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Sunday, February 27, 2011

My MAC lipsticks Collection :)


Hi everyone,

This is going to be an overview of my MAC lipsticks. If you don't know it yet, I'm a huge lipstick/lipgloss junkie. I have a lot of lip products, probably enough to last me a lifetime without purchasing anymore but of course that's not going to happen because I'm always looking out for shades I don't have :).
I have reviewed and swatched some of them, if not I have used some of them in makeup looks. There are still some I have never posted.
My MAC lipsticks are mainly limited edition. I really don't know if it is any beneficial to do a review for you unless it's currently available or if I get a request. You may still find some of these at the CCO, which is also where I bought a lot of them from. They retail for $14.50 but can cost a little more if they come in a special packaging. If you purchase from a CCO, they are about $10.00.
If you are not familiar with MAC lipsticks, they come in different finishes:
  • Amplified--very pigmented, creamy, and high color payoff. 
  • Glaze--Sheer and glossy
  • Satin--Semi matte
  • Frost--Shimmery and shiny
  • Cremesheen--semi-opaque with a slight sheen.
  • Lustre--glossy and semi-sheer
I will hyperlink those that I have reviewed, swatched, or have more pictures if you are interested in them. If not hyperlinked then you can request and I'll be happy to do a review or swatch for you.



Creme D'Nude (Cremesheen) - Nude with a pinkish undertone. Permanent.
Rebel (Satin) - deep berry. Permanent.
Pervette (Glaze) - sheer lavender with blue shimmers. Permanent.
Up The Amp (Amplified) - medium berry with grey undertone. Permanent



Adore It (Glaze) - sheer berry pink with gold shimmers. Limited edition.
Racy (Frost) - coppery red with pink shimmers. Limited edition.
Real Treasure (Lustre) - sheer light brown with pink shimmers. Limited edition.
Soft Spot - sheer light pink with gold shimmers. Limited edition.



Blooming Lovely (Amplified) - light pinkish purple with a grey undertone. Limited edition.
Peachstock (Satin) - medium peachy nude. Permanent but only available at MAC Pro.
Petals & Peacocks (Amplified) - bright fuschia. Limited edition.




Ruling Class (Frost) - pinkish bronze with lots of pink, gold, and silver shimmers.
Aristo-Chic (Lustre) - glossy rosy brown. Limited edition.
Purple Rite (Frost) - pinkish purple with pink and gold shimmers. Limited edition.
Thrills (Frost) - orangy bronze with gold shimmers. Limited edition.


Toxic Tale (Satin) - bright pink with orange undertone. Limited edition.
Violetta (Amplified) - magenta with blue shimmers. Permanent but only available at MAC Pro.
Gaga (Lustre) - sheer bumble gum pink with blue undertone. Viva Glam.
Night Violet (Mattene) - Dark violet plum. Discontinued.



Jazzed (Cremesheen) - pinkish coral. Limited edition.
Gleam (Glaze) - light taupe with pinkish and cool undertone. Limited edition.
Go For It (Cremesheen) - lavender purple with blue undertone. Limited edition.
Aristo-Cat (Frost) - plummy purple with gold shimmers. Limited edition.

Questions, comment, or request? Feel free to ask :)

NARS Front Row Set Makeup Look


After reviewing the NARS Front Row set, I of course needed to do a makeup look with the kit. So here's what I came up with.

Eyes
  • I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion on my lids
  • I used the lavender shimmer color from Nouveau Monde duo eyeshadow all over my lids
  • I applied the olive green from Nouveau Monde on the outter V and crease
  • Blend, blend, blend
  • I used a sheer white eyeshadow on my browbone.
  • I lined my eyes with Nuit Blance eyeliner but since it was so dry I couldn't work with it so I had to resort to another eyeliner so I used Wet N Wild Mega Liner in black to finish where Nuit Blanche left off.
  • I used Urban Decay 24/7 Zero on my waterline.
  • I filled my eyebrows with Make Up Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector #3.
  • I applied false eyelashes.


