Lipstick for the Holiday Season!

Out of the Glitter and Ice Collection I bought ONE item.
I had my eye on this lipstick from the collection preview and I decided to get it while I was away. It's called "What Joy!"It looks pretty scary in the tube but the colour on the lips/swatched is soooo pretty and GREAT for the Holiday Season.

It comes in a cute little white tube to go with the whole Glitter & Ice theme.

It has a satin finish so it's not very moisturizing and may require some gloss should you need some shine but the colour is gorgeous and the wear is pretty good!

A really nice deep berry shade :)

Just one swipe (I don't like rubbing my new lipsticks into my hand to get a huge blob/stripe of a swatch)

**************

I have another lipstick to show you all which is from an earlier collection. I meant to put this up when the collection launched but I didn't have time.

It's limited edition from the MAC Me Over Collection 2011  :( So sorry you can't it anymore but I thought I'd show you the colour anyway. It's a great lipstick, a beautiful dark blue-based red with a subtle fushia sheen called Runaway Red. It's almost completely opaque with one swipe. It's also a bit scary in the tube but doesn't come out as dark as what you see. It sort of stains the lips afterward but I haven't come across any red or dark lipstick that doesn't!

Add caption

With flash

All my swatches that involve lipstick are usually just one swipe because I usually swatch them when they're relatively new and I honestly don't like rubbing in the lipstick on my hand, back and forth under a huge thick stripe comes out on my hand. To me that is wasting product. If the product is opaque you will see it in the swatch, if it is not then you'll see that as well and most likely I will do a heavier swatch next to it for comparison. Just a heads up if you're wondering my my swatches don't look like everyone else's huge thick stripe of lipstick.

xoxo

MAC Dazzlesphere! Coral Ornament

Ok girls, another little gem from the Dazzlesphere collection from MAC's Holiday Collection 2011 I got my hands on is the Coral Ornament.

Complete with 4 lipglosses (2 Dazzleglass and 2 Creme Sheen Lipglass)!

In the collection there are 3 different lipgloss ornaments: Neutral, Coral and Pink.

Out of the 3 I would have gravitated more towards the Coral and Neutral sets.

Here are some quick swatches for those who are skeptical about the coral set and what it looks like.
The cost and colour description can be seen in my Dazzlesphere post HERE.

They're out in MAC stores everywhere and going fast!!

Another great Christmas gift for your friends or family/gf!

Just like the Pigment sets from Dazzlesphere, there are 2 holes at the bottom of the sphere/ornament where a ribbon can be threaded through to hang it up on the tree or whereever you wish! How cute!!!

All 4 of these beauties are quite sticky in texture, but give great shine! It wears well for about 4 hours or so (no eating or drinking) and if you just wipe it off with a tissue or cloth your lips will still feel a bit sticky so you'll need to use makeup remover or soap to rid yourself of the feeling after taking it off.

The shades in this set are quite sheer so they give you a light wash of colour (namely: Eurobeat & Richer Lusher).

My favourite out of this Dazzlesphere is Eurobeat, a dazzleglass! So sparkly and the most pigmented out of the two dazzleglass lipglosses in this set.

L-R: Phiff!, Eurobeat, On the Scene, Richer Lusher

See the beautiful golden sparkle in Phiff and Eurobeat?

Phiff has more irredescent sparkles than Eurobeat which has more of a Golden sparkle.

Lighting 1: Phiff, Eurobeat, On the Scene, Richer Lusher

Lighting 2: Phiff, Eurobeat, On the Scene, Richer Lusher

Lighting 3 (look at shine!): Phiff, Eurobeat, On the Scene, Richer Lusher

xoxo

MAC Dazzlesphere! Smoky Berry Ornament :)

MAC recently launched its Holiday Collection in T&T showcasing the Glitter & Ice, Ice Parade and Dazzlesphere portions of the collection. My favourite out of them all were the Dazzlesphere Pigments AND the Ice Parade Lip Sets!

