MAC Lipstick Love: Call The Hairdresser

Let's be honest here, I have more lipsticks that I'll ever be able to use. Still, when one of those lipsticks, walks (rolls?!) into your life, you can't help but make it to the cash register. This is what happened with MAC's Call The Hairdresser.

To be honest, when I bought it, I had no idea what collection it was from - I sort of tune out MAC's new collections. There's many of them, I can't keep track! But a quick Google search indicates that the lipstick comes from the MAC is Beauty collection.

The lipstick is perfect in texture. Light and semi-glossy, but pigmented, and it wears off beautifully. It actually lasts quite a long time on the lips! Its lasting power surprised me as the lipstick is quite light and comfortable to wear. I still had most of my lipstick on my lunch, and considering I sip coffee and snack all morning at work, that's quite good!

The shade of this is beautiful pinky berry. It's a "my lips but sunburned" shade! Really though, if my lips were sunburned, they would probably be about the shade of this lipstick. It's quite natural looking on my colouring and compliment a lot of different makeup looks.

All and all, definitely a winner from MAC. My first MAC purchase in a year and it turned out to be quite a staple. MAC's still got it!

Playing with my MAC blushes

Do you ever go in your makeup area, and just want to play with all the colors? Well, that's how I felt Saturday, and I decided to re-discover my MAC blushes. A while back, I depotted my MAC blushes in order to save space and put them into a Z-Palette. Some of these were already pro-pan blushes (Cantaloupe and Harmony). It makes my blushes easier to find and the color of them can be seen through the top of the Z-Palette. Unfortunately, because it's so big, it kind of stays behind my other blushes in my drawer. It's such a shame because some of my favorite blushes are in here!

Cantaloupe had been on my wishlist for so long. When I saw MAC was now allowing the purchase of pro products on their website, I instantly bought this beauty. It's such a gorgeous color for warming up my cheeks. It has fine shimmer that adds dimension to the blush - nothing too obvious though! If you have warmer skin tone, you need this. Like I said, I like it on myself, but it's a bit warm - for someone with warm tones, I can see it being absolutely stunning (oh hai Arianne!)

As you can see, my most used blushes are Tenderling and Pink Swoon. It might have to do with the fact that they are of a Sheertone finish, but I truly used to use them all the time. Tenderling is my sister's all time favorite blush - she's already used a whole one and has repurchased it! Tenderling is a gorgeous muted rosy brown shade and reminds me a lot of Tarte's Exposed blush. Pink Swoon is a beautiful light pink. It's such a great color if you're in a rush - it's sheer enough to hide any blending mistakes, but pigmented enough to give you a gorgeous glow. I absolutely love this blush.

Desirous is one of those blushes I always forget to use, but instantly love when it's on me. It's a bright true pink with gold shimmer. I have to say, I don't like the shimmer at all, but it barely shows up on my skin upon application. I believe this blush is limited edition, but I'm sure there are plenty of dupes out there for it (Tarte's Blissful comes to mind).

I love how Harmony has many faces - I use it as a blush, a bronzer, and even sometimes, to warm up the crease of my eyemakeup. It's so easy to use and a great makeup staple in my opinion. As a bronzer, it doesn't pull too orange, for all you pale beauties out there. And I find it's the perfect blush, applied lightly, for a smokey eye and pink lips!

Immortal Flower and Modern Mandarin were bought during the Tres Cheek MAC Collection frenzy. I am SO happy I got a hold of these blushes before they sold out because they are absolutely gorgeous. They are both a dream to apply and have the most gorgeous sheen and are not glittery at all. Truthfully, Modern Mandarin is a bit hard for me to wear when my skin is at its palest. You only need a tiny minuscule amount to have it show up on the skin. I love wearing it with barely any makeup, freckles showing, groomed brows, mascara and a balm. Immortal Flower is also beautiful and has the same sheen as Modern Mandarin. It's a soft coral-pink and is so pretty on the skin. It's not as pigmented as Modern Mandarin, but I have a soft spot for those sheertone type blushes anyway.

Fleur Power was one of my first MAC blushes (and on that, I should throw it away because it's oooold). I love its vibrant pink shade that adds a bit of warmth to my face. It is seriously pigmented and you only need a tiny amount to add glow to your cheeks. I can see this blush being gorgeous on every skin tone! I definitely recommend this blush to someone who is looking for a pink with punch!

