Bad Lighting Woes

So I visited my best friend over the weekend. She actually lives right by the city that has my nearest CCO (still an hour and a half away!), but for some crazy reason that didn't occur to me until the last day I was there. I did manage to pick up a bunch of other make-up though. Along with what I'm about to show, I got three Micabella eyeshadows. If you haven't heard of the brand, they're a mineral make-up line that you'll find at many mall stands. It's funny, because normally I am not the type of person to fall for a good salesperson's tactics, but this girl sucked me innnnn! I really was only coming up to check out the colors, but somehow she managed to sell me 3. It probably had to do with the fact that she was able to relate to me, since we had similar ethnic backgrounds.. a great way to sell is to relate to the customer personally. In retrospect, I guess I felt obligated, like if I didn't follow through with the sale I'd be letting her down. But I didn't even know her! I could have walked away. The eyeshadows are really gorgeous though. I'll do a separate post on them, with swatches and a look.

Moooving on.



The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer is the only product I have by The Balm. I've been looking for a bronzer for a while, and had my heart set on finding a matte one, but I swatched this in the store and it looked pretty enough to make me want to try it out. It does have a sheen to it, just more subdued than how it shows up on my hand. The color is perfect, no orange. The texture is smooth.. I apply with a 109 in really quick, circular motions. It truly does make me look tan, not like I have anything applied on my face. Say hi to my weirdly pale looking hand.


NYX Blushes in "Terra Cotta" and "Mauve"
I got the blushes in the first store I've ever found with a full NYX display.. I am so excited now. I went for Terra Cotta because, surprisingly, I think it makes a pretty highlight. Like for a bronzer or dark blush when applied extremely lightly. I don't know if I would use it as a blush, the color is kind of weird on my skintone for that. Mauve is a pretty mauve-pink (color description skillzz). Just a good everyday shade, but one I'd definitely apply with a light hand as well.

MAC Eyeshadows in "Brown Script", "Jest", "Beautiful Iris", and "Samoa Silk"
I got Brown Script because I've been in desperate need of a warm brown, whenever I do any eyeshadow look with browns they always blend out into a gray or even purple.
I used to have Jest but returned it because I had too many similar colors, but I caved in and bought it again because the pigmentation and texture of this shadow are unbeatable.
Beautiful Iris makes for a gorgeous inner corner or lid color with any purple look.
Samoa Silk is the best example of how much mac's lighting will throw you off. In the store, I could have sworn it was a pale yellow. Then I brought it home and realized it was almost exactly the shade of Peaches blush. I'll see what I can do with it, though.

In the store, this lipstick looked both gorgeous, and like an exact dupe of mac's Shy Girl. I has SG on that day, actually, and spent 30 minutes comparing the two with this face D: ...trying to decide whether I should spend the $12 for a color so similar to one I already have (WHO CARES IF THE SHADES ARE EXACT MATCHES, THE FINISH IS DIFFERENTTTTTTT!). So in the end I bought it, of course. Whisper is a sheer, peachy color with gold glitter... on my hand and under Victoria Secret's lighting, anyway. Back home, this morphed into a metallic finish, gold-flecked sheer lipstick.. thing. It's not ugly, it's just not worth the money. The good thing about these lipstick is that they are very creamy and moisturizing. That can be a bad thing too though.. I kind of like my lipstick with a bit of grip. Applying gloss over this lipstick would be a slippery nightmare.

That's it for now, check back for the mineral eyeshadow swatches!
Happy Wednesday ;)

MAC In The Groove + Masssssive Haul

Okay, so I may have gone a little.. overboard.. with the make-up shopping this past week. But I had the sudden urge to get myself some bright lipsticks, now that it's summer. And that sudden urge happened to fall on the same week mac's massive collection came out.. so that's how I wound up where I am right now. Broke... but with so many pretty colors!

All Styled Up (Cremesheen)
This is from In the Groove. I chose this over "I Like It Like That" because that one seemed way too purple and I thought this was more bubblegum-pink.. but I was wrong. The two lipsticks are soo similar, I have no idea why they came out together. "All Styled Up" is more pink, but the purple is definitely there. I don't really like shades like this on my skin, the only thing they work well with for me is dark smokey eyes.. and even then, I'd much rather go with a different lip color.

Speed Dial (Cremesheen)
This is a well known permanent color, kind of a brighter version of "All Styled Up". "Speed Dial" is medium blue-pink with some golden shimmer in there. I really like this color.. it's the barbie pink I've been looking for. With this lipstick I find that I need to apply several layers to get full color-payoff, but that doesn't mean it isn't a pigmented lipstick.

