Lani Loves

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Darling Girl Eyeshadows - Fire Faeries, Bronze Dawn, Bubbles, Tapestry of Obscenities, Triple Dog Dare and Jaycee-Boo Who Swatches & Review

Hey guys,

Darling Girl are retiring a bunch of eyeshadows to make way for new colours, so I thought I'd better get my butt into gear and share some of the ones I have before they're no longer available! There are three holiday collections that are being retired with plans for them to return each holiday season, but one collection, One Hit Wonders, is getting the axe permanently so I encourage you to scoot on over and pick up any wishlist items before it's too late! The last day they'll be available is the 31st of January. Some of the shades reviewed below are permanent so I'll not whether they're permanent or retiring with each review.

Darling Girl's eyeshadows come in a few different sizing options: full sizes are packaged in 5g jars with approximately 3/4 tsp of product ($6USD). Petits are packaged in 3g jars with approximately 1/4 tsp of product ($2.50USD). You can also try a sample set, which includes 5 shades of your choosing in baggies, each containing 1/8th tsp for $4USD. I've gone down that route many times as you can get samples of any eyeshadows, Diamond Dusts, Spectral Shifts or loose blushes, excellent if you want a great cross section of colours and formulas to try!

Fire Faeries

Fire Faeries (Permanent) is described as a mid-tone purple with shifts from pinky red to gold. It's sheerer and more purple when applied to bare skin, but once you get it over a sticky base it really coems to life with gorgeous, glowing shimmer. Definitely my kind of purple, I loved matching it with the fuchsia sparks in Bronze Dawn, which you'll see further down the post. I found the texture a little drier than I'm used to from Darling Girl's formula, but it didn't pose any application issues.

Bronze Dawn

Bronze Dawn (permanent) is a rich ruddy mauve with a strong golden bronze shimmer overlay and larger particles of pink sparkle. I know I'm predictable, but I absolutely love this one! How have I overlooked it on the site for so long?! Bronze Dawn knocks it out of the park with strong colour pay off and a smooth texture. It looks a lot more shimmery in the swatch over the sticky base (on the right) but when I patted it on the lower lashline with a flat shader brush and no base, it was still just as shimmery, so definitely pat instead of swipe this one for maximum sparkle.

Bubbles

Bubbles (permanent) is a sheer pinky beige with blue and green colour shifting shimmer and iridescent sparkle. I know I'm repeating the word 'gorgeous' a lot here, but dammit, it is! Works perfectly alone or over an adhesive base; I used it alone on the inner corner in the look below and loved how glowy it still was, even without any kind of base to bolster it. Definitely pick this one up if you've been wanting to play around with some duochromes.

Darling Girl Bubbles, Bronze Dawn & Fire Faeries Eyeshadow Swatches & Review

For this look I used Bronze Dawn on the outer thirds of the lid and along the lower lash line, Fire Faeries on the center of the lid and Bubbles on the inner corner. I also used the LORAC Pro palette for the crease, transition and blending shades, and the lashes are Ardell Wispies.

Tapestry of Obscenities

Tapestry of Obscenities (retiring) is a light golden bronze with multicoloured colour shifting glitter. If you love sparkly neutrals, you need this right now. It's so beautiful and will work for so many skintones and makeup looks. Plus it doesn't need a sticky base to shine!

Here I paired Tapestry of Obscenities with MAC Preening eyeshadow, using Tapestry of Obscenities on the outer half of the lid and lower lashline and Preening on the inner half. I also used the Sleek Storm and LORAC Pro palettes with Ardell 305 lashes.

Triple Dog Dare

Triple Dog Dare (retiring) is a murky green with blue undertones and pretty pink shimmer. In certain lights, the shimmer turns a vibrant emerald green - I can't to wear this all over the lid to make the most of the shift! Like Fire Faeries, I found Triple Dog Dare a little drier in texture, though no less easy to work with. It applies sheerly but evenly on its own (as shown on the lower lashline in the makeup look further down) and really needs a sticky base if you want to get the most out of the pink sheen.

Jaycee-Boo Who

Jaycee-Boo Who (retiring) is a shimmery taupe with gold and silver sheen and pink sparkles. It's not quite as blingy as the macros on the site listing might suggest, but still a beautiful eyeshadow for anyone who likes their neutrals with a heavy dose of shimmer. This applied perfectly with and without a base, the sticky base just emphasising the sparkle.

For this look, I used Jaycee-Boo Who on the centre of the lid, We Were On A Break! on the inner third, Impervious on the outer half, Triple Dog Dare on the lower lashline, Morbid Angel Spectral Shift on the inner corner, Slave For Sensation on the crease and Kilt-y Pleasures to deepen the outer V. The lashes are these ones from Born Pretty Store (use code LR10K31 for 10% off).

Darling Girl Jaycee-Boo Who, Triple Dog Dare eyeshadow swatches & review

Darling Girl products can be found on their website. I highly recommend the Darling Girl Glitter Haven Facebook group for sneak peeks and all the latest news and updates.

Which of these eyeshadows is your favourite?

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Lani

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Provided for review

LUSH Emotional Brilliance - Power Swatches & Review

LUSH Emotional Brilliance is a product that's always caught my eye in store but remained undabbled with until a short time ago, when I attended a LUSH event and was allowed to pick an item of my choosing. At the event we played with the LUSH colour wheel, which involves spinning the wheel and then picking out three colours that stand out to you as soon as the wheel stops spinning, without consciously thinking about your choices. Those three colour picks are supposed to represent three aspects: your strength or weakness, your subconscious and your ambition. I got Fantasy, Power and Ambition, which led me to conclude that I am secretly an evil queen.

via Giphy.com

...And I'm okay with that :D

If you haven't heard of the Emotional Brilliance range, they're a collection of eyeshadows, eyeliners and multi-tasking lip and cheek products, each named for a particular emotion or trait. They're sold in identical 5ml vials, with the eyeshadows and lip/cheek products including a doefoot applicator and the eyeliners having a skinny brush tip. They're all laid out by colour in the store and alphabetically on the NZ website, so there isn't really an easy way to identify which colour might be for this or that function, short of opening each vial or clicking into each product listing on the site. To save you a bit of time, I've collated their uses below:

Lip & cheeks: Ambition, Believe, Bubbly, Charm, Confident, Decisive, Drive, Glamorous, Passionate, Perspective, Power, Strong, Vibrance
Eyeshadow: Focus, Happiness, Lifted, Sophisticated, Wise
Eyeliner: Calm, Control, Dynamic, Fantasy, Feeling Secure, Healthy, In Charge, Independent, Intuitive, Motivation, Quietly Motivated, Success

When it came to choosing one to bring home with me, I decided to opt for Power, a warm gold-shimmered red because I love a multi tasker and let's face it, when red is on the table, I'll always go for it. Because red lipstick is life.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Poweris a rich, warm red with intense golden shimmer and great colour pay off. It's a very emollient formula, which makes it ideal for blending out seamlessly on cheeks, but lets it down when applied to lips, where it slips around and is difficult to even out completely. It's a shame, because the golden glow is absolutely STUNNING! I'll layer this over a lipliner or a similar lipstick next time I wear it because I love the final effect too much to let it go, but I think LUSH need to tweak their formula a little more to find that perfect half way point.

Points for general ease of application though - the doe foot applicator was easy to control for a defined lip shape and can be used to dab the products on cheeks, too. I found a little went a very long way as a blush and that I could blend it out with my fingers without displacing the foundation beneath. A stippling brush works great too.

When I tested Power for wear, it lasted for just under eleven hours on my cheeks and four and a half hours on lips. It was drying towards the end of wear when used as a lipstick, but I didn't experience any issues with feathering - surprising, given the emollience! This has a very faint scent of roses, though a touch greener.

What I liked:

Excellent colour pay off
Blends out beautifully on cheeks
Wears for just under eleven hours on cheeks, four and a half hours on lips
Doesn't feather or migrate on lips

What I didn't like:

Super emollient formula makes it difficult to even out the colour completely on lips
Drying towards the end of wear on lips

Where to buy:

LUSH products can be purchased at LUSH Online (NZ) or you can find your nearest LUSH store using the store locator. International readers can find their local LUSH site here!

Have you tried any of the LUSH Emotional Brilliance products? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.

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Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

MAC Monday: Graphic Garden - Semi-Annual Lipstick Swatches & Review

I've been on a bit of a pale nude lipstick bender recently and Semi-Annual has been one of my favourite finds. It comes from the Summer Crop lip bag in the 2009 Graphic Garden collection, which was a Nordstrom exclusive.

The packaging for this collection is all glossy black and white with the MAC logo repeatedly emblazoned across it.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Semi-Annual is described as a 'soft beige with golden shimmer'. It's a pale beige with subtle warm tones and a Lustre finish. The shimmer isn't obvious, but gives Semi-Annual a full and glossy look. It wears for a little under three and a half hours on me and is not drying.

I'm looking a little 'deer in the headlights' in the picture below, but rest assured, I love this lipstick! I'm so glad I took a chance on this one, as there weren't many swatches around when I stumbled across it on MUABS. What do you think of Semi-Annual?

What I liked:

Smooth, even colour pay off
Non drying
Wears for a bit under three and a half hours

What I didn't like:

Nothing!

Start your hunt here:

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Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy June 2015 I+T Alchemists Subscription Swatches & Review

Next up on my great subscription catch up is Innocent + Twisted Alchemy's June 2015 I+T Alchemists box!

I+T Alchemists is a monthly subscription from one of my favourite indie brands, Innocent + Twisted Alchemy. It comes with three (sometimes more) Innocent + Twisted shades which are exclusive to the subscription (although overstock is occasionally sold in the store for anyone who missed out) and a surprise selection of bonuses from guest indie brands. Whether you're a fan of the brand or just want to try out a bunch of indies, it's a really a fun subscription service which delivers great value and I look forward to it each month!

