loves these nail polishes...I'm absolutely hooked! 
This polish was opaque in just one coat. I put two because I wanted a deeper colour. The shade itself is a really beautiful brownish-beige nude. It's probably the most wearable nude nail polish I own. It was also surprisingly easy to get a clean coat on both my left hand and right hand. Now, I don't call myself a novice when it comes to painting nails; but this was quick and easy to apply. I seriously have never used a nail polish that delivered such amazing results.
Butter London polishes are definitely expensive compared to other brands. I think it's worth the price if you can find some really great stand out shades. Colours that you know you're going to get a lot of wear out of, like a nude for example, would be great to purchase from Butter London. 
Another plus of this brand is that they pride themselves on being a "3 Free" company; meaning they don't use formaldehyde, toluene or DBP in their polishes. On the back of the bottle it says "Colour, not Carcinogens." Just another great benefit of this product!


xoxoDarlingBuds

NOTD: featuring Revlon

 This is Revlon's "Scandalous" and it's so purrdy! I'm pretty sure it's a re-promote of "Facets of Fuchsia" which came out in the Fall of 2011. Two coats of this polish gives great colour payoff, and it's packed with glitter! I'm thinking now that I need to give Revlon's "Whimsical" another try. 

One thing I wish I hadn't done was use a matte top coat over this polish. I got a little carried away with the matte top coat thing after my last NOTD post featuring Wet n Wild turned out so well. The matte top coat accentuated the un-eveness of a glitter-packed polish on my nail. Next time, I'll just use a regular ole shiny top coat. 

For those of you wondering which matte top coat I've been using it's Seche Natural. I picked it up from PharmaPlus in Canada for about $12CAD. It's a great matte top coat when used over the right texture of polish, if you know that I mean.

All in all, I'm really impressed with the new Revlon glittery nail polishes. Not only is the colour great, but they wear really well and durable. Deborah Lippmann has some real competition now!

xoxoDarlingBuds

Review: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB cream

This product could definitely be used as a replacement for foundation. It's like a tinted moisturizer, but with more skin-calming benefits for toning, pigmentation and overall luminosity. I will most definitely be replacing my $55 Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with this bb cream. I just think the price and the overall benefits of a bb cream, particularly the Garnier bb cream, outweighs any regular tinted moisturizer. The coverage of this bb cream is the same, if not more, than any tinted moisturizer I've tried, and the finish of it satin-y which I like. The coverage is also build-able without being cakey or looking like there is way too much product on my face. It also smells fantastic! I can't find anything bad to say about this product. Well actually...the "light/medium" shade is definitely too dark for some fairer people out there so this product doesn't really cater to that wide of a demographic.

Another pro is I'm also starting to notice that some of my dark, hyper-pigmented spots on my face are starting to diminish and I've only been using this product for about a month. 
Sometimes, on days when I feel like I need even more coverage, I use this product under my foundation. On those days, I only use foundation in the spots that I need more coverage, like on my chin where I have some really dark spots. I don't find that those two products layered looks cakey; and I also don't notice that staying power is diminished or increase, it's just normal, I guess.

the finish of Garnier's bb cream (on my hand, obvi)

I'm really happy to see more affordable and effective products starting to make their way to the drugstores


xoxoDarlingBuds