August 27, 2015

My current favourite nude lip combo: MAC's Creme Cup and Colourpop's Button Pencil

August 27, 2015/ Nicole McIntyre

Better together: Colourpop's Button and MAC's Creme Cup

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to my lips -- most days I opt for chapstick and a pale pinky/nude lippie, and if we're being totally honest here, I didn't see the point in applying lip liner until I finished beauty school. Lip liner not only defines your lips, it also evens out the colour of your them and helps make any run-of-the-mill lipstick last.

Armed with a bit more insight, I picked up a few cheap-o lip liners from Colourpop to see what all the fuss was about and MAC's Creme Cup, because this shade is the gateway to endless possibilities. When worn alone, I can't pull either shade off, but together. Oh, man, say hello to #kyliejenner calibre lips.

Tip: if you can't get your hands on Colourpop's Pencil in Button, MAC's Spice is a close match, albeit a tad more expensive.

Swatches from left to right: Colourpop's Button, MAC's Creme Cup and blended together

Wearing MAC's Creme Cup over Colourpop's Button

What's your current favourite lip combo?

May 24, 2015

Feeling nostalgic: MAC's Real Doll

May 24, 2015/ Nicole McIntyre

Wearing MAC's Real Doll while getting my best Barbie/Skipper/Stacie face on

*sets scene*

When: April 2007

En route to Vegas with the latest issue of In Style magazine -- these were the days when blogging pretty much only existed on Live Journal, Makeup and Beauty Blog wasn't yet a part of my life, and reading magazines was a necessity in order to learn about upcoming seasonal makeup releases.

Tucked in the last quarter of the magazine (somewhere between healthy recipe ideas and diet ads I undoubtedly flicked past) laid a makeup editorial featuring a model whose hair and skin were true glow-y perfection, and those lips, well, they were sporting MAC's Real Doll. As our Jet Blue flight flew 30,000 feet over Lake Michigan I earmarked the corner of the page, shut off my overhead light, and envisioned Real Doll adorning my very own lips.

News Flash, pervs: Get your mind out of the gutter!

My latest lemming eluded me. The hunt from Las Vegas' Town Square with P-Cakes and Grammy, all the way back to Braintree's South Shore Plaza left me weary, and eventually forced me to throw in the towel. In a last ditch effort I even went as far as calling the indexed telephone number for MAC in the back of In Style with the hope Real Doll would turn up somewhere, alas.

Eight years later and a world away from my humble beginnings, Real Doll popped back on the scene as part of the MAC is Beauty campaign. The lengthy wait didn't kill me, it only helped to fuel my obsession with makeup. This creamy baby pink/lilac lippie will forever hold my heart.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for MAC's Lipstick in Real Doll:

$36.00 AUS / $16.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

10 out of 10 bags — Despite my darkish features Real Doll refuses to wash my out complexion. Tho, it does little to brighten your teeth.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

Sadly Real Doll is limited edition. That said I better track down a back up, fast!

Love my dress? I know I do! I'm wearing Gorman's Wing It Dress. It's got pockets, it conceals the presence of food baby, and it's made in the softest corduroy.

February 15, 2015

Makeup Inspiration: MAC Cosmetics for Monique Lhuillier AW15

February 15, 2015/ Nicole McIntyre

Forecasting makeup trends two seasons ahead of where we are now is never an easy thing, yet I look forward to where we are heading for AW15.

Kylie Jenner's overdrawn lips are still very in - instead of nude-ish mauve, MAC opted for Lady Danger or perhaps Ruby Woo. The skin is fresh, and dewy with loads of highlighting across the bridge of the nose, atop the cheekbones, and cupid's bow. As for the eyes, they're showstoppers. Defined with an elongated outer V that refuses to extend beyond the ends of the unkempt eyebrows. Last night's mascara has shed, but in an absurd way it works here. Oily blacks and waxy browns give these eyes major impact, and mystery.

Definitely hanging out for this particular MAC face chart.

//image source

January 09, 2015

A glimpse at the lips: MAC's lipstick in Lady Bug

January 09, 2015/ Nicole McIntyre

To date I've only come across a few beauty-related items that have never ceased to amaze me, and NARS' Flamenco was a lipstick to behold, cherish, and stop other women in their tracks to ask precisely, "what are you wearing on your lips?" My hopes of replacing such a special candied red were dashed when NARS stopped manufacturing Flamenco, or so I thought.

A few weeks ago I was tinkering about at my local MAC counter when my eyes haphazardly locked on Lady Bug, "a juiced yellow tomato" -- better yet, Flamenco's doppelgänger.