MAC Blush in Stubborn

Blushers for me are one of those things that I couldn't get enough of even though in general, one can hardly tell the colors apart once you applied them on the cheeks. But I always find myself looking for all the different shades of blush as if I really need them and this time around I found MAC's blush in Stubborn.

MAC blush in Stubborn

Stubborn is one of the blushes from MAC's Pro Longwear line and it's a beautiful shade of plum and is described as a 'Mid-tone Rose Plum' on the MAC website. I'm still not sure if this is part of their permanent line but I think it might be. It reminds me their Fever blush which is slightly deeper in comparison. It has a matte finish and is very pigmented. I use the Sigma F10 for this and just dab the brush on the pan and then sweep it across my cheeks. All you need is a light hand and the blush brush will handle the rest!

Sigma F10 Blush brush

MAC blush in Stubborn

I don't know if the Pro Longwear makeup line from MAC is supposed to wear longer on the face but it wears pretty much the same for me as their regular blushers. However, I really do like this blush though. Their matte blushes are my favorite out of the rest. I'd recommend Stubborn to those with medium to darker skin tones. It's a little intense for light skin tones but if you really like the shade then I suggest using a very light hand for this! MAC Pro Longwear blush retails for RM100.

MAC blush in Stubborn swatched

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

MAC Studio Fix Fluid was one of the many foundations I've been dying to try for quite a while now. There are others, like the Urban Decay Naked foundation, Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation, Makeup Forever's Mat Velvet + and the list goes on. Anyway, I had the sales assistant match my skin to a suitable color and in the end, I brought home the Studio Fix Fluid in NC30. 

 MAC Studio Fix Fluid 

 MAC Studio Fix Fluid 

Before and after applying the foundation

I don't know about the other MAC foundations but this particular one I find has medium to full coverage. I'm surprised at how thick the consistency of this is, almost like a gel. Some people prefer using their fingers to apply foundation and I do it too sometimes but for this, I'd rather use a brush simply because I find it rather difficult to blend in to the skin using my bare hands. The Sigma F84 does the job perfectly I must say!

Sigma Angled Top Kabuki - F84

The downside to the MAC Studio Fix Fluid is it smells literally like paint! It's actually the worst smelling foundation I've owned so far. It's such a far cry from the pleasant smell of Skin79's Chiffon BB Mousse. To be honest, I'm not that fussy when it comes to scents in foundations although I do prefer them to be scentless. But this is MAC, it's not cheap! They really should at least get rid of the smell. 

Another thing, I broke out really badly after a couple weeks of using it. I don't know if you've heard but MAC foundations tend to break people out. I thought I wouldn't be one of them because I generally do not have sensitive skin. I'm still not sure if it's the foundation causing it or maybe it's because I need to wash my brush more frequently. Will definitely try washing the brush after each use of this foundation and see how it works out. 

Overall, this is a mediocre product for me. Not impressive but not too bad either. I like how the foundation sets onto the skin once you applied it. It also has a long staying power, averages about 4-6 hours for me which is more than enough. Even though it has a medium-heavy coverage, the finish is quite natural and it doesn't look nor feel cake-y at all! I don't even need my Garnier BB Eye Roll-On when I use the Studio Fix Fluid since it already covers almost every imperfection on my skin. If you wanna try the Studio Fix Fluid, I suggest you ask for a sample of the foundation if possible before purchasing just to test it out and see if your skin reacts to it. The MAC Studio Fix Fluid retails for RM118.

MAC lipstick in Blankety

So... if you don't already know, I am a little obsessed with lipsticks. My last two beauty products have been that of lipstick and unfortunately for you, I am here tonight to review yet another lip product! I can't help it!! I'm starting to think I love lipsticks more than eyeshadows. (Hence the header with the girl and her lipstick!) And blushers too. Gotta love me some blush.

This time around, I was looking for a nude-ish lip product because I can't bring myself to wear Russian Red everyday. And since Midvalley is darn close to where I'm staying, I went there the most often and somehow landed on my feet right in front of the MAC store. Can I say oops? lol

MAC lipstick in Blankety

I just love the range of lipsticks offered by MAC! There are so many colors to choose from and I wanted to try them all! Even for nude colors, there's a bazillion types of nudes. Nude nude, nude pink, deeper nude pink, peachy nude. wtf man.. you're killing me! I was battling between Blankety and Creme Cup and in the end I chose Blankety just because I wanna save the best for the last (whatever that means).

MAC lipstick in Blankety

Blankety is an amplified lipstick and I don't see much of a difference between the amplified and cremesheen finish. I know cremesheen is supposed to be sheerer in color but they all work almost the same although I have to say amplified lipsticks is by far the most moisturizing lip product I've tried from MAC so far. Please don't quote me on that because I only have a very small collection of MAC lip products so I can't say for sure!

 

Me wearing Blankety on my lips

I don't know how to describe the color except that it's very very nude and I absolutely adore it! I know it makes me look kinda sick but ughh there's something about it I just can't resist! To be honest I like all kinds of lip colors as long as it suits my skin tone. Sometimes I even wish I could rock the bright neon pink Nicki Minaj wears so much.

