Top Complimented Mac Eyeshadow for Fall: Star Violet

Consider this a mini marathon of my favourite MAC products for Fall. MAC Eyeshadow Star Violet is no stranger to me as it's my secret weapon for colder months for quite some time. I have been preparing this review for over a year but that didn't stop me from loving this particular eye-mazingness. In fact, the more I use it, the more it love it. It's actually my most complimented eyeshadow of all time.

Star Violet is a tricky one. It's not totally burgundy but rather a balanced mix of warm neutral brown/copper and purple. It acts differently under certain lights: looks burgundy yet a warm purple or a shimmery dimensional brown tinged purple. It also pulls a bit coppery if you blend it out so it certainly deserves most beloved Veluxe Pearl label. MAC Veluxe Pearl eyeshadows are known for complex shade range and multidimensional look. They are soft, pigmented and easy to work with. Star Violet is no exception as it's creamy in texture and highly pigmented. It wears like a dream and has minimal fallout. Along with Patina and Vex, this one deserves to be ranked within my top 5 favourite eyeshadows from MAC. This will probably sound like a cliche but I really wish all MAC eyeshadows would have similar texture and quality (khm, Retrospeck). Note that you should exclusively use it with a brush - it can easily get that layer of hard texture that keeps it from giving off amazing pigmentation.

It's a staple shadow that deserves your attention. It's a multidimensional burgundy copper which makes it worth those extra pennies as it is unique to my personal collection. MAC eyeshadows retail from 9-12€, depending on each counter or with/without outer packaging. You can buy MAC shadows in pan form only in MAC stores which also makes it more affordable.

My Take on New Catrice Fall/Winter 2015 Products

Catrice sure knows how to excite, gain new buyers and stay in trend with every passing seasonal release. I'm not gonna lie, I'm definitely in the group of crazy ladies that's always on a hunt after new, freshly released Catrice bits. This Fall season around, I was not as intrigued with usual lip products as I'm excited over face products. Who would have thought, that a lipstick junkie like me would break under the pressure of having an overflow of lippies. After initial impressions, it's safe to say that Catrice face (and eye) novelties for Fall/Winter 2015 are worth the extra look.

Defining Blush (3,79€, 5g, here) range had to grow on me, that's for sure. Initial shades and colours were just too bright for my personal taste but I'm happy to see that's slowly changing. In fact, along with perfectly light discontinued shade called Pink Charming (pastel peachy pink), there are 3 newly released shades, 2 of them are especially perfect for pale ladies like me. 045 Lilactric is a brightening, white based pastel violet that shows up only on extra fair complexion. Medium and tan skintones could use this as a cool highlighter. It's so light, that it can be easily compared to a long gone favourite Dainty Doll Blusher Hippy Shake by Nicola Roberts (I still regret the day they've discontinued her makeup line for pale girls). Staying on the track with Catrice, Lilactric is actually satin with an extremely sheer pigmentation. Building the shade intensity is easy though. Texture is finely milled and easy to apply in layers. If you prefer pigmented blushers over layering, this is a definite pass for you. On the other hand, 100 Rose Couture is a neutral rose in a similar colour family as Tarte Exposed (but way lighter) or Benefit Hervana. Veining silver shimmer and sparkle add a bit of glow without over exaggerating your pores. I actually love it since it's not too warm yet not too cool - wearable with any lipstick shade. Smooth texture and possible sparkle fallout are the two things to remember. Defining blushes have an average longevity of 4-6 hours.

Catrice Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer (3,79€, 5ml, here) sounds as a perfect European version of UK's beloved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. High coverage, water proof consistency and ability to cover tattoos/scars/pigmentation are the main selling points. Well, it kinda sounds too good to be true, right? Coverage is in fact quite good, however only to medium extent of pigmentation. It doesn't cover obvious marks nor tattoos (read Petra's take) but it manages to cover imperfections such as blemishes and lighter pigmentation marks. Consistency is buildable and thick with floral scent to it. Thick but creamy formula tends to set nicely but still exaggerates obvious lines or pores. Although it's not the best around T-zone area, it blends easily even under the eye area. It covers dark circles and it's still not too heavy. Personally, I really enjoy using this concealer but it still can't compete with UK's Collection Lasting Perfection. Shade 010 Porcellain is light enough for fair skintones (NW15 or Bourjois Healthy Mix 51 in my case) and it doesn't have prominent yellow tones as most concealers. Demo is made over my hand where I've burnt myself and got extra hyperpigmentation with time. Clearly, it conceals most of my freckles while the most prominent still shine through. Recommend!

