MAC Alluring Aquatic! MAC Goddess of the Sea Lipstick & MAC Seduced at Sea Extra Dimension Blush

When I think if 'MAC Alluring Aquatic' the first thing that springs to mind is the packaging. Let's face it. This PACKAGING is beautifulllll!  MAC could have stuck the most hideous  colours in this packaging and it would have flown off the physical and virtual shelves. 

It's the big MAC Summer 2014 Collection (and no we do NOT have a 'Summer' in Trinidad) and so it consisted of around 32 pieces which can be seen here!

When I first saw this packaging on Specktra (makeup lovers, this site is a must join- wonderful online community) wayy back in March or so I knew that my inner collector HAD to have something from this collection.

At the time of the online launch of this collection I was preparing for my exams and as such chose to not get into that buying frenzy at that point in time. My upcoming examinations trumped makeup at the end of the day and needless to say I somehow managed to resist the MAC online launch as well as the various department stores. 

When my exams actually began I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to skip the entire thing. After a two week exam period, my exams ended on a Thursday and on that said day I saw a local MAC girl post an 'Alluring Aquatic look' which suggested that the collection was launching or was about to launch in stores. However, I preferred to have the usual celebratory drinks etc and forget about heading down to Westmall to grab some stuff.

By the Friday I was in major regret mode and headed down to Westmall bright and early-ish on the Saturday morning. When I got there only two lipsticks were left, one blush, a few of the eyeshadows, the brushes and pencils. Needless to say, I immediately told the MAC guy i'd take the "Goddess of the Sea" lipstick and of course due to  my weakness for extra dimension formula products I asked for a blush too. I got the last GOS lipstick and  I was definitely not interested in the only other remaining lipstick, 'Siren's Song' which is a pale sheer beige in a lustre formula. Purchasing that one would have been money down the drain!

Now that my long winded story is over, let's get down to some packaging pictures! I 'try ah thing' with these pics and I'm actually loving how they came out!

Artsy right?!

Love how these came out!

The packaging is a metallic teal-blue colour with actual raised water droplets on it. It really is beautiful. Even the boxing comes with water droplet indents on in.  MAC really outdid themselves with this one and I can't help but think it's so creative and especially clever for a 'Summer Collection'. Love love love it! 

Water droplets everywhere!

See the water droplets <3!

Up first is MAC Goddess of the Sea Lipstick!

To be frank ,between the two lipsticks left this was the only one that would work for me and so I bought it blindly!

This lipstick is one of MAC's cremesheen formulas and is described as a "dark vibrant violet". On me, it seems to be a deep violet which leans a little toward the berry side of things. Personally it's a good addition to my stash as i didn't have much else in this colour range. The lipstick itself is creamy and applies evenly. One swipe or passing of the lipstick makes it a good daytime colour which can be built up and used for a more vampy look. Well at least on me it seems vampy!

MAC Goddess of the Sea. Diff lighting indoors and last pic with flash! NC42/43 skin tone

The swatch on top is built up to about 3-4 passes of the lipstick whilst to the bottom I've just swatched it with one swipe! As usual each pic is in different lighting indoors and the last pic is taken with flash!

Next up, MAC Seduced at Sea Extra Dimension Blush!

MAC Seduced at Sea EDB

As aforementioned,  this was the only face/cheek product left in the entire collection. MAC describes this blush as a 'mid-tone neutral plum' but on me it translates to a muted orangey almost coppery colour with a lovely gold shimmer.

MAC Seduced at Sea EDB

As you guys may recall from previous posts, I'm enraptured by the extra dimension formula. This blush is no exception. It has enough golden shimmer that it would warrant the description tacky of the shimmer was done incorrectly. Fortunately MAC got it right as the shimmer is fine and extremely beautiful! The blush applies smoothly, is easily blended and gives a lovely glow. 

I used my finger to apply the blush heavily in the pictures below. The swatch to the top is blended out whilst to the bottom the blush has been heavily swiped. I changed the lighting for the pictures but again, they were both taken indoors. This blush applies a lot better with a brush as compared to using my finger to swatch.

Using my finger to swatch: Top is the blush  blended out! NC42/43 skin tone!

Different lighting! NC42/43 Skintone!

The picture below is one of me wearing the blush. To the bottom of my cheek i've used a bit of MAC Refined Golden Bronzer (which was as seems to be the usual available as part of the Summer Collection. I got mine in a previous release) for a slight contour and to the top of my cheek I applied MAC Fairly Precious EDSF!

Used on the cheek!

Not the best photo but I'm really not comfortable with adding full face photos onto my blog! Sorry! 

Let me know your thoughts on this post, this collection and what if anything you guys got from it! xx

Mini MAC Haul: More A Fantasy of Flowers: Dreaming Dahlia Lippie & A Basic Essential

In confirming that my brian is indeed getting older, the following post was started pre exam season, that is, way back in March and sadly I thought I had posted it when I evidently did NOT. I figured I might as well complete the post and so the following is  what you should have seen way back then. OOPS!

