MAC Paint Pot Swatches

I use MAC Paint Pots as eyeshadow bases instead of eye shadows. They are slightly long lasting. I find that if I layer it with powder eye shadows, they last for a long time. These are really good when you pair them with MAC loose pigments. A MAC MA has shared that to make pigments stay put, you have to quickly pressed the loose pigment onto the cream shadow. The cream shadow holds powder shadows well.

They are quite pigmented and the darker shades can be used as eye liners too. But they may not last well as eye liners.

Blackground (Black-grey with multi-colour, pearl)



Indianwood ( Metallic antique bronze, frost)
This looked exceptionally stunning with MAC Woodwinked eye shadow.

Delft (Deep teal with gold pearl, frost)

This looks really good when paired with MAC Teal pigment.

Rubenesque (Golden Peach with gold pearl, frost)

Soft Orche (Yellow Beige, cream)

Can be used as a shadow base for all colours especially neutral colours

Chanel Ombre D'eau Swatches

These are Chanel Ombre D'eau or Bi-Phase Eye shadows.

Taken from the website:

Bi-phase eyeshadow, fresh , iridescent effects. A luminous makeup result that can be adapted to achieve a subtle or intense look and long-lasting makeup hold. The eyelids are adorned with shimmering shadow. A veil of freshness glides over the skin, without creasing or causing the skin to dry out.In a frosted glass bottle an initial burst of freshness with a veil of mother-of-pearl and powder This creates a "liquid powder", which melts onto the eyelid like a fluid, leaving the eyes sparkling with freshness and light.Shake well before use to mix the two phases. OMBRE D'EAU can be used in two ways: for an intense makeup look, apply to upper eyelid and leave to dry for a few seconds before moving the eyelid. For a more subtle effect, apply over the entire eyelid then blend with the finger before allowing to dry.

From left to right: Source (champagne), Bay (Coral Copper), Sand (Brown), Glacier (mint green) and Fountain (dark plum)

These can be used on their own or layered for a more intense look. Source can be used as an eye shadow base or on the brow bones as a highlight. They are generally more long lasting than the Shiseido Hydro-Powders that I reviewed earlier. I can apply eye liners on them without them smudging too much.

When applied they leave a cooling sensation and even after it dries it gives the eye a almost metallic wet look that looks really gorgeous. They dry quickly but you have enough time to blend them with your fingers. They do not have shimmer but are shiny.

Shiseido Hydro-Powder Swatches

I have a few Shiseido Hydro-Powders. Although they aren't long lasting, I love them for their sweet colours. These are good for barely there looks. For makeup newbies who do not want to worry to much about where to place the different eye colours. Hydro-Powders are good for sheer washes of sparkling colour.

When applied, they leave a cooling sensation. You can mix the colours and blend them. They can also be layered for a more pigmented look. I find that it is best not to apply any eye liners. They tend to smudge terribly after a while on me. Instead I would apply black eye liner on my water line and make sure I apply mascara to widen my eyes.

H1 Goldlights

H6 Violet Visions

H10 Languid Lagoon

H11 Rose Tulle





Left to right: Languid Lagoon, Rose Tulle, Violet Visions and Gold Lights.

I like Rose Tulle best. Although it is very sheer, it has the loveliest shimmer particles. I like matching this with Languid Lagoon.

Eye Shadow Primer Swatches and Comparisons

I always use a eye shadow primer to help my eye makeup last longer. I start work at about 7 a.m. and normal end work at 5 p.m. I don't have the luxury of constantly retouching my makeup.

Eye shadow primers not only help makeup stay put, they make eye shadows look brighter, more vibrant.



Urban Decay makes the best primer by far. Many people have complained about the genie bottle design. I have experienced cutting the tube out to scoop out product hidden in its nooks and cranies. There is a lot of product even if you think you have finished it. Unfortunately, once taken out of its tube it dries out quickly unless you get yourself air tight containers.



Thankfully, Urban Decay has heeded the grumblings made by consumers and redesigned its wand to facilitate removing product from the nooks and cranies.



