MAC Warm & Cozy 2010 Color Collection Review

I know that I’ve slacked on reviewing things. I’ve been so busy, but enough of the excuses. I’ve been really behind on commenting on new color collections. I got lost in the holiday launches. It seems like MAC comes out with a new color collection every Friday. It isn’t that they aren’t special, it’s just that I can’t keep up. Many of the colors are just renamed. The Warm and Cozy Collection doesn’t contain mind-altering colors or taboo shades. However, I am so intrigued by this collection. It’s hot stuff. I’ve craved soft fabrics in cream cashmere and apricot silk paired with copper/rose gold jewelry and shimmering complexions. This collection is that. It’s sexy in that Victoria’s Secret way: tousled hair, gilded bronze eye makeup that makes blue eyes pop, and plump lips. This complexion came out just when I was craving this. This is something different for me. I usually just rock deep lipsticks throughout the cooler months but this year I’ve done more of the bronze eye lid look with golden lips. I want candlelit shades, romance.This collection is sexy without trying too hard. The warm undertones really flatter any complexion, even my pasty PNW skin.

EYES: There are 3 simple and understated with very minimal to no shimmer Eyeshadows. The shades are Chamomile (creamy matte), Modellete (warm medium brown), and Mulled Cider (warm brown). These shades aren’t exciting but they are very versatile. Chamomile is a great shade that is a must have for doing a “vintage” look with bold lips. There are 4 shimmery Shadesticks in Cuddle, Nurture, Relaxed, and Warm & Cozy. These are all in various neutral shades with warm champagne and gold undertones. They look great alone with a few heavy coats of mascara or layered under the matte powder eyeshadows in the collection.

LIPS: There are 3 shades of Lipsticks: Siss (warm golden candlelight), Spiced Tea (warm reddish bronze shimmer), and Warm Up (gentle rosewood). Siss is my favorite. It pairs nicely with dark eye makeup. There are 4 Tinted Lip Glasses in 2N (sexy neutral pink), 3N (neutral golden brown), Feeling Dreamy (rosé wine shimmer), and Light That Fire! (rusty shimmer). I really do like all the lip glasses in this collection. They are so versatile. The Tinted Lip Conditioners have been relaunched. They’re a great product.

COMPLEXION: There are 2 Mineralize Skinfinish powders in By Candlelight (champagne shimmer) and Comfort (orangey bronze). This collection launched Care Blends Essential Oils in 2 formulas in the complexion. They are so nice. A little goes a long way and the scents are heavenly. There is Sweet Orange & Lavender and Grapefruit & Chamomile. Mineralize All OVer Body Lotion is a slightly shimmery body lotion.

Oh, there are 2 Nail Lacquers in Blissed Out (pale warm pink shimmer) and Dim The Lights (sexy chocolate truffle shimmer).

I really do think that this is a perfect late winter color collection. It’s soft and cozy and it adds much needed warmth to the complexion. I can’t pull off teal eye makeup and heavy bronzers right now. My skin hasn’t seen the sun in months. I pretty much live in the Artic Circle. This is a great complexion compromise. I get a golden glow without being too “tropical vacation”. This is a champagne by the fire place kind of collection. Love it.

 

Get The Look of Annie Lennox

Androgyny but with lots and lots of makeup. I guess that was one of the few good things about the 80’s. Don’t be scared to lay it on thick.

FACE: Cover up imperfections with an all around concealer like MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in your shade. Face is matte (and I am sure shades lighter). I love MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. Apply a hot pink powder blush such as Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Blush in Hot Pink.

EYES: Brush brows into place and fill them in with a soft, powdery brow pencil like Lancome Le Crayon Poudre. The colors needed for lids include a soft cream like Origins Eyeshadow in Cream Tulle, a medium plum such as MAC Eyeshadow in Plum Dressing, a burgundy like MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch, and a black or a burgundy black like MAC Eyeshadow in Beauty Marked. Apply the cream shade all over. From lash line to lid crease apply the plum/magenta. Also line the bottom lash line with this shade. In the crease with eyes open, apply the burgundy. With a crease brush apply the darkest shade, making a sideways “v”. Take this dark shade and apply halfway on the bottom lash line in the outer corners. Take the cream and blend into the lid towards the corner closest to your nose. Blend and blend until you get the look you want. Take a pitch black eye liner like Benefit BadGal Waterproof Eyeliner and line top lash line halfway to make lashes appear fuller. Apply lots and lots of black mascara.

