Monday, November 29, 2010

Sneak Peak: Mac & Marcel Wanders 187 Duo Fibre Brush


I just got my Mac & Marcel Wanders 187 Duo Fiber brush and I am super excited to try it out. I love the original Mac 187 Duo Fiber brush (reviewfrom the permanent line so much and it is hands down my favorite foundation brush ever. I hope the limited edition brush will not disappoint. I will test it throughout this week and plan to post a review before the end of this week. =)

Did you get anything from the Mac & Marcel Wanders Collection?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Makeup Storage and Vanity


I stayed at the Hyatt Hotel during my recent trip and I fell in love with the bathroom counter. It's so spacious and is the perfect place to do my makeup because I can just lay everything out on the table. The bathroom cabinet at my house has no space for anything. =(


I desperately need somewhere comfortable to do my makeup and to store everything. I came across West Elm's Narrow-Leg Vanity and it is gorgeous, but the price is pretty steep. It retails for $379.00, but is on sale now for $299. The total price adds up to $352 because of shipping and handling and tax.

I love that the mirror folds down and becomes a completely flat table. I can place my laptop there and transform it into a computer table. There is also 2 drawers and more storage space in the middle, but the price is still creating a barrier between me and the lovely vanity.


Ikea also sells a nice cabinet for makeup storage called the Lillangen Mirror Cabinet for $49.99. The mirrored door is removable and you're suppose to place the Anordna Interior Fixtures (picture on the right) inside the cabinet. The Anordna pull-out storage is sold separately for $14.99.

Why can't money grow on trees?

What other makeup storage ideas do you suggest?

Swatches: Urban Decay Eyeshadows Part 1



I've been eyeing on a couple of Urban Decay eyeshadows for a while now, but haven't made the purchase because I just couldn't justify buying them at full price for $17.00 each. Sephora was recently having a 20% off sale and I took full advantage of that. =)

These swatches do not do the Urban Decay eyeshadows any justice. They look much prettier in person because the flash washes out the color. Also, when comparing them to Mac eyeshadows side to side, the latter looks dull in the pictures because of my stupid camera.

Urban Decay Maui Wowie looks like a shimmery silver color when swatched; however, when you apply it onto your lids, it's a very gorgeous and unique color, especially when paired with other colors, such as Mac Humid because it really brings out the sandy-olive gold iridescence in Maui Wowie. The only problem is that the eyeshadow has little specks of glitter that will get all over your face. I don't mind because I can wipe it off after I'm done with my eye makeup. Also, I recommend applying your foundation after you do your eye makeup.

Also, please keep in mind that they are not chunky bits of glitter. The eyeshadow actually applies very smoothly and blends effortlessly.

I thought Coastal Scents S10 would be similar to Maui Wowie, but S10 is darker and has an olive green iridescence. It's very pretty when you apply it onto your lids with a light hand. I usually apply Mac Humid on the crease to really bring out the olive in S10.

I found Mac's discontinued eyeshadow called Warming Trend at a CCO. I thought that it would be very similar to Mac Patina, but it's actually pretty different and I prefer Warming Trend over Patina.

Warming Trend is a light taupe color with a gold sheen. Patina is a light taupe brown with a golden shimmer that's less shimmery.

Urban Decay Urb is very sheer, but it is workable and you can see the true color by keep layering it and applying the eyeshadow with a heavy hand. Once you do that, it's a light greenish olive with golden shimmer. When swatched, it has a less olive color and looks more like a light green with golden shimmer.

Urb also has specks of glitter like Maui Wowie, but it's easy to clean if you haven't put your foundation on yet.

Urban Decay Mildew is lighter and a little bit more shimmery than Mac Humid. The shimmer is really nice and not hard to blend at all. Mildew has a hint of an olive and golden undertone, while Humid is a forest green.

When you apply Maui Wowie, S10, Warming Trend, Patina or Urb on the lids alone, it either looks very plain or not workable, but when you pair it with a dark green on the crease, it really makes a difference and enhances the lid color.

 With Flash
 Natural Lighting

Urban Decay Chopper is a peachy orange, but I found that the orange diminishes when I apply it on the lid and then pair it with Mac Humid in the crease. It’s a nice eyeshadow depending on which colors you pair it with, but it may be too orange to work with for other people. It also has little specks of glitter like alot of the other Urban Decay eyeshadows that I have mentioned above.

Mac All That Glitters is a lighter peach with a pink undertone. I thought they would look similar, but I was wrong.

I’ve heard that Urban Decay Toasted is a dupe for Mac Sable. When swatched, they look completely different as Toasted looks like a light taupe with a brown undertone and Sable looks like a darker bronzy brown. When I apply it on my eyes, Toasted looks like a light bronzy copperish brown and the taupe does not show, while Sable looks like a darker bronzy brown with a stronger copperish undertone. Toasted is too light for my crease, while Sable is too dark for my lids.

The color of Toasted doesn’t attract me that much. It looks prettier when swatched than when I actually apply it onto my lids. I would skip this eyeshadow.

