MAC

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color Review and Swatch – Burnt Spice, Lady be Good and Rich & Restless

March 4, 2017

My quest for the perfect matte Liquid Lipstick never ends, and today I am sharing my thoughts on the Mac Retro Matte Liquid Lip Color. The colors I picked include Burnt Spice (from the new collection), Lady be Good and Rich & Restless are from the original collection.

As much as we adore the matte finish at the moment, it is not an easy task to the find a good non-drying formula. It is always a little tricky to tell how they perform when you are trying them at the counter, as some formulas tend to feel more drying and even cracking on the lips over time. I didn’t have a high expectation for the MAC formula as I have heard some negative reviews about them, but surprisingly the retro matte wears comfortably on the lips for a day without drying my lips – for the colors I have picked. It also doesn’t enhance dry patches and flakes on the lips. For the same price range, I prefer the MAC more than Kat Von D (reviewed here) as the consistency is more creamy and less drying for delivering the same full matte opaque finish.

From top to bottom: Lady be Good; Rich & Restless; Burnt Spice

The Retro Matte is also insanely pigmented, as one teeny tiny dab of color is enough for the whole lips to show the true color (I think one tube can last a year of daily wear!). It applies creamy at first and gives you about a minute to blend and define the lips before it dries down to a full matte finish like ink on the lips. In the swatch, I applied it with a lip brush so it looks nice and clean in the picture. In real life, I prefer to apply and smudge it with my fingers to achieve a more subtle and effortless ‘just-kissed’ lips.

Color Swatch

Burnt Spice – a rosy terracotta

Lady Be Good – MLBB peachy beige color. It looks identical to Burnt Spice from the tube, but once applied it is lighter and has a stronger peachy tone than brown.

Rich & Restless – A pretty and bright warm coral color that makes a great statement without looking too bold.

Here is a FOTD selfie I took with my phone wearing Lady Be Good.

Makeup used in the FOTD

Base Makeup – Sisley Double Tenseur Moisturizing Gel (reviewed here)/ YSL CC Cream Lavender (reviewed here) / Tom Ford Traceless Foundation / Chanel Le Blanc Compact Foundation (reviewed here) / Dior Sculpting Stick (reviewed here) / Hourglass Sponge /

Color Makeup – Chanel Blush in Hyperfresh (reviewed here) / By Terry Eye Base Primer / Dior Eyeshadow Palette (reviewed here) / Chanel Le Volume Mascara Waterproof / Lancome Duo Kohl (reviewed here)

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Labels: FOTD • LIPSTICK • MAC

MAC Caitlyn Jenner Review and Swatch – Cremesheen Lipglass Beautifully Bare and Lip Pencil Soar

January 31, 2017

There are a couple of exciting launches from MAC lately that captured my heart, and one of my favorites has to be the MAC Caitlyn Jenner Collection! I picked up two beautiful lip products – the Cremesheen Lipglass in Beautifully Bare and Lip Pencil in Soar that are flattering for everyday use. It seems both her and her daughters have a talent for creating makeup colors that are right on point and you just can’t get enough of them!

The Creamsheen Lipglass comes in a special packaging with a gold cap that makes it look very expensive and glam in real life. It has a lovely non-sticky creamy smooth consistency and goes on semi-opaque in a cream finish (not shimmery and sparkly) with a glass-like shine. The color Beautifully Bare is perfection – deep toned beige color (MLBB) that is slighter darker than the natural color of my own lips. When it is worn alone, it still adds a tint of color to my lips for a pretty and soft finish. Or you can layer it over lipstick or lip liner in a similar tone to bring more color out.

The Lip Pencil Soar in is muted rosey beige color lip liner, and it goes perfectly with Beautifully Bare. I find that the MAC lip pencils from the permanent line to be quite average (much more prefer their pro-lip liners), but this limited edition color glides on much creamier and smoother, and not as chalky and drying.

