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MAC Huggable Glass

January 11, 2016

I picked up a few of the MAC Huggable Glasses ($20 each) last month from my local Nordstrom. I’ve been a fan of the Huggable Lipsticks (I’m glad that MAC brought these back) so I was excited to learn that they were releasing a lipgloss formula. I swatched them all on my hand in store, but I rarely ever put testers on my lips for sanitary reasons. They seemed semi-sheer to medium in coverage and several of the colors looked really similar but was told that they are limited-edition so I picked up one of each of the neutrals. After playing with these at home, I’m really smitten with the formula. If you’re one who thinks the regular Lipglasses are a bit too sticky (I personally don’t mind them), well the Huggable Glass is a lot more smooth in texture. They glide on the lips and feel weightless but offer a nice wash of color to the lips. There is the signature MAC vanilla scent to these which I really love. Coverage is sheer to medium. You can swipe it for a bit more coverage, but overall I will say these are on the sheerer side. You can layer them over lipsticks for added shine or depth. Lasting power isn’t quite as long as the regular lipglasses but I still found they lasted a decent amount of time on the lips before fading.

The colors I picked out include the neutrals, from top to bottom (all creams, no shimmer):

  • Pleasure First is a sheer pinky beige
  • Sweet Persuasion is a medium mauve pink
  • Kind Kiss is a sheer light peach
  • Keep it Light is a neutral cool beige
  • Cool Cutie is a peachy coral
  • Such a Sweetheart is a brighter peachy pink

These come with a flat tipped sponge applicator which is easy to use:

Swatches of all the colors below:

On the lips, many of them ended up looking the same. Out of the first four colors, I could have skipped Kind Kiss and Keep it Light, both of which are pretty sheer and almost non-existent on my lips. Sweet Persuasion has the best coverage and pigment on me even though it’s very natural. Pleasure First looks similar but is slightly lighter and makes for a good nude gloss.

For the last two, I found Cool Cutie and Such a Sweetheart also similar. Such a Sweetheart is brighter, more pigmented and pulls more pinkish on me, while Cool Cutie slightly sheerer and warmer.
Your mileage may vary depending on your natural lip tone. These do offer some coverage but as you can see most are sheer to sheer-medium in coverage.

I’m overall pleased with the texture and feel of these. I could have skipped a few of the sheerer ones (Kind Kiss, Keep it Light and possible Cool Cutie). There were a couple of gorgeous milky pink ones but they settled into the fine lines on the back of my hand and looked a bit streaky I thought there would be a good chance they would look streaky on my lips as well so I passed. At the counter some of the brighter colors caught my eye but they were very cool-toned which doesn’t always work on my olive skin.

My top two favorites are Sweet Persuasion and Such a Sweetheart. The others are nice, but given the sheerness and similarity not must-haves although I suspect they will be really good layering colors if you’re the type who likes to line and fill with a neutral lipliner and then top with a sheer gloss (my favorite neutral lipliners in this post here).

Have you checked out the MAC Huggable Glass yet? If so which colors? You can find these for $20 each at all MAC stores and counters now. I believe they are limited-edition. Online at Nordstrom, Macy’s and MAC.
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Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Lip Balms in Pink, Coral and Lilac

January 8, 2016

This spring Dior has launched a new shade of their Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Lip Balm in Lilac ($33, limited-edition). These are balms that have a transparent quality and a slight tint but once applied on the lips, the formula reacts to your lip chemistry to create a glow that is unique to you. Many of these transforming lip glow products tend to turn fuchsia on my lips. The original Pink 001 color is one of those – it turns into a lovely flushed pink within a few minutes but as time goes on it turns into a bright pink that stains my lips with an un-natural pink. I personally love the formula, texture and feel, but Coral 002 reacts better with my body chemistry (or face chemistry) to give a better natural glow. Lilac 005 is the latest addition for spring and it’s absolutely perfect. It applies like a flushed soft pink that has slight cool undertones.

