Reader's Q&A: I ask, you answer!

Let's have a twist on the usual Q&A! Instead of answering questions from readers, why not let you play beauty blogger and answer my questions instead?

Question 1:
Dear reader, I just went to the Clarins counter to pick up a refill of my favourite Clarins UV Plus HP Dayscreen. I was told that it was no longer available in 50ml bottles, only 30ml. As you can imagine, I was horrified and asked for more details -- when, why, how? According to the sales assistant, the 50ml sizes were discontinued sometime in September but she didn't know the reason why.

I didn't have the time to confirm this with other Clarins counters so I thought I would check in with you readers. Is it true? I googled it up and the nearest search result I could find was a note on Makeupalley.

Review: MAC Gem of Roses Lipstick (Semi Precious Collection)

I hope this review doesn't come too late for you girls who are considering this lipstick.


Because Gem of Roses really is quite pretty.

Quick Peek: MAC Pearl Mineralize Skinfinish (Semi Precious Collection)

Hello ladies,

MAC's Semi Precious Collection is in town now, and here's a quick peek at an MSF I picked up.

Loving: MAC Ultra Darling Lipstick

Apologies for the lipstick overdose of late here at So Loverly, but I suppose this is what happens when all you've been buying are lipsticks, lipsticks and more lipsticks!


And one of which is the MAC Sheen Supreme lipstick in Ultra Darling. And what a darling, indeed!

MAC Haul for Spring 2011

Bless me, it's FRIDAY. Sweet!


And now, just a little sharing I'd like to do. It would seem that I've been hauling quite a bit from MAC lately (over the past 3 weeks?).

More photos after the jump!

Quick Peek: MAC Pink Cult Blush + the Balm Shady Lady Vol. 2

I know this seems more of a Monday's post, but good news are meant to be shared. The quicker, the better, right?

Also, I was worried that Monday might be a tad too late because these babies might be gone by then. So I'm giving you a quick peek in case you'd like to nab these!


So first up - MAC Pink Cult (Price: RM75)

Review: MAC Style Snob

Hello Friday!

Lately (on days when I actually wake up early enough to slap on more than just blush and lipbalm), I've been wearing eyeshadow.

And among the many, many eyeshadows I have amassed over the years, I find that I've been reaching for this one fairly frequently - MAC Style Snob.


And so I thought it would be good for me to share my thoughts on it. Here goes!

Review: MAC Rose Ole Special Reserve Highlighting Powder

When I first picked up my MAC Rose Ole with-a-mile-long-name, I was convinced I was in love with it.

The powder looked gorgeous, what with its fabric folds and what nots. And after toying with it for a week or so, I hope it's not too late to share my thoughts with you ladies.

As promised, here goes!

Loving: MAC Cham-Pale Paint Pots!

So last week saw me running to the MAC store... no wait, actually the hubs did the running for me. *tee hee*

Alright, nevermind who did the running, the point is I got meself two new paint pots from the MAC Cham-Pale collection. My first paint pots too!

And boy am I loving them very, very MUCH.

Quick Peep: MAC Rose Ole + Paintpots! (Cham-Pale Collection)

My first Spring purchase of 2011. From the MAC Cham-Pale Collection!


I've been wanting this Special Reserve Highlighting Powder in Rose Ole since I first laid eyes on it. And ladies, I'm more than happy to announce that it's here!

More photos after the jump!

Review: MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer

The last time I was at the Sydney airport, I dropped by the MAC counter to see if I could pick up something to cover my pimples. Travelling tends to wreck havoc on my skin.

After much wrangling with the MA that I did not need an undereye concealer and explaining to him that MAC undereye concealers leave me looking 80 years old, I finally walked away with a Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC 30.

Rose, Sweet Rose ~

Today's post will be short.

MAC's current collection called In The Groove has brought back several uber pretty MSFs, including a huge fave with the MAC-cies - Stereo Rose.


I've heard a lot about them, read a lot and seen a lot, so when this collection came out. This was one MSF I made a beeline for. (Heard it's flying off the shelves in the US.)

