REVIEW: MAC x Nasty Gal Lipsticks – Gunner, Runner & Stunner

Hey everyone!

Haven’t been publishing new blog posts because there are just too many things to write about in my Hong Kong travelogue, and I’m still not done with my posts despite having worked on it for 2 nights. I’ll take a break from that for today and talk about beauty! That’s right ladies, I’m back with more lipstick reviews!

macxnastygal-4

It’s a collab with Nasty Gal!

macxnastygal-3

Honestly, I have never purchased from Nasty Gal because I find their stuff generally costly even during sales and clearances, and international shipping is only free at a certain amount (at US$150, would rather spend that money on makeup teehee). Having said that, I really do like their style so the collaboration actually piqued my interest a little. Moreover, the colours from the promotional pictures seem really wearable for me. So I made an impetuous decision to buy all 3 shades!

Singaporeans! Find out how to buy from macccosmetics.com here!

And yes, I’m so glad that there are only 3 lipstick shades in this collection. Thanks for not bankrupting me this time with 7 new and irresistible shades, MAC!

SAMSUNG CSC

From left: Gunner, Runner and Stunner

The MAC x Nasty Gal collection consists of 3 matte limited edition lipsticks and 1 nail lacquer in Flaming Rose. Once again, I’m pretty disappointed that the lipsticks are in standard MAC packaging with no indication that it’s a collaboration with the e-retail superstar Nasty Gal!

Official swatch

Official swatch

SAMSUNG CSC

Let’s begin with Stunner, a clean red with matte finish.
macxnastygal-stunner-8

SAMSUNG CSC

Stunner (US$16)

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

The closest match I could find in my MAC stash has gotta be All Fired Up

I find Stunning to be a very sweet colour as it’s between red and pink, so it’s not too bright nor dark. It glides on with ease on the lips and doesn’t leave a drying sensation. It also completely covers the reds of my lips on my first application. Minimal gaps were seen between the fine lines of the lips even when I stretched out my lips a little.

This is the only shade left on maccosmetics.com! Go grab one before it runs out 😉

macxnastygal-runner-8

SAMSUNG CSC

A burgundy with matte finish (US$16)

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

Fashion Revival seems to be the closest dupe here!

Apart from it being plum in colour, this is my favourite shade from this collection because it kinda plumps up my lips a little. It doesn’t give the usual vampy feel like my other deep plum lipsticks, but it exudes some sort of sexiness and confidence when worn. No doubt that this is a rather dupeable colour so you can pass on this one if you already have shades like Fashion Revival, Diva and Hearts Aflame (a bit darker than this).

This is already sold out on site.

macxnastygal-gunner-8

SAMSUNG CSC

A deep purple with matte finish (US$16)

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

Comparing with the only purple lipstick I have

The most sought-after shade from this collection, this is certainly a very unique colour on its own as I have never seen anything similar (but I read that it’s a dupe for Illamasqua’s Kontrol). Unsuitable for the faint-hearted, it is definitely too bold to be worn on the streets of Singapore. To be honest, I had a mild shock when I looked into the mirror because it’s a really striking purple that I hardly see anyone wearing. I don’t know what occasion would call for such purple lips. A party with futuristic theme, perhaps? :\ And no matter how I convince myself, I don’t think I look good with purple lips. Ha.

The colour aside, it doesn’t really have good colour coverage. This is quite evident from my before-and-after picture where you can tell that it’s not entirely opaque. That’s what I got after applying 3 layers and it got me rather frustrated. But yes, that also means that it doesn’t dry out the lips!

This shade is also sold out on site.

What do you think, ladies?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for reading 🙂

The M.A.C x Nasty Gal collection would only be available in February 2015 at select international locations.

REVIEW: Urban Decay Vice3 Palette

Hey everyone!

