In The Groove

MAC's In The Groove collection released in stores today and there's no other way to describe it other than a hyped-up frenzy.  MAC collections always release their products on their website about two days before they're released in stores.  Last Tuesday everyone was buzzing about the repromote of Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF) Stereo Rose.  I believe it was up on their website at 8:00 AM EST.  I was able to place an order for Stereo Rose, Jazzed lipstick (another hyped up item), In the Groove & Soften the Mood.  I ordered it at 9:20 AM.  I think by 9:45 Stereo Rose was listed as sold out on the website.  It was madness.  Everyone was tweeting about how they got it or how they didn't order it on time.  It was insane.

I don't know if I'll ever receive the backordered item but I was determined to get a Stereo Rose MSF when it was released in stores today.

I ventured to the Nordstrom MAC counter first because if they didn't have it there is a MAC store right outisde Nordstrom.  If the MAC store didn't have it I could go around the corner to the Macy's counter and get one.  

Luckily I snagged the last Stereo Rose from the Nordstrom counter!  

I ended up getting Stereo Rose, Togetherness, Calm, Cool & Collected & Jazzed.

Now here are my shitty swatches.  My Samsung dual screen camera is shattered and broken so I can't adjust any settings when I take pictures.  Sorry :(  I'll be getting a new camera soon.

Stereo Rose is a coral with golden/bronze shimmering nuances.  I think it's gorgeous and it will look great on medium skin tones.

Jazzed lipstick on the left & Stereo Rose on the right.

Calm, Cool & Collected  is a cool-toned green trio featuring a grayish-white beige with satin sheen, neutral spring green, and darkened gray-green.  I absolutely love this trio!  I can't wait to wear it.

Togetherness is a cool-toned purple trio that includes a soft lilac with a satin sheen, blue-based violet purple with a frostier finish, and a mid-tone silver gray. The pigmentation here was even and rich throughout the trio.  It's gorgeous.

I'll post pictures of In the Groove & Soften the Mood when they've been delivered.  Were you able to get your hands on Stereo Rose?

MAC Give Me Liberty of London

I'm so stoked about the Give Me Liberty of London Collection by MAC!  The packaging is super cute.  I really hope they're not just stickers.  This Spring 2010 collection will be launched in the U.S. on March 11, 2010.  The international launch date is April 2010.

I want it all!  I'm such a sucker for cute packaging.  What are you lemming from the collection?

Image & info credit: Temptalia

Collective Haul

Last week on my lunch break I went to MAC to check out the new 2009 Holiday Collection called Magic, Mirth, and Mischief.  I'm so impressed with myself.  I only walked out with one item from the collection! :-D  I ended up getting the Devil May Dare Warm Eye Shadow palette.  I am a sucker for golds, warm browns, pinks & beiges.  All six shades are limited edition and the palette is $36 USD.  I always opt for buying palettes rather than buying single eye shadows since one MAC e/s is $11. 

I did get two more items that aren't from the Holiday Collection and it is Russian Red & a Cremestick Lip Liner in Red Enriched.  Russian Red is an intense bluish red with a matte finish.  It's gorgeous.  Red Enriched is an intense auburn color that goes perfectly with Russian Red. 

After I went to MAC I popped into LUSH!  When I go to the mall it's hard for me to only grab something from MAC & go.  LUSH & MAC are practically right next to each other and it doesn't help that I can smell the decadent scents from the MAC counter.  So, either the ladies of LUSH have amazing customer service or I seriously have a shopping problem.  The minute I walked into the store they recognized me and called me by my first name lol.  I love the ladies at LUSH.  They're so helpful & sweet.  :)

I ended up getting Karma Kream, Smitten, Shave the Planet (for the huz), Handy Gurugu, Lemony Flutter & So White bath bomb.  I get terribly chapped & dry hands in the winter so these hand creams are doing a great job of restoring the moisture.

