Geez, I was gone for almost 2 months. Again, my apologies. I would understand if you would not believe me anymore if I say that ‘I vow to be a better blogger this year’ hee hee. I mean it! I swear, I will allot more time updating this blog (nose getting longer now) oh well, moving on

One time during lunchbreak, I got really bored and lacking of energy (my body has taken its toll due to rigid workout routines which include: zumba for xbox 360). So I decided to list down my Make-Up Christmas Wishlist for 2012 hahah! I know way too early, might as well label it as my TO BUY LIST for 2012. Seriously, I am trying my very best to simplify my make-up kit, I want to stick to my tried and tested items and to stop trying new collection. But, a make-up junkie can never have too many lippies, you know. Maybe, I’d be able to stop trying out concealers, foundation, eye shadows and blushes but not/NOT lipsticks!

Initially, I started out with this short list (photo above), but to date my current 2012 Must Buy Make-up List is this:

1. NARS Lippies: Casablanca, Niagara, Catfight, Damage, Dolce Vita.
2. NARS Oasis Blush.
3. Benefit Hervana Blush.
4. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium.
5. MAC Bare Again Lipstick.
6. Make-Up Forever Aqua Liners.
7. Make-Up HD Invisible Cover Concealer.
8. Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder.
9. Chloe Perfume.
10. No. 5 by Chanel Perfume.

Uh-oh, that was quite a long list and it’s just January hahah! Care to share your list?

Yikes! I am totally behind in terms of updating this blog . I am unsure if I will ever recover from my backlog.

I was checking my drafts section and I realized I have started a lot of entries but failed to finish them. Here are the pending reviews in my drafts section:

• NARS The Multiple
• NARS Orgasm Illuminator
• Benefit Benetint
• Benefit Coralista + Sugarbomb
• Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic
  
• Travel Light: What Make-up to Bring on a Trip
• etc… etc…

and now that I have a wee bit of time left online, I still need to check on this video baby monitor for a friend we are visiting for a trip this week. Yes, dear friends, we are bound for another long trip (well, long road trip is actually an understatement, keep us in your prayers because this got to be longest time I would spend on the road) this Thursday and will be back Monday. After this trip, we will be having a short downtime, travel-wise, and off we go again to another Summer getaway in 3 weeks time. I am hoping that during the 3-week-window, I will find time to update this blog.

In the meantime, I am about to purchase 2 items in the MAC Sized to go collection. Fix+ and Pro Eye-Makeup Remover, these 2 things will definitely complete my travel make-up kit. I am so glad MAC introduced this 1-oz-size make-up must haves because the last time I brought my Fix+ on our trip to Chicago, it spilled and I got nothing left to use .  So tell me, what are you going to get from this collection?

The MAC Sized to Go Collection (all are 1-oz.)

* Fix+ (not the Rose version; $10 US/$12 CND)
* Cleanse Off Oil/Tranquil ($10 US/$12 CND)
* Cleanse Off Oil ($10 US/$12 CND)
* Pro Eye Makeup Remover ($10 US/$12 CND)
* Demi-Wipes (30 full-size sheets; $15 US/$18 CND)
* Oil Control Lotion ($15 US/$18 CND)
* Green Gel Cleanser ($10 US/$12 CND)
* Strobe Cream ($15 US/$18 CND)
* Studio Moisture Cream ($15 US/$18 CND)

Then here are my all-time fave Spring/Summer lippies. I took this photo before I received my MAC X WonderWoman Limited Edition lipstick in SPITFIRE. Definitely, it is my current go-to Spring lippie.

Here’s the rest: (Left to Right)

1.) Lancome Color Design in PINK ATTITUDE Shimmer.
2.) Clinique in HONEYNUT.
3.) MAC VIVA GLAM GAGA lustre.
4.) MAC Wonderwoman ltd ed lipstick in RUSSIAN RED.
5.) NYX Black Label in TEA IN THE AFTERNOON.

Ciao for now, I’m off to read on these atro phex reviews.

I got too carried away looking at the cute gift baskets from cherrymoonfarms.com that I forgot this entry was sitting on my drafts yay! So yes, this is the first of my Spring/Summer Series entries. My top blushes and favorite blushes/bronzers/highlighters to use in Spring/Summer.

Benefit Sugarbomb.

Benefit Coralista.

NARS The Multiple Stick in Orgasm.

NARS Highlighting/Bronzer Blush Duo in Orgasm and Laguna shades.

