MAC Makeup

Sneak Peek! MAC Vamplify Is Making a Comeback #MACVamplify

June 24th, 2016 by Karen 17 Comments

Erhmahgawd, that blue!!!

But where the heck am I gonna wear it?

Hmm… I’m sure I’ll find someplace wildly inappropriate, like the Babies “R” Us or the farmers’ market, LOL!

Lip swatches coming soon, but here’s a quick peek at the upcoming MAC Vamplify glosses.

I’m so excited that MAC is bringing these back! Remember these from last summer? They’ll always have a special place in my heart because I was wearing Spankin’ Haute when El Hub and I told the parents we were pregnant. 🙂

mac vamplify swatches — MAC Vamplify swatches

Spankin’ Haute is back, yay! In total, this batch will include 16 shades, with nine of them being re-promoted colors from last year, and seven of them being new, and they’re all $20 each.

It’s a limited edition launch and arrives on the MAC website July 7, and then on counters from July 14 – August 25.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My Picks for This Year’s Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches

June 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 24 Comments

best spring summer launches — Some of my picks for “The Best Spring and Summer Makeup Launches”

Whew! There has been so much good makeup lately.

I mean, I used to get more excited about moody fall colors, but this year the spring and summer collections have been incredible! Literally, every time I turn around, I’m seeing another gorgeous collection.

If your head has been spinning a little like mine, then I hope you’ll like my picks for some of the best spring/summer makeup launches. I’d also love to hear yours.

I think I’ll start with lips, because I think a new lipstick or gloss is probably the easiest way to update your look.

Lips

First up, the Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint by Tarte, and I have the shade called Double Tap (here are swatches of the full range in this post).

I’m wearing cool-toned nude Double Tap in these pics, but I usually go for warmer-toned peaches and pinks. Thing is, this mauve is just so pretty and different from the rest of my stash. It’s opaque and not sticky at all.

Next, Buxom Wildly Whipped Lightweight Liquid Lipstick, and I just mentioned the shade called Swinger in my roundup of my favorite liquid lipsticks, so I’ll be brief now: the color and formula are AMAZING. This one is perfect for summer.

Of course, I couldn’t talk about this season’s new launches without mentioning beautiful ColourPop Dohee.

Here’s a snap of me wearing it from my Spring Haul video.

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5 Bright Pink Lipsticks to Brighten Your Complexion and Mood This Summer

June 15th, 2016 by Carolina Braina 33 Comments

Bright Pink Lipsticks Summer — My favorite bright pink lipsticks

My very first lipstick was a bright fuchsia-pink from Maybelline… I can’t remember the name now, but I think it was supposed to have diamond powder in it? (Yeah, right!)

I was 16 at the time, and my best friend Giorgia gave it to me before I left to go to school on the French Riviera for a month. She had the same lipstick, and we used to share it before going out on Saturday night.

Ahhh, good times… 🙂

Since I was a little sad to leave her for a whole month, she gave it to me and said, “Never underestimate the brightening power of bright pink lipstick.”

You know what?

She was totally right!

Not only is bright pink lipstick one of my favorite ways to brighten up my complexion, it also never fails to brighten my mood!

Seriously, try it sometime, and if you need some ideas, here are five of my bright pink lipstick summertime faves.

1. YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in Fuchsia Fetiche ($37)

YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats 208 Fuchsia Fetiche Swatch — What’s my all-time favorite lipstick? It’s YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in 208 Fuchsia Fetiche.

So, in my Orange Beauty Edit post I mentioned that Tom Ford Lip Color Matte in Flame is the one lipstick I’d keep if I had to give up all of my lipsticks but one, but can I take that back? LOL!

Just kidding! I think I’d still choose that one, as not only is it a great lipstick, but it also has sentimental value for me, because I got it last time I was in San Francisco, which is a city I’ve been completely in love with since I spent a year at Cal as an exchange student.

But my favorite, favorite lipstick of all time is YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in 208 Fuchsia Fetiche.

I absolutely adore EVERYTHING about this lipstick. I love how luxuriously long-lasting, beautiful and extremely comfortable it is.

Not to mention, I love the shade! It’s the brightest, most gorgeous raspberry fuchsia I’ve ever seen.

Seriously, gurl, if you’ve never tried the YSL Rouges Pur Couture The Mats, I highly, highly recommend checking them out next time you’re at a counter.

2. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry ($32)

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick Lost Cherry Swatch — Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry has such a lightweight texture that I usually forget I’m even wearing it!

