MAC Cosmetics

MAC Amplified Lipstick in Make Me Gorgeous Channels Potent Flamingo Power

March 25th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

ALL FLAMINGOS, EVERYTHING!!

Not completely randomly, that’s how I feel about MAC Make Me Gorgeous Lipstick.

I will always and forever be, first and foremost, a crazy cat lady, but, I don’t know…I’ve been kinda feelin’ the flamingos lately.

I mean, they have those gorgeous pink and coral feathers, and that graceful swooping ‘S’ shape of their necks, and that pose where they stand on one leg for hours and hours.

Seriously, how do they even do that??

They also love the water, which I can totally identify with because I’m a true-blue water baby.

Do you think I might be a combo crazy cat/flamingo lady?

I wonder…

MAC’s intense coral-pink Amplified Lipstick in Make Me Gorgeous is my lipstick spirit animal, and if I were invited to migrate with a flock of flamingos while wearing this lipstick, I’d probably fit right in.

I’m so glad MAC decided to release the color in their Amplified formula! I think the Amplifieds are among the best of the best products available at MAC. If you want a bright, bold lipstick that applies smoothly and lasts all day long without drying out your lips, the Amplified formula is the way to go, and I think Make Me Gorgeous would belong in the Amplified Hall of Fame (if there were one) alongside Impassioned, Vegas Volt and Girl About Town. It’s just as creamy, smooth, punchy and vibrant.

Of course Make Me Gorgeous has MAC’s signature vanilla flavor and scent, which I quite like. I think it’s just subtle enough.
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MAC Philip Treacy Collection First Impressions, Mini Reviews [VIDEO]

March 24th, 2015 by Karen 14 Comments

Hats, baby! Hats, hats, all types of hats.

What’s that fancy word for a maker of hats…? I think it might be milliner? Milner?

I dunno.

London-based Philip Treacy is a big deal maker of hats (he outfitted several people who attended the royal wedding of William and Kate), and the MAC Philip Treacy collection was inspired by three of his coiffure-covering creations.

Ninth grade me would have flipped over this collection. That’s when I was deep in the midst of my hat phase. I wore a hat every day to school for most of that year.
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P.S. I Love You, MAC Casual Colour Cream Blush in P.S. I Like You (From the New MAC Mia Moretti Collection)

March 24th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

The new Casual Colour in PS I Like You from the new MAC Mia Moretti collection — The new MAC Casual Colour cream blush in P.S. I Like You ($21), from the MAC Mia Moretti collection

P.S. I love you…P.S. I Like You.

OK, that wasn’t confusing or anything! 🙂

I keep wanting to call this new Casual Colour cream blush by a different name. Officially, it’s called P.S. I Like You, but, well, I love it.

I really, REALLY love it, and its epic 8-hour wear time is just the icing on the cake/tip of the tabby’s tail/start of the DJ’s set.

So I’m gonna start calling it P.S. I Love You instead.

MAC PS I Like You swatch — A swatch of P.S. I Like You; for reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC.

DJ says what now…?

Yeah, this one is from MAC’s new collaboration with DJ Mia Moretti, who, I just learned (I think I read it in this month’s Glamour…or was it Allure?) was the inspiration for Katy Perry’s song, International Smile (you learn something new every day!).

Anywho, that’s one of my favorite Katy Perry songs.

The epic wear time is just the beginning, too, for this lovely carnation pink blush. It’s also smoother than John Legend’s voice. I don’t notice any problems with patchiness on my cheeks, not even on the dry areas, and it’s very kind to my pores. I barely have to do any blending at all.

And don’t even get me started on the finish.

The finish!

It’s dewy and glossy at the same time (and stays that way all day long), but not to the “point of no return chicken grease” shiny. I feel like it makes my cheeks look glowing and healthy and all that good stuff.

I know that spring has barely sprung, but I’m already thinking about my summer makeup bag (and spending lazy days next to the pool). This will definitely have a place in it.

I like to wear it on bare skin, or layer it on top of a sheer foundation, tinted moisturizer or BB cream.

Because it’s quite pigmented and bright, a tiny dab should do ya.

