MAC Ablaze, Embrace Me, and Silly Lipsticks From The 2013 Fashion Sets Collection

MAC lipsticks from left- Ablaze, Embrace Me, and Silly

Okaaaay, I'm super late posting these lipsticks from MAC's 2013 Fashion Sets collection because just like all MAC limited edition products, the popular ones sell out FAST. Within a few hours fast or even sooner. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and your local counter will have some left. Or there is always eBay if you get desperate enough. And maybe one day MAC will repromote them!

I usually don't fall for the hype of MAC's limited edition collections just because I find the sales tactics a little distasteful. Sure it works for them because a lot of hype is built and people fight to throw their money at MAC and get the "privilege" of purchasing a really popular item. To me, I would rather not have to work to give a company my money. I think that if they want my business they should fight for MY business, haha. I don't feel like stalking a website for hours to buy something. Luckily with this collection I had a friend who picked up the lipsticks I wanted without any hassle on my part. So, so awesome of her.

The lipsticks themselves are okay to pretty good. The colors are GORGEOUS and I like the matte look, but they are extremely dry in texture and drag across the lip when applying. I have to wear a light layer of lip balm underneath for them to look their best. That being said they were definitely worth the price to me.

MAC lipsticks from left- Ablaze, Embrace Me, and Silly

These are a bit brighter in real life.

MAC lipsticks from left- Ablaze, Embrace Me, and Silly

Swatches are in the sun.

MAC lipsticks from left- Ablaze, Embrace Me, and Silly

These are in the shade. The colors are incredibly pigmented. Nothing sheer or weak here!

MAC Ablaze matte lipstick

Ablaze was the one I was most unsure if I would like it or not. But I love it! It's a really gorgeous coral.

MAC Embrace Me matte lipstick

Embrace Me is my favorite one, unsurprisingly. I tend to gravitate to these types of colors lately. It also seems to be the most dupable. Milani Rose Hip is similar but not nearly as matte.

MAC Silly matte lipstick

Silly is probably my least favorite, but I still like it. I just don't think I pull off the paler Barbie pinks too well.

Good luck finding these if you don't already have them. Like most popular things MAC will probably release them again and there will be another huge frenzy!

Cheap Drugstore Nude Lipsticks For The Melanin Deficient

I know, I know, I've been MIA for awhile. But I have a few blog posts I'm excited about coming up soon. For now I have a few nude lipsticks that I can actually wear. Being so pale I'm practically transparent this is quite a feat! I put this together for a Facebook group I'm in and I thought I might share.

These lipsticks are very affordable and pretty easy to find!

Rimmel Airy Fairy- $5 to $6
Essence Creamy Nude- $2.99
NYX Pumpkin Pie- $4

Sorry my lips are so damn dry! The change in the weather this time of year does it every time!

Here is the swatch picture in a bigger size.

From left- Rimmel Airy Fairy, Essence Creamy Nude, and NYX Pumpkin Pie

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia Swatches and Review

I've really been embracing bright and bold lips lately. Working at a cosmetics counter has given me access to colors I never would have bought myself. Also, I can get away with wearing pretty much any colors, as long as they're executed well, and no one will blink an eye. Getting compliments on my bolder lip choices has increased my confidence in colors I never thought I would wear.

I bought these L'Oreal lipsticks a few months ago and instead of going for my usual tame colors, I picked up two of the brightest in the new Colour Riche Caresse line. I wasn't expecting much from them as I had bought a few of  the Colour Riche balms (which came out around the same time as Revlon's lip butters) and I didn't like them. They were thin, sheer, and wore off quickly. These, and it may be near blasphemous to say, I like better than Revlon's lip butters. The formula is balmy and moisturizing, but not thick. They aren't the longest lasting lip colors, but I find that both colors I chose leave a flattering stain on the lips that lasts a good while. Both Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia are brighter, but have a juicy translucency to them. Neither is opaque. The both have a near invisible shimmer (Blushing Sequin's is golden, while Velvety Fuchsia's is blue) that just adds a bit of depth. I didn't detect a flavor, but they are scented with an unobtrusive fruity fragrance.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipsticks in Blushing Sequin and Velvety Fuchsia

 Okay, this picture is near useless as my camera insists on turning everything that is even remotely bright into neon. So just imagine the brightness ratcheted down quite a few notches.

Left- Blushing Sequin, Right- Velvety Fuchsia

Unlike the picture of the lipstick tubes, the swatches are very color accurate. You can even see the different color micro-sparkles in each one.

Bare lips (for reference).