Swatch of wearing Lip Pencil Soar underneath Beautifully Bare

More swatches and a selfie taken with my phone wearing both colors

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Labels: LIP PENCIL • LIPGLOSS • MAC

Makeup Tutorial – Ombre Peach and Brown Lip Color

October 24, 2016

Hoping everyone had a good weekend. I happened to have some spare time, so I took the opportunity and made a tutorial. I have always been asked by my readers to post more tutorials on the blog, so today I wanted to share my current favorite way of wearing the brown lips. I adore the brown lip color which is trending everywhere now, but if you find that the color is too retro and grown-up for you, then I think mixing it with a soft peach color makes it more pretty and youthful.

Products Used:

MAC Naked Liner / 2. Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Salmon / 3. Kat Von D Lolita (reviewed here) / 4. Hakuhodo Lip Brush (my HG!)

Step by Step Guide

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Labels: BOBBI BROWN • HAKUHODO BRUSH • Kat Von D • MAC • TUTORIAL

MAC Star Trek Trip the Light Fantastic Powder Review and Swatch – Luna Luster

September 23, 2016

I added another new highlighter to my stash. The MAC Star Trek Trip the Light Fantastic Powder is just too good to be missed. There are 3 colors released, and the standout for me is Luna Luster as the color is the closet to my complexion and I know it will look flattering on me. The other two colors appear very bronzey on me.

I am not the biggest fan of Star Trek, but the design of this powder is just too pretty and fancy. It has a marbled multi-color design that looks like the universe, and the powder twinkles at some angles when it catches the light. It contains strips of ivory, peachy pink, and magenta – when all colors are swirled together, it shows up as a peachy pink champagne color but applies pretty much translucent with a brightening effect on my NC15/20.

The texture is not the creamiest, with a slightly gritty feel. However, it applies beautifully on the face without looking powdery nor chalky. It gives an amazing pearly sheen to the face (not frosty/metallic), that actually blends into my skin. The finish is glowy and dewy that gives a visible highlight effect, whilst still looks natural and doesn’t make your face look like a disco ball. I have to say that I am surprised by how good it performs, and the finish of this highlighter is amongst my top 3 given the color works so well for my complexion.

Swatch

Bottom line: Highly recommend!

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Labels: HIGHLIGHTER • MAC

ZOEVA Nude Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatch and FOTD

September 19, 2016

Zoeva is one emerging brand that has got me really interested. Despite their most popular and affordable brushes, their palettes are also phenomenal. The ZOEVA Nude Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette (available here in Australia) is literally all you need for makeup, being a neutral eye shadow lover, I gasped at how beautiful and flattering these neutral and hues are, and they will get me through day and night on a daily basis. For such a big palette, I am surprised that there is not a single shade that I don’t like.

The palette retails for AUD$75, which is equivalent to $5 per eye shadow! The palette is housed in a slim black paper notebook-like case with a frosted feel. It is very modern and sleek, and feels very well made. There is a range of matte, satin, and intense satin (almost bordering metallic) eye shadows in the palette. All of the shades are buttery and silky smooth to apply, and they are so easy to blend (even for the matte shades) without fallout. All shades have good color payoff, with some shades having exceptional intense pigment.

The top and bottom rows each have 2 mattes and 3 shimmers, and the middle row has 1 matte, and 4 shimmers.

The top row has more earthy and subtle sandy shades in different variations.

The middle row has mainly champagne, taupe and bronze.

The bottom row has colors leaning more gold and copper.

I won’t describe each shade in words as there are too many. As usual I make sure my swatch looks like what I see in real life, so hopefully they will give you a better idea. All pictures were taken under neutral day light (not directly in the sun).

Swatch for the top row

Swatch for the second row

Swatch for the third row

Here are some FOTDs I created with this Nude Spectrum Palette. I have been gushing about how much I love brown lips, so I’d thought I’d do a proper FOTD wearing one of my favorites lately – MAC Whirl.

Eye makeup: I used the matte taupe color (3rd color in the first row) in the crease, then layered with peachy champagne color (second color in the second row), and applied the golden shimmer (second color in the third row) along the lash line. The matte ivory (1st eye shadow in the first row) was used on the brow bone.