Wearing PS I Like You on my cheeks and lips — Wearing MAC P.S. I Like You on my cheeks and lips…

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MAC Blue Peep Fluidline From the MAC Is Beauty Collection: Little Bo Peep May Have Lost Her Sheep, But I Found a Perfect Fluidline

March 23rd, 2015 by Karen 32 Comments

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that MAC Blue Peep Fluidline does not have anything to do with Little Bo Peep (of nursery rhyme fame), but for the record, I am picturing Little Bo Peep going to a MAC counter and sitting down and telling the MUA, “Put all that ish on me, and make it bright!”

And all her sheep would be right next to her…

That would be cute. 🙂

The day I walk into a Nordstrom and see sheep at the MAC counter — that will be a great day.

A super cool, rare gem, Blue Peep is a bangin’ bright gel liner re-promote in the MAC Is Beauty collection, and I can’t remember the last time I saw it. I think it’s one of those pieces MAC doesn’t release very often.

Even though it’s a Fluidline, it doesn’t perform the same as all the others. They vary because some of them have shimmer or glitter, and some of them just adhere a little better to the skin than others. Blue Peep is one of those for me that does everything right.

It’s super smooth and pigmented, and when I brush it on my skin, I don’t see any patchy areas, which happens sometimes when I use some of the other Fluidlines.

Yes, there’s a sea of turquoise liners out there, it’s true, but I find that most of them have shimmer or glitter. It’s rare to find a flat matte turquoise liner like this one that doesn’t look dull. Blue Peep is so vibrant and intense that you just can’t miss it.

MAC Blue Peep Fluidline — MAC Fluidline in Blue Peep

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MAC Mia Moretti Collection: First Impressions [VIDEO]

March 20th, 2015 by Karen 12 Comments

Here’s the dealio: MAC and a DJ named Mia Moretti got together to spin some sweet tunes!

Yeah, I don’t know if that makes any sense. 🙂 But they did get together to create the new MAC Mia Moretti collection.

I don’t know a lot about DJ-ing, but I do know a little about this launch. Lots of lovely creams, some warm summery colors and a slightly out-of-the-box lip palette. Three words: mint green lipstick.

If it was a little warmer, I would be next to the pool right now in Ray-Ban Aviators, a swimsuit, my beach towel, some magazines and this collection, because it makes me feel summery, casual and fun, like a poolside babe. 🙂

I’m still getting to know the pieces, but here are some initial first impressions/thoughts.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Let This Pearl Blossom on Your Cheeks: MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom From the MAC Is Beauty Collection

March 20th, 2015 by Karen 22 Comments

Magic in a pan.

And I’m not just saying that because of my strong emotional ties to this Beauty Powder.

Barbie Loves MAC! — also known as “my gateway MAC collection.” I remember that Pearl Blossom was one of the pieces I bought in my little MAC Barbie haul (this was back in 2007), and even though it’s a re-promote in the new MAC Is Beauty collection, I still get fired up about it.

Because it’s just so versatile. There are so many things you can do with MAC’s Beauty Powders (which are basically like the Hourglass Ambient Powders, from before the time there were Hourglass Ambient Powders), especially light pink Pearl Blossom, which also has silvery pearl. You can wear it as a blush, or a highlighter, or if you have lighter, cool-toned skin, lightly dusted all over your face as a brightening powder.

I love Pearl Blossom’s finish because it isn’t overly frosty. I use it mostly as a highlighter, targeting the soft, subtle iridescent sheen on the tops of my cheekbones, down the bridge of my nose, in the inner corners of my eyes, and above and just below the arch in my brows.

MAC Pearl Blossom Beauty Powder — MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom

MAC Pearl Blossom Beauty Powder Swatch — For reference, I’m an NC42 in MAC

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MAC Dives Into the Deepest Blue With New Pro Longwear Fluidline in Siahi From the MAC Is Beauty Collection

March 19th, 2015 by Karen 21 Comments

Siahi…

It’s like diving into the deepest, bluest, most secluded stretch of ocean in the world. So of course I would like it, right? 🙂

Even though I don’t dive.

I totally don’t dive! I’m claustrophobic, but I do love the ocean, and I do love this color.

Siahi…

You might remember it from back in the day because it’s a re-promote. It also appeared in the Mickey Contractor collection a few years ago, and I loved it then, as I love it now.

It looks like a National Geographic photo of a secret ocean… You know when you see those pictures of untouched places that man hasn’t come along yet to pervert? That’s Siahi. It’s a deep, complex, intense teal ocean blue, and what makes it special isn’t just the richness of the color, but the finish as well. It’s ever-so-slightly metallic.