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick Blushing Sequin

While once I would have considered Blushing Sequin too bright for me, I now see it as more subdued. I think this would be a good color for those just venturing into brighter lips. It is a very flattering color and is never "too much".

L'Oreal Colour Riche Caresse Lipstick in Velvety Fuchsia

This is my favorite of the two. It's bright and bold, but not overpowering. Plus, I'm a sucker for bright fuchsias/hot pinks with blue flash or shimmer.


These retail for $9.99, which is a bit steep for drugstore lipsticks, but if you manage to catch a buy one, get one half off sale they're worth it.

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Cherry Picking

Hey guys! Just a quick post for today. I recently picked up one of Wet n Wild's new MegaLast lipstick colors, Cherry Picking. These are fabulous lipsticks for the price. Cherry Picking is a gorgeous bold raspberry that looks like a deep pink-red on my lips. It really is a gorgeous color and I'm slowly gaining the confidence to wear such vibrant colors in public. Click here to see swatches and a review of other Wet n Wild MegaLast lipsticks.

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Cherry Picking

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Cherry Picking

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lipstick in Cherry Picking

Sorry about the makeup-lessness here. I threw on some mascara so I wouldn't be completely hideous. I know full face pictures are helpful when showing lipsticks.

My Lips But Better With Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

Thank you everyone for your continued support through all my griping, moaning, and complaining. It means so much to hear everyone's kind words. I'm so lucky to have a group of ladies like you all who stick with me even though I am far from the most uplifting person lately. I don't really talk about how bad things can get for me to people in my "real" life (ugh, is there a better way to say that? "In person life"? Haha, I dunno), and I feel like this is my safe place, so it sometimes just spills out. I just hate that helpless look on my loved one's faces where they don't know what to say or do to help me and they get frustrated by all my seemingly "one step forward, two steps back" lack of progress sometimes. So I've learned to just keep things to myself. Plus, not thinking about how shitty you feel is the best way to not feel quite so shitty, if that makes sense. Well, I'm a-ramblin' now. Anyways, thanks guys. Ya'll (fuck it, I'm from Texas, I'm allowed to say ya'll) mean so much to me.

Soooo, I bought this lipstick. I'm not sure why. It looked so ugly/boring in the tube (pinky brown) and even on the swatch on my arm but I ended up loving it on my lips. It's a gorgeous My Lips But Better (MLBB) shade on me. I really got it for work ;-) because I wanted something long lasting that I don't have to reapply every hour and would go with a variety of eye looks. When I think about it, I'm not sure why I bought one when I have access to tons of testers I can use anytime.  Haha, now I feel like I wasted money. Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about other people's lip herpes or whatever since it's MY lipstick.

Anyway, I like it. It's matte, lasts forever, and not drying. It's comfortable to wear and I forget I am wearing it. I'm a big fan of Estee Lauder's Double Wear line, and not just cuz I hafta be.

PICTURES!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

I think the reason I used to think of Estee Lauder as an "old lady" brand is exemplified by the picture above. The packaging just looks a bit dated to me. I think this may throw off a lot of people from trying the brand for that reason.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

In real life the lipstick looks darker and pinker in the tube. Dumb camera.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

I wasn't too impressed with the color when I swatched it on my arm...

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

But I ended up loving it on my lips.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick in Stay Honey

Sure it is probably the least exciting color in the whole world, but I don't always need a party on my lips. Especially if I'm going for bolder/more colorful eyes, which I usually do. If you DO want a party on your lips I recommend this.

So what are some of you guys' go-to "boring" lip colors?

Estee Lauder LIpgloss in Fuchsia Fantasy and Lipstick in Rubellite

Sorry, this is a bit of a lazy post! I'm running on the dredges of my photos I have in my "to post" folder and I really need to swatch some more things including the new Wet n Wild palettes and several indie makeup orders that are still in their packaging I received months ago. The bad thing about being a blogger is that you can't use anything until you've taken pictures of it, and I'm extremely lazy about taking pictures. Actually, I'm just lazy in general. Haha, it's not so nice of a feeling to realize that about yourself! But oh well, I'm too lazy to change! :D

I recieved (amongst other things I pawned off on my mom) a lipstick and lipgloss in an Estee Lauder gift with purchase thingy. I never posted about them because they were a GWP and I wasn't sure if they were available in the normal Estee Lauder line. I'm pretty sure the lipgloss is though. And you can find people selling these on eBay for like $5 each. Which I think isn't bad as I think the formulas are really nice on both the lipstick and the gloss.