These will look different on everyone, but I thought I’d share swatches anyways since many of you have been curious about the new Lilac shade. Below is a look at the three lip glows, Pink 001, Coral 004 and Lilac 005. All three have the same smooth balmy feel. They are unscented and glide on the lips with a moisturizing glossy feel. The finish is semi-thick, not as thick or balmy as the Creme de Rose Lip Balm (reviewed here), but just as moisturizing in my experience.

A quick note on the pink one – I don’t recommend you expose it to direct sunlight for extended periods of time. The direct sun will fade the color and remove any color transforming properties. I had to cut off the tip that was exposed because after a few minutes of being in the sun it turned clear. The other two colors seem unaffected by direct sunlight.

Below, a look at the labels/colors. I’m sure there were Lip Glows in 002 and 003 released in previous seasons, but they were never on my radar, so I’m not sure what colors they were:

Another look at the balm colors:

Swatched on my lips, along with a shot of my bare lips. All the Lip Glows were photographed after having been applied for at least 5 minutes to make sure the color transformed. Do note these will look different on everyone because they are designed to react to your own body chemistry. On one of my friends who has the same skintone as me (just slightly more pink) the Coral turns more of a bright pinky peachy on her, while on me it’s distinctly coral. I didn’t swatch on the arms because they pretty much look clear on the arm.

On the nails, Louboutin Miss Loubi

Dior Addict Lip Glow Coral had been my favorite one for the color until Lilac arrived. In terms of pink transforming lip tints, the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Pink 3 and IPKN Twinkle Lips in Pink Glow far surpass the Dior Addict Lip Glow in Pink in my experience – both transform my lips into a really pretty natural pink glow without making them look fuschia or stained. Also both have a thinner finish that is more weightless while the Dior is more hydrating/thicker.
I highly recommend you check out the new Lilac Lip Glow – it’s limited-edition and so pretty. It’s such a lovely way to add a natural tint of color to the lips.
You can find the Dior Addict Lip Glow in Pink and Coral at all Dior counters. The Lilac is listed as limited-edition for now, but in past seasons the Coral shade was a limited-edition color that sold out almost instantly and after a while they brought it back. With the whole limited-edition factor, sometimes you just never really know how long something will be around. Some items have received such a positive response brands have brought items back. In this situation I’d recommend you buy sooner than later just in case. It’s that good I think it’s a must-have.
The Dior Addict Lip Glow in Lilac should be available at most counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Dior.com.
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Too Faced Melted Chocolate Liquified Lipsticks

January 6, 2016

For spring Too Faced launched six new Liquified Lipsticks called Melted Chocolate ($21 each for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz). The colors are all chocolate-inspired and best of all have the most amazing chocolate scent. There are two different formulas/finishes: there are full coverage creams with no shimmer called “long wear” and then there are the shimmery ones called “metallic.” The creams are pretty consistent to the regular Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks in terms of pigment, coverage and finish – they are super rich and smooth and cover the lips entirely like lipstick but with a liquid texture. The metallics in the collection have a different finish compared to the Melted Metal formula. I prefer the ones in the chocolate range because they have a sheerer glossier smoother finish while the Melted Metal ones are very metallic and frosty.

I ordered mine sight unseen, after falling in love with Melted Nude, I decided to give these a chance based on the names and packaging. The colors in the Melted Chocolate range include:

  • Chocolate Honey is a warm neutral beige honey tan cream
  • Metallic Chocolate Diamonds is a sheer glossy beige nude taupe base that’s loaded with chunks of silver micro sparkles
  • Chocolate Milkshake is a creamy peachy nude with full coverage
  • Metallic Candy Bar is a smooth neutral brown shimmer that is sheer-to medium in coverage
  • Metallic Frozen Hot Chocolate is an interesting mauve shimmer, texture is smooth with sheer to medium glossy coverage
  • Chocolate Cherries is a super dark vampy black cherry cream
The creams all performed really well. They offer full creamy coverage with a nice feel. They stay creamy on the lips with a slight sheen and didn’t dry out my lips. The darkest color Chocolate Cherries is too dark for my comfort although if you like a good vamp this is a nice one that is super saturated and smooth in coverage. I asked my husband what he thought and the words that flew out of his mouth were, “wow that looks absolutely horrible, you look like Halloween.” The metallics are hit or miss as well. I wish Metallic Chocolate Diamonds looked just like the color on the packaging because I think it would have made an amazing nude taupe shimmer. The color in this one is loaded with micro sparkles, although it did feel smooth and wasn’t gritty – it just looked like I dipped my mouth into sugar with the chunks of sparkle. It was hard to capture on camera (I think it looks better in photographs than in real life).

