Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Yay for UPS Man!

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

My MAC Pro goodies came today :D

To my horror the box was half opened and crushed in… wtf? Luckily everything was in there and nothing was broken (mostly due to what I ordered, no pressed powder products). Still made me sad to see the sorry shape the box was in :(

I immediately jumped to try to the skin corrector and concealer.

pureorange
MAC Studio Finish Skin Corrector in Pure Orange is helpful for concealing blue under eye areas (along with blue/black tattoos, or so I’ve read). This is a problem that plagues me, and my concealer just wasn’t cutting it so I decided to give this a whirl. I stuck the pan in a depotted 4-pan eyeshadow palette. The product is very creamy, and just the tiniest dab is all I needed. When I first applied of course it was neon orange, but it blended in easily with a MAC 194 concealer brush. The blue tinge was reduced considerably.

studiosculpt
I have always used the discontinued MAC Studio Touch-Up Stick Concealer, but as of late I have found it difficult to work with… dry and scratchy. (Which totally could be due to the age of the product, I’ve had it for over 3 years.) So I threw the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW20 in my order as well. I applied it over the Skin Corrector. This product is deliciously creamy and easy to apply and blend in. It combined with the skin corrector definitely brightened up and improved my under eye area!! Now only time will tell how long the product holds up, and if I’ll look like a mess in a few hours or not. :)

Only thing I don’t like about it is that it looks like the Painterly Paint Pot. I think I’ll have to write a big “C” on it so I know it’s my concealer :)

loosefoundation
At last, more foundation! Oh how I’ve missed it, especially since it’s my sunscreen since my skin gets rather finicky about moisturizers/skinscreens. As you can see, I don’t use the foam applicator it comes with. I yank that sucker out, and I shoved the temporary sponge up in the lid. I’ll see if this helps when I accidentally tip over the container. I love this foundation, but I really wish MAC offered a better container for it :(

I am very pleased I got 1.5 years of use out of my first foundation. Of course I wasn’t using it daily, but even with daily use, that’s still like a year or so! Definitely not bad :)

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And the rest of my goodies, which are backups for existing products that are soon to run out, or will in a few months. Since I don’t live anywhere near a MAC store (100 miles to the nearest), just counters which won’t accept my Pro Card, I decided I’d just order up some replacement stuff. I figure if I don’t open it it’ll stay fresh just fine :)

I should do a comparison picture of a brand new Clear Brow Set, and my existing tube! My existing tube is light brown from all the shadow the wand has picked up. Quite amusing, at least to me.

And those are my new goodies :) Time to update the collection list!

Review: MAC Studio Moisture Cream Moisturizer

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

I haven’t worn makeup since New Year’s… ARGH! Kind of in a rut… so I figured I’d keep things going with a small review :)

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Ohhhh… moisturizers. I never even owned one until last year! Definitely not my thing, but since I live in a really dry climate, it’s been a necessary product. My usual moisturizer is MAC Studio Moisture Fix with SPF, but it began struggling to keep up with dryness this winter. Wanting to stick with MAC, I decided to give Studio Moisture Cream a try.

Initial worries: My skin is weird. It gets pissed off if I use new products on it, usually in the form of breakouts. And who wants that?! But my cheeks and area between my eyebrows are so dry this time of year, I had to make a switch…

So how has my skin been doing? Well, I have gotten some breakouts. Therefore, I’ve been trying to use this product only on the dry areas, and leaving it off of the areas where I get breakouts (forehead, chin mostly). This seemed to help a lot. But then I started tanning again (sorry, can’t do the pale thing…) and I slathered this product all over my face, and I got about 5 breakouts… forehead and upper lip. Yuck! However, I am not sure if it’s due to Studio Moisture Cream, or because I used my Studio Moisture Fix before tanning because it has sunscreen in it… maybe my skin just doesn’t like two different products being used?

On the dry areas it does wonders! No more peeling showing up in a few hours after use! So Studio Moisture Cream does what it’s suppose to on dry areas!

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The product itself is pretty dreamy. Doesn’t take much to get the job done! I purchased it in mid-December, and I’m still just using what was stuck to the inner lid. It doesn’t apply heavy, but I “feel” it on my face more than the Studio Moisture Fix. Biggest downside is the lack of sun protection in it. Even though my foundation has SPF, I don’t always use foundation.

