Gwen Stefani + Urban Decay "Ex-Boyfriend" Dupes

     Good day, all you lovely people! Today I thought I'd share some "dupes". Most of these are a bit of a stretch, matching more in colour than formula, but for anyone who missed out on this fantastic colour, it might be enough.

     

     I fell deeply in love with Gwen's collab nude shade at first swipe. It's sheer, but builds nicely, giving a "my lips but better" feel. I knew it would be a favourite. So let's get into the dupes (or near dupes) I found in my collection.

Ex-Boyfriend is on the left, Marc Jacobs 'New Nudes' Sheer Gel Lipstick in #110 Role Play on the right.

    As you can see, the UD shade is much more sheer than the MJ one, even though the MJ line is considered "Sheer". The wear time is better with Role Play, due to it's deeper opacity. Both lean warm.

R: NARS Audacious in Barbara

     Again, the formula is very different here. But putting a clear or nude gloss over Barbara gives the same effect as Ex-Boyfriend, and lasts much longer. Plus, the Audacious line of lipsticks is the best. Ever. In the history of every lipstick.

R: Maybelline "Warm Me Up"

     The Maybelline Colour Sensational line is probably the best in the drugstore. They're incredibly comfortable and there are tons of shades to choose from. This shade isn't as opaque as the previous two, but holds the same tone. It has a satin finish, and is longer lasting that UD.

R: Rimmel Moisture Renew - 720 Notting Hill Nude

The Rimmel line, especially the Moisture Renew range, is also worth checking out. There isn't as wide a choice for colours, but the formula is fantastic. I do have a problem with the scent, however; it's very old-lady-ish. This shade is the same warm nude as Ex-Boyfriend, but as with the NARS colour, applying a gloss over top would give the same effect. And the "Oh My Gloss" line from Rimmel might be worth giving a try. (Note: this shade is out of stock/discontinued from what I can tell, but it's currently on Amazon) 

R: Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Super Natural

Speaking of using a gloss topper, this Revlon shade would be a perfect choice; it's sheer enough not to give too much colour, but has the same tone as Ex-Girlfriend, Plus, the formula on this is really comfortable, and not too sticky. 

R: Revlon Lip Butter- 001 Pink Truffle

     And last but not least, what I think is the best dupe (in my collection, anyway) Revlon's Pink Truffle Lip Butter. This colour holds that same warm nude tone, and has a very similar formula. Sheer, layers well, and feels great on the lips. I feel like this line is hit and miss, and people either love or hate them. I personally really like the shades that I have, and find them really comfortable. In fact, they were the first lip products I bought in the beginning of my makeup collection. 

     Having this makes me feel better about not stocking up on multiple backups of Ex-Girlfriend. Hopefully I have enough dupes for the liner shade too. Otherwise it's time to go shopping. ;)

Are there any of your favourite lipsticks that have been taken off the market? What are some of the replacements that you've come up with? 

March Ipsy GlamBag

     It's been awhile since I've had an Ipsy bag; I hadn't really been wowed by previous bags. But when I learned that everyone would receive a NYX Butter lipstick, I was all "SIGN ME UP!" Plus, anything springtime and floral gets my heart fluttering. 

     The bag, as most of Ipsy's bags, is absolutely precious. I am getting quite a collection of little bags piled up, so I don't know how much use this little gem will get, but it's nice to have for travel. 

     The first item I pulled out was this Pixi by Petra eyeshadow duo in "Apricot Glow". I was happy to see an eyeshadow in my bag, finally. Eye makeup was lacking lately from ipsy. 

     The colours are pretty, but also very powdery, and don't apply to the eye with much pigmentation. If you're using primer and a finger to apply, you might have better luck. I don't know if a wet brush would help, because with them being as powdery as they are, I feel that that would make them a little chunky (ie not cute).

Here they are swatched.

     Next up is a Crown brush. Another exciting item. I love eye brushes, and this is a definite winner. It's soft and fluffy on one side, perfect for blending, it gets right in the crease, and the other side is a narrower crease brush. There wasn't any stray hairs that came out when I pulled gently on the bristles (which I do when testing my brushes) so that's a good sign. I hope this stands up to washing, because I want it in my collection for a long time!

     For the only non-makeup item, I received a makeup remover. Fitting, I would say.
     This is a non-foaming, cream cleanser. It's great at gently removing makeup, but I found it stung my eyes, even though it states that it's good for removing even waterproof mascara. And though I did find it moisturizing, it didn't feel like my skin was completely rid of makeup, so I had to go over my face with a foaming cleanser on a washcloth (I'm a fan of rough-cleaning, I usually use a scrub).

     And now we've come to my favourite item, the one that actually made me squeal when I saw it. NYX Butter lipstick in "Little Susie". This shade has been on my wishlist for awhile; it's creamy, pigmented, and the perfect poppy-pink shade for Spring. The formula is amazing, it's so comfortable. I'm defintely going to pick up more of these babies. 

