November Favorites: Part 1

November is gone (what happened to 2011? It vanished in thin air!) and here are my favorites.

Sigma F84 Angled Top Kabuki Brush: It's been a while since I got this excited over a brush, but I just love this one:

• Excellent quality: exremely soft but at the same time firm and dense, no shedding, sturdy construction.
• It applies my foundation (Mac Face & Body) flawlessly and quickly. I just stipple it on my face and because of the size and the density of the brush the result is lovely in no time!
• The shape makes it also perfect for small nooks, for example arround my nose etc.
• It applies my foundation a little heavier than my Mac 187, but, F&B is quite sheer, so I actually prefer it this way. 
• Sooo affordable (at least compared to a Mac face brush)! 
• The only disadvantage is that it requires two times washing to get clean and it takes almost 2 days to dry.

I love it so much that I've already ordered the Round Top Synthetic Kabuki - F82 and the Precision Tapered - P86 (using the Black Friday free shipping, it took me quite a while to manage to make that order, the site was up, then down, then up, then down, LOL!), as soon as I receive them I'll let you know what I think of them!

Mac Prep+Prime highlighter in Radiant Rose (€22, I got it €15,40, at 30% off, with the Glamour card).

I got frustrated with the Erase Paste by Benefit because of its texture, I felt that it added ages to my eyes because it is quite thick and dense, although soft and creamy. I tried it on top of a silicone primer and it was better this way, more manageable, but too much work for everyday application. So when I visited my local Mac, I decided to try this, although my prior experience with a similar (?) product a few years ago (YSL's Touche Eclat) wasn't very satisfactory (maybe I didn't know how to use it back then?). 

So I just got this one out of pure curiosity, without expecting too much. Imagine my surprise when this little thing actually worked! Of course I have to clarify that I don't have really dark circles, but my under eye area is darker than the rest of my face, and after using this product I realized that I didn't need cover that much as I needed a highlighter.

I love it because:

• it does light up the under eye area
• it has a pinkish shade so the result is very natural (I don't really like white stripes under my eyes, LOL!) 
• it can also be used on the bridge of the nose or anywhere else I want to highlight in a discreet way (without using a shimmering product etc)
• a little goes a long way
• it lasts all day without a setting powder.
• The only con is that it is a bit on the dry side, but nothing that I can't handle (with a little more moisturizer underneath it).

Wet 'n Wild Idol Eyes shadow pencil in Pixie: it's a smooth champagne eyeshadow, no great lasting power though, so I mainly use it under a powder eyeshadow, especially when I want to make the eyeshadow color less vibrant, more muted. If I want to use it alone, I just add a tiny bit of translucent setting powder on top.

Korres #5 Olive Green eyeliner pencil: I got it mainly because I love the color and thought I could use it as an eyeshadow, but it is a little hard to apply it since it's not very soft. What I do is that I rub it on my hand, so as to warm it a little bit. I also wear it on top of the Wet 'n Wild Pixie pencil, because it is easier to apply it this way and it also turns into a gorgeous grey-silverish-frost light green color!

Swatches: Wet 'n Wild Pixie, Korres #5 Olive Green, Olive Green on top of Pixie.

Mac Smolder Eye Khol: I love this pencil for the upper waterline because it is dark and buttery soft. I wouldn's use it anywhere else though because it smudges a bit (I prefer gel eyeliners, Mac's Avenue is my favorite).

Mac Sheertone Blush in Breath Of Plum: I got this blush a while back because I didn't have anything in the plum family, but I didn't use it that much, until November, when it became my (almost) everyday blush. I use my Mac 187 with it because it gives my cheeks the subtle, a little muted and sophisticated result I'm looking for when I'm going a little heavier on the eyes, especially with smokey looks.

Mac matte lipstick in Ruby Woo and Love Alert Dazzleglass: Ruby Woo is my first (and only one so far) red lipstick and I chose this shade because it has a retro appeal, especially if used light handed over a lip balm, it's sooo pretty that I don't need anything else (apart from mascara, defined brows and a smidgen of blush, to be accurate, LOL!). If I want to spice it up, I use a tiny bit of the Love Alert dazzleglass on top. There is one major default though, it is verrrry dry, but I never wear full red lips, I always layer this on top of a bit of lip balm, so I don't mind. Although, if used without the lip balm, it would probably stay on my lips ALL day long!

Swatches: Ruby Woo (blended out on the right), Love Alert, Love Alert on top of a little of Ruby Woo.

I have a few more favorites but since I don't want this post to go on for ever, a part 2 will follow!

FOTD and Mac Semi-Precious MSF Rose Quartz

Since I had already painted my nails in Ocean Dip from the Mac Surf collection (I love this color!) I thought to continue the color scheme on my eyes, so:

I used Aquadisiac on the lid, Smut for the outer corner and for the crease and I blended it with Honestly (now that I see it again, not so succesfully!). BTW, Honestly looks lovely in the pan but it's not that pigmented, it's quite sheer.

Tip for beginners in Mac eyeshadows: don't swatch just on the tips of your fingers but apply the color on the back of your hand or even better on the inside of your arm, this is the only way to actually see the pigmentation of a color.

Then I used Smolder eye khol for the upper waterline (I wear contacts and it's the only eye pencil from Mac that is opthalmologically tested and it really doesn't irritate my eyes). Now, that smudges a bit, BUT, I apply one even stroke on the upper waterline and after a few minutes it transfers a little but lightly and evenly on my lower waterline and actually I love this! I never wear dark colors on the lower waterline because the look seems very harsh to me, but this way, the result is fine and subltle.

Last item I used is the One by One Maybelline mascara, I love the way it defines my lashes (actually I love Maybelline mascaras in general).

I 've read a lot about the Semi-Precious Mineralize Skinfinishes, and since I 've never purchased any MSF for that matter, I decided to get one from this collection, actually I think that the MSF and the blushes are the best items in this collection. The one I got is Rose Quartz:

Isn't it delicious?

Well, to be honest with you I was a little intimidated when the Mac assistant did a liberal swatch on my hand, the shimmer almost reached my elbow, BUT, when I got home I used a tiny amount on my brush and applied it, the result was very pretty and very wearable, a nice and delicate pinkish but warmer sheen, I loved it even more!

Now that I saw it again, I really consider buying another color as well, it's almost €30 full price but it will last for ages.

Thanks for visiting!