ColourPop Lippie Stix in Wifey, Brills, Grind, and Leather

Late last year, seemingly out of nowhere, ColourPop was suddenly everywhere. An indie brand out of Los Angeles with little to no marketing, ColourPop seemed to rocket into popularity, being mentioned all over the beauty blogosphere and YouTube in the span of maybe a week. Clearly, ColourPop knew how to make itself known in this day and age: Send your products to the biggest beauty names on social media and bam!, instantaneous hype. Mission accomplished. (Well-played, ColourPop. Well-played.) ColourPop prides itself on "making killer makeup in every shade imaginable in prices everyone can afford." The swatches and reviews that started popping up everywhere were too tempting, so naturally, I had to get in on the action and picked up 12 shades of Lippie Stix lip crayons. There is a total of 56 shades available, and they come in slim white retractable crayon barrels with colour-coded ends. They have a vanilla cookie scent, but no discernible taste. Each Lippie Stix contains 1 gram of product, and retails for $5 USD.

Wifey, Brills, Grind, and Leather
Wifey, Brills, Grind, and Leather

Wifey is a medium vibrant blue-toned magenta pink in a Satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and brighter than ColourPop Pony, brighter and more purple than MAC Love Forever!, lighter than NARS Angela, and lighter and brighter than NARS Silvia.

Brills is a light-medium cool-toned lavender-lilac in a Satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more purple and more matte than MAC Asian Flower, lighter and more muted than OCC Rollergirl, brighter and more pink than Kat Von D Coven, and more pink than NYX Lavender.

Grind is a medium-dark cool-toned magenta-violet in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter than ColourPop Leather, darker and more purple than ColourPop Fern, similar to MAC Heroine, and darker and brighter than Bite Beauty Violet.

Leather is a dark cool-toned plum-purple in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker than ColourPop Grind, lighter and more magenta than ColourPop Feminist, darker than MAC Heroine, and lighter and brighter than MAC Smoked Purple.

Smooth? Check. Creamy? Check. Colour saturation? Check. The formulation doesn't seem to have any added benefits, but it's not meant to. After all, ColourPop is a brand that is focused on an extensive shade variety at affordable prices, and that's exactly what you should expect. I didn't find these shades dry or hydrating, but they are comfortable to wear while having a decent wear-time (an average of four to five hours, though darker and brighter shades wear up to eight); they don't have a lot of slip, but I didn't find that these tugged or dragged on the lips, either. As a whole, I found these shades to perform really well, applying smoothly and evenly with true and opaque colour pay-off. If you like lipstick crayons, these are absolutely worth checking out. You just can't go wrong for $5. They come in a huge variety of shades and six different finishes, and are especially great for those who like a more precise application with their lipsticks without having to veer into lip pencils.

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Frida, Brink, Bound, and Lumière

Late last year, seemingly out of nowhere, ColourPop was suddenly everywhere. An indie brand out of Los Angeles with little to no marketing, ColourPop seemed to rocket into popularity, being mentioned all over the beauty blogosphere and YouTube in the span of maybe a week. Clearly, ColourPop knew how to make itself known in this day and age: Send your products to the biggest beauty names on social media and bam!, instantaneous hype. Mission accomplished. (Well-played, ColourPop. Well-played.) ColourPop prides itself on "making killer makeup in every shade imaginable in prices everyone can afford." The swatches and reviews that started popping up everywhere were too tempting, so naturally, I had to get in on the action and picked up 12 shades of Lippie Stix lip crayons. There is a total of 56 shades available, and they come in slim white retractable crayon barrels with colour-coded ends. They have a vanilla cookie scent, but no discernible taste. Each Lippie Stix contains 1 gram of product, and retails for $5 USD.

Frida, Brink, Bound, and Lumière
Frida, Brink, Bound, and Lumière

Frida is a medium warm-toned peachy pink in a Satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter than ColourPop Clover, darker and more pink than ColourPop Button, lighter than MAC Cosmo, more muted and more peach than Bite Beauty Tatin.

Brink is a medium warm-toned peachy-pink brown in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is more pink than MAC Taupe, more peach than NARS Vanessa, darker and more peach than Bite Beauty Léché, and darker than Bite Beauty Amaretto.

