Allura

Review & Swatches: Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in “Golden Pink”

2013-05-18T16:57:25Z

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink

Availability: Sephora
Price: $28.00

Company’s Description

A long-lasting, waterproof eye shadow that glides on easy like a stroke of genius. Shade, define, smoke up, and highlight your eyes with this do-it-all eye shadow formula. It glides onto your lids tug-free and is completely waterproof, so it can play as rough as you do. Choose from subtle to eye-popping shades that last for up to eight hours without creasing, flaking, or fading.

Bobbi Brown’s new Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Sticks come in eight (8) different shades. This review is for the shade Golden Pink–a shimmering pink peach color.

If you would like to see photos and swatches of all eight (8) shades, please see this post.

Packaging: 9.25/10

The Long Wear Cream Shadow Sticks come in cylindrical, plastic tubes with pull-off caps. The tubes twist to reveal more product so that you do not have to sharpen it.

Quality: 9.25/10

Golden Pink is a glittery champagne color with an almost undetectable pinch of pink. Of the Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick shades in the permanent line, this has the largest glitter particles. Despite this, this shade looks beautiful on the lids and its more gritty quality can only be noticed up close.

The formula for this eye shadow is very creamy without being too soft. The shadow glides over the skin. This shadow dries and sets within a matter of several seconds. After that, it’s smudge-, water-, and fade-resistant. With primer applied, creasing began after about six (6) hours of wear.

Ease of Use: 9.75/10

This shadow’s creamy formula glides onto the skin without tugging on your lid or skipping.

Price: 7/10

For $28.00 you get 0.05 ounces of product. Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Shadows contain almost three times as much product (0.14 ounces) and cost less ($20.00). MAC’s Shadesticks contain about the same amount as Bobbi Brown’s Shadow Sticks but cost less than $20.00 each.

Final Grade

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick Box

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick Swatches:
Vanilla, Violet Plum, Bark, Golden Pink

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink Swatch

Disclosure
This sample was provided for consideration purposes by the brand or a PR company. Reviews are always honest and never paid for.

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencils

2013-05-17T02:19:51Z

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencils

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $21.00

Company’s Description

Creamy yet weightless, powerful metallic chrome colour in limited-edition shades. Combination of large and small particle pearls gives shimmering, multi-dimensional sparkle. Layers for intense vibrancy or blends easily for soft shine. Ophthalmologist tested.

This review is for the four (4) limited edition Powerchrome Eye Pencils releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Rich Glance: Light gold
Copper Strip: Frosty mid-tone copper
Life’s Luxury: Deep bronze brown
Polished Jet: Charcoal with pearl

Rich Glance is a frosted, very pale gold. Copper Strip is a milk chocolate brown with a golden sheen. Life’s Luxury is a deep brown with red pearls. Polished Jet is a charcoal with silver glitter that flashes an almost-forest-green color.

These pencils have a very creamy formula, so you won’t have to tug at your lids or find that they skip. The colors have great pigmentation. And the shades go a long time without creasing–at least six (6) hours without primer, and for over eight (8) with primer. You can use this product as an eye liner, eye shadow, or base.

Each pencil weighs 0.055 ounces and costs $21.00 each. This is a very small amount of product given the amount you are paying–more expensive than almost all of MAC’s competitor brands.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencils

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencil Swatches:
Rich Glance, Copper Strip, Life’s Luxury, Polished Jet

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencil: Rich Glance Swatch

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencil: Copper Strip Swatch

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencil: Life’s Luxury Swatch

MAC Temperature Rising Powerchrome Eye Pencil: Polished Jet Swatch

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in “Temperature Rising”

2013-05-17T02:20:36Z

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Temperature Rising

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $44.00

Company’s Description

An Eye Shadow Quad packaged in a limited-edition soft touch bronze compact in four shades: Temperature Rising, Performance Art, Swelter and Beauty Marked. The highly pigmented powder formula applies evenly, blends and builds beautifully.

This review is for the Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Performance Art: Frosted gold mauve (Veluxe Pearl)
Swelter: Mid-tone grey violet (Frost)
Temperature Rising: Light warm tanned peach (Lustre)
Beauty Marked: Charcoal black with red pearl (Velvet) (Permanent)

Performance Art is a shimmery, slate lilac. Temperature Rising is a slightly peachy nude at its base and has copper flecks in it. This is a curious color–there’s not much to the base and because the base color is similar to the copper flecks, they don’t reflect noticeably. But if you put this on top of a dark base, you can get the copper flecks to be more noticeable. Swelter is a slightly shimmery, medium slate lavender. Beauty Marked is a deep charcoal with red shimmer.

