NYX Goddess of the Night Lipgloss

For years I've been on the hunt for a Holy Grail lipgloss. I've paid $2 (Bonne Bell Lipsmackers) up to $35 (a giant Bobbi Brown Palette), and while I've found some great ones along the way, so far none of them have been able to meet all of my criteria.

Just what am I looking for in a gloss? Lots of stuff!
1. Great color that doesn't look extremely different whether I'm outside or under a bunch of unflattering lights at work. I don't want to look like a crazy loon inside who can't chose a good lipgloss!

2. Portability. Although I LOVE my Bobbi Brown lip gloss palette, it isn't very easy to slip into a pocket. Ideally I want it to have a wand of some sort, and I want it to look great if I apply it without a mirror. It also shouldn't leak, like my beloved Fresh lip gloss, all over my new Michael Kors bag!

3. Good smell/taste. There are some scents that really shouldn't be associated with a lip product. No matter how great a product is, if it smells or tastes strange, you won't be putting it on your lips. I recently bought a limited edition nude lipstick from a well-known drugstore brand. The color is great on me (it's the perfect, "your lips but better" shade for me) and the wear is amazing, however it smells strongly of baby powder. Huh??? I don't want baby powder on my lips. That's just plain wrong!

4. Stickiness needs to be kept to a minimum- I don't like getting my hair stuck to my lips!

5. The formula needs to be hydrating and soothing to my lips. I don't want to feel as though I need a lip balm to hydrate my lips in addition to the gloss.

After all of these years, I can finally say that I've found a lip gloss that meets all of the above criteria, and I bought it for the bargain price of $2! I should point out that I believe $2 is a bargain price, and that $5 is the actual full retail price.

I've only recently become aware of the drugstore brand, NYX. This brand was founded in 1999 in Los Angeles, so it is a relative new-comer to the world of beauty. They can be found at Long's Drugs, and often at various beauty supply stores. I found mine at a beauty supply in Torrance, California last week while killing time. (I was about 1 hour early for work!) NYX has a full line of cosmetics, from concealer and mascara to highly pigmented eyeshadows and blushes. I only bought the gloss, when I find a larger selection of shadows and such to chose from I'll try out the other products as well. The entire line has a great reputation on MUA, and the nail polishes are great as well!

NYX has several types of lip gloss, the one I chose is the Goddess of the Night, Lipgloss with Mega Shine, #113 French Kiss. This color is a slightly pinker and 1-2 shades darker version of my own lips, without shimmer. I have used a Bobbi Brown Champagne Glimmer Gloss over it, this great sheer is gold tinted and added great depth the the NYX gloss. The NYX is also very hydrating, not sticky, smells like candy and only needs to be reapplied every 3-4 hours (which is very long for a gloss on my lips!).

NYX has a huge selection of colors, which appeared to be very flattering to women of all skin tones. If you can't find NYX at a drug or beauty supply near you, their full range is also available on their website.