rating: b plus

Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmerbrick

Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmerbrick

Bobbi Brown Rose Gold Shimmerbrick ($39.00 for 0.40 oz.) is supposed to create a “soft, warm pink glow.” Each shade can also be used as an eyeshadow. When blended together, it takes on a warm copper with just a hint of pink/rose. It has a frosted shimmer-sheen and has enough pigmentation to give cheeks a little color (more in the form of warmth) as well as highlight. Laura Mercier Rose Rendezvous is a little darker but similar. MAC Redhead looks nearly identical to me.

The first shade is a soft light-medium pink with a frosted sheen. The second shade is a warm yellow with an iridescent pink sheen. The third shade is a rosy copper with a frosted sheen. The fourth shade is a broze with red undertones and a metallic sheen. The fifth and final shade is a medium coppered rose (it’s more orange than the third shade).

Because all five shades have a high level of frost in their finishes, this is as a very shimmery, high sheen product. If you prefer a softer, subtler, more refined glow (think Guerlain and Chanel), this will likely be too much. If you like products like MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes, Laura Mercier’s Rendezvous, or Estee Lauder’s Illuminating Gelees, you’ll probably like the finish of this. It does ever-so-slightly emphasize pores; I’m sensitive to products that to do this, but it’s minimal enough that you don’t see it unless you’re standing a few inches from the mirror. If you want a subtler shimmer, try using a stippling brush instead of a regular blush or highlighting brush.

I tested out the wear of this Shimmerbrick last week, and it wore for about seven hours before looking slightly faded after eight hours.  The texture of the powder is very soft, and it’s not at all gritty–with as much shimmer as there is, it still feels finely-milled and applies incredibly smoothly.

Where to Buy: Nordstrom, $39

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!

China Glaze Hunger Games Nail Lacquer

China Glaze & Hunger Games Collection: Colours from the Capitol

China Glaze Colours from the Capitol Collection is slated for March launch. It features twelve shades with each shade being named after a different district. This post features these six: Agro, Dress Me Up, Electrify, Fast Track, Foie Gras, and Harvest Moon. Reader Kim did an excellent job explaining the names-to-district component.

• Agro is a rich, dark olive green with subtle yellow undertones and olive gold shimmer and metallic threads. This shade is named after District 11 for agriculture. I used two coats for opaque color, and it had a good consistency. Cult Nails In a Trance is much lighter, more olive green without a blackened edge. China Glaze It’s Alive has similar color components but looks totally different. NARS Mash looks almost the same.
• Dress Me Up is a dusty, rose peach with a cream finish. This shade was named after District 8 for textiles. I used two coats for opaque color, but the consistency was a little thick. Zoya Pandora is lighter. Nubar Moire is darker.
• Electrify is red and gold glitter suspended in a clear base. This shade was named after District 5 for power. I did two coats by itself, and it’s not quite opaque–with a little patience, I think you could manage to achieve almost opaque color coverage with three coats. I couldn’t think of a dupe for this one.
• Fast Track is a grayish beige with pale yellow gold flecks of shimmer. It’s not quite opaque after two coats. This shade was named after District 6 for transportation. China Glaze Knotty is lighter. China Glaze Ingrid seemed really similar when I swatched this initially, but it’s much darker.
• Foie Gras is a purple-tinted brown cream. It was opaque after two coats, but it was a little thick. This shade was named after District 10 for livestock. China Glaze Street Chic is browner. Urban Decay Barlust has a similar color but has shimmer.
• Harvest Moon is a rich, warm copper with lighter copper shimmer. It was opaque in two coats. This shade was named after District 9 for grain. Zoya Tanzy is much more orange. Nubar Caramello is similar but a little more orange.

The formula was inconsistent, but overall, it fell short of my expectations for China Glaze, which is a brand that usually releases colors with a great formula.  The creams had a thicker consistency that almost felt runny.  You really need to make sure to wipe off excess before applying to the nail to avoid having a pool of color.  Electrify has a thicker consistency, which was expected, because of the clear base, but it distributed the glitter fairly evenly.  Agro and Harvest Moon had the best formula from these six, and their drying time felt fast.

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!

MAC Hot ‘n’ Saucy Tendertone

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC: Tendertones

In the collection, there are four limited edition shades of MAC Tendertone Lip Balm ($15.00 for 0.20 fl. oz.), which are: Hot ‘n’ Saucy (soft cherry red), Hush, Hush (sheer gold with yellow gold pearl), Purring (sheer tangerine with pearl), and Tread Gently (soft lime green with yellow pearl).