Beauty Marked is the driest of of the shades, but overall this is a good palette. The shades have good pigmentation and, while they don’t have the creamiest formula, they don’t require too much layering to get an even finish.

For $44.00 you get 5.6 grams (0.19 ounces) of eye shadow. The price increase is purely due to MAC’s use of a different color for the compacts in this collection.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Temperature Rising

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Temperature Rising Swatches:
Performance Art, Temperature Rising, Swelter, Beauty Marked

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in “Bare My Soul”

2013-05-17T01:49:47Z

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Bare My Soul

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $44.00

Company’s Description

An Eye Shadow Quad packaged in a limited-edition soft touch bronze compact in four shades: Bare My Soul, When In Rio, Friendly and Romantico. The highly pigmented powder formula applies evenly, blends and builds beautifully.

This review is for the Bare My Soul Eye Shadow Quad releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Bare My Soul: Frosted gold (Lustre)
When in Rio: Deep green with copper pearl (Frost)
Summer Indulgence: Deep bronze chocolate (Veluxe Pearl)
Romantico: Light taupe bronze (Veluxe Pearl)

Romantico is a shimmering, light, taupe-brown. Bare My Soul is a shimmery, light gold. Summer Indulgence is a shimmery, golden chocolate brown. When in Rio is a frosted, shimmery forest green with a deep green base.

When in Rio needs the most pressure and layering to get a smooth finish, but overall, this is a good quad. The colors have good pigmentation and, while they don’t have the softest formula, apply to the skin pretty smoothly.

For $44.00 you get 5.6 grams (0.19 ounces) of eye shadow. The price increase is purely due to MAC’s use of a different color for the compacts in this collection.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Bare My Soul

MAC Temperature Rising Eye Shadow Quad in Bare My Soul Swatches:
Romantico, Bare My Soul, Summer Indulgence, When In Rio

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Lipsticks

2013-05-16T21:36:19Z

MAC Temperature Rising Lipsticks

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $16.50

Company’s Description

Colour plus texture for lips. Stands out on the runway and simmers on the street. It’s what made M∙A∙C famous. Limited-edition soft-touch bronze packaging.

This review is for the four (4) limited edition Lipsticks releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Altered Beige: Creamy yellow beige (Lustre)
Feel My Pulse: Vivid magenta violet (Cremesheen)
Sheer Seduction: Super dazzle bronze (Dazzle)
Caliente: Super dazzle violet (Dazzle)

Altered Beige is a creamy nude without shimmer. This shade is translucent, so you won’t get an opaque layer of color, even with layering. This is a good nude shade that lightens your lips without making them look sickly.

Feel My Pulse is a red-violet that looks more pink on the lips than in the tube and gives off a semi-opaque finish.

Sheer Seduction is a bronze-copper with lots of pink and gold glitter particles. This shade is more shimmer than underlying color, which means it’s easy for the lipstick to become patchy-looking, especially if you rub your lips together.

Caliente is a deep brown-plum with lots of purple and gold glitter particles. Like with Sheer Seduction, this shade is more glitter particles than underlying pigment, which can lead to a splotchy finish.

These Lipsticks cost $16.50 and contain 0.1 ounces (3 grams) each. The price increase is purely due to MAC’s use of a different color for the packaging in this collection.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick Packaging

MAC Temperature Rising Lipsticks

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick Swatches:
Altered Beige, Feel My Pulse, Sheer Seduction, Caliente

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Altered Beige

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Altered Beige Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Feel My Pulse

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Feel My Pulse Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Sheer Seduction

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Sheer Seduction Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Caliente

MAC Temperature Rising Lipstick in Caliente Applied

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Lipglasses

2013-05-16T20:31:09Z

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglasses

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $16.50

Company’s Description

High-gloss, glass-like finish tinted with sensual shades. Wear it alone or pair it with Lipstick for a perfectly glossed look. Limited-edition packaging.

This review is for the four (4) limited edition Lipglasses releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Liquid Passion: Creamy nude
Soft Serenade: Mid-tone neutral pink with pearl
Rhythm: Vivid magenta violet with pearl
Underdressed: Bronze plum with multidimensional pearl

Liquid Passion is a creamy, peachy-beige nude without shimmer. Soft Serenade is a shimmering beige nude with pearlized shimmers. The color is clear/nude at the base. Rhythm is a translucent red-violet with pinky pearlized shimmer. Underdressed is a translucent, deep bronze-plum with gold pearlized shimmer. This color comes off as mostly shimmer on the lips.

All of the shades are more transparent once applied onto the lips, compared to what you see in the tube. Liquid Passion can emphasize lip wrinkles somewhat because of the creamy nature of the color. You also need to be careful to not rub or press your lips together when wearing these shades. You can tell by the way the colors streak that you’ve done so.