The sample size (which is what I have) is $12USD per month within the US or $16USD internationally and the Innocent + Twisted Alchemy eyeshadows are packed full in 3g jars. There's also a full size version which is $18USD per month in the US or $22USD internationally. All of those prices include shipping, so it's a pretty sweet deal, particularly when the additional samples are often very generous. Also included this month was a print of the artwork Linda (the owner of Innocent + Twisted Alchemy) did around the same time for one of Aromaleigh's Ephemera boxes, the beautiful mermaid design you can see peeking out from under the products.

The June subscription theme is based an original character Linda created, Ethereal, the goddess of the universe and the label art features different images of her, all gorgeous. Linda's creativity and use of colour in her artwork always blow me away and I love beautiful label art so even though not all of the colours in the June sub were very 'me', I still very much enjoyed the theme.

The Innocent + Twisted formula is one of the best ones around; while some indies apply sheerly alone and really need a sticky base to pop, Innocent + Twisted Alchemy eyeshadows are generally wonderfully pigmented and easy to work with on their own. I do still like to use a sticky base most of the time for maximum sparkle and duochrome action, but it's nice to know that they can be hastily swept on the lids as you're running out the door and they're still going to look good.

A wee note on availability: the I+T Alchemy eyeshadows from this set are all still available on the website, but the Angelic Powder isn't. Dark Heart Designs seems to be AWOL (their website's currently closed and their blog hasn't been updated in yonks) and the Uponaworld eyeshadow is exclusive to this subscription.

Breaking Down

Breaking Down is a medium lavender with blue sheen and gold and green sparkles. The sheen and shimmer to this is amazing and more visible in real life than my pictures would suggest. I noticed quite a bit of fall out with Breaking Down, despite first laying down a sticky base, so be prepared for a few stray sparkles. If you're a purple lover though, I think you'll find it totally worth it.

I've used Breaking Down all over the lid here with another Innocent Twisted shade, Drone, on the lower lashline. I also used Chirp Cosmetics Rainbow Bit on the inner corner and the Chi Chi Extravaganza palette for the crease/transition shades. The lashes are from Born Pretty Store.

Voiceless

Voiceless is described as a 'soft strawberry pink that has a purple sheen and gold and red sparkles'. The purple really only seems to show itself over a sticky base, giving the base colour a magenta cast rather than a contrasting shimmer and I don't see any red sparkles either. For me this is a cool toned, frosted candy pink with gold sparkles. I think it would be lovely as a cheek highlight too!

Here I've used Voiceless all over the lid with the LORAC Nude Skinny palette for the crease and lower lashline colours, Femme Fatale Cake on the inner corner and Born Pretty Store half lashes (use the code LR10K31 for 10% off).

Divine

Divine has been a surprise favourite for me; I don't usually gravitate towards blue tones but Divine has enough green in it to draw me in. It's a dusty teal with purple sheen and sparkles. Just beautiful.

I've used Divine on the inner half of the lid in this look, with Darling Girl Faux Pas on the outer half of the lid/overlapping in the centre and the LORAC Pro palette for the rest. The lashes are Ardell Wispies.

Ethereal's Tears

Ethereal's Tears is a medium blue with blue, silver and purple sparkles. I'm not much for blues but this is lovely. I didn't have issues with fall out with this one, a little surprising given the sparkle!

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy Ethereal's Tears Swatches & Review

For this look I've applied Ethereal's tears to the lower lashline, with Mellow Navy eyeliner on the waterline, Mellow Opium on the lid, Darling Girl If I Only Had A Heart on the inner corner and the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette for the rest. The lashes are Ardell Curvy 411s.

Immortal Glow

I was really excited at the inclusion of an Angelic Powder in this box, which is a highlighter or face powder, a bit like Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders. I'm not sure if Linda is doing these any more as she lost most of her colour recipes in a hard drive crash last year and most of the existing colours were sold off in grab bag sales. There's only one Angelic Powder left on her site, Moonlight Stalker, but I really hope she starts introducing new shades as it's a lovely formula. Immortal Glow is a pale shell pink with subtle sheen and excellent, even colour coverage. I got around eleven hours wear time from Immortal Glow.

I've worn Immortal Glow as a highlighter here, MAC Gingerly blush and the Australis AC On Tour contour palette.

Dark Hearts Designs Bronzer

The Dark Hearts Design Bronzer is the first of the two guest indies in the box and it's rather nice. I'm always a little afraid I'll horribly overdo loose powder bronzers and blushes but this bronzer applies and blends really easily for a natural and subtle effect and lasts all day. I'm not thrilled with the clamshell format, which is constantly threatening to topple itself over, but Dark Hearts Design's website is currently closed, so I can't see whether it's available in a different format.

Dark Hearts Design bronzer with Colourpop Superhock Cheek Prenup, MAC Porcelain Pink Mineralize Skinfinish and the Australis AC On Tour contour palette.

Uponaworld Mermaid Tears

Mermaid Tears is the other guest indie in the June box and it's an exclusive shade - more's the pity as it's gorgeous! It's a sea green with gold sheen and sparkles, which make it look even greener over a sticky base as shown on the right. I'm very interested in trying more from Uponaworld now - here's their website.

For this makeup look I've used Mermaid Tears on the inner half of the lower lashline, Wonderland Beauty Sugar Pop on the inner half of the lid, Notoriously Morbid Sleepy Sands on the outer half of the lid and the LORAC Pro Palette for the rest. The lashes are Ardell Wispies (again!).

If you're keen on trying out the I+T Alchemists subscription, you can sign up here, or check thestore for one month trial subscriptions. I also recommend joining the Innocent + Twisted Atelier Facebook group for sneak peeks and news.

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Lani

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil - Nude Perfection, In With Coral and Pink So Chic Swatches & Review

Lip Pencils have to be one of my favourite beauty trends ever. Super portable lipstick with the precision of a pencil? Yes yes yes! Maybelline have been receiving a lot of praise for their Color Drama pencils for a while now so I was super excited to take them for a spin. I received three shades for consideration: Nude Perfection, In With Coral and Pink So Chic, so a good cross section of the colour range.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Formula overview:
These have a lovely creamy texture which allows them to glide across lips without tugging or pulling. They have excellent colour pay off, delivering fully opaque colour in a single pass. I found two of the three shades here to be mildly drying and wear time averaged around five and a half hours. There was no staining from any of them and they don't settle into lip lines or feather, rather they wear away very evenly, so you're not left with a ring of colour.

These are petite pencils, shorter and chubbier than NARS' Velvet Matte Lip Pencils although they surprisingly contain 0.1g more - 2.4g (NARS) vs Maybelline's 2.5g. You'll need to sharpen them, leading to some inevitable product wastage. I highly recommend chilling them before sharpening, particularly in the heat we're currently having in NZ - I've just tried sharpening them and had two out of three break in the sharpener and create a big smushy mess, so cleaning that up was fun!

Nude Perfection

Nude Perfection is a medium warm brownish nude. This is the kind of nude that should straddle quite a few skin tones nicely in terms of suitability - it's incredibly close to MAC Velvet Teddy (a much closer match than the often cited Wet n Wild Bare It All, so hunt this down if you're after a Velvet Teddy dupe). Nude Perfection wore for four hours on me and was slightly drying.

In With Coral

In With Coralis a light coral with incredible colour pay off. I love this kind of Wham! Pow! coral and I especially appreciate that In With Coral isn't chalky in the slightest, as neon bright lip colours can often be. It wears for four and a half hours and is a little drying toward the end of wear.

Pink So Chic

Pink So Chicis a dark berry pink with fine silver shimmer. This is so gorgeous and begs to be worn in autumn with a snuggly coat and flushed cheeks. Not that I'm a believer in seasonal colour palettes, but when a particular shade gives you outfit inspo, who am I to argue? :D It wears for six and a half hours and is not drying.

What I liked:

Excellent colour pay off
Smooth application
Wear time ranges between four to six and half hours
No feathering or migration

What I didn't like:

In With Coral is minimally drying toward the end of wear
Difficult to sharpen

Where to buy:

Selected pharmacies, supermarkets and department stores, RRP $9.99
Ebay
Amazon

Have you tried Maybelline's Color Drama Lip Pencils? What's your favourite shade? I feel a burning need to collect them all up...

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Lani

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Provided for Review

Weak Nails? Grab This! | Faby Nail Renew Review

Have you guys tried anything by Faby before? I hadn't, but when a press release landed in my inbox touting the hydrating and healing properties of Faby Nail Renew, I was intrigued. I've long suffered from weak, peeling nails that snap off easily and as a mum, life often feels like a minefield of things that want to break my nails the second they gain any length. Car seat and stroller buckles, nappy changing, helping my wee ones to put on their shoes (don't even get me started on housework) - they're all collaborators in a grand scheme to MURDER. MY. NAILS.

I have been using OPI Nail Envy and taking magnesium supplements for a few years to combat this. The problem with this is that the effects of each product only last as long as you remember to use them and as a naturally forgetful person, I kept finding myself forgetting my supplements and base coat for a week at a time and just like that, my nails - quite literally - would go to pieces again.

According to Faby, Nail Renew is 'formulated with Hexanal, a powerful technological agent that regenerates nail structure and works with the Keratin-like peptides that bind to the natural keratin of nails to prevent them from future breakage. Argan and baobab oils nourish the nail bed while Vitamin-E with Violet Extract are included for their anti-oxidizing and hydrating properties.' You'll be pleased to hear that Faby is also cruelty free and 5-free (that's dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and camphor.)