• Hot ‘n’ Saucy is a watermelon pink once applied. It looks cherry red in the pot, but when it’s applied, it really just provides lips with a tint of red. Hourglass Primal looks similar when applied. Urban Decay Red Light is a bit similar but settles into lines more.
• Hush, Hush is a golden beige with gold shimmer. There’s no real color, but it adds champagne and gold shimmer and a glossy sheen. A warm sheer gloss will provide similar color, so there are lots of dupes.
• Purring is a sheer tangerine orange. I have no idea why MAC Described this as having pearl, because it doesn’t appear to have any shimmer–it has the same shimmer-less look as Hot ‘n’ Saucy. On my lips, it adds warmth and gives them a peach tint. MAC Kumquat looks a bit similar but more pigmented and it has orange-gold shimmer.
• Tread Gently is a sheer green-shimmered balm. Like Hush, Hush, there’s no real color, just pastel green shimmer. I think the only shade that’s really going to be similar that I can think of is MAC Spring Bean, which may be a little more yellowing.

Tendertones have SPF 12 and are supposed to combine the glossiness of a gloss with the moisture of a lip balm. MAC describes their scent as “strawberry-kiwi.” It’s very, very sweet, and a little too synthetic for me, but it’s a sweet, fruit-based scent. The texture is like a gel-like balm that glides across lips easily and smoothes out if you press your lips together. It’s non-sticky, and these wore for three hours or less on me. I tried wearing some of these to bed, but they didn’t wear long enough so I woke up with slightly parched lips. They feel good when they’re applied, and they aren’t drying; they’re hydrating while they’re on but don’t seem to have prolonged benefits from the past few days I’ve been testing them.

I’m not a big fan of lip balms that are packaged in pots–it’s better than a dysfunctional squeeze-tube that splits in your pocket–but application on-the-go is more difficult. This is a product I’d only use at home, where I could use a clean spatula or brush to take the product out and then apply it. It’s housed in a glass jar with a screw-top lid (very much like Paint Pots).

I’ve been holding off on this review, because I really wanted to give this product a few days of testing, since it’s not a formula I’ve used in years. The way I review products today is ten-fold better than I did before; the process is much more systematic and technical. They’re good, and if they were in a tube, they’d be something I’d consider using more often. Lip balm is a tough category to crack with me–it’s hard for me to get enthused about a lip balm that’s good, or even really good, because I’ve found a holy grail lip balm that keeps beating out the products I try.

One thing I do really like about these is that they’re really comfortable to wear, are moisturizing for the time they’re on and maybe a wee bit after it wears away, and they provide a little extra oomph, whether it’s a tint of color or a hint of shimmer. They’re a good, solid product.  I’ll reach for something else when I want my lips to be totally hydrated and pillow-soft, but when I want a little extra color or shimmer, I’ll definitely keep it in mind.

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!

MAC Strawberry Patch Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Vera: Strawberry Patch Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Strawberry Patch Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack ($34.00 for 0.21 oz.) has four shades: Moon Rose (bright dark pink), Rose Light (metallic yellow pink), Star Crystal (pink champagne), and Strawberry Patch (light blue pink).

• Moon Rose is a bright medium-dark pink. There’s a subtle red base to it, so it does not turn fuchsia. Urban Decay Woodstock is brighter and cooler toned. MAC Bright Fuchsia is redder and brighter. Inglot #450 is a bit more burgundy.
• Rose Light is a light-medium rose pink with yellow undertones. It looks very different from the pot–it almost looks like a coral in the pot. Definitely a shade you have to swatch! Inglot #399 is fairly similar. Giorgio Armani Sweet Fire is less pink.  This shade is a repromote from holiday.
• Star Crystal is a peach-tinted white. It’s a bit darker compared to MAC Pearl. MAC Snow Season is darker. Urban Decay Midnight 15 is cooler-toned.
• Strawberry Patch is a light-medium pink with lilac shimmer-sheen. This was really, really chunky and harder to work with compared to the other three shades in the stack. Urban Decay Hot Pants is a bit similar though the finish is very different. MAC Swish is not as blue-based.

You can read a more in-depth review of the formula itself here. As more of a high-level summary, these are supposed to have lots of color payoff with a strong metallic finish that is crease-resistant and long-wearing. Technique is key to using these successfully, as you really need to crush the bits and bobs of pigment before applying it. By doing this, you’ll achieve smoother textures and longer wear without fall out.

Strawberry Patch was the only shade that was difficult to work with; it had a rather chunky texture that was difficult to crush well, so it certainly requires more patience.  The other three shades were easier to use, though, as they were finer and softer, so they would apply smoother without a lot of attention to technique.