The Lipglass formula has medium thickness but doesn’t have any sticky quality. As is typical for this product, these lasted about two (2) hours on the lips before needing touching-up.

These Lipglasses cost $16.50 and contain 0.17 ounces (4.8 grams) each. The price increase is purely due to MAC’s use of a different color for the packaging in this collection.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglasses

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass Swatches:
Liquid Passions, Soft Serenade, Rhythm, Underdressed

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Liquid Passions

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Liquid Passions Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Soft Serenade

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Soft Serenade Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Rhythm

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Rhythm Applied

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Underdressed

MAC Temperature Rising Lipglass in Underdressed Applied

Review & Swatches: MAC Temperature Rising Blushes

2013-05-16T18:55:20Z

MAC Temperature Rising Blushes

Availability: MAC Stores & Online
Price: $23.00

Company’s Description

Colour for cheeks and face in Ripe for Love, a midtone peach with a satin finish, and Hot Nights, a berry pink frost, packaged in a limited-edition soft-touch bronze compact.

This review is for the two (2) limited-edition Blushes releasing with MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection for Spring 2013. This post includes photographs and swatches of the following colors:

Ripe for Love: Mid-tone peach (Satin)
Hot Nights: Mid-tone berry pink (Frost)

Ripe For Love is a light-to-medium peach shade that leaves a satin finish to the skin. Hot Nights is a rich, medium, pink-berry shade that also leaves a satin finish on the skin, but has a little more sheen than Ripe For Love.

Both of these blushes have a smooth formula that blends well and leaves a uniform finish on the skin. Both shades also have great pigmentation, requiring only one layer of color.

For $23.00 you get 6 grams (0.21 ounces) of blush. MAC’s regular blushes cost $21.00 for the same amount. The price increase is purely due to MAC’s use of a different color for the compacts in this collection.

Final Grade

MAC Temperature Rising Blushes

MAC Temperature Rising Blush in Ripe For Love

MAC Temperature Rising Blush in Ripe For Love Swatches: 1, 2, 3 Layers

MAC Temperature Rising Blush in Hot Nights

MAC Temperature Rising Blush in Hot Nights Swatches: 1, 2, 3 Layers

MAC Temperature Rising Collection Video

2013-05-16T17:41:53Z

Here is the video overview of MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection. The video includes live swatches of all of the colors and my thoughts about the quality of the formulas.

You can also read a full review with swatches of the items as they get posted. Keep an eye out!

Don’t forget to subscribe to Allura’s YouTube channel to stay posted on the latest videos and to be eligible for exclusive giveaways.

Enjoy!

Stay Tuned: MAC Temperature Rising Collection

2013-05-15T23:38:39Z

Reviews, swatches, and photos of MAC’s Temperature Rising Collection are coming soon!

If you want to know as soon as the posts are up, subscribe to the Google Feed, Facebook page, or Twitter!

Swatches: OPI Couture de Minnie Collection

2013-05-15T19:50:02Z

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection

Limited-edition
Release Date: June 2013
Price: $9.00 ($10.95 CAN)
Availability: ULTA

Company’s Description

OPI announces the launch of its Couture de Minnie collection, including four limited edition nail lacquers and one new Liquid Sand™ shade. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, the Couture de Minnie line explores the fashion-forward side of Minnie Mouse, mixing pink, fuschia and red shades with textural elements. In addition to three crème lacquers, the Couture de Minnie line features a red and white polka dot glitter shade and the strawberry-hued Liquid Sand nail lacquer in Magazine Cover Mouse to give nails a sparkly, matte finish.

Here is a look at OPI’s Couture de Minni nail polishes! The following colors are shown:

Chic from Ears to Tail: This pop of bubblegum pink is totally fabulous
A Definite Moust-Have: This fantastic fuchsia is at the top of my shopping list
Minnie Style: This white and red glitter is the height of fashion
Innie Minnie Mightie Bow: Catch this crimson by the to
Magazine Cover Mouse: The headline-making strawberry has sparkling texture

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Chic From Ears To Tail

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Chic From Ears To Tail Applied (2 Coats)

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: A Definite Moust Have

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: A Definite Moust Have Applied (1 Coat)

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Innie Minnie Mightie Bow

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Innie Minnie Mightie Bow Applied (1 Coat)

OPI Couture de Minniel Collection: Minnie Style

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Minnie Style Applied (1 Coat)

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Magazine Cover Mouse

OPI Couture de Minnie Collection: Magazine Cover Mouse Applied (1 Coat)

Disclosure
This sample was provided for consideration purposes by the brand or a PR company. Reviews are always honest and never paid for.