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MAC Vibe Tribe Face of the Day: Teal Eyes and Coral Red Lips

June 13th, 2016 by Karen 36 Comments

mac painted sunset lipstick vibe tribe fotd — Hello, bold eyes and lips!

OK…as someone who has worn very little makeup for the past three months, this feels like a lot of look for me (between the teal eyes and the orangey red lips).

But I guess if you’re gonna jump into the pool, you might as well just jump, right? You don’t just walk up to the edge and gingerly stick your big toe in, like, “tee-hee! I’m so shy!”

Duuuuude, you gotta cannonball it! You get a running start and go hawd.

That’s what I did today. I’m getting myself back into a makeup rhythm. I’m wearing makeup from MAC Vibe Tribe, which has been out for a while. I believe it showed up in April, and it’ll be on counters till the end of June.

Anyway, every year MAC does a big summer collection, usually with bronzers and eyeshadows and limited edition packaging, and they like to go all out with it. And this year, with Vibe Tribe, they did this interesting coral, teal and brown pattern, which incidentally stirred up some controversy.

MAC says it was inspired by music festivals — Coachella, what have you — but there’s been some chatter about how the styling looks less music festival and more cultural appropriation.

What do you think? First thing I thought when I saw the packaging was Native American design, but I’ve never been to a music festival myself, so I don’t know. Whenever I see pictures online, I usually get a boho/Southwest vibe.

I do have to say, though, I think the packaging is striking, and the pieces are interesting. Take the blue shade in the Wild Horses Eyeshadow Palette ($33), for one. What a beautiful blue… Reminds me of intricate turquoise jewelry.

mac wild horses eye shadow palette — MAC Wild Horses Eye Shadow Palette

Right away, first thing I wanted to wear it with was Painted Sunset (which really does look like a desert sunset, by the way!), the warm orangey red lipstick from the collection. The intensity of the blue and the red together feels visually right to me, like the two belong together…like cat ladies and cats, and chocolate and peanut butter.

mac painted sunset lipstick a — MAC Vibe Tribe Lipstick in Painted Sunset

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Trying a Bold FOTD With the MAC Fashion Pack Collection

May 26th, 2016 by Adia Goss 14 Comments

fashion pack fotd — Trying something a little bolder

Nothing like playing with new makeup to make getting ready in the morning a little less painful.

I’ve been experimenting with the MAC Fashion Pack collection this week and snapped these pictures one morning before going to work. It was so gray and gloomy outside that I decided to go all out with my FOTD.

Well, “all out” is a relative term. Normally I stick to neutrals for my going-to-work makeup routine, but sometimes it’s nice to switch things up a bit.

fashion pack makeup look — Lots of bold colors in the MAC Fashion Pack collection

MAC Fashion Pack
Available online June 9, 2016
Available in-store June 23 through July 28, 2016
#MACFashionPack

“Lead the way with a new wave of front-row worthy hues. Fuchsia, violet, emerald, deepest plum, midnight…ready to wear, any way we dare! So, be a doll and show us how — the Fashion Pack is always in the know.” -MAC

For this makeup look, I used a few of the shadows in the new Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 palette. I used Dress Me Up all over my lids, Runway Worthy in the inner corners to brighten my eyes, and then applied sparkly violet Zip Me Up along my lower lash line.

I finished with navy blue MAC Fluidline Pen in Indelibly Blue for a nice winged liner. It’s dark enough to define, but the dark blue isn’t as harsh as black.

I rarely wear eyeliner, but this one is so easy to apply that I’m thinking I may have to wear liner more often :-).

This x 9 palette has lots of bold colors, and it intimated me a little, but after playing around with them, I can see why MAC chose this lineup of colors.

They look really nice together, and you can work them into so many different looks!

So, yeah, I guess you could say that MAC knows what it’s doing, LOL.

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The MAC Fashion Pack Collection! The Lipsticks

May 26th, 2016 by Adia Goss 24 Comments

For me, these MAC Fashion Pack Lipsticks are a reminder that MAC still makes some of the best lipsticks around, in my opinion. MAC is still my first stop when I want a new lipstick because of their wide range of colors, and because some of their formulas, like Amplified and Frost, are amazing.

