Primer/ Corrector -MAC - Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone
cyclops68 12/13/2012 3:38:00 PM
I have combination skin and my T-zone gets shiny with a layer of MAC Blot after 4-5 hours, even in winter when there is almost no humidity. Now that I have tested the Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone for more than a year and gone through 2 tubes of it, I am ready to give it a glowing review. I was first recommended Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone when it first came out back in summer 2008 by a MAC senior makeup artist during a makeover session, when I voiced my concerns that my foundation didn't seem to be going on evenly. It didn't appeal to me then because I hardly use foundation, and still rarely do. At that time I was using Prep and Prime Skin (without SPF) or Prep and Prime Face Protect (with SPF50). When I finally ran out, I decided to give Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone a try. I use it two dots on my forehead, a dot on my nose and a dot on my chin, over which I might apply concealer (if there are blemishes to cover) and then a layer of MAC Blot (pressed) to set, following by a mist of Fix+. I am delighted to report that combining Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone and MAC Blot manages to keep my face shine free for almost 12 hours! To be precise, it gets ever so slightly dewy on my nose about 7-8 hours in, but it can be ignored or taken care of by lightly blotting with a piece of tissue paper... or even the back of my hand. After 12 hours of wear though, it is advisable to touch up with a layer of MAC Blot. I have tried this combination in all weathers and seasons, and it works perfectly even in Mediterranean summer. However, I noticed when I was on holiday in a tropical climate that was extremely humid that due to increased perspiration, my skin got dewy within 5-6 hours and needed a touch up. I have tried Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone in combination with other powders for oil control, such as Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder, and MAC Studio Careblend. I found that Skin Refined Zone + Transparent Finishing Powder didn't work as well (5 hours without shine), and Skin Refined Zone + Careblend worked slightly better (about 6-7 hours without shine). Regardless of the powder used to set, it is evident that Prep and Prime Skin Refined Zone still contributes to some oil control properties on its own. I can confidently say that I have found my staple, holy grail makeup primer, and I highly recommend combining it with MAC Blot to anyone who might have combination skin.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Bronzers -MAC - Sun Rush
cyclops68 8/26/2012 12:58:00 PM
I bought my Sun Rush Lustre Drops when they were first released and marketed as highlighters with the Style Warriors collection back in summer 2009. I was a lot into the contoured look then, after a technique class at MAC Pro where the artist used Fawntastic CCB to really sculpt my cheek bones by giving it an almost metallic, but tanned highlight. However, having found it difficult to replicate the same effect at home with the Fawntastic, I thought that a liquid highlighter like Lustre Drops would be easier to blend on the skin. Fawntastic is cool nude metallic beige on my NC30 skin, and Sun Rush is a lot more golden, which I found was more of a bronzer than a highlighter on me. It is now summer 2012, I still have the same bottle of Sun Rush, and it is now a permanent item at MAC, marketed as a liquid bronzer together with Pink Rebel. I feel that Pink Rebel should be marketed more as a highlighter. I never liked it because it looked too stark on my complexion, which has golden undertones, but it looked amazing on a friend who is around NC20 and has olive undertones. It just gave her such a lovely, slightly pinkish glow on her cheeks. I get the impression that Pink Rebel is gorgeous for a posh evening look as it doesn't add any "sun", whereas Sun Rush, as is obvious in the name, is more adapted for a daytime, active look. My go-to posh evening highlighter that doesn't add any bronzing is the Special Reserve Highlighter called Whisper of Gilt, which is a light cool gold. Anyway, now that I am more into using bronzers to get a healthy flush of colour, I use Sun Rush virtually everyday, in place of a highlighter AND a bronzer. To do so, I put a small drop at the height of each of my cheek bones around 2cm below the outer corner of my eye and blend it with either the 187 or 188 brush in a line from the apple of my cheeks to the ears. I avoid using too much product on the T-zone because I find that the luster might end up looking a little too dewy on my combination skin, so I dot whatever's left over on the tip of the bottle on the bridge of my nose and my forehead and blend it out with the brush if I remember. I then add one drop on each side of my neck and on my collar bones and buff with the 187 brush in circular motions. I find that the golden bronze colour of Sun Rush looks natural on my skin, both in real life and in photos, and it just warms up the complexion. At times, I even find that blush is unnecessary. I would say that the product stays on quite well, for at least 12 hours but I personally need a veil of MAC Blot powder all over after 8 hours to pull back the excess shine. In all, Sun Rush is the product I use for a slightly bronzed, glowing and sculpted look, and I really like that it is fluid and a lot easier to apply and blend on the skin than a cream product like Fawntastic CCB.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Burberry - Touch