Other products used in the FOTD

Face: Bobbi Brown Face Base / YSL Serum Foundation (reviewed) / YSL Touch Eclat Compact (reviewed)

Cheeks: Marc Jacobs Beauty Contour Powder 20 (reviewed) / Giorgio Armani Blush 306 (reviewed)

Brows: Tom Ford Brow Kit (also used for nose contouring, reviewed) / BBROWBAR Brow Pen

Lips: MAC Whirl

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • Giorgio Armani • MAC • YSL • ZOEVA

My 6 Best Eye Shadow Blending Brushes

September 11, 2016

I love doing top 5 (or more) picks posts, and today I am sharing some of my ultimate favorite eye shadow blending brushes. If you ask me to pick only a few favorite lip colors, it will be nearly mission impossible, but with brushes it’s a relative easy job as I tend to reach out for these brushes all the time, and I just know that my makeup routine will not be the same without them! They are suitable for all budgets, ranging from the most premium high end such as Suqqu, to the very affordable brand from the rising star Zoeva.

From left to right:

Suqqu M, Chanel Large Tapered Brush #19, Tom Ford Blend Brush, MAC 217, ZOEVA 227, Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush

All of these brushes are of very high quality, even though they are priced differently because of the type and source of bristles, where they were made and the packaging along with the brand name. However in terms of usability, they all stand the test of time and will last you at least 10 years of use. I have had each of them for a very long time, and none of them shed hair, change shape or fall apart.

MAC 217 – Using the MAC 217 as the standard blending brush. Needless for me to say how useful this brush is for eye shadow application, and you can find my detailed review for MAC brushes in this post.

ZOEVA 227 Soft Definer – If you love the MAC 217, you will love this ZOEVA brush made with goat hair which pretty much feels and works the same. The hair softness is similar, with an oval shape, but a tad more flat than 217 which is great for working the color into the crease. I love ZOEVA brushes in general which I have hauled a lot lately – they are affordable with a big selection, and I find that the quality is on par with MAC. Each brush comes in an individual zip bag.

Edwass Bess Luxury Eye Brush (available here in Australia) – This is the star product from his line. I have had this brush for more than 5 years. It boasts the same dome shape as the MAC 217, but slightly larger and feels softer and more dense against the skin. It is a powerful blending brush that gives lots of resilience so it blends eye shadow effortlessly. I normally like to use this brush for applying a neutral color over the entire eye crease area, and it only takes 1 to 2 strokes for the color to distribute evenly and seamlessly.

Tom Ford Eyeshadow Blend Brush (bought here in Australia) – The ultimate luxury eye shadow blending brush you could ever find, as the packaging and the handle feels so luxurious and precious that makes you not want to ever use it! Once you overcome the ‘obstacle’, you will find this is such a practical blending brush. The bristle is made of premium super soft goat hair, and it is all hand made in Japan. It is about the same size as MAC217, but the head is more tapered for a more precise application. It’s particularly great for blending the color just along the crease, and blending multiple colors.

Chanel Large Tapered Blending Brush (exclusive to Chanel.com only) This is best-seller out of the entire Chanel brushes collection. I was actually on the wait list for a while until it became available again. All Chanel brushes have black bristles, except for this exclusive edition with white bristles which makes me adore it even more! It’s made of goat hair, and is made in France. It’s a cute and ‘chubby’ blending brush compared to the MAC 217. The brush head is more rounder and dense with shorter hair, and it picks up lots of pigments which works perfectly with eye shadows that do not have intense color payoff. If you always want a brush that is tad smaller than MAC217, then this is the one to look out for.

SUQQU Brush M – Last but not least, leaving the best at the end. The Suqqu is the crème de la crème, as it has the softest squirrel hair that feels non scratchy even on the most sensitive skin. It is a smaller blending brush (same size as the Chanel) with a tapered end. The ultra fine and silky soft bristles deposit the pigments softly on the skin, so it is the best for applying dark colored eye shadows to create perfect shade gradation, as well as allowing for precise application around the eye corners. I have a post for the entire Suqqu brushes.

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Labels: Beauty Tools • BRUSHES • EDWARD BESS • MAC • My Favorites • SUQQU • Tom Ford • ZOEVA

MAC Gleamtones Powder Dunes at Dusk Vibe Tribe Review and Swatch

June 26, 2016

I have lots of weaknesses – one of the biggest has to be collecting all the beautifully designed highlight powders. I am a big fan of highlighting, and whenever I come across a product that suits my complexion color, I have to own it. Reviewing the latest MAC Gleamtones Powder in Dunes at Dusk (LE) from the Vibe Tribe collection which did take me some effort to acquire, as it is all sold out at major MAC counters in Sydney.

