Does anyone else own a lipstick they have a serious love/hate relationship with?
I do and that lipstick for me is MAC's Chili {matte}. It's a stunning deep brick red. I've talked about it briefly in my MAC lipstick collection post. The color is perfect for Fall but the downfall is that being a brick red it has yellow/brown undertones. If like me, you don't possess a pearly white smile it can cause your teeth to look worse than they actually are. Even though it looks great on when I have my mouth closed I must say while wearing it throughout my day I feel extremely self conscious about how it makes my teeth and overall smile appear. Albeit a beautiful color, brick reds aren't for me. No one wants to walk around all day scared to smile at people for fear of their yellow teeth, makeup is supposed to build confidence not tear it down. I wish I had those perfect pearly teeth but unfortunately that's not the case and there are so many blue toned reds that are just as gorgeous but give the appearance of a whiter smile.
What lipstick do you have a love/hate relationship with?
I adore fall and winter. The season where dark vampy lips are always an acceptable choice.
Of course looking at the above photos it's obvious I'm all about my reds opposed to the ever popular berry shades.
These are my most worn lipsticks this time of year although it doesn't really look like it, I promise you they are. I just own a ridiculous amount of lip products.
Three of them happen to be from the Rimmel Kate Moss range of lipsticks, two of which are in the matte formula.
{left to right: Kate Moss Shade 10, Kate Moss Matte 107, Kate Moss Matte 111, MAC Russian Red, Lancome Red Stiletto}
Kate Moss Shade 10 - A perfect red. While not completely matte I wouldn't say it's creamy either. I'd call this more of a semi matte finish. I've been wearing this one quite a lot in the past couple of weeks. The great thing about the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks is how extremely affordable they are, retailing at about $6.99 CAD.
107 - If you haven't seen this particular color splashed across various beauty blogs, where have you been? Of course once I saw Zoella in this I had to have it, I adore her! 107 is a stunning dark berry color that is perfect for the fall.
111 - Okay, I know this looks almost identical to shade 10 but this formula is matte and quite honestly I really don't need both but I love them both and will continue to use each of them.
MAC Russian Red - I've talked about this particular lipstick more than enough on my blog. I love it, it's by far one of my favorites in my collection.
Lancome Red Stiletto - This is the creamiest one in the bunch and again is just that perfect holiday red. I'll be honest and say this is the bottom of my top 5 mostly because I prefer a matte finish.
What's your favorite color to sport during Fall and Winter?
MAC, the brand that seems to have taken a back seat over the years. I remember everyone was all about the MAC products and there were people who would verbally attack you god forbid you said anything poor about them.
I do think that now there are so many other amazing brands out there pumping out wonderfully innovative products at cheaper or similar price points as MAC which is why I believe they're not as popular as they once were.
For me, I still adore the MAC lipsticks and their MSF natural powder in Light Plus. Anyone with dry skin knows that powders can be a scary game.
This is the only powder I've tried thus far that doesn't cake or cling to those pesky dry patches. I use it as a setting powder just lightly dusted over my foundation and no matter what foundation I'm using at the time I've never had any issues. The best part it doesn't dry my skin out at all which is something I've never found in any other powder.
I'm still open to trying other powders but for now I must say MAC you have truly wowed me with this.
MAC's lipstick in Patisserie (Lustre Finish) is the perfect every day nude.
It's a sheer finish that glide effortlessly onto the lips leaving you with a my lips but better color. It does contain tiny flecks of shimmer which create a glossier look on the lips which isn't something I normally go for. Being a neutral nude it pairs well with almost any makeup look you create. If you're looking for something for an every day lip that's light and easy to apply Patisserie is a great option!
MAC's Velvet Teddy, one of the most popular and hyped lipsticks of all time. Thanks in part to Kylie Jenner and her 90's lip.
This had been on my to buy list for a long time before I finally caved in and purchased it.
On a lot of people the swatches I'd seen leaned much more towards the brown spectrum in terms of color but on me it leans very pink.
In terms of application this is the creamiest matte texture I've ever felt but that only lasts a few minutes then it dries down to an extremely matte finish and can leave the lips parched so I highly recommend applying a balm underneath.
This is quite perfectly my definition of a perfect nude. Great pigmentation (always expected from MAC) amazing lasting power and although not cheap, it's not as expensive as the likes of YSL and other luxury brands.
If you are still searching for your holy grail nude I highly recommend checking this out.
Hello loves! I found this tag over on Jessie's blog and although I don't have the largest blush collection I still thought it would be fun to give it a go! If you do this tag, be sure to leave me a link in the comments!
