MAC X Chris Chang Limited Edition Collection

Mac X Chris Chang

This was one of my most highly anticipated releases from MAC this year. When I saw the promo shots for this collection, I just went "WOW".

This is a really special collection coming from a collaboration between MAC and Chris Chang, the China based designer behind the brand Poesia. It's interesting that MAC has chosen to collaborate with a China based designer, probably to tap into the huge Chinese market which loves luxury.

The design, choice of names and colours of the designs reflect a Chinese background. They are themed around Chinese Opera and iconic Chinese imagery, portrayed in the Poensia fashion style of which Chris Chang is the designerThis is a most delightful and thoughtful collection. 

The full collection includes: 5 lipsticks; 4 eyeshadow singles; 3 cream bases; an eyeliner and the finishing pressed powder.

The Full Collection

Of this collection, I chose:

"Blue Pipa" - Slight electric blue eyeshadow

"Electric Mandarin" - Deeper Coral shade almost a true mandarin orange eyeshadow

"DDDevilish" - Matte bright pink lipstick

"Plum Princess" - Matte grey purple lipstick, I'm really into my purples and this is so unique

Cream Color Base in "Peony Pavilion" - A deep pink

Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Pressed Powder in Transparent/White

What I liked

I LOVE the packaging. I think makeup has become very much about the packaging just as it is about the quality. The designs are superb and even the boxes have the printed designs in them. They are so unique which makes this collection such a collectible.

I really liked the names Chris Chang chose. Like "Blue Pipa", pipa is a chinese instrument, kinda like a cross between a guitar and a banjo/cello. It is such an elegant instrument.

The color selection was nice and reflects the fashion these days. It is more of a Summer toned color palette, but honestly, I would still try to incorporate this into my all year round makeup palette.

Of the lipsticks, I chose the grey plum (Plum Princess) and the pink (DDDevilish - how funny, triple d!). There was a gold one and a greenish one which I was tempted to get, but these were USD$20. The lipsticks are in the matte finish. Not drying, not dragging, very opaque especially for DDDevilish. Plum Princess did then to drag just a tiny bit but was overall comfortable on the lips.

The cream color base "Peony Pavilion' is just gorgeous. It is a dupable color, but hey, it's got that amazing packaging. It performs just as well as your better performing cream bases from MAC.

I love the pigmentation of the eyeshadows and blue eyeshadows are coming back into trend. So that's why I chose "Blue Pipa".  "Electric Mandarin" is nice as a wash of color. These were USD$17 each. Of the 3 eyeshadows available, I felt these were the least dupable colors.

What I didn't like 

The eyeshadows were a tad bit dryer than my other MAC eyeshadows, particularly Electric Mandarin. They are still easy enough to work with though.

Unfortunately, the Prep/Prime Finishing Powder did nothing for me. It didn't blur out anything and wasn't particularly mattifying as well. I also felt that it left a white cast which went away when my natural oils came through. As a finishing powder it did nothing to prolong the wear of my makeup, unlike my favorite Japanese one from the brand Chacott (which I really must show you one day).

BUT, and here's a bit BUT, when you take out that compact, it's a real conversation starter. It's just too pretty to pass. I felt in that sense alone, the USD$29.50 was o.k. but just.

Photos and Swatches  

Plum Princess

Plum Princess on the lips - two coats

DDDevilish

DDDevilish - two coats

Cream Color Base - Peony Pavilion

Blue Pipa eyeshadow single

Electric Mandarin eyeshadow single

Swatches (Top to Bottom): Blue Pipa; Electric Mandarin and Peony Pavilion

Tah Dah! The glorious Pre/Prime Finishing Powder's packaging

Note the cute chinese couple in the front

The Prep/Prime Finishing Powder - Just white, yawn…

Here are the swatches of all the colors on white card.  -------------------------- Final Thoughts: Truly a unique and enchanting collection for me. Being of Chinese origin, I was just so drawn into the packaging, names and colors. What do you think? Will you pick up the Gold Lipstick I didn't? Which I might just go back and get :P Yours Truly and with Lots of Love,  TeaCupofMakeup

Drugstore Brushes Comparison - Manicare, Lottie London & Lab2Beauty

I am a huge makeup brush collector. I have everything from Zoeva, Hakuhodo, Chikuho, Tom Ford Chanel, Dior to Real Techniques, BH Cosmetics and ELF. I don't distinguish by brand but by functionality.  

