Pros:

• Great pigmentation
• Stackable, takes up less space
• Applies great with fingers
• Clear strong containers

Cons:

• Hard to apply with a brush
• Potentially a lot of fallout if new to loose pigments

Price: $65AU

Where: Visit the MAC website, or go to any MAC stores or counters at David Jones or Myer.

Most of my friends and family know I am a MAC junkie, I’m a sucker for great packaging and strong colours! So when Sefie told me about the new MAC stacked crushed pigments, how I could resist?

Thanks to some left off Christmas gift cards, I managed to get both stacks.

I swatched both using my fingers, no primer was used in the photos. To be honest, I first tried applying them with a brush, and the product came out looking very grainy and didn’t blend well upon application. Whereas using my fingers was a whole different story.

I adore the pigmentation of Stacked 1, some very bold and soft colours. The darkest purple had virtually no shimmer to it, very matte, whereas the other 3 colours had high shimmer. Note that none of them were glittery. This is probably my favourite stack.

All the colours of Stacks 2 were also high in shimmer and had strong pigmentation. They just don’t appear that way in the swatches since the colours are lighter and align closer to my skin tone.

If you won’t mind spending the extra money, I’d be tempted to say go for the MAC Pigment version of these colours (if they exist), because at least I reckon they‘d be a bit more versatile. But at $39AU a pop, I can understand if you’d rather a cheaper alternative. (And which regular user actually finishes an entire pigment jar?)

At least with these stacks, they work out to be about $16.25AU a colour, and with so much colour I don’t see the average user running out anytime soon. Not to mention the packaging is great, clear and space efficient, a much welcomed addition to my collection

I’ll be leaving for Japan tomorrow for approximately 2 weeks, in that time I still hope to blog as much as I can, mainly because there will be plenty of time on the plane to write up new posts, as well as on the train as I travel between cities (7 cities in 14 days, I hope I’ve got the energy for it!) So fingers crossed that will happen, if not, you’ll know why there is a sudden 2 week lull in my posts.

Photo from Getty Images

Despite the limited time I’ll have, I’ve excited to see what hidden / lesser known Japanese beauty products and fashion I can uncover! I’ve already got instructions on how to mail packages back home so I should be all set I’ll try my best to keep you guys posted!

Last night was a lot of fun, I didn’t manage to get any outfit shots. Something I’ve been meaning to do for a while now. Probably for the best come to think of it, not easy to get the outfit, makeup and hair right whilst dashing from work to a fashion show in the car within 30 minutes! This Christmas, could I please just have more time?

Here are some select photos from the Harpers’ Bazaar runway show last night, and this time I managed to list out all the designers too! I think out of all the shows I attended this week, InStyle gets my vote~ Anyways, hope you enjoy the photos.

Martin Grant

» Read the rest of this entry «

Some of my favourite outfits from the InStyle Runway One more to go tomorrow! Can’t wait~

Mimco

» Read the rest of this entry «

Yesterday was a painfully early morning for me, after staying up late to process my Grazia photos, getting up at 5:30am the next morning to make the workshop in time wasn’t my idea of fun. Nope, instead I ended up waking up at 6:15am, only to rush frantically out of the house by 6:30am, thankfully Celeste was kind enough to drive us into the city for the workshop that day.

This isn’t a workshop for people like me, who have done makeup for years and really just love to go wild with different looks. However, this workshop would be perfect for those perhaps trying to get into makeup or would like more information on how to apply everyday makeup.

Listed below are the tips the L’Oreal team provided after each section was complete, hopefully you find them helpful

All About Skin

• Prepare your skin thoroughly  with the right products before starting your makeup.
• Sunscreen is an everyday essential – don’t be tempted to skip this step.
• Foundations come in different textures. Build a wardrobe of various finishes.
• When it comes to concealer, be sure to choose the right formula for what you need to cover.
• Match your products: powder with powder and cream on cream

All About Eyes

• Look straight ahead while applying 90 per cent of your eye makeup for a true result.
• When selecting shadow shades, consider your eye colour and use a matching hue or the exact opposite.
• Metallics are a top trend this season, and are easier to wear than you might expect so why not experiment?
• Your brows are the frames for your face – give them the attention they deserve with regular grooming.
• Make mascara work for you. Choose a formula for the effect you wish to create.

