New OCC Collections Available Now!

Oh OCC, why must you do this to me? (Hey that rhymed!). As you might have read awhile back, lip tars hold a special place in my heart as it was back in February that I found my very first, perfect, holy grail, STOP! Look at my lips! red by the name of NSFW. I have not purchased any lip tars since then but it is certainly not because I haven't felt the itch, it is simply "Hey lady use up some of those lipsticks that you already own!". Now, OCC is back with two new collections, ModernCraft & Fragmented Alice and true to form, both collections are keeping tradition alive with the odd and oh so fabulous shades that OCC is known for. 

My favorite shade by far is Sebastian, which is a matte lilac tinted grey/taupe that I am absolutely coveting! You know a color looks amazing when it makes me completely bypass the reds! Since I am a matte lip girl at heart, I cannot wait to see how the new matte texture compares to the satiny texture of NSFW. Unfortunately, it seems that none of the Sephora's in my area will be carrying this collection so I will have to wait just a little bit longer to get my hands on Sebastian!

As for Fragmented Alice, while I personally don't think I could pull it off, Fragmented is positively gorgeous! I expect all of the new shades to look even more amazing in person and I cannot wait to see more photographs and swatches of both collections.

ModernCraft Lip Tar Collection:

From Sephora's website:

"OCC's Fall 2013 Colour Collection, Moderncraft, was inspired primarily by cabarets and the art scene born out of 1920s Weimar, Berlin. Rather than revisit makeup trends of the past, Moderncraft reinterprets and revitalizes this iconic look through a veritable artists' paint box of Lip Tar, in a variety of textures and colors. The Moderncraft Collection marks the first time OCC has launched new shades in all three texture categories: matte, metallic, and stained gloss. Whether you're moved by the transparent neutrality of 'Mein Herr' Lip Tar: Stained Gloss or driven by the seductively dark and industrial 'Black Metal Dahlia' Lip Tar: Metallic, a world of makeup expressionism awaits."

Role Play - Deep Maroon w/ Red Pearl (Metallic)

Anita - Browned Burgundy (Matte)

Black Metal Dahlia - Blackened Burgundy w/ Red Pearl (Metallic)

Dekadent - Translucent Crushed Blueberry (Stained Gloss)

Sebastian - Plum-toned Taupe (Matte)

Mein Herr - Creme Fraiche Beige (Stained Gloss)

$18.00 // 0.33 oz

Available NOW at Sephora.com & select Sephora locations. Available September 6th at occmakeup.com

Fragmented Alice Collection

"Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics journeys into the depths of Wonderland with renowned Symbolist painter Gail Potocki for a truly psychedelic color collection. Inspired by Potocki's uniquely macabre take on the Alice in Wonderland™ mythology, OCC conjures up a limited edition collection full of curious colors inspired by the world of 'Fragmented Alice'. Attendees to the world's largest pop culture event San Diego Comic Con were granted a preview of the collection via 'Fragmented' Lip Tar, a first-of-its-kind acid-green glaze that marries two of our favorite textures together: Metallic and Stained Gloss!"

Lip Tar: $18 // 0.33 fl oz

Fragmented - Golden Acid Green Metallic (Stained Gloss)

Nail Lacquer: $10 // 0.50 fl oz

Gryphon - Cement Grey (Satin)

Severed - Bright Crimson (Satin)

Loose Colour Concentrate: $14 // 2.5 g

Curved Sky - Icy White/Iridescent Blue-Violet

Infliction - Patinaed Pink Opal

Nevar - Dirty Golden Olive

Much love & Happy Shopping! xo

MAC Indulge Collection - Online NOW

 "Fall colour is a surreal feast for the senses where no taste is too extravagant and no behavior beyond limits. On the menu: Cremeblend blush flushes skin with buildable glow as eye shadow defines eyes for the ultimate in temptation, intensified by Fluidline. Haute & Naughty Too Black lash darkens and lengthens lashes."