Velvet Matt Eyeshadow (4,29€, 2,9g, here) are pretty pricey for Catrice range, however, the actual eyeshadow is superb in texture, finish and pigmentation. They are highly, highly pigmented with the most stunningly smooth texture and velvety finish. Name might mislead you as the shades itself aren't totally matte. They are all in the range of satin or sheen finish. The main mistake, sensitive baked bump of eyeshadow is now transformed into flat surface, making the actual amount drop from 3,5g to only 2,9g. Still, I enjoy my older versions so much, I had to try newly added shade in Princess Mattleine. It's a gorgeous tan neutral (or should I say ''bronzer for your eyelids'') that can fit into the crease, as an all over colour or warming shade. Satin colour with a slight sheen is actually a bit more matte looking on the eyes. I love to pair it with a winged liner as an all over lid shade or adding extra warmth to my crease. They have a good lasting power without fading through out the day while you will silently squeal when you'll touch the velvety smooth texture.

I've had another blast with new Catrice Fall/Winter 2015 products. I'm still eyeing some other bits (Contouring Palette for example) but I'm also totally happy with my current picks. If the foundations also have a new, more pleasant scent and lighter shades as the mentioned concealer, I might give another try with them too. Velvet Matt Eyeshadows are expensive but worth the try, while Defining Blushes are a no brainer. Liquid Camouflage Concealer is a lovely medium coverage concealer that shouldn't be missed out in daily makeup routine. Catrice is, all in all, still on fire with trendy colours and textures. Catrice can be found in most European drugstores (Catrice is also newly available in the USA - Ulta stores & online) and it's widely available in Slovenian drugstores such as Muller, DM and Tuš drogerija.

Mac Studio Waterweight Foundation Review, Swatch, Demo & Comparison

MAC has never intrigued me so much with a single foundation as it did with newly released MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation. Eagerly anticipated release of makeup artist's favourite backstage foundation raised a lot of dust with popular serum concept, beneficial ingredients and looks. Pipette droves you back to chemistry classes which makes everything even more fun. Extra liquidy goodness assures lightweight feeling and velvety smooth touch to your skin. This is definitely the MAC foundation to look after - it will burst a flame in cosmetic industry. Ah, the joy that brings this wonderful product to the vanity table...

Not only it feels like a velvety feather on your delicate skin, it's also buildable with several layers. The initial coverage is somewhere between sheer or slightly medium, while the more you layer, the better your skin looks. There's also no risk of caking up as the texture is super smooth, liquidy and perfecting. This is definitely suitable for those, who already have perfect skin but need to even out certain areas. Blemishes and imperfections must be covered with additional concealer. Due to quite liquidy form, Studio Waterweight comes in a gorgeous milky glass bottle with a pipette. Yes, application can be tricky but once you get the hang of it, you're pretty much good to go. I usually transfer foundation liquid on my hand and apply it with fingertips as it's a blissful joy touching it with your bare hands. Actually I can't wait to put it on at the start of my day. Plus it's quite pricey to waste it on a brush or a sponge. One pump is enough to cover your entire face and build up certain areas up to medium coverage, in my case it's chin and jaw. I cannot express my excitement over truly lightweight and non-sticky, velvety smooth formula.  In terms of finish, Studio Waterweight leaves a velvet finish with slight glow to your highest face features, cheekbones. It's not entirely glowy but leaves a natural-kind-of-glow which makes it suitable for dry, normal and combination skin. Oily skintypes could probably get lots of wear too but need to set it with powder for extra satin/matte effect. That's not all. It also promises perfected skin which is true to some extent - it re-improves your skin texture and adds healthy glow but slightly hides pores. It doesn't cover imperfections and pores entirely but there's definitely an improvement. On the lower pictures, I'm wearing 2 layers of Studio Waterweight with added undereye concealer and a touch of neutral, satin blush. Freckles are still somewhat visible but with slightly more even. Pores are looking smaller but they are still noticeable around the nose.