Handily, I'd forgotten to use my supplements or Nail Envy for the last few months of 2015, so when Faby Nail Renew arrived I had a blank slate to really put it to the test. For the first month I applied Nail Renew twice a day and after that, once or twice a week and as a base coat for manicures as per Faby's instructions. It goes on a translucent off white with a finish that's between a satin and a gloss - quite natural looking, and comes in a 15ml bottle with a medium flat brush.

And these are the results (bare nails pictured)! You can probably see from my middle nail that there are marks from the usual amount of rough treatment, so they're not perfect but what's amazed me is how they just keep withstanding at all. Last week I caught them under a container lid I was putting back in the kitchen cupboard and accidentally wrenched my nails back because I am too uncoordinated for this world. And still they persisted! That definitely would have broken them all before. I filed them down a bit not long after to keep them healthy and have had to file down the nails on my right hand for the first time in a long time as well - usually I only file them to even out the constant breaks but now they're longer than ever!

The hardening effect seems to last even when I'm not wearing Nail Renew, and it really grabs onto nail polish when used as a base coat. Seriously - the only con with this product is that it actually makes nail polish harder to remove because it's clinging on so tight! I've even found that sometimes the base coat is still present on the nail once you get the layer of polish off - I was floored the first time I noticed that! I've never had a base coat adhere so well in many years of nail painting.

I think Faby Nail Renew is well worth checking out if you suffer from perpetually weak nails too! It's a little pricy at $32 but still cheaper than the NZ RRP for my previous favourite, OPI Nail Envy, which is $39.99 (Nail Envy also contains formaldehyde resin).

Faby Nail Renew is available at selected salons nationwide and www.faby.co.nz. For stockist information contact probeauty on 0508 776 232 or visit www.probeauty.co.nz.

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Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy I+T Alchemists Subscription July 2015 Swatches & Review

I'm beginning to make a dent in these subscriptions now! Today I have the July Innocent + Twisted Alchemy sub to show you. I really like how these subscriptions push me out of my comfort zone and get me experimenting again - my Instagram would be awfully boring if it was an endless stream of bronze-gold eyeshadow looks, much as I love those colours! This theme pushed me to try a dark brown smokey eye and I really loved the results so I'll definitely be doing that again.

July's theme is tea parties and I really liked the blurb in the info sheet for this one so I've included it below:

Welcome to my tea party! Come inside and enjoy the aromatic teas. Pick out your favourite tea cups and tea pots. Throw on a giant floppy hat (Okay, maybe not! BUT YOU COULD!) and enjoy the savory delights and decadent desserts.

I love, love, LOVE the lid art for this theme! It's by Betsy Luntao, you can check out her Deviant Art here.

The Innocent + Twisted formula is one of the best ones around; while some indies apply sheerly alone and really need a sticky base to pop, Innocent + Twisted Alchemy eyeshadows are generally wonderfully pigmented and easy to work with on their own. I do still like to use a sticky base most of the time for maximum sparkle and duochrome action (where applicable), but it's nice to know that they can be hastily swept on the lids as you're running out the door and they're still going to look good.

All eyeshadow swatches in this post are done two ways: applied on bare skin on the left hand side and over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, a sticky eyeshadow base which maximises colour intensity and sparkle, on the right. This is so you can see how they perform both ways. I take all of my photos with daylight bulbs for colour accuracy.

Availability: All three Innocent + Twisted Alchemy shades are available on the website, Kae Q are closed indefinitely, the Wonderland Beauty and Kiss My Sass shades are July subscription exclusive shades and no longer available and finally the Chirp Cosmetics eyeshadow is still available in their store.

Teacups & Scones

Teacups & Scones is described as a 'cool-toned golden beige that has purple shimmers and a slight red sheen'. This shade is such a chameleon, I wore it on the lid in the look below thinking the taupeyness would still go with the warm crease colour and boy was I wrong! It pulls a lot cooler next to a true warm tone. I can see the purple shimmer pulling the colour more taupe on the arm swatch but it didn't really translate on the lid, probably because of the tonal clash.

Here I've worn Teacups & Scones all over the lid with the LORAC Nude Skinny palette for the crease and lower lashline colours.

Seeping Petals

Seeping Petals is described as a 'dark bronze with a red sheen'. It's a rich chocolate shimmer with a charcoal base, the red sheen giving it that slightly bronze look. I highly recommend popping this one over a sticky base for the best effect. It's still nicely pigmented alone but you lose some of the intensity.

Shortcake Fantasy

Shortcake Fantasy is described as a 'pale pink that has a white sheen and red shimmers'. The white sheen comes out more strongly as it is blended out - I've worn it on the inner corner in the look below and you can see how much whiter it looks compared to the swatches (which are patted on, not swept as I would generally apply an inner corner colour). Shortcake Fantasy is incredibly glowy and beautiful - not complex, but great shadows don't always have to be!

I've used Seeping Petals all over the lid and over smudged out black liner on the lower lashline, with Shortcake Fantasy on the inner corner. I also used the LORAC Pro palette for the crease & blending shades and these lashes from Born Pretty Store (use code LR10K31 for 10% off).

Chirp Cosmetics Rainbow Bit

Chirp Cosmetics Rainbow Bit is the first of the guest indies in this box, a super opaque white with rainbow sparkles. This was my first time using Chirp Cosmetics and Rainbow Bit leaves a great first impression - it's very soft and velvety and blends out like a dream.

I've used Innocent + Twisted Alchemy Breaking Down all over the lid here with another Innocent Twisted shade, Drone, on the lower lashline. I also used Chirp Cosmetics Rainbow Bit on the inner corner and the Chi Chi Extravaganza palette for the crease/transition shades. The lashes are from Born Pretty Store.

Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics Sugar Pop

Wonderland Beauty Cosmetics Sugar Pop is a cornflower purple with strong blue sheen and it was created exclusively for the July subscription. I found it really easy to work with, just wish blues suited my skintone!

Kae Q Beso Balm - Mamey

Kae Q Beso Balm in the shade Mamey was an inclusion I was excited about, but unfortunately fell pretty flat. When I swatched this I was surprised at how different it was from the website swatch, which was a brighter, pinker and much more opaque coral instead of the semi opaque soft orangey-coral I have. When I went to check out their swatches again while writing this review I found that the Kae Q website is closed until further notice. A little Googling directed me to a Reddit thread full of customers recounting their own experiences with Kae Q products that were wildly different to the colours pictured on the site, became unusable after a few months and formed wax blooms. It's disappointing to see such inconsistency from a brand and I hope that Kae Q will make efforts to do thing differently should they return.

The formula isn't anything to write home about, lasting a mere two hours on my lips during which it was noticeably drying. Great big MEH from me on this one.

Kiss My Sass Circus Treat Lip Tint

You know, I hate to whinge, but I was quite excited about not one but TWO lip products in the July sub - that's my jam! Sadly my Kiss My Sass Lip Tint in the shade Circus Treat (another exclusive shade for this theme) is almost unusable as it does not wind up from the tube. I contacted Linda from Innocent + Twisted Alchemy about it, who in turn contacted the owner of Kiss My Sass and they came back with a suggestion that it may have been incorrectly filled, meaning the product had not reached the bottom of the tube to fit around the twisting component. It was advised that I try to gently melt the product in a bowl of warm water to encourage it to reach the bottom, but after several efforts without any results I gave up on that and have effectively written this Lip Tint off. I used a lip brush to dig out some product to swatch; as you can see it's a very sheer yellowy nude with mostly even colour pay off. I have a couple of Kiss My Sass powder cosmetics that I really love, but I'm not encouraged to try the lip products now.

If you're keen on trying out the I+T Alchemists subscription, you can sign up here, or check the store for one month trial subscriptions. I also recommend joining the Innocent + Twisted Atelier Facebook group for sneak peeks and news.

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Lani

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Purchased with blogger discount

Darling Girl Friends Central Pucker Paints - Unagi and I Know! Swatches & Review

Darling Girl recently added a new collection to their offerings themed around the TV show that everyone knows the theme song for (and good luck getting it out of your head now) - Friends! The collection's called Friends Central and it's packed with eyeshadows, Spectral Shifts, blushes, lip balm, pigment and Pucker Paints. Basically everything your heart could desire! I have the two Pucker Paints to show you today.

Pucker Paints come in a 5ml tube with a regular doefoot applicator and custom artwork adorning the cap or the tube exterior depending on the batch. My tubes are from press packs so they just have the name labels on the caps, but the official ones will have the label art (which can be seen here).

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Formula overview:
Darling Girl Pucker Paints have lovely colour pay off, with a thin, creamy texture - definitely not as watery as Lime Crime Velvetines, nor as viscous and mousse-like as NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams or Australis Velourlips. It's a very easy to control formula which dries down to a matte finish quickly, while still giving you enough time to outline and fill in your lips without it bunching up on itself.

With most shades, I apply two thin layers, concentrating on creating the lip shape and lightly filling in on the first, before completely filling in and evening out on the second. Be sure to leave a couple of minutes between layers - I like to keep my lips parted until the lipstick has fully set because until then, it retains a slight tackiness that will cause it to grab at itself and pull patches of pigment away if allowed to touch (this is pretty common for these types of formulas). If you're not keen on waiting to layer, this formula also works wonderfully with my friend Teigan's application method - dip into the tube, apply to left half of lower lip, dip again, apply to right half of lower lip, etc (check out her blog, Miss T's Makeup).

The Pucker Paints do not cling to the lips or highlight every crevice the way some liquid matte formulas do and they're only minimally drying towards the end of wear. Some can appear chalky upon first application, or the shimmer (where present) can be a bit hidden, in which case lightly rubbing a finger or cotton bud over your lips can remedy that. There's no tackiness at all once dry, just a smooth, powder-soft finish.

