Wishful Thinking

By Melanie Parker

When the MAC Bloggers’ Obsession Collection launched this month, I was excited. It is always good when a company embraces the opinions of those who truly love products, colors, and are tuned into what is missing from the market place. We've already seen great things when bloggers partner with nail polish manufacturers like Zoya, Rescue Beauty Lounge, and Barielle.

None of the Lipglass shades grabbed me, but I had high hopes for a couple of the shadows. Jealousy Wakes is a fantastic green that I am going to covet and use sparingly. It’s like the biggest, clearest, sparkliest emerald that could possibly be captured in a pot. Kudos to Christine Mielke of Temptalia for developing a true green shadow that isn’t too gold or too blue. It should work well on all skin types. It is the shadow that will eclipse Parrot for makeup collectors.

But I was even more excited about the possibilities of Hocus Pocus. Billed as a sooty charcoal gray, I had heard some buzz that it had a khaki cast and the sparkle in the early swatches gave me high hopes that Hocus Pocus was going to be Lancome’s Erika F. coming stateside after all of these years.

I am lucky to have a Lancome Erika F. shadow that little Miss Blogdorf brought me back from Paris. I wore it every day for a month straight, which is unheard of for me because I often like to keep it simple with a light vanilla shadow for work. But Erika F. has a smokey, sagey wisdom to it paired with the fun of a antique golden microglitter.

So, my hopes that the new MAC Hocus Pocus would wow me like Erika F. weren’t dashed when I opened the box. I thought it had potential. But when I put it on, and it is darker, grayer, and it loses its sparkle. It was wishful thinking on my part that the greatness of Erika F could be duplicated. I like the Lancome formula better, and the color is really something special. I'm going to have to continue to use it sparingly. Damn it!

That said, Hocus Pocus is probably a more wearable shadow because it doesn’t have as much shimmer and sparkle to it. It’s dark and smokey, and when used wet it makes a great liner. And no offense to Ms. F., but I like the bewitching name better. Thank you to Lianne Farbes of The Makeup Girl for providing us with the most versatile shadow in the MAC Bloggers' Obsession collection.

Disclaimer: These products were purchased by the reviewer online @ http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/6311/index.tmpl
All Photos by Melanie Parker
The photos feature Lancome's Erika F eyeshadow and MAC Hocus Pocus only.
Lancome's Erika F is not available in the United States.  It can be found at Lancome Boutiques across Europe and Asia. Just look at the most used eye shadow in the tester unit.....that will be Erika F!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty in Fuchsia

Here are the promised fuchsia lippie swatches:
From left to right: Givenchy Vamp Pink(21), MAC Candy Yum Yum, Maybelline Color Sensational Fuchsia Fever, MAC Show Orchid, MAC Trimming Talk and MAC Lickable.

Above, left to right: Givenchy Vamp Pink(21), MAC Candy Yum Yum and Maybelline Fuchsia Fever

Above, left to right: MAC Show Orchid, MAC Trimming Talk and MAC Lickable.

Photo Credit: Blogdorf Goodman
Disclosure: I purchased all the lippies except MAC Candy Yum Yum. That was a press sample. Show Orchid is my pride and joy. Snagged that at a MAC pro store in NYC.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in #140 Fuchsia Fever

I have been in the throes of a fuchsia fever. This current obsession reached a frenzied pitch with a blurb on fuchsia lippies in Allure. I just can not get enough of the cheerfulness of a bright pink. You just can not wallow in the doldrums of life with a lippie built on happiness and good cheer.  This Maybelline is all kinds of resplendent neon. Full of optimism.

The brightness is very similar to the great MAC Show Orchid and MAC Candy Yum Yum. I will have to issue my readers a rain check on a comparison photograph.  The texture is fairly creamy with a satin finish. There is no shimmer or glitter. The pigment power is very high end. One swipe is a color fest. I have had no issue with dryness or clunking. It is all kinds of prettiness.

I purchased my tube at my new Ulta store. Let us know what drugstore you spot it in! There are 48 shades in a wide range of shades from crisp reds to rose infused nudes. Visit http://www.maybelline.com/ for a peek. I highly recommend following Maybelline's twitter account. We are Gossip Girl buddies!
http://twitter.com/#!/Maybelline
The price varies from drugstore to drugstore. The best estimate I can give you is around $5!

Credits: Blogdorf Goodman

Disclosure: I purchased this lippie from my local Ulta store.  We FINALLY got one in the ytown.

Blossom Dearie

A review of Essence Cosmetics “Blossoms etc.” Limited Edition Collection
By Jessica M

Essence Cosmetics releases several Limited Edition seasonal
collections per year, and the offering for this spring and summer in
the United States, called Blossoms Etc., is my favorite yet. It
features “gentle pastel shades and floral designs,” with the good
quality and low prices that Essence is known for.

I’ve been impressed by Essence’s nail polishes for a while, and the
Blossoms polishes live up to my expectations for the brand. I’ve
tried Forgot-Me-Not, a lavender-blue crème that reminds me of the
Periwinkle crayon from the big Crayola crayon box. (It looks more
shimmery in the bottle than it does on the nails.) I wore two coats
of Forget-Me-Not as my manicure last week and received several
compliments. The other shade I’m testing is I Like, a mermaid-y green
that dries to a cool seafoam crème (with very discreet shimmer) on the
nails. Like Forget-Me-Not, it lasts well and it’s eye-catching in a
fresh, soft way. ($1.99 each)

The eyeshadows in the Blossoms Etc. collection are duos: the darker
shade is a well-pigmented matte shadow, and the lighter shade is
shimmery and sheer. Bloom-a-Loom is the lilac/pink duo, and
Forget-Me-Not is the purple-lavender duo. I usually stick to neutrals
for my eye shadows, but these colors are flattering and not overly
bright, so I’m able to fit them into my everyday “look.” ($2.49 each)
And wait, what’s that interesting-looking compact peeking into the
corner of the photo?

Here’s a better look at Flower Power Multi Colour Powder, an embossed
mosaic of pink, peach, nude, and light bronze shades. It has fine
shimmer, so it’s a perfect finishing touch for cheekbones or temples.
I always admire high-end embossed highlighting powders and blushes,
but I rarely buy them, because I know I’ll end up hoarding them at the
back of a drawer. This powder is priced so affordably, however, that
I can use it without guilt. ($2.99)

And what spring line would be complete without a pretty lip gloss?
This shade is Flowerkissed. I love its carnation-pink color. This
gloss has a doe-foot applicator and applies smoothly for a creamy,
moderately shiny finish. ($1.99)

Blossoms Etc. was released in May, and this line of May flowers will
be around only until supplies are gone, so if you’re curious, do check
it out soon!

Essence Cosmetics is available at Ulta stores, the Ulta website
(http://www.ulta.com/), and Fred Meyer stores (in the Pacific Northwest
region).

Images: All photographs by Jessica M for BlogdorfGoodman
Disclaimer: Press samples were provided by Essence Cosmetics