Tag Archives: MAC

What’s On My Face – Volume 30

January 14, 2015Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Bite Beauty, Bourjois, Cailyn, CoverGirl, essence, Hourglass, INGLOT, Joe Fresh, Kat Von D, Laura Mercier, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Morphe, Naked Cosmetics, NYC, Tarte, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

A lot more bright looks in this lot which I’m super happy about. If you notice an increase in quality of some of the pictures, it’s because I picked up an actual DSLR in December instead of using my old point and shoot camera. The reason I say “some of the pictures” is that on some days I unfortunately only have the opportunity to use my phone’s camera at work in the bathroom and the lighting is really, really unfortunate on those. Ah well.

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My New Year’s Eve makeup look. Surprisingly, I didn’t go all out of with glitter, but I’ve really been enjoying the look of a bit of the rainbow silver glitter on the lower lash line.

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Eyes

Inglot Matte 334 all over the lid.
Inglot Matte 325 on the outer third.
Urban Decay Blackout in the outer v.
Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.
Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the purple/blue reflected pigment on the inner tearduct.

I applied Make Up For Ever‘s Glitter 13 to the lower lash line, then tightlined my upper and lower waterlines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. For the upper lash line, I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper. On my lashes is Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hourglass Diffused Heat
Lips: Too Faced Melted Violet with Cailyn lipgloss in Basic Instinct on top

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Holy crap. Why do I even hesitate on ordering Makeup Geek products? I held off getting one of the foiled shadows because I’ve kind of been going off shiny eyeshadow. But then I bought Flamethrower on a whim and… I’m in love. And I’ve now placed an order for the entire MUG foiled line. This stuff is insane. Pictures and telling you about how wonderful it is just won’t do the product justice – you need to buy this for yourself to experience the amazingness.

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Flamethrower all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the browbone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52
Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Warm Soul
Lips: MAC Mystical

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I did this for a guest posting on Writing Whimsy, but wanted it on here for my own records. I used the Morphe 36 Glam palette and I had a beast of a time applying these shades. While they do look lovely, they would blend away to nothing at all so I would highly recommend using several primers, particularly one with a sticky base to help get these shadows to adhere to the lids.

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Since the Morphe shades aren’t named, please use the guide below to figure out which colours go where:

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Eyes

Teal on the inner half of the lid.
Blue on the outer half of the lid.
Purple through the crease and used to line the lower lashline.
Light pink at the top of the crease to lightly blend out the purple.
Pale peach to highlight the brow.
Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack in the green reflect shade on the inner tearduct.

I used Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper to create the winged liner and applied Benefit’sThey’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Dollface
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish
Lips: essence Wear Berries!

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I picked up the Laura Mercier Artist palette for Eyes and Cheeks during the Sephora November VIB sale, but I haven’t played around with it much. I love the quality of the shadows, but they’re pretty bizarre colours (for me) so I don’t find myself reaching for it that often.

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

Crystal Beige on the lid.
Cashmere in the crease.
Stone Taupe in the outer corner.
Morning Dew on the brow bone.

I used Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing and applied Benefit They’re Real mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory
Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
Lips: Too Faced Melted Ruby

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Playing around with some of my older limited edition MAC products.

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Eyes

MAC Blue Sorcery (applied damp) all over the lid.
MAC Moonlight Night pigment on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup Geek Creme Brulee through the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.
The silver glitter from the MAC Blue Sorcery duo was applied to my inner corner.

On my lashes is Benefit They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Cheeks: Tarte Exposed
Lips: Bite Beauty Retsina

Shopping My Stash for Marsala

January 12, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesColour of the Year, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYX, PantoneChelle

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I don’t know who decided they were in officially in charge, but every year Pantone picks a colour of the year. Sometimes it seems to follow trends, and sometimes it seems totally offbase. (Where the hell did Radiant Orchid (2014) come from anyway? I mean really.) This year we got blessed (lol) with Marsala.

Introducing MARSALA Pantone 18-1438. A naturally robust and earthy wine red, Marsala enriches our minds, bodies and souls.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not the colour of any red wine I drink. This is more of a lazy brick colour. Too much of the brown, not enough of the red. I guess we have Kylie Jenner to thank for this colour.