I used UDPP as a base then layer on either MAC paint pot in Soft Orche on top to bullet proof my eye make up. I like using Bare Canvas on my brow bone as a highlight.




Left to right: MAC Paint Pot Soft Orche, Urban Decay Primer Potion not blended (just to the right which looks like a gap is actually UDPP blended into a transparent finish), Urban Decay Primer Potion Sin and MAC Paints in Bare Canvas.

Black Eye Liner Swatches and Comparisons

I always had a problem with eye makeup staying on my lids. I have oily lids and my eyes tend to water at the beginning of the day. Imagine my frustration after spending time on my eye makeup, going to work and discovering that part of the eye makeup disappeared due to teary eyes. It is very annoying.

What I do to stop this is have a tissue handy. The moment I start yawning and begin to tear, I dab and soak up the tears before it can destroy my makeup. I also make sure I look for waterproof makeup.

I have tried a few eye liners that promise that they are water proof. These are three that work better for me.

Top to bottom: Clinique Brush On Cream Liner in True Black, MAC Liquid Last in Point Black and MAC Fluidline Black Track.

I love Clinique's liner best. It is a cream liner that dries almost instantly. It does not smudge and is waterproof. When I swatched these three liners, I could feel how creamy and smooth it applied as compared to Blacktrack which is a gel eye liner.

Point Black is waterproof. So good that it is very hard to remove even with oil based makeup removers. Unfortunately, they are really difficult to apply. I hate the brush that comes with it. They take time to dry. As you can see from the picture, it is still drying. This is something you need to take your time to apply, not when you are in a rush.

Below is a comparison swatch I made with the only two Liquid Last I own. Blue Herizon and Point Black. I love the colour but they are so hard to work with.

MAC Fluidline Swatches

I took out my long neglected MAC Fluidlines to swatch.

After swatching them, I had to throw away Dipdown and Macroviolet. They were dried up.

I like using fluidlines under eye shadows for dramatic smokey looks.

Unfortunately, MAC Fluidlines do not last very long on my oily lids. They do smudge after a few hours. However, I like that they produce really nice bold shades.

Left to right: Silver Stroke, Blacktrack, Dipdown, Macroviolet, Shade and Jade Eye.

MAC Fluidlines come in cute little glass jars. When you open the caps, you should close it quickly before you begin application. I have had these for quite a few years, Dipdown and Macroviolet being my first few buys so it is safe to say they won't dry out in two years unless you leave them out in the open.

Since buying Blacktrack, I found some even better alternatives that last better on my eyes.

MAC Powerpoint Eye Liner Swatches

These guys are long neglected after my discovery of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils. I sold most of them away but kept these because they colours were different from UD.

MAC Powerpoints are creamy and make good eye bases. They do smudge and aren't waterproof.



From left to right: Handforged (old gold), Stubborn Brown (deep brown), Lilacky (light lilac) and So There Jade (light green jade)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil Swatches

I just bought another Urban Decay Eye Pencil. Yipee!

I looked at my mug carrying all my eye and lip pencils and realised they were overflowing. Anyway, I thought I would do some swatches to help you dear reader decide which pencils you like.

I'm repeating this like a broken record. I love UD Eye Pencils! They are the only things that will stay on my waterline. They are soft and creamy and both smudge and water proof. They are great on their own and they make excellent bases for your eye shadows too.

From left to right: Yeyo (metallic white), Gunmetal (gunmetal with teeny silver glitter) and Zero (zealous black)

From left to right: Honey (24k gold), Lucky (brilliant deep copper) and Bourbon (brown with teeny gold glitter)

From left to right: 1999 (plum with teeny gold glitter), Lust (deep purple with subtle silver glitter) and Rockstar (darkest eggplant).

From left to right: Covet (peacock green), Electric (bright aquamarine), Deviant (bold blue) and Stash (dark green gold)

Incidentally, I'm very excited about Urban Decay's Fall collection. They have a new product called Ink For Eyes that looks absolutely stunning.

