Products I Regret Purchasing

Manicure Mondays-MAC Dance All Night

I have a love/hate relationship with MAC polishes.  I love the colors that they come out with, but I hate the quality of their polishes.  This one is no exception.  I wanted a deeper red, so I was drawn to this color.  The formula wasn't bad, I only needed two coats for opacity.  Unfortunately, it was chiptastic!  It chipped on day two.  I liked the color so much that I kept repairing the chips.  I managed to get 4 days of wear out of it before I gave up.  As usual, I used CND Stickey base coat and Diamond Dry top coat.  Luckily for me, I picked this up at a CCO last year and only paid $8.50 as opposed to the $14 that MAC polishes go for.  Have you had any luck with MAC polishes?

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer Review

Launched about a year ago, MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer has become my concealer of choice.  It claims to be a medium to full coverage liquid concealer that gives a natural matte finish and lasts up to 15 hours.  Sounds good right?  But does it do what it claims?

I can honestly say that I love this concealer!  The shade I wear is NC 35.  I find that it is a medium coverage concealer that can be built up to full coverage.  It does last a very long time. I've worn it for 15 hours and I experienced no fading.

I wear this over my Bobbi Brown corrector in medium to dark bisque.  I apply it with a Samantha Chapman Real Techniques flat foundation brush and blend it out with the Sephora airbrush concealer brush.  I apply it with a tapping motion in order to get the most coverage possible (as I have horrendous dark circles and bags).

Some people claim that you don't have to set it.  I personally do or else I find that it creases, even with a primer underneath.  I set this with the MAC Prep+Prime translucent finishing powder.  That assures that it doesn't crease or settle into those tiny lines under my eyes.

I even use it for blemish coverage, and it works great for that.  I just dab a little onto my blemish or dark spot and blend it out.  It stays put all day.

The thing that I don't like about it is the pump that it comes with.  It is the most sensitive pump ever.  One pump of this stuff is enough for 2-3 days of usage.  And there is no way to just pump out the amount you need.  What I've done to remedy that is I pump a full pumps worth into a Sephora sample jar and I use it for 2-3 days, just dipping my brush into get my desired amount.  Also, on my first bottle of this, the pump quit working when there was about 1/8th left. It just wouldn't pump anymore.  And there is no way to unscrew the pump.

Overall, I love this concealer.  It retails for $17 and will likely last you six months.  It is available at MAC counters and stores.

Fall Inspired Eye Tutorial

Products Used:

Wet N Wild Envy
MAC Amber Lights
MAC Glamour Check
MAC Goldmine
Wet N Wild Brulee'
L'Oreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black liquid eyeliner
Covergirl Volume Exact Mascara
MAC Sweet As Cocoa blush
MAC Lovin It lipstick

My Makeup Brush Collection Overview

Another requested video from a friend.  This is for you R.B.  Hope this helps!

MAC Up The Amp Vs. Revlon Berry Haute

I've read that MAC's Up The Amp and Revlon's Berry Haute are dupes.  I have both, so I decided to do a comparison.  Both are very similar in texture and pigmentation.  They both are cream finishes with Up The Amp being an amplified cream finish.  They both feel very moisturizing on the lips and only require one pass on the lips to get a good color payoff.

MAC Up The Amp (top), Revlon Berry Haute (bottom)

Now onto the the color comparison.  Berry Haute has a touch more pink in it than Up The Amp, which has more purple in it than pink.  Up The Amp is also a hair darker than Berry Haute.  Bottom line is that they're are not exact dupes but they are pretty darn close.  Close enough so that you don't need to own both, especially since Revlon only costs $6 compared to MAC costing $14.50.

My Coral Lip Products

Update: How I Cover My Dark Circles

This was filmed late at night so the lighting is yellow and my bags are worse than usual.

MAC Surf Baby-My Paradise Blush

The only thing I wanted from the MAC Surf Baby collection was the My Paradise blush.  What can I say, I'm a blush whore!  It was just too pretty to pass up.  It is a super pigmented orangey coral with a gold hibiscus flower embossed on it.  I mean, how can you not want that?!  The gold is more than just an overspray.  It won't actually come off with just a swipe of your brush.  I think it adds a nice highlight.  As expected, it sold out with in hours on MAC's website, so I stalked Nordstrom.com for it.  I was able to get it and I love it!  Check out the arm swatches:

Coral, Gold, Mixed

It was $28 and you get 12 grams of product.  That's twice the size of a regular MAC blush!  Get it if you can!

