mac

MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Ups the Ante (AND the Price)

July 6th, 2010 by Karen 21 Comments

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash review

Edward or Jacob? Eric or Bill? Nutella or — NO! Forget it. There are some choices I’m simply not prepared to make. 🙂

At least now when it comes to mascara, fickle girls like me don’t have to wrestle with difficult choices. We can have our cake AND eat it too, thanks to MAC Haute & Naughty Lash ($18; available in a single shade, Haute & Naughty Black).

The disco turtleneck on the tube (see the pic below) is what MAC calls their “two-in-one dual wiper system,” and it’s one of the keys to Haute & Naughty’s success.

Unscrewing the wand from the glittery purple end loads the brush with product — LOTS of product — enough for dramatic lash volume from root to tip with just one coat.

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash review

But even if you’re more interested in lash length and separation than lash volume, you’re still in luck!

See, this thing’s a little like a Transformer… By disconnecting the wand from the hot pink extension end, the brush loads with less product, resulting in slightly thinner, yet better defined lashes.

Neat, huh?

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash review
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Light Your Way with MAC By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish

July 6th, 2010 by Karen 34 Comments

mac by candlelight review

If there’s a cure for my addiction to MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powders, I don’t want it! Whenever MAC releases these limited edition shimmery powders for face and cheeks (so fab for highlighting!), I always fall for at least one of the new pans. 🙂

My latest MSF obsession? By Candlelight, from the upcoming MAC In The Groove collection (arrives Thursday, July 8).

It may not look like much in the pan (just another blah brown, right?), but don’t be fooled. Introduce it to cheeks, and By Candlelight comes to life!

One of four limited edition Mineralize Skinfinishes released with In The Groove ($28 each), this shimmery cheek and face powder adds a gentle flush of rosy pink and warm golden glow — fresh, breezy and casual.

On laid-back, minimal makeup days of the kind I’d like to have quite often this summer :), where I limit my looks to tinted moisturizer, concealer, mascara, brow powder and lip balm, By Candlelight works wonders, and those are the times I like to use it as a shimmery blush.

The look is relaxed, yet still kinda sexy, like familiar jeans, or that old grey tank that fits you *just* right.
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What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

July 3rd, 2010 by Karen 33 Comments

mac alice olivia nail lacquer
MAC Alice + Olivia Nail Lacquers from left: Morning After, Military and So Rich So Pretty ($12 each)

Right now I’m sporting bare fingers and toes, but my digits are plotting to paint themselves if I don’t give them a hand. They have their hearts set on some of the new shades in the MAC Alice + Olivia collection (available July 8). My fingers are considering Military (the glittery blackish gray), and the toes are pulling for So Rich So Pretty (the shimmery bright purple)…

mac alice olivia nail lacquer

I’m still up in Napa but coming home soon. Tabs just sent me a text that reads, “Gravy?”

What are you wearing on your fingers/toes?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Adventures in Drugstore Makeup: NYX Blush Dupes for Two Icons from MAC and NARS

June 22nd, 2010 by Karen 59 Comments

nyx powder blush review

Bargain hunting, blush loving NYX fans, lend me your ears (and cheeks!). Now, for the mere price of two scoops of fancy shmancy gelato, you can dupe (nearly) two more iconic blushes from MAC and NARS.

Meet Red and Pinched, the new summer additions to the NYX Powder Blush line ($6 each).

Pinched, a shimmery golden peachy pink, reminds me of a slightly pinker version of NARS Orgasm, while matte Red could pass for a clone of MAC Frankly Scarlet.

The newcomers are like summer salsa, spicing up NYX’s already wide range of blushes with a price point bound to make beauty bargainistas wanna dance!

This also makes me wanna dance…

The NYX Powder blushes have been around for a while and have gotten mad love on review sites like Makeup Alley. I can see why. Red and Pinched both feel soft to the touch but pack more pigmentation than I expected from them.

