MAC Heirloom Mix Collection (My Picks)

As all of you know the Holiday season has started and like every year all brands release their special limited edition holiday products and this year was no exception. Out of all the brands my most awaited collection was by MAC and when they had their collection out online I rushed and purchased a few things. Now those who follow me on Instagram may know that they messed up my order and sent me an empty box for the lipstick that I paid for and when I contacted them they said they were out of stock and told me to choose something else. I found this very annoying as I only wanted that shade of lipstick. Luckily my local MAC store had it in stock and I purchased it in-store while opting for a refund from the online store. Anyways now onto the products. (keep reading after the jump)

Mineralise Blush in Sweet Sentiment, Pressed Pigment in Victorian Plum, Matte Lipstick in No Faux Pas and Pressed pigment in Enchantment.

Matte Lipstick in No Faux Pas, Pressed Pigment in Victorian Plum, Pressed pigment in Enchantment and Mineralise Blush in Sweet Sentiment.

Matte Lipstick in No Faux Pas, Pressed Pigment in Victorian Plum, Pressed pigment in Enchantment and Mineralise Blush in Sweet Sentiment.

First of all lets talk about the packaging. This year MAC's theme was Victorian heirloom inspired and hence the packaging was glossy black with silver glitter specks. The actual products and their boxes had the special packaging making it very hard for me to throw away the boxes (Yes, I hoard limited edition packaging). 

The Heirloom Mix collection in particular had lipsticks, mineralize blushes, eye liners, fluidlines, lip glosses, nail polishes, mini pressed pigments and glitters. I did wish I could buy everything out of the collection but unfortunately I don't think I could afford all of it.

Anyways back to the products I picked. The mineralize blush in Sweet Sentiment RRP $47 is a satin rosy pink blush. This was on top of my list and is my first Mineralize blush from MAC. It is a little powdery but I love the colour and the natural flush it gives to my cheeks. It is a buildable blush and will show up on light to medium dark skintones. Very dark skintones may not be able to pull this off and it may look quite ashy on them.

Next up are the Mini Pressed Pigments in Victorian Plum and Enchantment RRP $36 each. Victorian Plum is a dark plum with violet, purple and blue sparkles and Enchantment is a dark navy blue with blue, green and purple sparkles. I found the texture of both these shades very hard and quite sheer, you need a lot of product to build up the colour or use it wet. Nonetheless I still love the colours and can't wait to do smokey eye looks with them.

Last but not the least, the item that makes me love as well as hate MAC, the matte lipstick in No Faux Pas RRP $38. Described as a hot pink, this lipstick is a bright fuschia with a semi matte finish. It reminds me of colours like Girl About Town (Amplified) from the permanent range and Pleasure Bomb (Matte) from the Riri Hearts Mac collection. 

Overall I love each and every product I picked from this collection and I may go back for more (you never know).

Did you pick up anything from the Limited Edition Heirloom Mix Collection by MAC?

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MAC Lipstick collection (Permanent colours)

Hey guys,

Today I am going to share with you my MAC lipstick collection from the permanent range. I do have a few limited edition lipsticks but I wanted to share with you the ones you can get hold of now.

I have been collecting MAC lipsticks for the past 3 years now and have gone through quite a few colours and have repurchased them. MAC have a wide variety of lipstick shades and finishes and sometimes its easy to get really overwhelmed by them. My favourite finish from MAC has to be Satin and Amplified, although I do have, almost one of each finish in my collection (including limited edition shades). The only finish I don't have are Glaze and Frost which I am not very keen on anyways.

I do have an extra swatch of the Cosmo lipstick on here because I just got it recently in a Back to MAC program.

Lets start with Dare You (Cremesheen) and MAC describes it as a deep brown red which is exactly how I would describe it too. It is a very warm red with brown undertones and would flatter medium to dark skin tones. I don't wear many reds so thats why I own only one Red lipstick from MAC.

