MAC - Dainty Mineralize Blush & Going Casual Cremesheen Glass

A conversation between a MAC SA & me on the day I purchased Dainty:

SA - "You still don't have dainty?!"

Me - "...No..."

SA - "HAHAHA!"

For serious. She laughed at me. Not that I mind, because prior to that, I told her about how I was always "late to the game" when it comes to collections. I've missed out on Stereo Rose TWICE, but thanks to this fiasco, I'm pretty much on top of new releases, thanks to Temptalia and Makeup & Beauty Blog who do all the work for me :p.

 

So the kind SA told me that everyone should have Dainty and Warm Soul and I have to agree; Those two are the most universally flattering and are absolutely gorgeous! I didn't purchase Warm Soul, but I will soon. 

MAC describes Dainty as a "light yellow-pink with gold pearl." I've been wanting a nice, true pink blush that wasn't too cool for my skin (light-medium with yellow undertones) and Dainty definitely hits that mark. It's such a pretty colour and blends well onto the skin; leaving just enough shimmer without looking glittery. 

Going Casual Cremesheen Glass was released in the In The Groove Collection. I have to say, I was all about the MSF's from this collection that I pretty much shut out every other product from my mind. Which is just as well, because when I saw the rest of the collection up close, I was pretty underwhelmed (especially by the eyeshadow trios). 

But I every time I passed by a MAC store or counter, I couldn't stop looking at Going Casual. Of course, being a cool-toned, "sheer lilac" shade, I was convinced this would never look good on me. Finally, I said, "screw it, I'm trying it on!" 

And I fell in love. It's so gorgeous and it's sheer enough to work for a lot of skin tones (even very yellow ones like mine), but still pigmented enough to show the true colour. So lesson learned: swatch products and try them on before passing judgement!

I've been wanting to sport pastel lips for a while but I could never find a way to do it without making my lips look chalky or my skin look washed out. All I knew was that I didn't want to look like those women who were sporting the unfortunate combination of orange skin and pale lips. 

I think that Going Casual is the perfect way to do this look and I'm so glad I wasn't "late to THIS game" because I really do love it. 

Do you use any of these products? What are your thoughts?

MAC Venomous Villains Collection

(all photos from: temptalia)

When I first heard of a collaboration between MAC and Disney, I became really intrigued. Add to that the fact that the collection was focusing on Disney Villains; well, you can say I was not only intrigued, but EXCITED! I'm all about Maleficent, yo!

Then I saw the images.

I mean, they're not bad, per sé. I was just expecting a more "grown-up" design (i.e. the simple, but lovely illustrations from the background in some of the photos above) and not the "let's-just-slap-on-some-photos-from-disney" design.

Let's be clear, I'm not blaming MAC or Disney or anybody, I am merely expressing some disappointment. But honestly, the collection looks like it would belong to a child and at 24, that's just not me.

However, having read some of the product descriptions, I can't completely write off this collection. There are a few products which I'm excited to see swatches of. Namely the Maleficent lipglass and beauty powder. Not to mention the lipglass, eyeshadows, beauty powder and blush from the Evil Queen section. Ironic, since I've been likened to Snow White.

Check out Christine at Temptalia's post on Venomous Villains for more product descriptions! I have to say, I really love her site. It's chock-full of information and is a great aid for shopping because if you're anything like me, you like to be well-informed before making any purchases. So if you want to see a swatch of a product or you want info of upcoming collections, Temptalia is the place to be!

What say ye? Are you excited about the collection? 

Any thoughts on the packaging?

Mangirdles™ Now Available!

I just saw an infomercial for Mangirdles (name ™ of Call It Beauty :p) and I knew I had to share!

SlimTs are "men's body shaping tank tops"and are supposed to "slim, support, and reshape instantly" without "diets, exercise, pills, or gym memberships."

I have to admit I literally EL-OH-EL'd when I saw the infomercial for this. But in all seriousness, if women can wear girdles, men can too. Still, I can't help but giggle when I see this!

Are there any men in your life that would actually wear a Mangirdle™?

Clothing Haul: H&M + The Gap

There's an amazing sale going on at H&M right now (at least the Canadian stores) and I picked up a few items:

This cropped jacket is 3/4 sleeve with military detailing. It was on sale for $15 (originally $39.95). It also has black piping on the outer edges of the body, sleeves, and pockets. 

