Upcoming Awesomeness!

So I haven't had much chance to post or do videos in quite a while, and I apologise for being so absent. But there are some exciting new things to come, I promise.

The first is that my good friend and fellow MAC Addict is going to do some contributing to this blog too. It's always nice to have a second opinion, so the reviews that are forthcoming may have a joint perspective going on. Ditto for swatches and makeup looks. So keep an eye out for her!

There are more tutorials I've got lined up, it's just a matter of getting the lighting in my office room / webcam settings to not look so washed out and dull so you can actually SEE what's going on (my latest Youtube video is a perfect example of why I haven't been doing tutorials of late, the colouring is so off that it's painful)

I'm also in the process of writing my Best Of 2009 post, which will be up soon, once I finish it off and add some helpful photos. It's going to be fairly comprehensive, with a handy mini-review of every product on the list.

I've also got a TON of full reviews I need to write up, so those will be posted as they're finished.

I'm looking forward to keeping this up, so check this space! More updates are to come, on a more consistent basis. See you all soon!

Vix

Update again?

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a while and I've been pretty out of the loop on the Blog/YT community lately. Internet's been crappy still, but I think it's finally been sorted out. huzzah!

So, last night I was feeling inspired and did a couple of videos. The first is an eyeshadow look using MAC's new Smoke & Mirrors palette (from the Holiday 09 collectionof course). The second is a review of a Keristase hair product, which I'll post here in the next couple of days in a text format so you can read it all here too =]

I'm thinking of running a contest, but not sure what theme to use yet... if I ever figure it out, I'll do a video/post here to announce it. I love contests, as I'm sure you do too, so I'm looking forward to holding my first!

So, what have I been up to lately? If you're here for beauty news and reviews, you can totally skip the rest of the blog post, I'm in the mood for a diary-style blog entry tonight for some reason.

My trip to Canada in September was amazing. I only spent two weeks there and I definitely didn't want to come back just yet. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a whole lot of photos while there either.. I couldn't bring my camera, since it's pretty big and clunky, and needed my luggage space. And my mobile phone died while I was there and then I blew out my travel adapter, oops. So, only a couple pics of me and my good buddy at a block party.

Since then, things have been pretty monotonous. The weather in Canada was around 30 degress Celsius every day, so coming back to the near constant gloom that's been surrounding northeasten England since then was a downer. But still, can't complain too much! I was recently moved to a new team at work and... well, we'll see how it goes. I'm not one to blog a lot about work, but I'll just say I haven't been too thrilled with the change.

Last week I found myself in bed for four days with a case of the stomach flu, which wasn't so much fun... but that's cleared up now and I feel pretty good. More positive than I have in a while, actually! I'm looking forward to a lot, but the main things right now are a Christmas party my best friends over here in Englishland Steph and her boyfriend Lewis will be having the first weekend in December (Hm, maybe I'll get some guest-video-ing on while I'm at their place, since I didn't get to meet up with my darling Nadia while I was in Canada *sadface*!). Then, on the 7th I'm heading off to Cancun with some family, and will be spending two weeks doing not much else but lounging on the beach with a cocktail in hand and a good book =]

All of this is just to say that things have been going predominantly well, and I'm excited to finally have the time and internet access to get involved with this again. I've got a couple reviews lined up that I really need to do, and a few ideas for tutorials I need to film - although, as evidenced by my last two videos, something has been totally whack with the lighting in our office room / my webcam settings lately. Must get that sorted out!

Anyway, enough random rambling. Drop me a comment to let me know how you're doing, if there are any products (Available in UK please!) you want some reviews of.

Have a nice night, dolls!

Vix xox

Hiatus Over! (potential contest announcement)

Hey beautiful ladies and dudes!

It's been a while, and I wanted to apologise for the unannounced hiatus that went down. I've just been so busy with work and moving and settling into the new house and both of my aunts having surgery. Hectic doesn't begin to describe it haha!