Twig (Satin) is a soft muted brownish-pink again very apt. This colour is a MLBB shade for Indian skintones and darker. I love using this as an everyday shade. 

Lovelorn (Lustre) is a Emotive Blue Pink, it is a very light blue based pink which is great on light to light medium skin. On me it does wash me out but since its a lustre finish, I can still get away wearing it. Lovelorn was my very first MAC lipstick I bought. Creme in your coffee (Cremesheen) is a creamy mid-tone pink brown. This colour is very similar to Twig but with a hint more brown and with a creamier glossy finish. This is my most used colour and this is the second tube I have bought of this colour, which again I am almost finishing up. 

Captive (Satin) is a pinkish plum colour and is  great for the autumn and winter months. Since it is a satin finish, it is quite true to colour and with one swipe you get the most beautiful berry coloured lips. Taupe (Matte) is a muted reddish-taupe brown, again this colour is something I would reach for everyday, it is quite a darker brown nude on me but since it is a matte formula it stays on for a longer period of time on the lips and is not drying at all.

Del Rio(Satin) is a muted plum-brown shade, this colour is very similar to Captive but just more darker and more plummy. I haven't used this shade at all because I didn't know it was in my stash for a very long time. Hopefully I will get some use out of this colour now if not, in the next winter months.

Lastly Cosmo (Amplified Creme) is describes as a Pink coco. I recently got this lipstick by returning 6 empty MAC products and it is fairly new. I have used this maybe twice and I am falling in love with it. This colour is the perfect nude pink for my skin tone and I think I may be loving it a little more than my Creme in your coffee. 

MAC Brushes in 217 and 210

I always thought MAC brushes are over priced (still think) and over hyped in the Beauty Community and although there are a lot of dupes and variations of brushes available in the market for half the price, I thought of investing in two brushes I would get the most use out of. My brother bought these for me from Malaysia and they costed me a total of $55 AUD. In Australia they retail for $37 each. The brushes I am talking about are MAC 217 which is a blending brush and MAC 210 precise liner brush. 

I have bought a lot of dupes of the MAC 217 from Ebay and I always found them to be scratchy and shed in like two washes. Although they did do a good job of blending the eyeshadows, they wouldn't last me very long. Since I have gotten this brush I use it almost everyday and it is so soft that it doesn't irritate they eyelid area. I have washed it once and it hasn't shed even one hair which is brilliant. I do know that I will not be able to keep it looking white in the long run as some eyeshadows are going to stain the brush hair but if this brush is going to last me many years and not stop doing what it does best- blending, then I don't mind it. I have not tried it on cream products yet but it does say on the website that you can use cream or powder products with this brush. I would not buy another one of these from Australia but if I was traveling I would buy it from overseas because then I wouldn't be paying as much.

MAC 210 Precise liner brush is exactly what it says it is, a eyeliner brush which can create the most finest lines. I do like using gel liner when I want my liner to last all day and I was using the Models Prefer pointed liner brush which is great, don't get me wrong but this brush tip is more fine and helps me create the perfect wing. Again this retails for $37 in Australia which is a ridiculous price to pay but I think I got it for around $20. I won't repurchase it as I won't need to, but all in all I am really happy that I bought it.

Have you tried MAC brushes? What do you think of them?

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Shaaanxo's tutorial Jewel Tones for Summer and Winter Recreation

Hey guys, 

Shannon from Shaaanxo on Youtube did a tutorial featuring the Chi Chi Rich Gems palette and since I own the palette already I tried to recreate her look. All the products I used will be listed below.

                  

                      

For my base I used the Bourjois Happy Light Foundation and covered up my blemishes with MAC Studio Finish Concealer. On my eyes I used Maybelline Barely Branded colour tattoo as a primer. Over that I went with the colour marked as 1 (In the pic above) in the ChiChi Rich Gems palette on my lid, leaving a little space in the inner and outer corner. Using colour 2 on the outer 3rd of the lid and colour 3 on the outer V, I blended that through the crease using a bit of colour 5. Colour 4 was then used in the inner corner and on my brow bone to highlight.

