Karly Creates

MAC Lipsticks for Everyday (Neutrals, Pinks, Plums, Berries) Comparisons & Favorites | Makeup Collection

2015-11-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

MAC lipsticks are "holy grail" or "HG" items for many people out there who love makeup. They're awesome because there are many pigmented hues to choose from in a variety of different finishes. The great quality seems consistent wherever and whenever you buy them, and the simple, iconic black bullet packaging is sleek and chic. They smell faintly of vanilla, pleasant and not overpowering at all. Maybe I'm weird, but it is pretty satisfying to open up a newly bought lip product and see a pristine, untouched lipstick. It's the little things in life sometimes, eh?

My current MAC lipstick collection as of Nov. 2015 consists of:
(Total: 33)
* = Favorites

Neutrals / Pinks: (Closer to "My Lips But Better" / "MLBB")
Brave (Pink-beige with white pearl) - Satin
Cosmo (Pink coco) - Amplified Creme
Fast Play (Neutral pink) - Amplified Creme
*Crème in your Coffee (Creamy mid-tone pink brown) - Cremesheen
*Twig (Soft muted brownish-pink) - Satin
Retro (Muted peachy-pinky brown) - Satin
Verve (Muted brownish-plum) - Satin
Whirl (Dirty rose) - Matte

Plums / Berries: (Wearable and everyday to a little bolder)
Amorous (Lovestruck cranberry) - Satin
Craving (Burst of plum) - Amplified Creme
Captive (Pinkish-plum) - Satin
*Plumful (Blossoming rose-plum) - Lustre
Brick-O-La (Mid-tone berry) - Amplified Creme
Del Rio (Muted plum-brown) - Satin
Rebel (Midtonal cream plum) - Satin
*Party Line (Red-toned plum) - Cremesheen
Hang-up (Deep berry) - Cremesheen

I normally buy MAC lip products from either MACcosmetics.com or Nordstrom.com. When I order makeup online (after extensive swatch research on various skin tones), I feel like there is a better chance that people haven't been touching all over it and opening the packages up. I have bought some MAC foundations in-store though, after a makeup artist matched the product to my skin tone. (Apparently I'm NC25, if you're curious.)

Pricing isn't too bad. It's mid-level pricing if you compare it to drugstore vs. mid to high-end and department store brands. In 2014, it used to be $15 per lipstick or lip liner, in early 2015, it was $16, now rolling into 2016, it's $17-18. Wow, prices are really going up quickly, but if you compare it to normal mid to high-end lipstick brands at Sephora or Nordstrom (ranging from $20-37 per bullet), it's still a great price, for sure.

Next MAC post will feature my more daring colors...

NOTE: These initial posts are more of a summary or record for myself of what I currently have. I will try to put up swatches as soon as I can, but I hope the side-by-side comparisons help you see the difference in colors and finishes in the meantime. :-)

Reds: (Bold, classic lips)
Viva Glam 1 (Intense brownish blue-red) - Matte
Dark Deed - Limited edition Holiday 2013
*Dare You (Deep brown red) - Cremesheen
*Russian Red (Intense bluish-red) - Matte
Ruby Woo (Very matte vivid blue-red) - Retro Matte
*Lady Danger (Vivid bright coral-red) - Matte
Chili (Brownish orange-red) - Matte
Dark Side (Deep burgundy) - Amplified Creme
Studded Kiss (Dark oxblood red) - Matte
Diva (Intense reddish-burgundy) - Matte
D for Danger - Matte

Brights: (Bold, statement lips)
Up the Amp (Lavender violet) - Amplified Creme
Heroine (Bright purple) - Matte
All Fired Up (Bright fuchsia matte) - Retro Matte
Flat Out Fabulous (Bright plum matte) - Retro Matte
Girl About Town (Bright blue fuchsia) - Amplified Creme

My MAC lip liners are:
*Soar Lip Pencil (Mid-tone pinkish brown)
Whirl Lip Pencil (Dirty rose)
Beurre Cremestick Liner (Dirty plum) - Cream
Vino Lip Pencil (Intense violet-purple, travel size, Limited edition Holiday 2013)

Cheers,
Karly

Breaking Bad - TV Worth Watching | Favorites

2015-06-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I watched 'Breaking Bad' from the very beginning in 2008, and followed along every week it aired until the show ended in 2013. It is one of my favorite TV shows of all time.

