Review and Swatches: MAC Asian Flower Sheen Supreme Lipstick and Dress It Up Pro Longwear Lipcreme

MAC Sheen Supreme in Asian Flower

I stopped by MAC with some gift vouchers and came back with two new babies from the latest Style Drive and Seasonally Supreme collections:

(L-to-R) MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Dress It Up, and Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Asian Flower

You'll be happy to know these two collections are now part of the permanent line, although for me, these were the two standouts.

Asian Flower is a strong super-glossy violet with a hint of shimmer, but it looks like a creme rather than a frost lipstick, which is great. It's actually very close to Lime Crime Airborne Unicorn in tone, but a touch less purple, more glossy and less opaque.

I'll probably keep buying this until I get too old to pull it off anymore.

(From top): MAC Up The Amp, MAC Asian Flower, and Lime Crime Airborne Unicorn

This is an extremely fun and comfortable violet to wear, looks even on the lips, and more flattering than you might think. I don't like pale Sheen Supremes because they tend to settle into lines and cake up where your lips meet, but this shade has not done that.

The second shade is the opposite in texture.
Being a MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme, Dress It Up is undoubtedly a thick, opaque, velvet finish after setting. I've been into mattes lately, and this shade keeps everything very modern and updated.

MAC Dress It Up Pro Longwear Lipcreme on lips.

The shade, however, is the standout for me.
If you don't have access to Snob lipstick, and don't like how patchy and sheer Revlon Pink Pout is, this lipstick is perfect. It's a creme finish, without any shimmer, and a beautiful cool toned nude-pink that isn't too pale (as compared to NYX Narcissus and MAC Saint Germain. If you are medium to tan skinned and want to try a cool matte lip, you might want to go to your nearest MAC counter and check this out.

 (L-to-R) Revlon Pink Pout, NYX Narcissus, MAC Dress It Up

The fact that you don't need to touch it up often is a bonus, as the lipstick will probably go a much longer way. However, the bad part about wearing one of these long-lasting finishes is that you can't touch up without removing all your lipstick. Attempting to layer on more product will just give you a gunky mess if you're not careful about it.

Barry M 52 Shocking Pink Lip Paint: Swatches and Review

Barry M Shocking Pink Lip Paint

This is the last of my Barry M Lip Paint features!

Shocking Pink is THE ultra-hot blue-pink in a matte, opaque texture. You've heard this is a dupe for Candy Yum Yum (which I did not purchase), but a little more pigmented and intense. Shocking Pink is also dryer in texture than Candy Yum Yum or NYX's matte lipsticks, so make sure you pat on some lip balm and then blot off any excess product before applying this. 

 Swatches (L-to-R): NYX Cancun Pink (black label), NYX Louisiana (round), Barry M Shocking Pink, NYX Shocking Pink (matte), Revlon Fuchsia (Colorburst) lipsticks

To better appreciate the brightness and "blue-ness" of the shade, I've swatched it next to a gamut of other "intense pinks". As you can see, NYX Cancun Pink does not even look bright compared to Barry M Shocking Pink. NYX Louisiana, which many consider a hot pink, looks very red beside its strong blue undertones. Revlon's Fuchsia is plummy in comparison, and NYX Shocking Pink looks almost mauve. 

If you are afraid of very blue or very bright pinks, feel free to check out one of the other shades listed depending on what you feel more confident wearing.

The Pros?

I don't find any lip liner necessary as this matte lipstick has not bled. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find any matching lip liner more intense and pigmented than this anyway. It also applies evenly, lasts for hours without touch-ups, and is one of the most incredibly unapologetic pinks you will find in the market.

The Cons?
I don't like lipsticks staining, and this stains big time. But I experienced this with pretty much all hot pink lipsticks of this intensity. It's also not very moisturizing compared to other matte formulas like MAC Candy Yum Yum or NYX Shocking Pink. Then again, I have to say neither of those is this opaque and intense.

Compared to other Barry M shades in my collection?
I do find the texture of the 3 stronger lipsticks (Sunset, Vibrant Pink, and Shocking Pink) more even and high-quality than the lighter shades (Peachy Pink and Baby Pink) which take a bit more work to apply.

The differences between Shocking Pink and Vibrant Pink are in the undertones (Vibrant Pink is more of a true-pick, and Shocking Pink more blue-based) as well as texture (Vibrant Pink is creamier). If you are afraid of wearing something that is too cool-toned, or don't like a very matte texture, go for 62 Vibrant Pink.

Black Jade: Dramatic Cat Eye Makeup

Black and jade shadow dramatic eye using I Nuovi Fog and Wet n Wild Greed palette (matte black), with  Jordana Pink Passion Matte Lipstick

Smoky shadow can be sexy and strong, and a matte black smoky eye is often the most dramatic of all. For this look, I wanted to add a touch of pale surrealism to the dark drama and minimize the "grunginess" without diluting too much of the strength. 

