VS Makeup: Hypnotic Beauty Collection

Hey Everyone!  I am back with the Fall 2011 collection from Victoria Secret, it's called the Hypnotic Beauty Collection.  This is a reasonably sized collection that contains a couple lipsticks, blush/highlighter, a few eyeshadow palettes, and kohl/kajal eyeliner.  So what items did I decide to pick up...

*Lipstick: in Exotica- $14
*Blush/Highlighter: Desert Star- $16
*Kohl/Kajal Eyeliner- $15

The packaging is beautiful!  I love the exotic, foreign design and feel to the packaging.  The products are encased in gold and a mix of vibrant colours.  The only thing that I found to be annoying about the packaging was with the lipstick, I did not like that the lipstick does not go all the way down.  Even when your done turning the lipstick tube, the product is still peaking out (as you will notice in the picture below).  When I'm in a rush this can become a problem by getting a little messy and possibly all over my things.  As for the products themselves, I truly love the lipstick shade in Exotica!  It is simply a beautiful rich bronze/coral/red colour.  The formulation isn't to die for, but what it lacks in formulation is definitely made up for in the colour.  I wouldn't say that there is extended wear with this product, and reapplication would be necessary every few hours. The blush/highlighter powder looks like a mosaic, and is almost too pretty to use!  Which works out fairly well for me, because I don't find that the colour of the highlighter is anything special.  And I feel it can be easily duplicated by many products on the market!  So I have decided to just keep this product as an addition to my stash, since it just makes me happy when I look at it.  As for the eye kajal, it is perfect for lining the waterline and the colour is a deep and intense black that is perfect for that smokey sultry look.  And as always, you can click on the picture to enlarge it and get a better look.  And you can also find these products on victoriassecret.com.

My recommendations are for you to go to your local Victoria Secret and test out these products for yourself!

Do you only buy lingerie from Victoria Secret or do you pick up beauty products there as well?

MAC: Fall Colour NOW ONLINE

Hey Everyone!  The MAC Cindy Sherman Collection is now online at maccosmetics.com.  To be quite honest, the promo pics kind of freak me out a bit!  They are creepy!  They have divided the collection into 3 parts:  Midnight Blue, Angel Flame and Wild Colour.  This is a pretty large collection, considering all the new products MAC has been putting out there lately!  I was able to get my hands on this collection a week ago, as they had a V.I.P. launch party in my city.  The main reason I hustled out there was to get the MSF Lightscapade which was anticipated to sell out in record time.  It did not disappoint, as it sold out online almost immediately!  I may go back for a few of the lip pencils, but probably not much more.

 Above: Angel Flame Collection

 Above: Wild Colour Collection

 Above: Midnight Blue Collection

What do y'all think about this collection?  Are you getting anything?

YAY, I FINALLY GOT LIGHTSCAPADE!

 Hi Everyone!  I just got back from a Fall 2011 unveiling party @ my local MAC.  It was a good time, there were a variety of cocktails and hor d'oeuvres being passed throughout the event.  I went with a friend and we were able to test/swatch and view all 3 collections within about 45 mins!  It seemed that Fall with MAC was getting the most buzz.  This is the Cindy Sherman collection with the mineralized skin finishes.  I only attended this event to get my hands on Lightscapade.
I am an avid MSF collector and have been waiting quite a while to add this particular one to my collection!  I got feline khol power as well...Finally!  I have been waiting to try out this product.  Being a MAC collector for sometime now, I am shocked that I it wasn't till today that I had swatched feline for the very first time.  Needless to say it was love at first swatch!  I was also looking forward to the re release of Fleshpot.  So I got my hands on that as well.  I did not really spend much time with the Posh Paradise collection as I had already made my purchases from that collection last wk.  I liked the way the Styledriven collection looked, but it was a bit overwhelming for me.  There was just too many products, and nothing was instantly standing out to me as being unique.  The one product I am thinking to go back for is Driven by love.  It was a beautiful red Pro Longwear lipglass...
All my swatches are down below.  You can find Posh Paradise and Styledriven now at maccosmetics.com
However, Fall with MAC will not be released until next wk.

Above: Lightscapade

Are y'all planning to get anything from these 3 collections?

X+O,

MAC: Posh Paradise Haul and Review

Hey Everyone!  I am back with a MAC Posh Paradise Haul...

As I did not get everything from this haul, I can only speak on the items I purchased and not the collection as a whole.  So, what did I get...

