Monday, May 30, 2011

Face Up to It: MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural

Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark.


MSFN Medium Deep.  I always hear people rave about MSFN's but I've never seen a review about them.  I've been using it almost every day for about a month and I used it in comparison with NYC translucent/highlighting powder.  It's hard to compare these, though, because one is a setting powder, and the other is a powder foundation.  This leads to obvious differences in coverage, but I was testing wear time comparison. Also, it's important to note that this powder is not matte, and that the colors run very light. I would probably be considered a light medium to most people, but in this line I am one of the darkest shade available.

I used two different powder brushes and a kabuki brush to try it out and see which worked best.  When applied with a powder brush, it appeared sort of cakey on my face on top of CoverGirl Naturelux foundation, so a kabuki brush is kind of a must have.  I mentioned in a previous post that when set with the NYC powder, Naturelux is still a little tacky.  It's a little bit less so when used with the MSFN.  The MSFN also lasts a little bit longer. Basically, throughout the day, I don't feel my foundation as much with the MSFN as with the NYC powder.

The MSFN's coverage is rather sheer. It will add a little bit of color to your face, but it doesn't do much extra to cover blemishes or discoloration.  If you want a natural look, which is what this product hints at, than it would be better for you than someone like me, who is looking for something matte and higher coverage.

Overall, I would recommend a Mineralized Skinfinish Natural if you have extra money to spend and want to try it out.  I don't think that it's really worth the money, though.  I won't be repurchasing it.  Much of my dislike for this product, is just because it isn't the type of powder I'm looking for, and so I'll next be buying the Studio Sculpt powder, which promises what I prefer.  If you like a more natural look, the MSFN may work for you.

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover from the Up & Away collection.


Four Leaf Clover.  2 coats. Okay, this color is nearly impossible to photograph.  It's closer to the bottle picture.  It's a blue toned green, kinda a grass green, and amazingly bright.  Almost neon.  It's very opaque and creamy look that softens the bright tones a wee bit.  If you're a green lover, this is a must have.

Wet 'n Wild Comfort Zone



Comfort Zone, outdoor, sunny.  The bottom right color is actually a lot like MAC Club, you can see better in the top picture that it has some teal flash to it.  The green color is more green than this picture shows too.

This palette was about $5.00.  Most of the colors are very pigmented, the least so being the top left color and the color two down from it.  Don't necessarily use the palette as the engraved words say, because it doesn't turn out very well. 

 A wearable smokey eye:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
NYX Chocolate Eyeshadow in the crease
Lower Left eyeshadow along the lashline blended up
Left eyelid and crease color mixed on the upper lid
Right browbone color in the inner crease
Left browbone color in the inner corner
Urban Decay Stray Dog eyeliner on the lower lashline with the right definer color on top
Urban Decay Zero eyeliner on the waterline and upper lashline
CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara

Daytime look:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Right crease color in the crease
Left crease color on the lid
Left browbone color on the inner corner and inner crease
CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara


 Left, MAC Club. Right, Wet 'n Wild lower right color. Club is a little darker and the Wet 'n Wild one has more duochrome to it.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

OPI Ski Teal We Drop

 OPI Ski Teal We Drop from the 2010 Swiss Collection.

It's a little more green than shown in both of these pictures, and I once again, apologize for my cuticles.  A dusty teal cream, opaque in 2 coats; as shown here.  Nice consistancy.  I also did this nail polish on my toes, and it left them bright yellow.  It was rather disgusting.  And I am nearly certain that I used a base coat, so if you use this color on your nails, don't leave it on too long.

Monday, May 2, 2011

MAC Haul!

I just got 3 things from MAC in the mail today! Well, actually, I ordered them from Macy's because the lipstick was sold out on MAC's website. I got an MSF natural in Medium Deep, lipstick in Summer Shower, and a lustreglass in Spring Bean.  This is just a first impressions and swatch blog post.  I'll do more in depth reviews in a bit.

These photo's are pretty accurate in color, but the pan picture is a little light. The MSFN is very  smooth, and actually has quite a bit of pigmentation.  It could be used as a foundation alone, to set a liquid foundation if you want really heavy coverage, or just to set concealer.
My lips bare.
Spring Bean lustreglass.  It's very green, but the base is sheer, and the glitter is rather yellow.  Which is perfectly okay! The lip photo doesn't show the glitter in it's entirety, there's a lot more.  The lipgloss is not sticky, but the glitter is quite gritty. It does seem as though it could move off of your lips.
Summer Shower Lipstick.  This is a glaze finish.  It's a little lighter than what the tube picture looks like.  The lip photo is actually pretty accurate.  The lipstick is very hard and doesn't feel creamy at all.  It has the potential to be a little gritty, but on your lips it's not bad.  The shimmer on the lips shows up mostly as blue, not green like the tube suggests. 

As I said before, I'll give full reviews once I have properly tested the products.

Midnight Snack: Orange Treat

I may not be at the time in my life where I need to be extremely conscious of what I eat, but it's good to start early.  If you're like me, than you often want to eat even when you aren't hungry.  My philosophy, is that if you make food that takes forever to make, with little caloric value, and noticeable nutritional value, than it won't harm you much. Of course, it has to taste good too, but this way you are still doing something with food, but you're not eating when you don't need to.
This is an orange cut into disks, covered in honey, with raspberries on top. It tastes amazing and raspberries are high in antioxidants, fiber, Vitamin C, and manganese.  Manganese helps keep your metabolic rate high, making easier to burn fat.  They are good for your heart and even have cancer fighting properties. Oranges also are very high in Vitamin C, have some fiber, etc.

After you make it, put it in the freezer for no more than 15 minutes.  Did I mention how amazing this tastes? It's fabulous.