From left- Fuchsia Fantasy and Rubellite

Estee Lauder Fuchsia Fantasy

Estee Lauder Rubellite

Estee Lauder Rubellite under Fuchsia Fantasy

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Evil Shades Cosmetics Swatches and Review

Well, this isn't much of a review because I absolutely love everything about Evil Shades. The owner, Andrea, is amazing, as is her makeup. I don't know why I waited so long to order from them! And why I've waited so long to post this review. Evil Shades is one of those dream Indie companies- the owner is accessible, listens to feedback, and will go out of her way to make customers happy. If you haven't ordered from Evil Shades, you must! Stick around for proof.

My order came inside this pretty hot pink drawstring bag.

I ordered a Large Gift Set for $23 ($30 value) that includes your choice of 3 eye shadows, 1 Hardcore lips, 1 Deviant lipstick and 1 Blush and a Blogger Review Set ($4, and an additional $4 for shipping, but you must include your blog/youtube channel to order) that included 4 eyeshadow samples, 2 blush samples, and 3 lip product samples.

Evil Shades Eyeshadows from left- Bittersweet Symphony, Heartless Queen, Nightshade, Phyrra's Fantasy, Reondite, Victorian Night, and Zombie

The eyeshadows are all very lovely and much more nuanced than you see in my pictures. They swatch well and wear well. I find the colors are pretty unique, or have an unexpected touch that makes them unique. You would think Phyrra's Fantasy is just your standard pink, but it has really pretty aqua shimmer.

The shadows are priced well at $1.25 for a 1 gram sample in a clam shell, $5 for a 5 gram jar with no sifter, and a pro size that is $9 for a 10 gram jar with a sifter. The only thing I wish is that there were swatches of each color on skin so I could get a better idea of what the color looks like!

Evil Shades Eyeshadows from left- Bittersweet Symphony, Heartless Queen, Nightshade, Phyrra's Fantasy, Reondite, Victorian Night, and Zombie

Evil Shades Blushes in Atomic, Day Dream, and Skön

I really love Evil Shades blushes. A lot of the times I find that indie blushes can be too sparkle for me and give me disco ball cheeks, but I didn't find that the case here. Even Atomic, which looks scary bright on my skin works for me. The only one that doesn't is Skön, which is sadly too dark for me, no matter how lightly I apply it. It makes for an absolutely gorgeous eyeshadow, though.

The blend well, aren't cakey or powdery, and last forever on my skin. Samples are $1.50 in a clamshell container, regular sizes are $6.50 in a 10 gram jar with sifter, and pro sizes are $12.50 for a 20 gram jar with sifter.

Evil Shades Deviant Lipstick in Devilista, Fearless, and Primrose Path; Evil Shades Harcore Lips in Féline's Kyss and Not Your Barbie

The lipstick formula is great. It's opaque, smooth, and creamy. While they don't feeling drying on my lips, I just had the teensiest issue with Primrose Path feeling a tad bit dry. I never mentioned it because it wasn't a huge deal, and I usually wear a lip gloss over it anyway. Samples are $1.25 for a clamshell container, while a full size in a .07 tube is $4.75.

The lipglosses are lovely as well. Féline's Kyss is the perfect gloss that will pair will any lipstick or goes with any makeup look, while Not Your Barbie is the most gorgeous bold, hot pink gloss ever. It's like the Fearless lipstick in a gloss form. I haven't tried it yet, but I bet they would look fabulous together. Samples are $1.50 in a snap tube that holds 1.5ML and full sizes are $5.75  for .20 fl oz in a tube with a doe-foot applicator.

Evil Shades Deviant Lipstick in Devilista

Evil Shades Deviant Lipstick in Fearless

Evil Shades Deviant Lipstick in Primrose Path

Evil Shades Hardcore Lips in Féline's Kyss

Evil Shades Hardcore Lips in Not Your Barbie

And a bonus-

Féline's Kyss over Primrose Path

I love, love, love Evil Shades. Head on over to their website and check them out!


Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Silk Naturals Lip Products Swatches and Reviews

Both Silk Naturals and I are participating in Team Pink Eye Project (my post with a giveaway will be at the end of the month!). Karen from Silk Naturals found out about my blog through that and offered me a chance to try/review some of their products. I immediately said yes as they have been on the top of my wish list for a long time now, especially after always seeing the amazing swatches on Phyrra's blog. I requested to try lip products as indie companies with an extensive lines of lip products are pretty rare, and I wanted to help get the word out. I have tons of eyeshadows these days and it seems I'm more likely to buy from a company that has a range of products versus just eyeshadows.

And Silk Naturals has, I believe, the largest selection of different lip products I have ever seen from an Indie company ranging from lip balms, lip sticks, lip glosses, lip plumpers, and even lip stains.  I have 7 different lip products in 3 different formulas that I tried out (plus a bonus eyeshadow!).