I managed to get a hold of the Smoky Berry Dazzlesphere. A combination of gorgeous festive but somewhat neutral colours. I swatched the other two pigment sets but this one just stood out to me. It's so versatile yet still holiday themed. Out of all the Dazzlespheres, this one swatched the smoothest and most even.

To see the description of the colours etc CLICK HERE

MAC pigments are usually sold at $20USD per 4.5g. These are 4 pigments at 12g total for $32.50USD.

Now that's a deal!!

What is a pigment?:
Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Create a subtle wash of colour (dry) or an intense effect (wet). Easy to blend and long lasting. Can be used multiple ways (nails, hair, cheeks, lips and eyes).

NOTE:
This collection of pigments from MAC are crushed metallic pigments. They are less finely milled than normal pigments and sometimes requires you to basically crush them with your brush etc in the cap in order for them to go on evenly and smoothly. A little extra step I suppose. They appear chunky in the pan and when applied wet they are extremely intense and give a foiled effect.

L-R: Pearl, Rose Light, Spicy Smoke, Roasted Chestnut
(with flash)

L-R: Pearl, Rose Light, Spicy Smoke, Roasted Chestnut
(without flash)

Pearl

Rose Light

Spicy Smoke

Roasted Chestnut

L-R: Pearl, Rose Light, Spicy Smoke, Roasted Chestnut (dry application)

L-R: Pearl, Rose Light, Spicy Smoke, Roasted Chestnut (dry application)

As you can see, the swatches are quite pigmented even when applied dry. Applied wet, the metallic finish of these pigments will be amplified and create a foiled look.
The least metallic of them all is Spicy Smoke.
My favourite shades of this sphere are definitely Spicy Smoke and Roasted Chestnut!
They are so festive, so gorgeous and they look great together.

If you thought it wasn't cute enough, you can peel off the sticked at the bottom of the sphere and it reveals two holes so that you can thread a pretty silver ribbon (or any ribbon) through and hang it from the tree like a REAL ornament. Wouldn't that be such a nice surprise to see your present hanging on the tree so beautifully? The sphere itself has a twist off cap (the clear part) and can stand up as the part where the holes/sticker is flat.

Really an excellent gift for the Holidays, to yourself or your loved ones!

xoxo

MAC Dazzlespheres!

A collection mini kits packaged in clear, couture-future ornaments perfect for the Holiday Season!
Mini Gloss Kits in Coral, Pink and Neutral.
Mini Eye Kits feature four stackable crushed metallic pigments in Smoky Blue, Plum and smoky Berry.
A Petite Nail Lacquer Ornament, housing four little Nail Lacquers.

Mini Nail Lacquer Kit ($25.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Dark Angel Goth romantic dark lilac
• Style Tip Soft pink nude
• Much Adored Sheer white pink with pearl
• Mistletoe Pale gold

Dazzlesphere! Smoky Berry Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Pearl Pearl
• Rose Light Rose
• Spicy Smoke Dark strawberry
• Roasted Chestnut Deep chocolate with gold shimmer

Dazzlesphere! Smoky Blue Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• White as Snow Snowy white
• Silver Sleet Medium grey/silver
• Wintersky Purple blue
• Dark Moon Charcoal

Dazzlesphere! Smoky Plum Crushed Metallic Pigment Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Light Violet Pale violet
• Grape Deep Purple
• Seasonally Cool Sparkle taupe
• Misty Pale silver

Dazzlesphere! Neutral Mini Gloss Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Bare Necessity Caramel apricot with red and gold pearlized pigments (Dazzleglass)
• Get Rich Quick Warm yellow brown (Dazzleglass)
• Boy Bait Light neutral beige with pearl (Cremesheen Glass)
• Over Indulgence Neutral brown (Cremesheen Glass)
  All the colours in this kit are in the permanent range 

Dazzlesphere! Coral Mini Gloss Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Phiff! Yellow pink with red and sapphire pearl (Dazzleglass) (L.E Repromote)
• Eurobeat Peach coral with gold pearl (Dazzleglass) (L.E Repromote)
• On the Scene Light coral beige (Cremesheen Glass) (Repromote)
• Richer, Lusher Peach coral (Cremesheen Glass) (Permanent)

