Mocha Mish Mash

If You Like Play Day Then You Might Also Like...

2012-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of these polishes...

I dug through my Helmer and found some other coral and peachy polishes that you might like if you have an affinity for bright springy hues like me.

None of them are dupes for Mac's Play Day, they're just similar in the fact that they fall into the orange/peach/coral catagory.

Above & below: Revlon Demure, Essie A Crewed Interest, Mac Play Day, Revlon Tropical Temptation

Above & below: Chanel June, Mac Play Day, Orly Pixi Stix, China Glaze Peachy Keen

What's your favorite peach or coral nail polish? Am I missing one that I should have?

There's No Party Like A Butterfly Party...

2012-02-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

Is immediately what I thought when I saw Mac's Butterfly Party crushed metallic pigments in person today. I had no intention of buying them because I'd already hauled from the Vera collection online (see post) and had only gone in to see Mac's Shop Mac Cook Mac collection.

Four swatches later I deemed them a must have and home they came with me (along with three lippies!).

I don't like the crumbly flaky texture of crushed pigments. You have to have patience for the insane fallout and a certain amount of skill applying them to avoid looking like a crazy clown.

So why did I buy them?

Well, the pigmentation is amazzingggg!

I have some crushed pigments from way back when they first came out (I don't remember the collection) and loved them. I stopped using them though because they weren't easy to work with. I like products that you can just slap on and they definitely required more time to apply than I had to spare.

These are the lipsticks I got: Dish It Up, Runaway Red, and Watch Me Shimmer.

Watch Me Shimmer reminds me of Ever Hip from Mac's London of Liberty collection that came out last year. Watch Me Shimmer has an amplified finish which makes it go on bright and opaque.

Runaway Red is my kind of red--it's teeth whiting blue based satin. I feel the need to buy a red lipstick every now and then and Runway Red has satisfied that need for now.

My need to collect purple lipsticks (and glosses) never seems to go away. Dish It Up is a magenta-toned purple-y plum that I can't wait to wear. It has a lustre finish which some people don't like because it's not as long lasting as satins and such, but I actually don't mind it.

The lipstick I wanted most, Quick Sizzle, was sold out. I'm hoping to get my paws on it, but not holding my breath.

What do you think of the crushed pigments? Were you a lucky duck who got her (or his) mitts on Quick Sizzle?

Mac Vera Collection Haul

2012-02-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

Ready for some more of Mac's Vera collection?

No doubt you'll be sick of seeing this collection (and Shop Mac, Cook Mac) over the next week or two, but I picked up a couple items from the collection and thought I'd share.

Fantasy Flower Pearlmatte face powder

Sunday Afternoon Pearlmatte face powder

When I first saw the promos for this collection I immediately knew I wanted the Pearlmatte face powders. I don't quite know why they're considered face powders because they work more like blushes. I consider face powders to be powders that you use to set your foundation.

...Anyways, they are pretty, with Sunday Afternoon being the most pigmented and prettier of the two. Flower Fantasy shows up on me as a sheer peachy shimmer. I won't be able to wear it solo, but it'll look nice dusted on my cheekbones or blended into one of my deeper toned coral or peach blushes.

Pearlglide eyeliners in Undercurrent and Petrol Blue

These liners are gorgeous! The metallic glint in them really brightens the eye and gives a nice shot of "grownup" glitter without looking juvenile.

3 coats Mac Play Day nail lacquer topped with Seche Vite top coat

I almost contemplated returning Play Day because it's one of the worst nail polishes I've ever used. It applied streaky and uneven until I slapped on a third coat. After that it evened out and looked fine. It's perfect-for-spring-and-summer peachy hue is what's made me decide to keep it. I've had it one for two days now with no chips and minimal tip fading so I'm happy considering Mac's polishes are known to not wear well.

What are your favorite items from Mac's Vera collection?

NYC Sun 'n' Bronze Bronzing Powders

2012-02-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Have you seen NYC's Sun 'n' Bronze bronzing powders at your local drugstore? I thought they looked kind of interesting so I picked up three of the four shades available.

