Giving a Little Love

Thanks to the constant promotional emails from Urban Outfitters, I crumbled under temptation and placed an order a few weeks back.  I came across the infamous NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams whilst browsing around the beauty section; and at $12 for the trio…how could I say no?This trio set contains the shades Tokyo ("delicate baby pink"), Antwerp ("natural nude") and Addis Ababa ("flashing hot pink").  They contain 8mls of product, and all have the same rich & creamy vanilla ice-cream scent, which disappears when the product is applied. All the following images can be enlarged via clicking on them.  I left the lip swatches unedited (aside from a few brightness tweaks) to give a true idea of how they look & sit on the lips.                  Out of the three shades, Tokyo is one that suits me the least.  It's a pale, cool-toned pink which may suit girls with lighter skin tone.  It appears to be a little drying in the pictures, but it's just as creamy as the other two.  You may notice the line of pink that runs across my upper lip, and that's due to the color not distributing evenly after pressing the lips together.I first saw Antwerp featured in one of clothesencounters' video, and I loved the "my lips but better & brighter" shade about them.  I would consider the color to be a natural, brighter shade of pink with a tinge of coral undertones; and would get the most wear out of this compared to the other two.Addis Ababa looked the most intimidating in the tube, but after applying it, it didn't look too bad!  This is definitely a color to brighten up everything from your complexion, mood to outfit.  Knowing me, this is just going to be a color that sits at the back of the drawer just because I'm not daring enough to wear this out... But when I do feel daring, this'll be my go-to lippie.I didn't realize how much paler Tokyo was compared to the Rimmel Kate Moss 101 until I swatched them side by side; it's more light pink compared to the mauve rosy color of Rimmel.  MUA shade 7 has a more sheerer finish, and can pass off as 'my lips but better' for most due to the ability to build up intensity and the the finish.  Antwerp appears to look more bold and more pink when swatched beside the MUA.  I can confidently say that Addis Ababa is a great dupe for Elizabeth Arden's Lip Spa in Tulip.  The color and undertone is the same, and the only differing aspect would be the matte vs. the satin finish.  Overall, I love the formulation and the texture of these lip creams.  The doe-foot applicator gets the right amount of product, it's pigmented, glides easily on your lips, and isn't drying!I highly recommend you to try these out, $6 for a single and $12 for the trio from Urban Outfitters (here and here); I already have my eyes on Milan!Do you prefer lip swatches like the ones in this post?