MAC Heavenly Creature collection

Even though I can't get MAC often because there are only a few shops in Italy, I'm always interested in their new collections. I just read about their latest one and I thought I'd share it with you since it's so gorgeous!

"On the surface they look marbleized, but on the skin they blend for stunning celestial effects. The MAC Heavenly Creature colour collection features 9 Mineralize Eye Shadows, 4 Mineralize Skinfinish and 4 Mineralize Blushes, orbited by 5 Lipsticks, 5 Cremesheen Glass and False Lashes Mascara. Skin gets a nourishing boost with Mineralize Charged Water Cleanser, Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel and Moisture Eye Cream. Returning for a limited time, Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator gently cleases and exfoliates for radiant skin. Create your celestial Mineralized look with 3 Duo Fibre Brushes. Natural goat hair lifts off, applying the perfect amount of Powder and Pigment while synthetic fibres fuse colour onto skin for a polished, luminous finish."

The MAC Heavenly Creature collection will launch in North America on July 5, 2012; Internationally, Heavenly Creature will release later in July, and will also be available online.

(read more about the collection here)

Hello Kitty Eyes&Lips Giveaway

Did you miss my monthly giveaways? Well, they're back :D One lucky winner will get this little Hello Kitty make-up set!

OPEN WORLDWIDE. CLOSES ON JULY 23RD 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

H&M Hibiscus & Get Into The Party

Have you ever tried H&M's cosmetics? Although sometimes attracted by their bright packaging and low prices, I have always been a bit reluctant to try them. I know, lots of brands sell good make-up ingredients-wise for cheap, but I don't think that's the case with H&M. I own quite a few of their nail polishes and they are ok - for some reason using cheap products on my nails doesn't scare me so much as using them on my face, probably because my skin has so many issues. I would never, ever use one of their foundations or powders or eyeshadows. 

Last time I went to my local shopping center looking for a Summer lipgloss, though, I decided to skip the Kiko (affordable prices for acceptable quality) counter and give H&M's beauty section a try. I chose two lip products from their Summer collection. 

Hibiscus comes in the ugliest, most unpractical cardboard packaging. I got this for less than €4 (can't  remember the actual price) just because I wanted to see what it looked like. I found out that it's a pretty intense red with a creamy consistency and a satin finish. It applied very easily as well. If only it came in a less cheap looking tube, it would have been a very very nice product for its price!

The other item I purchased was a lipgloss in Get Into The Party. I was attracted by the packaging first of all: it almost looks expensive, haha! It reminded me of Majolica Majorca, I don't know why.  Get Into The Party is a richly glittered fuschia lipgloss. It's not very pigmented, but it manages to give a hint of colour on the lips. Another thing about this lipgloss is that it has a heavy Watermelon scent that could not everyone's cup of tea. It's almost sickening in fact.

I like how both products look on their own, but I think the best way to wear them is together!

I wouldn't certainly recommend these to someone who's looking for red lip products, especially if they have more than €5 to spend. But if you have never tried a red lip and you just want to see how it looks on you, maybe getting Hibiscus is a good start.

(click here to see the swatches)

My first Essie polishes: Clambake & Sand Tropez

Sand Tropez, Clambake

Ever since I joined the make-up online community months ago, one of the brands that I had always wanted to try but that wasn't available where I live was Essie. Luckily someone heard my prayers and magically made a Essie stand appear in my local shopping centre!

As my first Essie polish I wanted to get a staple shade, something that I knew I'd use without a doubt. Sand Tropez was my choice: as the name suggests, it's a sandy beige with grey undertones. I used to wear H&M Nerd all the time before this. I like my nails not to be overly flashy because their shape is not so nice!

Sand Tropez only needed 2 coats to achieve perfect opacity and even clumsy people like me have no troubles applying it.

The second Essie nail varnish I bought a week later than the first one and it's Clambake. I was looking for an orange corally red and I believe this shade is perfect for summer! Unfortunately, not even three coats will make this look opaque; the white bit of my nails will still show and that is so annoying. I haven't worn it since I discovered this, but next time I will probably wear a nude shade under it as a base. While I was happy with my first purchase, I wasn't so pleased with my second one. Spending €11,95 for a nail polish is something that I'm willing to do only if I'm sure it's worth it, but I know formulas can vary from nail polish to nail polish, so next time I'll do some more research before spending my money!

(click here to see the swatches)

L'Oréal Rouge Caresse in Rebel Red

Ever since I tried the Revlon Lip Butters I've been looking for similar products that are easier to get in my country and possibly cheaper. I had heard lots about the Rouge Caresses by L'Oreal being compared to the Lip Butters, so I decided to test out one as soon as I could (I even broke my lip products shopping ban, sigh)

The Rouge Caresses are on the same price range as the Lip Butters, that means about 7-8€. But I got my Lip Butters in a swap from the UK. If I bought them here in Italy, I would have paid about 14€ for them! Revlon is not so "drugstore" here! Plus, it's much harder to get than L'Oréal. I only know of one shop that sells Revlon, and it's 30min away from my town. Strange, no?

Packaging wise, I think the Lip Butters are one of the prettiest make-up items I've ever seen, so the Rouge Caresses don't compare. The gold detail in the center is nice, but the bullet is just too plasticky. It's not unpractical or anything, just not that pretty.

For my first Rouge Caresse I chose the shade Rebel Red, that is a bright corally red. It feels just like a lipbalm when you apply it, and it's just as moisturizing. Although having a sheer finish, it's quite pigmented and it shows vividly on my pigmented lips. I love the fact that it hasn't got any glitter in it, unlike most of the Lip Butters I own! It makes it much more natural. Being basically a lipbalm, it doesn't have the best staying power; you might want to reapply it every two hours or so.

I am very pleased with this product! I think it's perfect for summer. I'm definitely going to get more shades :)

(click here to see the swatches)