MAC Hue Lipstick Review & Swatches

Happy October!

Can you believe I haven't posted since July? My sincerest apologies, my life has been upside down the last few months. I feel that I should explain about what exactly is going on. My parent's just got divorced after 37 years of marriage. As you can imagine, this was quite hard for me to handle & I have been trying to deal with it as best as possible. On top of that, my husband & I decided that we were going to move in with my father to help him adjust & so that we can save some money to purchase a house in the near future. More or less, I moved in to help my Dad through this difficult time & maybe help myself cope a little bit as well. So again, I apologize for being gone so long but I am finally feeling like myself again & ready to get back to blogging!

I'm going to do a review on my favorite MAC lipstick, Hue. I absolutely love this color & it has become my go to lipstick. I used to always use Myth but I would have to layer a pink toned gloss over top because Myth is super nude, alone it can really wash my skin out.

I started searching for a pink toned lipstick that I could use in place of Myth, just to try something different. After doing a ton of research, I stumbled upon Hue. MAC describes Hue as a soft pale pink & it is a Glaze. My personal opinion about MAC Glazes is that they are sheerer than most other MAC finishes & are almost like a gloss. They are not drying at all & I tend to use them more often than most other MAC finishes.

I like to use NYX's Slim Lip Liner in Rose (my favorite!) all over my lips & apply Hue on top. The liner is a lighter matte pink & Hue adds a bit of shine.

Here is Hue in comparison to a few other MAC lipsticks.

Hue (Glaze), Myth (Satin), Please Me (Matte) & Snob (Satin)

Here is Hue on my lips. Again, I usually use a matte lip liner first, I feel like Hue is almost too light & glossy for me to wear alone. But it does look alright alone, I would use it if I was in a hurry & needed some color on lips.

All in all, I love MAC Hue, I find myself using this very often.

I hope you have enjoyed this review!

All the best,

MAC Blue Brown Pigment Swatches & Dupes

Today, I will be reviewing/swatching MAC Blue Brown pigment. 

The Basics:

Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect. Does not streak or cake. Easy to blend and long-lasting. Please note: Pigments are sold by weight not volume. Containers can appear to be less than full due to settling of the products.

MAC describes Blue Brown pigment as a brown w/ blue/green pearl (Frost). Pigments come in 4.5 grams/.28 oz for $21.00 on MAC's website (discounts for Pro members). 

The container comes with a twist off lid & a sifter. It can be quite messy to work with & I had fallout all over my vanity table!

I have had my eye on this pigment for a few months but I have so many mineral eye shadows & other loose eye shadows that I rarely use. Once I googled the images, I was sold. This color is amazing. They offer so many different pigments that it's hard to make a decision. I have MAC Club & I love that color, this is a brighter bolder MAC Club.  

It's so hard to get this color to photograph right. This color is a duochrome, so in the container  it is a reddish brown (like show above) but when the light hits is a certain way it reflects a green/teal color. I personally love duochromes because you can completely change the color with different primers & bases. It's like getting two eye shadows in one!

(Look at this color!)

I have quite a few colors that are close but still very unique. I purchased Glamour Doll Eyes (GDE) Dino Spotz quite some time ago but it became a favorite very quickly. They do look completely different in the container. I feel as though GDE Dino Spotz is a finer consistency, however, when applied it isn't as bold.

Next is Wet N Wild's "Comfort Zone" Palette's definer. This is the right side's definer & as soon as I saw this color I loved it. Again, this is a dupe for MAC Club, which is the eye shadow version of MAC's Blue Brown pigment. It have that same chocolate/reddish base with the teal shimmer.

This is MAC's Club. You can see that this color and Wet N Wild's definer color are so close. 

Onward to the swatches!

This is just MAC's Blue Brown Pigment swatches with different primers.

(From left to right)

1. No Primer

2. Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy (AMAZING!)

3. Urban Decy Primer Potion

4. Foiled with BFTE's Mix & Seal

Obviously, Pixie Epoxy makes this color look gorgeous. 

Fyrinnae's description of Pixie Epoxy:

The original! A must-have for shimmery, sparkling shadows! This is not an eye shadow primer, or really a base. It is to keep sparkles on and/or to make shimmery shadows appear "glossy": a foiled look without foiling. 

Originally developed and formulated in 2007, this unique "glue" is designed to hold the sparkliest, most shimmery eye shadows in place, minimize "fallout", and also to easily create a foiled look without foiling. Don't worry, it's easily washed off, and while keeps shadows in a water-resistant state, the product itself is water-soluble (no silicones or oils).