So overall… definitely this will be my winter moisturizer. I will be switching back to Studio Moisture Fix once winter is over. The product does what I ask it to, and I can’t really fault it for causing some breakouts because I knew going in that my skin responds funky to new products.

MAC Addict, meet Mary Kay…

Monday, December 14th, 2009

I went to a holiday bazaar a few weeks ago, and entered a drawing at the Mary Kay booth… hell, who doesn’t like to win things, right? Well, for the first time in my life, I won something!! I won a $25 gift certificate. This morning I met up with the consultant, who demonstrated Mary Kay’s new sets of eyeshadows that are meant to compliment a person’s particular eye color.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of makeup being applied to myself… I’ve only had mine done at MAC about 3 times, and only one of those times were my eyes. So of course I was nervous, being the makeup freak that I am.

The look was very neutral, but simple enough for day… because let’s face it… purple smokey eyes, regardless of how much I swear by them, are not appropriate for most “professional” environments.

I snapped a few pics when I got home. I can’t remember all the product names, so there will be a few missing details…

Face

  • Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation in Ivory 2
  • Mary Kay Mineral Cheek Color… no idea on shade
  • Mary Kay Mineral Highlighting Power in Pink Porcelain (I think(
  • Eyes

  • Mary Kay Eyesicles Eye Color in Vanilla
  • Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in… Sweet Plum… and I don’t remember the other 2 shades… it was the green eye set
  • *I used my own Make Up For Ever mascara when I got home*

    Lips

  • Mary Kay NouriShine Lip Gloss in Cream & Sugar
  • Mary Kay NouriShine Lip Gloss in Beach Bronze
  • 1214closeup

    1214fullface

    Ooo, the dreaded full face! Usually I use concealer and some sort of brow product… so excuse the dark eye circles and messy brows!

    I have a feeling the Eyesicles is going to start creasing on me… I actually own this product and it always creased as a base or by itself.

    I’m liking the lip glosses, they make my lips feel soft. The foundation also gave good coverage, though seems a bit pale… I think this is only because my MAC foundation is now too dark for me since I haven’t gotten any sun in the past few months, so I’m not use to the correct foundation shade being used, oops.

    Mary Kay is actually how I got into makeup… I use to only use black eyeliner and mascara until an old friend became a MK consultant. Then I got into eyeshadows and it snowballed from there. I actually have one of the “old school” MK palettes filled with shadows. I stopped using it soon after I got into MAC products. I keep meaning to pull it out and do some looks just for fun one of these days.

    So now I gotta figure out what to spend my $25 on… There’s a travel roll up bag that is pretty nifty, but would I ever use it? Same goes for any makeup, as I’m already on MAC overload… I’m going to see if my mom sees anything she likes. It’s hard!

    On other news… yesterday I did a blue look, and when I was going to get my camera, clumsy me knocked 3 of my 15-pan palettes off of the counter, and they hit the tile floor. My “highlights” one made it out fine, only some of the pans fell out because the magnets aren’t strong. In my “blue” palette Parrot shattered :( I ended up re-pressing it, and it turned out well for being my first time (I never did get a chance to do my pigments, and now I can’t find the empty pans I bought). My “silvers/black” palette got beat all to hell… half of Smoke & Diamonds just disintegrated into dust so I couldn’t scoop any of it back up for re-pressing. Half of Beauty Marked chipped off, so I did a quick “rubbing alcohol and finger” re-press, which I also had to do to Nehru. Not pretty looking at all… I use to hate looking at people’s palette pictures and all the shadows looking like battle ravaged warriors, but now I understand how it happens… gave me a heart attack though, and made a mess on the floor. Now I remember why I put the palettes in the sink!

    Long story short, I never got pictures of the blue look, so I’ll have to repeat it. *sigh*

    Well, that was my adventure for today… I’ll be searching for what to spend my $25 on!

    Swatch of the Day: MAC Cream Colour Bases

    Sunday, December 6th, 2009

    ccbs
    Today’s swatches are my three MAC Cream Colour Bases: Plumed Violet, Pearl, and Premeditated. Cream Colour Base is often abbreviated CCB.

