MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 Amplified Lipstick: Swatches and Mini-Review

Color:

This is a chalky, dusty lavender-toned creme lipstick that's little more cool and grey than Saint Germain.

As you can see in the comparative swatches above, it's not as much of a true-purple as the 2 Lime Crime purples, but it's also not a true pink either.
On the lip, it has a tendency to look much chalkier and more lavender than it does in the tube, so this is not a color for the faint-hearted. There is nothing natural looking about it. It's much lighter than my lips, even on my light NC25 skin.

Texture:

This is a creamy amplified lipstick, so it's quite opaque, but not as thick and pigmented as a matte or satin lipstick in MAC's range. The creaminess means that when you press your lips together or roll your lips, the lipstick can shift and start to look patchy in areas, so that's one of the problems you might experience if you have pigmented lips.

If you have a pale liner or lip primer that is skin-colored, that will help to minimize or mask the unevenness.

Wear:

Very hard to say, because it depends on each person's habit (whether you have a tendency to bite or lick your lips, etc. I'd say this wears like any regular creamy lipstick. Not particularly long-wearing but not too bad.

Layering it over a liner does definitely help a lot, but it might also change the appearance of the lips slightly.

Cotton Candy and Chocolate: Defined Pastel Makeup Tutorial (using I Nuovi Dusts)

Pastels are all over the place this season. But more of us love pastels than pastels love us, as it's not always the most flattering color-group to wear around the eyes for those with high-color (dark hair, darker skins, etc) and flatter eye contours.

For this eye look, I'm using pastels that are so pale they are almost icy, and the application is actually very straightforward, as it hinges mainly on the chocolate powder liner to bring everything together. 

You just need to arm yourself with eye shadow shades similar to the ones swatched above. It doesn't matter if it comes in loose or pressed form.

• Pale pink
• Pale Turquoise
• Deep chocolate brown

Step 1: The thick winged liner. This is MUCH easier to do with powder shadow than with gel or liquid, and you just need a firm angled brush to stroke from outside in, to gently create the wing. There are many brown shadows around, but pick a shade that is matte or semi-matte, to stand out against the pastels better.

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Step 2: Layer  a pale turquoise shadow over the outer half of your lids. Then repeat using the pink on the inner halves, extending down around the inner corners slightly to brighten the eye area.

Step 3: Finish by applying another layer of brown shadow thinly as a liner at the lash line. This gives the brown more depth close to the lashes, while the bit that has pastel blue and pink shadows layered over it has a bit of sheen.

Then finish with black mascara on top and bottom lashes.

On the cheeks, go for a hot pink blush instead of a pastel. This keeps everything edgy instead of being just pastel everywhere. I used Shu Uemura P Red 14 Blush but any intense pink will do.

On the lips, go with a blue-based pink like Great Pink Planet (what I wore here) or Saint Germain (left-most swatches) to go with the shadows!

Pale/Baby Pink Lipsticks

MAC Saint Germain lipstick

Anonymous:
What are some good pale pink lipsticks?


More people love pale-pink than dare to wear it as a full-on lipstick. Sure it's a bit of a Snooki-esque disaster if you wear it wrong but the right shade can be sweet on the pale, oh-so-cute on the medium-toned, super-sexy on the tanned, and edgy on the darker-skinned.
I didn't get into pale/pastel pink lipsticks until quite recently (2010 to be exact). I never thought I'd ever pull off a pale pink without looking ridiculous, and I'm sure many of you feel that way too.
Well, arm yourself with a good lip primer or concealer, and give it a shot.

L-to-R: Lime Crime Great Pink Planet, MAC Saint Germain, NYX Jupiter, NYX Strawberry Milk, Barry M 100 Baby Pink

Shades I own:
Lime Crime Great Pink Planet: The lipstick that converted me to the world of opaque pastel pinks, and arguably my favorite of the lot. This is one of those lipsticks that is opaque enough to give you that "stick-on" lips effect when you really layer it on. If worn sheer, it will look deeper as it stains your lips pink.
Finish: Opaque Satin
Opacity: High
Price: mid-range
Shade: Bright pastel true-pink
Note: Often listed as a dupe of Saint Germain but it's actually not as blue-based.


MAC Saint Germain: This legendary Amplified pale-pink creme has driven many makeup collectors crazy as it was previously only available in Europe and via limited edition collections. It's STILL not available outside of the US/EU at the moment. (I got mine shipped to a friend's hotel on her recent trip to the States.)
Finish: Opaque creme
Opacity: High
Price: mid-range
Shade: Bright pastel blue-pink
Note: This can look quite shocking on deeper or yellower complexions because it is VERY blue-based. Not for the faint of heart. If you're not sure, Great Pink Planet is a better one to start off with as it's plenty-bright, but warmer and not so stark against the skin. If you want a really eye-catching pale pink though, this is it.

NYX Jupiter: This is what I call the "Beginner's Pale Pink", because you get a pale, pastel-pink frost rather than an opaque layer of pastel-pink. I don't like frost lipsticks but this actually looks nice, wears evenly, and will work with many skin tones.
Finish: Sheer frost
Opacity: Medium-low, buildable
Price: Low
Shade: Warm shell-pink with strong pale-pink frost
Note: Avoid pairing with frosted cheeks AND frosted lids if you don't want to look like an 80's throwback. Looks FANTASTIC on those with a tan.

NYX Strawberry Milk: Least-favored of the bunch. Seems everyone who owns it either loves it or hates it. I'm actually probably going to throw it out some day soon. It's a pale nude almost-pink that looks like it would look so fabulous, but the slippery texture killed it for me. I have a hard time applying it evenly, which drives me nuts because I'm so a**l about getting lip color even.
Finish: Almost-opaque creme
Opacity: Medium
Price: Low
Shade: Pale, pale pink with beige tones
Note: I actually have an extra NEW tube sitting in storage if anyone wants to give it a go. I'll send it to you free if you'll pay for the shipping. Just message me if you're interested and let me know your country. I'll check on the shipping rate and  you can decide if it's worth it first!
[Update] You guys are fast! I've got a few queries already and am taking this "off the market" before I disappoint too many people. I'll update again if the deal falls through and the lipstick is available again!]
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 Barry M 100 Baby Pink Lip Paint: UBER-pale pink that is almost white against the skin. I'm NC25 and even on my medium-light skin, it looks very dramatic. Not the easiest shade to wear, but works with the right makeup.

Finish: Satin-pearl (the pearl is almost invisible on the lips)
Opacity: Medium-high, buildable
Price: Low
Shade: Pale white-pink
Note: If nothing but the most deliciously-shocking pale pink will do, THIS is the lipstick for you. Just note that you will need to mute out your lips with a little concealer, especially around the edges, as the lipstick is paler than your skin and will bring out any ruddy tones around the mouth