Showing posts with label Mac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mac. Show all posts

Essence Lipliner 12 Wish Me a Rose (Including a Comparison with MAC's Please Me)


Considering how often I say that I'm not a fan of Essence's lip liners, I sure have a lot of them. I justify my collection by saying that these are so affordable and therefore a great way to try colours for the first time. However, I got this one for a different reason and that is that I heard this is a good dupe for MAC's Please, which I own only in a sample form. You'll see a comparison of the two at the end of the post, but even though I'm very strict with the word dupe, this definitely meet my high criteria.


Wish me a Rose is a light-medium warm pink with a creamy matte finish. It depends of what your skin tone is, but depending on how tan I am, the shade looks either a bit darker or lighter on me. By the way on the pictures a bit tanned, especially on the last picture.


As usual the pencil is very soft and easy to apply. The formula actually reminds me of Mac's Please Me as that one is a very creamy matte. I actually like that this shade is so creamy because this means that it doesn't emphasize dry patches, since such colours are prone to do so. Due to softness the tip of the pencil becomes blunt very quickly, so frequent sharpening is required. Staying power is average for a lipstick and poor for a lip liner, but I lot of people claim this formula lasts well on them. I find it doesn't survive a meal.


My expanding collection also includes two already discontinued colours. Soft Rose is actually very similar to 150 Vintage Rose in the Longlasting Lip Pencils range by Catrice, while I know of nothing similar to the Nude Coral shade. Wish me a Rose is by far my favourite colour.





 ESSENCE Wish me a Rose vs. MAC Please Me



Please Me and Wish me a Rose are indeed very, very similar. I notice only a small difference between the two when swatched on the back of my hand, Please Me is a bit brighter and that's it (my camera sort of amplified the difference). Even the formulas look almost identical, though, of course Mac's lipstick has a better staying power. On the lips I notice no difference at all, I actually had a hard time distinguishing where the line is between them, as it all looked like a uniform lip colour. 

 
This is a great drugstore buy and I would call it a good dupe for the much more expensive Mac's lipstick. In case of this particular shade, I actually like that the formula is so creamy, though the staying power still isn't the best on my lips. I've been really enjoying wearing this liner since I got it and my cousin actually has four or five of these in different places because she loves it so much.

These cost 1.19 € in Slovenia and are available in almost every drugstore as well as some larger supermarkets.

Have a great day!
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December Inspired Beauty


Christmas lights, glitter, red lips and cocoa with cinnamon - that's what December is all about to me. I so enjoyed doing my Autumn Picks post, so I'm doing another similar one inspired by the holiday season.


LIPS
CATRICE Ultimate Colour 350 MATTador
Even if you're not a red lipstick girl, the holiday season beckons for some ruby red on the lips. MATTador is a warm toned red with a creamy-matte finish. 

To make it a bit different, MATTraction is not a classic red, but a deep rose-pink-red shade that is super pretty on the lips and it's a fun colour, but at the same time very glamorous.

 
L'OREAL Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive Blake
An incredible ruby/cherry red with a blue undertone that is the most classic shade in my selection. The finish is matte and the formula just spectacular. Here is a comparison with Ruby Woo and Russian Red.

L'OREAL Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive Laetitia
The berry-burgundy season hasn't passed yet, so I can't let such a shade out of this selection. Laetitia is a proper deep red with some purples tones and it looks so striking on the lips.
Pure Reds are currently 25% cheaper in Müllers.

For more red lipsticks check my Swatch Gallery


EYES
URBAN DECAY Naked Palette 
Sin, Half Baked, Smog & Toasted
There is hardy a more appropriate palette for the season. The lovely shimmery finish of some shades looks very festive, but still every day appropriate, not to mention the slew of combinations and different looks that can be created with this palette. My personal favourites for this time of the year are shimmery light pink Sin, warm gold Half Baked, fantastic bronze Smog and medium cool pink Toasted. 