It comes in 6 colours and it costs USD $22 for 2.5 g.

Binge (midnight blue)

Demolition (brown)

Empire (eggplant)

Loaded (deep green)

Pyrotechnics (iridescent glitter with clear base)

Zero (black)

I really love the packaging and the fact that it comes with a dual ended brush, one for sleek straight lines and another for smudging. I just wonder how it will last on my oily lids.

Urban Decay Sin Primer Potion Give Away!

I recently picked up a few things from Urban Decay. Mostly for a friend who really liked the Get Baked palette.

I bought a full sized Sin Primer Potion. I really love this, it works just as well as the original Eyeshadow Primer in Nude but has the loveliest shiny champagne colour.

Taken from the Urban Decay website:

This miracle eyeshadow primer is unmatched by any other in the beauty industry! The genie in this bottle fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing. Apply Primer Potion to lids before shadow application. It dries down almost instantly (and invisibly), creating smooth lids that are super powered eyeshadow magnets. The formula is full of silicone, which you beauty mavens know makes for a smooth and silky application. Packaged in a pretty genie bottle, our Potion applies with a magic wand and flocked applicator.

Tips: A little goes a long way! Apply a thin coat and let dry, then apply Eyeshadow as you normally would. Then DARE it to crease. (Double-dog dare it, even!)

Fill Weight: 10ml e 0.34 US fl. oz.

I also bought a full sized 24/7 Glide on eye pencil in Gunmetal. I'll do a swatch of all my eye pencils in a later post!

Anyway, I received another sample of Sin Primer Potion (2.66 ml) and I want to give it away! Well, I have no experience in this so I hope I do it right.

Send me a comment telling me why you want to try this out. I'll read your comments and pick one to mail to. I'll stop reading comments on 24th July Friday 8 p.m. my time!

Bronzers

I was just reading last week's Urban issue. It was talking about how Asians don't really use bronzers. In fact some makeup companies remove bronzers from their summer collections when introduced in Singapore because they don't sell well.

I only discovered my love for them last year. If you find the right shade and apply it correctly, bronzers highlight your cheek bones and make you look slimmer. The trick is not to apply too much and finding one that doesn't look too orange on you. You don't want to look like an oompa lumpa.

Always use a fluffy large blush brush for application. Gently sweep brush onto pan and tap the excess. You apply bronzer in a number 3 pattern. First on your forehead down to the hollows of your cheeks (make a fishy face) then moving down to the sides of your chin. Then you do a reverse number 3 on the other side of your face.

To avoid looking dull and flat, adding peach or pink blushers on top of your cheeks makes your look healthy and pretty.

These are some bronzers than work for my NC 30-35 skin tone.

Left to right

MAC Warmed MSF, Urban Decay's Toasted Bronzer, Nars Laguna and Becca Flamenco.

Laguna does look really dark swatched but when used with a gentle hand it looks really good together with Orgasm. I can't tell you which one I like best, I love them all. I rotate them to ensure that each gets equal air time.

If brown tones don't appeal to you, Bobbi Brown has some great choices for first time users. They just introduced their Illuminating Bronzers.

Taken from the website:

This ultra-soft and smooth pressed powder is formulated with a unique and innovative blend of sheer powder and micro pearls. Powder glides on evenly and gives skin a seamless and sheer natural-looking glow.

It comes in 6 shades.

Antigua (Pink Bronze) as shown in above picture
Bali Brown (Golden bronze)
Aruba (light golden bronze)
Barbados (Warm deep bronze)
Bahamas (Deep golden bronze)
Maui (Pink Coral Bronze)


I think I might really like Antigua and Maui. They probably can be used a blushers too.

Peach Powder Blushers

Left to right

MAC Cheek, Springsheen blush and Eversun Beauty Powder.

Left to right

MAC Coppertone blush and Nars Orgasm.

I have alot more peach powder blushers. I always layers these on top of my cream/gel blushers to make them longer lasting and create more dimensions to my face.