    What are Cream Colour Bases? MAC’s description is:
    Versatile and multi-purpose, Cream Colour Base can be applied directly to bare skin, or layered over foundation, moisturizer, or powder. Smooth and easy to apply with a brush, sponge, or fingers-colour effects range from a light veil to highly dramatic, depending on method of application. Cream Colour Base is fragrance-free. (The following shades are not recommended for use in lip area: Black, Dusk and Fawntastic. The following shades are not recommended for use in the eye area: Fabulush, Improper Copper, Premeditated and Virgin Isle.)

    MAC Pearl Cream Colour Base
    Description: Soft pale gold with icy shimmer (Frost)
    pearlccb

    MAC Plumed Violet Cream Colour Base
    Description: Pro, Discontinued?
    plumedvioletccb

    MAC Premeditated Cream Colour Base
    Description: A deep, bright vivid blue red (Discontinued?)
    premeditatedccb

    Swatching procedure: My skin tone is roughly a MAC NW20 (maybe NW15 since any tan is fading). Photos are taken in my bathroom under “Natural Light” bubs which mimic natural daylight.

    ccb`

    I did these swatches today because tomorrow I am mailing out Pearl to a new owner. I could never get Pearl to work… it would make my eyelids really greasy and everything would crease… even if I put it over a paint pot. I didn’t have a use for it, so I posted it up for swap. I am getting Cakeshop shadestick in return. I haven’t ever used a shadestick, but figured it could be something neat to try. At the very worse it ends up sitting around like my Pearl CCB has been doing, :D

    I have done a few pretty purple looks with Plumed Violet applied as a base. I have never used Premeditated, only swatched it 2 or 3 times. I have Flammable paint, so I don’t really need a red eye base (yeah yeah, they say not to use it on eyes… I’m a risk taker!). So Premeditated also sits around. Maybe some day I’ll find a use…

    Stashing the Stash

    Sunday, November 1st, 2009

    My Container Store products came! Hell, I was surprised that Fedex even delivered on Saturdays, but I wasn’t about to complain. To get everything set up perfectly, I had to run to Walmart and buy an additional plastic storage drawer and some little rocks so my liners would stand up in the holder I bought.

    IMG_0714

    I ordered:

  • 6-Section Acrylic Desktop Organizer Item # 10021946
  • 14-DVD Acrylic Rack Item # 10022128
  • MAC 15-pan palettes are DVD-sized, and fit the rack perfectly. It’s designed to store things vertically, but I prefer my palettes to remain horizontal, so I had to buy some “grippers” to put on the side as the ones on it were for the vertical orientation. The acrylic is think and sturdy, definitely blowing my old flimsy DVD-turned-palette-display out of the water.

    The desktop organize is perfect for all my liners, mascaras, brow products, etc. I bought some small stones for the bottom so everything would stick upright in it. Like the DVD rack, it is good quality and sturdy. It also fits perfectly on top of the DVD rack!

    Before tax and shipping my order was about $18 total! I think that is totally reasonable for quality storage items. The Container Store was doing a 20% off sale deal.

    Now for pictures of how I stash the stash!

    I use to use a Caboodles traincase, but being semi-lazy and having a growing collection, that really did not work out. I would never put stuff back in it, and then I started to have too much stuff to fit into it. I still use it for traveling, and for storing old makeup (like my ancient Mary Kay stuff) while at home. So I graduated to a shelf on the wall, which I stacked all my palettes on. Then I saw people using DVD racks and found a rather flimsy wire one at Walmart. I was constantly worried about it getting knocked over, and I saw people on specktra.net using Container Store stuff, so I decided to check them out. The rest is history as they say! :)

    IMG_0739
    That’s my counter top! That is all my MAC/makeup, besides my Hello Kitty tote bags (the free ones given out with purchases at the release) that hang on the wall that has empties and random packaging in it, and my brush roll (empty) that is on a shelf. It seems like I don’t have very much at all since it fits in such a small space!

    IMG_0740
    The desktop organizer and the products! And my glasses, haha.

    IMG_0747
    On top of my stack of drawers I keep my MAC Wipes, foundation, moisturizer, and Fix+.

