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Tatcha Silk Lipstick in Kyoto Red

May 3, 2016

I’m thrilled to share today that Tatcha has brought back their Silk Lipstick in Kyoto Red ($55 for 3.7 g) which is one of the most stunning statement reds I’ve ever seen. I missed it the first round when it launched last year so I was really happy to hear they decided to bring it back for a relaunch. To date Tatcha has released two lipsticks, Kyoto Red and A Plum Blossom (reviewed here, discontinued) – both are exquisite in every aspect. The packaging of the case is heavy weight and sturdy, the multi-faceted mold of the actual lipstick makes it super easy for precise application. These are hands down among the most luxurious and most beautifully designed lipsticks I own.

Kyoto Red is inspired by the geisha’s classic bold red lip. Tatcha’s website shows it swatched on four different skin tones to demonstrate how universally flattering color is. The pigment in the lipstick is extremely opaque making it a one-swipe wonder covering the entire lip with a single stroke. Application of color is even, smooth and full with a weightless feel. Tatcha calls the formula “feather-light” and it really is – it offers a nice soft veil of product on the lips but once it sets you completely forget you have anything on because it truly is feather light.

I would call this one a warm red but unlike many other warm reds it doesn’t turn orangey on the lips. It’s warm but still manages to stay a true red on the lips. Lasting power is quite good – it stays put for several hours without fading (snacks and drinks will cause transfer). It doesn’t feather or bleed. Quality is on point. A few quick snaps of the lipstick at the Japanese Garden at Balboa Park below:

A closer look at the lipstick below. The black, gold and red combination is quite striking.

Swatches to show how pigmented the color is, there is a very slight sheen right after application but once on the lips it has a semi-matte finish:

I was so impressed with the Sunrise Plum Blossom Lipstick and was happy to have been able to purchase that one before it sold out (I hope they bring it back). Kyoto Red is just as impressive in terms of quality, pigment and coverage. There are slight differences between the two (aside from the lipstick color and packaging color). Sunrise Plum Blossom is slightly creamier with a more cushiony moisture feel while Kyoto Red is more lightweight with a semi-matte finish. Even though the finish and feel are different I find them both equally hydrating. The day after wearing each of these my lips have a noticeablely smoother and well hydrated feel (most lipsticks either dry out my lips or make them peel by the second day).

Bottom line: another winner from Tatcha. Since I discovered the line I’ve been really impressed with everything I’ve tried which I think is quite incredible. I know many of my readers are HUGE Tatcha fans, I’ve tried things based on your recommendations and have never been let down. If you’re new to the line and are interested in a top picks/roundup post let me know in the commments. For those who want to know right now what my top three favorites are right now, I swear by the Pore Perfecting Sunscreen, Dewy Skin Mist and Beauty Papers. If you’re like me and want to be able to try things before committing to the full size, Tatcha has almost all of their skincare products available in Travel/Trial Sizes for purchase. I order these for travel and also for friends. If you’re looking for Mother’s Day Gifts – they have a lot of beautifully curated Gift Sets that are impeccably packaged.
I’ve teamed up with Tatcha for a special giveaway (US only) – you can enter on my Instagram account @beautylookbook – all the details on how to enter on my page here.

In the meantime, Kyoto Red is back (I do believe while supplies last) at Tatcha.com. If you like red lipstick I highly recommend you give this one a try.

This post was created in partnership with Tatcha. Many thanks to the Tatcha for sponsoring this post and giveaway!
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Mother’s Day Beauty Gift Guide

April 28, 2016

Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away which is just around the corner and I started my gift search a bit early this year. Shopping for gifts for my mom is one of the most challenging things ever because she usually says she has everything she wants. To this day she would rather have me make her a nice card rather than buy her something (she still has almost all the little drawings, paintings and clay sculptures I made when I was in grade school!). Gifting a basket of little beauty goodies has always worked in the past – she loves OPI nail polishes and anything new for lips is always fun to try out for her. I’ve teamed up with Ulta Beauty to create a Mother’s Day Gift Guide for both my mom and my mother in-law. They are on opposite sides of the color spectrum for skin tone, my mom has fair skin, dark hair and prefers cool tones. My mother-in-law has medium-tan skin, blonde hair and I’ve always seen her wear warm tones. Both are classic beauties in their own unique way – I thought my picking items for both based on different undertones it might also help give you ideas of what to gift to your mom!

