MAC Moody Blooms collection: Black Ivy fluidline look

MAC's latest collection Moody Blooms arrived in the UK last week, and I must say it's gorgeous. Blooming gorgeous, in fact. (Ha.) Unlike the Fantasy of Flowers collection released in January which was full of sweet feminine pinks and soft yellowy greens, Moody Blooms is exactly that. Moody, dark sensual shades that would definitely not be out of place in Poison Ivy's makeup bag.

Described by MAC as "Exotic, night-blooming flowers with a hint of danger inspire a hothouse of seductive shades. Sensual colours shroud eyes in earthy metallic Eye Shadows and lips suggest hidden motives with deep blue plum and dark berry hues of Sheen Supreme Lipstick. Bronze Powder Blush provides a final adrenaline surge before these beauties dissolve into the night."

Hint of danger, ooh err! I must say that I really liked the pieces in this collection. The colors remind me of Indulge collection from last Fall, which I hauled BIG time from!

Today I have created a look using Black Ivy fluidline and three of the eyeshadows from this collection. Have a look at Black Ivy in the pot:-

Black Ivy is the most perfect blackened teal eyeliner! The only other product I have that's similar is MAC Siahi fluidline, but that's lighter and bluer than Black Ivy. Black Ivy is pure love, and its most definitely worth getting a back up of it for your makeup stash!

MAC Moody Blooms

That's Black Ivy lining both upper and lower lash lines. I buffed the lower line out with Green Room eyeshadow, and then buffed that out with Lucky Green eyeshadow. (Lucky Green is also permanent, so you can pick it up anytime!) On the top lid I used Stars n Rockets eyeshadow with Hidden Motive in the crease and outer corner. I already had Stars n Rockets in my kit, which is a dupe for Blooming Mad, an eyeshadow released in this collection. I always try and find dupes for MAC limited edition products, both in the MAC permanent range and other brands, because I know that if I fall in love with something, I won't be able to buy it again. MAC does sometimes re promote limited edition items, but its seldom something that I want! Toxic Tale please, MAC?!? Pretty please!

Did you pick up anything from Moody Blooms? What MAC products would you like to see re-promoted? 

MAC Playland lipstick: swatch and layering combos!

 So you've probably seen swatches of Playland lipstick before, either here on my blog or somewhere else in cyberspace. It is a gorgeous yellow frost lipstick, that is certainly unique to my stash! However it is sheer, as you can see from my swatch below, and I've found that the true versatility (and fun) of Playland comes from layering it on top of other lip products!

MAC Playland lipstick

I have two Playland layer combos to show you today, however I will definitely be adding more pics to this post the more I experiment with the lipstick!

COMBO ONE: Playland layered over Hi-Def Cyan Chromagraphic Pencil 

I loved this combination- its not for the faint hearted though! I think if I was going to attempt this again, I would definitely apply some self tan beforehand. It kinda washes me out here. Unlike combo two...

COMBO TWO: Playland layered over GOSH cosmetics Neon Orange lip pencil. 

I haven't changed any other part of my makeup in this picture other than my lip makeup, and look how much warmer I look! Proof that orange lippie is easier to wear than blue, lol! I absolutely adored wearing this combo: Playland applied particularly well over the GOSH liner, and I had so many compliments on my lipstick! I shall definitely be wearing this again.

As I said, I will be trying out a few more franken lippies over the next couple of days. I have a feeling that Playland is going to look amazing layered over Heroine lipstick...  

MAC Proenza Schouler Collection: pictures & looks

 MAC recently collaborated with design duo Proenza Schouler to create a capsule couture makeup collection. With multi-color packaging housing ombre blushes and summery lipsticks I picked up four items from this gorgeously curated collection. I've created two bright, colorful looks with my items, and wanted to share them here!

MAC x Proenza Schouler lipstick & ombre blush

MAC Mangrove lipstick

MAC Ocean City ombre blush

The first look I created using Mangrove lipstick and Ocean City ombre blush. Mangrove is a bright orange-red lipstick with a Matte finish. If you like previous MAC lipsticks Sail La Vie and Scarlet Ibis, then you will love Mangrove. Ocean City ombre blush is light peach at the top, graduating into a bright, orangey peach at the bottom. 

Mangrove applied beautifully, wore well for five hours, and left a slight stain on my lips. Ocean City has good pigmentation, but it definitely buildable, if you want a brighter look. 

On to the second look!

MAC Pinkfringe lipstick

MAC Sunset Beach ombre blush

So, the second look I created was pink and much softer. I used Pinkfringe lipstick and Sunset Beach ombre blush. Pinkfringe is a flamingo pink with a satin finish. It wasn't as pigmented as Mangrove, and took a couple of swipes to reach full opacity, but it was definitely worth it! 

Sunset Beach was a bit stiff, so be prepared to have to work with this blush a bit. That said, it is buildable and does look lovely on. Just get set to jab at the pan with your brush a little bit!

The star of this collection for me was Mangrove, simply because I didn't have to work too hard with it! That said, I do really like my other items and will continue to use them, even if I do have to spend a little more time with them!!

For my eyes, I did a simple winged eyeliner on top of a champagne shimmery eyeshadow, and a bright, tropical green eyeliner along my bottom lashline. The green liner is called Green Papaya and its by NYX Cosmetics. It is SUPER pigmented and I have no other green liner that is even similar in color! Proof that budget cosmetics can perform just as well as higher end products.