Mac Studio Waterweight Foundation NW15 applied in 2 layers

Now onto comparison, swatches and colour matches. My personal shade reference is NW15 to which lady at the counter matched me (do I need to say that they always push a darker shade to me due to freckles?). There's also a NW13 choice but I haven't seen it due to my initial excitement. I might need to look it up as NW15 is currently a good match (but not perfect) but it will soon be a shade or two too dark in winter. It's in no way pink based as MAC opposite scale suggests (NW for cool and NC for warm) but still rather yellow in comparison to really pink toned Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and more yellow than Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation or CC Cream. Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff is definitely a neutral compared to MAC. In terms of texture it feels similar as my pre-owned Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua. It has exactly the same velvety light texture with subtle glow but slightly more covering than Chanel. Perfect! MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation mixes great with other thick foundations (such as Revlon Colorstay) for more coverage but still retains glow and improves all-in-all texture. SPF30 is just a bonus to protect from the sun rays but makes it difficult to photograph.

I usually tend to NOT splurge so much on a liquid foundation because frankly, I use them up pretty quickly compared to other makeup bits. Still. I love it so much that I might consider repurchasing at step price of 33,50€. Party breakers are unfortunately messy edges of the bottle and I would personally like to see more coverage (perfectly lightweight foundation with heavy coverage? yes please!). All skintypes could enjoy it, keeping in mind that it has buildable sheer coverage. Price is also not my wallet's friend at 33,50€ for 30ml, but you'll be impressed with velvet touch and perfected finish of Studio Waterweight.

Red Chocolate Matte Lipstick on a Button

You've heard it right. Chocolatey red shades are definitely not typical for Korean market, but I've managed to find a matte, vampy lippie on a single click. Gimmicky push button allows you to control the needed amount in a pencil-like form. Matte lips on a click is yet another innovative thingy from far far away South Korea. 

The Saem Eco Soul Kiss Button Lips Matte (2g at 8,98$ on Jolse) is the range we're looking at. After a successful release of their standard version (without matte effect), they've managed to follow western inspired matte trend. With only six shades in total, which is actually the main withdrawal, The Saem brings to the table a softer, satin-like matte interpretation. Three shades for cool toned complexions and three for warm skintypes. Sounds fair alright. Lipsticks are definitely not entirely matte but rather satin with a kick of moisture on the first note. After an hour or so, texture changes into longlasting matte finish. They don't budge much but you might consider blotting out the first layer for slightly more matte-r finish. Formula is comfortable, glides effortlessly and is slightly velvety, which makes me having no complaints. Product itself has a fruity scent of watermelon with peach and the clicking mechanism works perfectly. The tilted tube makes application easier. As for longevity, they easily stay put for at least 7 hours or more with even finish. I choose the most unique, vampy shade - 06 Bittersweet Chocolate, suitable for cooler complexions. I expected a smoky muted burgundy with grey tones but instead, it's actually a red with a chocolate twist. It's hard to describe but I would say it's a dark vampy cool red with an added brown for slightly more blood-like colour. Does that make sense? It's slightly darker, cooler and brown in real life. 

You all know I'm not a red-type of person but vampy or burgundy red with a special twist...I'm on it! This will actually stay in my lippie collection due to uniqueness and cooler spectrum which suits my skintone. The only downsides that I can highlight is the amount (only 2g, compared to standard 3,5-4g lipstick) and matte label, which isn't entirely true (more like satin finish at first but transfers into full matte after 2 hours). Still, it will perfectly pair a beige cozy sweater and add a bit of colour to my face. The click button is a innovative funky idea for younger audience but catches even my (experienced?) mind. Again, another successful trip to downtown Asia for only 8,98$ a piece. The Saem brand with free worldwide shipping is available at Jolse.com. 

Easily Overcomes Any Lipgloss: Bourjois Sweet Kiss Gloss

Non-sticky formula and 10 hour hydration? This might sound like a lipbalm  but we're talking about Bourjois Sweet Kiss Glosses. These can easily compete for the most comfortable and lightweight formula. We could say they are European version of ''water glosses'' if I can say so. Six punchy but wearable shades also make them irresistible for any generation. 

SLO

Nelepljiva formula in 10-urno vlaženje? To bi se zlahka lahko slišalo kot neverjeten balzam za ustnice vendar se tokrat pogovarjamo o novih Bourjois Sweet Kiss Gloss bleščilih za ustnice. Z lahkoto bi se lahko potegovali za najbolj udobno in lahkotno formulo med bleščili. Lahko bi jih celo oklicali kot edinstvena evropska verzija ''vodnih bleščil'', ker bi upravičili ime tako kot ga upraviči ameriška verzija ''butter glossev''. Šest prelestno punčastih in zelo nosljivih barv bo tako prepričala v nanos vsako slednjo generacijo žensk (mogoče malo bolj srednjo generacijo, katera še vedno strmi k rednemu nanosu bleščil zaradi preteklega, dobro poznanega trenda ''glossov''). 

