MAC Lipstick Dupe!

Hello Blogger-sphere!

So today is a very exciting day, well to me at least. :)

I recently picked up the color Syrup from Mac Cosmetics ($16)because I some things to 'back to mac' so I got to pick out a free lipstick! I chose Syrup because it was the perfect mauve color with a hint of purple that I thought suited me very well. 

Well, a few days later I was at Target looking around the makeup aisle when I stumbled upon a L'oreal Colour Riche lipstick in the color Saucy Mauve ($7) and i loved the color. 

When i got home that day of course I tried on the new lipstick I had just gotten and and as soon as I put it on I knew it was a dupe for Syrup. Have a look for yourself. 

Mac Syurp on top - L'oreal Saucy Mauve on bottom

Mac Syrup is lustre finish which is a glossy sheer lipstick while the L'oreal lipstick is a semi matte finish. The Mac one is noticeably more glossy but the two colors on the lips are almost identical. 

I've worn both of these shades throughout the whole day and Syrup lasted about 3 hours on me without needing to touch up. I was more impressed with Saucy Mauve, I put in on at 8:30am and didnt need to touch up until 3! Both formulas are very moisturizing and creamy. 

MAC Syrup-lustre finish (glossy)

L'Oreal Saucy Mauve-semi matte finish

MAC Syurp on top lip

L'Oreal Saucy Mauve on bottom lip

If your looking to save a few extra bucks and a high end name brand isnt important to you, then I suggest picking up the L'Oreal lipstick. It lasted a lot longer on the lips and doesn't have such a shiny finish. Overall, Id give in a thumbs up! 

XOXO

-H

First Impression: Miss Manga Mascara!

Hello Blogger-sphere!

I LOVE trying out new mascaras, its one of my favorite makeup item to test! So when I started hearing about L'Oreal Paris' new mascara i knew I had to try it. This mascara just hit the US drugstores a few weeks ago, but it has been a huge hit overseas. 

This mascara can be found at any drugstore (Wal-mart, Target, Walgreens) or Ulta! And it costs around $7.00-$8.00 depending where you buy!

I heard several people compare this mascara to the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara, as a lover of that mascara, I do not see the similarities. The brush is vaguely similar to the miss manga brush but the formula and what it does to my lashes are not even comparable. 

The brush of this mascara is tapered at the end and is wider the base. It has very uneven length  bristles, all of the bristles are different lengths which help to give volume. The wand is the most unique part of the mascara, it has a flexor 360 degree wand. It is very bendy and flexible which allows the brush to bounce off the lashes. 

This mascaras formula is very wet, which i find most drugstore mascaras to be. I have the regular formula, non waterproof, and it is extremely hard to get off compared to other mascaras. This mascara gives me alot of volume with a decent amount of length. I do find that a lot of product stays on the brush when you take the wand out which can cause it to clump very quickly. 

Overall, I really enjoy this mascara. It isnt one I would re purchase, but I will definitely use it up! I do find that it clumps easily so you have to be careful, but overall I think it makes my lashes look really good and I would recommend you to try it!

XOXO 

-H

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Hello Blogger-sphere!

Well, Urban Decay has done it again! With the third installment to the Naked line, Urban Decay released its latest eye catching pallet full of rose toned eye shadow. Famously, the first edition was a warm toned neutral pallet, and the second (my favorite) was a cool toned neutral version. So it was only fitting for the makeup giant to release rose tone neutral eye shadows. 

This pallet was released just before Christmas of 2013 and sold out very quickly, even thought this product came out over 6 months ago, it is still being buzzed about for its uniqueness and quality. You can find all three of the Naked pallets at Ulta, Sephora, or the Urban Decay website and will run you about $53.00

The first half of this pallet is really beautiful. The first color Strange is a matte cream color perfect for highlighting. Next is Dust which is kind of ironic because that is what it looks like when you apply this shade. It has a ton of fallout and the pigmentation is the worst out of the entire pallet, its my least favorite color. Burnout is the perfect mid-tone pink color. It works good all over the lid or even as a pink inner corner highlight. Limit is the ultimate crease color. It is a dusty rose matte color that actually works extremely well with the rest of the colors in this pallet. Buzz is a high shimmer pink shade that has a hint of purple in it, this shade is quite unique. Last we have Trick which as you can see is a typical gold shade but it does have a pinkish undertone (see a theme here?). This color is pretty, but not very unique and quite dupe able. 