Without flash

Cheeks
  • I highlighted my cheeks with Palm Springs mini Multiple
  • I applied MAC Stereorose on my cheeks
  • I contoured with Physicians Formula Bamboo Silk bronzer
Lips
  • NARS Orgasm lipgloss



Questions? Requests? Feel free to ask :)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

NARS Front Row Set - Complete Review and Swatches



I'm so backed up on my reviews. I bought this new NARS set from Sephora about a week ago. I've always wanted to try NARS products since everyone raves so much about them but decided to wait until I find something I really wanted to try because their stuff are not cheap. I have to admit the main reason I wanted this set is because of the eyeshadow, which alone can cost around $30.00. I was also very curious about everything that came in the package as well.

Packaging
  • Everything came in a box and individually wrapped with black tissue paper.
  • NARS has this signature black velvety-like packaging that feels soft and luxurious to the touch but man this sucker grabs everything like dust, fingerprint, powders, and looks dirty.
  • Overall, the packaging is practical but could be better considering how much you pay for these.
Product
  •  This set includes 4 items: Orgasm Lipgloss, Palm Springs Mini Multiple, Nouveau Monde eyeshadow duo, and Nuit Blanche eyeliner.
  • Cost $59.00 for a value of $97.00.
  • Limited edition and exclusive to Sephora.
  • Palm Spring Mini Multiple is a cream to powder stick that is suppose to have multiple uses. I would mainly use it as a highlighter for my cheeks but I can imagine you could also use this all over your eyelids. It's more on the sheer side. I think it looks very beautiful over the cheeks. The shimmers are very fine and add a subtle dewy finish. There isn't a whole lot of product in this little tube but enough for several uses. If you refer to the picture this is pretty much all that you'll get from it. Net weight is .14 oz. or 4 g. 

  • Nouveau Monde eyeshadow duo comes with two very beautiful colors. One is a light cool-toned lavender shimmer, and the other is and olive green with subtle gold shimmers. Both colors are very pigmented and easy to blend. This one is full size, .14 oz or 4 g.

  • Nuit Blanche is a felt-tip liquid eyeliner. I believe this is a full size product. It's actually quite black when swatched; however, this product is horrible. I have a very difficult time getting any product out of there because it is so dry, which makes application frustrating. For what I'm paying, I expect everything to be perfect, or at least workable. This one is a total FAIL!




  • Orgasm lipgloss is a beautiful peachy pink gloss with gold shimmers. It leans on the sheer side but will still give you lips some color. I actually really like this color and it feels moisturizing; however, I really don't like the smell. It has a very synthetic plastic scent to it and what's worst is that I can kinda taste it too. Yuck! What the hell NARS?! This is a full size lipgloss with .28 oz or 8 g.
Verdict
  • Palm Springs and Nouveau Monde works like a charm. I have nothing bad to say about them.
  • As personal preference, I still would rather use powders or liquid highlighters.
  • Nuit Blance eyeliner is a complete fail because it's too dry.
  • Orgasm lipgloss can only get away with its color.
  • Argh...I'm not in love with the whole package but I'll keep it. To be honest, I think this brand is way overrated. It probably has the some of best blushes and eyeshadows in the market but as far as this package is concerned I'm pretty disapointed that I only like half the stuff that it came with considering I'm paying a pretty penny for all this.
  • My rating 5/10.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Wet N Wild Petal Pusher Makeup Look



This is a makeup look done by using the Petal Pusher palette from Wet N Wild. I had a hard time deciding which colors to use. Since I just did a very smoky dramatic look with the Blue Had Me At Hello palette, I figure I'll go for a softer, fun, and flirty look with this palette. Instead of using a typical black liner on my upper lash line, I went for a dark blue liner, which goes very nicely with the purple eyeshadows. I finished off the look with Up the Amp by MAC, a very opaque and creamy cool-toned pinkish purple.
If you haven't noticed, I've been using my camera flash a lot lately to capture the eye makeup. I used to just do it under bright light but I find that the flash captures the colors a lot better.