I stopped by my local Ulta last week to check out the new launches and promotions going on. There are a lot of new beauty items that were released, but I usually discover something new everytime I visit the store. Right now they have a Spring Bag Gift with $40 Fragance Purchase which is a large tote and small zip pouch. Buying fragrance as a gift can be a bit tricky but the one scent I find that is a hit with everyone I know (at every age) is Philosophy Amazing Grace because it’s such a fresh and clean uplifting scent. Tote featured in this post is the Blue Gift With Fragrance Purchase Option, there are three colors to choose from:

http://rstyle.me/n/bn3iyvubf6

For Mother’s Day gifting ideas, Ulta has four gift categories by personality type including On Trend Mom, Natural Mom, On the Go Mom and Classic Mom. I feel like both of my moms could fit in a few of the categories – they both have a hybrid of classic or on-the-go personality.

First I picked up a few classics that I personally really like I thought would be great for them to try out. I bought 2x of each of these shown below, one for each mom.

The Lancome Eau Fraîche Douceur Micellar Cleansing Water is a classic gentle but effective cleansing water good for a double cleanse or for quick makeup removal on days you are short on time. I like that it comes in a fairly large size and has a well-designed pump dispenser. Smashbox Photofinish Primer Water is something I discovered recently which doubles as a makeup priming spray to hydrate the skin or set makeup after application. It comes in a mini travel size which I think has enough to give it a thorough test drive. I think it’s a great multi-tasking product suitable for multiple skin types. I like to use it both ways as suggested and it’s a great face refresher.

For the face/cheeks Ulta has the Best of Becca Radiance Set which includes trial-sized minis of their best sellers for a natural luminous glow. The set is a steal at $32.50 and has Mineral blush in Flower Child, Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal, Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight Wand in Moonstone and a small Backlight Priming Filter. (I almost want to keep this one for myself! How cute is the backlight primer!) 

For eyes, I think deep plum tones look amazing as a liner no matter what skin tone or eye color you have. It’s softer than black, not quite as boring as brown, but still conservative enough to wear for everyday. The Urban Decay Naked 24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner in Darkside/Blackheart has two shades of deep plum, each side has a different shimmer effect but nothing crazy.

For brows, the Anastasia Brow Wiz is one of the most highly rated brow pencils. I recently bought Medium Brown and find it really easy to use. There’s a handy shade guide in store and online to help you decide what color to try based on hair color. I bought Taupe for my mother-in-law and Medium Brown for my mom.
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For beauty picks for my mother-in-law I picked out warm tones. She has blonde hair and tan skin and I’ve always seen her in neutral to warm tones. I think my husband’s mother is really one of the coolest people I know and lucky to have a mother-in-law like her. Anyone who has twins (and twin boys at that) deserves a medal. I don’t think raising two boys at the same time is something I could ever handle – and she did a great job. Since these items are going to be gifts I wasn’t able to swatch anything. I do have reviews coming of the Becca Luminous Blushes though so stay tuned for a review in an upcoming post.

Shown below is the Tarte Tartlette 2 In Bloom Amazonian Clay Palette which has the most glorious combination of mattes, shimmers, neutral and warm shades. I swatched this one in store and each color has an ultra smooth texture. It has 9 matte shades and 3 shimmers which makes gives it a little sparkle but makes it still conservative enough for a classic beauty. It’s so gorgeous I am going to have to go back and buy one for myself.

Becca launched new Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blushes which are amazing in color and have serious pigment! Shown below is Snapdragon (pink) and Tigerlily (peach). These are literally what dreams are made of. They give the skin a luminous glow with a pretty flush of color. For those concerned about shimmer – they are on the shimmery side but are not overly frosted.

For nails OPI Bubble Bath is a neutral classic you can’t go wrong with. For the lips Tarte has new Double Duty products called The Lip Sculptor Double Ended Lipstick and Gloss – perfect for on-the-go. Below are two rosy shades in Voltage and Sass. I swatched these on my hand in store and the lipsticks were extemely soft and creamy.

