MAC Make It Perfect Mineralize Brush Kit Review

When the Glitter & Ice press release came out, I was really thrilled about the brush sets, I thought the choices of brushes were good and I liked the look of the handles. I basically decided I was going to get a set or two and this one, the Mineralize set was a definite. Now I have buyers guilt because they just do not live up to my expectations at all. I've had two brush sets in the past, before Glitter & Ice, one from Digipops and one from Wonder Woman. Both, while they aren't on par with the full size brushes were decent and I use them, especially for travelling as they have shorter handles thus more travel friendly. These are just utter disappointments for me. I've held off writing reviews on them because I wanted to test them fully and fairly and didn't feel I could before giving them a full test drive.

L-R: 187SE, 130SE, 282SE, 286SE

I expected these brushes to be of a similar quality to my previous sets. I didn't expect any more than that as I know they will never meet the standard of a full size hand made brush.

Packaging
The outer box is white with silver foiling all over it which resembles ice skating marks on the ice with a spotlight beaming down in the middle. The bag is quite tacky, it is clear plastic with a silver circle glued onto the side. I don't understand the point of the stuck on circle. To me the bag looks silly and unfinished. I found the zip really stiff and hard to open and the long piece of plastic attached to the end of it makes it even harder to open. All of the brushes have clear handles filled with silver glitter. I quite like the handles and think they are really pretty.

Outer box

Clear bag (different brush set inside pictured)

187SE
The 187 is one of my favourite brushes from MAC but it is bulky and impractical for travelling as it doesn't fit into a standard sized make up bag. I thought the smaller one would be perfect for weekends at my boyfriend's house. So not the case...

First impressions, it is less dense than the full size and the white fibres feel different - thinner and not as soft. The black and white fibres are blended together through the brush more than my full size one so it doesn't really give that duo fibre feel where the fibres split apart as you use it. It is hard to explain but if you get hold of a full sized 187 and swirl it in the palm of your hand you will see what I mean. I was not too bothered about these things, as I mentioned, I knew it wouldn't be the same as it should. In use it isn't that bad, it doesn't perform as well as a regular 187 but it does the job.



L-R: 187SE, 187 regular (sorry about it being dirty!)
You can see how in the full size version the bristles split apart but in the
SE version, they are more blended.

L-R: 187SE, 187 regular

All was well and good until I washed it... UGH! What the hell?! Why is there dye all over my sink?! Why are black fibres coming out in clumps?! Why are the white fibres in my brush now GREEN?! I thought it might stop after a second wash so used it a few more times and then washes again. Nope. Same thing happened (although less than the first), if it keeps happening, there will be no brush left!

130SE
I don't own the full size 130 brush so can't compare the shape, density etc. In use, I really liked this. It is brilliant for applying cream highlighter such as my Illamasqua Lies blush which I rarely used before but now have a great brush to use it with. It works really well at stippling the colour and softly blending for a soft focus finish. Such a good brush.

However... this brush also has a dark side. It also had leaking dye issues and left the bristles very green tinged. It didn't shed like the 187SE though which was good, although it did occur. I may buy a full size of this brush though because I loved how it worked but don't want the issues.

282SE
A new brush from MAC. I'm really not sure on this brush. I just can't seem to find a good use for it. I assume it is to be used with Mineralize Eyeshadows as it came out with a lot of MES but I found it really hard to use. It kicks up the MES all over the place and makes it drop all over my face. I tried using it wet but it didn't apply nicely so tried it wet straight into the pan but it didn't pick up the colour properly. I had to pretty much scrub at the pan to get the colour on the brush. It is also a really big brush so would only work for washes of colour. My eyes aren't big although they're not small either and I find it hard to use in my lid space. Someone with a lot of lid space may find it easier. What I can imagine it being used for is cream products. The dual bristles would be good with emollients and blend nicely. It still isn't ideal for me though due to the size of the brush. I'm not sure if MAC will bring this out in a full size in the future. If they do, it would be nice for them to be clearer on how they perceive it to be used. Again, this brush had issues when washing, it leaked dye so badly, it was the worst of the bunch for leaking.