Without flash


Eyes
  • I primed my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion
  • I applied the pinkish browbone color all over my lids
  • I applied the bluish purple definer on my crease and outter corners
  • I deepened the outter V with the purple crease color.
  • I applied the sheer browbone color (#1) on the browbone.
  • I lined my eyes with L'oreal HIP cream eyeliner in Midnight Blue on the upper and lower lash line.
  • I filled my brows with Make Up Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector.
  • I applied false eyelashes from ELF.
Cheeks
  • NARS Multiple Palm Springs for highlight
  • MAC Amazon Princess blush on apple of cheeks
  • Physician Formula Bamboo Silk Bronzer for contour.
Lips
  • MAC Up The Amp lipstick...one of my favorite lip color :). It actually looks darker than pictured. I was sitting right under the bright light so it look lighter than it really is.


If you like this look, feel free to check out the other makeup looks I've done by using Comfort Zone and Blue Had Me At Hello.

Wet N Wild Petal Pusher Palette ( Review & Swatches )



Petal Pusher is one of the new 8 pan eyeshadow palettes that Wet N Wild has to offer this year. As you can already tell from first glance, this palette consists mainly of purples. I bought this from Walgreens for $4.99.

Packaging
  • Cheap and convenient
  • 8 full-size eyeshadows
  • Net weight: 0.3 oz or 8.5 g
  • In the back of the palette, there are different makeup look combination suggestions.
  • Includes a cheap dual ended foam tip and brush applicator. 
 Product
  • There is a combination of frosty, shimmery, and glittery shades.
  • I have to say that out of the three 8 pan eyeshadow palette from Wet N Wild, this would be my least favorite because I only found 3 shades that are pigmented (color # 5, 7, and 8). The other 5 shades didn't show as much as I would like to or were rather sheer.
  • I get some of glitter fall out with color #4 when I blend it. I found the glitters to be totally uncessary and texture chalky.
  • When swatched, color # 6 looks quite beautiful; however, it looks very bruised on the lid. The texture is chalky and not pigmented enough.



Colors
  1. Sheer pale pink and purple shimmers.
  2. Light lavender purple with gold shimmers.
  3. Medium purple shimmers with red undertone
  4. Medium bluish purple with silver glitters
  5. Frosty very light pink
  6. Sheer plum with gold shimmers
  7. Dark brown eyeshadow with pink shimmers
  8. Black based eyeshadow with silver and green shimmers.


Verdict

Honestly, skip this palette if you already have enough purples in your collection. I wasn't impressed by the shades and lack of pigmentation in most of the colors. I'm not a fan of two dark shades with different shimmers. Comfort Zone would be the best in terms of color and pigmentation so I highly recommend that palette. My rating 6/10.

If you haven't done so already, you may be interested in reviews and swatches that I recently done for the Comfort Zone and Blue Had Me At Hello palettes.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Blue Had Me At Hello Makeup Look




I did this makeup look last night with my Wet N Wild Blue Had Me At Hello palette. I wanted to create a dramatic arabic inspired makeup because I've always wanted to do one and never got around to it. With that said, here comes the heavy winged black eyeliner, long eyelashes, dramatic smokey eyes with cut-crease, and bright eyeshadow. I probably could've used a darker lipgloss but maybe that would be too overdone. In addition, I used a heavier layer of foundation and concealer for that "flawless" glamorous Bollywood look.

Eyes
  • I primed my eyes with Urban Decay Primer Potion.
  • I started with the crease color, which is the matte definer black (4) and blend it upward.
  • I applied the pearly white browbone color (1) to the browbone.
  • I applied the silver eyelid color (2) to the inner corner of my eyes
  • I applied the teal blue eyelid color (6) all over my lids and the shimmery blue crease (7) on the outter corner of my eyes.
  • I lined my eyes with Stila Smudge Pot black on my upper and lower lash line and created a winded liner.
  • I filled my waterline and tightlining with Urban Decay 24/7 Zero.
  • I filled my brows with ELF Eyebrow Kit dark.
  • I applied upper and lower false lashes.
Cheeks
  • I used Physician's Bamboo Silk Bronzer to contour my face and cheeks.
  • I applied MAC Stereorose MSF blush to my cheeks.
Lips
  • I lined my lips with Wet N Wild Willow lipliner
  • I filled my lips with NARS Orgasm lipgloss


What do you think of this look? Does it look arabic enough? lol. Would you try this?

