Smashbox Mini Lip and Eye Palette

The Mini Lip and Eye Palette was released a few years ago with the Mod Chic collection. I don't particularly remember how much it retailed for, but you can still find it on ebay for pretty cheap nowadays. It's a great little palette with 4 buttery, sheer, but buildable eyeshadows and 2 lip glosses with a mini double ended eye brush. It's great for a quick neutral look or simple smoky look. I do have to apologize for the state mine's in. I neglected to clean it before snapping a picture of it..

The colors are as follows:
Eyeshadow:
All of the eyeshadows are sheer, but buildable, and are of the same excellent quality of Smashbox's regular singles. The shimmery shades have light shimmer, and are great for everyday
Fab: A shimmery white. An excellent highlighter
Mini: Shimmery Cream, makes a good base
Shag: Shimmery light brown, a bit on the warmer side.
Jet: Matte "off-black" This shade is black, but not a full on black, if you know what I mean
Lipgloss:
These are also sheer, but buildable and nondrying. One layer gives a tint with a soft shine. More layers=more color and shine
Smashing: Warm Peach color. It looks orangey on my arm, but on my mauvey-pink lips, it's perfectly fine
Smashing: Mid-toned Rose.

Tutorial-Reviving Gel liners

So I've been swatching quite a bit for the last few days, but for the most part, I've been too lazy to blog about any of it for various reasons..with the main one being this:

My kitten lovingly likes to spend a good 5-10 minutes blocking my computer screen...and my laptop has no imaging programs for labeling ^^; (not to mention that my keyboard on that's a bit busted..and my desktop has some hardware issues as well...) There isn't a whole lot of swatching in this post as well, but at least there's pictures this time. YAY! So anyways, today I'll be teaching you how to revive a dried out gel liner (or change the consistency on your drier textured liners)

1. Before you begin, you will need the following items: your dried out gel liner, eye drops (the regular kind, for dry eyes--I am using Blink Tears in this tutorial, but Visine works quite well for this as well. DO NOT USE CONTACT SOLUTION. It won't hold up as well), something to mix with, and something to smooth your liner back down with. You can choose to use a toothpick to stir, or a spatula or small wax applicating stick, whatever you find. For the green liner, I used a toothpick to stir with and a brush to smooth it back down. For the blue-grey one I simply used a small stick.

If you are using a wax applicating stick, you may choose to break the stick in half, allowing to use the same stick to revive 2 liners.

2. Add 2-3 drops of your eye drops to the liner. You don't need a whole lot ofo this to revive your liner. If you find you need more later, you can add it in, but adding too much will cause your gel liner to lose its consistency, and your liner will not apply as nicely.

3. Start mixing. If you are using a toothpick, you will have to make sure to mash your liner well, breaking up any chunks.

When it is done, you should have a nice, creamy consistency:

Personally, I found it much easier to mix with the small wax applicator I was using..it took much longer for me to use a toothpick..but you use what you can ;)

4: Final step: pat your gel liner back down in its container, smoothing it over the best you can. You may want to clean up the edges and scrape off as much of the liner off your mixing tool as possible. There will still be a bunch of it stuck to the stick, but it's not a huge loss considering the fact that you're saving money by not having to buy a new liner.

Congratulations: your gel liner is now revived!

