NYX Haul Part 1 of 4: The Lips

NYX is a brand that I have known for a few years but wasn't widely available in the UK. I had the odd product from the range but since I couldn't get my hands on them as easily, it wasn't a brand I really invested in. I had the odd blusher and lip pencils but they are the old packaging. Now NYX lip range is insane. The colour selection is amazing, with plenty of nudes (my favourite) to choose from and from my NYX haul I have purchased nearly all the nude shades. I will probably go ahead and select a few darker shades for Autumn but for now, I am enjoying all these shades and formulas. 

My Top 3 Dark MAC Lipsticks

Dark lips are sometimes dismissed as only nighttime colours or maybe halloween but I think they look great as a daytime look too. Every now and then I like to opt for a dark lip, depending on my mood and eye look but it's a lot more maintenance to make sure it doesn't smudge/bleed.  If and when I choose to do a dark lip, I always make sure I exfoliate and moisturise my lips beforehand because I find that darker lipsticks look more obvious and enhance the texture of your lips more. Lip liner is also a must to stop any bleeding or smudging around the outer lip and I sometimes like to create an ember effect using a darker shade of the lipstick to make my lips look a little fuller. 

Heroine / Rebel / Diva

What are your favourite dark lipsticks from MAC?

MAC Lip Conditioner and MAC Prep + Prime Lip Balm | Review

Okay, so priming my face and eyes are a must for my makeup routine but I've never considered priming my lips. Boy, have I been missing out! I have quite medium, full lips that used to make me feel self-conscious when I was younger but now I love the fact that they aren't small and non-existent. My lips get quite dry and flakey easily, and for the last 4 years I have been on the hunt for the best lip balm/conditioner and I didn't even think about using MAC. I've tried everything from EOS, Burts Bees, Vaseline, Nivea and all the other drugstore brands but found that they never nourished my lips for long. 

I went on a whim to purchase these two MAC lip care products: MAC Lip Conditioner Hydrant (£12.00) and MAC Prep + Prime Lip Base (£13.50) and they have to be my favourite recent beauty purchases.

The lip conditioner is a scent-less glossy (but not sticky) product that can be used day or night (I use it during the night only and I wake up with the most baby soft lips EVER!). I dare say this is my holy grail lip balm/conditioner because I have seen less flaking and drying on my lips. I think using this in conjunction with the Prep + Prime lip base definitely helps too. Before I apply any lip product to my lips, I prime them with a generous coating and then start layering my lip products on top. During the day, I find that I don't even need to reapply my lip colour even after having a few cups of green tea and food. The lip primer definitely holds the colour and lipstick to my lips better than it would, without. 

Lip priming has definitely become part of my core makeup routine whether I'm doing a full face or minimal face look. Especially now that I use lipliners more, and wear lipstick every single day - I need my lips looking its best. For the prices of these two products, I am happy to continue paying more because you'll probably know that I am a die-hard MAC fan, and I will more than likely re-purchase both these products when I've run out. I'm not sure if there are any other lip primers on the market but I am open to trying out new brands and products so if there are any lip primers out there you think I should try, please let me know in my comments!