little white truths

Hello and welcome to another NYX Butter Gloss review! As you may know, these glosses are my absolute favourites and I always plan to have a few in my collection. They're hydrating and they're cheap: I love them.

And although this shade in Strawberry Parfait isn't one I would have chosen for myself because pink generally doesn't suit me, it came in a set along with two purples I really wanted so I thought I may as well use it since it does a good job of warming up said purples so they don't look too grey on my lips.

NYX claims/product details:

• Buttery soft and silky smooth 
• This scrumptious gloss tastes as sweet as a sugar cookie - and makes your lips look downright luscious
• Swipe it on alone or over your favourite lipstick for a creamy, sheer-to-medium coverage that melts onto your lips and is never sticky 
• Leaves your lips soft, supple and kissable
• RRP $9.95 AUD for 8ml, but do shop around (I always buy mine at half-price)

There's the applicator:

 Light and heavy swatches, weak sunlight:

Strong sunlight:

My bare lips for reference:

 Natural light:

Verdict

I absolutely love this formula and I've given it an HG tag, as I have all the other shades I've tried so far.

It's a standard gloss that comes in a plastic tube with a doe-foot applicator. It has a sweet, sugary scent that's not overpowering - so it's a good, balanced kind of scent for a product like this.

The gloss feels very comfortable to wear and it's hydrating enough for my dry lips that I can rely on it for hydration during the day. For this reason I always carry one in my handbag, because I can layer it underneath or over the top of less hydrating products to keep my lips feeling comfortable.

The formula isn't sticky but it does have a tackiness to it that helps it stay put. Sure, it's not a super long-lasting product (I wouldn't expect it to be), but it does stay longer than other glosses so that's a plus.

What I like about this formula is that you can apply a very fine layer (eg, over a lipstick or liner) and just add a bit of shine, or you can add more to get a medium coverage and wear the gloss by itself. Not all glosses are opaque enough to give good colour, but all the shades I've tried so far of these ones are. Tick.

Strawberry Parfait is a hot pink shade that looks as though it's going to be a lot brighter than it is, but once applied there's not heaps of pigment so it tends to blend into my natural lip colour while still adding a soft flush. I really like this about it - and not just because pink doesn't suit me. I like it because I can wear it with just about anything. 

I also like that this shade doesn't settle into lip lines, which is my only gripe with some of the other shades in this range. Yes it might be settling in a little bit, but you can't tell because the colour is so close to my natural lip colour once applied.

It's also a very flattering gloss and it plumps the lips up a little and reduces the look of lines. This makes it perfect for those of us who are over 30 and need something with a smoothing effect.

Overall I love this formula and I recommend it: as mentioned above, it's the nicest gloss formula I've found so far - whether budget or high-end. You can't beat a great gloss that you can grab for a fiver on special, that's for sure.

Love.