In search for the perfect honeymoon makeup kit: NYX Butter Gloss

I don’t know where my honeymoon will be, but what I do know is that I am a lip gloss girl—and no matter the weather, lip gloss is adaptable: easy to reapply without a mirror, moisturizing, and gives just enough color.

While two of NYX’s products have been a miss for me, their glosses do not disappoint. They’re moisturizing without being sticky, ergonomically efficient, and affordable. Unlike their fat lip oils, the butter gloss bottles slip nicely into bags, pockets, and purses. The price point allows for buying two or three—either to stash in different locations or to have a backup in case you lose one.

I have both Spiked Toffee and Ginger Snap, Praline and Cinamon Roll and so far, I’m very impressed by NYX’s range of brown lip glosses. They don’t just offer warm brown shades—they actually show nuance in their tones.

Medium Neutral Skin Tones

I have two-toned lips, and while I’m fine with using a gloss that matches my outer lip color, Spiked Toffee bridges my two lip tones evenly. It covers my full lips without giving that chalky look on the darker outer parts. While I love a ’90s brown lip, I also appreciate a brown gloss that doesn’t automatically allude to that trend. Nor is this shade too vampy—because browns can certainly give vampy/goth girl vibes.

Spiked Toffee is described as mauve, which makes it an excellent option for women of color with neutral undertones. Mauve is a purple-pink, and its subtle purple tone makes it look fresh and flattering on medium complexions with neutral undertones.

I don’t need a liner with this gloss, which is such a godsend—it means I can grab it and go, or touch it up without carrying too many products. That said, women with deeper skin tones might prefer to pair it with a liner for added definition.

TIP: I’ve been wearing this gloss along with Essence crazy cocoa nail polish. They match so beautifully and results in a polished, cohesive look. Essance is not available in South Africa so try OPI Espresso Your Inner Self.

If you have a medium-deep skin tone, try Ginger Snap: 

It’s brown without being ‘90s brown—and that is what makes it such a great option for Black and Brown women.

It’s described as a medium neutral brown, which makes complete sense. It doesn’t assume a warm tone the way most brown glosses do—just like Spiked Toffee. What’s great about this gloss is that it works beautifully on women of color with both cool and warm undertones.

Praline: It looks the most sheer on my lips. it gives a tint of color but when i put on too much, i can see that it shows up abit ashy on my outer lip. this is probably the lightest color I would wear from this product line for that reason. Its described as a pink brown, and I think its the pink in the gloss that gives it a slight ash when too much of it goes onto my lips.

Why is NYX unavailable in South Africa?

I live in the States and have easy access to NYX. But as I write this, I’m in South Africa—since I split my time between the two countries. NYX used to be available here until they announced in 2021 that they were leaving the South African market. I still haven’t found a clear reason why. Their glosses seem to pop up sporadically on ASOS, which does ship to South Africa—but availability isn’t consistent.

My theory is that the South African makeup market is skewed toward high-end products because:

1. South African beauty influencers often aim to present a polished, aspirational (read: moneyed) image, so they’re more likely to feature expensive makeup.

2. Since South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, those who are less financially privileged may literally not be able to spare money for something like gloss, while the most financially privileged don’t think twice about dropping $40 on a useless lip oil.