MAC A Fantasy of Flowers - Lipstick and Blush - Swatches and Review

A Fantasy of Flowers -  What a perfect name for the spring collection! It simply makes me want the weather to get warmer and go outside to smell the flowers.

I received the email of the release of this collection and I figured I would take a sneak peek at work. Obviously it ended up being me purchasing a couple things afterwards. 

There were several repromoted products which I have a few so I wasn't so thrilled about those. (MAC seems to be doing it quite often lately) I got a lipstick - Snapdragon and a blush - Azalea in the Afternoon. The Snapdragon seems to be the unique color in this collection and I fall in love with the name of the blush when I came across it...

MAC Snapdragon Lipstick: It was described as a mid tone blue pink - Correct. But note it is a lustre finish with a bit of a shimmer to it. I usually hate (okay, that's a strong word, dislike then) lipsticks with shimmer in it. But this one I liked, it was subtle. The lustre finish tends to be very light but this one you can actually build it up! It's quite perfect for the winter/spring months! Also, it's quite long lasting - 5 hours, surprisingly and it fades very nicely!

  

(SnapDragon on my lips <3)

MAC Azalea in the Afternoon Mineralize Blush: Ah.. How should I start with this blush! It's quite a long story... I ordered the blush based on the name (you might not think that's a good idea?) and the description of the color. I was very excited about the arrival of the package until I saw Temptalia's review of it. She described it as a very light frosty pink and gave it a B (or maybe a B-). I almost wanted to just have MAC retrieve the shipment. Nevertheless, the package arrived and I immediately opened it and swatched the blush, oh man, I was so glad that I ordered it!! The pigmentation is great and the color is gorgeous! It does have a tiny bit of gold shimmer to it but not as much as the Petal Power. It's a cool pink toned blush that's so flattering on cheeks. It is powdery which is similar to the other mineralize blushes. 

(MAC Azalea in the Afternoon Mineralize Blush swatch on my hand - weird angle, hmm)

I will probably go to a MAC store/counter to check out more products in this collection. For now, I'm happy with the products. I like the subtle shimmer and color payoff of these two. Oh and I made a little heart with these two products (Snapdragon filled with Azalea in the Afternoon) <3

x

Mimi

REN Radiance Perfection Serum Review

REN -  There's so much hype about this brand and its radiance mask.

I have way too many mask products that I did not want to purchase another one. What would be the closest/concentrated product to use that I also need? I figured that would be a serum. I have been looking for a good serum before putting on moisturizer, then I got this - REN Radiance Perfection Serum.

I have been using this serum for about three months now that I believe it's a good time to write a review about it. 

It claims to be "A multi active serum formulated to reboot the skin’s energy cycle, visibly perfect skin tone and leave skin looking energised, radiant and luminous" with an end result of "looks more energised, radiant, even toned, plumped and healthy". 

Now, I like the consistency of the serum very much. It's so fast absorbing but also moisturizing at the same time. It goes on so smoothly and I like the organic/herbal scent of it. The main reason for my purchase was to help dealing with hyper-pigmentation. It doesn't have a dramatic effect that I could observe the night I put it on but I do notice a difference in the morning that my skin is smoother and more radiant. I have pretty much finished the bottle but I don't see a significant improvement on dealing with hyper-pigmentation. It overall brighten up the skin which helps but there's not that much of a magic to say about it. However, one thing I do like is how it makes my skin feels. Compared to a lot of the high-end expensive serum, I do consider this one a good buy given the texture and the result it delivers. Plus, it doesn't break me out which is always a plus! Would I repurchase again? Probably.

x

Mimi

Laura Mercier Artist Palette and Anastasia Lavish Palette

These two eyeshadows palettes have been getting a lot of hype since they were released. I am usually not a huge fan of palettes because they aren't the best things to travel with or carry around. However, I caved in, for both of these:

Laura Mercier Artist Palette and Anastasia Lavish Palette

The colors in these two palettes were quite different but equally stunnning! Most people would say that the Anastasia Lavish Palette is better from the cost-saving and money-worth standpoint because you not only get 10 eyeshadows but also liner, pencil, twizzer and a brush (not a fan of the brush). The Laura Mercier Artist Palette has a better packaging with 12 eyeshadows with a slightly better quality. The African Violet color in the Artist Palette literally took my breath away the first time I saw it and I fall in love with it everytime I use it. It's just a gorgeous purple/violet color with a hint of gold. Perfect. There's a color - Black Diamond -  in the Lavish Palette that's quite amazing as well. It's great for a smokey eye look without looking dirty. The Rum Cake is a good every day color I use since I've owned the palette.

