From the Desk of P & P: NYX Butter Glosses

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm back with a new series on my blog called, "From the Desk of P & P..." These posts will be specific reviews of products, including clothes, makeup, skincare, decor, etc. Please let me know in the comments section if there is a particular category or product you would like to see! I hope you all enjoy these, and without further ado, let's get started!

Official Stats on NYX Butter Glosses:

-described by NYX as: "Buttery soft and silky smooth, our scrumptious new Butter Lip Gloss tastes as sweet as a sugar cookie—and makes your lips look downright luscious. Swipe it on alone or over your favorite lipstick for creamy sheer to medium coverage that melts onto your lips and is never sticky."

-available in 12 different shades, ranging from natural blush pink to candy apple red

-given an "O-ward" from O, the Oprah Magazine for best Spring Makeup in 2013

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Personal Feedback:

On a trip to Ulta way back when, I picked up a NYX Butter Gloss in the shade 'Tiramisu'. Ever since, I've been wearing it like crazy. The shade I got is a "your lips but better" kind of color, so I wear it pretty much every day!
Right off the bat, the smell is enough of a reason to pay $5 bucks for it. It smells like vanilla or cookies or sugar and spice and everything nice ;). Seriously, it's the best! Also, to be a neutral shade gloss, it is surprisingly very pigmented.

It is so smooth and creamy but not super sticky, nor does it catch every single piece of your hair as you walk from the house to the car (does that happen to anyone else?!). Coming from someone with verrryy dry lips, I've found it to be pretty moisturizing as well. 

One of the down sides is how frequently you have to reapply the product. Because mine is pretty natural, I don't have to do this too often, but if you have a darker shade, it might be a bit more of a time investment ;).

NYX Butter Gloss

color: tiramisu

oh snap...gettin' fancy!

swatch with only one swipe... pretty impressive!

lips: bare

lips: glossed

kisses for everyone!


Overall Score: 7/10

I love the texture and appearance of this product; those both get an A+ in my book! However, the constant reapplication, especially for darker colors, deters this makeup item from being super stellar.

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What is your favorite lip product? Let me know down in the comments section, along with any suggestions for future versions of this post. Also, check back on Wednesday for a snazzy #ootd! Thanks for reading today's blog post, and have a great day!

a natural beauty

"No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful."  -Eleanor Roosevelt

I need an iPhone reminder with this quote like 25 times a day. Today, many women base their own self worth on their physical appearance, and we need to remember that we are so much more than our dress size, that big zit on our foreheads, or the muffin top poking over our jeans. Today, I wanted to show you the type of makeup look that I wear on a daily basis: au natural (or as close as you can get with makeup :). I think it's very important to utilize makeup in a way that will enhance your own facial features, instead of masking your face to paint on another one. The goal of this look is to bring attention to you glowing, healthy skin and your bright and shining eyes. So, without further ado, here's my natural makeup look: 

I go through phases where I like really perfected and flawless makeup looks, and then times where I swoon over naturally enhanced stunners as well. Here are some of my recent favorites via Pinterest (by the way, follow my on Pinterest at Poised and Preppy!).

How to achieve the best "no makeup" makeup look:

1. Use a thin base of tinted moisturizer or powder foundation on your face just where you need coverage. For me, that's in my T-Zone and under my eyes.

2. Apply a peachy or rosy blush color (whichever suits your complexion the best) NOT to the apples of your cheeks. I repeat, not on the apples of your cheeks. A person does not naturally blush on the tops of their cheeks; the natural flush appears more in the middle of your cheek just under the cheekbone. Just tap your blush there and sweep it backwards for a bit of natural-looking contouring.

**Optional step: Adding a swipe of of a gold or rosy-toned highlighter on the top of your cheekbone brings the youthful glow back into your skin and makes you look like you've been drinking enough water and sleeping enough ;)

3. Lightly fill in your eyebrows. I like to use an eyeshadow because I think it gives a more natural looking effect, but using an eyebrow pencil with a light hand is fine. Eyebrow shape can truly change your face, so make sure to follow the natural arch of your brow to keep this makeup look minimal.

3. Apply a shimmery, champagne shadow to the inner corners of your eyes. The trick is to make sure that the shadow is not too frosty looking, which would defeat the purpose of "natural." The goal is to bring the focus to your eyes, while making them look wider and brighter.

4. Lastly, whip out your good ol' mascara. I can't not put on mascara… it's an addiction! I use my regular black mascara for this step, but to make it even more natural, you could opt for a mascara with a brown tint.

*Any of these steps are optional. Don't feel like you haaave to do this, if you don't think it makes you look your most beautiful.

TA-DA! You're finished!

P.S. Don't forget to check out my giveaway of Moose and Nigel's Rose Gold 'LOVE' Necklace!!

my favorite makeup products!

Over the years, I've accumulated a fairly large collection of makeup (in my mind…). However, I only use about 25% of the products that I have, simply because after a while, the other 75% of products seem to just stop working as well. Today, I'm going to share with you the products that have all continued to work for me and perform beautifully every time. If you want a more in-depth review on any of the products listed below, please let me know in the comments section!

bareMinerals Customizable Get Started Kit

-1 bareMinerals READY SPF 20 Foundation, ORIGINAL SPF 15 Foundation(size: large), or MATTE SPF 15 Foundation(size: large) 

-1 Mini Prime Time Original Foundation Primer 

-1 Warmth All-Over Face Color (size: medium)

-1 Mineral Veil finishing powder (size: medium)

-1 Full Flawless Face Brush

-1 Flawless Application Face Brush

-1 Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Photo: 1

Nars Blush in Deep Throat

Photos: 1, 2

NYC Smooth Bronzer in Sunny
Photos: 1, 2

Sonia Kashuk Instructional Eye Palette in 02 Eye on Neutral
Photos: 1, 2, 3

Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara in Excessive Black

Lancome Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base

Photos: 1, 2

P.S. Here are a few Makeup Cyber Monday Deals:

        -Sephora: Free shipping on orders over $50 with code SHIPNOW and 5 free samples with every order (online only) with code SUSPENSE

        -Ulta: Free shipping on any $25 purchase with the code JINGLE13, Free 18-piece beauty bag with any purchase of $40 or over, CHI hair tools on major sale + free gift, 30% of all Real Techniques, 25% off Pur Minerals, 2 for $18 Butter London nail polishes, free luxury robe with any purchase of a $40 fragrance 

        -Beauty.com: Up to 25% off prestige brands (ends 12-4-13)

Don't forget to check out my giveaway with Moose and Nigel of their Rose Gold 'LOVE' Necklace!!