REVIEW || COLOURPOP ULTRA MATTE & ULTRA SATIN LIP

I feel like this whole Colourpop review thing is becoming a trend over on Vogue By Maya haha. I have already written full reviews of the Colour Shock Shadows and Lippie Stix, but now it's time to talk about the famous Ultra Matte and Satin lipsticks.

I'm a massive Colourpop fan in general. I love their prices and their products - especially the packaging! I recently placed 2 orders (naughty, I know) and will soon share with you my whole Colourpop makeup collection, so stay tuned for more!

First up, I bought this trio as a set for $15 on offer. I really like the shades as they're all pink toned natural(ish) shades which I love for an every-day look. I have the shades: Baracuda, Viper, and Times Square with Baracuda being a satin finish liquid lipstick.

The packaging is very pretty, it reminds me very much of the Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks but with slightly different lids. To say these are only $6 each they look great, and I bet they would look even better stacked up in an acrylic stand! (I keep mine in their original boxes because I love the packaging so much, haha).

The formula is very thick, almost like the NYX Lip Lingerie lipsticks. I love that these lipsticks do not bleed. I find that many liquid lipsticks, including Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks, bleed a lot into fine lines in the skin around the mouth area.

The applicator is very simple, but effective. It does the job well however, I do feel like I need to line my lips before using these lipsticks as it's hard to stay in line without doing so!
The longevity is quite high as I usually wear these to work or uni and they stay on all day long, but I do feel the need to touch up a little bit after eating which isn't unusual.

Overall, I really love the formula of these. They don't feel sticky and glide on nicely, but if I had to choose I would probably pick the Lippie Stix over the liquid lipsticks as the formula of them is very unique which draws me to them.

Have you tried any of the Colourpop liquid lipsticks? If so, which ones?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAMS

Ever since I've heard about the brand NYX I have been wanting to get my hands on some of their products to try out. Finally, after a long time, I bought a few Soft Matte Lip Creams after hearing so many people rave about them.

I think the size is very handy as you can just shove it in your bag, and the little bottle looks a lot like the MAC Lipglasses. They're not heavy, and I believe that they are all made out of plastic. As always, all NYX products are vegan which means that the products are NOT tested on animals - just another reason to buy their makeup products!

The consistency of the product, for me, was very odd. It felt like mousse instead of liquid lipstick which I found fascinating as I can't feel it on my lips at all. It's very smooth and velvet like - yes! That's exactly what it feels like. Now I know why the lipsticks are called 'soft cream' haha.

Now, these are quite long lasting but I feel that I need to re-apply after eating or drinking which is annoying, but like I said before - they're easy to carry around anyway. On a good day it will last around 6 hours without touching up and I think that's pretty good bearing in mind a normal bullet lipstick would not last anywhere near as much as six hours.

The shades I currently own are London, Rome and Copenhagen. I thought they're the best of nudes, pinks and darks haha! The next shade that's on my wishlist is definitely Toulouse but I'm not sure if you can buy it individually or only in a set.

Have you tried any of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams? Do you have a favourite shade?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || COLOURPOP EYESHADOWS

Who hasn't been lusting over Colourpop products yet? Not a lot I bet. As soon as I've heard of the brand sometime a year ago I've been wanting to try out their products, and when I finally got my hands on some I was very very happy.

I have written a full review of the Lippie Stix here. So, if you have already seen this post then you'd know that I absolutely love Colourpop lip products but let's talk about their eyeshadows!

I bought a set of 4 for only $18 instead of $20 which is how much they would cost me if I had bought them individually. I love warm tones and all four of these are right up my alley so I was very excited to try them out.

I have the shades (l-r) Jinxie, Elixir, Seeker and Paradox. I must say that Paradox is my favourite as it's a very deep burgundy shade and shows up great on my skin tone - I also tried it on a friend who has a deeper skin tone and it looked great on her!

To say that these are only $5 and the pigment is fantastic and shows up well on deeper skin tones as well as light, these are totally worth the price and YOU NEED IT in your collection!!