    IMG_0741
    Drawer #1 – Face products including MSFs, powder, blush.

    IMG_0742
    Drawer #2 – Pigments

    IMG_0743
    Drawer #3 – Mineralize eyeshadows and depotted Hello Kitty palettes

    IMG_0744
    Drawer #4 – Paint pots, paint, Fluidlines, Cream Colour Bases, eyeshadows waiting to be depotted, etc.

    IMG_0745
    Drawer #5 – Lip products

    IMG_0746
    Drawer #6 – Make Up For Ever eyeshadows, Too Faced eyeshadows, sharpeners, other random crap.

    Then besides all this on the counter is my brush cleaner, Prep+Prime, and liquid foundation. My brushes are (hopefully temporarily) in a cup, which I often place on a shelf to keep my cat from running away with them. I really really REALLY want the pro brush belt, but they were out of stock when I went to the pro store :( If they don’t seem to be coming in stock in the next month or so I might get another desktop organized from the Container Store and put my brushes in that. I do have the MAC brush roll, but it’s too small to store my stuff.

    And that’s pretty much how I store all of my makeup!

    On another note, I think USPS lost my empty pans that I had ordered :( They’ve been “out for delivery” for 4 days now, which is NOT a good sign. I plan on calling the post office on Monday and trying to get things straightened out. I’m so sad, as I was really looking forward to pressing my pigments this weekend.

    Swatch of the Day: Urban Decay 24/7 Super Stash

    Sunday, October 25th, 2009

    Swatch of the Day is.. (and a tiny review)

    Urban Decay 24/7 Super Stash set

    Description: This is a set of 9 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils. 4 of the colors are exclusive to this set.

    • Zero (zealous black)
    • Oil Slick (black sparkle)
    • Corrupt (brown sparkle)
    • Eldorado (gold)
    • Graffiti (bright medium green with silver sparkle)
    • Binge (navy)
    • Ransom (bright iridescent purple)
    • Rockstar (darkest eggplant)
    • Stash (dark green/gold)

    udsuperstash

    Swatching procedure: My skin tone is roughly a MAC NW20. Swatches were done on bare skin (no base).

    Photos are taken in my bathroom which has “Natural Light” bulbs to mimic natural daylight. No flash is used.

    udsuperstash2

    I just picked this set up at Sephora today, so I thought I’d say a few quick words about it as well. First off, I LOVE the 24/7 pencils! The formula is so soft and creamy – no tugging on the lids here! For about 30 seconds the product remains blendable, and then dries down to a waterproof formula. And holy crap, they’re waterproof! I swatched several shades on my arm at Sephora, and their makeup remover would not remove them and I had to use alcohol (side note: MAC Wipes DO remove these liners easily, I’ve never had difficulty removing them at home). As much as I love my MAC products and prefer to buy MAC, I definitely give Urban Decay the upper hand on eye pencil formulation and color choice!

    I originally went for this set for Graffiti and Eldorado. I have Zero and Stash already, which I got in another 24/7 set last year (seems that Zero is included in nearly all the sets). However, I am loving Oil Slick, Corrupt, and Binge as well! Oh, and Rockstar… hell, they’re all great!

    My only gripe so far is the size. I thought my 0.8g sized 24/7 pencils were small… these in this set are 0.5g and TINY. I can see how they can be difficult to hold and use, but I think I’ll be able to adjust. Even though they’re tiny, I think they’ll all last me a decent while, or so I hope! I heard that Eldorado will be released to the full size collection in the spring, which is good to hear because I am really loving it’s rich gold color.  I hope the other 3 (Oil Slick, Corrupt, and Binge) also join the full size collection.

    The set was $36, which comes down to $4 per pencil. Not terrible! Definitely a good way to sample shades, or to save money. Full size 24/7 pencils are $17 a piece and very large, so if someone isn’t a heavy liner user, I see this as a great way to get some great liners for occasional use, and not have to spend a lot of money on full size products.

    Sephora’s Birthday Gift

    Monday, October 19th, 2009

    So I’ve been sick the past week and not really up to wearing makeup or trying anything worth posting. Luckily it just turned out to be a cold, not the flu like I was worried *whew*

    Got my Sephora gift on my birthday!

