Review: MAC Lips & Tips/Fashion Sets Collection - Photos & Swatches

Today I wanted to share with you all a couple of new MAC products that I recently purchased.  I was doing my usual visits to my favourite beauty blogs and forums a few weeks ago and I read about one of MAC's many new collections for Summer 2012: Fashion Sets/Lips and Tips.  It consists of lipstick, lipglasses, and nail polish.  What's so special about this collection is that they have taken 16 lipstick shades (13 permanent and 3 limited edition) and created lipglasses and nail polishes to match.  All lipglasses and nailpolishes, plus 3 lipstick shades are limited edition.  Each 'set' contains a lipstick, lipglass, and nailpolish in the same shade, however each product can be purchased separately.  Temptalia has a listing of all the shades available in this collection.  You can find it here.  If you'd like to take a look at other upcoming MAC Collections, you can find them here at specktra.net. 
Since I am a PRO Member, I was able to purchase mine online yesterday.  Not all shades will be available at the counters, so if you have your eye on a particular shade, I suggest ordering online at www.maccosmetics.com. 
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a peachy/pink/coral lipgloss fanatic, so of course I had to pick up every peachy/pink/coral lipglass shade they had, plus a peach lipstick.  Peachstock is described as a light peachy nude. Myth is a light neutral nude that is great for layering.  Angel is a light, warm pink that is perfect for those who have a hard time pulling off cooler pinks.  Razzledazzler is a limited edition shade and it's a light cream peach.  Ravishing is a mid-tone neutral peach and it's probably one of my favourite MAC lipsticks in the permanent collection.  I love mixing Ravishing with paler colours like Myth and Peachstock to get that perfect, subtle peachy-nude without looking like a corpse.  Impassioned is a very bold choice for me, but I couldn't pass it up.  It's described as a bright warm pink.  Finally, Razzledazzler lipstick is a lustre formula so it's going to be on the sheer side.  Again, it's described as a light cream peach. 

Okay enough rambling from me, read on to take a look at the shades.  I am a MAC NC30 for reference. 

Photo taken with flash.

Photo taken in natural light.

Photo taken with flash.  I already had Angel and Ravishing in my collection so I wanted to include them for reference. 

This collection will be available for purchase on May 3, 2012.  If you're interested in picking up some of these shades I wouldn't wait too long! 

UPDATE: This collection is now available for purchase online at www.maccosmetics.com.  Use the code SETS for FREE express shipping!

x
Annemarie

Bridal Beauty: Sarah's Makeup Trial

Today I had a makeup trial with one of my 2012 brides, Sarah.  Sarah and I took piano lessons together when we were kids for a number of years.  She was the pianist at my wedding and did such a beautiful job!  I was so happy to hear from her last year when she was looking for a makeup artist for her upcoming wedding. 

Sarah said she wanted a very natural look so I used a very soft palette of shades for her eyes, lips, and cheeks.

Face:
I prepped her skin and blended MAC Matchmaster foundation in shades 1.5 and 3 all over her face.  I used MAC Pro Longwear concealer in NW20 underneath her eyes and on her eye lids.  I set the foundation with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Medium.  I contoured her cheeks with a bit of MAC Golden Bronzing Powder and I applied a combination of MAC Stunner & Fleur Power blush on the apples of her cheeks.  As a final touch, I applied MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink on the tops of her cheek bones and down the bridge of her nose. 

Eyes:
I started by applying MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study very lightly all over the lid, from her lash line to brow bone.  I applied MAC Vapour eye shadow on her lid and highlighted her brow bone with MAC Mylar eye shadow.  I mixed a bit of MAC Soft Brown, Charcoal Brown, and Patina eye shadows and swept them into the crease using a window-wiper motion so that it was very soft and sheer.  I defined the outer corner with a bit of MAC Handwritten eye shadow and blended into the crease.  I used MAC Chromaline in Black Black and traced a thin-to-medium line across her upper lash line.  I applied a bit of MAC Feline Eye Kohl pencil along her bottom lashes and set the look with a bit of MAC Antiqued shadow to soften it up a bit. To finish off the eye shadow, I applied Make Up For Ever Star Powder in #947 on her lids and inner corner.  I used a bit of MAC Charcoal Brown eye shadow to fill in her brows, curled her lashes, and applied two coats of mascara.  (Yes, those are her natural lashes!)