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Up next are some cool tone beauty picks for my mom. She loves mauves and plums and brighter pinks for the lips. For eyes she likes to keep things simple but does like to add a bit of color. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear shimmer eyeshadow so I picked up the Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette for her. It also has ultra smooth shadows in a wide range of color options which seem to be neutral-cool. All of the colors are shades she would wear. For that matter I think they are shades I would wear too. For quick reference – I think these colors would suit a number of skin tones and under tones but she has fair skin, pink undertones, dark hair and dark eyes.

For cheeks she likes pinks and mauves that are soft but add life to the complexion. When I was younger she would always tell me I needed more color and dab some of her lipstick on my cheeks as a bit of a stain. Urban Decay Afterglow Powder Blush in Fetish is a soft mauve plum pink without any shimmer while Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Blush in Camelia has a luminous glow which is more pink and brightening.

For the nails I picked up OPI California Raspberry which is a bright shimmering fuchsia and for the lips also from the Double Duty line, I picked up the Tarte The Lip Sculptor Double Ended Lipstick and Gloss in VIP and Renegade.

If you’re searching for some beauty gifts for Mother’s Day I hope you this roundup gave you a few ideas! There are a lot of options to pick from in skincare, makeup, hair care, fragrance and beauty tools – many of which are budget friendly. These days there are so many brands to pick from at Ulta Beauty including Anastasia, Buxom, Benefit, OPI, Lancome, Becca, Tarte and Essie etc. Everytime I go in store I find I discover something new.

I shopped for my mom and mother-in-law but found a few items I think I’m going to have to pick up for myself in the next week, mainly one or both of the Tarte Eyeshadow Palettes. If you’ve tried them what did you think? Do you have any gifts planned for Mother’s Day this year? Would love to hear your ideas or plans whether it’s beauty or non-beauty related!

If you’re a mom – do you have anything on your wishlist for Mother’s Day?

Created in partnership with Ulta Beauty. Many thanks to the team for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions my own.

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Weekend Reads, Links and Loves

April 17, 2016

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend! We have warm spring weather which almost feels like summer, but I’m not complaining! I have a mix of things I’m loving right now. New summer beauty collections are starting to trickle in and I’m excited to see the new releases over the next month. I’m still 100% smitten with the Tom Ford Soleil Bicoastal Cheek Duo (reviewed here) and the Ultra-Rich Lip Color in Revolve Around Me (swatched here). A few of you asked if Bicoastal was too similar to Wicked to justify both. The finish and color is really similar, almost identical so you don’t need both. However Bicoastal has that gorgeous sheen that makes it extra special.

Additional Loves
  • Diptyque Oud is more of a fall kind of scent (reviewed here) but I’m still loving it for right now to burn something different than the traditional spring floral for the home.
  • Lumira Travel Candles are still an obsession of mine. My all time favorite is the Tahitian Coconut – it is truly the best coconut home fragrance I’ve tried because it’s not too sweet.
  • Marc Jacobs Beauty Hi-Shine Enamored Lip Lacquers offer a lush cushiony kind of shine to the lips, above shown is Pretty Thing (all swatched here).
  • Out of all the new lipstick formulas launched this year to date, the best in-between kind of lipstick that isn’t too sheer and isn’t too opaque is the Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo. It offers medium to full coverage with a pretty shine. All shades swatched here.
  • I just discovered Muji Gel Pens and am obsessed. I bought a set in black and think I want to order a set of the ones with different colors.
Reads and Link Love
  • Makeup artist Rae Morris just launched a new book called Makeup Masterclass ($55, available via Beautylish). They sent one as a gift and the imagery and photographs are stunning. I’ve been browsing through it for inspiration on some bolder beauty looks. It’s also quite comprehensive on beauty basics for application. I highly recommend it.
  • Porter Magazine just launched their Summer Issue and this one marks the end of my year-long subscription. I’ve really enjoyed their publication and have already renewed for another year. 
  • RaeViewer uploaded a really helpful skincare video on her Favorite Skin Care for Acne + Reducing Scars, I always find her skincare recommendations really helpful!
  • Speaking of Tom Ford Summer, Tamira Jarrel has a gorgeous Tom Ford 2016 Soleil Preview tutorial on her channel which is all kinds of gorgeous in a natural kind of way (Revolve Around Me looks amazing on her and she is a bit deeper in skintone compared to me).
  • I adore get ready with me videos and this Dior Poison Girl Party in Paris via Inthefrow is so beautiful!

