MAC Matte2 Eye Shadows For Less!

I've seen MAC eye shadows at Costco for a few months now, but I only bought one of the shades ("Orb") because for ~$10 USD, I didn't think it was that good of a deal when I could just buy the refill pans for $11. However, when I was there Sunday, the MAC eye shadows went down in price to only just under $6! Now that's a deal. So I bought the colors that I didn't own yet -- "Copperplate" and "Newly Minted". The only other colors left were "Poison Pen" (which I got at the CCO in Gilroy, CA last year) and "Handwritten" (which I bought at the MAC store for full price *sigh* BUT I really like this color). All of these colors are matte2.


I swatched these two colors without any primer. They feel silkly smooth. "Copperplate" is a greyish brown color that is nice with smokey looks, and "Newly Minted" is a pretty teal color.

I will post a look using "Newly Minted" next. :)

CCO Haul!

I went to CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet, also known as The Cosmetics Company Store) in Vacaville, CA last week, and here's my haul:

I missed out on the MAC smokey eye holiday palette last December, so I was thrilled to see it there. Even though I now have Satin Taupe (2nd row, 1st column) and I already had Carbon, I still wanted to get this palette because the other colors are pretty too. The names of the eye shadows from top to bottom (left to right) are: Scant (F), Gorgeous (M), Satin Taupe (F), Ambiance (V), Dark Devotion (M), and Carbon (M). I got it for $26.75 USD.


I also wanted to try Bobbi Brown blush, so I got this one in "Nectar" for $14.00.


I also bought MAC Lip Conditioner Stick with SPF 15. I wanted a lip conditioner to use under matte lipstick. I recently got MAC L/S in "Please Me" -- it's a really nice muted pink color, but it's matte and really dries my lips. Now I use this lip conditioner first, put the matte lipstick on top, and it works like a charm. :) I got this for $11.00. If you decide to buy this lip conditioner as well, make sure to check the expiration date on the box first (Yes! There's actually an expiration date!). Mine expires in February 2011.

The bright orange lipstick is called "Electro", and it was $10.00. I don't have a bright, bold orange yet in my collection, so I thought this was perfect (and I won't have a hard time figuring out which one is my "orange" lipstick due to the container haha).

I was also relieved to see that this CCO had the limited edition Mineralize Skinfinish with shimmer! I just hit the pan on the one I bought when these came out, and I was already getting worried about whether or not I could find another one. I used it everyday, and I love it! I've been using "Medium/Natural and Shimmer" for some time now, so I got another one of those. I decided to get one in "Light Medium/Natural and Shimmer" too for the winter. These were $18.75 each (compared to ~$27 that I paid a few months ago). If you live nearby a CCO and they have these in stock, I definitely recommend checking them out!

MAC Haul from Bloomingdale's

Here are some items I bought while shopping in Bloomindale's in San Francisco, CA last weekend. I already posted a picture of me wearing Sea & Sky (which I love, love, love!), and I used "Flip" E/S for the first time today. I took pictures, and I'll include it in my next post.

The other E/S is called "Soft Brown". It's a matte eye shadow that I actually haven't seen as a tester in all the MAC stores I've been to. When I was in Bloomindale's, I was immediately drawn to this color. I haven't had a chance to use this yet (and it's been a week since I've had it!), but I'll definitely play with it as soon as I'm done with finals. This is one of those colors that would look great with any eye shadow, and it can be used to transition colors.

I need to exchange the lipstick though, because the container is broken! :( It's so hard to rotate it, and the bottom of the lipstick is a bit smashed. Maybe this time I'll go to Bloomingdale's in Palo Alto to exchange it, so that I can also stop by the new Nordstrom Rack in East Palo Alto :)

Mineral Magic Cosmetics Swatches

I had the opportunity to try 27 samples from Mineral Magic Cosmetics. These samples along with 2 really nice brushes (a double-ended brush for eyes and a powder buffer) are part of the Ultimate YouTube Kit that I received in the mail last week (thanks Kellie!).

Here are the swatches (click images to enlarge)!

I will experiment with some of the pinks on my cheeks. They are gorgeous!


These hi-lite colors look white in the container, but when you apply it on your skin, you can see the actual colors.


These colors are very pigmented! Telly is a good dupe for MUFE #92 E/S.

