MAC Huggable Lip Colors in Rusty and Rich Marron

Hey Y'all!!!

Today, I would like to talk about a new limited-edition collection of MAC lipsticks. The collection is called Huggable. MAC has a description of these lipsticks on its website. The formula of these lipsticks was inspired by the formula trending in Asia. 

What are the claims? The collection includes 12 shades that maintain a bright and luminous appearance for up to six hours. Specifically, the glossy-finish is meant to be long-lasting. MAC suggests that these lipsticks do not compromise on shine for color. The formula is allegedly emollient and creamy, which makes your lips look smooth and sculpted. 

What is my critique? I am quite fond of the MAC Huggable lipsticks. I definitely think that MAC should add these lipsticks to its permanent line of lip colors. Also, I would like to see more color options. Although trendy and seasonal shades are quite exciting for makeup enthusiasts, I really appreciate variety more. For example, I am not a fan of bright lip colors, such as hot pink, fuchsia, magenta, pink-coral, orange-red, red-orange, etc. However, bright colors are the trend at the moment. Personally, subdued pinks and nudes with brown undertones and deep reds look the best on me. Fortunately, the Huggable collection had two beautiful shades that I thought suited my skin-color. Experimenting with a variety of lip colors has really brought me outside my comfort zone. A few years ago, I would have never imagined that I would wear as many shades as I do now. Perhaps, I might be a fan of brighter colors this Summer. I highly doubt it though! 

Packaging? I don't have much to say about the packaging. I like to provide you all with plenty of pictures so you all can determine for yourselves whether or not you all like the packaging and colors. The packaging is simple - a gunmetal gray tube. I like the gunmetal gray and rose gold tubes that brands have been using recently more than gold or silver tubes. Gold and silver tubes wear off over time and can get scratched up easily. On the other hand, black packaging is timeless and classic. I like that these tubes are sleek, rounded, and light-weight. I prefer rounded tubes to squared tubes.

Price? These lipsticks cost $20. For high-end lipsticks, I feel comfortable paying between $18 - $25. I think MAC has a reasonable price point for its lipsticks. I am only fond of MAC's creme-sheen, amplified creme, and satin (sometimes) formulas. I think $15 is a great price point for these excellent  formulas.  There are plenty of high-end lipsticks, which cost over $22 with horrible formulation, poor staying-power, dry texture, and odd scents. MAC lipsticks have a warm, yet clean, and very mild sweet scent. I am not sensitive to scents or fragranced products, but cannot tolerate wearing products that have an overwhelming chemical-like or plastic-like sort of scent. 

Color / Pigmentation?  The two shades I purchased have awesome pigmentation. One swipe is enough. I bought a light shade as well as a deep shade, but one swipe was enough for both. Rusty is a warm "rusted" red with chocolate brown undertones. I adore this color. It is so unique. It does not have orange or yellow undertones, but it is definitely a warm shade. I usually don't like to wear brownish reds because I feel like such shades make me look too mature for my age. However, rusty is age appropriate; it brightens the complexion of my face and its glossiness provides a youthful look. Rich Marron is a light pinky-brown color or the ideal nude for girls who have my skin-color and naturally mauve-toned lips. By comparison, the pigmentation of these particular shades is better than Bobbi Brown's Shine lip colors, which are also significantly pigmented. The pigmentation of these far exceeds the pigmentation of YSL Rouge Volupte or YSL Rough Volupte Shines. Can you tell that I have not had a good experience with YSL lip products thus far?