Coastal Scents Controversy and silica powder

Sorry, no pretty images this time. As you guys probably know, there has been a bit of controversy regarding the customer service of a company named Coastal Scents. (http://www.coastalscents.com) which sells really cheap, tempting, multicolor palettes and brushes. Unfortunately, the company itself has, for a really long time, seemed to lack any sort of professionalism by reducing themselves to name calling every time someone gives their products a bad review. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the newest bit from them can be read about here. For those who don't want to watch the video in this thread (or can't), the video is a response from a youtuber to a response by Coastal Scents about her video regarding the possible dangers of using 100% silica powder (more on the silica powder in a bit), in which Coastal Scents responded by leaving a nasty message to the youtube video, editing the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) attached to the product, sending out a mass email to all customers basically calling the youtuber ignorant, and apparently publicly bashing the woman on their site's forum. (NOT COOL).
This is the 2nd time that I have heard of something like this happening. The first happened to another youtuber for giving their brushes a bad video review. Again, Coastal Scents responded by stooping low and publicly bashing the woman on their forums in an attempt to discredit her simply because she voiced her opinion on a product. her response video is also in that thread if you want to look through a couple pages. Additionally, it seems like they edit out bad reviews on their site. (I'm sorry, but THERE IS NO PRODUCT IN THE WORLD THAT AT LEAST ONE PERSON WILL NOT LIKE)
Luckily for us, Coastal Scents does not manufacture their products themselves. Their palettes, probably their most popular products, are generic palettes manufactured in China, all of which can be found here and off ebay from Hong Kong sellers (type in "neutral palette" for the 28 piece neutral eye palette and 26 piece eye and blush palette, "lip palette" for their new lip palette, "blush palette" for the blush palette, etc). These are also cheaper on ebay, especially if you buy more than 1 (combined shipping rocks) especially when you figure in how much Coastal Scents charges for shipping...the downside is that it does take longer though (I think I saved over $10 on both neutral palettes though and I refuse to buy from Coastal Scents for the aforementioned reasons..so I think it works for me). Their brushes can be found from their manufacturer, Crown Brushes. The other products I'm not sure where to get.

So now's the fun science stuff: Is silica powder dangerous?
The answer is yes and no. The woman in the youtube video was right about two things: Silica powder CAN cause silicosis, a respiratory disease, if breathed in in LARGE amounts, or through prolonged exposure in small doses over a long period of time (over 20 years) This is also the reason why the people who are producing this stuff have to wear full body suits with masks. However, as you are most likely not going to be snorting this stuff or creating large dust clouds of it to breathe in, you'll probably be fine. Edit: Silicosis has only been linked to crystalized silica particles (the stuff found in pottery, mining, etc) and there is no proof that spherical silica (cosmetic grade) causes or is connected to silicosis. (thanks samanthadread)

Secondly, cosmetic grade silica (silicone dioxide) IS a carcinogen...in lab animals. It's not listed as a carcinogen for humans on the MSDS. So as long as you aren't leaving your container of silica powder out for your pet to snort, you're probably also ok. Other forms of silica are a known carcinogen in humans, however, but they are not as finely milled and therefore cause more damage to the lungs.

Additionally, according to wikipedia, silica is the 2nd most common compound on the planet. (Makes it hard to avoid now, doesn't it?) It's basically quartz or sand, and is found in many, many products besides just our cosmetics. So for those of you who have bought MUFE HD powder or Coastal Scents silica spheres and currently love it, you don't have to toss your beloved powder...just try not to breathe it in :P

For those wondering what exactly silica is used for, a quick google search also turned up the following on uses for silica in cosmetics:

"These are the reasons why silica is used for cosmetics:

1. Silica contained in foundation adsorbs sweat and oils in skin, which prevents light reflection by sweat/oil and keeps makeup on the skin longer.

Spherical particle type of silica improves the smoothness and spreading of foundation and cream. The smooth surface appearance of nail polish is created by silica particles in the polish. Porous silica is used as an ingredient in powder perfume, which can keep the fragrance on the skin for a longer time. Silica is contained in antiperspirant, which gives the smooth feeling after it is applied on the skin." (http://www.chemistryquestion.com/English/Questions/ChemistryInDailyLife/40c_silica_cosmetics.html)

So was the youtuber's video ignorant? Maybe a bit misinformed, but she had the best intentions, and Coastal Scents should have handled this matter in a calmer, more professional manner instead of the way that they chose to. On the flip side, she also should have done further research herself instead of passing on information that someone else had given her before posting her video as she managed to misinform a VERY large audience in this fiasco.

