MAC Cosmetics

MAC Plenty of Pout Plumping Lipstick Swatches and a First Look

July 12th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

Think about the phrase “bee-stung lips” for a second. LIKE, REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. Literally sounds like the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. I was stung by a bee on my bicep when I was eight, and I still remember, with much clarity, the feeling of a million hot needles pinching my skin. To this day whenever a bee enters my peripheral vision I walk a little faster and mutter under my breath, “Bees can smell fear. No fear. No Fear. NO FEAR!”

Well. MAC’s new line of plumping lipsticks (and a plumping gloss) will not inflict any deep mental scars. At least I hope that’s the case?! I’m sitting here wearing the shade Smooth Going and my mouth is pretty tingly. Not a four-alarm status sting but I definitely feel like I’m alive.

Plenty of Pout Plumping Lipstick creates full, bee-stung lips while laying down sheer, creamy colour. An invigorating ginger root complex volumizes lips immediately, while avocadin and other potent oils moisturize and smooth. Plenty of Pout Plumping Lip Gloss packs the same power with a side of clear, balmy shine. Layer it over Plenty of Pout Plumping Lipstick to erase lip lines for a fresh, pumped-up pout!
–MAC PR

mac plenty of pout plumping lip gloss — Plumping Lip Gloss

Plenty of Pout Plumping Lipsticks ($21 each) and Plumping Lip Gloss ($18.50)

Available now online and at select MAC counters for a limited time

Pout and About: bright tangerine

Extra Kissable: creamy salmon pink

Ample Chic: creamy strawberry pink

Extra-Luscious: mid-tone creamy berry pink

Crazy Lush: bright cherry red

Lovemaker: berry wine

Kiss & Cuddle: soft yellow nude

So Swell: mid-tone cool brown

Smooth Going: bright peachy pink

Nicer Than Nice: soft, warm pink

Plenty of Pout Plumping Lip Gloss: sheer light pink

mac plenty of pout plumping lipstick ingredients — Plumping Lipstick ingredients

mac plenty of pout plumping lip gloss ingredients — Plumping Lip Gloss Ingredients

See anything ya like so far?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Very Important Things

July 5th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

1. Le Sportsac has a new line of bags printed bags in a “Caturday” print…

…with drawings of cats doing fun things on a boardwalk on Saturday (as cats are wont to do).

Note: There’s a kitty in a green bikini ordering a hot dog!!!

Seriously, I need everything, but I especially need the backpack. Should I go with the large or the medium? I just need something to hold my wallet, all of Connor’s kid things (which now includes a pink fold-up potty training seat –> who knew these things existed?), and all 14 of the lipstick tubes I have on me at any given moment.

Thanks to my buddy Suzanne for the heads up!

2. There’s a Mrs. Meyer’s Peony Dish Soap, and a Lilac Hand Soap, at Target right meow.

I think they’re both LE for summer? Anyway, they smell really good. I bought both, and I kinda wish I’d gotten backups, too.

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The MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolour Collection Is a Frosted Sugar Rush

June 21st, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

mac oh sweetie collection — Got a sweet tooth?

I like to bake.

Naw, dawg, I LOVE TO BAKE.

Love. It. ?????❤️??

What’s that? You need a cake baked from scratch? Brownies? Lemon bars? A loaf of artisan bread?? I GOT YOU, GIRL.

That said, when someone tells me that they don’t like sweets, or they claim to never, ever order dessert, my lips immediately form into a tight smile and my right eye starts twitching…because I’m completely short-circuiting inside.

HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE DESSERT…? 1011101011010101111010110100010011101010111

That does not compute.

Thankfully, it’s sweet stuff galore in the MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolour collection. In fact, the glosses are named after desserts.

Here’s a look at some of them…

The MAC Oh, Sweetie Lipcolours ($17 each, 15 LE shades)

The collection is fronted by jet-setting German fashion influencer Caro Daur. (I’ll pause for a moment if you want to google her…) She’s so chic, right? I would like some of that Euro girl magic, okpleaseandthankyou.

Honored to be part of the new @rogervivier book #LoveVivier ??? featured next to icon @inesdelafressangeofficial and all my favorite fashion colleagues ? thank you for the loyality, trust and kindness @rogervivier – adore the brand and the amazing team behind it???

A post shared by Caroline Daur (@carodaur) on May 24, 2018 at 12:53pm PDT

These Lipcolours are like metallic MAC Cremesheens, and they vary in terms of the amount of opalescent pearl they contain (some have more than others). The non-sticky formula is on the thinner side, too, and they shine just like a Cremesheen.

I like the less shimmery ones like Raspberry Pavlova more than the others, because the super shimmery metallic ones like Banana Muffins and Strawberry Mousse make me look CAH-RAY-ZAY.

And I don’t need any help in that department. 🙂

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Wearing the New MAC Aaliyah Collection (VIDEO REVIEW)

June 7th, 2018 by Karen 14 Comments

You know what I just realized? I just realized that I can tie different eras from my teens and 20s to Aaliyah’s music. Like, Jen, Cindy and I played Back and Forth so much in the summer before I left for college, and then in the spring of my senior year at Davis, Are You That Somebody was almost constantly on the radio whenever Eleanor, Mary Anne, Christine and I drove anywhere (In-N-Out after class, to the city late at night to go clubbing, house parties, the library, to go rollerblading all over town, to the gym).

And then around the time El Hub and I met, Rock the Boat was THE JAM.

Aaliyah’s legacy lives on through her music, and her fans lobbied hard for a MAC collection.

I wore my first look with it today (I plan to do at least one more with a lip), and here are pics, swatches (NC42) and some thoughts (in the video). First impression: holy shimmer!

