MAC Lipstick Swatches!

Ah, lipstick.  One of my favorite makeup products.  It seems as if lots of people agree, judging by the popularity of my last lipstick post!  I decided to do another lipstick post, but this time, we're talking about MAC.  The pretty packaging, the lovely vanilla aroma, the beautiful colors, mmm...

Seriously, how gorgeous and sleek is their packaging? Great job, MAC!

I will be reviewing these guys today!

 L - R: Myth, Creme d'Nude, Angel, Snob, Saint Germain, Russian Red, and Rebel

L - R (no flash): Rebel, Russian Red, Saint Germain, Snob, Angel, Creme d'Nude, Myth

Same as above, but with flash (more accurate coloring)!

*Note: Sorry some of them are kind of dingy, I've had some of these for quite a while!

Above is Myth.  This was my first MAC lipstick purchase, back when nude lips were all the rage.  It's still a gorgeous basic nude color.  It layers beautifully but is also great as a stand alone color with darker eye shadows.  It is a Satin so it is not super drying or too shiny.  I love this color.

Next up is Creme d'Nude.  I was so disappointed when I got this color.  It has a Cremesheen finish so it is definitely shiny, and I personally did not like that look.  It is also more peachy than Myth, so I can only wear it when I'm tanner.  I now only use this color to layer on top of dark colors.

Here we have one of my all time favorites, if not my favorite lipstick ever, Angel.  First, on a personal note, this lipstick shares the name of my first family dog, so it makes me happy and reminds me of him every time I wear it.  Anyway, even though it says it's a Frost finish, it is not super glossy.  It's my go-to lip color.  I wear it with any eyeshadow look.  It's your basic pinky nude color that I think everyone should own.  If you're wondering what your first MAC lipstick should be, this is definitely it!

Here we have Snob, a Satin purple-pink lipstick.  I used to wear this one very often but I noticed that the purply tone did not look too great on my NW20 face.  It is a beautiful color in the tube but you have to make sure it suits your skin tone.  I also find it can make your teeth appear yellower than they really are, which is another reason why I don't reach for it often.

This is Saint Germain.  I remember when this lipstick only came out in limited edition collections, and it was impossible to find because everyone wanted it, for good reason.  Thankfully, this beautiful and funky Amplified lipstick is a permanent MAC member.  This is not your typical, everyday color.  But if you're going on a night out and want your lips to be the focus of attention on your face, this is your go to lipstick.  It still has that purple hue which can affect the way your teeth look, so just be cautious of that.  Dabbing this color on makes it more wearable, as well.

This is Russian red, a Matte color.  I have a love-hate with this guy.  Without a lipliner, this lipstick is nearly impossible to use.  And once you mess up, the Matte finish makes it hard to fix.  It is lovely but I would rather go with a red that has an Amplified finish to avoid all the hassle.

Our last lipstick is Rebel.  This was a go-to fall color for many people.  It is a lovely Satin finish lipstick that is very versatile because it gives you one look if you swipe it heavily (above) and a completely different look if you dab it lightly.  It is perfect for a date night, when you're going for that sexy, sultry look.  Everyone needs this one in their collection.

This is a lip combo I often like to do.  It is Rebel (lightly dabbed) with Creme d'Nude layered on top.

These three are honorable mentions that I won't review, due to them being limited edition.  

L - R: Viva Glam Gaga, Colour Crafted, Viva Glam Nicki

Hope you enjoy the swatches and reviews! xo

A Case of the Mondays...

Monday has to be the hardest day of the week.  Five whole days of stress before relaxation again?!  I think having this mentality means that something is off in life.  A change needs to be made.  Until then, I'll daydream about somewhere I'd really rather be...

Maybe laying in a beautiful hotel overlooking the ocean, while enjoying a morning coffee?  Embracing the views of the majestical blue waters, making my way to the edge of the dock, watching as I step carefully, one perfectly pedicured foot in front of the other.  I look down into the water and see little fish of all different colors swimming around freely.  I took a deep breath in and feel the sunshine hitting my skin.

Or, would I explore a brand new city, one that wouldn't have a single soul that knew my name.  I'd walk, no - run, through the streets and take in every image, every detail that rushed through my pupils.  Every street twist and turn would be an opportunity for a new adventure.  I'd only stop to sample the decadent foods of this new place.  I probably wouldn't be back, so I'd have to make sure I made the memory last a lifetime. 

They say an office is a dreamer's graveyard. 

NYX Swatches: My Round Lipstick Collection

I cherish my little collection of NYX Round Lipsticks. I decided to post some swatches and my thoughts on the colors I own. Below is a picture of them all. Feel free to click them for a better view of colors. For reference, I am around NC20-25.

L-R: Strawberry Milk, Narcissus, Power, Christie, Femme, Louisiana 

Upclose shot of Strawberry Milk, Narcissus, Power

Upclose shot of Christie, Femme, Louisiana

Swatches without flash. L-R: Louisiana, Femme, Christie, Power, Narcissus, Strawberry Milk

Swatches with flash. This picture accurately shows their true colors. Same order as above.

These lipsticks are very creamy. Almost too creamy. These lip swatches may be painful to look at, just because I used no lipliner. I didn't want to affect the color of the swatch. They're so creamy that they get all over your lips. If you don't have a lipliner, I'd suggest cleaning up edges with some concealer. They feel really nice on and they have never dried out my lips. These lipsticks sort of temporarily stain your lips after they wipe off. I really like that because you still have some color even after its faded. All lip swatches were taken with flash. Now on to the colors. 