An Overview: My MAC Lipsticks ~

It seems to me that it's been a while since I've talked about colours and about my lipsticks. So today, I deem it absolutely necessary to pay some attention to my lipsticks, which are screaming blue murder and neglect.

I've always had a slight fascination with MAC lipsticks. Walking into a MAC store, you seriously cannot help but be amazed at their lipstick collection. Well, in my experience, at least.

They have not 10, not 20, not even 60, but 165 (or thereabouts) lipsticks in their permanent collection alone. Yes, one.hundred.and.sixty.five. Yes I checked. Don't believe me? Go count yourself on their MAC website.

I won't profess to intimately know ALL their lipsticks. That would be madness. So instead, today, let's take a look at my humble collection of a mere nine MAC lippies, shall we?

Top row (l-r): Sandy-B (frost), Blow Dry (lustre), Pleasureseeker (glaze), Barely Lit (lustre), Giddy (lustre); Bottom row (l-r): High Tea (lustre), Hug Me (lustre), Strawbaby (lustre), Viva Glam V (lustre)

(Kindly pardon my swatching skills. Much to learn, I have.)

If you look again at the first photo at the top of the post, you'll see my lipsticks in the order as captioned in the second photo. As you can tell, most of my lipsticks are warm toned. And many belong to the coral/peach family, such as Sandy-B, Blow Dry and Pleasureseeker.

Barely Lit is a brown-based nude, High Tea is a pearly-sheer beige, and Giddy is a gooorgeous yellow based warm pink. Hug Me is a wonderful (and much loved) muted warm pink (which looks scarily brown in the swatch), while Strawbaby looks cool but swatches on as a warm berry, even if it has blue flecks. It is a really interesting shade, and a great beginner's red.

And finally, Viva Glam V, which is mauvey pink with gold shimmer. It is a hugely popular shade from MAC.

MAC has eight finishes for their lipsticks: lustre, frost, amplified creme, glaze, amplified, satin, matte and cremesheen. My favourite, if you cannot already guess, is lustre. Of all the finishes, I find this works best for me. It may have shimmer or not, but lustre lipsticks generally feel a little creamy and is easy enough to work with. Glaze, I find is similar to lustre. I love me a lipstick which is just a tad sheer, with a smooth creamy/glossy finish.

I'm not a fan of matte lipsticks, so I've never quite ventured there. Frost I find is well, too frosty for my liking these days (I think I've grown a little older in taste), and amplified is just too pigmented. If you're a fan of strong colours and pigmented lipsticks, this might work out great for you.

I've heard of friends complain that they find MAC lipsticks too drying, which I think could be true of some finishes, such as frost or matte. Granted, some lips are drier than others, but applied with a lipbalm in advance, I have no such problem.

What I also love about MAC lipsticks is the delicious vanilla scent. Like a true junkie, I can scarcely resist taking a good sniff everytime apply my lipstick. If you like vanilla as much as I do, you will love it.

In terms of staying power, I can't really say much as I tend to re-apply my lipbalm and lipsticks quite often. But in my experience, they seem to last a good few decent hours on.

MAC lipsticks cost RM63, the last time I bought one, and price wise, I'd say they fall into the mid-range category. I don't know if they've gone up in price, but the good news is, MAC also has a Back-to-MAC programme. Bring in six empty MAC cases (powder, blush etc.), and redeem a MAC lipstick for free.

Sounds really great. My only problem is, I'll need to work on finishing products quicker!

In conclusion, I really do love my MAC lipsticks. They're relatively affordable, there's a whole variety of finishes and colours to choose from, and they smell incredibly yummy. What's not to love?

Have you tried a MAC lipstick?

Review: MAC Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach

You know. I have been very, very good all through Spring. Well, up till MAC's Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach arrived in town at least. Despite having many-a-blush that I'd been eyeballing and drooling over all through this season (Dior, Lancome etc.), I've managed to stave off most of it.

Like I said. Most of it.