Bound is a light-medium cool-toned mauve-pink in a Glossy finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is lighter than ColourPop Westie, cooler than MAC Angel, similar though more matte than MAC Creme Cup, cooler brighter and cooler than YSL 10 Beige Tribute.

Lumière is a medium-dark cool-toned mauve-plum in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It more muted than MAC Amorous, more plum than MAC Twig, similar to NARS Anna, and darker and more pink than Urban Decay Rush.

Smooth? Check. Creamy? Check. Colour saturation? Check. The formulation doesn't seem to have any added benefits, but it's not meant to. After all, ColourPop is a brand that is focused on an extensive shade variety at affordable prices, and that's exactly what you should expect. I didn't find these shades dry or hydrating, but they are comfortable to wear while having a decent wear-time (an average of four to five hours, though darker and brighter shades wear up to eight); they don't have a lot of slip, but I didn't find that these tugged or dragged on the lips, either. As a whole, I found these shades to perform really well, applying smoothly and evenly with true and opaque colour pay-off. If you like lipstick crayons, these are absolutely worth checking out. You just can't go wrong for $5. They come in a huge variety of shades and six different finishes, and are especially great for those who like a more precise application with their lipsticks without having to veer into lip pencils.

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Tipsy, BFF, Button, and Cookie

Late last year, seemingly out of nowhere, ColourPop was suddenly everywhere. An indie brand out of Los Angeles with little to no marketing, ColourPop seemed to rocket into popularity, being mentioned all over the beauty blogosphere and YouTube in the span of maybe a week. Clearly, ColourPop knew how to make itself known in this day and age: Send your products to the biggest beauty names on social media and bam!, instantaneous hype. Mission accomplished. (Well-played, ColourPop. Well-played.) ColourPop prides itself on "making killer makeup in every shade imaginable in prices everyone can afford." The swatches and reviews that started popping up everywhere were too tempting, so naturally, I had to get in on the action and picked up 12 shades of Lippie Stix lip crayons. There is a total of 56 shades available, and they come in slim white retractable crayon barrels with colour-coded ends. They have a vanilla cookie scent, but no discernible taste. Each Lippie Stix contains 1 gram of product, and retails for $5 USD.

Tipsy, BFF, Button, and Cookie
Tipsy, BFF, Button, and Cookie

Tipsy is a light orange-peach in a Glossy finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly, but due to the nature of the colour, it can emphasize lip texture. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is brighter and more orange than ColourPop BFF, more pigmented than MAC Razzledazzler, lighter and more muted than MAC Sushi Kiss, and brighter than Bite Beauty Syrah.

BFF is a light peachy beige in a Glossy finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly, but due to the nature of the colour, it can emphasize lip texture. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is softer and more beige than ColourPop Tipsy, brighter and less brown than MAC Freckletone, more peach than Bite Beauty Madeira, and less pink than Bite Beauty Syrah.

Button is a light-medium pinked peach in a Satin finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker and more pink than ColourPop BFF, brighter and less brown than MAC Kinda Sexy, more peach than Bite Beauty Léché, and lighter and more peach than NARS Brigitte.

Cookie is a light-medium pinked peachy-brown in a Matte finish. This is a permanent shade. It has a soft, creamy texture, and goes on smoothly and evenly. It has high pigmentation and opaque colour pay-off. It is darker than MAC Peachstock, lighter than MAC Velvet Teddy, lighter and more peach than Bite Beauty Honey Berry, and less pink than Bite Beauty Amaretto.

Smooth? Check. Creamy? Check. Colour saturation? Check. The formulation doesn't seem to have any added benefits, but it's not meant to. After all, ColourPop is a brand that is focused on an extensive shade variety at affordable prices, and that's exactly what you should expect. I didn't find these shades dry or hydrating, but they are comfortable to wear while having a decent wear-time (an average of four to five hours, though darker and brighter shades wear up to eight); they don't have a lot of slip, but I didn't find that these tugged or dragged on the lips, either. As a whole, I found these shades to perform really well, applying smoothly and evenly with true and opaque colour pay-off. If you like lipstick crayons, these are absolutely worth checking out. You just can't go wrong for $5. They come in a huge variety of shades and six different finishes, and are especially great for those who like a more precise application with their lipsticks without having to veer into lip pencils.

