MAC Cut-A-Caper Lipstick

Though the packaging from MAC's A Tartan Tale collection was pretty cute, none of the products really appealed to me besides this lustre lipstick in Cut-A-Caper.




It's a cute, soft coral-peach that's right up my alley. In person, the lipstick looks brighter than this picture, which is what attracted me initially. I love bright lip products! However, when swatched on my hand and lips, it was rather disappointing for me.


First of all, it applied too sheer for my liking. This swatch probably took about 5-6 swipes for this amount of opacity.


Compared to my MUFE Rouge Artist Intense in #38 (left), Cut-A-Caper (right) is definitely lighter and more peachy. However, the MUFE lipstick only took 1 swipe to get that color as opposed to the 5-6 that Cut-A-Caper required.


Lip swatch


Yes, it is pretty enough on the lips after a few layers, and yes it isn't too drying, but it tends to settle into my fine lines and to be honest, the color isn't unique enough to make up for its lack in pigment. In fact, on my lips it looked very close to my (much cheaper) Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in Pink Please. Again, this is all a matter of my opinion. Cut-A-Caper just didn't make the cut for me, so back it went. Oh well, better luck next time!

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P.S. The dress I'm wearing in the picture above is the same one I'm wearing in the picture below. It's from the collaboration Tucker did with Target (yay!). I bought 3 pieces from this collection (including this and this) and love them all.

Coolest part about this dress? It has pockets which are so seamlessly integrated that you can't even tell they're there. In fact, I didn't even realize it had pockets until I was smoothing out my dress one day. I thought I had ripped a hole in it, haha! Worn with a braided belt from F21 and red pumps from Nine West.

Maybelline NYFW 2010 Lipstick #939 Wined & Dined

As promised, today I have the first item that I picked up from Maybelline's newest collection that they created for this year's New York Fashion Week (which just ended yesterday!).

I was pretty excited when I saw this display in Ulta since I've been following the fashion show pictures that have been popping up on blogs all week. Though food and make-up are both dear to my heart, I am also a giddy girl when it comes to clothes! NYFW is the ultimate dream come true for both designers and consumers alike: beautiful clothes, killer shoes, accessories to die for...all in one of the greatest cities in the world. What's not to like?? So, even though I couldn't be in New York this time of year, it's still nice to have something that connects me to it all.

When I saw the Maybelline display, the first thing that caught my eye was the model's bold red lips and secondly, her cute blue-gray nails. I picked up both the nail polish and one of the 2 red lipsticks offered. I haven't done a manicure with the polish yet, so for now I have for you the lipstick!

This is from the Color Sensational line, just like this one, but unlike the other's pale pinkness, #939 Wined & Dined is defininitely on the bolder end of the spectrum.

Wined & Dined is a deep brick red, the exact shade of red that I've always wanted to rock with pale, flawless skin, a slick cat eye, and perhaps some faux fur and a pair of slick knee-high boots. ;) In other words, it's precisely what I would imagine myself wearing if I were roaming the streets of New York right now, at this beautiful time of year when summer is beginning to fade into fall.

It's pretty much perfect for fall and winter. I think it's actually more wearable than a blue-based red, especially during the day. It's a very sophisticated red that, if used moderately, could be worn to both work and a black tie affair. I'm in love!

The shade has an old Hollywood feel to it, and would be flattering on both medium and light skin tones. The formula is quite opaque without being drying, just like the rest of the Color Sensational line.

The only bad thing about this lipstick (though it is by no means the product's failure) is that I have to take my time applying it, but this is typical of every red lipstick. The effort it takes to put this on perfectly is worth it though! I'm very happy with the results :)

Be back later with the nail polish!

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #36

Today is all about the last of the three Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks that I picked up. Unlike her sisters #37 and #38, which I picked up as an afterthought (reviews and swatches here and here), I went into Sephora knowing for sure that I wanted #36 after reviewing the colors available online. I had been looking for the perfect, shimmer-free hot pink, and never found exactly what I was looking for until MUFE came out with this line.

Straight out of the tube, #36 already looked promising. It's bright, bold, and without a hint of sparkle. Yay!


Performance-wise, it's just as pigmented and long-lasting as I expected. I was and continue to be really impressed with this line of lipsticks.


This is a swatch of #36 next to a swatch of the go-to fuchsia that I had before: Lancome Color Fever in Rock Icon Fuchsia. While I still love my Lancome, it has a blue sheen to it that made it darker than I wanted in a hot pink lipstick. I never classified it as anything other than FUCHSIA. The MUFE is perfect in that it is pure hot pink on the lips!


Here's #36 on my lips. For some reason, its daring color brings out different sides in me. ;) I initially wanted a hot pink lipstick to wear for nights out instead of the typical nude or red. This is definitely a fun color that's great for night time when worn in its full glory, but at the same time, it looks beautiful during the day time when you pat it on sparingly like a stain.