I grouped these colors together, because they are great for summer bronze and tropical looks. Isn't that "Bird" color just amazing?!? It's so vibrant! (It made me think of Big Bird from Sesame Street haha)

I do recommend using an eyeshadow base/primer (as I do with pretty much all makeup anyway) as it will help reduce fallout. I used MAC Luna Creme Colour Base underneath all of these swatches. I will be playing with these samples for a while, so you'll probably see these show up in upcoming FOTDs. :)

From my experience so far, these Mineral Magic Cosmetics makeup are buildable and easy to blend too. I do end up with some fallout, but that tends to happen when I use loose pigments and mineral makeup in general. A good trick is to apply loose powder on your cheeks before you apply your eyeshadow -- this way the fallout will just sit on top of that powder and not set on your skin. Then you can just brush away the powder along with the fallout when you're done.

If you want to buy the YouTube kit as well, make sure to enter "youtube" in Notes To Seller at checkout to get free extras! The samples I have include all of Mineral Magic Cosmetics' new products as well as some unlisted colors to date. If there is any color here that you want specifically that you do not see on their website, email Kellie at MineralMagicCosmetics@hotmail.com.

Have a great Friday!

Mini MAC Haul + Mutiny Pigment Swatch

I went to my local MAC store yesterday to check out the Rose Romance collection that just launched. I wasn't too excited about most of the eye shadows and lipsticks, because they were (for the most part) light/muted shades. From the collection, I ended up buying MAC Pigment Colour Powder in "Mutiny" and a refill pan of "Creme de Violet" eye shadow (matte purple with bright gold flecks). I also got another blush refill in "Harmony", because I like this color to contour.


"Mutiny" pigment was actually released with the Naugty Nauticals collection last year. It's such a pretty light blue color. The picture below doesn't do it justice. This is how it looks with no base, so you could definitely make it pop with a blue base like MAC Paint Pot in "Delft" or apply it wet.

I got to play with this pigment this morning, so that means a new FOTD is coming up!

MAC Pro Refill Haul

I went to the freestanding MAC store in Burlingame, CA last Sunday. Of all the MAC locations nearby, I like this one the most because it's almost always not busy. There's only about 1 or 2 other customers in the store when I go (and I have only gone on weekends so far). The only negative is that they close a lot earlier than other stores. But the good news is that there's a Sephora only a few steps away that stays open a little later. :)

Here's what I hauled:


MAC Pro Colour Blush Palette (holds 6 blush refill pans)
MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Dollymix"
MAC Sheertone Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Blushbaby"
MAC Sheertone Blush Pro Refill Pan in "Peaches"
MAC Pro Colour E/S Palette (holds 15 eye shadow refill pans)
MAC Pro E/S Refill Pans in (from top to bottom, left to right): "Tete-A-Tint", "Yogurt", "Knight Divine", "Omega", and "Satin Taupe".

Click on the image above to see the blushes up close. From left to right, "Peaches", "Blushbaby", and "Dollymix". This is the first time I'm trying the blushes in refill pans. Each one is $15 USD. They are normally $18, so I'm saving $3 by buying the refill pans (though the blush palette was $12). If you're new to MAC blushes, I definitely recommend starting off with a peach blush and a pink blush like "Peaches" and "Dollymix" -- those will be enough to match a majority of makeup looks.

As for the e/s palette -- my boyfriend bought that for me including the 5 e/s refill pans I mentioned above (palette $12, e/s refill pans $11 each). It's part of his anniversary gift to me (coming up this Thursday). We've been celebrating every month for 2+ years, and I guess we just haven't gotten tired of it yet. :)

I'm trying to switch over as much of my makeup to these palettes now so that I have more room in the bathroom. I now have three e/s palettes (including this new one) and one blush palette. They all look the same though from the outside, so I'll probably label them with some stickers.

If you're interested in going the MAC Pro refill pan route, just remember that not all MAC locations sell the pro refills. MAC counters at Macy's, Nordstrom, and other department stores most likely do not carry these refills. Visit a freestanding MAC store or MAC Pro store near you!

Ulta Haul!

I just got home from taking 2 midterms, and I'm running on 3 hours of sleep. I wanted to post these pictures before I take a nap. :) Here's what I got at Ulta last Sunday:


Too Faced First Base Soothing Eye Shadow Base ($17 USD)
Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in "George & Weezie" ($17 USD)
Two Faced Eye Shadow Due in "Full Frontal" ($17 USD)
Casaro Double-Ended Sponge Applicators 30 Count (~$4 USD)

I got 20% off everything (coupon came in the mail for Ulta Club Members -- it's free to join!).