What color blush suits you the most?
Pale pinks as I'm extremely fair skinned. Any dark or strongly pigmented blushes will make me look like a clown so I have to be very light handed when applying.
Pressed, cream or loose blush?
I've used only one cream blush before and I've never tried a loose blush so pressed it is for me. The cream blush I used I just didn't like the way it applied and I found it hard to blend out. I find pressed blushes are easy and quick to use making them ideal for everyday. I'd love to try out a loose blush so if anyone has any recommendations please leave them in the comments.
Favourite shimmery blush?
NARS Deep throat. It has a lovely subtle golden shimmer to it unlike some other shimmery blushes which are full of chunky glitter.
Favourite matte blush?
Benefit's Dandelion. Like I said above those pale, subtle pinks are fantastic when it comes to ghostly complexions like mine. This is buildable as well if you want a more pigmented look.
Favourite cream blush?
I've only tried one, it was in the Too Faced Natural Face palette. I found it hard to blend and strongly disliked how it applied to the skin. I would be open to trying more as I don't think you can form an opinion on something after only trying one formula when there are so many other different brands with different formulas.
Favourite drug store blush?
Come to think about it...I've never tried a drug store blush! I know what I'll be picking up next time I'm in the drug store!
Favourite MAC blush?
Again, I've only tried one and it was their mineralized blush in the shade "Dainty" which I do really enjoy.
Biggest blush disappointment?
The cream one from the Too Faced Natural Face Palette.
Best blush packaging?
Out of the ones I own I'd say my Nars cheek palette. Its beautifully designed on the outside and is nice and sturdy and houses a large mirror inside. It's great for traveling.
What's on your blush wish list?
I'm dying to try the Tarte Amazonian clay blushes as I've heard absolutely nothing but good things about them!
Holy grail blush?
At the moment with the little amount of blushes I've tried it would have to be Benefit's Dandelion. I'm keen to try more out though so leave me recommendations in the comments!
♥
Bri
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{left to right - Velvet Teddy, Russian Red, Melted Peony, Lolita & Soft Lilac}
MAC Velvet Teddy - Velvet Teddy is as perfect as they all say. A fantastic brown toned nude that works for every look! I don't find Velvet Teddy to be as drying as other matte lipsticks either making it quite comfortable to wear during the day.
Russian Red - Unlike Velvet Teddy although they are both in MAC's matte range, Russian Red is very drying on the lips. I recommend exfoliating and applying lip balm before applying this. Russian Red is completely opaque with one application and lasts well over 5 hours if you stray from greasy foods or excessive drinks. I love dark reds and this is by far my favorite. I wear this year round, who said dark colors were only for fall/winter?
Too Faced Melted Peony - If you read my blog regularly you'll know I prefer a matte finish to a glossy finish. This is my exception, it doesn't dry completely matte but it's not glossy on the lips, it's more of satin finish I'd say. A lovely light pink, you'll be seeing this on my lips a lot this spring!
Kat Von D Lolita - I recently wrote a post on this - here. I've been wearing this constantly the past couple of weeks.
ABH Soft Lilac - This looks surprisingly different on different skin tones. I'm ghostly pale so this looks much darker on my lips then the soft toned lavender it appears on others. There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings on ABH's liquid lipstick formula and even though I've only tried one, I love it! I can only fault the formula in the sense that it's not transfer proof. I've yet to find a liquid lipstick formula that doesn't transfer so it's not a negative for me.
I've been wanting a YSL lipstick for a long time, so I may have to pick one up the next time I'm at Sephora.
What are your top 5 high end lipsticks?
♥
Bri
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Winter seems to be never ending in Alberta. The sun peeks out for a day but the temperatures stay frigid and the snow just keeps coming.
Colder weather means we generally wear heavier makeup. The MAC Studio Finish Concealer is a lightweight, high coverage concealer.
Dry skin does not tend to bode well with pot concealers, they're a little thicker in consistency than I like but I didn't get on too bad with this one. I like that this has an SPF of 35 because who doesn't appreciate sun protection, especially come the summer months. A little of this goes a long way so it's well worth the price tag. I was scared to pick this up when I saw the words natural matte finish as I tend to run from anything that's matte.
It blends out nicely and evenly on the skin. I use my fingers to blend it in because I find the warmth from my fingers helps warm the product up making it blend easier. I find it too thick to blend with a traditional brush.
I was amazed to find this didn't leave me with a cakey finish as many pot concealers do nor did it cling to dry patches. It created a lovely natural finish while evening out my skin tone as I do have a bit of redness. I will say it did crease a little on the under eyes but I think it was just too thick in formula for the under eye area so I wasn't too surprised.
