Wednesday, August 31, 2011

FOTD: Gorgeous Patina

The title is appropriate because Mac Patina eyeshadow is in fact GORGEOUS. I can't believe I never bought previously and it sunk lower and lower on my 'to buy' list. My husband bought it for me for my birthday, along with Gorgeous Gold, so I thought I'd use them in a look together.

I have to say that this may become my go-to "I don't know what to wear" look, at least for a while. Gorgeous Gold has the most lovely green shift, that actually shows on the eye, and Patina (which is a bronzey weird taupe shade) compliments it perfectly. I used a shade to darken the crease from the Wet n Wild Vanity palette, but you can just as easily use Mac Twinks if you want to stick with Mac, or any metallic brown with a slight purple tinge.
 
FACE:
- Cover Girl Tinted Moisturizer in Fair to Light
- Maybelline Superstay Concealer in Cream
- Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium
- MUA Mosaic Blusher in English Rose

EYES:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-Mac eyeshadow in Gorgeous Gold (lid and inner lower lashline)
- Mac eyeshadow in Patina (crease and outer lower lashline)
- Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette in Vanity (shimmering brown to darken crease and lashline)
- Wet n Wild Color Icon Liner in Olive
- Maybelline One by One mascara (Black)

LIPS:
- Sephora Glossy Gloss in #31 Marquisette







Thursday, August 25, 2011

New Stuff! (Swatches) + A Rant

I would call this a swatch dump post but that just sounds crude.

So, uh, here's new stuff for you guys to want!


I got these bits and bobs over the span of a few weeks as there happened to be a lot of sales locally. I didn't swatch the nail polishes -- the burgundy is from Confetti and is called Glam'n Up. In that collection there was a glitter like Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday, which I may or may not have nabbed a few of for a future giveaway :). The goldish color is from Sinful and is called All About You. It's much prettier than it seems in the photo; it's a sheerish gold with strong green, gold and bronzey orange glass flecks. I don't know if it will suit my coloring but I was drawn to it for some reason!



These are the Milani Baked Blushes. The left is Dolce Pink and the right is Rose D'oro. I did natural light and flash, as per usual. I've worn Dolce Pink and I really like it, I will report further in an actual review but these are very shimmery and sparkly. Rose D'Oro is more pigmented than Dolce Pink, and it's what I wanted Mac Stereo Rose to be when I bought it.



Lippiesssss! I know, I'm obsessed. Starting at the left, first is Milani Lip Flash in Hot Flash, which is a gorgeous metallic red. I've been after one for a while and this definitely is what I was looking for. I may not need Kat Von D Adora now! Next is Milani Black Cherry lipstick. I wanted a nice creamy burgundy for fall. This is a weeeee bit dark for me but I love it anyway and I will rock it. Next is Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in (I think) Hot Paris Pink. I'm really not sure because I always forget to write down the number on the side of these to search online and find the name. This looked coral-ish in the packaging but it's definitely pink. I nabbed it for 69 cents so I'm really not complaining... my collection needs wearable pinks. Last one is Wet n Wild Vamp It Up Mega Last Lipstick. I decided to get this because of my deep lemming for Mac's Smoked Purple, which releases today. I think they're pretty close but I will have to compare them to be sure. This is crazy dark but I love it!



Top eyeliner is Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Fierce Blue. I realized I was lacking a deep blue eyeliner and this fit the bill! Funny story about this: the cap refused to come off and after tugging and tugging, I must have twisted it so hard that I grabbed the tip of the pencil as it slid off, and I pulled the ENTIRE length of the eyeliner out of the pencil shell. Wendy's face: O_O. Anyway, I managed to get it secured back inside of the casing with minimal damage. I hope.

ANYWAY, the 3 at the bottom are Jesse's Girl pigments. They are $3.99 and Rite Aid was doing a $3 coupon if you spent $10. So I picked up 3 and got the coupon to use on the eyeliner. Sweet, no?
The problem comes in with the names as they are printed on the sticker that seals the jar, so once the sticker is thrown away, the name is no longer anywhere on the jar. Definitely not a fan of that and I think it's a little ridiculous honestly! The first one on the left may be Pixie Dust or Sunstone, but either way it looks like Mac Vanilla. I will try to dig up the label and see if I can figure out what it is, I didn't realize online swatches would be confusing! The middle is Sunlit Cactus (remembered that one) and it's a lovely burnished gold with strong green flash. I can't wait to use this. The last one on the right is one that I cannot figure out. It's definitely a baby blue/silver in person but I can't find any listings online that match that color. Anyone have an idea of what this is?! It reminds me of Cinderella's dress.

Gah, lame post is lame. I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to determine the names of the Jesse's Girl dusts! I definitely want more as I've looked online and found more colors I like (sometimes you need to see them swatched). Which is bad news for my already too big collection.

So, if all you're interested in is makeup... stop reading here. If you're wanting to read a ranty rant, continue on!