Eyeshadow

Gilty Morsel (Lustre)

Sex & The Oyster (Veluxe Pearl)

Three Ring Yellow (Veluxe Pearl/Re-promote)

Divine Decadence (Veluxe)

Beluga (Veluxe)

Eat, Love (Satin)

Deep Cravings (Veluxe Pearl)

Palace Pedigreed (Satin/Re-promote)

Fluidine

Gilt Gourmet

Deliciously Rich

Blacktrack (Re-promote)

CremeBlend Blush

Tease Your Tastes

Glamour Feast

Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash

266 Small Angle Brush

213 Fluff Brush

"Revel in a magnificent banquet of colour for lips and nails. Lipstick in deep plum, frosted beige and sheer, golden sparkle get layered with Lipglass, ranging from blackened berry to shimmering taupe. Lacquered nails for that opulent touch, rich in jewel tones and molten metallics."

Lipstick

Smash Hit (Dazzle/Re-promote)

By Design (Frost)

Feed The Senses (Lustre)

Just A Bite (Satin)

Sweet Succulence (Lustre)

Lipglass

Ultimate Dish

Fashion Punch

Liqueur (Re-promote)

Lust For Life

Utterly Tart

Lacquer

Sinfully Sweet (Frost)

Magnificent Feast (Frost)

Discotheque (Frost)

Impassioned (Cream/Re-promote)

Screening Room (Cream/Re-promote)

Rebel (Cream/Re-promote)

What shades are YOU most excited about? Personally, I cannot wait to test out Sweet Succulence and Just A Bite, they both seem to be GORGEOUS lipsticks and you know how I feel about my lipstick!

MAC Indulge - Available NOW online. Launches in stores August 22nd

Free second day shipping online - use offer code INDULGE

Much love xo

MAC By Request Is Back!

Hey lovelies! It is that time again, MAC By Request is officially back! I just received the e-mail and couldn't wait to share. If you have never heard of MBR, it is essentially an epic MAC blast from the past of which they select a few long discontinued lipsticks, eye shadows and sometimes other products (last year lipglasses were included) to which the fans vote and the shades that win will be brought back for a second round! How awesome is that?

"You voted. We listened. MAC By Request is back for a second year! What's old is new again, and the most beloved shades from the 90's and 2000's have returned for an encore performance. MAC is bringing back highly-requested retro-classic, long-lost lipsticks and eye shadows. Starting on July 8th - vote on Facebook for your favorite shades and the six (3 lipsticks and 3 shadows) with most votes will return in Spring 2014. Exclusively online."

Now, MAC seems to have posted contradictory information as their official Facebook page states "M·A·C By Request is back! This time with rare shades from the 90s, the vanguard of M·A·C’s timelessly original colour. Vote for your favourites from 7/8/13 - 7/21/13. The top three Lipsticks and Eye Shadows will then be available to purchase this winter! Only one vote per product category, per person, per day"

As you can see, they have gone from saying Spring 2014 to Winter 2013. I have a feeling that the winter date is more accurate but, I will update this post once I receive confirmation.

Lipsticks (from left to right):

Glam - Vivid bright pinky-red (Matte) Viva Glam 1992

Flavour - Soft muted peachy-pink (Satin) Freedom Colour Additions 1994

Tomango - Bright red-orange (Matte) Pre-1990

Hoop - Mid-tone rosy pink (Matte) Le Groove Colour 1991

Rozz - Watermelon reddish-pink (Matte) Pre-1990

Pink Poodle - Vivid fuschia-pink (Frost) Valentine's Day Collection 2000

Eye Shadows (from left to right):

Butterscotch - Warm beige (Matte) Pre-1990

Ashbury - Taupe-grey (Matte) MAC Mod 1990

Fiction - Muted green w/ shimmer (Frost) Colour Abstractions Colour Additions 1997

Diesel - Cool grey (Frost) Freedom Colour Additions 1994

Chill - Soft white w/ shimmer (Satin) Le Groove Colour 1991

As far as lipsticks, I personally will be voting for Rozz, I have looked up swatches and it is absolutely GORGEOUS! And as you know, there is no such thing as having too many red lipsticks.

As for shadows, I will be voting for Ashbury. While it may not be the most unique color, it is the only shade out of the five that I would actually wear.

Let me know below, will YOU be voting? If so, which shades will you be voting for? Also, if you could pick, what other discontinued MAC shades and/or products would you like to see again?

Thank you to the MAC Facebook page for the product info

Much love xo

MAC All About Orange Collection Launching Soon!

