Tea at the Drake was so much fun! But the beauty parts of the trip were a little iffy...then sorted themselves out in the end. To begin with, my friend and I stopped by Sephora to pick up the fragrance for my other friend who was the one celebrating her birthday. Unfortunately, after browsing for a little bit we realized that we had five minutes to walk halfway down Michigan Avenue (which, for those that do not know Chicago, is an impossible feat in heels). Thankfully, we were on time, but the beauty lover in me felt unsatisfied. So, after an amazing time at tea with my friends, I headed down to Macy's with another friend and we counter hopped, visiting different booths and getting our makeup done. Because I got home late, I didn't have time to take pictures of anything, and I didn't buy anything...but I did snag a free gift from Lancome (my friend bought some stuff, so the sales lady gave us two!), so I'll swatch that and maybe do a look tomorrow. But here are just some things I noticed, beauty wise...
MAC Pro Longwear Lustre Twins need to come in more natural colours! I know plenty of people, like myself, that are looking for an everyday lipcolour that's as long-wearing as the prolongwears. Unfortunately, all of the ones I've tried have been far too bright. Today, I tried Ripe and Ready/Soft and Lush, and wow, it's bright. I put on just the stain at first, and my lips were far too orange, so I tried it with the gloss...to no avail. I've seen the colour look lovely on other people, so I'm definitely not slamming MAC for this product at all, I'm just warning anyone who's planning on using these as an everyday, muted colour to not set their hopes too high, otherwise you might end up with orange lips, like me! I ended up having to blot out what I could, and then cover it with a nude lipstick. Maybe next time I'll try Custom Rose/Pink Virtue.
I love MAC Tendertone in Hot 'n' Saucy (bright red). I've always said that my favourite products are tinted lip balms, and this one is definitely no exception. It looks incredibly bright in the pot, but especially on my tanned skin, it comes out to be pretty natural-looking; it was pretty much a "MLBB" (my lips but better) product. I didn't buy it mainly because it doesn't last very long, the little pot is pretty tiny, and it's $14.00. For that price, I can just dab my lips with a lipstick and brush on some Minted Rose balm, thank you very much! This is definitely something not for recessionistas like myself...even though I kind of still want it and I'm kind of still kicking myself for not trying Hush, Hush (shimmery gold) out.
For all of you paler girls out there...give Lancome's elephant bronzer a try. I'm really not much of a bronzer person at all, because my own skin is fairly tan and I'm usually striving to make it paler (don't worry, I don't own any sort of Asian bleaching products). However, a friend of mine was having her makeup done at Lancome and she had the bronzing powder put on her. She is also pretty wary of bronzers, just because she's relatively pale and they often are too dark. But this one gave a nice, light glow...and the design of the compact was adorable. For me, $36.50 is way too much for a bronzer, but if you're planning on using it for a long period of time it could definitely be worth it.
And finally...I am officially in love with Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Graphite Shimmer Ink. I don't care if the container is miniscule...the colour is so unbelievably gorgeous. However, I try my best not to make impulse beauty buys so I'm going to wait this one out a week or so to see whether I truly love the product.
