Get a Free MAC Cosmetics Pigment! October MAC Giveaway…
Another giveaway is under way. This one is for a full-sized MAC Cosmetics Pigment in the shade of your choice. The winner can pick their own shade right from the MAC website.
Pigments are one of our all time favorite MAC Cosmetics products. Use it on your eyelids, cheeks, face, shoulders, collarbone, arms, wherever!
This giveaway ends on the 31st at midnight, EST. You can enter a whole bunch of ways. Each one is listed below. The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win!
Enter here.
Good luck to everyone!
Rollergirl Eyeshadow Palette from Urban Decay – A Review
Having the same eye shadow on your evening date and your friend’s pool party isn’t really the best idea. It’s like wearing the same outfit from work straight to the night club. The variety of colors and techniques you use on your makeup will not only make you more interesting, they’ll also help you stand out. Urban Decay Cosmetics launched the Rollergirl Eyeshadow Palette that comes with four shades and a miniature lip gloss that can help you achieve different looks to last for a whole week. The makeup palette is available starting in April 2011 and is priced at $32. You can get it at urbandecay.com, Sephora.com and Sephora stores, Ulta.com or Macy’s.
With the Rollergirl Eye Shadow Palette, you get a set of four shades plus an additional lip gloss and eye liner. You can easily do your own mix and match from the stunning colors that create unique combos for varying looks.
Overall, this mini makeup palette is a great choice if you want some great neutrals (plus a touch of fun in the hot pink Woodstock shadow). But, sometimes neutrals are best if they are hand picked to really coordinate with your skin tone. On the plus side, this palette could be a great option for a less intense smokey eye look. The only other drawback in my opinion is that the colors do have quite a bit of frost in them. Sometimes I get a little tired of this look and want something with more of a subtle sheen rather than a full on frost finish. But, all in all, for many, this palette is a great, go-to, everyday collection of products.
Eye Makeup Tips and Eyeshadow for Blue Eyes
Once you know the best techniques for applying eye makeup, the next challenge comes in determining the best shades for your eye color, skin tone and overall coloring. For those blue eyed girls among us, here are a few eye makeup shade selection tips:
First off, always remember this little rule. Colors are complimented best by shades that are opposite from them on the color wheel. For instance, blues and violets are complimented well by yellows and oranges. With eye makeup for blue eyes, this doesn’t mean you need to bust out bright orange or yellow eyeshadow, however. It does mean that you incorporate those shades into your choices of color families. The yellow and orange color families in the eye makeup world include a whole slew of colors including gorgeous golds, bronzes, peaches and tans. Eyeshadow shades from these colors families will help make blue eyes stand out. If you have bluish-violet eyes, try a nice gold shade, like Goldmine powder eyeshadow from MAC. If you have more of a greyish blue eye, try a bronze color such as MAC’s powder eyeshadow in Amber Lights. As a general rule, chocolate brown, beige, bronze and gold will work very well for blue eyes.
photo credit: You’ll also want to take your skin’s undertone into account. For example, let’s say you’re considering trying a light brown eyeshadow shade. If your skin is on the cooler side, choose a cooler version of brown like MAC’s powder eyeshadow in Era. If you have warmer skin, you can pull off a warmer version of brown, such as MAC’s powder eyeshadow in Soba. Soba and Era are very close in color depth, but Soba is a warmer version than the other. If you have very light skin or very dark skin, you will probably be looking for a very dark chocolate brown or a very light beige shade as opposed to just a light brown. You should start with the basic general shade based on your eye color and skin depth, and then try to find a version of that color that compliments your overall warm or cool undertone.
You can also experiment with various shades of eyeshadow for blue eyes by visiting a makeup counter. This will give you the chance to try dozens of shades and get eye makeup tips for blue eyes in person based on your individual eye shade and coloring.
Stay tuned! We have eye makeup tips coming for green eyes, brown eyes and hazel eyes! xo
Free bareMinerals Naturally Luminous Refreshing Color Collection
For a limited time, you can get a free makeup kit from bareMinerals. It is a six piece mineral makeup collection from the Naturally Luminous line. It includes a bareMinerals eye liner, a gloss, two mineral eyeshadows, a blush and a mineral eyeshadow brush. To get your mineral makeup kit, sign up here! This offer does require surveys/participation to qualify. Find complete information and details on the sign up page.
As a mineral makeup brand, bareMinerals is at the front of the pack. They are one of the most popular mineral makeup lines on the market today. They are known for creating high quality mineral makeup products that truly deliver results. Many mineral makeup brands make empty promises. Not bareMinerals. Their products are legit. These products are the cream of the crop, so don’t miss your chance to try these gorgeous bareMinerals makeup products.
