Surf’s Up! My Mini Haul from MAC Surf Baby Collection

Above: MAC Surf Baby collection

I know MAC’s Surf Baby Collection came out months ago, but better late than never right? Life has just been hectic with unexpected events and other things became more of a priority for me. Anyway, in May I was invited to a sneak peek party at my MAC PRO store for Surf Baby. It was a Cabana style party but sadly without the Cabana boy . The hor’dourves were delicious and the cocktails were decent. At the party, there was an artist screen printing T shirts with an option of an octopus or a hibiscus flower. I chose the octopus. Anyway, my small and modest haul included Swell Baby Eyeshadow; Ocean Dip nail lacquer; and Crush Metal Pigments in Surf the Ocean. I already did a review on Ocean Dip nail lacquer, stay tuned for the rest.

Above: MAC Crush Metal Pigments in Surf the Ocean

Above: MAC Ocean Dip nail lacquer

Above: MAC Eyeshadow in Swell Baby

A Fabulous Shimmering Nude: MAC Fabulous Felines Collection Pigment in Lithe

Above: MAC Pigment in Lithe

Lithe pigment is a lovely shade of shimmery beige. It is neutral tone, neither cool nor warm. Against my skin Lithe is a golden peachy. It reminds me of another lovely neutral beige from MAC: Naked pigment; however, Lithe seems lighter to me. The texture is very smooth and fine with very little shimmer fall out. I really like that it has shimmer but it is not overly frosty and white looking. The colour  is nicely pigmented and does not need a lot of effort to build colour opacity. I find that the colour payoff is the same when dry, wet and with a creamy base; however, I would still recommend wearing a base underneath the pigment to prolong the wearing time of the pigment and limit whatever little fall out Lithe has.

Above left to right: MAC pigment in Lithe swatched dry, wet and with MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study as base.

Above: MAC Pigment Lithe

Pretty in Neutrals MAC In the Groove Mineral Eyeshadow

Above: MAC In the Groove Mineral Eyeshadow

Although I have always like MAC’s mineral eyeshadows, all of them are super shimmery and a bit chunky. In contrast, these newly formulated mineral eyeshadows feel very soft and velvety across the board. I back to MAC In the Groove because I love the combination of beige, aubergine and pinky peachy. I think this is the nicest combination of neutrals MAC has put out in a while that is not just browns. The colours compliment each other nicely especially for spring and summer.

All the colours of In the Groove are very velvety and smooth. They are all very pigmented and has a nice satiny sheen to it without glitter. The shimmer is very subtle and not overly shiny making it daytime appropriate. The beige colour is the lightest and the colour seem to melt into by NC 35 skin reflecting a light sheen. The beige would make a nice highlighting colour. It reminds me of a more golden version  of Shroom. The aubergine colour is a red violet with fine pink shimmer. The pinky peach colour is a satiny colour with very subtle sheen. All the colours have the same consistency: soft, smooth and velvety with a satin sheen.

Once and Again with MAC In The Groove: My Mini Haul #2 MAC In the Groove Eyeshadow and Petticoat MSF

Since my MAC store almost always releases their major collections early, I tend to make several trips there for my mini hauls. I was glad I got the opportunity to grab Stereo Rose early because by the official launch date, the much coveted MSF is sold out in all the local stores and counters. Anyway I was itchy to pick up Petticoat too because I just love the pink with bronze pink veining and spots of gold in the MSF. I also B2M the In the Groove mineral eyeshadow. Yes you can B2M limited edition mineral eyeshadows, as long it is not in limited edition packaging. Not every MA knows this fact and you can only do that at the stores, not the counters. If the MA is not sure, get them to check with a manager because you can certainly B2M mineral eyeshadows. Anytime I get to do that, I think it is such a nice little deal. Also check out my first haul. Stay tuned for the reviews and swatches for Petticoat and In the Groove.