And there we go - all my MAC blushes swatched and reviewed. I also have some MAC Mineralize blushes, but they didn't fit in my palette. Perhaps I'll go ahead and swatch those in the next little while?

Hope this was fun to read! What's your favorite MAC blush ever? I'd love to expand my collection a little bit so shoot me some suggestions!

Have a great day, all!

How to fall in love with Patisserie... and not gain a pound!

Just when I thought I was pretty much over MAC lipsticks, Patisserie came into my life. Patisserie means pastry in French, in case you didn't catch my lame title ;)

It all happened at an Ottawa MAC store, where I had asked my friend to pick me out a MAC lipstick or lipgloss for my Back 2 MAC item. I figured a set of fresh eyes might help give me better options. That it did! I swear, I thought I had tested, researched and swatched all the MAC lipsticks, but I had clearly overlooked the option my friend brought to me: the shade Patisserie.

It's love guys. This is such an amazing lipstick. No wonder it was Jessica's (Getting Cheeky) wedding lipstick! And it's in her top 5 lipsticks, so you know it's gotta be good!

Unlike most MAC lipsticks, it does not dry out my lips at all. It's comfortable to wear, and its formula is one of the best I've come across. It's not the longest lasting shade, but it's perfect amount of glossiness totally excuses this in my eyes. The formula is glossy, but doesn't apply patchy like some NARS lipsticks I've come across. Seriously, if I blind tested this lipsticks, I'd 100% think it was a Dior Addict lipstick. That's how different the formula is from the rest of my MAC lipsticks.

The shade is a neutral pink with a touch of brown which goes with absolutely any type of makeup. I can see myself wearing this every day at the office, but also for a night out with a smokey eye. It does contain a bit of silver shimmer, but it's almost invisible in the swatches. I'd like to think its there to magically make my lips look plumper, but I honestly can't see it on my lips when I apply it. They only appear after the lipstick has worn off.

I'm getting freckled! Patisserie, on my lips.

And Patisserie on my hand.

If you're a fan of the "my lips but better" phenomena, you have to try this one. At first, I thought the lipstick didn't show up on me, but after wearing it a few times, I realized it was only because it emphasized what I already had. Who knows, perhaps it'll be my wedding lipstick someday too?

What is your absolute favorite MAC lipstick? Do you generally like MAC's lipstick formula?

March Favorites!

This is a bit late but I'm really excited to shade my March favorites with you! I don't always do monthly favorites, mostly because I have a short makeup attention span and don't stick to specific products, but March was different!

1. I seriously cannot rave enough about the Shu Uemura Glow on Blush in M Pink 31. There's something so easy about wearing this blush - I barely have to blend it in, and it suits every type of makeup from smokey eye to natural face.

2. I've recently been loving an easy, run out the door, lip. Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine in Boy is the perfect shade to slap and go. It's pink, shiny and natural. The only slight negative to it is the smell - I don't really like the rosey scent of the Rouge Coco Shine. Nevertheless, this has been a March favorite - I might actually finish the tube at this rate!

3. After I stopped poking myself in the eye with the Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume mascara, I really started to like it. I don't know if it's just because I've started being clumsy in life generally (seriously, I've broken a blender, a candle and a bowl in the past few months) but when I first got this mascara, I kept poking the wand in my eye! And it freaking hurt! After I got used to it (the wand, not the poking), I started to realize how good this mascara is. It reminds me a lot of the Make Up For Ever Smokey Lash mascara which I love, but less clumpy. The formula isn't too liquid, and it really coats the lashes. Love!

4. While this month I've run so late for work I haven't had a chance to put on eyeshadow, the times that I've had a chance, I've really enjoyed the NARS Small Dome Brush 12. This brush is super soft and blends like a dream. For people who do not have a lot of lid space like me, it is perfect for plotting out my crease. Sometimes I find the MAC 217 is a bit too big for my lids and works better for blending out the edges of your eye makeup. I highly recommend the NARS Small Dome Brush for the gals out there like me that need something more precise than the 217 for the crease!

5. NARS Dolce Vita is just one of those perfect lipsticks. I've had this lipstick in my bag all month and have loved wearing it. I love how this lipstick feels polished, but not obvious. And how it's glossy but not shimmery. And I love that it doesn't dry out my lips. One of my best NARS purchases right there.