So since there has been a whole slew of new drugstore brushes released over the past few months, I thought I would check them out, and I've now had to opportunity to properly review them for you. I also thought that a comparison would be useful. I was sent some for review while others I bought at a 40% off sale.

The three brands I'm reviewing are Manicare, Lottie London and Lab2Beauty. As this is Australia, "drugstore" does not mean cheap/affordable as it does overseas. As a comparison, a Revlon Lipstick here costs 1/3 the price in the USA (not taking to account taxes or exchange rates).

I won't be listing all of the prices, but they all are in the range of A$15 - A$30 (at full price). You can buy all of these at Target. Manicare is available at more places like Priceline, Myer etc.

You can also buy Lottie London brushes from here and Lab2Beauty from here.

I've also picked out a few of my favorites from each line. I like trying different brushes and I also like have a complete set so I'm weird like that?!

First up, the ManicareXKellieLizKelsh Brushes. There are 8 in the set, but I gave away the Stippling Brush as I have way too many stippling brushes.

So from Left to Right: F14 Contouring Brush; E13 Smudger; E14 Lash/Brow; E12 Lash/Eye Definer; E11 Contouring Shadow; F12 Powder and F10 Foundation.

What I liked

Overall, I liked the look of the brushes. They looked professional and had a good weight to them which made them seem more expensive and luxurious. I liked the black and silver design.

E13 Smudger

I love the smudger brush. It was just the right size and density to smudge eyeliner for a smokey look. I also used it to tidy up areas like on the sides of the eyes where your cat "wings" up. Also, as I have hooded eyes, it was perfect for applying pigments and highlights in the middle of the eye and just above so you could see the highlight.

E12 Lash/Eye Definer

This brush works perfectly for both your brows and as an eyeliner brush. It was not too stiff that it would hurt your eyes. I found both brow and liner products applied smoothly with this. I also used it in the waterline and it was comfortable.

F10 Foundation

I usually use buffer brushes or a beautyblender for my foundation, as I hate the streakiness you sometimes get from a flat foundation brush. Boy oh Boy was I surprised and pleased with the results of this brush. Its dense, soft, flexible but not too flexible, just right and it was fairly thick so it was easy to brush out any visible brush strokes. This worked well with my more liquidy type foundations like YSL's Fushion Ink.

What I didn't like

F14 Contouring Brush & F12 Powder 

I'm sorry! I may have just received bad ones. The hairs on these brushes were cut unevenly, they had a tendency to splay out and they felt very rough on the skin. 

As for the E14 Lash/Brow & E11 Contouring Shadow brushes, I was indifferent. I just don't go for the hair brush style brow comb, I prefer the spiral types. The lash separator only works if you have super thick lashes. The contouring brush performed as it should and did the job but there was nothing special about. 

E13 Smudger

 F10 Foundation

Lottie London is a range of super colourful brushes. The colours are meant to help you easily pick up the brush you want. They had a whole lot more, a beauty blender and a brush soap and some eye accessories. Price range of brushes was about $12 - $25


From the top left: Lottie London Tan Time Brush (pinky orange); Powder Power Brush (baby blue); All Eyes on You Eyeshadow Brush (orange); Blend In Brush (pale yellow); Kabuki Babe Brush (purple).

On the right hand side, left to right: Flawless Face Brush (greenish blue); Shade and Shadow Brush (pink); Perfectly Precise Brush (fuchsia) and Contour Queen Brush (hot orange).

What I liked

Overall, I liked the fun colours! They do look a bit kiddy but who cares right? Everytime I look at them, they really cheer me up.

Blend In Brush (pale yellow)
This is the perfect crease blending brush. Super soft yet firm enough to buff out harsh lines. I'm going to get another one!

Kabuki Babe Brush (purple)
OMG. This has replaced my Hakuhodo kabuki brush (that was US$200+) as my current fave. Its so soft, dense and very very gentle on the skin. The hairs  on this brush are super fine.

Contour Queen Brush (hot orange)
I have a few brushes in this shape, from Zoeva, MAC, PONi Cosmetics etc, but I have been gravitating to this one. First, its not too stiff, so when you apply your highlight/contour you don't get that harsh straight line. Second, it is slightly thicker than most contour brushes, so you can flip it and use it as a blush brush. That being said, the only down side to being thicker is that it's hard to use when contouring your nose.


What I didn't like

Tan Time Brush (pinky orange)
This was so so. Like the rest of the Lottie London brushes, it is a very soft brush. However, it's not as dense, so when it's not packed tightly, the hairs will splay increasing the surface area. This then causes the brush to pick up more product then needed. I felt that the large size of it didn't suit my smallish face and bronzer went everywhere. The hairs on this brush (the one I have) were also not cut evenly (this makes a very miniscule difference).