The First Base primer is just as smooth as it claims to be. It's a shimmery base, unlike Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I'm a big fan of Shadow Insurance though, so I'll have to try First Base a few times before I let you know if it's a must-have.

Click on the image to see the eye shadow colors up close. My favorite of the Two Faced e/s duos is George & Weezie. Both of these duos will be great for bronzy looks in the sunny months ahead.

CCO Haul!!!

C-C-O! C-C-O! That's what my mom and I say when we're at a factory outlet and my sister takes too long at a store that's not CCO. :) For those of you who are not familiar with CCO, it stands for Cosmetic Company Outlet. They sell a lot of brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Stila, Estee Launder, Prescriptive, etc. at about 30% off retail price. Most of the items are either discontinued or leftovers that did not completely sell out (for example, items from various MAC collections). I always walk out of a CCO with a good amount of makeup and a big smile on my face.



I got these four Bobbi Brown eye shadows. The colors are (from left to right) Shimmer Wash E/S in "Rose Gold 8", E/S in "Cocoa 13", Shimmer Wash E/S in "Chocolate 11", and E/S in "Mahogany. These were $13.50 each.



Before this haul, I owned only one Bobbi Brown product, which is this eye shadow on the right. I went to Carmel-by-the-Sea for a short vacation right before Spring semester began, and I bought this eye shadow in "Mahogany" for my eye brows. I really like using Bobbi Brown for my eye brows because the color really stays and doesn't smudge, even when I accidently touch it throughout the day. The eye shadow that I bought on the right is the newer square packaging. It was around $25, and it has .08oz/2.5g of product. However, at CCO, I got this same eye shadow color for $13.50, and it has .11oz/3.2g of product. Whoohoo!

I was surprised to see that they had MAC "Femme Fi" eye shadow there too. It was $10. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this color, and if you haven't already noticed, I use it a lot as my highlight color. I bought this color when the Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection came out earlier this year. It actually came out with the Neo-Sci Fi collection last summer (which is why it's in orange packaging).

This next item is from DF&CCO (Designer Fragrance & Cosmetic Co.), but I decided to include it in this post anyway. My mom bought this lipstick for me, since they were having a buy 2 for $15 sale on Lancome lipsticks and eye shadows. This lipstick shade is "Luminous", and it has a very pretty pink shimmer to it.

I will definitely be wearing this one over some other lipsticks, so keep an eye out for it in an upcoming FOTD (Face of the Day) makeup look.

All in all, CCO in Vacaville was a success. The one in Gilroy doesn't have as great of a selection as Vacaville. However, my all-time favorite CCO (of the ones I've been to) is still in Las Vegas -- it's makeup heaven!

What's your favorite CCO location?

Sephora Haul: New Stila Items!

I went shopping last Saturday with my mom and sister. We went to Vacaville Premium Outlets, and then made a last minute stop to Sephora on our way home. I already posted pictures of the MUFE #92 purple eye shadow in my Prom Purple post, so I wanted to share what else I got at Sephora that day.

I have been eyeing this eye shadow palette ($40 USD) since the first time I saw it at Sephora in February. These eye shadows are made with genuine pearl. The minerals and proteins contained in genuine pearl nourish your skin, leaving it soft and smooth. These can be applied either wet or dry.

The case is really cute too!

Stila also came out with a new beauty collection called "My Mother, My Hero". It's meant to be a gift set for Mother's Day. I still bought it for myself anyway (even though I'm not a mom haha), because it is a really great bargain. These 5 items are only $38 USD total, and it's valued at $110!

Here's a close up of the makeup (click on image to enlarge). I bought the eye shadow trio in Gold Glow a long time ago (~ 5 years ago I think), and I used it everyday when I didn't own as much makeup. This trio is $28 by itself, and the illuminating finishing powder (in bronze) is $32 -- so $38 for this entire set is such a good deal!

The clutch is cute too -- and if you do decide to buy this set as a gift, everything in the box is wrapped in pretty tissue that matches the outside of the box.

I acquired enough points (again) to get a free gift at Sephora (sign up for the Beauty Insider Rewards Program if you haven't already -- it's free), so I also scored this Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil sample with small brush. The brush is tiny, but it's really soft.

I haven't tried any of my new items yet, but I will definitly post some pictures of the looks I come up with soon.

I'll post my CCO haul pictures next. :)

MAC Sugarsweet Haul and Swatches

I had a very long week filled with midterms and homework, and now that I'm officially on Spring Break (as of 3PM today), I went to the mall after school and hauled these items from MAC's Spring 2009 collection called Sugarsweet.