    I must say, this was nicer than last year’s, which was a body wash I couldn’t use due to an ingredient allergy.

    Gift box included 3 of Sephora Brand Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Bronzed Beauty, Rosy Glow, and Precious Pink. They’re really nice mini tubes. My first impression is that it is a rather thick formula and has a smell that I can’t quite put my finger on. It kind of reminded me a “play makeup” that is sold to little girls for dress up. !? Because I was still sick I haven’t really used them or seen what they looked like worn.

    I still like the gift, as it feels like I got so much more than a tiny bottle of lotion or body wash like previous years! And hey, who can’t find a reason to like free stuff, right? If anything, they will be nice to toss in my purse.

    While at the mall on my birthday, I had the chance to check out MAC’s Magic, Mirth, and Mischief holiday collection which was released that day. I am not one for gifty type sets, so most of it does not interest me… HOWEVER… mineralize eyeshadows!!! <3 I have my eye on Blue Sorcery, Devil-May-Care, and It’s A Miracle. I’ve seen some swatches, and they’re gorgeous. I love the payoff of MES, I just think I don’t go for them because they don’t fit in normal palettes (I am such a palette freak).

    Last piece of news… my MAC Pro application got accepted!!!!!! I called and checked on my birthday and received the good news. And my credit card has been charged, so now it’s just waiting time for the card to show up. I’ve been on a MAC buying freeze until I had my card, so I can’t wait! I am planning on a trip to MAC Pro in NYC as I need several pro products that I can’t get locally. I applied as a photographer, so my discount is 30% versus the 40% that makeup artists get.

    MSFs, Blushes, Beauty Powders… Oh My!

    Friday, October 2nd, 2009

    Yesterday there was a few hours of some good natural light coming in my window, so I decided to try out my new camera on some products.

    I’ve never been a blush person, I’ll admit that! So I only have 4 “cheek” products, but that’s fine for me because I actually use them.

    I really really really like the Mineralize Skinfinishes that I have! I love how they can be sheer or heavy, depending on how they’re applied. My two are from the BBR collection. I originally got Redhead back when the collection was first released last January. A few weeks ago I picked up Blonde at a CCO because I wanted something more pinkish.

    Prism I picked up in June ‘07 at a counter in New Orleans (funny how I remember stuff like this, but not what I ate yesterday! Haha). It’s a pinkish-brown matte. Tahitian Sand is from the Hello Kitty collection and I picked it up at a CCO this past summer. I feel like I really have to jam the brush into the product to get any on it. Can I admit that I mostly got it because the compact is adorable?! ;)

    Now for pictures!

    MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – Blonde

    MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – Redhead

    MAC Powder Blush – Prism

    MAC Beauty Powder – Tahitian Sand

    ***

    Buzz about Holiday/Early 2010 collections are out and about on the forums. I am REALLY looking forward to “Warm and Cozy” which comes out on December 26th. The four eyeshadows sound gorgeous!

    * Chamomile Creamy – pale yellow (Satin) (Limited Edition)
    * Modelette – Mid-tone warm camel (Satin) (Limited Edition) (Repromote)
    * Milled Cider – Dark warm brown (Satin) (Limited Edition)
    * Embark – Deep rich brown-black (Matte) (Permanent)

    There’s also two MSFs coming out

    * Comfort – Golden bronze (Limited Edition)
    * By Candlelight – Golden pink (Limited Edition)

    I’ll have to wait to see pictures in person before I fully decide on the MSFs, but as for the shadows I’m hopeful that I will get all four!

    New goody

    Thursday, May 14th, 2009

    I decided to pick up some of MAC’s Brush Cleaner since my Sephora brush shampoo is almost empty, and I am thoroughly impressed! Stuff came off the brushes with ease, and the bristles are very soft now. Every time I used the Sephora brush shampoo the bristles wouldn’t feel that soft. So I’m glad I made the switch, not to mention MAC’s is cheaper and you get more!

    Definitely comes recommended by me!

    It loved me so much…

    Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

    it STAINED my skin!!!

    I had read various accounts of Make Up For Ever eyeshadows staining, but most seem to say that if you use a base, it’s not a problem… well… I looked into the mirror after my shower and was greeted with purple-ish eyelids, and some bright spots of purple. I grabbed my makeup remover, but the color stayed. So I had to use a dark color today all over my lids to cover up the stains (I was too lazy to do a look with the stains, lol).