Above: MAC In the Groove Mineral Eyeshadow In the Groove

Above: MAC In the Groove MSF Petticoat

Bringing Back a Little Paradise with Chanel Birds of Paradise Les Ombres À Paupières Quatuor Blue, Green, Yellow and Orange

Chanel’s Birds of Paradise Les Ombres À Paupières Quatuor was originally released as a limited edition holiday 2009 palette; however, Chanel has bought it back for this spring.

The colours are gorgeous and compliment each other very well. It includes turquoise, chartreuse, yellow and orange. Chanel eyeshadows are baked and can be worn wet or dry. Overall, I think this quatuor is very sheer, especially when worn dry without a base. The best results are with a base and wearing dry. Wearing the eyeshadows wet, gives decent pigmentation but gives a sheerer more watercolour painting quality. Although these shadows are a bit sheer, I find them easy to build pigmentation and blend.

The turquoise and orange is the most pigmented. Although the orange looks very bright in the pan, the colour looks burnt when I wear it on my eyes, looking more brown.The orange looks more natural on the skin than it looks in the pan. The turquoise colour is oh so gorgeous and current right now. It is vibrant without being too over the top. The yellow and chartreuse are the most sheer. The yellow is a bit chunky and has a bit of fallout, while the chartreuse looks more golden on my medium skin tone than green.

Having the right bases is important for this palette to work. It is best to experiment to see what works for you to get the results you want. I have tried Bird of Paradise several times with different bases. Below are the results.

Above: Chanel Birds of Paradise with no base and worn dry

When worn dry and without a base, the color payoff is very sheer and takes a lot of effort to build up the colour. It took 3-4 layers of colour to get the colours to show like this without a base. I also got some fallout with the yellow.

Above: Chanel Birds of Paradise worn dry with Medusa’s Makeup Stick It Primer

Medusa’s Makeup Stick it Primer is a clear wax based primer. I find that a sticky primer helps adhere the eyeshadow and colour the best. The colour looks the most vibrant and true to pan. Urban Decay Primer Potion works well too, but I find that it neutralizes the colour a bit. I think if you want the colour very vibrant, it is best to wear a clear base or a colour base that is the same as the dominate colour you are wearing. Any neutral colour bases, such as Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Hunny Bunny or Recess will tone the colour a bit.

Above: Chanel Birds of Paradise with Medusa’s Makeup Stick It Primer worn wet

I swatched the shadows with Medusa’s Stick It Primer and sprayed my brush with MAC Fix+Rose. It is more pigmented than wearing it dry without a base (first swatch picture), but a little less pigmented than wearing it dry with a base (second swatch picture). In fact, I think wearing it wet creates decent pigmentation that is very natural and gives a watercolour painting quality to the eyeshadows. Wearing Birds of Paradise wet and with a base is my favourite method, thus far.

Check out the FOTD, I posted wearing Birds of Paradise with different bases, wet and dry.

Neutral colour base worn wet (Benefit Creme Creaseless eyeshadow as base)

Clear waxy base worn dry (Medusa’s Makeup Stick It Primer as base)

Clear silicone base worn dry (Urban Decay Primer Potion as base)

MAC Prêt-à-Papier Paint Pot Coral Crepe is Lovelier as a Blush! Mini FOTD

Though I have always preferred the MAC Paints (tube) over the Paint Pots, I do like the sheer wash of colour the Paint Pots provide. They make lovely eyeshadow and as an eyeshadow base. It has been a long while since MAC introduced a new Paint Pot colour, this April they released a LE Paint Pot in Coral Crepe, an earthy peachy coral. The colour almost seems a little rustic to me. Coral Crepe has a satiny sheen to it, but not shimmery. Although it is pigmented, it does have a sheerness to it, but the colour is buildable to something more opaque.

I have tried this on the eyes alone and as a base with MAC Arena eyeshadow, but I think the colour is too redden/orangy for my taste to be wearing Coral Crepe on the eyes. At least that is the case, when I wear the colour as a all over color; however, I do like to use a dab of Coral Crepe on the outer eye corners and the crease. For me, this colour looks prettier when it is subtly used.