Formula / Application Honestly, I am in love with the formula of these lipsticks. Formulas that are comfortable, meaning that it does not dry out, irritate, or feel heavy on your lips, are obviously great. I think most of the lipsticks I have kept in my collection are comfortable. Sometimes though, very rarely, I find a formula that is more than comfortable, like these Huggable lipsticks. A more than comfortable formula makes your lips feel good, like a treat, but not necessarily a medicinal treatment for extremely dehydrated or chapped lips. There are days when my lips feel slightly dry, but are not cracked/chapped. On these days, wearing a formula like the Huggable lipsticks really helps. Anyways, these lipsticks feel lightweight, smooth, and did not absorb the natural moisture of my lips. I have yet to come across a lipstick or balm or gloss that is intensely hydrating, but this definitely made my lips look and feel moisturized. I found the formula of these comparable to Clarins Rouge Éclat lipsticks. The formula of the Clarins lipsticks is thinner and slippery. The Huggable lipstick formula does "hug" your lips and does not have the typical slip of other glossy lipsticks. This is definitely my favorite formula by MAC. I like the formula of these lipsticks much more than Urban Decay Revolution, Giorgio Armani Ecstasy CC, YSL Rouge Volupte / Volupte Shine, Bobbi Brown Sheer, and Marc Jacobs Lip Gels. 

Longevity If you do not eat, then these lipsticks might last longer than six hours. However, I ate three hours after applying Rich Marron and the color is gone. The color is gone, but the smooth feeling remains on my lips. The staying power of these lipsticks far exceeds the "lack of" staying power of the.  

Dearest MAC, please release more colors and replace the permanent collection of MAC Sheen Supremes lipsticks with these amazing Huggable lip colors. 

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Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer - Wet Plum, Amber Halo, Mirrored Mauve

 Hey Y'all!!!

I first spotted the Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquers back in late August. I had tested a few shades on my hand. None of the shades in the collection had caught my eye with the exception of Mirrored Mauve. I liked Mirrored Mauve not because it was a unique shade, rather mauves shades are my favorite by default. It is a magnetic attraction!

Price

These richly pigmented liquid lip colors cost $25. Given the high price point, I was a bit hesitant to purchase these lip products until I felt that these were truly impressive. Just in time my mom received a 10% coupon to Dillard's (a U.S. department store). Fortunately, Dillard's, unlike Macy's, Belk, and Kohl's, does not exclude cosmetics/fragrances from the 10% coupon it sends out to its store-card holders.  Although 10% is not much, it at least covers a little more than the state retail tax (7 - 9%).

It is my impression that Estee Lauder is a brand that attracts individuals from an older age group (mid-30s onwards). Apparently, these days people are saying 30 is the new 20 and most days I do feel as if I have the "naivety" of a 14 year old. Wow! Why did I go off on this tangent? Anyways, I feel like young women (early to late 20s) in the beauty-blogger-sphere are more aware of brands such as Urban Decay, Benefit Cosmetics, Too Faced, Tarte, etc. rather than Estee Lauder. 

Some of my most favorite products are from Estee Lauder - Sumptuous Lash Volumizing Mascara, Pure Color Blush, Pure Color Lipsticks, and now these Lip Lacquers. 

Packaging 
Classy. I like this gold. This gold packaging looks much more elegant and sturdier, yet simpler, than the gold tubes of YSL lipsticks.

Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer is an opaque liquid lip product. It is an intensely pigmented synthesis of a gloss and lipstick. Lacquers are most often thicker than glosses with a patent leather sort of shine and not the sheer shimmer/sheen shine of a traditional gloss. 

The swatches on my arm in the pictures below demonstrate the saturated color that appears by just a single swipe of the sponge-tip applicator across the arm. Due to its rich pigmentation, this product must be applied carefully and in front of a mirror. These lacquers can be worn on top of a lip balm, unlike a stain-gloss that requires dry clean lips. 

Mirrored Mauve

Wet Plum

Amber Halo

When these lacquers are first applied, your lips may feel slightly uncomfortable. No, you will not feel a tingling, burning, or stinging sensation. These are not lip plumping products. No, these do not have a minty or pepperminty scent. What am I talking about then? Initially, these lacquers make my lips feel as if they are "trapped", like I have a film of some sort covering my lips. So, these lacquers adhere to your lips, which makes you feel like some foreign thing, like honey, is sticking to your lips, but not to worry because it is not a tacky-sticky feeling. In just a few seconds though this feeling on my lips disappears. 

The few seconds of heaviness is definitely worth it because once these lacquers set in place, the weighty feeling is lifted and you are left with a youthful, colorful pout. The only downside to these lacquers is that sometimes, but not always, my lips feel dry after this product wears off or I remove it. It makes me feel like my lips were exfoliated. This might only be an issue for people with chapped lips. I don't have chapped lips. My lips can get a bit dry from time to time if I am dehydrated or have the heat on too high in the car or at home. 

