Product Reviews

8 Things to Know About New MAC Studio Waterweight Powder/Pressed

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 8 Comments

mac studio waterweight powder pressed 2 — New MAC Studio Waterweight Powder/Pressed, $36, available meow

Let’s break it down, babe.

Starting with…

What is it? Well, I’m glad you asked! 🙂 It’s a new line of $36 medium-buildable pressed powder available now in the permanent line.
It has a split pan with two shades, one warmer than the other, so you can customize your color.
—-> I love this idea and wish more brands would do this! Heck, I’m always mixing shades anyway.
MAC says it’s for all skin types, but it’s supposed to be ESPECIALLY good for normal and dry skin…or so they say (more on this in a few).
The plastic compact feels sturdy and substantial (yay!). It also comes with two applicators — a sponge and a face brush.
It’s available in 11 shades (Dark Deepest, Dark Deep, Dark, Medium Deep, Medium Dark, Medium Golden, Medium Plus, Medium, Light Plus, Light, Extra Light).
I wear Medium Golden, which is a good match for my NC42 skin.
I think ladies and gents who want 1) oil control, 2) pretty good coverage (one or two layers easily hides hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone) and 3) a matte finish should give it a try.
At least for me, this powder is a little tricky because when I layer it on top of foundations and concealers, my skin looks dry (it’s REALLY noticeable around the fine lines on my forehead), and my makeup looks heavy (you can see it in action here and here).
Between the opaque coverage (even though it’s described as medium), the matte finish and my *ahem* age, this isn’t the most forgiving powder in the world. I mean, it’s not like I can see the powder grains or anything. In fact, the powder itself is very finely milled, but when it’s applied on top of other face products, it’s just more…Insta-glam fabulous than I’m used to these days. I don’t even venture up to medium coverage that often anymore.

But if I just wear this on its own without concealer or foundation, or with, like, a primer or an illuminating lotion (like BECCA Backlight or MAC Strobe Cream), and I douse my skin with MAC Fix+ afterward, then I like it… It looks natural and gets the job done.

Even by itself, though, it isn’t going to replace my number one MAC powder love, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.
It reminds me of Chanel’s loose powder, and if you want moderately opaque coverage in a line with a good shade selection, and you have oily or normal skin, I think it’s definitely worth a try.

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The MAC Jeremy Scott Lip X 9 Future Emotions Is Made for Mixing

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 5 Comments

mac jeremy scott lip 9 x future emotions happy song living in stereo — Wearing Happy Song and Living in Stereo, two lipsticks from the new MAC Jeremy Scott collection, mixed together.

Seriously, this packaging is amazing! All of the details are completely there. THIS IS A LIP PALETTE, PEOPLE. But it totally looks like a mix tape. I can see it sitting on the floor of my little red Honda Civic back in the day. (Side note: it would have been filled with songs that I recorded off the radio on KMEL.)

This is NOT a MAC mix tape, obvs. It’s the $25 MAC Lip X 9 Future Emotions lip palette, and it has nine of MAC’s non-shiny lipsticks inside, so Matte, Amplified and Satin finishes in bright and deep shades like pink, purple, orange — the bold route. There’s only one nude, and everything else is like BAM!

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The MAC Jeremy Scott Eyeshadow X 29 Lo-Fi Palette: 3 Jazzy Ways to Work It

February 15th, 2018 by Karen 17 Comments

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow — The new MAC Jeremy Scott Eyeshadow X 29 Palette in Lo-Fi ($75)

The beatbox-lookin’ MAC Jeremy Scott collection centerpiece Eye Shadow X 29: Lo-Fi palette contains 29 (!) powder eyeshadows, and LOTS of them are colorful.

It’s like someone poured a bag of Skittles into it.

First things first, swatched on my arms…this palette looks like a HOT mess. Several of the shadows swatch unevenly, which is kind of disconcerting (it’s $75 after all). One might logically assume that the rough arm swatches imply patchy application problems on lids, too, but that hasn’t been the case for me.

mac jeremy scott low fi eye shadow swatches — Patchy on arms, not so much on lids

So far I’ve done three different looks with this palette, and the shadows applied fairly evenly in all three. Blending hasn’t been bad either, and most of the shadows I’ve used look more pigmented on my lids than they do in arm swatches (weird!). I’ve also noticed very, very little fallout. Like almost none.

It would be easy to dismiss this palette based on arm swatches alone, but you really gotta get in there and work it to see what it can do. You gotta drive the car first, so to speak.