Josie Maran Palettes

Josie Maran, who's a super hot model and terrible actress, has within the last couple of years, started her own makeup brand, which is currently one of my favorite brands around. It's a great brand of neutrals made of organic products encased in cute corn plastic casing. Today I will be reviewing and swatching the two powder palettes that she has available at the moment. It's a great time for this since Josie Maran Cosmetics is currently having a Valentine's Day Sale at 30% off. You do have to sign up for their newsletter to get the poromo code, but hey..you can always unsubscribe later on :)

First up is the Favorite Powders palette:

This palette has 5 e/s, two blushes, and a bronzing powder, all of which are permanent to the collection's regular line. All of the products in this palette are soft and buttery and as an added bonus, I experience absolutely no fallout with any of the shades..even without tapping or blowing off any excess on my brushes. Unfortunately with the heavy rain out the last few days, I couldn't get good pictures of the palettes themselves.

The Favorite Powders compact contains 4 shimmer shades and 1 matte shade

Chianti- Sephora describes this as a red plum shade, however I feel that it is more of a deep red-bronze shade. Although kinda scary looking in the pan, it's really not as bad as it looks, especially there is considerably more brown in the shade than it appears in the pan and the color can be applied sheerly.

Valentine- a sheer pink shade. I usually can't wear pink shades on my eyes, but this one is miraculously okay on me.

Cinnamon- a shimmery pink chanpagne shade. This shade makes a great highlight/base shade.

Embrace- Sephora describes this as a shimmery coppery brown, but on my skin this is a shimmery bronzey gold.

Maple- the only matte shade in the palette. This shade is a tanish taupe on me. This is my least favorite shade in the palette as it is not as smooth and buttery as the rest of the shades and has poor color payoff.

There are two matte blushes and 1 bronzer in this palette. All three products are soft and buttery and require only a soft tap of the brush on the powder.

The bronzer, Beach #1, is a bit of an orangey peach and is nothing like a brozer on me. I'm actually not quite sure qhat to use it for, but maybe someone who has lighter skin can use it as a bronzer.

Both blushes are quite tiny in this palette, and a regular sized blush brush does not fit in the pan.

Fever- Sephora describes this shade as a soft brown, which is fairly innacurate.. In the pan, this color is a dull pink. On my skin, it does have a hint of brown to it, but it remains pink for the most part.

Passion is a brightish light pink.

This palette has 5 e/s, 4 of which are new shades not sold separately from this palette (at least not yet) and are not quite as soft as the e/s from the favorite powders...and maybe thus not quite as pigmented, making them soft, subtle colors that gently enhance your features (though i'm not sure why you would want the lavendar shade to be pigmented as it's a pastel shade) All of the shades have a perfect, soft shimmer that is just enough to keep the shades from being flat and dull....and again, I experience absolutely no fallout with any of the shades..even without tapping or blowing off any excess on my brushes!

The shades are:Lilac-which is a soft lavendar color with very soft glitter throughout the shade. Now I HATE glitter...and I STILL love this color. The glitter is more like larger shimmer pieces and is again very subtle...and still creates no fallout problems during application...I don't even have to use the patting/rolling method to apply this...it just sticks to the lids VERY well...no glitter on my cheeks or anything <3plum->
The "bronzing" powder in the palette is actually a highlighter called Posey and I have to say I like this quite a bit...Sephora lists this as a shimmering pink, but i feel that it's more of a light shimmering peach...and it makes a perfect base shade as an eyeshadow...and can also be used on the cheeks the give a very subtle glow.

There are two blushes in the palette:

Little Kisses is a bit of a dissapointment to me: although beautiful in the pan, it really didn't show up very well on my skin...it was kinda of a "if you look closely...there's a LITTLE bit of color there..."

Baby Cheeks- I had better luck with baby cheeks..the soft rose color...which gave me a bit of a nice healthy color that I quite like...The other reasons I removed a lippie was due to the size of the palette as well as the packaging of the palette.