Hamptons Radiance

Fire Island Tan

Coney Island Glow

The bronzers are slightly shimmery and have a smooth velvety texture, but aren't that pigmented. They give the skin more of a sheen than a bronzing effect. To actually use them as a bronzer you have to be really fair skinned. I'll be buffing them into my "bronzing zone" to add a little dimension and following up with a darker bronzer like Nars Casino.

What's your favorite bronzer?

Jason Wu for Target--Did You Get Any?

2012-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

I spent February 5th putzing around the house when my butt actually should have hightailed it to Target. I totally forgot that the Jason Wu for Target collection was slated for release that day.

How did I remember?

Well, I was flipping through the new March issue of Essence magazine last night and came across the above article. My first thought was "damn, damn, damn!" because I knew that chances are four days later that there would be little to nothing of the collection left.

My wish list included: the black cat printed scarf, the black cat print tee, the Belize blue scarf, and the navy outfit that was featured in Essence magazine.

The racked were empty with a capital E, but luckily I got two items off my list: the sheer paneled floral shell and it's matching floral pleated skirt.

I adore the shell!

It's one part classic, one part girly and the panel gives it a bit of an edge. Now I'm on the hunt for a pair of yellow or red sandals to compliment this outfit.

What do you think of the Jason Wu for Target collection? Did you pick up anything?

What's In My Travel Bag

2012-02-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'll be going on holiday soon so I thought I'd share my travel makeup bag with you. I wanted to be able to do a variety of looks without schlepping a ton of products with me. Here are my picks...

Left to right:

Kitten smudgepot, Damel smudge stick waterproof eyeliner

In The Light palette top row: Bare, Kitten, bliss, Sunset, Sandstone

In The Light palette bottom row: Champagne, Gilded Gold, Luster, Night Sky, Ebony

I've been having a little love affair with Stila lately, so I'll be taking their Kitten smudgepot and In The Light eye shadow palette that comes with a smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in the shade Damsel.

I've been using this palette more than my Urban Decay Naked palette lately. The palette has four matte shades, two glittery shades, and three frosty shades and comes with a deep brown eyeliner. My favorite shades in the palette are Kitten, Night Sky, and Gilded Gold. I'll be wearing this palette on top of Kitten smudgepot which has become a staple in my makeup routine. Smudgepots work just like Mac paint pots and can be worn alone or as bases for eyeshadows.

I'll also be taking L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes in Black. I'm not a fan of this mascara but am going to use it up regardless.

Stila's All Over Shimmer Duo in Kitten has become another staple in my everyday makeup routine. I blend the two shimmery shades and buff them into my cheekbones to give myself an instant glow.

I haven't used Mac's Hipness blush in months, but I pulled it out because it'll give me a soft natural looking flush to the cheeks.

Stila All Over Shimmer Duo, Mac Hipness blush

Revlon Lollipop lip butter, Mac Whirls & Twirls lipstick

For the lips I'll be taking Mac's Spite lipglass, Revlon's Lollipop lip butter, and Mac's Whirls & Twirls lipstick.

Left to right: Mac Whirls & Twirls lipstick, Mac Spite lipglass, Revlon Lollipop lip butter

Whirls & Twirls lipstick doesn't look like much swatched however it's dazzling on the lips. It glazes the lips with a sheer pale shimmery pink that looks fab with smokey eyes.

Spite lipglass is one of those shades that is easy to pass over as boring. It's my new favorite neutral gloss though and just gives a bit of polish to my look when I'm having a running-out-of-time-need-to-get-out-the-door-NOW-moment.

Lollipop lip butter is going to be my pop of color on my trip. Out of the three I have, Lollipop is my favorite.

Lastly I'm taking Bobbi Brown's Foundation stick in Golden. I've been using it the last couple of months and it's creamy texture works well with my dry skin. It took me a little while to get used to using a stick foundation but I do like it's medium coverage and how portable it is. I do want to try Bobbi Brown's Extra Repair foundation next though which has a whipped creamy texture. Once I'm done with this stick foundation I'm going to get it.