This jacket was part of H&M's Garden Collection. It's also cropped with 3/4 sleeves but has the most amazing rose detailing all over the jacket. The sharp shoulder pads are also a lot of fun! On sale for $20 and originally $39.95 CAD. I fell in love with this jacket the moment I saw it a few months ago and I'm so glad I was able to purchase it for a lower price!

This black and white printed scarf is definitely the best purchase. Originally $12.95, it now retails for $2.00 CAD. Yes, you read that right. TWO.DOLLARS. Cheap and chic? Yes, please! 

My last clothing purchase was made at The Gap. The cardigan is showing up as blue but it's actually a very deep purple. I love cardigans. If I could live in one item of clothing forever, it would have to be the cardigan. I fell in love with this particular cardigan right off the bat and I knew I had to have it. It retails for $54.50 CAD but I had money in my sprize account so I ended up paying for about half of the price. For those outside the Lower Mainland, Sprize is a concept our local GAP stores came up with where you sign up for a sprize account (for free) and have the card swiped at every purchase. Then, when the items you purchased are marked down, the different will be automatically added to your sprize account and you can use that money towards future purchases. It's amazing, seriously! I wish all stores applied this.

Have you had any great buys recently?

Collection Spotlight: J.Crew - Fall 2010 Collection

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(all photos from: style.com)

My brother once asked me, "isn't J.Crew for old people?"

As you can see, it's not. J.Crew satisfies my preppy side and their fall collection doesn't disappoint. The clothing is effortless and even with all the accessories, looks like someone just slapped everything on while rushing out the door. I love it!

Do you like J.Crew? 

The Bases - Review

So last Friday, the fam drove down to Vancouver, WA to see my brother for his birthday. Which meant approximately 6 hours in a car. What better way to test out my bases?

L'oréal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base

I first read about this product from Beauty Crazed, which was given a great review by Lisamarie. 

L'oréal's blurb: Discover the secret to perfect skin texture. Introducing Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base for instant smoothing results. Get the perfect skin texture, instantly and all day. The silky, lightweight formula glides onto skin and minimizes the look of pores and fine lines. Skin looks and feels smoothed and resurfaced. The result - a unified matte finish that's flawless.

I have to say the texture is amazing. It feels super silky and glides onto the skin well despite its thick consistency. I don't have much in the way of wrinkles and my pores aren't large to begin with (thankfully), so I can't comment on the Magic Perfecting Base's efficacy in that regard, but I did notice that my skin felt much smoother after application. 

But the best part is, my foundation applied much better with this base: it looked smoother, more even, and I ended up using less product to achieve the coverage I wanted than when applied foundation without the Magic Perfecting Base.

The only gripe I have with this product is that it does nothing for the under eye area. It doesn't make my concealer stay put longer or apply better. Looks like I will forever be cursed with dark circles.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay's blurb says: This miracle eyeshadow primer is unmatched by any other in the beauty industry! The genie in this bottle fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing. 

Four words for this product: I.DON'T.GET.IT. I mean, seriously, what's with the hype? Well, yes, the eyeshadow colours did look a bit better, but not that much. It doesn't make my eyeshadow/eyeliner last that long and it looks chalky in my eyelids. It also causes difficulties when I apply my eyeshadow because my brush catches on my lids which causes more shadow deposit in some areas. I wouldn't mind so much if it were easy to blend out, but it isn't. 

I used to be in love with this product, back in the throes of love at first buy. But the more I used it, the less impressed I was. I don't know if it's a faulty batch or my faulty application skillz, but I just can't get into this product. Although, A Beauty Junkie In London says that the Sin version of UDPP (look at me, throwing down some abbreviations!) is much easier to blend than the original UDPP. So Sin is on my radar of products to try because I would really love to have a good eyeshadow primer. 

Before/After

As you can see, my foundation and blush are still in good foundation (no touch-ups, I swear!), but my eyes were a hot mess. I applied UDPP, a light eyeshadow from the Sleek Storm Palette, and Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner. If you notice, my liner has migrated south and it doesn't look good!

FINAL VERDICT

L'oréal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base: worth it. It makes my foundation look smoother and more even, has an amazing texture, and for $11.99 CAD, a definite bargain!

Urban Decay Primer Potion: not worth it. Yes, it makes my eyeshadow colours a bit bolder; but it doesn't make it last longer and it's difficult to work with.

Collection Spotlight: Alice + Olivia - Fall 2010 Collection

(all photos from: style.com)

Alice + Olivia Fall 2010 Collection: part whimsical, part girly, part slouchy-badass.

Any favourites?