Amrezy Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills - Swatches and First Impression Review

I don't know how they kept this a secret haha. This came out of nowhere and I'm so excited it's in my hands!!

In case you didn't know, this palette was made in collaboration with Amrezy on Instagram. She is a makeup artist and insanely popular on IG (over a 1 million followers). Also, she is insanely gorgeous and so so talented.

I purchased this palette at my local Ulta on July 15th (two days before Ulta officially would have it in stores - BOOYAH). 

This retails for an amazing $29. I'm still in shock over the price haha. So affordable for the quality of the eyeshadows you get.

So let's take a gander over to the packaging. 

The outside is gorgeous. I adore the cheetah print on the packaging plus the metallic golden background. It gives it a very exotic appeal. 

It is cardboard, not exactly the nicest but it does its job in holding in the eyeshadows. I do wish the packaging was nicer or more sturdier. I think that most consumers are getting use to the nice metal, tin, or whatever non-cardboard material palettes are made in these days. I honestly would pay an extra buck or two so I have piece of mind that if I travel or accidentally drop my palette that my eyeshadows will be okay. It cheapens it a little bit but it's not a deal breaker.

Now, the inside *ahhhh*.

You can see that is a very warm toned neutral palette with 2 brights in the bunch. This palette to me screams: exotic, sexy, goddess-like, and beautiful.

Without a doubt, this would be THE palette to reach for as we transition from Summer to Fall. But it's versatile enough that it can be used year round.

I believe that Amrezy took her most used shades and eyeshadows that many people can pull off and make it into one convenient palette. If you follow her in IG, you will see that she gravitates towards neutrals, especially warm toned, when she posts her looks.

Onto the review and first impressions of it.

In swatching the top row, I was blown away at the quality. Very smooth and incredibly pigmented. The bottom row, it was a little "meh" for me. I think you can see what I'm talking about in the swatches.

The bottom row, except for Vanilla, are all mattes. If you are a eyeshadow junkie like me or know a lot about makeup, we know that matte formula eyeshadows can be a little tricky. These are no exception. In finger swatching, Deep Plum and LBD were patchy and had to be layered a little more heavily than the other swatches (still didn't look too great :\).

But once you apply them to the lid, blending helps blur out the patchiness and they blend quite nicely.  That is a plus for sure.

The first time around, Caramel and Deep Plum were patchy upon application to my lids. I had to spend a lot of time blending; more than what I use to in comparison to other eyeshadows I own. Like I mentioned above, the shimmery shades were a breeze to work it and blend in seamlessly.

The second go around, it was MUCH better. I used a different fluffy blending brush to apply the shadows and it worked out perfectly. It was very easy to work with the blend to create a look. I used Iridescent Purple and Emerald in the second look and the colors were beautiful! They aren't obnoxiously bright, they were sultry but wearbale. Combined great with the Caramel and Deep Plum. :)

Check my IG if you are interested in how my looks came out :)

I hope you all found this helpful!

Have you purchased the palette? Are you going for something else and passing on this?

Let me know in the comments!

Talk to you all soon,
Bianca

MAC Pressed Pigments - Swatches and Review

Today, I am bringing you another post on pressed pigments but from MAC this time. These are sooo gorgeous... :D

I have here to show you from left to right: Day Gleam, Deeply Dashing, and Jet Couture. They retail for $21 for 3 g of product. Sold at CCOs, MAC (online or in store), Nordstrom, Macy's, etc.

I love these kinds of products. Like I had mentioned in my Urban Decay Moondust shadows post, these really amp up a look and add that sparkle that makes your eyes stand out.

A cool thing about these Pressed Pigments is that they are great on their own on layered on top of a cream or powder eyeshadow. Though, personally, I like to layer just so I can get the maximum amount of pigmentation for my look.

They are so gorgeous! Seriously, it's tempting to buy more... *must resist*.

Below are the swatches of all three. Um, how beautiful are these?!?!?!

*dead*

MAC's website describes the whole range of pressed pigments as "An intensely creamy highlighter offering extreme pearlescence and versatility of finish. Apply dry for high shine or damp for a dramatic wet look".