But, things seem to be settling down a little, I'm into my new routine (meaning, I've finally adjusted to having to get up earlier to spend a total of up to an extra hour on the bus each day to get to and from work), and everything at home is mostly sorted out (I have an extra box and a half of "stuff" to unpack that was just recently brought over from the old house, that I've still got to go through and FIND SPACE for. Sigh)

Anyway, all of this is to say that I'm back and I'm going to get back into the routine of posting lots of goodies for you, both here and on my YouTube channel. I'm going to keep trying out the webcam on my new laptop, because it's just convenient, but I'm not sure that the quality is going to turn out the same as my other webcam, so that may be a short-lived experiment. It doesn't help that the monitor configuration on the laptop is a little washed out so swatches and images don't show up for me in their full colour, and I'm not entirely sure if that issue is translating into my vids and webcam snaps, so I'm going to look into it and see if I can fix it.

I'll also get back into posting the details for upcoming collections, because not much in this world can get me quite as giddy and excited as an amazing-looking MAC collection!

I'm going to Canada to visit family and friends for a couple of weeks from August 28th, but I'll definitely do some videos while I'm there - Cuz you KNOW I'm going to be shopping my butt off! I might be able to con a friend or two into doing guest videos with me too, that would rock!

More to come soon!

Upcoming Reviews: Revised Studio Sculpt Foundation, Clinique Facial Soap Bar, Clinique Moisture Surge Moisturizer, Sally Hansen Triple Defense Nail Hardener Gel, GHD Heat Protection Spray (Pink), MAC Colour Craft Mineralize Eyeshadow Quads, Naked Honey Skin Salve, lots more!

Upcoming Videos/Blog Posts: July 09 Faves (and then August will be done while I'm in Canada), Premade Palette Collection, Makeup Stash and Storage, My New Room Tour <3, Lots of FOTD's and eye looks using my new quads and palettes!

I know this is kind of early days, but I also want to announce that when (if) my blog hits 50 followers, I'll start doing some contests/giveaways too. I know I sure love a good contest, so I'm sure you guys will too! =]

Talk to you later, lovelies!
Vix!

Say whut?

Hey ladies!

Sorry I haven't updated or done any videos recently. Things have been super busy and hectic and for a while I didn't have internet access either. Suckage!

But, things are calming down now and I have SO much to post and talk about! Look for updates coming soon!

Lots of love to my subscribers and blog followers!! <3

Vix xox

Damn it

So, I was going to do an excited post all about how I did an awesome eye makeup tutorial for YouTube yay! Except that it was 13 minutes long so YT rejected it. Notyay!

I'll redo it. And now I suddenly realize why all the tutorial chicks out there do one eye already and then just do the tut on the second eye. Sigh.

Update!

So, a couple of things to update. I got my Sugarsweet and Colour Ready haul last week - yay! - and I've taken my photos and written up my haulage. It'll be posted once I get my photos uploaded. And this is not an empty promise this time (read: Hello Kitty =/) I swear. It'll be up in the next couple of days.

I'm going to do some more reviews as well, once I've made my mind up about a couple products - like the Skin Refined Treatment that came out with Colour Ready - and I know for sure I'm going to be re-reviewing Studio Sculpt foundation and Studio Fix Fluid.

If there's anything else y'all want to see reviewed, just drop me a line (you guys can get me on email at inconspicuousbeauty@#googlemail.com - take out the #, I put it in to stop spambots finding it). If I can get a hold of it and have the cash to buy it to try it, I will definitely oblige =]

The second update is that my MAC Pro application was approved today and I'll be getting my card soon. So excited - but now I kinda wish I waited to get all my other MAC stuff until this came through. Oh well, it will be a huge help in the future. I hope they do some of their master classes nearby so I have a chance to attend too.. Yay!

Anyway, more soon!

XOXO, Vix

MAC Collection: Euristocrats II

And another one for you. Enjoy! I can't wait for the product and promo photos, they help me compile my mental shopping list. Once again, I'll update once I've got that info.

