Beauty Addicts Unite! This blog is devoted to some of my favorite cosmetics brands including MAC, Bare Minerals, Makeup Forever, Urban Decay and more!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Urban Decay F&F Sale is on NOW!
Review: MAC "Fun in the Sun" Mineralize Kit
It may seem strange for MAC to release a bronzing kit for the holidays, but for me, this is perfect timing. After all, the weather is getting cooler and the air is causing my skin to get drier, so it’s nice to have a product to warm me up even when the outdoors don’t.
The kit includes a promotional size buffing brush (181SE) and 3 full-size mineralize products: ‘Shimpagne’ Mineralize Skinfinish; ‘Nuance’ Mineralize Blush; ‘Play on Plums’ Mineralize Eyeshadow.
I was so excited to see ‘Shimpagne’ being repromoted in this kit- to be quite honest, it was the make or break of this purchase for me. I first discovered this product a few years ago when it was originally released, but sadly I dropped it on the ground shortly after purchasing it, so I lost most of the product, and have been kicking myself ever since.
‘Shimpagne’ is the perfect warm highlighter. It adds glow without looking scaley or greasy. I love to apply it on the apples of my cheeks with a large powder blush (like MAC’s 150).
The next product in the kit is ‘Nuance’ Mineralize Blush.
This was originally released in summer ’08 with the Electroflash collection. It is yet another perfect, universal eyeshadow. The lighter side is a gold-pink shade, and the darker side is, as the name infers- plum. These colors will make blue eyes pop like crazy, but will flatter any other color very well.
So, after trying these products out, I definitely recommend this kit. It is full of fun, festive and effective products. It makes my entire face look glowy and healthy, even in this cool fall season. The price point is also ideal, because to buy these products individually would cost at least $25 more- so $59.50 is a great deal.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Hard Candy Cosmetics...still around!
Friday, November 6, 2009
FOTD: Dark Fall Colors
Review: Illamasqua Cream Blushers
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Review: Nars- The Multiple Trio
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Yes, I am still alive!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Review: Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer
This, my friends is Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer.
Yes, it's true! I'm back from my hiatus!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Free MAC...Sorta
Ohkayy, and now for the Free MAC that I was talking about. Well, in the past 6 months, I've gotten $200 worth of free MAC Cosmetics, and I am just putting how I did this out there because even though this may not be for everyone, it is kinda cool (and don't worry, I don't get a cent for telling you about it, so it's not a promo ploy or anything)! :)
Put it simply, I got $200 by using my Nordstrom Visa Card. They have a points program where you get 2 points per every dollar spent at Nordstrom (.com & rack included), and you get 1 point per additional dollar spent on the card (groceries, gas, phone bill, eating out-ANYTHING). Once you hit 2000 points, you get a $20 nordstrom note, usable on any Nordstrom merchandise, including MAC Cosmetics!
Now, 2000 points seems like a lot, but there are multiple (at least 4-5) times a year where you will receive up to 10 points per dollar on all Nordstrom purchases. Right now until March 22, Nordstrom Visa cardholders get 6 points per dollar. So, my Sugarsweet purchase yesterday, which cost me $115 gets me 690 points! So, right there I'm almost 1/3 of the way towards $20 to apply to my next MAC purchase.
Then, consider all your everyday purchases like Gas, Food, Phone, Utilities that you can charge and easily pay off with cash, immediately. Bigger purchases like airline tickets are awesome and give you a lot of points fast! Also, their bill pay system is extremely efficient and you can make unlimited amounts of payment during the month- if you want to pay on it after every purchase, you can, so you don't have to worry about interest...and the gift certificates are yours! And, if you can't help but carry a balance, the interest rate is extremely forgiving- starts at 7.9% +, so you're not paying through the nose for interest.