"Orange. Its vibrant energy and modern edge ignites fashion and beauty big time in Korea, the rest of Asia and the world. It's one of the new global super shades that pops with sizzle and cool sophistication. M∙A∙C translates the trend with international impact into a colour collection for face, lips and nails." - MAC website

Hi lovelies!! I know that I've failed to post about the last few MAC releases but, I learned about this upcoming collection a few days ago and could NOT resist posting; I almost leaped out of my chair when reading about it..okay not really but you get my point. My first thought was "mother of god, imagine the lipsticks" because as you might know by now, Scarlet Ibis has me hooked and captivated by makeup of the orange variety. I have quickly learned that orange shades, especially reddened orange is most flattering to my warm skin tone. However, I often look past that and wear whatever the hell I want. Oh Scarlet Ibis..why couldn't you be included? I am completely disappointed to find that there is not a single matte lipstick in this collection but, thankfully I have fallen in love with Neon Orange and will absolutely be picking it up; Sushi Kiss has me intrigued as well. Overall, everything looks beautiful so far and I am over the moon that MAC decided to release this collection since orange is a color that quite a few people shy away from; beyond excited here!! This collection will be launched June 6th and available both in stores and online.

Lipsticks:

Tarte & Trendy - Bright neutral orange cream (Lustre)

Neon Orange - Bright orange (Amplified Cream): Re-promote

Flamingo - Light milky bright coral (Lustre): Re-promote

Sushi Kiss - Mid-tone coral cream (Satin)

Sweet & Sour - Soft peach cream (Cremesheen)

Tangerine Dream - Warm orange cream (Lustre)

Razzlerdazzler - Light cream peach (Lustre): Re-promote 

Cremesheen Lipglass:

Double Happiness - Frosted light nude: Re-promote

Imperial Light - Frosted light peach: Re-promote

Rising Sun - Frosted bright orange: Re-promote

Powder Blushes:

Royal Sunset - Soft cool peach (Satin)

Honey Jasmine - Soft warm coral (Satin)

Immortal Flower - Bright peach (Satin): Re-promote

Rainy Season Eyeshadow Quad:

Arctic Grey - Frosted mid-tone grey (L)

Courtly Grey - Matte cool grey (M)

Typographic - Asphalt black (M)

Rainy Season - Light warm grey frost (S)

Nail Lacquers:

Morange - Bright cream orange (Cream): Re-promote

Fiestaware - Mid-tone orange coral (Cream): Re-promote

Sweet Pop - Peach cream (Cream)

Ke Ai - Soft pink frost (Frost)

Big thank you to Specktra for the collection info & photos!

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post them here so I won't but, there are early swatches of the Royal Sunset & Honey Jasmine blushes as well as all seven of the lipsticks on the Specktra forum; Enjoy!

Photo is courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Much love xo

TheBalm Balm Jovi Palette - Review

It's not everyday that you find a makeup palette that is just...perfect. If you've been following my blog for the past few months you'd know that lately I've been diving more and more into TheBalm cosmetics. I've always heard great things but it wasn't until I received a few samples in my December and January Birchboxes that I really became intrigued. When Birchbox had their one day flash sale and this palette went from $39.50 down to $25, I was all over it! (No longer available from Birchbox)

This palette comes with twelve eyeshadows, two lip colors as well as a blush & highlighter (Frat Boy and Mary Lou-Manizer respectively). TheBalm is known for their products being multi-purpose and this palette is no different; Mary Lou and Frat Boy double as eyeshadows, the lip colors double as cheek stains and the shadows can be used as eyeliners; both wet and dry.

My favorite thing about this palette is how pigmented the shadows are, a little bit truly does go a long way. One downside is that they are quite powdery and rubbing your brush too hard will create a lot of excess product and make a mess of the palette (and probably your eyes!) My absolute favorite shadow is Presto, it's a dark brown that I've been using for my brows as well as a crease color. My other favorites are Alice Copper, Third Eye Blinded, Blink 1982 and Adagio. My least favorite is Metal-ica simply because it's a color that I do not wear often. All of the shades blend quite effortlessly except for Solid Gold (Mary Lou-Manizer) the application is very patchy and the pigment seems to all stick to one place making it a pain to blend out.

The lip/cheek colors dry to a semi-matte finish. Milly is relatively sheer brown toned pink; Vanilly is an opaque bright red identical to OCC's NSFW Lip Tar. A balm or primer underneath might be preferred as both are a bit drying but not overly so. Unfortunately, Milly is not flattering to my skintone at all; it is a very nude color on my lips and because of this, it ends up making me look almost sickly.