It's not my holy grail but it wasn't a bad product. Personally, I prefer liquid concealers. I like the finish they leave better and how you can also use them to highlight your under eyes. I don't think I'll be purchasing any more pot concealers as they just weren't for me.
What\s your favorite concealer and finish?
♥
Bri
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Christmas is lurking right around the corner and I just finished my shopping, thank goodness. The earlier the better I say!
With the holidays looming ever so near I thought why not review a Holiday oriented collection. I won't lie to you guys, as much of a frivolous spender as I may be this year has been much tighter on funds meaning I've been trying very hard to keep my eyes and wallet away from any new Holiday releases.
A girl and I at work got into a conversation about makeup (lipstick, mostly) which led her to mention that she just picked up MAC's Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lipstick set which includes four nude lipsticks {Kinda Sexy, Nouvelle Vogue, Creme Cup & Whirl}
She decided she only liked Creme Cup so ended up gifting the other three to me. What an incredibly sweet gesture that of course I was very thankful for.
{left to right: Kinda Sexy, Nouvelle Vogue, Whirl}
Kinda Sexy has brown and pink undertones. Nouvelle Vogue is more on the pink side of things where as Whirl (a popular shade thanks to Kylie Jenner) is much darker than both and quite brown toned.
Swatches {left to right: Nouvelle Vogue, Kinda Sexy & Whirl}
Nouvelle Vogue: A dark pink with a hint of plum in a matte finish. This wore well and wasn't overly drying. The colour is nice for everyday as it's a subtle dark pink so if you're looking for something more noticeable for the office but not over the top this would be a good choice. Suited me well and I'm very fair but I could picture it working on a wide range of skin tones.
Kinda Sexy: This shade didn't mesh with my skin tone at all, it looked awful to be honest. It's a matte finish and is a pink/brown almost coral looking nude.It seems that any lipstick with a hint of coral in it doesn't suit me as much as I wish I could pull it off I will be giving this to someone else. Great colour pay off but found it to be a tad more drying on the lips than Nouvelle Vouge.
Whirl: Usually browns don't suit me but I loved Whirl more than any of them. Of course like the other two it's a matte finish. It's a dark brown nude and is perfect for Fall & Winter. I'd heard so much hype surrounding this colour and now I know why. Beautiful Colo that goes on opaque in one swipe. It does create a very dry finish however so be sure to prep lips with a sugar scrub and some balm before application. I didn't have high hopes for me pulling this off but it looked surprisingly gorgeous against my pale skin. Whirl will be getting good use this winter.
I have a vast collection of MAC's lipsticks in an array of finishes but I'd never tried these and the matte finish is my absolute favorite so a big thank-you to Barb from work, I love them and they went to a good home. Kinda Sexy was a flop for me sadly but my little sister is all into the makeup at the moment so I'll pass it off to her.
It's described as a warm antique gold. I find this shade a lot more brown toned than gold. When swatched though the gold reflex is much more noticeable.
This has become one of my all time favorite single shadows.
It's perfect for everyday as it can create a gorgeous wash of color on the lids with minimal effort. Being a shimmer shadow it adds extra dimension making it look like your eye makeup for the day was a lot more complicated than it was.
I wore only this on my eyes yesterday all over my lid blended into my crease and lower lash line and although it was just one shadow it looked like multiple tones of browns and golds blended together.
For those days (if you're like me, that is) where you just want to lounge around in bed for those extra few minutes or...half hour this is great as you can easily blend it out and be out the door in only a few minutes.
What more could you ask for?
What are your favorite single shadows?
♥
Bri
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I included all my lip products in this and I had 65....oops. I might have a light obsession.
2. What was the first lipstick you owned?
My first lipstick was either Enchantress by COVERGIRL which is a shimmery barbie pink, very bright or Hot Passion, also by COVERGIRL which is a bold blue toned red. I think I might have picked these up at the same time actually but I was in about grade eleven when I purchased these. I was a little late to the makeup party.
3. What is your favourite lipstick brand?
I love to try new lip products, be it a lipstick, liquid lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss so on and so forth. I don't have a favorite brand so I will give you the brands I have the most products from for both high end and low end. MAC lipsticks are a large portion of my collection, I wouldn't say MAC is super luxurious but they aren't exactly cheap either. The Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipsticks by Rimmel are my most purchased drugstore lipsticks and for good reason. These are $6.99 CAD and are amazing! If you've never had one I would highly suggest purchasing one.