Wearing Blankety on my lips.

 Pick up Blankety if you're looking for some really nude lipstick the next time you visit MAC. It's one of those lipsticks which you don't have to worry about bleeding or going out of your lip line and you can even put it on without a mirror. Provided you know where your lips are, of course. lol I love Russian Red but sometimes it's a hassle to remind myself not to smack my lips else I will literally transfer the lipstick to my chin. haha okay maybe I'm exaggerating a little but you get the gist. Blankety retails for RM68 at any MAC store/counter.

Here's a random OOTD that goes with the makeup:

 

I don't remember where we went actually. Been going out a tad too much these days lol

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red

I was at MAC's the other day in Midvalley looking at their gorgeous lipsticks and was recommended Russian Red. Now I'm not one to use red lipstick on a regular basis because the only red lipstick that I own before this was Revlon's Love that red and that color I sometimes like on me and other times I don't. But I decided to try out Russian Red anyway after I swatched it in the store because it really is beautiful and I can't resist!

 

MAC lipstick in Russian Red

  MAC lipstick in Russian Red

I never imagined the first MAC lipstick that I bought myself to be such a bold color to be honest. I thought I'd go for something nude or at least a pink for everyday use. There's another color which is lighter and less muted called Ruby Woo and that is also a stunning shade. Ruby Woo is also Sophia's (Fashionista804 on youtube) favorite MAC lipstick while Russian Red is Sammi's (beautycrush on youtube). Is it weird that I know this? lol

MAC lipstick in Russian Red

Russian Red is described as an intense blueish red on MAC's website. It also has a matte finish, which I love! This lipstick stays on for a very long time too, I remember wearing this out when we went to Pavilion and it's still there intact on my lips after 6 hours of shopping! Even after I ate, only the inner part of my lips has lost a bit of the color. It bleed a little on my lower lips at first but after that I went on and bought one of Sephora's red lip liners to line my lips prior to applying Russian Red and it turned out perfect.  It's not too drying on the lips too and it doesn't transfer easily.

Me wearing Russian Red

Lip swatch

If you're looking for a good quality red lipstick, I really recommend you guys to get this one! You can purchase this at any MAC stores/counters in KLCC, Pavilion, Midvalley, Sogo, etc for RM68.

Out and about in Times Square & Midvalley!

Next week is going to be our third week of the semester so tutorials will be starting soon. The education system in UM is slightly different but it is still more or less the same as UBD less the fact that the lecturers here don't exactly stick to one core textbook for each course. The notes are a little bit here and there so me and Kanniga is still trying to grasp the idea of not having any textbooks to refer to. We are that old school.

Anyways! This weekend is the best!! (I know I said the same thing in my last post but this week really is the best lol) Our classes are only on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. So on the other days we won't need to head over to UM for any classes, which is pretty awesome. This friday we went to Times Square, Saturday we went to Bukit Bintang and today we went to Midvalley - again!

We've been to Midvalley the most so far because it's closest to the place where we are staying but only today we found out that the Gardens was right next to Midvalley! If you don't already know, the Gardens is a shopping mall much like Pavillion, but just a tad smaller.

 My favorite place for snacks in Little Taipei at Times Square!

The mischievous Norain

 At this Shabu Shabu place in Times Square

My first time trying Subway. The line was really long, I panicked when the lady asked me which veggie I'd like in my sandwich so I told her whichever so she put everything in. -__- That was supposed to be Chicken Teriyaki btw

OOTD which consists of a blouse and 3/4 workout pants (and a pair of flip flops) lol

An event happening at Midvalley earlier

Lunch at Thai Up! 

Kenny's Tom Yam

Thai Green Curry. It's goooood!

The Gardens shopping mall which we just discovered lol

Kenny lits up when she saw this little corner in Marks & Spencer!

Biggest bookstore I've been in so far!

One of the many book sections at Borders

 My haul for today.

 Finally bought MAC's Studio Fix Fluid!

If you follow me on twitter, you might have came across my tweets saying I moved from Pantai Hillpark to Pantai Panorama! Pantai Hillpark is fine but the one we're staying in is in Phase 5 which is on top of a hill (more like a sahara desert on a mountain aka a sahara mountain) and we couldn't bring ourselves to walk up that hill every single day so we decided to move. Anyway, the view from my new apartment at Panorama is really spectacular. I'm so grateful to be able to see this every night and all I have to do is turn my head to the right. 

January 2013 Favorites!

I'm back! There has been a lot going on recently and I find myself distracted whenever I try to put up a blog post so I decided to wait for a while before plunging back in writing one up. I've been going up and down BSB almost everyday this week to sort out my medical check as well as attending a talk for those who are flying to Malaysia soon. The lady who gave us the talk works in the Brunei High Commission in KL and warned us about the dangers of living on your own in the city. She even gave us a few tips on how to be street smart which I think is very useful especially when you're on your own in the city!