Personally, I would NEVER use these for face highlighters... haha. Glitter is a no-go for a face highlighting... at least for me because it would accentuate my pores like a mofo. Obviously, Jet Couture is simply a pressed pigment shadow as opposed to Day Gleam that could potentially be a face highlighter.

For my own personal use, I adore these for layering on top of my eyeshadows. They make your eyes stand out and be the focus on your entire look. They are buildable in coverage which is great. Keep in mind the swatches I have provided here are layered on considerably so my readers to see the what it looks like with full pigmentation.

I love these. I know these types of glittery shades are not for everyone but they are great for that extra something to add or amp up your eye makeup :) Or heck, even for stage/theater/halloween makeup, these would be AMAZING!

I hope you found this helpful! Any questions, leave them down in the comments. I would love to know your favorites from this range if you have any or your favorite pressed pigment type of shadows.

Thanks for stopping by as always <3,
Bianca

MAC Prep & Prep BB Compact in Refined Golden - Swatch and Review

Last week, I went to a MAC event at my local Nordstrom and I was able to learn a few things about different ways on how to apply face products that help with highlight and contouring and this was one of the MAC artist's favorite new products released by MAC.

This is the MAC Prep and Prime BB Beauty Balm Compact SPF 30 in Refined Golden.

First off, this is incredibly easy to apply. I feel like you cannot overdo this product because of the texture and how little product my brush picks up. I use the Zoeva 126 - Luxe Cheek Finish brush (post coming soon!) and it's AMAZING for this product.

According to MAC, there are 12 shades in this range and they are meant for actual foundation or, in this case, for bronzing up the skin. The cost is $30 for 8 g of product which I think is pretty solid bang for your buck.

In the picture above, the color of the Refined Golden in the pan seems more red than it really is. The natural sunlight messed with the lighting in room but the picture below is a more accurate representation of what the Refined Golden actually looks like; which MAC describes as "finely spun golden bronze with a soft pearl finish".

Do not be alarmed with the "pearl finish" aspect of it. Once applied to the skin, it is more of a satin finish and can become matte if layered on top with a matte contour or bronzer powder.

What is truly cool about this product is how buildable it is and you don't end up looking like an oompa-loompa. On my skin, which is a light golden tan -ish, and this doesn't disappear once I apply it on my skin!! :D.

I definitely recommend checking this out! Go to a store or counter and ask for a demo. That way you get to see how they would apply it on you and you can decide whether you like it or not. It's crazy easy to apply if you have a brush that helps apply and blend at the same time :).

What do you think about this product? Or used anything like it?

I'd love to know your thoughts :),

Bianca

MAC Tan Pigment vs MAC Melon Pigment vs L'Oreal Amber Rush Infallible

So I think I found a dupe for MAC's pigment in Tan...?

I do not usual come across dupes within my own collection but today was the exception. I was going to make this post comparing Tan and Melon pigment because they are so popular in the beauty community. While I was organizing my collection, I picked up this pressed pigment eyeshadow from L'Oreal and I knew I had to compare them! 

And as you can see they are very VERY close. The only real difference is the intensity of the pigment. Granted that the MAC Tan pigment was swatched dry but if you were to apply it from a damp brush, it would give you the same effect as the Infallible eyeshadow in Amber Rush. 

The pigments cost about $21 (approximately?) at MAC and roughly $8.99 at drugstores. Though, whichever one you go for, you will get a lot of bang for your buck.

MAC Tan Pigment on the left and L'Oreal Infallible shadow in Amber Rush

So now, comparing all three shades: MAC Melon, MAC Tan, and L'Oreal Infallible in Amber Rush.

MAC Melon, MAC Tan, L'Oreal Amber Rush - swatched DRY and NO primer

I knew right away that Melon would not really fit into this dupe/product alternative post, but I still wanted to swatch them all side by side so you all can see the differences with the products.

The Melon pigment is more of a gold with the slightest hint of peach running through it. It is definitely not as rose gold as Tan or Amber Rush.

Overall, I love these products. I would not return one just because they are dupes. It's fun to keep in your collection and compare for beauty research purposes ;).

