The MAC Eye Shadow X15 Palettes Review

Hey Guys,

So as you know I bought both palettes which put quite a big hole in my purse…. If I think they are worth the money you will see if you keep reading ;) (I have been testing the two palettes since about the beginning of the month)

Hey (Veluxe Pearl), Warm Breeze (Satin), Gingersnap (Frost), Dark Brew (Velvet), Dance in the Dark (Matt)

Brule (Satin), Vanilla Extract (Frost), Honey Lust (Lustre), Amber Lights (Frost), Saddle (Matt)

Lemon Tart (Veluxe Pearl), Creative Copper (Lustre), Butterfudge (Satin), Divine Decandence (Velvet), Unwind (Veluxe Pearl)

Flounce (Matte), Sweet Allure (Satin), Sun Tweaked (Frost), After Dusk (Veluxe Pearl), Black Berry (Matte)

Pick Me Up (Matte), Cozy Grey (Matte), Crushed Clove (Frost), Deception (Frost), Brun (Satin)

Silver Fog (Lustre), French Clay (Frost), Cumulus (Frost), Pearled Earth (Veluxe Pearl), Blach Tied (Velvet)

So as the name Eye Shadow X15: Warm Neutral or Cool Neutral, depending on which you have, already tells us that we are talking about eye shadows, surprise ;) The palettes either contain cool toned coloures or warm toned. The text from MAC says that they are a highly pigmented powdery texture, which is easy to apply and to blend.

As you can see from the swatches below (Sorry the lighter colours don't show as strong as they really are), most coloures are really highly pigmented with some exceptions, but they can all be easily built up the only really exceptions are brule, warm breeze for me, but for my looks it doesn’t bother me because I don’t need these colours to be too pigmented. Also they stay on really well, I usually use my Paint Pot in Painterly as base and my eye makeup last me for about 10 hours depending on the day ;)

Warm Neutrals:

Cool Neutrals:

 

I have to say I love these palettes, since they arrived about a month ago I always use them when I apply eye shadow. With them you can create all kinds of looks. You can use one row of coloures in a palette, because they match or you can mix them up inside the palette. But if you want to you can mix the warm and the cool coloures, depending on what you like. For me it depends on my mood. For my job I can’t use too bold a makeup, but with the neutrals that is no problem and when I go out I can also use these palettes to create a heavier look.

Okay I will sum up my pros and cons for the palettes:

PROS:

+ A lot of neutral coloures

+A lot of different looks possible

+ Easy to apply and blend

+ Good pigmentation

+ stay on well, with paint pot as base up to 10 hours

CONS:

-Price , one palette 145€ in Germany

After looking at all these points I have to say, that for me personally it was worth spending the money on the palettes. I love using them, I love to use neutral coloures. For me it was also a good investment because them on a regular basis and they will still last me for a long long time. 

I would probably would have bought empty palettes and would have filled them with tons of neutrals but now I already have them. This way as pre pressed palettes they are cheaper even though they seem a lot more expensive now. I explained this already in my former post, where I wrote that they are available now.

If you are like me and love neutrals and you use them on a regular basis and are willing to pay a bit more on one occasion then I would suggest buying them because I really love them and can only recommend them!!

I hope you all have a nice weekend!! With as much sunshine as we have;)

Your Dahlia

February Favourites 2014

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven’t posted anything the last few weeks but I have been drowning in homeworks I had to turn in to my Profs and going working nearly every day… okay done with the pity-party I handed my papers in and am free now ;)

Today I have my favourites of the month February for you, even though they are a bit late ;) All the products will be make-up, as you can see on the picture.

Okay, let’s start with the face products; first I have the MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC15.I really love this foundation, as you can plainly see because the bottle is nearly empty :). I liked to use it during the winter time, because it gives a medium coverage which can be build up and has a nice matt finish. As the name says it’s from the Pro Longwear range which means that it stays on really nice and long. It usually lasted me nearly all day, just my nose and a bit around got oily on some days, but you just have to apply a little powder and it’s alright again ;) I also liked the feeling of it, when I put it on it’s not heavy and I didn’t feel that I had anything on till the end of the day, when I could feel it a little, but that didn’t bother me;) I don’t think I will wear this foundation during summer, because then it would be too much coverage and look too heavy, but for autumn/winter I will repurchase it.