MAC Blot Powder-'O How I Love Thee

It's no secret that I have oily skin.  To combat my mid-day disco ball-ness, I purchased the much raved about MAC Blot Pressed Powder.  It is a pressed powder that is supposed to absorb oil and keep the shine away.  I purchased mine in medium dark.  Although the powder appears to have a color to it, it shows up on the skin as translucent.  It comes with a cosmetic puff, however, I use my Ecotools retractable kabuki to buff it into my skin.  I can honestly say it works great for me and I wish I would have discovered it sooner.

It retails for $23 at MAC counters and maccosmetics.com.  Have you tried this product?  Do you like it?

Face Of The Day-Saturday Errands, Minimal Makeup

Thought I'd share a quick face of the day.  I'm doing nothing exciting today, just running a few errands and trading off shifts with the husband to sit at home while our hard wood floors are being installed.  I threw on minimal makeup as I do most weekends unless we're doing something special.  Please forgive my bags, I've been burning the candles at both ends the past few nights.

Products used:

Eyes:
-Rock & Republic eyeshadow in Fatalistic (matte black) as an eyeliner on upper lash line (used an angled brush)
-Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero for water line
-Urban Decay Sin as brow bone highlight and inner corner highlight
-Prestige mascara

Face:
-Neutrogena spf 35 daily oil-free moisturizer
-L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base just on the cheeks to give the blush something to hold onto
-MAC Stereo Rose MSF on cheeks
-Bobbi Brown corrector in Bisque (to neutralize dark circles)
-MAC Prolong Wear concealer in NC42 (to cover dark circles)

Lips:
-NYX lipliner in Mahogany
-Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Coral
-MAC Wildly Refined lipgloss

This was so quick that I may do this on those days when I am running late for work.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

MAC Quite Cute Collection for Spring 2011






“CUTE!” The most fanciful, fun and flattering compliment and young, modern trendsetter could ever want! Our version is the girliest kind of international glam possible, a style ride that combines postage-stamp-sized puppies with pixie swizzle-stick fashion and butterfly kisses for cute boys and even cuter shoes! Cupcake icing colors, vintage romance, an ATM card with Hello Kitty on it – and a way of life that says “yes!” to everything adorable!

Come on, get happy, with the multi-culti cutie, from Tokyo to Toronto to Paris with love! Pastel shades for Eye Quads, Lipstick, Plushglass, and Nail Lacquer…And due to popular demand, we’re completely cute-ifying three favourite Lip Pencil shades from last season that will join the fun and frolic. Flash! You’ll ♥ the Mineralize Blush with the sweet heart baked right into it. If it shines, shimmers and pops it’s completely, contagiously, cute!

U.S./Canada Launch Date: April 7th, 2011

International Launch Date: April 2011



Lipstick ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

Playing Koi Creamy white peach pink (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Saint Germain Pastel pink (Amplified) (Permanent)

Candy Yum-Yum Neon pink (Matte) (Limited Edition)

Quite Cute Bright white lavender (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Play Time Intense violet (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Plushglass ($18.50 U.S. / $22.00 CDN)

Fashion Fanatic Creamy pale pink (Limited Edition)

Bubble Tea Creamy pale nude (Limited Edition)

Girl ♥ Boy Bright light blue pink (Limited Edition)

I ♥ U Creamy mid-tone purple (Limited Edition)

Lip Pencil ($13.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)


In Synch Bright yellow pink (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Naked Light neutral (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Boldly Bare Mid-tone red brown (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Cutie Eyeshadow Quad ($36.00 U.S. / $43.00 CDN)


Moshi! Moshi! Pale white green gold (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Goody Goody Gum Drop Light white pink (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Boycrazy Pale lavender with silver pearl pigments (Lustre) (Limited Edition)

Azuki Bean Mid-tone violet (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Mineralize Blush ($23.00 U.S. / $27.50 CDN)


Giggly Light pink with pearly plum heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Sakura Lavender with pearly deep magenta heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Miss Behave Light beige with pearly mint green heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Nail Lacquer ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)


Ice Cream Cake Creamy blue pink (Cream) (Limited Edition)

Little Girl Type Creamy pale lavender (Cream) (Limited Edition)

Mischievous Creamy pale blue mint (Cream) (Limited Edition)
 
False Lashes ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)


#7 Lash Spiky, slightly separated, high glam lash (Permanent)

Penultimate Eyeliner ($17.50 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)


Rapidblack True black (Permanent)

Zoom Lash ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Zoomblack Rich black (Permanent)

source
 
Though I think the colors are cute and I love the names of the products, I'm only interested in maybe the nude lipstick and the neutral blush.  I think the nail lacquers are nice, though I probably have similar colors in my collection already.  Do you think you will get something from this collection?

