Showing posts with label swatch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swatch. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

MAC Archie's Girls... ♡


I'm not usually that interested in any of MAC's collections. Nothing usually catches my eye but I think their newest one, Archie's Girls, is really something special. 
It's been around for a while now so maybe I am a little bit late with this post, but I've only recently got my hands on a few of the bits from the collection. I know lots of the collection is sold out now but I managed to get these bits from the MAC store in Cardiff, which had quite a few bits left if you're hoping to get some last minute bits and are nearby.
 Let's start by mentioning how cute the packaging. I am in love. Both the outer box packaging and the product packaging are adorable. The cute graphics of Betty and Veronica with the cute little hearts had me at hello. 

The products featured in the collection are all lovely. Think Spring and Summer brights - bright pinks and reds with splashes of purple and some neutrals thrown in there too. I love how they created separate products for both Betty and Veronica, with Betty having the lighter pinky and peachy tones whilst they gave Veronica a deeper edge. The 'Betty' products were more suited to my skin-tone so I kind-of wanted them all but I also picked up an absolute gem from the Veronica set. I really wanted to get the gorgeous Pearlmatte Face Powder's the collection had to offer, a pearlescent powder with cute heart embellishment, but they were completely sold out everywhere - dammit. 

The polishes in the collection were absolutely gorgeous - I had my eye on the pastel pink shade but I thought one was enough. This shade is perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months as it's a bright, candy pink. It looks gorgeous on my nails and really compliments my pale complexion. The formula is something I was really pleasantly surprised about. I've never heard anything good about the MAC nail polishes so I've never been to fussed about purchasing one, but I thought I'd give one a go as it is soo pretty. I'm not too sure about the MAC formula's for their nail polishes but this one is a 'Creme'. It's smooth, pigmented, easy to apply and the best thing, it's so glossy and shiny  I feel I don't need to apply a top coat over it as it doesn't chip very easily and has their nicest sheen. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the MAC polishes, they're definitely a bit of an underdog product.

I've never tried a lip-gloss by MAC but the shade of this one caught my eye - a beautiful pink with a hint of coral. Perfect for Spring and Summer and I've really been enjoying wearing lip-gloss instead of lipstick these past few weeks, as they are a fuss-free alternative. I love this one because the shade is so pretty and the formula is smooth and glossy without being too sticky. This is in the Lipglass formula, which I believe is their basic lip-gloss formula - it has a slight stickiness to it but it manages to still feel comfortable on the lips. The pigmentation is great and the shade really brightens up my face. I love wearing it for a subtle-pink lip. 

This is the absolute gem of the collection. I never ever wear a red lip as I find it just doesn't look nice with my pale and slightly pink skin-tone. I find a standard red just makes me look weird so I've never really bothered trying to find a red that looked nice, I just accepted it and moved on. My boyfriend actually picked this out for as he said I never seem to wear red lipstick and he'd like to see it on me, and he did a terrific job, well done  Mick. I've definitely found the perfect red. I think this one looks nice on me because it has definite pink undertones so it isn't so ''red'' if y'know what I mean, think more of a raspberry red. I think this is quite apparent from the swatch but if you'd like to see it on my then there is a picture here. I was a bit worried about the lipstick itself being dry due to it being in a 'matte' formula but I was so impressed to see how smoothly is glided on which meant it had a slight sheen, which is perfect for me. It also lasted around 2-3 hours on my lips and faded nicely without leaving that 'ring' of colour around my lips like most lipsticks do which make me look like I'm sporting a liner with no lipstick look, which isn't too nice. Lily from What I Heart Today also raved about this lipstick here, so I think it's a bit of an all-rounder considering how completely different our skin-tone/hair colour's are. This lipstick is a definite winner and is 100% worth the slightly expensive price-tag, good job MAC. I'm hoping to see this shade re-promoted in the near future. 

I do feel a little bit guilty posting this as I know lots of the collection is sold out online and in-stores but the polish and lip-gloss are still in stock on the MAC website if you want to get your hands on them. If you can then I urge you to buy something from this collection as it's a good'un and I've been really wowed by each of the products I got. I'm looking forward to see what new collection's MAC have in-store for us this year.

Have you tried anything from the Archie's Girls collection? Do you plan on getting anything if you haven't already? 

♥♥♥


Tuesday, 22 January 2013

♡ MAC / Rebel ♡

Rebel was actually my first lipstick and purchase from MAC. I thought it was such a unique and lovely colour, especially for the autumn/winter months being a deep purple with a pop of fuchsia  It's not quite the typical 'berry/purple' shade which is why is caught my eye.

Rebel is a satin finish lipstick so it isn't shiny nor matte when applied but the perfect balance between the two. It sticks around for 1-2 hours on me - I find lipsticks never last that well on me and tend to go patchy but this one fades perfectly leaving behind a lovely stain, which is something I really do love. Although, I do find sometimes when it's applied the colour can look 'uneven'. Some parts can look darker than others which is something that makes this lipstick a bit hit and miss for me and leaves me a bit uneasy about wearing it if I don't have much time to spend applying it perfectly. It's definitely not a lipstick you can slap on from the tube and run out the door.

I'm still so glad I have it in my collection, it really is a lovely lipstick when you take your time applying it, building it up using a lip brush in thin layers. When applied like this it looks gorgeous  especially with a gloss of the top. I recommend the Natural Collection Lipgloss in Fondant, I lovely peachy shade which is non sticky and cheap as chips. I would definitely recommend this it if your looking for a winter/autumn lipstick with a bit of a twist, I really do think this lipstick is very unique in colour and isn't something you'll find on the high-street which makes the price tag a little more bare-able  I urge you to go to a MAC store and give it a little swatch because it is a gorgeous colour in person.

As always MAC lipstick are one of my favorites (although only owning two). I think you definitely get your money's worth and they have a huge collection of beautiful shades. I'm currently lusting over Craving (I blame Helen for this!) and Sunny Seoul. 

Are you lusting over any lipsticks? What's your favorite lipstick for the colder months?

Want to win yourself some Urban Decay, Real Techniques and Essie goodies? Head on over to Helen's lovely blog to enter her 1500 follower giveaway here! 

'Til Next Time,