MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder Blush

Ever since I tried MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Summer Rose when it first came out with the A Rose Romance Collection, I knew I had a keeper. I really love pink blushes! This one is pink, but it has warm tones in it so I can pair it with either warm-toned or cool-toned lipsticks. I love the texture of this blush and how it makes you look naturally flushed. It goes on sheer so it's really very hard to overdo your makeup.

The rose engraving is really cute!

No matter how many new blushes I develop a liking for, I always go back to this one. I guess I'm not the only one who liked it, since it was repromoted in the Give Me Liberty of London collection. 

Despite its soft pigmentation, it still lasts the whole day on me! Even more than 12 hours on my oily skin! My only complaint is that the top layer tends to harden even though I use it often :( 

Here's me wearing Summer Rose:

What do you think? I really DO love it.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Stereo Rose

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I've been neglecting my blog. The ber months have started which means that my schedule gets more hectic. Anyway, today I'd like to share with you one of the most coveted products this year, MAC Mineralize Blush Stereo Rose from the In the Groove collection. I know I'm behind everyone else, but I had this ordered from the US so it took a while to get here.

Stereo Rose is a nice, coral flush. Of course, this is a mineralize blush so this is very shimmery, ( quite frostly actually) but this one has fine glitters, not huge chunks of glitter. I got this because I don't really have a coral blush, and the reviews are really good.

Here's me wearing Stereo Rose on my cheeks:

It actually comes out pretty sheer but layerable. The shimmers are not obvious in the photo but more noticeable in real life. If you're not a fan of shimmer on your cheeks, though, stay away from this. You might want to use this just on the apple of your cheeks and not your whole cheekbone.

Here's a closer look on Stereo Rose on my cheeks. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

August Collective Haul

Wow, it's been a while since I hauled stuff. I'd just like to share with you some of the stuff I bought this month.

A trial set from L'occitane. I've been very curious about their hand cream for a long time now so when a seller sold a trial kit, I grabbed the chance!

I actually just bought this today: false lashes from Saizen's clearance sale for P25 each only.

My new MAC 187!

MAC In the Groove collection: Mineralize blushes in Stereo Rose and Candlelight. I know, I know I'm late but I had mine ordered from the US so they just arrived. Will do a review on these :)

Lastly, around two weeks ago I got my prizes from Aileen's giveaway! Two mineralize e/s also from MAC In the Groove collection.

Makeup-wise, August has been good to me. Pocket-wise, not so much! LOL

Please Oh Please Oh Please! (My MAC Venomous Villains Wishlist)

I've really tried to stay clear of Girltalk because I know that if I read the MAC thread, I'll be tempted to buy from the new collections. It did help because now I don't always know about the new collections of MAC, so I don't buy. However, news about the Venomous Villains collection really spread around the blogosphere. So I finally gave in to my curiosity. Lo and behold, whether or not you are fond of Disney villains, this collection is really quite something! Especially when it comes to the lip products, there are a lot of not-so-usual colors included that is really in the spirit of the Disney villians.

The collection is divided into four parts: The Evil Queen, Maleficent, Cruela de Vil and Dr. Facilier. There are really a lot of stuff to look into as this is a big collection.

As for me, I like the Maleficent collection the best.

Here's what I have my eye on:

My Dark Magic Mineralize e/s duo

She Who Dares Mineralize e/s duo

Normally, I don't even look at their mineralize e/s but these are really different. I saw the swatches from Temptalia,

Briar Rose Beauty Powder

Bad Fairy Nail Lacquer

OMG, can you say gorgeouuuus! Look at this duochrome polish. The other ones have dupes according to Temptalia, but this particular one doesn't have one, and it's the prettiest! Darn, I don't buy MAC polishes because they're just to expensive, but darn this is really gorgeous!

So there you have it. This is my wishlist. I won't be getting everything I mentioned, because it's just too much money to spend at once. I'll have to narrow it down, but it will be really hard :P

Disclaimer: These pictures aren't mine, obviously, since they haven't been released yet. I'd like to thank Temptalia especially for the swatch of the Bad Fairy Nail Lacquer. If you want to see more of the collection, please visit her site by clicking on the link.

Make Up for Ever HD Foundation and MAC 130 Brush

I've had my MUFE HD foundation for a long time but never got a chance to review it. Well, I'll finally give my thoughts about it. True to its word, it really is meant for pictures. My skin looks great in photos, but in real life, I'd say that its finish is just like any regular foundation. Its coverage is light to medium, and its finish is matte, unlike the dewy finish of the Revlon HD Foundation.

