FOTD: Featuring MAC Longwear Eyeshadows

This was my Face of the Day from the Afrobella event. I got my hands on two shadows from the MAC Pro Longwear collection and I have been testing them out. I will be reviewing them soon for you guys! Here is what I wore:

Foundation: -____- I actually can not remember.

Concealer: MAC Select Cover up NW45

Lipstick: NARS Roman Holiday

Mascara: MAC Studio Fix Lash (PURE LOVE)

Eyeshadow: MAC Make You Mark Pro Longwear & Folie in crease

Liner: MAC Feline

Blush: MAC Raizin

Could I be a bigger MAC groupie?!

xo.

This Fall I am Loving...

MAC LE Night Violet

MAC Blacktrack Fluid Line

It's officially Fall & I am Loving...

Bold Lips & Winged-Liner.

& You my friends are loving what? Do Share!

xo.

Makeover Magic : Feat. Jhanelle

I've mentioned this before but I love these kinds of posts. Taking the time to do someone's makeup is always fun, the conversations the two of you engage in as you work, the inspiration that comes with working on a new face, the laughs, the mistakes, I love it all! 

Before :)

The beautiful model is one of my best friends, Jhanelle. She is naturally stunning so it was all fun working with her. We opted for a classic grey/black smokey eye that was inspired by Jessica Alba.

What do you guys think? I would love to hear some feedback :)

Foundation: Revlon Photoready - 010 Caramel
Concealer: NYX concealer in a jar - CJ07 Tan
Eye Shadows: MAC Eyeshadow - Silver Ring, Knight Divine, & Carbon
Eye Liner: MAC - Feline
Bronzer: MAC MSF - Sun Power

Lips: MAC Lip Liner - Chestnut 

MAC Lipstick - Viva Glam Gaga II
Blush: Nars -Gina
Brows: NYC Brow & Liner - Dark Brown
Mascara: Lancome Defincils High Definition Mascara - Black
Setting Powder: MAC Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

xo

Foundation Review : MAC Face & Body

Overview:

Price: 39$

Size:120mL/4Fl oz.

Coverage: Light/Sheer Coverage

Finish: Dew/Natural

Color Choices: 13 Shades

Details:

Let me start of by saying that I have an oily skin type that becomes more of combination skin in the colder months. I suffer from very few break outs, a spot here and there every few months. But I do have a bit of uneven skin tone, with slight hyper pigmentation around the mouth area. I LOVED this foundation until a warm day, and now it's somewhat mediocre. Read on...

MAC Face and Body is a light water based foundation, that applies to the skin more like a tinted moisturizer. It is easy to blend, and applies well with fingers or a brush (I use my sigma brush). If you have problematic skin, excessive redness or scarring this will not provide adequate coverage. The product provides little coverage, but can be built up slightly if desired. Use this with a concealer if you have a few spots to cover up. This basically makes already good skin, GREAT skin.

The Foundation offers a dewy/healthy glow finish to the skin, which is great for those with normal skin. Those with oilier skin types can powder after application, but the foundation offers no oil control, so be aware you may look like an oil slick. It will work for oilier skin types better in winter or in conjunction with other mattifying products.

The color range is great, you should be able to find your match for your skin tone. I wear the darkest color; N9. Since the foundation is such light coverage you can wear a shade darker or lighter without noticing much difference because it will still blend in well.

The price is a bit steep but still cheaper than other high end foundations like Nars & Chanel. But you do get quite a bit of product, most foundations are 1oz while F&B comes in at 4oz.

NOTE: This is of course a body foundation as well, so if it doesn't work well for your face, use it on your body. Great for use on legs (airbrushed legs anyone?) and chest to make them look flawless for a special occasion or a night out. You can also choose a slightly darker shade to provide a 'fake tan' look on your body.

Best Match:

Those with normal skin, who have few skin issues are best matched for this foundation.

Repurchase? - I love this for cooler days when I want a very natural look. But I would not repurchase, I'd rather opt for my usual foundation mixed with moisturizer for a lighter coverage. This product adds too much glow for my oily skin.

xo.

My Favorite Lipsticks

Night Violet, Up the Amp, Roman Holiday, & Girl About Town

I love lipstick,  bold, brights, nudes... All OF THEM :) These are my top picks from my collection. I wear these the most & can always rely on them to look great.

I'm also looking to purchase MAC Vegas Volt & MAC Impassioned very soon.

L-R Mousse, Half n Half, Fresh Brew & Touch

 MAC Lipstick - Girl About Town

 Girl About Town is a bright fuchsia in the amplified cream formula. It applies opaque & does stain the lips. As it wears off during the day, you'll still have some pigmentation on your lips.