The second half of the pallet is my favorite. I love darker shades and these colors are the reason I bought this pallet. Nooner is a matte color that is similar to Limit but just a few shades darker, its perfect for darkening the crease without the use of black or dark brown. Liar is my FAVORITE shade out of them all. It doesn't look impressive when swatched, but when applied to the lid is this most perfect brown rosy metallic color. You have to see it in person its stunning. Next is Factory which is also one of my favorites, its actually quite similar to Liar but slightly darker and more brownish. Mugshot reminds me a lot of something that would be in the Naked 2 Pallet. It is a mid tone taupe grey metallic color which is very different than all the rest of the shades because its quite cool toned, but very pretty. Darkside is a satin finish dark slate grey. When looking at the pallet as a whole this is the color that doesn't really fit in with the others but works quite well when used in a look. I use mostly for deeping the outer V or smudging onto the lash line. Lastly we have Blackheart which is a black color with red shimmer. It is stunning in the pan, but when swatched or applied to the lid, it loosed a lot of the red shimmer and therefore just becomes a regular black shade.

Overall I am in love with this pallet although it does not take the place of my Naked 2 which is my favorite. I think the main fault in this pallet is the lack of diversity in the colors. Most of the colors resemble each other too much as far as the pink shades and the mid toned shades go. When applied to the lid you cant really tell the difference and it ultimately just becomes one color. When used correctly, these shades can create some amazing looks that can be perfect for day time or smoked up for nighttime! 

XOXO

-H 

MAC Eyeshadow Collection

Hello Blogger-sphere!

Eye shadow is probably my favorite makeup item out of everything I put on my face. So naturally, I have alot of it. MAC Cosmetics eye shadow is one of the best quality shadows money can buy and is my favorite eye shadow to wear. 

I just started getting into MAC about a year ago so my collection isnt as massive, but I the colors I do have are unique and each color has a purpose. I like to buy individual shadows that are unlike anything that I have in one of my palettes and I know I can get alot of use out of. I have 11 MAC shadows and I am working on expanding my collection! 

Each MAC eyeshadow costs $15.00 but I can get mine for around $8.00. Lets get started! 

         

             MAC Shroom
               Frosty white highlight

                                   

Brule
Matte cream color

MAC Wegde
Matte medium brown

MAC Woodwinked
Metallic gold

MAC Sable
Gold plum with bronze 

MAC Satin Taupe
Taupe with plum

MAC Sketch
Burgundy with red shimmer

MAC Scene
Muted blue grey

Mac Greensmoke
Green with gold glitter

MAC Star Violet
Pinky brown plum 

MAC Sea Worship (Limited Edition)
Tarnished Olive

(Left to Right) Shroom, Brule, Wedge, Woodwinked, Sable, Satin Taupe, Sketch, Greensmoke, Star Violet, Sea Worship. Not pictured: Scene




XOXO
-H

Summer Foundation Routine!

Hello Blogger-sphere!

Its that time of the year again, Summertime! Outdoor activities, going to the beach, swimming, and of course being a sweaty mess. I always have to change up my foundation routine when the weather changes because my skin changes as well. I usually have normal skin with a few dry patches and with a few oily patches mainly in the T-zone in the summertime. 

I love to rock a bare face in the summertime because frankly I hate having to worry about if my foundation is melting off my face. But for a night out or if you want to look more put together, this is my full foundation routine! 

1) I ALWAYS start out with a moisturizer. If you do nothing else in this routine, at least moisturize! I love the St Ives Timeless Skin moisturizer for many reasons. I might have to do a whole separate post about it. 

2) Next I apply a primer. I love the Benefit Porefessional because it fills in my pores and keeps my foundation lasting all day. I only put this on my cheeks and my nose. 

3) Now comes the star of the show, the foundation. Im obsessed with the L'oreal True Match foundation, Im in the shade W2 Light Ivory. It had a light to medium coverage with a natural finish. It is great in the summertime because it is light weight but still had the coverage of a heavy foundation. Also, it has a natural finish that isn't too matte or too dewy. If you haven't tried this out you need to. They offer a wide shade range and can be found for a few dollars at any drugstore! 

4) After foundation I like to apply my concealer. The one I love is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in the shade fair. It is very lightweight under the eyes but still has great coverage. Also when set with Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder it doesn't crease! 

5) After that I add my blush and bronzer, today for blush i used MAC Tenderling and Benefit Hoola Bronzer. Both products I love for the summertime. 

Before

After

And that completes my Summertime foundation routine! All of the products I used give a nice natural finish to the skin without overdoing it. It is important in the summertime to wear makeup that is going to last all day through the heat and still stay looking flawless! 

XOXO,

-H 

Eye Look of the Day using MAC Shadows!

Hello Blogger-sphere!

I just picked up an amazing shadow from the new MAC alluring aquatics collection and I was so excited to play around with it. So here is a look at how I used MAC Sea Worship eye shadow! 

I applied a primer (which is SO important for making sure your shadow doesn't crease) I used MAC Painterly Paint Pot which is a skin tone cream shadow.

1) I applied MAC Wedge (#1) eye shadow into the crease with a fluffy brush. This color is a soft brown and acts as a transition color and will make it easier to blend out other darker colors.

2) I put the star of the whole look MAC Sea Worship (see previous post for pictures) all over the lid with a flat shader brush. To make the shadow more intense try spritzing the brush with a little water. This will give the shadow a foiled effect.

3) Next I took MAC Sketch (#3) with a small crease brush and blended that into the crease of my eye, pulling slightly outward to create a cat eye effect. This color is a dark plum color that pairs pairs perfectly with the olive shadow in the lid.

4) To highlight the brow bone and to blend out the crease color I used MAC Brule (#4) which is nice matte cream color. I personally like matte highlights on the brow bone but you can use shimmer if you prefer.

5) And lastly, for a little pop of shimmer in the inner corner i took a small detail brush and put MAC Shroom (#5) in that area. This shade is an intensely shimmery white color that looks amazing in the inner corner to open up the eye.

6) I added my liquid liner (NYX Liquid Black Liner) to the upper lash line and a cream liner (Stila Waterproof Liner in Damsel) to the lower lash line. I finished the look with Buxom mascara on the upper and lower lashes.

Here is a look at all the other products I used to complete my look:

MAC Studio Fix powder in NC20, MAC blush in Tenderling, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Fair, Benefit Hoola Bronzer, NYX Liquid Black Liner, Stila Waterproof Liner in Damsel, Buxom mascara, Tarte eyelash curler

XOXO
-H

MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection

Hello Blogger-sphere!

So back in mid March I discovered that MAC Cosmetics was coming out with a new 2014 limited edition summer collection and once i saw the packaging I became obsessed to say the least...it wasn't healthy. So I started looking up pictures of the collection and immediately marked the calendar for the online release date which was May 15th. The packaging alone makes me want everything, I think it is the most unique packaging MAC has put out in a while. The water droplets are actually raised not just printed into the packaging. I managed to snag a nail polish online and I picked up a few more things in store today.  

The nail polish I picked up is in the shade Shimmerfish. MAC describes this shade as a sparkling platinum. I find that it has flecks of gold shimmer in it as well. Overall it is a beautiful color, although i see a difference in the color when in the bottle and when it is applied to the nail. 

Now i would have to say the eye shadow is by far the stand out of the whole collection. If you want to pick up anything from the Alluring Aquatics collection make sure its an eye shadow. After swatching them all i restrained myself to only one, although i wanted them all. The one I chose is called Sea Worship. It is an extra dimension eye shadow and MAC describes this shadow as tarnished olive and that is exactly what it is. It is such a unique color I knew I had to have it.

                                                                         
I loved how the lipstick packaging looked and I have yet to own a MAC lipstick (I know crazy, right?) so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to add to my lip collection. I wasn't too impressed with any other shade except Enchanted One. Which is described as a matte mid tone neutral pink. I find that is pulls more peachy nude on me, on the lips and when swatched. I'm not sure if its my skin tone or lip color but either way it is beautiful shade, although very dupe-able. 

Overall I am very impressed with this collection I might go back in a few days and pick up another eye shadow. I am more impressed with the packaging than the actual products though. The bronzers and blushes just didn't do it for me! Hope you get the chance to pick up some goodies before its all sold out! 

XOXO
-H