MAC Fashion Sets 2013

Swatches

After seeing promo images for MAC Cosmetics 2013 Fashion Sets, I have debating on which lipstick colors to get since they are colors that I have been into lately. Normally, I swatch them a week before they come out because my local MAC Pro location has them out for display before the release date. I went by today since I was about a mile away & to my surprise, they just got these in for display yesterday! Since it was there, of course I had to swatch them all!


This collection consists of four colors. Each of the color has a matching lipstick, lipglass, lipliner, nail polish and eyeshadow. The location had all of the items except the eyeshadows.


I have taken pictures of these in different lighting. The top row is when I was inside the store, the middle row was when I was outside in direct sunlight, and the last one was when I was inside the car with direct sunlight.

Originally, I planned on buying all four, but after swatching it, I feel like the one I want the most is Heroine. All of the lipsticks have a matte finish. Ablaze is similar to Maybelline's Vibrant Mandarin, but they have different finishes. Embrace Me is similar to Daddy's Little Girl and Maybelline's Hot Plum, but with different finishes as well.


In person, Embrace Me looked very similar to Candy Yum Yum, but after swatching & comparing it, Candy Yum Yum is lighter and brighter than Embrace Me.


Since these colors were bright and very pigmented, they left a bit of a stain behind.


Out of all the shades, I tried on Embrace Me on my lips. I like it, but I definitely do not need it. My hair looks very brown here, but I think it's because the sun is directly shining on it! I would LOVE to dye my hair into a color similar to that, but I don't think I want to get rid of my virgin hair :P


What do you think about the lip colors in this collection? Is there any that you are thinking about picking up?

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MAC Archie's Girls Collection

Swatches

Although MAC's Archie's Girls collection has already launched online on maccosmetics.com, they do not release in stores until next week. Since I would not be able to make it when the store opens, I decided to stop by my local MAC location to swatch a few items so that my boyfriend will be able to see which ones he would pick up for me next week.

I love how cute the products look, but the picture, my boyfriend thought that guy looked ridiculous, haha! I didn't swatch all the items since I was more focused on the ones that I thought I was interested in.

For the blushes & pearlmatte, I was able to take indoor and outdoor pictures.
I inititally wanted Cream Soda, but after swatching, I want Prom Princess a lot more than Cream Soda. However, I think I will be getting both.

For the lipsticks, I swatched all of Veronica's Lipsticks and one Betty Lipstick. When looking at promotional pictures, I was really interested in Boyfriend Stealer, but when I tried it on my lips in the store, it kind of reminded me of a lighter version of Wet n' Wild's Vamp It Up, so I might pass on that. I thought it would be more of a purple-purple, but it's more of a very dark purple.
I really liked Daddy's Little Girl, and I might pick that up next week if it's still available.

What do you think about MAC's Archie's Girls collection? Are you thinking of picking any of them up? Did you already order them online?

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Neutral Blushes

Comparisons & Swatches

Throughout the year, I have purchased many blushes. After getting Tarte's Exposed, I looked at my blush collection and noticed that I have two other "neutral" blushes, so I decided to compare them to see the difference. The blushes that I will be comparing is Tarte's Exposed, Sleek's Suede, and MAC Cosmetics Darkly My Dear.

Exposed, Suede, Darkly My Dear

From the swatches, you can tell that they would all make nice everyday neutral blushes, but they are definitely not the same.

Tarte's Exposed is a pink-nude
Sleek's Suede is a peach-nude
MAC Cosmetics Darkly My Dear is a plum-nude.

They all have a matte finish, and are very pigmented. I think my favorite from the comparisons is Darkly My Dear, but it was a Limited Edition blush that came out two Holiday seasons ago for the Venomous Villains collection. The other two, Tarte Exposed and Sleek Suede are in their permanent line with Tarte retailing for $25 and Sleek retailing for $5.99.

Now, being the blush hoarder that I am, I'm interested in trying NARS Douceur, which is also a neutral blush that is described as a soft pink-brown.

What do you think of these blushes? Are there any other neutral blushes that you would recommend me?

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MAC Twig Lipstick

Swatches & Review
My boyfriend gave me MAC's lipstick in Twig as a birthday gift over a month ago. I have been wanting it, but since he gave it to me, I have never used it until today. Twig is a deep berry shade to me. It is kind of in between pink & cranberry for me, and it has a Satin finish. Since it has a Satin finish, it is pretty much like a semi-matte, with a little bit of shine, but it is not too visible. Although it is similar to matte, it is not as drying as matte finishes are, but it can be a bit drying after a while of wearing it.

Overall, I really like this lipstick. I feel like it compliments my skin tone well without me looking like a clown, and my mom actually does not make fun of me when I'm wearing this! Usually when I'm wearing a lipstick that seems too overbearing for me, my mom makes fum of it, but she actually likes this one on me. It's not too dark, and not too light, just the way I like it. I also feel like this stays on well for me. Usually when I wear lipsticks, it wears off on me quickly without leaving any stain behind. However, Twig wears about a good 4 hours on me and after it fades off, you can still see the stain it left behind that doesn't look bad either. I guess the only complaint I have is the smell, but that's how I feel about all MAC lipsticks. It smells like vanilla, and I am sensitive to scents. This is bearable though, since it is not too strong, but I think I still would have liked it without the scent. What are your thoughts about MAC lipsticks?

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MAC Hot 'N' Saucy Tendertone

Swatches & Review

My MAC collection is very limited, especially since the only items I own from MAC are lipsticks. When I first heard of their tendertones in their Shop Mac, Cook Mac Collection, I just had to see what all the talk was about. After seeing that the tendertones were sold out quickly online, I headed to my local MAC counter to get one to try myself! I purchased the Hot 'N' Saucy tendertone, which is a sheer red. I was lucky enough to grab the last one too! There were also three other colors, but I liked the red one the most.

Overall, I really like how they feel on my lips. They are smooth and non-sticky. Although it is $15 for basically a tinted lip balm, I definitely do not regret my purchase because I absolutely love it! And I love the smell of it because it smells like....

Image found via Google Images
YES, those OUCH bandaid gums that reminds me so much of my childhood! The only complaint I have is the packaging because it is inconvenient for me to just pull it out my purse and dab my finger in it to apply it. I wish it came in a squeeze tube so it would be easier to apply, but I can deal with it. Oh, & it has SPF12, which is like a bonus for me :) What do you guys think? Own it? Love it? & any recommendations for me to try more MAC products? Let me know!

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