Willpower caved when I laid my eyes on this blush ombre. MUA was absolutely no help when I did a little digging. It told me that Ripe Peach was flying off the shelves the very day they were up for sale. And sold out too!

Goodbye willpower, hello MAC! This one had my name written all over it.

You know. The old me would never have dared defile it so soon. The old me would have kept the blush in its still pristine state, pet it every now and then, and coo over its prettiness.

The new me got home, ripped open the packaging, and took it for a test drive right away. (Okay, maybe I waited till the next morning.) Just so I could whip up a review for you ladies a.s.a.p. And hopefully you'd still be in time to get your grubby paws on one.

Coral is wholly and totally me, so I knew without a doubt, I'd be able to rock it. If you have got NC25/30 skintone and up, I don't think you'll have a problem wearing it.


This blush ombre starts off from a mild peach to an intense coral, and adds a gorgeous warm glow to the complexion. Its light golden shimmer is there, but barely noticeable on.

Just bewarned though, a light hand works best for this blush. This one packs a punch for pigment. And there is such a thing as too much blush. Priced at RM105, it is rather pricey, but for 9g, I'm willing to close an eye.

You know. I've got a feeling this one's headed straight for cult-dom.

Monday's Beauty (Holiday Collections) Bits

Hello people! Hope you're this week is starting out great for you guys. Today's Beauty Bits will be snippets of some of the holiday offerings that I've managed to check out over the past week. I've managed to exercise some amount of self-constraint, but got a little naughty too. So read on to find out what I products I succumbed to!

I don't know about the other MAC lovers, but after going through the MAC collection again a little more thoroughly, I found it slightly disappointing. The only eye palette I had found myself drooling lustily over, Sorceress, didn't swatch nicely when I was on the verge of buying. Even the dark purple took work for it to show up, and that just doesn't cut it for me. Not for a palette which costs RM180. I had also wanted the Hocus-Pocus face palette, but as I already have Peachykeen, logic got the better of me and so I walked away. Verdict: I'll pass.

I ran into Shu Uemura too, hoping to find their Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine lipsticks (glossy finishes in lipstick form always appeal to me), but all I got was a super-blank look from the SA. What I found out instead was, that the tsumori chisato holiday collection is out. No swatching done (Shu usually swatches beautifully anyway), but a quick look at the collection told me it was not for me. Verdict: I'll pass. (Anyone who does know anything about the Supreme Shine lipsticks, however, I'm all ears!)

The Body Shop, now is a different story altogether. Christmas offerings this year include their regular Cranberry range (called Merry Cranberry) and the new Black Velvet Apricot. But what I really, really dig is their Nutmeg and Vanilla range. I took a whiff, then whiffed and whiffed again. The scent is just divine, for a vanilla-mad girl like me. If you like vanilla, you'll want to check this one out. Serious. The body lotion and body scrub have my name written all over them. Verdict: Come to momma!

I haven't seen this in the Sasa outlets, but getting my grubby paws on a theBalm booklet, I noticed that there are in fact TWO Shady Lady palettes. One in leopard print (which me and Kahani both caved for), and then there's another one - in Zebra print. Looking at the pictures, it looks like several shades overlap, but I'm guessing Shady Lady Vol. 2 should include shades like Just This Once Jamie, Mischevious Marissa, Racy Kacy and Sexy Stacey. Verdict: On the look-out.

And finally, Bobbi Brown. Ah Bobbi, your Chrome Holiday Collection has left me absolutely drooling. And a mighty big collection too, I might add. I checked out the Earth Metal Lip & Eye palette, which looked gorgeous, but chickened out at its RM240 price tag. I didn't dare go near their Chrome Palette. But what snagged me was her Pewter Chrome Eyeshadow. At RM75, it's super-pricey but it's so super gorgeous I just caved. *Sigh* And while I was there, I also got snagged by her Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Maui. That cost me RM115. But it's beautiful I tell ya! Verdict: Came to momma!