Dazzlesphere! Pink Mini Gloss Kit ($32.50 USD) Limited Edition

• Rags to Riches Plummy pink with red pearlized pigments (Dazzleglass) (Permanent)
• Like Venus Clean light bubblegum pink with red pearl (Dazzleglass) (Permanent)
• Fashion Scoop Clear pink (Cremesheen Glass) (Permanent)
• Petite Indulgence Mid-tone bright blue pink (Cremesheen Glass) (L.E Repromote)

I attended the MAC Launch of the Holiday Collection Glitter & Ice which included the Dazzleshperes & Ice Parade Kits and got to swatch them all for you, however my camera died before I could take any of the pictures :(

The Dazzlespheres are priced at $275ttd at MAC (for those of you interested in my country) and are going fast! Housing products worth over $500ttd. A great deal with some beautiful products!
I'm not too sure the whether the price of the polish set is the same as it is smaller.

My absolute favourites are the pigments! All of them were so beautiful and such great colours. The berry and plum set are the two most festive of them all.

xoxo

A Cult Favourite-NARS

NARS Orgasm Blush definitely lives up to the hype.
A gorgeous pink with a subtly gold shimmer.

Doesn't make your cheeks look glittery, super pigmented and long lasting!

It gives you the perfect flush, just as if you took a little run (or as magazine say "fresh off the treadmill" without the sweat of course), or pinched your cheeks.

It's my FAVOURITE blush! A bit pricey at $27usd but, even though there are many blushes that come close to it, there's no other blush quite like it and that gives the exact effect.

NARS blushes are renowned for their pigmentation and their staying power and honestly this has yet to be disproved.

I absolutely LOVE NARS packaging. It's beautiful and classy, however it's also a dirt magnetic. I managed to get it looking nasty after a day of being in my makeup bag. It just attracts powder, foundation, concealer, eyeshadow. Whatever is on your hands or in your bag...it's going to be on your Nars stuff.

I took a few picture with and without flash and in different lighting so you can see how the colour looks in the pan under different lighting but fear not, it's gorgeous.
I may seem as though the gold shimmer may be heavy or obvious but once it is on your cheeks you don't even notice it. It just gives you a gorgeous glow :)

A MUST HAVE in every makeup bag <3

with flash...more of the true colour you get on your cheeks

Without flash...you can see the beautiful gold shimmer.

The bright light I put my hand under captured the gold hue of the blush. This is just a swipe stright from my finger NOT blended in.

Flash...blended in lightly. See the pretty pink and no scary gold, just a subtle glow.

xoxo

Yummy Sandwiches in TX!

I don't normally do reviews on restaurants/foodie places but the sandwiches from this place are amazing!
It was nearby where we were at the time and my aunt told us we should try their sandwiches.

http://antoneshouston.com/

A little background:Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys is one of Houston’s best known brands. Nearly fifty years ago, Mr. Antone introduced his Original Antone’s Po’ Boy and it quickly became a local favorite. Antone’s still makes the “Original” using the same recipe and quality ingredients that our founder used. We serve a tremendous array of other sandwiches, New Orleans style po’ boys, salads, pizza’s and sides. We roast our own beef in house, smoke our bacon, and use only top quality ingredients. 

Me!:
Oh yum! It's a cute set up, almost like a diner. I'm sad I didn't get any pictures because I was so caught up in the food :(

You can get anything to go and some of it is ready made so all you have to do is pick it up, pay and leave, or you could stay and sit. From seafood platters to italian sandwiches, meatball, roast beef to their Crispy Chicken Club (my fav!). They sell little sides of tabouli, potato salad, humus etc and ready made yummy looking salads (greek, grilled chicken etc). They also have a HUGE selection of root beer!

The sandwich I had, the Crispy Chicken Club, was AMAZING. You pick your bread and I believe I had plain sourdough bread. They toast it and slap a HUGE piece of crispy chicken onto it. The best part was the amount of avacado they put in my sandwich. My God, that was good! It has avacado, swiss cheese, mayo, tomato, lettuce and bacon (but I asked for no bacon). THE MOST AMAZING sandwich I have had in a very long time! I crave one everyday now :(

If you're in houston check them out! The staff is so nice and efficient. The food is great and affordable and most of all YUMMY.

