Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Romantic Breakdown" (LE) [MAC x Bao Bao Wan 2015] + Comparisons

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Yes! The last review for this collection and I have 40 minutes to write it, if I want to get in just over six hours of sleep!!!

"Romantic Breakdown" is the last of the four limited edition lipsticks in the MAC x Bao Bao Wan collection, and it is the only lipstick in the lustre finish. I used to really enjoy the lustre finish by MAC - you can see my review of "Hug Me" here, the first lustre I ever reviewed. A lot has changed since then, though, as I discovered the amplified finish and MAC made their matte finish more comfortable on the lips. The lustre finish - and the cremesheen finish, while we're on the subject - have taken a backseat since then.

Don't misunderstand me, though. Lustres still have their place, and that place becomes evident with colors like "Romantic Breakdown."

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Lavender Jade" (LE) [MAC x Bao Bao Wan 2015] + A Comparison

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Next, I've decided to review "Lavender Jade."

Purple used to be my favorite color. I guess I'm glad it isn't anymore, because there is just something about limited edition purples from MAC that make them highly coveted - these lavenders especially.

"Lavender Jade" is the reason I classify the Bao Bao Wan release as one of the most chaotic, frustrating releases I've ever experienced from MAC. This particular color was gone in an instant at nearly every retailer. By chance I happened to read that a Nordstrom in California was taking preorders over the phone and I thought I'd try my luck. Somehow it all worked out and I ended up with my tube of "Lavender Jade."

One of the big questions surrounding this color that I also felt compelled to ask was how closely it compared to the only other MAC lavender that I own, "Dodgy Girl" from the Osbourne collection last year. For some "Lavender Jade" seemed more of a true lavender, while for others it was simply "Dodgy Girl" in different packaging. In the end I decided I would purchase the color and figure out for myself what the outcome would be. In the worst case scenario, I would end up with a backup to "Dodgy Girl," which is the only of its color that I own from MAC.

MAC's Bao Bao Wan Sneak Peek

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It feels like forever since I last wrote about a MAC collection. Trust me - they've been coming out and I've still been purchasing things here and there from them - I just haven't been on top of my reviews. To be honest, this Sneak Peek post really feels like a waste of time, because the products I purchased from MAC's Bao Bao Wan collection - the collection's lipsticks - are mostly sold out, both online and at MAC counters.

MAC has this obsession with making limited edition products extremely limited, and I have to say the company's collaboration with jewelry designer Bao Bao Wan was perhaps the most limited collection I've personally experienced to date. First the online release was pushed back, then it magically launched online for retailers that were supposedly not receiving the collection, then people were able to order products before they officially launched at one of said online retailers, then MAC released the collection one day earlier than officially announced on its own site...people were placing phone [pre]orders at counters, counters were sold out before the doors opened, shipments were never received...have I traumatized you yet?

It was insane. The true center of all this chaos was one particular lipstick, "Lavender Jade," which I somehow managed to purchase [over the phone from a store across the country]. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that I don't have the lipstick yet to share with you. I wouldn't even be surprised if it never made it here, LOL.

Anyway, what I do have to share quickly with you today are the collection's other three limited edition lipsticks: "Forbidden Sunrise," "Burmese Kiss," and "Romantic Breakdown." Let's sit back and enjoy those, then, right?

MAC's The Matte Lip Sneak Peek

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Hi everyone! Today's post is going to be a quick look at the products I purchased from MAC's newest collection, The Matte Lip. The collection just launched online this past Thursday and my order was delivered Friday evening. Between the fact that the weather has been moody and the fact that the lipsticks I picked up are, well, matte, I was only able to take pictures for reviews for two of the three that I purchased. If I was able to get all three done, I wouldn't even bother with this but, clearly, that wasn't the case.

The Matte Lip features eight lipsticks - seven limited edition shades and one from the permanent line - as well as permanent additions to MAC's line of Pro Longwear lip pencils and blushes. Not surprisingly, the three products I picked up were three lipsticks, and all three are limited edition shades.

So, for the sake of providing hopefully helpful images while they still are helpful (you know, before stuff sells out), I have for you quick swatches of the three colors I picked up: "Pander Me," "Fashion Revival," and "Styled in Sepia." 

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Lingering Kiss" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

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Hi everyone. I guess you could say I've had quite a rocky start to my new job, based on my last post. Then, this past Saturday, I caught the infamous sinus infection that I've managed to avoid for almost 2 years. I'm on a roll. I feel like my "strongest" week was two weeks ago...which was my very first week, when I was at the start of training.

This post - ugh, this poor post is so overdue. I'm sorry.

Today, finally, I'm reviewing the third and last lipstick of the three I picked up from MAC's A Novel Romance collection, "Lingering Kiss." I don't even know if this color is still available. It may be, but I'm honestly not sure.

Without wasting more time, let's move on to the review.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Good Kisser" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

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Hi everyone. Happy Labor Day for those of you in the states, whether you're off or not (and if you are, then I hope you're enjoying your free day). I feel weird writing this review because if you read my last review from MAC's A Novel Romance collection, then you know I said I was passing on "Good Kisser" since I own "Red Balloon," a supposed dupe for it. I was also waiting for "Lingering Kiss" to arrive in the mail, which it has.