cyclops68 2/9/2012 4:29:00 PM
I am definitely not a fragrance expert, and I honestly don't see how writing a review in words for a perfume could ever replace smelling it, but I feel compelled nonetheless to express this special love I have for Burberry Touch. I have been wearing this for the last 10 years. I bought my first bottle when I was 14, and I remember that when I first smelled it on a strip of paper, the word woody came to me immediately. What really appealed to me was that it had a hint of vanilla to it too and that made it very different from all the flowery powdery perfumes I had known since my childhood that every grown-up woman was wearing. Obviously as a 14-year-old, I didn't wear perfume all that much, but as I grew older and entered adulthood, I grew to truly appreciate Burberry Touch. It made me feel sophisticated and confident when I was wearing it, and it gave me a sort of presence. Not the conspicuous, look-at-me kind; rather a non-offending, discrete but can't-be-ignored presence, pretty much like a tall but young, steady tree. It has accompanied me every day of my life, including on important occasions such as interviews, and I have had great success. Maybe, just maybe because Burberry Touch is somehow a projection of my personality, my aura, if you will. I do consider myself a down-to-earth person, corresponding with a woody fragrance, but romantic nonetheless, a trait I feel is mirrored by some of the floral notes in the perfume when you've just sprayed it on, and also by the warm scent that lingers on my clothes towards the end of the day, when I suppose the base notes shine through. And having read some reviews on it and found out what ingredients are in it, I realise that the pepper, which conveys a bit of a masculine scent to the perfume, meshes perfectly with my character. I find it funny how something I chose ignorantly at 14 years old so perfectly matches the person I am today. I suppose that everybody has a perfume specially tailored to them somewhere out there. I'm just really glad that I have found mine, and as much as I feel tempted by all the fabulous perfumes out there in the world, I think at the end of the day, nothing describes me as perfectly as Burberry Touch does and I will always come back to it as my comforting, signature scent. I feel that a review of perfumes isn't of much help, but if you have a personality similar to mine, give this one a sniff and maybe you might find that it describes you too.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Noir Plum
cyclops68 2/3/2011 10:47:00 AM
For weeks, I had Noir Plum Mega Metal Eyeshadow on my wish list but when it was finally released and I swatched it in the store, it was a bit of a disappointment. Every beauty blog that I've read raves about how smooth and pigmented these eyeshadows are, but it didn't seem to be the case. I know it's not that the testers were old because I went early on the first day of the release. A one swipe swatch of Noir Plum didn't show up very well on my NC30 skin. I had to swatch over the same spot on the back of my hand three times to get a good representation of the colour, and even then it wasn't very vibrant. It was a light, bright purple with a sort of duochrome quality. If anybody is familiar with China Glaze OMG holographic nail polishes, the colour of Noir Plum is exactly like IDK, which I happen to be wearing at the same time. I'm put off by the size of the eyeshadow because I can't depot it and put it in my palette, which means that I'll eventually forget about using it just because it's not with the other eyeshadows when I'm putting on my makeup in the morning. Also, it takes me years to hit pan on a regular-size eyeshadow so a giant eyeshadow like that pretty much can last me the rest of my life. I was therefore looking around in the store for a colour similar to Noir Plum but in the regular eyeshadow size. In the pan, Parfait Amour (Frost) resembles Noir Plum but when swatched is a lot more blue. And since Noir Plum has this metallic quality, it reminded me a lot of Stars N' Rockets (Veluxe Pearl). So I layered Stars N' Rockets over Parfait Amour. The resulting colour isn't identical to Noir Plum when you look at it head on, but thanks to the duochrome nature of Stars N' Rockets, when seen from certain angles, it looks a lot like like Noir Plum because of the way the light hits the colour. And so I didn't purchase Noir Plum despite wanting it for weeks. The pigmentation isn't all that it's made out to be, and even though the colour is nice, I think you can skip it if you have Parfait Amour and Stars N' Rockets.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -MAC - I Get No Kick Eye Kohl