Also, LOVE that MAC has been rolling out these mini/travel sizes of some of their products! I mean, does anyone ever go through a pigment from MAC? Not many people I'm guessing haha they are a perfect size for $10 :)

Alright, what you are thoughts about this? Do you agree with me?
And, did you accidentally find products that ended up dupes of each other? Let know what you have found in your collection!

Take care,
Bianca :)

MAC Playland - Casual Colour in Hi Jinks!

Well MAC, you did us all good with bringing out a really bright and colorful collection that woke up the colorful side of all your fans.

This spring/summer collection from MAC is called the Playland Collection and I'm sure you have seen the promo pics...and the makeup is insane. Props to the MUA that created that. It's amazing!!

I'm here to talk to you about a new product I purchased today at my local Nordstrom and it is the Casual Colour is Hi Jinks!

This is a lip and cheek product so automatically it's multipurpose if you want it to be. *more bang for your buck*. And one of the girls at MAC told me that it was created with the purpose of this being your go-to product for cheeks and lips for the summer time. It's casual, hence the name haha, which makes it easy and foolproof.

MAC describes this as a bright coral. Why yes...we can see that haha.

It is a decent sized pot too! Should last you awhile I assume.

This is great in my opinion. It is very emollient which makes blending a breeze. I usually steer away from products where I have to use my fingers (I'm more of a brush application kind of girl haha). But this felt so smooth and creamy, it won me over. They will give you a healthy glow since it has that sheen to it that will be beautiful in the summer months.

It does have that classic MAC vanilla scent but it's not annoying (to me at least). And since removing the swatch, it stained my arm very slightly. So I'm going to assume that the lasting power on these might be decent! :)

And the specific color is AMAZING and perfect for the season. This is a hot seller so if you want to get it...go now!! Or call your go-to MAC counter or free standing store to set one aside for you OR shop it on Nordstrom and MAC websites.

Retails for $21, not bad for something you might end up usually very often and that is good quality.

SOOO did you pick anything up from the Playland collection? Let me know in the comments!

Take care!
Bianca :)

HAUL: MAC Lipsticks - Swatches of Fanfare and Cosmo

There is something about MAC lipsticks that one cannot help but want to collect them. I was VERY VERY late on the MAC lipstick bandwagon. #ashamed haha

My interest in MAC lipsticks was piqued by the Riri Hearts MAC collection. I have never felt so compelled to get as much as I could from a collection since I first fell in love with makeup. 

But aside from that haha, I have slowly added to my MAC lipstick collection and today I bring to you: Fanfare and Cosmo.

MAC Lipstick in Fanfare - Cremesheen 

MAC Lipstick in Cosmo - Amplified 

Left: Fanfare // Right: Cosmo

You are probably thinking... "hmm, they kind of look the same..." and I'll half agree with you haha. There are differences which is why I was okay with buying them (at the same time haha).

Fanfare is a mid tone pink with a coral undertone with a cremesheen finish. So no glitter, no frost, just a nice creamy formula. With cremesheen finish lipsticks, they are not 100% opaque but they pack a punch either way with a glossy finish. Personally, my favorite finish of lipstick MAC offers.

Cosmo is an amplified finished lipstick that is described as a "pink coco". I think of it as a way more pigmented and slightly more brown-y/mauve version of Fanfare. Do you guys feel the same way...? haha. The amplified line is crazy opaque has a slight sheen to it. Not as glossy as the cremesheens.

I do not think these lipsticks have the best wear time, I have other lipsticks that last hourssss on me, and these ones last about 2 hours or so (assuming you are not drinking or eating). They have that classic vanilla scent which does not bother me and I don't smell it while I wear it.

I do love how they feel on the lips, not heavy and apply effortlessly. I feel that way with just about every line in the MAC lipstick range. Mattes...are a different story haha. But, they are a great lipstick. The product quality and price point makes it an easy product to start collecting :).

Do you have any MAC lipsticks on your wishlist?! Let me know in the comments, I'm always down to add more lippies to my wishlist (which is a never-ending list of makeup products I want to try and own :D).

Take care,
Bianca xo