New In Beauty / On My Radar

Anything on your beauty radar this weekend? Or new discoveries? I received the last bits of my Sephora VIB Rouge haul last week – I stocked up on the nude beautyblenders, ordered some Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadows, bought some Burberry items I had on my wishlist and finally bought 3 neutral pink Louboutin Lipsticks which I can’t wait to play with. If you want to share your haul(s) – please do in the comments!

P.S. If you have anything from Space NK on your wishlist (they carry Diptyque, Eve Lom, Hourglass, By Terry, Oribe etc.) – don’t forget there’s a special promo code for Beauty Look Book readers through May 1st. Details in this post here.

Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
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MAC All the Right Angles Contour Palettes

March 30, 2016

MAC just launched four new contouring trios they call All the Right Angles Contour Palettes ($40 each). Each palette has three products cased in a two-tiered mirrored square compact to contour, shape and highlight with one Cream Color Base (4.5 g/0.15 oz) on the bottom, and on the top one Sculpting Powder (2.5 g/0.08 oz) and one Shaping Powder (2.5 g/0.08 oz). All the colors in this launch appear to be available for purchase individually with the exception of one of the Cream Color Bases in the Medium Dark Palette (Naked Universe) – so you may want to keep that in mind before buying one. MAC sent me Light as a press sample which I found too pale for my medium olive skin so I ordered the other three to review – partly because these are perfectly packaged for travel and also because I’m a huge fan of the cream color bases. Many of you have asked me what makeup items I’ve used up. At this point it’s hard to remember every single thing I’ve used up and repurchased, but I have used up several cream color bases in the past (Hush, Tint, Improper Copper, Virgin Isle). I think they make great bases for powder eyeshadow or as a blush highlighter.

Onto the products in each palettes – the quality and texture of the products in the palette is the same as the individual options. For those new these products, I’ll give a mini review on each in case you haven’t tried any of the items before. Cream Color Bases retail for $22 (or $14 in Pro Palette Form). These are emollient solid cream based products that gives a soft dewy finish of color or highlight. They are extremely versatile and can be used on eyes, lips or cheeks and work well on bare skin or over powder/foundation. If you have oily skin you may find they get a bit shiny by mid-day. For my normal combination skin they last all day without fading or budging.
Sculpting Powders are available in several different formats as well. In the past they have been available separately similar to the MAC blushes. As of now they are mostly available in Pro Palette Form for $17 each or in Sculpt and Shape Duos for $22. These are semi-sheer matte powders that are darker in color designed to create natural looking shadows. I find these are best applied with a light and loose fluffy brush and also with a light hand – they go on the skin smoothly but as with any darker colored powder you want to lightly sculpt and build to create natural dimension.
Shaping Powders are lighter in color compared to the Sculpting Powders. They are are available individually in similar formats to the the Sculpting Powders with most of the Shaping Powder shades available in Pro Palette Form. The Shaping Powders have an ultra fine shimmer in them – but on my skin they have more of a satiny finish. The shimmer gives the powders depth and dimension. Finish is semi-sheer but buildable.

When it comes to contouring I’m a less is more kind of girl. I can definitely improve my technique and take more time to carefully contour the face or nose for a more polished look – but in the mornings when I’m in a rush I feel like contouring is an extra step I don’t have time for. I often do add a bit of a darker powder or bronzer as a soft contour applied in loose soft sweeping motions around the edges of my face to add depth, but I rarely take the time to do an actual contour along the cheekbones, nose or eyes. I think proper contouring takes time to blend – it’s something I’m just honestly too lazy to do on a daily basis. If you already own a number of contouring powders (ie from MAC, NARS or Kat Von D) I will say up front that you probably don’t need the new MAC All the Right Angles Contour Palettes as they will replicate what you have. I do appreciate that MAC has launched these in travel-friendly packaging and that they have created four options for different skintones. It simplifies the contour/highlight options based on your skintone to three key shades rather than having a large palette of several colors you may never use.

Onto swatches of the palettes side by side and then close ups of each option:

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Light has:
Cream Color Base in Luna which is a pale white pearl
Shaping Powder in Emphasize a soft white cream shimmer
Sculpting Powder in Bone Beige a soft warm-toned brown

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Medium has:
Cream Color Base in Hush which is a champagne peach pearl
Shaping Powder in Accentuate is a peachy cream
Sculpting Powder in Sculpt is a soft brown taupe matte

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Medium Dark has:
Cream Color Base in Naked Universe which is a tan gold shimmer
Shaping Powder in Lightsweep is a medium beige pearl
Sculpting Powder in Shadester is a deep medium warm brown

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Dark has:
Cream Color Base in Improper Copper which is peachy copper shimmer
Shaping Powder in Warm Light is a medium peach
Sculpting Powder in Definitive which is a neutral deep brown

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Many have asked what my MAC shade is – if you’ve read my blog over the years you know that I cannot wear MAC foundations or powder foundations because I’m allergic to their formulas. It’s been at least 5-6 years since I’ve last tried a MAC foundation and depending on what time of year it was that I was matched, I’ve been anywhere from MAC NC30, NC35, C3, C30, C35 to C40. Bottom line is I really have no idea what MAC shade I am – but I’m usually within the medium olive tone range. Right now I’m in between NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Groenland and St. Moritz or a Becca Aqua Luminous in Beige and for the MAC All the Right Angles Palettes, the best one for me is Medium. In Chanel I’m the Velvet Perfection Lumiere in 30 Beige. For Tom Ford I’m best matched to the Traceless Perfecting Foundation in 04 Bisque.
For tools, I like to apply the Cream Color Base with fingers on the eyes or cheeks – it can be a bit messy but it’s what I like best. For the Sculpt or Shaping Powders – the compact is on the small side so taking a large fluffy brush will most likely mix the colors. I’ve found the MAC 116 Blush Brush, MAC 118 Small Duo Fibre or Wayne Goss Brush 02 work best of you want to apply on the cheeks. If you want more detailed highlighting or eye contour – any eyeshadow brush works.

If you’re looking for a simplified contour palette with a shaping powder, sculpting powder and cream highlighter that’s versatile and travel-friendly, these are great. If you already own a lot of contouring products these will probably replicate many of the colors you already own. In terms of contouring powders go I think MAC is on par with the Marc Jacobs Beauty #Instamarc Duos for quality and having a natural look – the Marc Jacobs powders are softer and have a more velvetly matte finish while the MAC is harder in texture with a slight shimmer in the Shaping Powders. I feel the texture of the Marc Jacobs is more velvety and powdery and some of the light shades can almost be used as a setting powder for under eyes while the MAC has a more natural less matte look if that makes sense.

You can find the MAC All the Right Angles Contouring Palettes for $40 each at all MAC counters. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

Have you checked these out yet? If not – have you tried any of the Cream Color Bases, Sculpting Powders or Shaping Powders from previous launches?

Light sent as a press sample. Other shades purchased by me.
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Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquers in White Snow and Resurrection

March 27, 2016

There are a few new shades of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquers ($18 each for 13 ml/0.43 oz) for spring and I picked up two from Sephora in White Snow and Resurrection. White Snow is a sheer milky cloud white and Resurrection is an opaque powdery pink cream. For those curious about the other new colors, there are 6 total in pastels and creams. The other four shades include Sundays Cool (lavender), Good Friday (mint), My Peeps (cool pink) and Confession (grey).

I find pastels can be hit or miss for my medium olive skintone. I love the look of white polish on other girls but on me it often looks like white out. Marc Jacobs White Snow has a sheer finish which requires 3 coats for me, but the sheerness helps make it more wearable on my hands compared to a pure white polish. Opaque pastel pink creams are often streaky or look too powdery on my hands. Marc Jacobs Resurrection is a high-maintenance pink in the sense that the first coat is a streaky mess, but it evens out to a smooth finish with the second or third coat. Each coat dries faster than most other polishes so I don’t mind the extra work and the color has just the right mix of white and pink so it’s not too contrasted with my skintone.