The packaging is really nice and professional.  I love the silver labels! I know ingredient lists aren't always the prettiest looking, but I wish they were printed on the labels, including on the eyeshadow.

Silk Naturals Eye Color in Social

The top is swatched dry and the bottom is over a sticky base. You can see how pigmented it is is even swatched dry. I thought it applied well and the color will be gorgeous when I want softer colors, but don't want to give up the sparkle.

There are so many other Silk Natural eye shadows I want to try. Did you know they dupe colors from mainstream brands? They have a collection that is a dupe for Urban Decay's Naked palette that I still want even though I own Naked!

Amplifying Lip Glazes in Beguile, Pretty Please, and Provoke; Organic Vegan Lipsticks in Cayenne and Bombshell; Lip Stains in Roxie and Vamp

I'll talk about each formula under their individual swatches.

Amplifying Lip Glazes in Beguile, Pretty Please, and Provoke

As per the Silk Naturals website- "Amplifying Lip Glazes pack the shine of a liquid gloss into a nice slimline tube!  Made with over 85% organic ingredients with a slight minty tingle- and a special anti-aging lip plumping ingredient that moisturizes deeply, and gradually adds volume to your lips."

All of the lip products I tried were great, but this formula was my very favorite. I liked the subtle minty-ness, the smooth, fairly glossy texture, and the semi-sheer to medium opacity color. I definitely plan on picking up more of these when I get a chance. they feel moisturizing, but not greasy. All in all perhaps one of my favorite indie lip products I have ever used. The price is awesome, too, at only $4.50 each.

Silk Naturals Amplifying Lip Glaze in Beguile

Silk Naturals Amplifying Lip Glaze in Pretty Please

Silk Naturals Amplifying Lip Glaze in Provoke

Organic Vegan Lipsticks in Cayenne and Bombshell

As per the Silk Naturals website- "We try to make a little something for everyone, and our vegan formula is divine. It has luxury oils for conditioning, and absolutely no beeswax. they're slightly less creamy than our Kisser Slickers. These are packaged in slim tubes, and have a hint of vanilla flavor. Over 85% organic."

The lipstick formula is great as well. They're smooth, very pigmented, and moisturizing. I wasn't a fan of either color on my skin tone personally as the first was too warm and the second more dark than I'm used to, but they're both gorgeous colors. Ah, the woes of vampire-pale skin.  Anyway, I see a few other colors on the website that I'm interested in picking up! These sell for $5.75 each.

Silk Naturals Organic Vegan Lipstick in Cayenne

Silk Naturals Organic Vegan Lipstick in Bombshell

Lip Stains in Roxie and Vamp

As per the Silk Naturals website- "Lip Stains are sheer washes of color that tint your lips for hours and hours.  Our formula is super long lasting, and it doesn't feel quite as drying as the other stains we've used- it's not going to pack a moisture punch like our regular lippies, but it shouldn't dry your lips out too much either.

These are packaged in 3.5 ml tubes with a doe foot applicator, and a silver label to protect them from light."

I don't think I know of any other indie brand that offers lip stains. I don't have much experience with them in general either. So please excuse my terrible application job. The fault is my own because I don't don't want I'm doing and not any fault of the product.

I am seriously impressed. These last FOREVER. Whenever I have tried lip stains in the past they would fade quickly, unevenly, would dry out my lips, and STILL would transfer on to other things. These dried down to a matte finish, didn't transfer even with a lip balm over them, and lasted at least 8 hours (which was when I got tired of waiting for it to disappear and just went to bed).

The brown lip stain is an intriguing color that I'm sure would look great on many people, but on me it looked like I painted my lips with iodine. The continued joys of a difficult skin tone.

The lip stains retail for $4.50.

Silk Naturals Lip Stain in Roxie

Silk Naturals Lip Stain in Vamp

Silk Naturals Lip Stain in Vamp after 4 hours

Still looking good after 4 hours! I ate an orange and had a glass of water in that time.

Silk Naturals Lip Stain in Vamp 7 hours

Between the 4 hour mark and this one, I ate dinner and wiped my lips quite vigorously because I forgot I had something my my lips. Oops! The stain is still hanging in there!

Would I recommend Silk Naturals? Most definitely. They have some of the best and most innovative lip products out there.

Available:

• You can purchase the entire range of Silk Naturals products, including eye shadows, foundations, blushes, hair care, and skin care from their website here.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided to me for review purposes from Silk Naturals. As always, all opinions are completely my own.