Here are the swatches of the Dupes:

(Front left to right)

1. MAC Blue Brown Pigment (no primer or base)

2. GDE Dino Spotz (no primer or base)

3. GDE Dino Spotz foiled with BFTE's Mix & seal

4. WW Definer from "Comfort  Zone" palette (no primer or base)

5. MAC Club (no primer or base)

Even though each color is close, they are still very different. GDE Dino Spotz is really close when foiled but still more red, less bold & when dry does not show as much teal. The WW definer is closer than MAC Club. In all honesty, Club doesn't really compare. It deosn't pull the teal tone unless foiled, it's closer to a red brown when applied dry.  

All in all, I love this pigment. I'm hoping to play with it later this evening & get a look to show you!

Thanks for stopping by! 

*Krystle

BFTE Cosmetics in Double Chocolate, Wizard's Wand & Guilty Pleasures Swatches (and Dupes!)

Happy Thursday!

This is the last set of BFTE Cosmetics swatches that I have to post about, are you sick of these posts yet!?

The last 3 are browns & they are Double Chocolate, Wizards Wand & Guilty Pleasures.

As with the previous posts, I have swatched each color dry & then foiled them with BFTE's Mix & Seal. I have also included the descriptions directly from BFTE's website (if available). If the descriptions were not posted on their website, I will try my best to describe the color.

Double Chocolate (no description available) - Rich chocolate brown with shimmer.

Wizards Wand - Dirty charcoal brown with golden iridescence.

Guilty (spelled Gulity on BFTE's website) Pleasures (no description available)- Golden Brown with multi colored sparkles.

I love browns & neutrals from all companies & these colors do not dissapoint. Double Chocolate is rich & super pigmented. I love it foiled & I am certain I will use this often. Wizards Wand is another color I love, I like it dry or foiled. It has just enough sparkle with out making it look childish, and the color is very complex. Guilty Pleasures is really nice too. I don't really know where I would wear this because the multi colored sparkles are pretty noticeable. 

I found a dupe for Double Chocolate, it's Glamour Doll Eyes (GDE) Chocoholic.

You can see how close they look in the jars..

How close are these two colors!? Chocoholic goes on a little darker dry, Double Chocolate looks a little chalky in the picture, but I assure you it's not! They are really close foiled, Double Chocolate is a little darker & less golden.

Guilty Pleasures also has a dupe. Silly me forgot to take a picture of the bottom of the jars but it is Fyrinnae Shenanigans (left) & Guilty Pleasures (right).

These two are very close in the jars but not so much when swatched.  Shenanigans is more bronze & the multi colored sparkles show up better when dry. Guilty Pleasures is much more brown, it's not as pigmented when applied dry  , but it is much more vibrant when foiled. They look so different when foiled! 

So that's the last of the BFTE swatches & dupes.

Have a great day! 

*Krystle

BFTE Cosmetics in Whisper, Brimstone & Moonwalk Swatches (and Dupes!)

Hi, my lovely followers. I hope you are enjoying your Tuesday! 

I've been quite busy, my husband started a new job working 6AM-6PM Monday - Friday so I have been getting up in the morning to go to the gym. I am NOT a morning person, however, I do enjoy walking/jogging to the gym (it's about 1/4 of a mile from our place). I haven't been eating as well as I should be but I have been working out 3-5 days each week. I'll do another health post in the near future.

I have this post & 1 more to finish up the swatches of the new shadows I received from BFTE.

I have swatched each color dry first & then swatched them using BFTE's Mix & Seal. I have included BFTE's descriptions from their website for each swatch also (if available.)

Whisper - Sheer, palest beige with strong blue-violet sheen.

Brimstone (no description available) - Shimmery taupe with slight pinkish undertone.

Moonwalk - Brown/grey pearl.

Of course, these are my favorites of the bunch. I love highlight colors & taupe, especially shimmery ones! Whisper is amazing, it works great for the inner corner of your eye or the brow bone. It's very subtle but the shimmer is blue based, looks gorgeous with purples & blues as a blending color.  Brimstone is one of my favorites, it has this gorgeous cool undertone. It looks more grey to me in person. Moonwalk is such a versatile mocha brown!

I found a dupe for Brimstone & Moonwalk. I tried to match them as closely as possible but it's so hard when the colors are in the jar & dry.

Brimstone's dupe is Fyrinnae Damn Paladins (now it's called Work Safe Blue), Damn Paladins is hands down one of my go to shadows, it's amazing! Brimstone has that same blue shimmer with a taupe base. Brimstone is much lighter & a cooler tone. Both are beautiful!

Moonwalk's dupe is Fyrinnae Witchy Woodland Creatures. They look close in the jar but they are pretty different when swatched. They are very close when dry, although Witchy Woodland Creature's has more glitter & it takes a gold tone when foiled. Moonwalk has a blue shimmer & looks like a darker shade of Damn Paladins. I have to admit that I love Moonwalk & I can't wait to use it!!