Leaving out my opinions regarding the Kardashians seemingly influencing this colour of the year, I have to say it’s not bad. It’s an unexciting shade, but it’s very, very workable. I know none of us truly care about the colour of the year, as it certainly won’t be impacting anyone’s makeup or clothes after the month of January, but I wanted to see what the hell I had in my stash that would come close to this colour.

MAC Mystical lipstick and NYX Spongecake gloss

First up are the lip products. MAC‘s Mystical was from this past year’s summer collection and it was about the only lipstick shade I had that fit into the Marsala zone. More of a pink tinge on this one, but it makes it infinitely more wearable on my skin.

NYX‘s Spongecake surprised me. I’d never think of this guy as even remotely brick-coloured, but when I compare it to the Marsala swatch above, it comes out surprisingly close. More orange-toned, for sure, but still in the “zone”.

Unfortunately Mystical was a limited edition item but Spongecake is a year ’round drugstore item for those who have NYX available to them.

This blush is such an odd one to me. MAC‘s Sea Me, Hear Me (yet again, limited edition) looks pinky-er in the pan, orangey-er on my skin and yet somehow still appears “more Marsala” than anything else I owned.

Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahogany

My favourites of the bunch are the eyeshadows. I’m really hoping that people learn to experiment with eyeshadow more and embrace reds, or even just brick reds, on their lids. Red eyeshadow, or any shadow in that family, has a very special place in my heart: It can be a flattering colour or an incredibly loud one depending on how you pair it.

l-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mal-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahoganyhogany — l-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahogany

Makeup Geek‘s Bitten is a longstanding favourite of mine and a must-have shade from the brand. I think it fits best with the Marsala theme out of anything I own, so at least I can feel trendy while wearing it.

L’Oreal‘s Infallible in Golden Mahogany is slightly more electrifying however. It definitely adds far more red into the mix, and coupled with that shine, it’s a stunner.

So while I’m not jumping for joy about a colour of the year, I am interested to play around with the colour and see what combinations work out best for me. I hadn’t done it intentionally, but when I look at the blue of the Alluring Aquatics collection mixed with the colour of marsala, I’m thinking I could really work with those together.

How about you? Is this something that interests you? Have you got products that fit into the colour of the year theme?

Use Up 2014: Conclusion

January 7, 2015Makeup, ReviewsCoverGirl, Jack Black, MAC, Physicians Formula, RevlonChelle

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In 2014 I decided I’d try to finish up 14 products I liked, but didn’t love (and had no intentions of repurchasing). The “project” was just a way to move items out of my collection that were good, but not stellar.

So…. I *had* two foundations: The MUA Matte foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand and theCoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory. But then, without thinking, I threw out the MUA foundation in disgust because it was turning my face into a greasepit. No thanks. No need for that amount of oil on my face thanks.

CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory – FINISHED!

Next was the CoverGirl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 (CC Cream) in 110 Classic Ivory. This was an interesting one. I used it often but never fell in love with it. It was perfectly adequate: it evened out my skin and it always seemed to match me during transition seasons. It was easy to use, but it would occasionally make my face itch. Now, that may just be a by-product of me not enjoying foundation at all, but who knows.

In summary, it’s an inoffensive foundation that did its job but that I wouldn’t repurchase.

And yep, I finished it! This was an eleventh hour product – I got my last squirt out of this bottle on December 30th! I’m happy to pitch a foundation from my collection as they always seem interminable and take up an awful lot of space.

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Natural Mint

Jack Black‘s Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Natural Mint has been a longtime love ofTemptalia, a blog I have read daily for what feels like an eternity. There was an uproar in 2012 when it was discovered that Jack Black hadn’t been publishing all their active ingredients on their products and many people felt they had been mislead by the brand. While I was never truly bothered about the ingredients in my products, I didn’t like the shadiness that Jack Black seemed to exude with their products ingredients. (That link above is an interesting read if you’re curious about the situation.)

ANYWAY. I got a tube, and found it rather bland. It’s not any different than flavoured vaseline and for me it just didn’t do a whole lot. Great for windburn outside during the winter, sure, but anything else? Meh. I finished it up in the first half of 2014 and was happy to see it go!