MAC Euristocrats II Collection
U.S. Launch Date: July 2nd, 2009
UK Launch Date: Unknown

Lipstick (Limited Edition)
Costa Chic Light coral (Frost)
Naked Paris Mid-tone brown with multi deminsional pearlized pigments Lustre)
Patisserie Creamy neutral pink (Lustre)
Milan Mode Deep pink with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Lustre)
London Life Deep berry with multi-pearl pigments (Lustre)
Saint Germain Pastel pink (Amplified)
Cockney Yellow red with multi-diminsional pearl pigments (Lustre)

Dazzleglass
Date Night Deep plum with blue and gold pearl (Permanent)
Euro Beat Peach coral with gold pearl (Limited Edition)
Internationalist Yellow pink with blue pearl (Permanent at MAC Stores Only)
Local Colour Neutral yellow pink with gold pearl (Permanent at MAC Stores Only)
Roman Holiday Med brown coral with pink pearl (Permanent at MAC Stores Only)
Rue de Rouge Light red with pink pearl (Limited Edition)
Vie Veneto Light violet with blue pearl (Limited Edition)

Lip Pencil
Magenta Vivid pinkish-purple
Cherry Vivid bright bluish-red
Subculture Underground pink
Whirl Dirty rose

Source: Specktra.net

MAC Collection: Colour Craft

So, thanks to the lovelies over at Specktra, I've got some information on a new colour collection for you all. No product or promo photos yet, but I'll update once we've found some more information. Enjoy!

I'm looking forward to this one, since I missed the Mineralize craze last time around - and I really want me some Porcelain Pink!

Also, this collection marks the repromote of the 226 Tapered Blending Brush, so those of you who couldn't get it, here's your chance! I'll probably pick up a backup - the brush is just THAT amazing.

MAC Colour Craft Collection
U.S. Launch Date: July 9th, 2009
UK Launch Date: Unknown

Lipstick
Madly Creative Pink neutral with white pearl (Frost)
Ever Embellish Plum brown with red pearl (Lustre)
Made with Love Bright coral pink (Lustre)
Colour Crafted Milky pink (Frost)
Trimming Talk Bright fuschia (Frost)
Most Popular Purple with yellow undertone (Lustre)

Lipglass
Pretty Pattern Warm mid-tone beige
Crazy Haute Blue pink
Nice Mix Up Burnt ginger
Funky Fusion Pink coral
Eclectic Edge Cool violet
Miss Marble Muted pink

Mineralize Skinfinish
Three of these are the normal style, the other three are similar to the BBR style, but with three colours.
Sunny by Nature Rich bronze with pink pearl pig
Cheeky Bronze Soft golden coral wth bronze pearl
Porcelain Pink Soft pinky coral wth gold veining
Triple Fusion Left: Soft champagne gold, Center: Soft golden peach, Right: Rose pink with gold nuances
Smooth Merge Left: Soft champange pink, Center: Deep rose, Right: Pale cool pink
Warm Blend Left: Antique gold, Center: Mahogany Bronze, Right: Copper

Mineralize Eyeshadows
These are in a pinwheel style assembly, with four colours in each one
Assemblage White with silver pearl / Deep grey / Black with silver glitter / Warm yellow gold
Odd Bits Mid-tone silver grey / Dusty rose with gold pearl / Dark burgundy/ Peachy bronze
Fashion Patch Ice blue / Off white / Black with silver glitter / Light white pink
Eccentricity Rich gold / Light violet / Deep plum/ Rich bronze
Natural Flare Copper / Yellow orange / Mid-tone brown / Rich gold
Girlish Romp Mid-tone violet / Yellow white with gold pearl / Light pastel coral / Mid-tone pink

Mineralize Blush
Hand-Finish Light pink with deep gold veining
Fab-dabulous Mid-tone burnt coral with yellow gold veining
Daft Pink Deep blue pink with light white gold veining
Improvise Mid-tone neutral coral with light white yellow gold veining
Cheek & Cheerful Mid-tone bronzy brown with yellow gold veining
Style Demon Mid-tone brick red with copper veining

Brush
226 Small Tapered Blending Brush Small tapered blending brush (Limited Edition)
109 Small Contour Brush Use on the face to apply, blend or contour powder products. Softly rounded dome tip delivers just enough colour; smoothly blends colour into the face. Of natural fibres. (Permanent)
130 Brush Flat Tapered Face Brush with short natural hairs and long synthetic fibres (Limited Edition)

Source: Specktra.net

Striving...