Mini reviews of a few pieces from the @maccosmetics Aaliyah collection (swipe to see the second vid): Age Ain’t Nothing Eye Shadow X 9, Baby Girl Bronzer and Li Li’s Motor City Lipglass. Coming to maccosmetics.com June 20 and to select counters June 21. #maccosmetics #aaliyahformac #makeupreview #igmakeup #instamakeup

A post shared by Karen | Makeup and Beauty Blog (@karenmbb) on Jun 7, 2018 at 4:24pm PDT

mac aaliyah age aint nothing eye shadow x 9 — Eye Shadow X 9 in Age Ain’t Nothing ($32)

mac aaliyah bronzing powder — Bronzing Powder in Baby Girl ($27)

mac aaliyah lipglass — Brooklyn Born, Li Li’s Motor City, At Your Best You Are, 1 in a Million ($17 each)

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New From MAC and Patrick Starrr: The MAC Summer Starrr Kit and Hot and Heavy Face Powder

June 5th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

“You must be my Summer Starrrrrrr!!!”

I dare you to NOT sing Madonna’s Lucky Star out loud whenever you think of the name of this kit, ’cause I sure as heck can’t do it.

Mega-influencer and glamazon YouTuber Patrick Starrr is back with another collab with MAC, Summer Starrr, and it’s all about warm shades and peppy packaging.

The summer collection includes a kit containing an eye quad, glosses and a bronzer; and a separate shimmery face powder, and they’re up on the MAC website right now.

mac summer starrr swatches — Swatches on NC42

The Summer Starrr Full Face Kit ($49.50)

I looooooove me a summer eyeshadow quad! Gimme, gimme! ? All of those tantalizing, toasty golds and peaches… Basically, I like any and all shades that go well with a tan. Unexpectedly, Patrick’s new quad is actually warmer toned than usual for a summer collection.

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MAC Unsung Heroes: MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Havana

May 31st, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

mac havana extra dimension eye shadow — Havana oh-nah-nah

Girl… One day. One day I’ll sit down, put on my makeup for the day, and NOT do a brown smoky eye.

But today was not that day. 🙂

I had to run errands, and I wasn’t about to spend 45 minutes on my makeup just to buy some Charmin, so I went with something I’m (very) familiar with. I had to go to the pediatrician’s office to get a form for Connor’s pre-school enrollment, and then hit Target to get an industrial-sized case of toilet paper because last night I realized that we only had four rolls left in the house — total — which amplified my anxiety by like a million percent, so out came one of my favorite brown eyeshadows in the world, MAC Extra Dimension Eye Shadow in Havana.

I think it deserves more love than it gets.

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

mac havana swatch — Oh, my gosh! It’s a floating arm!!

Side note: whenever I say “Havana,” I think of that Camila Cabello song.

Havana, oh-nah-nah… La-la-la-la-la-la Havana oh-nah-nah…

That’s about the only part I know, LOL!

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The “New” MAC 224 Synthetic Tapered Blending Brush…

May 18th, 2018 by Karen 20 Comments

Hey, can I borrow your hot tub/DeLorean time machine for an hour? Pretty please?

I need to get back to 2017 or, really, any time before MAC revamped their brush line and changed so many of their classic brushes. Like this one: the 224.

If you say “yes,” I’ll babysit your cat or bake you brownies. What do ya say? Deal? 🙂

MAC 224S Synthetic Tapered Blending Brush ($34)

I wish I could stock up those old 224s because — HELLO, CRANKY PANTS — this new version is scratchy and stiff, several of the bristles have fallen out, and the ferrule is already loose.

Such a bummer, too, because the old-school 224s are beasts. I have two that are more than five years old and still going strong, but they’ll have to be replaced sooner or later.

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REVIEW! MAC Mirage Noir Slow As You Go Eye Shadow and Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Face Powder

May 15th, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

I went for ’80s today… Don’t know if I quite got there, but it’s all good. 🙂 I still like how this look turned out.

So, plums and purples today. And I found this top that I’ve had forever. It’s by Halogen, and I got it at Nordstrom a zillion years ago.

I wanted my makeup to complement the top, which is something I don’t do very often — coordinate my makeup with my clothes — especially lately. Lately my clothes have basically been an afterthought (although I’m working diligently to change that), but today I thought I’d coordinate. Plus, big hair. I was going for ’80s hair…or a modified version, but I’ll get to that in a sec.

First, the two key ingredients in this look… LOL! Ingredients. 🙂 What, are we making brownies? OK, the two key “elements” are a purple eyeshadow called Slow As You Go, and a plummy golden bronzed cheek/face powder called Mother o’ Pearl.

Both are from the new MAC Mirage Noir summer collection available now.

MAC Slow as You Go Eye Shadow ($17)

You’re gonna dig this if you’re a fan of MAC Trax. Slow as You Go is similar, but I actually think I like it more than Trax because it’s shinier (in a good way) and more richer. Like Trax two point oh. It’s also silky soft and blends like a dream. And — this is important — it doesn’t make my eyes water like so many other purples do.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? Golden purples like Slow as You Go pair very well with MAC Powersurge and MAC Prunella eyeliners. 😉

mac mirage noir mother o pearl slow as you go — Makin’ mah heart flutter!

MAC Mother o’ Pearl Pearlmatte Powder ($34)

This plummy gold has a slightly warm bronze undercurrent. It’s like a combo bronzer, blush and highlighter. Normally I just mix it all together and sweep that on my cheeks and blend.

Technically, it’s a powder, but it feels almost like a cream, and the opalescent finish is pure purr-fection.

It’s like a bronzier MAC Plum Foolery, but not as shiny.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4 out of 5 hearts.

Did you know? You can also use Mother o’ Pearl as an eyeshadow. Yup, it’s also approved for lids.

mac mirage noir other o pearl k — CHEEKS!

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