Product Haul: Mac, Nars, Juicy Couture

I realize it has been a while since I have posted! I would like to make a resolution to try and post more often. I have alot of new products I'd like to share so I need to get on that! I have picked up a few new products from gifts and recent purchases so these are a few that I am very excited about.

Mac's Cham Pale Collection came out the day after Christmas (I know great timing, right?) So I had pre-ordered two things that I really wanted to try. I picked up Feline Eye Kohl because I had been wanting to try this for the longest time. I really like this product, but I do think that Mac's Smolder is probably almost just as good. Although Feline is a little more black than Smolder.

Kohl Power Eye Pencil

Feline

$14.50

Rose Ole Special Reserve Highlighting Powder

$28.50

I also picked up Rose Ole Special Reserve Highlighting Powder. This product is very similar to Mac's MSF's. I really like this product and it works great as a cheek highlight. I am really loving Mac's MSF's to use in the same way. A good dupe for this would be Mac's By Candlelight or Soft and Gentle MSF.

Mac Well Dressed Blush

$18

www.maccosmetics.com

I feel like I have talked about Mac's Well Dressed a lot on this blog, but seriously this is my favorite blush! It's the perfect soft, light pink blush and works great on lighter skin tones. I also think that it would work on darker skin tones as well. You could also use this to tone down a darker blush to make it appear more natural. With all that said, I had to repurchase this yet again. I think it's about the third time I've repurchased this blush.

Nars Albatross Highlighting Powder

$26

Loving this product! Once again it is great for highlighting the cheeks and gives a great glowing look. Sephora describes it as a "sheer light golden sheen". I find this true, although it is very pigmented as most Nars products are and has great staying power.

Juicy Couture Perfume: Couture Couture.

Roll on: $18

Sephora: Couture Couture Perfume

Love this perfume! It has such a nice, light airy scent.

I got the rollerball to try out at first. I am loving it and want to pick up the full size! I am trying to expand my perfume collection and try some new things. Can anyone recommend perfumes that I should try?

Next Up:

Mac Eyeshadow Haul

Fav. Opi Nail Polish

Smoky Eye Look w. Mac Shadows

Favorite Hair Products

Nars Angelika Blush

Angelika Blush

Sephora.com

$26

Nice Swatch lol

Just a quick post on my new favorite, Nars Angelika blush. I needed a new blush that was a light pink color and stumbled across this one at Sephora. It isn't exactly a light pink blush, more like a bright pink with small glitter throughout. It is a very pretty color and gives such a pretty bright pink color to the cheeks. Beware: it is VERY pigmeted!!! So for me the biggest challenge is trying to apply it with the slightest of hand! I'm used to Mac's Well Dressed which is such a light pink that you need build up the color. However, for Angelika you only need the tiniest bit on the brush for it to show up brightly. I really am loving this blush! So if you want a bright pink blush, you might want to check out Angelika. Also, Sephora.com is having the Friend's & Family 20% off sale till Nov. 3rd. (just enter FF2010 code in the promotion box). I forgot about the sale when I ordered online...I called Sephora and they said they couldn't apply the discount to my order after the fact. So annoying!~But I am happy to share it with others. :)

What's your favorite blush?

Next up:

Favorite Mac Lipsticks

Urban Decay Naked Pallet!

Urban Decay Naked Pallet $44

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P267200&categoryId=B70

I was in Sephora yesterday and saw the Naked Pallet. I've looked at the pallet before in the store and always thought about getting it, but it was always sold out. But today, there was one left so I decided to buy it.

This pallet comes with Urban Decay Primer Potion (an eyeshadow base) and a double sided 24/7 eye pencil in Zero and Whiskey. I've been wanting to pick up these eye pencils for a long time too!

I was amazed at the pallet and how many colors it had that I would use on an everyday basis. I guess that's the whole point of the pallet since it designed for neutral looks! From light colors to neutrals, to darker browns this pallet has countless looks that you can create that are work/school appropriate.

From Left:

Virgin, Sin, Buck, Side Car, Half Baked, Smog, Dark Horse, Hustle, Creep, Gun Metal.

I love the color Virgin (1st shadow on left) and Sin that are great colors for the lid/highlight/and inner corner of the eye. I also love Smog and Half Baked as well.

Side Car is also really pretty but it is very shimmery. I feel like I may need to apply this wet to get it to apply with less fall out.

Overall thoughts:

Since I have only had this for a day, I can't really give a full review. I will update with my full thoughts later on. With that said, in just using this for a day, I am really loving this pallet. Since many of the shadows are shimmery they do have a lot of fall out when applying. However, this is a great pallet for work and just when you want a pretty, but more neutral look. Also, it's great for travel since you can bring this one pallet with you.