For my liner I used the Benefit They're Real Push Up liner and drew a thin line. For lashes I used Gorgeous Cosmetics Lashes in Madam Mini. For my cheeks, I contoured using MAC Blunt and for my blush I used Benefit's Bella Bamba. Lips are Lakme 9 to 5 Lipstick in Rosy Sunday ( Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry is very similar)

And thats how I achieved this look. Hope you guys like it and if you do something similar tag me in your pics using the hashtag #dazzlegloss3 and also don't forget to tag #shaaanxo

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I'm Back and Huge Makeup Haul

Hey guys,

I am back from my holiday and I did have a wonderful time. I did quite a bit of damage to my bank account this whole month and I thought a haul would be a good way to start back blogging.( Also the fact that I really want to use these products and couldn't do that till I took pretty pictures of it)

Anyways I have grouped my haul into 4 parts so it was easier for me to talk about the products.

First up is all the makeup I bought from India. I really wanted to buy products I wouldn't be able to get my hands on here from brands like Lakme and Chambor but nothing caught my eye. The products I wanted to buy were either not in stock or discontinued. 

Anyways I still managed to buy two lipsticks from Lakme from their 9 to 5 range and the colours I picked were Rosy Sunday- a muted matte rosy pink and Fuchsia Friday- a darker pink with silver sparkle.

Next up is from Maybelline, I have always wanted the Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate punk but it was discontinued here in Australia. When I saw they still had it in India I had to pick it up. Next from Maybelline I picked up the Cheeky Glow Blush in Peachy Sweetie and a Colour Bloom Lip Balm in Pink Blossom. Again these were products I haven't seen in Australia yet.

MAC in India was soooo cheap compared to Australian prices so I bought two Eyeshadow refills in Club and Plum Dressing, Fluidline in Macro Violet and Matte lipstick in Taupe. The store I went to had some limited edition products from last year that were still in stock so I bought the Nocturnals pigment and glitter set in Silver and Violet. They were from the 2013 Holiday collection and I have been enjoying playing with pigments and glitters recently.

Next is what I bought online from MAC while I was on holiday and couldn't help buying this stuff before it was all sold out.

From the Proenza Schouler Collection I bought the Ombre Blush in Sunset beach and Lipstick in Mangrove.

Almost everyone I know in the blogging world has picked up atleast one item from the Alluring Aquatic Collection and I was no exception. I really wanted to buy the lipsticks but they were the first to be sold out. So I settled for the Blush in Sea Me Hear Me and eyeshadows in Sea Worship and Legendary Lure. I also picked up the bronzer in Refined Golden mainly for the compact (which I think will depot and repot my studio fix powder in there, not sure yet but we will see how it goes).

From the Maleficent collection the only thing available were the lashes and since I am really into lashes these days I picked the number 36 lashes for special occasions. Oh and while I was at the duty free store I picked up the Fluidline in Blacktrack.

Continuing with the Online shopping Ozsale had The Balm on sale 6-8 weeks back and I picked up The Balmjovi Palette which I have been eyeing for almost more than a year now and also The Meet Matte palette. From Kit Cosmetics I ordered the Too Faced A La Mode Eyes palette and the Too Faced Bonjour Soleil palette both of which I had planned to buy since their release in the US.

Lastly I picked up quite a few Highend products from Duty free. The Guerlain Les Violettes Pressed Powder, The Cruel Gardenia Meteorite Illuminating powder (which came with a brush), Chanel Jardin de Camelias illuminating powder, YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush in 1 Fuschia Desinvolte and finally the Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick in 203 Rose Dentelle.

Phew!! I know I did spend quite a lot but I had been saving for my trip and I am really excited to use all these products. 

Have you used any of these products before and what do you think of them?