LIPS: Lips have full-coverage with a glossy raspberry shade. So make sure they are exfoliated and moisturized ahead of time. Line lips with a raspberry shade like Prescriptives Deluxe Lip Pencil in Raspberry. Apply a slightly glossy raspberry lipstick like Physcian’s Formula Plump Potion Lipstick in Raspberry Potion. Apply a shimmery pink lip gloss like Lancome Color Fever Lip Gloss in Raspberry Glimmer to the center of your bottom lip.

 

L’Oreal HIP Bright Eye Shadow Duo in Flare

Weekly Cheap Secret:

This is a pretty good duo. I have worn the heck out of the beige shimmer that is infused with lots of gold. It makes a great base shade and mixes well with any color ever. It is very versatile. It can look very “natural” when worn with chocolatey browns such as MAC  Bronze or MAC Sable. It also wears nicely with blues, especially those with warmer undertones like MAC Tilt or the blue found in Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad Seashore Frosts worn in the crease. It does well with everything from orange to plum to navy. It provides nice coverage and is very pearly. I bought the duo for the orange shade. It is an orangey bronze with gold shimmer. It doesn’t pack as much of a punch and needs to be layered a few times for maximum impact. It isn’t a bad color it doesn’t have as much “drama” as I would like. Actually, when paired with the other color in the duo, it looks pretty netural and “work” friendly. It is a warm shade with a hint of glimmer. It looks nice with other metallic metal shades such as Milani Sun Goddess or MAC Amber Lights. It doesn’t pack a punch like MAC Orange or Rule but does pair nicely with those. Warm shades like this really make blue and green eyes pop. I usually do a wash of orange over the lid, apply black liquid liner, lots of mascara or false lashes and pair with my RIP Nars Taj Mahal blush. It looks great in the summer with a hint of bronzer and a sheer gold gloss like Milani Buzzy Worthy Lip Gloss in Busy Bee. I have found with this duo when it is applied wet it really doesn’t appear much more intense and that it has a tendency to crease. However, for the drugstore price tag I find that the lightest shade is worth the money. This compact really makes blue and green eyes pop.

 

Not An Antique: MAC Pigment in Old Gold Review

The picture on maccosmetics.com does not do this product justice at all. It is described as “frosted tarnished gold”, the picture online looks like an antiqued gold, something on an heirloom locket. It looks tame and like it would wear nicely on anyone. It looks like a perfect super shimmery neutral and like the perfect “with a tan” shade. Above the pigment is smeared on my hand dry. It is a really vivid metallic. I wouldn’t describe it as a gold at all. It is more of a melange of rust, gold, blue, green, teal pigment particles. It only looks “gold” under bright light and then it isn’t an antique or tarnished gold but a 24K flake spray paint gold. I like this color. It wears nicely with blues, greens, and orange. It is very metallic and looks good even alone worn as a wash (applied like this, it looks very green on my skin). It is just that this color doesn’t fit the description, so buyer beware if you are purchasing online or sight unseen.

I love MAC pigments, they can be worn anywhere mixed into a gel or cream base, applied wet or dry. I do find that if I apply this like a traditional shade like with an eyeshadow brush worn with other powder shadows, it does crease. This often happens with super shimmery products. After a day’s wear it is creasing big time even with an industrial strength base 🙂 I haven’t mixed this one into a gloss/gel base because I think it has too much green and blue to look OK on the lips or cheeks. I have been using this on the eyes only.

It retails for $19.50 and comes in a generous sized container. I am sure I will be throwing this out before I can use it all up.

 

Get The Rock’n Look of Joan Jett With MAC Cosmetics

First of I love Joan’s hair on the album cover, so much so that a few years ago I brought it into the salon so that I too could sport this look. All products used for this look are MAC.