I used to buy only matte blushers but lately I'm more inclined to blushers with a little shimmer and shine. Coppertone was my very first MAC blush. As you can see it is really quite dark, I don't use it as often as I like. I think it may work better as a bronzer. Cheek, Eversun and Orgasm are my current favourites.

I use Cheek when I want a polished and natural look. When I want to look bronzy I go for Eversun. I can pair Orgasm with almost anything. It is very pretty. Its got gold shimmers along with a nice blend of Peach and gold.

Cream Blushers Peach

I don't have many peach/coral blushers. Only three but I love them all.

From left to right.

Shiseido's Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush, Bobbi Brown's Calypso Coral Pot Rouge and Becca's Beach Tint in Peach.

All three are matte. Peach Flush and Peach are true peaches whereas Calypso Coral has a hint of pink to it.

Accentuating Color Stick and Pot Rouge are both cream blushers whereas Beach Tint is a liquid that dries very quickly to provide a more translucent blush.

For Shiseido's Accentuating Color Stick, I generally use my fingers to swipe some product off the stick. Then I stroke them on the apples of my cheeks. This blends very well and glides onto your face. Even if you have drier skin, you don't have to worry.

Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge are more drying. I can't rub them onto cheeks, it will spoil my foundation. I dab my fingers into the pot and dab them lightly over my cheeks.

Becca's Beach Tint requires serious shaking to ensure that the liquid (not sure what its called) and pigment mixes well together. Or else when you squeeze it out all you get it a clear but nice smelling liquid. I generally squeeze some onto the palm of my hands and dab from it onto my cheeks. Sometimes if I'm not careful I squeeze too much out so you have to be really gentle while squeezing.

Anyway I bought them quite some time back, there is so much product in each that I have yet to make a dent on any of them.

Highlighters swatches

I like using highlighters just under my eyes, on top of my cheek bones to give it a sunny glow. These are some of the each highlighters than I have.

Left to right

MAC Apripeach Pearlizer, MAC Pearl Sunshine Beauty Powder and Laura Geller Golden Apricot.

I'm falling in love with Apripeach after neglecting it for so long. I don't like the container which comes with a sifter. Too much product comes out when you accidently tip the container. I use my fiber optic blush brush to pick up product then gently shaking away the excess before applying nto my face. The powder is very fine and soft and it gives a subtle peach gold glow to my face.

I don't really like Pearl Sunshine because instead of giving me a glow, it just makes my face look shiny.

Golden Apricot is quite pigmented and works equally well as a blush. A normal blush brush picks up too much pigment so I use my trusty MAC 187. Its quite similar to MSFs as it is a baked highlighter.

Left to right
Stila Mandarin Mist (Light side, dark side, blended together)

I received this as a gift. The lighter side can be used to highlight while the darker side as a bronzer or for contouring. When mixed together it looks like a dark peach. Quite a warm colour. It has lots of shimmer so I have to be careful when applying this so that I don't look like a disco ball.

Comparison Reviews of Primers

Facial primers or foundation primers do a lot of things besides helping your foundation stay in place. With the new formulations to date, many can help reduce the appearance of large pores and fine lines. IT can help with oil control or give you a luminous glow from within.

I've been a faithful user of MAC's Prep and Prime for the last couple of years. This year I took the plunge and bought Giorgio Armani's Fluid Master Primer. I also recently go my hands on Smashbox's Photofinish foundation primer SPF 15 & Dermaxyl to try. I thought I would give my two cents opinion of what I thought of all three products.

These are somethings which I consider makes a good primer for me.

1) Does not cause me to break out.

2) Helps my make glide smoothly.

3) Helps my foundation last all day with minimal blotting.

4) Reduces the appearance of my open pores.

For the sake of comparison, I used all three primers under my two favourite foundations at the moment when I wear my makeup to work. I'm in and out of an air conditioned room quite often during the course of the day and have to walk about quite a lot. Sometimes its quite humid and I tend to sweat quite a bit too.

