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Quickie: MAC Fix+

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MAC Fix Plus - Bottle

Marketed as a finishing spray, the MAC Fix+ was actually on my radar for another reason entirely. I knew you could use eyeshadows wet to get more intensity from them, but I also knew that water would destroy most eyeshadows. And then, I found out that a solution like MAC Fix+ was a work around, so after much dilly-dallying, I went and got myself a bottle.

Thankfully, it works as an Eyeshadow Intensifier fairly well:

MAC Fix+ - Eyeshadow

Just spritz the brush, or onto a dish, and use the damp (not wet!) brush to apply the eyeshadow onto your eye. So easy, it kind of hurts. Also, please observe how intense that eyeshadow became. It is applied without a primer underneath, on both sides.

As a setting spray, it works like a charm, too. The mist is pretty fine, which is not what you would expect when you see its nozzle. My makeup stay put throughout the day—I can’t really say anything else about that.

MAC Fix Plus - Nozzle

One other cool thing about this is that the nozzle locks in place, if you have to travel with it. Yay for no spills! All in all, I’m happy with my purchase, even though it’s pretty steep. I have been using setting sprays lately, and I don’t know how I went a makeup-filled year without them.

MAC does not test on animals, except when required by law. Get with the program, China!

bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Bronzed Twig

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bareMinerals Prime Time - Bronzed Twig

Okay, so I’ve had this for a while. It’s basically a colored eye primer from bareMinerals called Prime Time Primer Shadow. I have it in Bronzed Twig. I can’t really explain why I never bothered to use this because as you will see in a bit, it is pretty gorgeous. Check out this swatch in the mean time:

bareMinerals Prime Time - Primer Shadow - Bronzed Twig - Swatch

It reminds me of the Buxom Stay-There Eyeshadow, because this has quite a bit of sparkle and shine. This one’s a bit more pigmented and opaque, however. Bronzed Twig is a pretty warm, bronze-y midtone brown. It works well as a primer and it adds a lovely dimension and complexity to the eyeshadows you layer on top of it.

The applicator and packaging are the almost deal-breakers, I think. It is hygienic, sure, but it is so hard to squeeze the primer out this little hole:

bareMinerals Prime Time - Primer Shadow - Bronzed Twig - Applicator

Here is Bronzed Twig on my eyes:

bareMinerals - Eye Primer - Twig - Eyes

It’s a pretty easy look. I just applied Bronzed Twig over the mobile eyelid. (I warmed up the product first.) Then, I added a little bit of Sleek from theBalm’s Nude Tude Palette on the outermost corners with my ring finger. Then I lined my eyes with a liquid eyeliner, curled my lashes and added mascara!

bareMinerals - Eye Primer - Twig - Face

Here is the full-face. I think it’s a pretty good understated eye look for everyday if you don’t like attention but love a bit of definition and enhancement.

Rest of the face makeup: K-Palette eyebrow pen, NARS Sin, Le Métier de Beauté “Silhouette” from Bauhaus Kaleidoscope Lip Kit.

bareMinerals is cruelty-free.

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Master Liner & Baby Lips ♥ Color*

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Two quick reviews on two items I received in my October BDJ Box*. I don’t really have much to say about either of them, so I thought I’d lump them together in one post. 🙂

First up, I have the Maybelline Master Liner in BK-1. It’s a standard, retractable black eyeliner that promises to be smudgeproof and creamy.

Maybelline Master Liner

I would actually argue with that assessment, because it was not creamy at all. It’s kind of hard to apply a hard pencil on delicate parts of your eye that are so close to the opening and the eyeball itself. I don’t want to have to apply too much pressure to achieve maximum pigmentation. Unfortunately, I found that to be the case here.

Maybelline Master Liner - Swatches

In these swatches, the upper, darker one was achieved by a lot of pressure—too much pressure for upper/lower lid application. The lower swatch is indicative of the amount of pay-off I got when I applied the amount of pressure I would if I were to line my upper lashline.

Maybelline Master Liner - Face Eyes

It’s not entirely bad—as you can see from the photos above, the liner adds a pretty sort of definition, but I definitely wouldn’t reach for this if I can help it.

Maybelline - Baby Lips - Pink Peony

Next, I have a Maybelline Baby Lips ♥ Color in Pink Peony. I think I may be in the 1% of the population that did not go bonkers over the Maybelline Baby Lips but they just didn’t play well with my lips.

Maybelline - Baby Lips - Pink Peony - Swatch

However, this added a nice sheer pinky tint to my lips and it has SPF. It still doesn’t moisturize them in the way that I want them t and I kind of hate the smell, but at least there is sun protection in there.

And that concludes my reviews for today! I hope this was helpful, albeit a little random. 🙂 I think the moral of the story (er, post?) here is that there are great drugstore products, but there are also duds and mehs.

* This was sent to me by the BDJ Box Team for editorial consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Maybelline is not cruelty-free.