Another product for the face I loved is the MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC15. This product can be used a foundation, but I just use it as powder to set my foundation and concealer. It has a matt finish and can be easily blended with all kind of products: bronzer, blush, highlighter, contour and it doesn’t matter if it’s a cream, liquid or powder product. Also it gives you a little more coverage if you want or need it ;) At t the moment I really like to use it to set the Face and Body Foundation by MAC also in NC15. I just use a little and it keeps me from getting shiny all day. When this will be empty one day I will also repurchase it :)

The next product I loved actually the last few month, it the Sleek Countouring and Blush Palette in Light. As you can see my palette has suffered quite a lot, broken mirror and hit the pan on the contour colour. The contour colour I use every time I put on make-up. I don’t use the highlighter or blush that often because at the moment I like lighter/ brighter colours for blush and I don’t use the highlighter that often, because I usually forget it… which is when you think about it not that easy because it’s in the palette I use all the time….but I do J The contour colour stays on all day and is nicely pigmented. I don’t know if I will repurchase this product, I think I will try some other powders to contour my face, but we will have to see.

The second to last product for today is the Misslyn dip eyeliner in 22 and 16. I bought them some time ago and really love them, they are opaque in colour, easy to apply and, stay on all day without smudging. The colour 16 is called graphite the brown I can’t read because the writing rubbed off. What I also really like is the tip to apply the product with. As you can see on the picture, the tip is really fine, so you can make thin lines, but filling out a line is just as easy. The eyeliner is available also in another colour (blue) which I will buy sooner or later ;)

My last favorite of February are two lipsticks by MAC. First the MAC Lipstick in Close Contact, which has an Amplified finish. The colour is a nude brown/peach with tiny shimmer paricles, which is great if you have really bold eye make-up. It stays on like other lipsticks, about 2-3 hours less if you eat. The other Lipstick is Syrup, which has a Lustre finish. It’s a nice pinky colour with a light bluish undertone and looks natural on my. This lipstick works also great with bold eyes. I wear them nearly every day ;)

So these where all my faves last month, what were yours? Let me know in the comments! ;)

I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a good start into the next week!!

Your Dahlia

Eye Shadow x15 by MAC

Hey guys

Just a little update, the Neutral Eye Shadow Palettes by MAC can be ordered now in the online store,  at least in Germany.

The Palettes are available in warm and cool neutral colours and in Germany the price for one palette is145€ . That's pretty expensiv but if you bought a palette (16€), the insert for 15 eye shadows (10€) and the eyeshadows (14,50€ each) you would pay more, one palette would be 217,50€. For both palettes together you would have to pay 290€.

If you concider buying a palette you should ask yourself:
- do you wear that much natural colours?
- would  you put together a natural palette yourself over time?

If you wear natural colours often and you will put one together at some point you should maybe concider buying one because that way you would save money evenn if it doesn't look like it.
If you buy a whole palette now you have one big expense(I hope that's the right word ;)) but in the end you would be cheaper than by just paying 'smaller' amounts for eye shadows over time.

I ordered already;) and I will give you a First Impression when the order arrives;) and later on a detailed Review!

Will you buy a palette? If so which? Or maybe why not?

Oh and if you live in or around Frankfurt am Main and want to buy one of the Palettes there, you have to go to a MAC Store, not the counter in Douglas or other counters by MAC. I asked there about two or three weeks ago if they would offer them, but I was told that the palettes would only be sold in stores.     And I think they are not sold yet in the stores but if you know if they are being sold there already just write it in the comments;)

Have a Great Day everyone!!

Your Dahlia

Review about Terra Naturi products

Hey guys,

I’m on the train at the moment and the sun is shining in my face and I’m just feeling great and happy. Do you know that feeling? When you just feel happy and good for no real reason but you are just so contend and could burst with happiness and could smile all the time? That’s how I feel at the moment and I just enjoy feeling like this. Whenever you feel like this enjoy it!!!

But I’m not here to talk all day about how happy I feel, even though I could;)
 

Today I want to tell you about a few of the products of the natural cosmetics company Terra Naturi. I posted a picture on Instagram (BeautyOfDahlias) of the products a few days ago. The products are Camouflage Make-Up, 4 in 1 Concealer and Make-Up Sticks.