MAC Strawberry Malt lipglass – 70% finished

MAC‘s Strawberry Malt lipglass was a “had to have” for me when the Archie’s Girls collection came out. However it didn’t work out that great for me: The colour would bleed outside my lip lines and it disappeared faster than most lipglasses I had ever had from MAC. I also found myself going off lipglosses completely in 2014 so it was just time to get rid of this one.

In the end, I didn’t finish it. I used it fairly often, but it wasn’t enough to use up the tube. In the last month or so, the scent of the product has gone off a bit so I’m just going to call it quits and Back 2 MAC the product.

I’ve already re-purposed one of the pans, but here are the remanents. I was happy to use up four MAC singles, and I’m soooo happy to put Swish to rest. No one needs a frosty pink eyeshadow in their early thirties…

Physicians Formula Bronzer Booster – DEFINITELY NOT FINISHED! /raaaage

Ughhhh this thing. Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium was supposed to be an easy product to finish. In years gone by, I’ve been able to use up a bronze in about 6-9 months with daily use. This thing went NOWHERE. I used it for probably two months straight at the start of the year and I got so frustrated with seeing so little movement downwards on the pan that I just gave up and switched to something else. I don’t know what the hell this thing is made out of, but good GOD.

And there it is in all its unused glory. You can see the slightest of indentations in the middle of the product, but you never would’ve known I used it for two months without fail. I’m actually so irritated with it, that I don’t reach for it at all anymore. 😐

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in Twilight

As Revlon‘s Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm is an opaque product, I really have no progress pictures to show you. I used it consistently throughout 2014 and it eventually dried up/got used up around November. Twilight was a beautiful colour, but I’m kind of over this one.

Revlon Sunset Peach – 90% done – calling it quits

Another lipgloss to move on out of my collection. Revlon‘s Sunset Peach gloss was easy to use in the summer because it seemed to go with everything. The formula is nice, the colour is nice, but I’m just not a lipgloss person anymore. (Plus, I think these are now discontinued.)

It’s mostly done, really. I’m scrapping the sides at this point and I’m over it. That’s been my theme for 2014: So Over Lipgloss.

Revlon Lip Butters – 2 out of 3 finished!

Cherry Tarte was the first one to get finished early on in the year and it was definitely my favourite out of the three of them. I often wore Creamsicle over top of Red Velvet, but in the end I finished up Creamsicle but not Red Velvet. I’m still kicking Red Velvet to the curb though because it’s too slippery for a lip colour for my tastes. (Actually, what I really did was take a Kleenex and smash up the Red Velvet bullet – man was that ever fun!)

And that was it for Use Up 2014. The only thing I’m keeping out of the remaining products that didn’t get finished is the bronzer, all the rest of them have been happily dumped into the garbage! I’m glad I gave these products another year to prove their worth, but a lot of them I just felt like “meh, over it” by the end of the year.

I’ll be doing this again for 2015, but I’m bringing it down to 10 products since 14 felt like too much for me this past year. Anyway else taking part in #useup2015? Or some kind of Project Pan?

What’s On My Face – Volume 29

December 29, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Bite Beauty, Boots No7, Bourjois, Cailyn, Estee Lauder, Hourglass, Laura Mercier, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYC, NYX, Revlon, Tarte, Too FacedChelle

A few looks from November I had kicking around (!) on my harddrive, and a few from my recent vacation in Ottawa over the holidays. Enjoy!

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Hnnnnnnnng. I will never tire of Too Faced’s Melted Berry lipstick. I even like matching my eyeshadows to it!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Bleached Blonde all over the lid.
Bitten on the outer half and through the crease.
Vanilla Bean on the browbone.

Mascara: Benefit They’re Real
Liner: Tarte black gel liner

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Dazzled
Lips: Too Faced Melted Berry

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Anything cat-related on the internet and I’m all over it. And when I have an internet cat on my t-shirt? It just gets even better. I grabbed some inspiration from Nyan Cat here and went with it.

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I stuck to the blue and the red since that’s what stands out to me the most in that shirt. Plus I was doing brunch… it certainly didn’t call for a full rainbow!

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Eyes

NYX Asphyxiation all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Razzleberry in the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the top of the crease.
Too Faced White Chocolate on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight

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Playing around with the Laura Mercier Artist Palette for Eyes and Cheeks (2014). I will never not be astounded with the texture of her eyeshadows!