I love the packaging of these, the cute little pots look very expensive and are handy to whip out a couple of shades to create a full eye makeup look. I think that these would look great in Alex drawers (so fetch) but I know that many people prefer to have their eyeshadows in palettes rather than singles, but thankfully you can get Colourpop eyeshadow pans to put in a palette! Hooray! The only downside of these coming in pots is that it would be very difficult to depot these and unfortunately these shades aren't available in the single pans yet :(

I will expand my Colourpop eyeshadow collection soon enough, and you'll hear about it all over my social media platforms! - I've been trying really hard to take better pictures and create better content so head over to my Instagram for pretty pics and Twitter for latest post news!

Have you tried any Colourpop products? Have you got a favourite brand for eyeshadows?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || COLOURPOP PERSUEDE ME LIPPIE STIX COLLECTION

Ever since hearing about Colourpop I've been wanting to try out their products. I finally decided to make a big order back in October (I think) and bought a set of Lippie Stix along with other items and I must say that was one of the best decisions I ever made! Even though custom charges killed me after already spending around £50 on products D: - but when I think about MAC I usually spend the same amount on 2-3 things.

I don't really like the packaging that much. I mean, it is nice but nothing exceptional; it kind of looks like a jumbo eye crayon by NYX, but then again this is a drugstore product retailing at only $6 so the packaging isn't the post important.

They have a variety of lovely shades to choose from but because I chose a pre-packed set I was 'stuck' with all nudes. I'm not complaining though - they are lovely! My favourite shade has to be 'Le Freak'.

The consistency is very creamy and easy to apply, the lipstick literally glides on nicely and stay put all day. I do have to touch up after eating/drinking and it builds up quite easily so it's best to apply a thin layer with a lip brush to avoid it gathering.

Overall, I would rate these a solid 9/10 as the formula and price are amazing but the main issue for those who live outside the US is the VAT and custom fees :(

Have you tried any of the Colourpop products before? If so, which ones?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2017 || FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

February was a massive emotional rollercoaster ride for me. I had to battle my depression and anxiety as well as distance myself from toxic people, yet I also met some very lovely like-minded people and been really successful with blogging and university work. Moral of the story - don't let temporary people affect your future, and that hard work does pay off!

Anyway, I must say the product I've been loving the most last month was something that I've had since August and had only used it once. It is the Natural Collection Lipstick in shade Fig Leaf. I don't know why I didn't use it, probably because I have so many lipsticks I usually stick to the old trusty ones like Jeffree Star's Celebrity Skin or NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cremes. With the weather not being so great, I've been wanting to just wear lip balm but I felt like I needed a bit of colour added to my lips, so that's when I turned to this natural shade that's full of moisture that locks in all day long and it only costs £1.99! Fantastic bargain and I must say it will definitely suit all skin tones!

My next favourite (especially in Spring) is the Urban Decay Beached Bronzer. I've had this since January and been using it nearly every day since. It's a beautiful shade that instantly adds warmth to my skin and makes me look sun-kissed in seconds which also lasts all day long! It is slightly pricey, however definitely worth the price if you wear bronzer every day.

I recently bought the whole range of Lee Stafford's Hair Growth products and I've been really loving the Leave-in Treatment. I've been using it after every wash and I've noticed the difference on how much thicker my hair looks thanks to the pro-growth complex and caffeine. I will do a full review of the whole range soon.

Another one of my oldies but goodies that I've completely neglected is the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream. It is amazing for brightening up your eyes and reducing the appearance of dark circles. I tend to use it in the morning before applying my makeup, but it's also BENEFITcial (see what I did there haha) to wear it overnight as then I wake up feeling fresh and with bright eyes - not horrible droopy 'what is sleep' sort of eyes!

Wikaniko's Moringa oil is one of my newest additions to my skincare routine, and OMG can I just say that this is bloody amazing?! I've not had it for long but I've been using it every night since receiving a bottle to review and it makes my skin feel absolutely amazing; it's so soft and reduces the appearance of fine lines (a full review will be up soon).

I've probably spoken about the L'aimant fragrance before, but I honestly love this scent. It smells great and is very dusty but still refreshing - perfect for Spring. It's also a very handy small bottle which fits perfectly in my handbag without weighing it down too much! If you're a big fan of Chanel then I'd definitely recommend this fragrance as it smells identical to Chanel No5.

What have you been loving this February? Have you tried any of these products before?

Lots of love,

Maya xo