They had a special promotion where if you spent over $45 you get to pick out a free bubble bar so I chose Candy Cane.  LOVE!!

So White smells AMAZING!  I don't want to use it.  I just want to keep it in my bathroom cause it smells so yummy.  It smells like apples ... mmm.  Candy Cane bubble bar smells like sweet candy.  :)  Both of these items are Holiday items so they're seasonal and not permanent.  :(  I need to get another So White before they're all gone!

Splurge vs. Steal: Another CCO Haul

Sept. 6, 2009
Last week while we were in South Carolina, I decided to make a trip to the Tangier Outlet mall in Myrtle Beach to see if they had a CCO (Cosmetic Company Outlet). They did have one and they had the biggest MAC selection I've ever seen in a CCO. I have two CCO's here where I live and while the MAC section is decent it’s not as large as the one in SC! There were multiple stands overflowing with MAC products. There were bins of 2008 Holiday brush sets & 2008 Holiday Lipglass sets! BINS! Each shelf was overflowing with glorious goodies. They had every single MAC brush from their permanent line! They had MULTIPLES of brushes. I was extremely lucky to buy the last 109 brush from my local CCO! I’m not gonna lie. I went crazy. I won’t bore you with everything I bought but I want to highlight how much I saved by making this trip to the CCO. These are the brushes I bought on the trip.
MAC 168: Large Angled Contour brush. This brush can be used to contour the cheek area, nose & temples. It has extremely soft with firmly bundled fibers.
MAC Store price: $32.00
CCO price: $22.50
Savings: $ 9.50
MAC 150: Large Powder Brush
This brush is full & dense for dusting loose or pressed powder on face/body. The full, rounded shaped fibers is perfect for blush application.
MAC Store price: $42.00
CCO price: $29.50
Savings: $12.50
MAC 134: Large Powder Brush
This is an extra large paddle brush. It has soft natural fibers which is great for powder application to the face/body.
MAC store price: $52.00
CCO price: $36.50
Savings: $15.50

Grand total instant savings: $37.50! Cha ching! Need I say more?

Make-up Art Cosmetics Collection

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009
Today the Make-up Art Cosmetics Collection launched in the US. I showed a little self control and I only bought 3 items! :throws confetti: I had a bunch of B2M pots so I was able to get 2 additional lipsticks from the collection.

L to R: Front Lit, High Strung, Full Body

Front Lit is a light white yellow frost.

High Strung is a deep pink silver frost.

Full Body is a deep red plum lustre.

I normally only stick to nudes & pinks but dark vampy lips will be the fall trend so I've been venturing out of my comfort zone and experimenting with berry stains & darker lipsticks. Surprisingly, I don't hate it.

I picked up two Technakohl Liners in Artistic License (bright turquoise blue) and Colour Matters (bright lime).

I'm loving my new thigh-high boots. Over the knee boots are totally in this fall. I can't wait for it to get cold out so I can rock these with grey leggings & a black off the shoulder top. Hawtness. Also, in the pic I'm wearing Full Body on my lips.

Are you planning on hauling anything from the collection?

xoxo

Back 2 MAC!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
MAC has an amazing recycling program called Back 2 MAC (B2M). Basically if you return 6 MAC packaging containers to a MAC store you will receive a free lipstick/eyeshadow/lipglass of your choice! If you return them to a MAC counter you will receive a free lipstick. I wish there were more cosmetic brands that did something like this. It's great for the environment & great on your pocketbook. :)

Two weekends ago I bought an empty palette so I could depot 15 eyeshadows. I recruited my husband to do a demonstration on depotting so I could take the pictures. ;)
Here's a little how-to on how to depot MAC shadows.
Warning: this post is very pic heavy!


