MAC Archives - Perilously Pale

The Beauty Spotlight Team has Stranded Perilously Pale on a Desert Island!

December 15, 2012 By Christa 11 Comments

The Beauty Spotlight Team’s latest assignment is to be stranded on a desert island with only TWELVE beauty products to get us by until help arrives. How cruel is that?! Well I guess it’s pretty awesome because who the heck gets to hand pick what items to take with them prior to getting abandoned on a desert island. That’s actually sounding like a pretty fabulous vacation to me at the moment. The rules are that we are not including sunscreen and lip balm in our lists as those are simply obvious must haves for absolutely everyone so we are assuming our desert island came with a secret stash of those essentials. Hmm now did this desert island come equipped with frosty tropical beverages and snacks as well or should I have been selecting edible beauty products?

At first I thought that twelve items sounded generous and that this assignment would be easy. But when you consider looking after your skin, as well as looking your best, and throw in the necessity of tools on top of that, and selecting a mere twelve products quickly becomes an impossible task. After a great deal of thought this is what I have determined are my Desert Island Must Haves. Now this is presuming I have people to impress on said desert island. I am of course assuming that this desert island is home to beauty conscious civilized people or maybe just really stuck up monkeys. If I were to be there alone, truly shipwrecked, than my must haves would consist of only skincare. Anyways enough of the logistics and on to the fun stuff!

Beautysets - My Desert Island Must Haves

My products of choice in no particular order:

shu uemura Ultime8 Cleansing Oil - When I reviewed this cleansing oil back in August I was totally smitten. My feelings have not changed. I could not imagine being without this decadent skincare product. Check out my original review here.

Clarins Blue Orchid Treatment Oil for Dehydrated Skin - I haven’t reviewed this yet, as I only began testing a couple weeks ago, but so far I am calling this my miracle skincare product and have Instagramed my excitement over this extraordinary treatment. I think I have FINALLY found the product I’ve been looking for to rescue my dehydrated skin.

shu uemura Eyelash Curler - I have several of the shu uemura eyelash curlers in my stash as well as in my professional kit. I have straight lashes that stick straight down so this eyelash curler is a must for me to make me look awake and fresh. Check out my original review of the gold version here.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara I posted about this favourite mascara of mine in the Makeup Wars Favourite Mascara feature. This baby would definitely be my mascara of choice for my desert island adventure.

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup ($62) LOVE LOVE LOVE this foundation. I have yet to review it as I only received it a little over a week ago but this is serious holy grail status for me. What makes it even more perfect for a desert island makeup bag is that I don’t need primer or setting powder with it. How amazing is that?

Urban Decay Naked Palette When it comes time to picking eyeshadows for my desert island must haves of course I had to select a palette with as many great and versatile shades as possible. I have never reviewed my Naked palette, simply because there are so many reviews out there already, but when given the task of narrowing my choices down to 12 selections this was the first palette than came to mind. You can never go wrong with the UD Naked Palette!

Le Metier de Beaute Blush Kit Kaleidoscope - Four beautiful blush and highlight shades in one palette? Of course the Le Metier de Beaute Blush Kaleidoscope made my list. It has been a go to and a favourite since I reviewed it in May. Check out the review and swatches here. It is such an exceptional piece from Le Metier de Beaute.

Hakuhodo J110 Blush Brush I picked this exquisitely soft blush brush as part of my Hakuhodo haul at IMATS this year. Heaven!

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain - I have mentioned many times my adoration for this innovative formula. It is really a crying shame I only own two shades #7 Corail Aquatique and #15 Rose Vinyl.

Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer - I like the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer because it does a good job concealing imperfections and it also will function as an under eye concealer without looking to heavy or cakey.

MAC 217 Blending Brush - Good ‘ol faithful MAC 217. I would really love to have the MAC 239 brush on here as well but on a desert island I can manage with this one eyeshadow brush. I think my Hakuhodo J5523 is taking over as my favourite blending brush though. It is very similar to the MAC 217 but WAY softer. At only $18 US the Hakuhodo is even far cheaper!

Somme Institute Transport Pads - I reviewed the Somme Institute skincare system back in August. It was one of the most impressive skincare regimes I have tried. The real standout of the line is the Transport Pads. These keep my skin clear of blemishes, clogged pores, dry flakies and irritation, and help fade pigmentation and even out my skintone. I was without these for several months this fall and witnessed old issues rear their ugly heads again. I don’t think I will make the mistake of running out of these again!

