REVIEW: MAC x Cinderella Eye Shadow and Lipsticks – Stroke of Midnight, Free as a Butterfly & Royal Ball

Hello lovelies!

Gosh, it’s been a while since I blogged anything about beauty. My parcels from MACCosmetics.com kept coming but I hardly had time to review them (photo-taking alone can take up to 2 hours per collection) due to my internship, so please bear with me! In the meantime, do check out my Instagram for more bite-sized updates 🙂

And at last, I’m finally able to write about the highly-anticipated M.A.C. x Cinderella collection which launched many donkey years ago. I’m late with my review again, sorry. But I do hope that this would still be able to help those who are hunting the items down on reseller markets.

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Gorgeous! Have you caught the movie?

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A huge collection that include 1 eye shadow palette (Stroke of Midnight), 2 Studio Eye Gloss (in Pearl Varnish and Lightly Tauped), 2 pigments (in Pretty It Up and Evil Stepmother) , 2 fluidline (in Macroviolet and Little Black Bow), Studio Fix Lash in Boldblack, 2 lipsticks (in Free as a Butterfly and Royal Ball), 2 tinted lipglass (in Glass Slipper and Happily Ever After), Beauty Powder in Mystery Princess, 1 Iridescent Powder in Coupe D’Chic, 1 Glitter in Reflects Pearl, 1 Blending Brush and 1 Large Angled Brush

I witnessed the items, especially them lipsticks, fly off the e-shelf on the day of launch. I think they went out of stock as fast at the Rocky Horror Picture Show collection. Many people couldn’t get what they wanted but lucky me actually predicted the launch time correctly (tip: never ever, ever rely on their mailers because they are sent to millions of subscribers and delays are inevitable) and managed to get everything on my shopping list.

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An overview of what I bought 🙂 For the first time, I actually bought an eye shadow palette from MAC. The colours are just too irresistible.

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Call me biased (since Cinderella is my favourite Disney cartoon and it was always on replay on my TV screen when I was a kid), but this collection is nothing short of breathtaking. Let’s not go into details yet and admire the presentation of the items from this collection. They are in sweet, pearlised light lavender blue packaging that’s specially designed to match the colour of the gown that Cinderella is wearing in the movie poster. Absolutely lovely! 🙂

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Official swatch

This collection comes with only 2 lipsticks (phew!) and it seemed like all eyes were already set on Royal Ball as it was the first item to sell out (followed by the iridescent powder). Both lipsticks are nude-coloured and have Lustre finish. Having owned quite a number of nude Lustre MAC lipsticks, I came to realise that they are all very under-utilised because somehow nude and lustre don’t work for me. Probably because I grew tanner, the shades are invisible on my lips and would sometimes wash me out. So I wasn’t really looking forward to adding the two lipsticks to my stash. :\

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Free as a Butterfly and Royal Ball

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Bullets

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Swatch

Let’s start off with Free as a Butterfly!

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Free as a Butterfly is a Semisheer Golden Nude with a Lustre finish (US$17.50)

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I’d say it’s actually very sheer on me. That is, even after layering it about four times.

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Okay, I probably see a slight difference in my lips because of the glossiness nature but definitely not something I’d spend US$17.50 / S$33 on if not for the packaging. The bullet was very slippery on my lips because it’s quite moist so I suspect that it would feather over time (not like you can see it anyway). Hence, also the reason why I think it wouldn’t last for more than an hour on my lips.

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Royal Ball is a fleshy pink in Lustre finish (US$17.50)

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One word: Disappointing 😦

I was expecting so much more than this but sigh, it turned out to be another Free as a Butterfly, but worse because I felt a little cheated. Where is the fleshy pink I see on the bullet? I was so attracted to the colour I saw on the official swatch (I’m pretty sure everyone else was too that’s why it’s so popular) but it appeared to be a totally different thing on my lips. I’m so grossed out, it kinda reminds me of a milder version of Happy Hibiscus which I sold a few years back because I absolutely hated it. Why, MAC, why?!

I don’t think I was ever so critical in my review but sigh, I really can’t help it 😦 I felt like I bought 2 of the same item because I really can’t tell them apart (besides the colour of the bullet).

But somebody please convince me that I look good in these two lipsticks because I really, really love the packaging hahaha. I’ll probably keep them for future swatch comparisons. 🙄

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Swatch comparisons with other similar nude shades I have!

Oh well, at least I still have an eye shadow palette to hopefully cushion the blow of a disappointing purchase.

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Official swatch

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Stroke of Midnight: Eye Shadow X6 (US$44)

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Vapour (peach pink with violet pearl, Velvet), Phloof! (Frosted Off-White, Frost), Omega (soft muted beige taupe, Matte), Quarry (soft muted plum brown, Matte), Satin Taupe (taupe with silver shimmer, Frost), Stroke of Midnight (black-plum with sparkle pearl, Velvet)

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Swatch!