All About Colours

• Blush will make you look instantly younger, but make sure it compliments your skin tone and lipstick shade.
• Lipstick is back. Select a tomato-red tone and prepare to make your mark, or use a nude hue for a chic result.
• Play with application techniques – achieve a sexy stained lip look by dabbing on colour with your fingers.
• When using lipliner, tilt your head back as you apply to achieve a perfect outline, then fill in your lips.
• Never forget your nails. This season, choose shades of taupe, red, plum or a polish pale pink.

I could write a lengthy entry about my opinions on each and every dress I saw that night… OR I could just spam with you all my photos! And isn’t that what matters at the end of the day?

I will make one comment though, I was so happy to learn that the shoes were provided by Siren, which makes them affordable and totally in my price range!

Pros

• Great coverage
• Very easy to blend
• Rich formula, a little goes a long way and versatile
• Feels lightweight
• Easy pump application

Cons

• Very expensive

Price:$98AU
Where: Visit the counter at David Jones.

My friend Sheila recommended this foundation on her weblog, and thank goodness she did. Out of all the foundations I’ve tried, this has got to be my favourite. I applies like a dream, very light and can easily be layered (give each layer a few minutes to dry). This is great because I absolutely can’t stand foundation that make me feel cakey or bogged down.

2-3 pumps is enough to cover my entire face, but since I generally don’t wear full foundation everyday (only for photo shoots) I’ve ended up using this as an under eye concealer on days I’ve feeling drained or need an extra lift.

I love that this bottle comes with a pump, making it easy to control the amount of product I need. The best part is it comes with a lid, so any foundation still caught in the nozzle never dries out, no wastage!

The only downside is the price, it’s extremely expensive. Luckily for me, I bought my bottle around mid 2008 and it is still as good as new (I know liquid foundations should be throw out every 6 months, but it seems perfectly fine to me!), and I’m not even half way through the bottle yet. But if I were to wear foundation everyday, I’d be inclined to search for a cheaper alternative. If you know of any, feel free to let me know

For the curious, my shade is 4 – light sand, which matches my skin tone perfectly.

I’m sad I probably won’t be able to post my photos from Grazia up till later tonight or even tomorrow as I have a wedding rehearsal to attend after work I really should have been more on the ball last night when I got home, but in my true style I love to put things off and watch Family Guy or play Rock Band instead.

After seeing how diverse the fashion was yesterday, I am determined to dress up for the next two shows. Problem is, I realised I don’t actually have any “interesting” clothes.

The problem with being a seamstress is that when I find an article of clothing I love, that comes with a hefty price tag I think to myself, “Oh I’ll just make that”, and on to the already 200+ long list it goes.

I find myself consistently working on costumes for cosplay or photo shoots, so not much time is dedicated to creating clothes for myself And here I am, I have plenty of shoes, hand bags and makeup, but no clothes to wear them with!

Am I alone? Perhaps I should get cracking and finally make a couple of dresses I can use this year. Hmm.

P.S: Came back from the Grazia runway show a few hours ago, took many pics! Report coming soon~ Still have a Beauty workshop, In Style and HB runway shows to go! Week of fashion heaven *_*

Last night whilst removing my nail polish for a new mani, I in true style, knocked my nail polish remover bottle on top of a bunch of cosmetics already sitting on my counter No real cosmetics were harmed, but it did surprise me how strong acetone really is :O These are post-war photos of my NARS blush, sorry for the poor photos! But I found it both horrifying and interesting that the product that caused this, is the same product I apply to my hands at least once a week!