• Paint Pots:  Genuine Treasure (reflects antiqued gold), Nubile (light peachy nude) & Treasure Hunt (light pearled yellow)

• Mattene Lipstick in Delectable (orange-beige)

From what I got I pretty much like everything, and didn't really have much to complain about!  Out of the paint pots I think I will be getting the most use out of Nubile, it is a very neutral colour and can be used almost under any shadow.  But during the holiday season I think Genuine Treasure & Treasure Hunt will be great for those metallic nighttime, as well as daytime looks.  Genuine Treasure will give you more of a bronze or old gold look, while Treasure Hunt will be more on the true yellow gold side.  The Paint pots seem to be very well pigmented and easy to work with.  I really wanted to get Idyllic but I passed on it, since I have been hearing that it is pretty comparable to Artifact.  Artifact is already a colour I have in my extensive collection!  

As for the Mattene Lipticks I REALLY did not need anymore lipsticks.  So I decided to get only one to test out the formulation.  I like the texture and coverage of Delectable.  It does not seem to need a primer under it and it comes off as a pretty almost nude colour on my lips.  This is a colour I can picture myself using daily, which is why I opted for Delectable.  Below I have included some swatches of the products, if you wish to get a little closer of a look just click on the pic to enlarge it.  You can find all these products at maccosmetics.com

Above: Delectable lipstick; lined with MAC boldly bare lip liner

Did y'all pick up anything from this collection?  What do you think about this collection?

X+O,

Dear Groupon: I LOVE U!

Hey Everyone!  I am in love with Groupon right now!
I have been getting amazing deals on manis/pedis, massages, salon services, teeth cleaning/whitening, slimming body wraps and at restaurants to name a few! 


What is a Groupon?  How does it work?
Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. They send the deals to thousands of subscribers in a free daily email, and they send the businesses a ton of new customers. 
Hot deals in Chicago, New York, Boston and many other cities.

You can check out many other great deals in your local city @ groupon.com

If you already know about groupon.com, do you love it as much as I do?

Review: MAC Me Over Fluidlines

Hey Everyone!  Happy Labor Day!  It's time to talk about the MAC Me Over fluidlines...

I picked up 3 of the fluidlines from the collection: Avenue (charcoal black w/ gold pearl), Dark Envy (blackened green) and Midnight Blues (blackened blue).  They all have excellent pigmentation, as well as texture.  I highly recommend getting these, as they are a quick and effortless way to change up your look!  The blue and green fluidlines are a great way to add a pop of colour when doing a neutral eye.  I already bought the 4th fluidline, Dark Diversion (blackened plum) from another collection.  I was also pleased with the colour and texture of this product.  All in all, I have to recommend all 4 of these!

What do you think of these?  Do you love them as much as I do?

X+O,

Review: MAC Me Over Runaway Red Lipstick

Hey Everyone!  This is the continuation of the MAC Me Over Collection review series.  The only lipstick I purchased from this collection is Runaway Red.  I am always on the hunt for the perfect red and I believe I may have found it.  Runaway Red is a perfect deep red colour!   I have included a few pictures of the products and lip swatches below.  The first lip swatch is of MAC's Runaway Red on it's own.  And the second lip swatch is of Runaway Red, layered with a lip gloss on top.  The lip gloss I used is Loreal H.I.P. Shine Struck Liquid Lip color in Turbulent.  Turbulent is a high shine intense bold red shade.  I really love MAC's Runaway Red with and without a lip gloss layered on top.  It all just depends on the look your trying to achieve.  The lipstick is good on its own if your wanting to a matte look.  The lip gloss layered over the lipstick is also great if you want a beautiful glossy shine.  Have fun with it!

Do y'all like Runaway Red by itself or when it is layered with the gloss on top?

X+O,

Review: MAC ME OVER Eyeshadows

Hey Everyone!  Lets go through my review of the eye shadows from the MAC Me Over Collection.  I bought 3 shades:  Creamy bisque (dirty ivory with pearl), Mythical (frosty coppery red) and Carbonized (frosty dark brown).  

The texture of the Creamy bisque shade is very pigmented and smooth.  It isn't glittery, however it has a pleasant pearlesque sheen to it.  I also like the finish of the unique shade of brown seen in Carbonized.  Even though it is a shade of brown,  this particular shade in quite uncommon as well as versatile.  Carbonized has a certain depth element to it and with it also being veluxe pearl, I simply love it!  As for Mythical, I simply wasn't satisfied with the texture even though it has a vp finish.  It was not as deeply pigmented as I would have liked it to be, and it did not give ample colour payoff.  In my opinion, there are many colours within the same colour family that can give a better effect.  It just didn't seem like there was anything really special about Mythical to me.  I am interested in trying out the other 2 shadows in this collection, Outre and Moleskin...they seem like they would be great for the crease.  If you have either of those, what do you think?