Other products I’m wearing in this look…

MAC Eye Shadow in Bouffant
MAC Eye Shadow in Soft Brown (permanent)
MAC Eye Shadow in Saddle (permanent)
MAC Pro Longwear Fluidline in Lowlights
MAC False Lashes mascara (permanent)
MAC Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl
MAC Beauty Powder in Pearl Blossom
MAC Lipstick in Make Me Gorgeous

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Build Your Collection of Everyday Shades With the MAC Eye Shadow X 15/Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral Palettes: A Closer Look

March 10th, 2015 by Karen 17 Comments

See, this is how they get ya — cold, hard numbers, baby.

When you run the numbers, $85 for each of the two new MAC Eye Shadow X 15 palettes sounds beyond reasonable — and not just reasonable, but actually wise. Considering that a Pro Palette Insert ($2), an empty Pro Palette ($8) and 15 individual shadow pan refills ($150) would set you back $160, $85 is a steal!

At least that’s what I plan to tell my husband when I go to Nordstrom later this week to “take a look” at another 15-pan MAC palette, this one recently released and filled with some of the brand’s bestselling shades (codename: Nordstrom Naturals).

“But, babe!” I’ll tell him, “It’s basically half off. I’m doing this for the good of the family.” 🙂

Something tells me I’ll be met with rolling eyes and a sigh, but whatevs.

MAC Cool Neutral (top) and Warm Neutral (bottom) Palettes — Cool Neutral (top) and Warm Neutral (bottom)

So, these two palettes — Warm Neutral and Cool Neutral — I can’t even think about them without feeling a little gooey inside. Filled with a mix of perennial permanent collection faves and limited edition colors, they’re the two new Eye Shadow X 15 palettes from the Eyes on MAC collection, and they’re available now at MAC stores and online.

If they look familiar, gold star! You might remember them from last year. They’re essentially re-promotes of those palettes, so you may already have them.

If not, this could be a good time to pounce, and not just because the palettes are a pretty good value (the pans are the same size as MAC’s full-size 0.05-oz. refills). They’re also a good way to quickly build up your collection of MAC workhorse shades, as both of them are bristling with useful, everyday neutrals that never go out of style.

But which one? — that’s the million-dollar question.

Well, what kind of colors do you currently wear? Do you wear more cool grays, pinks and silvers, or more warm, buttery coppers and golds?

MAC Eye Shadow X 15/Cool Neutral — Eye Shadow X 15/Cool Neutral

Some other things to consider…

Overall, the colors in the Cool palette seem less pigmented than the colors in the Warm palette, at least on my NC 42 skin, and I find myself building them up in layers (especially Flounce, Sweet Allure, Pick Me Up and Cozy Grey).

MAC Cool Neutral palette top row: Flounce, Sweet Allure, Sun Tweaked After Dusk and Blackberry — The Cool Neutral palette top row colors in Flounce, Sweet Allure, Sun Tweaked After Dusk and Blackberry

MAC Cool Neutral palette middle row: Pick Me Up, Cozy Grey, Crushed Clove, Deception and Brun — The Cool Neutral palette middle row colors in Pick Me Up, Cozy Grey, Crushed Clove, Deception and Brun

MAC Cool Neutral palette bottom row: Silver Fog, French Clay, Cumulus, Pearled Earth and Black Tied — The Cool Neutral palette bottom row colors in Silver Fog, French Clay, Cumulus, Pearled Earth and Black Tied

The Cool Neutrals seem like they’d be better suited for paler skin tones rather than deep. For that reason I haven’t been reaching for it as much as the Warm Palette.

The Warm one’s shadows pack more pigment than the Cools, and the palette has several shades that I know I can wear every day…for the next three lifetimes (like Saddle, Brule and Amber Lights).

And then there’s Honey Lust — in this case, the dicey shade. It’s definitely a chunky monkey, I know, but that’s just the way it goes with Honey Lust. Whenever I wear it, I use a wet brush, and/or gently pat it on my lids with a flat brush. Be patient, and try not to sweep it, lest you end up with shadow all over the place. It can be worth the effort, though. Honey Lust can look really beautiful when it’s packed on the lids.

MAC Warm Neutral Palette Swatches from the left: Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingershap, Dark Brew and Dance in the Dark — The Warm Neutral palette top row from the left: Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingershap, Dark Brew and Dance in the Dark

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