...Soooo, that's my travel bag in a nutshell. I'm all packed and ready to head off to the Sunshine State!!

Nail Of The Day: Gothica Lolita

2012-02-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

2 coats topped with one coat of Seche Vite fast drying topcoat

I've got China Glaze's Gothica Lolita on le nails today! From far away Gothica Lolita appears to be a cream, but closeup you can see it's faint fuchsia and blue shimmers. I absolutely love the color, but it wasn't a joy to apply like Fuchsia Fanatic.

If you're a purple polish lover you'll probably want it in your collection.

DIY: Keep Calm And Frame Some Cards

2012-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

I love receiving a good old fashioned card or letter in the mail--I guess I've got my mother to thank for that. For as long as I can remember she's always brightened my day by sending me surprise handmade or store bought cards.

I've gotten into the habit of posting cards to my loved ones throughout the year too. So when I came across these cuties at Marshalls, I immediately thought they'd not only put a smile on someone's face, but they'd also look great framed.

The cards were $4.99 for 20 and I got the picture frames at Ikea for $3.99 each.

Nice, huh? I put them in my girls's room on their bookshelf. I might also hang a couple on their walls too.

Products I've Recently Used Up

2012-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

Korres Jasmin Lip Butter--I love this stuff! This is the one that I kept at my bedside to slather on before bedtime to keep the pout soft and sweet. I also sometimes dab a bit on before I apply matte lipsticks to prevent dryout.
Would I repurchase it? Definitely! I bought a backup as soon as I saw this one was about to run out.

Stila Lip Glaze in Kitten--I'm really picky with lipglosses--they have to have just the right amount of tackiness, a mild (or unscented) scent, and an (unflavored or) appealing flavor--and Stila's lip glazes fit the bill. I've got several lip glazes and Kitten, a shimmery champagne, that's universally flattering is one of the ones I reach for the most.
Would I repurchase it? Yep, as soon as I use up the other shades I have.

Philosophy Lively Lemon Coconut Bath, Shampoo, & Shower Gel--This shower gel smells just like a delicious slice of lemon pound cake sprinkled with coconut flakes--yummy, yummy, yummy!
Would I repurchase it? If it was still available I would.

Pooka Pure & Simple Shea & Olive Hair Butter--I did a review on this last year. I really liked it and bought three more jars of it. I like to use it to moisturize my hair when I do braid outs.
Would I repurchase it? Yeah.

Nars Lip Gloss in Easy Lover--While Nars makes fabulous blushes and eyeshadows, I was disappointed with Easy Lover, a sheer neon pink. The formula was too thin which resulted in it not lasing for more than an hour or so on my lips (without eating) and it tasted plastic-y. With that being said, this is probably going to be my first and last Nars lipgloss.
Would I repurchase it? Nope, unless it's formula is ever changed. Twenty four dollars is too much to pay for this gloss's lackluster performance.

Lush Dream Cream Body Lotion and Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub--This stuff is good! Like really good!! I initially didn't understand all the hype with Lush. Everywhere I turned there were reviews on bath bombs this and bath bombs that and me being more of a "shower girl", wasn't impressed. That changed though when I wandered in Lush and received the most amazing demo from a very helpful and informative sales associate. She used both the Dream Cream body lotion and Ocean Salt scrub on me and afterward I literally felt like I had a new arm attached to my body. My skin was soft, smooth, and subtly scented.
Would I repurchase it? In a hot minute! I love that the scrub is gentle enough for the face and body and the natural scented body lotion is a change from the usual perfumed products I use.

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard--I finally finished this up. I liked it at first, but then it dried out my hair and sometimes flaked up in my hair (yuck).
Would I repurchase it? Nope.

