May 12, 2015

REVIEW + SWATCH FEST | 💋 MAC Lip Pencils - Oranges, Reds, Purples, Plums & Nudes 💋


 



Lip Liners/Lip Pencils




A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades.


 Size: 1.45 g / 0.05 oz

Price: $16




 

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners retail for $16 for 1.45 g/0.05 oz of product.

The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are among the cheapest lip liners in the mid-end makeup brand range. They also contain more product than the average wooden lip pencils on the market. There are definitely cheaper alternatives in the drugstore bracket - NYX, Jordana, Milani, etc. However, the M∙A∙C Lip Liners come in at a great price point that is more affordable that comparable brands.


 


 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are currently available for purchase in store and online at the following locations:
  • Select Bloomingdale's Stores and on the Bloomingdale's website
  • Select Nordstrom Stores and on the Nordstrom website
  • Select Macy's Stores and on the Macy's website
  • Standalone M∙A∙C Stores and on the M∙A∙C website
  • Any other location that sells M∙A∙C Cosmetics



 
 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are simple wooden pencils. Of course these will require sharpening and I recommend a cosmetic-grade sharpener to limit product waste. 

Now, I was always weary of pencils that require sharpening since this leads to shaving off some of the actual lip color product with the wooden pencil. But I realized that twist up pencils, although they eliminate sharpening, come with less product overall - YES only about a 1/4 the size of a wooden pencil (see above). In addition, the twist up pencils dry out a lot faster than their wooden counterparts. Plus it is easier to sanitize wooden pencils with a quick sharpen and alcohol. Overall, I do believe wooden pencils are a better value for money PLUS shelf-life is much longer.



 
"A pencil designed for shaping, lining or filling in the lip. Lip Pencils have a smooth, creamy texture that is perfect for lining the lips or filling them in. They available in a wide selection of colours that each work well with many different lipstick shades."


COLORS/SHADES
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners come in a wide range of colors (40+) and there are also many limited edition shades that debut throughout the year in different collections. The range was recently expanded to include some fun and popular colors. 

There are numerous nude shades, reds, pinks, purples, burgundy/wine shades and a couple of coral/orange tones. I do think the line could be improved with the addition of more coral and orange colors which have become very popular in the last few years - (hi MAC, I'm talking to you).

TEXTURE & FINISH 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners all (or mostly) have a matte finish

PIGMENTATION 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are fully pigmented colors that can be worn alone or under lipstick or lip gloss. 

APPLICATION & WEAR 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners have a drier formula which makes them long-wearing but that means they can tug on the lips during application. If you find them too dry, a good tip is to pass them under a blow dryer for a couple seconds to warm up the product. You can also run the pencil on the back of your hand to make the application a little smoother. Overall once they are warmed up they glide easily over the lips.

M∙A∙C Lip Liners can be sharpened for crisp lines or used with a rounded tip to distribute the product all over the lips.

Wear time is what makes these lip pencils amazing! These can last 12+ hours without budging or moving. Obviously if you add gloss or a creamy product on top they will not last as long but you still get a full 8+ hours of wear without any issues. They are almost long-wearing to a fault....I need a makeup remover wipe and lip scrub to get the richer colors off my lips.



 
The M∙A∙C Lip Liners are my favorite lip liners and they are a favorite among lip product lovers for good reason. They are pigmented and long lasting with a full range of colors to choose from. They are also some cult favorites with celebrities and makeup artists.



Have you tried these lip liners?  Interested?


 





  Oranges
Fruit Cocktail – clean light peachy coral
Temperature Rising – neon orange

Pinks
Silly – bright pink
Candy Yum Yum – neon pink
Talking Points – bright blue fuchsia
Embrace Me – vivid pinkish fuchsia

Purples & Plums :
Heroine – bright purple
Magenta – vivid pinkish purple
Nightingale – mid-tonal cream plum
Cyber World – intense blackish purple
Currant – intense reddish purple
Vino – intense violet purple
Nightmoth – blackened plum



Reds :
Chic Trick – Amped up fuchsia
Redd – clearly red
Cherry – vivid bright bluish red
Ruby Woo – very matte vivid blue red
Follow Your Heart – vivid bright bluish red
Kiss Me Quick – yellow red
Beet – vivid reddish pink
 






Nudes:
Boldly Bare – dirty red brown
Rosy Rim – muted rosy tinted pink
Soar – mid-tone pinkish brown
Dervish – Pinky mauve
Whirl – dirty rose
Hover – Rich caramel brown
Spice – pink cinnamon stick
Oak – soft beige brown
Cork – muted golden brown
Stone – muted greyish taupe brown
Hodgepodge – neutral brown
Chestnut – intense brown


May 7, 2015

REVIEW & SWATCHES | Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit + Contour Refills




   

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit + Contour Refills

 




This best-selling, easy-to-use palette contains six highlighting and contouring powders that work together to help you sculpt, define, and enhance your natural features. Create the illusion of higher cheekbones, a smaller forehead, a softer jawline, or a slimmer nose with these soft, silky formulas that can be applied as subtly or dramatically as you like.
  
 
Contour Kits

There are 3 sets available. Each set contains 6 Shades ($84 Value)

Size: 6 x 0.11 oz

Price: $40







Contour Refills

These highlighting and contouring powder singles are available in 29 shades to suit any skin tone.