Vegas Volt (Amplified Creme)
I've been lemming a bright orange lipstick, and that's what I went in for. This is what I came out with, instead ("Morange", you're next on my list). It's a bright coral, which I think pulls more pink than orange. I personally like that.. I think pinky-coral is way more flattering than orange-y coral. This is a great color for summer, and can be layered to achieve different levels of color.

Looooooove love love love love this lip gloss. I bought it to go with Vegas Volt, but I think it'll be gorgeous with just about any shade of lipstick. It can tone down oranges, add a hint of peachy coral to your pinks, and it goes hand in hand with coral shades.

Harmony is wayyyy lighter than this, I swatched it heavily to show it's undertones. It's just a muddy brown color that works amazingly well for contouring for a large bracket of skin tones.
Blushbaby is a brown-ish pink that's totally matte. It works well with neutral looks, or if you have loud eye make-up or lips and need to a subtle cheek color.
Peaches is pretty self-explanitory, a matte, true peach color. I think it looks really good on both light and tan skin tones. It doesn't look ridiculously peachy on the cheeks, it blends out into a believable, natural color.
Pink Swoon is a gorgeous cool pink, made famous by Kim K. It's extremely pretty, my new favorite pink blush. It looks more sophisticated than other warmer pinks that can make you look too young.

By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish
Famous MSF that I missed out on when it came out with Warm & Cozy. I'm sure a lot of you have seen it a million times, but here it is on my skin tone for reference. The texture it amazing, and it seems to adapt to whatever your blush color is when using it as a cheekbone highlighter.

Lilicent Blushcreme
I know this is a popular one, and I've checked it out in the store a few times, but it never seemed as pretty when I'd swatch it. I'm happy I finally got it though. When actually applied to the cheeks, it becomes a really pretty peachy pink. I like using this on it's own with a Cream Color Base to highlight, or more commonly, under a powder blush.

Bust out those bright lippies, though, seriously! Summer is the most fun season in that you can get away with pretty much anything when it comes to bright colors, so take advantage of it.

Have a good weekend :)

Biiig Haul

I've really been into blushes lately, with summer coming up. Tan skin goes well with bright blush and some lip gloss. So I've spent way more on blushes this past month than I should have been spending.. but they're all so pretty! Here's some stuff I've bought recently:

Laura Geller baked blush palette, Bare Minerals "Precious Pearl" blush, Nars "Madly" blush, Mac "Tilt" and "Steamy" eyeshadow, Mac Studio Finish concealer in NC25, MUFE HD foundation in shade 120, and Mac Dazzleglass in "Sugarrimmed"

Woo!

Here's a close up of the blushes:


Laura Geller blush swatches:

I love the finish on these blushes. I do love my matte blushes, but sometimes I don't like how done-up they make me look. These blushes are pigmented, but not too dark in color. The shades themselves are gorgeous, and versatile too. Sunswept would make a pretty highlighter, in my opinion. The swatch is heavy, but one swipe gives a sheer, iridescent silver-pink.

I picked up the Nars blush on a whim. It looked so pretty in the store. It's a muted pink-brown, with shimmer. I was hoping it would be a nice hybrid of blush and bronzer, but unfortunately it's not that spectacular looking on my skin. It just looks muddy. Also, it's shimmer doesn't translate onto my skin, which was a disappointment. The Bare Minerals blush, on the other hand, is my new love. It's a mauve-pink that I think looks beautiful for every day when applied lightly, and even better applied a bit more heavy-handed with dramatic looks.

The eyeshadows:

Steamy is a well-known colors. It's a teal with a very pretty sheen. Tilt is another popular color. It's a iridescent sky blue, but with violet undertones that reflect light in a gorgeous way.

Ohh my goooodnessssssss do I love this lip gloss! The camera doesn't do it any justice.. it's the perfect color in real life. Normally I don't pay any attention to the colorless shades in a set of lip glosses, but I'm so glad I got this one. It's an extremely pale, milky pink with allll different kind of pearl in it, the most prominent being blue (yay for whiter teeth!). However it may look in the picture, this gloss looks amazing in real life. On it's own and topped over any lipstick, this gives me shimmery, full lips. Go to your nearest Mac store or stand and try this on!

Lastly, the concealer:

I've used Studio Finish in the past and hated it. I thought I'd give it another try, though, with a darker color this time. NC 25 is very peachy (almost orange-y), so I thought it would work well to counteract the colors I got going on under my eyes. Well, it did, but just like my last go with this concealer, the pigmentation faded once the concealer had set. It may look alright up above, but after 10 minutes I'm left with a gray cast under my eyes. Worst of all is the finish on this concealer. It's really chalky and highlights everything on my skin. The only thing I like about this is it's brightening properties. Oh well, on to the next one

I'll be doing a review on MUFE's foundation soon.. it was the first thing I bought of the whole haul, and I've been wearing it for a few weeks now. I'll have that post up soon :)

Elf All Over Color Sticks

Just wanna share some quick swatches and my take on Elf's All Over Color Sticks.