Free Bobbi Brown Eye Liner, Lip Gloss and Eyeshadow Coupon Codes
From now until 6/24/2011, get a free full sized product of your choice of the following plus free shipping with any $65 purchase at Bobbibrown.com:
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Mahogany Ink (enter coupon code GEL44)
Bobbi Brown Naked Rich Color Lip Gloss (enter code RICH44)
Bobbi Brown Soft Peach Eyeshadow (enter code PEACH44)
Enter the code of your choice at checkout at Bobbibrown.com to get your free product and free shipping on your entire order. Enjoy!
How to Spot Fake MAC Cosmetics Products
If you are looking to save a bit of money on your MAC makeup addiction, you might be tempted to take advantage of some of the deals you can find online. While it is possible to find some good bargains on MAC on places like eBay, counterfeit MAC is becoming increasingly more common. Here are a few tips on how to identify counterfeit MAC Cosmetics and avoid buying fake MAC items.
First, trust your instincts. If a price sounds good to be true, you should look at the item with a very skeptical eye. It’s extremely difficult to find true bargains on MAC Cosmetics products these days. If it’s just a few dollars off of retail, it is more likely to be legitimate. If it’s a limited edition pigment from 1999 being sold for $2 new in box, you can rule it out right away.
In order to determine the validity of the item in question, you need to examine it closely. If buying online, you should request pictures from the seller of the item from several angles including the top, bottom, side view, inside of lid, and the box. You need to compare these with original items either from your own collection or using pictures found online. There are a lot of subtle differences that fake MAC makeup products carry.
The packaging is one area where fakes tend to stand out if you know what to look for. For example, many counterfeit MAC eyeshadows come in a pot that looks suspiciously like the real thing… until you notice the compartment with the mirror and applicator underneath. MAC pot shadows never come with applicators or mirrors yet somehow this is very common on fakes. Also, the lid on many fake MAC shadows has a higher dome and opens at a smaller angle than real MAC shadows.
The packaging can offer several clues as well. Often counterfeit MAC boxes will have a very convincing MAC logo but the font on the rest of the box is very different from that of legitimate MAC boxes. Because many of these fakes are manufactured in other countries, you can often spot misspellings on the packaging as well. In some cases, the dimensions of the boxes might be different than real boxes too. If you suspect an item is not real MAC, pore over it very carefully before committing to buy it. Compare the item in question with one that you know is real and scrutinize the size, shape, writing, color and finish of the lid, weight, and scent.
Another tip-off to potentially fake MAC items is the source. Legitimate MAC products can be purchased from MAC counters, MAC stores, MAC’s official website, and Cosmetics Company Outlet stores. Sometimes individuals will sell their MAC items secondhand for extra cash online. eBay is a overrun with MAC items but the sad truth is that many of these are counterfeit. When shopping for MAC on eBay, look at the seller’s history. Check their feedback carefully for complaints of counterfeits. Look at the other items they are selling. If they have hundreds of new MAC items up for sale, especially without boxes, there is a good chance what they are selling isn’t MAC at all.
Unfortunately, you have to do a bit of detective work when you are buying MAC from unofficial sources. Counterfeit MAC makeup items are not just poor quality imitations of the real thing. Some of these items might even contain ingredients that can irritate your skin or eyes. Truly good deals on MAC are few and far between but if you look very carefully, you can still find a few bargains.
Smashbox: Free Waterproof Eye Shadow Palette and Free Express Shipping!
Smashbox is running a couple of splendid limited time makeup offers. The first is a FREE Waterproof Eye Shadow Palette ($40 value) with any $25 purchase. This offer is valid 12/12-12/19 or while supplies last. Also, if you end up spending $50 or more, you will receive FREE Express Shipping with your order.
This offer is good from 12/12-12/19. Simply enter coupon code SHIPFAST at checkout!
How to Create Your Own Eyeshadow Palette
For a lot of makeup fans, eyeshadows can be hard to resist. You might go to a cosmetics counter to pick up something else but while you’re standing there waiting for the sales associate to ring you up, there they are… dozens of pretty, fresh eyeshadows begging you to buy them. The next thing you know, you’re at home trying to find a place in your already-overflowing makeup drawer for your newest five shadows. If this sounds like you, it’s time to make your own eyeshadow palette.
Making your own eyeshadow palette makes sense for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s very practical because it frees up space in your cosmetics drawers. Even if you end up using this newly empty space to justify future makeup purchases, you still have to admit it’s handy. If a lot of your eyeshadows are from MAC, this is also a good idea from an economic standpoint because once you take the eyeshadow pans out of the pots, you can return the empty pots to MAC and get a free lipstick as part of their recycling program.
Perhaps the best reason to make an eyeshadow palette is because this enables you to group colors that go together well all in one place so you can apply them more easily. It can actually take a fair amount of time to shuffle through your makeup drawers and dig out different colors to see if they look good together every day. When you make a palette, you do all the matching work beforehand and then you have everything laid out together for the future. This also helps you use up those colors that you always seem to forget about. Depending on the size of your collection, you could make a few palettes of different color families such as a warm, cool or neutral eyeshadow palette, a summer vs. winter eyeshadow palette, as well a few others like a neon, bright, shimmer, cream or matte eyeshadow palette.
This task will be easiest if most of your shadows are the same size. Many cosmetics brands sell empty palettes that their shadows can fit into. If your shadows are various sizes or from different manufacturers, or if you want to include blushes or other products, you can always make a homemade palette. This is also a great way to save some money. All you need is an empty CD case and some magnetic sheets, which you can pick up from craft or office stores for a few dollars. Take out the plastic piece that holds the CD (this is usually black) and trace it onto the magnetic sheet. Then cut out the piece of magnet and glue it into the CD case. Some eyeshadow pans will stick to the magnet on their own. If not, you will need to cut out some magnetic strips and stick them to the bottom of the shadow pans.
If the shadow comes in some type of compact or other packaging, it will be necessary to remove the shadow from the pot first. This can usually be accomplished by carefully melting the glue underneath the pan. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to de-pot eyeshadows by MAC and other brands. Alternatively, you can often buy shadows in simple pan format. Pan eye shadows are available from MAC on their main maccosmetics.com website as well as their macpro.com website.
It’s always a good idea to label your shadows when you make a palette. It might not seem important now but once you hit the pan and need to replace a shade, you may not be able to remember the name of the color. When you make your palette, create a color guide on a sheet of paper. Make swatches of each color in the same order that they appear in your eye palette and write the name of the shade underneath. Use a piece of paper the same size as a CD booklet and simply insert it into the cover of the CD case. Then close the CD case and there you have it: your very own homemade custom color eyeshadow palette!
MAC: High Tea Collection
Release Date: December 26th, 2004
The MAC High Tea Collection is packed full of new products. You’ll be able to glam up from head to toe in a sophisticated way. It has a little of something from nail color to mascara and everything in between.
I am a big fan of soft pink colors and this collection has plenty of them. The frosty pinks offer a soft elegant look, but if you want to make a bolder statement for the winter, there are plenty of reds and greens with a bit of gold, silver, and bronze.
I don’t always bother investing in nail polish, but I just might have to try the new Eccentrici-tea simply because the name is beyond clever, even for MAC. I can’t wait to see what a pink nail polish with green pearl accents will look like.
This collection has a lot to offer, maybe even a little too much. I personally like it when the collection is just a little more focused, but maybe that’s just because the big ones end up hurting my wallet too much! Anyhow review to complete product list to pick your favorites.
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Brew-Neutral beige
Dainty Cake – Coral with red/orange frost
High Tea – Neutral pink with small pearl particles
Oolong – Musted bronzed-brown with icy silver shimmer
Plink! -Pink with white pearl
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Darjeerling—Chocolate brown with red frost
Fine China—Light pink with frost
Nymphette—Sunned golden pink
Tartlette—Coral/pink with frost
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Fresh Cream—Light neutral pink
Rosemary & Thyme—Mid-tone olive gold with Shimmer
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Angelcake—Pink with red pearl
Buttersilk—Soft, yellow white
Green Tea—Smoked, olive green
Jasmine—Sinfully rich cocoa
Redcoco—Metallic, red pink
Steep—Light neutral pink
Sweet Lust—Pink rose water
Tempting—Olive green
Vanilla—Soft pale peachy-ivory flecked with shimmer
Sweet Tea Eyeshadow Quad—Redcoco, Buttersilk, Green Tea, Sweet Lust
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Zoomblack—Deepest darkest black
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Porcelain Pink—Pinkish coral with gold sparkle
So Ceylon—Rose bronze with golden bronze sparkle
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Duchess—Yellow green with gold pearl
Eccentrici-tea—Pink with green pearl
Gloss
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Enriched Gold—Green gold with red pigment
Little Pink—Pink with silver pigment