Size: 0.11 oz

Price: $14 each
(6 for $40)
  





 

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits retail for $40 for 6 x 0.11 oz of product.

There is now a bounty of contour kits and duos to choose from on the market.




The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits are one of the cheapest contour kits on the market and even come in cheaper than most contour duos from mid-to-high end brands. Of course, cheaper alternatives can be found from drugstore brands such as the new NYX Cosmetics Highlight & Contour Pro Palette ($24.99 for 8 shades).

In addition to the pre-made contour kits, there is a unique option to choose your own shades from a collection of 29 various highlight and contour shades. This option is available on the Anastasia Beverly Hills website only. 

 


 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits are currently available for purchase in store and online at the following locations:

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Refills are currently available for purchase online at the following locations:
  •  Macy's online at Macys.com
  • Anastasia Beverly Hills website (all 29 shades available)

 
 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits are packaged in all black slender hard cardboard palettes. It is a very basic palette with no see-through lid or internal mirror. Inside the palette are magnetized cut-outs to fit each contour/highlight shade. Each pan is remove-able via integral slots for easy replacement, rearrangement or removal.

The palette is functional for makeup artists or those with limited storage space. It definitely does not have any of the bells and whistles of a fancy palette but that is up to personal tastes.

I have removed all my singles and placed them in z-palettes (with see-through lids) for easier access and better visibility.

If you do purchase the refill singles separately, they come packaged in clear protective plastic packets which are then placed inside a cardboard envelope decorated with the product information and the Anastasia Beverly Hills logo. I found this quite impressive since the design of the shipping packaging ensures that your powders arrive damage-free. If you purchase 6 or more refills then the complementary (free) empty palette would be separate in its own cardboard sleeving.



 
"Create the illusion of higher cheekbones, a smaller forehead, a softer jawline, or a slimmer nose with these soft, silky formulas that can be applied as subtly or dramatically as you like."


COLORS/SHADES
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits and refills come in 3 kits with 6 pre-selected shades ranging from light to medium to tan to deep and 29 individual shades. 

The majority of the shades lean on the warm side (yellow, orange) will work well on warm and golden skintones. There is a good mix of highlight shades and contour shades to select from with a handful of a neutral toned contour shades tossed in.

I think the range is great for natural highlight colors with peach and yellow undertones which work extremely well for brightening the skin and neutralizing blue and purple colors under the eyes.

The contour shades can be used as bronzers for paler and cool skintones while for warm skintones they can double as bronzers as well as contour shades.

These can also be used as eyeshadows, in case there is a shade or even two that don't work well on your skintone. 

TEXTURE & FINISH 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits and refills come in a natural demi-matte finish with a couple shimmery highlight shades. The demi-matte finish is great for using on the skin since they create a natural look on the skin rather than a flat matte (chalky) finish.

They are smooth and finely milled so they blend easily on the skin without being stark.

PIGMENTATION 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits and refills have light to medium buildable coverage. They are not overly pigmented on initial application which is what we truly need in face powders. They allow for building up color and blending to the desired effect - subtle or dramatic.

APPLICATION & WEAR 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits and refills are quite easy to use. They are almost foolproof since they blend easily with any face brush.

Wear time will depend on your skin type and the products that are used beneath them. For me they work well and last all day over liquid foundation (even when set with powder firsthand). I have oily skin and I don't find these fading or oxidizing over time.



 
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kits and refills are good contour kits for anyone who loves to contour and play with shadowing and highlighting. However, these may not be reasonable for the average makeup user since contouring is typically reserved for special occasions or events.The price is right if you do wish to invest and you get a variety of shades to mix and match as you like.



Have you tried these palettes or contour/highlight powders yet?  Interested?







Light to Medium KIT (Original)• Havana (also in Medium to Tan KIT) -  medium caramel brown
• Fawn - grey toned medium brown
• Java -  medium neutral orange brown (I know...warm + neutral)
• Sand -  shimmery pinky champagne 
• Banana -  light yellow toned ivory
• Vanilla -  light peach ivory w/ a satin finish

 

  • Sand -  shimmery pinky champagne
• Champagne -  shimmery light yellow golden champagne
 • Cream Soda -  shimmery pinky champagne
• Banana -  light yellow toned ivory
 • Mellow Yellow -  rich bright yellow
 • Golden Peach - light peach toned nude w/ a hint of yellow
• Peaches & Cream (Medium to Tan KIT) - light peach toned nude


 

 


• Espresso (Medium to Tan & Tan to Deep KITS) - deep espresso brown
• Cinnamon (Tan to Deep KIT) - deep orange/caramel brown
• Copper Brown - deep orange brown 
• Clay - deep neutral red/orange brown (I know...warm + neutral)
• Earth (Tan to Deep KIT) - deep caramel brown      • Nutmeg (Medium to Tan & Tan to Deep KITS) - medium deep caramel brown


 
  



• Carob - deep red brown
• Mink - medium neutral brown
• Ash Brown - medium deep neutral brown
• Camel - medium tan nude
• Macchiato (Medium to Tan KIT) - medium peach brown
 • 10K (Medium to Tan KIT) - shimmery medium gold
          

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