I remember a time, intrepid makeup moppets and whippersnappers, when blotting papers were rare, or at least before they hit it really big and went mainstream.

That year was 1996. Or ’97. Thereabouts.

One of my coworkers and I were on our break when she pulled a powder blue packet of Shiseido blotting papers from her purse, and I was like, “Ooh! What’s that?”

She tore one in half and handed it to me. “Blotting paper,” she said, “for soaking up shiny oil.”

Brilliant!

I’ve been a regular user of blotting papers ever since, and now they’re carried practically everywhere, even at drugstores.

The newest ones I’ve tried hail from NYX. The budget line just released three themed packs for $6 each (100 papers apiece).

Each pack caters to a different skin care issue, like, the Blemish Control pack’s papers contain salicylic acid to help zap zits, the Green Tea papers contain antioxidant-rich green tea powder to soothe and nurture mature skin, and the Tea Tree papers help to prevent blemishes with (surprise!) tea tree oil.

They’re pretty straightforward to use, as you can imagine. Just remove one of the sheets from its packaging, and press it against your face to absorb excess oil and eliminate shine.

The papers are a good size for me and kind of delicate, like thin paper streamers, and one is usually enough to absorb all of the excess oil on my face.

The Green Tea and Blemish Control papers are unscented, while the Tea Tree papers have a fairly strong medicinal tea tree scent. I’ve been bouncing between all three packs and like them equally.

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“Sensory overload.”

That’s how I feel about many of NYX’s lip products due to their flavors and scents. Sometimes I think they’re just too strong, but I don’t feel that way about their new “Mood” Lip Gloss in Affectionate ($4.50), one of two new Mood Lip Glosses from NYX for the holidays (the second’s called Sensual, ooh-la-la!).

Still, Affectionate’s no lightweight when it comes to taste and scent. As soon as I remove the cap, the scent of strawberry hard candy fills the room. Subtle? Not hardly, but I find it kinda pleasant. At least I don’t think it tastes or smells synthetic, which is something, I guess.

The NYX Mood glosses take the idea of mood rings to new heights, beginning as one shade that changes to another once they’re on the lips. Affectionate starts out as a shimmery white but transforms into a natural-looking shade of shimmery pink (the pink doesn’t appear to vary for different wearers).

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I couldn’t wait to try NYX’s new Le Frou Frou and Pin-Up Tease Mascaras (about $9 each) mainly because of the typography on the tubes. The letter styling reminds me of the phase I went through in fifth grade when I was obsessed with fonts from the 1930s…

Yes, I was/am a nerd.

These are so brand-spankin’ new that they aren’t available for sale yet on the NYX website, but they are a holiday release and should be arriving on shelves soon.

Top pic: naked lashes; bottom pic: wearing two layers of Le Frou Frou on the left and two layers of Pin-Up Tease on the right

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Over the course of playing with testing the new NYX Liquid Black Liner ($6), I discovered a few interesting things, like how the slender brush lays down rich, pitch perfect lines, or how the formula never skips a beat.

The thin brush is firm enough to draw precise lines with, but not so inflexible that it doesn’t feel smooth as it glides along soft skin.

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