Above is Louisiana. It's a really pretty bright pink/coral with blue undertones. I truly believe that it will fit all skin tones. It is a cream finish (no shimmer) but it looks glossy because it's that moisturizing. I've heard it's a dupe for MAC's Chatterbox but I can't vouch for that since I don't own it.

Above is Christie. It's a medium blue-tones pink with a frosty finish. I usually avoid frosty lipstick because I just feel like they look very odd but this one is not overly frosty. If you compare it to the other swatches, it doesn't look that much difference in terms of finish. It's a fun color and it's a nice daytime color.

This is Power. It's my only "different" lipstick out of my whole collection (not just NYX). Basically it's a pale lilac color with a cream finish. I never wear this lipstick because it looks strange on my skin tone. It might just be the color of my lips, but when I wear this I feel like my lips look brownish. I look I have frostbite or something. I think this is a color for darker skin tones. I'm going to see if I can pull it off during summertime when I get tanner. 

This is Narcissus. It's my favorite color out of my NYX lipsticks. One of my favorite colors in general. It's a true barbie pink color. It's almost neon pink. It looks great on all skin tones as well. I get complimented every time I wear this. It's a cream finish. It's a very sexy color. You'll probably feel great with it on.

This is Femme. I'm going to admit that I haven't gotten much use out of this one. It's a bright orange-reddish color. Cream finish. It's very intense and very daring. Great night time color. I feel like it's a bit too strong for me. I prefer to pair this with a lipgloss.

The last color is Strawberry Milk. There is a lot of hype around this color. It's a very pale milky pink color with a cream finish. This is a very difficult color to wear. It completely washes out light skin and looks a bit garish on dark skin. With a nice lipgloss, it's a great base color. This is definitely a color that looks best with smokey eyes at night. 

I hope you enjoyed my review and swatches! xo

Product Smackdown: Sigma F80 vs. ELF Powder Brush

So, there has been a lot of hype around flat top makeup brushes for foundation. Personally, I love them too.  I have both the Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki F80 and the ELF Powder Brush. Let's start with ELF.

The ELF Powder Brush is first and foremost very, very soft. It feels great on the skin. You can buy it online at the ELF website or at Target for $3. That's an excellent price for a brush. I find that it works better with liquid-y type foundations. Forget trying to blend, let's say, Revlon Colorstay with this. Even if you apply dots of foundation on your face and then blend, you're going to have slightly patchy foundation. Never a cute look. It works better when you stipple the foundation into your skin and then swirl. The brush is dense but it's not extremely well packed. It can be a little flimsy and it almost feels like your pushing the foundation more into your brush than into your face. It's excellent for powder. I even use it for blush sometimes. Another con however is that, over time the bristles get a little "raggedy" looking and you'll have to keep buying them. The more you wash, the worse it gets. I compare it to trying to wash synthetic hair extensions, it just looks bad. The bristles come loose as you wash as well. It's tempting not to wash it because you don't want it to get messed up, but re-using a brush over and over without washing can lead to a whole slew of problems.

Next up is the Sigma F80. This brush is extremely packed. The bristles are stiff and sturdy to blend the thickest of foundations. This is great but also causes a bit of a problem for me. I have a dry skin and the brush is so stiff that it tugs on my skin a bit and lifts all my little dry patches and makes them visible. My way of avoiding this is stippling only. No swirling. This creates more of a heavier coverage. I'm okay with it, however. It gives a pretty flawless look. No shedding almost ever. Sucks up a whole lot of product. And the product is very difficult to remove from the brush. Other than that I think it's worth the money you pay. For $16, you get a great brush and you won't have to repurchase like the ELF brush. My true opinion is that both brushes are great brushes to anyones collection. F80 for foundation and ELF for powder. I'm still searching for the perfect foundation brush.

Starry Night

I love glitter. Like, a lot. I also love nail art, and I incorporate the two whenever I can. This is a design that's really simple to do and usually gets me a lot of questions/compliments.

What you will need:

From left to right: Essence of Beauty cosmetic wedge, Pink Gel Coat, Milani Nail Art Lacquer in Art of Silver, NYC Nail Polish in Starry Night

You can use any type of makeup sponge, base/top coat, and silver polish you have laying around. The first thing you want to do is put on a hydrating base coat. I used the Pink Gel Coat from Sephora. It's a bit pricey at $30 USD but my nails have never been in better shape. It also gives your nail beds a healthy pink glow. You can read reviews about it here. 

Then you want to take your cosmetic sponge and paint some of the plain glitter polish onto one of the sides. Starting at the tip, dab it on until you see a think layer of glitter. As you go down your nail, the dabbing should become lighter, and so should the amount of glitter that is this area of your nail. You are creating a gradient effect.

Your nail should look something like the way my index finger does here. Next all you have to do is take some chunky glitters and just add them on top where you applied the thickest amount of glitter. You can use regular old glitter, but I find it easier just to use nail polish that already has big glitters in them. I got this NYC polish on sale at CVS for just. $.79!

Then, just add a top coat and you're done! Make sure to add the top coat around your edges because this is where chipping usually begins. Now you have a simple and cute look on your nails!

Something New

Welcome to New York Avenue! Summer is here and with a little more free time on my hands, I decided to start my own blog to share my interests, which include beauty, style, food, and couponing! I'd like to share what I love and read some other fun blogs along the way. Enjoy!