MAC Lipstick - Up The Amp

This lipstick is a amplified cream formula. Which means it applies opaque but has some moisturizing properties.  The color is a lavender violet but shows up more pink on my skin tone.

NARS Lipstick - Roman Holiday

This is my favorite lipstick in all my collection. Beats out my reds & nudes! NARS lipsticks are a higher price point but worth the price. They're moisturizing and apply evenly. This color is the sheer formula but still applies with pigmentation. 

MAC Mattene Lipstick - Night Violet

This was a limited edition shade, I wrote about it in this post. Its a great matte berry lip, that adds instant edge.

MAC Lipstick - Fresh Brew

A lustre formula which means it is not very opaque and has a glossy finish to it. The color is a great nude for WOC. Its a light creamy coffee color.

MAC Lipstick - Touch

Another lustre & another great nude for WOC but this lipstick runs more brown/red than Fresh Brew.

MAC Lipstick - Half n Half

Worn in this post, this lipstick is one of my favorite go to colors. This is a pink/brown/nude color in the amplified cream formula.

MAC Slimshine - Mousse

This is a slimshine formula which has been discontinued from MAC's permanent line. Its a true brown color & SUPER glossy. If a lipstick & lipgloss were to have a baby, this would be the result.

L-R Fresh Brew, Touch, Half n Half & Mousse

I'm looking for more BRIGHT colors for summer & vacation. Recommendations?

xo.

Some say this is a GOLDEN age, but GOLD is the reason for the wars we wage.

Spring cleaning is in full effect for me.  I've been cleaning all morning, but decided to work on a post. This is a look I wore over the weekend. I picked up Viva Glam Gaga 2 & LOVE IT. Will do a specific post just for it (it's that special).

This is the definition of a smokey eye/nude lip combo. Black eyeshadow all over the lid can look harsh at times so you MUST ensure to blend blend blend.

Products:

Eyes

*MAC Eyeshadow in Carbon (Lid Color)

*MAC Eyeshadow in Fig 1 (Crease Color)

*MAC Eyeshadow in Rule (Transition Color)

*MAC Eyeshadow in Sateillite Dreams (Tear Duct Color)

* MAC Pigment in  Naked Deep Dark (Highlight Color)

*MAC eyeshadow in Embark (Brows)

Face

*MAC Blush in Raizin

*MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW50 for under eyes

*Clinique Perfectly Real Compact powder in 148(N)

Lips

MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Gaga 2

MAC Lipliner in Chestnut

MAC Dazzleglass in Girls Delights

Hope you all are having a fantastic day.

 

xo.

My Top 10 MAC Eyeshadows

I told a bit of a fib in the title. 9 are MAC the other one is NARS but it can easily be duplicated with a MAC eyeshadow. I'm a neutral shadow lover, but will wear color every now and then to liven things up. Below are the chosen ones :)

Shadows are swatched in same order as list below.

Nars: FEZ (Similar to MAC Bronze)

>Fez, like most NARS shadows is beyond amazing for pigmentation, smooth, soft and blendable. This color is a brown-bronze that looks great as a lid color paired with carbon in the crease for a bronze smokey eye.

Saddle - Matte

 >Golden tan color, great for all over the lid in a neutral everyday look. But works best as a transition color (between the crease color and highlight color) for my skin tone .

Glamour Check! (LE) - Starflash (Similar to MAC Antiqued)

 > Reddish/Ash brown shadow with pearl. Works well with most neutral shadows.

Folie - Satin

> Reddish brown but much lighter than Embark and much more red. Great for adding warm tones to the crease for any eye look.

Smut - Velvet

>Black/Grey with red/purple undertones. Looks great all over the lid for instant smokey/sultry eyes. Or in the crease to darken up another shadow

Woodwinked - Veluxe Pearl

> Warm gold color, a go-to shadow for WOC. Looks great paired with Embark.

Club - Satin

>Possibly MAC's most unique shadow. It appears a reddish brown but gives of a green sheen. When placed on a black base gives of a green/brown pearl finish. A MUST-HAVE in my opinion.

Embark - Matte

> Reddish brown shadow, I use this to fill in my brows & contour. Its very versatile & great to darken up the crease for a daytime smokey eye.

Deep Truth - Frost

>Dark blue, that really works to it's full potential with a black or navy eyeshadow base.

Carbon - Matte

>Black shadow, perfect for smokey eyes, or as liner. I use this ALOT, as you can see from the picture.