NYC — Winter 2015: Pick-Ups & Deliveries (Part II)

And so the shopping saga continues. I did say that I did some heavy damage in NYC, and that included a plethora of non-cosmetic items as well. I never thought I'd ever become the type of person to spend an exorbitant amount of money on candles (and if I did, it'd surely be on Diptyque!), but I couldn't resist the allure of the ones at Ladurée. I am a compulsive shopper and am easily swayed by pretty things, so Ladurée's gift items are totally targeted towards suckers like me. Maybe it's because there are lit candles wafting delicious scents around their tea room, or maybe it's the exclusivity of these candles (only available at Ladurée!), but they are gorgeous and they smell amazing and I was just like, "These need to come home with me."

Ladurée Othello and New York Candles
Ladurée Othello and New York Candles
I smelled all the candles in the store (indeed, the girl helping me was really patient and very honest: "That one smells like cheap strawberry gum") and ended up getting Othello and New York (exclusive to the New York stores). Othello is meant to smell like "black tea leaves," and it does have that kind of smoky-sweet incense note to it, but more than anything, it reminds me of a really intense, really hot, really well-dressed guy (and really defined six-pack abs underneath, obviously)... but with an air of mystery and intrigue (like, you know, Christian Grey... or James Bond). I'm not usually into spicy, woodsy scents, but the thought of burning this in the winter is just divine. New York, on the other hand, is totally the kind of scent that I am usually drawn to: sweet, crisp, slightly tart apples that's fresh and lively, but with a kind of warm cinnamon-y note that keeps it comforting at the same time. Perfect for both Spring and Fall.
Vosges Super Dark Mini Bar Library and Mini Exotic Chocolate Bar Library
Vosges Super Dark Mini Chocolate Bars: Pomegranate & Goji (x 2), Coconut Ash & Banana (x 2), Açaí & Golden Berries, Reishi Mushroom & Walnut, Guajillo & Chipotle Chili, and Matcha Green Tea (x 2)
Vosges Mini Exotic Chocolate Bars: Red Fire Bar (x 2), Mo's Dark Bar, Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar, Mo's Milk Bar, Sri Lankan Coconut & Curry Bar (x 2), and Barcelona Bar (x 2)
I'm not a huge chocolate person, but there are times when I crave it (like, say, when I'm PMS-ing), and it's particularly intriguing to me when there are unique flavours being offered. There's a Vosges store in Soho that looks so pretty and mysterious, almost like an apothecary but with chocolates lining the deep purple walls instead of potions, that it's hard not to want to go inside and take a look. Since it was super-cold out, I decided to get a "Parisienne" sipping chocolate, which marries dark chocolate and vanilla bean; it's thick, creamy, and ultra-decadent — the way real hot chocolate should be. The vanilla bean sweetens the dark chocolate, but it's still deep and flavourful (which I prefer in chocolate), and an 8-ounce cup is more than enough to satisfy. While sipping on my drink, I perused their beautifully displayed offerings — Vosges is known for their exotic flavour combinations in chocolate, so I left with two "libraries" of mini bars, one featuring their best-selling milk chocolate bars (favourites are Barcelona with almonds and sea salt, and Naga with Sri Lankan coconut and sweet Indian curry), and one of their new Super Dark chocolate bars that are made with 72% cacao (my favourite is Coconut Ash & Banana). Figured they'd be nice to gift and share with other (more chocolate-loving) people.
Community Paradigm Parka and Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Quilted Blouson Jacket
Uniqlo Black Leggings Pants
Uniqlo Lounge Drape Pants
Muji Cut Cotton and Black Gel Ink Pens
As per usual, my only apparel purchases were from Aritzia and Uniqlo. I actually wasn't planning on even going into Aritzia because it's so widely available here, but we had time to kill while waiting for a table at Balthazar, and Aritzia's right next door. I had been eyeing the Community Paradigm Parka for nearly five months by then; I tried it on and really liked it when they first came out last October, but decided to wait until the holiday sales started. Of course, once Boxing Day rolled around, I decided to wait until it was further reduced because I knew that once their Spring stuff started rolling in, their winter jackets would have a more significant discount. It wasn't until I was in NYC, freezing from walking around all day in subzero temperatures, that I felt it was time to snatch that baby up. They had one left in my size (one that was in their stockroom, still wrapped and untouched), so I took it as a sign that it was meant to be. And now I'm wondering how I got this far into winter without having a parka. Later on at Uniqlo ('cause you know I can't go to NYC and not make a trip to Uniqlo), I bought a lovely ultra-light down-filled bomber-style jacket that is phenomenal for layering ($69.90 for a down jacket of any kind is a steal in my books), plus four more pairs of my favourite black Leggings Pants (I live in these), and three pairs of Drape Pants because I am always on the look-out for pajama pants with pockets (why is it that women's pajama pants don't come with pockets, but men's always do?). Finally, we made a quick stop at Muji, where I stocked up on their Cut Cotton (exact dupes of Shiseido's Facial Cotton, but for $2.25 instead of $12!) and a few of my favourite Gel Ink Pens.
NYX Powder Blush in Coral Dream, Apricot, Ethereal, Pinched, and Bourgeois Pig
NYX Butter Lipstick in Little Susie, Fizzies, Pops, Snow Cap, Fun Size, Candy Buttons, Lollies, Gumdrop, Taffy, and Razzle
NYX Butter Gloss in Madeleine, Fortune Cookie, Crème Brûlée, Tiramisu, Angel Food Cake, Strawberry Parfait, Sugar Cookie, and Merengue
NYX Butter Gloss in Éclair, Vanilla Cream Pie, Peaches and Cream, Cupcake, Maple Blondie, Apple Strudel, Peach Cobbler, and Cherry Cheesecake
A couple weeks before I went to NYC, I made two huge orders to be sent to my brother's apartment so I could pick them up while I was there. One of them was from NYX, because their website carries all of their products at the original US prices (not the seriously marked-up prices at Rexall), and it's free shipping within the US (they don't even ship to Canada). I took the opportunity to get five more blushes, plus ten shades of Butter Lipstick and a whopping 16 shades of Butter Glosses (at $5 a pop, why the hell not?) because I've been wanting to try them for so long. I figure this will be the only order I ever put in with NYX, so I'd make it count.

