Collection and Swatches: Highlights and Pigments Palette

First Row: Mac Blanc Type, Stars Makeup Haven Creme D'Nude, Mac Brule, Mac Vanilla, Mac Vapour, Mac Rosy Outlook, Mac Ego

Second Row: Stars Makeup Haven Southern Belle, Mac Shroom, Mac Tissueweight Limited Edition, Mac Naked Lunch, Stars Makeup Haven Sin-Sational, Stars Makeup Haven Guilty as Sin, Coastal Scents ME13

Third Row: Mac Jest, Mac All That Glitters, Mac Kitschmas Pigment, Mac Naked Pigment, Mac Tan Pigment, Mac Tea Time Pigment, Mac Chocolate Brown Pigment

Fourth Row: Mac Solar Bits Bronzescape Limited Edition, Mac Solar Bits Impassioned Limited Edition, Mac Heritage Rouge Pigment, Mac Vintage Gold Pigment, Mac Golden Olive Pigment, Mac Antique Green Pigment

Favorites: I love to use Shroom and Tissueweight for the inner corners to brighten up my eyes. Since I usually wear shimmery colors on my lids, I don’t use them as a highlight for my brow bone because they have a shimmery finish. 

I love to pack Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, or Tan onto my lids and pair it with a brown color on my crease to create a neutral look.

Skip: Guilty as Sin, ME13, Kitschmas, Bronzescape, and Impassioned are filled with chunks of glitter that get all over your face. I have a hard time applying them and blending them.

Sin-Sational is a nice champagne color that goes on very creamy and blends really smoothly. However, a lot of product falls out when I apply it. It also does not last all day long (even with my Too Faced Primer) like a lot of my other eyeshadows do.

Dupes: Blanc Type and Vanilla may look a little bit similar in the pictures, but they are not dupes. Blanc Type is a light beige color with a matte finish, while Vanilla is more white and has a little bit of shimmer. Vapour and Naked both have a little bit of shimmer, but Vapour is a pale pink color, while Naked has a peach undertone.

Crème D’Nude looks peachier in the pan, but when swatched, it looks like a beige color. Brule has a deeper beige color with a satin finish. I applied Crème D’Nude on my left brow bone and Brule on my other, but couldn’t tell a difference. However, Crème D’Nude had a more powdery application and more fall outs, while Brule went on smoothly with no fall outs. 

Rosy Outlook and Southern Belle may look similar, but Southern Belle is a much darker pink and cannot be used as a highlight, while Rosy Outlook can.

Ego has a more pink undertone, while Jest has a more peach undertone. I wouldn't call them dupes.

Note: 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. Stars Makeup Haven eyeshadows cost $6.00 for 1.3 grams. Coastal Scents eyeshadows cost $1.95 for 1.5 grams. The empty 28 pan palette can be purchased from Coastal Scents for $9.95.

What highlight color do you use the most? 

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Review: Mac 109 Small Contour Brush vs Mac 187 Duo Fiber Brush

Mac 109 Small Contour Brush

I bought the Mac 109 Small Contour Brush and the Mac 187 Duo Fiber Brush together about 3 months ago. I use both solely for liquid foundation. I find the 109 easier to use than the 187 because the 109 gets into small areas easier than the 187. I also get the same coverage with both brushes; however, I need to use a little bit more foundation to cover my entire face with the 109. I do notice that the 187 gives me a slightly more airbrushed look, but it also takes me longer to stipple than to buff out my foundation.

Neither of the two brushes shedded at all during the first month's use. Now, the 109 sheds one strand of hair each time I use it. If you stipple and swirl with the 187, then the foundation will touch the bottom part of the bristles where the natural fibers are, and that will cause the brush to shed. If you only stipple with the 187, which is its intended use, then there will be no shedding.

Also, there is no difference in the finish if you stipple and swirl with the 187 and buff with the 109. If you're doing that with the 187, then you might as well just save your money and buy a buffer brush because you'll get the same results.

The 109 was designed to apply and blend powder products. It is made of natural fibers; therefore, I try not to use it as much for liquid foundation. Liquid and cream products may be too harsh for the bristles.

Mac 187 Duo Fiber Brush

The 187 is made from a blend of goat and synthetic fibers. The top white part of the brush is synthetic. Therefore, it is safer to use liquid and cream products with the 187.

Some foundations stain the 187, while others don't. The Make Up For Ever HD Foundation doesn't stain the brush, but my Dior Forever foundation did.

Although the 109 is $10.00 cheaper, I would recommend buying the 187 if you plan on using the brush for stippling and solely for liquid foundation. The 187 may last longer for that purpose since it has synthetic fibers. Also, I find that it leaves a better finish.