6. March has been the month of the Bourgeois Healthy Mix foundation as it is now empty! I've really liked wearing this foundation - while I do need a powder to make this last all day, it really an amazing lightweight foundation. I don't think I'll be repurchasing it right away (especially since it wears best on me in the winter months) but this is a winner in my books.

7. When I first got my MAC 129, I was a bit disappointed. The brush hairs felt rough, and it just didn't blend as well as I would have liked. After a few washes, the bristles have softened and I'm really enjoying it! I've been reaching for this all month over my Real Techniques brushes. Glad this wasn't a bust after all!

8. A new discovery this month has been the Hydraluron Moisture Booster. Because Caroline Hirons knows how to talk about skincare and I don't, go read her post about this product. I must say, I'm really really happy with it. Acne scarring on my cheek was gone in half the time it would usually take to fade. Good news for us Canadian girls, Shoppers Drug Mart now carries it!

Thanks for ready my March favorites! Have a great week!

Lipstick + Winter = Why I'm now a Lipgloss Convert

Winter sucks. It just does. When you need to start wearing waterproof mascara because your eyes water in the (-31C) bitter cold and wind, it's too much. My dry lips haven't been enjoying lipstick with this cold. Lipstick has been flaking off, and my lips peel every time I use it. I've never been much of a gloss wearer, but since my lips can't handle lipstick lately, I've kind of converted.

Here are some of my favorite lip glosses of the moment

From left to right, we've got: Marcelle Creme Lux Gloss in Rouge Velouté, Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Creme in Cherry Flip (recently reviewed here), MAC Cremesheen in Partial to Pink, Clarins Color Quench Lip Balm in Peach Nectar, Marcelle Creme Lux Glossy in Spicy Nude (reviewed here), and Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Creme in White Russian. 

Of these, I place my Buxom glosses and the Clarins as the most moisturizing. The prettiest shade goes to Marcelle's Rouge Velouté (seriously gorgeous on!) and the my favorite nude gloss is definitely Marcelle's Spicy Nude. MAC's Cremesheen in Partial to Pink is a great year-round neutral pink gloss - and it smells delicious. I've been wearing these un-layered, on their own, for the past month, with a light foundation, groomed brows, blush, and water-proof mascara. Eyeshadow is often skipped because my eyes water too much with the wind we've been having. We're all familiar with tailoring makeup to heat and humidity, but makeup in winter is a whole other story!

Lesson of the year: winter sucks. Do yourself (and your lips) a favor if you live in a wintery place right now - whip out your lip glosses, and apply generously. Bonus points if the glosses are moisturizing. Winter: 3 points (-31C weather, 30 cm of snow on Saturday, 25 cm of snow tomorrow), Annick: 1 point for lipgloss. Can winter be over soon please?! How do you change your makeup routine for winter?

January favorites!

It's time for January favorites!

After some new additions, and products that were being reused over and over again during the month of January, I thought it would be fun to do a post on those items. Some of these haven't been reviewed yet, but they will soon!

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel: The perfect on-the-go easy neutral lip. I've been wearing it a lot paired with a brown smokey eye.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Matte in Mauve it Over: Another slap and go lipstick. I picked this up on a whim, without much thought, and it turned out to be one of my favorite lipsticks of the month. It's matte formula doesn't always suit my dry lips, but it's really comfortable to wear, and definitely doesn't make dry lips worse. The Revlon Lustrous Matte formula is definitely worth a look if you haven't tried them yet.

Anastasia Brow Whiz in Brunette: Never thought I'd be one to love a pencil brow product, but this one is so easy to use. I also love that one side has a little brush for brushing my brows into place. It's also pretty much the perfect shade for my brow - no red tones in the pencil at all!

Hourglass Mineral Primer: Because of a few skin problems in the last month, I've been using this pretty much every day to make sure my blemishes are well covered, and stay that way.

MAC Painterly Paint Pot: I've been using this lately, in order to prime my lids and make sure eyeshadow stays in place. It's getting a bit dried up, so I'm hoping to make use out of it while it's still alive.

Laura Mercier Blush in Lush Nectarine: I reviewed this recently and spoke very positively about it - I must say my opinion hasn't change. It's an amazing blush that gives a pop of healthy color to the cheek. My dull January skin definitely needs it!

MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked (in the middle of the Z-Palette): This has been my quick out-the-door shadow of most of January. I didn't use to like Woodwinked that much before a few months ago, but now it's one of my favorites. There's something really pretty about having this shadow blended all over my lid and into the crease.

Guerlain Ecrin Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Les Fauves: I have not stopped wearing this palette since I got it a few weeks ago. It is absolutely stunning. Lucky for me, I didn't have to pay for it since I had saved up some Shoppers Optimum points for it. I think I'll keep saving em' and get Les Fumes next time. These palettes are amazing! I will review it soon.

Bourgeois Healthy Mix Foundation: As mentioned before, my skin had a bit of a break out last month. I actually traced the problem back to not having enough moisture in my skin. This Bourgeois foundation is actually my most moisturizing foundation and I feel like it's kept my skin healthy!

Shu Uemura blush in Pink 31: I picked this up on a blog sale not too long ago, and it is seriously one of my favorite blushes ever. It's so easy to put on as it's not too pigmented, but gives the most natural healthy flush. I wouldn't be surprised if this one hits pan (one day!).

Everyday neutrals with MAC, Rouge Bunny Rouge and my Z Palette

I thought it might be fun to do a quick post featuring my most used, day to day, eyeshadows!

Now, I'm not very adventurous with my lids. I like neutrals and taupes - in my opinion, there's no way to go wrong with them. And since I have blue eyes, brows tend to emphasize them so I tend to gravitate towards them.

From left to right, we've got: MAC Shroom, All That Glitters, Omega and Woodwinked, Rouge Bunny Rouge Bohemian Waxwing, MAC Satin Taupe, Bronze, Smut and Brun.

Once again, in the same order MAC Shroom, All That Glitters, Omega and Woodwinked, Rouge Bunny Rouge Bohemian Waxwing, MAC Satin Taupe, Bronze, Smut and Brun.

So overall pretty boring huh?

But at the same time, they are so simple to use. I often use All That Glitters all over my lid with Omega in the crease, and Brun on the lashline. More often than not, Brun is used on my brows, if I can't be bothered to use my Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector which is a tad more time consuming. Some of my favorite 1 step, all over lid colors are MAC's Satin Taupe and Rouge Bunny Rouge's Bohemian Waxing, which is a new addition. Woodwinked is also very flattering as an all over lid color, especially with a black winged gel liner. I keep going back to Bronze, Smut and Brun to add depth to my crease. Smut looks very muddy in the swatch, but it actually works well in the crease - it is actually more plummy than in the swatch. Shroom is my go-to to add brightness in my eye's inner corner.

So there you have it - my most used shadows, safely enclosed in my Z-Palette.

What are your most used shadows? Do you keep them together in a palette or separate?

Shopping my stash for the perfect nude lip

Lately, I've been searching for the perfect nude. And I'm finding the search (from behind my computer) absolutely impossible. It is SO HARD to tell from online swatches whether a nude will flatter your skintone or not.

After a twitter conversation with the lovely Claire from aucuparia brumalis about "the nudes" I decided to shop my stash and see what my favorite nudes are!

Here's what I came up with:

 From left to right, we've got: MAC Blankety, MAC Hue, MAC Hug Me, Estee Lauder Crystal Baby, Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Sincerity, Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian, Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey, MAC Cremesheen Glass in Boy Bait.

From left to right, again: MAC Blankety, MAC Hue, MAC Hug Me, Estee Lauder Crystal Baby, Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Sincerity, Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian, Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey, MAC Cremesheen Glass in Boy Bait.

My daily favorites of the bunch are Estee Lauder Crystal Baby and the Clinique Chubby Stick. As nudes though, Crystal Baby literally looks pink on me, and the Chubby Stick is too dark to be a true nude. I love the creaminess of MAC's Blankety, but it tends to make me look a bit washed out, and if my lips are dry, it emphasizes that fact. I almost never reach for MAC Hue or Hug Me as I find them quite sheer, and prefer a more opaque finish. Plus, both of them are harsh on my already dry lips. Hue isn't incredibly flattering on me, and I never think to use Hug Me even though I like the color on me.

