MAC Parfait Amour and Violet Trance Eyeshadows

A few people have been asking to see my MAC haul.. I really didn't buy much.. I only bought a few things. I bought two purple eye shadows called "Parfait Amour" and "Violet Trance". "Violet Trance" is from the latest "Maira Kalman" collection. I was debating whether to get the eye shadow or "Push the Edge" purple pigment. I ended up getting the shadow. "Parfait Amour" is a shadow I've been wanting for a long time. I want Beautiful Iris as well.. but I'll wait till my next MAC visit.

I also purchased a retractable brow liner crayon in the shade "Spiked". This was always my HG pencil until I started using eye shadow to color in my brows. I LOVE this pencil.. it goes on not too harsh and it makes coloring in my brows so easy. But I stopped repurchasing it because there isn't a lot of product. I would run out of this thing in like 3 weeks... and at $15 a pop, I had to find something else. My MAC "Espresso" eye shadow has lasted well over a year and I've been using it every day. I've hit the pan, but I still have plenty left for a long time.. and at $14.50 it's a better investment for me. I love the pencil though and It's so much easier so I cracked and bought one.

Early last week I got MAC Plum Trance Metal X cream shadow off of Specktra. I paid $10 for it.. and the thing was DRY and incredibly crumbly. I was so excited to receive it and I was incredibly upset about it. I can't use it... if I try, I get crumbles all over the place and then I've got purple all over my clothes, hands and floor. I tried reviving it with water and Visine and neither worked. :( I'm just going to use it for a back to mac. What a waste of money.

Violet Trance was so hard to take a picture of, no matter what setting I put my camera on, it captured it blue. In person, it looks a lot more purple.

I'm liking Parfait Amour a lot, but I am disappointed with Violet Trance. It is not pigmented at all. The consistency is very chalky. It's not soft at all. If you have "Carbon".. the consistency is almost the same.. but the pigmentation of it is not even half as good. I had to pack it on with a base and put layer after layer and the color payoff just did not get any darker. I LOVE the color, its my ideal shade of purple.. but I'm still on the lookout. Does anyone have any suggestions for that BOLD, Pigmented, Grape purple??

I also threw in a MAC Top Hat swatch.. which I use for liner a lot when I want a splash of color. When I do a look with purple, I always use Urban Decay "Flash" eyeshadow which is one of my all time favorites.

POLL: Dye my hair DARK, or stay the SAME?

Do you ever look in the mirror and get sick of the way you look? LOL When this happens to me, I always end up buying a box of hair dye. My hair color is always a complete impulse thing. All day I've been thinking about dying my hair back to my normal hair color. I first gave myself a full head of blonde highlights back in April. When I dyed my hair, it was shorter, I was using a blow dryer, no treatments, curling irons, heavy hair extensions, etc. My hair was HORRIBLE and the ends were all broken. Since then, I've taken good care of my hair and its around 4 inches longer and I have minimal split ends and its thicker and a lot healthier. I think my hair will look a lot better now. My natural hair color is a very dark brown.. I usually dye it black brown so it will fade to my natural color. If I dye it dark brown, then it will end up fading to a medium brown. I was also thinking of possibly putting some blonde strands underneath my hair.. very few. but just so I have a pop of color. I feel like with the more blonde I put in my hair, a lot of colors in clothing don't look good on me anymore, and it's extremely hard getting dressed in the morning. Also, it's hard to pull off colored eyeshadows. I love wearing warm colors, but with my hair color now, brights look better. With my dark colored hair, everything matches.. and dramatic eye makeup looks good on me. And, I'm getting my drivers license renewed in a few days.. lol so I want to figure out so I can have a nice picture. haha So, if you're reading this post, please post a comment! 

MY ROOTS OR MY CURRENT!?

  

 I don't know why I can't find any pictures of me with my dark hair. Here's one at least from a couple years ago. This is with BLACK hair though.. I wouldn't go that dark.

and you all know my hair now..

TAG: Products I'm using right now!