Step 1: First pack a layer of black shadow onto the outer 2/3 of the lid and gently along the socket line, pulling the color almost to the inner corner, but leaving a gap on the inner 1/3 of lids. This is where the pale color is going to go. The black should be most intense in the outer corners.

Line along the lower lash line with a smudge brush as well. The thicker the color along the bottom lashes, the more grungy the look will be. 

Step 2: With a soft blending brush and gentle windshield wiper motions, blend the black out into a tapered wing, and remove any harsh lines.

Step 3: Apply pale jade shadow to the uncolored gap on the inner 1/3 of lids and run along the inside corners of the bottom lash line as well. Finish by applying black pencil to the water line, and black liquid liner along the top lash line.

Step 4: Curl lashes and apply 2 generous coats of black mascara. False lashes would obscure the color on the inner corners, so if you want to wear them, wear half strips along the outer corners.

The color along the inner corners does not need to be packed on too strongly or blended up and out too far. The primary component of this look when the eyes are open should still be black.

Other products used in this look:

• MAC Face and Body Foundation C2
• I Nuovi Undercover Concealer in 3Y
• Everyday Minerals Matte Foundation in Golden Medium
• NYX Pinky Blush (applied very lightly)

• Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Pencil in Grey
• Super Quick EX liner in black
• No 7 Extreme Lengths Mascara in Black

• Jordana Matte Lipstick in 48 Pink Passion

I Nuovi D27 Eyeshadow Collection Haul and Swatches

I Nuovi has long been one of my favorite brands for eye products. Their range of D27 eyeshadows are high-quality, pigmented, and come in a wide variety of textures and shades. Here in Singapore, they are also more affordable than MAC shadows but definitely on par (and even better sometimes) in terms of quality.

At a recent members' mega-sale, I couldn't resist stopping by for a fantastic deal; 12 shadows and their magnetic mock-leather Propalette for SGD88. These shadows retail for US$18 a piece usually, and the 24-pan palette US$26, so that was a steep 60% discount on the 13 items. 

My 24-pan Propalettes with D27 shadows.

So since my I Nuovi collection has grown considerably, I figured it would help to do some swatches as there isn't a whole lot of information online about the brand and its products, and the web site is horribly inadequate for showing the actual shades and textures of their products.

Highlights

Highlight Swatches (L-to-R): Crystalline, Nylon, Flash and Star

• I Nuovi Crystalline is made up of white sparks rather than flat white pigment, like a MAC Lustre shadow. This gives it a translucent quality, similar to MAC Reflects Pearl. 
• I Nuovi Nylon is pretty similar to MAC's Nylon and Vanilla pigment in that it's a pale ivory-gold.
• Flash is a translucent white with pink sheen, and a total dupe for MAC's Pink Opal pigment.
• Star is a new purchase, and also a duochrome white like Flash, except that it glows a beautiful indigo-blue.

Blues and Lavenders

Swatches (L-to-R): I Nuovi Boy, Hype, Disco, River, Electric, and Yam

• Boy is a matte baby blue that I love because it has grey undertones rather than green, as most matte pastel blues do. Very pretty shade. It's also smooth to apply, as are all I Nuovi mattes I've tried.
• Hype is a deep blue similar but just a touch deeper than MAC Freshwater. The sheen is beautiful, and you can easily do a blue smoky eye with this.
• Disco is a new purchase that I'm loving because it's a matte sky blue infused with silvery sparks. Unlike a lot of such shadows, the sparks do stay obvious after application.
• River is a smoky cobalt with a low sheen. Very unique as blues go, as most brands are not able to get this shade very pigmented and smooth, due to the nature of the chromium pigments.
• Electric is a perfect violet; cobalt with a purple sheen. 
• Yam, I actually got to spike up my pink blushes when I want an uber cool-toned pink blush. But like Boy, it's a very smooth and pigmented matte lavender shadow.

Teals and Skin-tones

 Swatches (L-to-R): I Nuovi Emerald, Neon, Chrome, Cosmo, Dewdrop and Cashmere

• Emerald is not emerald green. It's actually a deep metallic aquamarine that leans towards blue.
• Neon is a bright, medium-toned blue-green for days when you're feeling colorful.
• Chrome looks silver in the flash, but it's actually a gorgeous duochrome with blue base and pale platinum-gold highlights. Combined its an indescribable color and I've yet to find a dupe for this.
• Cosmo is a soft orange-bronze that can be used to achieve a sun-kissed dewy lid effect on the eyes.
• Dewdrop is my favorite soft shade from I Nuovi. It's a satiny peach with a coral duochrome sheen and gold sparkles. I can't imagine it not being flattering on anyone. If you can just get one shade from I Nuovi, get this onebecause you sure aren't going to be able to dupe this or easily combine shades to get this exact finish.
• Cashmere is a soft, silvery pink that's a great inner-corner highlight. This is Benefit High Beam in shadow form.