As I mentioned, I have received $200 worth of these gift certificates in just 6 months, mostly by charging my bills on it, but also thanks to the many generous multiple points periods (in 2008, they had triple points for literally 2 months! It was great!). BUT the best part is, if you open a card and charge $100 on it at point of opening, you get $20 in the mail (arrives in like 1 week). So, that's a nice bonus.
ANYWAYS, I know I'm selling this card like crazy, as if I'm getting something from you opening a card (I wish I got something for this, LOL) but the truth is I just cashed in one of my $20 certificates yesterday, and I have another one coming to me in April, so I'm just super excited. I know how much my readers love MAC (and heck, ALL makeup!) so if you have access to Nordies, and have good credit, you should go for it. I should also remind readers that it's the Nordstrom VISA, not the regular Nordstrom store card or pre-pay card (although you do get 1 point per $ with those ones too).
So I hope that's some worthwhile beauty advice today! :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Double Dazzle Preview: New Dazzleglass Photos
Goldyrocks*- Sheer soft yellow with pink and gold pearl
Moth to Flame*- Sheer neutral beige with violet pearl
Smile*- Light coral with pink and gold pearl
Steppin’ Out- Clean yellow pink with red pearl
Utterly Posh*- Mid-tone orange with pink and gold pearl
Love Alert- Raspberry red with red pearl
Date Night- Deep plum with blue and gold pearl
Funtablulous- Purple with violet pearl
Extra Amps*- Sheer bright blue pink with blue and pink pearl
Like Venus- Clean light bubble gum pink with red pearl
Stop! Look!*- Sheer violet mauve with blue and pink pearl
Money Honey- Mid-tone rosy mauve with red pearl
Rags to Riches- Plummy pink with teal and red pearl
Baby Sparks- Pale pink with violet pearl
Bare Necessity- Caramel apricot with red and gold pearl
Girl’s Delight*- Sheer mid-tone tan with gold pearl
Get Rich Quick- Warm yellow brown
Friday, March 6, 2009
Review: MAC Softsac Carry All
Ok so I totally forgot that I'd been meaning to do a review of MAC's Softsac Carry All traincase that I got, so here it comes. I got this about a month ago, when CreamTeam was released. I had actually been eyeing it for a few weeks and had heard great reviews on it. However, I didn't feel like I had $55 to blow, but then I got a $20 Nordstrom Note gift certificate, so that made it $35, which is a steal. And now that I own it, I have to say this is WELL WORTH even $55. I mean, considering that the brush roll is $45, an extra 10 bucks for a whole case is sweet! Or even the Hello Kitty vanity case is $55 and so much smaller.
ANYWAYS, back to the amazingness that is this Softsac Carry All. The thing that most stands out to me is all the storage space in here that is sized exactly for MAC products. Here it is open:
It can hold so much stuff- there are about 4 or 5 lipstick pockets, about 4 powder/msf/bronzer/etc pockets, a zipper pocket for whatever you want, 2 large pockets one on either side, and tons of room to pile stuff in in the main character. There's also a really nice mirror (mine still has the plastic covering).
K so here's one side, with the lipstick pockets and one large pocket:
The other side in which I put a couple quads:
ANDDDDD, what's more, I can fit my ENTIRE brush roll in, and zip the lid without any bulging or overstuffing! My brush roll is really dirty, but you get the idea:
There's also a really nice adjustable strap so you can carry it wherever. And it's the same fabric as the brush roll- which is nice b/c they match, but can also be not so nice b/c that fabric collects dirt easily- but anyways, I LOVE this case!
Review: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
I'm sure every woman has heard of or seen Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara. After all, it is considered the "#1" Mascara, with a cult following unlike most. I was a little surprised that such a basic, plain jane mascara could be the swear-by product of so many women. Yet that plain-jane, no frills style is exactly why this mascara is so well-loved. Unlike most mascaras these days that promise to give you 5x longer "falsie" lashes or to pump up the volume 10x, this mascara is just an old-fashioned mascara that claims to give you longer, fuller, but not ridiculously crazy, lashes.