This is a more blurry, unfocused swatch, but the lip color shown is actually more true-to-life than the swatch above. BRIGHT, right?


I told you this lipstick brings out different sides of me! :P I feel almost like a rock star with this color. Paired with a light steel/gunmetal smoky eye or a defined cat eye with black liquid liner, #36 would complete the look nicely.


Here's the nicer side of the lipstick. :D Unfortunately, my camera isn't good enough to pick up the true richness of the pink. In fact, it drastically washes out the color :/


This one makes me the happiest out of the 3 Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks I have! Though I no longer have endless summer nights to wear this, I'll gladly transition this bold shade into autumn. It's definitely atypical to wear a shade like this during autumn and winter. After I bought this though, it was mentioned in Allure's Daily Beauty Reporter as one of the Top 5 Fall Trends. So I guess I'm not the only one who thinks hot pink is appropriate for warming up colder days? ;) Who needs scarves and mittens when this smoking color is on your lips? Haha!


Have a great weekend everyone! If you get the chance, definitely go check out #36!

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #38

I did a review on these new Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks here, but last time I only showed swatches of #37. Today I have a closer look at my personal favorite out of the three that I got. This is #38, which is described as a "satin coral."


I have been obsessed with corals and peaches since the beginning of spring, and the obsession doesn't seem like it's going to end any time soon! I don't like the color orange because it tends to be too harsh, but corals and peaches are much more soft and pretty. Like the other two MUFE lipsticks, this one is extremely pigmented and wears well.


Swatch on my arm


Comparison with the other peachy lipsticks I have


I like #38 because it's the most wearable out of the three that I picked up. I've been reaching for it everyday since it's the most work appropriate. I think I've been trying to get the most out of my corals and brights before I have to transition to berries and reds for fall!


Love it!!!


For more of my thoughts on the Make Up For Ever Artist Intense lipstick line, read this review


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It's currently 8:30pm here in California and I'm having dinner by myself with a glass of white wine. Peace and quiet. Aaaahh it's finally time to unwind and watch some tv!

Hope everyone is having a good day/night! :)

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense #37

From one of my favorite make-up brands ever comes their newest Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks. The moment I saw the promo images and read the description, I knew they would be right up my alley. I lovelovelove bright lip colors, and with 50 new shades to choose from in matte/satin/pearl finishes (and a handy color wheel to help you choose your perfect shade based on skin and hair color--although you shouldn't take it as the final say), I knew I was bound to find something I would like. These are a Sephora exclusive, so I went there with the intention of just swatching them...but ended up walking out with 3. What can I say? They were just too nice to pass up!


While the nude shades looked ok, what really caught my eyes were the colors from #31 and on. These were the pinks, raspberries, corals, and reds that were the most attractive to me! There was even an orange, some dark purples, and, yes, a black. Coincidentally, the ones that I ended up liking the most were consecutive numbers--36, 37, and 38. I didn't really want anything with a matte or pearly finish, so these satin lipsticks were just right.


I don't recall MUFE having individual names for any of their make-up shades, so you have to go by numbers when you're shopping for their items. Starting from the left: #36 (satin fuchsia), #37 (satin bright pink), and #38 (satin coral). My pictures don't really do the shades justice, as they are actually very bright and pigmented (50% more pigment than traditional lipsticks) in real life. Therefore, these Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks are not for the shy of lips. They really mean it when they say that you can get immediately rich color in one swipe. I find that I don't need more than one swipe each for my top and bottom lips to achieve the full effect. Sometimes, I only use one swipe on my bottom lip and blend it with the top for a sheer wash of color that I would usually get after many layers from other lipsticks (Paul & Joe, I'm talking to you!).


The one I'm reviewing today is #37, which is the satin bright pink. This color stood out to me for its brightness. Though it's described as a bright pink, I think it leans more towards a more orange coral/red.


Here it is in the tube (I forgot to take a picture of it before I swatched it. Whoops!)


And a swatch on my arm. See what I mean? It looks more coral than pink to me.


For comparison's sake, I also swatched my YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Paris and M.A.C. Viva Glam Cyndi. They are similar, but in real life the M.A.C. is a lot more muted and the YSL is much more orange.


Close up swatch of the lips


And what it looks like on me. By the way, this is what my hair looks like in the morning before it's been straightened! I took this picture as I was getting ready for work.

For $19, I feel that these lipsticks are a pretty good deal. They pack a lot of punch without requiring a lot of layers, so I can tell these will last me a while. They are cheaper than other high-end lipsticks but have way more colors and finishes for you to choose from. I wasn't particularly fond of the matte or pearly finish because they were a bit drying, but the satin finish was fine to me. Also, because these are so pigmented, you have to make sure your lips are moisturized and flake-free or else it won't go on as nicely. They are long-lasting: I usually get between 4-5 hours of wear out of them without reapplying. This particular shade is noticeable and eye-catching without having to wear a red lipstick; it also adds a fun pop of color to an otherwise neutral face.

