Review: Items from the limited edition NYC Berry Bloom Collection

A huge thanks to all of you who cast votes last week--I listened to what you said you'd like me to review from the new limited edition NYC Berry Blossom collection (click here for pics of the display if you missed it) and here's what I purchased:

As many of you know, I had three $1 NYC coupons from this month's All You Magazine (again, pick that up before you head out to buy any of these goodies!) and I also had $1 in Rite Aid +UP Rewards that I completely forgot about, which meant that I was able to purchase four items instead of three. Yay!

So let's start with the nail polish:

NYC In a New York Color Minute Nail Color in Peony (retail: $1.99)

I have this weird feeling that the bottles in this collection were mislabeled. There are two polish shades: "Peony" and "Mulberry Frost".  Is it just me, or does the above shade look more like a Mulberry Frost to you than a Peony? Considering that the other shade is a hot pink creme, I REALLY think they might have mislabeled these. Mulberry Frost just seems way more appropriate to name a shimmery plummish-purple, right? And Peony seems very fitting for a hot pink creme.  Huh.

Anyway, whatever this shade is called, I LOVE it. It totally reminds me of a Christian Dior nail polish shade that I was OBSESSED with in the 90s (I've been trying to remember the name of that shade for a week now and I just can't recall it). Be sure to enlarge the above collage to really see how pretty the shimmer is in this one. It's truly a mouthwatering purple-plum-berry. Oh, and it only required two coats for perfect opacity.

Next up:

NYC Eye Dust Loose Powder in Wild Orchid (retail: $2.99)

Oh boy. There had to be a stinker in the bunch, right?  I'm very sad to say that I just cannot make this shadow work for me. First of all, the roller ball works alright, but in order to get the swatches you see above, I had to roll the roller back and forth several times in order for enough pigment to appear on my skin. And here's the thing--you have to roll it in a straight line, or else the color comes out really spotty and inconsistent. So trying to roll this shadow on my eyelids was a complete mess. There's not a lot of fallout, but it's just very inconsistent. And the pigment itself is very fine and dry, so it's hard to work with. 

Also, when I finally had enough of the pigment on my lids, the minute I used my finger or a brush to spread it around and blend it, it totally disappeared! I mean, it goes from pigmented to sheer to invisible in a matter of seconds.  Boo!! Such a bummer too, because I really love this shade.  I just can't find a way to make this one work. I would actually just pry the roller ball off completely if I thought the pigment was worth it. But since it's so dry and hard to work with--I think this is going straight back to drugstore.

Next up:

NYC Cheek Glow Powder Blush in Cherry Blossom (retail: $2.99)

I don't have a lot of true bubblegum-pink blushes in my blush collection (I'm more of an orange/bronze/peach kinda gal) so I was super excited to wear this one.  It's beautiful on (the shimmer is ever-so-slight and barely noticeable on me) but unlike the core collection NYC powder blushes (which for me have awesome pigmentation and staying power) this one seemed to fade a bit more quickly on my skin.  Also, the pigmentation wasn't as intense as I thought it would be, but I was able to build for more intensity and after several swipes with my blush brush, I got the color level exactly where I wanted it to be on my cheeks.  I guess I was just hoping this would be a lasts-all-day-even-on-my-oily-skin type of blush, but so far it lasts about four hours on me before I start to see fading (granted, I've only worn it three times, so there is still hope).

And now for the ROCKSTAR of the Berry Bloom collection:

NYC Rose Lip Gloss in Peony Kiss (retail: $2.99)

 I could just pretty much reduce this review down to the following sentence and be done with it: 

GO OUT AND BUY THIS NOW.  

But that wouldn't be very fun (or informative) would it? So let me just tell you that NYC's description of this gloss is right on the money:

Rose lip gloss ($2.99): This product provides the coverage of a lipstick with the shine of a gloss with lush berry lip shades embossed with a rose pattern. Available shades: Rose kiss and peony kiss.

It truly does provide the coverage of a lipstick! I mean, complete opacity with just one swipe on the lips! And it's very smooth and moisturizing as well. My favorite thing about this gloss is that it wears down to a beautiful, very natural-looking stain on the lips, which is just so pretty. The shade I purchased, Peony Kiss, really reminds me of a Bobbi Brown shade I own (I'll have to dig that out and do a dupe comparison). In my photos it looks really orangey-terracotta, but in real life it's more of a deep, warm reddish-berry-brown. For my complexion it's ideal because when it put it on, I feel like my face just instantly glows (don't you LOVE it when that happens?). I seriously cannot recommend this one enough.

Oh, and in case any of you were wondering, the "petals" on this gloss are pretty firm, so when you press your finger on them, they don't smoosh down and collapse. They pretty much hold their shape, which is an added bonus. For $2.99, you just can't go wrong.

So, what do you think? Are you excited to pick up anything from this collection? I'd love to hear from you!