I'm currently searching for the "perfect" mascara to lengthen and thicken my weak looking lashes, so I decided to give this "#1 mascara" a go. For $4.50, it was worth a try. How did I fare? Well, you know what they say, the proof is in the pictures:
The Verdict: From the looks of it, my lashes look and feel longer and thicker- but not drastically. I mentioned it before and I'll mention it again: my lashes are stubs! So basically, I do need more than this basic mascara. I need one that transforms my lashes into sky high and beautiful- unlike this one. Ultimately I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a mascara, and if you are looking for basic basic basic, then this is it.
Also, I have noticed a tiny bit of migration under my eyes, despite the one I bought being "waterproof". It is very hard to get off without a makeup remover, so yes, it is waterproof, but not necessarily migrate-proof.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Note to Self...
Sorry about the major lack of posts lately- I am striving to get things organized over here. I have so much to post about, just not the time. I'm also without wireless internet right now which is fine except that I can't upload pics, since they're on my laptop :( So I will figure things out...but don't lose hope! :)
xoxo,
Abby
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Review: MAC Cream Team
Creme Cup:
Lavender Whip:
A pretty pastel lavender as the name implies. When applied to my highly pigmented lips this color appears more pink than straight up lavender, making it a bit more wearable for everyday. However, I bought it because it was lavender, so by applying a purple liner like Velvetella underneath (see next photo), the color is more true to that in the tube.
(see how happy Lavender Whip w/Velvetella makes me! lol)
Shy Girl:
Honestly, this color wasn't initially on my list, but when I got to see them in person, I was pleasantly surprised. As you can tell, it's similar to Creme Cup, but not as pink. It is a perfect perfect nude lip- in fact I'm thinking it might become my HG lipstick! I love that it's allegedly permanent as well. Oh, and it's not as orangey in real-life, I promise.
Cream in Your Coffee:
I'm not going to lie, the name of this one makes me slightly uncomfortable. I'm not an avid coffee drinker, but if I were, I definitely would not want anyone to cream in my coffee. Can you blame me? :) But nonetheless, I kinda like this color. I wouldn't usually select it, and in a way it kind of reminded me of the 90's dark tan lipstick that everyone used to wear. I definitely don't want that trend to come back, so don't worry, this really doesn't look like that! It's like just a nice mauve, if that's even right. In the words of my MA, she says the colors are very "forgiving" :) and I do agree with this. In any other finish, this color would not look nice on me, but it's this pretty, buildable finish with a sheen, and so therefore it just works well. Except I think this photo of my lips is grotesque. *shudders*
So here's an overall swatch of the lipsticks on my hand (L to R): Creme Cup, Shy Girl, Lavender Whip, Creme in your Coffee >:P
And now, for the Cremeglass. I was a very avid boycotter of these because I think the amount in the tube + the rid-damn-diculous pricetag = a RIP OFF. I personally find it shady and dishonest that MAC came up with an idea to make it look like more product but actually is less than a mini lipglass from the holiday sets. They know it looks like more to the average consumer, and therefore the $17.50 pricetag sounds do-able, when in fact you get like 2 drops of gloss. Nonetheless, I somehow caved and got Lavender Whip's companion, Ever so Rich.
Here it is on my bare naked lips:
In the tube:
I like the milky look of the glosses- they kind of make me hungry! The texture feels like slightly less tacky than normal lipglass, but not by much. They are also pretty sheer, but allegedly buildable. I honestly just wanted it so I could apply it over Lavender Whip, but I am still not really sold on these as some people are. Frankly I think it's just a glorified lipglass, in my opinion.
But, speaking of new lipglass, in case you didn't hear, there are two newly formulated lipglass being released in the Hello Kitty collection! They are Nice Kitty (hot pink) and Fast Friends (neon purple) and are allegedly a mix between lipglass and lip gelee so they're smoother, sheerer, more cellophane like. So make sure to check those out Feb 12!
Ok and that's all for now folks, more another day! :)