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Tipsy, BFF, Button, Cookie, Frida, Brink, Bound, Lumière, Wifey, Brills, Grind, and Leather
ColourPop Rebound Super Shock Shadow Set: One & Done, Too Soon, Ex, and Adios
ColourPop Megan Naik x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: Onai, Lectra, Amira, and Farah
ColourPop Minx Society x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: Girly, On The Rocks, Get Lucky, and Roulette
ColourPop Shaaanxo x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: XO, Selfie, Deluxe, and Rebel
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Truth, Smash, So Quiche, Sequin, Cheeky, Game Face, On The Rocks, Bandit, Mooning, Hustle, Lace, Bae, Hammered, and Shameless
As you all know, I am an addict and a hoarder of all things make-up. So after reading all the rave reviews and looking up swatches of ColourPop (which have been having a moment of intrigue recently, showing up in a multitude of beauty blogs and YouTube videos), I decided to put in a huge order with them, too. I chose 12 shades of Lippie Stix plus a total of 30 shades of Super Shock Shadow, 12 of which are included in "foursome" sets (three of the sets are collaborations, but I have no clue who or what Megan Naik, Shaaanxo, or Minx Society is). Again, at $5 a pop and free shipping in the US, I could not resist. I technically didn't buy these in NYC, but I picked them up in NYC, so I figured they could be counted in this haul. And with that, I'm done. And so is my wallet.

Ladurée Soho398 W BroadwayNew York, NY 10012(646) 392-7868
Vosges Haut-Chocolat132 Spring StreetNew York, NY 10012(212) 625-2929
Aritzia524 BroadwayNew York, NY 10012(212) 965-2188
Uniqlo Soho546 BroadwayNew York, NY 100121-877-486-4756
Muji455 BroadwayNew York, NY 10013(212) 334-2002