(FYI, when I wear some of the brighter shades, like the matte pink, red, purple and green, my eyes have been watering a little, which happens to me sometimes when I wear bright colors, so I’m not surprised by it.)

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3 Things to Know About the New MAC Jeremy Scott Cheek X3: Acoustica Palette

February 14th, 2018 by Karen 34 Comments

Ya know, I’m looking at this palette from the new MAC Jeremey Scott collection, and it’s dawning on me that…I don’t think I have a legit CD player in my house anymore.

There’s one in my Mazda…and I think I might have an external USB one somewhere for my computer…but that’s it. I don’t think I have a regular old music CD player anywhere, and I guess that’s a good thing, because I can totally see myself trying to force-feed this blush palette into it, either by accident, as I mistake it for my Prince mix and push “Play” a bunch of times and, after hearing no sound come out, curse all the technology that has ever existed, or, on purpose, out of morbid curiosity. 🙂

mac jeremy scott collection outer packaging — Kudos to the MAC design team for nailing the ’90s style in this collection. It’s completely ON POINT!

The MAC Jeremy Scott Cheek X3: Acoustica palette CD packaging looks so real, though! When I turned it over, I half expected to see scratches on the back.

mac jeremy scott cheek x 3 acoustica swatches — Blush, bronzer and highlighter

The palette is $35 and part of a new ’90s music-themed MAC collab collection with designer Jeremy Scott, who has his own clothing line and also designs for big brands like Adidas and Moschino.

His style is kinda out there… Like, if the Care Bears were club kids in the world of the Fifth Element (fun fact: Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for that movie). The clothes are colorful, cheeky, retro-futuristic, and often ’80s and ’90s nostalgic.

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Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara

February 13th, 2018 by Karen 10 Comments

benefit badgal bang before and after — $24 Benefit BADgal Bang!

If I could go to Mars, but I could only bring one tube of mascara with me… LOL! It’s a variation on the “deserted island” theme.

Anyway, would I bring new Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara?

Hmm… Maybe? Perhaps for the poetic irony, because according to Benefit, BADgal BANG! does incorporate space-age technology, so there’s that… Benefit says that they used lightweight aero-particles, which were first developed by the space industry, to lift lashes to gravity-defying heights.

“BADgal BANG! 36 HOUR* FULL-BLAST volumizing mascara creates MASSIVE volume without weighing down lashes. The gravity-defying formula contains aero-particles, one of the lightest known materials, derived from space technology. This innovative intense pitch black mascara layers easily for bigger & BIGGER impact. It’s custom big Slimpact! brush is streamlined to reach root-to-tip, corner-to-corner, upper & lower lashes for BIG VOLUME WITH 360° REACH!”

— benefitcosmetics.com

My lashes definitely look lifted when I wear it…but seriously, not nearly lifted enough. In fact, the formula relaxes a lash curl a bit and leaves the ends of my lashes pointing out rather than sticking up (I prefer the latter look because I think my lashes look curlier that way).

benefit badgal bang closeup — Two fresh coats on my upper and lower lashes

Not that I dislike the way my lashes look when I use this mascara. I like how much longer and thicker they look, and I like the lightly glossy finish, like they’ve been dipped in lacquer. It’s a similar look to the gorgeous NARS Audacious, sans the curl hold and with slightly less volume.

On my average lashes, I’d call the overall lash look a few steps above natural but a few steps below glam — so somewhere right in the middle for length, volume and lift — and I also like that BADgal BANG! doesn’t flake or smudge. It’s also easy to remove, and I don’t need a separate long-wearing eye makeup remover to do it.

But…I want MOAR DRAMA (she roars for the millionth time)!

If your lashes are already naturally lush and long, you might like this and, heck, you might even love it enough to take to Mars. I, on the other hand, am more likely to wear it on a slow Tuesday on Earth. I mean, it’s pretty, but it isn’t nearly dramatic enough for me to pack in my Mars “go bag.”

And let’s get real — if I’m willingly hurtling my body through the Earth’s atmosphere into space for any reason, I’m gonna do it with glamorous drag queen lashes OUT TO HERE, no doubt!

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3 Things to Know About New MAC Studio Waterweight Concealer

February 13th, 2018 by Karen 12 Comments

1. Gosh, this is a comfy concealer!

MAC Studio Waterweight is MAC’s new lightweight medium-coverage matte finish liquid concealer (which you can build up to full). It has a thin, watery formula of the type that has become over the past few years, like Dior Nude Air and Shiseido Sync Synchro Skin, except with more coverage.

