Vanity Palette Swatches

The Vanity Palette is my favorite of the two, and in my opinion has the most usable shades.

The mattes:  The lightest shade, which is repeated in the Greed Palette, is almost identical to my skintone.  It’s quite similar to MAC’s Blanc Type, but the formulation of this and the other mattes in the palettes seems superior.  There is no chalkiness and fallout that I’ve come to expect from matte eyeshadows.  The colors apply smooth and creamy, without skipping.  The second shade is similar, but slightly cooler than, MAC’s Soft Brown.  It will be an ideal blending/transition color.  The third shade is a red brown – the closest dupe I could find is MAC’s Handwritten – and the WnW shade has FAR better pigmentation.  The mattes are definitely the standouts.

The shimmers:  I LOVE the 1st color.  To me it looks like if MAC’s Shroom and Ricepaper had a baby, this would be it – a perfect highlight shade.  The second gold shade is reminiscent of MAC’s Goldmine, but the color payoff is poor.  The third shade is a shimmery brown bronze.  Truthfully I don’t think I’ll get much use of the last two shimmer shades.

Greed Palette Swatches

The mattes: The first shade is identical to the lightest shade from the previous palette.  The second shade is a peach-y one.  I’ve heard that it is similar to MAC’s Texture, which I don’t own.  It will be a great transition shade.  The third is a standard matte black – I’d like to test this against MAC’s Carbon and see if it has less fallout.

The shimmers: The first shade is a sort of Periwinkle with multi-colored shimmer.  As you can probably tell, I got crap color payoff from this shade.  The second shade is a peachy color with shimmer – nothing special.  The third shade is a black silver shimmer.  In my experience these type of shades usually don’t translate to the skin the same way they look in the pan, so I was surprised that there was still shimmer in the swatch.  It would be interesting to see if it will retain the shimmer on the eye after blending.

I also bought two nail polishes – at 1.99 a piece and 50% off the second, who could resist?!

Inferno, Shield, 2 coats

Inferno is a flaming orange that flashes yellowish gold shimmer.  Very fall appropriate.  Shield is a bronzey taupe with bronze and red shimmer.

At $6.50, it’s priced affordably.  It’s definetly sleek and sexy looking.  All of my pencils should fit in either of the ends perfectly.  And because it’s MAC, it should be awesome.  This story should have a totally happy ending, right?

Wrong.

So first of all this sharpener is made out of the cheapest, thinnest plastic.  It just feels like it’s going to break.  I guess that is entirely a subjective thing, but I really don’t want any of my products, even something like a pencil sharpener, to feel that it is so fragile that I could snap it by clenching my fingers too tight.  The entire sharpener is 3 parts – the large sharpener at one end, the small sharpener at the other, and the clear part in the middle to separate them and store the shavings.  This is a nice idea…  But unfortunately the sharpeners don’t screw into the clear plastic center, they merely press on tight.  And I’m using that word tight very lightly; I’m constantly pulling one end off by accident and then the shavings end up everywhere.

Besides just the sloppy design flaws, my biggest issue overall is with the sharpeners themselves.  When you sharpen your pencils, you want them to come out looking similar to what they where when you first bought them, perhaps a tad sharper.  The best way I could describe how your pencils are going to come out is…  Well, do you remember sharpening your wooden No. 2′s back in the day?  Those traditional pencil sharpeners gave you a long point with lots of exposed lead, which is very good when you’re writing with a pencil -  but it’s terrible when you’re using it for makeup.  This sharpener eats up a ton of your pencil in the process, and unfortunately, you don’t end up with a precise tip, but a long tip with product that will break off very easily.  The blade also continues to cut into the product while you sharpen, further weakening the tip.  Oh and by the way, it completely mutilated – but didn’t in the least bit sharpen – my NYX Jumbo Pencil.

Look at how nasty these tips look!

In conclusion I guess I would have to say I just really, REALLY do not recommend buying this sharpener from MAC.  In my experience, my pencils look chewed up, the tips break, and I’m not getting any kind of smooth, sharp pencil tip that’s useful for makeup.  So I’m back to my search for a good sharpener.  I don’t know if I’ll be heading back to the drug store, but I’ll definitely be doing more research this time!

Top: Sugarpill Lumi, Bottom: MUFE No. 944

Left to right: MUFE No. 944, Sugarpill Lumi

Now where the two absolutely differ is in value and price… The Make Up For Ever Star Powder is $19 for 1 gram/.09oz.  The Sugarpill Chromalust costs $12 for 5 grams/.19oz.  WOW.

And Lindsay, THANK YOU for reminding me – I wanted to show a swatch of Lumi over a dark base… It turns a beautiful deep green color.