The closest "nude" I own that I consider nude on my skintone, is actually the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in White Russian. I got this lip gloss in a Sephora 100 point perk and really really like it. I'm not a lip gloss girl at all - I much prefer lipsticks. But this lip gloss' combination of being plumping (and not being allergic to the plumping agents for once!) and the perfect nude made me fall in love. Perhaps nudes work better on me as glosses? MAC's Boy Bait on the other hand, is too sheer  to give me the "nude lip effect".

Have you ever been on a mad search for the perfect nude? Right now, I'm contemplating NARS Pago Pago, MAC's High Tea, and various Le Metier de Beaute Lip Cremes.

Have you found your perfect nude lip? If so, please share! I'm so interested to know what your favorite nude lip products are!

MAC's famous Girl About Town lipstick - Review + Swatches!

Girl About Town lipstick by MAC is a classic fuchsia that you might have in your collection already, especially if you love a statement lip. It's quite a popular MAC item, and I never really knew why until now.

I picked this lovely lipstick on a whim as a BACK 2 MAC item on my vacation to Toronto this summer, remembering somewhere in the back of my mind that Miss Pixiwoo had used it in a recent makeup tutorial. I haven't had time to wear it much until this past week!

I've often been disappointed in MAC's lipstick texture. I often find them drying, and difficult to apply smoothly. My lips are already dry, and adding a MAC lipstick usually makes the matter worst. The Amplified Creme finish of the MAC's Girl About Town, however, is absolutely dreamy. The lipstick glides smoothly on application, and had incredible pigmentation.

The swatch on my hand consists of one swipe of the lipstick. Not too shabby!

And on my lips. Isn't the finish just stunning? I love that sheen!

I love that this lipsticks somehow (and without shimmer/glitter) makes my lips feel fuller. I also like the color against my complexion. I must admit however, that the color is a bit too bright for my personal everyday taste - I've worn it dabbed on lightly to work and it was still quite bright. Still though, I'm very content in having this lipstick in my collection for when I'll fancy something fun!

Girl About Town wore easily for 4 hours, including eating and drinking, and left a pleasant pink stain.

Of all my MAC lipsticks, I'd say this beats them all in formula and pigmentation. This is one for the books!

Hope you're having a great week! Don't forget to enter my 100 followers giveaway here for chance to win a Bioderma makeup remover bottle, a Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick and a Wet & Wild palette!

Massive haul from Toronto!

As I mentioned before, I recently traveled to Toronto, where Sephoras and MAC's are abundant, and brands I have normally no access to flourish. In essence, best makeup shopping ever. I was therefore, some might argue, conservative in my purchases.

I left with the following items: LUSH goodies, including Bubble Bars for the family, a Stepping Stone foot scrub (it smells heavenly!), a You've Been Mangoed bath melt, and an Avobath Bath Bomb. I also went Dior crazy with the Croisette Quint palette and the Diorskin Nude Tan in 002. MAC was also pretty good as I exchanged my Back 2 MAC empties for the Girl About Town lipstick. I also purchased a 139 brush, repurchased some Brush Cleanser and MAC's Honesty eyeshadow. The SA's didn't give me a good experience at both store I visit so I was a bit disappointed by that. At Sephora, I purchased two Nails Inc. shades having been quite impressed by The Thames - I got Porchester Square and Sugar House Lane. I also got a L'Occitane Lavender hand cream, which I am absolutely in love with, and Make Up For Ever's Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector in 03. I can already tell that this is going to be a staple, and a review will be up soon. I also finally purchased Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby! I stopped at so many Sears and The Bay trying to find it and it's mine now!

OMG! I forgot to say I got something extra special at Ikea - a Vika Alex!! I'll be putting up a new makeup organization post soon. I must say, I am so so happy with this purchase.

You can now look forward to reviews on all these products!

Movie of the week (a day late): The New World, a film by Terrence Malick, is a visually stunning film loosely based on the life of Pocahontas and features Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher and Christian Bale. For those of you who live and die by the Disney version of the story, I'm afraid you will not like this much. Its slow pace, stunning depiction of nature, and the use of voice over, all classic Malick techniques, gives the film a very relaxed tone. You should not watch this if you have somewhere to be, do not like slow paced films, or get irritated at loose story lines. But if you can give this movie a chance, the cinematography makes it absolutely worth while. And the acting! I'm a massive fan of Malick films, especially of Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line.

July favorites!

My July favorites are all over the place. I've been loving being more minimalistic with my makeup, usually leaving the house for work with a light base, brows done, blush, mascara and a balm. What has happened to me? Well, in short, the heat. Minimum effort has been my motto, but I've embraced it!