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Eyes
(all Laura Mercier)

Pewter all over the lid.
Deep Night in the outer corner and through the crease.
Cashmere through the top of the crease.
Vanilla Nuts on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Revlon Bronzed & Chic
Blush: Laura Mercier Rosegold Shimmer
Lips: Bite Fig

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20141229_look5-2 No real theme for this one, I was just playing around with Makeup Geek eyeshadows I rarely used and came up with this look.

Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Shimma Shimma all over the lid.
Goddess on the outer half of the lid and lightly through the crease.
Cocoa Bear in the outer corner.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

Liner: Tarte black gel liner
Mascara: Benefit They’re Real

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting in Ethereal
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess
Blush: Tarte Darling

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A quick look that was mostly done just to try out Benefit‘s Push Up Liner (no review forthcoming on it, but my impression of it is pretty much “meh”. It’s okay, but it’s not better than a potted gel liner with a brush.).

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Eyes
(all Too Faced)

Coquet on the inner half of the lid.
Soiree on the outer half.
Cream Colored Ponies on the brow bone.

Liner: Benefit Push Up
Mascara: Urban Decay Perversion

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hourglass Luminous Flush

Five Reds for Winter

December 8, 2014Makeup, SwatchesMAC, NYX, Revlon, Rimmel, Wet n WildChelle

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Winter seems to be the season when everyone busts out a red lip. It was around Christmas (several years ago) when I finally got comfortable wearing red lips and I’ve not looked back. I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourites, with a bit of variety amongst the shades… but rest assured… these are all *red*.

All of the products listed in this post are readily accessible products (none of them are limited edition), so you should be able to find them if there’s something that draws you in.

The red that started it all – MAC‘s famous Russian Red! This was the first red lipstick I picked up, and it’s almost ruined me for all other reds! It’s matte, so it stays put without me having to worry about it too much, which is one of my chief concerns with bright or dark lip colours.

I’m wearing this without a lip liner here, but I usually pair Russian Red with MAC‘s Brick lip pencil to clean up the edges.

And for the softer side of ~~Sears~~ things, if you’re not used to wearing bright colours, here is NYX‘s Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie. Since it’s semi-sheer, it’ll ease you into wearing brighter colours. Half the battle with bright colours is getting used to seeing yourself wearing them. Once you get used to it, you’ll find it’s far less stressful to wear something “different” in public.

This gloss will look good on its own, but it also pairs nicely on top of top of a red lipstick as well. Since it’s a gloss though, it doesn’t have the same lasting power as a lipstick does.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic

While rooting through my reds, I re-discovered Revlon‘s Romantic balm stain. This stuff looks wayyyy better on the lips than I remember it being! It has enought pigment to look like a lipstick, but it’s got a beautiful amount of shine to it as well.

Also slightly sheer, and feels really lovely on the lips. This one is one of the easier reds – you can slap this one on without thinking about it too much.

This one kills me. I picked up Wet n Wild‘s 910D/Red Velvet lipstick on a whim because I thought it was another colour and holy CRAP – this is AMAZING. It’s also a matte shade, and it packs just as much of punch of colour as MAC‘s Russian Red does, although obviously a different shade.

And it’s cheap as chips too! I think it was something ridiculous like $2.

And for those of you who want to make an even bigger impact with your lips, this may do the trick. There’s nothing subtle about Rimmel‘s Apocalips in Big Bang. It’s a liquid lipstick which means you get insane pigmentation with amazing gloss. The glossy bit does die down after an hour or two, but you’ll still be left with beautiful pigmentation.

What’s not to love about that colour!

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Now, since you’re wearing a red lip, you’ve got to be careful. Use a lip primer. Use a lip liner. Check your teeth and corners of your lips whenever you go to the bathroom. (Basically… use any reflective surface to cheek your mouth out, whenever you can.) Use the “put your thumb in your mouth, lock your lips around it and pull out” method to get as much lipstick off the inner ring of your lips. I tend to stick with the “swipe my tongue over my teeth” method, but it doesn’t get always get all of the product off.

When in doubt, mattes are better at staying put than anything remotely glossy. I’ve also had surprisingly good luck with liquid lipsticks too.

The after effects of all that lip swatching. I gotta say, I think I love this mixed up shade the most!