The scent for all of the Pucker Paints is being phased from peppermint to buttercream cupcake based on customer feedback (peppermint essential oil can be an irritant for some and just a general deal breaker for others). Being brand new shades, these both have the buttercream cupcake scent.

Unagi

Credit: Giphy.com

Credit: Fyeahfriendsgifs

Darling Girl Friends Central Pucker Paints - Unagi Swatches & Review

Unagi is described as a 'a medium raspberry pink with orange undertones' and it's mentioned that on warmer skintones, it will pull more orange than pink. I have neutral-warm undertones so the orange comes through a lot more strongly on me, creating a beautiful coral shade. It's very well pigmented, applies easily and wears for just under six hours on me and is not drying.

I Know!

Credit: Fyeahfriendsgifs

Darling Girl Friends Central Pucker Paints - I Know! Swatches & Review

I Know! is such an intriguing colour; it's a dark mushroom-taupe shade of brown. Still not sure how I feel about this colour on me but the formula was great - creamy, opaque and non drying. I found wear time a little shorter comparatively to other vampy Darling Girl Pucker Paints, although still respectable at five hours.

What I liked:

Great colour pay off
Easy to apply
Wore between five and six hours
Neither of these were drying

What I didn't like:

Nothing!

Where to buy:

Darling Girl Cosmetics, 5ml for $11.75USD

Are you a big Friends fan? What do you think of these Pucker Paints?

X
Lani

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

Maybelline Colorsensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks - Lust For Blush & Ravishing Rose Swatches & Review

Maybelline NZ have introduced a slew of new releases this month and included among them are the long awaited Creamy Matte lipsticks! I'm a big fan of their smooth, creamy formula, as evidenced by the couple (ahem, seven) shades I already reviewed here, so I'm excited to show you two more PLUS give a bunch away!

There's a shade and finish for all tastes within the Colorsensational lipstick range, from the glossy, colour saturated Vivids to the demure Stripped Nudes, pastel pops of Rebel Bloom and now the Creamy Mattes (and that's not even touching the huge regular range!). To differentiate them from the other collections, the Creamy Mattes have translucent matte brown cases but still keep with the colour matched shade labels, which I always like.

I am curious about whether the Bold Matte range will stick around now that we have the Creamy Mattes too; I'd assumed one or the other would be stocked here, not both, as the products we get here often differ from our international counterparts. But that's just me thinking out loud - on with the review!

Formula overview:
These lipsticks feel very creamy and cushiony gliding on the lips - there's none of that dry, stiff, dragging texture that matte lipsticks are often associated with. The lighter shades can be slightly unforgiving of flaky lips but on the whole they're very easy to work with and they have excellent colour pay off across the board. They have a sweet, lightly honeyed scent.

Lust For Blush

Lust For Blushis a dirty, cool blush pink. My lips weren't in the best shape when I swatched this, so I do apologise for the flakes, but I was impressed with how forgiving Lust For Blush was overall. I'm loving muted, kinda nineties shades like this right now so I'm very happy to add Lust For Blush to my collection! It lasts for around five hours on me and is not drying.

Ravishing Rose

Ravishing Roseis a medium pink with subtle cool tones. It applied smoothly and as with Lust For Blush, it wore for five hours without being drying. This is a beautiful and very wearable pink I can see myself reaching for during the day often, particularly in these warm summer months when all I want to wear are pinks, neutrals and billowing floral maxi dresses. You know, so I can pretend to be a fairy princess :D

What I liked:

Great colour pay off
Smooth, cushiony texture and application
Non drying
Wear time was around five hours

What I didn't like:

Nothing!

Where to buy:

Farmers, The Warehouse, Kmart, selected pharmacies & supermarkets, RRP $19.99 (NZ)
Amazon
Ebay

Giveaway!

Don't forget to check out my review of seven more Creamy Matte lipsticks here!

To celebrate the launch of the new Maybelline Colorsensational Creamy Matte lipsticks, I've teamed up with Maybelline NZ to giveaway two sets of Maybelline lipsticks. Each winner will receive three assorted shades from the Creamy Matte range. New followers are very welcome! Open to NZ only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you tried Maybelline's Creamy Matte lipsticks? Good luck to all who enter the giveaway!

X
Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

MAC Permanent Nude & Neutral Lipstick Swatches & Review Part Two

It's high time I posted the next set of permanent nude/neutral MAC lipstick swatches! If you missed it, you can find my previous post featuring Myth, Honeylove, Patisserie, Hug Me, Faux and Fast Play here.

The neutral/nude category is very subjective (you may consider some of these too rosy or brown for nudes and that's okay! I'm showing you what I would pair with any makeup look as a neutral lip colour). Each shade will of course look different on varying skintones - for reference, I wear NC15 in MAC foundations. I do have a lot of shades to show you (this is part two of at least three posts) so if nothing in this post looks suitable for you, hold tight because there will be more!

Shy Girl

Shy Girl is described as a 'creamy neutral coral beige' and a has a Cremesheen finish. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Shy Girl, sometimes I think it's too orange and other times I think it's perfection! It has semi-opaque colour pay off and a tendency to latch onto any uneven lip texture. Shy Girl lasts for three hours on me and isn't drying.

Modesty

Modesty is described as a 'creamy neutral pink' and has a Cremesheen finish. I'm at a loss as to how I overlooked this one at the MAC counter for so long, it's beautiful! If you like MAC Patisserie but want something a little more opaque I'd definitely recommend Modesty. It has opaque, even colour and wears for four and a half hours without being drying.

Brave

Brave is described as a 'pink-beige white white pearl' and has a Satin finish. The white pearl is very subtle and adds a little nuance rather than any sheen. Brave applied smoothly with great opacity and decent wear time at four and a half hours. It wasn't drying.

Cosmo

Cosmo is described as 'pink coco' and has an Amplified finish. Another one I don't know why I didn't pick up sooner! Cosmo has the full colour and shine typical of the Amplified formula and wears for a very respectable (and non drying) five hours.

Taupe

Taupe is described as a 'muted reddish-taupe brown' and has a Matte finish. Although not new to MAC's permanent range, it was one of the first nineties brown lip colours I tried when the trend really took hold and it's still one of my favourites. It's one of MAC's older matte formulas, so it isn't as creamy as some of the newer colours, although it's not as stiff as the Retro Mattes either. Taupe wore for five hours on me and was noticeably drying.

Whirl

Whirl is described as a 'dirty rose' and has a Matte finish. This is a fairly new addition to the permanent range and it has the creamier formulation and slight sheen of the newer mattes. Whirl is a breeze to apply, has excellent colour pay off and wears for six hours without being drying.

What I liked:

All shades had great (or buildable), even colour pay off
Most shades had smooth, forgiving application and textures
Wear time ranged between three and six hours
Shy Girl, Brave, Modesty, Cosmo and Whirl weren't drying

What I didn't like:

Taupe was noticeably drying
Shy Girl was unforgiving of uneven lip texture

Where to buy (NZ):

M•A•C Britomart, Atrium on Takutai, Auckland.
M•A•C Ponsonby, 130 – 134 Ponsonby Road, Auckland.
M•A•C Westfield St Lukes, 80 St Lukes Rd, Mount Albert.
M•A•C Botany, Fountain Lane North, Botany Town Centre.
Smith & Caughey’s Queen St, 253-261 Queen St, Auckland.
Smith & Caughey’s Newmarket, 225 Broadway, Newmarket.
Farmers Centre Place, Shop 81, 501 Victoria Street, Hamilton.
Kirkcaldie & Stains, 165-177 Lambton Quay, Wellington.
Ballantynes, City Mall, Christchurch.
M•A•C Westfield Riccarton, 113 Riccarton Road, Christchurch.
Arthur Barnett, 285 George St, Dunedin.
Farmers Queensgate, Lower Hutt

Also try:

Which of these is your favourite?

X
Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

MAC Monday: Venomous Villains - Revenge is Sweet and Hot House Lipglass Swatches & Review

Few MAC collections have remained as popular and coveted among MAC addicts as Venomous Villains (2010) with many of the products being unicorns to collectors - elusive, hard to find but beautiful enough to be worth the wait.

The Lipglasses tend to be among the easiest and cheapest items to find, so I thought I'd show you some of them today.

The packaging is obviously the major drawcard for this collection, emblazoned with images of some of Disney's most well known villains. Maleficent was always my favourite! The outer sleeves have sketched illustrations of the characters in the colour of their overall theme and colour coordinated interior packaging. MAC's lipglasses have a small doesfoot applicator which is very easy to use.

MAC Lipglasses have a moderately thick and tacky texture which helps them to have a generally decent wear time - typically I get between three to five hours from them, depending on the colour. If you don't mind the stickiness, they're well worth checking out as there are some beautiful colours in the line up, but I know the texture can definitely be a deal breaker for some. Like most of MAC's lip products, Lipglasses have a vanilla scent and they are typically hydrating.

Hot House

Hot House is a deep raspberry pink with pink pearl. It originally launched in the Strange Hybrid collection in 2007, and I sincerely hope it makes a return some day because it is one of the best MAC lipglasses I have used, perfectly balancing opacity and shimmer with a formula that doesn't feather. It wears for three hours on me and is hydrating. Next time I wear it I'll probably layer it over a coordinating lip pencil to bolster the wear time, but I love that it doesn't need any help in the colour pay off stakes.

Revenge is Sweet

Revenge is Sweet is described as a 'light yellow purple'. It's a warm fuchsia-purple with sheer but even colour pay off and fine, sparse shimmer. It wears for just under three hours and is nicely hydrating. Very fresh and pretty!

What I liked:

Even colour pay off
Hot House is very opaque
Hydrating
Both shades wear for three hours

What I didn't like:

Nothing!

