I *loved* the original Perfect Palette tag (you can see my blog answers here), so I was really excited when Melissa and her daughter came out with a second version of the tag!
Yearly Archives: 2016
MAC Flamingo Park (Review, Swatches & Looks)
Launching in North America on February 4, 2016 at all MAC locations (internationally in March 2016), the MAC Flamingo Park collection is nothing to squawk at.
(Too much?)
Let’s get real. I saw this collection had freaking flamingos, corals and reds and I fell in love with it. I mean, how could you not, when the promo image looks like this:
Um yep. SOLD.
Let’s dive into some of the products, shall we? (Products first, full face shots follow. For a full list of products available in this collection, please visit Swatch & Review.)
The first stunner of the collection is a pinky-coral-red that set my heart on fire. This is the kind of shade that I gasp over and want multiples of. I have this shade in blushes, in lipsticks, and I can never, ever get enough of it. Life’s A Picnic is a satin blush that can be applied intensely for those looking for a strong cheek colour. Or, apply it gently for a vibrant flush of colour.
This may be a spring collection, but Life’s A Picnic is the kind of shade that I want to wear RIGHT NOW. It gives me that wintry “came in from the cold” look that I love so, so much.
Next up is Nice To Meet You, an intense deep pink-red lipstick with a cremesheen finish. As is usual of cremesheens, this glides onto my lips with intense pigmentation and shine. The shine holds up for several hours (as if you’d applied a gloss over top of your lipstick) and the pigmentation is vibrant and wonderful.
Sidenote: I’m someone who needs to apply lip primer before I wear *any* lipstick as I’m prone to lip line bleedout. I’m especially susceptible to that with cremesheens since this formula has more slip to it. I always, always, always use MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips (they’ve been in my Empties posts since I first started this blog!) and it keeps everything in place. Just a word to the wise for those of you who suffer with the same problems I do!
The cremesheen glass I have is Sweet Tooth, a warm mid-tone pink. This is the kind of shade that almost everyone I know loves to wear because it’s not only flattering, but it’s also really easy to wear. You can apply this on the fly and not really worry about it. It wears well on the lips and it’ll also wear off nicely (no nasty lip line, etc.). And also… I personally feel kind of awkward in true pink lip colours (I find them too girly), but I really, really liked how this looked on me, which is always a pleasant surprise!
Rounding out the collection are some permanent pigments: Golden Olive (frost) and Tan (frost). I’ve used MAC pigments again and again over the years and they never fault me. I even press them so I can have a solid eyeshadow!
Golden Olive has been a staple in my collection for years: It’s a green pigment with golden sheen that does wonders on the eyelids. Tan, although new to me, has been around for years and is well loved by the beauty blogging world. Tan is a shade that most people feel comfortable wearing because it’s a soft bronze with a pink sheen.
MAC Flamingo Park Looks
In the shot above I’m wearing Tan and Golden Olive pigment on my eyes, Life’s A Picnic blush on my cheeks and Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass on my lips.
Same eyeshadow and blush as above, but this time I’m wearing Nice To Meet You lipstick.
For the eyes, I applied Tan pigment all over the lid with MAC‘s Handwritten on the outer half of the lid and through the crease. Blanc Type is on my brow bone to highlight. The only shadow on my lower lash line is Golden Olive pigment.
Final Thoughts
MAC‘s Flamingo Park collection intrigued me with its colours and then suckered me in completely with the quality and pigmentation of the shades. Although there are some permanent products in the mix (and let’s be honest, MAC‘s permanent products are often overlooked, but they are always excellent), the real standouts for me are the Life’s A Picnic blush (that red-pink is to die for) and the Sweet Tooth cremesheen glass which took me by surprise. I’m currently eyeing the lipstick that’s available online only called The Fashion Flock because it’s a pink-coral matte shade and I’m allllll about that life! The lipstick I received is gorgeous, but I’m more of a lover of mattes in the lipstick world (but to each their own!). And, as always, the pigments are amazing, but since they’re permanent, you can get them any time!
So what are you eyeballing? What about Flamingo Park has caught your attention?
The products featured in this post were provided for consideration.
Wearing The Pattern Down
This post is nothing more than an appreciation for embossed products – ones I’ve loved enough to wear down the gorgeous pattern that’s been imprinted on it. Enjoy!
Let’s start this post off with one of the more infuriating products I’ve had the pleasure of working with; the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster was in my Use Up 2014 project… and as you can see I clearly did not finish it up (or even hit pan!). The only thing I managed to do was dust away the sun emblem that used to appear in the very middle. I became so enraged with my lack of progress on this bronzer that I really don’t think I touched it at all in 2015. Damn thing hurt my feelings! 😉
With the infuriating product out of the way, let’s talk about something I love immensely. My MAC Sea Me, Hear Me blush is one I’ve reached for continuously since I bought it in 2014 (I even mentioned it in my 2015 Favourites video). I seem to have been focusing on wiping out the curve of the wave as well as the repeated MAC logo on the upper half.