B&BW Twilight Woods Creamy Body Wash--(not pictured) If you like heavier slightly musky (in a good way) scents during the fall and winter, then you might like this fragrance. Besides loving the lush fragrance, I love that this body wash doesn't dry out my parched winter skin. It doesn't linger on the skin for very long ( I haven't found any bath product that really does), but it's a treat in the shower and layering on it's accompanying body lotion and edt keeps Twilight Woods on me throughout the day.
Would I repurchase it? Yes, but with spring on the horizon I won't buy it again until fall.

What products have you used up lately?

Nail Of The Day: China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

2012-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

2 coats topped with a coat of Seche Vite fast drying top coat

I've got a cheery pink on the nails today!

It's China Glaze's Fuchsia Fanatic and I adore it!!

Fuchsia Fanatic isn't a unique hot pink creme; I suspect I have something similar lurking in my collection, but it is pretty and destined to relieve any winter blahs you might be having.

It also applies with ease (a lovely two-coater) and dries quickly. I'm going on holiday soon and it's definitely going to be either my mani or pedi color.

Stila Love At First Blush Palette

2012-01-30T13:29:00.000-08:00

You know those products that are soo pretty you don't want to touch?

Well, Stila's Love At First Blush Palette is one of them!

I stared at it for two days before I finally broke down and used it.

The heart embossed palette has a pale shimmery cotton candy pink, a matte bubblegum pink, and a bright shimmery Barbie pink.

Individually the cool-toned shades scared me a little because I didn't know how they'd fare on my warmer NC44 skin. However, swirled together they became a very flattering subtle pink. The blush also has just the right amount of pearly shimmer to impart a faint sparkle, but not too much to make it frosty.

Face:

Mac Mineralize spf 15 foundation in NC44

Cheeks:

Stila Love At First Blush Palette

Stila All Over Shimmer Duo in Kitten

Eyes:

Stila Smudgepot in Kitten

Mac Mineralize eyeshadow in Daylight

Stila Smudge stick Waterproof eyeliner in Purple Tang

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes in Black

Lips:

Mac Pro Longwear lip pencil in Absolutely It

Mac Cremesheen glass in Narcissus

I got mine at StilaCosmetics.com for $14.00.

What do you think of this palette? Does it make you blush too?

China Glaze Electropop Polishes

2012-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

These are my picks from China Glazes new Electropop collection.

I skipped the bright blue, green, and yellow polishes for more "easy on the eye" shades. I'm sick to death of minty greens, grays, greiges, and fugly ugly colors...and in turn I'm more drawn to pretty feminine shades.

Left to right: Dance Baby, Wicked Style, Gothic Lolita, Fuchsia Fanatic, Make Some Noise.

Did you pick up any polishes from this collection?

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes in Hot Tamale and Plum Wine

2012-01-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard about Maybelline's Dream Bouncy blushes I don't know where you've been. I hadn't been able to get my paws on them until recently because no drugstores in my area had them in yet.

I scooped up Hot Tamale and Plum Wine because they seemed like they would show up on darker skin.

Plum Wine is on the left and Hot Tamale is on the right.

The texture of the blushes reminds me of this squishy spongey molding clay my kids used in preschool that never dries. The blushes while bright and vibrant in the pan, apply sheer (you've gotta dab them on with your fingers) and are buildable. I have on Plum Wine in the photo below but unfortunately my camera washes out the color (or I took the picture too close--ha,ha!).

I haven't worn them long enough to truly gage their staying power, but if they had more shades that would compliment WOC, I'd definitely buy them. I bought mine at CVS for eight-ish dollars.

What do you think of them? Scoop up any?