4. What is your most worn lipstick?
This is going to sound so OCD, but because I own so many lipsticks I go through a rotation to try and get use out of all of them. It irks me when people have mountains of products and 90% of them sit there unused for years. What is the point of having so much if you can't even use it?
5. What is your favourite finish?
Matte, hands down. I'd say 95% of my lipsticks are matte or semi-matte.
6. What was the last lipstick you bought?
font-family: inherit;">The last lipstick I purchased was a Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Outlaw, a very bold red. If you hadn't noticed yet I really love reds. ♥
7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?
Just one... wait just one? You guys this is a miracle I never have only one product in my bag and believe it or not it's not a lipstick of any sorts it's my holy grail lip balm the Blistex Lip Medex.
8. What is your favourite red lip colour?
This is not an easy one for me to answer. I'd say my favorite red that I own is MAC's Russian Red. It's stunning, it reminds me of an old classic Hollywood lip. Absolutely love this. A red I'm coveting is Jeffree Stars Velour liquid lipstick in the shade "Red Rum" *heart eyes*
9. How do you store your lipsticks?
They are stored in a three drawer bin. They actually all fit in one drawer though.
10. Which lipsticks are you currently lusting after?
I'm lusting after various shades of the Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks, I only own one but his colors and the formula are perfect. Even though I've heard so many mixed reviews I would like to try Candy K by Kylie Cosmetics.
Let me know if you do this tag and drop it down below because I'd love to read them!
MAC's Mineralize Concealer is fantastic for summer as it's more of a sheer coverage and feels light on the skin. It can be built up but I find if you layer it too much it creases quite easily and settles into fine lines. It's a brightening concealer so could be used as a highlight as well if you're the type of person who likes a more subtle highlight. I use it to brighten my under eyes but if you have dark circles because this is such a sheer and natural finish it will not cover them so this is not the concealer for you if you are looking for full coverage.
This is not a thick textured product it's a very light texture and it blends beautifully. The bottom photo is the concealer blended in to my hand and as you can see like I said above it's an extremely natural finish with very sheer coverage but enough to even out the skin and cover minor blemishes, works great for a no makeup makeup look.
It's meant to be a hydrating concealer, I wouldn't say it's necessarily hydrating but it's certainly not drying and it does feel a tiny bit moisturizing as you blend it in but that feeling disappears rather fast.
For longevity this lasted all day with no signs of patchiness.
This is one of my go to concealers for good reason. I don't have bad skin at all aside from the dryness so I don't require a heavy concealer for day to day looks.
Pokemon, a collection inspired by the Trolls, what else?
I'm not complaining by any means, as a 90's kid I am loving this!
MAC's Good Luck Trolls collection is of course inspired by the crazy, colorful toys we all loved, the Troll dolls.
I picked up two eye shadows from the collection; Atlantic Blue and Sun's Out, Buns Out. I adore the vibrant purple packaging and the cute troll imprint in the shadow. They nailed the packaging of this collection!
Atlantic Blue - A matte Cobalt blue. AS with all MAC shadows this is extremely pigmented. I had to use a very light hand with this, not only is it super pigmented but because its matte it doesn't blend all that well. I had quite a difficult time trying to build it up and blend it out when using it. I love this color though. This is part of MAC's permanent collection.
Sun's Out, Bun's Out - A yellow gold with pearl shimmer, this is MAC's veluxe pearl finish. It applied smoothly on the eyes and was very easy to blend out. It's limited edition and I'm glad I picked it up as it's a very versatile shade. On my skin tone it pulled very yellow.
This was the look I wore today, using Atlantic Blue in the outer corner and on the lower lash line, blended a little into the crease with Sun's Out, Bun's Out on my lid. I had a very hard time trying to get Atlantic Blue blended but Suns Out Buns Out applied so smooth and even. To build it up I just pat it on top of my base layer not that there was much building up to do as the color was already ace. The shadows didn't crease until about ten minutes to the end of my eight hour workday which is a fairly long wear time and the creasing was minimal.
Loving this collection everything about it screams throwback and fun to me!
Who else loves snooping at other people's collections? I know I do so I wanted to share my MAC lipstick collection. I know liquid lipsticks are all the rage right now but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for my MAC lipsticks because the formulas and color range MAC has to offer is amazing and I've already bought so many that I can't neglect them all for the latest, greatest craze!
Patesserie: A MLBB (my lips but better) shade. The swatch looks much darker than the actual product looks on the lips. I wish I would have swatched this in store instead of purchasing it online because I love a bold lip and if I do a nude lip I generally lean towards a matte finish. Patesserie is a Lustre finish which isn't my cup of tea but I will use it up.