Wet N Wild - Blue Had Me At Hello (Review & Swatches)


Wet N Wild came up with 3 new 8-pan eyeshadow palettes at the start of this year and you may or may not have seen them in your local drugstore. I have already reviewed the Comfort Zone palette as well as did a makeup look with it. So be sure to check it if you haven't done so already because it is the most wanted palette out of the three.



Packaging
  • Cheap and convenient
  • 8 full-size eyeshadows
  • Net weight: 0.3 oz or 8.5 g
  • In the back of the palette, there are different makeup look combination suggestions.
  • Includes a cheap dual ended foam tip and brush applicator. 
Product
  • Consist of mainly blue shades
  • You get a combination of shimmery, frosty, matte, and glittery colors.
  • Some colors are more pigmented than others but overall, they are fairly pigmented.
  • The matte shades are harder to blend ( color # 4 and 8)


Colors
  1. Frosty pearly white
  2. Shimmery light silver
  3. Matte black with blue shimmers (the most pigmented shade in this palette)
  4. Matte black
  5. Frosty light blue
  6. Shimmery teal blue
  7. Shimmery electric blue
  8. Matte black with silver glitters
Verdict

If blues are right up your alley and you don't mind making a bold statement, then this palette is for you. This is a very good value palette in terms of quality, price, and amount of product. I really think adding another black with glitters was totally so unnecessary. My favorite colors would be 3 and 6 and my least favorite would be 8. I would recommend this palette for those who are brave enough to sport bright and bold colors or just want more colors to experiment with. My rating 8.5/10.


Sunday, February 20, 2011

Nails of the Week - Glitz & Glamour with Black Mesh

After spending the afternoon preparing and reviewing the China Glaze Crackle Collection, I decided to do my nails for the week. What better way to start the week other than showing off my BFD or 'bad for days" nail polishes. On the side note, I'm giving my boy-friend credit for the lingo and myself credit for coming up with the acronym, LOL.






  • I first applied a coat of Poshe base coat to prevent my nails from turning yellow.
  • I used two coats of Orly Glitz & Glamour as the base color, which is a sparkling gold with an orange undertone. This polish was part of their holiday collection and I think it looks fabulous underneath Black Mesh.
  • I applied OPI Drip Dry to speed up the drying process
  • Once my nail color was completely dried, I applied a thin-medium coat of Black Mess over my nails and watch it crack within seconds. It definitely cracks better when the polish underneath is dried.
  • 5 minutes later, I applied Seche Vite top coat and tada! Nails look amazing!
  • I recommend you use a top coat like Seche Vite. It defines the color and adds a beautiful glossy finish to your nails. It will also make your nail color last longer.
I'm really digging the gold and black. What do you think? I think it looks better than Celeb City, which is the color I used on my review.

China Glaze Crackle Collection Review & Swatches



I'm actually pleased and proud of myself that I got my hands on the whole Crackle collection so that I can review them for you as well as add them to my "getting larger" nail polish collection.
The reason I decided to get them all is because these nail polishes are not like your typical nail polish. They shrink and give out a cracked effect on your nails, which I think is pretty cool.

I purchased them from Amazon.com for $32.00 with $3.00 shipping. $35.00 for 6 China Glaze polishes is pretty reasonable, given the average retail price for these are $6.00. They may be available now in stores or will be very soon so you may want to call and find out before heading to your beauty supply store.

Packaging
  • The typical clear glass nail polish bottle.
  • 14 mL or .5 oz.
  • Each comes with a little round tag with instructions on how to use the product.
  • The brush is round and about average size.
Product
  • This collection is available in six shades and they are all matte.
  • These are meant to be used over another base color to give a cracked effect
  • Dries very quickly. The cracks form within seconds from applying.
  • Must be applied after the base color is completely dry
  • Use a thicker coat for less cracks
  • Use a thinner coat for more cracks and splintered effect

Swatches

Black mesh is a matte black polish. I used it over 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City, which is a sparkling light silver polish.