Urban Decay’s Holiday Lineup this year has been pretty amazing! If you guys don’t know, Holiday 2014 from Urban Decay includes 6 individual items, 4 of which are new (because the All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray already existed before this even though it now comes in two). I was contemplating real hard about getting TEN, a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set before heading to Sephora but I didn’t see it there so I guess it’s a sign not to overspend this month. Haha so yes, only got myself 2 awesome products from the holiday lineup! (This and the Full Frontal Lipstick Stash)

urbandecay-holiday-2014

1. Urban Decay Vice3 / 2. Black Magic 24/7 Glide-On Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set / 3. TEN 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set / 4. Full Frontal Lipstick Stash / 5. Naked Illuminated / 6. All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray Duo

And since I’ve already reviewed about the lipsticks, this post shall be dedicated to Vice 3! I believe it’s one of the most highly anticipated UD items this year after Naked 3.

SAMSUNG CSC

Freebies (the colour pouch below the palette) with every purchase of Vice3!

SAMSUNG CSC

Authenticity tag

SAMSUNG CSC

The palette comes with another pouch!

The palette case itself is made of very smooth and durable material like Vice 2 (thankfully not Vice 1, because the NARS-like rubbery material attracted so much dust), making it slightly heavy. The “Vice” icon is neon-green jeweled to match the highly metallized green base. The entire packaging is really sleek and gorgeous!

Like Vice 1 and 2, you’d be greeted with a huge mirror when you open the palette. There are also 20 new breathtaking yet feasible colours that you can use on a daily basis.

SAMSUNG CSC

*GASP* Gorgeous, isn’t it?!?

Don’t be fooled by the bright colours because most of them do not turn out to be like that.

I love this palette because it has quite a number of pinks and purples. The neutral colours are also not too bold and vibrant.

SAMSUNG CSC

Comes with a double-ended brush, as usual.

This palette comes with a brush which I won’t use because I’m not really a fan of Urban Decay’s brushes. They tend to be very prickly during use and sometimes my eyes would tear when I’m applying shadows on the inner corners and lower lids. I casually tested the Vice3 brush on my hand and could still feel the prick so yeah, I guess it’s still the same as before.

Note: I use Sigma brushes. They’re the best so far!

Time to swatch!

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

I actually adjusted the picture’s brightness on an editing software to make them show. Before the enhancement, most of them (especially Truth, Alien, Last Sin and Bobby Dazzle) were pretty much invisible. Hope you guys can see it better now! The colours still stay true to the above pictures.

My favourite colours from this palette are Lucky, Alchemy, Downfall and Defy. Those are very nice browns! *thumbs up*

I only swatched all of them at most thrice on my hand and as you can see, most of the shades are not very pigmented (especially those in the first picture) – which can be both good and bad. If you wanted an eyeshadow palette with great colour payoff, I guess you can give this a miss. But if you’re someone who doesn’t wear heavy eyeshadow, go and get it!

SAMSUNG CSC

Blended some browns with pinks.

Vice3 is limited edition (or while stocks last) and they are retailing at S$88 in local Sephora stores. To avoid feeling the pinch, be sure to use your discounts (and I’ve been emphasizing this, repeating like a broken recorder in all my UD posts haha) when you pay!

Oh and I’m not sure if they are still giving out freebies with every purchase of Vice 3 palettes (bought mine more than 2 weeks ago), but this is what you should get:

SAMSUNG CSC

Amongst them are a mini All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray and several sample products.

I was supposed to get a Deluxe B6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray but stocks ran out and so I was forced to accept the All Nighter spray. That’s fine too! On top of that, if you bought at least S$100 worth of Urban Decay items, you are also entitled to a chance at their lucky dip where ONE lucky person could walk away with a Pulp Fiction palette! My luck with lucky dip has always been terrible so of course I went home without any prizes. Haha.

That’s all for this post! Oops, I’ve been bombarding my blog with too many beauty reviews! Don’t worry foodies, food reviews are coming up next!