    The colour is a really flattering shade; I think it would be perfect on minimal makeup days, just to give that pretty punch of colour.

     Lastly, is a lipgloss from Cargo that I used my points for, in the shade "Anguilla". The first time I saw this Nicole from +Young Wild and Polished was reviewing it. It's a white-based pink gloss, that really pigmneted. I tried wearing it on it's own, but the colour was not flattereing. I paired it with Milani's Spice liner, filled my lips with it, and topped it with this gloss, and it became the most perfect nude. The formula is pretty thick, however, so if you're one for light glosses that you can't really feel, this might not be for you.

     Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with March's ipsy bag. I'll be using almost all of the items, and that hasn't happened for a long time. As for continuing my subscription, I'll wait and see what April brings.

Back in the Saddle Again

Oh, so happy to be sitting here again. What a crazy summer. I'm so glad that it's over and that fall is here. Not only because I'm currently in love with dark matte lips and chunky sweaters. It was quite a taxing few months on the home front. I'm sitting in the living room of our new house. We've downsized from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom to a 2 bedroom, one bathroom (and a room with a shower stall). We originally sold the house because of cost and our marital situation was really rocky at the time. But luckily we've worked things out in terms of our relationship (or I should say we are working things out. It's a process) and bought this house for much more than originally looking. But we love the house, and are saving some money as opposed to what we were paying. It's a lovely home with a lot of great details, but also needs a lot of finishing work done. Which we are planning to do together, so it should be exciting. Or one of us will go at the other with a nail gun. It's a toss up. 

Also, I'm extremely excited to get a new makeup station set-up! The bedroom is a lot bigger, and has ample room for a desk and shelves. It's going to be my project for the next few months. And my closet is AMAZING!! And yes, I say MY. There are 2 in the bedroom. D gets his own, which he can put his 7 sweaters and 3 pairs of jeans (he says his small wardrobe keeps him "humble") and he has graciously let me have the long walk in/walk though. It is incredible. As soon as I get it organized and find somewhere to put the extra boxes and spare mattress that are in it :/ I'll post some pictures. I've already emptied a whole pack of Post It's into my Ikea catalogue. Eeee! 

I'm really going to make an effort to post more often. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it from my iPhone. I find myself being out and about and suddenly something happened that I want to post and then remember, Oh wait, I'm technologically inept. Dang. But give me time. :)

I'm also going to start including "Nik's Bits" at the end of each post. Not only because it sounds naughty, but it will give me a place to put all of the odds and ends that are floating around in my mind. It will be a list of brain farts, essentially. :) Like so:

***Nik's Bits***

• I have succumbed to the 90's Lip craze. ((I will NOT call it the 'Kylie Jenner lip'. She was born in '97. She spent most of the latter part of the 90's pooping her pants.)) I've been using Revlon's Rose Velvet over NYX's Nude Pink liner (my favourite liner anyway, I can't get enough). It's perfect. I have swatches on my Instagram.

• I'm in the process of trying to make a weekly meal plan. So far it's meatloaf and meatballs. Apparently we're big meat fans

• The weather today was gray and wet. It's like it was dreary and 5pm all day. Yuck.

Bee Stings and Lipstick

Ahh, summer. Time for sun, friends, and annoying stinging insects. Yep, I've got myself a lovely bee sting. The last time I had one, I was 9 and playing baseball when I fell and my hand landed on one. A traumatic experience, I assure you. One that came rushing back to me this afternoon. I'm wearing a really pretty sundress, quite proud of the fact that it's not gathering and rolling in places due to my sometimes strict workout. I felt something on my back, underneath my dress, so I naturally go to scratch my back. Until I feel an excruciating sting. I swear I lost my eyesight for a fraction of a second. Yes, that's dramatic, but I'm allowed to be, I GOT STUNG BY A BEE!!! So I hike my dress up in the bathroom mirror, and sure enough, there's a couple of angry red welts on my back. I thought bees could only sting once before they die. Apparently I got the over-achieving one of the hive. Needless to say, when I saw him writhing around on the ground near where I had been standing, I quickly put him out of his misery. Now I'm waiting for someone to check for a stinger. How exciting. This day is getting better by the minute. Oh, did I mention I'm on vacation? It's only a 3-day-weekend thing away from the current events at home, but this is not what I imagined. Thankfully my kids are with me, whining and fighting all day. I don't want to get too spoiled.

FYI That NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Smooch' looks amazing on top of NYX's lip liner in 'Nude Pink'. It's my new favourite thing in life. Topped with Julep's lip gloss in 'Charming'? Ugh. Don't even. LOVE. Pure love. I'm also trying out Maybelline's 'The Falsies' waterproof mascara. So far I'm liking it. It does plump up my lashes. I'm going river-tubing tomorrow, so we shall see how the waterproof claims hold up.