Oh, if you’re particular about texture, this may be something to keep in mind:
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MAC Fabulous Felines: A Cat Lady Tribute

June 11th, 2010 by Karen 47 Comments

mac fabulous felines

Remember those March murmurs about a little something called MAC Fabulous Felines? Well, it’s still a few months away (August in the US; September internationally), but after Tabs spotted these fabulous promotional pictures yesterday, he insisted we do a tribute look.

OG MAC Fabulous Felines tabby promo pic!

mac fabulous felines
Homegirl version!

Ya gotta love how Tabs smiles with his eyes. 😉

The look didn’t turn out exactly like the tabby promo pic we used for inspiration, but I ended up liking the smokey gray/brown combo for the eyes.
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Just How Well Does MAC Dazzle Lash Do Lashes?

June 9th, 2010 by Karen 29 Comments

mac dazzle lash review

I awoke this morning to a dazzling development! No, not my birthday; I saw that coming from miles/weeks away. This dazzling development was a tube of MAC Dazzle Lash resting on my nightstand. I set it there before bed last night so I’d see it first thing this morning.

Why?

To remind myself to tell you about it first thing this morning. 🙂

MAC Dazzle Lash isn’t new, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before. It’s one of the many MAC mascaras in the company’s permanent collection. With a velvety, non-clumping formula that adds subtle thickness and lash length, it’s designed to deliver a seemingly natural lash look with extreme curl hold.

And that it does. Two or three coats is like BAM! — but not BAM! like Fergie or Lady Gaga lashes; more like BAM! — the lashes I wish I’d been born with. They hold their curl all day long and glow with mad glossy shine. My fringe feels wonderfully light and soft.

I’m guessing the shine has to do with copernicia cerifera, aka carnauba palm wax.

RANDOM FUN FACT: Carnauba is also the main ingredient in surfboard wax.

mac dazzle lash review
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MAC Viva Glam V: An Unsung Makeup Hero

June 5th, 2010 by Karen 42 Comments

mac viva glam V

Have I got a thing for bright lipsticks, HELLO! But sometimes I don’t want the hassle they can bring. Sometimes I just want something easy and effortless on my lips — something like the perfect pink.

That’s where today’s entrant in the MAC Unsung Heroes series shines. She’s MAC Viva Glam V lipstick ($14), and she happens to be one of the most wearable neutral pink lippies I’ve ever met.

Shimmery like a pearl and with a shiny finish, the color’s one Goldilocks (of Three Bears fame) would love, because it’s not too cool or too warm. It’s one of those products that seems to be juuuust right for almost everyone.

mac viva glam V

And it doesn’t just look good on the lips; it feels good, too — rather, it makes me feel good to wear. 🙂 Since its introduction (Viva Glam V came out in 2004), the proceeds from its sale and those of MAC’s other Viva Glam lipsticks have gone to support men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS. Millions have been raised since the program’s start in 1994, much of it one tube at a time.
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MAC Venomous Villains Tribute: How to Draw Tabs in the Disney Style

May 29th, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

Tabs for MAC Venomous Villains

I guess dreams really do come true. The upcoming MAC Venomous Villains collection has me in such a tizzy that I’ve been drawing all morning long! A MAC Cosmetics/Disney collaboration? Um, are you kidding me!? Talk about a recipe for greatness.

Speaking of recipes, here’s one for today — a tutorial on how to draw Tabs in the Disney style (or as close as I can come to it). It’s his tribute to MAC Venomous Villains. 🙂

UPDATE, 8-15-2010: For the inside scoop on the MAC Venomous Villains collection, check out MAC Venomous Villains: 101 Things You Didn’t Know

Have fun! If you decide to give it a try, go on and send me a picture of your artwork so I can show it to Tabs.

Step 1

Simple is the name of the game here. Are you ready? Grab your favorite pen or pencil, and start by drawing one big circle for Tabs’ head, adding in the facial guidelines after that. Next, draw a line for his neck and two more circle shapes for his chest and his bottom. Finish the step with the remaining lines for his legs and tail.

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