I love when I see people do this tag! I love reading what everyone likes to use.. it sometimes gives me ideas. If you haven't already done one I think you should! :)

Shampoo: Folicure Extra Shampoo (repairs and thickens) & once a week I use Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo to revive my highlights.
Conditioner: Folicure Moisturizing Conditioner
Treatments: GVP Concentrated Leave in Treatment (dupe for Sebastian potion 9) and GVP Leave-in Treatment (dupe for Redkin extreme anti-snap)
Styling products: Fantasia heat protector/polisher, Phyto hair relaxing balm for anti-frizz and shiny hair, Beyond the Zone Flipped Out Hair Spray styler
Styling Tools: Jibere de Paris Nano Ceramic flat iron
Shower Gel: I use whatever I have.. right now I'm using Dove beauty body wash in "energize"
Body moisturiser: Dove cream oil for Normal/Dry skin. Nothing makes my skin softer after I shower!
Deodorant: Secret Clinical Strength
Fake Tan: SUN Labs spray, St Moriz Mousse and Jergens Natural Glow
Cleanser: Neutrogena Cleansing Towelettes or Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleansing pads
Exfoliator: I-skin crystal microdermabrasion creme
Primer: I just use my moisturizer Estee Lauder Daywear Plus Cream
Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in "Tawny"
Foundation brush: MAC 187 Duo Fibre Brush
Concealer: MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW25
Powder: Ben Nye Neutral Set, Ben Nye Banana Visage or MAC Blot Powder in Medium-dark.
Blusher: Lately I've been wearing MAC Dainty Mineralize Blush
Bronzer: MAC Golden Bronzer or Chanel Bronze Universal
Highlighter: MAC Honour Blush
Eyeshadow base: L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint in "Secretive"
Eyeshadows: NYX Black, NYX Eyeshadow Trio in "Ceramic" these are my blacks and grays for my everyday look. I'll wear Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy eye shadow for something shimmery.
Eyeliner: L'Oreal Extra Intense Black Liquid Liner Pencil & Milani Eye Tech Black Liner Pen
Curler: Shu Uemura
Mascara: Right now I'm using Estee Lauder Magnascopic Mascara. Typically, 90% of mascaras end up under my eyes, but this one doesn't! :)
Brows: Tweezerman Tweezers, MAC Espresso e/s, Urban Decay Twice Baked e/s with a thin brush or MAC "Spiked" retractable brow pencil/crayon
Lipstick: MAC Hue Lipstick or NYX Honey Lipstick
Lipgloss: Currently I'm using NYX Whipped or Sorbet, MAC Underage.
Nail Colour: ULTA Flamingo

NYX Lipstick Swatches. Nude Lipstick Heaven!!!

NYX Round Lipsticks

NYX Round Lipsticks. From Left to Right: Honey, Circe & Orange Soda.

NYX Round Lipsticks. From Left to Right: Honey, Circe & Orange Soda.

Swatches from Left to Right: NYX Orange Soda, NYX Circe, NYX Honey & NYX Pumpkin Pie.

 NYX Circe is an opaque, muted neutral beige-mauve.

NYX Orange Soda is an opaque, muted orange-peach.

NYX Honey, is an opaque, muted tan-beige. It's very similar to Circe, but it lacks the mauve/pink tone that is present in Circe. Honey is more tan toned.

NYX Pumpkin Pie is a mid-toned peached coral with a touch of pink. It is the least opaque of the previous three, but the color is buildable.

NYX Round Lip Glosses

NYX Round Lipglosses from Left to Right: Whipped, Sorbet, Ballerina Pink, Pink & Doll Pink.

Swatches from Left to Right: NYX Ballerina Pink, NYX Pink, NYX Doll Pink.

NYX Ballerina Pink is a bright, mid-toned pink with a very soft pearled shimmer. 

NYX Pink is a bright, mid-toned pink. It is almost the same as Ballerina Pink, but it is a bit more vibrant and has less shimmer.

NYX Doll Pink is a bright, mid-toned fuschia pink. The ultimate "Barbie" lip color.

Swatches from Left to Right: NYX Sorbet, Whipped.

NYX Sorbet is a light (warm) bubblegum pink with a subtle shimmer.

NYX Whipped is a light (warm) pinked peach.