 If you want to get any of these eye shadows they can be found on maccosmetics.com

Take: Creamy bisque and Carbonized

Leave: Mythical 

X+O,

Review: MAC ME OVER Blushes

Hey Everyone!  Here are the swatches for the 2 new blushes from the Mac Me Over Collection.  This was the collection that were showcased in stores last week.  There are 2 shades that were released in this collection, Stunner (light coral pink) and Equilibrium (light bronze).  I was more excited for the shade Stunner, as I love all coral/pink shades of blush.  When I layer Lilicent (cream blush by Mac) under Stunner I get a perfect not overdone look.  As for Equilibrium, I have not found a way to get it to work for me...any suggestions?

So for now, I would only recommend Stunner.  At least until I can make Equilibrium work for me...

But with blushes I always tell all the women in my life (my mom, aunts, cousins and friends) to try on a blush and see how it looks on them!  What looks good on me, may not work for you and vice versa...

You can find these new goodies on maccosmetics.com

Have a fabulous day!

 X+O,

Review + Lip Swatches: Bare Escentuals Pretty Amazing Lipcolor

Hey Everyone!  Hope your wk is off to a great start!  I visited my local Sephora this past wkend and found these Bare Escentuals lip colors which I found to be interesting.  They are in lip gloss packaging but have the coverage of a lipstick.  The 2 colours I picked up were: Charisma (coral pink) & Ambition (hot pink/fuchsia).  Below I have swatches of both colours on my hand as well as on the lip, to give you a better idea of the colour and coverage.

You can find these on sephora.com, along with 10 additional shades.  

Pros:

* Sleek packaging

* Coverage of a full coverage lipstick (ie MAC's amplified finish)

* Many colour options

* Hydrates and repairs, while it also plumps and firms lips simultaneously

Cons:

* Cost $16

So what do you think?  Would you pick these up?

 X+O,

URBAN DECAY: 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Hi Everyone!  Got this palette a while ago and have been getting tons of use out of it!  I have included swatches as well, and like always you can click on the pic to enlarge it.  Lets get down to the pros and cons of this product, so you can decide if you need to make this palette a new addition to your collection!

Pros:  

* Wide range of colors, from neutrals to blues/teals to pinks/purples

* The amount of looks you can create with this palette are endless

* Creamy, buttery, high quality texture 

*Richly pigmented with excellent colour payoff

* Beautiful gun metal filigree designed packaging with a secret compartment for storage

* 15 X's .05oz eye shadows for $55

*  All shadows will work with every skin tone

Cons:

* Cannot just throw it in your purse/ Not travel friendly

*  Whenever there are multiple shadows in a palette it can get messy and colours can mix

* Some of the colours are limited edition

Have y'all picked up this palette?  How does it compare to the Urban Decay NYC palette?

X+O,

MAC: MAC ME OVER!

Hi Everyone!  It's been quite some time since I've posted...but things have been so hectic lately!  This new collection filled with fall hues really excites me, so I ended up purchasing much more than I expected...

What I got:

*Brushes 226 & 211

* Lipstick in Runaway Red

* Eye khols in Teddy & Smolder

* Blushes in Stunner & Equilibrium

* Fluidline in Dark Envy, Avenue, Midnight Blues

* Eye shadows in Creamy Bisque, Carbonized, Mythical

Haven't had a chance to play around with the colors, since I picked them up today.  But everything that I picked up appears to be of high quality and well pigmented.  Planning on testing out the products and then reviewing them.  

What did you pick up??

X+O,

MAC Semi Precious Collection

Hi Everyone!! Here's my purchases from MAC's new collection... Every year I look forward to the collection that is released after July 4th weekend, the collection tends to have the release of new MSF's and new brushes! Those are 2 of my favorite things to purchase from MAC, wouldn't you agree? So needless to say I am happy with my purchases thus far. I still have to test drive the new items and give y'all some feedback on colour payoff, as well as wear time and the quality of the brushes. I have heard really good things about the brushes, so I am excited to get them washed and cleaned, so I can get to testing them out! Check out the swatches below (click the pic to enlarge) Items I purchased: *Feeling Flush Blush *Warmth of Coral Blush *Semi Precious Rose Quartz MSF *Semi Precious Pearl MSF *Semi Precious Goldstone MSF *Semi Precious Crystal Pink MSF *Rare Find Mineralize Eyeshadow *Golden Gaze Mineralize Eyeshadow *Smoked Ruby Mineralize Eyeshadow *Faux Gold Mineralize Eyeshadow *Brushes: 128, 179, 234, and 235

What did y'all end up getting from this collection?

X+O,