My local target just expanded their Elf display, and now they have all kinds of stuff that I've only ever seen online before. I have a few of their lipglosses (the Stila lipglaze knock-offish ones), and they're really pigmented and pretty. I have a huge problem with all their lip products' offensive smells though, so I mostly stay away from the brand...

Anyways, here are the swatches:


Lilac Petal is a light, rosy pink with silver shimmer. Blended out on the cheeks it gives a really pretty, innocent glow. I've mentioned before, I tend to stay away from pink blushes.. but this looks really fresh and pretty if applied right. It could also make a good highlight for cream blush if you use a light hand.
Pink Lemonade is hard to describe.. it's a toned down fuschia, with some rosiness to it. Almost like Lilac Petal's badass sister. I actually hate how this looks on my cheeks, but it works well on the lips. I shade them in with a nude pink pencil, then use a finger to press the color on, then smack my lips to blend it out. Of all 3 colors I own, this is the most pigmented.. trust me, I was surprised by how thickly the color laid on when I was applying it to my arm. I promise you it's not nearly as scary when used sheerly.
Persimmon is my favorite out of the bunch. It an apricot, bronzey shade.. not as mauve as the camera captured it at all. But then again, it depends on how much you apply. I love how this looks on my cheeks.

In same order as picture above:

These smell citrus-y on application, but, ewww, after I wiped the swatches off my arm I gave it a whiff and it smelled TERRIBLE. Like plastic and the smell of cleaning solution in a public bathroom. I've worn these all day before and I didn't smell anything funky at all... so hopefully that's the case with everyone else. These are sticky in consistency, and a bit hard to blend out. The Sonia Kashuk flat topped blusher brush works great, otherwise I'd recommend just using your fingers because your brush will shed trying to blend these out. I don't like the finish of these on their own (really greasy), so I set with a dusting of powder.

Overall, you can't go wrong with unique colors for a buck, which make the color sticks winners in my book :)

MAC & Sephora Haul

Last week was really stressful, so it had to culminate in some retail therapy.

From Sephora: Clinique blush in "Aglow" along with Clinique Perfectly Real foundation
From MAC: "Quite Natural" paint pot, "Blankety" lipstick, "Underage" lipglass, "Peachykeen" blush (not shown), and a new Fix+

The foundation was an impulse buy. I got matched with shade 18, which is for fair-medium skintones with neutral undertones. The shades they had were so weird, there was a huge gap in between light and dark. Most shades had really obvious pink or yellow tones. Although the box claims the foundation neutralizes skins varying undertones. I always have a hard time with my neutral coloring. The match was good though, kind of orange upon application but the color evened out once it was blended. It was hard to blend out though (I used a foundation brush); the consistency was thick. Next time I'd use the beauty blender, I have a feeling the application would be better that way. The foundation definitely did not cover up everything. The finish really was nice, but the lack of coverage took away from the whole effect. It does seem like it's going to be medium-full coverage right when you apply it, but it just disappears! This foundation is supposed to be for dry combination to combination oily skin. Weird description.. what does that leave out? It was a bit shiny on me, and I have combo skin that's starting to become oilier as the weather heats up. For the finish and the price ($21), I'd say it's worth it if you can get a good color match.

Swatches:

"Aglow"

I've been eyeing the blush for a while, cause it looked so beautiful on display. I would call it an apricot pink with golden undertones. I actually tend to shy away from pink blush, I think it looks really unnatural on me. I love my peach tones though. Well, I finally got around to trying it, and I'm undecided. The texture was chalky, and it didn't blend out that well. The color didn't look nearly as amazing on my cheeks as it did swatched on my hand. I thought it would be a glowy, beautiful rosy peach color but it turned into more of a flat dirty apricot. The worst part was after a few hours, it turned into a blotchy mess.. but this happens sometimes when I use loose powder. I'm gunna see if I can get a better result next time. This retails for $19.50.

"Blankety"

I have a love/hate relationship with nude lippies. I want to love them, I think they look so gorgeous when I see other girls wearing them.. but I seldom reach for them when I do my own looks. I don't know, its just that nude lips don't ever seem to go with the rest of my makeup. My other mac nude lipsticks include "Peachstock" (hello, walking corpse), and Cherish (beautiful, but once again, one I don't find myself reaching for often). So I came to the conclusion I needed a honey colored nude, not too pink and not too fleshy. Well, I struck gold here. I didn't even try the color on in the store (I know, bad); I've seen so many people wearing it I didn't feel like i needed to. I just got it, and I'm glad I did. It's an Amplified, and I find it way more creamy that some of my Cremesheen's. On my lips it's a honey-ish, mauve-y nude, just what I was looking for. Although it shows up more on the pink side in the pictures, it's way more toned down in real life.