Lumi swatched over MUFE Aqua Cream Color in Black

I placed my order on Sunday the 20th, it shipped on Monday the 21st, and I received it on Saturday the 26th.  Not bad for California to New Jersey.  My order was packed neatly in a small box that fit in my apartment’s mailboxes, thankfully.  There was a cute cartoon cat and sticker on the outside.  Inside, my products were neatly wrapped in purple tissue paper.  The packaging for the products themselves is too adorable to throw out.  It’s easy to tell that a lot of love went into making these products because there is so much detail!  Also included was a complete invoice signed personally by Amy, beautifully designed business cards, and a glittery Sugarpill sticker.  For my very first order, I purchased Dollipop and Tako pressed eyeshadows, and Lumi, Absinthe, and Goldilux Chromalust loose eyeshadows.

The pressed shadows have a very finely milled, silky texture.  It’s not necessary to dig your brush vigorously into the pot to get product onto your brush, in fact doing so will likely result in far too much shadow on your brush — not because these are chalky, but because of the very soft texture.  Getting total opacity only takes a few swipes, and the shadows blend beautifully into other textures and colors.  The vibrancy and color payoff is NUTS.  I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t choose more than these two colors to try.

Dollipop –  Very matte, very bright pink.  This is definitely the brightest pink I own, and it’s so hot pink and in your face, that I really have nothing to compare it to.  You only need a small amount to get intense color payoff.  This will stain your eyes and brush if you aren’t careful!

Tako — I was looking for a bright, matte white that would perform better than MAC’s Gesso, and this delivers.  Builds up to opaque white in a few swipes and blends great with other colors.

The Chromalust loose eyeshadows come in a tall jar with a screw off lid.  There seems to be a problem with product getting underneath the lid as there’s nothing to seal it from the rest of the product.  When I first opened my jars there was a good bit of pigment on the inner rims of the jars as well as a little on the outside of one of them.  This is one pigment you definitely wouldn’t want to store upside down for this reason, and use precaution whenever opening and storing.  The texture of the shadows is very fine, none of the colors were clumpy or hard to work with.  As with the other shadows, they hold up well to blending and stay vibrant.  I highly recommend using Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy when using these shimmery loose shadows as  I used to swatch in the first picture below – it makes the pigments appear foiled even those they’re not wet.  You can tell a HUGE difference between the swatch of Goldilux in the first picture below, and the third picture with the other gold swatches, where I swatched Goldilux dry over a base.  These kind of sticky bases are great for shimmery shadows like the Chromalusts and I’ll definitely continue to use them when I work with these in the future.

Absinthe — This is a very unique green – very much a lime green, as described.  It’s packed with gold glitter.

Lumi — A shimmery white pigment with blue and green reflects.  I was probably most excited about this color – it’s an amazing brow/inner corner highlight, especially over a white pencil.  Similar to MAC Reflects Transparent Teal – see the pic below.

Goldilux — Bright, sparkling, shimmering, yellow gold.  I’ve really never seen such a bright gold.  There couldn’t be a better shade for blue eyes.

All my Sugarpill swatches.  Pressed eyeshadows are swatched over TFSI; Loose chromalusts are swatched over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy.

Left side vertical swatches – Dollipop and Tako pressed shadows
Right side horizontal swatches, top to bottom – Lumi, Absinthe, Goldilux

In natural lighting…

A comparison of other golds in my collection to Goldilux.  Everything is swatched over TFSI.

From l to r – Urban Decay Half Baked, Honey, MAC Woodwinked, Goldmine, Amber Lights, Gorgeous Gold, Rose Gold pigment, Copperized pigment
Sugarpill Goldilux Chromalust on bottom

In natural lighting… Please excuse my vein-y Hulk hands!

As you can see, Goldilux is incredibly unique.  The closest I found to it is MAC’s Rose Gold pigment, but Goldilux is clearly more yellow and loaded with glitter!

A comparison of Lumi and MAC’s Reflects Transparent Teal Glitter

L to R – MAC Reflects Transparent Teal, Lumi

Lumi is nearly identical to the MAC glitter, but a much more wearable version as it’s not made of large glitter particles. For instance, if you use Lumi in your inner corner, it will look like a gorgeous subtle white and turquoise glow, but when you use MAC’s Transparent Teal Glitter, it looks very obviously like glitter.

2 quick looks using my new Sugarpill!

Goldilux on my blue peepers:

Goldliux on lids, Lumi on the inner corners, Tako under brow

Quick look using Dollipop:

Tako on the lid and browbone, Dollipop on the lid, Lumi in the inner corner

I am LOVING everything I got so far and I can’t wait to play more with my colors… is it too soon for a second order?!

You can buy these products and see the rest of the amazing line at Sugarpill Shop.  I would highly recommend to anyone who loves bright colors, great consistency and pigmentation, and in general, something unique in their makeup collection!