Have you tried BFTE or Fyrinnae?
* Krystle

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Candy Shop & Nude Peach (Swatches & Look)

Hi, my lovely followers!

I signed up for college yesterday! My husband & I start classes on August 12th through a local college & I don't know whether I am excited or nervous. I went to Beauty School right out of high school in 2005-2007 and I haven't been to school since. In all honesty, I am super excited & very happy I waited until I was ready to go to school. We're both going for Business Administration which is 3 years & then I will definitely be continuing on to get my MBA.  So the next 5 years will be very long, filled with working full time & going to school full time. 

Today I will be swatching 2  NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses in Candy Shop & Nude Peach. I own about 30 of the NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses. They happen to be one of my must have products! I would love to get around to swatching my whole collection but my life has been crazy lately. 

(Candy Shop & Nude peach)

What NYX's website says:

Kiss me quick! Our signature Mega Shine Lip Gloss delivers shine, moisture and softness and envelops lips with glistening color. The finish is both creamy and steamy and ensures knockout glamour. A blend of mineral and lanolin oils helps protect the pout. Available in 50 almost sinful lip gloss shades.

Candy Shop is a sheer blue pink with gold shimmer. Nude Peach is a shimmery coral (frost). Both come in .37 fl oz with doe foot applicators. The packaging is sleek, clear container that shows the color of the lip gloss with a black top that has a bow printed on the top. They are cruelty free & hypoallergenic. Like all of the other NYX Mega Shine Glosses, they have a light cherry scent. It smells very sweet, thankfully, you can't smell it when it's on your lips. 

I am wearing Candy Shop in the picture above, such a nice pink shade & it can be worn alone or over lipstick. 

Thanks for stopping by!

*Krystle

BFTE Cosmetics in Lava Momma, Raspberry, Bondage & Romp Swatches (and Dupes!)

Yes, I am still doing swatches for BFTE Cosmetics! (I think I have 2 more sets to do!)

These are the pinks & purples from my BFTE Cosmetic order, I have applied each dry & then used BFTE Mix & Seal and foiled a swatch. I have also included BFTE's descriptions (if available).

Lava Momma- Bright hot fuchsia with pink iridescence. Not for the faint of heart!

Raspberry - Bright tropical pink with pink iridescence. 

Bondage (no description available) - Dark Charcoal grey with a bit of sparkle.

Romp - Medium purple with pink sparkles. 

I don't own any bright pink pigments so I thought Lave Momma would be a good color to start with. I have seen some really gorgeous looks done with this color on BFTE's Facebook page. I actually like it dry because it's sheer but still very bright. I would love to try this as a lip color!

Raspberry & Lava Momma are almost identical except Lava Momma has more fuchsia & Raspberry is more pink. (You can really tell in the above swatch!) I like this one better dry too, it has that pretty sheen, sheer look.

Bondage is one of my favorites from this order, it's gorgeous when dry or foiled (although I think foiling it brings out the true beauty) It's almost got a purple/brown town when dry & when foiled it has a gorgeous aqua colored shimmer.

I'm not super impressed with Romp. It might be that own a million other purples but this color is kind of boring & in all honesty, I don't really like it wet or dry, but I'd be willing to work with it dry because it might be a good highlight color. I may have to give this away to a good home!

I searched for a dupe for these colors & all I could come up with was Glamour Doll Eyes (GDE) Southern Lace. You can see it's not an exact dupe of Raspberry but the are somewhat close. 

It's weird, I like GDE Southern Lace better foiled & BFTE Raspberry better dry. Southern Lace is more red toned with much more shimmer.

You can see when they are dry, they look very close to each other but when wet or foiled then are very different. Southern Lace is darker & has almost a glitter look.

Have you tried any of these colors? Do you know of any dupes?

*Krystle

Urban Decay Primer Potion vs. Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Today, I'll be comparing Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) & Too Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI). I have used both of these & I often switch between the two. Let me start by saying that UDPP was the first "higher end" beauty product I ever purchased. I was watching a video on YouTube & saw this girl explaining why primer is such a big deal & it clicked. I could never wear eye shadow without it creasing in 10 minutes or smearing off. This was the product that got me into makeup!

I have swatched a small amount of each on my arm, UDPP is first, TFSI is on the right. With both of these products, a little bit goes along way & the amount you can see below is what I apply to each of my eyes (enough for my whole eyelid & eyebrows). 

As you can see, they both blend in nude/sheer. There is a consistency difference. UDPP is thicker, I won't say heavier because it's not it just feels thicker. TFSI is more "watery" but it typically is easier to blend out. When you apply UDPP is dries very quickly, whereas, TFSI takes a little longer.