"Underage"

It was between this and Florabundance. I had my mind set on a milky pink, so i went with Underage in the end. Florabundance was so pretty though, it won't be long at all before I cave in ;). Underage is a well known color: a sheen-y, milky light pink. My lips are pigmented, but over Creme Cup (how I intend to wear it), Underage is the perfect frosting for pretty, opaque pink lip. It's extremely pigmented, but I do find it to be sort of spoltchy and hard to get even. When you do though, the result is beautiful.

"Quite Natural"

To me this is a neutral medium brown. I love the texture of paint pots, but I actually don't like to use my flesh colored ones as primers because I think they actually dull my shadows (I totally prefer cream color bases). But as bases, paint pots are amaaazing for their cream-to-powder finish. I'll put up a look using this soon.

"Peachykeen"

This is a "sheertone shimmer". On me its a sheer, warmish pink with golden shimmer, which lends the pink a peachy color.. so its not a straight-up pink. I tried this on in store, and it gave me just what I look for in a blush.. a pretty, subtle glow. Not obvious rouged up cheeks. I though it was similar to Nars' Orgasm when I had it on in the store, but now I see they're completely different. Orgasm is peachier. I actually like Peachykeen's texture more than Orgasm. It's not as gritty and sparkly, and applies way better.

Fix Plus speaks for itself. I cannot live without this; I don't care if it's glorified water. After a long day of classes, a few spritzes of this un-cakes and un-creases all my stale makeup and allows me to touch up my cheeks and shadow without looking like a clown.

Happy Tuesday :)

I Love Me Some Hard Candy

It takes a lot to coax me into coming along with you to Walmart. Between the bad fluorescent lighting, the screaming children, and lack of any regard for life shown by the little upside down floating fishies in their tupperwear homes... I just can't do it. But ever since Hard Candy has debuted there (and maybe because I realized there's a Sally's in the same plaza), it's become just that much easier to win my company. At first glance, nothing stood out to me. The tinted moisturizer looked fugly, I don't like to wear chemical laden lip products (don't quote me on this later), glitter isnt really my thing... so the whole Hard Candy at Walmart thing seemed like an epic fail to me. Then I saw the blushes. This has been said over and over, but the first thing that came to my mind was MAC msf's... I had to own one. I first purchased 'Living Doll', which I was skeptical about but ended up being extremely happy with. I later ended up getting 2 more, 'Bombshell' then 'Honeymoon'. I do not know what people are talking about when they complain about pigmentation of these blushes. I have to be extra careul with application as they are extremely pigmented for me, and not packed too tightly at all. I use a mac 116, sweeping the blush first on the side of the brush, patting it on, then buffing out with either that same brush or the 109.


First off, I love the packaging. It's really sturdy, not to mention adorable. No cheap blue plastic here. For seven bucks, 8 grams of product isn't too shabby. I'm normally weary of dome shaped powders, as they seem to magically dissapear within a month, but these are not like that at all. I've been using them all month and you can't even tell they've ever been swiped with a blush brush.

Here they are (swatched heavily):

Living Doll is a scary fuschia in the dome, but a really pretty sheer pink on application. I'm not sure I can see the effects of the golden yellow veining on my skin.. it just seems like a one dimentional pink to me. But it is gorgeous nonetheless and looks great with pink glosses. The finish is such a pretty sheen, shimmery without being too over the top or glittery. As good as can be expected of a well-made baked blush.

Bombshell is probably the best proof of the lesson to not judge a book by its cover. In the pan, its medium brown with hot pink veining. On the skin, it has become one of my favorite shades of blush that can be used in a multitude of looks. It gives a bronzed color, with enough pink to register this as a definite blush, not bronzer (although it may seem so in the picture.. I swear it has way more pink on application!). I always use this blush when I'm using browns and bronze colors on my eyes. It looks equally stunning with pink shadow, when used sheerly.

Honeymoon is a light peachy pink, with purple veining. I bought it to use as a highlighter, but on my skintone it doesn't highlight enough for me. I like to use this over bronzer, it's sheen and subtle pink tone makes my bronzers look really wow.

These blushes retail for $7 each.

The ingredients listed are: Mica, Talc, Mineral Oil, Dimethicone, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben.

The company does not test on animals :)

I've searched for swatches of these blushes, and there don't seem to be many, so hopefully these help you guys. I'm genuinely happy I found these, and I'm eyeing the line's bronzers next...