Well, I brought my tube of "Red Balloon" to a MAC counter where I knew "Good Kisser" was still in stock just over a week ago. I won't say how they compare - you'll see for yourself near the end of this review - but I did decide to pick up "Good Kisser," and I'm ready to review it for you today.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Yield To Love" (LE) [A Novel Romance 2014] + Comparison

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Hi! Recapping on what I said in my last post, today (well, over five hours ago it became yesterday for Japan, but whatever) was the release of Sakamoto Maaya's newest single, and tomorrow is the store launch date for MAC's new collection, A Novel Romance. Last Thursday, the collection launched on MAC's website, and that's when I placed my order for the lipstick I'm reviewing in today's post, "Yield to Love." I'm actually getting one more lipstick from this collection at some point, but I'll talk about that near this post's end.

A Novel Romance features a slew of beauty products, but with regards to lipsticks specifically, a total of six limited edition lipsticks were released with it: "A Novel Romance," "Myself," "Good Kisser," "Hearts Aflame," "Lingering Kiss," and "Yield to Love" (the collection's only MAC-online exclusive). I picked up "Yield to Love" for two reasons: its cremesheen finish and its color which, on some bloggers, appeared to be a brighter, raspberry pink. 

On me, the color is actually not bright nor is it a raspberry pink. In fact, I think "Yield to Love" looks closer to the swatch on MAC's website - which most said was completely inaccurate - when I wear it than it does to swatches done by bloggers. That's an interesting statement to make, considering the fact that the swatch on the MAC website is actually pretty scary (and, in that sense, inaccurate still). 

So, with that being said, I hope that of all things in this post, my pictures are most helpful. 

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Dodgy Girl" (LE) [Sharon and Kelly Osbourne 2014]

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Hi! Tonight is turning out to be exceptionally creepy, and this week is the week that MAC's Sharon and Kelly Osbourne 2014 collection will be launching on more online sites, as well as in stores, so what better time than now to review one of the collection's limited edition lipsticks, "Dodgy Girl"!

I don't actually care about Sharon or Kelly Osbourne, or anything Osbourne-related for that matter. And as for the standard MAC lipstick, I'm indifferent towards the matte formula. Then there's the fact that many of the collection's lip products were either sheer and boring, or light and borderline paste-y. The Patentpolishes were more than I was willing to spend, and I wanted to pick up a lipstick, but I didn't know which one.

Okay, okay - let's step back a moment. MAC's Sharon and Kelly Osbourne 2014 collection is split into two halves: Sharon's collaborated products, and Kelly's collaborated products. Both had pretty face and eye products of which I skipped everything. As for lip products, Sharon had four limited edition colors in the newer Patentpolish formula while Kelly had four limited edition colors in the standard lipstick formula - three mattes and one satin. The satin, and the most wearable color of the bunch, was "Kelly Yum Yum," which I had no interest in because I not only own "Candy Yum Yum" but I own its much more comfortable, glossy counterpart, "Happy-Go-Lucky."

So what I did was settle on the most unique color of the bunch - a matte named "Dodgy Girl" - knowing very well it could possibly clash with my skin tone and/or take added effort to apply. Thank goodness neither happened! =D

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "True Love's Kiss" (LE) [Maleficent 2014]

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Hello! I actually started another post on Wednesday that should've gone up by now, but I never got to finishing it and then this past Friday happened. I ended up with "True Love's Kiss," the limited edition lipstick from MAC's Maleficent 2014 collection.

When I saw what this collection would consist of - and the fact that its only lipstick, "True Love's Kiss," would be a shade of red - I completely ignored it. It released the first week of May, I think - I can't even remember right now. The point is, it's been out for a while, and you can probably still find it in stores because...well...those that don't have reds don't wear them, and those that do have reds likely have a shade of red close enough to "True Love's Kiss" already.

I own four red lipsticks, two of which are samples and two of which I purchased on my own (both of those are from Revlon - one of which was one of my first reviews here). Then I have the orange-reds, pink-reds, and purple-reds, that are much easier reds to wear because they're mixed with those other colors. But red-red, I have no problem turning away from. That is why I totally ignored this collection all of May.

But this past Friday, my mom and I went to see the new movie, Maleficent, that this collection was inspired by, and the movie was awesome in my opinion. In fact, I would watch it again right now if I could. Then there was the fact that Angelina Jolie's red lipstick was gorgeous in the movie. I thought it would be pretty neat to own a lipstick that not only was in the shade of the movie's main character's lipstick, but was from a collection inspired by the movie as well. So yesterday my mom and I went to a Macy's that still had "True Love's Kiss" in stock and each got our own.

I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible, since we're in June already.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Goddess of the Sea" (LE) [Alluring Aquatic 2014] + Comparisons

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Review #2! The second lipstick I picked up from MAC's summer 2014 collection, Alluring Aquatic, is "Goddess of the Sea," a limited edition cremesheen. I was most excited for this lipstick, because I know and love the cremesheen formula and don't own many purple lipsticks.

I have to say, taking pictures for this review was a pain today, because the damn sun kept dipping in and out of the clouds. For a while I thought all the pictures I took would be of awful quality due to the darkness in my room. Hopefully you won't find them too disappointing, haha.

Moving along.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Pet Me, Please" (Frost) (LE/Repromote) [Alluring Aquatic 2014] + Comparisons

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Hi again! Yesterday, I posted a sneak peak of the products I purchased from MAC's summer 2014 collection, Alluring Aquatic, and I mentioned that I would get the reviews up for the lipsticks as soon as possible. Well, today is the day! I'll be starting with the lipstick that I tried out first, "Pet Me, Please."

"Pet Me, Please" was released once before with MAC's 2010 Fabulous Felines collection. I was not even using makeup at the time, so I can't comment on that collection or the performance of the original "Pet Me, Please." I simply want to point out that this color is not brand new, though it is limited edition once again.

"Pet Me, Please" is the second lipstick I purchased from MAC in the frost finish, and I was reluctant to purchase it originally because of that. I haven't reviewed my first frost-finish lipstick but, in a nutshell, it can feel quite drying on my lips, which sucks since I'm not a fan of layering lipsticks. I was afraid "Pet Me, Please" would follow suit.

Thankfully I was in for a pleasant surprise!

MAC's Alluring Aquatic Sneak Peek

Hello! MAC released their summer 2014 collection - Alluring Aquatic - online this past Thursday, and I managed to get the three products I wanted with overnight shipping. So I got my order in the mail yesterday and wanted to post pictures of everything as soon as possible, since much of the collection sold out on the MAC website within an hour or so of going live (typical).

Unlike my previous 'sneak peak' post, which was done for Playland, this one won't discuss comparisons or first impressions. I won't be doing a master post for this collection, either, since I only got three products, of which two are very different lipsticks. There will only be this post with swatches, and then the detailed reviews for each product which will follow shortly after.

My final shopping list included the following: "Pet Me, Please" and "Goddess of the Sea" lipsticks, and "Aphrodite's Shell" Extra Dimension bronzing powder.

Lips: Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in "Jungle Peach" (LE) [Vintage Collection 2014]

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Hi! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we might actually have a spring here in NYC this year, and thank goodness for THAT, as this winter was brutal. Still...it seems whenever we have nice weather, the wind is total shit. It just blows nonstop, and it has a tendency to be icy. Ugh.

Anyway, yay for a review that isn't on a MAC  product!

This post seems almost fitting. Today I'm going to review another Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick - and I italicize 'another' because a long time ago (roughly a year and a half!), I published my first lipstick post ever on this blog, which reviewed a Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick. You can find that review here. Going with the theme of time, Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks are one of the most timeless drugstore lipsticks around. And, on top of that, the color I'll be reviewing today is a perfect example: it's a color that's being re-promoted in a limited edition collection dedicated to vintage shades that customers voted for. Sounds kind of like the MAC collection mentioned in my previous review, no?

The color is "Jungle Peach," originally released in 1963! To be honest, "Jungle Peach" wasn't my preferred color choice. I originally wanted "Snow Peach," but every display I found was sold out of it. That's because Revlon is doing the usual "2 per display" fail-tactic that a lot of drugstores have been implementing lately with their limited edition collections. One can never understand.

In any case, I did manage to find and purchase "Snow Peach" later on, and I'll be reviewing that as soon as possible. But for now, let me just say that "Jungle Peach" pleasantly surprised me. 

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Hoop" (Satin) (LE) [By Request 2014] + Comparisons

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Hi! This past Tuesday, MAC released their spring 2014 By Request collection. "By Request" collections are essentially collections made up of previously released products that are voted to come back for a limited time due to popular demand. MAC offers a choice of products to vote between, and then the products with the top votes become part of the collection. This time around, the products were all colors released in the '90s (yay!), and the collection is exclusive to MAC's website. No in-store try-it-before-you-buy-it here.

I didn't know anything about this collection, nor did I vote for any of the colors (or hear about them, really). Honestly, I didn't learn anything until just over a week ago. As usual, I was mainly drawn towards the lipsticks, and of the three that were voted highest, the only one that caught my attention was "Hoop," which was apparently first released during a 1991 collection (my birth year). This might be lame, but I do find that pretty cool.

Anyway, I got my package in the mail yesterday and have worn the lipstick since, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on a limited edition item early for once. I also decided to include a comparison to two other lipsticks that I already have, for those interested in other choices with similar colors.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Flat Out Fabulous" (Retro Matte)

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Hi! If you read my previous MAC lipstick review here, you'd be wondering why I even own the lipstick featured in this post. Retro matte, a new formula/finish by MAC, is described as the driest formula they have to offer, as well as the most matte. And I'm usually here reviewing glossy, creamy, and (more often than not) moisturizing lip products.

I honestly had no interest when the Retro Matte collection - an addition to MAC's permanent line of lipsticks - was released. But after seeing swatches of one of the collection's colors, "Flat Out Fabulous," I fell in love and decided to take the risk of knowingly buying a lipstick in a notably dry formula.