Monday 27 January 2014

You Mood and Your Manners


Have you ever had a crappy day? A day where you just wanna screw up your face at the entire world? I have! in fact i've probably screwed up my face at the entire world on those days too. I do not have a poker face, none whatsoever and so everything i'm feeling is 'written' on my face. When i'm having a bad day, when i'm annoyed, or pissed off, angry..all the good stuff...I KNOW that I make it known to the entire world...well those that i'm interacting with.

I came across the following quote on Pinterest (you may recall my fondness for quotes) and as usual it struck a chord within me. 




I pride myself on my manners and i've been brought up properly in that respect so on reading this quote it was a sobering wakeup call to realise that my sometimes crappy mood does indeed dictate my manners. 

I don't want to be that person...I don't think anyone really wants to be that person. Manners should be upheld at all times. They are fundamental to affording others around us the respect that we wish to be treated with. You never know what a little politeness can do to turn around someone's day. In fact they may in turn then have a positive effect on your day. Life is a series of chain reactions after all!

Bearing this in mind I thought i'd share this quote with you all...maybe it will be that little reminder that you need to improve yourself and be the best versions of who you are. 

With that being said I hope you all are doing well! Let me know what you guys think! xx

Sunday 26 January 2014

MAC Magnetic Nude: Pleasure Model EDB

I promised to review this product a while back, after all it was a part of my Magnetic Nude mini haul, but, i've been swamped with school so unfortunately i'll just have to do a quickie review.

The first time these Extra Dimension Blushes were released people had problems with getting colour out of the pan. The reason was because they seemed to have come with a waxy film over them which had to be wiped off. Off the bat, I will say that the blushes in the Magnetic Nude release did not have this film over them. 



Pleasure Model EDB (normal light)
Pleasure Model EDB( taken with flash)


Pleasure Model is described as a soft terracotta with pearl and is a satin finish blush! The colour is a sort of coppery brown colour with orange undertones and is really beautiful on. It's not shimmery or sparkly but in fact imparts an almost luminous glow. The formula is long lasting and very smooth and blend able. Additionally the colour payoff is amazing! I really wish MAC would make this formula permanent. 

Below are my hundred and one pics! Just kidding! but I did include a couple pics just to give you an idea of how the blush looks in different lighting or at different angles.



This pic might be the most accurate representation of the colour!

Closer to the light! 

At an angle away from the light! 

Pic taken with flash! Def does not look like this at a normal glance!

Pleasure Model EDB with Fairly Precious EDSF as highlight to the top!

Hope you guys find this review helpful!


Monday 20 January 2014

From Me to You


Hi guys, 

Just wanted to put some of my ideas out there into the blog universe! I really thought this would be primarily a makeup blog. Somewhere along the way i've started to enjoy the concept of just sharing everyday tidbits with you. 

And yes I realise that I actually have a very limited number of posts but I find myself thinking of possible posts and actually just jutting down quick thoughts in draft posts. I hope its okay that this blog evolves into something more. For those of you who have actually started checking out or reading my posts I thank you and urge you to leave some sort of feedback for me. I really would love to know that i'm connecting with someone out there. I understand that blogs don't grow overnight but  in fact take time to build so I just hope that you are currently enjoying my posts.

A really long time ago, before real life concerns kicked in I really wanted to be a writer. In some minuscule way this is that little girl inside of me taking back that dream. Thank you for making it possible!





Love, 

Me.

Daily Inspiration!

One of my favourite things to do is to read and collect quotes. It sounds cheesy but some of those words do resonate inside you..inside your soul! I think it's an excellent way to start your day, make you think and most times just inspire you. 


In my opinion a good quote need not always be inspirational, it simply needs to be something that 'speaks' to you or something that makes you think.  With that in mind the quote i'm sharing with you guys this morning is one that I believe we should all remember. Nothing is more beautiful that self confidence and self-love.  