cyclops68 1/19/2011 2:35:00 PM
I Get No Kick swatches beautifully on the back of my hand, it shows up as a pink-gold-champagne kind of colour, so people have suggested that it would look great on the waterline. However, this eye kohl will simply not show up on me. I'm NC30 with golden undertones and dark hair. At first I thought that the colour of my waterline just happens to resemble that of I Get No Kick, which explains why it's so difficult to discern anything when I put it on. I thought that perhaps someone fairer than I am would have a better shot at this. However, I read that another reviewer, adriann1973, who's blonde and fair, has experienced the same problem. I can only conclude that that this eye kohl is just not as soft and creamy as other MAC eye kohls are (such as Smolder, Heirloom and Fascinating), and this makes it difficult for the pigmentation to transfer onto a sensitive area on which you can't press to hard on, such as the waterline. The colour of I Get No Kick is absolutely lovely but it's so disappointing that I can't get this to work for me. A nude waterline eyeliner that works and stays on me for a decent amount of time is the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NW25/NC30. Eyeliners don't usually stay well on my waterline, not even the fabled Guerlain loose powder kohls, which disappear about 3 hours after I've put them on. The Chromagraphic pencil doesn't survive 100% intact on my eyes, but you can still see a faint trace of it after 6 hours. The colour is also slightly lighter than my natural waterline colour, so it helps with the awake and perky illusion, which is basically the point of putting nude/white liners on the waterline. If your skintone resembles mine, then I recommend the Chromagraphic pencils over I Get No Kick. The Chromagraphic pencil in NW25/NC30 is a lot creamier and more more versatile anyway because they are basically concealers in pencil form, so you can use them to spot-conceal and to define your lips for a red lip look, in addition to using them on the inner corners of your eye or on your waterline. In the mean time, I'll probably only use I Get No Kick as a regular eyeliner on the lid, which will be on rare occasions because I hardly ever incorporate a shimmery pink-gold eyeliner in my eye looks. It's such a shame that it won't show up on my eyes, because in theory, it just seemed like the perfect waterline eyeliner.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Prolong
cyclops68 12/16/2010 9:44:00 AM
This review is for the Pro Longwear Lipcreme in colour Prolong, which MAC describes as a true red. It is a permanent lipstick finish that claims to last up to 12 hours. True to the description, it is a neutral red that isn't too pink or too orange. On my NC30 skin with golden undertones, the colour translates as a bright creamy blood red that looks a bit metallic. I think it is a red that suits everybody, but it's not my favourite red on me. I feel a little lackluster about it, like the colour is just sitting on my lips and not making any magic. It lacks the extra oomph that I like in my red lipsticks (such as Port Red which just brings out my colour) but I think it's the perfect lipstick for a more refined occasion like an interview (who says you can't wear a red lipstick to interviews?) or a fancy dinner at a posh restaurant. I feel that it's the kind of red lipstick that a real lady wears, it's quiet and refined. I'm also impressed with its staying power. I could kiss without it transferring but by no means does it stay for up to 12 hours as MAC claims, unless you don't eat or drink in that 12 hours. I find that after a meal, you can go without touching up, and about 80% of the colour is still there. I always apply a layer of MAC's lip conditioner under my lipstick because I like to keep my lips moisturized but I find that doing so with the Pro Longwear Lipcremes reduces its long-lastingness. Due to the slide attributed by the lip conditioner, the lipstick becomes more transferable and wipes off easy onto your napkin or someone else. To make the colour stay put to its maximum potential, use it directly on bare lips without a layer of lip balm or conditioner under. It is very very creamy when you apply it directly onto your lips, but I find that it causes my lips to feel a bit dry and tight after a few hours. I think it's just the inevitable downside to any long-lasting lip colour but I have to admit