I've been using my Nuxe 24H Moisturizing Body Lotion a lot on my legs. I love that it sinks in immediately and doesn't leave a greasy residue. I also love that it has an easy to use pump, and it smells amazing. The smell is quite strong though, so I'm not wearing this to work. But this is another Nuxe winner for me!

I've been using MAC's Cremeblend blush in Posey a lot this past month, simply because I find it lasts longer on my skin than powder products, and its peachyness warms up my complexion. It is incredibly easy to use (I use a stippling brush) and doesn't slip off like some of my MAC powder blushes.

Not too sure why but I've been really enjoying my face brushes! Those include the Quo Bronzing Powder Brush, the Real Techniques Powder brush, and the MAC 129 blush brush. They are all incredibly soft, easy to clean, and do not shed. Well, let's be fair, the 129 does shed a bit, but I can live with it since it applies blush beautifully!

I've also been using my Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector pretty much every day this month. Because my dark circles aren't extremely pronounced, this has been great at illuminating my under eye area, especially when I'm only wearing mascara. I've also been using my Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 4E as a quick base under a lighter eye shadow, and my Maybelline Eye-Studio Master Precise Pen Eyeliner for a quick cat eye flick. I'm especially impressed with the Maybelline Eyeliner Pen for its durability on the eye during hot and humid weather and how easy it is to use. I'm definitely not buying the MAC version again - I prefer the Maybelline version by far.

For a refresher and as a toner, I've been using the Caudalie Eau de Beauté pretty much every day. I don't want to give away too much because I will be posting a review on this shortly, but it has been very good to my skin!

And lastly, for lips, I've been using L'Oreal's Color Riche Balm in Pink Satin. While this isn't pigmented at all, it was quite moisturizing and gave a hint of shimmer on the lips, perfect for home/beach uses. Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey has been an often used quick option for when I'm stepping out the door and need a quick wash of color on my lips.

Ouuffff... that's a lot more favorites than I thought I had! What's been on heavy rotation for you this month?

MAC Fashion Sets = 1 Lipstick haul for me

Oh MAC collections, how you reuse your products!

MAC's newest titled Fashion Sets has come out with a bajillion colors of matching lipstick, lip glosses and nail polish.

I swear, MAC has to be sitting in meetings, discussion how cheaply they can come up with a collection. The packaging of this collection is the same as what you'd normally buy at the store, but because of all the hype and publicity, I'm sure loads of people went and bought a bunch of sets, thinking you couldn't get those items in the past and OMG, they will NEVER EVER be available again! That way, MAC gets to boost their sales on regular, permanent collection products. It's frustrating and it's one of MAC fans' biggest complaint: less collections a year, more quality. But this isn't new, and I'm not the only one saying this. And like a hypocrite, I got something from the collection anyway. Sigh.

Some of the products of the Fashion Sets collection are limited edition and I thought the only think that might be worth it (the nail polishes were all dupeable in my humble opinion) was the Spice lipstick. So I went ahead and purchased it with the very real fear that it might be too brown on me. That's the disadvantage of not having a MAC counter near.  And guys, it's borderline too brown - borderline being the key word.

Even though it's a bit too brown toned for my liking, I still kind of like it. For a Satin finish lipstick, it applied quite well and wasn't dry like my other MAC Satin finish lipsticks: Brave and Rebel. Plus, I thought it made my whole face look warmer - I found it emphasized my freckles, which I liked.

I do kind of think this lipstick would look absolutely fab on a darker skintone/more yellow skintone. My skin is very pink and cool and I have a lot of issues with redness - that's why this lipstick pulls so brown on me. If you look around the interwebs, other beauty bloggers with a darker skintone/yellow skintone look absolutely amazing with this lipstick on. Perhaps I'll feel more comfortable wearing it in the summer, but for now, it's Spice and light lipgloss on top! 

Sidenote: I do realize that it's hard to see what the lipstick looks like with a picture of it just on my lips, so in the future, I'll be working on taking full face pictures to showcase the lippies I review. I figured it might be more helpful for you guys!

Have you gotten anything from the MAC Fashion Set collection? What do you think of MAC's collections lately?