Another stunner from MAC – the highgly coveted Whisper of Gilt. I purchased this when it was repromoted and it’s been my go-to highlighter when I want a gold shade. Unlike the blush above that has the same pattern, this one seems to flake off in odd chunks. It never looks that way on the skin, but it’s certainly left behind a mottled pattern!
Although the bronzing side from this Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo (#1) hasn’t been touched much, I can’t say the same for the highlighter! The iridescent pinky-beige highligter is unbelievably epic. Since it can lean quite pink, I tend to reserve it for days where it’ll work with my makeup, but that definitely doesn’t mean it gets neglected in my collection! I’ve swiped clean the center of the upraised bumps and I’m sure I’ll have the whole thing cleared off by the end of the year. (Full review on the Pro Sculpting Duo right here.)
I’m sensing a pattern here… everything I adore with an embossed pattern seems to be either a bronzer or a highlighter! Although the highlight shade of the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow has seen some action, it’s really the sculpting/bronzing side that’s taken a beating. I love that Sculpt shade for almost any makeup look together – it’s just so versatile!
essence‘s Autumn Peach was a surprise winner for me. When I first used it, I knew next to nothing about essence as a brand, nor what to expect out of such low-cost products. But this blush completely blew me out of the water – I couldn’t believe just how flattering it looked on my face! As a result, I’ve worn this sucker over and over again and the center ring has already been destroyed as well as some of the other circles to the sides. Love, love, LOVE!
My Tarte Off The Cuff blush and bronzer palette saw a lot of love from me over the years, but it’s the bronzer that’s carried the bulk of my love. Park Ave. Princess is such a smooth and buildable bronzer that it’s easy to see why so many people are in love with it! I’ve seemingly destroyed the middle of the Amazon River imprint. Oops!
So how about you? Can you bring yourself to dab your brush into beautifully embossed products? I know I’ve got a few friends out there that find it difficult to dip in for fear of ruining the pattern!
The essence blush and Make Up For Ever duo were provided for my consideration (clearly many, many moons ago).
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Lost Cherry (Review, Swatch & Look)
Ever since their launch several months ago, I’ve lusted over the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks. My husband was super sweet and got me one for Christmas!
At $38 CAD ($32 USD) a pop, this is quite possibly the most expensive lipstick in my collection (I… think!). The packaging is solid all around though – the lipstick is encased in a solid rosegold tube that has weight to it. This feels like a luxury item, which I super appreciate considering the price tag associated with it! The formula has a nice marshmallowy-vanilla scent, but no discernible taste.
One of the more intriguing things about the Matte Revolution lipsticks is that they come shaped into a really bizarre bullet. It’s basically a square tip, and I wasn’t really sure how that would work for application. (As it turns out, I basically just twist the bullet to match whichever direction I’m applying the lipstick in and it goes on just fine.)
The formula is very comfortable to wear and not overly drying, which is always great news for a matte formula. It’s more of that newer matte formula that a lot of brands are coming out with lately; has a slight gel consistency during application, but feels and looks like a soft matte formula.
The colour I opted for was Lost Cherry because it was the closest shade that they had to something really, really vibrant while sticking to a colour family that I really enjoy (coral-ish, red-pink). Oddly, the Charlotte Tilbury site lists this as “a pop of pastel fuchsia”. I definitely don’t see pastel nor fuchsia (isn’t fuchsia more purple??).
Although CT’s description is not how I would describe the shade, I still really, really love Lost Cherry. It’s beautifully pigmented and a shade and finish that I love to wear.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something luxurious in a lipstick for yourself or as a gift for someone, you really can’t go wrong with the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolutions. They are super comfortable to wear and the pigmentation is on point. The packaging and presentation are also stellar, so you really do feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. Due to the price tag though, I’d suggest going for a shade you really, really love and one you know you’ll get a lot of use out of. Too often I find people buy an expensive lipstick in a shade they wouldn’t traditionally wear because they want that lipstick to be extra special. Heck no man! Buy it in a shade you know you’ll love, because then you’ll get your money’s worth!
Swatch Sunday: Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Matte Brights
I don’t normally post reviews during Swatch Sunday posts because I usually just want you to appreciate the prettiness of the palette. However, I feel like I need to make a freaking public service announcement with this palette. DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS. This Makeup Revolution – Redemption Palette Matte Brights (what a freaking awkward name) is a dirty, cheap knockoff of Sleek‘s Matte V1 Brights palette (and Sleek‘s palette is INCREDIBLE by the way). The pigmentation is just not there (you’ll see that shortly) and the quality is absolutely abysmal. At roughly $5 USD, this is just under half the price of the $11 USD Sleek palettes. Sleek deserves your money in regards to this palette, not Makeup Revolution.
Swatches
(And for reference, I dipped back into the product FIVE TIMES just to get that amount of pigment in the swatch!)
(This orange shade was the only decent one.)
….really?
Okay, this one isn’t that bad either. Which is kind of incredible for a yellow.