Flawless Face Brush (greenish blue)
I actually really like the feel of this brush. It's so soft and so luxurious feeling. I liked the feel of it on my skin. It felt like satin. BUT, sadly, it's not as dense as you would like for a foundation brush and it's quite big. The Manicare brush is about 2/3 the size. This brush picked up A LOT of product and I felt that it did waste a lot of foundation. This was more so for liquid foundations. I think it will work better for power foundations when used like a flocked sponge.

Blend In Brush

Kabuki Babe Brush

Kabuki Babe Brush - see how dense it is

Lab2Beauty is another affordable range of pro brushes coming from the UK. I did not buy the entire collection and they also have their own beauty sponge.

From Left to Right: I'm Turning Pro Eyeshadow Brush; I'm Turning Pro Foundation Brush; Make Me Blush Brush; I'm Turning Pro Buffing Brush; Got Nothing to Hide Concealer Brush; and I'm Turning Pro Contour Brush.

Overall, I liked the look of the brushes. They are not as heavy as Manicare's which some may prefer. They have a sort of rubber like texture to their handles which can make it difficult to clean (think Nars' black packaging - that slightly sticky/tacky (not tacky as in tacky fashion but sticky), but also easier to hold onto.

They are made of synthetic hairs which is good and there is a very smooth feel to the brush hairs. I find it easier to clean brushes with synthetic hairs.  

What I liked

I'm Turning Pro Foundation Brush

This is a very unusual foundation brush. It's quite flat and thin. The Manicare and Lottie London ones' are giants compared to this one. I found it easy to apply my foundation with this particularly around the nose area as I have a pointy nose with lots of angles. It did not soak up much foundation which was good. I usually place spots of foundation around my face and then spread it out. 

There some streaks but just going over it again with the brush made them go away.  

Make Me Blush Brush

O.K. to be honest, what attracted me to this brand was this brush. I love brushes with that around and pointy end. This is quite a luxurious feeling brush and the hairs are fine and densely packed.

It applied blush well, and I also used it for bronzer and highlighters. It worked well for both power and cream products.

What I didn't like

Got Nothing to Hide Concealer Brush

This is my personal preference but this concealer brush was a bit too small. It worked fine for the inner corners of the eye but I usually apply my concealer in a big V shape under each eye and then blend it through. There's nothing wrong with the brush, just too small. I've used it to apply cream eyeshadows on my eyes instead.

I'm Turning Pro Eyeshadow Brush

Again, this is my personal preference. For a flat eyeshadow brush, this was a bit too thick and big. It was hard to control the placement of eyeshadow on my eyes when I was doing more intricate looks. 

It worked much better as a crease/blending brush by turning it on it's side as it is fairly thick.

Overall comparison

Each set of brushes had their pluses and minuses. I simply can't rank them by set. The beauty of it is, if you're not anal about using a set of brushes from one brand (if you are, I highly recommend Zoeva), then you can pick and choose.

Manicare ranked first for how luxurious the brushes felt, the weight and metallic detail added that something extra.

Lottie London's brushes performed well overall and are fun to look at, but for the more sophisticated and older crowd, they may or may not like the funky colours. I really loved the Kabuki brush and I am considering buying another as a backup.

Lab2Pro brushes are silky smooth and also performed just as well (except the ones I didn't like). They don't look cheap nor do they look expensive. This is a good mid-range brand to purchase. The blush brush is a standard. The buffing brush was a bit 'meh' and I would prefer to use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. 

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Final Thoughts: If you love makeup, you will probably love brushes. Each brand has 

their standouts and are roughly priced at the same price point. 

Give these a try and let me know what you think!

Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, 

TeaCupofMakeup

Clinique Sweet Pots 2 in 1 Balm & Scrub

Clinique describes them as:

A sweet indulgence lips can’t resist. 2-in-1 pampering treat is a sugar-smoothing scrub on one side; sheer, tinted moisturizing balm on the other. Together, it’s the sweetest way to soft, kissable lips.

They come in 6 colours though I would say the last one (citron bleu is more a non-colour and not available in Australia)

Colours that they come in

They retail for A$40. In the USA, they are US$19.50. 

What are they?

Basically they are little pots of sugar lip scrubs and slightly tinted lip balm. They are unscented which is nice for a change. I sometimes find sickly sweet lip balms off putting. 