Lip Swatches

Wet Plum - shades like MAC's Rebel or Urban Decay's Venom look awful on me. This on the other hand suits me perfectly. Sometimes you just need to find the right brand or formula or shade of a particular color and then it suits you so well as if it was specially designed for you.

Amber Halo - I think this is the first traditional beige-nude shade to suit me. I have tried so many nude lipsticks in the hopes of achieving the Jennifer Lopez's or Eva Longoria's trademark caramel-beige-nude pout, but every lip color I tried would look chalky on me... until I found this one! 

Mirrored Mauve - this color fooled me. On my hands it looks like a warm mid-tone mauve pink. However, on my lips it appears more cool/blue-toned and much brighter. This is the barbie hot pink for my beige-olive (Southeast Asian / Middle Eastern) skin tone. 

Demo Swatches 

 Wet Plum 

Amber Halo

Mirrored Mauve

If you like YSL glossy stains, but want a cheaper alternative. If you like liquid lipsticks, but want something more glossy than matte (ahem ahem like Stila or Armani). If you like long-wear glosses, but want more pigmentation and color variety. If you like the Maybelline Color Elixirs or L'Oreal Extraordinaire Lip Colors, but feel like something is still missing (i.e., poor pigmentation, too much slip, etc.)? The Estee Lauder Pure Color High Intensity Lip Lacquer is the answer for y'all!!! 

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L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Color - The Statement Piece (Textured / Gold Dust Collection)

Happy New Year's Eve Everyone! Farewell 2013 and welcome 2014! I hope the New Year bring each and every one of us joy and good company to share it with, good health, success, and peace. 

I suppose my suggestion of a manicure for tonight's New Year festivities might possibly be too late, but this nail polish has swept me off my feet. It is quite "the statement piece" and a must-have for those who love golden nail polishes. 

I have seen the Gold Dust collection recently pop up at Walmart, Rite Aid, and Meijer. These polishes cost $4.99 at Walmart and Meijer and $5.99 at Rite Aid. 

I have been searching for a gold nail polish for a few years. I don't like frosty, shimmery, satiny, duo-chrome, foil, or metallic polishes. I only like cremes. Every gold or silver nail polish I have tried till now made my hands appear dry, aged, and gray. Also, these polishes made me feel as if I had cut out nail shapes in aluminum foil and glued the pieces onto my nails. This nail polish is perfect if you share my feelings regarding most gold, silver, copper, and bronze polishes in the market. Copper blends too much with my skin-tone. Bronze also blends and looks a bit dull, but I still like it on me. Gold overall looks the best on my tanned skin-tone. Warm and neutral shades are universally flattering for tanned folks. 

I have applied two coats and no top-coat. I love the gritty texture! It is so unique, yet not overwhelming or overdone. I have already decided that I want to wear this nail polish on my wedding day, which is me thinking quite far into the future. I have worn the polish for a little over a day. It has not yet chipped and feels comfortable. 

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LORAC Pro Powder Cheek Stain - Rosy Glow

Hey Y'all!!! 

Today, I wanted to share another blush. As some of you might know, I gave up buying nail polishes since the end of July. My fast / no-buy was meant to end in December, but I am going to continue to resist the urge to buy nail polishes myself, especially those colors that are similar to what I already own in my collection. However, this fast / no-buy does not mean that secret fairies cannot leave a surprise one for me. Wink! Wink! Wink! (I like sets of three, always!) 

My mom bought three beautiful nail colors for me the other day at Meijer's and the colors are definitely nothing like I own. I know this is a shocker for some of my friends who believe I own every nail polish in the world. Disclaimer, I don't! She bought Cover Girl's Golden Opportunity and Bronze Beauty and a polish from the new L'Oreal Gold Dust collection called the Statement Piece. I will be posting swatches of one of these up next. These polishes are a great option from a New Year party manicure. Well, more on those polishes in upcoming posts. 