The Mac 109 brush is a little over 7 inches long and costs $32.00. The Mac 187 brush is a little bit shorter than 7 inches and costs $42.00. They are available at Nordstrom.

This is a big investment for a brush, but I personally believe that it will save you money in the long run by purchasing a high quality brush. 

Which brush do you prefer to use for liquid foundation?

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Review: CoverGirl Lash Blast Mascara Waterproof

The CoverGirl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara was one of the first mascaras that I used. I bought it in very black. I also tried the original and non-waterproof version, but it left black smudges under my eyes after a few hours. The waterproof mascara doesn't do that. In addition, it doesn't drip down your face when it's raining.

It claims to volumize lashes, but it did not do that for me. The mascara only lengthened my lashes. However, I love the fact that I only need one coat. It also does not flake or clump at all. It lasts all day. So in order to remove it, I have to use my Sonia Kashuk eye makeup remover.

It costs $6.50 at drugstore.com, Target and Ulta.

Did this mascara work for you?

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Review: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion

I usually break out a week before my period starts. I would get two to three pimples and a few blemishes all over my T-Zone. 

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion claims to reduce breakouts in 8 hours and prevent new breakouts. It contains 2.0% salicylic acid.

I started to use it the week before my period for seven days straight, after I washed my face in the morning and night. This product is amazing! I had one small pimple and two to three very tiny blemishes on my T-Zone. When a huge pimple pops up on my face, I put the lotion on that spot. About 12 hours later, the size of that pimple reduced. 

It did dry the area around my nose a little bit when I first started using it, but now it doesn't. Although I still have acne, it minimized it.

It contains 1.7 fl. oz and costs $8.49 at Ulta and drugstore.com. I may try other products from the same line after getting such good results from this product.

Did you get the same results I did?

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Damaged Coarse Hair

In October 2009, I had to chemically strip my black hair dye in order to dye my hair a different color. I did that and then a couple of months later, I dyed my hair a different color. I did not wait long enough, so my hair got fried and excessively damaged. There was no treatment out in the market that could have fixed my damaged, coarse hair. All those pills, hot oil treatments, shampoos, and conditioners that claim to fix damaged hair are deceptive. The most that they can do is mask the damage, but not fix it. 

I had hair that reached down to my breasts and it was damaged from scalp to the end of my hair. I decided to cut it up to my chin. I then started taking Nature's Bounty Biotin 5000mcg supplement to promote hair growth and hair strength. I took one pill each day with food. The pills are so small and easy to swallow. The first thing I noticed within 3 weeks was that my nails were much stronger and grew so much faster than before. After 6 weeks, I noticed my hair was growing faster too.

I stopped using shampoo all over my hair because most contain harsh ingredients, such as ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, etc. They strip away the natural oils that your hair makes and cause it to become dry. Therefore, I only used a nickel size of shampoo on my scalp where it produced the most oils. I did this depending on how greasy my scalp looked. I did not use shampoo all over my hair because the midsection part and the ends were excessively dry.

Afterwards, I used Wen Cleansing Conditioner (10 pumps) and left it on my hair for about 15 minutes and then rinsed. (I do not recommend this conditioner if you have healthy hair because it will make your hair look greasy.) It costs $32 for 16 fl. oz. 

After I got out of the shower, I sprayed John Frieda Frizz-Ease Heat Defeat Protective Styling Spray (6 fl. oz $5.99) all over my hair and used a quarter size dollop of John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation Smoothing Creme (5 oz. $5.39) on the ends of my hair. Then, I blow-dryed my hair straight. Finally, I straightened it with a flat iron and it looked healthy and not as damaged as it originally was. The creme really did make a difference. Without it, my ends would curl out and look fried.

All the steps that I took only made my hair look heathy. It did not magically fix my damaged hair. If I washed it with a regular conditioner like Tresemme and did not use John Frieda's styling products, my hair would look so damaged and feel so dry. 

The only way I fixed my damaged hair was by getting a trim every 6 weeks. After 10 months, my hair is not as damaged as before. It looks healthy and feels less coarse now. 

I stopped using Wen's Cleansing Conditioner and John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation Smoothing Creme. I now use Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner (8 fl. oz. $5.99). If I use too much, my scalp would look so greasy a few hours later. So, I only use a quarter size dollop and place most of the conditioner on my ends.

If you have excessively damaged hair, my advice would be to be patient and keep trimming your hair. Hair grows much slower if it is unhealthy and damaged. You could also prevent this from happening by limiting the use of heating products and chemicals. 

Have you experienced any hair disasters? 

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