I received That Gal primer in a Benefit sample set that Sephora sold around the holidays – it included Some Kind of Gorgeous, That Gal, Posietint, and High Beam, all in small travel sizes for $10.  As with any other foundation primer I’ve ever tried, I was dubious whether I would get the desired effect…

The first thing I noticed about That Gal is that the consistency is much different than the typical silicone-based primers – it comes from the container looking much like a lotion, and a soft pink one at that.  It feels less greasy than many of those other primers too, absorbing quickly into the skin.  Another thing I noticed during application was the very pleasant, slightly floral scent – it’s not overpowering – just a sort of clean, slight fragrance.  As far as the product’s claims,  I don’t know whether it truly does “brighten” or not, but it does seem to, at least temporarily, on my skin.  I think this may be in part because I have fair skin, and the pink primer tones down any areas of yellowness and dullness.  However, it does make my skin feel extremely soft and smooth, giving a great base for my foundation.  That Gal definitely prevents that awful ‘foundation sitting in the pore’ look that reminds me of some horrible flesh-colored pimple.  I’ve noticed that my foundation lasts all day when using this primer.  After 4 hours or so, I will still start to get a bit oily in the normal areas – my nose and chin – and blotting will be necessary – so if you’re very oily this product is not for you.  I personally will be purchasing the full size when my sample runs out… despite the $28 price tag (this is my holy grail primer so I would probably pay more!).  Many of Benefit’s products seem to fall into this price range, but I think many of their line is worth the price for their quality.

Overall, I’d recommend this as a great everyday primer giving you a smooth, even foundation application and making it last… as long as you don’t mind shelling out the $28.

I actually did this video several weeks ago and forgot to post it! Oh well!

www.lush.com
www.lancome.com
www.cherryculture.com for great prices on NYX products

The MSF’s in this collection are different than the past release’s in that the formula is a visible four shade degrade (in the past there were different colored swirls, resulting in some individual MSFs being less superior), in this case, from a salmon to gold shade. When swirled with a brush, they mix together on the skin. Redhead is a peachy gold that looks great worn over blush, in place of a blush, and used as highlighter on the forehead, cheekbones, nose, and chin (my preferred use).

Here is a picture of me wearing Redhead MSF over MAC Peachykeen blush

MSF’s are admittedly expensive, due to a price increase, now totalling $28. However, I still think they are worth every penny, and suggest you own at least a few! There is plenty of product as you use very little in each application so they should last you quite a long time. I’m planning to go back in a few weeks and purchase the Blonde MSF, which is a very pretty pink shade.

Quick wrap-up:
1. New four shade degrade formula in place of past formula’s much more variable swirls – huge plus!
2. Peachy/gold shade that is universally flattering
3. Lots of product
4. $3 price increase – boo
5. Limited edition
6. Multi-tasker as a highlight/blush

My verdict: The price hike does indeed suck, but MSFs are a quality product, and MAC did come out with something original instead of rolling out the same old ones… So if you’re willing to spend a little extra cash for something beautiful and unique that will indeed last you for a long time, Redhead MSF and the other two in the collection (if they swatch well on you!) are worth the $ !!

I was in CVS last night, and I actually wasn’t even looking for this mascara. I was hunting 1000 Calorie Mascara, and I wasn’t sure which company made it. I couldn’t find it, but I needed a new mascara, and I grabbed this one because of the shiny looking tube (typical me — oooo shiny!).

When I opened it this morning, I was extremely disappointed to see the old style tiny brush (and SO tiny at that!) that I haven’t seen since using the ol’ pink and green Great Lash Mascara that I used as a teenager (which Allure stuns me, year by year, for awarding as the best mascara; I just don’tget it). I love the big, textured rubber wands. They work wonders and it shocked me to see this antique in my $7.49 mascara tube. Oh well… When I started applying I realized the wand WAS slightly different. The grips on the side separate your lashes pretty well.

The next problem is the formula. I inserted the wand back into the tube and when it reappeared, I actually thought my wiper at the end of my tube be defective because so much nasty, goopy product came out with my wand — this is likely due to the extremely small size of the wand. I did my best and somehow managed to apply my mascara evenly without smearing it.

When I got to work today and checked myself in the mirror I realized that there was flaky fall-out on my cheeks… Yech… Despite this, my lashes are actually very nicely separated and defined. They look thicker and much fuller than usual. Another check a few hours later revealed more flaky-fall out on the cheeks (WTF?!) and smudges under the lash line — a problem I have really never had with a mascara. It’s a real shame since the formula seems to work so nicely with my lashes… I think I’d like it even slightly better than my Define-a-Lash, if it weren’t for the obvious issues.

Quick wrap-up
1. The world’s TINIEST wand as far as I’m concerned
2. Wiper doesn’t work – goop is likely to smear mascara on your eyes
3. Flaky fall-out on your face in no time!
4. Smudges!
5. Great for definition and volume but not worth the cons
6. Far overpriced at 7.49 retail

My verdict: What the hell is Revlon thinking even keeping this mascara on the shelves.

Geez I’m sorry for the harsh review put this just pisses me off. I’m returning this as soon as I get home. What was I thinking even straying from my beloved Maybelline Define-a-Lash?