    Pictures of the damage from MUFE #92:

    My cover up attempt:

    Face

    • MAC Mineralize loose foundation in medium (109 brush)
    • MAC Studio Touch Up stick concealer under eyes (194 brush)

    Eyes

    • MAC Painterly paint pot as base (Sephora flat e/s brush)
    • MAC Climate Blue e/s all over lids (139 brush)
    • MAC Dreammaker e/s in crease (217 brush)
    • Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash Mascara

    It didn’t look that good, so not too many pictures… definitely not as spectacular as yesterday’s look… but then again, I was trying to cover up yesterday’s damage. I am wondering if MUFE #75 does the same, I am kinda scared to try it…

    Mineralize Eyeshadows

    Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

    Like I did with my lip products, now it’s time to discuss the Mineralize Eyeshadows (MES) I have from MAC. I only have 3, but since they’re duo/trio setups, you kinda get more colors for your money.

    MAC seemingly likes to discontinue the mineralize shades pretty frequently, so all 3 of these are discontinued. I just found Sea & Sky at a CCO, which made me quite happy as it’s a gorgeous color.

    Here are swatches over Painterly paint pot. My skin is NW20 foundation shade.

    Danger Zone MES:
    MAC Description: “Three shades of Mineralize Eye Shadow all in one. Each palette offers a complete eye look in the signature high colour, and dimensional pearl finish of this mineralized formula. Limited edition. 2.2 g / 0.07 oz”
    My thoughts: I got it because of the red. I always wanted a nice red eyeshadow, and MAC seems to lack it. Unfortunately, it goes on a bit more orangey than you would think. I’ve honestly only used it once, on Halloween. When I used it with a bit of Fix+ the color was a bit truer to how it looks in the pot, and also lasted a long time! The middle silver streak is utterly useless, it’s huge chunks of glitter that go everywhere. I’m actually a bit scared to use it in my eye area for fear of getting the chunks actually in my eyes. The red and black are very smooth, and blend nicely, making up for the horrid silver glitter stuff.

    Sea & Sky MES:

    MAC Description: “Two Mineralize Eye Shadows in one large compact. One shade features a mélange of three shades, the other provides a complementary or contrasting solid shade. Both provide medium buildable and lightweight application with a pearlized frost finish. Limited edition. 2.2 g / 0.07 us oz US $17.50″
    My thoughts: LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! The blue is absolutely gorgeous! It’s unlike any normal blue shadow I have from MAC, which is why I was so happy to find it at a CCO. The white/silverish side is also nice, but very frosty.

    Persuasive MES:
    MAC Description: “Three shades of Mineralize Eye Shadow all in one. Each palette offers a complete eye look in the signature high colour, and dimensional pearl finish of this mineralized formula. Limited edition. 2.2 g / 0.07 oz Shade description: Frosty light blue/silver pearl stripe/frosty indigo (Frost)”
    My thoughts: Aside from the horrid silver streak, which is the same as the one in Danger Zone, I like these colors as well. Blendable and smooth, but very frosty. I used it along with a glitter liner from Urban Decay for my New Year’s Eve look, and it was nice.

    Thoughts about ALL MES:
    They are tricky to get good color pay off. I wouldn’t suggest using them without a good base, like a paint pot (which I did for swatching). A lot of people also use Fix+ on the brush to get good color pay off, I tried it with Danger Zone, and it did help. Also makes them last longer. Because they’re frosty and sort of glittery, I find them messy to apply, and you get fallout all over your face if you’re not careful. The frosty look can get to be a bit much, especially for an everyday look (see my “Ice ice” entry on 01/15/09 for an extreme MES look), and it seems like all the color offerings are frosty in this line.

    They do come in some neat colors, which is why I’ve bought the ones I do have. But I don’t actively try to buy MES, for the reasons I just stated and because they don’t fit into my palettes with my other shadows. Unless some crazy new color comes out, I probably won’t buy anymore of them, unless I decide to buy a duplicate Sea & Sky, if the CCO still has them whenever I go back.

    Let’s talk about… my lip products!