286SE
Another new brush from MAC. This brush will be released as a full size permanent edition brush with MAC's Naturally collection next year. It is a blending brush and works quite nicely although I still prefer MAC's other blending brushes such as the 217. It has a nicely tapered tip so you can get right into the crease and gently fluff the colour out. It would also work nicely for cream products and be a good addition to MAC's range as they do not have a synthetic blending brush (as far as I know). 
It still leaked dye unfortunately.

Top: 282SE
Bottom: 286SE

All in all, these brushes STINK. Would I recommend them? Errm... NO!

Jennifer x

Stamping - Peacock Nails

I got my nail stamps out again for another go. It didn't come out quite as well as the last go but I still really like it. I also wore this for a week and it lasted really well with no chips at all.

Here are some more pictures.

What I used:

Nail Envy x 2 coats

OPI Yodel On My Cell x2 coats

Seche Vite x1 coat

Barry M 319 (silver foil) for the stamping polish

Bundle Monster plate BM-212 (this is from the second set, available from Amazon)

OPI Plugged in Plum to fill in the spots

Seche Vite x1 thin coat

What do you think?

Jennifer x

Urban Decay to release Naked 2!

Oh I cannot tell you how excited I am for this! I adore Urban Decay's Naked palette and they have just released version 2 in the USA today! It is slated for release in the UK (and I would assume Europe) in January and I cannot wait! I know... exclamation mark overload haha but I really am that excited :D

Lets take a quick look. (Photos from Temptalia)

Isn't it lovely!?

It includes 12 shades of eyeshadow, 5 of which are exclusive to this brand new palette (Booty Call, Busted, Pistol, Snake Bite and Tease). The rest of the shades are either permanent or were released with other palettes but not available individually, plus there is one discontinued shade.

It also comes with a dual ended brush which has the Good Karma Shadow brush on one end and the crease brush on the other. Plus a mini Lip Junkie gloss in the shade Naked.

It is in a new type of palette too, more like a pencil tin than the velvety case from the original.

It retails for $50 in the USA and will be £36 in the UK.

Check out viviannadoesmakeup for swatches and reviews. It looks smashing :)

Jennifer x

Konad Stamping - Blue and Gold Swirls

I decided to pull my Konad Stamps out again as I hadn't used them for a while. I also wanted to use one of my new China Glaze colours from their Holiday line. I decided to pop into Superdrug to pick up the two new Barry M foil effect polishes as I thought they would work well for stamping. From what I have seen, foil finish polishes seem to work really nicely for this. Oh I am glad I did because they are perfect stamping polishes and also can be used for painting nails so no need to buy the silver or gold Konad stamping polishes which are actually rubbish and not very opaque. I was so pleased with how this came out, it was really quick to do the stamping. I quite like how none of the stamps are in the same position and I'm also pleased at how neat my painting has gotten since I started this blog :)

What I used:
OPI Nail Envy x2 coats (this is my regular base)
China Glaze Blue Years Eve x2 coats
Seche Vite x1 coat (to aid drying before stamping)
Barry M 320 (gold foil) for stamping
Konad image plate M64
Seche Vite x1 coat

I wore this manicure for a whole week before starting to get small chips. China Glaze's polishes always seem to last really well on my nails. I also love this colour and highly recommend it. I purchased my bottle from transdesign.com for $2.99, absolute bargain!

Jennifer x

MAC Glitter & Ice Mineralize Eye Shadow Review

MAC's Holiday collection offered six mineralize eye shadows. I initially bought two of them and then later went back for two others after seeing lots of swatches. The last two ended up being my favourites of the four.