These palettes are VERY small for something that cost a good $45...it has absolutely no trouble fitting into my back pocket and is roughly the same size as a pack of dentyne ice gum. While this makes for great portability...I'm not so impressed by the price to size ratio.The packaging, while sleek and chic, is also a disapointment to me for one reason: the pans are held in by what appears to be rubber cement...and are therefore quite loose... I could excuse the size for the superior product quality, but I really dislike that the pans in the palette are loose and feel like they would fall out easily. That said, I'd probably buy the full sized products of what is in these palettes as the full sized prodects seem a bit better made. It is definitely a great way to try out her products though, which I absolutely love (with the exception of the lip palettes...those were quite awful)

Besame

For those of you who are not familiar with Besame, Besame Cosmetics offers a small line of makeup inspired by the classic looks of the 1920's through the 1850's. The line is packaged in extremely cute, ornately decorated red and gold metal packaging and is a really cute addition to any woman's stash. Here's an example of the packaging:

The line offers 6 shades of eyeshadow in flattering, easy to wear shades, each in its own tiny gold mirrored compact. The eyeshadows are soft, buttery, and decently pigmented, although the compact itself is somewhat difficult to open.

Shimmer Beige- a creamy white beige shade that makes an excellent brow highlighting shade

Pistachio-a unique shade of olive green

Socialite Brown- a warm, shimmering brown shade

Plum Dandy- a soft, neutral plum shade
PEacock Blue- a purpley blue shade. This shade is not quite as smooth and buttery as the previously listed shades. It also appears to be more sheer.

Black Pearl- more of a shimmery dark grey than an actual black.

Besame offers 3 cheek shades housed in the same packaging as it's eyeshadows. Despite their tiny size, the blushes will last you a fairly long time as they are soft and pigmented, and require only a small dab for each cheek.

Sweet Pink- a matte neutral soft pink shade. This blush is great for a soft healthy flush, especially on lighter skin

Rasberry- a matte cool toned pink with mauvey tones to it. This is one of my favorite pink blushes. It's tiny size also makes it great for purse travel with my Trish McEvoy travel brushes. (the head of the mini blending brushes fits perfectly in these compacts..they seem almost made for each other)

Sunkissed- a brownish peach shade. This shade is closer to a bronzer shade than an actual cheek shade. This is my least favorite blush in my collection and it has never looked quite right on me no matter what shade my skin tone became throughout the year, but I've kept it for the sake of keeping my collection.complete.

Next up are the liners. Besame offers several types of double ended automatic pencils. Of the 7 they offer, I own 4. (I'm missing a lipliner one and two of the eyeliner pencils). I own two lipliner duos (Rose/Pink, and Naturelle/Cocoa), one Eyeliner (Kohl/Beige), and the brow pencil (Grey, taupe)

The lipliners are excellent; great pigmentation and very smooth.
Rose: not really a rose shade, this lipliner is more of a brown pink

Pink: light medium pink shade.

Naturelle- brownish nude

Cocoa-red brown

Eyeliner:

Kohl: a true glossy black. This pencil is very smudgy and never quite seems to set

Beige: creamy yellow beige. This side of the pencil is not quite as smooth as the kohl end. However, it doesn't smudge and stays in place very well

The brow pencil is decent, and I don't have a whole lot to say about it. One end is an ashy grey while the other end is taupe. It's the only brow pencil I own, so I can't really compare it to other brow pencils.

My stash of Besame lip products is extremely limited. I only own two of Besame's lip glazes. The lip glazes are ,oisturizing, long lasting, and somewhat sticky, with a yummy smelling vanilla-coconut scent.

Shimmer Peach- peachy pink shade with lots of gold shimmer.

Vanilla- shimmery cream colored. Goes great over strong lip colors

Chocolate Kiss- my one and only lipstick from Besame. Besame's lipsticks come in a tiny bullet shaped tube with a special cut so that you can use each lipstick as both a lipstick and a matching lipliner, a pretty smart idea for them in my opinion. The one setback to this is that the lipstick itself doesn't twist into the tube completely, and it's difficult the remove and replace the cap without knicking the lipstick a bit.