Their very compact and fit in the palm of my hand as you will see in the photos below. 

It's a twist concept. Shaped like a macaroon, you twist one side for the balm, one side for the lip scrub. 

You could try to apply the product directly to your lips, but unless you have big luscious pouty lips, it's going to get messy 

Overall Thoughts?

I like them! I have very very chapped lips and I usually use ELF's lip exfoliant but that is very gritty. and not very moisturising (it must be getting old - gross!). I've also used Bite Beauty's lip scrub, which works, but leaves a very oily texture behind.

This is perfect Clinique. Nice, clean and functional. It's easy to carry around (which is a huge plus because you can use the lip scrub then apply your favorite bright lipstick on top). The colour that I received for review 04 Cassis, gives me just enough colour on the lips to look more made up. 

Both lip scrub and lip balm work well. There is no taste, no scent.

My only gripe... I'm a germaphobe, so I have been carrying cotton buds with me so that I can apply this without digging my fingers in. But that's just me. I suppose you could always sanitise your hands before you do it. 

A$40 seems a bit steep for something you can make yourself from Vaseline and sugar, but it's the design and convenience of this product that makes me want to get more. For goodness sakes! Their so cute.

A little Macaroon

See how perfect the size is?

You can see the very tiny sugar particles in it. Small enough to do the job!

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Final Thoughts: CUTE!!! I think these are very handy on the go. I like ELF's Lip exfoliator in a lipstick format but that's way too rough and not as moisturising. Will you give it a try? Macaroons from Clinque!

Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, 

TeaCupofMakeup 

By Terry Sun Designer Palette

Ahhh, the gorgeous By Terry. The creator of the brand Parisian beauty guru Terry de Gunzburg is also the creator of YSL' famous Touche Éclat Pen. She created it before starting her own brand.

Now she has come out with quite a stunning palette: The Sun Designer Palette

What is it?

This is palette really packs a punch in a slim case (15cm by 6cm by1cm). It comes with a lovely dark plum velvet slip case.

There are two varieties: 1. Tan and Flash Cruise and 2. Light and Tan Vibes.

I chose Tan and Flash Cruise because of the vibrant colours and different tones. You can see in the photo below that Light and Tan Vibes is fairly bleh.

Light and Tan Vibes

If you have fair skin (which I do), do not be put off by the Tan and Flash Cruise. The colours are easy to blend out and as you can see, gives more variation of tones than Light and Tan Vibes.

I purchased mine from Beautylish for US$82. They provide free express shipping.


What's good about it?

The colour selection. I love all of the colours. Their very pretty. Three blushes, a highlighter and two bronzers.

The pigmentation and staying power is great - about 7-8 hours wear on a normal busy day.

You can combine colours so easily, sweep across, sweep down, sweep up. It all produces very different variations.

How compact and well designed the entire palette is. I could travel with just this, a light base eye colour, foundation, concealer, mascara. I've tried the tan and lighter pink colours on the eyes and they look amazing.

The embossed design of the blushes and bronzers/highlight, makes this very attractive.

Unlike under pressed power products, this does not "kick" up too much access which is good given how expensive it it.

What's bad about it?

Except for the price point, NOTHING. Although, I do think that you are getting quality for your money with 6 different shades in one neat palette. So that's US$13.67 a shade.

The exterior case illustrating the "Sun" design and dark plum velvet slip case

The palette up close. More bronzers/highlighter than blushes which makes sense because you do use more bronzer

The swatches - no primer. My arms are darker than my face from outdoor activities so the highlighter (third down) almost matches my arm.

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Final thoughts: I love this palette and would highly recommend it if you don't have something like this already.

Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

Givenchy Teint Couture Cushion Fluid Foundation

The trend for cushion foundations has been going on for a long while. They first originated from Korea. The Korean ones tend to give you a luminous glowy look though they have come out with more matte ones.

This is what a typical Asian Cushion Foundation looks like (this one is from IOPI, a Korean brand I really like). Notice that it is the cushion inside that contains the foundation. Also, they very typically come with a refill.

Since the trend started several years ago, more and more European/USA brands have come out with "cushion foundations". Most of them like Lancome, Dior, YSL and It Cosmetics all look like the one above.

It Cosmetics, Lancome, YSL and Dior 

Like the Korean/Asian ones, they all come with a flap to close off the cushion part.

So what is it?

So, that's what makes the Givenchy Teint Couture Cushion Foundation unique. It does not come with a flap, but a metal plate with holes punched so that the product comes out as the Givenchy logo.

