MAC Archies girls haul, swatches, photos and FOTD

 Hello all, I could not resist this collection because I was pretty well obsessed with Archie comics when I was a kid. Part of me thought maybe I should pass since I'm a grown up now but then I saw the color story and everything that is in Betty's collection just called my name.

So here we go, $240 CAD later...

 

 I got flatter me pearl matte, veronica's blush pearlmatte, cream soda blush, lord it up pearlglide eyeliner, summer sweetheart lipglass, betty bright lipstick and caramel sundae eyeshadow quad.

This is mainly just a photo swatch post, but I am going to be doing a comparison post soon.
I know there are many swatches floating around out there already, but in case you want to see how they look on super pale skin NC10/NC15 then this is for you. My camera likes to pick up odd cool/warm tones so they are not the most accurate of swatches but I tried to capture how the products look on me.

Betty bright lipstick:

 

Swatches betty bright lipstick (top) and  summer sweetheart lipglass (bottom) :

 

 wearing Betty Bright lipstick :

Wearing summer sweetheart lipglass:

 

 lord it up pearlglide swatch :

Caramel sundae quad swatches :

 Veronicas blush pearlmatte swatch  (this one is not nearly matte!) :

 Flatter me pearlmatte swatch :

cream soda blush swatch  (this was sooo pigmented I was shocked!) :

  

 My 'Betty' FOTD (breakdown below) :

Eyes:
- MAC bare study paint pot
-caramel sundae quad

- lord it up pearlglide

- prestige my biggest lashes mascara
- MAC brow pencil lingering
- MAC prep & prime highlighter radiant rose

Face:
- Revlon Colorstay foundation normal/dry 110 ivory

- MAC careblend powder light  

Cheeks :

- Cream soda blush (on apples)

- flatter me pearlmatte (lightly over top cream soda blush)

 Lips: 

- summer sweetheart lipglass

What did you think of the Archie's girls collection? Did you want/get anything from it?

My summer beauty favorites!

 I thought I'd do a little post on all my favorite makeup I've been using this summer. All products in this post I use daily or at least once per week. I'll list everything and why I'm loving it :

 Left to right:

• NARS larger than life lipgloss in Tiber ~ perfect nude color, awesome formula not too sticky and actually moisturizing!
• MAC prep + prime BB beauty balm spf 35PA+++ ~ Amazing product! I am using the Asian version currently, it's almost the same as the U.S. just has different sunscreen actives. I was using products with SPF 15 but realized I need more SPF than that (my skin was getting irritated by the sun). So this beauty balm (not to be confused with BB cream!) is sheer and non greasy, providing a perfect base for makeup with SPF 35. On good skin days I use it by itself, just evens everything out and gives a slight glow.
• Biotherm multi-proctection SPF 30 eye contour cream ~ Awesome eye cream with SPF. It's fast absorbing and moisturizing, perfect under makeup.
• Burberry Brit EDP ~ I got this by accident, and I'm glad I did because I love it! I picked this up in a sleep deprived haze - thought it was Burberry the Beat (which I also adore!) and once I tried it I thought I may as well keep it. It's grown on me.. it smells warm, clean, sweet and summery. 
• Cover Girl lash blast mascara waterproof ~ I only use this when I need to since it's hard to remove, but it stays all day and is truly water resistant!
• Cover Girl liquiline blast brown blaze ~ The most perfect brown liner I've ever used! I'm not exaggerating. The color is gorgeous and doesn't have shimmer so it's great for the waterline. I like this for the summer because it isn't harsh like black can be.
• MAC penultimate eyeliner rapid black ~ I've been searching for a liner like this forever. I can actually make a tiny, small line with this! I love using it on the top lash line to add just a little bit of fullness to my lashes without having to make a thick line.

 

• Wet n Wild vanity palette  ~ Love this! I like to use the matte colors for a subtle look somedays, and for a more smoky eye I put the shimmery brown over MAC constructivist paint pot and it looks amazing... try it!
• MAC MSF semi precious crystal pink ~ I'm really sad this is limited edition because it's the perfect summer blush and highlighter in one. I use this a lot, the middle gives a light bronze/pink blush and the outside gives a shimmery beige highlight. It's perfect.
• MAC constructivist paint pot ~ Gorgeous deep brown with reddish undertones. I use this one a lot too. I like to layer shimmery taupes and browns over it for a smoky eye.
• Maybelline 24 hr eye tattoo in bad to the bronze ~ Another amazing color. It's the one thing I must say you need for summer. Some days when I want a minimal look thats fast and easy I just use this all over the lid with some mascara and I'm good to go. It's the perfect champagne taupe color, not too dark or too light. The best thing is that it stays all day and doesn't crease or travel.
• MAC lipstick blankety ~ This has become my favorite lipstick ever. It goes with everything, It also makes lips look plump.
• Urban Decay naked palette ~ (Forgot to take a pic!) This is my go-to palette most days. I love it.

One of my favorite summer polishes is Illamasqua Milf. I love it! Sorry for the blurry pic, was holding my baby and trying to aim the camera with the same arm.