Here it is:





I think I might try to share these with you daily but we'll see. Anway lovelies, have a great day! xx

Friday 17 January 2014

MAC Rebel Review

As I may have said before I am an absolute lipstick junkie...combine that with a MAC Wh*re and TADA..you have my lipstick collection. I've decided  to focus on a permanent MAC Lipstick that can be found in either of the MAC Stores in Trinidad  to allow ease of access. MAC releases lovely limited edition lipstick shades but the permanent range has some beautiful colours that should be staples in any lipstick junkie's collection. 


So with that in mind let's start with MAC Rebel! Rebel is one of my lipstick loves! For many of you guys with 4 seasons Rebel might be considered a 'Fall' colour but for us here in Trinidad we just have a rainy and a dry season so Rebel can be worn year round. Yay!


MAC Rebel!

Rebel was one of my first five MAC lipsticks and was bought about 3 years ago when I was just beginning my affair with makeup. I remember being intimidated by the colour in the tube as it appears quite dark. However when I swatched it on the back of my hand I knew I had to try it on. When I did try it on my lips, two other customers shopping immediately complimented me and encouraged me to buy it. I will always remember one of them telling me "that is YOUR colour".


MAC describes Rebel as a "mid tonal cream plum with a satin finish". Satin finish lipsticks are usually semi-matte, they are not completely matte nor do they have an extremely glossy high-shine finish. Rebel is sort of berry red with a hint of purple. It seems to fall midway between plum and red  and the result is a slightly vampy colour. It definitely makes you feel sort of sultry when you're wearing it.


MAC Lipsticks all have a vanilla scent. However the scent is not obvious when it's on and it's not irritating at all. This is coming from someone with the world of allergies so if you're reading this and wondering if the scent will irritate you, it probably won't! Rebel is comfortable to wear and is not hydrating but can be slightly drying sometimes. It's texture is creamy and it applies evenly. Rebel is a richly pigmented colour that can be built up or sheered out and it never feels heavy on the lips.The wear time is wonderful with it going strong for about 5-6 hours including in that eating and drinking. Rebel also leaves a stain behind on your lips which you may or may not appreciate.


Please excuse the pics below...it's been a long day and I really wanted to get this review up so I didn't 'fix up' my face etc.  And there's a slightly greyish cast due to a finishing powder i'm using which i'll review at a later date! Anddddd there was a slight brush hair caught on my lip from when I was quickly cleaning up the edges! Ughhhhhh! Please forgive me and enjoy the pics!

One pass of the lipstick!

Some smile action!

Built up! Flash used! 

Not a close up!

Built up! No flash!

Whenever i'm undecided as to what lipstick to wear or if I just want to pick a colour that is flattering on my skin tone I reach for Rebel amongst my 40+  MAC lipstick collection (and yes I know that this is relatively small compared to some people's stashes). I genuinely think that Rebel is a lipstick that's flattering on all skin tones and I won't hesitate to recommend it to anyone! xx 






Thursday 16 January 2014

MAC Magentic Nude: Fairly Precious & Magentic Appeal EDSF



MAC describes their Extra Dimension Skinfinish formula as a 
"unique liquid-powder hybrid formula delivering high resolution colour and prismatic reflections in versatile finishes with up to six hours of colour coverage".

GENERAL THOUGHTS


These EDSFs are my favourite type of highlighter. I love the almost liquid metal effect that they create. Whilst other highlighters can be described as overly shimmery or glittery these apply with a beautiful sheen, a metallic glow almost!  Luminous might be a great word to describe the effect of the EDSFs. Additionally, the EDSFs released by MAC in the last few years have been extremely pigmented so go easy when applying. These skinfinishes are also long lasting.


MAC Fairly Precious EDSF



MAC Fairly Precious EDSF

Fairly Precious taken with flash!


When I first found information about the Magnetic Nude collection online I deliberated long and hard over this EDSF. I really wondered if the colour would show up on my skin tone or if it would simply give the much loved metallic glow. In fact, this product ended up being an impulsive add to my cart and was a regret until I received my package.