Most of you, especially if you follow me on Twitter, know that I live in Virginia. Specifically, I live in Hampton Roads. If you've been following the news at all, you know that a hurricane is headed right for my area. My husband and I have made the necessary preparations, we've ensured that my older parents are ready and we plan on staying with them to make sure they are safe. We don't plan on evacuating as I live further inland (but still within a danger zone for coastal flooding and storm surge) unless the situation worsens in the next 24 hours.

Right now, we've got a category 3 hurricane headed for an area about 60 miles south of where I live. Am I worried? Yes. Not just because it's a dangerous storm but also because a storm that was a mere category 1 when it washed over us in 2003 did over $3.6 billion in damage and knocked out power and water for weeks. We are prepared to lose power. We are prepared to lose water. I don't know what's going to happen and I fully support FEMA and the local authorities getting prepared and getting the word out that that is serious.

I don't, however, agree with the sentiments that I've seen on Facebook, heard floating around the office, and seen on my local news website in comments that this is nothing but the weather forecasters causing mass panic. People, what part of massive, threatening storm do you not understand? The storm surge taller than an average 7 year old child (and in some cases, taller than a full grown male adult), the flooding, the trees falling, water and power being knocked out... what is it? What part of that doesn't concern you? If you don't want to be concerned, then go on and drive out in it or hang out in your house playing video games. But don't expect FEMA to come bring you food and water when you're flooded in and can't go anywhere, and are out of necessities. Further, don't criticize those of us who wish to be prepared instead of stranded. I have seen the most moronic comments in the past few days and it's just set me off. It's your choice that you don't want to prepare, just like it's ours for doing so. You'd think that Hurricane Isabel in 2003 would have taught them a lesson, because I know that not having running water where I lived woke me up real quick.

Oh yeah, and let's not forget Hurricane Katrina. Need I say more? Go look up some photos and then remember that Katrina was a category 3 when it made landfall in Louisiana. Ready to go buy some bottled water yet?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

MUA Pro Palette 'Poptastic' Review + FOTD

Pop pop pop pop...



Well, we certainly have a bright one here!



This palette caught my eye because of the bright colors and yes, just look at them! This has an interesting array of mostly cooler shades (a lot of blues) but also a reddish pink, pale yellow and a gold thrown in. The gold in this is similar to the gold in the Dusk 'til Dawn palette and I'm pretty sure one of these blues/teals is similar too.

The MUA Pro line is a new line through the Makeup Academy. It's available at Superdrug stores (certain locations) and online at Superdrug.com. These palettes retail for £4.00, which is about $6.50-$7.00 in USD.

Obviously the packaging on this is the same as the prior palette I reviewed, and you're still getting 12 different colors of eyeshadow.

These swatches are with Too Faced Shadow Insurance.




Booo, the red is more of a pink red but that's ok, it's still decently pigmented! The blue violet looks like their single eyeshadow in shade 9, only slightly less pigmented. The lighter pink is impressive as well... usually light pinks aren't very pigmented.

Top photo is natural light and bottom is flash, just so you can see all of the colors together:



Pigmentation on this palette varies, especially in comparison to the Dusk 'til Dawn palette. The blues are great, with the exception of the farthest right navy shade. Both pink/reds are good but what is lacking is the purples. I didn't have too much of an issue with the red-violet until I used it in a look. It was very difficult to blend out and get even! I still like the palette, I just feel that there are some trouble shades in the mix.

I'll be honest, I don't think this is an absolute must-have palette! I like it and I think some of the colors are lovely, but I think you're better off saving a few extra pounds and getting Curacao from Sleek, if it's still available in your area. Otherwise, for brights, this isn't too shabby.

My FOTD is completely random and I'm really not a huge fan of it! I feel like it needs a cut crease with a purple eyeliner but I simply didn't have time to bother with it. I used the following colors:

FACE:
- Cover Girl Tinted Moisturizer in Fair to Light
- Maybelline Superstay Concealer in Cream
- Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer in Ivory
- Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium
- Mac MSF in Semi Precious Crystal Pink (highlighter portion only)

EYES:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
- NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
-MUA Pro Palette in Poptastic (shades shown above)
- Revlon matte eyeshadow in Vintage Lace
- Almay Intense I-Color Eyeliner in Purple Amethyst 
- MUA eyeliner in Lovely Lilac (lower lashline, you can't see it!)
- Maybelline The Falsies mascara (Black Drama)

LIPS:
- Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Nearly There
- Hard Candy Glossaholic in Chill






What do you think? Fail or awesome?

Monday, August 22, 2011

MUA Eyeshadow Trio + Blusher Review and FOTD (and OOTD!)

Wheeee! More reviews of random products.

First up, we have the 'English Rose' Mosaic blusher from MUA.



Pretty, right? This retails for £2.50 (around $4) and is available online at Superdrug.com or in select Superdrug locations in the UK. $4 is a pretty awesome bargain for this little blusher!