Now ever since I have given up nail polishes, I have picked up a new fascination - blushes. I have discovered quite a few beautiful blushes over the last several months. 

Price

My mom and I had earned $20 worth of Kohl's cash. For those of you who may not know what Kohl's cash is, here is a brief explanation: once in a while Kohl's runs a special promotion, awarding $10 in Kohl's "cash" (i.e., a coupon or certificate worth $10 to be spent at Kohl's) for every $50 you spend prior to your local sales tax. This blush costs $20, so I got it for free. Free! Woohoo! Recently, Kohl's expanded its beauty department and carries quite a few popular high-end brands, such as theBalm, LORAC, and Pur Minerals. However, these brands are excluded from coupons, which I partly understand, but hope that Kohl's does create a once-a-year special coupon for these brands, like Sephora and ULTA does. One staff member in the beauty department told me that they exclude the brands from coupons because the makeup is sold at a lower original price. So, I did my research and compared the prices of a few products, but no the original price is the same. Of course Macy's, Dillard's, and Belk's also exclude cosmetics from coupons, but around Thanksgiving Belk issued a special coupon that did not exclude cosmetics. The makeup brands also hold "friends and family" sales on their own main websites, awarding 15 - 20% off and sometimes free shipping. My main point here though is to save your Kohl's cash and use it on the cosmetics because that is permitted. 

Packaging

The packaging is a simple traditional black with a clear portion in the lid. I like that the product can be seen through the clear lid. It is a lightweight compact. The pan appears small, doesn't it? It does not bother me though. I am not one to swirl my brush. The only blush I freely swirl my brush in is Benefit's Rockateur because of its box style packaging. I dab my brush in this and apply. The circumference of the Real Techniques blush brush is about the same as the pan of this blush. So, it is not as small as it looks here in these pictures. 

Color / Application / Formula 

This blush is a "rosy"medium pink with subtle silver speckles, which gives off the "glow". If you look extremely close, perhaps with a mirror an inch away from your face, you can notice the silver shimmer on your cheeks. Otherwise, it is not noticeable from a normal distance, like another person won't see it unless he/she is uncomfortably close to your face. Yikes! Eek! Hold on there, tiger! 

I am sure this blush would look flattering on most skin-tone. On fair to light skin-tones, this may look like a deeper true rose shade. On deeper skin-tones this shade may not show up. I think this shade would be very flattering for medium, beige, and olive skin-tones, like mine. 

I apply two strokes of this shade and then blend/buff it out. This blush has good pigmentation. It is not a sheer glow-from-within blush, but it is definitely not richly pigmented either. 

In order for blush to look just right, three things are required: (1) the right blush brush for the type of blush, (2) the right strokes and blending/buffing technique, (3) a non-dry and non-oily base. I do have the most perfect blush brush (ELLE at Kohl's). I love its shape. I have yet to master the technique of blush application. Ironically, I only like it on me when I apply it myself. I don't ever apply base makeup. So, when I say that this product applies a bit patchy, but then evens out once it settles in, take my words with a grain of salt (i.e., personal discretion). 

In addition to the beautiful color, I love the feel of this blush. It is very satiny and creamy. No, this is not a creme-to-powder or creme. This is a powder blush, yet it is not chalky or dry. This blush feels like a velvety powder. I would even recommend it for folks with dry skin who want to wear a powder blush, but feel forced to wear a creme blush because of their skin-type. 

My mom does not wear makeup and her style is simple and subtle. She adored this blush on herself. My mom is a shade lighter than me, but with more of a yellow undertone. One of my friends asked my recommendation for a work-appropriate blush. I recommend this and it ended up suiting her the most out of any others we tried on her. She is a shade or two lighter than me with a more yellow undertone. 

Longevity 

For now I do not feel comfortable commenting on the exact staying power of this blush. I may add an update later on. I am sorry to say, but it does not live up to its 12 hour claim. It might stay on that long if you apply a face primer or foundation to give it a base to adhere to. On me it lasted early afternoon (2-ish) to late evening (7-ish), but the flush-effect wore off into a very subtle hint of color.

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