MAC Lipstick HAUL.. By Request Collection and More!

As soon as I found out that MAC was releasing Candy Yum-Yum again with their By Request Collection, I knew I had to place an order and grab a backup =) Of course I HAD to pick up a few more things.. to make the shipping worth it ;)

Current Favorite - Lippies!

On to the next favorite post, lippies!! I picked out my current favorites and most used... and they are all pinks :) Don't judge me! haha

Laura Mercier Creme Lipstick in "Evening Pink", Lancome Lipstick in "Rose Candy", YSL Glossy Stain in #15 "Rose Vinyl", MAC Amplified Lipstick in "Chatterbox", Dior Addict Lipstick in 465 "Singuliere", CHANEL Glossimer in #161 "Bagatelle"

Read on for swatches and mini reviews!

Current Favorite - FOUNDATIONS...

Lately I haven't been blogging much... I've just gotten a bit bored of it all. So to mix things up a bit I have decided to do some "Current Favorite" posts on different categories of cosmetics. I purchase quite a bit of makeup and hardly ever talk about them after I've shown them in my hauls, so now these posts will be a chance for me to show you guys what I have really  been liking from my purchases! Hope you enjoy =)

So I have been trying out quite a few new foundations the past few months in preparation for my upcoming wedding, and I thought I'd share a quick overview on my thoughts of them, as well as swatches! I've selected 4 that are my current favorites at the moment...

left to right: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, YSL Teint Resist Foundation, MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, VICHY Dermablend Corrective Foundation.

MY SKIN: My skin is normal/combination, leaning towards the dry side lately. I have pigmentation problems, as well as the occasional breakout. Usually I like full coverage foundations, but when my skin is "good" I will use medium coverage buildable foundations.


Read more for my mini-reviews and swatches!

NORDSTROM Haul! NEW Dior, YSL, Laura Mercier...

So I did a bit of a Nordstrom haul last week after I saw the new Dior bronzers that came out with their summer collection =)
On to the goods!

Picture heavy!

'Long Over-due MAC Haulage'...

This little haul is LONG over-due! Having a MACPro card means I can get products a week or so before they actually launch, so I have had these a couple weeks.. oops! =)

MAC Haul

God knows a few of these products have been done to death, so I'll just show my swatches and not bore you with tons of pics of the products themselves...

left to right: MAC MSF in "Superb" and "Whisper of Gilt", Viva Glam lipstick in "Nicki"

left to right: MAC MSF in "Superb"blended out and "Whisper of Gilt", Viva Glam lipstick in "Nicki" 

The two MSFs are showing up very true to life, but the Nicki lipstick isn't showing quite as bright as it is in person. Needless to say I LOVE the MSFs, and I'm sure Nicki is going to be a summer staple for me :)


Okay, next up I purchased MAC Chromographic pencil in Pure White and an eye shadow in Brown Script.

MAC eye shadow in "Brown Script" and MAC Chromographic pencil in "Pure White"

left to right: MAC Chromographic pencil in "NC15/NW20" and "Pure White", ES in "Brown Script" and "Espresso"

MAC Chromographic pencil in "Pure White"... I normally use my NC15/NW20 pencil for my bottom waterline to cancel out the red, and I really do like it. It's not too stark but really opens up my eyes. However, I didn't have any sort of white eye liner! I've worn Pure White on my waterline already and like it, it's just a different look. I also really needed this to define my winged liner!! I love applying it subtly underneath my wing to make it more of a statement.

MAC eye shadow in "Brown Script"... I'm in love with reddish browns, in case you didn't know =) But most  of the ones I own are darker, so I purchased Brown Script for a softer look with the same tones. I pictured it above next to Espresso just to give you an idea of the amount of warmth in the shade!

The MSFs are sold out on the MAC website, but you can still purchase Whisper of Guilt from Nordstrom's here!

So did you get the MSFs? What do you think of them??

Xx-

Bethany

'NOTD: OPI Combo'...

It feels like spring has officially arrived, and some days it feels more like summer! So I needed a bright nail look to go with the weather =) I decided to go with a nail combo instead of my typical "glitter nail".. and as always, the photos don't nearly do it justice!

NOTD: OPI "Charged Up Cherry" & "Strawberry Margarita"

Shown above is Strawberry Margarita, and I've applied it on my middle and ring finger....

NOTD: OPI "Charged Up Cherry" & "Strawberry Margarita" 

And Charged Up Cherry on my thumb, pointer, and pinky fingers! Of course you can't see how bright it really is in person, but I just love the subtle difference in shade.


So, what are you wearing on your nails???

Xx-

Bethany

'HAUL: Dior Addict EXTREME Lipsticks and NARS'...

I'm pretty much obsessed with my Dior Addict lippies, so when I saw the new EXTREME lipsticks on Sephora.com I immediately searched the internet for swatches =) Unfortunately back when I ordered there weren't too many swatches to come by, so I just picked two and went for it! Here's what I picked up...

Dior Addict EXTREME Lipsticks

Keep reading for colors, swatches, and some NARS! (a bit picture heavy)

'Illamasqua Blush Swatches'...

Illamasqua blushers are my all-time favorite! Every single blush I have purchased from Illamasqua is insanely pigmented and lasts for ages on the skin. I have purchased several and thought it'd be nice to show you swatches side-by-side so you can see the comparisons =)

Illamasqua Blushers

*all are matte unless specified
Top row (left to right): Tweak, Chased, Nymph
Bottom row (left to right): Ambition (shimmer), Lover, Lies (cream)

Illamasqua Blush Swatches

I LOVE each and every shade I own! Often, I will even base the rest of my makeup around the color blush I want to use that day :) You only need the smallest amount, so I can see these lasting me forever! A duo-fiber brush works perfectly for applying them lightly.