Start your hunt here:

X
Lani

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

L'Oreal New Releases Late 2015 Swatches & Review

Toward the end of last year L’Oréal Paris NZ released a gorgeous selection of products designed to make creating the perfect smokey eye a breeze, and if that wasn't enough, they released some fab new brow products too. Read on to see what tickles your fancy...

False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza Mascara

L'Oreal False Lash Wings Intenza Mascara Review

L'Oreal have a great reputation for their mascaras and it had been ages since I'd tried one so I was pretty excited to take False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza (RRP $25.99NZD) for a whirl.

Straight off the bat this mascara caught my attention with the unique wand, which is wide and flattened with teeth in distinct rows around the surface of the brush - here's a picture of the brush sans mascara from the press release, which shows the shape better.

Image credit: L'Oreal Paris NZ

The flat side of the wand helps to get under the lashes and lift and curl them as you apply it, while depositing product at the base of the lashes to give them a fuller effect. The side of the wand can be further combed through to separate and define the lashes and is also great for applying to your bottom lashes. Here's a before and after of my lashes with this mascara - I did not curl my lashes or use a lash comb for these pictures.

I have naturally straight and short lashes, so there's not a dramatic effect here but I'm still pleased with the amount of definition and curl False Lash Butterfly Wings Intenza delivers. It's a fiber mascara but I did not experience any fall out or irritation from them as I have with other fiber mascaras - they seem to be more evenly distributed in this mascara, anyway. I don't experience any flaking, smudging or transfer with False Lash Butterfly Wings so it's a great big thumbs up from me!

Brow Artist Genius Kit

Honestly, I didn't think anything could tempt me from my love affair with Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, but then along came the L'Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit (RRP $24.99NZD) and rocked my world. While I love the drama and definition of Dipbrow, I do need to use an additional brow gel to tame my often unruly brow hairs and I get frustrated at how quickly the product dries out.

The Brow Artist Genius Kit, however, is a whole new ballgame. It contains a wax and a brow powder in a mirrored compact, complete with a pair of tweezers and an angled brush/spooly combo. To apply you simply dip the angled brush into the wax and run through your brows to create the shape, then do the same with the powder to fill them in. You can run the spooley through to blend the colour and tidy up any stray hairs, although I don't typically find this necessary as the wax has enough hold on its own to lock everything in place. The product will wear until you're ready to take it off, there is no fading or smudging throughout wear.

There are two colour options available: Light to Medium and Medium to Dark. Both work for me although Light to Medium is the better match (I love the added drama of Medium to Dark though!).

Light to Medium

Medium to Dark

Wearing Light To Medium

Smokissime Super Liner

Next up we have the Smokissime Super Liners (RRP $22.99NZD), which are powder eyeliners with a tapered sponge applicator. I think the last time I used a powder liner was in the mid-noughties when Revlon Bedroom Eyes were a thing, and that thing was very messy. But these are an absolute breeze to use; there's no fall out as the powder is compacted inside the cap and the sponge only picks up as much as you need.

You guys probably know by now that prising the liquid eyeliner out of my hands is like pulling the proverbial sword from the stone, so I was a little nervous about trying a smokier look - whether I'd like the finished effect, or whether I'd even be able to apply it evenly! The Smokissime Super Liners virtually do all of the work for you though, with the pointed tip delivering more intense colour close to the lashline and the wider section creating the smokey gradient. My only criticism is that they crease on my admittedly exceptionally oily eyelids, even when I use a primer and eyeshadow first. If you have normal to dry eyelids and don't typically experience creasing, you'll be good as gold.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs. I have two of the three available shades (the third is Brown Smoke) and both of these have smooth and even colour pay off and are easy to smoke out with the applicator. Taupe Smoke is a cool medium-dark taupe with fine silver shimmer and Black Smoke is a medium-intensity black which can be built up.

Taupe Smoke

Taupe Smoke worn along the upper lashline (apologies, it blends in a bit with the grey eyeshadows used!)

Black Smoke

Using Black Smoke along the upper lashline.

L'Oreal is available from Farmers, selected pharmacies and department stores in New Zealand. International readers can find all of these on Ebay

and Amazon.

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to hear your opinions!

X
Lani

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Provided for review

Femme Fatale The Afterlight Gala Collection Swatches & Review

Femme Fatale's first full collection of 2016 is almost here and it's a cornucopia of gorgeous colours to suit everyone's tastes. Seriously - there are a whopping ten shades to choose from! The collection is called The Afterlight Gala and it's inspired by 'daydreams of evening masquerades and moonlit carnivals in rolling fields. Strings of lanterns above masked party-goers in velvet and lace finery; the tinkling of voices and clinking glasses, soft music from carousels, and glass mazes rolling across the fields as dawn creeps across the sky.' As usual, Sophie has interpreted her theme perfectly and the colours and textures certainly evoke a sense of wonder in me.

The polishes all come in Femme Fatale's standard white boxes (which you can see here) and contain 9ml. Prices start from $8.50AUD (plus GST for Australian customers) with a few of the more complex shades being priced a little higher to reflect the cost of ingredients.

Maze of Mirrors

Femme Fatale - Maze of Mirrors, 3 coats + top coat

Maze of Mirrors ($8.50AUD) is a metallic seafoam with strong golden shimmer and multiple sizes of holographic glitter. Although they're not dupes at all, the metallic sparkly base colour paired with the glitter reminds me of Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, so if you like the effect of that polish I think you'll definitely love Maze of Mirrors. It does dry with a little texture, as you might expect from such a glitzy lacquer, so I added top coat for shine.

Sunrise Funfair

Femme Fatale - Sunrise Funfair, 3 coats

Sunrise Funfair ($8.50AUD) is a vibrant pop of colour and perfectly encapsulates a sunrise with gold sheen running through the coral-orange base. It builds up to perfect opacity in three coats but was slightly prone to pulling and creating bald patches if I didn't leave it a couple of minutes between coats. Sunrise Funfair dries nice and glossy on its own. I really this one, as it catches the light it appears a darker orange at the edges, and then other times as a flat neon coral.

Whispers of Velvet

Femme Fatale - Whispers of Velvet, 3 coats + top coat

Whispers of Velvet ($10.50AUD) is the first of three thermals in this collection, a rich magenta which shifts to a grape purple when cold. It's further complimented by contrasting green shimmer that appears pink at extreme angles. The colour change was sensitive and instantaneous, even under my hot studio lights.

Fields of Treasure

Femme Fatale - Fields of Treasure, 3 coats + top coat

Fields of Treasure ($8.50AUD) will have you tilting your nails this way and that pondering - is it a really green yellow, or is it a very yellow green? Oh chartreuse, you wily trickster. Fields of Treasure is fresh and springy with a pretty pinky-violet duochrome and holographic sparkle. I was really pleased with how easy it was to work with for such a light shade, building up to smooth opacity effortlessly in three coats.

Crown of Ribbons

Femme Fatale - Crown of Ribbons, 3 coats

Grab the bath salts, because Crown of Ribbons ($9.50AUD) will have pink lovers swooning over its beauty. It's a saturated bubblegum pink with golden green shimmer and blue to green flakies - basically, hnnngggggh. You stay here and drool, I'll grab the mop.

Crown of Ribbons still had some visible nail line after three coats although it was very faint and not enough to bother me, and the flakies give it very slight texture. I didn't add top coat for this mani but I would for a full mani.

Dripped in Diamonds

Femme Fatale - Dripped in Diamonds, 3 coats (middle & pinky)

Nail Juice - Ariel, 2 coats + Dripped in Diamonds, 2 coats (index)

Kleancolor Black + Dripped in Diamonds, 1 coat (ring)

All top coated

Dripped in Diamonds ($8.50AUD) is a beautiful, delicate glitter polish with fuchsia glass fleck shimmer throughout the base. You'll want to layer this over every polish you own, so to get you started I've shown it over Nail Juice Jasmine (don't the pink and mint go together so well?) and classic black. It's perfectly lovely worn alone too though (especially since my nails are surprisingly and pleasantly stain free currently!).

Glass Carousel

Femme Fatale - Glass Carousel, 3 coats + top coat

Glass Carousel ($8.50AUD) is an ethereal, sheer opalescent polish with holographic and larger gold glitters strewn through it. It's semi-opaque, even and really pretty by itself but will be amazing layered too. Once again, top coat was added for gloss.

A Fortune Teller's Charm

Femme Fatale - A Fortune Teller's Charm, 3 coats + top coat

A Fortune Teller's Charm ($9.50AUD) is easily my favourite polish in this collection and maybe from Femme Fatale. That's a big statement, but I think I'm ready to make that commitment. A Fortune Teller's Charm - will you marry me?

Starting as a soft seafoam greeen, A Fortune Teller's Charm shifts to a vivid turquoise when cold and is speckled with bronze glitter and golden shimmer. The colour change works really well and makes for a perfect gradient.

Lantern Lights

Femme Fatale - Lantern Lights, 3 coats + top coat

Lantern Lights ($9AUD) is a the lovechild of a multichrome flakie and a glitter bomb, and what splendid spawn it is. It's mostly opaque in three coats and very easy to apply; there's no clumping of glitter and it doesn't dry too dull either, although I still chose to add top coat.

Lace Masquerade

Femme Fatale - Lace Masquerade, 4 coats + topcoat

Lace Masquerade ($10AUD) instantly made me think of my friend Dani as soon as I started applying it (check her out on Instagram @delindeldani for lots of cute manis and tramping pics!). It's a sheer nude imbued with a multitude of shimmering golden flecks and holographic sparkle but that's not all - it also shifts to a bright coral when cold! I swatched this at the end of a swatching session when it was hideously muggy, plus my husband and I had both of our computers going and the studio lights on in the office so it was HOT. Lace Masquerade struggled to show much colour change under those conditions, but quickly started to change when I touched cold things, like a drink or frozen bananas (the things I do for blogging!).