You will need the following:
MAC eyeshadows
Isopropyl Alcohol
a small dish for the alcohol
wire cutters
a small knife (if you are under 18 please only do this with adult supervision)
magnetic strips with adhesive backing (you can find this at any craft store)
an empty MAC eyeshadow palette
round adhesive labels
paper towels
First you will place your knife in the lip on the side of the eyeshadow case shown above. Twist your knife around and it should pop right out.

This is what it will look like after you've popped it out of the packaging.

Next with your wire cutters cut into the black plastic on one side of the lip. Then make another cut a few inches away from the first cut.

Next hold that piece of plastic (in between the two incisions you made) with your wire cutters and pry the plastic piece back to expose the metal eyeshadow pan.

Dip your knife into the alcohol and slide the tip of your knife in between the metal pan & the black plastic packaging.

Let the alcohol drip in between the metal pan & plastic. Just a few drops of alcohol will dissolve the glue that holds them together.

Wait a few seconds for the alcohol to dissolve the glue then slide your knife under the metal pan. Jiggle your knife around until you can pry the metal pan out. You can use a paper towel dipped in a little bit of alcohol to clean off the glue residue from the backside of the metal pan. Cut a small piece of adhesive magnet & stick the adhesive side to the metal pan. You can use the round labels to print the name of the eyeshadow then stick the label to the magnet. Now you're ready to place your eyeshadows into your empty palette!

These are the empty pots I will be taking to the MAC counter in exchange for my free lippies! :)

I didn't have any round labels on hand so I printed the names and stuck them to the lid of the palette. Eventually I'll get around to buying round labels.

I hope you enjoyed this quick how-to depot demo! Happy hump day everyone! The weekend is almost here! *.~

ETA: there are a few freestanding MAC stores that do not accept the eyeshadow packaging without the metal pan. I suggest checking with your local MAC store/counter before you try to B2M. My local MAC counter at Macy's does accept the eyeshadow pots without the metal pan. Yay! :)

11 favorite MAC lippies

The tag that is going around is to list your 10 favorite lipsticks however I don't follow rules well and I picked 11. My bad. *.~
My favorite lipsticks are essentially variations of the same color but each one is slightly different in tone or texture. My favorite look is obviously a pink matte nude. The only lipstick in this bunch that stands out from the rest is smack dab in the middle. It is Saint Germain and it is a bright opaque Barbie bubblegum pink. It is love.
This list is in no particular order because I love them all equally. The majority of these are permanent colors and I believe only 3 are limited edition. (I'll note which ones are LE in the list)

From L-R we have:

Myth, Blankety, Pretty Please, Pink Plaid, Hue, Saint Germain (LE), 3N (LE), Snob, Creme D' Nude, Creme Cup, Colour Crafted (LE)

I'll post another list of my favorite drugstore/non-MAC brand lipsticks soon. Stay tuned! xoxo with flash w/o flash

Colour Craft Haul

The photos above are the Colour Craft photoshoot & behind the scene pictures from MAC Cosmetics Facebook fan page. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/MACcosmetics?v=wall&viewas=687262059

So let me start off by saying I have been so excited for this collection to hit the stores. I've been reading about it for months and I set aside money specifically for this LE collection. I didn't even buy everything on my list!

Below are product photos and a few swatches of the eyeshadow quads. I did pick up the 226 small tapered blending brush but I didn't take a pic of it.

On top of Colour Crafting today Big Brother 11 premiered tonight and it was so good. I had my popcorn popped and I was just waiting for the fireworks to begin. I admit I'm not too happy about Jesse winning HOH. I was hoping Jessica would come back!

One more day 'til the weekend!

Have a good night my lovelies!

xoxo,

J

ps. click on the photos to make them larger

Odd Bits Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Girlish Romp Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Fashion Patch Mineralize Eye Shadow quad

Triple Fushion Mineralize Skinfinish Trio

Smooth Merge Mineralize Skin Finish Trio

Porcelain Pink Mineralize Skinfinish

Daft Pink Mineralize Blush

Odd Bits quad

Girlish Romp quad

Fashion Patch quad