What did you pick up from the MAC x Proenza Schouler collection? Did you have any issues with pigmentation? Let me know!!

MAC Alluring Aquatic: pictures and swatches

Its a rare occurrence that the UK receives a MAC collection before the US, but in the case of Alluring Aquatic, we received this collection a whole three weeks before our makeup loving sisters across the Atlantic will.

Since normally collections are released first in the States, I rely heavily on my American (and Canadian) friends to provide me with product pictures, swatches and looks created with the collection items. This enables me to be prepared and create a shopping list, ready for the UK launch!

With Alluring Aquatic, I can return the favor, so I have taken pics of all my Alluring Aquatic haul (its BIG), and swatched all of it, hopefully helping someone, anywhere in the world to select their Alluring Aquatic items, and be ready when it hits their home MAC site!!

***WARNING*** Pic heavy post!!

First up, the LIPSTICKS!!

MAC Enchanted One

MAC Goddess of the Sea

MAC Mystical

MAC Pet Me Please

Enchanted One- mid-tone neutral pink, matte finish.

Goddess of the Sea- vibrant violet, cremesheen finish.

Mystical- mid-tone creamy rose, cremesheen finish.

Pet Me Please- light shimmering mauve, frost finish.

It's very rare that lipgloss grabs my attention, whether by MAC or any other cosmetic brand. The last time I bought any MAC lipglasses was from the Indulge range, last Fall/Autumn.I picked up two from Alluring Aquatic (that's a lot for me!)

MAC Modern Lure

MAC Water Deities

Modern Lure- deep violet pink pearl.

Water Deities- light bronzed pink

Moving on to face products, I was intrigued by the Extra Dimension finish bronzer Aphrodite's Shell, as I was unsure how they'd translate the shimmery Extra Dimension formula into a workable bronzer! I bought both of the Extra Dimension blushes, as I loved Autoerotique from the Magnetic Nude collection.

MAC Aphrodite's Shell- golden bronze with a touch of fine shimmer.

MAC Seduced at Sea- mid-tone neutral plum.

MAC Sea Me, Hear Me- beige pink. 

Sea Me, Hear Me, Seduced at Sea, Aphrodite's Shell

The Extra Dimension eyeshadow formula is gorgeous: intensely pigmented, shimmery and easy to work with on the eye. From Magnetic Nude I picked up three ED eyeshadows, but from this collection I picked up FOUR. Please note, I will be adding a product shot of Sea Worship later today.

MAC Fathoms Deep- deep blue.

MAC Legendary Lure- deep cerulean.

MAC Silver Sun- mid-tone sea foam green.

Silver Sun, Legendary Lure, Fathoms Deep, Sea Worship.

Phew! This has been my biggest MAC haul from a singular collection in the whole time that I've been a makeup addict! I will be creating some looks with the Alluring Aquatic range over the course of the week so keep checking back!

What's on your Alluring Aquatic shopping list? 

MAC Head in the Clouds lipstick

Head in the Clouds lipstick

My head is in the clouds most of the time... I'm a real daydreamer by nature, and I'm often planning things in my head, rather than focusing on what actually needs to be done!

That said, when I saw that MAC were releasing another red frost finish lippie so soon after Viva Glam Rihanna (another red frost lipstick), I was left thinking Head in the Clouds would be a skip for me! However, I caved during a MAC Playland restock, and I'm glad I snagged it up, as it is completely different from VG Rihanna. 

Swatch on NC20 skin 

I realized that as well as Head in the Clouds and VG Rihanna, I had two more red frost lipsticks- I must be drawn to them! I have swatched them here for reference:- 

Viva Glam Rihanna is more opaque and much redder than Head in the Clouds. In fact, Head in the Clouds leans quite orange, so I'm really glad I picked it up, as I love me some orange leaning red lipsticks! Scarlet Ibis and Sail La Vie anyone? 

With regards to the two Make Up Academy lipsticks, MUA 1D Be Mine, is very close to VG Rihanna, perhaps a touch darker. MUA Shade 8 has the lovely sparkle that Head in the Clouds has, but is a much deeper red. It's also a complete bargain, at just £1 per tube!

I then had a creative brainwave, and decided to dab a bit of Playland lipstick in the centre of Head in the Clouds, to create an ombre effect. It is LOVE, and I can't wait to be layering Playland over everything!! I think it would particularly good layered over Hi-Def Cyan chromagraphic pencil, or Heroine lipstick. Either way, I shall post them all here!

Playland in the center of Head in the Clouds

As you can tell, I love red lipstick, and hoard it like a crazy woman. Is there any particular beauty item you hoard?

MAC Sweet Experience lipstick

Sweet Experience lipstick

The other day I teased you with product pics and swatches of the six lipsticks in MAC's new Playland collection. Today I shall be sharing a look I created with Sweet Experience, a milky pink-peach lipstick, with an Amplified finish.

Sweet Experience is a dream to apply, its creamy and opaque in just a few swipes. It does however, settle into liplines somewhat, due to its creaminess. This is a minor issue though, as I just blotted my lips on a tissue and was good to go!

I'm not too sure about Sweet Experience on my skin tone. I think milky colors like this and Flamingo from the All About Orange collection make me look kinda odd. I will be tweaking Sweet Experience with a few lip liners underneath, to see if I can make it work a bit better with my coloring!