Anyway, I haven't been buying a lot of makeup recently and that gives me the privilege of digging around my current makeup collection looking for something good to use.

Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream - I find myself reaching for this the most this past month. I noticed that the texture of this BB Cream is more of a gel than a cream, especially when you compare it to the regular foundation. If you've been following my blog for a while you'll know how much I love this. I tend to reach for this BB Cream a lot when I know I'll be out for a good few hours and wanted something that has medium coverage and a good amount of SPF for some protection against the sun. 

Too Faced Eyeshadow in Glamazon - This is one of those eyeshadows that I don't ever use much and it'll just sit on my vanity for months on end which is kinda sad because it's such a beautiful color! Earlier in Jan I attended a wedding reception and while preparing I rummaged through my makeup palettes and saw this shade which is in the Too Faced Insurance Policy palette and thought it's the perfect taupe color so I used it that day... and many days after. It's a shame I hardly ever use this palette because the eyeshadows are good in quality and the pigmentation is great. 

MAC Blush in Fleur Power - I've been reaching for this the most in January and I love it! It's by far the most pigmented MAC blush that I own. Not that I own a lot of MAC blushes, only a few actually lol It's one of those everyday pinky-peach blushes that you can use for any look you prefer. It's THAT good. If you've never own any MAC blushes and am thinking of getting one, I recommend Fleur Power!

Banana Republic Eau De Parfum in Wildbloom - If I'm not mistaken this fragrance was released just last year so it's fairly new. I'm a sucker for fresh and floral scents so this perfume is right up my alley! I am totally in love with the packaging!! It lasts quite a while too, which is always a plus for me. It's definitely a day time scent but hey, who says you can't use it at night right? Top notes: Violet leaf, Red apple, Pear. Middle notes: Gardenia, Magnolia, Peach Blossom. Base notes: Teak wood, Sandalwood, Coconut, Musk

Catrice Absolute Eye Colour in Mr. Copper's fields - Okay, confession time. Recently I seemed to be helplessly drawn to shimmery colors and this is no exception. Even though this eyeshadow looks similar to Too Faced's Glamazon, I swear they are totally different! Mr Copper's field is more of a copper-gold shade and Glamazon is like I mentioned before, more of a taupe-y shade. Both are equally shimmery though!

The Face Shop Lovely Me: Ex Tint in Wineberry - I used to use this almost everyday when I'm going to classes on campus because you know how sometimes you'll have a full day of classes and you just get tired of reapplying lip stick/ lip balm. Wineberry is a gorgeous red color and the good thing about it is you can apply it lightly for a more natural look or you can layer them on for a more intense red on your lips. The best part is it stays on the whole day and saves me time and effort from reapplying the product. Also, a tube of this lip tint will last you forever!! The only downside is it tastes really bitter and I can't help but accidentally taste it whenever I apply the tint.

Revlon Photoready Concealer in Medium - I've tried a few concealers and in the end, I always go back to this. Even though it's in stick form, the concealer itself is surprisingly creamy and easy to blend. My sister uses this religiously as her under-eye concealer but I only use it to conceal spots on my face because I prefer something lighter in texture for my under-eye concealer. To each her own, right? For under eye concealing, I use the Garnier BB Eye Roll-on but apart from that the Photoready Concealer takes the spotlight!

That's all for my January favorites! I wanted to include a few more but that would mean writing up an essay lol What were your January favs?

FOTD w/ MAC lipstick in Craving

The rain has been pouring like crazy these past few weeks and it made me think that perhaps this gloomy weather is just Brunei's version of  Autumn. Though we might not be able to enjoy the 'real' seasons here, I somehow still very much feel them in the air, thanks to the almighty influence of the internet! I followed a few fashion and beauty profiles on instagram and their updates on the latest trends according to the current season had me altering my own approach towards fashion and beauty. And of course youtube helped too!

I've had this lipstick for quite a while now and can you believe I haven't used this since I got it a year ago? Madness. I kinda forgot I own it tbh, which is sad because it's such a beautiful color!

MAC lipstick in Craving

 

MAC lipstick in Craving

 

MAC lipstick in Craving

I've been gearing towards darker colors nowadays because of the gloomy weather so I decided to bust out Craving and just wing it. Anyway, I've always had this image in my mind of a woman in a trench coat holding an umbrella, walking in the rain with with dark hair and dark lips. I guess in the back of my mind I wanted to be that woman (?). 

MAC lipstick in Craving swatched

MAC Craving is a gorgeous berry red. When you put it on, it doesn't show up as dark as it looked in the tube and is surprisingly very wearable on a day to day basis, I think. It's also an amplified and quite moisturizing despite the deep color.

I felt compelled to do another before and after shot so here you go!  

Before and after

I'm loving the darker lip trend! It's also pretty convenient because I won't need to spend eons of time on my eye makeup. With this trend, all I need is the lipstick, an eyeliner, brow pencil and a mascara. And I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift would agree with me. ;)