For those new to this formula, these come in a squeeze tube with sponge tip applicators. Simply squeeze the tube to dispense product through the sponge and swipe on the lips. Once you apply them, the color will saturate the whole tip.

Lip swatches below, all done on bare lips. For reference I’m wearing a mix of NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland and St. Moritz mixed together with the Powder Foundation in Punjab layered on top.
Two comparison swatch sets:

NARS Lip Gloss in Supervixen (swatch here and here)
Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II and Lolita (review here)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect (swatched here and here)
NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls (swatched here)

Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes in Mahogany and J’Adore (lip swatch here)
Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss in Distinction (swatched here)
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Voodoo Spice (swatched here)

One last shot:

Overall for me, 4 out of 6 are hits. I’m really smitten with the Metallic Candy Bar and Metallic Frozen Hot Chocolate as wearable browns for me. Often times I can’t pull of brownish colors in lips because then end up looking like death. These have enough color that the aren’t too brown. They are sheerer than the others so if you want something full coverage you will have to layer. Overall lasting power is average for a lipstick. They stay put pretty well although if you take sips from a cup or eat a snack, it will disrupt the color.

I think these are definitely worth a look. I’m a sucker for a good nude and both the Chocolate Honey and Milkshake ones are fun for the name and color.

You can find these now at Sephora and Too Faced. These retail for $21 each.
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Happy New Year!

January 1, 2016

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2016 and I am looking forward to what the new year will bring. I am so incredibly grateful for so many things that happened in 2015. Thank you to each and every one of you, especially those who take the time to comment on my posts, Instagram feed, Twitter and Facebook page every week. Your support means so much – I am grateful more than I could express to you in words.

Looking back on the past twelve months, the highlight of the year was taking a month to travel through Europe. My husband and I have either been in school or working nonstop the entire time we’ve known each other since we met in college so being able to getaway from everything and take some time for ourselves to explore other parts of the world was the best thing we’ve done together. Thank you for following along with me on my travels – I was beyond thrilled for all the e-mail recommendations! (In case you missed them, posts here on Paris, Paris Beauty Shopping, Italy, Greece + Turkey and surviving with carry-ons only.) I hope I will be able to travel more in the upcoming year.

Thank you so much for following along with me as I share what I discover in beauty. I wish you all the best and a Happy New Year!

xoxo

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Best in Beauty 2015: The Beauty Look Book Favorites for Hands and Nails