L-R: Fresh Ice, Shimmermint

Fresh Ice
This is a frosty white with a very slight pink tinge. It has some lavender pink veining in the pan to go with the white. I bought this to use as a highlight shade, particularly in the inner corners of my eyes. When used dry it is slightly sheer which makes it perfect for me to use as a highlight as it is not full on frosty opaque white. It has lovely sparkle to it but it isn't so chunky that I experience lots of fallout. To make it more opaque, using it over a primer gives more payoff and holds the sparkle more. It is even better wet, which is the general expectation for mineralize eye shadow - they work in a similar manner to pigments, when foiled the payoff is really good and has a metallic finish. It is really sparkly used like this but can still drop some sparkle once it dries.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Shimmermint
This is a glittery minty, silvery shade. I love shades like this and they seem very few and far between. They are often quite sheer too, I guess due to the lightness of the colour. This is also like that when used dry and... it is a complete glitter bomb. I first used this dry and it went everywhere, I mean everywhere. I was finding glitter all over my clothes as well as my chin and forehead. There was glitter flying off of the brush as I used it. This colour must be used wet, and carefully for it to stay put. Primer helps a little although not much, wet is much better but it can still drop. A sticky base is a MUST. Once finding out how to use it, it looks really nice on. On me it shows more green but I have seen it appear more blue on other people.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Snow Season
This is a peachy pink with pink and gold shimmer. It is a very smooth mineralize eye shadow and has good pigmentation even when dry. It makes a good wash of colour for quick application and could also be used as a highlight. It is the sort of colour which will flatter most skin tones. When used over primer it appears more pink and when foiled it is far more metallic and the payoff is much brighter. I really really like this shade and it will be getting a lot of use. I do not experience fall out with this shade.

L-R: Snow Season, Winterized

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Winterized
This is a smokey blue purple with a purple sheen. The base is a satin type of finish and then it has teeny purple sparkles. When used dry it appears more brown from the burgundy areas of the pan and applies smoothly with decent pigmentation. Like this it would work really nicely with khaki, olive and brown colours. When used over a primer it has more pigmentation but still retains the smokey quality. When foiled it becomes this amazing purple and much brighter. It has a gorgeous purple sheen when the light hits it with a slight pink tone. It works particularly nicely with Snow Season. I do not experience fall out with this shade. I love this one the most and it is definitely my favourite mineralize eye shadow out of all of the ones that I own.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

I find the best way to use mineralize eye shadows is over a product called Pixie Epoxy, from a company called Fyrinnae. I will do a post on this product soon but it is basically like a 'glue' for pigments and works well for these types of eye shadows too. It holds the glitter or shimmer in really well and keeps the colour intense all day. I rarely get fall out if I use this product and I would advise using this to help.

Jennifer x

MAC Glitter & Ice Lipstick Review



Top - Bottom: Whirls & Twirls, Soft Sable

There were six lipsticks in MAC's Glitter & Ice collection, I picked up two of them. I wouldn't have normally bought these as I thought they would be really frosty but they aren't due to their glaze finishes.

L-R: Whirls & Twirls

Whirls & Twirls
In the tube it looks like it is going to be such a frosty light pink, I thought that it was going to look really old fashioned and unflattering, especially on my warm skin tone - not something I want to wear. Due to it being a glaze finish, it doesn't go on really opaque, it is more of a sheen on the lips. I really like lipsticks like this, I have bought a few like it in the past where they lighten my lips a little with a pretty sheen, such as Marquise'd from Wonder Woman and Secret Lover from MAC Me Over. It is really easy to wear for such a light colour. It would work really well with dark or smokey eye makeup because it lightens without going really really nude and it still lets the natural lip colour come through.



Soft Sable
This is quite a unique shade, I've not seen a lipstick like this before. I think the closest I have seen is Bobbi Brown's Vintage Rose but it is much more metallic and pinker. Soft Sable appears more pewter in the tube but once on the lips, my natural lip colour comes through, making it more wearable. I think this shade is more suited to warm skin tones. It works really nicely with brown and khaki shades of eyeshadow.

Both lipsticks applied really nicely and smooth. For these pictures, I quickly applied them so they don't look as nice as they should here and my lips are a bit red around the edges from doing a lot of lip swatches so sorry about that!

Jennifer x

I've got glasses

I work on computers all day and they take a strain on my eyes, I end up with headaches and sore eyes so I went for an eye test. Turns out, I am slightly long sighted and need glasses for concentration work - using the computer and reading. Specsavers do buy one get one free on a lot of their frames so I picked out two pairs. I went to pick them up today. I like them, I prefer one to the other so they will be my main pair. So far, I'm wearing them as I type this and they are giving me sore eyes but I'm hoping that is just due to me not being used to them yet and after a few days of wearing them they will get better.

What do you think?

These ones are from Jasper Conran.

These are by Missoni

Jennifer x