Sweet Stains: MAC Rose Romance Gel Cheek Blush in Just A Pinch

I rushed this one out ASAP because it's LE. Who knows, there may be a few pots left lurking about, and MAC may re-release it with another collection. Now I'm somewhat torn on this product. I love the formula, the packaging, the ease, the colour and the portability. But... and this is a big but because it's a main reason why I love stains... it doesn't really last the day. *sighs*

Colour
Don't let the scary bright colour in the pot fool you, this gel blush is every bit as sheer as Benetint. Both products were swatched twice side by side in the pic below:

It really is a much cooler red than Benetint, and on me it gives a nice brightening flush. In shade it is really quite similar to Etude House Dear Darling Tint in Shade 01.

Formula
The formula is delightful, light and non-sticky. Now I normally prefer using brushes, but just for you my dear readers I used my very clean fingers just the once. I found it patted onto my cheeks, over liquid foundation smoothly and blended out very easily. On my lips it feels more moisturising than most stains, and it has no taste whatsoever.

Now I apply it with The Body Shop's Foundation Brush for cheeks, and a mac lip brush - this method works well, if a bit slower. But I do prefer it for reasons of hygiene.

It also has no scent, which was a bit of a surprise as I expected it to smell of roses.

Wear
This is where the product falls down. I find I have to apply it far brighter than I normally would beacuse it quietens down quite swiftly to a more muted colour. I'd almost accuse my foundation of drinking it up, if it didn't perform so well with every other blush I have.

It also isn't as lasting, even over Revlon Colorstay. In fact, my powder blushes last longer when patted into my foundation than this blush. Major boo boo. It also won't last beyond the lightest meal on the lips, so it only looks like a lipstain - it won't perform like one.

Conclusion
It really is so pretty, and its portability makes bringing it around to touch up a snap so I can almost forgive it for not lasting as long as a stain should. But then again, it's not really a stain is it? And at RM78, I can't say I regret buying it. It is soooo pretty. =D


Product pic courtesy of Temptalia

MAC Double Dazzle Haul

So remember I said about a week or so back that MAC Double Dazzle had finally arrived and how I was tempted to get 4 of them? (Sorry for the late write up, I hope they're still well-stocked.)

Guess what? I totally caved, and got ALL the four I wanted. But I was fortunate enough that I didn't have to pay full price, many thanks to Kahani (thanks for your gift voucher dearie!). =P

So read on for more piccies and swatches.

The haul. *happiness* =D

The four dazzlers I got.

Without flash: (L-R)Love Alert, Date Night, Smile and Baby Sparks.

With flash:(L-R)Love Alert, Date Night, Smile and Baby Sparks.

Aren't they uber dazzling? Ooooh.. I can't wait to use them for a glam night out. Smile is totally me, and Baby Sparks screams cute and safe. But I'm also at a stage to try out bolder colours, hence Love Alert and Date Night.

And just a reminder, they are really sticky. But for their shimmer and dazzle-ness, I'm willing to make exceptions.

And oh, they they cost RM80 each, which should have totalled RM320. But with the voucher, it was only RM220! How cool is that! =D *woohoo*

So anyone gonna run to MAC for them? Or have you already?

MAC Double Dazzle is HERE!!!

MAC ladies, here's a little note to let you all know that the MAC Double Dazzle (which I have been waaaating for), and MAC Rose Romance collections are out. They're not out on display yet, but they're there. Just ask the SAs to show you the goodies.

I've had a quick look through and so far, the Dazzleglasses which are dazzling me are Smile, Love Alert, Date Night and Baby Sparks.

I know these glosses are sticky as hell, but I think they're the only MAC glosses I'll make an exception for. (MAC gloss, I'm really not that into you).

Each goes for RM80 (yes, pricey too), but they reeeeally are dazzling me.

As for the Rose Romance, at a quick swatch, the blushers appeared chalky, so I didn't venture there.

For more information and details on these two collections, do look up Temptalia (whom I nicked the pic from), and the Lipglosseater.