Yesterday, I received my first ever totally random compliment on my makeup. And I gotta say, it totally made my day like you wouldn't believe. I mean, I've had compliments before, but only where they've been part of a conversation. For example, getting ready for a girls' night out, I asked my friend Becca "Is this eyeshadow dark enough?" and she told me she loved how I did my eye makeup. But nothing randomly spontaneous, y'know?

I was at work yesterday afternoon and one of the ladies who sits on my row of desks came over to have me look at something and see if I could help her figure out what to do with it. And as we were going through it, she interrupted herself to tell me that my eyeshadow was "well awesome" or something to that effect. And it totally made my day. Love! I've got photos of yesterday's Face of the Day, which I might upload when I get a chance =]

But that little conversation yesterday, it made me realize that this is something I want to strive for. To put real effort into my everyday makeup, instead of slacking and being plain. I want more days like yesterday. Maybe that makes me selfish and vain, but honestly I don't care. The compliments you don't expect are the ones that really make an impact, and it really made me feel good, both about myself but also about my skill at makeup application.

I'm rambling now, so I'll leave off there for now, but I just wanted to share.

In other news, I'm going to be opening a forum affiliated with my blog, where we all can talk about makeup and skincare and fashion, to post reviews and the like. It's not ready yet, I'm still tinkering with InvisionFree and trying to find a fabtastic skin, but when it's up I'll add a link to my sidebar. Hope to see you there!

XOXO Vix

Why The Delay? Also: The 226 <3

Just a quick update to let you know what's going on, and mostly to explain just WHY my HK-Haul isn't up in its full glory yet.

I've been trying to get photos of everything, but the lighting is super bad in here, and my flash is so bright it's reflecting off the packaging and blinding me. So, I need to take some shots in some natural light where flash is not required, and I just haven't had the tim to take pictures yet. Once the last part of the haul has been photographed I'll swatch and share everything with you. Love!

Although at this rate I'm going to be swatching HK at the same time as Sugarsweet, and this is not good. Sigh.

Anyway, that aside, I want to write a little something about the 226 brush.

For those who don't know, the 226 is a tapered blending brush that is perfectly shaped to do eye-contouring-crease work. Oh. My. God. Seriously, this brush makes creasework idiotproof. It applies and blends at the same time, it's just amazing. It makes me wonder how I ever did eye makeup before discovering a brush like this! If you can find somewhere that stocks them (and my personal tip is that the MAC counter in Debenhams at Meadowhall (upstairs, inner entrace for those who do not know... For shame!) still has some, I just picked mine up yesterday after being given the WRONG brush on Saturday afternoon), I very highly suggest this brush. My brush collection is small and still growing, but I can already see that this is going to be an everyday staple in my life. Because it's limited edition (if the MAC people don't seem to know what you're talking about when you say 226, you may have to explain to them that it came with the Brunette Blonde Redhead collection. The three people I spoke to at my MAC counter had no idea what I was on about until I added the collection. I got a "We have a 224 is that it?" no. It is not.) I'm tempted to pick up a spare, but then... I can't really afford to, and I know that if I have a spare, I won't use it. But if I don't get one, I'll need it.

It's a paradox. We'll see, they'll probably be out of stock anyway so I can stop panicking.

I ramble a lot. Also, I use a lot of parentheses. Oh well.

ANYway, that is all. So my proper haulage is coming soon - I did try to upload a video to YouTube but it was way too long even without swatches that there is no way. If I have to break it down into parts I might as well do it properly instead of cutting up my rush-job. And the 226 is the one brush I can't live without, already. Love.

And man, WHO ELSE IS PSYCHED FOR THE SUGARSWEET COLLECTION? A makeup collection based around cupcakes and baking!? This was literally made for people like me! I am so excited. But I'm wondering if I'll be able to afford any Kitty Kouture as well, sigh. Thank god I've started doing overtime, because I am hella going to need it.

This addiction... it's consuming. But oh god, is it worth it.

Ta-ta for now!