I swatched Wet N Wild's "Comfort Zone" palette's definer color using both UDPP & TFSI.

I did 2 close up pictures to show you. It goes UDPP, TFSI & then no primer. 

I think both primers work very well. You can see a difference with no primer in both pictures.

UDPP recently changed their packaging (thank goodness!) it was coming in a tube with a doe foot applicator, however, the weird shape of the bottle meant you couldn't use all the primer. I actually had to cut mine open & put it in an empty mineral jar. Now, both UDPP & TFSI come in squeeze tube. I switch between the two, I like UDPP for most days. I usually use TFSI with mattes & mineral makeup because it's a little tackier & works better. I feel as through UDPP can make mattes look a little splotchy. 

They are about the same size tubes, UDPP is .37 oz for $20 at Sephora, TFSI is .35 oz. for $20. I got my UDPP for $25 at Ulta but it was a gift set that included a face primer & setting spray. I got TFSI from EBay for $10 (be weary, I have heard of SO many fakes!).

I hope this helps, leave comments! 

*Krystle

BFTE Cosmetics in Mermaid, Clara & Dragon Slayer Swatches (and Dupes!)

Hi!

I am so sorry I haven't been posting. Everything in my life has been crazy lately, I have been working 60 hour weeks & trying to workout for an hour each night, so I have no time. But I will be trying to post more often. I also wanted let you know that I created a fitblr (fitness tumblr) so if you have Tumblr, make sure you follow me here!

I'll be doing a post today on the gold I received from BFTE in my last order. All of the golds are swatched below along with descriptions from BFTE websites (if there is a description). All are applied dry first & then foiled with BFTE Mix & Seal:

Mermaid - Shimmery light gold with soft blue-green duo-chrome.

Clara (No Description) - Shimmery gold, very close to Mermaid with more shimmer & lighter, great highlight color when applied dry.

Dragon Slayer (No Description) - Vibrant copper, when foiled it looks like a copper penny!

Mermaid is so pretty, I always pick golds because they work well with my skin tone. It goes on quite light when dry but when you foil it the color is so metallic & bright.

Clara is very shimmery, it almost blends right into my skin tone when applied dry, I'm not sure how I  feel about this color, I like it but I am not sure how to wear it.

Dragon Slayer is amazing! I love coppers & the more metallic, the better. This color is gorgeous when foiled!

I didn't realize that I had a color almost exactly like Dragon Slayer in my collection, but Fyrinnae's Gilded Wings is almost a perfect match!

I feel like Gilded Wings is less orange and a little less bright than Dragon Slayer. I like Gilded Wings better dry than Dragon Slayer. However, I like Dragon Slayer better when foiled.

You can see that they are very close, Gilded Wings dry is not quite as blotchy & when foiled it is lighter in color. Dragon Slayer dry is blah, but you when foiled it comes alive! 

Thanks for stopping by!

*Krystle

MAC Snob, Diva & Candy Yum Yum Swatches & Review

I still have a few more posts for the BFTE swatches but I thought I would take a break & show you my new MAC lipsticks. 

I purchased these a few weeks ago, I wanted a few new eye shadows & I thought I would add some fun lipsticks to my collection since it's free shipping on orders over $150 for MAC Pro.

So the colors that I purchased were:
Candy Yum Yum (Matte) - Neon Pink

Diva (Matte) - Intense reddish-burgundy

Snob (Satin)- Light neutral pink

Here are the colors swatched on my arm: Candy Yum Yum, Diva & Snob.

Candy Yum Yum:

I've wanted this color for so long but every time I went to place an order it was sold out & MAC was only carrying it for a short period of time. Well, right before I was getting ready to order, I got an email saying that it would now be part of the permanent line. To me, this is the epitome of a "Barbie" pink. It's bright & absolutely gorgeous! I will rock the SHIT (excuse my language) of this color. Plus, it's matte & I adore MAC's matte lipsticks. Actually, I think I may wear this color out tonight...

Diva:

I went back & forth on whether or not I should buy this color. I don't own any colors even close, I tend to stay with neutrals or REALLY bright but not darker colors. I have fair skin so I get scared that I will look weird! However, I bought this because I don't have anything like this. It's such a nice burgundy red but I still feel like I can wear this with a lighter colored eye look. Maybe I'll be daring & use it with a pin up smoky eye since I feel like it could take the place of bright red!

Snob:

My friend (who is also a makeup fanatic) told me that I had to have Snob. I love it & it's wearable for day or night. I feel like it gives the perfect neutral lip without looking to light. Myth is a favorite of mine, but when I am not tan it really washes my skin out so this is the perfect color to replace it for winter. It's very close to my natural lip color so it looks really nice with a darker eye look. 

So these are the new colors that I added to my collection.

Have you tried any of these colors?

*Krystle