Giorgio Armani Fluid Master Primer
Price: $55 USD
Amount: 30 ml
Packaging: Black squeeze bottle
Packaging review: Very easy to squeeze out a small dot. Can't tell how much is left though.
Ingredients: Not able to find
What the website says: An innovative primer for the face that smooths skin's surface, refines pores and creates a flawless canvas on which to apply foundation. Silky, gliding texture imparts a matte, yet transparent glow to skin. Smooths away fine lines and imperfections. Perfectly even facial canvas for ideal application of foundation. High comfort and make-up hold.
Texture: It has a clear gel consistency. When applied, face becomes matte. Has a slipper silicon feel.
Oil control (10 hours of wear): Face was a little glowy by the middle of the day. Needed to blot just once.
Application: So easy to apply foundation with my foundation brush. Foundation literally glides onto face. Foundation looks smooth and natural.
Verdict: Way too expensive. Other than the snob factor that this is GA.

MAC Prep & Prime
Price: $23 USD
Amount: 30 ml
Packaging: Black Bottle with pump
Packaging review: One pump is enough to give you sufficient product for your face. Can't tell how much is left though.
Ingredients: Not able to find
What the website says: An ultra-fluid lotion formulated with special-effect silicones. Calms and soothes the skin, blots away excess oil, and evens out skin redness. Improves the lay down and application of foundation or powder.
Texture: It has a whitish creamy consistency. As compared to GA, face appears less matte. Also has a slipper silicon feel.
Oil control (10 hours of wear): Paired with both Chanel Pro Lumiere and GA Lasting UV foundation, I did not need to blot at all for the whole day.
Application: As compared to GA, I had to use my foundation brush to go over my face a few more times to get it to blend.
Verdict: Value for money. It does its job effectively. Pump ensures that you always get the same amount. Besides you can recycle this in exchange for a MAC lipstick.

Smashbox Photofinish foundation primer
Price: $17 USD
Amount: 15 ml
Packaging: Transparent squeeze bottle
Packaging review: I had a small sachet so can't review. But looks like you can tell how much product you have left from the transparent tube.
Ingredients: ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 7.5% Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate), 5.0% Octisalate (Ethylhexyl Salicylate).
What the website says: This anti-aging primer creates the perfect canvas for foundation application. Worn alone or under foundation to increase its longevity, this unique formula helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores for visibly softer skin. The revolutionary formula contains DERMAXYL COMPLEX™, an advanced peptide treatment clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles over time, SPF 15 to guard against harmful UVA/UVB rays, vitamins A & E, grape seed extract and green tea for antioxidant protection.
Texture: It has a translucent gel consistency. Out of all the primers, this feels the most slippery. Face becomes very matte after application.
Oil control (10 hours of wear): Face was a little shiny by the middle of the day. Needed to blot just once.
Application: So easy to apply foundation with my foundation brush. Foundation literally glides onto face. Foundation looks smooth and natural.
Verdict: More expensive than MAC. Somehow I feel it is too slippery. I haven't used this long enough to verify whether it does reduce wrinkles over time. But if it does than this may be one up as compared to MAC. Who doesn't love makeup with skincare benefits.

Pink Powder Blushes

Even though my first love is cream, gel and liquid blushers. I cannot resist powder blushers. When paired together, they give dimensions to the face.

I generally steer towards matt powder blushers. Even though I love shimmer and sparkle, I'm weary of putting them on my face. I used to have a very oily complexion and large open pores. If you have the same condition, it is best to stick to matt powders. Shimmer and sparkle emphasise large pores and can make your face look oily instead of glowy.

However, since I have finally gotten my oily complexion under control, I really love glowy blushers.

From left to right: Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in Rose Bloom, Benefit Dandelion and MAC Pinch O Peach.

Except for Rose Bloom, the rest are matt blushers. Rose bloom doesn't show up very well on me. It is quite frosty so I have to make sure I put a cream blush under for the colour to show up better. I usually use MAC 116, a domed shape blush brush to apply these. I make a fishy face and gently sweep the brush on the apples of my cheeks.

