FOTD: MAC Stroke of Midnight Face Palette

FOTD: MAC Stroke of Midnight Face Palette

Hi everyone and happy Monday!

Over the weekend I was playing around with a new kit from MAC- so I thought I'd share the look I created! This kit is the Stroke of Midnight Face Palette in Cool (there's also a warm option). I tend to use both warm and cool tones in my makeup looks, but I was drawn to this kit because of... you guessed it- the berry lip color! :) I have a few other things from the Stroke of Midnight holiday collection, and I'm thinking I'll probably do an all-in-one type of review soon- sharing my take on everything. In case you were wondering- my foundation is Cover Girl + Olay Simply Ageless (thanks MissCrystalMakeup for making me want to pull this out again!), and the blush is the Jane Multi-Colored Cheek Powder in Peach Bouquet.   

The packing of the whole Stroke of Midnight collection just makes me think of the Great Gatsby. Black, white, and gold- just gorgeous. The whole compact is a little larger than the size of my iPhone. There's a decent-sized mirror on the inside, and I don't think you can really see it, but there's a little trap door over the lip products- which is great for keeping the powder fall-out away from the creams!

The palette contains...

-Iridescent Powder in Sparkling Rose (soft pink with gold frost)

-Lipstick in Sublime Pleasure (Lustre- sheer rose)

-Lipstick in Romantically Inclined (Cremesheen- plum)

-Eyeshadows (left to right) - All Races (matte), Scene (satin), Magic Moor (veluxe pearl)

-Eye Kohl in Ebony (black)

This isn't a full-on review- but just some observations on the kit. The highlight is quite sheer, but I think it gives a really pretty glow when dusted on the cheekbones and down the nose. I also used this as a highlight under the brow. The lip colors are both quite shiny- I used the plum shade all over with a lip brush, with just a dab of the lighter color in the center of my lower lip.

Maybelline Fall 2013 Limited Edition Color Sensational Lip Gloss

Maybelline Fall 2013 Limited Edition Color Sensational Lip Gloss

Hi everyone!!!

Happy Tuesday! I had an amazing weekend getting to hang out with Kristin Gehm in Chicago! It's kind of the halfway point between where we live, and we just had a blast (there will be a video coming). But she gave me some gifts-- including these incredible lip glosses that she's been raving about! They're limited edition for fall from the Maybelline Color Sensational line (the same line that makes Almond Crush- which I love!) I was never able to find these new shades, so being the makeup-loving friend she is, Kristin tracked them down for me up in Wisconsin! Thank you!!! ♥

The deeper shade is #305 Raspberry Ablaze, and the pink-ish color is #310 Berry Brilliance. 

These are creamy, shiny colors with no shimmer. They don't feel sticky on the lips, yet I think the staying power is pretty impressive. I've been wearing Raspberry Ablaze today and have gotten groceries and eaten lunch... while there's not a lot of shine, there's still plenty of color hanging around on my lips, and it hasn't gotten sloppy running outside my lip line. I also like that I can get full color with a minimal amount of product- without having to build it up with tons of extra gloss. Goopy lips are not fun!

Benefit Luv It Up Cutest Nudist Makeup Kit

Benefit Luv It Up Cutest Nudist Makeup Kit

Hi everyone!

Hope your day is going well! This palette was part of my "Face of the Day" today on Beauty Broadcast Live.  It's from Benefit and it's called "Luv it Up! Cutest Nudist Makeup Kit". I know we all want to be the cutest nudist! LOL! Anyway, this is a limited edition holiday palette and retails for $25 on Benefit's website as well as Ulta's website. It contains several eyeshadows, a cream shadow, and a gloss. This is one of several holiday products from Benefit that were sent to me for review. 

This small tin is about the size of one and a half iPhones (standard unit of measure! :) There's no mirror on the inside, and it looks like the the inner palette that holds and divides the products could be removed if you wanted to use the tin for something else once you used up the products. The kit also comes with a little how-to guide.

The three shadows are about the size of a quarter, and come in the shades Call My Buff (satin finish creamy color), Nude Swings (shimmery peach), and Thanks A Latte (shimmery taupe). There's also a Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow mini (.11 oz) in R.S.V.P. (shimmery peach). And the mini Ultra Plush gloss is in Dandelion (.22 fl oz)- it's a very sheer peach.

From left to right: Dandelion gloss, R.S.V.P cream shadow, and eyeshadows in Call My Buff, Nude Swings, and Thanks A Latte. (The powder shadows were not applied on top of the cream just so you could see how the pigmentation is on their own). I've never been a huge fan of the Ultra Plush glosses because I think most of them are just so sheer! While the color shows up a bit more in the swatch on my arm, on top of my natural mauve-ish lip color, it comes off almost clear. The cream shadow is a very pretty color and reminds me a lot of MAC's Rubenesque paint pot- similar texture too. The lightest shadow is very subtle (performs better on top of the cream), and the two with shimmery clearly have the most pigmentation. 

On my eyes- I'm wearing the R.S.V.P. cream shadow as a base, with Call My Buff on the lid and under the brow, Thanks a Latte in the crease, and Nude Swings just above the crease. I also lined my eyes in black and smudge Thanks a Latte under the eyes. I'm wearing Dandelion gloss on my lips.

 Obviously this kit has been created to give the subtle, "nude" look. I'm not blown away by the quality of the eyeshadows, but they do a decent job on top of the cream base. As I mentioned on Beauty Broadcast Live, this kit might be a nice gift for a teen who is getting started with some subtle makeup. Nothing in this kit is going to look too intense by any means. All of the shadows are subtle and easy to blend. Where a lot of holiday kits are packed with glitz & glam... this might be a good option for someone who likes a lighter look on the eyes and lips. I think you could put together a grouping of similar drugstore products for less than $25 and still have great quality- but if an all-encompassing gift set is what you're after, I think it's a good option :)