Take a look at their website, stare at their yummy menu and next time you're in the area....

GO GET SOME ANTONE'S!!

xoxo

THE most amazing foundation EVER

I've been on the look out for a great light foundation. I've found my holy grail in medium to full coverage foundation but I was debating on whether to get a light foundation or a tinted moisturizer. For a long while now I wanted to get this foundation but I had to wait until I went to the US so I could get matched properly and not just guess since this foundation is a bit pricey. The foundation colour matched me perfectly, it's light and OMG it's amazing.

CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE AQUA is AMAZING.

Description:

A new-generation texture. An unprecedented sensory experience. A unique makeup result. Rapid and easy application. VITALUMIÈRE AQUA. Apply your makeup without thinking about it.

Its soft and evanescent ultra-fine fluid texture is a real surprise. Although it is exceptionally delicate and light, an incomparable “second-skin” perfecting result is achieved. The complexion appears amazingly even, fresh and energized. The skin glows with seemingly nude beauty. As if glowing from within. Bathed in light…

Its formula, endowed with a UVB sun filter and mineral sunscreen, protects the skin from damaging sun rays (SPF 15). Its crystalline fragrance accentuates the sensation of freshness and pleasure on application.

My Take:

Feel:
It's not as watery as you would expect. You have to shake the bottle vigourously for a few seconds as the water separates from the foundation pigment. It's smooth, creamy and very light. Super blendable (I'm talking about fully blended in in about 2 seconds). It's not as thick as the ELDW light but it's honestly NOT watery. It's a bit cooling on your skin, probably because of the lotus water it contains which tones your skin.
I apply it with my fingers (which is recommended) and it melts right into my skin!
It really is very light on the skin like a SECOND SKIN (perfect description from Chanel). You honestly would not know you have on makeup because you'll forget about it being there which is wonderful! You literally don't even feel like you have on makeup.

Smell:
It has a sort of floral scent. Almost like a cream i've smelled before but I can't put my finger on the name. It's very light, not overpowering, not stinky and it disappears after a few minutes. I quite like it but I've heard that some people don't like the scent very much...good thing is that if you're not a fan of the scent, it will disappear shortly after putting on the foundation :)

Effect:
As soon as I put this stuff on (a little goes a long way) and blended it in with my fingers it immediately covered my redness on my cheeks and made my skintone look even and soft. It almost gives you a bit of a soft focus effect and a glow. The mineral pigment in the formula is what gives off that sort of glow. It's a natural finish so you're not going to look matte and you're not going to look shiny either. It's perfect!
Now, because this IS a light foundation it's not meant for full coverage so you may want to use a bit of concealer to cover up any darker spots you may have. In terms of uneven skin tone and redness, this covers it amazingly! My mother and cousins and aunt didn't think I had on makeup and I got compliments on how great my skin looked! Natural and flawless! It hasn't made me break out at all!!
It's not the kind of foundation that will hide who you are. If you have freckles it's not going to make them disappear totally...that's who you are. I have a few freckles and it covers them a bit but it doesn't mask them. My skin really looked so even and healthy.

Before

After (with concealer over the tiny little bump only)

After

Before 2

After 2

After 3 (see how you can still see my freckles but my skin tone evened out?)

****************

The best thing about this foundation is that you don't even feel like you have on any makeup, your skin looks even and glowing, it's SPF15, won't clog your pores, tones your skin and it's staying power is pretty good even after 10 hours. I am in love.

While I love the ELDW light, it's not an everyday foundation for me because of the fact it's something even though you hardly feel it on your face you still KNOW it's there and it's med-full coverage with a natural/matte finish. These days I'm trying to go for a lighter feel and finish so it's a bit easier on my skin and the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is perfect!

*************

It retails for about $45usd in Macys, Nordstrom and other Chanel counters.

I would advise for you to get matched at a counter rather than guess your shade.
I am a B40-Beige Desert.

xoxo