Ok, so I am getting seriously confused by the whole MAC holiday sets stuff. There's like a million products to entice people to buy buy buy.  I was excited when I first saw the promo images, I thought the circles/ bubbles motif on the packaging and the brush sets look so cute, and pretty.  But when it comes right down to it, colors wise, the eyeshadow palettes are always the same, the lip stuff are the same, and the mini pigments are the same... every year.  So... I didn't buy any of the holiday stuff as usual.  And then there is also the mineralised collection (Magic Merry Mirth??  I give up trying to keep track of these collections).  which feature 2 blushers, and Sara was telling me on twitter that Conjure Up is very pretty, and of course, I went to the worst MAC enabler aka Temptalia to check out the swatches, and boom, I was sold on that.  Yes, I am a sorry sucker.

And can I just rant about how expensive these minerlised blushers are???  S$44 each!!!  Gosh. Fortunately Sister had a $10 Robinson voucher which I could use to offset the total cost.  But geesh.  I think I would not buy any of these unless I crazy lurve the colors.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  When I saw the blusher at the counter, my first thought is that Conjure Up looks like Style Demon.  But it is more purple-ish, and less glittery.  There is less veining on the blusher too, reminding me of the previous mineralised blushers from last year (with Pleasantry, Naunce, Gentle for you MAC geeks out there, you know what I am talking about).

There is also a bunch of eyeshadows with the crescent glittery stuff, I swatched them but well, they are pigmented and creamy but the colors are nothing new to shout about.   The glitter liners, I still have mine from last year... which I hardly use anyway (Nightsky) so it's easy to pass on them.  And the nail polishes are also blah.  So... I think the stars of this Magic Mirth Merry thingy collection are definitely the blushers.  Think the other color (which is more peachy bronze) is called Supernatural.

And now, on to the pictures:

The orange lighting in my room is not picking out the true colors as usual.

Compare this to Style Demon on the left.  You can see Style Demon is more veiny, glittery/ shimmery, and reddish.

Finger swatches:

L (Conjure Up), R (Style Demon)

I wore Conjure Up today, applying it with my MAC116 brush.  It looks amazing, and super pretty.  And I have to say, even after a long long day the color still looked pretty fresh.  And I can't stop raving about my Rouge Volupte lipsticks... I never apply lipsticks during my rushed morning MU routine, but these days I am finding that I can skip the whole eye thingy, and just slapped on my blusher for the day and the lipstick (and the foundation etc of course).

And another rave -- I am really liking the i nuovi Spice blusher.  It looks scary purple and dark in the pan, but on the skin it is very wearable, and the color is very unique, it becomes a dark pink tone, but somehow it works for me.  :)  So I am also liking that.

As I am typing this, my brushes are drying on a towel, in their respective brush guards.  I have gotten lazy in this whole brush cleaning, that I subconciously divide my brushes in 2 groups... and while one set is just washed nice and clean I reach for the others, and that's how I rotate and get away with cleaning my brushes for at least a month. Haha.  And using fingers to apply my foundation also means less cleaning!

Here they are, lying on a face towel -- Notice how I rolled up one side of the towel to elevate it, so that my brushes are on a slight angle, I am very OCD about water seeping into the handle part and this is how I prevent that from happening.  The dual ended brush just has to lay flat and my kabuki will stand on its own.   So while this set of brush is all nice and clean, I will use my 109, 168, 222, etc etc for the next week.  :)

And one last thing before I end this rambling entry, I lurve You Don't Know Jacques (Suede) refer to my little haul entry.  When freshly applied (meaning on that same day and the following day), the color and finish reminds me of a satin eyeshadow, much like woodwinked, or tempting or satin taupe etc.  Gorgeous! And I get lotsa compliments from curious colleagues and onlookers.  But come the third day, this is the sorry state of my nails.  Needless to day, it's time for a fresh coat of color on my nails. :)

That's all, and thanks for reading!!

Hi!

Just want to thank everyone who left me all the positive words in my previous entry.  My little baby darling is still hanging in there, and I am staying home most of the afternoons and evenings and nights with her.  Thankfully work is winding down, and I can be home in the early afternoon. to spend as much time as possible with her.

I know I have mentioned I will not be posting as much but I thought it is a good idea to review these items, as there is a promotion going on, as you prolly have read in icyabstract and adorebeauty's entries, and I think everbluec also did a little haul entry of her i nuovi blushers.

I have been using my i nuovi products quite a few times, and I must say they are really good quality.  I shall review the 2 products which I have been using in the past 2 weeks, and share my thoughts on them.

Firstly, the blusher in PINK.  This is a pink color blusher, with no shimmer.  I like this color because it gives my skin a rosy glow.  And because the color is so finely milled, it makes for easy blending.  Just to show you the color and how my brush picks up the color.

And here is how it looks like on my cheeks.  Please disregard my dazed expressions, messy hair, the zit treatment patches and the fact that I didn't do a full face makeup for this entry.  I just want to show you the colors when I am wearing them.

You see the color is pretty pigmented, and it adds a very rosy tinge to my face.  I like how you can build up the color, without having to worry that you look like a clown.

Not too sure about the other colors, but I am impressed with this product, and I would definitely check out the color range when I go to the counters.

Next, we have the eyeshadow.  I have the color in Dynamite.  This is a metallic brown shade, with rather chunky glitter bits which might put people off.  However, I think this is a great color and texture to own if you want to do a dramatic neutral (I know it sounds very confusing and contradictory) eye makeup. I like neutrals/ browns which are darker in shade, and Dynamite provides this effect. It reminds me of MAC cocomotion pigment without the glitter.

Here is how the product looks like in the pan and and the brush picks up the product.

Looks like pressed pigment, and you can see the 'chunky' bits.

You might expect a little fallout with such texture, but if you use a primer or paintpot/cream base, that's easily taken care of.

Above pic is the color blended all over my lids with a fluffy brush, and I also applied some in the lower lids for definition.

Pic with flash, so you can see both the cheek and eyeshadow colors.

The eyeshadow doesn't crease nor fade after a day of wear, though some of the glitter chunks disappeared.

Final verdict:

'Pink' blusher:  4 out of 5 stars

'Dynamite' eyeshadow: 3.5 out of 5 stars, or 4 stars if you take into account the name

This is quite irrelevant, but I am such a sucker for product names (besides packaging), and 'Dynamite' just calls out to me.   :)

I hope this review is helpful, and leave a comment if you have any questions.

This is my Sept faves entry.  Actually I have been good this month.  I didn't haul much at all. Except for the Shu Uemura Foundation and Mario Bedascu drying mask (overdue review I know!).  Today is the 2nd of OCT.... and well.. my next entry will be a little haul from the latest MAC collections. Keep a lookout!

I apply my foundation with my fingers these days, it is just faster, and I feel like it goes into my skin better.  And I have also started using the Beauty Blender with my Shu Uemura cream foundation (which is even better than the Essence of Beauty brush which I showed before).

In terms of eye products, I just sweep one color all over the lids and a neutral color and line my eyes.  That's all.  The neutral color is usually All That Glitters, or Tempting, or Style Snob, or Satin Taupe, or Nars Mekong if I want a deeper look for the day.

Ok, so here are my faves:

NARS Laguna Bronzer (I apply this with the Coastal Scents huge paddle brush for all over glow and a bit of contouring around the cheeks)

MAC Studio Sculpt NC20 Concealer (so creamy and thick, loves)

MAC Dirty Plum blusher (looks purple, but goes on so pretty and more pink)

Loreal Super Liner (this is my HG liquid liner, always my fave but I just opened a new tube lately and have been using it everyday)

Essence of Beauty foundation/concealer duo brush (love this to apply my concealer, and the larger end just to clean up my face, blend, etc etc etc)

MAC 116 brush (love love love this for my blushers!)

So what are your faves this month??

Red Lips Alert!

Went out the other day with my aunt and cousin, and she (my aunt) always wear red lipsticks.  Just for the heck of it, I borrowed her red lippy (didn't notice the brand or name), and smeared some over my lips and walked about the mall.  I felt like a clown.  LOL.  But it's kind of cute.  So here is a ridiculous picture of me with the red lipstick, red shades I was trying on at the mall, and my own shades hanging on my shirt.  Haha.  So what do you think of red lips on me?

Red Lips: Yay or nay?

And yes, that's my bro in the background, looking quite bemused.

That's all, and thanks for reading!!

hmmmm -- I don't think this will be a regular feature but just whenever I feel like it.

**  There are also stuff which I accquired too much recently for me to justify it being part of this list....

This doesn't mean that I don't like my other stuff, but just that these 10 items are the current flavours of the month.

I bought so much during Color Craft, I feel bad to say that I haven't got to using much of Smooth Merge, Daft Pink and Style Demon yet.

But if I have to really narrow down to 10 items, and these are what I have come up with.   And it's all about the blushers!

1. FADE OUT CREAM
2. MAC 116 BRUSH
3. MAC SMOKE & DIAMONDS EYESHADOW
4. MAC IMPROVISE BLUSHER
5. NARS MULTIPLE STICK ORGASM
6. ILLAMASQUA PANIC BLUSHER
7. MAC CREAM STICK PINK VIVID
   
8. MAC CREME CUP LIPSTICK
9. MUFE MAT VELVET+ 20
10. MUFE SUPER MATTE LOOSE POWDER 02

* Think I forgot Natural Flare eyeshadow from Color Craft....

I would like to feature nail polishes too, but I can tell you which colors I keep coming to.

• CG agent lavender
• CG secret periwinkle
• OPI FOR SEPHORA metro chic

I will feature another 10 faves soon!  :)

Hi hi...

Just showing a look I did before I leave the house. Apologies for the poor pic quality, but trust me, the colors are way more gorgeous in person. It is the fastest to load pics here using my in bulit i-sight.

I used everything from the Color Craft collection, in terms of Eyes and Cheeks.

Eyes: Natural Flare eyeshadow 'quad'  This is a very unique neutral palette.  I also used this earlier in the day for work and used the lighter colors but for this evening, I packed on the colors and used more of the darker shade.  Love this quad.

Brows: Fling Brow Pencil

Cheeks: Improvise on cheeks, and Porcelain Pink MSF (which I already own from years ago) as highlight.  I love Improvise and am so glad the MA psyched me into buying it.  I used Daft Pink earlier today, and my sister was asking me what color I used, cos it looked really pretty.

Face: Studio Sculpt foundation, and MSF Natural Light Medium.

Lips: Ever So Rich Cremesheen Glass

Thanks, and hope you like this entry!  Woot for the weekend!

Hi hi!

I am so excited for these to arrive.  The colors are gorgeous, and I am sure most of you have seen the products online, esp if you are subbed to WSITN, gossmakeupartist, lolllipop26, misschievous, pixiwoo etc, you would have seen them talking about this relatively new MU brand based in the UK.

I am curious to try it out, esp after gossmakeupartist (Wayne Goss, oh so cute and so polite) talking about the products, I personally find that he and pixiwoo some of the most honest makeup gurus out there, they don't go rant and rave excessively and they have real tips which you can learn from.

Soooooooooooo...... on to the stuff I bought.  I was kind of wary about the exchange rate, cos everything is in UK pound, but I wanted to get a good feel of the brand, so I wanted something for the face, eyes and lips.

The packaging which the stuff came in is super sleek, and chic.

*Close up of the envelope.

* The contents: A catalogue, 3 postcards.  Stuff which I ordered.

#1 - The SIRENS palette.  I figure it is value for money, and the colors are actually ones I would all use comfortably. And besides I couldn't decide what colors I want if I were to buy them individually, and also, most of the colors which caught my eye were sold out on the site.

Next, something for the face, PANIC powder blusher.  This is a red blusher. Really bold, but I think I can make any color work, it all boils down to the brush and application technique.  Reminds me of Frankly Scarlet from MAC but PANIC is matte.

Next are for the eyes/lips the Medium pencil in HEX.  This is a nude color which is perfect for highlighting the Cupid's Bow, lining ur lower lids to brighten up your eyes etc.  And then there is the Intense Lipgloss in  MOVE.  It looks like a mauve pink??  Not sure how to describe this.

And to show you the catalogue:

I haven't swatched any of these yet, and I can't wait to do a whole look with all these goodies over the weekend.  Stay tuned for more good stuff in the next couple of weeks!!!

Hope you enjoyed this entry, and thanks for reading!!

Hi!

Just a quick post about 2 of my current fave brushes at the moment.  I got them sometime ago, but never used them on a daily basis til now.

Introducing the Coastal Scents large face brush (same as MAC 134) and the Coastal Scents Deluxe fan brush!!

Just to give you an idea of the size for the face powder brush, I put it next to a MAC blusher.

This is a huge paddle shape brush.  I have been using it for setting my liquid foundation.  I use this brush to pick up my MSF natural, and the 'paddle/flat' surface of the brush picks up the powder, and I just dust it all over my face.  I didn't have to buff in the powder etc like I used to when I was using a kabuki brush.  And I find that the effect is smoother and gives a more flawless finish.  And when all my makeup is done, I use the same brush to pick up my MUFE HD finishing powder, and dust it all over the face.  This sets my whole face in HD quality for the whole day.  I don't know why.. it could be just me.. but when I used the whole buffing kabuki motion, I find that my pores look deeper.  Which is gross.  Maybe I am not supposed to BUFF in powder after using liquid foundation.  But... whatever.  I am loving this big baby now. 

And the next brush, which is a soft fluffy fan brush is a chance encounter.  I wanted to use my Azalea blush - pictured above-- the other day, and I felt that my MAC 168 and MAC 109 is just too dense and would pick up too much of the bright fuschia colour.  And I didn't want the hassle of blending and building up color slowly.  So out comes this fan brush which is very soft and the 'thin' side of the brush picks up just a little colour, and the 'width' of the fan helps to spread the intense colour all over the cheeks evenly.  And then I just sweep the fan brush up and down my cheeks for blending.  So quick and easy.  I highly recommend this brush for pigmented colors.  I use this brush for Azalea, Dirty Plum, NARS Sin, Pink Swoon, Intenso, Petticoat MSF etc.... Loves this!!

So what brushes have you been loving lately?

This is the final part of my little haul series.  I am so glad all these were already bought before I got on Project 10 Pan.

I got quite a few stuff.  I bought 3 dazzleglasses, which is not released in Singapore yet.   The colours are Funtabulous, Extra Amps and Stop! Look!  Which all turn out to be purple, fuschia type of colors.  Hmmm cos I only wanted ONE... but the BF got a little mixed up and since some of the items which I wanted were not in stock, he bought all 3 which I said he could buy.  I am amazed at how BRIGHT and Shiny the colors are.  I have never own a Dazzleglass before, and I must say, I am really dazzled.

From top Funtabulous, Extra Amps, Stop! Look!

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC15.  I am not going to open the seal yet.  I need to finish some of my liquid foundations before using this.

Eyeshadows in pro pan refills.  From L to R, Rose, Cobalt, and Sky Blue -- All pro colours.

Dirty Plum Blusher.  This is also a Pro colour.  A very dark purple color.  Interesting blush color.  I am excited to try this out.

The MAC 222 brush, which for some strange reason, I can't find in SG mac counters.

That's all, and thanks for reading!