It is described as a “peach with dimensional pearly green" and is in fact a peachy colour that has some underlying orange undertones and a frosted sheen. The frost is Fairly Precious is a lot more than compared to some of the other EDSFs. The colour payoff is pretty good although it is not as blatant or as strong as I had hoped for on my nc42/43 skin when applied to the face. However, the overall effect is absolutely beautiful and i'm extremely glad I decided to get this one.


The texture is soft to the touch and it blends and applies like a dream. The drawback is that there is a slight emphasis on the skin's texture and pores but the overall effect more than makes up for that. When I wore this out it was going strong after the 4-5 hours that I wore it for.


Fairly Precious on inner arm. Swatch blended out on the right.

Same as above, this time with flash!



Just a snap showing how lighting can really change the colour of an EDSF


MAC Magnetic Appeal EDSF




MAC Magnetic Appeal EDSF


With flash!

Described as a "medium tan with fine gold sheen" this was the more obvious selection for me when I first found the collection information.The gold sheen is not as obvious in normal lighting. On my skintone it shows up as a coppery-brown with orange or red undertones. It definitely does not translate as seen in the pan. It's not as frosted as Fairly Precious nor as metallic. The pigmentation is really great though so a little goes a long way. I haven't had a chance to wear it out as yet so I can't comment on the wear time. Again, the texture is soft and the product blends beautifully.



MAC Magnetic Appeal in normal lighting.

MAC Magnetic Appeal taken with flash.

 Pic showing how the colour appears due to change lighting

These skinfinishes are available online still so let me know what you guys think or get! I would definitely encourage you guys to try out this formula. xx









Monday 13 January 2014

MAC It's Physical Fluidline

I love MAC Fluidlines.... I think they are amazing, pigmented, long lasting gel eyeliners. That little pot lasts a really long time...years actually! The glitter fluidlines tend to be hit and miss but It's Physical from the recently released Magnetic Nude Collection is lovely.


It's Physical Fluidline

MAC described this as being 'brown with purple pearl' and it's definitely accurate! It has a brown base with gorgeous purple shimmers! The shimmers are really pretty and catch the light well! I tried my best to capture the effect with my pictures below, The shade is really unique and definitely is a great one to add to your collection!


Trying to catch the shimmer!

As you can see it really does sparkle!


The fluidline is creamy and the glitter is very fine..however this may be better suited to be an all over lid colour (the fluid lines work excellently as lid colours) as opposed to a statement upper lid liner simply for the fact that it won't be a strong colour against us brown beauties. It also works really well as a lower lash line colour although I did experience some fall out with the shimmers. 


Swatch in normal lighting!

As you can see in the above 'normal' picture it doesn't stand out enough to be a statement liner in my opinion. Finally, below is a picture I managed to capture showing the liner under the lower lashline. It's an end of the night picture so all was not well!  LOL


It's Physical under the lower lash line! End of the night makeup!

Hope you enjoyed this quick review!

Saturday 11 January 2014

Mini Haul Alert- MAC Magentic Nude


So I ordered these items way back in 2013..*ahem* okay well it December 23rd is not way back........

ANYWAY there were some delays, weather and otherwise, with my order and finally in 2014 my items have arrived!! Coincidentally they arrived on my birthday so that was a fun 'gift'!! 

These were from the MAC Magentic Nude Collection which was carded to be released on Boxing Day! I must admit since I ordered online I didn't check to see if we got this collection in stores.  Regardless i'm late but you know what they say...better late than never!




MAC Magnetic Nude is described by MAC as:

'Glimmering metallics and natural nudes redefine winter opulence. Skin is radiant with Extra Dimension Skinfinish. Smoky eyes get a metal effect, shaded with vibrant Extra Dimension Eye Shadow. Fluidline shines with a steely touch, while Opulash provides a powerful finish. Flushed nudes in Extra Dimension Blush, Lipstick and Lipglass are subtle yet sexy, for a look that’s naturally magnetic. Apply with the 128 Split Fibre Cheek and 235 Split Fibre All Over Eye Brushes.'