What are your favorite shadows using this pallet?

What are your favorite neutral shadows of any brand?

Favorite New Nail Polish

I know I haven't posted in a while, but decided to do a post on my favorite fall nail polish colors. I love the fall for the dark nail polish colors. These go perfect with a nice neutral eye look!

Essie: Little Black Dress

I got this color last week and have been wearing it ever since. This is a great dark color for fall since its a very warm color with a really nice sheen. Although it can appear almost black at quick glance, under the light it's a true brown. I wasn't sure how I'd like brown nails, but it looks really pretty on.

Yodel Me on My Cell, Metro Chic, Do You Lilac It?, Russian Navy

Loves these!~Yodel Me On My Cell is a really pretty blue with turquoise reflects. This is a shimmery fun color!

Metro Chic: Very pretty lilac/gray and more of a matte shade.

Do You Lilac It: Bright lilac color...my go to fall nail polish!~I've gotten so many compliments on this!

Russian Navy: Dark blue/purple. Love this color because it really looks different in every light. Sometimes it's very dark blue but then the light will hit it and you'll see dark purple. Great fall color!

Depending on where you get these the prices will vary. Sally's Beauty Supply, Ulta and online should have these! Also, Metro Chic is Sephora by Opi so try Sephora for that one.

Websites:

Sephora OPI Nail Polish

Next up:

More Fall Favorite Nail Polishes.

New Fav. Blushes!

I am back...finally!~I have a lot of new Makeup items that I picked recently that I will be posting in the next few days. I definitely need to get better with more frequent posting!

Nars Orgasm

Sephora/Nars Blushes

So the other day I was at Sephora and was looking at the Nars display. I have admired all the Nars products for so long and so many people have said great things about the brand. However, I have never owned anything from Nars before. I decided to start small and just get a blush...In swatching many of the blushes, I opted for the famous Orgasm. I decided on this one because it's a really pretty pale pink/peachy color. It does have some shimmer, but I don't think it is too much at all. It is great for summer and gives a great glow. I have light skin and it shows up great on my skin tone. This blush is VERY pigmented so I think it would work for darker skin tones as well.

I apply this product using a Sigma/Mac 168 angeled brush to the apples of my cheeks. I use a very light hand with this because it is very pigmented. I then like to apply Mac's Mineralize skinfinish in By CandleLight (Into the Groove Collection), using a 116 brush to my cheek bones. After that, I take a small amount of Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish in Petticoat with the same brush, and sweep it over my cheeks. I find that this combination gives me a great summery glow.

Mac MSF

Petticoat

Mac Website/MSF Selection

All of these products are dupe-able, so you can find lots of alternatives if you don't want to buy Nars or Mac. You can purchase any peachy/pink blush and a highlighter at the drugstore. Physician's Formula Shimmer Strip works great as a highlighter and this can be bought at CVS. Happy rest of summer!

What is your favorite Blush Combo for summer?

Up Next:

Mac's Fab. Felines

August Favorites

Favorite Lipsticks

Nailpolish

In The Groove Collection/Dazzle Lipstick!

From Left: Petticoat, By Candle Light Mineralize Skinfinish

Win Win Dazzle Lipstick

So I have finally gotten this post up!~I've been wanting to get this posted for a long time since I purchased these items from Nordstrom on the 8th. I did a pre-order at the MAC counter when I was in the store one day. I am sad to say that I did not get Stereo Rose because I thought it would be too dark for my fair skin tone. Now looking back, I probably should have purchased it as well because everyone's going crazy over it!~Oh well! Instead, I chose Petticoat and By CandleLight MSF. I'm really happy with both of these and think they are great for summer. They both give a really pretty glow to the face when applied. Pictures are shown below:

Petticoat Mineralize Skinfinish

$28

Love this so much!~It's a gorgeous pink, gold/shimmery color that works great as a blush. I've been wearing it on my cheeks each day and it gives a great glowy look. I chose one that had less of the darker red veining because I wanted more of a pink tone. So I would suggest asking at MAC to see a few different Petticoat MSFs before purchasing so you can choose one that's right for your skintone. If you are lighter maybe go with less darker veining, and if you have a darker skintone you may want to get one with more darker veining. It is also very pigmented, so for me I apply with a light hand using my Mac 129 blush brush.

By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish

This is a really pretty MSF! It works great as a highlighter just above the cheekbones and really gives a pretty glow. It also adds a little bronzing effect as well since it is a tan, gold color. This product is a little on the sheer side so you can apply alot without looking crazy highlighted. I've been using this everyday with Petticoat and find that it looks really pretty. I've been first applying By Candlight just above my cheekbones with the side/flat part of the 129 brush, and then with the tip of the 129, applying Petticoat. Love these two products together!