I have been wearing it on my cheeks for the past two days and I LOVE it. It creates the perfect sheer  peachy coral flush on my cheeks. I look very heathy and glowing wearing it as a blush. I think it is better then any creme or gel blush I have ever used. Most of the blushes I used, usually fade by mid-day. I have it on at 8 am and at 7 pm it is still on my cheeks and the colour has not faded. This stays on like a true stain, it doesn’t rub off on the eyes and it doesn’t rub off on the cheeks. It was a dream to blend this on my cheeks. Ladies, if you are looking for an neutral coral cheek colour, give Coral Crepe a try!

On eyes:

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study all over lid
MAC Paint Pot in Coral Crepe on outer corner of lid
MAC Kohl Power Liner in Raven for upper and lower lash lines
Medusa’s Makeup Mascara in Black

For Cheeks:

MAC Paint Pot in Coral Crepe on apples of cheeks

For Lips:

MAC Lipstick in Warm Me Up
MAC Lipglass in Fold and Tuck layered on top of Warm Me Up

MAC Give Me Liberty of London Eyeshadow Birds & Berries Product Picture, Swatches and Review

Above: MAC Birds & Berries eyeshadow (Veluxe Pearl)

I finally caved and bought myself Birds & Berries eyeshadow from the Liberty of London collection. This collection is just flying off the shelves of counters and stores. Initially I passed on this colour because I thought it looked like many of the blues in the permanent collection, but after carefully comparing colours I don’t see any close dupes myself. Perhaps it is similar to a limited edition colour, that I don’t own. After seeing it on various people at MAC, I decided that this colour is too pretty to pass up. Birds & Berries is a dark blue green with a slight gray tone against my skin. The Veluxe Pearl finish gives the eyeshadow a slight frosty finish but VPs are not as shiny as a Frost finish. Texturally Veluxe Pearls are very smooth and pigmented. For a subtle look wear Birds & Berries with grays; however, if you want to bring out the bluish greens wear it with chartreuse/yellowish greens or pinks and purples for contrast. Or wear it alone for a bold blue look. Of course the packaging is oh so cute with a white pot and a blue flower on the clear lid.

Above: MAC Birds & Berries eyeshadow (Veluxe Pearl)

Above: MAC Birds & Berries eyeshadow (Veluxe Pearl)

Above: MAC Birds & Berries eyeshadow (Veluxe Pearl)

Above: MAC Birds & Berries eyeshadow (Veluxe Pearl)

MAC Give Me Liberty of London Eyeshadow Bough Grey Product Picture, Swatch and Review

Above: MAC eyeshadow Bough Grey (Satin)

Bough Grey eyeshadow is another goodie I picked up from Give Me Liberty of London. This is a mid-tone gray with blue green tones to it. I also notice a slight shimmer to the colour too. The colour looks warm against my NC 35/37 skin tone. Texturally, the eyeshadow is soft but I find that it goes on slightly sheer, though the colour is buildable to a lovely soft gray. I think it is perfect for a soft smokey day time smokey eye or for the crease. By now you all now that I am a fan of the Liberty of London packaging. I think the white eyeshadow pot with a colour flower on the clear lid is very cute. Each eyeshadow colour in the collection has a flower colour that corresponds to the eyeshadow colour. Bough Grey has a green flower to compliment the greenish gray eyeshadow.

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Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows Product Pictures, Review and Swatches

Above: Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows

Happy Sunday ladies, I finally got around to swatch this set after weeks of slacking off. The Alice palette includes 16 eyeshadows; 24/7 Glide on Liner in Zero and Flipeside; and a mini Shadow Primer Potion. I will update with a swatch and review of Flipside as soon as I can. Overall I really like the colour payoff of most of the eyeshadows and I have had a lot of fun creating looks from the Alice palette. My issues for this palette is that there are not a lot of variety of finishes because most of the eyeshadows are frosts and glitters. There are usually 1-2 token mattes in the set, but even the “matte” finishes have subtle shimmer or glitter sprinkled in it. I find Urban Decay eyeshadows very frost and glitter heavy. I wished that Urban Decay would have created a truly limited edition palette with all limited edition colours. Luckily, I am fairly new to the Urban Decay brand, so I don’t have the majority of the colours. Below are the swatches enjoy them!