Greens

Swatches (L-to-R):  Cat's Eye, Jade, Fog, Algae, Suede

• Cat's Eye is a fierce matte black shot through with deep green sparks. Absolutely gorgeous. And as mentioned before, the glitter from these shadows do show up very well, and do not fall off and disappear within 5 minutes, like some MAC shadows do.
• Jade is a lovely soft blue-toned mermaid green that is similar to MAC Steamy but a little deeper.
• Fog is a pale mint-green pearl that's a good highlight.
• Algae is a matte apple green. Pigmented, and silky to the touch.
• Suede is another interesting duo-chrome metallic, with a red-brown base and pale green highlights. The shade shifts with the light.

Browns

Swatches (L-to-R): I Nuovi Velvet, Cement, Potion, Mod, and Copper

Who can do without the staple browns?

• Velvet is yet another beautiful sparkly matte (Disco and Cat's Eye) that is so fun to wear. The dark russet brown with coppery-red sparkles is smooth and pigmented.
• Cement is a staple dark brown that I bought to line the eyes and as a contrast shade for colorful look where I do not want to use a matte black.
• Potion is a deep dark chocolate metallic.
• Mod is a medium warm-toned brown metallic 
• Copper is, well, copper!

As mentioned, this brand has fantastic shadows (I haven't even begun to talk about their Metallogy shadows!) and if you can get hold of these during a sale or via a friend, it's definitely worth investing in. I've been very impressed with their mattes especially, as it's not easy to be perfectly matte but still pigmented and silky to the touch. Unlike MAC, I haven't found different shadow textures to perform inconsistently within the range. The mattes are as pigmented as the shimmers.

The propalettes themselves are sturdy but lightweight (no flimsy plastic here), with strong magnetization. The shadow pans are inserted snugly into thick foam padding inside, which also means your eyeshadows are more protected from physical shock when you drop or knock them around as compared to MAC (not that I'm suggesting you do). Each one also fits a good number of shadows (24) so you won't need to carry around that many of them.

NYX Purple Rain Slim Lip Pencil Swatch and Review!

Swatches for shade comparison (Top-down): NYX Purple Rain pencil, NYX Fuchsia pencil, Bourjois Bleu Chatoyant eyeliner

Purple Rain is a deep magenta with muted violet-blue sheen. It gives the most interesting effect on the lips as it looks so deep, but at the same time has a bit of a "glow" because of the reflective pigments, and will not look flat. For fall, this gives great matte magenta lips.

The texture of all the NYX pencils I own have been great so far; soft and easy to spread and blend, so I'm enjoying this color although I'd initially been wondering how it could possibly work. As a tip, make sure to use the flat side of the pencil to gently stroke color on, as you don't want uneven patches where you have too much or too little product.

And don't try to keep layering it on to get the color perfectly opaque. That is just not going to happen. But with each pencil going at under US$2 on Beautyjoint.com and Cherryculture.com, it's definitely worth checking out!

I'm placing my bets on Magenta as the Statement lip shade for Fall, as it's more grown-up but just as striking as the neon pinks of Summer 2011. (I'm not willing to put away strong lip colors yet.)

Click here for other products used in the look!

Azure Pop Tutorial

Metallic azure blue centered on matte brown smoky eyes.

We've all seen the Jason Wu F/W 2011 runway makeup, with the dark navy smoky eyes and bright metallic gold in the center of the lids.

I wasn't so much interested in re-creating the look as re-interpreting it with a different color scheme and softer, more wearable finish for real life. 

Step 1: Pack a matte cocoa brown to the outer and inner thirds of the lids, over a good eyeshadow base. You want the color to be intense, as this is your guide-line for the contrasting blue in the center of the lids. Don't bother smoking it out at this point.

Step 2: Pack a metallic azure blue to the center of the lids. For more drama, foil the shadow with mixing medium like MAC Fix+ before applying to achieve a more metallic finish. If you want to soften the look, just apply it dry. 

Azure blue from the 88 Shimmer Palette; good alternatives if you don't have a similar shade include MAC Mutiny pigment or Barry M Kingfisher Dazzledust. Just don't get anything that is too green-toned if you want maximum contrast with the brown.

Step 3: With a softer, warmer brown, blend along the socket line and upwards toward the brown bone. Again you can go all the way to the brows for drama but I did not.

Step 4: Finish with dark brown liner along the water lines, and black mascara on top and bottom lashes. I opted not to apply false lashes, just so I wouldn't obscure the lid colors.