Top Row: Glamour Check!, Woodwinked, Saddle, Carbon 2nd Row: Folie, Smut, Club, Embark End: Deep Truth Top: Fez

xo.

The affairs of the heart are so far from rational.

Cue crazy week! Managed to get an outfit post in. I have more beauty posts sitting in my drafts so keep a look out for them. I scored this sweater in the Roots sale with an extra 20% off & I'm loving it. Its one of those things people will either LOVE or HATE.

I got my hair cut last week & took about 2 inches off. Not a huge difference but very necessary. If you want to hear me ramble about hair care let me know & I'll write a post.

MAC Club eyeshadow on eyes.

Why do I look like a lost child? haha

Sweater- Roots

Jacket- Talula (purchased at Aritzia)

Headband - ASOS

Boots - Roots

Bracelets - JxJ

xo.

Sigma Sigmax Brushes Review

I purchased some Sigma brushes about a month ago and decided to add my opinion to the other opinions floating around in the blogosphere.

First, I have to hands down give Sigma koodos for their customer service. I purchased a brush when the company first came to my attention about two years ago. Later on the brush head came loose from the handle. It turned me off the whole company. When making an order for my new brushes I mentioned my past experience. Sigma kindly enough sent me a brand new replacement of the brush that was damaged. I was blown away by how easy it was. They are a company that definitely is set out to make their customers happy.

Brand new F50 replacement brush.

Sigma has come out with a line of three brushes called the Sigmax HD line. The collection consists of three synthetic brushes that you can buy individually or in a set.

Sigma has been compared to MAC brushes quite frequently. But these new brushes have no MAC comparison and are in my opinion amazing quality. In fact the F82- Round Top Kabuki  has replaced my MAC 109 for applying/buffing foundation.

Sigma F82- Round Top Kabuki

F82- Round Top Kabuki

Price:  

16$

Use:

I use this brush to buff in foundation and concealer. It is small enough to fit around the nose and under the eyes.

This brush creates flawless/realistic looking skin. It is perfect for cream and liquid foundation.

It can also be used to buff in cream blush to create a seamless application. No one wants to leave the house looking like a clown!

Note:

If you have dry skin, be careful not to over buff because it will only emphasizes dry patches on your skin. Make sure to moisturize well and this will be your best friend :)

F80- Flat Top Kabuki

F-80 Flat Top Kabuki

Price:

16$

Use:

I currently use this brush on my powder foundation days. I use a pressed powder and this brush allows for adequate coverage which can be hard to achieve with a powder foundation.

Note:

You can use any brush for whatever you want! The MAC 109 is not a foundation brush, it is advertised as a contour brush. The same goes with these brushes. Use them as you please to create you own desired looks.

Overall:

 Quite Simply, these brushes retail at a great price in comparison to other higher-end companies. The quality far surpasses the price. There is another brush in the Sigmax brush line that I do not own. 

Take a peep it here.

Remember ladies, brushes are your tools to achieve beautiful make-up looks, great tools make great looks. Invest in quality and I guarantee you will notice a difference! Keep 'em clean by using a mild baby shampoo once a week.

I may do an overview on my brush collection, interested? Let me know :)

xo.

I'd Catch a Grenade for You

Bruno Mars' song 'Grenade' seems to follow me wherever I go & is now stuck in my head. Three cheers for his marketing team!

Though sweet & all I probs would never catch a grenade for anyone, that's sucide aint it?

...no dice. 

& plus The Situation has forever changed that word for all mankind.

Enough ramblings quick OOTD/FOTD from my first day of the semester at Uni.

Blogger seems to suck the life out of color, lips were a bit brighter  IRL :)

FACE:
Foundation: Make Up Forever Mat Velvet - 85
Blush:  MAC Superdupernatural [LE]

EYES:
Shadow: MAC Saddle with MAC Folie in crease

Eyeliner : MAC Blacktrack Fluidline

Waterline Eyeliner: Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes- Color: 24L (LOVETHIS! makes eyes look brighter/wider for dark skin tones)
Mascara: Maybelline Falsies- Blackest Black

LIPS:
Lipstick: Nars Roman Holiday

Lipgloss: MAC Sweet Strawberry [LE from Hello Kitty Collection]

LOVE the glow this blush gives! - Click to Enlarge.

Outfit

Cardigan from Zara's Mens Line

American Apparel Bodysuit

Zara Denim Harem Pants

Fossil Watch

Longchamp Le Piliage Tote

All the other pics turned out rubbish.

xo.