FACE: Apply concealer where needed. I like the ease of Select Cover Up because it is in a tube. Even out complexion with a powder foundation such as Studio Fix Foundation plus Powder. Apply just a bit of Powder Blush in Loverush, a sheer burgundy that gives a healthy flush.

EYES: Sculpt brows into place using Eye Brows eye pencil. For black brows like Joan’s use Velvetone. Apply Paint Pot in Fresco Rose as an eyeshadow base. Apply Eye Shadow in Of Summer, a pale mauve pink,  from lashline to brows. From the corner of the eye closest to the nose, take a brush and make a big “hook” shape with a magenta eyeshadow like Stars N’ Rockets. From lashline to crease blend Hepcat, a vivid wine. Take a creamy shadow like the Shadestick in Sharkskin, a smoky gray, and thickly line top and bottom lashes all the way around. Use the thickness of the Shadestick to your advantage! Apply a glittery black eye shadow like Black Tied over Sharkskin. Blend upwards and outwards for a smoky but still very bold look. Curl lashes and apply mascara. Pro Lash is supposed to do it all.

LIPS: Lips are no fuss and very natural. Apply a conditioning lip balm treatment like the Lip Conditioner Stick. So easy, no worries of smearing. Eat a hamburger! Kiss! No touching up!

If I had to choose a matching fragrance I would go for MV 3, it’s tough and sexy and very rock and roll with notes of jasmine, vanilla, and leather.

 

MAC Style Warrior 2009 Summer Color Collection

“Safari” fashion has been big this summer. Everything is khaki, olive, and very ‘Ernest Hemingway African safari” in both clothing and makeup. MAC has introduced “Style Warrior” for this summer. It’s style is still on par with other brands for this summer but it is much more “fierce”.

The packaging for all of the products is bronze with animal prints and “tribal” designs. I am a sucker for anything animal print so I really like the limited edition packaging.I believe the “leopard” print is for warmer undertones and the “zebra” print is for cooler undertones.

EYES: There are 5 Eye Shadows that retail for $14.50. There is Night Manoeuvres which is a smoky deep taupe. I love it on all eye colors. There is Soft Force which is a pale gold shimmer that works nicely on pale to medium skintones. There is Vibrant Grape which is a magenta. I think this would be amazing on medium skin to dark skintones with brown eyes or even green eyes. Bright Future is a bright yellow gold shimmer that will make blue eyes pop. And there is Tempting, a warm brown shimmer that is a beautiful neutral for summer. An Eye Kohl Pencil in Smolder (black) and Pro Lash Mascara have been relaunched.

LIPS & NAILS: There are 4 Lipsticks that retail for $14.00. Sunsational is a warm gold neutral that pairs nicely with a smoky eye. Brave New Bronze which is a pinky bronze neutral. Tribalist is a satin blackberry, I think it is my favorite lipstick in the collection. And there is Purple Rite which is a violet shimmer. I think this would be nice paired with a forest green smoky eye. There are 4 Lipglass Lip Glosses that go for $14. Liberated is a sheer gold that will add warmth over any shade. Gold Rebel is a coppery gold shimmer. Fierce & Fabulous is a frosty purpley pink, great for pale skins with dark hair. Style Warrior (my fave) is a blackened burgundy bronze. If your lips have a natural brown tone to them, this would be stunning. There are 3 Nail Lacquers. THere is Peaceable which is a super shimmery metallic golden beige. I love it with a tan. Mercenary which is a bronze with dark bronze shimmers, very “antiqued”. The last one is Violet Fire which is a bright magenta purple shimmer. Nail Colors go for $11.

FACE: There are 2 Beauty Powder Blushes. One is Eversun which is a bronze with gold shimmers, perfect for darker skins. THe other is On A Mission, a natural pinky plum. Both go for $18. There are 2 Bronzing Powders. One is Refined Gold and the other Solar Rich, retail for $21.  Items that have been relaunched: Solar Bits (love those babies), Lustre Drops, Iredescent Loose Powder, Skinsheen Leg Spray, and brushes.

Animal print bags have been launched with this collection. I like the collection but I haven’t purchased anything from it. There appears to be nothing that I don’t already own. If I fall for it, it would be because of the packaging.