Chanel Joues Contraste blushes

I've gotten multiple requests for this, so today I've decided to swatch all 19 of my Chanel Joues Contraste blushes for you guys. Unfortunately, the sun went down before I could take decent pictures of the blushes themselves, but I didn't want to wait for tomorrow, so I decided to upload the swatches themselves and give a short review of each. Because the swatches weren't photographing true to color, I have color adjusted them to be as accurate as possible, leaving my skin tone inaccurate, so excuse my arm if it looks a bit yellow...
I have attempted to organize them by color group and I think I did a decent job of it. You will see that I have labeled a bunch of blushes either EU (for European) or US (for those make in the US..though I seem to have gotten lazy on a few or left it out if there was no counterpart) The reason for this is because the texture between European and US Joues Contraste blushes is different. The US versions are softer and easier to work with, while the European versions are baked and 'harder', usually with more pigmentation or color differences between versions.

Tempting Beige- is a rosy beige shade with silver shimmer in the pan. A lot of people have complained that this shade is orange on them, but on my cheeks, it gives a nice, rosey glow.
Fandango- is the new JC released for spring 2009. In the pan it is a shimmery orangey brown shade that I didn't find particularly appealing. However, after being pushed by a couple people to do so, I purchased it to try and I'm glad I did. On my cheeks it is a deep peachy bronze glow. This blush requires me to use a somewhat light hand to apply.
Mocha- shimmery brown with a bit of pink in it in the pan, this blush reminds me of a cooler version of Fandango. This description is about right on my skin as well. This is probably my least favorite of the 19 I currently own. This shade is exclusive to the US.
Crepitant- I think mskilicious on MUA described this one best to me as a "deep rosy-terracottay-bronzey shade", which is exactly what I think this shade is. It's very similar to NARS Cannes Multiple to me on my skin. I have the European version of this.

This next set is a bit of a mismatch but oh well..
Meteore- I have the European version of this blush. (I'm not sure if it has a different US version or not or a different name) This JC is a deep peachy nude in the pan. On my cheeks, it gives a great light nudish peachy bronze glow. It's not quite as warm or deep as Fandango, which to me makes it much more easily wearable.
Nude (US)- an excellent nude blush with shimmer. This blush is great for when you've played up your eyes and want just a hint of color to your cheeks. It is unfortunately, discontinued.
Rose Petale (US)- This is one of my favorite blushes and is my reccomendation for those who want to get their first Joues Contraste blush. This blush is peachy-pink with silver shimmer. The US version differs from the Euro version color wise in that it is peachier and a softer pink. In the pan, the European version
Rose Satin/Pink Satin- a long discontinued blush. This blush is a shimmery blue pink in the pan and is fairly cool toned. It fits perfectly with all the beautiful bright pinks that are being released with so many of the spring collections this year.

Candy- An asian exclusive, this blush is a beautiful milky peach shade that gives a natural peachy flush (well if people flushed peach naturally) This blush was my first JC and was what started my obsession with these blushes. You can purchase this blush at certain special Chanel counters that carry a small selection of international goodies. Nordstrom in Honolulu and Bloomingdales in South Coast Plaza (Costa MEsa, CA) are two such counters.
Reflex (US)- a warm peach blush with gold shimmer. This blush has also been discontinued for a while in the US, though I think it is still a regular JC in Europe (don't take my word for it though) Reflex is deeper and warmer than Candy, and has a gold sheen/glow.
Fantasia (US)- gorgeous peachy pink blush with gold shimmer, This blush is also sadly discontinued. ON the cheeks, it is more peach than pink with the same gold sheen/glow that Reflex carries.
Trace/Cedar Rose (EU)- matte deep peachy pink. I have the European version of this blush, which is named Trace. The US version is named Cedar Rose.