Lightning Bolt is a matte white polish. I used it over 2 coats of Ulta nail polish in Bombshell, which is a raspberry pink with small pink, gold, and holographic glitters.



Cracked Concrete is a medium matte grey. I used it over 2 coats of Sally Hansen Extreme Wear White On, which is a cream white color. I will have to say that this is my least favorite color out of the 6 that I got. The reason for that is because it's neither dark or light and it just doesn't look pretty with other colors because it's hard to find a contrasting color that looks good with it. You either need a very light/bright color or a very dark color underneath.



Broken Hearted is a medium matte bubblegum pink polish with a slight blue undertone. I used it over 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Fireberry Red, which is a gorgeous dark cranberry red with flecks of gold glitters. If you look at my index finger, I used a thicker coat of Broken Hearted and there was less crack as compared to the other nails, which I used a thinner coat.



Fault Line is a matte violet purple polish. I applied it over 2 coats of Sally Hansen HD Lite, which is a very bright shimmery yellow. This one didn't crack too well on the first try. I'm not sure if it's because my base color wasn't dry enough. On this swatch, I decided to apply Fault Line differently. Instead of doing a stroke of color from top to bottom, I scattered shorter strokes across the nails.



Crushed candy is light matte turquoise polish. I applied it over 2 coats of Orly Halley's Comet, which is also from the same color family but darker and with multi-dimensional glass-like flecks of teal and gold shimmers. I didn't completely wait for the base color to dry cause I got impatient from swatching all these colors, lol. As you can tell because of that the cracks appears more diagonally than horizontally.

Verdict
Overall, these are really great special effect polishes and really fun! You will of course need to mix and match with a good contrasting base color and need a little more patience while doing your nails. I must emphasize that you will get better cracked result if your base color is completely dry. I'm very glad that unlike OPI Shatter, China Glaze has more shades to offer. I'm considering getting another back up of Black Mesh.
The only thing I didn't like from this collection is Cracked Concrete because I find it hard to pair with other colors and it looks boring to me because it doesn't contrast very well. My rating 9/10.

Hope you find this review helpful. Which one did you get or plan on getting?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

My Amazing Collective Haul - Picture Heavy

LOL, ok it may not be amazing to everyone but it is to me. I have been buying stuff here and there for the past couple weeks until today and haven't got a chance to post about the new goodies. So here it goes...


My local grocery store (Pick N Save) was selling some beauty products for 75% off so I picked up a few Revlon lipsticks and a Maybelline blush so they ended up to be about a couple bucks each. Awesome deal if you ask me.
I also ordered a few items from Cherry Culture during their 20% off sale. These products include limited edition Milani nail polishes in Photo Flash and In A Flash, Milani Lip Flash Lip Pencils, and NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Yellow. The polishes looked very similar when I swatched them.




From the Dollar Tree store, I picked up these Sally Hansen lipglosses and an Art Deco nail art polish in black.


Lashes from For Love 21. Forgot how much I paid but it was less than $3.00.


Blush from For Love 2. Forgot how much I paid but it was relatively cheap.



Physicians Formula was on BOGO 50% off at CVS so I took advantage of the sale because they run on the pricier scale for drugstore products. The Happy Booster blush is just so pretty, I love the metallic pink packaging and the embossed heart design. The Eye Booster Eyeliner is infused with a lash growth serum, claiming to see results within 2 to 4 weeks. We'll see about that.


From Sally Beauty Supply, I bought a face brush, $1.99. This eyeshadow from Real Colors ($7.69) totally stopped me in my track and quickly got my attention. It looked sooo pretty in the packaging with an embossed quilted pattern and flecks of gold shimmers. I was like wow, this looks good, I must try it! I also bought 4 mini Sally Girl polishes and 2 Sally Girl lip color. They were buy 5 get one free and 99 cents each. The blue glitter polish looked a lot like OPI Last Friday Night from the Katy Perry collection. IDK why I even bothered, I guess I was just curious to compare them, lol. Not like it really matters to anyone.