MAC Haul and the Dangerous Brush Zone

I've hauled. And I've hauled a MAC brush. I feel like my MAC world has been blown wide open.

Vanity pictures galore!

I'm very happy with the MAC 129. So far so good - and only a tiny bit of shedding. I love that it has a very long handle - I feel like I have more control over the brush.

I also hauled MAC's Lightscapade and Harmony blush! Both are great although I expected Harmony to be a bit more neutral - it pulls orange a bit. I do like that it's matte though, as opposed to my NARS Laguna.

Quick swatches:

My new MAC brush has thrown me into a brush frenzy! I already have two Real Techniques brushes coming my way! I'm REALLY tempted to get the MAC 138. I've had such a crap day, I'm thisclose to pulling the trigger. But uuugh, so expensive. Oh and I want the 168 too! Damn this MAC frenzy is going to make me broke as a joke!

Hope you all had a great day!

Battle of the Brown Liners

Since I had so much fun writing my “Battle of the Black Liners” post, I thought I’d go ahead and write one about my other most used category: brown liners!

I love me a good brown liner. With a brown smokey eye, it’s the perfect addition to a look to make my blue eyes pop. Brown liner is much more conservative than black in my opinion, especially when it comes to applying it in the waterline. For this reason, I find myself wearing a lot of brown eye makeup to work. It usually consists of a light MAC shade like Patina, with Handwritten in the corner/crease, and a heavy brown liner, sometimes smoked out with a pencil brush. When I’m not sure what to do with my eye makeup, brown is always my eye makeup go to “safe” zone because I always feel confident wearing those colors.

Here is what I currently house in my collection.

Left to right: MAC's Coffee Eye Pencil, MAC Teddy Eye Kohl, MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky.

Swatches, left to right: MAC's Coffee Eye Pencil, MAC Teddy Eye Kohl, MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky

The fact that I only own 4 brown liners kind of amazes me. But at the same time, I think these 4 are all the shades I could ever need. As you can see from the swatches, these are all VERY different from one another.

I’ve had MAC’s Coffee Eye Pencil for years with no complaints. As you can see, it’s quite dark, almost to the point of being black. It wears quite well in the waterline and is surprisingly long wearing. What I like most about it is that when it does fade out, it doesn’t look grey or like my mascara smudged under my eyes - it looks worn in a sexy way, not in a "I didn't have time to look in the mirror" way. It's great for those long work days where's you feel like you're running like a headless chicken, hypothetically speaking, not that that ever happens to me ever. 

MAC’s Teddy Eye Kohl is quite new for me. I’ve only owned it for a couple months but I’m finding a lot of uses for it. The way I like to wear it is to smudge it along my upper lash line. The first time I wore it I was surprised at the red tones in the liner - it looks very bronzy in the swatch but it pulls towards red on me. If I wear it with warmer eyeshadow colors though, it doesn’t pull towards red so much. The only downfall to this liner is that it’s not very long-wearing. It doesn’t stay put on the waterline for more than an hour and sometimes smudges on my lids by the end of the day. If you don’t have oily eyelids you shouldn’t have this problem though.

I don’t often get to use my MAC Powersurge Eye Kohl or my Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Liner in Lucky too often because of this simple reason: I don’t know how to use them! I have a thing where I don’t like to use eyeliner that is lighter than my eye makeup! Is that weird? I just don’t think it makes sense if you’re trying to accentuate your eyes. And I almost never wear really light eye makeup - I find it looks odd on me! If I do wear them, I’ll usually smudge them on my lower lash line, or on my inner corner. They both have great color payoff and Lucky is ridiculously long wearing.

I’m quite content with my brown eyeliners. I might pick up a medium-brown non-shimmery eyeliner at some point in my future though now that I think of it. There are all products I can definitely back up as being excellent products - I’ve had zero issues with them.

Sadly, unless I do a "these are the rest of my liners" post, there will no longer be any Liners Ready For Battle posts as I don't actually own many other colors! I think I have a purple in there and an emerald color and that's it! I am on the hunt for a nude eyeliner so there may be an update on that though!

How do you use lighter colored eye pencils? Are there any awesome brown liners I’m missing in my collection? Do you have a day to day brown liner you love?

Hope you're having a wonderful day! Today is my boy's best friend's birthday (well, for another 30 seconds). Happy Birthday Clayton!