Overall, I really love this and for the first time with a palette, I find myself using every single product with the exception of Milly and Frat boy. My dislikes with these two being that they do not suit my skintone well; Milly is too nude for me and I wish Frat Boy could have been Hot Mama instead. I can only hope that TheBalm brings this palette back and makes it permanent at some point. One can hope right?

Milly & Vanilly Lip/Cheek colors // 4g
Solid Gold (Mary Lou-Manizer) // 4g
Eyeshadows // 10.8g
Don't You Want Me? (Frat Boy Blush/Eyeshadow) // 2.8g




This palette was a little hard to track down because it is now pretty much sold out everywhere. I was able to find it still available at a few places though so if you would like to purchase, act quickly.

Amazon

Perfumania

DermStore

BeautyBridge

Ebay: here and here

Much love xo

RiRi Hearts MAC!

Awesome news for all of the Rihanna lovers out there, throughout 2013 Rihanna will be collaborating with MAC to release four collections, my guess will be one per season. The most exciting news of all is the special re-vamped Ruby Woo lipstick, entitled "RiRi Woo". Since I do not yet have Ruby Woo in my collection, I'm seriously excited to see how RiRi Woo will turn out, if this is the lipstick pictured in the photo above, it looks like a gorgeous blackened red.

As far as I know, the upcoming collection pieces will be available both online and her concerts, I'm not sure yet if anything will be available in MAC stores but, any new information that I find out will be added to this post. As of right know, I know that the collections will include RiRi Woo + additional lipsticks, luster drops, blush, a special RiRi Woo lipglass, eyelashes, eyeshadows and nail lacquers for a total of 31 products.

Personally, I can't wait for RiRi Woo, if it does turn out to be a blackened red and not a plum color. I cannot wait! Look for the first release, which will be the RiRi Woo lipstick in May, available online and at upcoming concerts.

Update: RiRi Woo will be sold in all four collections, so don't fret because you will have multiple chances to pick it up.

Update: Two collections WILL be available in store. The other two will be available online.

Photo is from Google Images & MAC Cosmetics

Much love xo

MAC Marilyn Coming Back?

News has never made me so happy! Is it true? (Cue shameless Kel Mitchell orange soda love) Well, sources over at Specktra (specifically Mac-Guy) have posted that MAC may be/will be releasing Marilyn again sometime later this year. As of right now I have no idea whether these will be all new items or the same items from the first collection but, you can be sure that I will be all over any new info that comes out. Personally, if this collection does indeed happen I would LOVE to see Scarlet Ibis again since that is my all time favorite lipstick (You can never go wrong with back-ups!). I have faith in MAC that this will turn out to be an all new collection, MAC is known for re-promotes but I doubt they would release the same collection twice. Who knows? If they decide to release Marilyn Part 2 and go with creating all new products, what colors and products would you like to see? Comment below!

I will be updating this post as new info becomes available

Big thanks to Specktra and Mac-Guy for this info!

Check out my review of Scarlet Ibis here

Much love & Happy Valentine's Day xo

MAC Archie's Girls - Update

Hey lovelies! In case anyone is currently waiting for me to do a review on anything from this collection, I won't be. I went to MAC on the 7th (release date) to check out everything from the collection and I even planned on purchasing Veronica's Ronnie Red lipstick but, it turned out to be extremely similar to Absolute Power from the strength collection, just as I had feared it would. So because of that, it just wasn't worth buying for me since the two lipsticks are basically dupes in my eyes, the difference is just noticeable. I strongly encourage anyone that missed out on Absolute Power to pick up Ronnie Red.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures of the MAC's in store Archie's Girls setup whatsoever. By the time I got to the mall my phone had died :( Everything was extremely cute though, they definitely went all out. From workers wearing special tee shirts to even a few special tables, it was all setup quite nicely! Once again, well done MAC.

I am quite disappointed though, I was really looking forward to this collection ever since it was first announced. I can't wait to see posts and pictures from my fellow bloggers though because even though the collection just didn't suit me, I can't wait to see it on you all!

Check out my review on Absolute Power here

Photo is courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Much love xo

MAC Archie's Girls Is Here!!!!

MAC Archie's Girls is now released online! Head on over to MAC before it all sells out! And here's a little incentive for you, spend $75 and receive a cute Archie's Girls pin! There is a separate page for everything, the exclusives, including a brush kit, mirror, tote, coin purse and  makeup bag. And, both Betty and Veronica have their own separate pages, the lip products and nail lacquers are featured on these pages rather than the general collection page which only features the face products. Launches in stores Feb 7th!