STORY SYNOPSIS ONE-LINER
A high school chemistry teacher gets a terminal cancer diagnosis, and starts to produce and sell meth with one of his ex-students, so he can make some money to leave to his family.

(I don't want to go into much more detail because I'm not a spoiler. Plus unless you've been living under a rock, you already know of the award-winning show by now.) ;-D

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH
It is one of the best TV shows in existence, at least in my opinion obviously. The extremely unique storyline, the ups and downs, dark and twisty turns, character development, superb acting, simple real-life sets, subtle humor, intense situations, etc. Even if it's not your type of show, it's definitely worth a try. Watch the first few episodes and see if you can get into it.

Some people read the short summary on IMDb.com or hear about it from a friend and pass on it because it sounds weird. Chemistry teacher who sells meth. WTF, right?
You just have to move past that and start watching to realize how complex and interesting the show is.
As you follow with each episode and on through the seasons, there is a tangled web which the characters weave together. The line between good and bad gets very blurry, and that is what you would want in a crime / drama / thriller type of show. You want to see the depth in the characters and the story. As in real life and in the show, not many things are in black or white, there is a lot of grey area.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Bryan Cranston has already received so much praise for his performance as Walter White / Heisenberg. Most people knew him as Malcolm in the Middle's slapstick dad, and then he blew viewers away with his intense, dark and impressive performance in 'Breaking Bad.'

Aaron Paul was originally meant to have a minor role as Jesse Pinkman, but the actor did such a good job, he got written in as Walter White's other half. The rollercoaster relationship between the duo framed out the rest of the story. Teacher-student..father figure-son..friend..foe...

I'm only mentioning the main 2 actors, but the entire cast was really great, not a dud in the bunch.
Notable characters: Hank Schrader, Saul, Mike Ehrmantraut, Gus Fring, Skyler, Marie, Walt, Jr.

Vince Gilligan, the creator and show runner, wrote for 'The X-Files' back in the mid-1990s to early-2000s. 'X-Files' is one of the most beloved, cult-classic sci-fi TV shows, and if he wrote several episodes for it, he has got some major credibility in my book.

If you haven't seen it yet, you're lucky you get to binge-watch and marathon through it now. If only we could selectively wipe certain memories and experience our favorite things all over again as if they were new. :-)

Cheers,
Karly

NYX Intense Butter Gloss | Makeup Collection

2015-06-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

NYX Intense Butter Glosses pack more pigment punch than the original, more natural-looking Butter Glosses. Of course I had to pick up some of the colors. The addiction is real, ha.

Currently I have: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12
1 Napoleon - Bright tea rose pink
2 Berry Strudel - Violet with blue undertone
3 Toasted Marshmallow - Mauve purple
4 Orangesicle - Orange
5 Apple Crisp - True red with blue undertone
6 Chocolate Crepe - Deep beige
7 Banana Split - Pastel peach
8 Funnel Delight - Hot pink
9 Sorbet - Baby pink
10 Black Cherry Tart - Deep vamp purple
11 Tres Leches - Nude
12 Spice Cake - Deep plum
I like the ones I picked and I think they're easier to wear than the remaining colors. If I like a product or line, I always try to get a mix of nude/natural, mauve-y, and a couple pops of wearable bright colors.

Here's a breakdown of the current available colors as of June 2015 on the NYXCosmetics.com website:

TOP PICKS:
If I had to pick my favorite one, I'd go with 3 Toasted Marshmallow. I also like 6 Chocolate Crepe, 11 Tres Leches and 12 Spice Cake.

For reference, I'm Asian, a bit tan, light-medium with neutral to yellow undertones, NC25 in MAC foundations.

Swatches Indoors, Near the Window:

Swatches Outside, in Sunlight:

Cheers,
Karly

NYX Butter Gloss | Makeup Collection

2015-06-06T21:50:00.002-07:00

NYX Butter Glosses are so easy to apply, and they're very comfortable to wear.
If you don't eat or drink much right after you put it on, the color will stay there for a few hours before you have to re-apply. They have a pleasant cake or vanilla scent from the tube, but they don't smell like much on your lips. It's a good way to add a bit of color when you just want a simple, natural touch, nothing too bold or crazy.