MAC Wonder Woman-A Small Haul

The MAC Wonder Woman collection appeared online about 10 days early.  I was only interested in the two blush duos (go figure) and knew that they were likely to sell out.  So I quickly placed my order and I received them this past Monday (thanks to the ice storm we had here).  These blushes are super sized coming in at 11 grams/.38 US oz. That is twice the size of a regular MAC blush.  They were also priced slightly higher at $24.  They are housed in a red and blue compact, with the MAC WW logo and a mirror.  There were some mixed feelings regarding the packaging, some felt it was tacky.  I personally feel that it was appropriate given that it was a comic book themed collection.  It is what it is.


Mighty Aphrodite blush duo



light side, dark side, both blended together

Mighty Aphrodite blush duo is a warm peach coral with gold pearl and bright coral pink with gold pearl.  The texture was more silky than their normal blushes and it was very pigmented.

Amazon Princess blush duo



light side, dark side, both blended together

 Amazon Princess blush duo is a bright yellow pink and a deep blue pink with gold pearl.  Again, the texture on this was very silky and it was very pigmented, even more pigmented than the Mighty Aphrodite duo.

The lipsticks and glosses looked nice but I passed as they were dupeable.  The mineralize skin finishes looked nice also, I may pick those up later.  The eyeshadow quads weren't colors that I felt I needed in my collection, nor were the polishes.

Overall the blush duos were the stand out products of this collection.  The packaging didn't bother me like it bothered some.  If you can get past the packaging, I highly recommend these blushes!  The collection hits counters and stores February 10.  Are you planning on picking up anything from this collection?

Best Of 2010-Beauty Edition

It's 2011!  And I hope this post finds you in the best of health and happiness.  With all of the "best of" list that pop up for the end of the year, I wanted do my own beauty edition.  These are the products that were truly my favorite products for 2010.

Skin Care:  I can't say enough about the Clarisonic Mia.  It was the best beauty related item that happened to me in 2010.  It has changed my skin for the best!

Face:  2010 was a great year for me and NARS.  I discovered my Holy Grail foundation in their Sheer Matte.  It is so worth the $42 price tag.  I also have a love affair with their blushes.  Truly some of the best on the market.  If you haven't already, treat yourself to a NARS blush in 2011!

Brushes:  My two favorite brushes in 2010 were the MAC 130 short duo fibre brush and the Essence of Beauty smokey wide brush.  The MAC 130 brush is outstanding for cream blush as well as liquid foundation!  I love how it blends out my cream blushes to provide such a natural looking flush.  The Essence of Beauty smokey wide brush is a drug store gem.  Sold only at CVS, the wide side is a perfect  brow bone highlight brush and the thin side is perfect for outer V work on the eye.

Eyes:  My go to shadows for 2010 has been MAC Woodwinked and Ricepaper.  Woodwinked is a great all over lid color, perfect to give you that "awake" look.  Ricepaper is the perfect natural looking brow bone highlighter for tan skin.

Mascara:  I fell in love with 2 mascaras in 2010 and I am on my second tube for both.  Lancome Hypnose mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous are both outstanding mascaras for volume.  I love them both!

Lips:  I have found my go to nude lip combo with MAC Viva Glam II and Spree lipglass.  Viva Glam II is a pinky brown, great for tan skin and Spree just gives it that extra glitz when applied over it!

Perfume:  I fell in love with Juicy Couture (the original) perfume.  So much that I have a purse size for my hand bag for touch ups.  It was my favorite daytime fragrance for 2010.

Nails:  Essie polish took the trophy this year for its superb formula and awesome staying power.  I can't get enough of Essie polish.  The absolute best top coat is hands down Seche Vite.  Talk about making a manicure last and giving that great glossy shine.  It is a must have for my manicures!

These products have been staples in my daily life for 2010.  What were your favorite beauty products for 2010?

How To Fake A Full Nights Rest

This week has been so crazy with Christmas shopping, graduations, etc.  Tonight, the husband took me to the Nutcracker and I am just getting home for the first time ALL DAY!  I went to church and then spent most of my day Christmas shopping, only to get back in time to get ready for the ballet.  Did I mention, I've been up since 6:30 am? 

Knowing that I would eventually look haggard, I pulled out my secret weapon to looking alert and refreshed...MAC's Woodwinked eyeshadow. 

I'm telling you, it is a miracle worker.  It is described as an antique gold.  It is the most beautiful soft golden color that has a nice sheen. 

The sheen is what does the trick.  It reflects light, making you look more awake and alert.  Tonight I used it all over my lid and into the inner crease with a soft brown shade just on the outer crease.  And ta-da, I looked like I'd slept a good 10 hours.  And when I am extra tired, I pop some on my lower lash line and that instantly lifts my eyes.  Unfortunately, my camera doesn't capture all of Woodwinked's glory, so I don't have a before and after shot for you.  Do you have a well rested trick?