At first, I kept hemming and hawing on whether I should get this shade. What finally convinced me to get this color? After I put it on my lips, I walked around Sephora to browse some more before I made a final decision. As I was walking around, 2 different people asked me what shade I was wearing and immediately headed to the MUFE display after I told them. The salesgirl who rang me up also asked what brand and shade I was wearing so that she could check it out during her break. Did I really need more convincing? Apparently not. Haha :)


Have you tried the Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks? Any thoughts and color suggestions?



(Reviews and swatches of #36 and #38 coming soon!)

NARS Lipstick in Fast Ride

While I love summer and its fun, endless opportunities, my favorite season is actually winter. With the fall already here, winter is just around the corner. I love autumn and winter because of the prospect of a new school year and the holidays. I also love autumn and winter make up and fashion much more than the floral, less-is-more mentality of spring and summer. This time of year is all about the mixture of classiness/edginess with plenty of pea coats and motorcycle jackets, scarves and gloves, plaid and black rocker chic, to name a few . These things pair perfectly with darker, more dramatic looks, which I tend to be drawn to.

And so I present to you my first transition into this season, with a NARS lipstick in Fast Ride from their newest collection. This is described as a sheer mulberry, and sheer it is! Although it looks kinda scary in the tube, one swatch on my hand was enough to confirm that this is actually a very wearable, buildable color. I had to really layer it on to get the desired, dark lip look that I was going for. This lipstick is foolproof! One swipe will give you a pretty natural, stained lip sort of look, while a few more layers will make the color more prominent (but still not as dark as the tube would have you believe)

The close ups are not that great, since the smooth surface of the lipstick has been broken thanks to my constant swatching :x

Here are some pictures of me wearing it. Again, not the best quality since these were taken after a long day of work, at night, without natural lighting.

No flash

With flash. I like how it pairs up nicely with my nail polish! haha :) Very classy (although I plan to wear this with more edgy clothing)

If you're looking for a versatile lipstick for this season, NARS Fast Ride may be it!

Shu Uemura Haul

As you may or may not know, Shu Uemura had a 20% off sale to celebrate their new website a few weeks ago. I've never bought anything from Shu, but I figured I might as well take advantage of the sale to grab a few things! I've never seen a Shu counter at Sephora, but I've been reading a lot about their highly-raved about lipstick from the Red Collection in RD 165--supposedly the perfect red for all skin tones. That, and the Pink Collection were things that caught my eye when I looked through the site. I decided on two RD 165's (one for me, and one for a dear friend who's also been on the search for a perfect red) and a lippie and lipgloss from the new Pink Collection~


I also got a sample of the Phyto Black Lift Lifting Anti-Wrinkle Essence for signing up on their website


I must admit that part of the reason why I'm so enamored with Shu Uemura is because of the cool packaging of their lipsticks haha. It just looks so modern and unique! I like how it's see-through :)


This is a close-up of the RD 165. I've tried it on my lips and it's a nice bright red, super classy-looking! I'll take more pictures of my lips later to show~


Here's one of the Pink Collection's lippies....I got it in PK 316 which is a warm rosy pink


Close-up~


And a lipgloss also from the Pink Collection in PK 315N, a sheer melon pink


The applicator is stick-straight, how different!


Swatches from left to right: red lippie, pink lippie, and gloss


So far I'm loving my Shu products. I really want to get more! The lipsticks are nicely pigmented and moisturizing. The gloss is not too sticky and the pink color is so cute and pretty. Here I am wearing some lip balm with the pink lipstick on top


I like it! A more natural, wearable pink than my YSL Rouge Volupte Fetish Pink lippie. I don't have to have a mirror to check to see if I'm applying it evenly because it's not as matte or pigmented as the YSL. I've been reaching for it a lot over the past couple of days!



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Random photos:

My view from the plane as I was leaving Norcal to go back to LA last weekend....cool view of SF!! There's the Bay Bridge and the City!


After the boy picked me up from the airport, we got some lunch and stopped by my favorite dessert cafe Haus for some sweets. Yum yummm Cheesecake From Heaven is always a must :D


And a delicious patbingsoo~ Korean ice shavings dessert with condensed milk, sweet red beans, fruits, and--that white stuff on top?--yummy chewy ddeok (rice cakes)


This weekend, I had some mad cravings for Mexican food. So for lunch on Saturday I went to my favorite Mexican place and had steak and carnitas tacos.....soooo good


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My NYX haul came in last week, so I'll be doing a post on that too. Happy Tuesday!