Pick up the face products here

Check out Betty's Page

Check out Veronica's Page

Pick up the exclusives here

Also, did anyone love the cute intro as much as I did? Well done MAC!

Much love xo

MAC Archie's Girls Collection Launching Soon!

This collection will be showcasing Betty and Veronica, I don't know much about it yet but I do know that Betty will feature lighter, more natural everyday makeup and Veronica will be featuring darker, more vixen-esque products. 

I'm really excited for this collection, especially the Veronica side. I know it may not be anything new but I would love to see a real pin-up take with this collection. I'm looking forward to a bright, true red lip and maybe some interesting nail lacquers. Here's hoping!

Head on over to MAC's website and use the sign up sheet to be one of the first to get the head's up when the collection officially launches! http://www.maccosmetics.com/index.tmpl

This collection is scheduled for Spring. Does anyone else think this would be so cute for Valentine's Day? We shall see.

I will be updating this post as I found out more information!

Updates: 

• This collection WILL have a red lipstick
• 6 lipsticks: Boyfriend Stealer, Daddy's Little Girl, Ronnie Red, Girl Next Door, Sweet Something Oh, Oh, Oh and Betty Bright 

Photo is courtesy of MAC Cosmetics

Much love xo

MAC Strength Collection "Absolute Power" Lipstick - A Review

When MAC first announced this collection, I knew I was going to be all over it. I've been looking for a great matte red lipstick for awhile now and this one seemed to fit everything I was looking for. The other lipsticks in this collection were gorgeous but I knew I wouldn't give them the proper wear that they deserved so I skipped them. MAC describes this color as a "rich red". It's not quite the bright snow white-esque lipstick that I was looking for but more so a very pink toned red. I love it none the less.

The Strength Collection is described as "Colour is a vehicle for women to flex their femininity, and MAC's new Strength Collection reflects this state of mind and style. It starts with dramatic eyes and lips pumped up with vivid colour to project power while cheeks are softly chiseled with natural tones. And, nailing it for overall presentation, MAC's high-gloss Nail Lacquer"

I had a bit of trouble tracking this lipstick down even though I bought it the night of release because there seemed to be a mix up on what locations this collection was actually shipped to. After much irritation, I finally walked away with my lipstick. My favorite part about this lipstick is the texture! Even though it's matte, it's very creamy and glides onto my lips with ease. Once applied, the color leaves a subtle sheen/gloss that lasts for just a little bit before it dries down to a true matte finish. Worn alone, with no lip primer or lip liner, this color lasted about 2-4 hours before it wore down and became a bit dull. The stain it left however, lasted for much much longer, until the next day in fact. When paired with MAC's Prep + Prime Lip and a little lip liner, the color stayed at full opacity from day to night with me having to re-apply nothing. I do like this lipstick and I'm happy that I purchased it but my search for the perfect red still continues.

This lipstick retails for $15.00//3g of product
This collection can be purchased here

Much love xo

Marilyn Monroe M.A.C Collection "Scarlet Ibis"

Like many others, I absolutely adore Marilyn. So of course, once M.A.C announced this collection I HAD to have a few items from it. Unfortunately, I didn't get around to purchasing until this Saturday 10/6 and because of that almost everything was sold out. But, just by sheer luck I was able to get the exact lipstick that I had wanted, which, at the end of the day is all that matters right?

Let me present Scarlet Ibis from the Marilyn collection (it is actually a re-promote from a collection earlier this year) I absolutely ADORE this shade. It is a beautiful reddened orange. The color itself is entirely opaque and can be worn full on or sheered out for an absolutely gorgeous tint. The color is matte, and because of that leaves a stain on the lips which lasted on me even after eating, drinking and taking a little nap (no joke here) I've come to find that less is more with this shade and seems to last incredibly long when used sparingly. The only downside for me is that I only purchased one so I almost don't want to use it!


What I love about this collection overall is that to me, it truly speaks Marilyn. Everything in the collection is actually like what she wore in real life. All of the colors are very subtle, very neutral and natural with just the right amount of glam.

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring" - Marilyn Monroe

Update: The absolute PERFECT lip liner for this is NYX Slim lip pencil in the color "Pumpkin"