 

Best Green Ever: NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Rated R

Smeared on my hand without primer.

I really like this NARS Eyeshadow Duo. Rated R has one of the best greens in the world in it. It is a bright acid green with tons of gold shimmer. It is loud and wears nicely with any shade from eggplant to chocolate brown. It looks alot like MAC Eyeshadow in Bitter. However, this green has tons of gold shimmer. This gives it depth and just makes it down right fun. The blue isn’t too bad either. It is a royal blue with tons of silver shimmer. I do prefer it over many of MAC’s blue shades. My only complaint is that like so many blues, this one turns a bit green on my eye lid. I have to wear a primer to keep it looking just as vivid as it is in the compact.

These two colors do wear nicely together but I do prefer to keep them separate. I find that they “fade” or look “dull” when worn together.  I love to wear the acidic green all the way up to the crease with a nude champagne shimmer under it. I like to wear MAC Chrome yellow in the inside corner of the eye and under the bottom lashline. I love to wear MAC Orange or in the crease. And I like to top it off with a nice black liquid liner. Trade the Orange out for MAC Hepcat and you have another great look. Sometimes I like to wear this green shade alone as a wash. Or for my more “neutral” look. The same champagne shade under the green with a deep dark chocolate brown in the crease with smoky brown liner.

The blue looks nice mixed with greens or other blues. I like to wear it with a frosty white eyeshadow underneath. Like Clinique Sugar Sugar or MAC Crystal Avalanche. I wear the blue all the way up to the crease. I like to blend a deep blue in the crease like MAC Plumage. I line with navy or black liner. It is a nice look. A bit Liz Taylor as Cleopatra. Pair with super nude matte lips and it looks wonderful.

I feel like for such “bold” colors, I get my $32 out of it. These shades wear nicely with others that I own. I mean what else can you mix a hot pink shadow with? It can be purchased at beauty.com.

 

Olive You: My Favorite Olive Eyeshadows

My eye.

I have blue eyes and khaki or olive eye makeup really doesn’t make them stand out but I do love the look because it works with my complexion and dyed red hair. I love olive eyeshadows are dark skintones and ladies with brown or hazel eyes. If you have a bit of violet in your eyes it will make them pop. Plus, khakis and olives look great on redheads including the au naturale redheads that I am so jealous of. It is stunning and easy. It can be applied like a “wash” and it looks wonderful. It makes a great smoky eye without using the much too harsh black that most people reach for. Some of my favorite olive shadows include the following:

Pick Your Own Singles: Cheaper-What I am wearing in the pic above is mark I-Mark Custom Pick Eyeshadow in Vintage Khaki. It is a deep khaki infused with tons of gold shimmer. It is long wearing even without a base and it retails for $4. The case is sold separately. More Expensive-I also like Prescriptives Colorscope Eye Color in Sage. It looks alot like the mark one. It retails for $14 and the case is sold separately.Both of these look nice paired with nude shimmers or golds as a base.

Shimmer Singles: Cheaper- I like L’Oreal Eyeshadow Single in Golden Olive which is a medium olive shade that retails for under $5. One of my all time favorites is Milani Powder Eyeshadow in Golden Bronze which is a green with pearly gold and it retails for under $4. I have went through many of these, have I mentioned they look great on redheads? Even the natural kind. More Expensive–Lorac has an Eyeshadow Single in Olive which is a nice medium olive shimmer that retails for $17. Another really nice one is MAC Eyeshadow in Greensmoke which is a deep dark olive shimmer that retails for $14.50. There is also Sumptous Olive which is nice but a bit more khaki and with less “green”. Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in Designer is an awesome super shimmery olive with silver shimmer. It retails for $16.50. For a more brown but still green shimmer, Dior 1-Colour Mono Eyeshadow in Khakis is very shimmery and nice. It retails for $25.

Matte : Cheaper– L’Oreal Wear Infinite Eye Shadow Duo in Forest is nice. It has a matte soft clover green and a matte medium olive. It retails for under $6. More Expensive– This is a bit of a matte, Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in Dill. It is a deep olive with minimal gold shimmer. It retails for $16.50. Make Up For Ever has a matte olive in Olive Green 47 and it retails for $19. I find that there aren’t many matte shadows on the market in this shade. I must say that olives really do benefit from shimmer. It seems to add depth and keeps the eye area from looking too “dead”. I have all three mentioned above and I like them. They don’t make me look like a rotting zombie corpse.

