This Week’s Tiny Collective Haul

This past Saturday I picked up two eyeshadows from Victoria Secret.  I went in there just to look at the makeup again (it was second time ever) while my husband and my little one were playing around in the Toys R Us Holiday Store at Garden State Plaza Mall.  I also visited the Bobbi Brown counter at Nieman Marcus and the MA told me that they didn’t have any holiday items in.  I wanted to try out that Chrome Metallic Lip Color from the Bobbi Brown Holiday Collection 2009. 

Anyhooo, the first eyeshadow I picked up is called “24k” which is a straight up gold shimmery type of color and finish which shows in a metallic way on the skin.  I really like this one because it’s so vibrant and pigmented.  I dip only once and I get enough product on my brush to put on my lid.

The second eyeshadow I picked up is called “Decadent” and it is the same type of shadow as “24k” except that it’s a dark purple color, but not very dark.  I think this eyeshadow is OK to use as a base and that’s just what I did with it.  This shadow is not pigmented and I found that I had to keep dipping back and forth into the pot just to get a good base on.  I haven’t tried this yet, but I recommend wetting this eyeshadow with water, a mixing medium or Fix+ from MAC because I think it works better this way as far as picking up enough color and then getting it to show on your skin.  This shadow is not easy to work with.

Here are pics of my Victoria Secret eyeshadows.  I chose these two colors because they looked more interesting than the others.  There was a black shadow as well with flects of silver glitter in it, but it looked a lot like MAC Blacktied so I passed.  Nars also has one like it, but I forget the name.  Price: $10.00 each

Swatches:

And then lastly, today, I went to Sephora to take a look at NARS Lovejoy blush and I think I like it a lot so it is going to go in my shopping cart on the website for sure after I’m done writing up this post.  I want to take advantage of that 20% discount from their Friends and Family Sale online.

I also stopped by the MAC store (of course) and picked up two permanent eyeshadows.  The first one I picked up was Coppering and it is a bronzey red type of color and it has a veluxe pearl finish (which I love).  Patina has been on my list for a long while so I finally picked that up and it’s a brown shimmery color (also a veluxe pearl finish) and it will make such a cool blending color for me.  A blending color with some umph in it.  Patina is more interesting than Mulch or even Saddle to me.  I will be getting Mulch in the future though.  Price: $11.00 each (pan)

I also picked up a quad pro palette for when I have those days where I’m rushing to get out of work.  I can just throw in some pans from my larger palette into my quad and go.  This item will be very very helpful to me.  Price: $3.50

Here are pics of my MAC haul…

MAC Face Haulage

So, I decided to just go ahead and make that move from BareMinerals on over to MAC Studio Fix Fluid (SFF).  I ended up having to visit the MAC store two days in a row because on my first visit I wasn’t matched correctly.    I knew it was wrong when I left the store, but I just went with it because my Hubby said it looked fine, which it did.

I got the SFF home, looked at it and got very unhappy.  I was matched with a NW50 and I could tell just by looking at the bottle that it was too dark.  I kept looking at myself in the mirror without foundation on and then looking at the bottle.  It was a no go.

Another thing that got me a little upset is that the MAC makeup artist (MA) said that I didn’t need any concealer.  I have very dark blemishes on my face from breakouts (I go to the Dermatologist tomorrow…thank God) and I felt that I really needed it.  I don’t want to have to build up my foundation.  I want to just even out my skin tone and then conceal my blemishes.  That’s it.  She insisted that I didn’t need it.  She also didn’t know what collection that the eyeshadow Off The Page was from and told me they didn’t have it when I was looking at it, but that is another story.  The store was busy so I’m sure maybe that threw her off a little bit.  She was nice so I can’t complain.

So, on the first visit I purchased Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NW50 because I was told that if I have very oily skin (which I do) not to go with the Studio Sculpt Foundation which I wanted to try.  I took the MA’s advice and went with the SFF.  I also bought the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator because it was on my wantages list.  I didn’t get the mask because my funds was low so I got the eyeshadow that was also on my wantages list, Off The Page…which I LOVE LOVE by the way.  It is very pigmented, it’s easy to work with and it looks vibrant on me and stays that way all day.

Yes, I was upset with my foundation purchase so I went back to MAC the next day.  I also left my beauty notebook there on the first visit so I had to go back to get it anyway.

I get there and I get my notebook….whew!!!!  I showed the MA that went to get my notebook my foundation and he said that it matches me and that he would have picked the same shade by jut looking at me.   The foundation I had on at the time was one from Revlon and it was in “dark” and it was way lighter than NW50.  He was helping another customer before me so I didn’t get to show him my Revlon (yep, I took it to the store with me).

I guess that MA told another MA to help me because she came over and asked me if I needed any help.  Her name is Janelle and she is such a pleasure to work with.  She made all of my problems and worries go away in a matter of minutes.  I took my foundation out and I told her that it’s not right.  I also showed her my bottle of Revlon.  She pumped some Revlon on her hand and worked it into her palm and she said that it’s not right for me and that it’s too light.  She then asked me if she could remove my foundation and I let her.  She then told me that she will do half of my face in NW50 and the other in NC50.  Before she applied my foundation she put concealer under my eyes (which is where I wear my concealer normally anyway – I just apply it after I apply my foundation). She also taught me how to stipple the foundation on using the 187 brush and she told me that since I only have the 188 brush that that brush does the same job.  So now my 188 blush brush has now because my new 188 foundation brush.

While she was working on my face my husband was watching.  He then said, “I think the left side is the right color”.  The right side doesn’t look right.  He then said that the left side matched the rest of my body and the other side didn’t.  WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!  Janelle said she liked the left side better too.  So, ladies and gentz…I AM A MAC NC50.  Yay!!!!  Janelle said that the NW50 has red undertones and the NC50 has more of a yellow tone and that my skin color is on the cooler side and not on the warm side.  That made all the difference.  My confidence level went right back up after that. I gave back the NW50 in exchange for the NC50.

My MA, yes Janelle is now my MAC MA, suggested that if I go with a concealer to go with an NW because it will make my under eye area look warm and not ashy on my skin color.  She was totally spot on.  So, in Studio Fix Concealer I am an NW45.  She also set my foundation with Mineralized Skinfinish Natural (MSFN) in Dark so I bought that too.  That MSFN was on my wantages list as well, but I never got it because I didn’t really need it since I was using BareMineral Foundation.

Thank you Janelle!!!!!  Here are pics from my second visit to the MAC store…