"Exam season is fast approaching and I have been ridiculously swamped with work these past few weeks so please accept my apology for the shortage of new posts in the past few weeks. I did manage to sneak in a small 2-bit MAC haul this past weekend (gone are the days of my large hauls apparently) and got the following items:

•  MAC Dreaming Dhalia Lipstick and
•  MAC Brush Cleanser

I went to MAC with the intention of leaving with only the MAC Brush Cleanser.  Of course, being a lipstick junkie, I had to stay true to my nature and just HAD to purchase a lippie. Dreaming Dahlia from the MAC A Fantasy of Flowers collection was a lipstick that spoke to me when I had first seen it. It somehow become stuck in my mind and in the end I broke down and ended up buying it."


CONTINUATION of post:

Whilst I normally dislike Lustre finishes, I felt that DD was a great everyday-brighten you face type of colour with one swipe and which could be built up to go from sheer to almost full coverage to provide more of an 'oomph'. 

MAC describes this lipstick as a 'sheer red coral'  but it pulls almost a pinky orange shade on me. That might just be the worst colour description ever but it really looks beautiful! Since i've gotten it, it has become one of my go to lip colours!

I feel like this lipstick has a lot of shimmer as well which gives it a luminous shine. The lipstick itself applies evenly and smoothly and does not feel gritty at all. Overall, this lipstick really is a winner!

MAC Dreaming Dahlia on my nc 42/43 complexion! Swatches in different lighting with the final picture taken using flash!

I know this post is super late but hopefully it helps one of you guys out there with a decision with regards to this lipstick. Btw, the brush cleanser is gonna get its own post soon! xx

Lipstick Storage Woes

Hey guys, just wanted to do a quick post so here it comes:

My first love is lipstick and so of course i've accumulated lots of them. About 2 years ago when I had now started getting into lipstick I stumbled across these great acrylic 12 lipstick storage containers. When I say stumble I mean I popped into a small boutique in a Mall in Port of Spain and saw them at the great cost of $60 TT (or $40, I really can't remember). I bought one and the following day I returned and bought the other.

From that day onward i've always wished that they had more because I quickly outgrew the storage capacity. I had managed to convince myself that I would find a store selling these storage containers  at such great prices and there was in fact a point where nobody was selling them at all. I would usually browse online for similar products but I always felt that they were way too expensive compared to the steal of a deal I got that day.

Let's fast forward to the present day where I finally took the plunge and had my mom order me a 24 lipstick holder storage container off Amazon as one of my birthday presents. At $8.99 US I thought that it would have been a great deal. Of course though Customs totally screwed me over and I found myself paying $85 TT in shipping and customs duties when I shipped it via my Skybox.

The biggest kicker of all was that this product was extremely disappointing. Below I'll review the both products mentions.

Acrylic 12 Lipstick Holder

What I loved most about this product was the fact that it was a dedicated lipstick holder. It didn't have any of the larger spaces for other products and so when in use it gave my lipstick storage a very sleek look. The quality is amazing with the acrylic being thick and clean cut with stylish edges. I really really love this product and I remain on the lookout for a few more.

Empty!

Filled with lipsticks!

Close up- hopefully you can see the edges and thickness of the material!

Acrylic 24 Lipstick Holder 

This product actually ended up costing $135 TT which was waaaay more than I had intended to spend. What's even worse is the fact that it isn't even worth the money. It's smaller than anticipated and arrived in a cheap thin white cardboard box. The product itself is cut cleanly but with no sort of design. It looks so basic and CHEAP! Plain talk bad manners! Additionally, the actual slots for lipsticks can only hold my MAC lipsticks and are actually smaller than the slots in the holder discussed above. I feel like i've been ripped off. The only slight saving grace of this product is the fact that it takes up less space and so it may be more efficient in that regard. Of course these are just my opinions and I may have had higher expectations based on the holders I already owned.

What I saw on opening the box! :( 

Didn't seem to get any better!

Filled with lippies!

Below I've added a picture of the  two products side by side so that you can see for yourself!

You can see which one holds my heart!

Acrylic lipstick holders can be bought in Trinidad from Simple Spaces Ltd. which is an actual store located in St. James as well as from the online store Makeup Haven. The images provided by these sellers seem to be of a better quality and of course the prices are much better! It's been a lesson learnt in terms of hoping to find a product much cheaper on Amazon (although this is the first time that this has failed me). Hopefully you guys find this review helpful!

I've noticed a lot of you guys reading but not commenting. :( Feel free to leave your thoughts and let me know if you have seen the lipstick holders in other places in TT. Take care!

PS. When I speak about acrylic lipstick holders here I'm referring to the ones that provide spaces for lipstick only. There are a few other places that sell the acrylic cosmetic holders.

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