Packaging is standard, a black case with clear lid and snapping device that you push up to open. It's relatively sturdy and I don't see it falling apart anytime soon.



Top is natural light and bottom is flash. I swatched the colors individually on the left and mixed together and blended on the right (as you would apply it). The sections are big enough to use each color separately if you had a small brush, and I'm tempted to do so as lilac blush would be awesome! Blended together you get a really lovely shade of shimmering rose that has a hint of bronze. It's a bit like Stereo Rose from Mac. The powder is soft and VERY shimmery though, so if shimmer blushes aren't your thing, run far, far away from this!

Applied on the cheeks:

Gahhhh, sorry for my huge pores, that's what shimmer does to your face! Anyway, I think this is lovely and I can see it becoming a staple and a color to where when I don't know what else to use.

Next I'm doing a quick review on the Professional Trio in Blue Babe.



This contains three shades and also retails for £2.50: A pale gold (similar to Mac Vanilla), medium sky blue and a dark blue with a hint of violet. The packaging looks a little cool on this as there's a button that you push to open up the lid. That may malfunction after a while, but for now, I'll stick with making spaceship door opener noises each time I hit the button. Again, the black portion of the casing is sturdy. My only complaint is that as these little eyeshadows are domed are sit up on top of the packaging, so you get A LOT of dust everywhere, and not just in the pan. As it's flat, it just slips off onto your desk or wherever you have the trio sitting. Bit annoying, but not a deal breaker.



Top is natural light and the bottom is flash. The gold has a lovely ever-so-slight blue lean which compliments the other shades beautifully. I am really impressed with the pigmentation on this and definitely want some other colors!

Funny story, this was an accidental purchase as Robyn meant to get me the green one but got me the blue instead! Oh well, it actually turned out to be a great little purchase and I'm happy to have it.

Now for my FOTD using the trio and the blusher:

FACE:
- Cover Girl Tinted Moisturizer in Fair to Light
- Maybelline Superstay Concealer in Cream
- Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer in Ivory
- Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium
- MUA Mosaic Blusher in English Rose

EYES:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-MUA Pro Trio in Blue Babe
- Maybelline One by One mascara (black)

LIPS:
- Mac Lipglass in Nymphette






I snapped a quick photo of my outfit of the day, as well, as a lot of you seem to like that!


Dress is Converse brand from Target (early spring 2011)
Yellow belt was off of a dress from Kohl's (and is now too big, hence the looping, ugh)
Shoes are Sahara brand from Rack Room Shoes

Hope you enjoyed this mega random post!

Friday, August 19, 2011

MUA Pro: Dusk 'til Dawn Palette Review + FOTD

Are you excited? You should be.


Did you squee when you saw the colors? No? Only me? Sigh.


I love the combination of neutral with the pops of gold, blue and purple. Really pretty.

The MUA Pro line is a new line through the Make Up Academy. Yes, these are the guys who did the £1 amazing makeup range. It's available at Superdrug stores (certain locations) and online at Superdrug.com. These palettes retail for £4.00, which is about $6.50-$7.00 in USD.

For around $7, you get 12 individual shades of eyeshadow encased in a decently sturdy plastic case. I wouldn't say it would last a nuclear strike, but it's got a decent weight to it without feeling overly cheap or flimsy. It's similar to the packaging Wet n Wild uses on their 8 pans.

Ready for swatches? This is on lightly primer-ed skin with TSFI.




Nice, huh? That dark blue is INSANE.

For good measure, one in natural light of the whole palette and one with flash:



Pigmentation on this palette is fanfreakingtastic, what can I say? The texture of the shadows is very smooth and silky, not chalky in the least. The formula is similar to the eyeshadow singles, but they're a little easier to control, whereas the singles can be almost TOO pigmented at times. A few had a slightly sticky feel to them, like the blacks that pop up in the Sleek palettes sometimes. It didn't affect performance, just felt a little odd.

Overall, approved for purchase. What else can I say about a palette that has a teal AND a beautiful taupe? By the way, hint hint, I may or may not suspect some dupes in this palette ;-) Stay tuned.

I'm really liking the FOTD that I came up with for this. It's much more teal in person (the flash washes it out unfortunately) but I think this might be one of my favorites in a long time. I'm going to see Journey and Foreigner tonight so I'm going to add some iridescent glitter all over the lid before I leave ;-).

I used the following colors:


FACE:
- Cover Girl Tinted Moisturizer in Fair to Light
- Maybelline Superstay Concealer in Cream
- Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer in Ivory
- Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium
- Mac MSF in Semi Precious Crystal Pink

EYES:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-MUA Pro Palette in Dusk 'Til Dawn
- Mac Pearlglide liner in Petrol Blue
- Sephora Flashy Liner in Blue (lower waterline)
- Maybelline One by One mascara (Black)

LIPS:
- Mac Viva Glam Gaga I 
- Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in Lilac Petal







Scratch that, I hate these photos. It's so much more teal IRL. BAHHHH.