Vix xox

Much More to Come

Dude, it finally came. And everything I had ordered (minus the stuff they already told me was out of stock and I bought separately anwyay) was included! I was so expecting for things to be missing, but no, everything was there. It was almost overwhelming, haha.

Anyway, my lack of updates (aside from the easy old colour collection dealies I've posted the past few days) is due to two things: a four-day migraine headache that had me so debilitated, I couldn't remember how to spell "legislation" while I was trying to do work; and the impending move! Luckily the headache finally went away last night, and most of the "This has to be done by Thursday night!!" work for the move has been done, so it's more chilled. SO I will have more blogging and more videos for you soon.

So anyway, just giving you all a little bit of an update. Watch this space; I'll have a haul (with pics this time) blog/video up for you this weekend =]

Vix xox

Review: MAC Microfine Refinisher

[[Insert Product Image]]

Today I really need to talk about my favourite skincare product. It’s a new discovery to me but is already a necessary part of my routine.

I finally discovered a facial scrub that really exfoliates and does what it says it does. In the past I’ve tried exfoliators from Avon, Clinique, a million drugstore brands, and even the ever-infamous St Ives Apricot scrub.

I have to get off topic here for a minute and say that, as hyped up as the Apricot Scrub is, as many people worship it and will force it upon anybody looking for a good facial scrub – it does not work. At least, it didn’t for me. I would have to physically scrub and scrub and scrub my face with half a bottle of that stuffat once in order to get any results at all. And even then, it just hurt and didn’t leave my face feeling clean and smooth and soft. I still had an abundance of dry skin left over that it just didn’t touch. If I were reviewing it, which I might do later, I would only give it two out of ten, that’s how much I hate it.

Anyway, I’ve tried tons of different brands and “formulas” but nothing really did the job. I tend to get really dry and flaky skin on my nose, sometimes also in my T-zone and cheeks, depending on the weather and how my skin is “feeling” at any given time. I needed an exfoliator that would actually remove that dry dead skin. None of them “felt” abrasive enough to me, but I persevered and gave everything a fare chance, finished up each tube – I hate wasting money, even if it’s on bad skincare products. And every single one either did nothing to help, or just wound up “disturbing” the dry skin, pulling it up without actually removing it, and just made it look even worse than if I hadn’t bothered in the first place.

Now, though my problems have basically disappeared, which I attribute to two things: the moisturizer I’ve been using for the past couple of months (Although I’m still not convinced it’s quite moisturizing enough for me… but we’ll see) and MAC’s Microfine Refinisher.

After using this product once, I was sold. I even marched into my aunt’s bedroom (I live with her) and made her touch my face to feel how amazingly soft it was. I usually have at least a small degree of roughness over my nose and cheeks. But damn! The words “baby” and “bottom” come to mind.

The exfoliating particles (I heard somewhere that it’s “crystals” whatever that means) are super fine, hence the name I guess, you can’t even see them. But let me tell you, you can definitely feel them. This scrub is very abrasive, and I wouldn’t recommend that people with really sensitive skin go to town on their face with it, but I personally like to be able to feel it. It lets me know my skin is definitely getting a good scrubbing and that layer of dead skin is being sloughed away.

I use it wet, but I’ve heard from a few reliable sources that it’s less abrasive if you use it on dry skin instead. Either way, you definitely do not want to over-scrub with it, because if you do, you will go red, your skin will look and feel raw, and it will hurt.

All in all though, I like the level of abrasiveness in this product, and it leaves my skin feeling totally amazing. I give this product TEN out of TEN, and I seriously doubt that any exfoliator on the market can even begin to compare (But I’m open to trying them out so if you have suggestions please let me know). I highly, highly recommend it, with the advice that you need to go easy with it, and if I had to give up my entire skincare collection, this one product I would hide away for safekeeping!

Upcoming Reviews:
Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream (Blemish Balm)
Shills Black Deep Cleansing Peel-Off Mask
Clinique Three-Step Skincare System

Review: Ardell Individual False Lash Starter Kit

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Note: Sorry, still having some image issues, I'll get all of these updated once I get a chance.

Today’s review is for Ardell’s individual false lash Starter Kit.