Swatch of Petticoat and By Candlelight Above:

Nordstrom Exclusive:

Digipops Collection

Dazzle Lipstick

Win Win

Loving this color! It is a very pretty bright pink with fine specks of glitter built in. It has amazing staying power and I find that the glitter is not annoying or grainy at all. I did a swatch below and had to scrub my hand to get the swatch off!~This collection debuts first at Nordstrom stores and then it should appear in most MAC stores/counters in August. There are also a range of colors from corals, to purples, deeper reds, gold, etc.

View Nordstrom's Website to take a look!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3105992/0~2376780~6009391~6020578~6023723?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6023723&P=1

Swatch of Win Win. It looks actually lighter on camera, it appears to be a brighter color in person.

What is your favorite product of In The Groove?

Summer Favorites Part 1

Here are a few of the products I am loving right now for summer, or just great products in general. I'm going to break this into two parts because there would be too many products otherwise. These were just a few that I am loving right now.

Starting from the Right:

MAC 217 Brush:

Love this for applying eye shadow to the crease. It's great for applying and placing color into the crease so easily! It's also works well for blending.

Sigma 168: (old numbering system)

I've been using this brush for a while and have been loving it. I've had this brush for about a year now and it seriously has held up soo well! It still looks brand new!~Yay Sigma!~

The brush works so well for me when I apply blush to the apples of my cheeks. Since it is slanted, it gives the perfect application of a not too bright, and not too dull blush look.

MAC also sells this brush and it looks almost identical. This brush is available at Sigmamakeup.com but it may be called something different due their new numbering sytem.

Benefit Powderflouge:

I won't say too much about this product since I already did a post on this. However, I've been using it everyday to set my MAC Studio Finish Concealer. Loving this and it works great!

MAC SE 227 Brush:

(Short handled brush in the middle)

This brush came with a holiday brush set that I got last Christmas. I love it for adding a highlight to my brow bone and also blending out the edges of my eye shadow looks once I am done with application. MAC and Sigma also sell the full sized 227. I'd really like to pick up the larger version of this brush!

Holiday 2009 Warm Eyes Pallet:

I won't say too much about this since I just did a post on this. But this is a great pallet of neutral eye shadows, for everyday looks!

Mac Studio Finish Concealer:

Great concealer that is very good for covering dark circles and also very blendable. I also have a post on this, if you want more info!

Tweezerman Tweezers

I got these a few months ago and am loving them! They work so well compared to my other old random tweezers. They were $20 at Ulta, if I remember correctly. You can also get them at Sephora or Sephora.com.

Opi Nailpolish in Lucky Lucky Lavender

I just got this about a month ago and am loving the color. It's just a pretty bright lavender that's great for summer. You can get this online, Sephora and Ulta also sell Opi nail polish.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Sin

Love this product! It is great to use as an eyeshadow base because it gives off a gorgeous champaign shimmery color that is great for light colored eye shadows such as: Mac's Nylon, All That Glitters, Retrospeck, or any others!~You can also wear this alone with a darker color in the crease to create a great look as well. You can purchase this at Sephora, Ulta, or Urban Decay's website.

Benefit's Bad Gal Lash Mascara

This was my first mascara by Benefit and it really is such a great product. It works really well to separate and lengthen each individual lash. I find it the best mascara for my bottom lashes because it doesn't make them look too thick. The wand on this mascara is very large which is probably why it works so well at lengthening!

Morrocan Oil

I just picked this up a few weeks ago for my hair and it's already become a favorite. It works really well to smooth out any frizz in my hair. After washing my hair, I put it on the ends/half way up (just not on the top since it will make your hair greasy) when my hair is damp. Then style as usual. It gives my hair a lot of shine and I notice that it feels a lot softer. You can purchase this online or at a beauty supply store that sells hair products.

Mac 219 Pencil Brush

This brush is great for adding a darker eye shadow color to the outer v area. I use this particular brush for adding lighter colors to the inner corner of my eye. I find that this works really well to just brighten up my eye with a color like MAC's Nylon. Sigma also has a pencil brush that will work very well for this!

Cotton Rounds

I included these last minute because I have been using these to take off my eye makeup. I put some eye makeup remover on one of these and gently remove my eye makeup. These really do the job well and are not harsh on my skin. I purchases these from CVS and they come 80 to a pack for about $2.99. I only use one a day so they really last a long time! You can get these basically at Walmart, Target or any beauty supply store.

What are your Summer Favorites?

Next Up:

Makeup Remover Tip

Mac Haul

Mac Eyeshadow Highlight Pallet