One for the the #awkwardnails feed :D

The Femme Fatale Afterlight Gala collection presale will run from March 1st until November 5th on the Femme Fatale Cosmetics website, which ships worldwide. Shades should also be available mid March onwards from their international stockists:

Shiro Cosmetics (USA)
Color4Nails (USA)
Live Love Polish (USA)
Beautometry (USA)
Rainbow Connection (UK) (Use this link to get 10% off your first purchase at Rainbow Connection)
Beauty So Fly (SNG)
Dope Nails (Russia)

What's your favourite polish in this collection?

X
Lani

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

LA Girl Matte Flat Velvet Lipsticks Swatches & Review

A couple of years ago LA Girl blew me away with their Luxury Creme lipsticks (which I don't see talked about nearly enough!) and since then they've been churning out more lipstick formulas in on-trend, edgy colours and textures. I've reviewed many of them (click here to browse the archive) but hadn't yet taken the new Matte Flat Velvet lipsticks for a whirl, so I was thrilled when a rep from the NZ LA Girl distributor got in touch to ask if I'd like to try them. Here for your viewing pleasure are thirteen of the twenty six shades in the line, an excellent cross section of shades to give you a good idea of the formula and colour range. These babies retail for $11.99 here in NZ which is pretty darn good, especially when the quality is on par with far more expensive brands.

The Flat Matte Velvet lipsticks come shrinkwrapped, so there's no fear of discovering your brand new lipstick has already been defiled by another, and the tubes are glossy black with gold lettering. The lid is capped with a small well of product that matches the colour of the lipstick inside. You can pull that little end cap off, with a little effort, to reveal what appears to be a tinted gloss but there's no info on the LA Girl website about what it actually is, so I'm not sure whether it's something that is meant to be used.

I was pleased to see that the shade name is printed on the lower half of the tube this time - if you've tried the Luxury Cremes, you may know that the name/ingredient labels double as the safety seal, and when you open it the shade name remains on the clear lidded cap while the bottom of the tube has nothing to indicate the name of the colour inside (which doesn't sound like a big deal until you have multiple shades of them and manage to mix up the lids!). So it's great to see practical changes being made here.

The lipstick bullets twist up with audible clicking noises, tending to slightly resist the final turn and they are flat top in shape. I found this cut really easy to work with and applied most shades straight from the tube.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs: Carried Away, Snuggle, Sweet Revenge, Frisky, Arm Candy, Bliss, Manic

Relentless, Runway, Dare to Date, Love Triangle, Poetic, Raven

Formula overview:

There's pretty incredible colour pay off across the range here, a few shades are a bit on the patchy side, but largely very impressive. I didn't find this formula drying at all and wear time was typically around five hours with no feathering or migration. The texture is smooth and lightly creamy, they don't tug at the lips at all. They're supposed to have a light vanilla scent, which I can detect, but it's also contrasted with a vaguely Vaseline smell, which isn't truly unpleasant, but still not my favourite.

Carried Away

Carried Away is a very pale, cool toned mod pink. Opacity was great for such a light shade, but it had a slightly grainy appearance and was keen to grab onto and highlight every speck of texture on my lips. You'll want to be armed with a great lip scrub before applying this one. It wore for six hours on me.

Snuggle

Snuggle is a warm rosy brown nude. I really love this one! It applies so smoothly and wears for five and a half hours.

Sweet Revenge

Sweet Revenge is a bright pastel coral with excellent colour pay off. It reminds me quite a lot of MAC Betty Bright from the limited edition Archie's Girls collection a few years back - I'll have to post a comparison when I've reswatched Betty Bright! Sweet Revenge lasted six hours on me.

Frisky

Frisky is a medium coral and another favourite for me. What can I say? Coral gets me every time :D Frisky wore for five and a half hours on me.

Arm Candy

Arm Candy is a heart stoppingly bright neon pink. Once again, amazing colour pay off, this is another stand out shade for me. It wore for five hours on me.

Bliss

Bliss is a lovely fuchsia pink with smooth, opaque coverage. It lasted for five hours on me.

Manic

Manic is a rich plum pink. It's very close to MAC Flat Out Fabulous, just a touch pinker and with more sheen. This one lasted five hours too!

Relentless

Relentless is a universally flattering medium red with even colour pay off and a five and a half hour wear time.

Runway

Runway is a dark burgundy red with mostly opaque colour pay off. It grabbed at uneven texture a bit and as a result it applied with some subtle patchiness, so I'd recommend good lip prep and perhaps a coordinating lip liner when applying. Runway lasted six and a half hours on me.

Dare to Date

Dare To Date is a cheerful vivid lavender. There was some very slight patchiness with this colour too, but it wasn't noticeable from normal viewing distance. I really love shades like this, even if they're not the most flattering on me - they're just so much fun to wear! Dare To Date lasted for five hours.

Love Triangle

Love Triangle is a warm magenta purple reminiscent of MAC Heroine (another one I need to reswatch for comparison purposes!). I again ran into a very small amount of patchiness with this one, which seems to be fairly common with this shade of purple. Love Triangle clocked in an impressive six and a half hour wear time.

Poetic

Poetic is one of the shades that caught my attention straight away; black and purple lipsticks are becoming more and more commonplace in lipstick ranges but greys are still a bit more elusive. Poetic is a cool medium blue-grey with an unfortunately quite uneven application. It did hang on for five hours though.

Raven

Raven is a true black with mostly opaque coverage. There was some patchiness which wasn't nearly as apparent in person as it is in the swatch. It lasted five hours.

What I liked:

Non drying formula
Generally excellent colour pay off
Wear time was between five to six and a half hours

What I didn't like:

Carried Away highlights texture
Some shades were patchy to varying degrees - Dare To Date, Love Triangle, Poetic and Raven

Where to buy:

NZ LA Girl Cosmetics, $11.99NZD
Amazon
Ebay
Selected pharmacies (NZ)

Have you tried these lipsticks? Which colour is your favourite?

X
Lani

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Purchased with blogger discount/Contains affiliate links

Darling Girl Cosmetics - It's Raining Men Collection Swatches & Review

Darling Girl's current limited edition collection, It's Raining Men, is a fun celebration of some of Hollywood's hottest leading men. Each product in this collection is inspired by a different star: Tom Hiddleston, Alexander Skarsgård, Chris Pratt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The collection was due to be pulled from the site on the 29th of February but has been extended for a little while longer so if you like anything, don't waste any time, zip on over to the Darling Girl website to snap it up!

Packaging:

Darling Girl's eyeshadows come in a few different sizing options: full sizes are packaged in 5g jars with approximately 3/4 tsp of product ($6USD). Petits are packaged in 3g jars with approximately 1/4 tsp of product ($2.50USD). For this particular collection the individual colours are only being sold in full size versions, but you can buy a set of Petits ($20USD, or full size, $33USD). Both options include a full size tube of Dance Off, Bro Pucker Paint.
The labels for this collection are hilariously cute, featuring each leading man floating in a cloudy sky filled with raindrops, lipstick kisses and a yellow umbrella.

Swatch notes:

All eyeshadows are swatched over bare skin on the left and over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the right. Pixie Epoxy is a sticky eyeshadow base designed to grab onto and intensify glitter and shimmer, Darling Girl have their own Glitter Glue which is a similar product - I'm just using what I currently have handy! The bronzer and Pucker Paint are applied on bare skin and I photograph everything under daylight bulbs.

Up All Night To Get Loki

Formula overview:

Darling Girl's eyeshadow formula is incredibly consistent. I've never come across a dud in the range (and I've accumulated an embarrassing amount); they are, on the whole, very pigmented and easy to work with. Some shades, especially the more glittery ones perform best over a sticky base but can certainly be used on their own.

I am Lani of New Zealand and I am burdened with glorious eyeshadow. Up All Night To Get Loki is a pale gold with a green shift and gold shimmer. It's beautifully pigmented and makes a great inner corner highlight, the gold being more prominent when worn alone, but the green sheen is more visible over a sticky base. Truly a shade worthy of both our favourite trickster and Tom Hiddleston's mesmerizing snake hips (seriously though, google that clip. Good luck tearing your gaze away).

Climb You Like A Tree

Climb You Like A Tree refers to Alexander Skarsgård's upcoming role in The Legend of Tarzan, which I've just been drooling over the promo pics for. And now I really want to binge watch True Blood! Getting back to the eyeshadow though, it's a medium green with blue tones, strong green sheen and aqua sparkles. I can't wait to use this again for an all green EOTD!

You Make My Dreams Come True

You Make My Dreams Come True is a bright, shimmering turquoise blue with silver and aqua sparkles. It's inspired by the bluebird that appears in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's adorable dance number in the film 500 Days of Summer. Blue lovers need this in their life, it's so vivid, especially over a sticky base but I did experience staining when I swatched it over the sticky base on my arm. I used it alone on the lower lashline on the look below and was still able to build it up nicely. I generally find eyeshadows that stain over a sticky base in arm swatch will still be okay with one on the lid if I first prime and apply a matte cream eyeshadow all over the lid.

Ben-Addicted

Awwwwww yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh.

Ben-Addicted is an interesting product, it's described as a duochrome bronzer which can also be used as a contour powder or an eyeshadow. It has a taupe base and a green to pink shift. I wasn't enamoured with it as a face powder, I found it more stubborn than I would have liked to blend, but it did last all day without fading and as an eyeshadow it's really cool.