Staying power is just okay, around 4 hours. Sometimes, I notice that it cakes when I try to retouch it with finishing powder. I guess it's just me since my skin is really oily.

Lately, I've been using my MAC 130 brush to apply my foundation. If you've been following my blog, I picked up one for myself during my trip to the US. It's really much smaller than I imagined, so it takes long to cover your whole face. I have to devote extra time to apply my foundation, but I think the finish is worth it. The result was a very even medium coverage. Yes, this brush is like a hybrid of a stippling brush and a flat top brush. The result is a more precise application than a bigger stippling brush like a MAC 187, since the head is so big that it can tend to apply foundation in sporadically.

So after all my babbling, here is the result of the combination of both products I've been talking about. I first primed my face with TFS Professional Makeup Base in Green (you can read my review about it HERE). And then I applied my HD foundation with my MAC 130. I have bad skin, not because of acne but because of my large pores and depressed acne scars from my childhood, but I don't see it here.

I'll keep using this combination, because it works for me! Have a great day everyone!

What I've Got So Far

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging. Our internet has been extremely slow lately thanks to our bad router, but now that it's better I'm hoping that I'll be able to blog more. However, I'm still very much lacking in material to blog about to blog as often as I want, being abroad and all. Thanks for bearing with me.

I'd like to show you the beauty-related stuff I got so far. It's not much. I'm obviously taking my time in buying. It's hard because I'm on a budget and I'm not working while I'm here. This is strictly for vacation. Anyway, I bought other stuff too like shoes and clothes, but I won't bother you with the details of that. It's really nice here because there are sales left and right! If I were living here, I'd probably be buying shoes all the time! 

Anyway, enough of that. Here's what I have so far:

These are things I got from NYC during the BOGO of CVS. I previously blogged about NYC pencils and they have good quality pencils so I bought four. I also grabbed a pair of l/g and nail polish that I split with my sister.

These are just random beauty products. The much raved about Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, Loreal Beauty tubes mascara on sale, the much-raved about Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque since it costs less than in the Philippines, a backup tube of my favorite DUO eyelash adhesive in dark, Garnier eye cream since I ran out, and some hair products: Dove Anti-frizz cream and Tresemme Curl Activator Spray which aren't available in the Philippines.

And lastly, my brushes from MAC. I got the 217 and 130. Originally, I wanted a 222 and a 224, too, but I couldn't find the 222 and then I decided to wait on the 224 since I have the 224SE anyway. I know it's no comparison, but I can't go crazy with makeup just yet. 

So that's all I've got. Have a nice day!

On My Shopping List!

Hi everyone! As you may know, I'll be leaving for the US in two days! And I'll be gone for quite some time! But the good news is that I have access to a lot of makeup stuff! That's gonna be the highlight of my trip. hahhahaha. Anyway, kidding aside, here's what I'm eyeing.

Graftobian Super Cream Palette

Kryolan Dermacolor Concealer Palette

Kryolan Fixing Spray

Beauty Blender

Ben Nye Loose Powders

A back-up tube of DUO eyelash adhesive

MAC 130
- I originally wanted a MAC 187, but after reading reviews of this, I think this would be a better choice!

Blending brushes galore!

MAC 217

MAC 222

MAC 224
- I have the 224SE, but I'd rather have an FS.

There's something though that I really want and I'm hoping I'll have my grubby little hands on them soon.

I'm also going to be getting some hair products, but I haven't decided on which ones. I'm also hoping for some CARGO blushes.

So what do you think of my list? Anything you want to add? Anything you want to discourage me from buying? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Product Review: MAC 109 Brush

Hello dearies! It's time for another product review. I haven't done any reviews in a while so it's time I did one. Today, it will be about the MAC 109 brush.

photo taken from www.maccosmetics.com

Product Description:

Use on the face to apply, blend or contour powder products. Softly rounded dome tip delivers just enough colour; smoothly blends colour into the face. Of natural fibres.

This is one of the most highly rated MAC brushes ever. Although it was meant as a contour brush, it became famous as a foundation brush. So, when a brand new piece went up for sale in GirlTalk a few months ago, I jumped at the chance to buy it. Now it's mine! Bwahahahaha! LOL.

I was surprised when I saw the actual size of the brush. It was really small actually. The first time I washed it, there was no shedding. When I finally used it to apply foundation, I was in love! The finish was much better. It gave a very clean, even finish that surpasses the regular foundation brush. A note though, this brush gives a heavier coverage so you might not want to use this with a full coverage foundation unless you want even extra coverage.

