Sneak Peek: MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass

Hi, everyone! Last week I shared the launch info for MAC's newest Viva Glam release- a second collaboration with Ariana Grande! The collection features both a lipstick and lip gloss and today I'm here to give you all a peek at the latter- Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass**.

In case you don't know what the Viva Glam family is all about, MAC created the range to honor the brave men and women struggling with HIV/AIDS and all who stand by them. 100% of the proceeds of all Viva Glam products are donated to the MAC AIDS Fund, which provides support to both local and domestic AIDS charities. It is a true gem in the beauty world! 

MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass** comes in the brand's typical Lipglass packaging, but with a red Ariana Grande autograph graphic added to the tube. 

MAC describes this gloss as a "neutral nude pink". In the tube, it looks like a light-to-mid-tone mauve pink with noticeable shimmer. 

The glitz in this shade is definitely noticeable, with both golden and silver microglitter throughout. Definitely unique!

The Lipglass has a typical doe-foot applicator that is fairly short and rounded in shape. I don't mind the small-ish size. It makes for a precise application! 

And here is a swatch of MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 Lipglass** on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone):

As you can see, the glitter/shimmer is quite noticeable, but does not look (or feel; take my word for it) sharp or chunky. It almost looks holographic! And the base shade itself is just how I like nude lip colours to be- not too pale and neither too warm or cool. It's really a beautiful balanced neutral mauve pink! 

I'm absolutely smitten with this gloss- despite the nude hue and the glitter, it is incredibly wearable and looks ultra flattering on the lips! Not only is it stunning and sexy, but it supports an amazing cause! 

The MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande 2 collection is available online September 1st and in-stores September 8th.

Stay tuned for a review of the full collection (including a stunner of a lipstick) soon!

Have you tried any Viva Glam lip products? Favourites? What's your go-to nude gloss at the moment?

Thank so much for stopping by! xo

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**This product was sent to me as a PR sample for consideration and review. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% authentic and my own! 

My Picks from the MAC Star Trek Collection

Hi, everyone! MAC has been a makeup obsession of mine for nearly as long as I can remember. Ever since high school 15 years ago, my love of the brand has been nestled into my identity. I can't say the same for Star Trek. Until about a year ago, I was firmly biased against the franchise and was stubborn in the face of my boyfriend's pleas. I was raised on Star Wars and was convinced that Star Treks was cold, boring, and terribly nerdy. In a moment of weakness last year, I agreed to start watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my boyfriend and reluctantly, yet steadily, my tune began to change. I quickly fell in love with the quirky, flawed, strong characters, and even more so the show's powerful messages of equality, peace, and hope. Fast forward to today, and we've completely finished TNG and are now making our way through the original Star Trek series. The remnants of my bias prevent me from fully identifying myself as a Trekkie, but I certainly am a convert! 

Given my new found soft spot for Starfleet, my inner geek was fully enthralled when I learned that MAC was releasing a Star Trek collection to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise. I drooled over teasers released from Comic-Con earlier in the summer and when the collection went on sale online this past Thursday (August 25th), I immediately placed an order! The shipping was ultra quick and I was thrilled when my goodies were here the next day! 

Guinan and Captain Picard approve!!

The MAC Star Trek collection comes in the brand's typical black cardboard packaging, but features a silver Starfleet logo with a '50' in the centre to commemorate the anniversary. Even the inside of the boxes are lined with metallic silver and logos! Limited edition packaging like this certainly doesn't help with my hoarding problem- I want to save them all! :)

Narrowing my picks from the collection was not easy, but I was eventually able to whittle things down to five products. I knew for certain that I wanted to snag at least one of the Trip the Light Fantastic Powders, because they're so incredibly beautiful, as well as Pressed Pigment in Bird of Prey, due to Chelle's review, here. I also fell for two lipsticks to round off the bunch! 

Not only does the outer packaging have Star Trek-themed touches, the compacts and lipstick tubes themselves are also adorned with Starfleet logos. 

All of the products I chose were so beautiful fresh and new that I almost (almost) didn't want to delve in! Luckily, I snagged some photos for you before I started to play! 

Frost Lipstick in Kling it On ($22.50 CAD)

This is such a unique, quirky, vampy shade! It is a blackened purple-grey with multi-colour shimmer of pink, blue, gold, and silver. 

Lustre Lipstick in Where No Man Has Gone Before (22.50 CAD)

This is a warm light-to-mid-tone pink with a prominent gold pearl effect throughout. Despite the near-frosty finish, this is so, so wearable and makes lips look so full and glowy! 

Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Luna Lustre ($39.50 CAD)

In the pan, this beauty is a mix of plum, peach, and ivory. On the skin, it translates into the most beautiful soft pink highlighter! It really creates an ethereal effect. 

Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Highly Illogical ($39.50 CAD)

In the pan, this mesmerizing powder is a mix of plum, yellow, and warm beige. Blended together, it creates a golden bronze hue on the skin. The plummy tones are quite subtle- I wish they came through a bit stronger- but this is still a beautiful shade for summer! 

Pressed Pigment in Bird of Prey ($27.50 CAD)

This beauty is a concentrated, shimmery formula in a unique hue of metallic deep olive green with silver and golden pearl throughout. It is super flattering with my brown eyes and can be applied lightly as a softer wash or packed on heavily for a seriously bold green smokey eye! 

Here are swatches of all five products on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone):

I am so, so happy with all of my picks from this collection! They are fun, unique, and a perfect mix of bold and wearable. You certainly don't have to be a Trekkie to fall for this launch (though if you are, the shade names and packaging will really get your geeky senses tingling)- anyone with a love of shimmery, ethereal finishes will be sure to find products that are up their alley. 

For me, this collection really does have it all- the quirky shades that have made me always love MAC and the Star Trek references that excite this burgeoning (dare I say) Trekkie. If you're thinking about pulling the trigger on this collection, my response is "Make it so!!"

The MAC Star Trek collection is now available online and will be available in-store on Thursday, September 1st! 

Look out for some Looks of the Day featuring these products on the blog soon!

Have I tempted you with this collection? Are you a Trekkie or a sci-fi fan? Has your mind ever been changed about something you'd been totally against?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

                                            Bloglovin'|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram


-Note: I have recently began a PR relationship with MAC (yay!) but all of the products featured in this post were purchased by me! Was beyond willing to dish out my own cash for this collection :)

My Picks from the MAC Star Trek Collection

Hi, everyone! MAC has been a makeup obsession of mine for nearly as long as I can remember. Ever since high school 15 years ago, my love of the brand has been nestled into my identity. I can't say the same for Star Trek. Until about a year ago, I was firmly biased against the franchise and was stubborn in the face of my boyfriend's pleas. I was raised on Star Wars and was convinced that Star Treks was cold, boring, and terribly nerdy. In a moment of weakness last year, I agreed to start watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my boyfriend and reluctantly, yet steadily, my tune began to change. I quickly fell in love with the quirky, flawed, strong characters, and even more so the show's powerful messages of equality, peace, and hope. Fast forward to today, and we've completely finished TNG and are now making our way through the original Star Trek series. The remnants of my bias prevent me from fully identifying myself as a Trekkie, but I certainly am a convert! 

Given my new found soft spot for Starfleet, my inner geek was fully enthralled when I learned that MAC was releasing a Star Trek collection to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise. I drooled over teasers released from Comic-Con earlier in the summer and when the collection went on sale online this past Thursday (August 25th), I immediately placed an order! The shipping was ultra quick and I was thrilled when my goodies were here the next day! 

Guinan and Captain Picard approve!!

The MAC Star Trek collection comes in the brand's typical black cardboard packaging, but features a silver Starfleet logo with a '50' in the centre to commemorate the anniversary. Even the inside of the boxes are lined with metallic silver and logos! Limited edition packaging like this certainly doesn't help with my hoarding problem- I want to save them all! :)

Narrowing my picks from the collection was not easy, but I was eventually able to whittle things down to five products. I knew for certain that I wanted to snag at least one of the Trip the Light Fantastic Powders, because they're so incredibly beautiful, as well as Pressed Pigment in Bird of Prey, due to Chelle's review, here. I also fell for two lipsticks to round off the bunch! 

Not only does the outer packaging have Star Trek-themed touches, the compacts and lipstick tubes themselves are also adorned with Starfleet logos. 

All of the products I chose were so beautiful fresh and new that I almost (almost) didn't want to delve in! Luckily, I snagged some photos for you before I started to play! 

Frost Lipstick in Kling it On ($22.50 CAD)

This is such a unique, quirky, vampy shade! It is a blackened purple-grey with multi-colour shimmer of pink, blue, gold, and silver. 

Lustre Lipstick in Where No Man Has Gone Before (22.50 CAD)

This is a warm light-to-mid-tone pink with a prominent gold pearl effect throughout. Despite the near-frosty finish, this is so, so wearable and makes lips look so full and glowy! 

Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Luna Lustre ($39.50 CAD)

In the pan, this beauty is a mix of plum, peach, and ivory. On the skin, it translates into the most beautiful soft pink highlighter! It really creates an ethereal effect. 

Trip the Light Fantastic Powder in Highly Illogical ($39.50 CAD)

In the pan, this mesmerizing powder is a mix of plum, yellow, and warm beige. Blended together, it creates a golden bronze hue on the skin. The plummy tones are quite subtle- I wish they came through a bit stronger- but this is still a beautiful shade for summer! 

Pressed Pigment in Bird of Prey ($27.50 CAD)

This beauty is a concentrated, shimmery formula in a unique hue of metallic deep olive green with silver and golden pearl throughout. It is super flattering with my brown eyes and can be applied lightly as a softer wash or packed on heavily for a seriously bold green smokey eye! 

Here are swatches of all five products on my inner arm (MAC NC15 skin tone):

I am so, so happy with all of my picks from this collection! They are fun, unique, and a perfect mix of bold and wearable. You certainly don't have to be a Trekkie to fall for this launch (though if you are, the shade names and packaging will really get your geeky senses tingling)- anyone with a love of shimmery, ethereal finishes will be sure to find products that are up their alley. 

For me, this collection really does have it all- the quirky shades that have made me always love MAC and the Star Trek references that excite this burgeoning (dare I say) Trekkie. If you're thinking about pulling the trigger on this collection, my response is "Make it so!!"

The MAC Star Trek collection is now available online and will be available in-store on Thursday, September 1st! 

Look out for some Looks of the Day featuring these products on the blog soon!

Have I tempted you with this collection? Are you a Trekkie or a sci-fi fan? Has your mind ever been changed about something you'd been totally against?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

                                            Bloglovin'|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram


-Note: I have recently began a PR relationship with MAC (yay!) but all of the products featured in this post were purchased by me! Was beyond willing to dish out my own cash for this collection :)

Essence Forbidden Garden Fall 2016 Launch Party!

Hi, everyone! It can sometimes take a bit more for a drugstore brand to catch my attention, but Essence has done just that. Not only is the pricing hard to beat (with almost the entire range under $10), but the packaging is fun, colourful, and unique and the formulas that I've tested so far have been way impressive. I already have some favourites from the brand (the Forbidden Volume Mascara, for example, which I talked about here) and I was thrilled to be invited to the brand's Fall 2016 launch party to discover even more new products that Essence has to offer! 

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a banner revealing the theme of the event: "Forbidden Garden". It was surrounded by lush greenery and the walkway leading to the entrance was littered with roses. The lush, floral theme truly fit with the venue, Crown Flora Studio, which is a retailer of one of a kind artisan terrariums and other floral arrangements. A beautiful setting, indeed! 

Walking into the venue, I was struck by the amount of greenery surrounding us and was tickled by the adorable, strategic placement of products throughout the space. Plants sprouting mascara? Yes, please! Succulents mingling with highlighter? Absolutely! 

There were also several stations throughout the venue that allowed you to directly interact with the products, including an extensive range of brand-new goodies, which gave it a fun, hands-on feel. The new products include three mascaras (three versions of my beloved Forbidden Volume, yay!) and full ranges of velvet-finish eye shadows, lip oils, and BB Creams for the lips, among others. More on my tops picks from the launch in an upcoming post! 

The event also offered fruity cocktails and one of the most elaborate dessert tables I have ever seen! The cake pops were seriously incredible. 

Additionally, there were makeup chairs set up where touch-ups were offered (I mean, look at that colourful spread below) and two manicure stations were set up where anyone could get their tips painted while sipping on a drink. 

Perhaps the most fun element (aside from the makeup and sweets, of course), is that there was a video station where you could pose with giant Essence makeup props and act a fool, after which you were given a flip book (how cool!) and this little gif as a souvenir. Here I am with Chelle from Makeup Your Mind acting a fool with a mascara tube cutout. 

I of course had to pose like Vanna before leaving, as no event would be complete without that. Afterwards, the gals and I grabbed some food at the Drake, where we filled our tanks and perused the generous goody bags that Essence gave us as we parted. So much makeup newness to play with! 

Thanks so much to Essence for the invite- it was lots of fun! The Fall 2016 lineup really features some true gems- stay tuned for my top picks, coming up soon!

Have you ever tried Essence cosmetics? Any favourites? What are your drugstore favourites at the moment? Fall launches you're most looking forward to?

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! xo

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