What are your thoughts about Vice3? 🙂

Talk to you guys next time 😉

REVIEW: Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Palette

Hey ladies! *waves*

I am finally back from my birthday staycation and am all set to blog again! And as mentioned on my previous post, I’ll be talking about a new blush palette that was launched not too long ago. Yup, it’s the latest blush palette by Tarte!

I’m a HUGE fan of Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush line. I own at least 4 (kinda lost count, haha) different blush from that series because I really love how the colour turn out so naturally on my cheeks. However, as much as I love collecting their powder blushes, being a student meant that I wouldn’t be able to afford all 12 (the last time I counted the number of blush under Tarte at Sephora) of them. Furthermore, one Tarte blush can burn a friggin’ huge hole in my pocket because each costs S$45!!! That’s equivalent to one Urban Decay Basics palette 😥

So imagine my excitement when I read about the launch of the new 5-in-1 blush palette by Tarte! And it only costs S$59! WHOOP.

Yeah, the pan for each blush is definitely smaller but who uses up all their makeup anyway? Hehe.

SAMSUNG CSC

So princess-y!

SAMSUNG CSC

SAMSUNG CSC

It looks like a normal clutch ’til you open it…

Oh by the way, those two vertical stuff are actually hair pins which can be detached from the case! Yay me now haz free hair pins!! So, is that why this blush palette is called Pin Up Girl? 😀

SAMSUNG CSC

Press down the “Tarte” button to unveil the blush!

SAMSUNG CSC

Deng deng deng deng!!

SAMSUNG CSC

Closeup: Presenting to you FIVE limited edition shades!

There’s a layer of transparent sheet indicating the name of each blush on top of them, in case you can’t really tell. If you lose that sheet, the only way to know their names is by scrutinising the fine print behind the case.

Also, please pardon the over-exposure in some pictures because the natural lighting at 2pm was obviously too harsh for photo-taking!

Let’s now swatch them all! Sorry no “modelled” pictures for this because I had my foundation on and I didn’t want to keep reapplying it after wearing each of them 😯

SAMSUNG CSC

Breathless is a pinky beige.

Breathless is probably the most faint among the five because my finger had to go over the pan many times before the colour showed up. It’s a pretty matte shade, ideal for people with slightly oily complexion! But I doubt it can be seen very well on your face since it’s skin-colour.

SAMSUNG CSC

Embraced is a plummy rose.

This metallic shade is slightly shimmery but it’s still on the matte side. It’s definitely one of the nicer shades from this palette 🙂

SAMSUNG CSC

Whimsy is a light pink.

I felt Whimsy was very powdery and matte. A lot of product came out with just one swipe so be really careful not to overdo your blush if you’re opting for this shade! This works well for people with really fair skin I think because I cannot imagine my cheeks with this cool toned pink. 😦

SAMSUNG CSC

Bashful is a rosy peach.

This is going to be one of my go-to shades from this palette because I love blush with warm undertone, just like the existing Tarte blushes I own (Achiote and Blissful). Bashful is very pigmented and I feel that this works best on Asian skin tone 🙂

SAMSUNG CSC

Irreplaceable is a mauve rose.

The darkest shade in the palette, this reminded me of Natural Beauty which has the same medium-dark pink tone. I wore this for my UD Full Frontal Lipstick Stash review and I remember how dark it (with just one dab on the pan, mind you) appeared on my cheeks the first time I wore it. I could see the outline of the blush and it was still apparent no matter how hard I try to blend it out. I panicked for a moment as I was heading out after that and I couldn’t possibly step out of the house looking like an Chinese opera singer. But thankfully I managed to resolve it in the end.

SAMSUNG CSC

With Irreplaceable on though you can’t really see it since I had already blended it out.

Tip: To soften the blush on your cheeks (make it appear less harsh), blend it out with your foundation (or unused) brush.

Once again, this amazing limited edition palette is only S$59! And that does not include discounts like your UOB Visa rebates and relevant Sephora discounts. I only paid about S$51 after all the deductions. Hehe.

Ladies, which is your favourite shade? 😀

Stay tuned for more reviews!