Nik the Makeup Junkie

July 28, 2017

Summer Essentials 2017

Maybe it's a little late in the summer to post my summer essentials, but I'm doing it anyway. Summer still has at least a month left in most places, two where I live. I kept it to a minimum this year, for the most part. Also, since this is so late, I'm already thinking about fall so expect many fall posts; probably too early.

Let's start with the face products

It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination SPF 50+ (review) - this is a medium-full coverage CC cream. It's hydrating, illuminating and lasts all day on my dry skin. If you have oily skin, you'll definitely need to powder because this does give an extremely dewy look and while that's what I'm always after, oily skinned girls tend to disagree.
It Cosmetics Anti-Aging Armour SPF 50+ (review) - This is a tinted sunscreen. It also adjusts to your skin tone. This has very sheer-light coverage, but it's enough to even out my complexion and give my skin a healthy look.
It Cosmetics Ombre Bronzer - It's safe to say that I'm obsessed with this bronzer. Mine is at the bottom of the pan, because I have a hard time using anything else. It's such a good tone and it's not matte, so it gives a more healthy bronzed appearance. But don't worry, it's also not glittery.
It Cosmetics Creme Luminizer - I've basically used this to death. It works under or over powder and gives a natural glow. I included this one instead of colorful highlighters because this is extremely flattering on the skin. It doesn't enhance texture or contain shimmer/glitter and that's hard to find.
Urban Decay Quick Fix Prep Spray (review) - This is a hydrating prep spray that I use before applying foundation. It smells like coconuts, which I why I chose this one. I didn't want to include all of the sprays I use, so I only listed this one instead of the Pixi ones I also alternate with this one. However, the Pixi mists are more affordable and the Hydrating Milky Mist from Pixi works the same.
Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray - This is a cooling and hydrating spray that keeps your makeup in place. I use it every single day in the summer. Throughout the rest of the year, I normally use the All Nighter spray, but this one is a bit more hydrating.
It Cosmetics Confidence in Your Glow (review) - This is a bronzer, blush. highlight trio. It comes in three different shades and it's the most perfect all-in-one product. It's super pigmented and looks so pretty and natural on the skin.

Let's move onto eyes

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette (review) - I kept this to the bare minimum and I'm only sharing a single palette. This is a newer palette but it's perfect for summer and even fall. The warm tones work great for natural or dramatic looks. I can't get enough of this palette. I didn't mention any liners, but the two from this collection are perfect as well.
Anastasia Clear Brow Gel - I like my brows to stay put and this stuff is like super glue for your brows. It's perfect for the summer months.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara - Any mascara will do. I don't like waterproof mascaras, but those are probably ideal for the summer. This one is super black, volumizing and lengthening so I always come back to it.

Lastly, lips

Urban Decay Special Effects Lip Top Coat (review) - The shade I chose to feature is White Lies, however, there are many gorgeous shades. These are a perfect way to transform and amp up your lip looks and I think they're essential for summer, if that's what you want to do.
Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks (review) - This is the shade Back Talk, which is the color I use most often. There are a large range of shades, but these DO NOT budge and I love that.
Pur Cosmetics Chrome Glaze (review)- This is the shade DIY and it's the lightest. These have enough pigmentation to show up but they are not opaque. I like to wear these on their own and they are perfect for a lacquer-esque lip.
It Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi Vitality Lip Flush Gloss - If you want something more natural, this is it. This gloss has a lot of shine, but isn't sticky. It changes color when you apply it to a natural pink shade. I can't recommend it enough.

So those are my summer essentials. Not everything will be necessary for every person, but I wanted to give a general idea of what I gravitate towards in the summer months.

Let me know what your essentials are in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

July 25, 2017

IT Cosmetics™ IT’s Your 30 Seconds To Flawless-Looking Skin

July 19, 2017

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette | Collection Swatches and Review

*Products mentioned were sent for review, opinions are my own*
I know I'm late to the party, but I just received the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette and the rest of the collection in the mail last week. I wasn't sure if I'd receive it in PR but then it arrived and I've been playing with this collection since.

