To The Beach Baby!

What a pleasure it was to haul from such a BEAUTIFUL collection.  The drama is with the Marine Life Highlighting Powder so there is going to be a seperate post about that next.  Here are all of the items I picked up on May 27, 2010.  I ended up ordering Flurry of Fun lipglass the day after because I kept reading on Specktra.net how that lipglass looks amazing over Thrills lipstick.  I gave in.  I haven’t gotten it yet so that will be posted later.  Still thinking about getting the beach bag…not sure though.

Yummy!!!!

MAC Lipstick in Thrills – Price: $14.00

MAC Eyeshadows in Sweet & Puncy, Sand & Sun and Firecracker – Price: $14.50 each

MAC 131 Brush – Price: $40.00 (I didn’t get the 130 ‘cuz it’s permanent and I’m loving my 109 and 188 at the moment.  I’m not sure what I’m going to be using this brush for yet though.)

Swatches!

And for my next brush…

…to add to the collection is the MAC 134 ($52.00).  This brush is available at my CCO so I will scurry on down there this Friday to pick it on up!  I’ve been thinking on this brush for a while now, but after my MAC MA used it on me first the first time to set my foundation I fell in love.  One of my friends was telling me to go with the MAC 129 ($34.00) –it is cheaper than the MAC 134 at full retail–, but I’d rather go big for my powder brush and smaller for my blush brush so the MAC 109 ($32.00) will be a good brush for me to use for my blush. There!  That settles it.

For reference, here are the MAC 129 and MAC 109 brushes…

Decided on the MAC 188 brush

I’m currently in the market for a good blush brush and I’ve looked into the Eco-Tools blush brush (if it’s anything like my powder brush then it will pick up too much product), the Revlon Blush brush (reviews are not so good on this), the MAC 116 (price is a little too much for me right now) brush and the MAC 187 brush (it’s too big and pricey). I remember people saying on the web that the MAC 187 brush is good for applying powders especially blushers and liquid foundations. I don’t wear liquid foundation (yet – I’m hoping my breakouts and scarring won’t last any longer) so I remembered that the MAC 188 (the smaller version of the 187) is available at my CCO. How nice.

What made me decide on the MAC 187 is that I read that it picks up a small amount of powder products which is nice because my NARS Taj Mahal is very pigmented so using a light brush is exactly what I need. I was using (and will continue to use) my Essence of Beauty Finishing brush (which is an odd brush to use blush for but I do not have a blush brush to use) to apply my NYX blush and it picks up a lot of product all at once and it’s the right amount for my cheek. When I go to use the same brush in my NARS blush the brush picks up too much or my NARS blush is very pigmented. I think it’s a pigmentation issue. The quality and pigmentation of my NARS blush is greater in that compared to my NYX blush, of course. I didn’t realize it because my only blush before my NARS was my NYX blush. No experience until now.

Anyway, what I had to do was go over my face with an MSF to cover up the over use of my NARS blush. It was too much product going my Finishing brush. I used my mineral face brush as well and I found myself in the same position. I’m hoping that the MAC 188 will pick up a small amount of product and will apply just right. I use a light hand in my NARS blush because I don’t want to waste it. I’m very careful with that blush as it cost me $25.00 for the one I have. Yikes!

Lastly, I was going to go ahead and splurge on the 131 brush, but I think it’s uncessary. I don’t really want to spend $40.00 on a brush I’m only going to use for blush. The 188 brush it is!

Brush Roll and Vanity…

Hubby and I are currently looking for a makeup vanity for me, with seat, so I can start building my makeup stash. I’m looking for a pre-owned one that looks sort of antiquey with a goth type of look to it too. It has to be black or if not black then maybe cherry wood…maybe. So, once I get one I will post pictures of it. It’s not like I’ll be able to fill it up with makeup right away because I don’t have much, but I’m thinking that will all change as time goes by.

So anyway, here is my edited and final list of what I’m going to pick up from the MAC Colour Craft collection. Oh dear Colour Craft.  The only bright colors I’ll wear for makeup is pink.  My dark soul cannot take all of the shimmer unless it’s dressed up subtly with darker, matte colors.  I think this collection is OK, but after so much time thinking about it I decided on just getting these for collection purposes:

- 131 brush
- Mineralized Eyeshadow in Fashion Patch
- Mineralized Blusher in Daft Pink
- Mineralized Skinfinish Trio in Smooth Merge
- Mineralized Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink (love love love)

That’s all! I’m not into lots and lots of shimmer unless it’s the product is loose so this is all that I’m getting from this collection. I also heard from Michelle1218 (my favorite Youtube Beauty Guru next to Richie Nickel) that she had a hard time picking up color from the Colour Craft Mineralized Eyeshadows with her 239 brush — EEEEEK!   In saying all of that, I am very excited about the MAC Black Collection that is coming out this fall – yay no more funky mineralized colors for a while! I don’t like lipsticks, but I really, really want that black lipstick from MAC. I’ve got to have it. On day one I’m at my MAC store purchasing my lipstick in Black Knight. I’m also going to pick up all three Glimmerglasses (woot!) and eyeshadows in Midnight Media and Night Violet.

OK so I was browsing through Specktra today and I came across a thread in the forums where a member MissChievous (love her makeup tutorials to death!) posted some neat brush rolls she discovered online at Etsy.com.  Here are the ones I’m interested in getting.  I would like to buy three.  One for face brushes, one for eye brushes and one for miscellaneous brushes.  These patterns and colors will go well with the vanity I want that I dont’ have yet.  Ha!  It’s so much fun planning these things out.

Brush Roll at Etsy.com ($16.99)

Brush Roll at Etsy.com ($16.99)

Brush Roll at Etsy.com ($16.99)

Aren’t they just gorgeous?!  Very.  I of course want that Mac Pro Brush Belt and I will get it one day so no, I didn’t forget about that one.