Z Palette Review

Because of a recent massive makeup clean out, which included extensive depotting, I decided to purchase the famous Z Palette to house some leftovers from my existing 15 MAC pan palettes. I also was in need of a smaller palette for traveling. Both were perfect excuses for the purchase.

After doing a bit of internet research on if there is a Canadian retailer who would be able to ship the Z Palette to me, and old SparkledBeauty post lead me to Hollynorth.com, a production supplies retailer. In retrospect, their shipping charges were the same as the Z Palette website, I just saved myself the cross-border duty. Damn overpriced Canadian shipping charges! Shipping was very prompt and customer service was excellent. They have a great selection of theatre makeup in case anyone is interested.

Smut and Haux, hanging in a Z Palette.

Overall, I am very happy with this palette. I got the small palette but there is a larger version (about the same size as a MAC pro 15 pan). It is made of sturdy cardboard and the magnet, which is safely sandwiched between pieces of cardboard, is very strong and had no problem holding my MAC shadows and blushes. It can house 2 MAC blushes and 2 MAC shadows or 9 MAC shadows. It can't hold more than 2 MAC blushes at a time. The palette also comes with magnet stickers to stick to your depotted shadows/blushes. Stupidly, I forgot about those until now and used my own stickers I cut up from a magnet sheet. My work with scissors is a lot less neat. The palette is also strongly magnetized at the seam so there is no problem with the palette opening in your makeup bag.

I kind of wish the palette wasn't so "shiny". I know, minor complaint, but it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to my matte and sleek black 15 pans. I suppose the finish is to protect the cardboard - that's a good reason for it really, so my minor complaint is moot. The Z Palette also comes in a few other colors, including zebra print, leopard print and pink.

If you have shadows lying around you don't quite know what to do with or where to put, I highly suggest this palette. I can already see a lot of use for it in my traveling for the next month. Plus, it's always fun packing up a small palette with blushes and eyeshadows and trying out the combo for the week. I find it fun anyway! The palette retails at $14 USD on the Zpalette.com website.

If you haven't done so already, please enter my 50 follower giveaway here! There is some good prizes to be won, including your shade of choice of a Rouge in Love lipstick by Lancome!

MAC's Extra Dimension shadow in Grand Galaxy - Worth it?

When I first heard about the new MAC Extra Dimension shadows, I rushed to look at the early swatches (thank you Danielle!) to try to figure out if I needed any of these. Most of the colors were similar to shades I already owned except for Grand Galaxy. I had no dupe, or even similar eyeshadows in my collection that remotely resembled Grand Galaxy. I thought Satin Taupe would be similar, but the swatches online proved otherwise. So, I trolled the MAC website, and ordered it before the collection went up, noticing the Extra Dimension shadows in the "eyeshadow" drop down. WIN! I tend to do this when I know a collection is going to be decent.

I am definitely not disappointed in this shade. It's a beautiful shimmery purple with taupe-ish tones. It's very hard to describe this color but honestly, it reminds me of a more purple Satin Taupe. I find Grand Galaxy acts in the same way as Satin Taupe - a color shifter. In some lights, it is very purple, in others, it's a bit more neutral. Plus, it has a bit of a blue sheen in some lights. Either way, as a person that doesn't usually wear purple, clothing or makeup, I love this shadow.

Sorry, I had already used it in these pictures. But you can still see the pretty design!

I've taken a few pictures of the swatch on my hand simply because it takes on different colors.

The pigmentation in this shadow is quite good. I have found that there can be some fall down when applying this shadow - just make sure you build up the color and don't load your brush and sweep haphazardly on your lid like I always do (I'm always in a rush!).  The wear time is excellent. As I have mentioned before, I have oily eyelids and this shadow stayed on all day with my trusty Two Faced Shadow Insurance. However, I can't say that this shadow has BETTER staying powder than any other MAC shadows I own. It's standard. Also, they do not feel "special" in terms of texture like they claim to be - they feel like regular eyeshadow to me.

If you don't already own anything like it, I think this could be a great buy. They are more expensive than regular MAC shadows ($24 as opposed to $18 CND) but I do think this shade is quite unique, and probably worth the price.

Hope this was somewhat helpful! What do you have planned for the weekend? I'm going to a pig roast (GASP!) and I'm a bit worried. Should be... interesting. In other news, my closet awaits me for a much needed purge! Cheers!