If you crave moderate coverage and a matte finish, and you don’t like your face to feel painted and “makeup-y,” check it out. You can set it with a powder or leave it alone.

Out the gate, Studio Waterweight provides more coverage than other MAC medium-coverage concealers like Select Cover-up and Select Moisturecover, but slightly less coverage than full-coverage Pro Longwear and Studio Finish. But you can build it up to full.

“MAC STUDIO WATERWEIGHT CONCEALER is an ultra-fluid formula with medium-full buildable coverage and a natural finish. While it hydrates and gently diffuses the appearance of imperfections, it also helps reduce the appearance of under eye circles, dark spots and discolouration.”

— maccosmetics.com

2. Not the best concealer for dry skin…

It looks fresh for a solid six hours on my combination skin and covers almost everything, from my dark circles to uneven pigmentation, without oxidizing, and it doesn’t pool up in my fine lines, buuut it does. Not. Cooperate. With. Dry. Skin.

Even if your skin is just the teeniest bit dry.

mac studio waterweight concealer review 1 — Here’s what NW30 (used as an under-eye concealer) and NC42 (worn on my cheeks and around my nose and my mouth as a foundation) looks like after applying it first thing in the morning. I’m not wearing any setting powder, either, just the concealer on its own. (I am wearing blush, highlighter and bronzer on my cheeks, though.)

mac studio waterweight concealer review 2 — The concealer after 6 hours…

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NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Ink: 3 Things You Need to Know

February 6th, 2018 by Karen 9 Comments

nudestix rock n roller easy eyeliner ink review — Wearing the new NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roll Easy Eyeliner Ink in Golden Rosé

There’s an unwritten but not-so-secret rule in the Makeup Codex (which is an official-sounding book I just made up…but it’s real, though!) that says that if you’re in a hurry, don’t even think about attempting liquid liner, because you will regret it — we’re talking certain disaster — and generally, I agree, because whenever I’ve tried to do a cute cat eye flick with liquid liner while I was rushing, I’ve ended up with a pterodactyl wing instead — one that spreads from the corner of my eye up into my hairline.

But there’s an exception to this rule when you’re using the new NUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller Easy Eyeliner Inks ($24 each and available in three shades). I’ve been using them in 10-minute-makeup looks lately, and I’m able to draw dainty cat eye flicks with them every time.

nudstix bronze patina — That’s Bronze Patina on my upper lash lines.

1. They’re easier to use than the MAC “pizza cutter” liner.

When it comes to liquid liners with a roller wheel applicator (commonly known as a “pizza cutter liner”), I’d previously only tried the MAC one, and I thought it was quite challenging (and ticklish!) to use. Not only did/does the applicator tickle…but the liquid tightens up on my skin when it dries.

Not the case wit hNUDESTIX Rock N’ Roller.

nudestix rock n roller swatches — The “pizza cutter” applicator

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9 Things to Know About the MAC Hyper Real Glow Highlighting Palettes

February 6th, 2018 by Karen 11 Comments

mac hyper real glow open get it glowing k — MAC Hyper Real Glow!

These two new highlighting palettes are bound for the MAC permanent line, and each has three powder highlighters boasting a formula that I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen from MAC before…
They’re $39.50 each and coming February 15th to all the usual MAC haunts.
Get It Glowing is all about golden bronze, and Flash + Awe lives for rose gold.
These look exactly like the MAC In Extra Dimension Highlighters on my skin. They’re high-beam headlight highlighters with a flattering opalescent shine, and they feel like a BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powder.
Essentially, they’re MAC in a BECCA body. They feel a lot like the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powders and look similar on skin. They have that same practical pearly finish that you can dial up to full-tilt frost, or dial down for a subtler glow.
While similar to BECCA’s beauties, these feel considerably softer and creamier, which is incredible, because BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Powders have been some of the softest, creamiest powder highlighter on the block for years.
The Hyper Reals feel a little springy and spongy to the touch, and when you press a finger into a pan, it actually leaves a fingerprint behind (!).
The packaging reminds me of the long, slim cardboard MAC Girls eyeshadow palettes… I’m not crazy about it, actually. I hope they replace it soon, because the powders feel delicate, and I’m pretty sure they’ll break easily. A few hard knocks inside a makeup bag, and I suspect they’ll shatter.
I thought these might be hard to wear because of how frosty they look in the pans, but once they’re blended, all I see is a soft, pearly highlight, even around the smile lines near my eyes. That’s good stuff! 🙂
Girl, these are a GO! (Just don’t drop them.)

mac hyper real glow open — Coming soon to the MAC permanent line

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