Filed Under: Beauty Spotlight Team, Clarins, Giorgio Armani, Hakuhodo, Le Metier de Beaute, MAC, Make Up For Ever, shu uemura, Somme Institute, Urban Decay, Yves Saint Laurent

Makeup Wars ~ My Favorite Makeup Brush ~ MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush

August 20, 2012 By Christa 11 Comments

If you’re a follower of this blog I’m sure you’re excited to see what luxury or niche fancy pants brush I pull out of my stash for this post. Well sorry to disappoint but there are no exquisite Japanese brushes in my brush collection (I wish there were!) or anything else terribly interesting. I actually really struggled with what to post for my favourite brush because I don’t actually have a true favourite. Nothing that stands out at least. I do however have several tried and true brushes in my collection that I would never want to be without and one of them is the MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush.

MAC describes this as a large full circular brush used for lightweight application and blending of face powder or pigments. Use to create soft layers or add textures. Made from a soft blend of goat and synthetic fibres.

I love this brush because it allows me to wear ANY blush I want on my fair skin. You can apply the lightest dusting of powder and blend it seamlessly into your skin for a natural flush. It allows me to wear such pigmented beauties as Chanel Rouge and Plum Attraction Joues Contraste Blushes. There are never any harsh lines and application is always even and smoothly blended. The brush makes it easy all though a light hand is of course required with strongly pigmented blushes. I find myself reaching for the MAC 187 even for standard blushes because it performs just as well with these and makes blending and applications effortless.

I have had this brush for several years now and it still is looks and performs as new. I have tried dupes of the MAC 187 from brands such as KIM and bdellium but they never feel as nice or perform as well. The MAC 187 just seems to have the perfect amount of give and softness to do the job right. I also can’t recall it ever shedding a hair. I will always have this brush in my arsenal.

I know there are many people that love this brush for stippling on foundation. I tried it a couple times in the beginning but found it a little too floppy for that purpose for my preference. I have other brushes like the Sephora Professional Platinum Airbrush #55 or the bdellium Precision Kabuki Brush 957 that I prefer for foundation.

The MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush is available at maccosmetics.com and Nordstrom. It retails for $50.50 CAD and $42 US.

This post has brought to my attention that I have never posted any brush reviews. Is this something you would like to see more of on Perilously Pale?

Make sure you click on the thumbnails below to see the other Makeup Wars members favourite makeup brushes. You can also used the next and previous buttons at the beginning of the post. Enjoy!

Filed Under: MAC, Makeup Brushes, Makeup Wars

Can’t Live Without: MAC Painterly Paint Pot – Swatches and Review

October 25, 2011 By Christa 7 Comments

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly has become part of my everyday routine. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it. I don’t have oily lids so this cream shadow is all I need as an eye shadow primer. It lasts all day without creasing and makes my eye shadows last ALL day. Sometimes I do apply another eye shadow primer underneath Painterly but I think I’m just doing this out of habit as opposed to out of any necessity. Whether I do or not the results seem to be the same.

If you’re a follower of this blog you will know that I tend to stick to high qualtiy eye shadows that have outstanding lasting power on their own but MAC’s paint pots guarantee my look will last all day without any creasing or fading. Can I get those results from other primers? Well, ya, probably. BUT what makes my Painterly Paint Pot an item I can’t live without is that it makes all my eye shadows look BETTER. It conceals any veins or redness or unevenness on my eyelids (which most primers don’t do) and makes the colours I apply more vibrant and have more impact. I’m not one to ever go for a sheer wash of colour on my lids. I crave pigment and intensity whether it be a look full of adventurous shades or simple neutrals. This product feeds that need.

Painterly is the perfect shade for my fair cool skin. It is a slightly pink nude beige. It is a cream finish meaning it contains no shimmer.

Given my adoration of my Painterly Paint Pot you would think I had a slew of MAC Paint Pots in my collection but oddly enough I only have one other shade. I ordered Blackground at the same time I ordered Painterly to use under smoky looks but I’ve barely used it. Painterly seems to do the trick just fine.

I really should get some more shades to play with. Given I can’t imagine using cream shadows without layering powder shadows on top I just haven’t ventured there yet.