G A R E T H P U G H for MAC - Hyper first impressions

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If you keep up with me on Twitter, you would know that I made a special field trip to the MAC pro store on Chapel Street this past Monday. By heading there specifically, I knew I would have a shot at picking something up; I already checked with the MAC store inside of Myer and they informed me their store was getting a limited amount of stock.  If you live for limited releases and special editions, it is best to get in and out the moment a collection is unveiled or you run the risk of missing out.  I learned the hard way when MAC to the Beach for Summer 2010 came out. I was truly intrigued by the packaging, the overall emotion conveyed and the darker colour scheme. While I wasn't too familiar with Gareth Pugh before, I think I should be by now.  Pugh is a fairly dark version of Alexander McQueen (now deceased) and he even reminds me of Project Runway's very own Chris March; I still can't believe he used real hair as a textile!  I read the reviews back in November and then had to wait a mind-numbing amount of time until it landed in Australia.  This waiting thing will be a never-ending theme; case in point, I placed my name on a list with Chanel in order to be notified when their Spring 2012 makeup collection becomes available (it drops in mid-February).

All I had to do was sneak out of work at lunch time and make my way to MAC and back by 1 PM - no sweat!  I hoofed it some of the way and then melted from the heat the rest of the way on the tram; it's summer here and it's been hot!  Once I made it through the entrance I eagerly glanced around for the display, but it was nowhere to be seen.  Struck with panic, I then looked for an associate to quell my fears and calm my nerves; in that moment I was thinking I had wasted my precious lunch hour!  I inadvertently skipped through the door so quickly, I failed to notice this to my left…

Photo taken on the sly w/ my iPhone (sorry for the horrible quality)

Photo taken on the sly w/ my iPhone (sorry for the horrible quality)

After asking loads of questions I decided to walk away with just a bottle of Hyper; I couldn't really rationalize investing in the entire this 18-piece collection.  Much to my Mom's bewilderment, I am not getting paid to blog - it's just for fun!  Hyper by MAC's definition is a"deep blue with violet pearl." One might consider it to be a duochrome, but that only holds true in the bottle; once painted it appears to be a dark and broody blue.  I'll be sure to bring this colour to the girls at French Pink and have them paint my nails - stay tuned for next week's nail review.

Go goth if you dare!

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC Hyper:

  • $33.00 AUS / $23.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 10 out of 10 bags - read more about Hyper here

Likelihood to purchase again:

MAC Metal-X - Review

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In late December somewhere between MAC's Ice Parade and Daphne Guinness, a mini-collection fell just before Christmas Day.  MAC Metal-X's launch showcased a bit of androgyny mixed with a hint of Blade Runner - where's Sean Young when you need her?  Finkel is Einhorn, I'm tellin' ya!  Starting to catch my drift?  The range of colours, by contrast, are not vast - silvers, golds and a reddish bronze round out this nine piece collection. I've always had a love hate relationship with cream eye shadow and this goes all the way back to my freshman year of college (university for the Aussie readers); I was 19-years-young and purchased a cream eye shadow quad from Revlon.  The colours were not daring, we're talking pastels my friends. Can you tell how much I've progressed with my wild makeup choices, eh?  The creamy shadow was applied with a delicate hand or dare I say pinky and within a few hours it was crease city!  Not as cute as Bear City:/  Enough with the cultural references.  Let's just say, I chucked the quad and never gave cream eye shadow another thought until I saw Metal-X.

MAC Palladium & Brush # 242

MAC Palladium & Brush # 242

As silly as this sounds the thing that sold me the most about Metal-X was the texture; it's soft and silky to the touch.  After I hemmed and hawed for a few minutes, I asked a MAC associate to test Palladium on my lids.  Palladium is a silvery beige with a hint of gold.  When it was first applied, the artist warmed the shadow with her ring finger in order to extract some of the shadow and then she went in and dabbed it all over my lower lid.  Finally, with the help of brush #242 (pictured above), she blended and blended until Palladium casted a smooth sheen.

I will admit I wasn't wearing too much makeup that day and the associate did not apply primer onto my lids.  The test application didn't give Palladium a fighting chance - by the time I arrived home the shadow had inched its way to my crease.  When I swatched the shadow for the pictures you will see below, I really had to work at smoothing the product out with both my finger and my brush.  Initially, when I attempted to rub the pan with my finger Palladium balled up and I ended up with too much product on my finger.  During a second go, I dabbed instead and that seemed to do the trick; just keep in mind of the fact that you will have to go back and forth between the pan and your lid.  I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

MAC Palladium

MAC Palladium

MAC Palladium label

MAC Palladium label

Swatches

Swatches

Palladium on eyes

Palladium on eyes

Above I used Palladium as a base and paired it with the purple half of KIKO's Duo Sphere 107 as seen here.  I threw in a bit of MAC's Elektra and lined my eyes with Blacktrack for good measure.  As for my lips, I wore Gorgeous Cosmetics lip pencil in Scarlette (all over) thanks to my December GlossyBox.  Just as a final recommendation, be sure to use a reliable eye primer in order to avoid seeing your handiwork seep through the cracks whenever you opt to wear a cream eyeshadow.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC Palladium & Brush #242:

  • $46.00 AUS / $20.00 USD for the shadow and $45.00 AUS / $24.50 USD for the brush

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 5 out of 10 bags; I wasn't blown out of the water, but I'm not opposed to using cream shadow ever again.

Likelihood to purchase again:

  • I am a MAC fiend and I am sure you'll find me lined up for Gareth Pugh tomorrow afternoon on Chapel Street.  See you there!

Stocking stuffer pt. 2 - NARS Flamenco

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Oh my gawd, I thought as my eyes set upon this red hue by NARS - it's daring and it's captivating. However, Flamenco does not scream lady of the night; it's far more subdued thanks to it being grouped within NARS' "sheer" family.  NARS even defines it as a "sheer candy apple red."  I've officially fallen head over heels in love with NARS lipstick; I have three tubes to call my own and they've all been non-drying and long-lasting.  Although, I've found eating negatively impacts the optimal wear time thanks to constantly wiping my face and licking my lips.

Okay.  Not quite Sir-Mix-A-Lot, but wearing red lipstick commands and draws attention.  Red lips speak before they even begin to move and you should be mentally prepared for compliments, looks of envy and that nagging question: "What are you wearing?"  Since finding Flamenco in my stocking, I have taken this shade out for a spin several times.  Flamenco happens to be the perfect shade for girls who aren't quite ready to make the commitment to this or this.

“I like red lips and I can not lie,
You other sisters can’t deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty pout
And red lips in your face
You get stunned…”

Total amount for NARS Flamenco:

  • $45.00 AUS / $24.00 USD - again, thank you Santa Scott!

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags; unscented, long-lasting and gosh darn expensive in the land of Oz.

Likelihood to purchase:

Butter London's Blagger - weekly nail review

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According to Urbandictionary.com, a blagger is: 1. Someone who could sell ice to the eskimos

2. British prison slang for a bank robber

3. If used as a verb, it's the act of huring someone

I am not a sheisty salesperson, a thief or someone who goes around beating people up, but my nails were definitely capable of all three. Still coming off the holiday season high, I settled on a rich blue with high shine and a creamy finish.  Butter London's Blagger is not for the faint of heart; it's eye-catching, conversation worthy and scene stealing.  With just a wave of the hand, I could've probably stopped traffic - the intensity of the colour is so striking it allowed me to live vicariously through my nails last week.

The combination of Essie's Protein base coat, followed by two coats of Blagger and then finished with Seche Vite allowed for optimal wear time.  The finish remained shiny and I didn't notice the usual chipping near the edge of my right index and middle fingers.  I defintely think I could've stretched out my weekly manicure far beyond this past Saturday.

I was so enamoured by Blagger last week I asked to have it painted on my toes.  People will think I've readied myself for Australia Day:)

 

*Special note to Karen (if you're reading this):  Mom says you've been keeping up with me here - just wanted to say hello and thanks for reading!