I'm wearing Ben-Addicted as a contour here, with Smashbox O-Glow on cheeks, Essence Matte Bronzer and Innocent + Twisted Alchemy Prima Donna Angelic Powder as a highlight.

For this look I've used Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy on the lid but no base on the lower lashline. I'm wearing Ben-Addicted on the outer half of the lid, Climb You Like A Tree on the centre of the lid and inner half of lower lashline, You Make My Dreams Come True on the outer half of the lower lashline and Up All Night To Get Loki on the inner half of the lid and as an inner corner highlight. I've also used Slave For Sensation on the crease. The lashes are Ardell Demi Wispies.

Dance Off, Bro

I've raved about the Pucker Paint formula many, many times before (click to browse the Darling Girl archive), but in a nutshell it's a liquid to matte lipstick formula which is really easy to work with, long wearing and mostly not drying. Dance Off, Bro is a lipstick truly worthy of Chris Pratt's sweet dance moves (and the closest I'm going to get to having him on my mouth), this opaque brick red applies smoothly and evenly and is inspired by Starlord's leather jacket. Pressing your lips lightly together lets the smattering of holo rainbow sparkle peek out and catch the light. Dance Off, Bro wears for six hours without being drying.

I've used a bunch of other Darling Girl products in this look too: Ugly Naked Guy, Kilt-y Pleasures, Here Come The Meat Sweats, She's Your Lobster, Ms Chanandler Bong on eyes, Mermaid's Dream Soft Focus blush and Here Come The Meat Sweats again as a cheek highlight.

Conclusion:

That's right, Johnny Depp, you're still one of my leading men.

Darling Girl products can be found on their website. I highly recommend the Darling Girl Glitter Haven Facebook group for sneak peeks and all the latest news and updates.

Does anything from It's Raining Men tickle your fancy?

X
Lani

Gifs all via giphy.com

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

L'Oreal Infallible Matte FX Swatches & Review

Ever the innovators, L'Oreal have reinvented the wheel with their new Infallible Matte FX powder lipsticks (RRP $23.99). Wait, what - powder lipstick?! Yep, and it's not as crazy or messy as you might think.

The packaging for these is identical in format to the recently launched Smokissime Powder Liners (which I reviewed here), a compacted powder product in the lid with a springloaded, pointed sponge tip applicator. You simply dip the applicator into the lid to pick up product, then apply. The powder isn't loose and it adheres well to the applicator, so there's no mess. If you love the ultra matte lipstick trend but you're so over liquid mattes, read on!

A word on the product name, some of the press material I have calls these Infallible Matte FX, another says Infallible Matte Lip and overseas I think these are called Infallible Matte Max (UK) and in the Philippines, L'Oreal have released an identical product with different colours under the name Tint Caresse.

Formula overview:

L'Oreal have included a great selection of shades here, with something to suit most tastes. One thing to note is that they are all quite warm toned, I would have liked to see a few cool tones thrown in the mix to flatter a wider range of complexions.

The colour pay off is buildable which makes them great for creating an ombre or gradient lip effect and the sponge applicator really assists with that application method. When it comes to applying full colour though, I found it slightly difficult to get the colour opaque toward the edges of my lips - the diffusing effect is a little too helpful there! However it is possible with a few extra dips for more product and the applicator is pointed enough to easily follow the contours of your lip line.

Although these are a powder product, it doesn't feel like you're rubbing a loose pigment on your lips. The product is tightly compacted and there are binding ingredients which give the powder a very lightweight and velvety texture. It's kind of hard to describe! The lipstick adheres well and gives a true flat matte finish.

These promise an ambitious ten hour wear time and you might get that if you're doing the forty hour famine. They wear away evenly and can feel clingy on the lips but not drying. The scent is a nice mix of floral and fruity without being overwhelming.

Silencio

Silenciois a warm nude with semi-opaque coverage; you can see the natural pink of my lips coming through in places so if you have very pigmented lips you may like to conceal them or use a coordinating lip pencil. It wears for four and a half hours on me.

Virgin

Virginis a medium warm pink with mostly opaque colour pay off. I really like this one, it's a soft and pretty shade of pink, especially in the matte formula. It lasted three and a half hours on me.

Oops I Pink It Again

Oops I Pink It Againis a medium-dark warm pink with excellent colour pay off. It's another favourite for me, and not just because of the Britney Spears flashbacks that name induces (how great was her hair in that music video though?). It wore for five hours on me.

Disturbia

Disturbiais a bright orangey-red with good, even opacity. I love how vibrant and summery it is! It lasted three and a half hours on me,

Say My Name

Say My Name is a warm red, darker and redder than Disturbia. If you have issues with regular red lipstick smearing and feathering, Say My Name is an excellent option. It hung around for four hours.

I Gotta Feeling

I Gotta Feeling looks like it's going to be a blue based purple in the packaging, but when applied it is a dark magenta with purple shimmer. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed that it wasn't a true purple! Although it applies evenly, it is one of the sheerer colours in the range. It wore for four and a half hours.

What I liked:

Wear time ranged between three and a half to five hours
Mostly opaque colour pay off
Non drying
Easy to blend out for gradient/ombre effects

What I didn't like:

None of these delivered the promised ten hour wear
Some of them feel clingy

Where to buy:

Farmers & selected department stores (NZ)
Selected pharmacies (NZ)
Amazon
Ebay

Have you tried a powder lipstick before? I wonder if this will be the next big trend!

X
Lani

PS. Sorry for the mixed image quality in this post, the grainier images were taken using my old camera which was having a lot of issues, and the better quality ones are with the replacement camera.

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MAC Monday: Prabal Gurung - Ultramarine Pink and Carmine Rouge Lipstick Swatches & Review

MAC's introduction of designer collaborations over the past couple of years has been a source of mixed feelings for MAC fans. We covet the beautiful packaging and hand picked colours but cringe at the escalated prices these collections often come with. MAC X Prabal Gurung (Holiday 2014) isn't a collection I picked up much from, since the lipsticks had a $30USD price tag on the MAC website and in New Zealand I think the suggested retail price was a whopping $72NZD. But the two lipsticks I did end up with I truly love, so let's take a peek at them today!

The packaging for this collection is every bit as edgy and opulent as Prabal Gurung's designs, all gold with a chain link pattern. The lipstick tubes have a nice heft to them, making them feel more suited to their price tag, but a lot of the weight is in the cap so the illusion is somewhat lost once the lid is removed and the plastic sections revealed. It's these little details that make MAC's forays into the high end price bracket seem a little awkward and fumbling and collections like these more for the devoted collectors. If I'm going to pay top dollar for a lipstick I want it to look and feel its value in every aspect.

Formula overview:

Packaging musings aside, MAC's lipstick formula rarely disappoints and their satin and matte finishes, as featured here, are among their best. Both deliver full colour pay off in a single swipe and have great wear time. MAC lipsticks have a vanilla scent.

Ultramarine Pink

Ultramarine Pink is described as a 'mid-tone dirty violet'. It's a deep plum pink with a satin finish. I thrashed this last summer, it's such a beautiful, rich colour and it has a lot of impact. Stellar application with smooth, even coverage and an impressive six hour wear time. It doesn't feather or dry out my lips, but it is a stainer.

Carmine Rouge

Carmine Rouge is a clean true red with a matte finish. Is it unique? Nah. But MAC do matte reds so well, they don't have to reinvent the wheel for me to enjoy them. Carmine Rouge applies smoothly with excellent colour pay off and it wears for just over seven hour on me. Again, no drying or feathering in sight.

What I liked:

Excellent colour pay off
Non drying formula
No feathering or bleeding

What I didn't like:

Packaging doesn't quite feel up to the hefty price tag

Start your hunt here:

Did you pick up anything from this collection when it was available? What do you think about MAC's designer collaborations? I really wish the Zac Posen collection, which launched at the end of last month, was available at my local counter, the colours look gorgeous.

X
Lani

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Purchased by me/Contains affiliate links

Lime Crime Holiday Velvetines Trio - Buffy, Beet It and Peacock Swatches & Review

I can rarely resist a new release in Lime Crime's Velvetines range, it remains one of my favourite formulas of the multitudes now on the market. So when their Christmas trio of brand new shades came out, I temporarily put aside my low buy and snapped a set up. Lime Crime have since made Buffy and Beet It permanent so if you love them you can still grab them for yourself!

For a spin on the usual red and pink packaging, the holiday trio came in navy blue with cerulean roses. I'm not sure whether Buffy and Beet It are in the same packaging now that they're available alone or whether they're back to the regular version, but both are very pretty!

Velvetines come boxed with labels that match the lipstick colour inside. The tubes are composed of frosted glass and metallic red caps adorned with pink roses. The doefoot applicator inside is small and well shaped to easily outline and fill in the lips.

Swatched on bare skin under daylight bulbs

Velvetines are liquid lipsticks that dry to a flat matte finish. They have a thin, somewhat runny texture but are easy enough to control. If you're not too confident with the doefoot applicator, you may find it easier to use a lip brush (scooping product from the top of the tube or the wand) to outline your lips first and then fill them in with the applicator.
My personal favourite application method is to apply two thin coats, ensuring the first coat has dried completely before beginning the second. I have found that other Velvetine shades can become cakey if you layer them very quickly or if your application is on the thick side, so this method seems to work well for me to prevent this.
As with all matte lipsticks, Velvetines will highlight uneven or flaky lip texture. Hydrated and exfoliated lips are a must for them to look their best. Most of the colours have a sweet vanilla cake scent and I don't usually find them drying, but they can occasionally feel clingy.

Buffy

Buffyis described as a 'buff nude'. This warm dirty brown nude is a quite a unique shade and an interesting meander from my well trodden path of pink or peach based nudes. I kinda love it! It lasted for five hours on me and felt clingy as it wore.