Shy Girl: A Creemsheen finish. For me the Creemsheen and Satin finishes MAC offers just look horrible on my lips. They accentuate all the cracks and dry patches to be found even with a balm underneath. It's extremely disappointing because I really love Shy Girl along with other Creemsheens and satin finishes I own so I wish I could get it to work. It's got a very coral tone to it and I love it for summer!
Peachstock: A satin finish, another one that loves to bring out the dryness in my lips. Love this shade, such a great nude. When I first tried to find this everywhere I looked online said it was a Pro product but MAC has added it to their permanent line which I was ecstatic about because I'd been lusting after this shade for a long time.
Velvet Teddy: A matte that everyone raves about thanks to the ever popular Kylie Jenner. This pulls fairly brown on my lips but I love it like I said above if I go nude its matte 90% of the time. I most likely will repurchase this color when it's finished, although with my ever expanding lip product collection it could take a while...haha.
Myth: Another satin finish. It's a VERY pale nude, the only reason I find I'm able to pull this off is that it pulls pink on my lips so I don't have concealer lips that make me look dead but I do think it's a hard shade to make not look like concealer. I've used Myth to tone down other more vibrant lipsticks so it's great for that as well!
Fusion Pink: An Amplified finish. All the Amplified finishes are extremely bright and vibrant which is why I love them. This shade on me doesn't look like it does swatched on my arm it actually doesn't look great at all on me so I don't wear it often.
Vegas Volt: Another Amplified, I LOVE this shade for summer and spring. It is a bright coral almost leaning pink-orange but perfect for summer. I don't think there's a shade that I own that is more perfect for this time of year. I really haven't got much use out of this as I bought in winter and just haven't had an opportunity to wear it but it's about to be my number one.
Pervette: A glaze. This one is not my favorite and barely gets used. I bought this online and didn't realize that it was a sheer wash of color.
Impassioned: Amplified finish. I like this color but people with any hint of yellow in their teeth, beware. It will make them look ten times more yellow which for me is unfortunate because I don't have the whitest teeth and I do really love this color so that ones a big letdown for me.
Speed Dial: Creemsheen finish. A really pretty pink swatches darker than it is. On the lips its a light wash of pink not a MLBB shade but not extremely in your face either.
Heroine: A matte finish, my favorite! Purple is a interesting color for me I lean towards the dark more vampy shades of purple like this. I recently purchased this and LOVE it. So gorgeous and I think this would look amazing on a variety of skin tones!
Rihanna Viva Glam: This one was LE I believe and the tube packaging on this of course is red with Rihanna's signature on the inside of it. It's a gorgeous blue toned red with a hint of shimmer as it's a frost finish. Glad I got my hands on this one.
Chili: A brown toned matte red, again for my ladies with hints of yellow BEWARE this one is worse than Impassioned for that. I regret buying this, I wish it worked for me as I do like the shade but I cannot make it work it pulls way too brown.
Last but not least.....
Russian Red: This baby is my all time favorite MAC shade that I've owned. Such a lovely old looking Hollywood Red. Makes any look ten times more glamorous and the matte finish is perfect. I don't know if a better red exists in my book. I am in love with this lipstick.
That's my collection! I made a Youtube video as well if you want to check it out!
I love using stipple brushes to apply foundation however I still don't have the greatest grasp on the stipple technique but I still wanted to compare these brushes as the ELF brush is said to dupe MAC's.
From the above photo you can see a clear difference in size, the MAC one is larger although the size of the actual brush head looks about the same. I prefer the look of the MAC brush over the ELF because the silver on the handle gives it a much more polished look but that's about all I like about MACS stipple brush. These were freshly washed and I could not for the life of me get the MAC one back to it's pristine white bristles. While washing my 187 it shed like no other brush I've ever owned! You can see in the photo below that the bristles on my 187 are sticking out everywhere where as the elf stipple brush stayed in great shape after being washed nor did it shed a single hair. When paying over fifty dollars for a brush you expect it not to shed everywhere.
See that little black hair on my face, that's from the side of my face that I used the 187 to apply foundation with. Needless to say I'm not impressed as MAC is known to have amazing brushes. When my six dollar stipple brush performs better than a fifty dollar brush I am left questioning why I wasted my money?
In terms of performance they both performed well although like I previously stated the ELF brush did not shed a single hair while buffing in my foundation where as the MAC shed not only one but many others! It's quite annoying having to pick off tiny little hairs off your face after you apply your makeup. If you want a good stipple brush don't splash out money on the MAC one because the ELF one is much better in terms of quality and price.