Illamasqua Blush Swatches

So have you tried Illamasqua blushers?! What shade is your fav?


P.S. I am currently testing out the Skin Base foundation in #07... I'll do swatches and a review once I get a chance to really use it and form a good opinion =)

Xx-

Bethany

'HAUL: CHANEL Spring Stuff!'...

Am I the only person in the world who doesn't own a CHANEL quad? Sometimes it sure feels like it, so I decided to change that ;) I'm working on getting some swatches of the quad, but for now I thought I would show you the other bits I purchased!

CHANEL HAUL

This first product I have been thinking about getting for ages.. it was reading Sandra's blog post on it that made me finally take the plunge and shell out for it!

'NOTD: RICA!!!!'...

Another Zoya polish... what has gotten into me?! ;)

Zoya nail lacquer in "RICA"

Zoya nail lacquer in "RICA"

This is a polish from last summer's collection (if I remember correctly).. super shimmery!!! And as if I needed to add anything, I put some of OPI's "Bring On The Bling" on my ring finger.

Zoya nail lacquer in "RICA", OPI nail lacquer in "Bring On The Bling"

What are you wearing on your nails?? And am I the only one dying waiting for China Glaze's Hunger Games collection to come out?!

Xx-

Bethany

NOTD: Poke =)

This polish has been sitting on my nail polish rack for ages, I have no clue why I haven't used it yet! It's amazing and bold and makes me smile =)

Illamasqua nail varnish in "Poke"

Illamasqua nail varnish in "Poke"... I love this purple! Almost opaque in 1 coat, I added a second just to be safe. In pictures it is looking a bit more cool-toned, but this is definitely a red based purple and has a beautiful sheen. Illamasqua's polishes continue to impress me!

And for my glitter nail...

OPI nail lacquer Designer Series in "DS Temptation"

OPI nail lacquer in "DS Temptation"... I'm not sure why this kept photographing so blue. This polish looks much much more purple in person, both in the bottle and on the nail. It's a gorgeous glitter polish with base of purple glitter and holographic pieces that go from blue to green to almost yellow.

Illamasqua nail varnish in "Poke", OPI nail lacquer in "DS Temptation", OPI RapiDry Top Coat

OPI RapiDry Top Coat... My favorite top coat =)



Have you tried Illamasqua polishes?? I think I'm definitely picking up the hot pink color they have (the name escapes me) for this summer!

Xx-

Bethany

'NEW! Edward Bess & LORAC'...

In case you have been hiding under a rock and haven't heard, Sephora is now selling Edward Bess. I hadn't heard much about the brand until a few weeks ago when I did some research on the brand. Needless to say I was intrigued by this new brand and had to try something!

And so, my very small Sephora order...

Edward Bess Illuminator, LORAC blush, Laura Mercier foundation primer

Read on for swatches and my mini review!

'NOTD: Strawberry Fields'...

I was in a pink mood last night when I did my nails...

China Glaze nail lacquer in "Strawberry Fields"

There is just something about a nice pink polish that puts me in a good mood. Sure, I love my taupes and dark wintery shades, but sometimes I just get that itch that won't go away until I paint my nails some variation of pink =)

China Glaze nail lacquer in "Strawberry Fields"

This is the first time I have tried out "Strawberry Fields" by China Glaze, and I quite like it! Hopefully you can see the gorgeous pink and gold shimmer this polish is infused with!


What is your favorite PINK polish??

Xx-

Bethany

'NOTD: EDYTA'...

Usually I'm pretty loyal to my OPI polishes, but when I saw this Zoya shade in the store I knew I just had to have it!!! I seem to be getting a "thing" for this dark army green color..

Zoya "EDYTA" nail lacquer

Zoya "EDYTA" nail lacquer

I love that this polish has a very fine gold-ish shimmer (which you can't really see in these pictures) that adds dimension to the green. =)  What's your favorite Zoya polish?!


*OPI has come out with their own version of CND's Shellac, I believe it's called OPI Gel Polish or something.. anyway it's definitely something you can do at home yourself, would any of you be interested in a how to post and info on where to purchase the OPI Gel??? I just started doing it on my own nails instead of the OPI Axxium and it's a lot easier and faster.

Xx-

Bethany

'TOP 11 of 2011'... to LIVE FOR ...

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give a mini review and description of all my favorite/most used products of 2011.. hope you enjoy!!

TOP 11 of 2011

Estee Lauder Illuminating Powder Gelee

Let's get to it... Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Topaz Chameleon!!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in "Topaz Chameleon "

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in "Topaz Chameleon "

I'm still bummed that I missed out on the last highlighter in this formula that Estee Lauder released. So, when I saw this product was coming out I went straight to EsteeLauder.com and ordered mine :) When I purchased it I thought I was just pre-ordering it, but the very next day I received an email saying my order had shipped! Score!
This product is so gorgeous and highly pigmented. I think it's going to be an absolutely amazing highlighter/addition to my blush, during the summer especially!

swatch: Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in "Topaz Chameleon" 

At the moment I'm pretty darn pale, but I have tried this already (I couldn't help myself!) on my cheek bones :) Even with a light complexion you can use this product, but with a very light hand!
I just love the feel and look of this illuminator!


Have you guys been able to check this out yet?! Will you purchase?

Xx-

Bethany

'Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette' (Picture Heavy!)

I am seriously backed up on posts at the moment, but this simply could not wait! I just received the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Palette and let me tell you, it's love! =)

So let's get on with it!!

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

Keep reading for more photos & swatches...