that the Pro Longwear Lipcremes are a lot creamier than most long-lasting lipsticks. Its texture is actually a lot like a MAC Mattene lipstick (discontinued), slightly less hydrating-feeling than Amplified Cremes but with the lasting power of Mattes and Satins. The packaging is slightly different from the typical MAC lipstick packaging. It is a flat-top cylindrical shape and the lipstick is cut at an angle inside, which I think makes applying free-hand less easy than you would a typical lipstick with a pointy tip. As a result, it's harder to get into corners of your lips and follow the shape of your lips because the lipstick is larger and round so I recommend using a mirror to touch up if you need to. All in all a good universal red lipstick and very worth checking out.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Blush -MAC - Mineralize Blush - Happy Together
cyclops68 7/1/2010 7:58:00 AM
Happy Together is one of the mineralize blush duos from MAC's In The Groove collection. It basically looks like a mini version of those MSF Naturals that came out in 2007 with one shimmer side and one normal side. It was a very pretty peachy-beige on my NC30 skin but I didn't purchase this as I felt that it wouldn't add much colour to my face at all, as a blush, even though it was very smooth and pigmented. In fact, I was told at MAC that it's more a highlighter, but I wouldn't pay 24 euros for such a small product. I was curious how it would compare to By Candlelight MSF (also available in this collection) and I swatched them side by side. By Candlelight is as light as Happy Together is, but it is more pink. In fact, I have By Candlelight from the Warm and Cozy collection, and even though most people use it as a highlighter, I use it as a soft blush, especially in winter when I do a smoky eye. For somebody who's NC30 or above, I wouldn't recommend Happy Together as a blush (not even a nude blush because it would only add frosty shimmer to your cheeks), but if you don't mind paying that much money for a small highlighter, then go ahead and make the purchase because it is a really beautiful colour. If you're looking for a soft "nude" blush, I would recommend By Candlelight MSF over Happy Together simply because it gives more colour, and can also serve as a highlighter. A MSF is also larger than a mineralize blush and costs just a little more, and seeing that it's more versatile, I think By Candlelight is definitely a better choice. I think that Happy Together would better serve its purpose as a gentle peachy blush for someone who's very fair and I have no doubt that it would look gorgeous.
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Highlighters -Guerlain - Meteorites Perles Teint Rose
cyclops68 6/29/2010 4:58:00 PM
According to Guerlain's official description of their new Meteorites Perles, Teint Rose is supposed to be the best for cooler skintones with a tendency to suffer from redness. I have a warm skin with golden undertones (MAC NC30) so I was very surprised that I was recommended Teint Rose at a Guerlain boutique in Paris after I said that I wanted a luminous, radiant effect. According to the Guerlain MAs, Teint Rose is almost transparent and *is* Mythic. It also "attracts" light to the skin the best out of all three products. Teint Beige is more rosy than Teint Doré but Teint Beige can be dull on the skin. On the back of my hand, Teint Beige was indeed dull as the MA had said it would be, and Teint Rose did give it a natural luminosity and I was tempted to buy it because I was enamoured of how pink the back of my hand was where the Teint Rose was applied. She then put Teint Rose on my face at the boutique and was asking me if I saw the effect it had. I was like "where?" and she pointed out where she had highlighted my T-zone, the top of my cheek bones and I patronizingly said "hmm yea" even though I really didn't see much of that fabled light attracting effect. It was just light hitting my skin like it would, with or without Guerlain's Meteorites. In fact, it was obvious that there was a layer of powder on my skin and when I mentioned this, the MA said that Guerlain Meteorites are supposed to give a satin finish to the skin. There's satin finish that looks like your skin, and satin finish that looks like powder. In my book, if you get something that gives you radiant skin but shows tell-tale signs of its existence, it pretty much defeats the purpose. Under indoor lighting, Teint Rose did look like it was the better choice, as the spot on my hand where it was looked pink and healthy. But once I was outdoors, it was a different story. In sunlight, it was obvious that Teint Rose was chalky. Perhaps Teint Rose is simply too light and too cool for my skintone. I also mentioned at the boutique that Teint Rose looks a lot like Mythic, and the MA said "it IS Mythic" so if you already own Mythic, don't bother buying the same product in a different container.
16 out of 19 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Highlighters -Guerlain - Meteorites Perles Teint Dore
cyclops68 6/29/2010 4:37:00 PM
I've never used Guerlain's Meteorites Perles but I was intrigued by the new products that came out with the 2010 summer collection due to the colour harmony concept. The three Meteorites have been designed to correct and complement various skintones. There's Teint Rose, Teint Beige and Teint Doré and as a someone with an NC30 complexion with golden undertones, I thought that Teint Doré would suit me the most since Teint Doré means golden complexion. I live in Paris and so went to two Guerlain boutiques for different opinions, at one of which I was indeed recommended Teint Doré. I dusted Teint Doré on one side of my face with a fluffy brush and noticed instantly that there was a whitish cast. On the other side, I had my MAC MSF Natural in Medium Dark and there was not much difference between the two sides to justify the hefty price tag of Guerlain's Meteorites. In fact, I asked my father and my boyfriend which side of my face looked more radiant and both unanimously chose the side with the MAC MSF. One said that the Guerlain side looked like there was a layer of white powder, the other said that the skin didn't look as luminous as the MAC side, which was more refined (in his own words: the left side - Guerlain - looks like it was photographed with a 2 Megapixel camera while the right side - MAC - looks like it was photographed with a 4 Megapixel camera). So I won't be keeping Guerlain's Teint Doré Meteorites because it doesn't do as good a job as something cheaper that I already own. Granted, Guerlain's product is less expensive per unit mass, but MAC's MSF costs 27 euros (and $27 in the US) while Guerlain's Meteorites cost around 42 euros (and $56 in the US). I think that Teint Rose is just too chalky on my skin and I've ordered Teint Beige and am waiting for it to arrive, but I have a feeling that it won't fare a lot better either on my complexion. According the Guerlain's makeup artist, Teint Beige can be dull on the skin and it was indeed on the back of my hand, but another said that it's more rosy than Teint Doré so we'll just wait and see.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -MAC - Scorcher
cyclops68 6/24/2010 10:59:00 AM
I have mixed feelings about this nail polish. On my NC30 skin, it doesn't look terrible but it doesn't look great either. In the shade, it's a colour that brings to mind the overpowering orange-based red lipsticks that some old ladies like to wear. Under light, it has a tinge of pink (I guess that's why it's described coral red) and that makes it look slightly younger. I think that Scorcher would look better on the toes than it does on the hands. I have on 3 coats but can still see my nail line. However, I think that this formula is a lot better than the batch of cream nail polishes that came out with the Spring Colour Forecast, which after 4 coats is still uneven and slightly splotchy. I also think that the brush that came with Scorcher feels different- it's stiffer than those in other MAC polishes I own and application is a lot easier. I hesitantly recommend it because I just can't get old ladies lipstick out of my mind for some reason. I think that cooler, paler skintones should proceed with caution as this might not be very flattering.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eyeliner -Guerlain - Mirage loose kohl
cyclops68 6/18/2010 6:18:00 PM
I've been a long-time user of the Guerlain loose powder kohl in Noir (black) and I really liked it so much that I decided to venture out and purchase the brown version of it for a subtler look. I swatched Mirage and Brun Doré in the boutique and the colours were identical, except that Brun Doré had golden shimmer in it. Since Mirage was the limited edition colour, I decided to purchase it. However, I found that the powder particles in Mirage are a lot finer than in the black one. In fact it irritates my eyes so much that it would sting immediately upon application. I will then tear up excessively and can't open my eyes and see clearly for a few minutes. Perhaps this is because I'm a contact lens wearer but I've absolutely no problems with the black loose powder kohl. I honestly think that the powder particles are a lot finer, so fine that they can pass through my tear duct and end up in my nasal cavity (there are significant amounts of the product in the mucus that accompanies the crying). After this initial irritation finally passes, my eyes then become very uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Fall out was also heavier with Mirage than with the Noir. Since I've been using the Noir for a long time and have had no problems with it, I attribute Mirage's epic failure to either an allergic reaction (the official reason I gave for returning it), or to a different formulation altogether that makes it some kind of medieval torment for contact lens wearers. Since the Brun Doré probably has particles of the same size as the Noir, and since its colour is identical to Mirage's (shimmer is good for brightening the eyes), I would recommend Brun Doré over Mirage, and I would buy again Mirage over my own dead body.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -MAC - Originality
cyclops68 5/14/2010 6:09:00 PM
After the last few bouts of nail polish from MAC that required 3-4 coats to go totally opaque, I was pleasantly surprised by Originality. It took only one coat to be fully opaque on my nails, but I did two, just in case. The colour is a muted shimmery gold and it was what I wanted the Mercenary nail polish from the Style Warriors collection to look like. Mercenary was too dark on my hands and resembled more brown than gold. Originality, on the other hand, is unmistakably some shade of gold, and looks sophisticated on my NC30 skin. It reminds me of the gold polish that came out with the Antiquitease collection (Holiday 2007) so this is a close substitute if you missed that one. I honestly recommend Originality because it's such a beautiful gold colour that is good for any occasion and its pigmentation is really impressive. After wearing Originality for 2 days, I decided to freshen up the manicure and hide the minimal tip wear by adding one coat of Spin Me Round gold holographic polish from China Glaze, which lightened up the colour and turned up the bling. I am in awe of the effect of the two polishes combined.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Thrills (Rushmetal 2007)
cyclops68 5/13/2010 10:19:00 AM
This review is for the Thrills (Frost) lipstick released with the To The Beach collection (May 2010). With the past few collections, MAC has been deluding us with lipsticks in different shades of coral and my first impression of Thrills was that it was yet another shade of coral. However, Thrills is more a dark pink-copper colour but nonetheless, I'll go with my gut and compare this lipstick to Fresh Salmon (Spring Colour Forecast) and Made To Order (Prêt-à-Papier), even though Thrills may not strictly qualify as a coral. I just feel that the copper tones turn it slightly orange on the lips, which is why the coral lipsticks come to mind. The most obvious difference between Thrills and the other two lipsticks is its texture- Thrills is a Frost and the others are Lustres. However, I noticed that Thrills is less drying than Frosts usually are, but I still recommend some balm under the lipstick or lipgloss on top since Frost lipsticks tend to dry on the lips and make them feel tight. In terms of colour, Thrills has significant copper/bronze tones on my NC30 skin while Fresh Salmon is a lot more pink and vibrant, swatched beside Thrills. Made to Order is less brown than Thrills and has less shimmer, and so looks fresher on. I think that Thrills is unmistakably a summer colour since the copper tones lend it a kind of "heat" which is absent in the other two coral lipsticks. Also, on the lips, Thrills has a bit of a metallic look to it. Since a picture says a thousands words, I've uploaded a picture of all three lipsticks. In all, I think that if you prefer the fresh minimal makeup look, you might like Made to Order or Fresh Salmon better than Thrills, which I feel is more sultry and steamy, and therefore more appropriate for someone who prefers colourful bold looks. I also feel that Thrills would look better on those who are tanned (NC30 and above) than those who are of lighter skin tones. I would repurchase this shade because I don't quite own anything like it and I think that it would complement the colourful eye looks that I like to do in summer. The packaging for this lipstick is also different from the typical black bullet- it's a muted orange bullet with the printed picture of a shell on the bottom.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -MAC - Sweet & Punchy
cyclops68 5/13/2010 9:38:00 AM
Sweet & Punchy is a Veluxe Pearl eyeshadow released with MAC's To The Beach collection and I was wary of the eyeshadow because I already own MAC's Rated R (Starflash) from the Love That Look collection released in August 2009. So on the day of the release, I brought my Rated R eyeshadow with me to the store and swatched it next to Sweet & Punchy. The colours are not similar- they are identical. The textures of both eyeshadows are also comparable- very pigmented, smooth and soft, as is typical of Starflash and Veluxe Pearl. However, I noticed that Sweet & Punchy has a more obvious golden sheen to it than Rated R does, so I swatched Rated R more heavily and achieved the same results. So, if you have Rated R, save your money and skip Sweet & Punchy and don't get suckered in by the LE packaging because it's nothing quite so special to justify owning two identical eyeshadows. If you don't have Rated R, by all means go ahead and purchase Sweet & Punchy because it's a very unique colour and similar colours in the permanent collection have very awful textures and colour pay-off. This chartreuse lime green colour is worth a repurchase, because as mentioned, similar shadows from MAC's permanent collection can't even hold a candle to Sweet & Punchy (or its twin Rated R) in terms of pigmentation, texture and ease to work with. For the colour-shy, the eyeshadow isn't as gaudy as it looks in the pan. I'm an NC30 with dark brown eyes and I find that the colour works very well on my skin with golden undertones and I especially enjoy including Rated R/Sweet & Punchy in green eye looks as an inner corner colour.
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lipstick -MAC - Made to Order
cyclops68 5/7/2010 4:18:00 PM
Before purchasing Made to Order, I wondered how it would compare with my Fresh Salmon lipstick from Spring Colour Forecast. Both are Lustre lipsticks but I found that Fresh Salmon glides on more smoothly than Made to Order. Both lipsticks are in the same colour family, coral, with Fresh Salmon being a brighter, more vibrant shade of orange-pink, and Made to Order a more subdued, orange-pink-brown type of colour. Fresh Salmon has more obvious golden shimmer laced throughout and the shimmer in Made to Order is so subtle, so unnoticeable that in the tube, it resembles more an Amplified Creme finish and reminded me of Warm Me Up (Amplified Creme from the Warm and Cozy collection). In fact, Made to Order's colour is between that of Warm Me Up and Fresh Salmon, with it being closer to Fresh Salmon, since Warm Me Up is significantly more brownish-pink if you put all three lipsticks together. Both Fresh Salmon and Made to Order give me just enough colour on the lips to pull off an au naturel look, but as mentioned in my Fresh Salmon review (please refer to that if you are interested), Fresh Salmon is slightly too bright to pass off as natural on my NC30 skin and needs to be blotted down, which I don't usually because I'm too lazy. Made to Order, on the other hand, requires no blotting and is believable as natural with just enough hint of colour to bring out the radiance in my skin, according to a friend who was with me who encouraged me to get it after affirming that she's never seen a colour like Made to Order on my lips. In her words, Made to Order is slightly more pink, than the other similar lipstick that I've worn before (Fresh Salmon) which has a more orange tint and she really thought it was an excellent idea to get Made to Order because it just gave me such a glowing complexion. I'm not quite sure about this, but Made to Order and Fresh Salmon seem to be vying for the same spot as my favourite lipstick for a fresh, au naturel, spring-time look. After writing the Fresh Salmon review, I'd thought that it was worth backing up but now, I have crossed that off my list because Made to Order is close enough and slightly more adapted to my ends. I would recommend checking out Made to Order if you have a similar skintone to mine and missed Fresh Salmon. If you already have Fresh Salmon and find it perfectly complimentary, then you don't need Made to Order, but if you found it a little too bright and orange, then maybe Made to Order is what you're looking for. In any case, do use some lip balm under, or top Made to Order with lipgloss because I find the texture slightly more drying than usual. It is less emollient than Amplified Creme, but not as drying as Mattes, Satins and Frosts. I've included a picture of the two lipsticks side by side.
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No