So here are the pros and cons:

PROS

• gives a clean finish to foundation

CONS

• Although this doesn't shed when I wash it, it sheds when used on the face. Weird I know.
• Not available locally

Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, this brush is not part of the permanent collection (why?) and is only available as a limited edition item :( MAC should make this part of the permanent collection, it really is a very good product to try.

Rating: 4.5/5

I'd give it a 5 if it didn't shed :(

Just to show you an idea on how its finish, I'll leave you with a before and after picture of my friend Marie, during her recital. I used Revlon Custom Creations on her applied with a MAC 109 brush. I didn't apply lipstick on her because she's a bassoon player and lipstick will hinder her playing.

Have a nice day!

MAC Mini Haul + Pre-Order Closed!

Hello everyone! First of all, I'd like to say thank you to those who wished my grandfather's wife well. We still don't know what will happen, but I'm hoping for the best. Anyway, this post is really delayed but I'd like to post it anyway. I'd like to show you my mini mini haul from MAC when the Spring Colour Forecast came out. Well, I can't really haul that much, since I'm not rich. 

From this collection, I bought the Stacked 1 pigment set.

Here are the swatches. The camera didn't do it justice but I find the shades to be really pretty! I SO do not regret purchasing this. This will do well when I really need color for photo shoots and stuff.

While I was there, I also picked up a mineralized duo in Rhapsody in Two. I find this really pretty; one part is a cute, light gold and one part is a light pink-peach. But the magic is when you combine both colors and end up with a combination of both. I'm sure this will work beautifully!

I tried swatching this, but it just wouldn't show up well in my camera. Time to buy a better one! Haha. Hopefully that will happen soon.

BTW, I'd just like to remind everyone that today was the deadline for the pre-order. If anyone wants to make pahabol, deadliest deadline is tomorrow. Thank you!

The Best of 2009

Hello everyone! Christmas is done, and the year will soon end. So, I'd like to present my list of the best of 2009. Now, when I mean that it's the best of 2009, I'm talking about products that were released in 2009, or have been released previously but didn't make waves until 2009. I loved a lot of products this year but if I put them all, it might take forever. So, here's my version (Please note that they have no particular order):

1. Adorned With Grace Foundation

This foundation was released in 2008 (I think) but didn't become really popular in GirlTalk until late 2008 until early 2009. This is my favorite mineral foundation brand, although I still don't have a full pot myself (I haven't gotten to it yet). It gives me a really natural finish, but at the same time giving me coverage. I wouldn't say full coverage; it's probably a medium.

2. Saizen Charcoal Masque 

This product made waves amongst GirlTalkers and bloggers alike. And why wouldn't it? Its job is to remove whiteheads and blackheads in our faces. And it does exactly what it's supposed to do. And the best part is, it's only P85 (around $1.60).

You can read my full review HERE.

3. Kryolan Products

Makeup artists have been using Kryolan for a long time already, but it didn't make waves in GirlTalk until the 2009. A lot of beauty addicts now have turned to Kryolan as less expensive alternatives to more expensive brands. Products in particular that because sellouts were the TV Paint Stick and the Anti-Shine Powder.

4. MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Summer Rose

This beauty powder blush came out in MAC's A Rose Romance collection. The moment I swiped it I knew it was love! This quickly became my everyday blush. It gave me a sheer wash of color, very natural, as if I didn't have anything on, yet it lasted all day. And who doesn't love the rose design?

5. MAC Mineralize Blush in Hand-Finish

Another favorite blush of mine that came out this year as part of MAC's Colour Craft Collection. It goes on sheer but buildable. It has big glittery bits which not everyone might like, but since I like shimmer I sometimes put this alone for daytime, or put this on top of another blush for night time events.

6. Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. II

This is one of the two must have limited edition palettes this year. I missed out on Vol. I and I made sure I wasn't going to miss out on this one. How can I resist Urban Decay? They're creamy and nicely pigmented. I love UD e/s. This palette has 16 shades! It doesn't hurt either that they included two travel sized pencils and a travel sized UDPP to match.

7. Barbie Loves Stila All Doll'd Up Palette

 

 

 

This is the second must-have limited edition palette. Even though I had the UD Book of Shadows already, I couldn't resist getting this too! This palette offers great pigmentation, and it's a steal for P1250 (around $25). The advantage of this over the UD palette is that this is much smaller and easier to tote around.