With a strike of luck, I stumbled upon this limited edition Wet N Wild palette in Sugarplum Fairy long after they have been released at a Walgreens across town as I was hunting down the WNW 8 ES palettes. I couldn't believe my eyes, LOL. You should've seen how shocked and excited I was to get my hands on this one.



I don't know if these new China Glaze Crackle polishes are available in stores yet but I ordered the entire Crackle collection on Amazon.com for $32.00 and $3.00 shipping. So $35.00 in total, which is pretty reasonable. I ordered on 2-16 and received it within 3 days so I was very impressed and satisfied at how quickly it arrived. I will do a review or swatch on these as soon as possible.



I went to Sephora today and picked up a few items. This one is their Waterproof Flashy Liner in Flashy Mauve. I have nothing like it so I decided to give it a try. $8.00



Another item I picked up at Sephora is this black eye liner kit. This set contains 7 different brands of black eyeliners and a Smashbox liner brush. They are deluxe sampler size. I probably won't do a review on all these because I plan to give a few of them away as gifts. $36.00.




I finally found a reason to try NARS products, lol. I bought one of the 3 new limited edition sets. The Front Row set includes: Duo eyeshadow in Nouveau Monde, Mini Multiple in Palm Springs, Eyeliner Stylo in Nuits Blanches, and Lip Gloss in Orgasm. So excited! This set was the most appealing to me. $59.00 exclusively at Sephora.

I really wanted the Beauty in a Box set by Josie Maran but they are totally out of it, even online! :( I loved everything they included in the box. Totally worth the $52 for all that it comes with. This one is next on my list as soon as it becomes available.
I'm missing a picture from stuff I bought at Big Lots. I can't find it. Oh well...you're probably thinking by now, omg addict! Yes pretty soon, I'm have to get in those pan project thingy.

What have you hauled recently? :)


Friday, February 18, 2011

Winner of my Wet N Wild Giveway

Congratulation to Crystal Flygare @ Luuux. You are the lucky winner of my Wet N Wild giveway. Please contact me by Monday with your info so I can send these out to you.

Thank you all for participating :)...I will try to hold another giveway soon

FYI: not sure why it's posting as Thursday but it is currently Friday 18, 1:16 am my time

Surprise Gift Arrived Today!




I want to thank Ashley DP from Luuux for sending me these products. That was so thoughtful and sweet of her. She is really a sweetheart and always leave the nicest comments, not just on my posts but everyone. I've been following her on Luuux for a few months now and I want to say that my experience with Luuux and the community there has been a pleasant experience. There are a lot of wonderful and sweet gurls there. Linking my blogposts to Luuux has been so much more fun and interactive than just blogging here alone.

So here's what came in the mail....




Ashley sent me a NYX lipgloss in the shade Dolly Pink. OMG, I am totally digging this color! In fact, there was a color similar to this one that came in MAC holiday Lipglass set and I was pretty bummed that they didn't sell it on the permanent line. Dolly Pink reminded me a lot of that color.
She also included a MAC Wonder Woman blush in Amazon Princess. I was ecstatic when I unwrapped the package and saw what it was.
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH ASHLEY for the gifts. I love them!
I want to also thank everyone else who have been following me, friend me, and commenting my posts. You gurls are awesome and I do plan on having a little thank you surprise for a few of you as well. I really wish could give everyone something because you have all been so nice and sweet. Everything will have its place and time so for now I just want you to know that I really appreciate that you've taken the time to read and comment on what I wrote.




For those of you who are not familiar with Luuux. Check it out and feel free to friend or follow me too. If you love to blog, why not Luuux too? Even if you don't like to blog, why not join anyways. You can potentially make new friends and on top of that earn points for every posts and comments that you make that you can redeem later for some pretty nice products. It's very interactive and most people are pretty nice and polite.

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