    Thursday, January 15th, 2009

    Slowly working my way into pictures of my collection (I want to save the final, huge picture until after I get my Hello Kitty items)… figured I’d start out with my lipglosses.

    I do NOT use lipstick. I don’t like it. Too much of a hassle for me. I’ll take Carmex over lipstick any day! So there’s the explanation of why there’s no lipsticks being discussed.

    I’ll start with my MAC glosses, then I’ll talk about one or two other things.


    There’s all my MAC lip products!

    Here is them swatched on the back of my hand. Of course my skin color (NW20 shade) isn’t like my lips, but I didn’t feel like putting on 8 glosses on my lips, so when I talk about each one I’ll say a bit about how they look on my lips.

    Clear Lipglass:
    MAC site description: “A unique lip gloss that can create a high gloss, glass-like finish or a subtle sheen. Designed to be worn on its own, over Lip Pencil or Lipstick, Clear Lipglass is the perfect product for creating shine that lasts. It contains Jojoba Oil to help soften and condition the lips and a tiny bead of this highly concentrated product is all that’s needed to cover the lip area. Packaged in a convenient squeeze tube, Clear Lipglass is easy to apply using a lip brush. Clear Lipglass can be mixed with other products, like Pigments, and can be applied anywhere on the body except for the eye area to create interesting effects. 15 ml / 0.5 US oz US$14.00″
    My thoughts: This is indeed an incredibly shiny clear lipgloss! I used this a lot when I was modeling for photoshoots, a photographer is actually who made me try it the first time. If you’re looking for a straight up shiny gloss, here you go! I have to admit, though, I don’t like the squeeze tube. Mine has “exploded” several times when changing elevation, and the cap gets all sticky. I really don’t use this very much anymore.

    Spring Bean Lustreglass:
    MAC description: “Two high-powered effects – Lustre and Glass – in one new lip finish. This amazing ornamental finish shines the lips with hi-shine overlaid with various tones of pearlized glaze. Beyond sexy. Transcends all known shine. 4.8g / 0.17 oz US$14.00 Shade description: New apple green with gold sparkle pearl overglaze”
    My thoughts: I have to admit, I bought this because I wanted to see what a neon green lipgloss was really like. It can be a bit scary, but on my lips (and others, from reviews I have read) it makes a caramel-like shade. Unless you glop it on, you can’t tell it is green!

    Spree Lipglass:
    Description: Pink champagned taupe (cream). Limited Edition from July 2007 “Novel Twist” collection released only at Nordstrom
    My thoughts: It’s pretty, but I don’t wear it often. It definitely has a brownish look to it, which is probably why I don’t wear it often, as I tend to gravitate towards pink shades.

    C-Thru Lipglass:
    MAC description: “A unique lip gloss available in a wide variety of colours that can create a high gloss, glass-like finish or a subtle sheen. Designed to be worn on its own, over Lip Pencil or Lipstick, Tinted Lipglass is the perfect product for creating shine that lasts. It’s pigmented, very shiny and can impart subtle or dramatic colour. It contains Jojoba Oil to help soften and condition the lips. Tinted Lipglass is packaged in a convenient bottle with a sponge tip applicator that provides a quick, smooth, even application. 4.8g / 0.17 oz US$14.00 Shade description: Soft peached-beige with shimmer (Cream)”
    My thoughts: I like this, as it’s very neutral when you don’t want obnoxious lips, or if the eyes are played up big time. Like most lipglosses, as long as you don’t pile it on, the color reminds sheer. Definitely a shade anybody could probably use.

    Elaborate Lipglass:
    Description: “Soft low karat gold with pearl (Repromote, Rockocco August 2006)” Limited Edition from May 2007 “Moonbathe” collection
    My thoughts: I picked this up at a Cosmetic Company Outlet (CCO), and glad I did. It’s similar to C-Thru, but has a lot more sparkle, so it jazzes up the lips if I don’t feel like looking so boring.