Beet It

Beet Itis described as a 'deep berry pink'. Oh man, I love this colour! It reminds me of MAC Fashion Revival (LE), just a bit darker. Colour pay off was nice and strong, I used two layers for full opacity. Beet It lasted seven hours on me.

Peacock

Peacockis a rich teal blue. It's sheerer than most of the other Velvetines I've tried, taking a few layers to reach full opacity, but the application is smooth and even and it doesn't cake up with the additional layers. I like this on me more than I expected to! It lasted for four and a half hours and was looking patchy toward the end of wear.

What I liked:

Buffy and Beet It have excellent colour pay off
Wear time ranged between four and a half to seven hours
They don't feather or migrate
Non drying

What I didn't like:

Buffy feels clingy toward the end of wear
Peacock is a bit sheer

Where to buy:

Lime Crime
Amazon
Ebay

Are you a fan of these colours?

X
Lani

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Provided for review/Contains affiliate links

Maybelline Color Blur - I Like To Mauve It, Pink Insanity, Orange Ya Glad and Plum Please Swatches & Review

I'm slowly working my way through Maybelline's onslaught of new releases for 2016 and let me tell you, the Color Blurs might just be my favourite of the lot. They're velvety smooth, highly pigmented matte lip pencils with a built in smudger to take them from intense colour to a trendy ombre effect in a flash. Best of all, they have a pretty wallet friendly RRP of $16.99 here in New Zealand. I have four of the five shades available to show you today, the missing shade is Partner in Crimson which I am definitely going to be checking out soon based on the performance of these.

The packaging for each Color Blur is matched to the lipstick colour which is both convenient and eye catching. They twist up from the end cap, which for some reason, my brain finds impossible to comprehend - I keep finding myself trying to twist it up at the lid join. The included elastomer smudger is firm enough to manipulate the colour into a gradient - a patting method worked best for me - but has enough squish that it doesn't tug or drag at the lips. It also pops off for easy cleaning.

Instructions to create a gradient look are included on the lid, which is a helpful touch.

Formula overview:
The Color Blurs pack a pigmented punch! All four of the shades I received have wonderful colour pay off and lasted around five hours. They're lightweight, and have the slight slipperiness of silica to help them glide onto the lips, yet they stay in place beautifully, no feathering or migration in sight. As you'd expect with a matte formula, they can emphasise flakes and dry patches, but not overly so, and they can be clingy, but I didn't experience any drying.

Swatch notes:
All swatches are on bare skin/lips and are photographed under daylight bulbs. I've shown each shade applied in a gradient style and completely opaque, so you can get a good feel for how they perform with each application method.

I Like To Mauve It

I Like To Mauve Itis a soft mauve tinted nude shade. This is a lovely option if you find brown based neutrals unflattering. It lasted five hours on me and was noticeably clingy.

Pink Insanity

Pink Insanityis one of the best drugstore neon pink lipsticks I've ever come across. It's intensely bright, applies beautifully and lasts for five hours.

Orange Ya Glad

Orange Ya Glad is possibly my favourite from the bunch, a stunning vermilion orange absolutely saturated with pigment. It lasts for five hours on me and is somewhat clingy.

Plum, Please

Plum, Pleaseis a rich darkened plum. I do love a good vampy, so I was really excited to play with this! It looks a little vampiric as a gradient on me, but perhaps that's your jam. Like the other shades, it lasted five hours on me.

What I liked:

Great colour pay off
Smooth application, no pulling or tugging
Easy to create a gradient effect with the elastomer smudger
Consistently wore for five hours

What I didn't like:

Can feel clingy on the lips

Where to buy:

Farmers and selected department stores (NZ)
Selected pharmacies (NZ)
Amazon
Ebay

Have you tried Maybelline's new Color Blurs? Which colour is your favourite?

X
Lani

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MAC's latest collection, Flamingo Park, will have pink lovers making heart eyed emoji at the counter displays. Whether you prefer your pinks warm or cool, coral or peach tinged, pastel or neon, there is definitely a shade of pink to suit everyone here.

This collection launched at MAC counters nationwide on the 7th of March and it is limited edition, so you'll want to zip in quickly to pick up anything on your wishlist! There's a plethora of goodies to pick from, including eyeshadow, pigments, Beauty Powders, lipstick, nail lacquer, Cremesheen Glasses, blush, lip pencils and eyeliner. I have a small selection of the range to show you today and if you're interested, I'll pop up swatches of some of all of the repromoted pigments and a lip pencil up later. Let me know in the comments!

Flocking Fabulous

There are a total of eight lipsticks (RRP $40NZD) in this collection, three of which are repromotes. From the permanent range we have Saint Germain and Please Me, while Silly has featured in two prior collections (Fashion Sets 2013 and MAC is Beauty). I reviewed Silly here and Please Me here.

MAC lipsticks come in a variety of finishes and the pigmented and opaque ones are pretty well represented in this collection with a mixture of mattes (yussss), Cremesheen, Cremesheen + Pearl and a lone Amplified. No shy, sheer Lustres and Glazes to be found (but if you are missing your sheers, the Cremesheen Glasses have you covered). Wear time varies across the different finishes and they have a vanilla scent.

MAC Flocking Fabulous lipstick swatches & review

Flocking Fabulous has a wonderfully tongue in cheek name - I have an aunt who would get such a tickle out of it! It's described as a 'bright coral-red' with Cremesheen + Pearl finish and has impressive colour pay off. The pearl addition gives it a very fine, subtle sheen, more luminosity than true shimmer. Flocking Fabulous wore for four and half hours on me and was hydrating during wear. MAC always do corals exceptionally well, so it's no surprise that I love this.

Sweet Tooth

Cremesheen Glasses (RRP $48NZD) are great for a sheer wash of colour or for layering. They lack the tackiness of MAC's regular Lipglass formula so they don't last quite as long but the lack of stickiness can be a welcome trade off for some. Like most of MAC's lip products, they have a vanilla scent.

Sweet Tooth is described as a 'warm mid-tone pink' and has fine shimmer running through it. The coverage is semi-opaque but even, with a small amount of settling into lip lines occurring. It lasted just over two and a half hours on me and was very hydrating.

Sunny Surprise

MAC Beauty Powders (RRP $48NZD) are multi use products that can be used as highlighters, blushes, bronzers or setting powders depending on their finish and your own skin tone. They generally have a lovely silky texture, thinner than the blush formula and come in a large mirrored compact, so you get good value for money.

Sunny Surprise is described as a soft peach. It has a smooth satin finish with very fine shimmer and even, buildable colour pay off. It's not intensely pigmented so there's no sudden horror at having it apply far more boldly than you thought it would, the tradeoff is that it may not show up well on darker skintones. Sunny Surprise wore for about seven hours but was looking pretty faded at that point.

Here I'm wearing Sunny Surprise as a blush, with Notoriously Morbid My Beloved highlighter, Essence Sun Club Matt Bronzing Powder, and the Makeup Revolution contour palette. I've also used Sweet Tooth Cremesheen Glass on the lips.

Where to buy:

M.A.C Ponsonby, 130-134 Ponsonby Road, Auckland.
M.A.C Westfield St Lukes, 80 St Lukes Rd, Mount Albert.
M.A.C Botany, Fountain Lane North, Botany Town Centre.
Smith & Caughey’s Queen St, 253-261 Queen St, Auckland.
Smith & Caughey’s Newmarket, 225 Broadway, Newmarket.
Farmers Centre Place, Shop 81, 501 Victoria Street, Hamilton.
Kirkcaldie & Stains, 165-177 Lambton Quay, Wellington.
Farmers Westfield Queensgate, Queens Drive, Lower Hutt
Ballantynes, City Mall, Christchurch.
M.A.C Westfield Riccarton, 113 Riccarton Road, Christchurch.
Arthur Barnett, 285 George St, Dunedin.

Also try:

MAC Cosmetics (US)
Specktra.net Clearance Bin
Ebay
Facebook sales groups
Glambot
Amazon
Storenvy
Trade Me

Have you spotted Flamingo Park on counter? Picked anything up? I'd love to hear about it!

X
Lani

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Darling Girl Eyeshadows - Fire Faeries, Bronze Dawn, Bubbles, Tapestry of Obscenities, Triple Dog Dare and Jaycee-Boo Who Swatches & Review

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MAC Monday: Graphic Garden - Semi-Annual Lipstick Swatches & Review

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy June 2015 I+T Alchemists Subscription Swatches & Review

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Weak Nails? Grab This! | Faby Nail Renew Review

Innocent + Twisted Alchemy I+T Alchemists Subscription July 2015 Swatches & Review

Darling Girl Friends Central Pucker Paints - Unagi and I Know! Swatches & Review

Maybelline Colorsensational Creamy Matte Lipsticks - Lust For Blush & Ravishing Rose Swatches & Review + GIVEAWAY!

MAC Permanent Nude & Neutral Lipstick Swatches & Review Part Two

MAC Monday | Venomous Villains - Revenge is Sweet and Hot House Lipglass Swatches & Review

L'Oreal New Releases Late 2015 Swatches & Review

Femme Fatale The Afterlight Gala Collection Swatches & Review

LA Girl Matte Flat Velvet Lipsticks Swatches & Review

Darling Girl Cosmetics - It's Raining Men Collection Swatches & Review

L'Oreal Infallible Matte FX Swatches & Review

MAC Monday: Prabal Gurung - Ultramarine Pink and Carmine Rouge Lipstick Swatches & Review

Lime Crime Holiday Velvetines Trio - Buffy, Beet It and Peacock Swatches & Review

Maybelline Color Blur - I Like To Mauve It, Pink Insanity, Orange Ya Glad and Plum Please Swatches & Review

MAC Flamingo Park Swatches & Review