If you're already familiar with Bourjois glosses, the new Sweet Kiss Glosses still sports brush applicator which provides precise application but can make pigmented glosses a bit patchy if you don't layer precisely. Pigments do tend to settle evenly after initial application. Sweet Kiss Glosses are also slightly sweetly scented to justify the name. Taste is definitely not pleasant but mirrored finish perfectly beautifies the lips. Sweet Kiss Glosses don't contain any sort of old-fashioned glitters or shimmers. If I return back to formula, it's truly lightweight, non-sticky with a watery feel to it. It contains a plant oil for hydrating effect. On contrary from most glosses, they have medium pigmentation with flattering translucency. Longevity is definitely not a friend with comfortable glosses and they tend to last about 4 hours at most. Pigmented shades might react differently with a stain. In my case, 02 Rose Qui Peut is a milky nude pink and 04 Incogni-Rose creates dusty warm nude pink vibe. 

Če že dodobra poznate ''oldie goldie'' Bourjois Effect 3D bleščila, naj Vas razveselim (ali razžalostim), da novi Sweet Kiss Gloss še vedno uporablja aplikator v obliki čopiča. Takšen aplikator sicer omogoča natančen nanos, vendar lahko barvo nanese neenakomerno. V tem primeru se pigmenti sicer sčasoma enakomerno porazdelijo po ustnicah, kar pa lahko predstavlja tveganje pri ustnicah z izrazitimi gubami ali linijami. Kot se glede na ime spodobi, Sweet Kiss Gloss diši sicer malce sladkasto-cvetlično, tipično Bourjois. Sicer na okus niso najbolj prijetna stvar ampak lahko to upraviči zrcalen sijaj brez nepotrebnih in staromodnih bleščic ali svetlečih delcev. Če se vrnem nazaj k sami formuli, je neverjetno lahkotna, čisto nič lepljiva in ima skoraj ''vodni efekt'' z dodanim rastlinskim oljem. Je pravzaprav vse, kar sem pogrešala mogoče pri Aqua Laque liniji (vtisi so tukaj). Pigmentirani so srednje dobro, skoraj popolnoma prekrivni, kar je dokaj netipično za klasična bleščila, vendar še vedno ponuja malce transparentnosti. Na ustnicah se obdržijo za slabe štiri ure. Sama tokrat predstavljam nanos 02 Rose Qui Peut, čudovit mlečno nude pink odtenek in 04 Incogni-Rose, topel pridušen nude odtenek. 

Glosses are not my best friends but I like to pre-use them before applying lipsticks. Sweet Kiss Gloss gives an extra hydrating boost before draining matte finish lipsticks and leaves a balm-like feel with softer lips. They're not irritating and make a good companion ''on the go''. With juicy colours and dusty nudes you will soon itch to try at least one shade. They will serve me as a nice treatment before more bolder lipstick colours or will spice up my daily bag instead of usual lipbalms. Bourjois Sweet Kiss Glosses retail at about 11,25€ for 7,5ml in most European drugstores. Bourjois is also widely avaliable on Asos or FeelUnique. 

Bleščila za ustnice sicer niso moji najboljši prijatelji ker sem enostavno zbiratelj šmink, vendar posamezne verzije bleščil z veseljem uporabljam kot tretma pred nanosom težkih, mat šmink. V to kategorijo se z lahkoto uvršča tudi Sweet Kiss Gloss, saj učvrsti in olepša ustnice pred nanosom napornih mat tekstur. Bleščila nikakor ne dražijo kože in so dober spremljevalec med dnevnimi aktivnostmi, saj pustijo podoben občutek na ustnicah kot balzami. Sočno tropski ter zamolkli nude odtenki bodo poskrbeli, da Vas bodo začeli srbeti prsti za nakup. Meni bodo vsekakor služili kot odličen tretma pred nanosom šmink hkrati pa bodo popestrili izbiro v torbici poleg utrujenih balzamov. Bourjois Sweet Kiss Gloss vsebujejo 7,5ml za okoli 11,25€. Najdete lahko vseh 6 odtenkov po večini slovenskih drogerij, splača pa se tudi počakati na kakšen radodaren Bourjois popust.