I just bought these and applied them so I didn’t give them a week-long test run to see how long they lasted. However in my experience with other Marc Jacobs Nail Lacquers – lasting power is very good and I can get up to 7 days of wear without any tip wear or chipping. I usually combine the Marc Jacobs Nail Lacquers with the Formula X Base Coat and the Nails Inc. 45 Second Top Coat. A closer look at both shades.

White Snow:

Above: Sweater by Rag & Bone, Bag by Celine, Jeans by J.Brand

Resurrection:

Both are fairly standard classic colors so I suspect they can be easily duped however I’m always on the hunt for a classic sheer white that isn’t too sheer and that also isn’t too opaque. White Snow is pretty darn good if you don’t mind layering more than 2 coats. Resurrection is nice but not a must – especially if you already own a lot of pale pink cream colors.

You can find Marc Jacobs Beauty Nail Lacquers online and in store at Sephora. Also online at Marc Jacobs Beauty. Have you tried any of their nail polishes before? If so what are your favorites? A few of mine include Daisy, Wine-Not and Petra.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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The Makeup Show LA March 2016 Event Recap + Haul

March 24, 2016

I attended The Makeup Show LA last weekend and it was one of the best makeup events I’ve attended. This year they had over 150 brands at the show – I love events like these that support beauty professionals in so many aspects. If are able to attend one I highly recommend you do. In recent years they’ve expanded their stops to some additional cities with pop-ups. Full calendar and list of upcoming shows on their website The Makeup Show. This was my second year attending although they’ve been making an appearance in LA for ten years now.
Urban Decay Cosmetics made an appearance this year with their full line available (items were offered at a 30% pro discount). Most of the brands offered generous discounts during the show for professionals to stock their makeup kits or explore new launches (some like Kevyn Aucoin offered discounts of 40% off). In the excitement of being able to swatch and play with so many things I neglected to take as many photos of the show as I had hoped, but here are a few I hope you will enjoy.

In the morning I attended the Press Preview where The Makeup Show Director of Artist Relations and Education James Vincent gave us an overview of show highlights, new product launches along with some inspirational thoughts about the business of beauty, building your own brand and the importance of knowing how to merging art and commerce.

A look at some of the booths, first is Kevyn Aucoin. They had the new Featherlight Collection for spring available along with the full line of makeup and brushes. I had their Sensual Skin foundation on my wishlist to try out but did not want to wait to get matched at the show.

Inglot booth:

Sephora Collection booth was very busy with lots to explore, pro discount offered at the show was 30% off so I picked up another of my favorite foundation brush and a few of the matte lip products:

Scott Barnes was showcasing their new Multi Media Liquid makeup, based on the raves from several of you, I did get a color match and picked up the shade Creme Fraiche. I haven’t tested it yet, but will have to see in natural light if the match was indeed correct. They also had mini Body Blings which I wish I had picked up one to try out, but since I don’t usually use body shimmers, it’s probably not a huge miss.

I’ve been a huge fan of the MustaeV Lustrous Cream Base and Skinny Tint Foundation. They are expanding their color selection for the foundation since it only comes in three colors right now.  I was hoping they would have the new shades available at the show, but they won’t be launched for a few more months. If you’d like a review now of what I do have – let me know in the comments.

Nigel’s Beauty Emporium is a beauty supply store – at the show they had some of the best values and discounts. I stocked up on beautyblenders last year and did again. They had a Beautyblender Propack of 6 pink (or white) beautyblenders + the solid cleanser for $64 at the show (listed price on their website is $80). Individual blenders were on discount for $16 each. They also had a large number of mixed sets. If you’re in the LA area they have a store in West Hollywood and carry a wide range of brands like Anastasia, Ben Nye, Artis, Becca, Black Up, Make Up For Ever etc.

 

NARS also had their own booth with the full line. The Laguna Tahiti Collection was available for purchase at the show so I picked up several of the new items as they were available at a pro discount (I can’t locate my receipt at the moment but it was either 30 or 40%).