Face:

Mac Mineralize foundation spf 15 in NC44

Eyes:

Stila Smudgepot in Kitten

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara in Carbon Black

Stila Smudge Stick eyeliner in Peacock

Cheeks:

Maybelline Dream Bouncy blush in Plum Wine

Lips:

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

...Soooo while I was busy having a mini photo shoot in the bathroom, BabyMishMash decided to make a glitter picture frame at the dining room table...I'm gonna have real fun cleaning it up...glitter (and glue) is EVERYWHERE!! (muted scream)

Nail Of The Day: Chanel June

2012-01-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

3 thin coats topped with a coat of Seche Vite fast drying topcoat

Despite it being a sultry thirty degrees outside and fur-lined boots my footwear of choice these days, I've got Chanel's June on my fingertips. June is a juicy cantaloupe colored cream from Chanel's Spring 2012 collection.

It looks pretty on the nails now, but I think it's going to look stunning when spring and summer roll around. It's a splurge at $26.00, but I can easily justify buying it with my new less-is-more philosophy when it comes to makeup.

While on my mini-sabbatical from blogging I came to the decision I'd rather spend a little more money on products that I'll really love rather than have globs of so-so products that I'm not happy with and won't use.

...Anywho, June is gorgeous and limited edition. I had to do three coats due to my shotty application but it's easily a two coater. If you like it I'd get it now while it's still available.

Wet 'n' Wild's New 2012 MegaLast Lipsticks

2012-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

So I carved out some time to swatch the Wet 'n' Wild MegaLast lipsticks I mentioned in my previous post.

Left to right above and below are:

Dollhouse Pink, Don't Blink Pink, Cherry Picking, Purty Persimmon

Each shade is two swipes.

I love the MegaLast formula because they glide on effortlessly, apply opaque (they have a semi-matte finish), and wear without fading or feathering. I have several MegaLast shades from their permanent line and they are some of my favorite lippies.

Dollhouse Pink is a loud baby pink. Despite looking pretty in the tube, it's not my kind of pink and the only shade I regret picking up. I could tweak it with a deeper toned lipliner or lipstick to make it more wearable, but I soo over products that I have to "fix" to make work.

Don't Blink Pink is an almost neon hot pink. I love it! This is my kind of pink!! It stands out without being obnixious.

Cherry Picking is vibrant deep berry. As soon as I put it on I was amazed with how white it made my teeth look. I will be wearing this shade ALOT.

I don't own any lipsticks like Purty Persimmon. All of the "orange" lipsticks I have actually veer towards coral, but Purty Persimmon is a true orange.

I don't know how long these shades will be available, so if you see them--swoop them up. I found mine at Walgreens for $1.99 each.

Hair Haul: Shea Moisture

2012-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

So my first back-to-blogging post is surprisingly a hair product haul.

I don't do much to my hair and have a very simple routine. It's basically--cleanse, condition, and moisturize. Once in a while I'll use styling products (hair puddings or custards), but not often because of the few that I've tried, I've yet to be amazed.

I stumbled across the organic Shea Moisture line at Walgreens while I was actually looking for a different natural hair care line that I'd seen an ad for in Essence magazine (and didn't find).

Out of the several hair products there I picked their Curling Souffle, Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Deep Treatment Masque, and Hold & Shine Moisture Mist.

I had never heard of the brand before but was intrigued by everything that their hair care products don't contain.

No parabens

No paraffin

No gluten

No propylene glycol

No mineral oil

No synthetic fragrance

No animal testing

No PABA

No synthetic color

No DEA

No animal testing

No sulfates

I'm looking forward to trying the souffle and smoothie the most because I'm hoping they will help bring back my curls which have decided to go into hiding the last couple of months.

I checked out their website and saw they also have bath, baby, and shaving lines and are also sold at Walmart and Target. Anyone tried this brand yet?

I picked up a couple more items including four new MegaLast lipstick shades that are in Wet n Wild's 2012 collection. The formula of these lipsticks are awesome and I can't wait to to try out these bright springy shades. I hope to have swatches up soon.

Under Construction...

2012-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

After alot of thought and consideration I have decided

to reenter the blogasphere.

I was going to do a fresh start with a whole brand new blog,

but I like the name of this blog soo much I decided to just continue with it.

I hope to have Mocha Mish Mash back up and running

in the next couple of weeks.

Until then...thanks for your continued support.

Tamara