Duo/Sets: Cheaper– L’Oreal Eye Shadow Quads in Landscape and Eva’s Violets have nice olives and other coordinating shades. These retail for under $7. Revlon 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Spring Moss has a lovely khaki and three other nice greens. It retails for under $7.  More Expensive– YSL 5 Colour Harmony for Eyes in Garden of Eden has a nice olive and four other great greens for $56. DuWop Smoke in Olive Branch makes a great olive smoky eye and retails for $28. It comes with a gel liner and shimmery eyeshadow.

Eyeliner: Cheaper– Sephora Slim Eye Pencil in Olive is OK for the $5 price tag. I also like Covergirl Outlast Smoothwear All Day Eyeliner in Olive because it is so smooth. It retails for under $7. Another nice one is Avon Ultra Luxury Eye Liner in Khaki. It retails for $5 and creates a soft line.  More Expensive– MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Forever Green which is an olive shimmer that retails for $14.50. It has a really smooth formula and wears for hours! One of my favorite liners ever is the one I am wearing in the pic above. It is Lancome Artliner in Starshower. As you can see, it is an olive that is so dark that it is almost black with lots of gold shimmer. It retails for $28 and looks awesome just worn alone. It is way more fun than your basic black and it is much more flattering for hazel eyes. Black can be too harsh on most skintones as well and it can be aging! I also like Dior Waterproof Crayon Eyeliner in Iridescent Khaki. It is very long wearing and retails for $26 and comes with its own sharpener.

 

New MAC Mineralize Holiday Eye Shadow Trio Review

These new MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow Trio from the 2008 Red She Said Holiday Collection well, suck. I was not impressed with these. I saw them online and I was so siked. The metallic colors looked wonderful. The colors looked rich and saturated. I got to try these in person and I was so disappointed. First, things first. The metallic centers of these are so weak. I wanted gilded, foiled eyes. Instead the gold or silver centers were weak, invisible except for unattractive metallic glitter flakes. Not cool. The other two colors were weak too. They had pigment unlike the metallic centers but were really light in comparison to other MAC eye shadows. I did sample these dry so maybe if used wet they are pigmented. Do comment if you have used these damp.

These come in six trios that retail for $17.50. I didn’t purchase any because I found them boring. Danger Zone seemed like it would be the most interesting because it has a metaillic midnight black, silver and metallic lipstick red. Instead it came out boring and washed out. I thought I would like Inter-View because it has a deep shimmery peacock navy, gold and deep rusty wine. Nope, boring. I found all of them boring. Oh, well.

 

A Little Bitter: MAC Cult of Cherry Eye Shadow Quad in Tempting

MAC has launched this season’s Cult of Cherry which I dig. I love dark lips and this collection offers that. It is a pretty edgy look. MAC made a long ass video for the collection too that can be viewed on the website. It also has three eyeshadow quads but I’m going to review Tempting. Tempting is pretty nice and kind of boring except for the acidic pop of the green which I find so similar to the eye shadow Bitter. Bitter is one of my favorite eyeshadows. I miss it with Chrome Yellow and a black with a pearly white highlighter such as Carbon and Crystal Avalanche. I also were it with bright blues like Freshwater and Electric Eel. I have paired Bitter with bronzes and browns with a bit of Gorgeous Gold. Sometimes I just wash the lid with Bitter and line with lots of black liquid liner. So what I’m saying is that I like Bitter. This compact offers that shade without calling it Bitter. In fact I don’t remember what it is called. The other shades in the quad include a shimmery nude, golden shimmery medium brown, and a dark warm brown. The shadows are a collection of satin, frost, and lustre and I think they all blend well. These all look great together. I didn’t buy the compact because I have colors are identical to this. See I can be financially responsible. The compact is limited edition and retails for $36 and the compact can be refilled. It’s really nice if you have nothing like it.