Archived Post

13 Most Popular Posts from 2013


I’ll be sharing my year-end favorites soon, and I thought a nice way to kick it off would be to share with you the most popular posts this past year here on the blog. Some of these posts weren’t even published in 2013–a few are surprisingly old and yet remain rather popular!  I think you can see a trend here:  Urban Decay and MAC dominated. There was only one post in the top thirteen that wasn’t from either brand!

  1. Urban Decay Naked3 Eyeshadow Palette Review (surprising no one!)
  2. Urban Decay Naked3 Eyeshadow Palette Comparison Swatches
  3. Urban Decay Naked 1 vs. Naked 2 Comparison Swatches
  4. MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 1)
  5. MAC RiRi Hearts MAC Collection
  6. MAC RiRi Woo Lipstick Review, Photos, Swatches
  7. MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches (Part 2)
  8. Urban Decay Naked Basics Review, Photos, Swatches
  9. Urban Decay Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette Review, Photos, Swatches
  10. MAC Eyeshadow Swatches – Browns (this was a total surprise to me!)
  11. MAC Archie’s Girls Collection
  12. Best Full Coverage Foundation (and this one was also a sleeper hit!)
  13. MAC RiRi Hearts MAC Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

49 Comments

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Deb Avatar

After reading many blogs, I have decided that I must be the only person on earth that doesn’t own a single UD Naked Palette. And I don’t even have the slightest desire to have one. I fear I may be fading into oblivion…..what am I missing? Why do I not understand the UNDP craze 🙂

Deb Avatar

I wear neutrals a lot since I have blue eyes and neutrals in the brown(ish) category make them pop. But I also have, like, and wear color too. Mainly I was just poking a little fun at myself (and ok maybe UD too) because I seem to be the only one not drawn to these palettes. If I had to really come up with a reason I would say it’s because the colors all look similar and there are so many of them in one palette. They overwhelm me 🙂

Mariella Avatar

Deb, I had to chuckle reading your comment about being overwhelmed because I can sort of relate. I remember a time when more than 3 shadows would overwhelm me BUT I’ve since got over it! (g) I really like the first 2 Naked palettes (although I tend to wear only 2 colours at a time or maybe 3 if I’m feeling really wacky) because of the packaging and the fact that, to be honest, I could probably use either one entirely on its own for 6 months and not feel too deprived of colours I need.

Deb Avatar

Mariella, I hear you! I have a gazillion eyeshadows, both singles and palettes, and I can’t figure out why. I think I get drawn to the pretty colors. A couple of times a year I will take inventory and try to weed out what has not been worn or used. And then, I can’t bring myself to get rid of those! I will literally sit and stare at the drawer where I have all of my eyeshadow and try to figure out how to do a look with more than 2 shadows. And I never can. I crack myself up 🙂 I guess I just have an addiction to eyeshadow even though I don’t know how to use several different colors at one time. I frequently take my computer and set it on my vanity and pull up some of Christine’s EOYD looks and try to copy them. I always wind up looking like a 3 year old applied my makeup. Oh well, it’s just makeup and can be washed off, right? One of these days I’ll have a breakthrough. At least that’s what I keep telling myself (ha, ha).

xamyx Avatar

The MAC brown eyeshadows was the post was what made me discover your blog, LOL! I had a ton of MAC empties after depotting them all, and I “googled” MAC swatches, and that came up!

xamyx Avatar

I have to admit, I’m not loving it… While the right-hand side is amazing, I just can’t figure out what to do with the left, LOL! Don’t get me wrong, they’re all gorheous colors, and the quality is consistent wit UD, but with the exception of Strange & Limit, I can’t see the left being used much. What’s really funny, though, is that even with the other 2, there are 4 shades in each I don’t use.

My hair is currently black (albeit faded), so I favor Naked 2 ATM, but I’ve been vacillating dying it a black cherry or auburn, and Naked 3 has convinced me to go for it, so we’ll see…

Blackheart is my favorite shade, and I’ve combined it with Verve (lid), Naked 2 (blending shade), Blackheart (crease/outer V), & Crave (to deepen crease).

stacey Avatar

1. I hope Mac doesnt have one person representing its makeup line for the majority of the year next year.
2. I was surprised that I like UD Naked Palette 3.
I did not like the texture of Vice 2.
3. I think this was a nice blog put together for us to view.
4. Though Japanese brands is my new-found obsession, I still come here to look at what’s new….even if I dont buy as much makeup as before.
5. There’s something about the swatches that are unique.
I dont see the foream.
6. And if you call MAC customer service, they are familiar with Temptalia.

stacey Avatar

Muse is a doll. I dont think she buys as many Japanese brands as she used too. She says the colors keep recycling over each year and she is right. And they seem sheers. If I ever travel to Japan, I would bring a entire suitcase home fill with store brand and drugstore brand back. Hopefully you one day look into Suquu now selling at Selfridge to USA and brands sold at Ichibankao. That way, you can score them. No one swatches and score like you do. No one. Even if I get to complain about MAC and Bobby Brown, I still look at the reviews. And the interaction you allow us viewer to provide is simply the best. We chitchat with those we dont even know. I know if Tom Ford sends you the new lipsticks in white cases (coming back) in 2014, you would grade them. You must brush your teeth all day not to get stuff stuck on your teeth for the pics 😉 .

Christine Avatar

That’s true – I have seen her scale back a bit, and I remember a lot of the reviews I’ve read recently have been for skincare. I will check out Ichibankao… I cannot say I have heard of it before, but I haven’t delved deeply into Asian or Japanese makeup brands.

OMG, there have been a few times where I’ve swatched a bunch of lip products and then when I edited photos, discovered something right between my teeth. The horror! I try to remember to floss right before I shoot now 🙂

Thank you for all of your support, Stacey! Happy new year!

Zainab Avatar

Haha I think I must have contributed to the high hit count MAC Browns got, I bought Patina and Embark after checking your swatches a million times. And I think your review has talked me into Naked 3 too.

Chris Avatar

I bought the NP1, didn’t use it, then exchanged it for the NP2, didn’t use it and returned it. I finally figured out why I don’t like the NPs. It’s the names. The names of the eyeshadows don’t appeal to me! The names of products can influence my decision to buy or not.

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