To be completely honest, before I received it I had went back and forth with the idea of buying it. I have the original three Naked Palettes and the two Naked Basics palettes. I have mixed feelings on those, specifically the Naked 3 but I've always liked them. I hesitated to buy this palette due to swatches I had seen. The Naked Heat palette wasn't put in the best light, as a certain magazine had swatched it horribly. In addition to that, many of the shades just looked too similar to me from photos I had seen online.
So here we are, with the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. Let's talk about it.

I'm majorly in love with the packaging. Not only is it gorgeous, but it feels heavier and more secure. The mirror is nice and the case snaps shut. I think the way it's made is ideal for travel. Also, the brush that comes with this palette is really nice. I typically don't like brushes that come with palettes, but I really enjoy this one.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about these colors.

There are five shimmer shades and seven matte shades, meaning this palette contains more mattes than any of the other Naked Palettes, with the exception of the Naked Basics 1, 2 & Ultimate. I think this was a great decision and made this a much more versatile palette than the original three.

From left to right the shades are:

Ounce - Ivory Shimmer
Chaser - Light Nude Matte
Sauced - Soft Terracotta Matte
Low Blow - Brown Matte
Lumbre - Copper Shimmer with Gold Pearl Shift
He Devil - Burnt Red Matte
Dirty Talk - Metallic Burnt Red
Scorched - Metallic Deep Red with Gold Micro Shimmer
Cayenne - Deep Terracotta Matte
En Fuego - Burgundy Matte
Ashes - Deep Reddish Brown Matte
Ember - Deep Metallic Copper Burgundy

(Top row of swatches are finger swatches, bottom row are brush swatches. Both are over Urban Decay Primer Potion.)

I've used each of these shades, so we will quickly talk about the formula.

Shimmers

Ounce is the lightest shade in the palette and has a sheer pigmentation. It can be built up and it blends well. It has shimmer but it's not too shimmery.
Lumbre is the driest shimmer in the palette. It has a more stiff texture than the others and it's more glittery than the others. This one has considerably more fallout and really needs a stickier base to perform to its full potential. If you have the original Naked palette, the formula of this is similar to Side Car.
Dirty Talk and Scorched are similar in color. Dirty Talk is more of a fire-y copper while Scorched is a little more on the rose gold end of the spectrum, due to the micro shimmer. They look very similar on the eyes as well. The formula for both of these is really nice. They're more buttery and smooth than the shimmers I'm used to. They're quite pigmented as well.
Ember is a copper and red duo-chrome with a blackened base. It's not listed in this way, but that's precisely what it is. If you've used Makeup Geek Steampunk, they're pretty much identical. Ember is buttery, smooth, and applies well. It's pretty pigmented but really benefits from a stickier base to get the full effect of the duo-chrome.

(Top row of swatches are finger swatches, bottom row are brush swatches. Both are over Urban Decay Primer Potion.)

Mattes

Chaser is a great transition shade and it slightly more sheer than the other mattes in this palette. I find it's easy to build up if you want to but I actually prefer it this way.
Sauced and Low Blow are both brown shades with slightly different undertones. Sauced is more warm while Low Blow is slightly more neutral. There is a visible difference between them and it's enough to warrant having both in this palette. They're both pigmented, soft and easy to blend.
He Devil, Cayenne, and En Fuego are very soft, blendable, and very pigmented. They all have very red undertones and work perfectly together as well as with every other shade in the palette.
Ashes is described as a deep, reddish brown but in my opinion, it's more purple than red. It's also one of the only cooler toned shades in this palette, but somehow it still works. I love this in the outer V and it works great as eyeliner. This shade is slightly drier than the other mattes and slightly more sheer, but it can easily be built up to a deeper shade and despite being drier, it's blendable.

