Stop it, Sara. Stop it.

New releases have ruined me, and the worst part? I absolutely love most of the ones I got.

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From left to right, NYX Butter Lippies in Razzle and Fireball, Chi Chi Viva La Diva Velvet lipsticks in Hot in the City, Extravaganza, NYX Creamy Round Lipstick in Castle, Too Face Melted lipstick in Melted Berry

As per usual, arm swatches and full face swatches are below, along with first impressions and mini reviews (a couple of these I’ve worn for extended periods of time).

Arm swatches:

L-R: Razzle, Fireball, Hot in the City, Extravaganza, Castle, Melted Berry

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NYX Butter Lippies

I am so surprised by how much I love these. I am a matte, high maintenance lip girl. I like my lips bright and bold and precise. There are…totally not that. They have a glossy finish and they’re (generally) on the sheerer side. But oh my god, they’re so easy!

I’ve been forcing myself to try and pick out summery colours (though this haul won’t convince you of that), and these are literally the perfect summer lipsticks. They don’t need constant touching up but at the same time if they smudge, because of the glossy semi-sheerness, it doesn’t ruin it. They keep your lips hydrated and they’re easy to forget you’ve got on. The ones I picked out are surprisingly pigmented (two swipes each for the swatches). They really do melt into the lips.

I bought these yesterday and I’m already needing more shades. Though they are more expensive than in the States, they’re pretty reasonably priced at $11.95.

Razzle

Hot pink, easy to wear, very summery…not much else to say.

Fireball

This colour I have a lot more to say about. It’s stunning! It’s an orange that leans a little red, and not only is it easy and fun and eye catching, but it lasts. I put this lipstick on at 9am and here it was after breakfast, drinks, and the straw that broke the camel’s back, a noodle soup with tempura veggies…

Stain still visible. Perfect summer lippie, really nicely pigmented, if there are others in the range forumlated like this one I need them.

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Chi Chi Viva La Diva Velvet Lipsticks

I have raved about the Chi Chi Viva La DIva lipsticks before - I am a particular devotee of the Matte variety (Corporate Femme is one of my favourite ever lipsticks), but I’ve never been a fan of the smell, and sometimes they’re a little dry - they need warming up before applying, but they last like mad and come in LOADS of colours and they’re only $18.95 for quality on par with Mac. But this new launch of three Velvet formula lipsticks? Heaven.

They go on so smoothly, and feel satiny soft on the lips but still have a satin-matte finish (aka thing a Mac satin lipstick, without the sheen). There are only three colours at the moment, two of them quite similar, and all of them…on the wintery side of the scale, which is the only let down. And oh my god, they smell like…grape flavouring. Some people might find it too artificial but I love it it’s like grape hubba bubba.

Hot in the City

It’s a standard red and very similar to Runway Red, the other velvet lipstick, but it’s a standard true red that leans slightly blue. I mostly wanted it for the formula. It wears really nicely. It’s super pretty and not as high maintenance as my other reds in this family.

Extravaganza

Think…similar to Mac’s rebel with less sheen, possibly a touch pinker. It looks super deep purple in the tube, but it applies a truely purple toned berry. Formula is consistent. I wear all colours all year round, but this shade really is quite wintery. Give me this formula in some wicked wild colours, give it to me now.

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NYX Creamy Round Lipstick in Castle

This was an impulse buy, because it’s a colour newly launched in Australia and it’s only like $8.95 and it’s super fun. Very creamy, won’t have a lot of staying power, but it’s a fun colour in a fun finish and it’s right up my alley.

The frostiness makes it look a bit…retro, but I like it, I don’t care.

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Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Berry

I’ve been dying to try this formula and the recent price drop at Mecca, and the opening of a Mecca Maxima at my local centre, made it time for me to give it a go. But colour - all of the colours I liked were sold out at the first Mecca I tried, so I held out and tried another and even though I’ve been telling myself to get summery colours, my heart was set on Melted Berry. The formula felt better on this than on a few of them (I also liked Fig, Fuchsia, and Coral for formula. Violet and Ruby didn’t do it for me).

I’m glad I picked it up for $28, because I’ve been wanting to try it for a really long time.

It’s brighter and more pink than I anticipated, which is nice, actually, because it saves it from being too winter-like. I haven’t had a chance to really test the claims of longwear, but it’s been sitting on my lips for a couple of hours now (sans eating or drinking), and it still looks flawless and feels not-dry. It’s not a matte finish, but it’s not got too much sheen. First impression: I like it a lot. Will update.

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Bonus! I lucked out and got sent a voucher for a free full size Revlon Colorstay liner. Score.

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So lipstick is my thing. It’s what makes me happy. When I get paid, I ration myself a little bit of makeup money, because it’s what makes me feel good and makes me feel pretty and gives me something to indulge in. So it might seem like I haul a lot, and it’s true, I do, and I probably spend more money than I need to, but makeup is something that means more to me than just the stuff you put on your face. So with that aside, I’m really happy with these purchases.

If anyone actually reads my lengthy, wordy, excessive, poorly laid out reviews, I’d like to say thank you. If anyone benefits from seeing my lip swatches, or enjoys what I have to say, then that’s kind of made it worthwhile for me. I’d write reviews and talk about makeup anyway, but it just puts a cherry on top.