Benefit Benetint.
(perfect for beach events)

And if only this isn’t limited edition, it would have made it on my Spring/Summer Blush list. I am just loving this MAC X Wonderwoman Mineral Skinfinish Natural in Pink Power that I use it every single weekend. Think JLo’s Bronzed face.

My friend, C and I were talking for 2 hours last night. Initially, we were talking about our kitchen must-haves, say this set of le creuset pans and our newly discovered recipes. Then like we would always discuss, we tackled on our most current beauty product lemmings! We both agreed that while we loved MAC products especially their lippies and eyeshadows, their foundation collection tend to cause us breakouts and make us look yellowish if not finished with another loose powder, although, my everyday powder foundation is a MAC Studio Fix  powder plus foundation. We are both on the fair side, by the way. I was telling her that I noticed more dark-skinned women suit MAC foundation while Laura Mercier, NARS, Benefit, Shu Uemura, Lancome and Clinique are popular on fair-skinned women. That is just my opinion.

I also realized that I do not own a MAC blush (save for THIS as I just find it too powdery and too matte/dry on my cheeks. I am a huge fan of NARS and Benefit blushes. On the other hand, a dark-skinned friend dislikes NARS and Benefit blushes because they do not seem pigmented for her skin color.

So if I were to pick my top 1 foundation, that would be Laura Mercier collection. In fact, I am lemming their Spring Collection ‘11.

More than a month without any update is very bad, nay! What a delinquent blogger I am. No amount of apologies will suffice my absence, but then again the measly number of readers of this blog are all my friends hee hee, so I know they will perfectly understand .

So yes, I have been very busy again. Both work-wise and because of a number of social events that I need to plan out and attend to. Today is just one of the busiest day of my May but before I check Baby Gift Baskets and proceed to the Christening party of a daughter’s friend, I just have to squeeze in this quick review of my current Holy Grail lippie for Spring.

MAC ltd ed WonderWoman in Spitfire lipstick.

It has a hint of dark magenta yet gives out a very plum-shade kind of pink that instantly brightens your face. I love that it is heavily pigmented, long wearing and the vanilla-flavor is too strong I keep using it everyday since I got it.

Reminds me so much of NYX Black Label in Tea Rose but NYX is a little lighter and more on the pale pink rather than the plum/magenta side.

VANITY.KIT’s RATING

Overall Product: A+

Value: 4/5

Ease of Use: 5/5

Packaging: 4/5

When it comes to make-up, it is very rare that I do not regret buying at eBay. I used to really get my limited edition make-up fix at eBay but I had a horrible experience last year that I decided not to get from the site anymore, especially when these are health and beauty related products. However, MAC x Wonder Woman collection was so irresistible that I succumbed to a higher eBay rate.

This is my first ever MAC Mineralized Skinfinish loot and because of this, I plan to retire my Studio Fix powder foundation tthis Summer and get the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium (or light medium) as replacement.

Moving on to my review: Huge, Massive, yes bigger than my palm. Totally worth the price but like the other beauty junkies who wished this could have come with a brush and a mirror considering the price, I wish the same. It was a bit harder to build up the product at first so I used a stippling brush + flat-top brush just so I could get a bit more of the product. But as soon as I got used to it, all I used was my contour brush for the middle shade, blush brush for the blush shade (bottom part) and the kabuki brush for the combined shades. I love the warmth it gives my face, perfect for this summer. The bronze shade (middle part) gives me just enough contouring shade, not muddy at all. The highlighting shade is also perfect and contrary to my initial perception of this product, it is not super shimmery, just enough shimmer that would give your cheekbones the right highlighting it needs. Will I recommend it to a friend?, only to my fair-skinned friends because it sure is a lighter version of your usual bronzer shades.

Pardon the poor lighting, I should get this energy efficient outdoor lighting for better photo output. You can search Tempatalia.com for better swatches of this product.

VANITY.KIT’s RATING

Overall Product: A+

Value: 4/5

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Oh boy, I never thought I could be this hooked on MAC’s Wonder Woman collection! After getting their Russian Red Lipstick look what else I got: (i hope the husbo isn’t reading this hee hee )

I was so desperate that I got the massive (yes huge!-bigger than my palm!) MSF in Pink Power over at eBay. Yes, I succumbed to the overpriced rate at eBay because this collection was SOLD OUT already. It took me more than a month to finally read reviews and decided to buy. But no regrets, the Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Pink Power was totally worth it. Now why are MAC’s good stuff on limited ed almost always? I also got another lipstick in Spitfire shade, too bad I no longer have a budget for Marquise d’ . Reviews coming up shortly, I just need to check out custom laptops for now.