Overall, the formula on this palette totally surprised me. The colors are much more rich and pigmented than those in previous Naked Palettes. That may be because this one is less of a neutral, no makeup palette and more of an intense palette. I love how the colors can all work together and you can do multiple looks with this one palette.

I love warm palettes and this one did not disappoint. I love the packaging, the color selection, and the formula. This is by far my favorite Naked palette and has become one of my favorite palettes. It's definitely a great summer palette and one that will carry over into fall.

It's currently out of stock on Urban Decay's website, but it's still available at Ulta and Sephora.

Let's quickly discuss the rest of the collection.

There are three lipsticks and two eyeliners in this collection.

Lipsticks

Fuel - Warm Peach-Nude Cream
Scorched - Metallic Copper
Heat - Metallic Burnt Red-Gold

Of the three, Fuel is my favorite. It's a nice nude and semi-matte. It wasn't drying, in fact it was really creamy and pigmented. I find it lasts around 5 hours without fading and it's easy to touch up.

Scorched and Heat are both metallic shades. They're both gorgeous and wear as well as Fuel. Heat is slightly less pigmented than the others, but buildable. Scorched is opaque in one layer and is much less gritty feeling than Heat. Heat is slightly gritty and both leave glitter particles on your lips after removal.

Eyeliners

Torch - Warm Terracotta
Alkaline - Plum with Burgundy Undertones

Torch and Alkaline are both pigmented and smooth. Both apply well to the waterline and lasted well. These didn't transfer onto my contact lenses which is why I love the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. These are just like the others and go well in my collection.

I'm a huge fan of the entire collection. The color range is exactly what I look for and all of the products in the collection work together. I definitely approve!

Have you tried anything from the Urban Decay Naked Heat collection?

Thanks for reading!

July 11, 2017

Three Products for Glowy Skin | Pixi Beauty

*Products mentioned in this post were sent for free. All opinions are my own*
Let's talk about some affordable skin care products from Pixi Beauty. I mentioned these products in my updated skin care routine, but never got around to reviewing them. We'll discuss my absence in an upcoming blog post, now is not the time. Pixi Beauty is an awesome, affordable, cruelty free brand. It's really everything I'm looking for in a beauty brand. I have a few products to talk about with you today, but I have even more from Pixi that I'll be posting about soon.

First, let's talk about the Pixi Glow Mud Cleanser. It's a deep pore cleansing mud with 5% glycolic acid. It gently exfoliates your skin while enhancing your complexion. I've been using this cleanser most days because I find it leaves my skin very soft and glowy, without giving my face the dry and tight feeling some cleansers do. Next is the Pixi Overnight Glow Serum. This is a serum that works while you sleep. It contains 10% glycolic acid to brighten your complexion and reduce the appearance of sun spots, dark spots, and fine lines. I use this a few times a week as well and I find that it does give my skin a nice glow. It sinks in quickly and doesn't dry out my skin. Lastly, we have the Pixi Glow Tonic To Go. These are pre-soaked pads that are perfect for travel, but I find them easier than buying the Glow Tonic in the bottle and soaking a cotton pad. I'm lazy and this is easier for me. I used to be horrible with skincare and these are super convenient so I don't find it tedious. These contain 5% glycolic acid to tone, brighten, hydrate, and gently exfoliate. I use these every other night, in rotation with my DermOrganic toner.

The combination of these products has really helped to brighten my skin, as well as to diminish my acne scars. They're slowly fading and I credit it to these products. I really love the combination of these products and I think they'd work for multiple skin types. I have dry/combo skin lately, where the majority of my face is dry but I have an oily t-zone, for reference. If you've tried these, let me know what you think! I also have a scrub from Pixi Beauty that I'll be reviewing very soon. You can find these products and more on Pixi's website! Thanks for reading!

Summer Essentials 2017

IT Cosmetics™ IT’s Your 30 Seconds To Flawless-Looking Skin

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette | Collection Swatches and Review

Three Products for Glowy Skin | Pixi Beauty

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