    Venetian Lustreglass:
    MAC description: “Two high-powered effects – Lustre and Glass – in one new lip finish. This amazing ornamental finish shines the lips with hi-shine overlaid with various tones of pearlized glaze. Beyond sexy. Transcends all known shine. 4.8g / 0.17 oz US$14.00 Shade description: Maraschino pink with pearl”
    My thoughts: OK, this shade scares me. Just a bit too bold. It comes out bright red on my lips. And eyes are my big thing, I never have an “appropriate” moment to wear this. I honestly don’t know how the MUA at MAC got me to buy this, haha. All I know is that I was in New Orleans on a MAC spendy frenzy! I do plan on doing maybe a bit of a “retro” look with subtle eyes and trying out this product.

    Prized Petal Lipglass:
    MAC Description: “Sheer coral pink with white and gold pearl (LE)” Limited Edition from May 2007 “Strange Hybrid” collection
    My thoughts: As you can see, seems like I have a lot of LE lipglasses. Blame it on the counter MUAs! I’ve come to hate how they push LE items that a few months later I can’t get more of. Really a pet peeve of mine. I LOVE this lipglass! Just a pretty, sparkly pink shade! I dread the day I run out :(

    Valentine’s Lipgelee:
    MAC description: “A soft jelly-textured glosser for the lips. Fab to apply. Squeezes on. Distributes evenly and easily via its special slanted tip. Moisturizes and conditions the lips – saps them up! Makes them look wet, shiny, super-lush! Comes in a wide range of sheer, soft tints! 15 ml / 0.5 oz US$14.00″
    My thoughts: I don’t have an official shade description because… well, it’s discontinued! (Of course, right?) I’ll leave you to guess where I bought it, too (coughcountercough). Another one of my favorites, this goes on really light and sheer, so even though it looks dark pink, you can tell from the swatch it’s clear and light. Doesn’t have the “thick, gloppy” feel that the lipglasses seem to have. Now, I did cover my butt with this one, and saw it at a CCO, so I have a brand new backup tube! Of course, this tube, like my clear, has also exploded when I went from sea level to 7200 feet in elevation. I took off the cap, and it came squirting out uncontrollably! I lost maybe about 1/3 of the tube in this incident, and caused quite a mess.

    That’s my MAC lip products!! Through this experience, I’ve learned to avoid counters, as they seem to push the limited stuff more than permanents. Not always the best thing to do. It makes me sad :(

    There’s two other things I want to talk about now.

    First one is the MAC Lip Conditioner

    MAC description: “An emollient balm aimed at maxing-out repair by conditioning lips, locking in moisture. Contains Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Extract, Wheat Germ Oil, vitamins A and E. Formulated for high impact to use alone or under lipstick. Petroleum-based, but not goopy, helps seal in moisture to protect the lips from the environment. US$12.50 ”
    My thoughts: I just got this from the Friends & Family sale. So far I am really liking it! Doesn’t have any weird scents or tastes (some lip products taste waxy), and isn’t thick like Carmex is. Kinda expensive for heavy use, but doesn’t need to be reapplied as often as a normal lip balm does.

    Last lip product I have (besides the myraid of lip balms, which I am not going to discuss, and random lipglosses I’ve gotten as gifts or just because) is Too Faced Lip Injection.

    Description: “Lip Injection is a clear cosmetic that enhances your pucker for lasting fullness. Its patented formula is based on medically-proven blood vessel dilating technology touted to create the sexiest pout this side of a plastic surgeons office. This wonder wand is a celebrity secret weapon against puny, lifeless lips.” 0.16oz $18.50
    My thoughts: What a strange little product! I got this when I use to model, and yep, it plumps your lips! Also makes mine bright red. Do I really need it? Probably not, I have pretty full lips naturally. But it was fun to play around with. Major gripe is that anything it contacts on your body it will turn red, so if it’s windy out and you have long hair, watch out! Countless times I’ve ended up with a red streak across my cheek from my hair blowing into it on my lips, and then touching my face. It does sting for maybe 5-10 minutes after you put it on. I noticed that it doesn’t seem to last very long, maybe an hour, two hours. I was told by the MUA that sold it to me it would last 4 hours, but it doesn’t seem that long.

    So there you have it! All my lip products! I do believe I am going to buy all 3 from the Hello Kitty collection (an orange, bright pink, and purple) because they are really pretty. Other than that, I really don’t buy them very often. I love lipglosses, but I hate the thick feeling, and what happens when it’s windy and you have long hair, haha.