002 Hourglass Beige, 015 Flashback Silver, 021 Sahara Treasure, 024 Bronze Goddess and 033 Tender Caramel
I say go all out with shimmer on holidays and these have some of the best shimmery-metallic finish paired with excellent pigmentation. My absolute favourite in this whole bunch is Sahara Treasure, a shimmery medium brown-gold that looks über glam on the eyes. Other shades are a light gold Hourglass Beige, lavender-silver Flashback Silver, gorgeous green-gold Bronze Goddess and my newest addition- a taupe version of Sahara Treasure - Tender Caramel. 
All of these shades can still be found in DM and I was told that Tuš has them for 3 €. If you still can't find them, try Fragrance Direct or Salma.

CATRICE ViennART LE Baked Eyeshadow
C03 Lovely Lace
By far the best gold eyeshadow I've found so far for my pale skin tone as it doesn't look orange. It's a limited edition, so hurry up if you want it.


BARRY M Dazzle Dust Old Gold
No one talks about Dazzle Dusts anymore. If you're looking for super sparkly eyeshadows, look no further. Old Gold is a greenish gold with lots of shimmer. I like using this over other eyeshadows to give the look some extra sparkle.

MAC Patina
A neutral classic, but a nice way to wear some understated gold on the eyes. 

I actually knew this was discontinued before I decided what to include in this post, but it's so damn pretty it'd be a crime not to put it here. It's a proper gold shade that on me turns a bit orangey because of my skin tone, but it' gorgeous nonetheless and it's incredibly pigmented. 
I set upon finding more drugstore gold eyeshadows to mention here and I found it in Catrice's Absolute Mono Eyeshadow 420 Talk Like An Egyptian and L'Oreal L'Ombre Pure 500 Gold Mania (or Lumiere).


All of those shimmery eyeshadows will need a base and On and on Bronze is an excellent choice for the job. It's a nice neutral bronze shade with a metallic finish. Of course, you can just wear it on its own, as I have almost all December.

Two more liquid/cream eyeshadows with a metallic/shimmery finish that can be used on their own or as a base. Brazil's Sunset is a beige-gold, while UK's Stonehenge is a taupe cool toned brown.

To define those eyes some eyeliner on the top lash line always does the trick. Felt Tip eyeliners are super simple to use and this particular one has a very pigmented black and long lasting formula.


A copper gold eyeliner that costs just a pound. Bargain

I didn't know that this was discontinued, but it's one of the best gold eyeliners especially for the price. I searched for another similar gold eyeliner in our drugstores and found Catrice's Liquid Gold Gel Eye Pencil 030 You’re So Gold Fashioned!.

Stash is an interesting mix of gold and green, and it's dark enough to define the eyes, but still give it that something special. I love using this on my lower lash line and even in the waterline as it defines, but doesn't look as stark as black.

There is no better time to wear falsies and Demi Wispies are without a doubt some of the prettiest lashes I've ever seen. They are slightly tapered at the outer corner giving that elongated eye effect and don't overpower the eye makeup because they still look natural enough. Not to mention how comfortable they are to wear. To help you with the lash application, Catrice has a nifty Lash Applicator.


CHEEKS 
No matter what makeup you're wearing, this blush will work with it. It's such a gorgeous natural, slightly pinkish warm shade. I just adore it

ESSENCE Silky Blush 70 Kissable
It is the season for deeper blushes and this plum one fits the bill perfectly. It's super pigmented, therefore great if you have a medium skin tone and it also has gold shimmer that gives that glow to the cheeks.

NARS Blush Orgasm
The good old classic that suits pale skin tones so well (those with deeper skin tones go for Deep Throat). It's the quintessential peachy-pink shade with gold shimmer. You can't go wrong with it on any occasion.


Designed as a primer to give some extra subtle luminosity to the skin, it can be used under foundation, mixed with foundation or just on the highpoints of the face over makeup. I really love this because it's subtle, warm toned and feels super light.

MAKEUP REVOLUTION Vivid Baked Highlighter 
Peach Lights
Though the name suggests a warm toned highlighter, the shimmer in it is actually cool pink. It's a baked highlighter that I find is still more on the subtle side, especially compared to the cream Essence one. Petra The Awesome (yes, that's how I renamed her) gave me this because it didn't suit her warm colouring, but it suits my neutral complexion very well. Here is her review.

A cream highlighter with a pink based shimmer and one that is similar to Benefit's High Beam. It's super glowy and very creamy, almost like it's melted when touched,  however, on the skin it feels kind of dry to the touch.

Highlighting pen brings some extra light to the face and helps hide dark circles as well as lifts the complexion. It's a subtle effect, but it does so much.

As if there isn't enough highlighting going on in this post, there is also this little gem. I use this as a setting powder and I swear it makes the foundation look so much better. There are some scary big glitter particles inside, but they don't translate on the face, however, what you're left with is a lovely, fresh complexion.


NAILS
Why mess why the good old classic and not just wear the chic nude manicure. It should look particularly lovely if paired with some glitter either as an accent nail, ombre effect or just the simple all-over glitter effect. 
Though this shade was a part of a LE, there are still places where you can get them, but Maja did a nice post about nude nail polishes if you need more recommendations and I'm also adding Essence Candy Love (Katja's swatch) as well as Deborah Smalto Gel Effect 01 (Zlatana's swatch) as possible suggestions.

Though I have a soft spot for proper bright red shades (such as Essie's Really Red), I picked something deeper. I adore such shades because they look vampy, yet so glamorous on the nails.


MODELS OWN Diamond Luxe Heart Red
I swear this is the most Christmassy nail polish ever. It's a classic red with gold shimmer that looks like bright red shimmer once it's on the nails. My picture does not do it justice as the shimmer is much more visible in person under light.

MODELS OWN Disco Pants Copacabana
If dread the glitter removal from your nails, Copacabana is a simpler, but still a glamorous enough choice to wear on the nails. It's a complex mix of gold, silver and even some green with a frosty-metallic finish that gives quite a lovely effect on the nails


ESSENCE Metal Glam TE Topper Steel-ing the Scene
Basically any gold glitter topper could take the spot here and there are so many. I've seen one from L'Oreal, Essie (newest collection) as well as an Essence one from the one of the current TE's. Taya did a comparison of gold glitter toppers from Essence here.

My favourite glitter nail polish ever. It's like diamonds on the nails and looks phenomenally glamorous. There are many dupes for this nail polish, I know about at least two: Illamasqua Trilliant (Maja's swatch) and P2 Sand Style polish 070 Pretty (Polona's swatch)


Time for some serious shimmer and Catrice delivers with it's Luxury Lacquers. My choice is It's Showtime, a proper, glamourous silver that is just perfect for the season. If only the removal process weren't so laborious.

Does anyone else feel like this is the best nail polish choice for New Year's Eve? What better to wear on the nails while sipping champagne and watching the fireworks than a galaxy effect topper. Just wear it over black for best result.


BODY
The post need some more shimmer and this body oil contains just that. You can apply it on the skin or hair for a subtle gold glistening effect.

Though this is more like water than a cream, it does smells so good. It's a warm, sweet and yummy scent, basically just as it say on the bottle - honey and almond. Great scent for cold winter night.

The cutest bath bomb ever, little Chilly Willy snowman smells (roughly) like cinnamon and will brighten your bath pampering experience.

Luxury in a bottle - there is no better phrase to describe this. It smells divine and it's super nourishing which excellent for winter dry skin.


DIY Cinnamon Scrub
This is in one word yummy. I love the scent of cinnamon and this smells amazing. It's super easy to make: just combine sugar, olive oil (or whichever oil you prefer), cinnamon and I also add a bit of vanilla extract. It does make a mess in the shower, so make sure you use a shower gel to get any brown cinnamon traces off the skin, but works a treat. 


HAIR
Festive Hair Accessories
What better way to decorate your updo with a sparkly hair accessory. Be it gold, silver or with rhinestones, anything goes for the holiday season. I went for glitter hair ties that I got form O'Twist (Tally Weijl also has a couple), sparkly hair bands and gold bobby pins (H&M). There are tons in shops that sell accessories, mine are mostly old from New Yorker, H&M and Tally Weijl, but check Asos and New Look for more. 

I don't think any other hair product screams Christmas as much as this one. It smells like cinnamon, clove and cookies, so it's a bit of an aromatherapy session while you take care of your hair.

A brilliant affordable shampoo for dry hair.

Not merely a light heat protectant and a serum-type of product in one, this also contains tiny shimmer that actually makes the hair more shiny, but not in a super obvious way.


Low Messy Bun Decorated with Jewellery
You can use a head band for this, but just wear it so it's on the back of your head. I used a necklace from New Yorker that I got a few months ago, so it might still be sold. Pin the necklace on the hair first because it's easier to hide the ends under the hair before all the twisting. Do a very, very loose fishtail braid using large chunks of hair and then twist it into a low bun. Use a lot of pins, so it will hold all day. I can't link you a tutorial to this, since it's of my design, but if you don't know how to do a fishtail braid, I learned from this video years ago.

Fishtail Halo Braid with a Glitter Head Band
If you're using an elastic band, lift and pin half of the hair up first, then put on the head band and unclip the top part of the hair, so it falls over and hides the lower part of the band. Then split the hair into two parts, left and right, and begin braiding the hair into fishtails. Since my hair is really long, I cross them in the back, but if your hair is shorter don't do that or they braids will be too short. Pin the braids in a way that hides the ends, so one under another. Tutorial by Miss Sue here.

Bouncy Voluminous Curly High Pony Tail with a Glitter Hair Tie
Curl the hair with a 2.5 cm barrel curler and brush out the curls with fingers. Apply a texturising spray and a hair spray to achieve great hold. Pull the hair up and tie it with a fancy hair tie. My gold one is from O'Twist and some shops have these as well, or you can just order glitter 15 mm fold-over elastic on eBay and check out my tutorial on how to make a hair tie. I'm sure you don't need a tutorial for this, but it's one of my favourite as well as most worn hair styles.

Hair Bow
I love this hair style so much, but you need a lot of hair to do it and it takes many tries to get it right. Tie the top part of the hair with a hair tie that is as inconspicuous as it can be (I use thin black ones). Pull a bit of the hair from the hair tie to form a loop. Split the loop into two parts, left and right, and then form a bow using bobby pins. Take a small strand from under the middle of the bow and cross it over the vertical centre of the bow tucking it behind the bow from above and pin it in place. 
Mimi's Tutorial here. 


I'm finishing off with my favourite treats for the season - hot cocoa with cinnamon, cream, chocolate syrup and rum plus the super yummy cinnamon stars that I embarrassingly only discovered this year (but man are they good!)

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a great day!
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My Ideal Palette Tag


I was tagged to do this post ages ago by Taya and I actually had the pictures ready for months as well. Now I'm actually thinking I may have done this tag too fast because I just got the Urban Decay's Naked2 Basics palette and Catrice's Absolute Matt palette, which I both use daily and love to bits. But then my choice of eyeshadows would be even harder, so let's just keep the original selection and I'll talk about those two awesome palettes at a later date.


This tag was created by a Youtuber Carah Amelie, here is the link to her video. The rules are simple, the choices are hard, but your ideal palette should contain 10 eyeshadows combining 2 highlighting shades, 2 lid colours, 2 crease colours, 2 outer V shades and 2 extra colours. The last detail is that you describe your ideal packaging.

I'm still very much a newbie when it comes to this eyeshadow business and I'm a matte eyeshadow girl through and through, but still my choices were not that easy. Here they are.