Manicure Mondays-MAC Dry Martini

So I decided to give MAC polish another try.  This time it was Dry Martini, a olive/army green/brown color.  In certain lights it looks greener, in others it looks browner.  It was raining outside so I had to take this photo in my bathroom which shows the browner side.  I hated the formula.  It was streaky and a pain to work with.  This was 3 coats with Seche Vite top coat.   The wear time sucked also, chipped by day 2.  I had to keep touching it up.  I finally gave up on Day 4 and removed it.  I own one more MAC polish and I hope that it does better than the last two.  What's on your nails this week?

Manicure Mondays-MAC Bad Fairy

I almost didn't do a post on this polish because it disappointed me so much.  I've been wearing MAC's Bad Fairy, recently released with their Venomous Villains collection.  It is a duo chrome that is magenta, red, and copper, depending on the light.  I liked the color, hated the fact that it chipped so quickly.  I know that MAC polish can be hit or miss when it comes to wear time, but dang.  It chipped on me by the second day!  That is not normal for me.  I normally get about 5 days wear out of my other brands.  For $13 a bottle, I expected better.  I went ahead and touched up the chips and kept wearing it because I liked the color so much.  The formula was thin, needed three coats to be opaque.  This is with Seche Vite top coat.  What are you wearing this week?  Have you had issues with MAC's wear time?

How I Apply Under-Eye Concealer

I recently saw a good friend and we were discussing our horrible dark under eye circles.  And she asked me, how I apply my concealer.  So I decided to do a post about it (This is for you Ashley G!).  I use MAC's Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW35.  I use a NW shade even though I am a NC shade because the pink undertones in the NW shades counteract the blue tones in my dark circles.  I first prep my under eye area with an eye cream and then L'Oreal's Magic Perfecting Base.  I then take a bead size amount on my ring fingers and apply it to the area using a dabbing motion.  I take my MAC 224 brush and blend it starting from the inner corners and working my way down and out.  After, I check to see if it is enough coverage and apply more if needed.  I then set it with my face powder.

No matter how many hours of sleep I get or how many expensive creams I use, I will always suffer from dark circles.  So concealer is a must in my routine.  After I finish this tube of concealer, I want to try Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer next.  What concealer do you use?

MAC Venomous Villains Collection

I was invited to the VIP unveiling party of the much anticipated MAC Venomous Villains collection.  It was held on September 21 at the Galleria MAC store.  The collection is a collaboration between MAC and Disney for Disney's most notorious villains.  While the collection will not officially launch until September 30, I was given a sneak peak and allowed to purchase to my little hearts desire.  The party was quite fun, there were hors d'oeuvres and cocktails to go around.  There were makeup artists that would transform you into your favorite Disney villain.  It was so crowded that I wasn't able to actually view anything up close, but I already had an idea of what I wanted.  I purchased two blushes and a nail lacquer.  Cue the pictures!
 



Bad Fairy Nail Lacquer in the center

 

Bite Of An Apple, Darkly My Dear





 I was also interested in Briar Rose Beauty Powder but wanted to view it in person to see if it suited my skin tone.  I guess I'll have to wait until September 30th.  I also picked up an emply 15 pan eye shadow palette so I can store all my MAC shadows in one place.  It gets real annoying in the mornings going through all of those eyeshadows to find which ones I want to use!

The Cat's Out Of The Bag With MAC's Fabulous Felines Collection

MAC released another new collection, Fabulous Felines, today at counters and stores and online this past Tuesday. I ordered some items online and also picked some up at my favorite MAC counter. It was a massive collection! It's focus was rich Fall colors that are very wearable. It also introduced MAC's new Superslick Liquid Eyeliners, which were nice but I prefer gel eyeliners. The eyeshadow quads were also nice, but each contained a color I already owned, so I skipped them. I picked up six items, two lipglosses, two pigments, a blush, and a lipstick.

left to right: Wildly Refined, Spree, Drive Me Wild, Utterly Game, Lithe, Bloodline

Wildly Refined (mid-tone coral with gold shimmer), Spree (champagned pink), Drive Me Wild (warm coral with gold shimmer)

Utterly Game Mineralize Blush (warm peach with subtle gold pearl)

Lithe Pigment (peachy nude with gold shimmer)

Bloodline Pigment ( plumed brown)

That was my haul. My favorite item is Drive Me Wild lipstick. I actually picked up two! I am on vacation from work next week and will be doing some clothes and accessories shopping. I have actually already started. Here is a sneak peek of one of the pieces I bought. Complete post on everything to come!