 

Here is my summer FOTD, very basic and neutral. I'm spending a lot of time outside so I look really tan..wow.
My FOTD:
face:
- MAC prep + prime beauty balm
- Revlon Colorstay in buff (a whole shade darker than the usual ivory! )
- MAC MSF crystal pink
eyes:
- Urban Decay naked palette: naked (lid), buck (crease & lower lash line), sin (blended above crease), virgin (to highlight).
- Armani eyes to kill mascara (review coming soon!)
- Annabelle brow pencil taupe
lips:
NARS larger than life l/g Tiber

Well I hope you are all having a great summer. My family and I are enjoying it, looking forward to holidays in a few weeks as well.
Let me know what your favorite summer beauty products are! Especailly any skin care and foundations, always up for trying new things :)

MAC 6 snowglobe eye shadows warm palette photos and EOTD

I fell head over heels with this palette when I saw it at MAC. It became #1 on my Xmas wish list and sure enough I got it.

Here are the colors with my own descriptions :

- winterscape (sparkling white)
- magical mist ( shimmery silver)
- patina (gorgeous tan with subtle gold warmth to it!)
- buckwheat (super pretty chestnut brown with silver shimmer)
- gaelic gold (true warm gold with a nice sheen)
- Midnight flurry (cool blackened brown)



I love how there is a mix of warm and cool colors, the contrast drew me to it.

Some of the shadows are more pigmented than others, the lusters in particular are not MAC's best formula.
The packaging is so pretty. The top of the palette is a dome with water and glitter suspended in it just like a snow globe.

Here are two EOTD's I did using this palette. For the first look I used Midnight flurry in the crease, buckwheat all over the lid and blended into the crease, magical mist in the inner 2/3 and winterscape to highlight:





For the second look I used midnight flurry in the crease, gaelic gold all over the lid up into the crease, patina on the inner 2/3 and then I lined my top and bottom lash line with NYC waterproof eyeliner in mink. I love that eyeliner lately!



You can see how the shadows look a bit patchy, I think it's because I was trying out a new eyeshadow primer and it wasn't grabbing the colors very well.

Overall I really like this palette, the colors all go really well together and compliment each other beautifully.

After straying for a while I find myself really liking my MAC makeup lately. I always end up coming back to MAC. Does anyone else do this?

Maybelline color tattoo 24hr cream gel eyeshadow photos, swatches and rave!

I have a new love, and it's these new maybelline cream shadows!

If you like MAC paint pots, these are very similar, and they are less than half the price of MAC.

The color selection is great, there are many shades to choose from. I do wish there was a light neutral beige. All the colors are quite pigmented and bold.

First up is 'tough as taupe'. This one is creamy and very pigmented. It's a medium taupe color with a grey purple cast. There is no shimmer in it, the finish is nice and satin like.

tough as taupe swatch:

Here is a look I did using tough as taupe as a base color:

Next is 'bold gold'. It's a medium burnished gold with bright gold small-particle glitter. This one isn't as pigmented as the taupe, but it can be layered to achieve the color you see in the pot.

Swatch of bold gold:

And another look I did using bold gold as a base color:

These cream shadows really impressed me. The pigmentation is just as good as MAC paint pots or Estee Lauder double wear cream shadows.
The wear time is excellent as well, they stay on for 10 hours or so without fading or creasing on me. Some might find they last longer, or those with oily lids maybe less.
I forgot to mention that these also work really well as a gel liner. I used MAC 209 lining brush and applied the taupe color to my upper and lower lash lines and it lasted all day long.

My overall verdict is that these are amazing, and I want just about every color.

It's about time a decent cream shadow is available at the drug store!

Sleek oh so special palette photos and EOTD's

If you ever have the chance, I'd say grab this palette!
It is versatile, and very unique. It has a range of mattes and shimmers that would look great on any skin tone or eye color. The colors are both warm and cool, and the quality is super.

I have 4 Sleek palettes now and I reach for this one the most. It's just fun to play with too.

Here are my EOTD's to show you the different sorts of looks you can create with this:

Smoky neutral matte eye:

Shimmering golden smoky eye:

I always feel confident wearing the colors in this palette.
This is one of those products I can see myself completely using up and repurchasing again and again.

You can expect more posts about sleek products soon! I have a bunch of blush swatches and more eyeshadow palettes to share.

On a side note, I just realized the Sleek website ships to the US and Canada! Excellent :)

Have you tried any sleek products? Did you like them?

Sleek paraguaya palette EOTD

Just like their blush, Sleek eyeshadows are great! Here is a quick shimmery peach EOTD I did using this gorgeous paraguaya palette.



This palette is pretty intense, lots if peach and orange toned colors. I love it!

Have you tried any Sleek palettes?

NARS rebecca duo photos, swatches and EOTD

Rebecca, an interesting duo from NARS I recently acquired is described as Kiwi / Amber with shimmer.
Looks quite intriguing doesn't it?

More than anything these shadows seem frosted with shimmer. Frosty pale iced green and frosty light reddened brown. The shadows are pigmented, but they are very sheer and fine.

Swatched heavily:

My EOTD using Rebecca:

I used my usual gosh primer, and layered the colors quite a few times but they went on very sheer. They are more or less a 'wash' as opposed to being intense and rich. I figure to get them to show up more vividly you can use them wet.

Personally I don't like this duo. The coloring is just wrong on me! The 'amber' made my eyes look red and sore, and the 'kiwi' just didn't show up enough. I just think it makes me look ill.

Maybe darker skin tones can pull these colors off, but I'm not sure it would be flattering on anyone.