Have a good week ahead! =)

Dear MAC ~

Dear MAC,

As an ardent fan of yours, and as a devoted fan of blushers, I have waited for your Grand Duos collection with bated breath. From the first glimpse I had of the gorgeous blush collection, I could. not. wait. for it to reach our Malaysian shores.

The pictures were tempting, and the blushers looked stunningly beautiful. It was a collection I knew I HAD to get my hands on. Blush addicts had been buzzing about these duos long before they were even out.

But before I go any further about this collection, I will have you know that I own 16 of your blushers (and counting), three of your MSFs, many eyeshadows and many many lipsticks. So you can rest assured I speak as great fan of your products.

So it was with great hurry that I tore over to a MAC counter in town the moment I heard that the Grand Duos were out. And they were everything the photos had promised them to be.

HOWEVER.

I am buying NONE of them. Why? Because your prices are a real cut-throat, that's why.

I am disappointed in you, MAC. At a time of economic recession (so bad it has the potential to dethrone the Great Depression), you dare come up to customers with a price tag of RM95 for a blush? Seriously MAC. SERIOUSLY.

I am terribly sorry, but you are not getting my money this time. I adored the Grand Duos collection, and I still adore it, but I am not forking out RM95 for a blush, duo or not. Gorgeousness will only carry it so far, and a ridiculously placed price tag will not help this collection. Even at RM85, I might have purchased a couple. But at RM95, nice try.

As such, I am boycotting this collection. Blush Princess or no.

And MAC, I do hope you will deeply consider your price-tags for future releases. It cannot bode well for MAC if your customers can no longer buy MAC products at leisure.

Yours disappointedly,
Syen

PS: All who agree, say I.

(Photo credit: Temptalia)

Favourite Things: MAC #129 Blush Brush

The thing about brushes which I keep hearing people say is, "They're a good investment."

So bearing this in mind, I bought my first set of basic brushes from a MAC Holiday collection a few years back for about RM200-odd. And with it came the MAC #129 blush brush. And mind you, these were the first brushes I had ever gotten. They're really good for starter kits.

It made me feel just a little more like a makeup maven. *smugness*

Three years on (I think), and I am still incredibly in love with my #129.

Despite accumulating different brushes over the years, I find that I still reach out for my #129 the most when it comes to applying blush. Because I know it gets the job done, and it gets the job done well.

However, I did notice that my short-handled #129 was starting to get a wee bit scratchy and when I stared hard enough at it, I found that it had SPLIT ENDS. Yes, split ends. By golly, I never knew brushes could have split ends too!

So what's a girl to do but get a #129 back-up right? I went back to MAC, and this time I wanted to get the full-size MAC #129. I didn't want to get another set because 1) I already have most of the brushes which come in sets, and 2) I find the quality of the full-sized brushes very much superior to those in the holiday sets.

So I ended up walking out of MAC with a long-handled MAC#129, #217 and #228. Hehe, BRUSH HAUL! =)


And boy when I say long-handled, I mean long-handled. From tip to tip, it measures about 20cm. While I was initially a little worried that the long tail might get in the way, I am happy to report it did not and it took very little getting used to.

And isn't there just something about long-handled brushes that screams "professional"? =P


As for the brush itself, the pony-hair is very, very, VERY soft. It's definitely softer than the short-handled one, which I believe is made from pony-blend. I'm not tossing it out yet though, as it's still usable and definitely more travel-friendly.

I generally find the #129 great for applying the base colour, for the pop, and for buffing in the blush. So basically it's a great all-rounder blush brush. (However, I think I've found my #129 a great partner, which I'll be reviewing tomorrow.)

I also noticed that the short-handle brush is made in China, while the long-handled is made in Japan. No offence to anyone, but somehow "Made in Japan" assures me of quality.

I've only had it for about two weeks now, and I've washed it once. It did not bleed, but has shed a little bit. Nothing major, so I'm guessing it's the initial breaking-in. However, if the shedding continues, I will update and I will turn up at MAC looking very disgruntled.

After all, for RM130, you definitely expect some quality. But for now, it's all love baby!