December 31, 2015

Hands and nails get their own favorites category this year. There were a lot of really good colors launched this year – unfortunately quite a few were limited-edition. My top picks for hand creams, treatments, polishes and other basics. Previous reviews linked for reference:
  1. Marc Jacobs Hi-Shine Enamored Nail Lacquer in Daisy – this is one I’ve owned for a couple years but everytime I wear it I always get asked “what’s on your nails?” it’s the prettiest soft pearly color that makes the hands look polished
  2. Chanel Le Vernis in Beige Rose – best baby pink cream nail color
  3. Dior Vernis in Lady – so sad this was limited-edition, the prettiest powder pink, I wish I bought a backup bottle
  4. Dior Vernis in Sunkissed – also limited-edition but still available at Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue, the best nude peach cream
  5. Tom Ford Sugar Dune – this was a limited-edition color from spring 2014 but made a comeback this year and was added to the permanent lineup, it’s the closest one to Dior Lady and such a polished beauty
  6. Louboutin Scarabée Nail Polish Collection – the three had to be the prettiest nail colors launched this past year, I was happy to get them before they sold out, looking forward to what they will release this upcoming year
  7. Rescue Beauty Lounge everything, in particular the R29 Collection – RIP RBL, you were one of my favorite nail polish lines, I was very sad to see the line go, but their polishes will always have a very special place in my heart
  8. L’Occitane x Pierre Hermé Hand Creams – L’Occitane launched such an amazing with their holiday collection this year, I fell in love with everything in the Pierre Hermé line and am embarrassed to admit how many shower gels and hand creams I stocked up on because they are limited-edition, right now you can still find Miel Mandarine and Pamplemousse Rhubarbe online but I don’t suspect they will be available for long
  9. Deborah Lippmann Cuticle Remover and Cuticle Oil – both of these remain at the top of my list for DIY nail essentials, I use them weekly and had to replace both because I use them so often
  10. Molton Brown Hand Cream in Pink Pepperpod – the most unique refreshing scent I’ve tried
  11. Tweezerman Pushy Cuticle Pusher – still the best one I’ve tried, although if you have any good ones to recommend I’m all ears
  12. Chanel Chataigne – from the fall collection earlier this year, initially I thought it was so similar to other vamps but it grew on me, best vampy shade launched this year
  13. Chanel Top Coat Lamé Rouge Noir – prettiest gold glitter top coat launched this year, I hope you were able to get one! It’s limited-edition
  14. Marc Jacobs Hi Shine Enamored Nail Lacquer in Wine Not – best metallic wine color released this year, it sold out almost instantly but was restocked online at Marc Jacobs Beauty, if you haven’t tried it you need to
  15. Nails Inc. 45 Second Top Coat – I don’t think I reviewed this in detail although I did mention it in this post here, one of the best top coats I tried this year and doesn’t cause shrinkage with other nail polish brands
  16. Formula X Nail Cleaner and Base Coat – I’ve found the Nail Cleaner to be a game changer, having a completely clean nail surface makes all the difference in helping polish adhere to the nails, the Base Coat has been a staple all year long, it’s what I’ve used the most and I can’t recommend it enough
Nail polish and hand cream fanatics – what were your favorites this year?

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MAC x Ellie Goulding Cremesheen Lipstick and Plushglass Swatch Comparisons

December 21, 2015

Above, left to right: Without Your Love, Only You, Explosion and Goodness Gracious

Here are some swatch comparisons for the MAC x Ellie Goulding lip items. For the Cremesheen Lipsticks in Without Your Love and Only You, I picked out some I thought could be similar:

MAC Huggable Lipstick in Touché (swatched on lips here)
MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup
MAC x Ellie Goulding Lipsticks in Without Your Love
and Only You (lip swatches here)
MAC Lipstick in Cosmo
Burberry Kisses Lipstick in Nude Pink (on the lips here)
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Guilty Angel (reviewed here)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect (lip swatches here)

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For the Plushglasses, in case you can’t do tingly plumping lip products, a few alternatives below. The Buxom Lip Polishes are tingly/plumping but not as strong as the MAC Plushglass.

MAC x Ellie Goulding Plushglass in Explosion (on lips here)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Ibiza Nights (swatched here)
NARS Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday
Burberry Kisses Lip Gloss in Pale Nude (lip swatched here)
MAC Mineralize Lipglass in Sheer Coincidence
MAC Mineralize Lipglass in Lovingly Yours
MAC x Ellie Goulding Plushglass in Goodness Gracious (swatched here)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Sweet Stiletto (swatched here)
Chanel Glossimer in Giggle
Buxom Lip Polish in Dolly (on the lips here)

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Even though I suspect MAC Without Your Love and Only You are both similar to other colors, I’ve deemed them both must-haves. They are light neutrals that are flawless and just work. Both are limited-edition and retail for $18 each. I bought mine at Nordstrom.
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MAC x Ellie Goulding Collection – Holiday 2015

December 21, 2015
MAC x Ellie Goulding
The Ellie Goulding for MAC Collaboration is something I’ve been eagerly anticipating for months ever since sneak peek photos surfaced. I ordered almost everything sight unseen from Nordstrom thanks to the great swatches and reviews from other bloggers and am beyond thrilled with all the colors. They are perfectly natural and glowy without being too light or sheer – the Cremesheen Lipsticks in Only You and Without Your Love are the kind of colors I want to wear everyday. I was worried they might be too pale (like Creme Cup) but they are surprisingly wearable on my super pigmented lips. All the items are limited-edition so I suggest ordering soon if you’re interested. I picked up all the new color items and Revved Patentpolish (repromoted color that I didn’t have). I skipped Innocent Patentpolish since I already have it (and find it too pale, swatched here).