Products include:

Lipstick

  • Close Contact -Creamy peach (Amplified)
  • Sensual Sparks- Dirty cool caramel (Amplified)
  • Carnal Instinct- Deep brick red with gold pearl (Frost)
  • Morning Rose- Soft cool rose (Cremesheen)


Lipglass

  • A Quiet Roar -Creamy off-white (Repromote)
  • Oh My Darling- Pale yellow pink
  • Overspiced- Dirty muted coral
  • Hell Bound -Brick red with gold pearl
  • Steel Kiss -Dirty mauve with green pearl


Extra Dimension Eyeshadow 

  • A Natural Flirt- Iridescent light pink (Metallic) (Repromote)
  • Sweet Heat -Soft peach pink (Metallic) (Repromote)
  • Platinum Love- Bright clean silver (Metallic)
  • Amorous Alloy -Deep terracotta copper (Metallic)
  • Silver Dawn -Dirty grey mauve (Metallic)

Fluidline


  • Chilled- Frosted white gold (Pearl)
  • It’s Physical -Brown with purple pearl (Pearl)
  • Our Secret- Metallic brown with red pearl (Pearl)


Extra Dimension Blush


  • At Dusk- Dirty cool pink (Satin) (Repromote)
  • Autoerotique- Dirty coral rose (Satin)
  • Pleasure Model- Soft terracotta with pearl (Satin)


Extra Dimension Skinfinish

  • Superb- Soft peachy nude with multidimensional shimmer (Repromote)
  • Magnetic- Appeal Medium tan with fine gold sheen
  • Fairly Precious -Peach with dimensional pearly green


Brushes

  • 128 Split Fibre Cheek 
  • 233 Split Fibre All over Eye 


I got Fairly Precious Extra Dimension Skinfinish, Magnetic Appeal Extra Dimension Skinfinish, Pleasure Model Extra Dimension Blush and It's Physical Fluidline! Anyway here are some quick pics whilst I work on swatching the products..bear with me because i'm not one who'll have those artsy fancy pics! :(



MAC Magnetic Appeal EDSF
MAC Fairly Precious EDSF
MAC Pleasure Model EDB

It's Physical Fluidline
Hopefully, I'll have some swatches up soon but these are so beautiful. I love the Extra Dimension formula! These are still available online so let me know if guys got anything! 

Thursday 2 January 2014

The Local Beauty Scene

The makeup choices in Trinidad* are extremely limited compared to what is available in other countries, namely, the US. However, we can definitely find options at different ends of the budget spectrum to fit our needs.

Below I've listed some of the bigger players  in the cosmetics game locally. Of course there are plenty other smaller shops or boutiques where you can purchase cosmetics. Hopefully, I'll be able to share some of those places with you soon.

  • Our high end cosmetics are limited to:

MAC Cosmetics



 (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)

MAC Cosmetics, one of the most popular global cosmetics brands has two local locations, one at the Falls of Westmall,  known as Westmall, and the other at Gulf City Mall.

However, I've actually found that when purchasing products from the local MAC stores the conversion rate is usually a range of 1 US: 8.7-9.8 TT rather that the normal conversion rate of 1 US: 6.5 TT (approx.).  

There is always the option to purchase online at MAC Nordstrom (offers free shipping and 3 free samples), Macy's (offers free shipping with a purchase of $50US or more) and various online retailers once you are utilising a Skybox/Freight forwarding service. In my experience this may only save you about $10-15 TT in comparison to the price at the local MAC stores but it's very useful if you want to get your hands on the limited edition collections that often sell out quickly here (although it goes just as quickly online).

Of course visiting the store locally means you get to play with the products, get samples and of course once you spend over $300 you are supposed to get your makeup done if you so desire.