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My top 5 Lip picks for Autumn/ Fall 2014

Most of you will be excited to go into summer but for us Aussies in the southern hemisphere we are now in Autumn heading into winter. I have been seeing a lot of brands promoting red/berry/purple hues of makeup products for this season. Today I am going to share with you my Top 5 lip products for this season.

L-R ELES Micro Bubble Lipstick in Micro Blush, Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Hot Kiss, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Mac Satin lipstick in Captive and Inglot slim gel lipstick in 63.

ELES Micro Blush:

I was introduced to this lipstick recently and it has made it to my list of top must have lipsticks. This particular shade in Micro Blush is a strawberry red with tiny shimmers. This is a subtle berry colour for those who are not very confident to sport a dark lip but want to start experimenting with it.

Mirenesse 3D Lip Gloss Hot Kiss:

I have had this gloss for a long time and I am usually not a fan of lipglosses. But there is something about this colour that I love and when I want a really dark bold maroon glossy lip I go for this lipgloss. It is a little sticky but it is super pigmented.

Revlon Lip Butter Red Velvet:

I am pretty sure all of you might own atleast one lip butter from Revlon. These were so popular last year and the Red Velvet in particular is a great dark red that goes with just about anything.

MAC Captive:

This was the first ever MAC lipstick I bought and it is a little sentimental as, my then boyfriend now husband bought for my birthday about 2 years ago. It is a gorgeous plum berry shade that looks great on almost every skintone. It is a satin finish so it is very pigmented but also hydrates your lips at the same time.

Inglot Slim Gel Lipstick 63:

I got this lipstick for free with some Inglot purchase a while back and I never got to using it much. Recently I pulled it out of the back of my drawer and have been using it since. It is a raspberry shade with golden and red shimmer. This lipstick applies very smoothly and gives a nice shiny finish to the lips all thanks to the fine shimmer.

L-R ELES Micro Bubble Lipstick in Micro Blush, Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Hot Kiss, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Mac Satin lipstick in Captive and Inglot slim gel lipstick in 63.

L-R ELES Micro Bubble Lipstick in Micro Blush, Mirenesse 3D Forever Gloss in Hot Kiss, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Mac Satin lipstick in Captive and Inglot slim gel lipstick in 63.

What are your Lip picks for this season? Let me know in the comments below.

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Riri Hearts Mac Lipsticks Swatches and Possible Dupes

Hey guys,

Recently M.A.C came out with a collection called Riri Hearts Mac Holiday which featured some beautiful products. I managed to get hold of two limited edition shades of lipsticks from the collection.

'Rihanna's latest creative collaboration with M.A.C is a series of stunning looks for lips, eyes and face in shades of metallic majesty and confident colour. This limited edition collection is encased in an exclusive white-pearl packaging of Riri's iconic rose gold detailing. '

The lipsticks I got were Pleasure Bomb- A matte fuschia and Bad Girl Riri- a matte taupey nude. 

Both these lipsticks are a matte finish but don't dry out your lips. They are very creamy and soft to apply and don't tug on your lips like most matte lipsticks do. The Pleasure bomb lasted about six hours on me with slight fading and Bad Girl Riri lasted about five and a half hours. I bought them from MAC's website for $38 and they may still be available at some MAC counters in Myer and David Jones.

I have put together some swatches of lipsticks I had in my collection that looked similar to the MAC lipsticks as they are limited edition and may not come back in stock again. The lipsticks I chose to compare are from both drugstore and high end brands and are permanently available.

L-R Bad Girl Riri, Revlon Colourburst in Rosy Nude, MAC Creme in your coffee, Laura Mercier Creme Smooth lipcolour in Rosewood.

L-R Bad Girl Riri, Revlon Colourburst in Rosy Nude, MAC Creme in your coffee, Laura Mercier Creme Smooth lipcolour in Rosewood.

The closest dupe I found for Bad Girl Riri was MAC's Creme in your coffee which is a Cremesheen finish. You can mattify it by dusting some loose powder over.