Urban Decay Blunt is one of the most pigmented eyeshadows that I have seen. Other light color eyeshadows are usually either too sheer or not pigmented enough. Blunt is a light glowy gold with a hint of yellow. Do not let my ugly description scare you away from trying this eyeshadow out. The yellow tint is not that strong. It looks beautiful when I wear it either all over the lid or just my inner eyelid and pair it with browns or greens.

I don’t use it as a highlight under my brows because it’s too shimmery and a little bit too dark for that purpose.

Urban Decay Half Baked is a light true gold color without being too yellow or orange. Half Baked is definitely a staple in my makeup palette.

Urban Decay Baked is a bronzy orange with golden shimmer. I hate it because it’s too orange when I apply it on my lids. What a disappointment. I am going to return it.

Woodwinked is a better alternative, but it looks dead orange in the picture because of the camera flash. The picture without the flash shows its true color and it’s actually a lovely gold color with a hint of brown; however, it does turn orange when you blend it. I solve that issue by applying Mac Tempting and Mac Brown Down on the crease to cover the hideous orange.

The formula of Urban Decay eyeshadows is different than Mac, with the exception of some Mac eyeshadows. Urban Decay eyeshadows are much smoother and buttery, and the shimmery eyeshadows look much prettier than the Mac shimmery eyeshadows. Also, the Urban Decay eyeshadows that I have reviewed might be a little bit frosty for some people, but I find them to be really easy to work with and to blend. Another thing worth mentioning is that I do get some fallouts when I apply certain Urban Decay eyeshadows (the ones with the microglitters), but I don't get as much fallouts as I do with my SMH & CS eyeshadows.

Overall, I highly recommend Urban Decay eyeshadows, but the price might be expensive when compared to the cost of other brands. You should either wait for a sale or purchase from other comparable brands like Mac.

Note: Urban Decay Eyeshadows cost $17.00 for 1.5 grams at Nordstrom, Beauty.com, and Sephora. Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams) and cost $16 in pots. Coastal Scents (CS) eyeshadows cost $1.95 for 1.5 grams.

Do you prefer Urban Decay over Mac eyeshadows?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Mini Trip and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatches


I stayed at Nassau Inn during my last mini trip. The bed was sooo comfortable. 

I will be away in Philadelphia for a mini trip again and won't be back until Thursday night. Hopefully, the Hyatt Hotel that I will be staying in for these couple of days will be even better than the inn. 

Also, I plan to post swatches of some Urban Decay eyeshadows that I bought recently before the end of this week. =)

What plans do you have this week?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Swatches: Coastal Scents Hot Pots Eyeshadows



I recently purchased a few eyeshadows from Coastal Scents because they were having a sale. I got $5 off a $25 order. Normally, each eyeshadow costs $4.49. (Update 3/10/2016: Price has been reduced to $1.95.)

Skip: They are all very pigmented except for M05, which I don't mind because I bought it to use as a base for Mac Humid. I find that the combination of M05 and Humid results in a less shimmery, but darker forest green color, which I had hoped for. I would skip M05 if you plan on using it alone because the color payoff is poor.

I also use CM09 or M17 with Mac Deep Truth. When I use Deep Truth alone, it's not pigmented enough. (I bought Deep Truth in the pro pans and I heard that the pot pans are much more pigmented. If anyone has Deep Truth in the pot pans, please let me know how pigmented the eyeshadow is.)


Dupes: M21 and S38 are perfect on the crease with Mac Swiss Chocolate for an everyday school look or for a professional environment. Coastal Scents describes S38 as a satin eyeshadow, but it has a more matte finish to me. Also, S38 has specks of gold in the pan, but once you apply it, you can barely see the gold. M21 is a lighter version of S38. Mac Haux is more brown and has a hint of a plum undertone. S38 is a more pinkish beige color.


I heard from other sites and blogs that S10 is a dupe for Mac Sumptuous Olive, but they couldn't be more wrong. Sumptuous Olive is a golden olive color, while S10 is a silver color with an olive green iridescence. I've also swatched Mac Patina and S05 to compare, but they are all very different colors.

Favorites: S10 is actually one of my favorites from this haul. I love applying it onto my lids and pairing it with Mac Humid in the crease.

CM07 and M08 are also my favorites because they're very pigmented and are a lovely pair for a dramatic look. However, beware because after I washed off CM07 with makeup remover, my eyelids were stained bright pink. (I use Olay Daily Facials' makeup remover cloths and also Chanel's eye makeup remover).

Note: Coastal Scents eyeshadows fit perfectly in my palette and are the same size as Mac eyeshadows. In terms of quality, Mac eyeshadows are better than Coastal Scents eyeshadows. I hit pan faster with Coastal Scents eyeshadows because the formula is smoother. They also get really dusty and crumbly in the pan and a lot of the product tends to fall down to my cheeks and under eye area when I apply them on my lids.

Mac Eyeshadows in pan form cost $11.00 for 1.5 grams (some of the eyeshadows have 1.3 grams) and cost $16 in pots. Coastal Scents eyeshadows cost $4.49 $1.95 (price reduced) for 1.5 grams.

What Coastal Scents eyeshadows are your favorites?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.