Here are the swatches of the items I purchased:

(click on image to enlarge)

I initially wanted to buy Red Velvet shadestick, but after trying it on I decided to get something I would use more often. So instead of the pinkish-red color, I got Butternutty (light white gold color similar to Beige-ing shadestick) and Penny (copper color similar to Indianwood paint pot). Butternutty is a great highlighter color as well as a base color for your entire lid.

Here's how Dear Cupcake looks over Red Velvet (Sugarshot e/s is on the top without any base, Dear Cupcake over Red Velvet is on the bottom):

Dear Cupcake e/s looks just as pretty over Butternutty as it does over Red Velvet -- it just ends up looking like light pink rather than hot pink.

The 5 lipsticks from this collection are awesome. I wish I could have bought all of them. I ended up getting three, because I couldn't decide which one I wanted most (this is where a shopping buddy would have come in handy haha).

This is how I eventually convinced myself to get all three lipsticks:

1) I don't have any lipstick that looks like Bubbles. This light creme color would look great when I wear dramatic smokey or colorful eye shadow. Also, Bubbles applied on top of any lipstick will make the overall color lighter.

2) Lollipop Loving is the lipstick I originally wanted to get (after reading other reviews online). I have been into peach-colored lipstick lately, and this one has green shimmer in it. Too cute!

3) Touch lipstick is a very nice natural color. It's the perfect shade of brown -- not too dark and not too light. Also, this color matches really well with the shadesticks I already decided on getting.

So there you have it! Definitely check out this collection!

:B

(P.S. I'm off to Australia tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find some local brand drugstore makeup to blog about!)

After Christmas Haul

The day after Christmas I went to the mall to exchange some of the colors my boyfriend got me from MAC. As I mentioned in my previous post, I ended up getting Aquadisiac, Paradisco, Electra, and Cranberry. But of course, I couldn't just walk away without getting more items (ah!). So, I got two more paint pots in Delft and Blackground and the Wisteria e/s trio from the Dame Edna collection.

When I first learned about the Dame Edna collection from Pursebuzz, I wasn't too crazy about it (the guy sort of creeps me out). However, the Wisteria e/s (the light blue one) is just too pretty and it's not available as a single e/s. When I went to MAC and took a better look at it, the Fineshine e/s looked amazing too (the light silver one). So yeah... I ended up buying it. That pretty much takes care of the Christmas present from my grandparents. :X

Here's the makeup look I did today using Wisteria (on top of Delft Paint Pot) and Fineshine (on top of Luna Cream Colour Base):

MAC Holiday Haul

Items from Little Darlings, Passions of Red, and Adoring Carmine! I also ended up doing a little review of the face brush set. Although I was not fond of the 187 brush, the others were pretty good.

Ulta NYX and Blockbuster Haul

MAC Haul with Red She Said and Holiday Brush Set

Just wanted to share a picture of my most recent MAC haul. For anyone looking to buy any one of the three holiday brush sets (basic brush set, eye shadow brush set, and face brush set), BUY IT AT NORDSTROM!!! They're selling it for only $35 there, compared to $50 at MAC! What a deal!!!



I also picked up some Red She Said items -- mineralize eye shadow trio in Inter-view, MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Stark Naked (LOVE IT!) and Red She Said Amplified Creme Lipstick. These are my favorites from the collection. At first, I went to the mall looking for the mineralize eye shadow trio in Threesome, but I ended up liking Inter-view better -- especially since I wanted to buy makeup for my upcoming Classic/Vintage Pinup Makeup Tutorial and Threesome doesn't look that great with red lips.

If you have any questions about any of these items, leave a comment and I'll let you know as soon as I've tried these on!

:B

First Post!

Hi everyone! I'm starting up this new website about makeup, hair, fashion, good deals, and anything nerdy! I'm currently a full-time student, so I will try and update this as much as possible between exams and projects. I'm a computer science major, and I've loved makeup all my life. I'm not a professional makeup artist or anything, but I have been wearing makeup since... 5th grade! :-X I will also be making makeup videos and posting links here from YouTube. I like all makeup brands, especially MAC. I try to experiment with different brands though, from drugstore to Chanel and Dior just to see if there really is color payoff. I will post hauls, reviews, and any bargains that I find. Hopefully they will be helpful to you on your journey with makeup! That's about it for now! Check back again! :B