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Bare Study: Minimal Makeup Look

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This look is for the girl in you who actually likes minimal makeup more than the “fun stuff.” I thought about a basic look with the brief: “No Makeup” Makeup, and this is what I came up with:

Bare Study - Face

— Powder all over ze face.
– Thicker brows c/o of the MAC 266 and the darker side of my eyebrow powder.
— MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study) on entire mobile lid, y.e.t. Cosmetics eyeshadow pencil (Nude Pink) on outer third. Matte brown blush (Tarte Exposed) on eye crease.
— Smudge-y outer corner eyeliner.
— Curl lashes and mascara-fy.
— Dust cheeks with powder.
— Make your lips yours but better.

Here are the products I used:

Bare Study - Products

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Exposed), The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02), Maybelline Clear Smooth All in One Powder (05 Sand Beige), Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara (Noir), NARS Pure Matte Lipstick (Montego Bay), MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study), y.e.t. Eyeshadow stick (Nude Pink), Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil (Crave). 🙂

Honestly, if I didn’t love playing with makeup so much, I could probably live off just this much makeup.

I am a consumerist cow.

But the makeup look is nice, yes? Let me know what your favorite “no makeup” makeup look looks like (ah, too many repetitions of words!). 🙂

BECCA Eye Tint in Baroque

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BECCA Eye Tint - Baroque - Tube

Ever since trying out the BECCA Beach Tint and liking it, I’ve wanted to try out their eye counterpart—the eye tint. I haven’t gotten my hands on any of them, until now. The BECCA Eye Tint “offers adjustable levels of sheer to high pigment color when applied with a brush or finger.” Basically, it’s just a “semi-sheer créme that tints lids with a soft wash of colour.” Judging from my skin tone, I probably should have known that Baroque would be too light for me.

BECCA - Eye Tint - Baroque - Swatch

Here’s a fairly heavy swatch that I tried really hard to make opaque. I barely blended it out, but I think you can see the color? It’s a cool-toned greige, in my eyes.

BECCA Eye Tint - Baroque - Eyes

Look at how much it doesn’t show up, though. I feel like I’m those evil people who sold the emperor his new clothes. Seriously, this is the pigmentation after many layers of Baroque (Baroque? More like b-roke! Boo, I’m not funny.). Barely any color. I guess a great eye product for a “no makeup makeup look,” but honestly, why bother?

BECCA Eye Tint - Baroque - Face

It doesn’t look like anything. (Sorry for the hair.)

BECCA Eye Tint - Baroque - with shu

With a darker color in the crease, you can see Baroque better, but I mean—of course you would. The thing is, it’s not even totally crease-resistant either, so it’s not like I can use it as a primer. I feel like it would fare well as a base over primer and under shadow, but I feel like it defeats the purpose of the product since I find BECCA a great brand for fuss-free, natural-looking makeup that’s easy to use. If it’s a part two of a three-step application process, then I don’t think it’s doing its job very well.

If I got a deeper shade, I’m sure I’d enjoy it. As it is, I don’t think Baroque has convinced me of the merits of an Eye Tint.

BECCA Cosmetics is cruelty-free.

Drugstore Finds: Maybelline Cheeky Glow in Peachy Sweetie*

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BDJ Box - October 2013 - Cheeks

I got this Maybelline Cheeky Glow (a powder blush) in the October BDJ Box. 🙂 I haven’t tried any of Maybelline’s blushes before (at least as far as I remember), so I was pretty curious as to how well it would perform.

Maybelline Cheeky Glow - Peachy Sweetie - Swatches

Peachy Sweetie is a light peachy coral, chock-full of very fine silver shimmer. The shimmer remains visible even when you blend out the blush. I suggest tapping off the brush before application to get rid of the excess glitter. A heavy swatch (top swatch) makes it appear more pink, whereas blended out, the peachiness becomes visible.

TONYMOLY - Nude Gloss + Red

On the face, it’s quite subdued, but the shimmers are visible up close. I think it would be a pretty everyday color, which is perfect since it’s so cheap. The blush itself is not velvety-smooth or buttery at all, but even the hard powder yields decent color when you swipe it.

Maybelline Cheeky Glow - Peachy Sweetie - Dome

Packaging is not-s-flimsy, but it is quite “drugstore-looking,” with the white, light plastic as well as the clear plastic top. It’s smaller than higher end blushses like MAC and Tarte, and the size is comparable to the compact of Canmake’s Cream Cheek.

It’s not a bad blush, and I do like the color, but I feel prefer other drugstore formulas to this.

* This was provided free of charge by the BDJ Box Team. All opinions are honest and my own.

Maybelline is not cruelty-free.

Made-Up History: Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red,” 1937-1942.

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Mondrian-Piet-Composition-with-Yellow-Blue-and-Red-1937-42-Oil-on-canvas-72.5-x-69-cm-28-12-x-27-18-in.-Tate-Gallery-London-
(via)

Happy Halloween!

Ah, it’s been too long since my last Made-Up History post, so a refresher for anyone who is new here: Made-Up History is a series on this blog, in which I recreate art on my face. They’re not meant to be literal translations, just an interpretation that’s almost always wearable.

Today’s subject is by Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter who was a major contributor of the De Stijl art movement, which was somewhat a proponent of pure abstraction in the Netherlands.

Click to read the rest and to see the look