Highlight Colour: URBAN DECAY W.O.S.
from the Naked Basics Palette
A matte pink-toned skin colour base colour. I don't actually use a highlighting shade under the brow due to my hooded eye shape, as it emphasizes the hooded part of the lid, but I do use this shade as a base all over the lid and as a blending-out colour. This shade fits my undertone a bit better than Foxy from the same palette, though they are very similar on the skin.

 Highlight Colour: URBAN DECAY Sin 
from the Naked Palette
A shimmery light rose-pink toned highlighting shade. Though I don't use a highlighter under the brow, I do use it sometimes in the inner corner and I find this shade the best for the job. I also love this shade all over the lid paired with a matte taupe-brown in the crease.

Lid Colour: MAC Satin Taupe
frost
A taupe-brown with a purple hue and a satin finish. This is such a classic eyeshadow and one of the most popular MAC colours. It works so well with my eye colour. It's nice for an everyday look or a smoky eye, it just depends on with what you pair it.  


Lid Colour: URBAN DECAY Smog
from the Naked Palette
A bronze-brown with gold shimmer. This is a fantastic colour for a bronze smoky eye and again it's a colour that emphasizes my eye colour. I don't usually wear strong eye looks because due to my hooded shape they don't really come to focus, but when I do wear it, I use this on the lid with a darker shade in the outer V. I also love this shade on the lower lash line paired with a classic neutral taupe look that I do everyday, to add a bit of a twist to the makeup.

A classic matte taupe. This is my favourite eyeshadow ever and by far the best performing matte ever. I adore the colour, the texture, staying power - everything. I tend to wear it in the crease.

Crease Colour: MAC Wedge
matte
A matte medium neutral brown shade. It's a classic crease shade and a transition colour.The texture is hard, especially compared to Urban Decay's, L'Oreal's or Catrice's , but I love it for the colour. This is perfect for contouring as well.


Outer Corner Shadow: URBAN DECAY Faint
From the Naked Basics Palette
A deep cool toned brown. I adore this for the outer corner. It adds just the right amount of depth and definition. 

Outer Corner Shadow: MAC Mulch
velvet
A red-brown with bronze pearl. I struggled which shade to put here and I didn't pick my favourite because I believe it's discontinued or at least hard to track down. I'm talking about L'Oreal's Infallible eyeshadow in Endless Chocolat. Mulch is similar, but a bit lighter and not as pigmented. Most companies have a deep chocolate shade with gold shimmer, Catrice's Liquid Metal in 090 Nougat It Right comes to mind as the most affordable and of great quality. 



A very shimmery soft golden taupe. I used to wear this all the time as it's such a quick eyeshadow do use - just apply with fingers and blend a bit with a fluffy brush. It has a very shimmery, almost liquid metal finish, so it's nice for special occasions.


Bonus Shadow: MAC Patina
frost
A light antiqued gold with gold shimmer. This is without a doubt one of the most unique eyeshadows I've ever seen. I've never ever heard of a dupe for it. It doesn't look like much in the pan, but on the eyes it's a stunner. Again, it brings out the blue in my eyes. My only little complaint is that I wish it'd be more pigmented as it needs to be build up for intensity even on my super pale complexion. 



Palette Packaging
I like things small and compact, so something like Naked Basics palette is superb, but an even more appealing packaging to me would be that of a Smashbox Full Exposure Mini, which fits into the palm of the hand. The colour would, of course, be mint green and I'd also like a decent mirror.

So that would be my ideal palette, however, I could easily just pick these three palettes in the last picture and have everything I need. Both Naked Basics palettes and Catrice's Absolute Matt are palettes I use on a daily basis, plus that L'Oreal Breaking Nude eyeshadow, of course. They contain all the taupe-neutral colours I'll ever need and the quality of the matte eyeshadows is brilliant.