Estee Lauder & Clinique at Senses



(Images taken from Senses' website)

These brands can be found locally at Senses. The stores may look particularly intimidating as they exude a sense of luxury in comparison to other local stores but i've found the staff, especially at the Westmall branch, to be extremely helpful and friendly. 


  • Drugstore brand cosmetics are available in  multitude of locations across the country including 

(Image taken from Pennywise's website)

This might be considered the original cosmetics mecca in Trinidad and at some point in time I think every Trini MUST have popped into Pennywise and bought something. There are branches of Pennywise in most malls and cities/towns/ areas.  Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Cara Mia, any brand, you name it and Pennywise probably carries it.  Definitely stop in and browse their display of cosmetics. Oh and Pennywise has some bess bess ( Trini for best ) prices. Actually, they may have the cheapest prices definitely have the cheapest out of the listed stores.


Superpharm


       (Image taken from Superpharm's Facebook page)

There are Superpharm locations in most areas and this pharmacy has clearly been modelled after Walgreens etc., basically the large all purpose US pharmacies. Whilst it is pricier than Pennywise, Superpharm is a great place to find drugstore brands and it's usually up to date with newer product releases.


Again, modelled after the big US drugstores, you can find a vast range of cosmetics here. They carry a larger variety of brands than those found at Superpharm and Pennywise but the prices may be a bit higher.


Wonderful World

   (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)


(Image taken from Wonderful World's Facebook page)

Wonderful World can be considered every girl's dream, especially mine! I've been pouring money into their coffers since the store first opened it's doors in Trincity Mall. Every imaginable item of jewellery, pashminas, hats, purses, lingerie, shoes (at the Gulf City branch), nail polish  and of course makeup can be found at these locations. They carry numerous brands such as L.A Girl, Milani, Jordana, NYX, Ruby Kisses,  L.A Splash, City Colour, and Cosmo Girl to name a few. Yes a few!, because this store has sooo many different brands. They are also decently priced although their prices have raised in recent times.


NYX Kiosk


There is an NYX Kisok located in Long Circular Mall and Trincity Mall. They seem to have a wide range of the products but from what I remember the prices are a lot higher than NYX prices online. I couldn't really bring myself to purchase NYX products at those prices.
** Edit: A lovely reader pointed out that the prices at the kiosk are now less than the prices both online and at Wonderful World!  


  • I'm proud to say that we also have our own brands of cosmetics manufactured here in Trinidad** including:

 (Image taken from Gulf City Mall's website)

This brand is a gem with some truly excellent products. They have also been at times the official cosmetics partner for the Miss Universe Organisation. Sacha was especially formulated with the skin tones of the Caribbean people in mind and so their products are often richly pigmented and their foundations are yellow based and ideal of women of colour.

Sacha now has Image Centres across the country which act as stores as well as places where you can get you makeup done etc. Their makeup is very affordable locally but unfortunately their US/International prices are a bit higher. This brand can also be found at most cosmetic stores. 


Cara Mia Cosmetics


I must admit that I myself don't know too much about this brand. I've only dabbled with it back in my early teens, think 12-13, when an aunt gave me a lipgloss, which was insanely pigmented by the way, and a powder. Ive heard good things and as I type I'm resolving to try a few more of their products. Again, this brand can be found at Pennywise.


Trinidad also has seen in the past few years an abundance of Facebook shops or pages that sell wide varieties of makeup. I'll try to do a post on these pages soon. And again, we have lots of freight forwarding service available so feel free to set up a SkyBox, of course call around for the best shipping prices etc.,  and buy your makeup online. This will eliminate the second hand retail markup. Beware that customs can be a b*tch with the duty they charge on these items. 


This extremely long post comes almost 2 years after my first post, if you recall I did say that I was hesitant about this blog business! Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!! xx

*Sidenote 1:Whilst Trinidad is a twin island state consisting of both Trinidad and Tobago, i'm only able to comment on the island of Trinidad at this time so i'm sorry Tobago readers! *

**Sidenote 2: I encourage you to check out some of our local products, my patriotic side encourages you to buy local!!*