makeupbox:

MAC “Vera” Collection Haul: My Top Picks and Swatches!

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All items swatched on bare skin without a base.

I had some gift vouchers (yay) so what better than to blow them on the MAC “Vera” 2012 collection?

I’d been waiting for this since I saw the images on MAC’s site a few weeks ago, but didn’t know it would hit our shelves this soon. So when I walked past a MAC counter this evening on my way to a movie, my eyes lighted on a small colorful display, and I might have shrieked a little before I made a beeline right for it. 

The item I had really wanted from the collection was really only the Crushed Metallic Pigment stack “Butterfly Party”, but I decided to swatch everything on a whim and feel in love with 2 other items I had not thought would be nice. So I ended up getting:

Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack “Butterfly Party”

• Rain Drop: Metallic Teal (if you have Teal pigment, you don’t need this.)
• Moss Garden: Sparkly Seafoam-Silver (unexpectedly pretty and quite unique)
• Butterfly Party: Rich Purple Pearl (nice but not a must to have)
• Desert Cloud: Metallic Indigo Violet (lovely blue-violet; a darker, more purple version of Cornflower pigment)

Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack “Strawberry Patch”

• Star Crystal: Metallic champagne-ash (If you missed out Metal X Palladium, this is a lovely pearl-beige shade that isn’t too stark white)
• Rose Light: Frosted Pastel Pink (80’s pink - in a good way)
• Strawberry Patch: Glittery mauve (pretty, but my least favorite of the bunch because it’s so sparkly that it’s hard to wear for day, and needs a good base to work)
• Moon Rose: Metallic burgundy with fuchsia sheen (the reason I picked up this stack. The images don’t do this justice so you’ll have to swatch this yourself before it’s sold out!)

MAC Pearlmatte Face Powder in Sunday Afternoon

I thought the 2 pearlmatte face powders were blushes until I swatched one of them on and got the surprise of my life. These are like a cross between beauty powders and Mineralize Skinfinishes, with an interesting texture that’s matte but luminous at the same time. 

It’s a little like my beloved MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink, which gives a soft pink glow but is not outright shiny like other MAC MSFs, except this is better if you are afraid of looking oily.

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I did not get any of the lip glasses or liners from the Vera collection.

It’s not that they aren’t nice; in fact the glitter liners are beautiful. But I don’t find the glitters in pencils obviously enough to make much of a difference from regular metallic pencils, so I didn’t see any point buying them at MAC prices. 

As for the glosses, well, I’m not a lip gloss girl so I gave all of them a miss. You’ll have to check them out yourselves at the counter and judge for yourself if you like them! 

Sinful colors is another “hit or miss” brand for me! But- If you want a sassy/sweet look for your nails for Valentine’s day, or really any other day, try this bright, florescent hot pink! The name is 24/7.  One coat was really all I needed, but you could opt for two!  TRY IT! Little hearts or bows would be a cute decal to pair it with :)

(Source: Marília Verçosa)

drugstoreprincess:

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

$4-$6 for 0.23oz (6ml)

Cruelty-Free & Hypoallergenic

11 Shades

NyxCosmetics.com; Ulta stores; some drugstores & superstores; online

I’ve had a few of these shades for a while now, but my most recent purchase of Antwerp (a bright peachy pink) really made me…

Natureluxe foundation! This foundation is so so for me. I heard a lot of people recommend it, so I decided to pick one up. The first thing I notice is the smell of the foundation. It doesn’t bother me, but some may not love the “perfumey” scent. The overall application is really silky, blendable and velvety. I don’t think it wears very very well. I doubt ill repurchase. I didn’t think any of the shades matched my skin tone.

makeupbox:

Fierce Red Eyes

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Red eyeshadow can go so wrong sometimes, but this look is amazing.

By doing plenty of blending and layering, adding black to the lash line, and keeping the rest of the face clean, this look becomes both fierce, AND clean.

beautylish:

We love Beautylish Beauty Brittney W.’s neutral Valentine’s nails!

:)

(Source: longlivethedreamers)

(Source: avonbysamantha)