So this is my list. What's on your list? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

Product Review: MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer

Hello everyone! Today I'll be reviewing another concealer: my MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer. This is my only MAC concealer so I can't compare it with the other MAC concealers.

photo taken from www.maccosmetics.com

Product Description:
Liquid camouflage for the skin. Texture-free, virtually invisible. Comes in a tube. Blends in. Brightens and lightens dark areas, erases spots, evens-out skin tones. Makes skin flaw-free. Use pre-foundation, or on its own. Don't reveal it, conceal it!

This concealer offers a light to medium coverage, which is good enough for me because I don't have extremely dark undereyes. I find that it does the job of covering the discoloration. I cannot say how well this will work for people with very dark undereyes.

So here's my eye without concealer:

And here using my MAC Select Cover-Up in NW20:

 

As you can see, it did the job of brightening my undereye. I find that it blends easily. This does not cake as easily as cream concealers but I find that it still cakes after sometime.

So here's the rundown of the pros and cons:

PROS

• Tube packaging makes it very hygienic; no dipping
• Blends easily; no tugging
• Does the job of concealing
• A little goes a really long way!
  

CONS

• This doesn't cake as easily as cream concealers, but it still does, even with eye cream and setting powder because I have REALLY oily skin.

Will I buy this again? I'm not sure, since there are a lot of concealers I want to try, but so far, among my non-mineral concealers, I really like this!

Where to buy and how much? In MAC stores for P900.

Major Haul from the U.S.

Hello my dearies! How is everyone? I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I've been very busy. But now I'm back! So I'd like to show you the stuff that my parents brought home when they came from the US. I asked for some of these stuff while some of these were given as gifts. So here's what I found when I came home:

Here's this really cute makeup bag from ULTA. It's pink and shiny! How great is that?

Here it is when it's opened! A makeup kit! It has lots of eyeshadows, lipglosses, some lipsticks and blushes. It also has two shades of concealer and some loose powders. I've tried the eyeshadows and they have good pigmentation. I can't say wow really but for the price I can't complain! The lipsticks are sheer but buildable.

 

 And here's what I've been waiting for the most.....

 

I'm really so excited about this! Here it is when opened.

 

Nice right? It has 16 shades, a mini UDPP and mini 24/7 pencils of Zero and Bourbon. If you've been following my blog for a long time, then you know that I loooove UD shadows! These are really great. Very good pigmentation, and it applies very creamy!

Here's a picture of different stuff from Clinique, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and ELF. Also in the picture is an NYC waterproof pencil (which I've been reading good reviews about) and a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Strawberry Milk. I originally asked for 4 shades of JES as well as a Concealer in a Jar but they were all OOS.

 

 And finally, a brush set from MAC's holiday collection and a MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus.

 

Gel Liner Showdown: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack vs. Stila Smudgepot in Black

Hello dearies! I have a lot of work to do but I took a quick break to post this entry LOL! I love gel liners. I don't know why haha. That's why I bought both Stila Smudgepots and MAC Fluidline. I put both to the test to show you which withstood more. I'll also reveal which one is my favorite.

First let's go look at the product. The Stila Smudgepot you see here is not the full size. It's the mini size I got as part of a set. The full size of the Stila Smudgepot is bigger than the MAC Fluidline that you can see on your left.

MAC Fluidline: P1,100

Stila Smudgepot Full size: P695 (I'm not sure as I bought this from Ebay)

Packaging: I find that MAC has better plastic, since Stila's plastic cover is made of thin plastic, as opposed to MAC's cover which is made of thick plastic.

So here are the swatches. MAC Fluidline on the left and Stila Smudgepot on the right.

 

As you can see, both liners make a good black, dry fast, although I find that MAC Fluidline is a teeny tiny bit creamier than Stila Smudgepot.

An on to the test. After waiting for both of them to dry, I rubbed both hard with my dry finger. Let's see what happened:

 

As you can see, MAC Fluidline smudged quite badly while Stila Smudgepot smudged just a tiny bit, although it's hard to see in the photo.

I wet both of them through running water:

 

Both showed no change.

Then while they were still wet, I tried rubbing both with my finger.

 

Both smudged a bit, but just a little bit as compared to it's previous state.

So who won? Well, obviously it was my Stila Smudgepot. I've said this a lot of times in Girltalk, Stila is definitely my favorite brand for gel liners! It got everyone beat. Plus it's cheaper than MAC Fluidline but has more product. Yey Stila!

Tip: Right after dipping your brush, close the jar immediately! Or else it will dry up.

To see another eyeliner showdown (Coastal Scents vs. MAC Fluidline), Click here