Photo from https://www.givenchybeauty.com

It's basically a fluid (fairly fluid) foundation trapped inside a thick round compact. You release the foundation by pressing down. The metal plate is meant to protect the foundation from bacteria and air.

It is a water based foundation that is paraben free.

Using the applicator, you press down and the foundation goes on the sponge applicator. 

You apply it with a patting motion. You could apply it with a brush really.

what's good about it?

It's pretty cool. I like that Givenchy has differentiated its cushion foundation by it's unique design.

The use of the metal plate is good too if you are a germaphobic like me. It's very easy to clean. Unlike the other cushion foundations - that's just not possible.

The holes in the plate are very small, almost like pin pricks so there should be no worry of weird stuff falling in.

You don't get product wasted or stuck in a cushion in the compact like the other cushion foundations in the tradition format.

It's a lot easier to carry around than a bottle of foundation for touch-ups

It has the same lovely Givenchy foundation formula. Coverage is buildable. It even covered my dark eye rings (refer to photos below). It's lightweight and feels like I'm not wearing anything on the skin.

I love the effect it gives. It's very much like the Teint Couture Blurring Foundation Balm which I love.

There is no perceivable scent.

what's not good about it?

That darn little applicator is so thin and now very useable. 

It does not come with a refill but I don't think the other Western brand ones do either.

O.K. to be honest, to press it so you get the cool Givenchy logo coming through is tricky. You really have to press the whole metal plate to get an even effect, but who cares.

I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but it sets very quickly. When patting it on, I later found I would get "pat ring" lines which I had to blend out quite vigorously with a brush applying more product on top.

Very thin applicator which is every different from the other cushion foundations - it's like a cotton pad

Before - lots of spots

Pat, Pat, Pat...

After - No photoshopping at all

Final Thoughts: So have you jumped on the cushion foundation train yet? This is a good one to start with. 

Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Lipsticks & Swatches

I'm a huge fan of Guerlain's cosmetics. In fact, I collect a fair bit of their products. Their elegantly designed, beautiful, classy and timeless.

This time, Guerlain seems to have changed their design concept, leaping into the future, so to speak, by combining the classic Law Petite Robe shape with a bit of Pop Art.

The Lovely shape of the La Petite Robe Bottle in one of it's different releases

The Pop Art influence can be seen on the box

what are they?

From the Guerlain website, they are described as:

deliciously shiny texture to dress up your style with colour! 

Vibrant shades in an innovative texture: 

• a light-weight texture reveals the lips’ natural radiance, leaving them supple and comfortable
• buildable coverage thanks to its thin film: one layer to offer a glimpse of the sensual texture of the lips, several for a more dense and sophisticated finish
• inspired by La Petite Robe Noire, the formula is deliciously perfumed and delicately flavoured for an unforgettable taste on your lips 
• an ultra-shiny finish and pure & luminous colours thanks to a cocktail of fine oils and a selection of “POP” pigments coated in a specific shine-boosting resin

I totally agree with the above.

You get a lot of shades to choose from. There are 24 shades as far as I know.

I purchased:

• 061 Pink Ballerinas
• 063 Pink Button
• 068 Mauve Gloves

You can buy them anywhere Guerlain Cosmetics are sold. They cost A$47 each, which is not bad considering MAC lipsticks are A$36 and a Revlon Lipstick can cost up to A$30

what's good about them?

The packaging is so cute! I also like the fact that unlike other lipsticks with clear tubes, the designer has thoughtfully designed it so that the lipstick will never smudge the clear cover.

I love the taste! I'm not sure if I am imagining things, but I thought there was a faint vanilla taste.

OMG, this is like spreading high quality made in the Swiss Alps butter on your lips. It felt so comfortable. So silky, so smooth. I have fairly dry and chapped lips, so this lipstick is perfect for me as it is very moisturizing.

I do like the shine that it gives. No lip gloss needed. I felt my lips look plumper as well.

They are buildable. You can go sheer to full on colour.

Lasting power: 3-4 hours. If you're eating something, it will come right off. It did not seem to leave a stain.

what's not good about them?

The colour in the tube and swatches can de deceiving. I guess this is true for all lip colours. They tended to appear somewhat more subtle on my lips. 

I would say my lips are not that pigmented.

At first, I was put off by the perfume scent, but it grew on me. For those that don't like scented products, this might not be for you.

Simply Sublime Packaging

061 Pink Ballerinas

068 Mauve Gloves

063 Pink Buttons

So will you try them? I highly recommend them!

Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup