July 01, 2012

MAC's Something Special - swatch and review

July 01, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Have you been looking for something special lately, but nothing's really piqued your interest? Take another gander at MAC's Something Special released in 2011. I never gave cream blush a second thought, because I'd been happy with the results I was getting from the myriad of options found inside my makeup bag. That was until I asked Romina what she was wearing on her cheeks one day. Romina's my brow lady - I can't help but notice her face when she's hovering three inches above me while she works away. Her cheeks were awash with the perfect shade of coral pink; the subtle natural glow she was giving off induced jealousy. So I asked and she obliged.

And that's when the hunt for Something Special began.

Truth be told I had a heck of a time tracking Something Special down in Melbourne; I had to visit several MAC counters before I struck gold. As I wrote this article I visited MAC's site in order to link back, but I couldn't find it available through their Australian online store. I have no way to confirm right now, but I'm guessing Something Special won't be available here for much longer.

In terms of application, I used Inglot's 21T. The synthetic bristles do a great job of grabbing ahold of just enough product. Lightly dab and sweep your cheeks with the brush until you get the sort of colour you're after. Romina suggested I should start applying near the middle of the apples of my cheeks. In her opinion, she feels if you start any closer to your nose you run the risk of making your face look closed and unnatural.

Run gals, if this baby isn't currently in your possession.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's Something Special:

I think I paid $43.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

9 out of 10 bags - I think it's a great must-have basic despite the price

Likelihood to purchase again:

Casual Colour should be hitting counters soon :)

June 30, 2012

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow - swatches and photos

June 30, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Oooohwhee! They've finally landed. Six months ago they dropped in the States and they've been taunting us ever since. The reviews were too good to be true - most of us have been patiently waiting to try them out in order to see what all the fuss was about. Since January, I've been combing the interwebs with the hope I'd stumble across a reliable source who may've hinted about when Australia could expect to see them. July was mentioned in one forum; with that, I set my mental calendar to remind me to stalk my local Priceline in late June. And it paid off!

The Priceline near Bourke Street Mall is already sold out of Too Cool, a frosty white shade, but I didn't mind. Tough as Taupe was ruled out as a contender, because it looks like putty; who wants to paint that sort of colour on their eyes? In the end, I decided to walk away with Painted Purple, Bad to the Bronze, Edgy Emerald and Bold Gold. Each jar retails for $11.95 AUS, approximately $5.00 more expensive than what they retail for in the U.S. Priceline typically sells new releases on promotion, but I think these babies are a tad too popular to warrant a sale right now.

As soon as I finish writing I am going to paint my eyes with all four shades. From swatching alone, here are a few observations I made:

Painted Purple applied patchy and required several applications in order to build the sort of vibrant colour held in its little glass jar.
Edgy Emerald, Bad to the Bronze and Bold Gold required a small amount of product; less waste and a better bang for your buck.
All four are buttery soft and have a creamy texture.
Maybelline's Color Tattoos are the same size as Chanel's Illusion d'Ombre and they sell for a lot less. $12 AUS vs. $48 AUS.

In order to really test their longevity, I'm going use primer on my right eye and skip the primer on my left eye. I'll be sure to report back on how well they performed, address my final thoughts and provide photos of the overall look.

Stay tuned...

June 30, 2012

Essie Bobbing for Baubles & Cocktail Bling - weekly nail review

June 30, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

So, I've been living under a rock for the past few weeks thanks to being knocked to my knees by a doozy of a cold. I'll make it up to you by giving you two colours from Essie's Winter 2011/12 collection in this entry. Cocktail Bling is comprised of creamy formulas, but I'm uncertain about Brooch the Subject and School of Hard Rocks. One's a boring tan and the other is camo-ish green - I might just skip both. Bobbing for Baubles is navy blue with grey undertones; Essie defined it as "a deepest darkest sapphire." Any shade of blue tickles my fancy and sapphire just so happens to be my birth stone. Talk about fate.

Cocktail Bling, the collection's namesake, is strikingly familiar to Butter London's Lady Muck minus the shimmer. A pale blue with grey undertones (are you sensing a theme?); Cocktail Bling is subtle, calming and would be a great addition to the permanent range.

Out of these two blue-hued gems, which one is your favourite?

Before you leave, here's a side by side comparison of Cocktail Bling and Butter London's Lady Muck.

On second thought, Bobbing leans purple and Lady is far more grey.

June 17, 2012

NARS Summer 2012 - review & swatches

June 17, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

NARS, we need to sit down and chat. For reals. I've been lusting after your Marie-Galante duo since seeing Liz of Cafe Makeup sport these colours back in April. It's June now and I returned this palette a day after buying it. Can you say D-I-S-A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-D? Arabian Nights I let slide, but Marie-Galante was not what I expected. Shimmery purple and blue yes, but the colour payoff and texture was atrocious. I really had to dig into the pan, we're talking serious elbow grease usage!

Some bloggers seem to write sonnets of adoration for your shadow, but for me I'm considering to never buy another palette again. They're expensive, gritty to the touch (when glitter's involved), fall out is an issue and I think there's more hype than performance. Never Say Never, for me, was your saving grace. I kept the lip pencil, because it's a beautiful, berry-hued pink which dries matte. The one downside was I found it to be more drying than New Lover and Mexican Rose; I think it comes down to different formulas in order to obtain different finishes. It's nothing a little lip balm can't fix.