Dunes at Dusk is a multi-color bronzing and highlighting powder in one pan. Love the motif design, and it contains four harmonious block of shades in soft shimmer finish. The texture is better than the permanent MAC powder – it feels more creamy and moist with a velvety touch to it, and it can be easily picked up by a soft bristle brush. All of the colors go on sheer as they are meant for a soft illuminating finish. You can apply the colors individually, and personally I prefer to swirl the colors together for application.

It gives a beautiful translucent and polished sheer veil of lit-within-glow to the complexion. When all colors are mixed, it has a very subtle tint to it, but it applies nearly colorless with in a hint of pink using a brush. It looks neither too warm nor too frosty on my face, which is hard to find for my NC15-20 cool toned complexion color.

Swatch & Color Description (clockwise)

Shimmery golden peach

Shimmery lilac

Shimmery dusty mauve (also makes a great eyeshadow color)

Shimmery champagne (great for the eyes as well)

On me: Just a quick phone snap showing the MAC Gleamtones applied on the top of my cheekbones

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Labels: HIGHLIGHTER • MAC

My Current Favorite Lip Colors

May 9, 2016

When it comes to makeup, I change my lip colors much more diligently than any other makeups. I can get away with wearing the same foundation and eye shadow for a long time, whilst for lip colors, I like to keep my many lipsticks on high rotation for an updated look. Lately I am a little over the pink and coral phase, and have become besotted with more neutral lip colors again. Perhaps it was to do with the current fashion trend, anything with a muted tone such as MLBB or browns in matte finish has my heart fluttered!

Here is an array of my current favorite lipsticks!

Top row from the lip swatch collage is the MLBB shades with a dusty pink undertone – absolutely obsessed with this shade.

Illamasqua Lipstick in Climax – One of my favorite colors from Illamasqua. Their quality is slightly better than MAC – very pigmented and smooth to apply without streaks. Climax is the most beautiful MLBB shade I own – it’s a tad darker than my own natural lip color with a peachy pink undertone in creme semi-matte finish. Think about your flushed lip color when you just step out of the shower.

MAC Lipstick Please Me (Matte) – My Holy Grail lip color, If I could only live with 3 lipsticks ‘Please Me’ would be one of them. It’s a MLBB with a dusty rose undertone in semi-matte finish. Just a natural but sexy color with a fashion spin and is easy to wear with different makeup looks.

Second Row is the cool toned dusty pink shades

MAC Lipstick Snob (Matte) – One of the top sellers from MAC. It’s a cool toned milky dusty pink color. Not an easy color to pull off, as it can look a little streaky on the lips, and the key for application is to blend and blend until the color is completely blended into the lips. I would say it is a stunning color on blondes with cool skin tone and blue/green eyes. On me, since I have cool skin tone, I can still manage to pull of this color. It does wash me out a little, and I tend to use Snob on top of having my lips colored with a darker lip liner such as the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liner in Iconic Nude (reviewed here), and together they look perfect.

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Matte PK 335 – Similar to Snob, but a tad darker in a complete matte finish, and it’s much easier to pull off. I love wearing this color alone, or mixing it with other colors. I actually bought this color after I saw the Shu gal had this lip color mixed a plummy lip liner, and it looked beautiful on her which resulted in this purchase!

Third row is the brown and nude shades

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick B*tch Perfect (CT KISSING Lipsticks reviewed here)- A delicate peachy pink color with a tiny tinge of nude brown undertone in a satin sheen finish. It’s a very easy color to wear for all skin tones, and leaves a luminous finish to the lips if matte is not your thing.

MAC Velvet Teddy (Matte) – Possibly the world’s most famous and wanted shade because of Kylie Jenner who swears by this lip color. I love it too. It’s such an edgy and high-fashion color – a pure deep beige brick brown shade that is on every IT girl’s lips at the moment.

Group Swatch