The kit comes with two colours of false lashes – black and brown – and each one comes in three different lengths. It also has a small bottle of lash adhesive, a bottle of adhesive remover solution to take the lashes back off again, and a pair of pointy tweezers.

When I first got this set, I was really excited to try them. I was going to wait until the weekend to try to put them on, but then my enthusiasm got the better of me and I had to go put them on before bed. I’ll also let it be known that this was my first experience with any sort of false lashes, and that probably has an impact on what I’m writing now.

For maybe a week before they finally came in the mail (They were an ebay purchase) I watched countless tutorials on YouTube on how to apply false lashes, both individual ones and “full strip” lashes. It looked pretty easy, and with the kit things couldn’t go wrong, right?

I’ll say now that applying false lashes is a skill that takes time to learn. Practice makes perfect and all that. For my first time, I’d say that it wasn’t as hard as it could have been, but definitely was not as easy as the tutorials made it out to be. Knowing the correct way to do it, knowing in your head how to go about applying the lashes… well, it’s not the same as actually trying to do it. It took a while for me to get the first few on, because I had to contort myself in a variety of ways just to be able to see my lashline without the tweezers or my hand getting in the way. The next step is to hold the lash against your eyelid while the glue sets for a few seconds. Easier said than done. I kept having to blink. Then the lashes would rotate and I’d have to mess around trying to turn them back.

As I went along though they did get easier to apply, so once you’ve had some practice they should be pretty easy to get a set on.

Anyway, I thought that the best thing about these lashes is that they can be worn for anywhere from a few days, to six weeks, depending on how you care for them. Sleeping with your face squished into a pillow like I normally do will obviously make them detach sooner, as will using oil-based makeup removers and cleansers, that kind of thing.

All in all it took me about half an hour to apply lashes to both of my eyes, and shortly afterward I went to bed. I was careful not to sleep with my face in the pillow, and when I woke up the next morning, the lashes were all intact, except for one which I quickly put back on before getting ready for work.

The lashes themselves do look natural once they’re on, but are kind of dramatic. I used the medium length ones on the outer half of my eyes, and the short ones on the inner half – and even then they were a bit long for my liking. I can’t imagine actually using the long ones, I think it would be way too intense. If applied correctly and maybe if you trim them a bit, they do look good. The main thing I would advise though is to put a line of liquid liner on after applying your lashes, because the “roots” of the false lashes are kind of obvious against your skin, but can easily be disguised by a little black eyeliner. The liner also helps them look less obvious, or at least in my case it did.

Last night is what I thought would be the major test: washing your face with lashes on. I put the lashes on after cleansing, and in the morning before work yesterday I washed my face but didn’t touch the eye area. Last night, however, I had to take off my eye makeup. I was very careful about how I rubbed my cleanser around the eyes, and managed to get it done without disturbing the lashes. So job complete!

This morning was a different story though. I think I’d slept with my eye into the pillow last night, so when I got up this morning and gently washed my face, about a third of the lashes were at least partially detached. I was going to leave them on for another couple of days to see what the lasting power is, but at that time in the morning it really just didn’t seem worth the time to take all the glue off the lashes and reapply them without being late for work. So, I took them off.

First I soaked a face cloth in hot hot water and then held it against my eyelids to try to “steam” loose the lash adhesive. After a few bouts with this about half of the remaining lashes came off without having to use the adhesive-removing solution. The rest were really stubbourn and were stuck on much better, so I went into my room and used a Q-Tip to gently rub the lash removing solution over the base of the lashes.

Just a note: that stuff burned when I got it into my left eye. I tried to rub it on between my natural lash and the false lash rather than just on top, but it just got into my eyes and stung like a mother. Obviously since the solution is designed to be used around the eye area, it wasn’t some kind of acid that blinded me, but it was still not a very pleasant experience. It took about three minutes or so to get the remaining lashes off, which to me meant that if I had glued the rest of them on as well as these ones, then none of them would have come off in the first place.