This set carries a perfect example of two versions of the same 'color' that differ in color.
Narcisse (Euro)- light pink blush. On the cheeks it gives a great light glowy flush. The European version is 'glowier' than the US version, and contains no peach tones
Narcisse(US)- light pink blush with slight peachy undertones. This blush also gives a great healthy glow, but is a bit more neutral than it's European counterpart. However, I tend to feel that the European version blends a bit better into the skin.
Poesie- This blush was a Limited Edition Asia Exclusive. It is a great light pink blush that is a bit peachier than Narcisse. It gives one of the most beautiful glowy pink flushes I know, and I tend to be afraid to use this blush as it is near impossible to get ahold of now without paying a small fortune.
Lumieres Magiques de Chanel (EU)- this is not really labeled as a Joues contraste blush, but it looks the same as one and comes in the same packaging so I have grouped it in with the rest of my Joues Contrastes. This is a tricolored blush. It comes with 3 shades, a very light shimmery pink, a bright pink, and a red-pink shade. I have chosen to swirl the colors together, as it is near impossible to swipe each color indidually on the european version of this blush. This was also Limited Edition, and is discontinued.
This Set contains my three mauvey pink Joues Contraste blushes.
Rose Dust (US)- this blush is a light glowy pink with mauvey undertones. This is my favorite pink blush in the winter. It is a bit cool toned, so if you are warm toned, I'd ignore this one.
Blush/Rose Cache (US)- This blush is a medium toned pink in the pan. On the cheeks it has stronger mauve tones in it than Rose Dust.
Angel Rose/Sphere (US)- this blush is shimmery pink-mauve in the pan. On the cheeks, it's pinky-mauve. This is my favorite mauve blush and is also long discontinued (good thing I have a backup)

MAC Hello Kitty Collection Haul

Originally planned to launch Thursday, Feb. 12, the MAC and Hello Kitty collaboration launched today, a couple days earlier than originally planned. I of course, went nuts over the stuff, with a purchase totaling over $260 in product. I bought both Beauty Powder blushes ($18 each), the Lucky Tom eyeshadow quad ($38), a Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby ($22), lipsticks in Strayin', Big Bow, Most Popular, and Cute-ster ($14 each), and my first lipglasses in Mimmy, She loves Candy, and Sweet Strawberry ($14 each), Tinted Lip Conditioners in Pink Fish and Popster ($14.50), and my first MAC nailpolish in On the Prowl ($11). I did the vast majority of my haul at Nordstroms, but a few things were bought at a MAC freestanding store (and the reason is at the end of this post!) Everything came in black packaging with Hello Kitty Written on it, kinda cute, and a welcome change from MAC's regular boring black packaging in this blogger's opinion.

Here's everything after it's been freed from the packaging (well except for the nailpolish, there was a mixup with my preorders, and one of them went missing)

A few items opened up..

Here's a close-up of the Lucky Tom Palette open. The palette is quite a bit smaller than I had expected, barely larger than the four eyeshadow pans squeezed together, and measures less than 5" in length, 1.25" wide, and less than 1/2" tall. Inside are four colors:

Creme Royale (Veluxe Pearl)- the smoothest of the four colors in this palette, a sheer shimmery yellow gold shade.

Paradisco (Frost)- a repromote from the permanent line. Paradisco is a sheer shimmery peachy pink shade. A pretty color, but it's a bit difficult to draw color off this shade, so I'm not fond of this.

Stylin' (Velvet)- Gorgeous blue purple color with sparkle in the pan, but the color loses the sparkle once on the lid. Also has somewhat poor color payoff, but the color builds up easily.

Lucky Tom (Luster)- A dark dirty taupe with glitter in the pan. The glitter also dissapears on the lid.

Overall, the palette isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. Unless you're in it for the cute packaging, I'd probably skip this palette. If you already bought it, it's still worth keeping, but the colors don't really go that well together either.

There were two beauty powders released with this collection, and quite frankly, like all beauty powders in my opinion, are not worth purchasing. I however, did purchase one of the powders, mostly for the adorable imprint on the powder. I chose Pretty Baby, the light pink matte powder because that one showed up a little bit better on me. It has the possibility for being used as a very very light pink blush, but I have my doubts about that. I'm not sure I intend on using it anyways ( I know, shame on me...)