Here's a breakdown of the current available colors as of June 2015 on the NYXCosmetics.com website:

Currently I have: All of the colors except for 13, 14, 16, 17.
1 Strawberry Parfait - Fuchsia
2 Eclair - Pink
3 Peaches and Cream - Pink Coral
4 Merengue - Pink lilac
5 Creme Brulee - Natural
6 Peach Cobbler - Red-orange
7 Tiramisu - Brown
8 Apple Strudel - Peach
9 Vanilla Cream Pie - Mauve
10 Cherry Cheese Cake - Orange
11 Maple Blondie - Deep Peach
12 Cherry Pie - Red
13 Fortune Cookie - True nude
14 Madeleine - Mid-tone nude
15 Angel Food Cake - True mauve
16 Praline - Deep nude
17 Ginger Snap - Chocolate brown
18 Cupcake - Hot pink
19 Sugar Cookie - Bright fuchsia
20 Red Velvet - Deep red
21 Raspberry Tart - Violet
22 Devil’s Food Cake - Deep plum

I didn't buy the remaining 4 colors because I just felt like they wouldn't suit me. For reference, I'm Asian, a bit tan, light-medium with neutral to yellow undertones, NC25 in MAC foundations.
13 seemed like it would be too white-based and would wash me out. 14 seemed a bit brown. 16 and 17 seemed too dark brown for me.

TOP PICKS:
My favorite one that I wear the most is probably 7 Tiramisu because it's a nude or natural-looking lip color for me. Dare I say..MLBB? It is described as "Brown" on the website, but really has some pink in it. I also like 15 Angel Food Cake and 20 Red Velvet, but there are so many nice shades.

Cheers,
Karly

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream | Makeup Collection

2015-06-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams are fun to try out and have in one's collection. Although I don't like them as much as the NYX Butter Glosses, I can appreciate that they dry down to a matte finish for a little more staying power.

They are a bit chalky I suppose, but not uncomfortably so. My bf didn't really care for them, but I don't think boys understand why girls like matte lip products. He prefers natural looking gloss or just my bare lips, go figure..ha. Glosses don't last long enough though, so in came the trend of matte lip creams, lip stains, stay all day and everlasting liquid lipsticks, etc.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams aren't that long lasting, but they fall somewhere in the middle in terms of comfort and wear time.
Here's a breakdown of the current available colors as of June 2015 on the NYXCosmetics.com website:

For some reason, on the NYX site, the swatch numbers are a little mixed up right at the beginning (it starts with 3, 1, 2, 4 and then goes on in the correct order. I clicked on one of them in the screenshot, so you can see the numbering.) Oh well. Anyway, I've put the numbers, names and color descriptions to the left of the site swatches for quick reference.

Currently I have: 1, 5, 8, 10, 17, 18, 19, 22
1 Amsterdam - Pure Red
2 Stockholm - Mid-tone beige pink
3 Tokyo - Bubblegum pink
4 London - Mid-tone beige
5 Antwerp - Mid-tone yellow-toned pink
6 Istanbul - Clean pink
7 Addis Ababa - Bright fuchsia
8 San Paulo - Plummy pink
9 Abu Dhabi - Deep rose-beige
10 Monte Carlo - Deep cranberry red
11 Milan - Mid-tone blue-toned pink
12 Buenos Aires - Soft coral
13 Sydney - Soft lavender
14 Zurich - Matte muted rose
15 Athens - Matte peach beige
16 Cairo - Matte pure nude
17 Ibiza - Matte deep rose pink
18 Prague - Matte merlot
19 Cannes - Matte muted mauve
20 Copenhagen - Matte rich plum
21 Transylvania - Matte deep violet
22 Morocco - Matte coral orange

I think I may do some lip and arm swatches at a later date, but for now I just wanted to record which colors I currently have in my stash, and to provide the easy reference for anyone who stumbles upon my site. These have been around for a while, so there are already a gazillion swatches on the Internet anyway. For me, this post serves more as a check list of what I have and what I might want to try out in the future.

TOP PICKS
I think I like 8 San Paulo, 18 Prague and 19 Cannes the best.

Cheers,

Karly

Target One Spot - Crafty and Thrifty

2015-05-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

I have always loved stationery and crafts, like many girls. I visited the Target One Spot, or $1/Dollar Spot, to see what kind of crafty goods I'd be able to procure. I had seen on YouTube videos and blogs that people enjoyed scouring this section of Target, along with many other discount stores, to find lower cost items for creative projects.

I was not disappointed. I found several items for $1-$3, and the whole trip cost me less than $20. See what I bought below -

Woo, Target!

Other places that would have crafty and thrifty items would be: Michael's, JoAnn, HobbyLobby, Daiso, Dollar Tree, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, etc.