Another thing I didn’t like about this kit was the lack of aftercare instructions. It had a full set of instructions for how to apply the lashes to a client (Not on yourself, mind) but didn’t give any information at all as to how best care for them when they’re on. How to wash your face, what kinds of items to stay away from, how to take them off again – none of that was included, so it took some internet research to figure out what to do.

All in all it was a decent first experience and I’m glad I bought them and tried them. It definitely does take practice to perfect the application of false lashes and to help them stay on longer than 36 hours. And I commend those of you who have the patience to do it! Personally though I give these things a rating of FIVE OUT OF TEN. Even though they looked natural and would probably last longer if I tried again, I can’t say they’re something I couldn’t live without. The truth is it was fun, but kind of an unnecessary hassle – and the burning sensation from the remover solution was enough to knock off a couple of points.

Next I plan to try some full-strip lashes so I’ll update you on them another time. And of course, if I try the individual lash set again and have a better experience, I’ll update the rating here too, because it’s only fair!

Upcoming Reviews:
MAC Microfine Refinisher
Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream (Blemish Balm)
Shills Black Deep Cleansing Peel-Off Mask
Clinique Three-Step Skincare System

Review: MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

The first thing I really have to write about here is a new product from MAC called Studio Sculpt Foundation.

I have to start this off by saying that generally speaking, I am not a fan of liquid foundations. All of my experience with liquid foundations in the past have been mismatched colours, cakey feeling, oily, greasy, obviously makeup, horribleness. Every time I’ve worn liquid foundation in the past has felt like wearing clown’s greasepaint smeared on my face. I have dry skin but foundation always left it feeling oily. It always made my face hot and the feel of sweating under a thick mask of makeup… well, it’s not good. I hate the feel, I hate the look. Because of all of this, until now I’ve stuck to wearing powder or mineral foundation – which has still been a chore due to my very fair skin tone. I’ve had a hell of a time trying to find foundation that suits my “natural colouring”. More often than not, the lightest shade of a line is still even marginally too dark for me, so I have to use a very very light touch when dusting it onto my face.

So it could be said that I never expected to be giving a positive review to any foundation, let alone a liquid one. But people, there is a first time for everything, and this foundation has actually spurned in me the idea to start a beauty blog. I found myself trawling Yahoo Answers this weekend to sing the praises of this foundation to anybody who posted a “What foundation should I buy?” question. This foundation is really *that* amazing.

First of all, it has an SPF factor of 15 built in, which isn’t really high protection but at least it’s something, and a girl’s face can use all the protecting it can get. It’s gel-based so it’s really light-feeling and not greasy at all. It blends beautifully and you can apply as much or as little as you like depending on the coverage you want. If you just brush on a thin layer, it gives you a beautifully flawless and slightly dewy complexion that looks more like natural good skin than makeup. If you add a little more you can up your coverage to mask more imperfections.

But to me the best part about this foundation is that it doesn’t feel like wearing makeup. To me anyway, it doesn’t feel any heavier than the moisturizer I put on every morning. It doesn’t look like makeup, it doesn’t feel like makeup – and so far, it doesn’t rub off like makeup either.

While I’m at it, I have to say that MAC’s shade range is fantastic as well. I had serious doubts as to whether I would ever find “MY SHADE” but when I went into MAC and asked the sales assistant, she tried two colours on me and boom – the second one was simply perfect. So I would also strongly urge that instead of just guessing at your shade and undertone and whatnot and ordering online blindly, please go into a MAC store if there is one available to you. Getting an expert’s help can be the real difference between falling in love with The Perfect Foundation and just becoming seriously irritated.

Honestly, I cannot sing the praises of this foundation enough. If you’re looking for a new foundation and want something that just looks natural instead of caked-on-fake, please give this a try. It’s so totally worth it. In total I'd give it a score of NINE OUT OF TEN. Even my favourite powder foundation can't measure up to that!

That’s it for now but please check back soon because I’ve already got a few more reviews in mind that need to be written up, so they’ll be coming soon.

Upcoming Reviews:
Lancôme Hypnose Mascara
MAC Microfine Refinisher
Hanskin Super Magic BB Cream (Blemish Balm)
Ardell Individual Lashes Starter Kit
Clinique Three-Step Skincare System