Now the Urban Decay Naked 3 is out. I went in to Sephora and checked it out. The light pink color doesn't suit me as well as the ones in the Laura Mercier Artist Palette. The Artist Palette is extremely flattering for brown eyes with the purple range from dark to very light violet. 

Between these two palette, the verdict would be that Laura Mercier Artist Palette wins! I think I love it a lot more and I have owned both for about two months now and I definitely reach out for the Artist palette more often than the Lavish palette.

x

Mimi

Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipstick in #501 Peony Review and Swatch

Okay... I need to admit it that I wanted to get hold of one of those Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy CC Lipsticks since I received its first promotional email. I am totally a sucker for its glorious red packaging. I couldn't stop thinking whipping out this lipstick out of my purse... Yes. I went for it when I first saw it at the Giorgio Armani counter at Nordstrom. I tried a couple of the colors and I was completely in love with the one I picked in the end - #501 Peony. Ever since I started wearing Jo Malone's Peony and Blush Suede scent, I've been obsessed with anything Peony. But I have to tell you, this lipstick offers more than the packaging and the beautiful name. 

I will start with the packaging. It's simply bold and glamorous. The level of luxurious feeling it offers is no less than the Tom Ford black/gold combination... I LOVE IT. It also has the magnetic lipstick cap -  same as the Burberry one. 

It's called "CC Lipstick" and claimed to be the newest technology which combines lip care with high impact color effect. The color is gorgeous as you can see from the swatch below. It's quite long lasting -  4 to 5 hours - drinking but no eating. I will do a kissing test and report back but for now I'm quite satisfied with it! I apologize that I took the picture at night time so the lighting might be a bit off but I really wanted to rave this product before I leave for my vacation! Of course, I'm totally carrying this in my purse with me!

The color definitely looks better on my lips than on my wrist. It totally brightens up my complexion and I absolutely adore it! I'm already thinking what the next color I should reward myself with next time I go shopping, maybe Heat? maybe Scarlatto? maybe Dolci? Ohhh I want them all...

x

Mimi

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer Review + Swatches (Celestial, Nova, Galaxy, Stellar)

Ever since there was the hype on Rimmel's Apocalips, I've been wanting to get hold of them! However, it took a while for us in the US to get them. Finally, I found them in Walgreens on one random visit. 

Now, I will start off with the packaging. They look pretty much the same as the UK version Apocalips. Average drug store product packaging, note the color on the packaging is similar or say a representative of the color inside but don't rely on them! I got four of them at once, as shown below. 

Color: From top to bottom in all three pictures are Celestial, Nova, Galaxy, and Stellar.

The swatches look nice, don't they?! They are extremely pigmented! All of the swatches above are just one stroke of each. 

Application: Easy. The sponge tip is great for application. It's super smooth and silky. It settles into a semi-matte finish which is very nice.

BUT, let's talk about the wear. The wear of these lip lacquers are so disappointing!! They are definitely not long lasting. The amazing pigmentation only lasts for less than an hour and starts to wear off. The part that's very frustrating is that it settles all on the boarders of my lips and that's not an attractive look. I'm not someone who checks in the mirror all the time so I really can't deal with this. Due to this reason, I've only worn the color Stellar once even though it's such a bright and beautiful color. My favorite color would be Celestial - lightest of all and it doesn't cause any embarrassment even if the color faded quickly because it faded "quietly" too.. The way I use to reduce the fading effect is apply some similar color lipstick underneath, blot lips, and use Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer as a lip-gloss. Even that, it doesn't prevent it from fading, just a better fading effect...

x

Mimi