Product Review: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping

I want to share with you all the absolute breathtaking beauty of this highlighter from MAC, in the shade Perfect Topping. It's part of their permanent collection and retails for $32. I don't purchase a lot of MAC products in particular because I'm a lover of all brands so I really don't stick to just one in particular. However, I was instantly drawn to this pattern and color combination.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping

Looking at it in the compact really doesn't even do justice to the shade even though the marbled leafing texture is very appealing. It is described as shimmery off-white with light pink/blue/yellow marble.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping

I find that it gives a very natural highlight on my skin, even though I tend to have more of a yellowish complexion. The warmth of Perfect Topping really makes my skin look alive and shimmery without appearing too shiny or greasy. The powdery is finely milled and blends into my skin quite seamlessly without looking like it's just sitting atop of my blush on my face. 

This color is absolutely phenomenal for everyday wear. My only reservation about using this product every day is that I don't want to run out of it since it is a higher end product at the $32 price point.

If you're looking for a drugstore dupe for this product, the closest I have found is Wet 'n Wild Fergie To Reflect Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne Glow (part of their permanent line-up) which retails for just about $5.79 at Walgreens.

You can click on the photo to the right to be taken to an Amazon link to the Wet 'n Wild dupe.

Swatch of Mineralize Skinfinish in Perfect Topping

If you're in the market for a highlighter but you think a shade like Lightscapade is too bright for you or Soft & Gentle is a little too dull/dark for you, then give Perfect Topping a try.

IPSY November 2014 Glam Bag: Girl Meets Glitter (Review & Swatches)

November brings about fall and all things related to apple cider, scarves and pumpkin spiced latte (obviously, autumn is very related to warm drinks in my mental association). However, to IPSY, the $10/month beauty subscription, November means glitz, glam and glitter! I'm surprised this theme didn't make it to December for the holidays but hey, I'll take the festivities a little early. 

This was probably one of the best bags I have received in months, but it's coupled with the sadness that I couldn't bring you last month's bag since my neighbor ripped it open and stole its contents (IPSY was nice enough to send me a new one but it's still in transit for at least a week).

If you don't already have your own Glam Bag, go git you one ASAP! This also makes a wonderful gift for the holidays!

Be a Bombshell Eye Base in Submissive

This Be a Bombshell Eye Base claims to be a concealer and base in one but I would consider it more of a cream eyeshadow in a pot, similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoos but it feels more jelly-like to the touch. This product isn't opaque enough to be a concealer or to cover up the appearance of discoloration and pigmentation on the lids. I received the color Submissive (which was sent to all Ipsters) which is an intense creamy bronze with gold shimmer. I enjoyed that this was a full size item but did not particularly love the slightly chemical scent. I do not enjoy the products by Be a Bombshell but this is the best one Ipsy has sent out even though I really wish they would stop working with this brand.

Retail Price: $14 (Full size)

Elizabeth Mott - You're So FINE Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Glitterati

Elizabeth Mott is a fairly expensive indie brand that I've heard very little about outside of the IPSY subscription, but I'm so glad they have introduced me to them since I have loved their eyeliner pencils and eyeshadows so much thus far! This month, I received the You're SO Fine Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner and it is full sized and in the shade Glitterati (black with shimmer in it). The brush tip allows you to achieve a precise and very fine line but you need steady hands, I always find that liquid eyeliners in brush form are a lot less forgiving during application than sponge-tipped pen eyeliners. That being said the color is very opaque and the glitter is not gaudy, this is a good product that is well suited for the holidays!

Retail Price: $17.99 (Full size)

J. Cat  Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in Red Potion

J. Cat Beauty is another brand that I'm not thrilled about receiving since it's a drugstore brand with more misses than hits but I was intrigued about their Wonder Lip Paint since it seems to be an OCC Lip Tar dupe (specifically of Black Dahlia). I love the intense color of the shade Red Potion but it is best applied with a lip brush and rather slowly so you don't stain your skin. a little bit goes a very long way. This shade also has smile-enhancing properties as it makes your teeth appear brighter and whiter. Now we have to keep it real here on my blog so I have to admit that there is a strong chemical/burnt rubber scent to this product that should not be overlooked, if you are sensitive to smells like I am, I can't recommend it.

Retail Price: $4.99 (Full size)

Temptu S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl

I'm a long-time fan of the Temptu brand because I own one of their Pro Airbrushes with a ton of their products (thanks to my hubby for getting me that for Valentine's day years ago!) and I was so excited to see one of their products this month! This is a Temptu S/B Highlighter in the shade Pink Pearl but we received a very small sample size which is 1/10th of the size of the product. This can be applied by airbrush or by gently dabbing it onto your cheekbones with your finger (just as you would apply any of the Benetint products). 

As a sidenote, if you were interested, S/B means silicone-based which refers to the base that is used to make the product. Silicone based products tend to have dimethicone which is a substance found in primers that creates the nice slip to the product which allows it to slide on to your face while being a pore filler. Typically if silicone-based products are listed near the beginning of the products used in your foundation, you should try to use "like" products and not mix them with water-based formulas since they will tend to separate.

