MAC Styleseeker - Powder Blush in Hidden Treasure

I wanted to try a Red blush as I don't have any in my collection. I thought Fall would be a good time to try one out so I was looking for a Red blush when came across this at a MAC counter. 

Hidden Treasure is a part of the Styleseeker collection. 

Described as a "rich burnt red". The colour may look a bit intimidating and scary in the pan but can be sheered and blended out with a good blush brush. I use my NARS Yachiyo to apply it, because it makes my life easier when I do.

I would agree that the colour is rich and kind of a red brick colour with a little bit of golden sheen.

Satin/velvet finish. The texture is a bit on the dry side.

The blush does not have shimmer nor sheen when applied but still gives a little dimension on the skin and does not look flat as can be seen from the swatches below.

Left heavily swatched. Right partially blended. The blush can still be sheered out. I opted to apply it heavily to show the colour of the blush.

The blush will work on warmer skin tones. I have tried it on my friend who has darker skin tone and it looked stunning on her. On lighter skin tones, it may look harsh and a bit scary when applied heavily, a light hand and a good brush blush is needed.

The colour payoff is great. However, the dry texture of the blush can make the application a bit tricky.

This blush does not last as long as I would want it to, but it does a decent job.

Figs and ROUGE 100% Organic Balm in Sweet Geranium

Such a pretty tin can! :3 Makes me think of days that have gone by... And by that statement I mean days before I was even born. Hahaha! :) The tin can is just so pretty and feminine. 

100% Organic! Definitely gets tons of plus points.

This is a multi tasking product that can be applied to the skin, nails and lips. For more tips, please refer to their site. As for me:

• I tried this out as a lip balm, but decided that it was not a really good idea. 
• I use it on my hands sometimes.
• I use it on dry patches of my skin and it does get the job done.

Consistency - Balmy. Heavy, thick, and rich. Upon application, it instantly re-hydrates the skin.

Fragrance/scent - Rather strong and lingers on for a few minutes. If you like the scent that you will be getting as they have other scents, then you will appreciate that the product's scent does tend to stay for a while. I am guessing that the scent is reminiscent of Sweet Geranium, although I cannot attest to such as I don't think I have smelled a Sweet Geranium before, or I may have but it does not seem to register on my mind.. The scent does not bother me, but I'm not crazy about it either.  I prefer sweet, fruity or dessert smelling scents over florally ones when it comes to these type of products.

Price - Affordable. 

It is now available at http://digitaltraincase.multiply.com. Don't you just love it when you can purchase products you wanted to try but couldn't get your hands on before? :)

White inside the tin but goes on translucent.

This is an okay product for me. It works, but it does not have any long term benefits or whatsoever. I would opt for other products, but that's just me being me. For the price, it's still worth what you are getting. I also have the famous Lucas Papaw Ointment and between this and that, I prefer this product as Lucas Papaw tends to dry out my skin and leave it patchy. 

This balm from Penelope as a prize when I won a giveaway she held months ago on her blog. :)

Shu Uemura Chocolat Donna Autumn Winter 2012 (Mint and Vanilla)

I know that this review is late as Shu Uemura has come up with another collection. Still, I want to rave about this palette. If you can still get your hands on any of the palettes from the Chocolat Donna collection, I highly recommend you give them a try as they don't disappoint. Shu Uemura eyeshadows have been a staple on makeup artist's kits for a good reason.

The other two palettes are: Orange & Pistachio and Raspberry & Mocha. 

There was actually a time in my life when all my makeup and face products were exclusively from Shu Uemura. Somehow, I just fell out of love and drifted away from the brand for a while... Except for my eyelash curler which I have had for five years until I got the LE gold one. Last October I decided to go to a Shu Uemura stall and check out their products. Luck smiled upon me as they were celebrating their anniversary and had awesome packages so I purchased one that included this eyeshadow palette. :)

Reminds you of a high end chocolate bar, doesn't it? 

Who needs more eyeshadows? I certainly don't seem to be in need of any as I hardly wear eyeshadows.   I have been quite content with the current collection of eyeshadows I have in my stash. (Comprised of about 85% of neutral eyeshadows.)

Well, hello there chocolate bar looking palette. You certainly make me happy and giddy inside as chocolate usually does.

After about an hour of deliberation, I ended up picking the mint & vanilla palette because I like "mint" (I am referring to mint we actually consume and not the colour here), and thought that this was the most versatile among all the palettes. Plus, I am under the belief that this palette compliments my skin tone.

mint and vanilla palette

choco-inspired six eyeshadows are assorted in the limited-edition refillable custom case quad, which design is inspired by a box of luxurious chocolates.

The palette contains six colours. It is sleek, sturdy and has a mirror, but does not include any applicators (which I really don't mind since I end up tossing most of those things away anyway, except from the ones for Lunasol). 

 While the thought of it being refillable is a plus, I highly doubt I'll ever see pan on any of these 6 colours.

shades and finishes found in the mint and vanilla:
sparkling gold - shimmery gold contains glitters
sparkling mint green - shimmery mint green contains  glitters

matte light mint green - matte. very light chartreuse/mint green. 

pearl dark beige - neutral satin bronze-brown. could be matte once the overspray is gone. great for everyday eye-looks.
matte light earth brown - satin reddish medium brown.
creamy dark brown - very dark brown. great for smokey eyes, eyelining, contouring and adding depth to the eyes.

Swatches on bare skin without a primer.

The colour pay-off is amazing, except for the first 2 colours as they are shimmery and contain glitters. Now, I don't mean that in a negative way. The first two colours are great for the inner corners of the eye and under the eyes to make the eyes seem brighter and more awake. Any of the two can also be layered with the remaining 4 colours on the palette for more dimension or an extra oomph! Among the 6 the first two have the most fall out which I attribute to their formulation as they are shimmery after all. The other colours hardly have fall outs during application and just glide on skin. Buttery and creamy, easy to blend and goes on smoothly. 

The 3rd colour is matte and is great as an all over lid base and can also be used as a highlight, should you prefer a more subtle alternative to the first 2 colours.

The remaining 3 colours are neutral browns with different undertones. Great for everyday looks to smokey eyes depending on how one would utilize the colours. The gold overspray disappears once used, so I opted to use the palette on the bottom and not touch the upper part so that I would always have that pretty golden overspray on my palette. 

close up. 

The only downside to the palette is the hefty price tag, which in my opinion is worth it, if you need a great palette that you can use again and again and again for different looks on different occasions. 

No eye look follows, as the blogger is being lazy. Really, I kid you not. :P

Okay... I will make one if you want one but will skip it otherwise unless someone wants to actually see one.