 

I’m going to start with the 4 in 1 Concealer because that’s what you usually apply first. Okay first of all, the products contains organic – acai berryoil, organic-aloe vera and organic – apricot kernel oil, which are all good for the skin. The concealer has four colours, green, yellow, beige and a red/pink tone. You can use them to counteract dark circles underneath the eyes, reduce red spots and so on. On the back of the package are descriptions what works against which problem, which is great for beginners. The concealer works alright for me, the counteracting doesn’t work too well for me and it feels too thick no matter how thin I apply it. It’s also a bit too oily for me, since my skin is mix to oily skin.

Next up is the Camouflage Make-up, it’s a cream foundation which has the same oils as the Concealer, and has a high coverage! I got it in the lightest colour which is 01 What I like about it is that it is really light in colour and suits my pale skin, in MAC my colour is NC15. The foundation melts really easy on the skin and can be blended well. Powders can be blended easily as well on the foundation like bronzer or rouge. Until the product has been set with powder you look really oily and it feels that way, even after setting. Also the foundation feels heavy and as if it clogging ones pores.

The last product I have from brand is the Make-up Stick. I got it in three colours, 01 Ivory, 02 Honey and 03 natural beige. It has the same oils as the other two products. I got the three because they are all rather pale, as you can see in the picture. They are high coverage just like the camouflage make-up. It’ oily just like the other products, and has the same feeling.

Okay now to sum it all up: I would recommend it for people with dry skin, because I think the oils would be good to nourish their skin and I think it would stay put better on their skin.

The negative aspects: On my skin (mix to oily) it stayed put for about 4 hours but it started slipping quite a bit before. I didn’t wear it often because I don’t like the heavy feeling of it and it was too oily for me. Not even a minute after I did the swatch on the paper there was an oil margin of about 1 or 2mm on the paper.

The positive aspects: The colours of the foundations are really and they have a nice range of light colours and have a high coverage and can be good for dry skin.

I hope my review will help you;)

Have a great day!!!

Your Dahlia

Brush Cleanser Comparison

Hey guys,

So are you still looking for a good brush cleanser? I tried the MAC brush cleanser and the KIKO brush cleanser and today I want to tell you which I like better and why and what they have in common and where they are different. Let's get started ;)

 

 
So first I tell you about the cleanser from KIKO. The products come in small pump spray bottles which hold 50ml or 1.68FL.OZ. The bottle costs 5,90€. You use it by spraying the product on the bristles and wiping them on a cloth afterward. According to the company the result should be: a perfect clean and soft brush, usable right away. Cleaning brushes this way is only spot cleaning and not deep cleaning but if you use your make up regularly you spot clean your brushes rather often.

Okay that much to the general information, now to my experience. I used it according to the instructions, but I had a problem right away, I had a lot of product left in my brush after the first cleaning, so I repeated the procedure several times but I still had way to much product left in my brush. I went through the 50ml very quick. I actually made it to “clean” all my brushes only once and the bottle was empty. Another problem I had was that the brushes where not ready to be used right away, not even the next, because they were super sticky! The bristles where oily and were sticking together. I tried to wash them out with water later but that didn’t work. To be able to use them again I had to deep clean them with baby shampoo. 

The MAC brush cleanser contains 233ml for 16€, which means 50ml cost 3,50€. The bottle has a small opening so you can easily dose the amount of the cleanser. The product  is supposed to extend the life of high quality brushes. Brush Cleanser leaves your brushes smelling fresh and clean, and helps shorten their drying time. You can use the cleanser to spot clean or to deep clean. I usually use it to spot clean my brushes, for deep cleaning I use baby shampoo because that’s even cheaper and works very well. But I spot clean mine regularly so I love the MAC brush cleanser.

I have to say I don’t have any problems with this cleanser. You only need a small amount of it to clean a lot of brushes. You just put a bit on a piece of cloth and then you swirl your brush on the cloth and your brushes get cleaned ;) The brushes dry very quickly and you can use them pretty much right away. The bristles feel soft and clean and are like new again :)

A last point why I prefer the Mac cleanser is that it is a lot cheaper it’s nearly half the price of KIKO.

I hope you found this helpful and that you all had a great weekend.

Have a good start into the new week!!

Your Dahlia