Lips:
I applied MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Etcetera and filled in her lips with MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Blossom Culture.  I finished the look off with a dab of MAC Prrr Lipglass. 

This look is a very classic bridal look that would work on just about anyone.  I look forward to seeing Sarah at her wedding later on this year!

x
Annemarie

Latest Work: Beauty Breakdowns on Olivia, Martina, and Diane

Today I had a pleasure of spending my afternoon beautifying three lovely women.  This group of girls has played such a huge part in spreading the word about my freelance work.  They have such a big group of friends and  they all happened to get married in the last few years.  Lucky for me, they hired me as their makeup artist.  I really appreciate all of the call backs and referrals that they have given me over the years.  I was so happy to spend time with them today, and as an added bonus, I got do their makeup!  Keep reading for photos and a breakdown of their looks.

OLIVIA:
Olivia wanted a smoky eye, but instead of doing a traditional black or grey, we decided on a metallic look instead.

SKIN:
I prepped her skin with a bit of toner and moisturized with an oil-free moisturizer.  I then applied one pump each of MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 3 and 5.  I used a flat foundation brush and buffed the foundation into her skin.  I always start with a little product and add as I need it.  I used MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NW25 under her eyes and on her eyelids.  I dusted a bit of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus underneath her eyes and in the T-zone and Medium Dark all over the rest her face.

EYES:
I started by using MAC Paint Pot in Nubile all over her lids as a base.  I then smudged MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy along her lash line and all over her lid and blended it out with a smudge brush.  I took a combination of MAC eyshadows in Satin Taupe and Sumptuous Olive all over her lid into the crease.  I highlighted her brow bone with a bit of MAC Shroom eyeshadow.  Lastly, I defined her outer corner of the lid (the V) with a bit of MAC Typgraphic eyshadow.  Using MAC Chromaline in Black Black, I traced a medium-thick line along her upper lash line.   I lined her bottom lashes with a bit of Satin Taupe and Typgraphic eye shadows.  I applied mascara and MAC #7 lashes. 

CHEEKS: 
I contoured with NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder and blended NARS Orgasm blush on the apples of her cheeks.

LIPS:
I lined her lips with MAC Subculture Lip Pencil and filled in the centre of her lips with MAC Naked Lip Pencil.  I applied MAC Viva Glam V lipstick and dabbed a bit of MAC Lustreglass in Instant Gold on top. 

MARTINA:
Martina had picture of a what she wanted for her eye makeup.  It was a really cool winged black eyeliner and shadow look and when I took a look at it I was pretty excited to try it out.  I always like the challenge of trying to recreate a look. 

SKIN:
I prepped and moisturized her skin and applied a combination of MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 3 and 5.  I used MAC Pro Longwear concealer in NW20 under her eyes and on her eyelids. I dusted a bit of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus underneath her eyes and in the T-zone and Medium Dark all over the rest her face.

EYES:
I started by priming her lids with MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study.  I applied MAC Grand Entrance eyeshadow to the inner 2/3 of her lids.  I then took a fine-pointed eyeliner brush and using MAC Chromaline in Black Black, traced a defined V in the outer corners of her eyes.  I then applied MAC Carbon eye shadow on top of the V and blended very well with a pencil brush.  With this look blending is so important.  I kept going back and forth between applying the black shadow and blending it out until the desired depth and shape was achieved.  I warmed up the space above her crease and just below the brow bone with a bit of MAC Soft Brown shadow.  I highlighted the brow bone with MAC Shroom.  I then applied the Chromaline liner to her upper lashes and applied MAC Kohl Power in Feline to the inner rims of her lower lash line.  I set the lower liner with Carbon shadow.  I applied mascara and Ardell's 110 lash for volume. 

CHEEKS:
I used NARS Laguna to contour and a combination of MAC Melba and NARS Orgasm on the apples of her cheeks.  I highlighted the tops of her cheek bones and the bridge of her nose with MAC Beauty Powder in Snowglobe & MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose. 

LIPS:
I applied the same lip colours as Olivia to keep the focus on her eyes. 

DIANE:
Diane had this gorgeous dress with silver sequins on it so we decided to keep her makeup on the more subtle side.  I ended up doing a defined smoky eye on her with a bit of shimmering taupe, grey, and black. 

