Turning Page - So Beautiful!

I'd like to share a song real quick that I came across recently and I've been listening to it again and again for the past few days. It's performed by the band Sleeping At Last and it's part of the soundtrack for the Twilight movie Breaking Dawn (say what you will about the movies but the soundtrack has been decent throughout all the movies in my opinion)

Something about this song just moves me to tears every time I listen to it, which is why I stop myself from listening to it too much lol. It's just so touching and beautiful and it's like the music just plays on my heart strings. I hope you like it :)


(I do not own the video/music in any way)

Review: Nyx Tinted Lip Spa (Must Read If You Have Sensitive Skin)


From left: Silk, Vintage, Sake, Pinky Winky

Oh Nyx, my first ever product from the Nyx line and unfortunately it didn't work out like I had hoped. I used this product for about a week and a half after which I was forced to stop but more on that later.

I came across the Nyx Tinted Lip Spa in one of the countless YouTube beauty videos I watch lol and it just looked so nice on the beauty guru that I had to try it. So, when HauteLook had their Nyx sale I snatched these up. The only color I wanted was Sake but it was a set of four on sale for $13 so I figured, why not? 

Now, for some reason I don't see these on the Nyx website but they are available on Cherry Culture where the description for them says: "Lip conditioner with just a hint of color! Tinted lip spa is full of moisturizing and nourishing benefits to give your lips the ultimate spa treatment they deserve."


I'd say it is a pretty decent lip conditioner and it has more than just a hint of color, it wasn't too sheer, which I considered a plus. It was also good on it's claim of being moisturizing, my lips can get very dry and they didn't feel dry at all over the period of time I used this lip spa. The consistency is quite soft and buttery and it glides on very easily. As I said, I really wanted Sake but the color I ended up loving was Vintage. It's just this beautiful peachy coral color and it's the kind of color that I feel would be flattering on everyone.

The scent was quite minty, it reminded me of the Wrigley's 5 gum only stronger. However, it disappeared after a while so it was something I could live with. The staying power was not great, about 3 or 4 hours for me but it's the kind of cute little thing that you could throw in your purse and pull out and reapply whenever, wherever. All in all, I was satisfied with the product itself and honestly, if I could I would have continued to use them. So why did I have to stop using them and sadly put them away?
Vintage (above) Silk, Sake, Pinky Winky (below from left to right)

About two days after using these (I mostly used Vintage, occasionally Sake) I noticed one side of my face near my lips was breaking out a little. I've always had acne prone skin so I didn't think too much of it and used the Clinique Acne Spot Corrector hoping it would go away. 

Not only did it not go away over the next few days it had also appeared on the other side of my face. I was getting a little worried because it looked more than just the normal breakout but I couldn't think of what it could possibly be since I hadn't made major changes to my skincare routine. I decided maybe it was my pillowcase so I changed it and thought that might help. I also pinned it down to not  drinking a lot of water so I started being more conscious about that. Over the next few days it had spread up my cheeks, there were multiple red bumps all over and some of them were painful,  I was in agony over my skin. I couldn't figure out what was going on and the idea entered my mind that it might be these lip spas but I dismissed it because I had never experienced an allergic reaction to a lip product before, ever, and I didn't know why it would be all over my cheeks. 

It has more FD&C than just this one, I simply highlighted this one
However, I noticed that when I didn't use them for two days the breakouts did not get better but they did not get worse, I didn't see any new bumps. Stupidly enough, I canNOT explain to myself why I would do it lol but I used Vintage again one more time and you guessed it, the next day I noticed more bumps on my cheeks. It still seemed far fetched to me that a lip product was making me break out so bad but I did some research and found that beauty products that have artificial coloring can sometimes irritate skin. TotalBeauty's website said to look out for products that had FD&C in the ingredient list because it meant the product had artificial coloring. So I looked at the ingredients and sure enough, these lip spas have FD&C. Well...that was the end of that. It's been one week now since I stopped using the lip spas and I have not noticed any new breakouts and my skin has slowly started to get better and return to normal. 

Makeup Alley Rating: 4.2/5

Personal Rating: I'm not going to rate this product, I just wouldn't know what to rate it given my experience with it. 

It's unfortunate, really, because I loved the Vintage lip spa and it was pretty perfect...you know, if you ignore the massive breakout all over the cheeks lol. I'd just like to say though that I have nothing against Nyx, I just wanted to share my experience so that others with sensitive skin can take it into consideration when buying something that might have artificial coloring. My allergic reaction to them aside, I thought this was a great product and if you do not have super sensitive skin you might find these to be a great buy.

Update: I ended up giving these to a friend of mine and she absolutely loves them, no reaction whatsoever lucky her grr

The opinions expressed in the above review are my own and I was not paid for this review, I bought the product myself.

Beautiful Quote # 4


"Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I just think this is so true because if you look at it so many of the daily annoyances and worries...well they're created by us! Sometimes I'm walking around feeling anxious and I'm not even sure what it's about and suddenly I'll stop and think "what on earth am I worried about?!" and most of the time it will either be something that I don't even have control over so worrying is utterly pointless or it'll be something that is not a big deal at all but I'm still worrying for no reason and I walk around all day carrying that anxiety which is so unhealthy. So I think it's very important to monitor our thoughts and feelings and eliminate some of the worries that we ourselves are creating. Does this happen to you? Do you find yourself feeling anxious sometimes when there's really nothing to be anxious about? Almost like you're just used to it. If so, take a deep breath and clear it out of the way, make room for positive thoughts :)


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Praying for Sandy Survivors

Those of you who live in the US (and perhaps some of you outside the US) know that Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast this past week and caused a lot of damage. It also claimed many lives. The individuals we lost in the hurricane will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew and loved them and I pray for their loved ones in this difficult time. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the hurricane and I hope and pray that you all get through this safely.

The Secret

Have any of you seen the movie The Secret or read the book? It started as a book, written by Rhonda Byrne who stresses the importance of positive thinking and says that we can change our lives if we change our attitudes.

On the website for The Secret and on YouTube there are some beautiful videos that are meant to help you feel more positive and harness your energy. I'd like to share my favorite one, it's called Planet Earth and honestly, it's just beautiful and so peaceful. I always feel so grateful for this planet we call home after watching it because it really is magnificent in ways we don't stop to think about. Many thanks to the Secret team and I hope you like it as much as I do :)


Feel the positive energy? :)

Quotes

I think I'm going to make sharing quotes a permanent part of my blog from here on out. I've always loved inspirational, positive quotes and I think they can make such a big difference in your attitude. Reading a good quote can instantly make my day a little brighter and a little better. So, I'd like to share quotes that I discover and like and I'd love for you to share your favorites!

Since I already shared two quotes this will be # 3 :)

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back" - Arthur Rubinstein

This quote really rings true with me, I honestly believe that if you put positive energy and thoughts out into the world then that is what will come back to you in your life. If you have a positive attitude towards life, life will reflect positive things back to you!

What are some quotes that you find inspirational? :)