Where to Buy: Online at MAC, $34.00

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!

MAC Aloha Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Vera: Aloha Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack

MAC Aloha Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack ($34.00 for 0.42 oz.) has four shades: Aloha (dirty cocoa brown), Campfire (rich copper), Lantern Light (metallic gold/bronze), and Shifting Sands (metallic champagne).

• Aloha is a medium-dark bronze with almost neutral undertones; it’s not quite your typical warm bronze, but it doesn’t seem like a genuine cool-toned brown either. This one had a really smooth, soft texture that was easy to work with and apply. MAC Seasonally Cool is similar but more red-toned. Make Up For Ever #15 has a warmer base. Bare Escentuals A-Ha is similar.
• Campfire is a warm copper with a golden copper sheen. This shade also had a soft, smooth feel that made application easy. It’s a lot like MAC Amber Lights, theBalm Meep Meep, Make Up For Ever #12, and so on and so forth. This is a shade that we see often.
• Lantern Light is a yellowed gold-shimmered copper-orange. It looks darker in the pot, but the gold sheen really lightens the color when swatched. It’s similar to Bare Escentuals Louder with a weaker golden sheen.
• Shifting Sands is a soft champagne beige with a metallic sheen. It’s similar to MAC Summer Haze. Make Up For Ever #13 is cooler-toned. Urban Decay Sin is pinker.

You can read a more in-depth review of the formula itself here. As more of a high-level summary, these are supposed to have lots of color payoff with a strong metallic finish that is crease-resistant and long-wearing. Technique is key to using these successfully, as you really need to crush the bits and bobs of pigment before applying it. By doing this, you’ll achieve smoother textures and longer wear without fall out.

This set was much easier to work with than Butterfly Party, because the textures are finer, softer, so they apply smoothly even without ensuring proper crushing technique!  It is very warm-toned, like the Call Me Bubbles quad, so it may not be as flattering on cooler complexions as it is on warmer ones–which is not to say cooler complexions could not rock it.

Where to Buy: Online at MAC, $34.00

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!

MAC Kissable Lipcolours

MAC Shop MAC, Cook MAC: Kissable Lipcolours

The collection features five limited edition shades of MAC Kissable Lipcolour ($19.00 for 0.17 fl. oz.). These shades include: Enchantee (light blue pink), Flaunting It (grey mauve), Scan-delicious (blue fuchsia), So Vain (muted dirty coral), and Woo Me (light pinky nude).

• Enchantee is a pale milky pink with blue undertones. It has a slightly streaky appearance, because of the glide and slip of the formula combined with the light color. It delivers mostly opaque color, though. MAC Infinitely Likeable is slightly darker, less blue-based. MAC Viva Glam Gaga is also similar but lighter.
• Flaunting It is a plummy purple with a little bit of pink. The color coverage is mostly opaque and even, and it looks rather creamy applied. MAC Real Posh is much redder. Illamasqua Move is pinker.
• Scan-delicious is a pink-red with fuchsia shimmer. The color coverage is mostly opaque and even. Milani Photo Flash is a bit darker, less pink. MAC Wicked Ways is redder. NARS Strawberry Fields is slightly lighter.
• So Vain is a soft coral-orange with a glossy sheen. The color coverage is opaque, but the lightness of the color means you can see slight streaks. Dior Pink Veil is pinker. Chanel Genie is lighter, peachier. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi is darker. Benefit Spiked Punch is a touch lighter.
• Woo Me is a light beige nude with subtle shimmer. It has opaque color coverage and mostly even color, though some streaking is apparent. MAC Perennial High Style is slightly warmer. Chanel Bikini Peach is similar but less opaque.

Kissable Lipcolour is a formula that’s designed to have the comfort of a lipstick with the shiny finish of a lipgloss. MAC describes it as feather-resistant, that it wears “for hours,” and it has a lightweight feel. These came out with Peacocky just over a year ago, where I reviewed them in full. This collection see five shades repromoted from the original set released.

They are vanilla-scented, come in long, skinny tubes, and have a doe-foot applicator. Some shades wear better than others; shades like Scan-delicious wear for six hours or so, while shades like Woo Me tend to disappear after four hours. They have the glide of a liquid lipstick with the shine of a more traditional gloss, though that glossiness disappears after two or so hours of wear.  Fun side note: these went up $1 since they were initially released.

Where to Buy: Online at MAC, $19.00 each

See more photos & swatches! Keep Reading!