MAC Fashion Pack
Available online June 9, 2016
Available in-store June 23 through July 28, 2016
#MACFashionPack

“Lead the way with a new wave of front-row worthy hues. Fuchsia, violet, emerald, deepest plum, midnight…ready to wear, any way we dare! So, be a doll and show us how — the Fashion Pack is always in the know.” -MAC

The four lipsticks in the launch — Pressed & Ready (a soft whitened nude with a Lustre finish), Aim For Gorgeous (a bright fuchsia with a Matte finish), By Special Order (a deep reddened fuchsia with an Amplified finish) and Stylist’s Tip (a deep violet with an Amplified finish) — are all incredibly smooth and pigmented, and the darker colors absolutely LAST.

You can check out the new MAC Fashion Pack Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x9 and Fluidline Pens here.

I applied Stylist’s Tip one morning before work, and when I got home at the end of the day, it looked good! — and this was with my near-constant eating and drinking, and without a single touchup.

Here are some swatches…

And photos of me wearing them…

Alright…Pressed & Ready is very light, but it feels smooth and comfortable. I was tempted to doctor it up with a brown lip liner but thought that would be against my ethical duties as a beauty blogger, LOL.

This one just doesn’t quite work for me, but it is a pretty pink-toned nude.

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The MAC Fashion Pack Collection! New Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 and Fluidline Pens

May 25th, 2016 by Adia Goss 14 Comments

fashion pack eyes — Wearing pieces from the new MAC Fashion Pack collection

Another day, another MAC release!

While the last MAC collection I reviewed was full of soft, sparkly shadows, the new MAC Fashion Pack collection, which arrives online June 9, 2016 and in stores June 23 through July 28, has bangin’ bold, vibrant colors.

We usually get lots of pastels this time of year, so these deep purples and saturated pinks are a nice departure.

MAC Fashion Pack
Available online June 9, 2016
Available in-store June 23 through July 28, 2016
#MACFashionPack

“Lead the way with a new wave of front-row worthy hues. Fuchsia, violet, emerald, deepest plum, midnight…ready to wear, any way we dare! So, be a doll and show us how — the Fashion Pack is always in the know.” -MAC

Here’s a look at the Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 and the Fluidline Pens from the collection! Stay tuned for the lipsticks coming up next.

First up, the Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 ($32), a mostly cool-toned palette with purple, pink, gray and mauve tones.

MAC Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9 shades

Runway Worthy (soft frosty white – Veluxe Pearl)

Dress Me Up (dirty pink – Satin)

Frock Talk (blackened cherry – Veluxe Pearl)

Paradise Island (soft warm pink – Satin)

Available in Petite (frosty raspberry – Velvet)

Snappy Style (deepened black plum – Satin)

Hypnotizing (frosted greyed mauve – Frost)

Zip Me Up (mid-tone violet – Satin)

Nice Fit (blackened blackberry – Frost)

mac fashion pack eyeshadow palette — MAC Cosmetics Runway Worthy Eye Shadow x 9

Most of the shadows are Satins or Frosts, but there is a smile-inducing 🙂 glittery pink right in the middle called Available in Petite.

Here’s a comparison between the Runway Worthy palette and a single MAC Eye Shadow…

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These MAC Prep+Prime Highlighter Pens Should Really Be Called PERK+Prime! Miracle Workers

May 20th, 2016 by Jessica Revitte 12 Comments

I’m guessing that by now you’re all getting tired of hearing me bang on about how tired I am.

But really, it’s a vicious cycle. I recently read a meme on Facebook (don’t judge me) while scrolling through my feed during the wee hours of sleeplessness with a fussy baby that read, “Parenting is the constant battle between going to bed to catch up on some sleep or staying awake to finally get some alone time.”

L-O-L, is that ever true!

Hopefully for this tired mama, MAC’s new $26 Prep+Prime Highlighter click pens can help. They’re supposed to “effectively [bring] a soft, sheer wash of colour to skin.”

But first, can we briefly pause to appreciate the shimmering — dare I say sexy? — packaging? I’m in love with these boxes and tubes…

The MAC Prep + Prime Highlighters in all their glittery packaged glory!

Available in nine shades (including two correctors in peach and rose) to suit a wide range of skin tones, the Prep+Prime Highlighters are MAC’s answer to YSL’s eponymous Touche Eclat Stylo. Creamy and easy to apply thanks to the gentle brush head from which the product is dispensed, these highlighters do dry down quickly and oxidize slightly to a somewhat deeper tone than I’d expect based on the swatches.

Although the two shades on the right are just too deep for my complexion, any of the first three on the left would suit my skin tone, depending on what I want and need. The one called Light, for instance, is a classic highlighting concealer, while Medium would be better suited to cancel out the blue tones under my eyes.

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