Kat Von D Beauty had amazing bundles at discounted prices on their Shade + Light collection, but the line was insanely long, I took a few photos from outside the line area:

Viseart has three new eyeshadow palettes launching exclusively at MUSE Beauty Pro at the end of the month called Theory Palettes ($45 each). I was hoping they would have these available for purchase at the show, but they only had the testers to play with. The texture and pigment is amazing. You can pre-order them from their website now (estimated ship date is end of March). MUSE Beauty Pro has the exclusive for 3 months on these palettes. I’ve never tried any of the Viseart palettes before – the pro discount at the show was 30% off so I was thrilled to buy my first two last weekend.

Beautylish had some of the Natasha Denona items on display. I was hoping they would have the entire line available to play with like they did at IMATS Los Angeles, however the selection was a bit more limited this round. A look at all the Natasha Denona Blush Duos.

For those curious about what I hauled, here is the loot. I did haul more than I had planned – some of the 30% to 40% off discounts were just too good to pass!

Items shown above listed below, items purchased by me except for a few press samples noted:
I’ll be reviewing items as I work my way through testing them. I did pre-order the new Viseart Palettes at the show and will be swatching as soon as they arrive (estimated ship date is 3/30). I’m always looking to try new brush cleansers so I’m excited to try some of the ones I picked up at the show – I know many of you love baby shampoo, I used to use it, but I feel like these days it just leaves a film on my brushes that I cannot rinse off properly. 

Did you visit The Makeup Show LA last weekend? Or do you have plans to attend on in another city later this year?
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MAC So Select Matte Lipstick

March 18, 2016

I’ve been a long-time fan of MAC lipsticks – I still remember the first ones I bought when I was in high school. I had saved up for what seemed like forever to buy a few including Pink Glaze, Wuss and “O” (two of which I think are discontinued now). Many of the formulas are drying for my lips but the colors are so good I just can’t ever resist them. MAC just launched a new program called MAC Select which is exclusive to maccosmetics.com and MAC owned/operated stores. It’s a loyalty program where you receive a unique member ID number that allows you access to certain exclusives, early access and more options for tracking your Back to MAC items. All the details on the program tiers here and FAQs answered here – you can register online (that’s how I signed up) or in MAC stores. To celebrate this launch MAC released a new matte lipstick called So Select ($17 for 3g) which is described as a dirty rose. You have to be a member to be able to purchase it. I have a love/hate relationship with some of the MAC neutrals. Some look so so good swatched on the hand but then on my lips the color looks like death (ie Twig, Spirit, Whirl). Still there are tons of neutral options in almost every imaginable undertone so you’re bound to find one that works.

So Select is indeed a dirty rose color. It’s a neutral that has a slightly deep undertone. It’s exactly what I hoped Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita would look like on me (which is a bit too dark for my personal taste). I’ve pulled a few other shades to compare it to for reference since with MAC neutrals on a computer screen and also in person, sometimes they can all look the same in the tubes. I’ve found myself really loving So Select – it’s got some brown undertones but not too much that it looks like death, there’s enough rose and pink that gives it a bit of life. A few more shots of the color in different lighting.

Swatch comparisons to a few other MAC Lipsticks (l to r) Mehr, So Select, Velvet Teddy, Cosmo and Brave, also Kat Von D Lolita shown next to it for reference:

I didn’t reswatch KVD Lolita but you can see it lip swatched in this post here, the other MAC lipsticks shown above lip-swatched below:

I’m thrilled So Select is a neutral rose-pink-brown that works for my complexion. It’s dark enough on my skin that it’s not quite neutral, but it’s still light enough in color that it doesn’t look too vampy on my lips. As with other MAC Mattes, it has full coverage. If my lips are on the dry side, I do like to prep the lips with the MAC Prep + Prime first.
The MAC Select Program applies online and also in MAC stores but I haven’t checked to see if they carry this one (I usually buy MAC products online directly from their website or shop in store at Nordstrom) – if you’ve spotted this in store let me know in the comments.

Bottom line thumbs up! Have you tried this shade yet? What did you think?
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