MAC Semi-Precious

You may have noticed that I don't post about all (or many) MAC collections. Call me crazy but I don't fall all over myself to get the latest and "greatest" from the brand. I could live without their shadows, much preferring Urban Decay. It usually gets me a lot of flack but come on, I'll take it. What I do love most about this company is showcased in one collection, Semi Precious. I am in love with their Mineralized Shadows, Cremesheen Glasses, Mineralized Blush and Mineralized Skinfinishes. Let's start with the eyes.
Clarity, Golden Gaze, Faux Gold, Quartz Fusion
Mineral Mode, Jade's Fortune, Unsurpassable, Hint of Sapphire
Rare Find, Blue Sheen, Dark Indulgence, Smoked Ruby
A while back MAC seemed to be lacking in the ability to make mineral shadows but I loved them anyway because layered over UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion) I could layer these up to create a really pretty look. Now, I don't need to do that. Lately these have been remarkably pigmented, even better, in my opinion, than their regular line. I love how shimmery these are without being overly glittery. My one major gripe with a lot of Urban Decay shadows is the glitter fallout, you don't get that with the re-done Mineralized Shadows. I'm completely lusting over dark emerald Dark Indulgence and golden green Golden Gaze but any of the lighter shades seem easily wearable. These are $20, a little higher than MAC's normal price but totally worth it.

While there are new lipsticks in the line I've never been too wholly impressed with MACs lipsticks. I find them to be too pigmented and therefore hard to wear (at least for me who likes to wear lots of lippie). I do however have a love affair going on with $18.50 Cremesheen Glasses. These are colors that have an odd combination of light/sheer and opaque. I love it! The colors are very easy to wear and I love that the formula has a milky appearance without leaving a white or frosty cast on the lips. I'm completely lusting over Geo Pink. It should be noted that these have a brush applicator instead of the doe's foot as you can see by the promo picture. I haven't had too much trouble with splayed applicators from MAC but I know it can be an issue with other brands.
Pressed Amber, Warmth of Coral, Feeling Flush
Mineralized Blushes are another favorite of mine, slightly darker and more pigmented than their Mineralized Skinfinish cousins, these are perfect for all skintones. I'm leaning towards slightly purpl-y Feeling Flush just because I don't have anything like it in my collection. I would highly recommend trying any of these out. For just $23 they bring a light to the skin that I'm hard pressed to say you could find elsewhere. They are that awesome!
Semi Precious Rose Quartz, Semi Precious Goldstone
Semi Precious Pearl, Semi Precious Crystal Pink
Now for the stars of the collection, the Mineralized Skinfinishes. God, do I love these. As you know I'm a sparkle/shimmer addict and these never disappoint. All four of these colors are simply a must have for me. I have quite the collection and each color, although similar to others I already have, is complex enough to be needed in my stash. For lighter complexions like mine these make absolutely perfect blushes, seriously! If you have medium to dark skin these are perfect as highlighter according to your undertones, pink for cool, peach for warm. At $28 you may think they're a little steep but trust me the product itself is huge and even with frequent use I haven't even leveled off the dome on top. Truly, whatever you use these for they are a delight!

Tarte Cheek Stain with Swatches

Yesterday I waxed poetic about BeneFit's new cheek stain ChaChaTint but I would be remiss to let my love of cheek stains go at that. The first time I tried a Tarte Cheek Stain I was in love with the formula. At $30 I truly thought these were out of my price range. I'm cheap, plain and simple but I definitely needn't worry. These babies are huge, like Heidi Montag post-surgery H-U-G-E!

Here are swatches of my personal collection. Honestly, I wish I had more and realistically, I probably do, hidden somewhere in my house. I wear these A LOT therefore they're shoved in various makeup bags, boxes of items I wanted to review, the wrong drawers of my makeup chest, you know the deal! These are all slightly scented which makes me love them even more. Even though they're on your cheeks you can get a subtle whiff of it on a hot day or give your sweetie a surprise when he leans in to kiss you on the cheek.
L-R Tipsy, Blissful, Cloud 9, Blushing Bride, Flush
Tipsy & Blissful
Tipsy is a gorgeous sheer coral shade with flecks of silver glitter. The glitter is so subtle that blink and you'll miss it so fear not glitter-phobes. Sephora says it smells like Apricots but this one appears to be more subtle than others.

Blissful is exclusive to Sephora and limited edition so hurry and snatch it up if peach-y, sheer watermelon is your cup of tea. Blissful doesn't appear to have a particular scent but I smell candy goodness.
Cloud 9
Cloud 9 is no longer available but if you're looking for a purple cheekstain (fabulous on darker skin tones) I would suggest tracking it down on MakeupAlley. This one reads really sheer on me and doesn't scream "I'm wearing purple blush!" It's got a tiny bit of shimmer and a very fun grape scent that drives me wild, just like grape Bubblicious.
Blushing Bride & Flush
Blushing Bride is very similar to Blissful on my arm, although on the Sephora website it appears more pigmented and plum. I swatched pretty heavily but I still get a sheer red shade that leans to the warmer end of the spectrum. This one smells like plums!

Flush is a fun purple-leaning pink I'd describe as berry. This one is truly unique as far as blush goes and I can see it working wonders on both extremely fair and extremely dark skintones. Of course, this one is berry scented and has tiny silver glitter.
Doll Face, Brilliant, Cushion, Princess
Doll Face & Brilliant
Doll Face is a pretty Barbie pink shimmer, the most basic of shades that works amazingly on my pale skin. This one is the strawberry Bubblicious counterpart to Cloud 9.

Brilliant is from the Christmas 2009 Collection Three Carats and comes in a fun silver, rhinestoned container. Again, these are a little harder to find but MakeupAlley or Ebay are great places to look. This one's a sheer nude which I think a lot of you bronzer-loving ladies will enjoy. It's flattering on my skin even though I'm quite phobic of bronzers. I'm not sure what this one is supposed to smell like but I get a tropical lemon-y scent.
Cushion & Princess
Cushion is also from the Christmas 2009 Collection. This one looks remarkably like Doll Face on my arm, slightly redder and a little bit darker. This one has a fresh peachy type scent that is amazing.

Last but not least is Princess, a reddish-nude. This one seems like another universally flattering shade. I'm not sure on the scent but I definitely get a hint of candy sweetness.

As for the product itself I love that they go on wet, giving you a chance to sheer them out before they set and fix any mistakes you may have made. Keep in mind that these are heavy swatches to show color and you can go a lot lighter if you so choose. They dry matte so they are absolutely perfect for summer and if you're a shimmer gal like me applying sparkles on top is never a problem once dry.

I feel like I should mention that when you reach for a Tarte Cheek Stain that you haven't used in a while you may notice condensation on top of the product. This is very normal in my experience and doesn't hinder use of the product at all. Also it's a watery consistency, not at all slimy or thick but you may want to wipe it on a napkin before using on your face.

Even though they are a stain they are simple to remove, no scrubbing required, so helpful on those summer nights when you're too exhausted from the beach to scrub off every last ounce of makeup.

BeneFit ChaChaTint & Feelin' Cheeky Minis

One of the easiest ways to pep me up is to pop a little blush on my cheeks. I'm pale (and currently tremendously freckled) and without proper cheek color (okay, this is me we're talking about so when I say proper I mean TONS) I can look half dead. During the summer months when makeup seems to melt off the skin like grease on a fire I'm looking for something that will last through hours and hours of hot, sweaty fun in the sun.

Benefit has just released ChaChaTint, an orangey/coral/peach cheekstain that is formulated like their cult, PosieTint. This stuff is pigmented so it will work on the darkest of complexions while still looking fabulous on those of us that are lighter than light. You can easily sheer it out (just like PosieTint) but the color can be worked up to a Jaime-level of bright. For $29 you're probably set on this for life!

The best part? You can use it on lips too! If you like to match your lips and cheeks you can't go wrong with this kit. Pair it with a dash of gold liner and a ton of mascara and you've got a summer look that is sure to knock it out of the park!

If peach isn't your color (and you should try it because I bet you could make it work with this lovely) there's always the Benefit Feelin' Cheeky Mini kit. This $15 kit includes the aforementioned PosieTint, a posie pink cheekstain, as well as original BeneTint, sheer red stain and High Beam, a champagne highlighter that is beloved by many. These adorable minis are a great way to try out these cult classics without shelling out a lot of money. By my count these could last you a lifetime anyway since a little goes a long way.