From left to right: MAC Dollymix, MAC MSF Light Flush, MAC MSF Petticoat and Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick Peony.

These are more pigmented and as you can see have a lot of sparkle and shine. To make sure you don't look like a disco ball, it is best to apply these with a fibre optic blush brush like MAC's 187 brush. I love Dollymix. It looks lie a hot pink in the pan but if applied lightly gives you an amazing out from the cold flush.

Cream Blushers Pink

I love blushers. I'm going to do a series on blushers and show you all the types I have. Do some brief reviews and hopefully convince you to try them.

Blushers are an instant way of giving colour to your face. When applied correctly, it completes your look, highlights your cheek bones and gives it subtle contours.

Many ladies have a tendency to pile on their blushers. Too obvious blush is not flattering at all. To apply blush correctly, you need good lighting. If you apply blush in an area that is is too dark, you run a risk of having clown cheeks. Always remember less is more, it might look like you have applied blush too lightly but sometimes in the sunlight, it looks just right.

I love cream, gel and liquid blushers because when applied, they help you achieve a just flushed look. They give the most natural finishes. When applied under powder blushers, they help blush stay on for a very long time.

You can apply cream blush with a brush but I find that using fingers gives you the most natural finish. Your fingers help to warm up the blush and helps it to glide most easily on your cheeks.

Pink blushers are a great way of "sweetening" your look. If you are going for a pink cheek look, generally you should keep your eye makeup simple. Your pink cheeks should be the main focus. Top it off with pink lips, you will look fresh and young. For a perfect spring look, you can pair pastel colours such as greens, blues and violets or even nude eye looks. You should emphasise the lashes. This would make your eyes look bigger. You can do this by lining your top lashes with a dark brown or black eyeliner (gently smudged) and applying your lengthening and volumising mascara.

At the moment I have 6 pink cream, gel and liquid blushers.

From left to right: Stila Rouge Pot in Lotus, Benetint Posietint, Becca Creme Blush Amaryllis, Becca Beach Tint Watermelon, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pink Raspberry and Flushed Pink.

From left to right: Stila Rouge Pot in Lotus, Benetint Posietint and Becca Creme Blush Amaryllis.

Stila Rouge Pots are cream to powder finishes. They work well over or under powder. I don't like their packaging though. The opening is really small. When I use my fingers to scoop up some product, it usually gets under my fingernails. It is really tiresome. I use a q-tip to scoop it up. Lotus is a cool light nude pink with a matt finish. I always pair this with dark smokey eye looks.

Posietint doesn't get much love from me. It is a liquid blush so it is best to apply this before your loose or pressed powder. It comes with a little brush which you use to dab on the apples of your cheeks. Then with your finger lightly dab it. It dries very quickly. It is a brighter pink with a matt finish. Because of its consistency, it doesn't show up on medium and dark tones like myself. This is one solely for the fairer ladies.

Becca Creme Blush in Amaryllis has the best textures by far. It is a wet creamy blush that glides effortlessly onto your skin. It looks great under powder as it gives a more natural look but it you want it to be more obvious, apply it over powder. It is a warmer pink that is more suitable of medium tones.

From left to right: Becca Beach Tint Watermelon, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pink Raspberry and Flushed Pink.

Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon might look really scary swatched but it sheers out to a nice pink red blush. This is best applied under powder. You need to shake the tube vigorously first to ensure the mixture inside is well mixed. Squeeze a little and dab them on your cheeks. It has the loveliest watermelon scent.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge are creamy but not suitable for dry skins. They can be a little tough to blend so be sure your skin is well moisturised first. They are very pigmented. I usually just gently dab the pot to pick up colour and dab them gently on my face. No rubbing because it will spoil your foundation. These pot rouges come is a wide container which makes it easy for you to dab your fingers into the pot. You can also try using a fibre optic blush brush like MAC 187 to apply them. This will ensure a lighter more natural finish.