I'm not going to tag anyone specific because it's an old tag and I don't know who's done it already, but feel free do to it if you like it.

Have a great day!
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Mac's Impassioned Dupe? Bright Coral-pink Lipsticks Comparison

Bright pink lip colours with warm coral tones are some of my favourites, especially in the hot summer months. These watermelon-fuchsia shades, as I like to call them, are fun statement shades that get you noticed. I have a few variations of such lip colour and only two of them I'd describe as dupes.  

(matte)
Just like me to start with the odd one out. Matt About Pink is in the bright coral-pink family except it's lighter and more of a bright peachy-pink. This shade's matte formula is not ideal due to the lack of smoothness which can result in an uneven application, though it's not impossible to apply it nicely. It's one of my favourite and most worn shades in my collection. 

(cream)
This shade as well as the rest of the Vivids range are much loved in the beauty community. A bright statement shade, it's the pinkest choice in the bunch since the coral tones in it are much more subdued that in the rest. The formula is lovely with a superb pigmentation and a comfortable creamy finish. Though, I have to say that it's not one of my favourites because even though it's a stunning colour in the tube, it somehow manages to look a bit off on my skin tone, so I prefer other more coral choices.

(glossy shine)
Old formula. The new version is in the Ultimate Colour range with a creamy finish called 320 Kiss Kiss Hibiscus
I have the old shine formula that is one of the most sensitive formulas to heat I've ever tried and it melts so fast, which you can surmise from the state of my lipstick. It's a super bright watermelon shade with a glossy finish that is very similar to Impassioned with the finish being the most obvious difference. I'm not a fan of the glossiness which also means the staying power is not the best, but I do love the colour. 

(creamy matte)
My most recent addition to my lipstick collection and the subject of my latest review. On my lips it's pretty much an exact dupe for Impassioned in terms of colour and finish. It's a lipstick in a twist-up pen with an easy-to-work-with superbly pigmented creamy matte formula. Staying power is not its forte, but it's one of the easiest bright lip products to reapply, so it would be my choice to carry in a bag on the go.

(amplified creme)
MAC describes it as bright fuchsia, but in my opinion it's too coral for a fuchsia and I'd call it a bright watermelon fuchsia. It has a creamy, comfortable formula and it is all in all a wonderful lipstick to work with. MAC lipsticks are expensive, particularly in Europe, but they are worth it. I have the sample size from The Body Needs.

(retro matte)
Another bright coral-pink but with stronger red tones and a gorgeous matte finish. This is my favourite lipstick currently both in terms of colour and finish, though the formula is dry. I think this shade looks best on me and it's a lipstick I'd love to have in full size.

(cream)
The darkest in the bunch and my first bright shade that I bought years ago. Passion is a fuchsia shade that is leaning to rose and is not as bright as the rest. The formula is a very lightweight creamy one that is easy to apply and feels comfortable to wear, however, it's my least favourite due to how it starts to look after a while. The light formula migrates on the lips and it creates darker ridges giving an appearance of wrinkly lips, however, it's the most affordable in my selection, so it's probably not that surprising that the formula isn't the best. Just as Revlon's matte balm, it has a minty scent.

Unapologetic looks a bit more coral toned swatched on the skin compared to Impassioned, however, on my lips I honestly see no visible difference. I'll go as far to say it's a 99.99% dupe on me in terms of colour and formula.

The next closest one is Catrice's Kiss Kiss Hibiskus with exception of the glossy formula, however, since this version is discontinued and I don't own the new creamy version, I can't say for sure it's as similar as well. Relentlessly Red has a matte finish, is deeper and leans more towards red on the lips. Beauty UK's Passion is darker, less bright and more rose toned. Maybelline's Shocking Coral is lighter and less coral. Catrice's Matt About Pink is matte, lighter and peachier.

You can see all the lipsticks I've ever swatched in my swatch gallery which is regular updated for more comparisons. 

Are you a fan of such shades?
Have a great day!
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