Retail Price: $2.75 (Sample size)

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray

This is a fruity smelling Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray by Marc Anthony and it is a decent sized item that can be useful for traveling. I liked the hold on this and the fact that it didn't smell the way generic hair products can smell like a mixture of aerosol chemicals. I'm pleased with this addition to my bag since it doesn't leave my hair stiff, sticky but rather soft and clean.

Retail Price: $1.38 (Sample size)

The bag this month was a very flexible vinyl finished bag with a glitter which was deep set inside of the vinyl-like finish so there was no glitter fall-out or catastrophes. It also had a pink zipper, I think this bag is very cute and it was designed by Forever 21 in conjunction with Ipsy (it says so on the tag, sorry I forgot to take a photo of it).

The total value of my bag this month was $41.11 (over 4x what I pay for this subscription)! I was happy with the way the products were curated for me except for brand preferences (I would rather not receive J. Cat Beauty or Be a Bombshell Cosmetics in the future). I hope that I will get lots of use out of some of these items and that IPSY continues to get better at their IPSY Match algorithm which matches individuals to products each month based on a preference quiz.

Sign up for the IPSY monthly subscription or gift it to someone else here!

Review & Comparison: Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil (Continuous Almond)

The Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond is a new purchase and I wanted to share with you the uses of this product as well as my opinions on the quality compared to similar products on the market. You get a nice amount of product, and this only cost me $3.99 at my local Duane Reade.

You can see in the swatch that the color is just slightly lighter than my natural skin tone and it has a nice amount of coverage even on the first pass (bottom swatch), but can be built nicely and does not ball up or become separated. The pencil does need to be sharpened, this isn't a twist-up mechanical pencil.

From left to right: L'Oreal Silkissme (Highlighter), Jordana E/S Pencil (Pink Evermore), Milani Shadow Eyez (Sand Dunes), Jordana E/S Pencil (Eternal White), Jordana E/S Pencil (Continuous Almond), Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter, Rimmel Scandaleyes (Nude)

I went through my collection of eyeliners and found the ones that are most comparable to the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond. The closest dupe I found was the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, but this is a thinner pencil and would be more difficult to apply all over the lid, I also think it has more sheer coverage.

I also wanted to compare Continuous Almond to others in the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil range, namely Pink Evermore and Eternal White.

Swatch comparisons for the Jordana Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond

You can see from the swatches that Jordana E/S Pencil in Continuous Almond and the Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter are the smoothest, most full coverage of the pencils (Chella's pencil has a more brightening effect, however and seems to have line-filling properties).

The Jordana E/S Pencil in Eternal White is patchy and cannot be layered as nicely as the Continuous Almond shade, I often use this as a base but struggle to get an even application. The Jordana E/S Pencil in Pink Evermore is the same formula but it has shimmer so it gives off a different finish. You can see that the Milani Shadow Eyez in Sand Dunes is a golden glittery version of Continuous Almond.

L'Oreal Silkissime in Highlighter is by far the hardest textured pencil of the bunch, it applies the least creamy but has a long staying power, it literally has to be rubbed off or else residue remains (I experienced this with my swatch).

Overall, I highly recommend the Jordana 12 HR Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in Continuous Almond, it has better staying power than the Milani Shadow Eyez, better coverage than the Rimmel Scandaleyes pencil and is a smoother application than all of the other comparisons. This pencil could work well as an all-over nude shade or as a base for eyeshadows (this will probably be my primary use for this shade).

Product Review: L'Oreal Silkissime Eyeliner (in Highlighter)

L'Oreal Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner (Shade: Highlighter)

Recently, I picked up a L'Oreal Paris Silkissime Waterproof Eyeliner in Highlighter from my local Walgreens since I have seen so many rave reviews for this product. I am happy to get to put this to the test myself, and after using it for a couple of days I have formulated my final thoughts on this. Now, this review cannot be for all of the different shades, as I have not tried them, but it will be for the shade Highlighter. I think the name is fitting because as I was purchasing this, I specifically wanted to use it to give my eyes a more "awaken" and refreshed look.

The shade is a neutral pink when swatched, you can see the opacity of the shade with just one swipe and above that, what it looks like when it is layered. These are not the type of liners to use for smudging because they set quickly. The formula of these eyeliners doesn't claim to be creamy, and I find that they are fairly middle-of-the-road in terms of how easily they apply. There doesn't seem to be much tugging when laying the color down, but it doesn't feel overly smooth or soft, either (this might be because the formula is waterproof).

This eyeliner is not a twist-up pencil, it is a traditional pencil and will require conventional sharpening (a sharpener is not included).

When applied, I had to layer the shade on about 5-6x in order to get a good amount of pigmentation on my lower lash line, and even though the formula is waterproof, it is not completely smudge-proof. If your eyes water, the liner may not have a chance to set in your waterline after application if it does not "cure" while your eyes are dry - this is what happened to me. I did apply the liner in the waterline AND lashline, and you can see here after about 30 minutes of wear, it had entirely disappeared from my waterline, but was holding up well on my lower lashline.

Overall, I don't think that this eyeliner is far superior to the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude, specifically in the shade Highlighter, but I do recommend it if you like the color. I have tried gel-formula eyeliners by Makeon which are much more long-wearing in a similar rose color (shade name is Falling in Love), if you want a gentle, softer-applying formula. I would wait to pick up the L'Oreal Silkissime eyeliners on sale, as I do think that the retail price can be a little steep for the quality (regularly $8.99).