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On me

This is MAC’s very own Naked (or Basics, since it’s so tiny, perfect for travelling) palette because it’s packed with 6 neutral shades. Five of these shades are already permanent but as you know, MAC likes selling its eye shadows in individual pots so having this palette would really save you a lot of time, money and space.

I’m probably too used to my Naked palettes but the eye shadows are quite difficult to work with because they are not really pigmented. They took me quite a number of swipes for them to be reasonably visible on my lids. Thus, it would never be my go-to palette during the morning rush hour. Having said that, it also has its upside, in terms of mistakes prevention. It’s perhaps more suited for people who are still experimenting with eye shadow colours 🙂

My favourite shades from this palette are Omega, Quarry and Satin Taupe. These were the easier ones to work with.

That’s all for this review! Do stay tuned for the next MAC review coming up very shortly 🙂

Thanks for reading!

On face: Urban Decay Weightless Foundation in 5.0, Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in 02, Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder, Benefit Rockateur Blush, Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Medium, Benefit Watt’s Up Highlighter.

On eyes: Smashbox Brow Tech Trio, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Anti-Aging, Benefit Roller Lash Mascara, Benefit They’re Real Push-Up Liner, MAC Stroke of Midnight Eye Shadow

MAC x Cinderella collection is now out on MACCosmetics.com (mostly sold out though) and in stores.

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)

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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.

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

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Authenticity tag

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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.

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*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.

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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!

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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!

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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:

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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: Urban Decay Electric Palette

Hello again!

I’m updating more than usual because it’s my study break now! And my first paper is two weeks away thus giving me plenty of time to catch my breath. But before I head back to the books, let’s talk about one of Urban Decay’s newest products – the Electric Palette!

I know it was launched a million years ago but better late than never! And all the more so since it’s a permanent product so people would still have the opportunity to buy it many months down the road. Plus I only got this recently because I was kinda hesitant to try bright and bold colours and I didn’t really wanna pay the full price (S$72) for something I only wanted to experiment with.

So one day I decided to do a search on Carousell to see if it was up for sale and true enough, someone was selling it (a brand new piece) at a way lower price.. at S$50? The last time I checked, there aren’t any imitations for this so I was very sure it was authentic. Both of us were busy during that period so I only managed to collect the item from her about a month later. That was in early October.

And I only tried it today. Haha. I’m sucha procrastinator.

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Beautiful packaging! I’m a sucker for colourful designs.

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Neutrals lovers would be very terrified to see this. But I’m always open to new experiences!

Truth be told, I don’t really need this palette because I don’t see myself wearing this often. In a conservative country like Singapore, you can hardly see anyone wearing dark lipsticks on the streets, let alone bright eyeshadow. But the colours are so intriguing, I couldn’t control myself.

I also had this worry that I wouldn’t be able to pull it off because I have pretty poor colour coordination (haha). I was so afraid that I would mess it up!

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Swatches!

The above picture depicts how pigmented the shadows truly are (with a maximum 3 swipes with an Urban Decay Good Karma Shadow Brush). They are not as heavily pigmented (with the exception of Chaos and maybe Urban) as how some beauty bloggers portrayed, especially Revolt because you can hardly see a thing there. I also have no idea how they managed to get such pigmented swatches too. I hope they didn’t leave huge dips in the pans while doing so. 😳

But having said so, I really like that they’re not too pigmented. It’d be very frightening for a makeup rookie like myself (in terms of using extremely bold colours on the eyes) if they come off too strong. So phew!

Anyway, out of all the colours, I love Thrash the most, followed by Fringe. These two colours, especially Thrash, saved my Electric eye makeup. I felt that the palette should have one or two more shades of yellow. There are just too many blues in here (which tempted me to use them all and then almost ruined the look lol).

If you’re apprehensive about using bold colours like my previous self, here’s a guide done up by yours truly after doing lots of trial and error:

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Each style has different sets of colour. Revolt acts as a highlighter on the brow bone (and can also be used on the inner corner of the eyes)

Style 1 is more bluish in general, kinda like the colour of twilight if done correctly. I attempted this today and really liked it. It looked like a compressed Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting on my lids but then I inadvertently destroyed it with purple shades -_-

Style 2 places more emphasis on Thrash and Slowburn, and gives a sunburst effect. If you love yellow hues, this is perfect for you.

Style 3 is another blue-dominated set of colours for you blue/violet lovers out there.

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A quick tutorial on how to apply, using my favourite style 1 as an example. Remember to always have a base colour (in this case, I used Thrash) or the end-result would be disastrous.

Unfortunately I didn’t manage to snap any pictures of style 1 in real life before I destroyed it with the rest of the colours on the palette.

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Attempted to incorporate all the colours lol.

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Style 1 is gone on the upper lid so I tried to apply it on the lower lid. Can you tell? (btw lipstick here is Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Catfight)

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Werkin it yooo

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Ok final shot before I remove my makeup

That’s all for this post! Do you have an Electric palette? What kinds of look can you create with it?

Oh I (finally) bought Vice 3 today and will review it soon!

Thanks for reading guys ❤