Above left to right: Underland; Alice; Oraculum; Queen.

Underland (Flash): A violet colour and a frost finish.
Alice (Painkiller): A turquoise/sky blue and a frost finish.
Oraculum (Baked): A metallic bronze that looks like a shiny penny. It is frost finish.
Queen (Last Call): A burgundy colour and a frost finish.

Above: Chessur; White Rabbit; Wonderland; Curiouser

Chessur (Chopper): A soft bronze colour, non-metallic. It is a glitter finish and has quite a bit of fallout.

White Rabbit (Polyester Bride): A white with silver glitter. This shadow feels gritty and has fallout issues.

Wonderland(Maui Wowie): A soft antique gold with silver glitter. Has glitter fallout issues.

Curiouser(Grifter): A lilac with silver glitter. If this colour is not gritty, glittery and has major fallout issues, this would be my favourite colour.

Above left to right: Muchness: Mushroom: Midnight Tea Party; Vorpal

Muchness(X): A frosty peachy apricot colour. It is a iridescent colour that shifts between gold and pink.

Mushroom: A frosty silvery taupe. It looks like a cross between MAC Satin Taupe and Smoke & Diamonds.

Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again): Glittery champagne pinky peach. Very glittery and the fallout is horrible.

Vorpal(S&M): A frosty silver.

Above left to right: Absolem; Drink Me, Eat Me; Mad Hatter; Jabberwocky

Absolem(Homegrown): A frosty leafy green

Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin): A frosty champagne pink with zero glitter. A great all over or highlight colour. This is one of my favourite Urban Decay eyeshadow colours.

Mad Hatter(Twice Baked): A “matte” chocolate brown with subtle glitter. Unlike all the other eyeshadows with glitter, Mad Hatter has very little fallout.

Jabberwocky(Oil Slick): A “matte” black with silver glitter. Although this has glitter in it the fallout is minor. This colour reminds me of MAC Black Tied.

MAC Too Fabulous and Give Me Liberty of London Mini Haul 2

Happy Friday girls, another quick and dirty post today. I bit the beauty bullet and went back to MAC to buy a few more items from the Too Fabulous collection and the Give Me Liberty of London collections. After all it is pay day but luckily I restrained myself from overbuying and selected some smart and desirable items that I know I won’t regret. From Too Fabulous, I bought Buddy Up Mineralize Blush. Buddy up is a dirty plum and pinky coral duo. From Give Me Liberty of London, I picked up Ever Hip Cremesheen lipstick a creamy peachy coral; Bough Grey Satin eyeshadow, a medium tone greenish gray (gorgeous!); and the medium sized Give Me Liberty of London makeup bag.

Of course all the Give Me Liberty of London items have details from William Morris’ Strawberry Fields on each item. Normally, I skip the MAC makeup bags because though they have launched some very beautiful ones, I find them expensive and not really worth it. However, I just can’t resist buying this one because it is just gorgeous and has beautiful artwork on it. Enjoy these pictures because they are just eye candy! I have been a bit under the weather lately and have fallen behind in my swatches and reviews but I promise I will be back as soon as I can with swatches and reviews with my goodies!

Above: Too Fabulous collection MAC Mineralize Blush in Buddy Up

Above: MAC Give Me Liberty of London Makeup Bag Medium

Above: MAC Give Me Liberty of London collection lipstick in Ever Hip and eyeshadow in Bough Grey

Above: MAC eyeshadow in Bough Grey (satin)

Above: MAC Lipstick in Ever Hip (cremesheen)