What I hauled:

Up first are the lips. Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Revved is a sheer peachy pink with a tiny bit of shimmer. It has a glossy finish. On me it’s very peachy, if you want something similar but more pink, try Kittenish (it’s a lovely pink).

I think the highlight of the collection are the two Cremesheen Lipsticks. Without Your Love is a lighter neutral pink (what I wanted Tom Ford Blushed Nude and MAC Creme Cup to be). It’s surprisingly wearable even though it’s on the lighter side. It’s super creamy and feels moisturizing but MAC lipsticks tend to dry my lips. I’ve found adding a bit of balm underneath or primer helps. I’m still obsessed with the MAC Prep + Prime Lips – if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you do. Only You is deeper and warmer but still neutral. I do think they are different enough to justify both, I can’t pick one favorite over the other.

The Plushglasses are both semi-sheer on the lips.  They have a plumping ingredient that makes the lips tingle. Fortunately they don’t cause an allergic reaction on my lips (they are super sensitive) but I’m not a fan of the numbing sensation they give. I swatched a number of comparisons and alternatives which I’ll have uploaded later this afternoon in case you have sensitive lips and can’t wear them. Given the sheerness I think I could have passed on both of these.

MAC x Ellie Goulding

The Halcyon Days and Halcyon Nights Face Kits are very glowy neutrals. They are double-tiered compacts and the top portion slides out to reveal a face product underneath. There is a decent amount of product in each of the compacts – I would have liked to see the top tier flip up and a pan of product that spans the entire size of the compact in the bottom simply because it would be easier to dip a brush inside.

Halcyon Days is a face kit with a Blot Powder and four Cream Color Bases in Wish I Stayed, Tint, Every Time You Go and Root. I have and adore Tint and Root as creamy cheek bases to layer powder blush on top of. The other two shades are new and pretty on the cheeks. I find them too emollient for the eyes although they can work if you layer powder shadows on top.

Halcyon Nights has a Cream Color Base called This Love which looks bronze but goes on a champagne shimmer on me. There are four eyeshadows called Starry Eyed, You My Everything, Saddle and Hanging On. The four eye shades create the perfect glowy warm eye look.

I’ll Hold My Breath Bronzer Blush Duo is a lovely duo that adds warmth and life to the face naturally. The bronzer is slightly shimmer for a very natural warm glow. The blush is a coral pink that has a slight sheen but looks more satiny. I’ve added swatch comparisons to other colors.

Swatched below:

MAC Bronzer in Refined Golden
MAC Bronzer in Bronze
Chanel Blush in Vibration (reviewed here)
MAC Blush in Fleur Power
MAC Blush in Hipness

Bottom line – the Ellie Goulding for MAC Collection is perfect for the no-makeup makeup look to add a gorgeous natural glow of color to the face. It has a lovely resort feel and I love that everything is slightly warm to give life to the complexion. Highlights for me are the Only You and Without Your Love Cremesheen Lipsticks, I’ll Hold My Breath Duo and Halcyon Nights Palette. The Halcyon Days Palette is nice to have if you like creamy tints (I really like the Cream Color Bases) but the pans are pretty tiny so using a face or cheek brush is going to be hard (I have to use fingers). I could have passed on Revved Up Patentpolish Lip Pencil – it’s pretty and a nice formula, I just prefer the lipsticks. Out of everything I hauled the only two items I am iffy about are the Plushglasses – I just don’t like the way they feel on the lips although the colors are really pretty.
I think MAC is killing it this holiday season. The All I Want Mariah Carey Lipstick and Berry Black Friday Patentpolish are both amazing. I just picked up 6 shades of the new Huggable Lipglass (on the swatching agenda). Also the Faerie Whispers Collection just launched online and the Foiled Shadows are calling my name.

You can find the Ellie Goulding x MAC Collection at all MAC counters now. All items are limited-edition. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s. Did you pick up anything from the collection?

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