I picked up both blushes in my haul today, Tippy, the pink blush, is a bright, slightly shimmery pink, that requires the use of a skunk brush to work on most skin tones. Otherwise, it'll just look clownish. Even still, it's quite bright

The second blush, Fun and Games, while looking somewhat orangey in the pan, ended up as a great subtle peachy glow on me. Out of the two blushes, this one is the most wearable in my opinion.

I also picked up both tinted lip conditioners, which are lightweight, have great color, and smell carry the scent of vanilla. The best part about them for me? When you run out of lip conditioner, you can probably switch the Hello Kitty imprinted lid with that of a regular TLC. Popster is a sheer coral shade. It isn't anything special, but it is definitely pretty.

Pink Fish is a light, slightly cool toned pink on my lips that I think would work well with played up eyes. However, I feel that it's also one of those things that isn't a must-have.

Next up are the lipglasses. The lipglasses released in this collection are all really sheer, and somewhat sticky. They don't carry the light vanilla scent that I've heard that all MAC lipglasses have. I picked up 3 out of the 6 that were released with this collection:

She Loves Candy- Sheer light pink with shimmer. It's not much on it's own, and it screams that it's dupeable to me, but it's quite beautiful over a couple of the lippies in this collection. It's definitely a nice addition to your collection if you're looking to collect one of the lipglasses.
Mimmy- Super sheer light peachy-pink/coral shade, this lipglass is fairly unexciting and imparts only the slightest hint of color and shimmer to your lips.

If you plan to wear this shade alone, then it's not worth purchasing. If you really want a color like this, Chanel's aqualumiere in Candy Glow is very similar in the tube, and goes on with a bit more color. I myself was thinking of taking this one back until I tried layering it on top of Cute-ster lipstick. The two go great with each other.
Sweet Strawberry- my favorite lipglass in this collection. Sweet Strawberry is berry toned in the tube, but once on my lips, is a mid-deep pink with a hint of berry. It's also sheer, but the color is quite pretty. It is definitely worth looking at.

Of the 6 lipsticks released with this collection, I purchased 4, 3 of which are much brighter than what I normally wear. All lipsticks came in a black tube with Hello Kitty design on them and a cute hello kitty imprint in the lipstick itself. The two I did not purchase, Fresh Brew (Lustre, repromote) and Fashion Mews, did not suit my skin tone and were left alone

Cute-Ster- is a sheer peach color with gold shimmer. This was my favorite lipstick of the collection and I have already purchased a backup. This was already sold out at my freestanding store by the time I went to go pick up a backup. I think this would not show up on a lot of people, but as I have pigmented, cool toned lips, this transformed my natural lip color quite beautifully. Other people have mentioned it didn't show up though. I think this one is fairly similar to Marquise D. from the Blonde, Brunette, Redhead collection, but cutester is slightly pinker, and less frosty than Marquise D., with more subtle shimmer.

Big Bow (glaze)- is a sheer bright blue pink on my lips. There isn't too much I want to say on this one at this time. It's pretty, and I'm decently happy with it, but it's not a must-have for me

Strayin' (Frost)- is a mid-toned brightish pink that seems perfect for Spring. Although it is a frost finish, the lipstick itself is not frosty at all, but instead has a slight sheen to it. It's also, in my opinion, the prettiest one to look at in the tube.

The last lipstick I purchased was Most Popular (Lustre)- which is a berry tinged pink shade, also much brighter than the colors I normally wear. It's similar to Sweet Strawberry lipglass, but with slightly more berry tones.

I had to go back to the store for my On the Prowl nail polish (which is why it was not in the first few pictures), and I'm glad I did. On the prowl is a light matte grey shade that I haven't seen anywhere else. The bottle is decorated with MAC's version of Hello Kitty.
Congratulations! you've reached the bottom of my long, badly written post! Here's the reason why part of my haul ended up being done at a MAC freestanding store versus a complete haul from Nordstrom's, which I prefer more for their great service and return policy: I recieved this tote for making a Hello Kitty collection purchase over $50. Yay! It's not the best made tote in the world, as it's made of this strange plastic-like material, but it's super cute and it was FREE.



Hope you enjoyed this post!