L-R Pleasure Bomb, YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Culte, YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in Rose Crazy, Maybelline Vivid Rose, Revlon Super Lustrous in Cherries in the Snow, Revlon Colourburst Lip butter in Sorbet

L-R Pleasure Bomb, YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Culte, YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats in Rose Crazy, Maybelline Vivid Rose, Revlon Super Lustrous in Cherries in the Snow, Revlon Colourburst Lip butter in Sorbet

L-R Mixture of Vivid Rose and Cherries in the Snow, Pleasure Bomb

The closest dupe I found for the Pleasure Bomb lipstick is by mixing Revlon's Cherries in the Snow and Maybelline's Vivid Rose. Again its not a matte finish but that can be changed by the loose powder trick.

Did any of you purchase anything from the Riri Hearts Mac collection??? What do you think of them?

Purple smokey eye

Hey guys,

I am back again with a dramatic smokey eye look perfect for the weekend. I did this look for a party I attended on saturday night and thought I could take some pictures and show you how I did it.

I used 3 eyeshadows for this look and they are

Inglot 73

MAC Sketch

MAC Texture

I also used a tiny bit of a shimmery pink highlight shade for the brow bone and inner tear duct.

I applied Inglot 73 to 2/3rds of my lid from the inner corner and also stayed below the crease.

MAC Sketch went to the outer 1/3rd of the lid and also used it to blend the two colours in the crease.

Above the crease I used MAC Texture to create a soft transition.

Applied the Inglot shade and Sketch to the lower lashline to connect with the upper eye and give a smokey effect.

I applied the highlight shade to the brow bone, only on the highest point of the brow and blended it either way. 

Using the same shade I applied a tiny bit to the inner corner of the eye to brighten it up.

Lined my lash line with Maybelline Stilleto eyeliner and applied False Eyelashes from Eyelene in Darling Defining which I bought from BigW. 

Then used Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara to blend my real lashes with the false ones.

I think purples look great on brown eyes and I always tend to prefer purple over black smokey eyes. I hope you enjoyed this look and do let me know if you ever try it out. I would love to see how it turned out for you.

MAC Dare You Lipstick Review

Hey guys,

Today I am going to review this lipstick in Dare You by MAC. I think it is a very under rated red lipstick by MAC for Indian skin tones. A lot of you are crazy about Ruby woo and Russian red but how many of you have tried this lipstick? It is described by MAC as a deep brown red but I don't see much brown to it. It is a perfect ox blood red color. It is a Cremesheen finish which gives a slight sheen to the lips and is not drying on the lips. I find that you need to use a lip liner as it is quite creamy and can bleed. 

I did try on Ruby woo and Russian red but they were too bright for my skin tone. This was a perfect red and it can be worn sheerly too as a tint on your lips. I find that this colour lasts me 3 hours and then the shines fades. After fading it leaves a stain on the lips like most red lipsticks do. 

Personally I am not a fan of MAC Lipsticks as they are very expensive and the quality, I find is not that great to shell out $36 for one lipstick, but all of us get suck into the hype of owning a MAC Lipstick and thats what happened to me. 

In the swatches below I did not use a lip liner and applied the lipstick straight from the tube.

Have you tried the lipstick in Dare You????

Copper Gold Eye Makeup recreating Niesha Jeenwal's look

Hey guys,

This is my take on Niesha Jeenwal's Copper Gold eye look that she posted a few days ago. You can see her look here. It is a very versatile look for Indian festivals as it incorporates the metallic colors of gold, copper and red. Also instead of eyeshadow I used pigments as I wanted to try something different. Pigments are very messy to work with but I used Duraline to keep them from falling everywhere.

Products I used are :

Inglot Pigment in 78 which is a bronze gold in the inner 1/3rd of the lid

Inglot Pigment in 25 which is a copper on the middle of the lid

Inglot Pigment in 54 which is a maroonish red on the outer 3rd of the lid

Inglot Duraline

MAC Texture eyeshadow to blend the eyeshadows in the crease

Maybelline Stiletto eyeliner in Black

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara