M.A.C Pigments – swatches and a review!

Well I’m still sick :(
This is going to be a big post.. with quite a few pictures.. So I hope you enjoy it!

Pigments are highly concentrated loose coloured powders that contain ingredients to help them ‘stick’ to the skin.

They are multipurpose products that can be used in a variety of different ways.
Most commonly they are applied wet or dry as eyeshadows but can be mixed with a mixing medium and applied as a liquid liner or coloured mascara, mixed with lipmix or any lip gloss/balm and applied to the lips, can be applied dry to the cheeks as a blush/highlighter, mixed with strobe cream and applied to the cheeks as a cream blush, mixed with clear nail polish to create new nail colours and the list goes on! 

Pigments are what initially got me interested in MAC, they come in these huge 7.5g jars and are PACKED full of product. The colour is so intense and a little goes a long way. I am a HUGE fan of pigments, they are on the expensive side, but considering that they contain so much product, they are great value for money.

Onto the colours:
Smoke Signal

   
Smoke Signal pigment is a very deep plum burgundy colour. It is a matte pigment which I think is pretty cool. Matte colours are a little harder to use than shimmers though, so keep that in mind before purchasing them. It was released as part of the Smoke Signals Collection in 2007 and is LE, so might be hard to find.

Your Ladyship

Your Ladyship Pigment is a gorgeous creamy white colour with a gold pearl. I only recently bought this off Trademe for $30, it’s a LE colour that was released in the Antiquitease collection in 2007. I’ve used it as a highlight colour on my brow bone almost every single day since I bought it. It is sooooo pretty. If you can find this anywhere, get it.

Swatches, L-R:Smoke Signal and Your Ladyship (hasn’t shown up too well)
 
Melon

Melon is one of my favourite pigments. It is a stunning bright golden peach colour. Looks gorgeous on the eyes, amazing on the cheeks and beautiful on the lips! Suits almost everyone and it’s permanent so it’s not hard to find! :P

Blonde’s Gold

I bought Blonde’s Gold when it was released with the Overrich Collection last year. It’s a MAC Pro colour and is described as a light tan with a white and gold pearl. I really like it and think it’s a great neutral colour to have.

Swatches, L-R: Melon, Blondes Gold

Old Gold

  
This was the first ever pigment I ever bought! I LOVE Old Gold. It is by far my favourite. It is an iridescent gold with green reflects. It is such an amazing colour, you have to see it in person to fully appreciate it. Layered overtop of a black base it goes this brilliant emerald green colour, so gorgeous!

Vintage Gold

 
This is also from the Overrich collection but is a MAC Pro colour. Vintage gold is a tarnished green with a gold pearl. It is soooo pretty. The texture is so smooth and luxurious and it applies like a dream. Really flattering colour on brown eyes.

Swatches, L-R: Old Gold, Vintage Gold

Blue Brown

Blue brown is such a neat colour. I’ve found that if you pack on the pigment when applying this to your eyelids, you get a true representation of the colour, if you use it more sheerly the red really shows through. Applied over a dark base, the blue really shines through and looks gorgeous! You can achieve a lot of different looks with this. It’s a permanent colour so it’s easy to get a hold of which is always a bonus.

Mauvement

Mauvement is this really gorgeous taupe kinda colour with a gold pearl in it. It has a chunky texture which a few people don’t like.. but I think it’s easy to use once you get the hang of how to apply it. It’s a really nice shimmery colour and was also released with the Overrich Collection last year. I think it might be LE, but I’m not sure.

Swatches, L-R: Blue Brown, Mauvement

 
Rose

Rose too is one of the ‘chunky’ pigments, but it’s one of my favourites. It is a rose colour with coppery-gold sparkle and is sooo gorgeous as a lip colour and blush. I also love it on my eyes with melon over top. I think I heard that it’s not safe for the eye area? If that’s the case, it may not be a good idea to use it on your eyes.

Swatch:

I also have three pigment samples of Accent Red, Silver Fog and Dark Soul, if you’d like to see a review of those let me know!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo 

Quick Tips: Foundation!

Here are some quick tips for getting flawless foundation:

• Always prep skin first with a primer. I like Smashbox’s Photo Finish. A primer provides a base for the foundation to stick to and will stop foundation from seeping into pores and lines.
• If you have extremely dry skin, mix a drop of moisturiser in with your foundation.
• When choosing your foundation colour, apply a small amount to your jawline, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then check the colour in natural light. The one that blends into your skin undetectably is the right one!
• Do NOT use a darker foundation to look tanned. If you want to warm up your skin colour, use a bronzer.
• For the best results, use a brush to apply liquid and mineral foundation and use a sponge when applying a cream foundation. Using the right tool makes a huge difference!
• Make sure you brush a little foundation onto your neck so that your makeup doesn’t just stop at your jawline. Not a good look!
• Blend! Always check in the mirror to make sure you don’t have any streaks!
• Foundation doesn’t have to be applied EVERYWHERE. Try and avoid putting it on your eyelids, if they need covering up, use concealer instead.
• Lastly, If your foundation is over a year old, chuck it out. Oxidation causes the shade to darken and it may be harbouring bacteria. Gross!

Remember, foundation should enhance your skin, not cover it up! (That’s what concealer is for ;))

Wanna check out my other tips? Click here for a tip for covering up undereye circles and Click here to get great lashes!

FOTD: Smokey eye!

Smokey eyes and nude lips! (The token porn star look, Lol)
I even curled my hair a little. Needed to try out my new rollers. xD
Anyway, time for the close ups?

  Gosh. I am so terrible at taking close up pics. Oh well.
Onto what I used!

Face:

• MAC Face and Body Foundation in ‘C2’
• Revlon Age Defying Powder in ‘Sand Beige’
• Ben Nye Concealer Palette
• MAC Hello Kitty Blush in ‘Tippy’
• Estee Lauder Brilliant Shimmer All Over Powder in ‘04 After Hours’

Eyes:

• MAC Paintpot in ‘Painterly’
• MAC Eyeshadow in ‘Knight Devine’ all over lid.
• 120 Palette – Shimmery Black on the outer corner and in the crease as well as underneath the eye
• MAC ‘Your Ladyship’ pigment as the highlight
• Shiseido Liquid liner
• Avon Ultra Luxury Eyeliner in ‘Black’

Lips:

• MAC Lipstick in ‘Fleshpot’
• Revlon lip gloss in ‘010 Shine City’

Hope you like it!

oxo

Latest MAC Haul!

Yay! MAC store at chancery is FINALLY a MAC Pro store! :D So exciting! I went in yesterday morning and grabbed a few things I’ve been needing for quite some time.
Honestly, not having a job (apart from the freelance ones now and then) is really hard! My kit needs restocking and I just can’t afford it most of the time :(

BUT ANYWAY, onto what I got yesterday!

First, I got three eyeshadows for my palette! From left to right they are: Satin Taupe, Brown Down and Knight Devine.

And here’s some swatches: (Applied dry without a base, and with the flash on)

Oh man, I am so in love with Satin Taupe and Brown Down. I needed some nice neutral colours and these are GREAT. Recommend them if you don’t already own them. :) Knight Devine is a really nice grey, which I need for an upcoming shoot!

Next I got some Lipmix!

Lipmix is “a highly pigmented opaque cream used to mix and customize lipstick, to create any color, texture or look desired for lipcolour.” This is actually great, I mixed it with some Rose pigment today and I’m so in love with it :P

I also got a new lipstick! Fleshpot!

Yay, this is sooo awesome. It’s a very nude lipstick. Loving it. Another thing I really needed for an upcoming shoot!

And lastly I got two brushes, a 217 and a 224:

How did I ever live without these?? Used the 224 on myself today. I think I’m in love. :P Sooo gorgeous. And I’m sad to say that apart from the little SE brushes in my palette sets, these are the only two MAC brushes I own. xD LOVE THEM.

So yeah, I’m pretty much dying to go back and buy more. Have to wait awhile for lip erase to come out. Which is kind of annoying, but what can ya do? :P

Thanks for viewing!

oxo

FOTD: Natural?

Hey all, whoa, my first ever FOTD :o Might try to do one every now and then, probably weekly!
It’s not a very exciting look, but I was bored and decided to take pics. Ok, I’m not photogenic at all and for some reason my smile always looks fake, but you’ll just have to get used to it! :P
Here’s what I’ve been wearing today :D

Excuse the wrinkles >_>
Products used:
FACE

• MAC Face and Body Foundation in ‘C2’
• Ben Nye Concealer Palette
• Revlon Powder in ‘Sand Beige’
• MAC Hello Kitty Blush in ‘Tippy’
• Thin Lizzy (LOL) in ‘Dark’ for contouring. About the only thing I’ve ever use Thin Lizzy for :P

EYES

• MAC Paintpot in ‘Painterly’ all over eyelid, up to the brow bone
• MAC Intriguing Scarlet Palette (from the Passions of Red collection) - ‘Sweet Joy’ all over lid, ‘Warm Suede’ on the inner and outer corners and in the crease, ‘Real Drama’ in the outer crease and on the lower lash line
• MAC Infatuating Rose Palette (also from the Passions of Red collection) - ‘Satisfy’ as a highlight
• Shiseido Liquid Liner in Black
• Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara

LIPS

• Purple/brownish lipstick (sorry, I don’t know the name, the label came off)
• DB Lipgloss in ‘Watermelon’

As you can see I didn’t fill in my brows, even though they desperately need it. I’m pretty lazy when it comes to doing my own makeup, prefer to do it on other people xD

I should do another review soon…
Thanks for viewing!

oxo

Photoshoots!

I LOVE doing photoshoots and thought some of you might like to see the ones I’ve done so far! Let me know what you think. :)

Thanks for viewing!
oxo