First Impressions: MAC MSF from "A Fantasy of Flowers"

MAC has a collection out called "A Fantasy of Flowers". It is a small collection and like the name would suggest, is bright, fun colours for spring. I can't review the whole collection because I only bought one item. The lip products in the line though, look right up my alley.

I originally wanted to by the mineralize skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. I've heard good things about it as a highlighter and I've gotten tired of my Nars Albatross as I find it too yellow and frosted. I swatched Soft and Gentle and it looked really nice. The sales associate showed me the MSF from the new line called Perfect Topping which is very similar to Soft and Gentle. Swatched side by side the Perfect Topping is pretty much the same colour but less frosted or glittery. It is a champagne, flesh coloured highlighter with a bit of pink which is just what I was looking for. It doesn't have any chunks or glitter. The shimmer is very fine almost more of a satin finish than a frost. It is more subtle than Albatross as it isn't as frosted. I would show you a picture of it on my face, but I'm sick right now and look like a mess. Maybe in the future.

These are both Perfect topping, I just used two fingers for some reason. This is applied with one swipe quite heavily.

Blended out a bit to be more subtle

I love this highlighter. It's super pretty, pigmented, and creamy but subtle. The only downside is the price at $35 CAN. However, you get 0.32oz verses Nars which is $33 for 0.16oz. I have had my Albatross for years and still have not hit pan. In comparison the Hourglass Ambient lighting powders are $52 for 0.35oz. Although the Hourglass highlighters look really nice as well, I just can't bring myself to spend $52 on a highlighter. So in comparison to other highlighters on the market it is actually priced fairly well. And given how much product you get, I don't think I'll ever run out.

How I Clean My Brushes

Cleaning your brushes isn't rocket science. You don't need expensive cleaners or tools. But it is a pain and can be time consuming which is why I'm guilty of not cleaning them as much as I should. But since I got my new cleaning glove it's been a lot less of a chore.

When the new Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove came out I thought it was a great idea and wanted one but couldn't bring myself to by a $35 oven mitt. Because really, that's all that thing is. So I went to Winners and bought myself a silicone oven mitt for $5. The only one I could find had a honeycomb pattern instead of the stripes of the Sigma one, but for $5 it does the job pretty well.

The brush cleaner I use is just something I picked up at the drug store for pretty cheap. I like it because it has a spray pump so it's easy to use. But when I'm cleaning my foundation brush, I just use straight up shampoo. Nothing works as well. I just rinse it really well after.

All I do is spray a few pumps on the glove, wet the brush, and swirl it around on the glove until the water runs clear. Sometimes if my brushes are really dirty I may have to repeat the process 2 or 3 times until its really clean. But to wash all my brushes it only takes a few minutes. And I don't have to get my hands wet or have a clammy, sore hand from washing them in my palm.

Then I squeeze out the excess water and swirl around on a paper towel to reshape them. I lay them flat to dry with the end hanging over the sink so they don't get a flat edge. You don't want to hold the brush upright at any point because the water will get into the ferrule and damage it. Don't ask why, I'm not an expert.

                                                       
Hopefully this has given you a few helpful tips! Now go wash your brushes!

Coco + Lulu Nail Polish

I spotted this nail polish at Coles bookstore of all places. The colours and the cute bottle caught my eye so I picked one up only to see that it was on sale for $3! I'm not a big nail polish person. I'm a nurse and no nail polish can hold up to all the hand washing. Even shellac manicures only last a few days on me. So that being said, I'm not a pro on polishes, but I can tell the difference between nicer polishes and cheaper ones. I assumed these polishes would be bad so I only bought one, the turquoise one called "Riviera" because I thought it would be fun for my upcoming vacation. I was pleasantly surprised! I thought this one one of the best polishes I've ever tried. I went back a few days later and bought a few more. There wasn't a lot of colours left for $3 so I got 2 more on sale (the light pink and red) and paid full price, $8.99, for the other two (hot pink and sparkly).

                         **I'm not the best at doing nails and my cuticles are a mess! Don't judge!**

One coat

Two coats with indoor lighting

Two coats in natural light

It turns out "Riviera" is the most opaque of the bunch. Riviera goes on so nicely. It is so opaque I only wore one coat! I wore it to work and it started to chip a bit but that's not surprising. I took it off after 3 days so I could try some new ones but if I wanted to wear it longer I probably could have just touched it up. The formula reminds me a bit of Essie. It started to peel up a bit at the sides like I find Essie does. Overall, this went on super opaque with one coat, not streaky at all, shiny finish, and lasted as long as any other nail polishes do on me. The only downside is that the colour is darker than I had hoped. I was thinking it would be a bright turquoise but it's a bit darker and more green. Still a pretty colour, but not as bright as I wanted. It also stained my nails a bit after I took it off. However my nails are very dry and brittle, so could just be me.

One coat!

Two coats, looks the same. Darker than the bottle

The rest of the colours aren't as opaque, except the shimmery colour, "Cherie". I love this colour, it's probably my fav of the lot. It was super opaque with one coat. I can't tell you about the wear yet but it's probably similar. The red "Left Bank" and the hot pink "Ma Belle" are both opaque but looked better with a second coat. The light pink "Macaron" was more sheer than I was hoping. It definitely needs two coats. It's also a bit darker than I thought too and more of a bright, baby pink. All the colours actually dried a bit darker than they look in the bottle (except Cherie that's pretty true to colour).

"Left Bank" one coat

Two coats. Classic red.

"Ma Belle" one coat. It's more neon than pictured

Two coats.  A hot, neon pink

"Macaron" one coat

Two coats. Baby pink.

"Cherie" One coat (sorry for bad quality)

Two coats. Shimmery taupe.

So looks like these polishes are a bit of a hit or miss. For $3 they're a dream. I'd say they're similar in quality to Essie. The only problem is that these are exclusive to Chapters and there aren't a ton of colours. But when they go on sale, I'll buy some more!



                                        **Apologies for some of the bad lighting/quality pics!**

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

I was using the L'Oreal True Match foundation for a few weeks and decided I hated it with my oily skin. I went to the drugstore looking for a new full coverage foundation for oily skin. I saw the Stay Matte and knew the powder was a favourite so I thought I'd try the foundation knowing nothing about it.

The formula is very and moussey, but feels different from any other mousse or whipped foundation I have tried. It feels really thick at first and thought it was for sure going to be horrible and cakey, but it actually blends out really nice. The bottle says "Feather-light, liquid mousse blends flawlessly for natural-looking, all day shine control. Silky smooth formula leaves a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish. Lightweight texture won't feel heavy or greasy." I totally agree. It blended out well and doesn't feel thick on the skin.It is probably the longest wearing foundation I have tried. I work 12 hour shifts and usually by noon my face is oily and foundation is breaking up. I wouldn't say this foundation looked perfect all shift (impossible with my oily skin), but I stayed matte much longer than usual. I have tried the Makeup Forever Matte Velvet+ but found the formula a bit too matte and looked terrible if my skin was slightly dry. The Matte Velvet+ also oxidizes on me and the Stay Matte does not. I feel like maybe the creaminess of the mousse makes this matte formula more forgiving on dry skin. That being said, all foundations highlight patchiness and dry skin.

Looks thick, but blends nicely. Full coverage.

Ingredients list

The only downside is the shade selection. I'm pale and bought the colour Ivory because the other lighter colour looked too pink. This colour is a shade too dark for me. I have used another Rimmel foundation and had the same problem. Maybe in the summer when I have a bit of colour it will be ok because the tone is good. It is also too thick to use around the eye area and can look a bit thick or cakey there. I usually avoid the eye area with my foundation and use under eye concealer, but I skip that step for work when I'm rushed in the morning.

I applied this foundation with my fingers and blended it out with the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush. I tried it without a primer and with Benefits Porefessional and it looked just as nice without the primer. Day to day for work I don't use a primer and it holds up really well.

I love this foundation and so far, it is the best foundation I have used. I just wish there was a wider shade selection.