The Curvy, Creamy, Dreamy MAC Ultimate Lipsticks

The new MAC Ultimate Lipsticks, $23 each

What’s gray, curvy and totally luxurious?

‘Sup

Um…good guess! But not quite.

Yeah, the new MAC Ultimate Lipsticks ($23) and Tabs definitely have a few things in common; both are gorgeous, and curvaceous, and look like they were sculpted by Michelangelo.

Curves for days

But to quote practically every ABC Afterschool Special ever made, “It’s what’s inside that counts!” And in this case, what’s inside is also great, and highly moisturizing. Thank goodness, too, because my lips have really needed the extra hydration lately.

After weeks going ham on the matte lippies, they started acting like Regina George on a Mean Girls rampage.

In other words: annoying. My lip sitch turned to flake city.

But after a couple days wearing one of these MAC Ultimate Lipsticks (the brights are my faves), things are looking up! My lips don’t feel as dry as they were, and they’re definitely less flaky. Now I don’t think they’ll be shanking anyone in the cafeteria lunchroom.

From the left: To Savour, Soft Pout, Marque, Ravishingly Rich, Femme De Luxe, Catharina, Audacious, Dangerously Chic, Vogue En Violet and The Scene

As far as the way they feel, these remind me of the MAC Mineralize Lipsticks, so if you like how smooth, slick and non-sticky those feel, you may also like these.

I do feel like the Ultimates caress my lips more elegantly than the Mineralize Lipsticks do, though, and it reminds me of lipsticks at the higher end, like the $33 Dolce & Gabbana Classic Creams.

It’s like when someone holds you in their arms, and you melt against them like Nutella on warm toast… The formula really binds closely to the skin.

And, as an added bonus, with the bright and deep shades like The Scene, Catharina and Audacious, as the formula fades over the course of 3-4 hours, it turns to a chic, satiny stain, which lingers for another 1-2 hours.

The Scene

Dangerously Chic

MAC Ultimate Lipstick in Vogue en Violet

Audacious

Ravishingly Rich

Catharina

Femme De Luxe

Marque

Soft Pout

To Savour

I like these so much that I’m temporarily putting Matte Madness on pause, but if you’re still not convinced these are worth your time, don’t take my word for it. I asked my Magic 8 ball this morning, and it said, “All signs point to yes.”

And that thing’s never wrong.

The 10 new creamy, dreamy MAC Ultimate Lipsticks ($23 each) are available now at MAC counters and online in the permanent line.

PRICE: $23
AVAILABILITY: Permanent, and available now at MAC counters and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A-/A (they’re kind of pricey for MAC)

Even though I talk about my office always being a mess (it is), I’ve actually made some real life progress on it over the past few weeks, so I’ve been on another organizing kick, and I am completely obsessed with this Little Black Dress ($19.99) jewelry organizer from The Container Store.

OMG! So useful. It’s a double-sided hanging organizer with clear pockets on one side and velcro straps on the other.

My rings, necklaces and other accessories used to be all strewn about on top of my dresser, with some of them placed on little plates and others in tiny boxes, and I could never find jack squat, but not anymore! Now, everything I regularly wear is easy to get to in one place.

Hands down, the best $20 I’ve spent in a long time.

Who knew that being organized could be so awesome at controlling the crazy!?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

View the original article here

Tonight, I’m Livin’ in a Fantasy (My Own Little Nasty World), With the New MAC Nasty Gal Collection Lipsticks

MAC Nasty Gal Matte Lipsticks from the left: Runner, Stunner and Gunner ($16 US each, $19 CAD)

“Psst! Look at that girl.”

“Which girl…?”

“That one!”

“Which one? That one right there?”

“Yeah, that one you’re rudely pointing at in broad daylight right there, LOL! The one wearing the dark matte lipstick.”

“Yeah, I see her… She’s nasty.”

From the left: Runner, Stunner and Gunner

“What!? What are you talking about, ‘she’s nasty’? That’s a terrible thing to say!”

“No, doofus. Not like that. I mean she is literally a nasty gal.”

“You lost me…”

“I mean she’s wearing one of the three lipsticks in the new MAC Nasty Gal collection.”

Another fab collab, this one between MAC and Nasty Gal owner/founder Sophia Amoruso, the four-piece MAC Nasty Gal collection is coming to select MAC stores and the MAC website December 4 (through January 1, 2015) with three lipsticks in Stunner (a matte red), Runner (a matte burgundy) and Gunner (a deep matte purple) for $16 US/$19 CAD, as well as a true red Studio Nail Lacquer with a creme finish called Flaming Rose ($12 US/$14 CAD; not shown in this post).

Swatches from the left: Stunner, Runner and Gunner

“Oh…”

“Yeah, being a nasty gal is good now if you like your lipsticks dark, matte and severe.”

“OK.”

“I think it’s supposed to be (air quotes) ‘edgy,’ or something.”

MAC Nasty Gal Matte Lipstick in Gunner

“Oh…then I want to be a nasty girl.”

“Um, hello, Vanity 6! It’s ‘nasty gal,’ not ‘nasty girl.’ Sometimes you’re so hella ’80s…”

“Haha, she’s got jokes. But no, really, do you think I could pull that off?”

“Yeah, I think you could if you had absolutely no traces of a bad dry lip sitch, because those lipsticks are dark, capital D-A-R-K, and they don’t leave any room for imperfections. They’re totally unforgiving, especially the burgundy shade (Runner) and the dark purple (Gunner). My flakes were front and center when I tried ‘em, but the red shade (Stunner) was better.”

Runner, and flakes like WHOA!

Stunner

“Ooh! OK…I’m gonna get nasty with the red then.”

“Yeah, get nasty with the red.”

“Nasty!”

“Stop, ya perv.”

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

View the original article here