SKIN:
I prepped and moisturized her skin and applied MAC Matchmaster Foundation in 3 all over her face.  I concealed under her eyes with MAC Pro Longwear concealer in NW20.  I set the look with a bit of MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder in NC30.  I used a bit of Benefit Powderflage to set and highlight under her eyes. 

EYES:
I primed her lids with MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study and applied MAC Grand Entrance eye shadow on her lids.  I then defined her outer V with a bit of Chromaline liner and blended well with MAC Typographic eye shadow.  I then applied MAC Satin Taupe shadow on her lids to blend the Typographic eyeshadow and to soften the look a bit.  I then took MAC Bronze eyeshadow and applied in into the crease to further warm up and soften the grey eyeshadow.  I highlighted her brow bone with MAC Shroom.  I applied Chromaline  on her upper lash line and winged out the liner a bit.  I used MAC Kohl Power in Feline on the inner rims of her lower lash line.  I applied mascara and Ardell 102 lashes.

CHEEKS:
I used Guerlain Bronzing powder #2 on her cheeks mixed with NARS Deep Throat blush.  I highlighted the tops of her cheek bones and down the bridge of her nose with MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle. 

LIPS:
I applied the same lip colours as Olivia & Martina to keep the focus on her eyes.

Sorry for the long post!  I hope these looks have inspired you to try something new for your next big night out!

x
Annemarie

Review: Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora, Photos & Swatches

For my very first product review, I thought I'd share something a little special with all of you.  I had been browsing temptalia.com (for those of you who don't know, it's a beauty blog that I frequent on a regular basis) and I happened to come across Dior's Croisette Collection for Summer 2012.  The collection was inspired by the shimmering shades of the French Riviera and the warmth of the French Countryside. (You can check out Temptalia's write up on the collection here.)  It features a combination of both cool and warm shades that are sure to please a wide variety of skin tones.  The product that held my attention the longest by far was the Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora.  What a gorgeous eyeshadow palette!  Now, it's not like I don't already own shimmery, golden-hued eye shadows, but something about the warm inviting glow in these tones reminded me of suntans and sand and made me want to take the first flight out to St. Tropez. 

Dior 5-Couleurs Croisette Edition Couture Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 654 Aurora

The shades are starting from the bottom left and going clockwise, a sheer shimmery beige, a rich marigold, a bronze-taupe, a golden copper hue, and lastly, a pretty, soft pink perfect for highlighting the lid or inner corners.  The texture of the shadow is almost buttery - not quite as smooth as MAC's Extra Dimension eye shadows, but along the same line.  Four out of the five shades had great pigmentation.  The only shade I would say is lacking in that department, and I'm sure you can tell based on the swatch, is the sheer shimmery beige shade.  For me that's not a deal breaker because I would most likely use this shade for highlighting my brow bone where I wouldn't want a shade with too much pigmentation anyway.
Here are some swatches on my arm in both natural light and with a flash.  I am a MAC NC30 for reference. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo was taken with flash. 

From L-R beige, soft pink, marigold, copper, bronze.
Photo taken without flash in natural light. 

I purchased my palette at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.  I believe you can purchase at department stores and sephora.com as well.  This is a limited edition product so if you find yourself wishing you were wasting the day away in St. Tropez, I would pick one of these gorgeous eyeshadow palettes sooner than later.   

x

Annemarie

Welcome!

Welcome to my my new blog!  My name is Annemarie and I am a makeup artist living in Southwestern Ontario, specializing in Bridal Makeup.  While this is not my full-time job, makeup artistry has been a passion of mine for about as long as I can remember.  In fact, it dates all the way back to when I was about 4 years old and I had discovered my mother's makeup drawer.  In no less than five minutes, I had taken her supply of lipsticks, eye shadows, blushes, and nail polishes and proceeded to smear them all across the bathroom mirror, walls, bathtub, and counter top.  Needless to say, that didn't go over so well with  my mom, but from that moment on, I was hooked.  

Here you will be able to catch up on my latest work, beauty reviews,  makeup tutorials, and my thoughts on all things beauty and fashion-related.  I hope you all find this blog fun and informative and that you'll keep coming back to check out what's new and exciting in my world.  

x

Annemarie